Zhu Cijiong, the third prince of Zhu Dynasty, did not leave Datong with a simple chariot. Instead, he took away all the royal guards and the newly appointed Zhenxi Guard Manager General Gao Di's headquarters, a total of about 4,000 troops and horses. But this march was not to fight anyone. Therefore, there are still a large number of military relatives and civilians following.
Adding up the miscellaneous soldiers and civilians, the number of people who finally left with Prince Zhu was as many as 20,000 to 30,000! Carrying a large number of carriages, horses and belongings, they marched mightily in the wind and snow.
At this time, the Qing army's ranger scouts were already operating outside Datong Prefecture, so of course the large group of people traveling could not be hidden from their eyes. However, they did not launch a pursuit. After all, the performance of the Datong Ming Army in the past month or two had somewhat subverted their cognition.
Fierce battles took place at Zhenluwei, Yongjia Fort, Wayakou Fort, Gaoshanwei, Baidengbao, Yanghewei, Settlement, Xujiazhuang Fort and other forts on the way of the Qing army's westward march! The army led by Hauge and Obai suffered a lot.
Although the losses of the real prisoners were not too heavy, the Han army's flag officers and soldiers who served as cannon fodder were littered with casualties, totaling more than five thousand!
The city walls of Datong have not yet been seen, and the losses have been so great. Why not make the Qing army more cautious?
They also know the reputation of Datong Xiongcheng. If there is really a bloody battle in Datong, without tens of thousands of casualties, they may not be able to win it, right?
So Hauge, who was about to lead the Zhenglan Banner troops back to Beijing, after learning the news that the Ming army had withdrawn from Datong, he took a long breath and said to his confidant Obai with a wry smile: "This time Azig is going to be cheaper..."
"Your Majesty, the regent is going too far. We are the ones fighting hard here in Datong Mansion. Victory is finally in sight, but he asked Azig to take advantage."
Obai was Hauge's best friend. When Huang Taiji died, he and the important ministers of the two yellow banners, such as Sony, Turge, Tu Lai, Tan Tai, Xihan, and Gong Adai, all firmly supported Hauge's accession to the throne. But in the end, they were defeated because of the opposition of the two white flags and the selfish motives of the kings Beile (all of whom liked Youjun). However, Obai still has not given up his intention to support Hauge's rise to power.
Now Fulin is only 6 years old, so he naturally has no offspring, and Dorgon's health has not been very good... What is hateful is that the three brothers Dorgon, Duduo, and Azig have been suppressing Hauge. Let Hauge achieve great achievements that can convince the public.
Hauge snorted: "I don't know if I can pick up this bargain!"
"My lord, do you mean there is still a fight in Datong?" Obai asked, and then shook his head, "I don't know for sure. It's just a long siege, just like the fight against Daling River City."
"Haha," Hauge smiled, "That's right...but how long will the siege last? Daling River City has only been besieged for three months, and there should be more reserves in Datong City. ? If we have to wait for a year or two, Azig will be delayed!"
"What's the delay?" Obai didn't quite understand.
Hauge lowered his voice: "Of course it delayed the trip south!"
"Going south?" Obai was stunned, "Your Majesty, doesn't the regent want to discuss marriage with the Southern Dynasty?"
"Hmph!" Haug snorted, "This is a shame!"
"The prince of the Southern Dynasty refused?"
"No," Hauge gloated and smiled, "I just don't want to cede land to Sui Gong... The prince of the Southern Dynasty is a shameless person. He wants to get Dorgon's daughter for free!"
"Really?" Obai's eyes widened.
Hauge smiled and nodded: "It's what Luo Luohun's letter said. The envoy sent to Jiangnan to discuss marriage has returned, and it also brought a marriage envoy from the Southern Dynasties, Zukefa!"
Ao Bai was stunned, "Zu Kefa? Wasn't he beaten to death by bandits? He even had a posthumous title. Why is he called Wu Zhuang... The ancestor's family held a funeral for him a while ago, and I went along with it." .”
"Damn it!" Hauge shook his head repeatedly, "I surrendered. I surrendered to the bandits first, then sent them to the Southern Dynasty, and then surrendered to the Southern Dynasty. In addition, we surrendered to the Qing Dynasty from the Ming Dynasty before, so we have surrendered three times. It's all right. The four ministers are here!”
"Four ministers?" Oboi looked contemptuous, "What do these people from Guan Ning Army mean? They surrender all the time, how shameless are they?"
...
"Prince Regent, the thousand-year-old master of our country is sincere to your Princess. Even if Princess is only six years old, he is willing to wait for several years. These gifts are all for Princess, including various kinds of products produced in Suzhou. One hundred pieces of silk, one hundred pieces of porcelain produced in Jingdezhen, fifty pieces of Japanese lacquerware, fifty dolls of various kinds, fifty boxes of candies of various colors, fifty pieces of gold jewelry, and a special reward A person’s silver ingot is 500 taels…”
In the Forbidden City, Wuying Hall, Zukefa, one of the "Four Ministers" who had shaved his head and put on the uniform of a military attache of the Ming Dynasty, was pointing at a large number of boxes with open lids and smilingly gave them to Dorgon, the regent of the Qing Dynasty. introduce.
Dorgon, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded. What is this thing called? This Zhu Cixiang really imagined that while he refused to be a minister and pay tribute, he wanted to marry his own daughter... He also sent one of the "four ministers" as a personal envoy to discuss the matter, and also sent a lot of things to coax the little girl. Gift. What does this guy want to do?
"Zukefa! You, you, why did you surrender to the Southern Dynasty? Do you still have any shame?"
When Dorgon was in a daze, someone had already asked a question. The person who asked the question was Gong Adai, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He is the nephew of Nurhachi and Gushan Ezhen of Zhenghuang Banner. Zukefa was originally Meile Zhangjing of the Han Army of Zhenghuang Banner, and was junior to Gong Adai. Therefore, Gong Adai can ask questions on behalf of the master of Zhenghuang Banner, the six-year-old Fulin.
Zu Kefa glanced at Gong Adai and smiled: "Why did Gushan'er really have to say so harshly? Xiaguan is a relative of the Southern Dynasty. It is natural to seek refuge with relatives in times of crisis. Isn't this the case in the Qing Dynasty as well? ?”
As he spoke, he glanced at Dorgon intentionally or unintentionally. Gong Adai's face suddenly turned livid. It turned out that he was also a traitor who had betrayed his master and surrendered - he was originally on Hauge's side, but later when he saw Dorgon's power, he betrayed Hauge and joined Dorgon...
"You..." Gong Adai was so angry. Can the nature of his surrender to Dorgon be the same as the nature of Zukefa's surrender to Zhu Cixang? This slave deserves to be beaten and killed!
"Okay, okay..." Dorgon quickly waved his hand to stop Gong Adai, who was about to have a fit. "He is already a minister, why are you still angry with him? What else can you do to him?"
Gong Adai thought about it. If he wanted to kill him, would he be beheading the envoy, or beheading the personal envoy... How unlucky would it be? He came to propose marriage to Dongguo Gege on behalf of the Ming Dynasty Prince. If you kill him, who will dare to propose marriage to Gege in the future? What should I do if Gege can’t get married?
If you want to arrest him and force him to surrender, he has already lost all his power. What’s the difference between forcing him to surrender and snatching a bitch to be your wife?
Dorgon frowned and looked at Zu Kefa, the four ministers with a face thicker than the city wall, "What do you mean by the prince of the Zhu family? He is unwilling to pay tribute and be a vassal. I, the Qing Dynasty, are going to attack him!"
"Then let's fight..." Zukefa spread his hands, "It's not like I haven't been beaten before. If you want to fight, the crown prince will accompany you!"
Dorgon was stunned, "Then he proposed marriage to my family?"
Zu Kefa smiled: "Your Majesty, relatives are relatives, and wars are wars. The prince still wants your princess."
"Hey, this prince..." Dorgon didn't even know what to say.
Zukefa, however, had something to say. He smiled and said: "Marriage is a matter of being well-matched. How can the princess of the prince's family not be a good match for the Ming prince? As for professing vassalage, paying tribute, and ceding territory, that depends on the battlefield and has nothing to do with marriage. .”
"I know, I know," Dorgon and one of the "Four Ministers" had nothing to say, so they waved their hands and said, "You should go back to the hotel to rest first!"
Zukefa did not move, however, and said to Dorgon with a smile: "Your Majesty, my prince has two more suggestions."
Dorgon said: "What proposal? Tell me quickly."
"First, my prince hopes to set up a 'marriage pavilion' on Haisha Island outside Dagukou, Tianjin, and station peace envoys to facilitate the peace process between the north and the south." Zukefa said with a smile, "Second, my prince hopes to Set up a trade pavilion next to the 'Heqin Pavilion' on Haisha Island to facilitate the exchange of goods between north and south merchants."
