***
Fan Wencheng thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, I think that the best strategy for our Qing Dynasty right now is just one word."
"What word?"
"drag!"
"How to delay?" Dorgon said in a cold tone, obviously he had no hope for this. He had met the envoys of Qin before, and Qin's attitude was so strong at that time. Now they are preparing for the Northern Expedition, so how can he delay them with these little tricks
Fan Wencheng said, "Your Majesty, I originally thought that Qin Mu was busy clearing the south and would not rush to attack the north, but now it seems that Qin Mu intends to attack the north first and then the south. At present, the Mongolian tribes are in disunity, the Han people under the rule of the Qing Dynasty are unwilling to shave their heads and change clothes, the Eight Banners have suffered heavy losses, morale is low, the army is short of food and grass, and the people are hungry. No matter from which aspect, the situation is extremely unfavorable to our Qing Dynasty.
Therefore, the only way now is to delay for at least two or three months, and then fight the Qin army after the summer grain harvest. If you want to delay Qin Mu, I think you can start from several aspects:
One is to marry a princess to Qin Mu. The other is to become a vassal. Your Majesty, a real man can bend and stretch. Now the situation is unfavorable, the Qing Dynasty might as well temporarily become a vassal of Qin in exchange for a chance to breathe.
If the above two options are not enough, we can also cede land. Your Majesty, due to years of war, there are more people than people in the north of the Central Plains. The Qing occupies a large area of land, but is actually unable to cultivate it. In order to buy time, I think it is better to cede some strategically unimportant prefectures and counties to Qin. "
For Dorgon, marriage, submission and ceding land were not a problem. He was not like those pedantic gentlemen of the Han people who would do things that would cost them their lives for the sake of face.
For the Qing Dynasty, time is life, and in order to buy time, nothing else matters. The problem is that Dorgon does not think that marriage, submission, and ceding land can hold Qin Mu back.
He glanced at Fan Wencheng and saw that Fan Wencheng looked strange. He couldn't help but feel moved. So he said calmly: "I am tired. Let's stop discussing this matter for now. You go back and think about the countermeasures. We will continue the discussion in the afternoon."
Feng Quan, Chen Mingxia, Guaerjia Ganglin, Hesheli Xifu, Feng Guozhu and others looked at each other. No one expected that Dorgon would stop the meeting halfway. The matter was urgent and they were just about to discuss a result, so why did they disperse
Dorgon ignored them and left the hall. Feng Quan and others had no choice but to leave in disappointment.
After Dorgon returned to the study, he quickly asked someone to summon Fan Wencheng alone. After Fan Wencheng entered the study, he closed the door.
Dorgon immediately said, "Master Fan, you can say whatever you want to say now."
Fan Wencheng knelt on the ground and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, this is a matter of life and death for the Qing Dynasty. Do you agree with this?"
"I know this well. Just tell me what you want to say."
"Your Majesty, Qin Mu has just conquered Fujian. Yunnan still has a mess to clean up. If they are to march north immediately, they will not be fully prepared. Under such circumstances, I expect that there must be many people in Qin who oppose a hasty northern expedition. Especially if they can get what they want without a northern expedition. There will definitely be more people who oppose the northern expedition, and it will not be difficult to delay the Qin army by then."
"Marry a woman, cede territory, become a vassal? Do you think this will work?"
"Your Majesty, this alone will not work."
Dorgon's tone turned cold: "What do you mean?"
"Your Majesty is well-versed in history books, so you must know about the events of Gou Jian, King of Yue."
Dorgon was startled. He was a wise man, and he vaguely guessed what Fan Wencheng meant. He shot two sword-like eyes at Fan Wencheng. Fan Wencheng was so scared that he quickly knelt down and pleaded: "I am guilty of a serious crime. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
Dorgon's expression changed constantly, and he punched the desk with his last blow. He asked coldly, "Fan Wencheng, are you sure this move can really hold Qin Mu back?"
"I dare not say I am 100% sure. The rise of Qin was too fast, and most of the people appointed by the King of Qin were new faces. I don't know much about his cabinet and the six ministries.
In addition, most of the Qin officials did not follow common sense, such as letting women enter the army as nurses, etc., which was really hard to understand. Therefore, I could not determine how the Qin officials would react to this policy.
But I think there is really no better way at the moment, so why not give it a try. And after sending the envoy, we can publicize this matter more. If Qin Mu forcibly raises troops to the north, it will be unjust. As the saying goes, those who are righteous will have many supporters, while those who are unrighteous will have few supporters. If Qin Mu forcibly puts the people of the Central Plains into war, I am afraid that the Han people may not support him anymore. "
Dorgon thought a lot, and finally shook his head and said: "Fan Wencheng, have you ever thought about it? Now the only people that my Qing Dynasty can still rely on are probably the Khorchin tribe. If we really act according to your plan, I am afraid that the Khorchin tribe will also be disloyal."
"I have thought about this, but if I don't do this, I'm afraid it will be difficult for the Qin monarch and his ministers to believe in our sincerity. Your Majesty, the Khorchin tribe is now envied by the Mongolian tribes. If they unite with the Qing Dynasty, both sides will benefit. If they separate, both sides will suffer. I think that as long as Your Majesty invites Prince Zhuoliketu to have a heart-to-heart talk, I believe that with Prince Zhuoliketu's wisdom, he will know which is more important."
Dorgon heaved a long sigh and said, "Let me think about it..."
***
In Daqin, the whole country is making intensive preparations for the Northern Expedition, racing against time.
In Yangzhou, there were a total of 230 ships gathered at the dock, most of which were large armed merchant ships like those of the Zheng family. They could not only transport people and goods, but also had certain naval combat capabilities.
In addition, there were 50 large and small warships led by Liu Zhongqin, including 10 gunboats, and 40 Cangshan ships, Hu ships, Eagle ships, and Sand ships.
The 10,000-man expeditionary force, led by Ning Yuan and Aobai as deputy general, were boarding ships one after another. Two hundred of the armed merchant ships carried 50 soldiers and 10 war horses each, while the remaining thirty ships were mainly used to transport food and weapons.
Although there has been no official contact with North Korea, time is of the essence. Qin Mu asked Ning Yuan to go to the coast near North Korea first, and then contact North Korea to cooperate with the landing and expel the Qing army stationed in North Korea.
If Korea refused to cooperate, the Northern Expedition would have already begun by then, and the main force of the Qing army would have been attracted to Huaibei. Ningyuan could change its plan, "replenish" food and grass along the coast of Korea, then charge into the Bohai Sea, land at Tianjin, and directly threaten Yanjing.
If the situation in Beijing is not feasible, we can change our strategy and land on the empty Liaodong Peninsula. In short, we must not let the Qing Dynasty focus all its energy on the south, but let it be attacked from both sides and face smoke everywhere.
Outside Fengyang City, Li Chen was leading tens of thousands of troops, running along the edge of the woods with heavy loads. The yellow dust they raised almost covered the woods. Amid the sound of footsteps, shouts of officers at all levels encouraging the soldiers could be heard one after another.
The soldiers gritted their teeth and held on. Each sergeant had to keep an eye on his soldiers while running. If he saw someone about to collapse, he would immediately order other soldiers in the squad to share the load.
In short, the most basic requirement is not to let any of your soldiers fall behind.
If the soldiers under his command fell behind, the sergeant would be punished first, followed by the platoon leader, the general flag and the captain; no one could escape.
This is the tradition of the Qin Army, which attaches great importance to unity and cooperation. In addition, night combat capability and mobility are the focus of the Qin Army's hard training.
As Qin Mu's favorite general, Li Chen finally had the opportunity to lead the troops on the front line and was more strict in training his soldiers. He inherited Qin Mu's style, eating, living and training with the soldiers every day, and clearly distinguishing rewards and punishments, so he was loved by his soldiers.
There are rumors in the army that the King of Qin is about to launch a northern expedition, and everyone is itching to take action.
Captain Cai Liu could not bear it any longer and hurriedly chased after Li Chen. When he got to Li Chen's side, he asked, "General, everyone is saying that the King of Qin is about to launch a northern expedition. Is that true?"
Li Chen replied: "You have to concentrate when you train."
"General, I am very focused. You see, I have run just as much as anyone else. General, please tell me more."
"Hurry up and train. Anyway, the Northern Expedition is not far away."
"Really? Hahaha..."
The Northern Expedition would require at least 200,000 or 300,000 troops, and a large amount of food and supplies would have to be mobilized in advance. Such a large-scale move could not be concealed from the Qing army. Therefore, the Northern Expedition was not a military secret, and Li Chen did not conceal it.
But what needs to be kept secret is where the focus will be and where to start first.
The soldiers received Li Chen's confirmation, and there was a great cheer;
Unlike the Ming army's previous fear of the Eight Banners Army, the Qin army had an absolute psychological advantage after one victory after another.
The Qin army was no longer afraid of the Eight Banners Army, and they saw this as a good opportunity to gain military merit. Hearing that the Northern Expedition was really going to take place, most soldiers were very excited.
At this time, a rider galloped over from the direction of Fengyang City and shouted to Li Chen from afar: "General, General Li, there are envoys from the Qing Dynasty on the north bank of the Huai River who are requesting to cross the river to meet the King of Qin in the capital..."
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ps: Brothers, I urgently need monthly tickets, I urgently need monthly tickets, my anus is being poked here and there, it hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Dear brothers and sisters, you are my parents who provide me with food and clothing, please support me with a monthly ticket.
.(To be continued..)
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