In the dead of night, the bonfire was crackling outside Dorgon's command tent by the Beiyang River. The generals under his command sat in a circle in silence, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
Just a moment ago, the competition was very lively, but in the blink of an eye, the situation changed drastically, all because of the little eunuch's letter of notification.
The question of whether to fight or to be harmonious is like a dark cloud covering the sun and a mountain weighing down on it, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.
Dorgon looked up at the night sky with a dark face. He had asked twice whether it was a fight or a peace?
But no one answered.
It is said that his subordinates are all warriors who have been on the battlefield for a long time and can stand alone. They have their own judgment on the situation at hand and whether to fight or not. They also have preliminary decisions in their hearts. However, no one answered Dorgon's question. The reason is very simple. Everyone
I don’t dare to say, or rather I don’t want to take the blame.
You said fight, okay, whether it is to forcefully break through the barrier, or to fight to the death, the final price will be extremely heavy. When the time comes, Dorgon will blame you and you will take the blame. Damn it, you were going to fight at that time!
If you make peace, you will vomit out all the food you have eaten. You will work in vain and suffer heavy casualties. Dorgon will also find someone to take the blame. After the fall, he will point his nose and curse. Damn it, at that time, he wanted to make peace with you.
of!
Everyone here is a smart person, and no one wants to be the first to speak out.
In the end, Duduo, who was still the most resourceful person in the Qing Dynasty, coughed lightly: "Maybe we can fight and make peace at the same time?"
Dorgon withdrew his gaze from the night sky and looked at him: "Speak more clearly."
"First hold him back on the pretext of peace talks, and drag him northward. If we delay for one more day, we will be one step closer to the border. If there is a fight, we will not be afraid of being chased and intercepted. The chance of rushing out will be greater, and the price of sacrifice will be higher."
Make it smaller, otherwise our work will be in vain if you join us at this time. If you fight, we are thousands of miles away from the hinterland of Ming Realm to the pass, and we are afraid that the price will be too high!"
Dorgon was expressionless and thoughtful.
"Prince Yu's plan is a good one, and I second it!" Shang Kexi was the first to speak, and the rest of the crowd agreed.
Dorgon snorted, stood up and walked to the river without saying a word for a long time.
As the day dawned in the east, the city of Qingzhou gradually became lively. The war had just ended and everything was in ruins. Although the Tatars had not yet retreated, the people's panic was gone. They believed that the Tatars would not attack the city again, and even if they attacked again, they were not as scared as before.
, after all, there are tens of thousands of troops stationed in the city at this time.
Whether or not the Tatars left, the people had to get up early to take care of various livelihoods and live in peace. If it weren't for the traces of war left by the Qing army's siege a few days ago that could be seen everywhere in the city, we would have thought it was a peaceful year.
But the people soon realized that today was a little unusual.
There are no soldiers on the streets anymore.
You must know that after the Tatars failed to siege the city and retreated, the officers and soldiers entered the city to rest and recuperate. After the war preparations were lifted, these soldiers did not stay in the military camp honestly. They could often be seen walking in groups in the streets, or going to restaurants, casinos, or brothels to have fun.
, there are also occasional fights and fights, disturbing people on the streets in the middle of the night, and vomiting on the roadside in the early morning...
But today I didn't see any soldiers.
Could it be that the officers and soldiers were also leaving? The thoughtful people began to look around for news.
In Prince Heng's Mansion, Chang Yuzheng had breakfast with Zhu Youyi, Li Yan and others.
"All the money and food are ready, please ask Eunuch Chang to go and count them." When Zhu Youji said this, he felt very sad, but he was also extremely happy. He almost lost everything but spent money to eliminate the disaster. King Fu, King Lu
Helping the miser was reluctant to spend money, and in the end the family was ruined... At least he had saved his property and his life. As for the money and other things, he could just earn it later.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, we are doing your best. Please bear with Your Majesty for your troubles these past few days." Chang Yu was extremely happy in his heart. Others fought with money, but he fought to make money. He was obviously chasing and annihilating the Qing army, but he did it wrongly.
After becoming a protector of the vassal, I received a large sum of money for protection. How can I be unhappy?
"What are you talking about? If my father-in-law had traveled thousands of miles to lead his soldiers to fight in a bloody battle, this Qingzhou City would have been in ruins. I, the king, would have thanked you!"
Chang Yu cupped his hands and smiled: "This is not the fault of our family, but the great kindness of the emperor." After saying this, he added: "We have to say goodbye. I don't know when we will meet again. Please take care of yourself, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Youji thought to himself: "Don't come. The protection fee is too expensive and I can't afford it." But there was a look of regret on his face: "The ancestral rules cannot be exceeded. I can't go out of Qingzhou Mansion. I can't go to the common father-in-law. If
When Eunuch Chang passes through Qingzhou on his way to work, he must come to chat with us about his daily life!"
"This is for sure, for sure." Chang Yu arched his hands and said, "Our family has left, and the remaining brothers hope that the prince will take more care of them. They will visit us one day to express their gratitude!"
Zhu Youyi was startled at first, and then smiled bitterly. The Ming army suffered a lot of wounded soldiers in the battle in Qingzhou. Now Chang Yu had to chase the Qing army and fight with the wounded soldiers. It was inconvenient, so he stayed in Qingzhou to recuperate. The medical expenses and food, drink and diarrhea would definitely cost the king.
to bear.
Although Chang Yu's approach increased the burden on King Heng, it was a great good deed. You must know that the active soldiers these days are short of clothes and food. If they are injured, it is almost equal to
Death, it would be better for the troops to rest somewhere and survive for a while. If they are marching, they have to grit their teeth and follow. If you can't keep up, you will die. No one will take care of you, and no one will have the money to buy you medicine...
The imperial court will not care about the life and death of these wounded soldiers, nor will the generals. Everything is left to fate.
But Chang Yu and Yu Zhong were different. These soldiers died fighting for the state and it was enough to receive pensions. However, these injured people must not let go. In addition to paying the full promised military pay, silver, and injury compensation,
They also tried their best to create a stable environment for him to recuperate. He lived in the Qingzhou Military Camp and had his meals paid for by the palace. He could return to the army or retire after recovering from his injuries.
In fact, if this matter were left to other vassal kings, there would be no need to bargain. However, Heng Wang Zhu Youji was naturally timid and fearful, and almost always responded to the big devil Chang Yu's request. In addition, Chang Yu did save the lives of all the people in his city and he was conscious of it.
If you hug this big tree, if you don’t spend money and effort now, who will protect you if something goes wrong in the future?
"Eunuch Chang gathered his troops last night and waited for orders. Will he break camp and chase the Tatars today? But he hasn't heard of the Tatars leaving?" Zhu Youyi asked curiously.
"When to chase depends on Dorgon's decision. If there is no reply before noon, our family will send troops to kill!" Chang Yu looked at Li Muchian with a sneer: "The Taoist priest will tell you when the Tatars will reply.
"
Li Muxian pretended to be stroking his beard and said: "There is no need to speculate. I can tell by counting with my fingers that he will reply today! Factory Supervisor, please be patient, the Tatars are more anxious than you at this moment."
Everyone laughed, and just when Chang Yu was about to tease him, he suddenly heard some movement outside, and a personal guard hurriedly entered the palace: "Report to the Factory Superintendent, there is a reply from the Tatars." He handed it over.
Chang Yu took it and did not open it in a hurry. Instead, he put it on the table and looked around everyone. You might as well guess: "Which way did the Tatars choose? General Li invites you first!"
Li Yan was silent for a while and smiled slightly: "If you put yourself in his shoes, it would be difficult to choose between these two paths. Whether it is peace or fighting, the price is too high, but the Tatars can make a decision in just a few hours. It can be seen that it is also
If you are ruthless, since there will be no peace if you are ruthless, they will definitely continue to fight and continue to test our bottom line by risking everything to the death, but will we really give them a try?"
Chang Yu nodded. He agreed with Li Yan's inference, and then looked at Li Muchian: "Use a finger to calculate or a copper coin deduction?"
Li Muchian shook his head: "Based on my intuition, if the Tatars don't want to fight or make peace, will they be more likely to continue to hold us back?"
It makes sense, Chang Yu has looked at Huang Degong.
"What are you looking at? If he wants to beat me, just stay with him. If he wants to fight me, there's nothing he can do about it." Huang Degong looked fierce, Chang Yu smiled bitterly and was speechless, and looked at Zhou Yuji again.
"The last general is more inclined to what General Li said. Whether fighting or fighting the Tatars, he will not make a decision so quickly. He needs to test our bottom line again and again before making a decision." Zhou Yuji said in a deep voice. Li Shiyuan, Tu Yuan and other generals
They all agreed and felt that what he said made the most sense.
"So, now the Tatars will not fight us or make peace with us. That's what Taoist Master Fang said. Let's drag it out for a few days and then try our determination!" Chang Yu said with a trace of contempt on his lips.
He laughed and tore open the envelope: "Let's see if the Tatars are playing tricks like this."
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