Chapter 58 Qing court ultimatum
"Well, there is such a thing? No, I can't believe it, I can't believe it!" Zhang Zilie said repeatedly, shaking his head with the smell of alcohol in his mouth.At this time, the banquet at the government office was over, and Zhang Zilie, together with his staff, followed Shi Kefa back to the posthouse.
Since Liu Konghe said goodbye and left, Mao Xiang thought about the matter carefully again.Although he agreed to the other party's request, it was not a trivial matter after all.I hastily suggested to Shi Kefa that if it is not true, it will not only add unnecessary trouble to Shi Kefa, but also appear to be too credulous and impetuous, without discernment. "Although it should be passed on as usual, it must be done safely, and you can't make a joke in front of those staff!" He thought.Therefore, when Zhang Zilie came back, Mao Xiang recruited his friend into the dormitory, intending to ask for his opinion.
"Then Liu Kong and Uncle Tong Dongping are relatives of uncles and nephews, but they fell out of love for a small reason, so how could they endanger their lives!" Zhang Zilie gave an unbelievable reason while belching his wine.
"At this level, my brother originally thought the same way, but..."
"What's more," Zhang Zilie waved his hand, "this kind of family affairs that no one can explain clearly, you and me outsiders, why bother him so much!" After saying this, he closed his eyes, showing the tiredness of sleepiness after drinking .
Mao Xiang shook his head: "You can't say that. Liu Konghe is also a deputy commander in chief. If you see harm from small things, how can the king's law survive? How can the army's morale be safe? Besides, Liu Konghe's lord decided against the case back then. He has contributed a lot to the country, and my Donglin family has benefited from it. His descendants are in trouble, how can we stand still!"
Zhang Zilie opened his eyes, looked at his friend suspiciously for a while, and then closed them again: "Only based on Liu Konghe's one-sided words, we will stand up for him. If Shi Gong hears about it, he will blame us for being ignorant!"
This is exactly what Mao Xiang was worried about.But since he had promised Liu Konghe, he didn't want to break his promise easily, so he hesitated and said: "Although it is a one-sided statement, it seems to be not unfounded according to Dongpingbo's usual behavior. For example, this time, President Liu went to Beijing to take office. , he dared to send someone to assassinate, that is proof!"
"Assassination," Zhang Zilie shook his head, "I have never heard of it, I'm afraid it's Liu Konghe's own dangerous words!" After a pause, he found that Mao Xiang didn't answer, and added: "Uncle Dongping is now a horse. Yaocao's best friend. Even if we don't tease him, he is already in a difficult position with Shi Gong in every way; if Liu Konghe's reason is given to him, the Huaidong family will be in even more trouble in the future. In my brother's opinion, you should proceed with caution!"
Indeed, with Liu Zeqing's current military strength and Ma Shiying's backing in the imperial court, even Shi Kefa may not be able to effectively restrain him; Even carry out the plan of the Northern Expedition.Under such circumstances, it is undoubtedly unwise to rashly intervene in the personal grievances between their uncles and nephews. "Well, for the sake of the overall safety, maybe I don't tell Shi Gong about this matter, so forget it? However, what if Liu Konghe really encounters bad luck? Besides, I have already promised him..." Thinking about it like this Mao Xiang felt a pain of choice, a relentless pressure that forced him to deviate from his inherent beliefs.He hated the pressure and tried to resist it, but...
The next day, Mao Xiang woke up very early.Since he was lying on the bed, he couldn't stop thinking about what happened last night, so he simply got up, put on his clothes, walked to the window, and Mao Cheng waited on him, and began to wash, comb his hair, and put on clothes.One by one, he proceeded without haste.At this time, the sky had already brightened, and a few rays of soft sunlight shone through the open window lattice into the room, illuminating the wooden wall in front of it, and bringing in the refreshing and pleasant atmosphere unique to the morning.This vibrant atmosphere dispelled Mao Xiangye's troubles and brightened his mood. "Hey, why should I bother with others! At least Liu Konghe came here last night, so I should tell Shi Gong. How to deal with it, Shi Gong will make up his own mind. Of course, maybe everything is just worrying, but in fact nothing will happen ——Look, how nice the weather is today!" However, he couldn't keep this happy mood, because there were hurried footsteps outside the door.Then the door curtain was lifted, revealing Zhang Zilie's face:
"Pijiang, are you awake?" He asked, "Yes, good. Go through the flower hall, Shi Gong has something important to discuss!"
"What's the matter?" Mao Xiang asked suspiciously.
Zhang Zilie shook his head: "I heard some news from the north, but I haven't heard the details!"
The so-called "northern" news refers to the Qing Dynasty since the peasant army retreated westward.Since the Qing army had entered Beijing for more than three months, instead of contacting the Hongguang court in the south of the Yangtze River to discuss handover matters, they sent troops to occupy important passes in Hebei and Shandong.What is their purpose and what is their next plan have drawn more and more people's attention in recent days.Just half a month ago, the Ming Dynasty sent a mission headed by Zuo Maodi to negotiate here. "Could it be that they have some news to bring back?" Mao Xiang thought, so she didn't dare to delay, and quickly took a fan from Mao Cheng, and hurried out with Zhang Zilie.
When they came to the Flower Hall, Shi Kefa was already waiting with Ying Tingji, Yan Ermei, He Ruchong, Yang Yufan and several other staff members.Because of doubts in his heart and always remembering the incident of Liu Konghe's visit last night, Mao Xiang couldn't help but pay attention to Shi Kefa's expression while saluting with everyone and sitting down.He found that Master Supervisor's face today was more serious than at any time since he left Yangzhou. His black and white eyebrows were tightly frowned, and his eyes were red from long-term lack of sleep. With deep thoughts, his dark complexion looked a little gray in the morning light, and his already high cheekbones were even more prominent.He didn't express his concern about Maoxiang's illness any more, and once everyone sat down, he immediately spoke:
"Gentlemen," he said, without saying a word of nonsense as usual, "Jianlu sent someone to write a letter, and it was delivered urgently from Yangzhou last night. Where is it, how to reply him, gentlemen, please take a look and give us some advice." After speaking, he picked up a small scroll from the table of the Eight Immortals and handed it to Yan Ermei who was sitting next to him.
The Jianzhou Jurchens, who grew up outside Shanhaiguan, have continued to harass the Ming Dynasty militarily since the establishment of the Houjin regime in the Wanli period.In the ninth year of Chongzhen, after they changed the name of the country to "Qing", they further increased their ambition to expand the territory.After the Battle of Songshan two years ago, the Qing Dynasty had basically acquired the entire Northeast region outside Shanhaiguan.However, the talented Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty, Huang Taiji, died shortly after he entered the Great Wall for the last time in the 16th year of Chongzhen.Since he did not designate an heir during his lifetime, after some competition, Prince Rui Dorgon supported Qing Taizong's third son Fulin as the throne, and changed the name to "Shunzhi".Na Fulin is only seven years old this year, and all the power is actually in the hands of the regent Dorgon.Now the letter from the Qing Dynasty is signed by him, which shows the importance of the nature.As for the moment, Shi Kefa hastily called his staff to discuss regardless of the fact that he was going to go to the school for a military parade soon, no doubt it was because of this reason.So when Mao Xiang heard this, he became nervous immediately, stood up quickly, and looked behind Yan Ermei, and found that the letter was written in Chinese and transcribed on the scroll.I saw it said:
Mao Xiang thought to himself: Although these opening remarks are polite as usual, they are well written, concise and to the point, I don't know who wrote them?However, it mentioned that the other party asked Shi Kecheng, who had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, Shi Kefa's younger brother, to send a letter of tribute to the other party. According to the staff, Shi Kefa became furious after reading the letter and tore it up on the spot. Cursed, vowed to sever brotherhood with Shi Kecheng.It's ridiculous for Dorgon to pick up this topic now!So he went on to read:
As soon as the other party changed his style of writing, he immediately brought up the traditional Chinese etiquette system, accusing the Ming Dynasty of establishing a regime in the south of the Yangtze River that was not in compliance with the rules.Mao Xiang couldn't help but shudder in his heart.
Mao Xiang thought to himself: "It is too derogatory to say that the Chinese subjects will not shoot at the day when the trespassers violated the foreground. But it is true that Wu Sangui borrowed soldiers from them to fight the trespassers, and it is difficult to refute him. See what he said?"
Originally, at the beginning of the letter, the other party put on a face of righteousness and love, and sweetly expressed that he would help the Ming Dynasty seek revenge for the "thief"; The imperial court was not allowed to "support titles and claim respect", otherwise it would be regarded as a hostile action, threatened to "turn to the east", and even threatened to join the peasant army to fight across the south of the Yangtze River.This shows unabashedly that the other party's entry into the customs this time is entirely out of ulterior motives, and the purpose is to completely replace the rule of the Ming Dynasty!If, before that, Mao Xiang, like everyone else, was still a little unclear about the Qing soldiers' intentions, then there is no longer any doubt at this moment.He opened his eyes wide, and read this passage again with horror and indignation. The more he read it, the more he felt hot all over his body, and he couldn't stand it any longer.
"Well, are you finished?" Shi Kefa asked, meeting his gaze.
"No, no..."
Shi Kefa waved his hand: "Read on, let's talk after reading!"
Mao Xiang hesitated for a moment, and had no choice but to bend down again.However, the following part does not need to be read carefully.The other party was nothing more than trying to lure the Jiangnan people headed by Shi Kefa with high-ranking officials and generous salaries, and vowed that as long as the latter urged Emperor Hongguang to "reduce the title and return to the vassal", they would be treated favorably by "dividing the land" and "bringing mountains and rivers" ; If not, once the soldiers arrive, it will lead to "infinite disasters" and so on.
Finally, the letter was read.For a while, the flower hall became silent, and no one spoke.Obviously, everyone was deeply shocked by this arrogant, threatening and offensive letter, and everyone felt that the situation was serious.
Shi Kefa stroked his beard and sat quietly the whole time.He seemed to have expected such a reaction, so he was not in a hurry to urge everyone to express their opinions, but rather let everyone deeply appreciate the serious meaning of the letter in order to come up with more accurate and valuable opinions.
"How dare you want to cut your title and return to the vassal today, you are really rebellious!" Ying Tingji finally opened his small triangular eyes, and said angrily.
"What did he say-'The army is about to go, but the west and the east, and the safety of the southern country, this is one action." It is clearly blackmailed by the power, which can be tolerated, but which cannot be tolerated!" Yang Yufan also answered angrily.
"Hmph, a wolf is beaten away, but a tiger is ushered in. Why didn't Wu Sangui take this into account when he borrowed troops to drive out the thieves!" A slender staff member shook his head regretfully. He Lianggong, the grandson of minister He Ruchong.
Yan Ermei let out a long sigh: "The rogues are not just 'wolves'! If Wu Pingxi doesn't borrow troops from the Jianlu, and waits for him to gain a foothold, I'm afraid the attack will be even worse!"
Everyone fell silent again.Because the fact is exactly like this, the peasant army is their sworn enemy, if it is said that when the Emperor Chongzhen was in power, the soldiers of the whole country were still unable to resist, then when there is only a corner of the south of the Yangtze River, it may be even more difficult to compete with it .Therefore, the Qing army defeated the peasant army in one fell swoop. For them, they really felt like they were brought back to life.It's not that they didn't think that sending troops to help would naturally not be free.If the other party's request is for children's treasures, they will naturally be willing to consider it and express their sincere gratitude.The problem is that the Qing side is now asking Jiangnan to give up power and surrender, which is too high a price!
"Humph," Zhang Zilie, who hadn't spoken all this time, suddenly stood up, and said with a livid face, "The death of the rebels is really full of evil, and the heaven and man are all angry, and our army and people in the south of the Yangtze River, with hundreds of millions of soldiers and civilians, are fighting against the enemy, and we are ready to contain them. It is all due to the power of building captives to make them dare not join forces to the east! Now this chieftain is madly rebellious and making such a false request, because he regards us in the south of the Yangtze River as deceitful. The only way now is to fight to the death. !"
"Yes, fight to the death!" Ying Tingji also became tough.
"Yes, yes!" Several people echoed in unison.
But Mao Xiang was silent.Undoubtedly, whether it is based on the high self-esteem of the heavenly kingdom or the strong concept of "defense against the barbarians", he, like everyone else, feels extremely indignant at the arrogant demands of the Qing Dynasty, a "small country outside China", and wishes to use the last The ruthless blow wiped out the opponent in one fell swoop.However, the strength and weakness of the two sides have reversed to the current stage, and he knows that it is actually impossible. The result of the "fight to the death" can only lead to endless chaos in the southeast half.Maoxiang's hometown Rugao is now on the "front line" on the north bank of the Yangtze River, and will become the first and most serious victim by then.This is unacceptable to Maoxiang when Gou'an's situation can still be maintained. "Hmph, Zhang Ergong's hometown is far away in Jiangxi, so it's not difficult for him to talk about going to war with high spirits!" He thought coldly and not without disgust.However, such a reason is difficult to say at present.Therefore, even though he disagreed in his heart, he could only keep silent and did not express his attitude.
"Brother Pijiang, in your opinion?" A steady voice came from the main seat, Mao Xiang suddenly raised his head and found that Shi Kefa was staring at him intently.
"Oh..." Due to lack of preparation, Mao Xiang was a little embarrassed for a moment.He tried his best to calm himself down, hesitated for a moment, and began to say carefully, "according to my later life, it seems that such absurd request, Jianlu may not be unaware that it will be difficult for me to accept it. He is so high in price, I'm afraid there are still many intentions." You have to lose money and cede land. If this is the case, you should immediately reply to the letter and severely reprimand him for his madness. As for the others, you might as well show mercy, satiate his desires a little, use both kindness and power, or..."
"Hey, that's wrong!" Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Zilie had already answered in a sharp voice, "During the twenty years of Jiankuo's life, he worked hard and carefully, and his aspirations could not be satisfied by mere children! As for the cession of land, Hebei and Shandong have now entered Why is his hand bothering to ask me again? It’s not a delusion to want to make his feet back with a piece of paper and a book!”
Mao Xiang's face flushed red.Naturally, he also knew that what he said was just a weak wish, which was not enough to convince people.Because of this, the sharp rebuttal from an old friend made him even more embarrassed.For a while, he opened his handsome eyes and stared at Zhang Zilie angrily and anxiously.If Shi Kefa hadn't stopped him in time, he would probably have quarreled with the other party.
Shi Kefa obviously noticed this sentiment.He made a gesture not to get excited, then slowly stroked his beard, and after a long while, he said: "The book must be reviewed, and the war must be prepared. It is best to make peace. If it is really impossible, the only way is to fight to the death!" After a pause, he sighed again with a heavy heart: "Speaking of war, Huaiyang's soldiers, although strong and weak, are still worthy of use. What I worry about is the dispute between the court and the middle. The fire and water are urgent. Bad, I'm afraid it's true—hey, it's getting late, let's go to the military parade first, and discuss this matter later!"