There is a very quiet courtyard in Handkerchief Alley.
The third house with a west garden looks no different from an ordinary house from the outside. But the decoration inside is very luxurious.
The entrance to this alley is heavily guarded. Some people who looked very unpleasant were milling around.
This is actually a secret door. The madam who runs it was the top one ten years ago, and no one knows the background behind it. But no one ever came looking for trouble.
This place is not open to the public, and all the people who come here are mysterious people who hide their heads and tail.
Li Banghua, Minister of the Ministry of War, who complained of illness at home, came here in a sedan chair dressed in green clothes. He didn't bring many people with him, just two bearers, a maid, and five servants in front and behind.
A swordsman followed from the side. Wearing linen clothes, wearing a Fan Yang bamboo hat, hanging on his waist is an ancient sword with a mottled scabbard.
He came here today to have a secret meeting with Qian Longxi. This place is hidden and is a stronghold for internal communication, gatherings, and planning in Donglin.
The two of them were having a secret conversation in a flower hall in the garden.
"Huang Tai still won't let go? Do you have to deal with the fortune teller before you can negotiate a peace?" Li Banghua asked with a frown.
Qian Longxi nodded and handed several letters to Li Banghua. Li Banghua opened it and looked at it carefully. These are copies of the correspondence between Yuan Chonghuan and Huang Taiji.
The first letter was from the first month of last year.
One hundred thousand taels of gold, one million taels of silver, one million taels of satin, and one million taels of cloth should be given as gifts of reconciliation. After the peace, the two countries reconciled and exchanged envoys. Every year, our country sent you ten pearls, a thousand mink skins, and a thousand catties of ginseng from the east. Your country sent you ten thousand taels of gold, one hundred thousand taels of silver, one hundred thousand satin, and cloth. Three hundred thousand yuan to repay me.
It means: I originally respected you. But you did what we call the seven hateful things, bullying us. So we are angry. If you want to be friendly, you must agree to the following conditions:
First give us one hundred thousand gold, one million silver, one hundred annum of silk and tens of millions of cloth.
Then every year we give the Ming Dynasty ten beads, a thousand mink skins, and a thousand pounds of ginseng. I hope you will give us ten thousand gold, one hundred thousand silver, one hundred thousand silk, and three hundred thousand cloth.
Li Banghua sneered, and the lion opened his mouth. They are indeed barbarians, their greed is written directly on paper. Not even tactful.
However, if a ceasefire can be achieved, it is not unacceptable to pay this price in one year.
The money saved from military spending can be used to build walls. This is a lot of money, so it's still a good deal.
Yuan Chonghuan boasted that he had returned to Liaoning in five years. It has been almost two years, but he has not made any achievements. He kept asking for an official position from his subordinates, and Chongzhen pinched his nose to get it right. Who let him be trapped by Yuandudu?
Now, the only way to change this matter is to negotiate.
Let the Great Golden Statue become a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.
Doesn't this count as restoration of Liaoning in name only? Dong Lin planned to use this to fool the emperor.
Therefore, after Yuan Chonghuan took office this time, he began to contact Huang Taiji. Huang Taiji sent a white lama to Yuan Chonghuan's mansion in Ningyuan to live in secret. Provide liaison for both parties.
Since the beginning of this year, the two parties have communicated several times. Yuan Chonghuan is very courageous, which can be seen from the fact that he rode out of the border alone. As early as the Ningyuan period, he secretly communicated with Nurhaci. After Nurhachi was shot and seriously injured and had to retreat, Yuan Chonghuan sent an envoy to express condolences and sent a letter.
Nurhachi also received the envoy gracefully, replied to the letter and sent a gift in return.
In March, Yuan Chonghuan responded to a letter to Huang Taiji, saying that although we, the Ming Dynasty, were also at fault regarding the Seven Hatreds, you also killed many of us. You have taken revenge over the years. Even this matter is settled.
Now if you want to cease the war and make peace, then when will you return our land and plunder our people to us? China is a big country, but it’s not something you can blackmail whenever you want. Why are you attacking North Korea?
In the first month of the third year of Tiancong's reign, Zheng Xin, the dispatcher, and General Ren Daliang sent a letter to Yuan Chonghuan:
Letter from the Emperor of Manchukuo to Lord Yuan. The antecedents were reconciled, and Fangina went back and forth to discuss things. You said that it was not appropriate for me to go to Korea to conquer Korea, so I gave up the peace talks and raised troops to come; I also sent troops to meet them. Therefore, the envoys stopped communicating with each other.
Zisi'er is a man of a great country and is well versed in the past and the present. My conquest of Korea has nothing to do with you, and it is not comparable to those who conscript it arbitrarily without any reason. I have no enmity with North Korea.
In the year of Jihai, there was an unprovoked attack on me by the soldiers of the eastern tribes. At the end of the year, North Korea raised troops to attack our Verkhash Road. Later, he accepted my fugitives from Liaodong, Sanye. North Korea invaded me three times, I will retaliate, why not! ….
Li Banghua read all the way and saw what was going on. On the surface, you wanted to negotiate a peace, but secretly you supported Mao Wenlong's sneak attacks, harassment, and dishonesty. Express doubts about sincerity.
This year, Yuan Chonghuan and Huang Taiji exchanged letters frequently. However, there was apparently no progress in the peace talks. Both parties are entangled in trivial matters.
Li Banghua rubbed his brows worriedly. He could tell that Huang Taiji was not sincere, more like he was hanging on Dong Lin and teasing them. Yuan Chonghuan was obviously a little anxious, as if he was eager to have a certain breakthrough with the other party. However, Huang Taiji was obviously not in a hurry and took the initiative.
Qian Longxi said: "Look at these transcripts. These are the correspondence between Mao Wenlong and Huang Taiji. They came from Li Yongfang's channel."
Li Banghua opened the first letter, which was written by Kuo Ke to Huang Taiji.
Kuo Kegu Shan Ezhen is the special envoy of one-way communication between Mao Wenlong and Huang Taiji.
In May of the first year of Chongzhen, Kuo Ke visited Dongjiang again. Returned after secret meeting with Mao Wenlong. He was sent by Huang Taiji three times in total to Dongjiang. After being captured for the third time, he was escorted to the imperial capital.
The second letter was written by Mao Wenlong to Huang Taiji.
Mao Wenlong, while not stopping harassing and fighting Hou Jin, was secretly communicating with Huang Taiji. It seems that playing is a reflection of one's own value. Communication is to maintain a retreat. If you can't survive in Ming Dynasty, you have one more option.
Governor Mao Wenlong paid his respects again: On the 26th of the first April, five people, including Keke Niulu and Ma Tongshi, arrived in Zhenjiang and arrived at Pi Island on the third day of the fifth lunar month. There was a Hubu who was distributing food and wages on the island. He followed the Hubu's personnel and reported the news. The headquarters was very suspicious and tried every means to explain the loss, saying that the barbarians often came and went.
After being busy with things for several days, I stayed for a few days and made clothes for them all. On May 16, they were sent to Zhenjiang by sea. They sent three old friends and two camels with gifts back to Shenyang.
Recently, the general commander of Dengfu in Shandong sent ships from time to time to the coast to go ashore and sent out sentries. The Dengzhou road also went to Pidao. It is unknown whether there were generals below who sent people to pick up relatives and friends.
Of course I ban him, and I will never listen to lies from my subordinates. When I do this with you, I must never break my promise. I’m busy, so here’s my reply.
Li Banghua fell into deep thought. In the early days, Mao Wenlong was still very active in the harassment of landings, but since he made a fortune doing business in Dongjiang Town, Mao Wenlong has become more and more satisfied with the current confrontational situation.
Both sides maintain a balance of power, which is beneficial to trade.
And Mao Wenlong is getting more and more crazy. He actually wrote a letter asking the emperor to authorize him to supervise and manage North Korea. And used North Korea as a base to counterattack Liaodong. Doesn’t this mean he wants to be the Supreme Emperor of North Korea? Naturally, it was impossible for the court to agree.
It seems that Pidao and Lushun, as well as dozens of Bohai and Yellow Sea islands, can no longer satisfy his ambitions. After that, Mao Wenlong began to keep in close contact with Hou Jin. Now, both Yuan Chonghuan and Mao Wenlong are actively contacting Huang Taiji, so they are involved. The two are trying to undermine each other, and their conflicts with each other are getting deeper and deeper.
In this letter, Mao Wenlong mentioned two major events at the core points:
First, Kuo Kegushan returned from his visit to Pi Island on May 16th of the first year of Chongzhen. At this time, someone from Hubu was already on Pi Island. That is to say, during this visit, Yang Guodong, the commander-in-chief of Denglai, sent people to inquire about the movements of the Dongjiang River, which aroused Mao Wenlong's vigilance.
This is also the reason why he led his troops to Shandong this year to fight for pay. Mainly threatening civil and military officials in Shandong. Warn them if they cause trouble on his territory. He will come to Denglai area to cause trouble.
Li Banghua asked: "Can we find out clearly what the big things Mao Wenlong and Huang Tai talked about are specific."
Qian Longxi took out a few more letters. They are all transcripts of letters exchanged between Mao Wenlong and Huang Taiji.
"You take Shanhaiguan and I take Shandong." Qian Longxi sighed and said.
He was also very angry. Donglin wanted to negotiate a peace and cease the war at the existing line of actual control between the two sides in order to maximize his interests. Generally speaking, the national interests of the Ming Dynasty were considered. But regardless of whether Mao Wenlong truly surrendered to Huang Taiji or not, he had gone a little too far. This affected Donglin's layout.
Li Banghua was not a fool, and said: "So, this time he brought troops to Shandong to raise wages. In fact, it was Gao who told Huang Taiji that this was a drill for occupying Shandong. You see, I am capable of occupying Shandong. Where is Mao Wenlong? Is there a spy who established the slaves lurking around to provide daily contact between the two parties?"
Qian Longxi nodded and said: "It's Wang Zideng, the commander-in-chief of the Houjin Xianghuang Banner who is stationed on Pidao. He is stationed on Pidao under a false identity and is lurking next to Mao Wenlong. Mao Wenlong uses him to keep in touch with Jiannu."
Kuo Ke was caught on his third visit to Phi Dao this year. The time is in June. On the second day after he arrived at Pi Island, he was hit by Huang Zhongse, the nuclear pay officer of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
The first thing to happen was Kuo Ke's interpreter Ma Tongshi. After he was arrested, he confessed to Kuo Ke.
Because Ma Tongshi confessed to Kuo Ke, Mao Wenlong knew something was wrong and could no longer hide Kuo Ke. So Kuo Ke was tied up and sent to Beijing.
Li Banghua nodded and said: "At the beginning of the year, after Kuo Ke was sent to Beijing, I told him why His Majesty stopped the military pay in Dongjiang. At first, I thought it was Yuan Chonghuan's intention. He wanted to punish Mao Wenlong and make him obedient. Later, I sent someone I went to ask Yuan Chonghuan and found out that it was His Majesty who asked Yuan Chonghuan to stop his hair."
Qian Longxi looked into Li Banghua's eyes and said, "Do you know what consequences Mao Wenlong will have if he does this?"
Li Banghua said: "We can't negotiate peace with him so much. Mao Wenlong can't stay any longer."
