Thanks to Fuzi130 for the reward, thank you very much.
*********************************
It might take another ten days or so for the news of the great changes in Korea to reach Beijing, but Beijing was already filled with gloom and panic.
When Qin Mu left Jinling and drove to Huai'an, he issued a "Northern Expedition Manifesto", which emphasized that the Qin Dynasty was appointed by heaven to march north to the Central Plains and expel the Jiannu, which was in accordance with the will of heaven, saving the people from suffering, restoring the dignity of Han officials, and reshaping the orthodoxy of China. It also used a long passage to give an ultimatum to the Han people who worked for the Qing Dynasty.
The article clearly stated that after the Northern Expedition Manifesto was promulgated, Han officials who had left the Qing Dynasty could be forgiven for their past misdeeds.
Anyone who continues to work for the Qing Dynasty, regardless of his or her official rank, will be sentenced to death by being cut into pieces in the future. Their descendants, male and female, will become slaves and prostitutes for generations, and will be condemned to eternal low status.
Once this ultimatum reached the Central Plains, many Han officials were frightened and hastily abandoned their posts and fled, and local administration was almost paralyzed.
As more and more Han officials fled, it was like a plague spreading, making other officials even more panicked. Even people in the capital were in a panic.
Bang! Dorgon punched the table, causing the pens, inkstones, and inkstones on the table to jump.
The eunuchs and palace maids in the palace, including Fan Wencheng, Feng Quan, Guaerjia Ganglin, Feng Guozhu and others, were all so frightened that they fell to their knees, not daring to breathe.
The consequences of Qin Mu's "Northern Dynasty Edict" on the Qing Dynasty were so serious that they far exceeded Dorgon's expectations. It is no exaggeration to say that it was enough to offset 100,000 soldiers.
When Dorgon asked Fan Wencheng and others for countermeasures, they kept silent. This made Dorgon, who was always calm, furious. He shouted, "You are a bunch of rubbish. What use do I have for you?"
Fan Wencheng and the others lay prone on the ground, their clothes soaked with sweat and they felt cold.
Fortunately, Dorgon was a great hero after all, and he quickly controlled his emotions. He sat back on the huanghuali chair, sighed secretly, took some tea to moisten his throat, and then said, "Everyone, get up."
Hearing that his tone had softened, Fan Wencheng and the others all breathed a sigh of relief and said in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your magnanimity!"
Dorgon glanced at everyone and said, "The Han official abandoned his post and fled. If we can't come up with a foolproof plan as soon as possible, I'm afraid that even without the Qin army coming, the military and political affairs of the Qing Dynasty will be paralyzed. Tell me, how should this matter be resolved?"
The question is still the same, but it is asked in a more gentle tone.
Fan Wencheng and the others looked at each other, our eyes filled with helplessness.
If this problem was so easy to solve, they would not have remained silent just now. This made Dorgon furious.
But as Dorgon said, if this problem was not solved, the Qing Dynasty would have collapsed even without the Qin army's attack.
During this day and night, Fan Wencheng and his companions pondered over it, and their hair almost turned white with worry, but they still could not come up with a feasible solution.
Seeing that Dorgon was still asking questions, Ganglin had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty. The Qing Dynasty does not have that many Manchus who are qualified for official positions in various places. It is indeed difficult to solve this problem. Now it seems that the only way is to kill one to warn the rest. Arresting some escaped officials and sentencing them to death will always deter some people."
Fan Wencheng came out and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Guarjia's strategy is a good temporary solution, but if we want to solve the root cause, we have to win a big victory in the front and restore the confidence of the Han officials in the Qing Dynasty. Only then will it work."
In Dorgon's view, Fan Wencheng's words really hit the crux of the problem. The reason why Qin Mu's "Northern Expedition Manifesto" caused such panic among Han officials was mainly because it was backed by a strong military force.
In all the wars between the two countries, the Qing army suffered more defeats than victories and was beaten back step by step, which made the Han officials lose confidence in the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, they were so horrified by the ultimatum in Qin Mu's "Northern Expedition Manifesto".
The only way to restore the confidence of the Han officials is to use victory on the battlefield to prove that the Qing Dynasty still has strength.
In this case, Dorgon turned his attention to the imminent war. He asked, "Qin Mu is coming with great momentum, and the Han officials of the Qing Dynasty are demoralized. How should we fight this war? What good plans do you have?"
Fan Wencheng replied: "Your Majesty, Meng Ke now claims to have 500,000 soldiers in Xuzhou. Although this number is exaggerated, according to the intelligence we have, the total strength of the Qin army in Huainan is at least close to 200,000. It is not difficult to judge that the main attack direction of the Qin army is on the eastern front.
In Xiangyang and Sichuan, the Qin army also had troops gathering. Although the exact number of troops in these two routes was not clear, if they were to go all out, each route would have 100,000 troops.
On the other hand, the He Luohui of the Qing Dynasty had only 15,000 troops in Guanzhong, Lekedehun had only 30,000 in Luoyang, and Prince Yu on the eastern front had 50,000. Such sparse forces were scattered on the long front from Shandong to Guanzhong. The situation was extremely unfavorable to the Qing Dynasty.
Your Majesty, the Qing Dynasty is now in a weak position. I think we cannot afford to argue with the Qin army over the gains and losses of a city or a place. We should give up what needs to be given up, lead the enemy to a terrain that is favorable to our army, and then concentrate our forces to annihilate them along the way. "
"Master Fan, where do you think we can give up? Which route should we concentrate our forces to annihilate?" Dorgon asked.
"Your Majesty, the Qin army's central and western routes have not yet been deployed, and the situation is unclear. Therefore, it is too early to assert which route we will destroy. However, our army is too weak, so we must give up one route. Otherwise, we will lose every route if we defend everywhere."
Dorgon also had a shrewd strategic vision in military affairs. He agreed with Fan Wencheng's statement that if you defend everywhere, you will lose everywhere.
The only advantage of the Qing Dynasty at present is the mobility of its cavalry. If it defends everywhere, not only will the troops be spread too thin, but the mobility of the cavalry will also be difficult to bring into play. He nodded, indicating that Fan Wencheng should continue.
"Your Majesty, we must not give up the eastern front. Otherwise, the 200,000-strong Qin army will march straight to our capital. If the center is lost, our limbs will be paralyzed. If we give up Heluo, Ma Yongzhen's army will advance quickly and regain control of the eight passes of Luoyang, forming a coordinated force with Jiang Ge in Shanxi. Then the Heluo Association in Guanzhong will be cut off. Therefore, giving up the central front is equivalent to giving up the western front at the same time, which is not feasible."
"So you mean to give up Zhongguan?"
"Your Majesty, this is the only way now. Otherwise, I think it is really difficult to defend this thousands of miles of front line. If we abandon Guanzhong and gather troops in Heluo or Huaibei, it will be possible to inflict heavy damage on the Qin army along the way."
Guaerjia Ganglin said: "Your Majesty, although what Mr. Fan said makes sense, it is also not a good idea to give up Guanzhong. Once the Qin army occupies Guanzhong, they can plunder the three borders, attack Shanxi, threaten Xuanda, and approach the capital just like Li Zicheng did in the past."
Fan Wencheng immediately retorted: "It is the summer flood season now. After we give up Guanzhong, we only need to send a small number of troops to guard the Yellow River crossing, and it will not be so easy for the Qin army to enter Shanxi."
Generally speaking, it is not good to give up anywhere, but if you are unwilling to give up every place, the result may be that you will lose everything.
Dorgon showed extraordinary perseverance and quickly decided: "Let's do this. Give up Guanzhong. Send a message to He Luohui to burn and rob Guanzhong. Don't leave a grain of food or a house for the Qin army!"
Dorgon's voice was as cold as the chilling wind from hell, sending chills down one's spine and making one tremble with fear.
Feng Quan, the Grand Secretary of the Inner Academy of Literature and the Minister of Rites, hesitantly advised: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for daring to say a few words. The people in Guanzhong are fierce and have been rebelling all the time. The Heluo Society does not have many troops. I am afraid that it may not be possible to implement this strategy. Once the news spreads, it may arouse panic and hatred among the Han people under the rule of the Qing Dynasty, and then they will rise up one after another..."
“If there is no burning and looting, won’t the Han people rise up in rebellion now?” Dorgon asked coldly.
Feng Quan was so frightened that he fell to the ground and kowtowed repeatedly to apologize.
The fact was just as Dorgon said. With the Qin army approaching, not only did many Han officials flee from the Qing rule, but also rioters in various places were spreading like wildfire and rising up in rebellion. The situation could not be worse for the Qing Dynasty.
Feng Quan's forehead was bruised from knocking his head, but it gave him an idea: "Your Majesty, I..."
"Fart if you want to!"
"Yes, yes, Your Majesty. I think that instead of wasting effort to implement this strategy in Guanzhong, it would be better to lure the main force of the Qin army in the east to the north, and then flood the seven armies."
A light suddenly flashed in Dorgon's mind, and he blurted out, "You mean, to draw Meng Ke's main force here, and then break the Yellow River?"
"Your Majesty, that's right."
"Good!" Dorgon's eyes lit up and he punched the table hard, saying, "Good plan. If this succeeds, it will be enough to defeat a million soldiers. Good plan!"
*********************************
ps: I'm asking for monthly tickets! The top six monthly tickets in each category will receive 1,000 yuan. It's the 26th now, and I really hope I can keep my top six position. 1,000 yuan is enough for a month's living expenses for a writer like me. These few days at the end of the month, other people's monthly tickets will skyrocket. Brothers, please support me too. There are still a few days left. Please help me keep my top six position. I bow my head and thank you again!
.(To be continued..)
...