In Beijing in August, dust swept across the city, and cicada monkeys kept chirping, adding a touch of depression to the already restless capital.
A maroon carriage was driving slowly on the street. The driver carefully avoided the bumps on the road to avoid bumping the owner in the carriage.
But, even so, Fan Wencheng's mood was extremely irritable.
Since the defeat last year, the Han military flags were just fine. There were many Han people in the north, but only the thousands of white flags caused serious damage to the Manchu Banners, and they could not recover for a while.
It would be better for Dorgon to pay a hundred taels per household for burial expenses and to enclose another hundred acres of land as compensation.
Of course, Fan Wencheng didn't care much about gold and silver. Over the years, people outside the customs had entered and plundered the customs, and there was too much money.
If it doesn't work, there are still eight major imperial merchants who support them. At present, the Qing Dynasty is not short of money, but it is hungry for food.
No matter Liaodong, Beizhili, or Shandong, they are not areas rich in food. The plague and disasters have left these places in a mess.
"How to get food?"
Fan Wencheng fell into thinking.
"Sir, the palace has arrived."
The groom's voice came, interrupting his thoughts.
"Um!"
Fan Wencheng stood up, got off the carriage, stared at the red wall and blue tiles, and couldn't help but step forward.
The guards were all familiar with Fan Wencheng's identity, and there were few obstacles along the way. He entered the imperial city smoothly.
"Where is the Prince Regent?"
Fan Wencheng was surprised when he entered the Qinzheng Hall but found no one there.
But the guard did not answer. His eyes looked at his nose, and his nose looked at his heart, just like a piece of wood.
Fan Wencheng had no choice but to give up and drink tea and wait.
After a long time, nearly half an hour, Dorgon came over in casual clothes, feeling refreshed and with a relaxed look on his face.
Fan Wencheng understood that the regent was in a good mood at this time.
This direction seems to be the Cining Hall...
Fan Wencheng sighed in his heart, and there was nothing he could do about it.
On the contrary, he had a little respect for this woman.
At present, it is unknown how many people have written secretly, requesting Dorgon to succeed to the throne, but the regent could not make up his mind for a while.
Obviously, this woman's extraordinary skills are part of it.
At this point, being able to save the life of Emperor Shunzhi and secure the throne is the greatest achievement, and everything else can be done.
Dorgon saw that Fan Wencheng had been waiting for a long time and was not writing, so he said directly: "There is news from Hong Chengchou that he has spent a lot of money to bribe some people, and the four towns in Jiangbei are vulnerable."
"Moreover, he communicated with Li Zicheng and was able to hold back Zhu Yixi!"
Speaking of this, Dorgon couldn't help but cursed: "What a bullshit name, it's so convoluted. Lao Zhu's family likes to name names blindly."
"This is really great."
Fan Wencheng ignored the last sentence and clapped his hands and applauded: "Hong Chengchou has indeed lived up to expectations. The only one in the Ming army who can fight now is Zhu Yixi. If he is held back, he can be defeated one by one."
"The key is to lure him into fighting with the intruder, which will please people's hearts. Hong Chengchou's control over people's hearts is really amazing."
Dorgon also smiled, and then said angrily: "It's a pity that Duduo was killed. If he hadn't been unable to leave the capital, I would have eaten his flesh raw to relieve the hatred in my heart."
Of course Fan Wencheng understood Dorgon's hatred.
Duduo can be said to be Dorgon's right-hand man and a rare assistant.
But Fan Wencheng was still extremely relieved and happy.
The hatred for seizing his wife can be said to be irreconcilable, even if he is dead.
This has kept Fan Wencheng refreshed and energetic for most of the past six months.
Similarly, it was precisely because of the lack of Duduo's support that Emperor Shunzhi's position was rock solid, and Dorgon resolutely refused to proclaim himself emperor.
"Your Majesty, since the four towns in Jiangbei are like sieves, why not spend some money to buy some military rations? With the Ming army's greedy and despicable personality, it will definitely work."
Fan Wencheng suddenly thought of something and suggested.
"Oh, not bad!"
Dorgon laughed and said, "We'll just snatch it back when the time comes, and let them keep it for a while at most."
"When we have enough food, we can completely destroy Nanjing and occupy the most juicy piece of meat in the Ming Dynasty."
Whether it was grain from the south of the Yangtze River, brocade silk, or taxes, they were all in short supply in the Qing Dynasty.
The reason why Dorgon gave up on Shaanxi was because Wu Sangui and others made it clear that Shaanxi was poor and lacked food and grass, and if it could not be resolved quickly, it would have to be delayed.
After deeply realizing the importance of Jiangnan, Dorgon resolutely changed direction:
“It’s hot and humid in the south, so go out in October!”
Dorgon looked relaxed, as if he were eating and drinking.
The breath of the king came to my face.
Fan Wencheng couldn't help but sigh, the regent was the most suitable candidate for the throne, but unfortunately, time also dictates fate.
Neither he nor the nobles of the Two Yellow Banners would allow a non-Huang Taiji bloodline to succeed to the throne.
…
King Yu's reminder was shelved in Nanjing.
In their opinion, although King Yu was sabotaging these days, the negotiations between the two parties have been going smoothly, and it can even be said that each side got what they wanted.
The short-term compromise is worth it in exchange for accumulating strength for ZTE.
Even without telling King Yu, they planned to return Duduo's head to the Qing Dynasty as a gift for negotiation.
Just when the negotiation situation was looking good, Zheng Sen said goodbye to Qian Qianyi and his classmates, boarded the ship and left Beijing, heading upstream to Huguang.
Qian Qianyi thought it was a bit nonsense. How could the rebel King Yu's place be safe?
Even his classmates kept trying to persuade him, but Zheng Sen finally chose to go west.
"I would really rather not want to see with my own eyes how domineering King Yu is."
This is his reason.
But in fact, deep down inside, I am extremely jealous.
At the same age, how could he conquer two provinces and become a serious nuisance to the Nanjing court? He was even more hated than the Jiannu slaves, and as much as an intruder.
The deeper the fear, the stronger the strength. Zheng Sen still understands this.
The Yangtze River has rough waves, but for him who is familiar with sea ships, these waves are nothing.
Countless ships pass by on the river. Although they are not as wide as sea ships, they are stable and there is no need to worry about pirates and huge waves of the sea.
"This line is more profitable than the route my father owned."
Zheng Sen was filled with emotions.
As time went by, within a few days, we arrived in Jiujiang.
At this time, Jiujiang was the bridgehead of Jiangxi. A large amount of materials came in and out from here, which gave birth to many shipping and merchants, making it prosperous.
Unfortunately, this city has been occupied by King Yu, and there is little hope for the court to take it back.
After simply entering the city and resting for a while, he had to go get the route to Chu.
The entire Ming Dynasty's road navigation system was almost abolished, except for Huguang, where money was spent and all visitors were required to apply for road navigation in Jiujiang before entering the country.
It costs two cents of silver, or one cent of silver, to buy it.
Zheng Sen was really eye-opening when he saw Franji-style currency in Jiujiang City.
King Yu, it’s getting more and more interesting...