Chapter 854: Opening the Pass

(Many thanks to the book friend who couldn't resist rewarding ten thousand, and also thanks to book friend cdy778064038 for the textual research and statistics. Brother Armor Army Emblem, I'll take a good look when I have time. And to book friend Hui Dongli, my update schedule is uncertain, it depends on the day's time and inspiration. You can set a reminder on your phone and read when there's an update, no need to follow daily. Finally, thank you all book friends for your understanding and support.)

After the messenger returned to Shanhai Pass, Wu Sangui and Fang Guangchen could not wait to unfold the reply and read it.

In the letter, they saw that the Qing Emperor had the intention to destroy the bandits, and also greatly praised Wu Sangui, lauding him as a loyal minister and righteous man, but did not clarify whether troops would be lent, instead showing a strong desire to win him over.

While somewhat disappointed, Wu Sangui also felt a faint pride in his heart — that feeling of being valued and having one's worth affirmed.

And that peace of mind of being highly regarded and having a fallback.

Dorgon said that if Wu Sangui led his forces to submit, he would certainly be enfeoffed with his native land and promoted to Feudatory Prince, modeled on the old precedent of the Great Liao's Nanjing Circuit. To be honest, it could not help but move Wu Sangui's heart. This sentence alone guaranteed the interests of his entire Liaodong clique and himself.

Historically, the Khitan-Han alliance in the Liao Dynasty's Nanjing Circuit lasted nearly two hundred years, and many clans benefited from it. If the situation in the capital proved unworkable, this would not be a bad fallback.

His gaze lingered especially on the line: "Though you, Count, formerly guarded Liaodong and were my enemy, now do not harbor further doubt because of past matters. Once Guan Zhong shot Duke Huan, hitting his belt hook; later Duke Huan employed Guan Zhong as his 'Second Father' and achieved hegemony." Compared to the disappointing Great Shun and the remnant Ming with its uncertain future, this Northern Dynasty Emperor had greater ambition and magnanimity. If he were to defect to him in the future...

But after thinking it over, he felt it best to borrow the barbarians to suppress the bandits, seizing the initiative to recover the Divine Capital first. After all, no matter how sincere Dorgon's intentions or how lofty his spirit, the Qing state was still just a corner of the eastern frontier, a tiny, insignificant country, at most matching the territorial pattern of the Great Liao. If it had the prospects of the Great Jin, Wu Sangui would not be so hesitant.

So after discussing with Fang Guangchen, he sent another reply: "Receiving your letter, I know the Great Qing army has reached Ningyuan and Shanhai, its purpose to save the people and punish tyranny, support the weak and eliminate the strong, its righteous voice shaking heaven and earth. The reason for rendering aid is truly for our late Emperor, and Sangui's gratitude is but a small part of that. Now Sangui has fully mustered his elite troops to plan the opportune moment to suppress the bandits, and begs Your Majesty to swiftly marshal your tiger brigades and enter directly through Shanhai east of the capital; then the rebel bandits can be captured. Moreover, a righteous army prioritizes pacifying the people; the proclamations issued are most strict and severe. I further pray that the grand army be ordered to commit no offense, so that the people's hearts submit and both wealth and land are gained — what endeavor then cannot succeed?"

Dorgon replied: "That you, Count, and others wish to avenge your former lord is a great righteousness worthy of praise. The affairs of the late Emperor's time need not be spoken of today, nor can one bear to speak of them. But formerly we were enemy states; now we are one family. When my troops enter the pass, if anyone disturbs a single blade of grass or a single grain, they shall be executed by military law. You shall separately instruct the residents, great and small, not to be alarmed."

In his letter, he further urged surrender: "Now the Ming's fortunes are in decline, as you, Count, have already discerned. Between you, Count, and myself there has never been enmity, and your, Count's, relatives are also in my domain. The scale and momentum of my Great Qing will surely accomplish great things in the future; it is only for you, Count, to assess the times and judge the situation, and make plans early."

Reading Dorgon's reply, another weight fell from Wu Sangui's heart. His greatest worry was that when borrowing the barbarians to suppress the bandits, the borrowed Qing troops would burn, kill, and plunder just like the roving bandits — then all would be lost. This Northern Dynasty Emperor personally guaranteed military discipline, truly beyond comparison with the roving bandits.

As for defecting to the Qing, Wu Sangui still hesitated. He still wanted to borrow troops. But on the seventh day, for some unknown reason, Wu Sangui's secret dealings were leaked. Not only the earlier discussions with various officers about borrowing barbarians to suppress bandits, but even his later covert contacts with the Qing side were exposed.

For a time, Shanhai Pass was in uproar, popular sentiment seething. Scholars and women vied to flee in terror; farmers and merchants were mutually shocked. Moreover, someone secretly reported to Wu Sangui, saying that Liu Zhaoji and others were extremely dissatisfied with his plan to borrow barbarians to suppress bandits, and intended to seize his troops, defend the pass to the death, and then welcome Wang Dou and the like.

Wu Sangui was half-doubting, half-believing. Such matters were always difficult to verify, yet in his heart he mostly believed it. On the fourth day, when he discussed with everyone, Fan Zhiwan and Li Yutian had been cold in speech, and Liu Zhaoji had even cursed him to his face, making him lose all face.

They truly did not agree with his words. To prevent the Qing troops from entering the pass, and even to gain the merit of holding the pass, these were things they were quite capable of doing.

Moreover, those who secretly reported to him were several well-known gentry within Shanhai Pass, men of high virtue and prestige, who had always been close to Liu Zhaoji, Fan Zhiwan, and the others. Their words made it seem all the more certain.

A dark cloud filled Wu Sangui's heart. He had not expected things to blow up like this. Now, riding a tiger and finding it hard to dismount, he had no choice but to follow the path of borrowing barbarians to suppress bandits to the very end.

He decided to make one last effort, to once more persuade the Dongping Count, the Viceroy of Ji-Liao, the Provincial Governor of the Pass, and the others, inviting them to jointly plan the great enterprise. And that rat Tang Tong, who had originally promised to stand with him through thick and thin, had for some reason been wavering lately — he must be made to firm up his resolve.

At the same time, he secretly took precautions. He calculated Liu Zhaoji's troop strength: the main battalion had over three thousand men, including several hundred retainers. When he served as Regional Commander of Liaodong, the troops under his command numbered over ten thousand, but that was merely nominal command. According to the Great Ming military system, when Liu Zhaoji took up his post at Shanhai Pass, he only brought the troops of his main battalion; the rest remained in their original stations.

Fan Zhiwan and Li Yutian went without saying. Their Viceroy's Personal Battalion and Provincial Governor's Personal Battalion had one to two thousand soldiers, with one to two hundred retainers among them — more of a symbolic force, and never possessing much combat power.

He then calculated his own forces: within Shanhai Pass, he had two thousand elite retainers, plus over a thousand handpicked elite cavalry of the Wu ancestral stock. In terms of elite combat strength, he firmly held first place within Shanhai Pass.

He also grew more cautious, only inviting Liu Zhaoji, Fan Zhiwan, and the others to his own residence to discuss matters. The necessary precautions could not be omitted.

After receiving the secret report, Wu Sangui grew suspicious and fearful, no longer daring to be alone with Liu Zhaoji and the others, much less visit their residences and the like.

At noon on the eighth day, Liu Zhaoji, Fan Zhiwan, Li Yutian, Tang Tong, and the others were invited to Wu Sangui's residence for a banquet. Liu Zhaoji and his group gladly went.

In truth, the disputes of the past few days had also greatly vexed Liu Zhaoji and his men. Although some had urgently warned Liu Zhaoji, saying that in recent days there were slave-bandit spies stirring up trouble and that Wu Sangui's intentions were now unfathomable, it would be best not to go to such an unsafe place.

The best course of action would be to swiftly seize Wu Sangui.

But Liu Zhaoji did not think so, believing Wu Sangui would not be so deranged. He was of a straightforward nature, saying whatever was on his mind. Wu Sangui had been in Liaodong long and could not be unaware of his temper. Besides, such disputes were not unprecedented. Back when the capital fell and the Great Shun sent Tang Tong to solicit surrender, he had had disputes with Wu Sangui and the others.

In the end, Wu Sangui and Fan Zhiwan's group persuaded him, and it was decided that all the officers of Shanhai Pass would jointly defect to the Great Shun.

They had quarreled before, but afterward everyone remained on perfectly amicable terms.

Now it was his turn to persuade Wu Sangui.

Fan Zhiwan and Li Yutian also did not think too much of it. Wu Sangui had always enjoyed a fine reputation in Liaodong, treating others with deference and courtesy. Fan and Li had been in Liaodong long and had always found their interactions with him as pleasant as a spring breeze. In the past few days, relations between the two sides had grown somewhat stiff, which was also something Fan and Li did not wish to see. This was a perfect chance to improve relations, to gently persuade and counsel, and clear up mutual misunderstandings.

As for Tang Tong, he had originally agreed with Wu Sangui, but in the past two days, popular sentiment in the pass had been seething. Moreover, thinking that the prospects of borrowing barbarians to suppress bandits were unclear, perhaps it would be safer to simply guard the pass walls and quietly await the court's troops to arrive. So he began to waver somewhat.

Each harboring their own thoughts, they set off for Wu Sangui's place. Of course, while not thinking it necessary, Liu Zhaoji and the others were not entirely without caution. For instance, although Liu Zhaoji went to Wu Sangui's residence for the banquet, he still brought his most elite personal guards, about twenty men.

Fan Zhiwan and the others were all accompanied by their retainer bodyguards.

When the group arrived at Wu Sangui's residence, they saw Wu Sangui and Fang Guangchen personally come out beyond the main gate to welcome them, all smiles and pleasantries, still as deferential, courteous, and sincere as in days past, which put Liu Zhaoji and the others even more at ease.

After entering the residence, Wu Sangui hosted the banquet in the main hall, where the several high officials sat and drank. He also had many tables set below the hall to entertain the personal guards and retainers accompanying Liu Zhaoji and the others.

At first, these personal guards and retainers remained on alert, but seeing the harmonious atmosphere in the hall, with bursts of laughter erupting from time to time, their guarded hearts also relaxed.

Some even mocked themselves for making too much of it; rumors and hearsay were often unreliable, and indeed it was so.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes, everything remained so calm. The hall was still filled with bursts of laughter, and the personal guards of each man below the hall had completely let down their guard. Under the urging of the Wu household servants, each of them began to eat and drink recklessly.

Just as everyone was growing tipsy, what seemed like sounds of argument arose from the hall. One of Liu Zhaoji's accompanying personal guards below the hall still retained some vigilance and had not eaten or drunk much. Hearing the sounds of argument from the hall, he listened carefully, and it seemed to be his own grand commander quarreling with the Pingxi Count.

"...Brother Wu, are you still thinking of borrowing the barbarians? Those Tartar beasts — if we truly let them into the pass, who knows how the common people will suffer? How can you bear it in your heart?"

It seemed Wu Sangui said something, and Liu Zhaoji shouted: "The slave chieftain says he will strictly enforce military discipline? Those Tartars are the most cunning. If their words can be trusted, sows can climb trees. Once they enter the pass, won't they do as they please with us? If they go back on their word, what then?"

It seemed Wu Sangui said something else, and Liu Zhaoji bellowed: "Great enterprise? Recovering the Divine Capital? We guard the border walls and keep the Tartars from entering the pass — that is the great enterprise..."

He even slammed the table, causing the bowls and chopsticks in the hall to clatter noisily, followed by the sound of his furious roar: "...You only know that Emperor Suzong of Tang borrowed Uighur forces to recover the two capitals, but you don't know how miserably the common people who fell into the hands of those barbarian dogs suffered... What bullshit grand achievement, it's all the blood and tears of our Central Plains people..."

Everyone below the hall looked on in shock, many even rising to their feet. Then they heard the panicked, flustered voices of Fan Zhiwan and the others trying to mediate, and Liu Zhaoji still roaring in fury: "This kind of great enterprise I will never approve of! And I advise you, Brother Wu — the General Who Subdues the Barbarians hates Tartar slaves most of all. If you truly do this, even if you recover the Divine Capital, do you think the Marquis of Yongning will let you off?"

It seemed Wu Sangui fell silent, and then an unsettling silence filled the hall. Liu Zhaoji's accompanying personal guard felt a sense of trepidation. He was about to rise and step forward when he heard his grand commander seem to calm down a little, and then say earnestly: "Brother Wu, we are Han..."

Suddenly, a crash and clatter erupted from the hall, as if tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks had toppled over, followed by the utterly horrified shriek of Viceroy of Ji-Liao Fan Zhiwan: "...Ah... Ah... You killed Commander Liu? You are utterly deranged..."

Liu Zhaoji's accompanying personal guard trembled all over. He abruptly drew his blade and rushed into the hall.

The sight before him made his eyes split with fury. He saw his grand commander lying on the ground, a sharp sword thrust into his chest, blood slowly seeping from his chest and beneath him. He threw himself forward, lifted Grand Commander Liu Zhaoji, and wailed, but saw his eyes wide open, no longer able to hear his voice.

In his eyes were fury and incomprehension. His eyes gazed, as if looking out over the vast rivers and mountains. Amid the cries, his eyes finally slowly closed, a trace of peace at their corners, as if after a lifetime of campaigning, he had fallen asleep, his spirit returning to the place he was ultimately meant to go.

The personal guard wailed bitterly. Facing Wu Sangui, he cried out: "What have you done! Wu Sangui, you beast, you killed my grand commander!"

Wu Sangui's hands were covered in blood, his face utterly drained of color. He seemed to stagger unsteadily, leaning weakly against the wall. And the two civil officials, Viceroy of Ji-Liao Fan Zhiwan and Provincial Governor of the Pass Li Yutian, merely crawled on the ground, shrieking. Tang Tong, his face ashen, cowered in a corner, trembling.

Fang Guangchen stumbled and staggered unsteadily, his face ashen as death, murmuring: "It's out of control, out of control..."

The prior discussion had been, at most, to place Liu Zhaoji and the others under house arrest, not to kill. But what lay before them now...

He covered his face in anguish.

At that moment, waves of wailing arose as Liu Zhaoji's personal guards from below the hall all rushed in. Seeing their grand commander murdered and dead, none could restrain their weeping.

"I'll kill you!"

At that moment, the personal guard from earlier let out a fierce shout. Gripping his weapon, he lunged violently at Wu Sangui. Just as his long blade was about to slash down onto Wu Sangui, a long spear suddenly shot through the air. The personal guard spurted a mouthful of fresh blood — the spear had pierced him — then he staggered backward and collapsed to his knees on the ground.

The spear had impaled his body. As he vomited blood, he still sobbed in agony, wailing, "Wu Sangui, what are you doing?"

The retainers lying in ambush behind the hall surged out in dense ranks. While hacking down the personal guards brought by Liu Zhaoji and the others, they simultaneously pulled Wu Sangui and his men to safety. Fan Zhiwan and the others were likewise dragged inside.

When Wu Sangui reached the back of the hall, his steps faltered and his forehead was drenched in sweat. Listening to the shouts of slaughter and the faint, intermittent wails drifting from the front hall, his face turned alarmingly pale. Beside him stood Fan Zhiwan, Fang Guangchen, Tang Tong, and the others, their entire bodies trembling as if their spines had been shattered.

Without looking at them, he rasped, "Pass the order: immediately take over the pass defenses and absorb the various units within the pass city…"

……

That afternoon, outside Shanhai Pass, on Huanxiling, at Weiyuan Fort.

Several riders charging from the direction of Ningyuan suddenly burst onto Huanxiling. Shortly after, Gabsihiyan Galai Amban Ubai hurriedly entered the official hall of Weiyuan Fort to report the news to the Qing Emperor Dorgon inside.

Dorgon abruptly stood up. "Is this truly so?"

Ubai replied, "Exactly. When our Great Qing troops were about to capture Yizhou, the soldiers and civilians inside the city burned themselves. Not a single person surrendered to our Great Qing."

He added, "Here are letters from Dudu and the others who attacked Yizhou."

Dorgon silently accepted the letters from Dudu, Luoluohuan, and the others that Ubai presented. He read them for a long time, then gnashed his teeth and said, "Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen — would they rather die than surrender to my Great Qing?"

He roared furiously, "For three hundred years, why does the Southern Dynasty still have so many loyal ministers and fine generals? What virtue or ability does Zhu Ming possess to deserve their fealty?"

The hall fell into complete silence. At that moment, Grand Secretary Ning Wanwo stepped forward and forced a smile. "As the saying goes, those who recognize the times are heroes, and a fine bird chooses the tree on which to perch…"

Dorgon barked sternly, "Shut your mouth!"

He said grimly, "Every dynasty has its allotted span. If a day of calamity befalls my Great Qing, will we have this many loyal ministers and righteous men?"

Ning Wanwo fell silent as a winter cicada, not daring to speak another word.

After venting for a moment, Dorgon said dejectedly, "Collect their bones and build a temple to offer them sacrifices."

Beile Sahaliyan, who managed the Ministry of Rites affairs, hurriedly acknowledged the order.

Dorgon sat in gloomy silence for a while, then finally asked Gao Hongzhong, the Vice Minister of the Board of Punishments who managed the barbarian city, "Is there any news from Wu Sangui's side?"

Gao Hongzhong hastily stepped out from the ranks. Just as he was about to speak, a Gabsihiyan soldier suddenly entered with a secret agent to report something.

Dorgon listened intently, his expression shifting between dark and bright. After a long pause, he let out a dry laugh and said, "This Wu Sangui — I truly underestimated him."

……

Around the beginning of the shen hour, Wu Sangui galloped out of Dongluo City with several dozen riders. Accompanying him was his close friend Fang Guangchen, the son of the former Minister of Rites Fang Yizao.

Wu Sangui's face was ashen. He led his riders straight to the Qing army encampment at Weiyuan Fort, knelt before Dorgon, and begged him to immediately lead his troops through the pass and then march the army directly on the capital.

Dorgon promptly granted him a seat and tea, and personally decreed that opening the pass gate was the foremost merit. He expressed his deep appreciation for Wu Sangui and declared his wish to marry the late emperor's daughter, Princess Jianning, to Wu Sangui's son Wu Yingxiong to strengthen their bond. He immediately enfeoffed Wu Sangui as Prince Pingxi of the Great Qing.

Wu Sangui listened in silence and offered no refusal.

Subsequently, Dorgon further pledged to enforce strict military discipline. He declared, "I shall swear an oath with all the generals and clearly instruct every minister and official accompanying the campaign: This expedition is to eliminate tyranny and save the people, to destroy the roving bandits and bring peace to all under heaven. Now that we enter the pass and march west, none shall kill the innocent, none shall loot property, none shall burn dwellings. Those who disobey these terms shall be punished!"

He then ordered that Wu Sangui be rewarded with a jade belt, a python robe, sable furs, a saddled horse, an exquisite quiver, a bow and arrows, and other items. Finally, he said, "I am resolved to march west and exterminate the roving rebels. However, you and the roving bandits are both Han people. How will you be distinguished in battle? I fear mistaken killings may occur. You must shave your heads to set yourselves apart!"

Wu Sangui froze for a moment, but ultimately said, "Yes."

Very soon, he and Fang Guangchen beside him had their heads shaved. The two men touched the money-pig-tail at the back of their heads, both utterly dumbstruck.

Afterward, Dorgon gave the order to advance through the pass. At that moment, all the gates of Shanhai Pass swung wide open. The Qing army entered the pass in three columns: one through the South Water Gate, one through the North Water Gate, while Dorgon personally led the main army through the Central Gate and Dongluo City.

With Wu Sangui opening the door to welcome the brigands, the fully armed and vast Qing army thus effortlessly entered the mighty pass and stepped onto the land within.

Their men and horses surged like a tide, with no head visible in front and no tail visible behind… (~^~)