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While the people of Daqin were celebrating the New Year, Yu Keming, riding a white horse, set out alone on the journey to Yingshang with the feeling of "the wind is whistling and the Yishui River is cold, and the warrior will never return".
Fortunately, the Qing army also knew the rule that when two countries are at war, envoys should not be killed. After crossing the Huai River, Yu Keming revealed his identity as an envoy to the Qing cavalry and, under the escort of the Qing army, went all the way to Yingshang County.
Yingshang County is located in the Huaixi area, close to the Huai River in the south and spanning the Yingshui River in the middle. It can be said to be a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya in the Spring and Autumn Period and Gan Mao and Gan Luo in the Warring States Period were all from Yingshang.
Along the way, Yu Keming treated the escorting Qing troops as his guards, and he was calm and composed, reciting poems while riding on a white horse:
I set out at night and did not stop until dawn, walking alone west of the Huai River.
Knowing clearly that the cold grass is covered with dew, it secretly wets the skinny horse's hooves.
The fire in the bamboo forest was half extinguished, and the cocks' crows could be heard from the thatched cottage.
In autumn, I fear the lingering heat and am not fascinated by the moonlight.
This is a poem titled "Early Arrival at Yingshang County" written by Mei Yaochen, a famous poet in the Song Dynasty. Yu Keming liked it very much. The poem is very artistic. When you read it for the first time, you will feel a yearning for this mountain and river that you have never set foot on.
If it were in the past, the Qing soldiers escorting him would have arrogantly mocked him when they heard him reciting poetry. But now, not only were these Qing soldiers not arrogant, Yu Keming could even see a hint of inferiority in them.
The world is changing, and who says it is not all just a dream? Thinking back to half a year ago, the Qing army was like an unmanned land, sweeping everything in its path, and in just three or four months, it occupied most of the territory of the world.
It was not until Hanyang that the Qing army was like a torrent hitting a rock. After several months of repeated defeats, the arrogant Qing army was driven north of the Huai River, temporarily switching positions.
Really, it all seems like a big dream...
After arriving in Yingshang County, Yu Keming met Aobai smoothly.
Aobai looked like he hadn't slept for ten days, with a disheveled beard. His eyes were puffy and he was in a bad mood. When he saw Yu Keming, he slammed the table and asked coldly, "Did Meng Ke send you to seek death?"
It was no wonder that he was so irritable. Haoge died suddenly in prison, and Sony and others in Beijing were imprisoned one after another. Duoduo had sent people three times to urge him to lead his troops back to Bozhou, and his tone became more and more severe. Aobai could imagine that he would not have a good ending if he went back.
Yu Keming replied calmly: "General Guaerjia, to be exact, I was not sent by Governor Meng, but by my King Qin to see General Guaerjia. General Guaerjia must know his situation better than anyone else. With the death of Prince Su, I am afraid there is not much room for General Guaerjia in this world..."
"Bullshit!" Aobai suddenly drew out his sword, and pointed the cold blade directly at Yu Keming. "I finally see what you are doing here. You want me to surrender to Qin Mu? Dream on."
Yu Keming looked at the cold knife in front of him, steadied his breath, and said calmly: "Haha... General Guaerjia, why should you deceive yourself? If you had not abandoned Fengyang and put Ashan to death, General Guaerjia would have surrendered and turned to Dorgon to pledge allegiance, and perhaps there would have been a way out;
But now, if Dorgon lets you off easily again, who will take the blame for Dodo's defeat? Dorgon's prestige is no longer as high as before. Dodo was defeated. Our army wiped out 20,000 to 30,000 troops. Dorgon and Dodo must find a scapegoat to explain such a big responsibility. The most suitable person to be this scapegoat is none other than General Guaerjia. I wonder if General Guaerjia agrees with this?"
Yu Keming's heart-piercing words hit the sore spot for Aobai, causing his expression to change and his steel-needle beard to tremble.
Yu Keming continued, "What our King Qin said to General Guaerjia in Chuzhou was not false. Our King Qin really admires General Guaerjia very much. If General Guaerjia is willing to sincerely submit to our Great Qin, our King Qin will certainly welcome him and grant him the title of Marquis.
Our King Qin has always promoted people based on their talents, trusted those he employed, and rewarded those who had made contributions. With General Guarjia's bravery and fighting skills, if he can lead the army in battles in the future and make new contributions, it will not be impossible for him to be granted the title of Duke and appointed as Prime Minister.
General Guaerjia, as the saying goes, a man who knows the times is a hero. Now the general trend of the world is very clear, and the destiny of Qin is irreversible.
The Qing Dynasty is no longer the Qing Dynasty it once was. The current Qing Dynasty is greatly weakened. It is struggling in the Central Plains. Sooner or later, it will be destroyed by the Qin Dynasty. If it retreats to the outside of the Great Wall now, I am afraid that other tribes outside the Great Wall will also rise up to attack it without the Qin Dynasty sending troops. This is what ordinary people often say, it is easy to go up the mountain, but difficult to go down the mountain;
During the rise of the Qing Dynasty, it made countless enemies. It would be like a severely wounded tiger, and even wild dogs would dare to take a bite. With the wisdom of General Guarjia, he should know that I am not exaggerating.
Now that things have come to this, General Guaerjia is so appreciated by our King of Qin, why not give up the dark and join the light, become a founding hero of our Great Qin, follow our King of Qin to create a great cause for thousands of years, enjoy wealth and glory during his lifetime, and leave a good reputation for generations to come... "
It must be said that Yu Keming was chosen to persuade Aobai for a reason. With his eloquent tongue, he could persuade even the dead to live. Aobai was already in a desperate situation, and after being instigated by him, how could he not be moved at all
Seeing that Aobai had a complicated expression and remained silent for a long time, he knew better than anyone how difficult the current situation of the Qing Dynasty was. The Han people under its rule kept rebelling, and those Mongolian tribes were becoming more and more unruly. The original 70,000 to 80,000 troops of the Eight Banners of the Manchu were defeated time and time again, and only five or six of the ten pavilions had been lost. All their fighting spirit was gone, and they were just holding on.
Seeing that Aobai seemed to be moved, Yu Keming hurriedly added: "General Guaerjia, my King of Qin said that as long as General Guaerjia agrees to submit to my Great Qin, he does not need to go to Nanjing to pay a visit for the time being;
As long as General Guaerjia shows a little sincerity, you can still stay in Yingshang with your current subordinates. The King of Qin will immediately send people to Yanjing to rescue General Guaerjia's family.
If successful, General Guaerjia will go to Jinling to meet the King of Qin. General Guaerjia, please rest assured that with the strength of our Great Qin, it is not difficult to rescue your family.
If it doesn't work, my King Qin will take Ashan and other generals in exchange for your family. In this way, General Guaerjia should believe in the sincerity of my King Qin. "
"You don't have to say anything more. I, Aobai, will not submit to your King Qin."
Although Aobai still rejected it coldly, his tone had obviously changed. Yu Keming knew that saying too much at this time might be counterproductive. It would be abnormal to make such an important decision without going through some mental torment.
In other words, if Aobai immediately agreed to submit to the Qin Dynasty, Yu Keming would not believe that he would sincerely submit.
"General Guaerjia, you don't have to refuse in a hurry. You can think it over slowly. I can stay in Yingshang and wait for you. When you have made up your mind, you can come and tell me at any time. General, this is not only related to your honor and disgrace in this life, but also to the life and death of your family. General Guaerjia, you should think about it carefully. Well, if it is convenient, I want to take a walk in the city. Yu Tian has longed to visit Yingshang."
With a confused mind, Aobai did not stop Yu Keming at all and let him walk out of the house.
Yu Keming wanted to go out for a walk and tell the world that the envoy of the King of Qin had arrived in Ying.
However, Aobai quickly came to his senses and asked his trusted subordinates to personally take him back. Yu Keming secretly sighed that it was a pity. It seemed that he would have to work hard again and spread the news. In any case, he must let Duoduo know about his trip.
No matter how eloquent Yu Keming's lobbying was, it was impossible to convince Aobai to submit all at once. After all, the Qin Dynasty was not yet a unified empire, and its appeal to other ethnic groups was not strong enough.
In other words, the Qing Dynasty was still in the upper hand a few months ago, so it was really not easy for someone like Aobai to change his mind and submit to the Qin State.
Therefore, while lobbying, he also had to use the strategy of sowing discord, asking Duoduo to help force Aobai to join the Qin Dynasty.
If necessary, they could even release Ashan, the captive from Shouzhou. Given his hatred for Aobai, he would surely bite Aobai like a mad dog, leaving no place for Aobai in the Qing Dynasty.
Aobai was known as the bravest warrior in Manchuria and was good at fighting. Qin Mu attached so much importance to Aobai, not because he really expected Aobai to fight for the Qin Dynasty loyally, but because he saw the symbolic significance of this matter.
Since Nurhaci launched his rebellion against the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty has had more victories than defeats, and there has been almost no case of high-ranking generals surrendering to the Ming Dynasty.
If Aobai, the bravest warrior in Manchuria, surrendered to the Qin Dynasty, it would send a signal to the world: the Qing Dynasty was no longer viable, and the monkeys began to scatter when the tree fell.
When that happens, what will those Tartars who are dependent on the Qing Dynasty do
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ps: Brothers, we have made it to the top four in the category list. I just want to say that it is far from the time to slack off. Under normal circumstances, others will have plenty of stamina in the second half of the month, and we must push forward again... Use a gentle yet tough way to push forward again... ... Ahem, please vote for me. Haozi, with a humble attitude, sincerely asks for your monthly votes. Please continue to support us!
.(To be continued..)
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