Dorgon and Sahalian also knew the importance of Jiangnan to the Ming Dynasty.
When they heard that Shandong had used force against Jiangnan, the two of them were overjoyed.
"Without the financial and tax support from Jiangnan, the Ming Dynasty will not be far away. Zuo Menggeng's move will definitely make the Ming Dynasty go all out. Who knows, after we wipe out Chahar, we can still pick peaches."
Saharian is gearing up and has already begun to look forward to Shu.
Dorgon was a little more cautious.
"Shandong is just a small place. Although the firearms are powerful, Zuo Mengeng uses weapons so recklessly. Is he really not afraid of backlash?"
Saharian could not answer this question. The voices of the people next to them caught their attention again.
That old man Wu was still shouting loudly.
"Brother Chen, I heard that your boy is back?"
"Isn't that right? This kid also came back with the army. I heard that the imperial court in the west was defeated, and those bandits are going to harm the Central Plains again."
The people around were all drunk and joined in one after another.
"It's okay to harm the Central Plains, but it can't harm us in Shandong."
Brother Chen kept nodding.
"Isn't that the truth? My boy came back with the army to be prepared for this. The army is here, we are not afraid of anything."
Everyone claimed yes, obviously full of trust in the new army.
But what they said shocked Dorgon and Saharian.
Houjin has also been paying close attention to the peasant uprising in the northwest.
Many military actions of the Later Jin Dynasty were actually based on the internal situation of the Ming Dynasty.
This is why every time Hou Jin fought with Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty was stretched and extremely uncomfortable, and finally lost in frustration.
But this time Dorgon and Saharian were far away in Shandong, so it was naturally impossible for them to obtain information smoothly. They did not know that new changes had occurred on the battlefield in the Central Plains.
The two of them were like ants crawling, and they wanted to rush forward and ask.
But they knew that if they really took the initiative to ask based on their status, Zuo Mengeng would definitely learn about it.
And these Shandong people will definitely not tell them.
The two of them were thinking about each other, their hearts fluctuating.
In the end, Saharian couldn't help it.
"Zuo Menggeng has to attack Songjiang Mansion, guard against the northwest bandits, and beware of the Ming Dynasty. Where does he have the courage to not accept our kindness?"
Dorgon thought a lot more clearly.
"It's not that he doesn't want to accept our kindness, it's that he doesn't dare. These Han people have always regarded us as barbarians. Whenever they talk about us, they will gnash their teeth and wish for their bones to be shattered. Among the Han people, whoever dares to get close to us will be punished. Call him a traitor. This Zuo Menggeng has great ambitions and is spying on the world. He is most afraid of losing the hearts of the people. How dare he form an alliance with us? Since he can't, he has no choice but to bluff and try to deceive us."
As a wise man among the Jurchens, Saharian obviously thought very carefully.
He quietly pointed at the people around him.
"I'm afraid that Zuo Mengeng has ulterior motives and deliberately induces us."
This is not impossible.
Dorgon thought for a long time and finally made up his mind.
"Let's get out of the city."
Half an hour later, the two of them arrived outside the city and stood beside the official road, just like other ordinary people, inconspicuous.
And right in front of their eyes, a mighty army came from a distance and headed west.
The canal was eventually crossed and construction of military camps began on the west bank of the river.
They were all old men who were accustomed to fighting. Dorgon and Saharian could tell the strength of this army just by looking at them.
"There are tens of thousands of troops, complete weapons and equipment, and the camp is impregnable and well-organized. It is obviously planned to stay there for a long time."
Dorgon smiled.
"Everything can deceive people, but not this one. It seems that Shandong is really on guard against the northwest bandits. Then Zuo Menggeng's shouting about beating us and killing us must be a bluff."
Saharian was cautious enough and told the people below: "Go to the south and have a look. Be careful and don't get into trouble."
The people below took the order, took the money, and left Linqing, heading south.
Half a month later, these people came back one after another and reported everything they saw.
"Reporting to Jiu Beile and Lord Chengzheng, we also saw the Shandong New Army in the Yanzhou area. The number of soldiers and horses is only much larger than here."
Another person followed and reported.
"I heard that Xuzhou further south has mobilized an army of 30,000 to 40,000 people, but it's just too far away for us to investigate."
There is no need for them to make another trip.
These two pieces of information alone allowed Dorgon and Saharian to make a judgment.
"Shandong will definitely not be able to attack Liaodong in the near future. The more fierce Zuo Menggeng yells, the more false it is."
Even Sahan Lian judged this way, let alone Dorgon.
"In this case, although we can't negotiate peace, it doesn't matter. After we defeat Chahar and unify Mongolia, we can argue with him again."
It was rare for Sahalian to reach an agreement with Dorgon.
"Then we must return quickly so that the Great Khan can know that Chahar must be annihilated sooner rather than later."
After the two discussed, they went to bid farewell to Zuo Mengeng.
"Commander Zuo, my great power is so powerful that all barbarians surrender to me. I have rejected our sincerity. I hope you will not regret it in the future."
Zuo Mengeng sneered reservedly.
"The only way out before you is to lay down your weapons and surrender completely. Likewise, I hope you will not regret it in the future."
Both sides exchanged harsh words, and the peace talks eventually broke down.
Dorgon and Saharian thought they had spied on the situation in Shandong and did not dare to delay.
After saying goodbye, they even rejected Shandong's offer to send them off by boat. Instead, they braved the scorching heat and quickly returned to Dengzhou by land, and then took a boat back to Liaodong.
It wasn't until Dorgon and Saharian left that Shandong let out a sigh of relief.
It can be said that Shandong's strategic deception has fully achieved its effect.
One of the fundamental reasons why it is so easy is that everything Shandong does is true.
If true deception cannot fool the enemy, then there will be no more sophisticated deception in the world.
What Dorgon and Saharian saw about the mobilization of the new Shandong army, and what they heard about Shandong's attack on Songjiang Prefecture and the defeat of the official army by the northwest bandits were all true.
And just because it was true, smart people like Dorgon and Sahalian had to fall into Shandong's strategic deception and act according to Shandong's ideas.
Because even if they were extremely smart, they would never have imagined that Shandong's strategic goals were not in front of them at all, but in the future.
Not in the Central Plains, but in North Korea.
Faced with such a big deal, Hou Jin Shangxia could only act honestly as the sword in Shandong's hand. Just like the White Lotus Sect and the Dongjiang Town rebels, they went to open up the situation for Shandong.
A month later, the information was sent from Shenyang City.
Huang Taiji summoned the elite Eight Banners to head west, while he personally guarded Shenyang.
Houjin has already begun to act as expected.
Zuo Mengeng looked towards the west.
He is waiting.
Waiting for the northwest rebel army to sweep through the Central Plains again.
And this time, it is also an opportunity for Shandong.
