The Qing envoys Malji and Hu Zhaolong were brought into the Ming army's tent. They did not see the murderous soldiers or the forest of swords and guns, but only a kind-hearted old man with a kind face.
"Last time, I wrote seven words to the pseudo-emperor: 'If you surrender early, you can become a rich man.' How did the pseudo-emperor think about it?"
Malji and Hu Zhaolong looked at each other. When they came, Emperor Shunzhi specifically told them that no matter what method they tried, they must hold off the Ming army for a while to buy time for the imperial invitation to recruit troops.
Malji said: "When I came, the emperor specifically told me that as long as you postpone the attack, any conditions can be negotiated."
Emperor Guangwu became a little sullen, "Didn't I already say that as long as Shunzhi is willing to surrender, I will keep him safe. Although I will not grant him a title, I will reward him with a large amount of gold, silver, jewels, land and silk. He will live happily in his charming house.
Wife and concubine, wouldn’t it be nice to live a prosperous life? Why is it so hard to be an emperor?”
Malji wiped his sweat and said, "Your Majesty, the emperor actually wants to submit to the Ming Dynasty, but the Manchurian dignitaries refuse to do so. Please postpone the attack for three months and let the emperor convince the Manchu ministers."
"No, three months is too long." Zhu Hengjia shook his head like a rattle.
Malji was overjoyed. It was too long, which meant we could still talk.
"The two months?"
"If it doesn't work, it will last forever."
Malji gritted his teeth and said, "Then one month. If it's less than one month, this matter won't be possible."
"Forget it, I will give the pseudo-emperor a month," Zhu Hengjia expressed his stance.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The negotiations achieved preliminary results, and the Qing envoy resigned.
On the way back to Beijing, Maleji sighed, "Finally, we have fulfilled our mission! I bought an extra month for the Qing Dynasty."
"I'm afraid that the fake Emperor Guangwu will not keep his word." Hu Zhaolong is not so optimistic.
"No way," Malerji was stunned, "Then Emperor Guangwu is also said to be a lonely man, a man of few ideas, how can a majestic emperor break his promise?"
There is a kind of people in the world, called feudal emperors, who are the most incompetent and talk like farts. Zhu Hengjia is the leader among them. Just after he said a one-month truce and sent away the envoys, he immediately ordered the continuation of the Northern Expedition and headed towards Beijing.
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""Haha, the Tatars treat me like a three-year-old child. A month's truce? Let you gather the troops and horses to fight me? Dreaming," the great emperor said to himself, with a fierce look on his face.
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Ma Bao, the vanguard of the Ming army, moved very quickly. In less than half a month, he captured Shunde Prefecture, Xingtai, Shahe, Nanhe, Pingxiang, Julu, Tangshan, and Neiqiu counties. It took another half a month.
At that time, they captured the five counties of Nangong, Xinhe, Jizhou, Zaoqiang, Hengshui, and Wuyi in Zhending Prefecture.
The reason why it went so smoothly was that Zhang Xuanxi, the governor of Baoding in the Qing Dynasty, transferred the green camp and most of the garrison camps from Shunde and Zhending to Baoding.
He assembled a disorganized army of 17,000 troops and stationed them in Shulu County, south of Baoding, to resist stubbornly.
"Futai, the Ming army has entered Baoding, and its vanguard has marched to Baichikou", the scouts came to report.
Zhang Xuanxi sighed, "The time has come for me to be martyred," and ordered his confidants to fly the written testament to Beijing.
He knew that the Qing government needed time to deploy troops and generals, and planned to use his own sacrifice to buy time for Emperor Shunzhi.
Shulu County was originally named Lucheng County. It was a county that was renamed due to feudal superstition. "Lu" refers to "Lu". When Anlu Mountain rebelled, Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty ordered Changshan County to be renamed Pingshan County, Fangshan County to Pingshan County, and Luquan County to be renamed.
After Huolu County, Lucheng County was called Shulu County because of disgust. It was very clever. Within two years after the name was changed, Anlu Mountain became a mess.
Zhang Xuanxi was not a reckless man. He stationed his troops and horses in Shulu County, and he relied on something. This reliance was the Hutuo River. Shulu County is located on the north bank of the Hutuo River, and there are dangers from the river.
This is an ancient river, very old. It is called "Euchi" in "Book of Rites", "Houchi" in "Book of Rites of Zhou", "Hulunshui" in the Warring States Period, "Houchi River" in Qin Dynasty and "Houchi River" in "Historical Records".
"Hutuo". This river is divided into north and south branches in Gaocheng, and Shulu County is located to the north of the south branch.
After Ma Bao and Jing Keqin set up camp at Baichikou on the south bank of the Hutuo River, they inspected the river bank. They saw rolling waves and fast currents, and they couldn't help but change their colors.
"Uncle Pucheng, this river is wide and fast, I'm afraid it's difficult to cross," Jing Keqin said.
"It doesn't matter, the river is very long, and the Qing army has few soldiers, so it must not be fortified everywhere. I led the army to the lower reaches to cross the river secretly, and you are here to confuse the Qing army."
Ma Bao ordered Jing Keqin to lead a few thousand men to pretend to be the main force, cutting down trees and building boats. Thinking that the soldiers were suspicious, he led a main force of 15,000 to go around to the lower reaches to cross the river.
He found that there were very few defenders near Fujiachi in Wuqiang County, so he ordered to cross the river.
There is a garrison here, with two hundred Qing troops stationed there. When the garrison saw the boundless area, the faces of the Ming soldiers who threw their whips to cut off the flow turned pale with fright.
He yelled like a bachelor: "Brothers, you all join the army just to make a living. Come down, why bother working for the Tatars?"
As soon as the guard spoke, all the two hundred Fujiachi garrison camps abandoned their weapons. Not only did they abandon their weapons, they also consciously acted as guides for the Ming army.
"Is there no sign of crossing the river on the other side?"
It had been five days, and the Ming army on the other side of Shu County had not crossed the river. Zhang Xuanxi was a little suspicious and asked his subordinates.
"Report to Futai, there has been logging and boat building on the other side. It is estimated that there are not enough ferries. We will cross the river when we are ready," the subordinate reported.
Zhang Xuanxi recited "Amitabha" in his heart, hoping that the Ming army would have more time to prepare. Maybe he could hold out until the court's reinforcements arrived, and he wouldn't have to die. The ant still lived an ignoble life, although he had already become the Shunzhi Emperor.
I have a loyal intention, but if I can avoid death, I still don’t want to die.
This is a civil servant, and his poetry is excellent, but his fighting ability is really poor, so he didn't send a sentry to check the downstream.
Two days later, deafening shouts of killing suddenly came from the flank. Ma Bao's army arrived and Jing Keqin from the other side also led his army to rush over. The Qing army was in chaos and collapsed.
"Futai, I will escort you back to Shuxian in the end," Fubiao deputy general Lin Chong said urgently.
"Today I know the benefits of the Southern Army," Zhang Xuanxi sighed, and under the protection of Lin Chong, fled back to Shuxian County.
A total of 5,000 garrison soldiers were lost. Among his 17,000 soldiers and horses, only 7,000 were real combat soldiers, and the remaining 10,000 were garrison camps from various places. Previously, he deliberately left the elite 5,000 green battalion in Shulu County.
, with only 2,000 Fubiao and 10,000 miscellaneous county garrison guards to guard the north bank of the Hutuo River, there was no hope of being able to hold on. They just hoped to slow down the Ming army's attack speed and buy time for the Qing court.
Back in the city, Zhang Xuanxi's face was ashen. He had lost the natural barrier of the Hutuo River in just seven days. How should he fight the next battle? He was not afraid of death, but he was afraid that he would die too quickly and lose time.
"Don't worry Futai. Although our army is defeated, the main force is still there. There are still 7,000 soldiers and 5,000 defenders. Shulu, Xiaocheng Er, and more than 10,000 soldiers guarding the city are enough." He was worried, and suddenly there was a man
Say it loudly.
At first glance, it was Zhending Lieutenant General Ke Sheng'e. Ke Sheng'e was the eighth son of the great traitor Li Yongfang. Li Yongfang was the first Ming Dynasty general to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. He was incorporated into the banner to show his loyalty, except for his eldest son Li Yangeng.
Except for the second son Li Shutai, the other sons all had Manchu names. The third son was Gang'atei, the fourth son was Hashiku, the fifth son was Bayan, the sixth son was Hutuli, the seventh son was Hubai, the eighth son was Kesheng'e, and the ninth son was Kede.
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He defeated the three thousand Zhending Green Camp in the forehead, which is quite a fighting force.
After listening to his words, Zhang Xuanxi regained his fighting spirit and ordered Ke Sheng'e to guard the west city, Lin Chong to guard the north city, Shunde general Tang Bangjie to guard the east city, and he led his troops to guard the south city.
This chapter has been completed!