In the forty-sixth year of Chongzhen, November 11th, Jingzhou, Hubei.
This thousand-year-old city located on the bank of the Yangtze River is about to usher in its highlight moment!
It won't be long before Jingzhou will be named Yingtian Mansion and become the most virtuous capital of the Zhou Dynasty. The people of Jingzhou will soon become the people of the capital!
Although the official news has not been announced yet, according to quite reliable gossip, Wu Sangui, who had already rejected the attempts of his subordinates to persuade him to join the army, was planning to join the Huangpao in Jingzhou, not in Wuchang, the thoroughfare of nine provinces that was about to be captured by Wu Sangui.
The superficial reason is of course that Jingzhou has been experiencing a surge of royal energy and auspiciousness in recent times!
It is said that Wu Sangui returned from the Hanyang front a few days ago and took a large ship along the Yangtze River waterway to the Shashi Wharf City outside Jingzhou City. Suddenly a white finless porpoise jumped up from the Yangtze River and jumped into Wu Sangui's ship.
This is called "white fish entering the boat" - great auspiciousness! It happened to King Wu when he was conquering Zhou.
Now this white finless porpoise is kept in the pond in the back garden of Wu Sangui’s Presidential Palace for people to visit!
On the night after Wu Sangui returned to the Presidential Palace in Jingzhou, a firebird appeared in the sky above the Presidential Palace, and it also made a strange cry of "Qiu Qiuqiu", which was called a firebird offering auspiciousness. It also appeared when King Wu was conquering Zhou!
Because the successive auspicious signs were all related to King Wu's defeat of Zhou, Wu Sangui's men felt that he was destined to be the "Emperor of Zhou" and could no longer be the president. He had to make progress and become the emperor!
So just a few days ago, a group of officials and people who stayed in Jingzhou, organized by Wu Yingxiong, launched a large-scale persuasion campaign.
But the persuasion failed... So when Hong Shiming and Wang Shirong arrived in Jingzhou, Wu Yingxiong was planning the second big persuasion. He planned to ask the generals who were on an expedition to come together and persuade him.
"Your Majesty, the President plans to ascend the throne in Jingzhou? Why not Wuchang?"
In Wu Yingxiong's presidential palace, Hong Shiming, who had been an old acquaintance with Wu Sangui for a long time, asked Wu Yingxiong curiously.
Wu Yingxiong has had a good relationship and career these days. He is about to be promoted from the president's eldest son to the crown prince. Of course he is in a good mood. Hearing Hong Shiming's question, he smiled and replied: "It's okay to talk to Brother Risheng. My father always feels ashamed of the Ming Dynasty. He doesn't want to compete with the Ming Dynasty for the land south of the Yangtze River. That's why the capital is located in Jingzhou in the north of the Yangtze River instead of in the south of the Yangtze River." Wuchang in the south of the Yangtze River to indicate that in the future we would divide the river and rule with the Ming Dynasty."
Hong Shiming, who has a sharp mouth, monkey cheeks and triangular eyes, and looks 70% to 80% similar to Hong Chengchou, would not believe Wu Yingxiong's lies. After squinting his triangular eyes and thinking about it for a while, he already had some numbers.
Wu Sangui, he has no confidence in defeating Zhu Heji!
That's why he decided to locate his capital in Jingzhou, north of the Yangtze River, which was far away from the Jiangxi province controlled by Zhu Heji.
If the capital was located in Wuchang Prefecture, which is next to Nanchang Prefecture, Wu Sangui might not even be able to sleep well.
Thinking of this, Hong Shiming twirled his goatee and asked thoughtfully: "The president is really not worried that the Zhu family will first go to Jiangnan to gain wealth, and then go upstream to attack Jingzhou, which will be in danger of the Yangtze River?"
"Hehe." Wu Yingxiong smiled, "Brother Risheng, there is no need to say such things. We are all understanding people. Whatever Brother Risheng wants to say, just say it."
"Okay then!" Hong Shiming said with a smile, "Then I'll open the skylight and speak frankly... The emperor wants to move to second place. He doesn't want Hubei anymore. He wants to go to Jiangnan. Can the president do it conveniently?"
"Oh?" Wu Yingxiong didn't show much concern, but of course he was very happy in his heart.
Now the Qing army in Hubei seems to be on its last legs, but it still has three major strongholds in Wuchang, Hanyang, and Xiangyang. Moreover, these three major strongholds are all large cities with dense populations. Xiangyang City has a population of less than 100,000, and Hanyang City (including Hankou) and Wuchang City have a population of no less than 200,000. The three cities plus one have a population of more than half a million!
For the Wu regime, which has a lot of territory but a small population, these 500,000 people are really precious!
In addition, Wuchang and Hankou, which belongs to Hanyang Prefecture, are both industrial and commercial cities where merchants and craftsmen gather.
Not only can it provide a large amount of tax revenue, but it can also provide a large amount of handicraft products to Wu Sangui's regime.
For Wu Sangui, who occupies a large area of sparsely populated land, the value is simply too high.
If the battle for the three cities of Wuchang, Hanyang, and Xiangyang lasted for several months, or if the Qing army massacred the cities when they retreated, Wu Sangui's efforts might be in vain.
Seeing that there was no change in expression on Wu Yingxiong's honest face, Hong Shiming knew that this guy was pretending, so he continued: "The emperor means that as long as the president can make the imperial army retreat steadily, then let him go." The Eight Banners soldiers and coated slaves we captured earlier... Wuchang, Hanyang, and Xiangyang can all be given to the President, and the Young Master can also be released!"
Wu Yingxiong stood up, smiled and said to Hong Shiming: "Brother Risheng, please stay here for a few days, and I will give you an answer in a few days."
...
"Ying Xiong, Xuanchu, Shirong, and Tingxian, what do you think? Are Kang Mazi's conditions acceptable?"
In the Presidential Palace, Wu Sangui was frowning at the detailed reports sent from various places compiled by Liu Xuanchu and Fang Guangchen, while asking questions to Wu Yingxiong, Liu Xuanchu, Wang Shirong and Fang Guangchen.
The report Wu Sangui held in his hand mainly talked about the situation in Jiangxi - people in Jiangxi have been in panic these days, and there are rumors everywhere that Emperor Kangxi lost his head! Most of the ministers from various places were busy running away, and a considerable number of them went to Hunan to vote for Wu Sangui. It looked like it was disintegrating from top to bottom and falling apart...
"Father, let Kangxi go!" Wu Yingxiong said, "As soon as he leaves, our family's three-thirds of the world will be stable. As for whether we can unify the world, let's talk about it in the future... We have to be stable now. And The territories we have seized are all very poor, and only Hubei is the best, but we cannot destroy them all."
Wu Sangui glanced at his eldest son - he had lived in Beijing for almost thirty years, and his will has been somewhat worn out by living in Beijing. He only thought about stability. How could he conquer the world?
Liu Xuanchu said: "President, there is a saying in the art of war: the whole country is first, and the destruction of the country is second. It is also said that subduing the enemy's troops without fighting is a good thing. If we can really capture the three towns of Xiangyang, Hanyang, and Wuchang without fighting, It can be considered a good thing. But..."
"But what?" Wu Sangui looked at his military advisor, "Say it!"
Liu Xuanchu said: "But the Tatars do not keep their word. I am worried that Kangxi will leave three empty cities for you, the president!"
"Will it?" Wu Sangui asked.
Wang Shirong, who was lurking in the Qing camp and came back to Wu Sangui as an envoy, took the question and said: "President, you must be on guard against others! I suggest that you hold those bannermen as hostages. If Kangxi If you dare to touch the people of Xiangyang, Hanyang, and Wuchang towns, you will kill all those bannermen!"
Wu Sangui nodded, "This is a good idea!"
Nowadays, it is true that "people value scarcity"! This is especially true for Wu Sangui.
Fang Guangchen said: "President, it's not enough to have hostages! We have to blackmail Kangxi!"
"How to blackmail?" Wu Sangui asked.
"We have to make a promise!" Fang Guangchen said.
"Make a covenant?" Wu Sangui was stunned, "What's the use of this?"
"It's useful!" Fang Guangchen said, "President, what you lack most now is the reputation of justice... Making a treaty with the Manchu Qing Dynasty can get you the status of emperor. Only in this way can your country be more upright! If your name is correct, your words will be correct, and if your words are correct, everything will be successful."
"Tingxian," Wu Sangui said with a smile, "tell me carefully, how should this agreement be legislated?"
Fang Guangchen stretched out two fingers and said: "This agreement must make two things clear. First, the Manchu Qing Dynasty will cede all the lands of Hubei, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou to us and the Ming Dynasty!
The second is that the Manchu Qing Dynasty must recognize the agreement to borrow teachers to help suppress the war... and Kangxi must admit that it was Dorgon who violated the agreement to borrow teachers to assist the suppression and deceived you, the president! "
