novelonline Chapter 1435 Jia Heng: I don’t think the emperor will survive this winter.
Chapter 1435 Jia Heng: I don’t think the emperor will survive this winter.
Chapter 1435 Jia Heng: I don’t think the emperor will survive this winter.
Shengjing City
The night is falling and the moon is bright in the sky.
The sky was as black as ink, and above the vast and endless night sky, a few sparse stars were twinkling, and inside the palace, bright flames could be seen, shining on the earth.
Jia Heng nodded and said, "There is a fire in Shengjing City."
Such a big fire, could it be... self-immolation in the palace?
A hint of delight appeared in the sharp eyes of the King of Wei, and he said, "The shouting and killing in the city has also subsided."
The King of Chu said: "The city should be completely destroyed now."
Chen Xiao said: "I'll send someone to take a look."
As he spoke, he ordered a Jinyifu guard who was accompanying him to enter the city wall and find out the situation.
Not long after, the Jinyifu guard returned and clasped his fists, saying, "Commander-in-chief, the palace is on fire. It was the Jurchen king who set fire to the palace. Now Marquis Xie is ordering the accompanying cavalry to put out the fire."
It turned out that Dorgon led a group of horsemen to retreat to Xiande Hall, and dry firewood and kerosene had already been prepared outside the hall. After torches were thrown in, flames burned fiercely in an instant.
Jia Heng looked at the King of Chu and the King of Wei standing by and said, "Dorgon actually burned himself to death."
The King of Wei sighed with emotion and said, "This captive king is unwilling to be captured and humiliated by the Han people."
The King of Chu said loudly: "Now you will not be humiliated? If you lose your country and burn yourself, won't future generations laugh at you?"
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, just looking at the towering city wall in the distance, feeling a sense of sadness in his heart.
Jia Heng turned his head to look at the King of Chu and the King of Wei, Chen Ran, with a thoughtful look in his eyes, and said loudly: "Your Highnesses, if you are hungry, please return to the military tent for dinner first."
The King of Wei smiled and said, "Zi Yu, I'm not that hungry here."
The King of Chu also nodded.
Jia Heng paused for a moment, looked at the two vassals, was silent for a moment, and said, "I'm hungry."
King Wei and King Chu: "..."
But in a flash, I was inexplicably impressed by his calm and composed demeanor.
This is what it means to remain calm even when facing a collapse of Mount Tai.
Jia Heng didn't say anything else. He called the King of Wei and the King of Chu, and, accompanied by a group of palace guards, he rode back to the camp.
At this moment, Shengjing City has been breached, and the Qing Dynasty has become the meat on the chopping board of the Han Dynasty, to be slaughtered at will.
And his next task was to figure out how to write this military report and have it delivered to the capital city of Shenjing by express horse.
The fall of Shengjing meant that the Han court’s plan to pacify Liao had come to an end, but it did not mean that they could sit back and relax about subsequent affairs in Liaodong.
Wiping out the remnants of the Jurchen Eight Banners and how to divide and win over the Mongolian nobles and the Jurchen upper class are all top priorities.
……
……
Although it was already dark at this moment, the Han army entered Shengjing City in large numbers and surrounded the palace, with pine oil torches crackling.
Xie Zaiyi's eyes were deep under his thick eyebrows, and he whispered, "Immediately send people to take over the palace and the various government offices, as well as the armory and warehouses, and seal the government treasury. These are all public property, and no one is allowed to encroach on them."
Upon hearing this, all the Han army officers nodded in agreement.
"Clean up the battlefield and welcome the commander into the city tomorrow." Xie Zaiyi said in a deep voice, his eyes flashing fiercely under his thick eyebrows like blades.
Upon hearing this, all the generals present spoke up in agreement.
Afterwards, the generals of the Beijing camp began to order the soldiers to clean up the messy battlefield. At this moment, armor and flags could be seen everywhere, as well as the corpses of the Han army and the Jurchen Eight Banners soldiers.
Xie Zaiyi turned to look at Jia Fang and asked, "Have you found any trace of the false Jurchen monarch?"
Jia Fang said in a loud voice: "The soldiers in the city have searched for traces, but have not found any traces of the false king and the queen."
Xie Zaiyi frowned, paused, and whispered, "What's going on?"
At this moment, Kang Hong, the governor of Hebei, who came up to him accompanied by several personal guards, looked thoughtful. He turned to look at Xie Zaiyi and said, "Lord Xie, is there a secret passage somewhere?"
After all, Kang Hong is older and has more experience. When he asked questions, he hit the nail on the head.
Hearing this, Xie Zaiyi looked at Jia Fang intently and whispered, "Go and have someone search."
Jia Fang clasped his fists, then turned and left without saying anything more.
Xie Zaiyi asked: "After this battle, how will the officers and soldiers of the Jurchen, Mongolian and Han armies be resettled?"
Kang Hong smiled and said, "Maybe the Duke of Weiguo needs to make the decision."
Compared with these, he cared more about whether he could be granted the title of marquis for this achievement. Even if he could not be granted the title of marquis, he would be satisfied with being granted the title of first-class earl.
Just as Kang and Xie were talking, they saw a crowd in the distance, surrounded by a few nobles in gorgeous clothes and with extraordinary demeanor, walking quickly towards them.
Looking up, it was clearly Prince Beijing Shui Rong and Mu Sheng.
Xie Zaiyi walked closer and asked, "My Lord, what is the situation in the city?"
Shui Rong said: "We have sent soldiers to take over the hundreds of Jurchen government offices in Shengjing City, and the Jurchen Internal Affairs Department is also counting and registering the relevant property."
Xie Zaiyi turned to look at Mu Sheng and asked, "Where is Little Prince Mu?"
Mu Sheng's face turned serious, and he said, "We have also sent people to take over the weapons and equipment warehouse. The relevant prisoners are all under guard in Nanyuan, waiting for the Duke of Wei's decision."
Xie Zaiyi nodded and said, "Now that the city has been breached, we should send troops to the Jiangnan camp."
Although Xie Zaiyi's title was not high, everyone present knew his relationship with Jia Heng, who had previously granted him temporary military command.
At this moment, a general came quickly and said with a bow, "Thank you, Lord. We have captured a surrendered general of our Han Dynasty. He was originally the commander of Datong Guard. He is in Jurchen, but according to him, he is a secret agent of Jinyi Mansion, codenamed Zhongshan Wolf."
It turned out that after the city was breached, Sun Shaozu was besieged by some surrendered Han officials. Later, the Han army discovered this and stopped Sun Shaozu's siege.
Upon hearing this, Xie Zaiyi asked, "Zhongshan Wolf?"
After thinking for a while, he looked at the captain of the Jinyifu guards who was accompanying him.
The captain of the Jinyifu Guard paused for a moment and said, "I don't know. I'll ask Princess Le'an later."
Xie Zaiyi nodded and said, "There is indeed a secret spy of our Han Dynasty in the city. Take him into custody first and wait for the Duke of Wei to enter the city before meeting him again."
The Jinyifu guard bowed in response.
Immediately, Xie Zaiyi, Prince of Beijing Shui Rong, and Hebei Governor Kang Hong began to dispatch soldiers to deal with the aftermath.
Seal the provincial treasury, guard the prisoners, and take over all government offices and halls.
……
……
The next day, the sky was bright and the autumn wind was cool and pleasant.
It was autumn, and the golden morning light shone on the towering city walls. In the blink of an eye, another sunny day arrived.
Just like that, after a night had passed, the shouting and killing in Shengjing City had completely subsided.
Jia Heng, the King of Chu, the King of Wei, and Chen Xiao, escorted by a group of Jinyi Guards, walked quickly towards Shengjing City.
At this moment, a large banner of the central army with the word "Jia" engraved on it was fluttering in the wind, and flags covered with brocade flames were fluttering in the autumn wind, like balls of flame, burning fiercely.
Xie Zaiyi and Jia Fang led the cavalry and came quickly. They stared at the young man in the python robe and whispered, "Duke Weiguo, the battlefield in the city has been cleared."
Jia Heng asked, "Have the surrendered soldiers and generals been put under surveillance?"
Xie Zaiyi looked at the dignified and solemn young man in python robe with a sharp gaze, and said loudly: "Report to the commander, I have sent someone to monitor him."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "Have you sent people to take over the treasury and government offices?"
Xie Zaiyi said: "Someone has been ordered to take over. The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of War, and the warehouses have all been sealed, waiting for the court to count the treasury."
Jia Heng didn't ask any other questions, as this was just a routine inquiry.
At this moment, Xie Zaiyi hesitated for a moment, and said: "General, the king of the false dynasty in the city escaped from the palace through a secret passage, and now my Han army is sending troops to hunt him down."
Jia Heng frowned and asked, "Did the little Qing emperor run away?"
Xie Zaiyi said, "General, your soldiers have discovered a secret passage in the palace and are following it."
Jia Heng heard this, his face became solemn, and he said in a deep voice: "We must catch up with him and not let him cause endless trouble."
Accompanied by the King of Wei and the King of Chu, he entered Shengjing City.
In fact, even if the young emperor Fulin escaped, it would not be easy for him to cause trouble outside.
At this moment, Jia Heng and the two vassals of King Wei and King Chu marched into the city in a mighty procession. They could vaguely smell a pungent and unpleasant smell of blood.
Because of the fighting among more than 100,000 people yesterday, the streets were almost covered with a layer of blood tofu. Although they were washed with water, the smell was still not very good.
As the cavalry behind them marched into Shengjing City in a mighty manner, the doors on both sides of the streets remained closed. It was obvious that the shouting and killing yesterday had already made the people in the city nervous.
At this moment, the King of Chu and the King of Wei held the reins and walked side by side, looking at the magnificent and majestic palace in the distance.
Well, because at this moment there was no lively scene of welcoming the royal army with food and drink, but it had already slightly satisfied the vanity of the King of Chu and the King of Wei.
Jia Heng held a horse rein in his hand, his eyes gleaming as lightning as he looked at Xie Zaiyi standing beside him and asked, "Have the public security notices been posted?"
Xie Zaiyi nodded and said, "We have already sent people to post it, but in the next few days, the city needs to search for the Jurchen rebels and the nobles of the Eight Banners, so we cannot lift the martial law for the time being."
Jia Heng asked, "I heard that Dorgon burned himself to death. Has his body been verified?"
Xie Zaiyi looked calm and said, "We have already found Dorgon's wife and palace maids to verify his identity. We are sure it is Dorgon himself."
Wei Wang Chen Ran raised his eyebrows, looked a little surprised, and asked, "Have you captured other Jurchen princes and nobles?"
Xie Zaiyi pondered for a moment and said, "The noble princes of the Jurchens had been eliminated one after another by the military commander in several wars against the Jurchens. The remaining two, Lekedehun and Husai, were killed by our Han generals. Later, some beile and county princes were captured and are being held in the prison of the Ministry of Justice."
The King of Chu said: "The other eight banner leaders of the Jurchens have also surrendered to the court."
"Some elderly bannermen have surrendered to the imperial court," Xie Zaiyi introduced.
The Jurchens have occupied Shengjing City for nearly thirty years since the time of Nurhaci, which means that they have completed the replacement of one or two generations.
Naturally, some older bannermen no longer had the drive they had in the past, or were dissatisfied with Dorgon for leading the Qing Dynasty into darkness countless times.
While everyone was talking, they entered the Qing Dynasty's Ministry of Revenue official office. At this moment, Prince Beijing Shui Rong and Hebei Governor Kang Hong were there.
In the hall of the Ministry of Revenue, everyone entered the lobby, and the King of Chu and the King of Wei sat on a pear wood chair in the official hall.
The servant brought the steaming hot tea and then slowly left.
Jia Heng picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Have the Jurchen soldiers, bannermen, Mongolians, and high-ranking Han nobles in the city been controlled first?"
Xie Zaiyi said: "Marshal Jie, we have already sent people to monitor them. Do you want to meet them?"
Jia Heng nodded and said, "I won't meet you now. I will deal with these people slowly after everything in the city is settled."
There may be some talented people among them, but the Han Dynasty has more than enough talents of its own, so how can it possibly use these officials of the pseudo-court?
In particular, the treatment of these Manchu loyalists cannot be based on appeasement and winning them over.
We cannot even allow it to rise to a high position. We should prevent, control, and even suppress it so that it gradually declines. This is the proper way to control it.
Or the long-term strategy for pacifying and maintaining peace could be to enable the impoverished bannermen to turn over a new leaf and become new nobles, and then unleash their enthusiasm for converts to the Han Dynasty.
At this moment, a Jinyifu guard wearing a flying fish suit and an embroidered spring sword on his waist walked into the hall quickly, bowed and said, "General, Prince Beijing and Admiral Mu are here."
As they were talking, Prince Beijing Shui Rong and Mu Sheng entered the hall together, followed by a large number of officers and retinues.
"Zi Yu." Beijing King Shui Rong looked at the young man in the python costume with a bright smile and said loudly.
At this moment, Mu Sheng also came forward and saluted.
Jia Heng nodded, and when everyone sat down, he glanced at a few people and asked, "Have you settled everything in the city?"
Prince Beijing Shui Rong smiled and said, "It has been preliminarily packed up."
Mu Sheng stared at Jia Heng and said, "Rumors have been spreading in the city these days. The Jurchens are privately saying that the Han people want to kill them all to avenge the kidnapping and killing for many years."
Jia Heng nodded and said, "I have already said that I will forgive the past, so the people in the city don't have to be afraid."
Jia Heng said: "During this period of time, we will identify the Han people, Jurchens, and Mongols in the city, and at the same time make them keep their hair and wear my Han clothing. This is what we call growing hair and changing clothes."
Upon hearing this, King Chen Ran of Wei and King Chen Qin of Chu both looked thoughtful.
Because I heard this theory of assimilation and governance from Jia Heng.
Jia Heng said, "Your Highness, the Prince of Wei, please take out the royal wine and meat from the treasury and distribute them to the soldiers."
King Wei Chen Ran nodded and smiled, saying, "Zi Yu, my army has also prepared a lot of wine and meat this time, which can be used to reward the officers and soldiers in the army."
Jia Heng said, "Now that everything is settled, after lunch, I will write a military report and memorial to the court."
As soon as these words were spoken, the generals of the Beijing camp below couldn't help but prick up their ears and became extremely alert.
At this moment, Beijing Prince Shui Rong looked at Jia Heng intently and asked, "Zi Yu, now that Liaodong has been pacified, how do we govern this vast territory?"
Although the Jurchens have become highly "urbanized", there are still some Jurchens in some villages and tribes.
Both of them are ministers of military affairs, so it is not surprising that they discuss these things.
Jia Heng said: "Appoint officials and establish a system to restore the garrisons. As for the troops in the nine frontiers, they can be appropriately reduced to make up for the shortage."
As he spoke, Jia Heng glanced at the dark sky outside and said, "It's getting late, let's prepare for lunch."
Upon hearing this, everyone went to the side hall, sat down, and started toasting each other, creating a lively atmosphere.
After the celebration banquet, it was already afternoon, and the high-ranking military generals of the Han Dynasty stationed in Liaodong returned to rest.
Accompanied by Chen Xiao, Jia Heng came to a wing room in the backyard and sat down on a pear wood chair.
Chen Xiao brought a cup of tea and said, "Shengjing City should be fine now."
Jia Heng took the teacup, took a sip of the fragrant tea, and said, "Yes, the rest are just some finishing touches."
At this moment in Shengjing City, the Han army has more than 200,000 troops stationed. Naturally, they have to deal with the future troubles. Even if they return to the capital, they will leave tens of thousands of soldiers behind to control the situation.
Chen Xiao came to the desk and helped Jia Heng grind the ink. He said softly, "What are you going to do next? Return to the capital."
Jia Heng took a blank memorial, spread it out, took the brush, and said, "It's too early for the army to return to the capital. We have to wait until next year at least."
I don’t think the emperor will be able to survive this winter.
By then, he will have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and two princes by his side, so he will at least be able to support the new king. As the new king ascends the throne, he will slowly exert his influence and gradually control the government.
He did not want to live leisurely in the forest. Even if he retired on the surface, he still wanted to maintain a huge influence so that he could depose and enthrone people.
Sailing on the sea depends on the helmsman. It is the right choice in history to have someone like him who can see the future helm the Chinese ship.
Chen Xiao nodded and said loudly: "That's fine."
Jia Heng said, "I will write another memorial to pacify Liaodong, guard against the Luosha Kingdom on the northern border, and plan the establishment of a prefecture and defense system in Liaodong."
There are some things that need to be done by him as a time traveler. Not only the Rakshasa Kingdom, but also the Mongolian land that originally belonged to the Qing Dynasty should fall into the hands of the Han Dynasty.
Otherwise, if they replaced the Qing Dynasty as the legitimate ruler of China but failed to conquer the vast territory that would later become the world's most powerful rooster, then in a sense, it would be better to let the Qing Dynasty enter the country.
Jia Heng calmed himself, dipped his brush in ink, and started writing the memorial.
It is mainly about the form of setting up the Fuwei in Liaodong.
The Wei Suo system of the former Ming Dynasty was actually not very suitable for the vast area of Liaodong, and the Production and Construction Corps for reclaiming wasteland was the only way for Liaodong to regain its rule.
……
……
At this moment, just a hundred miles away from Shengjing City, a carriage with a hundred or so riders as its escort was fleeing towards the northern grasslands.
Concubine Zhuang changed into ordinary women's clothes and wore no makeup, but her face was haggard and pale. At this moment, she took Fulin's hand.
The carriage, driven by two drivers, sped northward toward the fleeing Mongols.
Concubine Zhuang was born in Khorchin, so she naturally knew horsemanship. Therefore, although the carriage was bumpy, she was able to get used to it. However, Fulin, who was standing next to her, looked pale, as if he could not bear it.
There were several palace maids, a dozen eunuchs, and a hundred or so palace guards around the carriage, as well as an entourage.
At this moment, a guard in black armor rode up on horseback, with a panicked look on his face, and said in a hurry: "Madam, the Han army is catching up."
The pursuer behind was none other than Jia Fang.
After tracking down Concubine Zhuang and Fulin through the secret passage, Jia Fang made a prompt decision and personally led 3,000 cavalry.
"Mother." Fulin said worriedly.
Concubine Zhuang showed a trace of worry. She looked at Fulin beside her and said softly, "Don't be afraid. Even if you really fall into the hands of the Han army, your mother will protect you even at the cost of her own life."
On the other side, Jia Fang was holding a rein in his hand, driving the horse under his crotch. His forehead and temples were covered with sweat, and beads of sweat as big as soybeans fell down.
The cavalry of the Beijing Camp galloped all the way. At first, there were 3,000 cavalrymen beside them, but after galloping all night, when they reached a hundred miles of grassland, they found that there were only more than 2,000 cavalrymen.
Because of the all-night pursuit, some cavalry troops apparently failed to keep up with the follow-up pace.
The deputy general Guo Ji at the side said in a very high voice: "General, it's just ahead."
Jia Fang shouted loudly: "Hurry up, hurry up, catch them!"
As the cavalry behind them advanced like a whirlwind, they gradually closed the distance between them and the carriage where Concubine Zhuang and Fulin were.
"hiss……"
With the sounds of people roaring and horses neighing, the carriage and horse team with their shafts erected high came to an abrupt stop, apparently blocked by a winding river ahead.
Concubine Zhuang, who was sitting in the carriage, suddenly changed her expression. She lifted the bamboo curtain hanging from the carriage and asked, "Why did it stop?"
The Jurchen officer in front, who was wearing a pale yellow copper armor with studs, also looked anxious and said, "I remember there is no river here."
This is what is meant by being in a panic and having no choice but to take the wrong path.
At this moment, Concubine Zhuang only felt her hands and feet were cold. She closed her eyes and said nothing for a while.
Fulin, who was standing aside, had a pale face due to fear.
At this time, Jia Fang also led two thousand cavalry and surrounded them.
I recommend a good fantasy book "The Embers of Sword Dao". The author has a strong writing skill and is excellent in character portrayal. As an old fantasy writer, I feel that it has a strong flavor of war. You can go and have a look.
(End of this chapter)