The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Having failed to kill Kangxi this time, Galdan prepared to head south to take a look, mainly targeting the navy of Tianjin.

The canal was only about 30 meters wide. Galdan dispatched his cavalry to gather boats, and within two hours, the pontoon bridge was built. He then launched a surprise attack on Tianjin.

The Manchu conquest of China was too short-lived. At that time, Tianjin had not yet been established as a prefecture and was under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture. All prefectures and counties were under the Ming system.

The distance from the North Canal to Tianjin is only a hundred li. Galdan's army, consisting of one man and two horses, traveled lightly. By sunset, Galdan had already reached the city gates.

This was just a demonstration; they were all cavalry and had no siege equipment. The most crucial thing was that the general stationed in Tianjin was Zhao Liangdong, a famous general in the early Qing Dynasty.

This man followed the Green Standard Army in his youth, relentlessly pursuing Li Zicheng and later pacifying Li Dingguo in the southwest.

Galdan guessed that Wang Jinbao would be just as loyal to the Qing Dynasty. He thought he would return empty-handed, but he didn't expect the city gates to be wide open.

Outside the city, three thousand Green Standard Army soldiers stood in neat rows. At the front was an old general, about fifty years old, wearing the armor of a Green Standard Army general, with two young generals in their early twenties beside him.

Seeing that Galdan had stopped his horse two hundred meters away, the old general led two young generals and walked directly to the front of the army. He threw the package in his hand on the ground and knelt down on one knee in salute to Galdan.

"This humble general, Zhao Liangdong, pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty. This is Hamu, the commander of the Bordered White Banner guarding Tianjin Garrison, who has already been beheaded by this humble general!"

Galdan, wearing armor and with his martial arts skills becoming increasingly proficient, was both skilled and daring. He dismounted and stepped forward to help Zhao Liangdong up.

Without saying much, he directly expressed his doubts.

"General Zhao, I knew you were a skilled military commander when I was in the southern desert. You have rarely suffered a defeat since you started leading troops."

"I came to Tianjin this time merely to inspect the defenses, but I never expected General Zhao to see through the true nature of the Manchus and choose to abandon darkness for light. This is truly a blessing for the Han Dynasty!"

Galdan's mutual flattery was so overwhelming that even a veteran like Zhao Liangdong couldn't take it anymore. He simply took out a letter from his pocket and handed it directly to Galdan.

"Your Majesty, a letter arrived at noon today!"

"After reading it, I was also quite moved. I never thought that my ambition to make great achievements in my youth would inadvertently lead me to aid the wicked and help the Qing Dynasty commit such a despicable act."

The letter was written by Zhou Peigong, which listed almost everything the Manchus had done since entering the pass. It then clearly stated that Beijing had fallen and, in the name of Galdan, granted Zhao Liangdong the title of General and the salary of a centurion!

But Galdan believed that none of these were the most crucial factors. Zhao Liangdong had risen from a lowly soldier to a general, and he must have killed many people in the southwest. How could he be soft-hearted and not afraid of any sense of national right and wrong?

As for official positions, that's even more impossible. Although Beijing has been lost, there are still so many Eight Banners and Green Standard Army troops in the Central Plains. If Zhao Liangdong were to raise an army in support of the Manchus, he would definitely be able to be made a king.

If it wasn't a change of heart or because of his official position, then it could only be Zhao Liangdong who, before receiving Zhou Peigong's letter, had already sent spies to investigate the vicinity of Wuqing and knew that Kangxi's anger after jumping into the river was unknown.

It was only because the pyramid structure built by the Aisin Gioro and Eight Banner nobles, which was essentially the Qing Dynasty, was in danger of collapsing, that they chose to submit to the Han.

After all, apart from Zhu Yuanzhang, throughout history, it has always been about conquering from the north to the south, but not everyone has the abilities of Zhu Yuanzhang.

After figuring things out, Galdan felt relieved. As long as they weren't playing on his emotions, demanding troops, power, or money, these were minor issues.

So he immediately switched from a thoughtful expression to a Buddha-like smile and looked at the two young players.

"General Zhao, these two must be your sons. Indeed, they are both outstanding young men!"

The two young men, being sensible, immediately bowed in greeting!

"Zhao Hongcan and Zhao Hongxie greet Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liangdong thought to himself: His two sons have never fought in a war, yet the emperor knows them. It seems that the emperor really values ​​Zhao Liangdong.

"Zhao Hongcan is my eldest son, and Zhao Hongxie is my second son; both are unruly and incompetent, utterly unfit for important tasks!"

Although Zhao Liangdong said this, it was not hard to see from his expression that he was quite proud and clearly satisfied with his two sons.

Galdan was equally pleased, as he had gained two more capable individuals, and they were no less talented than Wang Jinbao.

Zhao Liangdong's two sons, the elder of whom rose to the position of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and ranked among the top ten in suppressing the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories, and the younger of whom was also Governor-General of the Capital Region, were both important officials in Kangxi's old age.

This is a good use of the technique.

It is the mighty jade pillar that supports the heavens of the Han Dynasty!

……

Nighttime, Tianjin Garrison Command.

Galdan sat in the main seat, with Zhao Liangdong and his two sons to his lower left, along with a dozen or so captains. To his lower right were Subutai, Liu Weiqing, and Batel. The commanders of the thousand and hundred households were left behind to guard the army.

One should always be wary of others.

The Qing army's organization was quite complex, mainly resembling the Eight Banners. A captain led about three hundred soldiers, and the superiors were ranked as vice-generals, deputy generals, and generals.

Galdan was very satisfied with everything he saw. At this time, the Green Standard Army had a sound military system and was constantly fighting. Anyone who could become a centurion was a ruthless character who had fought his way up.

As for using connections?

With this connection, wouldn't it be much better to become a bondservant of the Eight Banners than a common soldier in the Green Standard Army?

After a few rounds of drinks, Galdan had a fairly good understanding of Shandong and Hebei, so he looked at Zhao Liangdong.

"General Zhao, I intend to establish the Shandong Governor-General's Office, appointing you as its governor-general to train 30,000 elite troops to guard the southeastern gateway of the Han Dynasty along the Jinan-Jining line!"

General was promoted to Admiral.

He was promoted directly from a military officer to a civil and military minister.

That jump in was worth it!

Zhao Liangdong felt incredibly refreshed, so he got up and went to the center of the hall, where he kowtowed to Galdan.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly do my utmost to train elite troops to guard Shandong for the Han Dynasty, and at the same time prepare for the Han Dynasty's southward advance!"

Having served as a general for so many years, Zhao Liangdong had read many books and knew that military and political ministers had to keep their sons as hostages, so he summoned his two sons.

"I alone am sufficient to guard Shandong. My son is unworthy and wishes to remain by Your Majesty's side to learn!"

Although Galdan didn't mean it that way, he didn't want to dampen the other person's enthusiasm, so he picked up two glasses of wine, stood up, and walked to Zhao Liangdong.

"Please rise, my dear subject!"

"Drink this cup of wine, and you will never forget wealth and honor!"

Galdan was a Mongol, and all he had to offer was a pittance. He didn't have many royal relatives, so he could only follow the example of his ancestor Liu Bang and use the promise of shared wealth to attract talent.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Liangdong took the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Galdan then looked at Zhao Hongcan and Zhao Hongxie.

"Zhao Hongcan, you will serve as a lieutenant general under Subutai; Zhao Hongxie, you will go to serve under Liu Weiqing!"

"These two are my right-hand men!"

After exchanging a glance, the two brothers each got up and went to the table in front of Subutai, pouring themselves a full glass of wine.

In the military, this is equivalent to becoming an apprentice.

If one suffers, all suffer!

This is Galdan's guarantee for Zhao Liangdong!