On October 15th, the 22nd year of Kangxi, the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was in Dongping Prefecture.
Aixinjueluo Wu Xuanye, who started working as an emperor at the age of eight and worked hard for the people of the Qing Dynasty for twenty-two years, finally lay down today in a coffin made of the best nanmu in Dongping Prefecture. His eyes were closed and his face was expressionless, looking quite peaceful.
His widow, Queen Yang Xiaomi, and his good brother, Prince Gong Aixinjueluo Zhu Changning, sat on both sides of the coffin.
Yang Xiaomi was crying and weeping. She cried to the point where she was sad, and her chest kept heaving and trembling. It was really heartbreaking!
Chang Ning kept sighing there, holding the bloody edict in his hand!
In the hall where Emperor Kangxi's coffin was laid, there were still a group of important officials of the Qing Dynasty sitting, including Bahai, Fei Yanggu, Fan Chengxun, Tong Guogang, Tong Guowei, Mahada, Chen Tingjing, Yu Chenglong, Li Guangdi, Zhang Ying, Gao Shiqi, and others. There are two great eunuchs, Liang Jiucheng and Zhao Chang, and of course Zhao Hongxie, who has just been promoted to the title of minister of bodyguard.
Among them, Fei Yanggu ran back to Dongping Prefecture with the remnants of the Eight Banners New Army directly under Kangxi. The Eight Banners New Army established by Kangxi had a total strength of more than 80,000 people. Among them, the Zhenghuang Banner New Army was led back to Beijing by Suo'etu, and the rest The New Army of the Seven Banners all participated in the Battle of Zouxian and the Qufu Incident that occurred later, and suffered heavy losses. There were more than 70,000 troops participating in the battle. Now only more than 10,000 people have returned to Dongping Prefecture. Laita, Pengchun, Langtan, Chani, Gui Gonggong and other new army generals were killed in the battle. The losses were not unbearable!
Bahai, Fan Chengxun, Tong Guogang, Tong Guowei, and Mahada were the generals of the Qing princes' armies guarding the fortresses of Qufu, Surabaya, Ziyang, Heze, and Juye. While the battle of Zouxian was going on, the generals of these Qing princes abandoned the city one after another and fled to Dongpingzhou City.
Among them, Prince Kang's army led by Mahada suffered the greatest losses, with less than 3,000 people left when they retreated to Dongping Prefecture.
The armies of Chongning and Bahai suffered the least losses - they ran the earliest and got the order from Queen Yang to Dongping Prefecture early. Moreover, before they evacuated, the Ming army responsible for attacking Jining and Ziyang was transferred by Li Zhongshan to besiege Kangxi, so almost all their armies retreated. A total of 36,000 people retreated to Dongping Prefecture along with Chongning and Bahai. .
When the armies of Fan Chengxun, Tong Guogang, and Tong Guowei evacuated the three castles of Heze, Sishui, and Juye, they were all pursued by the Ming army who were digging trenches to attack the city, and suffered considerable losses.
Among them, Fan Chengxun's army withdrew less than 3,000 troops. There were many descendants of Huaixi among the Ming army attacking Heze. They all knew that the Fan family was once the lord of Guide, so why should they be polite? After they discovered that Fan Chengxun had run away, they immediately began to pursue him fiercely. They killed the Fan family's army and killed and wounded more than 10,000 people! Even Fan Wencheng's two sons, three nephews and eight clan nephews were all killed or captured by the Ming cavalry in the battle behind the palace - the Fan family is a big family! Therefore, the Fan family's vassal army was led by the descendants of the two brothers Fan Wencheng and Fan Wencai. This one suffered heavy losses!
Juye and Sishui where Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei were stationed were very close to the battlefields of Zouxian and Qufu, and they did not receive the order to evacuate in time. When they discovered that something was wrong, the Ming army had already chased Kangxi and rushed to the north of Qufu. That is to say, it reached the north of Juye and Surabaya. Tong Guogang and Tong Guowei had no choice but to flee in a hurry. As a result, they were naturally chased by the Ming army attacking the city. Then they were discovered by the Ming army chasing Kangxi's troops, and they intercepted them. They fought hard all the way, and finally ran to Dongping. The Tong family's army, owned by the Tong family, the second relative of the Qing Dynasty, also suffered heavy losses. The army led by the two brothers only had less than ten thousand people left. The old Tong family also lost more than ten brothers and nephews, and the losses were heavy!
The guards and guards brought back by the two eunuchs Liang Jiucheng and Zhao Chang were all Kangxi's guards. Although they suffered heavy losses in the previous battles, they could still make up a small number of two thousand. These elite soldiers are now all It was assigned to Zhao Hongxie - according to the imperial edict of Emperor Kangxi, the bodyguard office and bodyguard army were controlled by Empress Dowager Yang!
Liang Jiuzheng and Zhao Chang have now been given the title of eunuch in charge. Empress Yang also promised to give them a sum of money and send them to the Rakshasa Kingdom as envoys. From now on, they will follow Fuquan and never come back. !
As for Chen Tingjing and Yu Chenglong, the two former assistant ministers, they returned to their Shanxi fiefdoms after Kangxi regained power. Yang Xiaomi immediately sent envoys to summon them to Dongping after regaining the power of regent. Both of them were The "rear party members" came without hesitation, hurriedly and slowly, and finally arrived yesterday morning with 3,000 soldiers each. By the way, I also brought a new piece of bad news to Dongping - Prime Minister Wu Yingqi of the Great Zhou Dynasty led 100,000 troops and marched into Shanxi in the name of aiding the Qing Dynasty and resisting the Ming Dynasty!
And the two of them also received a bunch of fresh bad news in Dongping. It was all bad news. The Qing Dynasty was about to end!
If I had known earlier, I would not have come, and would have just taken refuge with Wu Yingqi in Shanxi.
When the two loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty who had boarded the "Qing Ship" and could not get off were feeling sad, Prince Gong Chang Ning finally recovered from his sadness and began to speak: "You have read the emperor's edict, what do you think? Let's talk about it. Listen!"
Everyone has read the posthumous edict. It was indeed written by Kangxi himself!
Since Kangxi's edict is true, then what Queen Yang and Prince Gong said about Kangxi's death should also be true - if Kangxi hadn't been seriously injured in an assassination attempt at the Kongjia Villa in Qufu, how could he have written this bloody piece of paper? Then he ran back to Dongping with all his strength and handed the edict to Queen Yang?
Moreover, according to this edict, Queen Yang received all the power, while Prince Gong Chang Ning remained the same as before, without even a regent. If this edict was false, and Kangxi was killed by Chang Ning and Yang Xiaomi, so what? Dare you forge such a will? Chang Ning must at least have a regent, right? Otherwise, what is Chang Ning trying to do? Queen Tuyang’s body?
A group of ministers secretly took a look at Queen Yang. She was indeed a rare beauty, but it didn't make Chang Ning want a beauty instead of the country. And it was clear that a beauty could have both!
Therefore, this edict is true, and there is nothing suspicious about the cause of Kangxi's death. Of course, he was assassinated. It is hard to say whether the female assassin was Obai's daughter.
"Prince Gong, since the emperor's edict made it clear, let's just follow it."
The first person to express support for Queen Yang was Mahada, the former deputy commander of Prince Kang's palace. He is now the minister in charge of the bodyguard, and of course he was promoted by Queen Yang!
"Prince Gong, my subordinates also feel that we should act according to Emperor Daxing's last edict!"
Another newly promoted minister in charge of the bodyguard, Zhao Hongxie, also immediately expressed his support for the queen.
"The old minister also thinks that we should follow the imperial edict and respectfully ask the Queen Mother to lower the curtain!"
Of course Yu Chenglong also supports Queen Yang.
"I also respectfully request the Queen Mother to listen to the government from behind the curtain as ordered by Emperor Daxing!"
Of course Chen Tingjing is also a backer, so he must support Queen Yang!
Queen Yang took another look at Chang Ning's confidant Bahai. He was a key figure! If Chang Ning truly supports Empress Dowager Yang, then Bahai should stand up and express his opinion on behalf of his master!
As soon as Bahai expressed his stance, the Fan family and the Tong family had no choice but to support Queen Mother Yang!
Bahai looked at Queen Mother Yang and then at Prince Gong. He really didn't understand what kind of drug Queen Mother Yang had given Prince Gong. Why did Prince Gong follow Dorgon's old path?
However, it is better to seek refuge with the Queen Mother as soon as possible!
"The Queen Mother!" Bahai opened his voice and said categorically, "Emperor Daxing's edict clearly stated that all domestic and foreign military and national affairs must be handled by the Queen Mother! The veteran ministers should only obey the Queen Mother's orders." As he spoke, he suddenly said: He stood up and glanced at the few ministers who had not yet spoken, "Whoever dares to be disrespectful to the Queen Mother is the mortal enemy of this old minister!"
Ba Hai's army is all the elite of the old female true people outside the customs!
He already supported Empress Dowager Yang, so the matter of Empress Dowager Yang listening to politics behind the curtain was basically settled. The few ministers below who had not expressed their opinions all expressed their loyalty to the Queen Mother one by one.
But for Empress Dowager Yang and Prince Gong, these are not enough.
They have to return to Beijing before they can truly take charge!
And the road back to Beijing is not easy!
"Prince Gong, how many troops do we have?" Queen Mother Yang asked.
"The total of all the ministries here in Dongping is less than 75,000." Prince Gong Chang Ning said with a frown.
Seventy-five thousand is actually a lot, but the problem is that the Ming army has 800,000, of which 400,000 are capable of fighting!
Seventy-five thousand versus four hundred thousand, the advantage lies with the enemy!
"How can we return to Beijing safely?" Queen Mother Yang asked again.
Yang Xiaomi's ability to govern is not weak, his political skills are not bad, and he is even better at coaxing men.
But the problem is that she doesn’t know how to fight!
Kangxi mobilized more than 200,000 troops to fight against Li Zhongshan, but the result was such a miserable defeat. How could Empress Dowager Yang fight with so few troops? If we can't defeat them, even withdrawing to Beijing will be a bit difficult.
Because Luo Dawei's Eighth Army of the Ming Dynasty has already inserted itself between Beijing and Dongping Prefecture. Although his army only has 50,000 people, it seems that it may not be able to defeat them.
"Queen Mother," Chen Tingjing twirled his beard and frowned, and suggested to Queen Mother Yang, "I feel that the news that the emperor has passed away must be sealed now."
"Are you going to mourn secretly?" Queen Mother Yang asked softly.
In fact, the news of Kangxi's death has been tightly sealed until now, and only a few people in the industry know about it.
Therefore, Chen Tingjing's suggestion also played into the hands of Queen Mother Yang and Chang Ning.
"Queen Mother," Chen Tingjing nodded and said, "Now the hearts of Zhili, Shandong, and Shanxi are in turmoil, and the Qing Dynasty is in turmoil. If the news of the emperor's death comes out at this time, the powerful powerful people in the three provinces may immediately defect to the Qing Dynasty. And Wu Yingqi, who entered Shanxi, They will also take advantage of the fire and turn the province of Shanxi into a 'Wu'. Moreover, once the people in Beijing know that the emperor has passed away, will they dare to come south to help us?"
Hearing his analysis, everyone frowned. There was a dead silence around Kangxi's coffin, and everyone looked uneasy. Probably only Kangxi, who was lying flat, could remain calm now.
Queen Mother Yang turned to look at Kangxi's coffin and sighed: "Emperor Daxing left at the wrong time! Fortunately, the news has not been leaked yet, we can ask him to hold on for a while longer!"
You have to persevere, otherwise the Qing Dynasty will be destroyed until the 75,000 defeated troops here in Dongping return to Beijing!
"The Queen Mother is wise!" Chen Tingjing added, "The Queen Mother, the old minister also suggested that the Queen Mother could dispatch Yang Jianguo's capital army south in the name of the Emperor, and then send an envoy to Shanxi to ask Wu Yingqi to march eastward to Zhili. We will attack from three sides and destroy the intruder first. That Ming army from Zhili!"
This plan is not bad!
The question is, can it be implemented?
Empress Dowager Yang frowned, thought for a long time, and then said: "If the brother of the Ai family learns that the emperor has controlled Bintian, and also handed over the power of governing behind the curtain to the Ai family, he will definitely take action!
As for Wu Yingqi, I believe he can also understand the meaning of dying lips and cold teeth! Master Chen, why don't you go to Shanxi yourself and have a talk with Prime Minister Wu. If he is willing to send troops to Zhili, Shanxi can be given to him! "
In the outer city of Beijing, Pipiaoying Hutong, Uncle Yang's Mansion.
Just when the envoys sent by Empress Dowager Yang rushed to Beijing day and night, the atmosphere in this city of the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was a bit tense!
Now in Beijing, there is a confrontation between two forces.
One force is the Han Chinese force with Yang Qilong's "Beiyang Army" as its backbone! The Beiyang Army followed Yang Qilong into Beijing. After entering the city, it absorbed Zhang Yong's fifth patrol battalion, with a total strength of 20,000.
They are now mainly stationed in Beijing's outer city, or more accurately, Nancheng.
The other group is the Mongolian and Manchu forces supported by the "Horqin Mongolian Army" of the Empress Dowager Bumubutai and the "Eight Banners New Army" of Suo'etu. The so-called Horqin Mongolian Army was actually not all from Horqin. It also included the Mongolian armies of Chahar, Tumote and other tribes. It was only commanded by the princes and princes of Horqin, and was directly under the command of the Queen Mother who was born in Horqin. Mubutai moderation. The number of this army is approximately 50,000!
The Eight Banners soldiers in Suo'etu are the troops of the Zhenghuang Banner of the Eight Banners New Army, and they number about 10,000.
The Horqin Mongolian Army and the Eight Banners New Army Zhenghuang Banner are now considered a team, stationed together in the inner city of Beijing, or should be called Beicheng and Mancheng.
In other words, the total number of Mongolian, Manchu and Han armies in Beijing is 70,000. If we add the 75,000 in the hands of Empress Dowager Yang, there are still 145,000 troops. This is basically what the Qing Dynasty can gather at the moment. All the strength came out.
If these 145,000 troops can really unite as one, it will still be possible to defeat Luo Dawei who broke into Zhili.
The question is, how can it be possible that the Manchus, Mongolians, and Han people are of the same mind?
In Uncle Yang's house, Yang Qilong, Zhang Yong, Wang Jinbao, Zhao Guodong, Shi Lang and others were gathered in a study room, reading a letter from the Queen Mother. The faces of these five people were a bit complicated.
Because Empress Dowager Yang’s edict revealed three very important pieces of information. First, Kangxi’s army suffered a disastrous defeat in Shandong. He was so defeated that he himself was killed!
Second, Empress Dowager Yang listened to the government behind the curtain, and had already controlled the remaining 80,000 troops left by Kangxi.
Third, the current situation is critical. It must be airtight and concentrate its efforts to defeat the Ming army that broke into Zhili, so that the Qing Dynasty can have a glimmer of hope.
If these three pieces of information are combined, the most critical piece of information can be summarized. That is: the Qing Dynasty is about to end!
There was silence in Yang Qilong's study. Zhao Liangdong, Zhang Yong, Wang Jinbao, and Shi Lang all looked at the uncle Guo with sad faces, as if waiting for him to make an idea.
The room was quiet, and I don't know how long it took before I heard Yang Qilong sigh: "If Xiao Mi can return to Beijing... It's up to the Yang family to make the final decision on the ruins of the Qing Dynasty! Everyone... can this deal still be done? Do it?"
"Yes!" Shi Lang said, "My lord... there are still three pounds of nails in the ruined ship, not to mention such a big Qing Dynasty? No matter how desperate it is, it can still squeeze out a little profit. Now the Queen Mother still has 80,000 troops in her hands. !
In addition, there are still millions of people outside Shanhaiguan... Nowadays, outside the Shanhaiguan, people are rare and valuable.
If the Duke wants to have a Goguryeo kingdom, he must take over these Qing Dynasty legacies... Otherwise, we can only learn from Geng Jingzhong and leave for the New World! "
Yang Qilonglong pondered and nodded: "The legacy of the Qing Dynasty is good...but can the old queen mother and Suo'etu cooperate with us?"
"My lord... I can try to lobby the old queen." The person who spoke was the paralyzed general and battlefield poet Zhang Yong. He had been the Admiral of the Nine Sects for many years, but he could never get on with the old Queen Bumubutai.
Yang Qilong thought for a while and handed Yang Xiaomi's imperial edict to Zhang Yong: "Brother Zhang, take this imperial edict into the palace!"
"My lord, you must give this edict to..."
"Let's show it to the Queen Mother!" Yang Qilong said, "This matter cannot be hidden from the Queen Mother... There must be a communication route between Kangxi and the Queen Mother that we don't know about... and the letter Kangxi wrote to the Queen Mother should be his own handwriting!
Let's lay this matter out in front of the old lady and let her make her own choice. This Qing Dynasty belongs to her family after all... If she doesn't care, what do I, an outsider, care about? The worst possible outcome for me is to retreat to North Korea. Am I still incapable of becoming a North Korean king? "
In fact, Yang Qilong could have been the king of North Korea long ago! He is the great hero of Korea who led the Korean army to invade Japan!
Now many Korean scholars have verified that Yang Qilong's ancestors Yang Jian and Yang Guang were Koreans... That's why they wanted to fight Goguryeo.
That was obviously to fight back to his hometown!
In short, Yang Qilong already has a crown that can be worn on his head at any time.
Moreover, the Ming Dynasty had long appointed him as the Duke of Sui... This clearly wanted him to establish himself as king!
So Yang Qilong really doesn't have to assist his sister Yang Xiaomi now.
The Empress Dowager Bumubutike was passive. If she lost the Qing Dynasty, there would be nothing.
"No more, no more..." At the same time, in the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City, an old lady sat slumped on the throne, holding an edict issued in the name of Kangxi and crying bitterly.
Suo'etu on the side didn't quite understand what she said, so he asked in a low voice: "The Empress Dowager, what's missing?"
"The Emperor is gone, and the Qing Dynasty...maybe it will be gone too!"
(End of chapter)
