Chapter 423: Dorgon Knows Nothing

The four-time turncoat Zu Kefa had come this time to deliver Mid-Autumn Festival gifts to Princess Dong'e, so Dorgon received him in his own Prince Regent's mansion. Bringing gifts for a seven-year-old girl was not a matter to be raised in the Hall of Martial Valor, after all!

Besides, the little Shunzhi Emperor was also seven this year. If he saw so many fun toys and tasty treats, none of them meant for him, how great would the psychological damage be? It would not be good for his development, so it was better not to let him see them at all!

Furthermore, Zu Kefa had some things to say that were not convenient to speak in front of the little Shunzhi Emperor.

"My Prince, my Crown Prince has always felt that the Princess's status is still somewhat lacking," Zu Kefa said with a smile. "If the Princess were a genuine princess by status, that would be ideal. Once married into the Great Ming, she would of course be the Crown Princess, and then the Empress. How could the Emperor's daughter be a concubine? As consort or as empress, it would be right and proper, and no one would object."

What did that mean?

Dorgon frowned slightly. Making Dong'e a princess was actually no great difficulty—just confer the title. But she still would not be the Emperor's daughter. The little Shunzhi Emperor could not take Dong'e as an adopted daughter; they were of the same generation, and the same age at that. Could Shunzhi become Dong'e's adoptive father?

And besides, would Zhu Cilang accept a seven-year-old brat as his father-in-law? Impossible.

Since Dong'e could not become the Shunzhi Emperor's adopted daughter, then could Dong'e's own father become the Qing Emperor?

"Zu Kefa," Dorgon said, glancing left and right and lowering his voice, "there are no outsiders here. If you have something to say, say it plainly!"

"Very well," Zu Kefa said with a smile. "My Prince, then I shall speak. My Crown Prince hopes that you will take one step further! Then Princess Dong'e would be a princess in name and in fact, and the Great Qing and the Great Ming would henceforth be nations joined as father-in-law and son-in-law."

"Hahaha," Dorgon laughed loudly. "Your Crown Prince wants to roast me over a fire, does he? I have read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms thoroughly. I know the story of Sun Quan urging Cao Cao to take the throne."

"My Prince, you are mistaken," Zu Kefa said with great conviction. "How can you compare yourself to Cao Cao? Cao Cao's surname was Cao, and Emperor Xian of Han's surname was Liu—for him to become emperor would have been usurping the Han. But your honored surname is Aisin Gioro! The Qing throne was yours to begin with! Who does not know that the late Tianming Khan wanted to pass the throne to you!"

So for you to become emperor would be right and proper.

In fact, in Nurhaci's later years the one he wanted to pass the throne to was Dorgon's younger brother Dodo. Dodo was made banner lord of the Plain Yellow Banner—later the Plain White Banner—while Dorgon and Ajige each received a portion of the Plain Yellow Banner's companies. In effect, Dodo was placed above his two brothers Dorgon and Ajige.

And the banner lord of the Plain Yellow Banner was, of course, the emperor of the Later Jin!

But the three Dorgon brothers—born of the same father and mother—were all too young at the time, and could not contend with the older Hong Taiji, so Dodo did not become emperor.

Dorgon's chance to become emperor came only after Hong Taiji's death, and it was not legitimate in name or in principle. Had he actually taken the throne, the Qing state would surely have fallen into civil war.

"Hmph." Dorgon merely snorted twice.

Zu Kefa went on: "And besides, no matter how disloyal Cao Cao was, he only held the Son of Heaven in his power—he never went so far as to sleep with the Empress Dowager."

Sleep with the Empress Dowager? Dorgon was stunned again and again. How did Zhu Cilang know about this? Who had let it out?

"My Prince, what you have done here is somewhat excessive!" Zu Kefa shook his head repeatedly. "If you cannot take one step further, then when the little Emperor comes of age and takes personal rule, where will that leave you? And if something should happen to you, what would become of the Princess? Could the Great Ming and the Great Qing still live in harmony?"

Dorgon's brows locked tight. This was also his greatest worry! The little Emperor was growing day by day, and sooner or later the day of personal rule would come. What then? Really hand over the great power? And if he handed it over, would the little Emperor let him and Dodo and Ajige go?

To speak a cutting truth: the ones who might now destroy the three Dorgon brothers were not Zhu Cilang, but the little Shunzhi Emperor and the Shunzhi Emperor's eldest brother, Hooge!

If those two brothers ever joined forces, the three Dorgon brothers would have no good fruit to eat!

Zu Kefa said: "My Crown Prince also knows that there are people in the Qing state blocking you from taking that step further. It angers him to see it, so he is willing to help you teach those people a lesson."

"What?" Dorgon started, staring at Zu Kefa with his small eyes.

Zu Kefa lowered his voice: "If that man suffers a setback, my Prince can deal with him openly and properly. And if his luck is worse still and he is beaten to death, who could still block my Prince from advancing further? My Crown Prince knows there are some things inconvenient for my Prince to do, and he is willing to do them on your behalf. He only asks that my Prince cooperate just a little."

"What does he want me to do?" Dorgon's face had already darkened.

Although he longed every day for Hooge to die, there were some things he could not do himself. Because the Great Qing was, in fact, a system of joint rule by the princes. Neither Dorgon nor Hooge had the strength to overpower all the other princes, so neither could do anything too extreme—otherwise they would incur the wrath of all!

But the problem was that Hooge simply would not die, while the little Shunzhi Emperor grew day by day.

"My Crown Prince simply wishes to yield Xuzhou to Prince Yu," Zu Kefa said with a smile. "That is not difficult for you, is it? As for the rest, just pretend you know nothing."

"Know nothing?" Dorgon looked coldly at Zu Kefa. "What is it that I do not know?"

Zu Kefa smiled: "What do you know? What could you know? You are not the divinely brilliant Zhuge Kongming—what could you know? You need only have Prince Yu send troops to put on a show of force against Commander Gao in Xuzhou—a feint, nothing more. Perfectly normal, is it not?"

"Mm." Dorgon grunted, noncommittal. But in his heart he was calculating: if Dodo really took Xuzhou, his prestige would overshadow Hooge's.

After all, what Hooge had seized in Henan were all territories others had abandoned and discarded, most of them ravaged beyond recognition. Their real value was sorely lacking!

But the territory Dodo had taken had been won by blade and shot, and Xuzhou had not been ravaged by the roving bandits or by the Qing troops who had entered the pass in earlier years. It was good land.

If Dodo took Xuzhou, could Hooge fail to be envious? And once envious, he might well fall into Zhu Cilang's trap!

And if Hooge really were beaten to death, the little Shunzhi Emperor might, in his grief and sorrow, pass away at his tender age!

Then he, Dorgon, would have no choice but to reluctantly ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, under the repeated entreaties of the Qing civil and military officials!

Dorgon snorted: "Then what does your Crown Prince want? Shandong—I am determined to take it!"

Zu Kefa said with a grin: "My Crown Prince will not ask you to show mercy in Shandong. Shi Kefa, Gao Hongtu, and Zuo Maodi—those three are all blocking the Crown Prince from taking a step further. If you, my Prince, could dispose of those three, the Crown Prince would be the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming."

But judging from the battles of Qufu and the Tu River, Prince Yu does not have the ability to take down those three—Shi Kefa, Gao Hongtu, and Zuo Maodi."

Zu Kefa was, after all, a four-time turncoat who had served the Great Qing, the Great Ming, and the Shun. He knew the military strength of all three sides all too well.

So after learning of the battles of the Tu River and Qufu, he knew the Great Qing would find it very hard to take Shandong. The western Shandong plain might be taken, and most of the plain north of the Daqing River in Jinan Prefecture could probably be taken, and Xuzhou, hanging on the edge of the Yellow River, could be taken if they wanted it. But the Taiyi mountain region and the coastal areas of Dengzhou and Laizhou—the Qing state could not take those!

If those places could not be taken, the southeastern half of the realm would remain the Great Ming's world, and he, this four-time turncoat, would have no chance to advance further.

Dorgon snorted, his face darkening again. Seeing this, Zu Kefa hastily cupped his hands and said: "My Prince, this humble official does not know how to speak, and has angered you again. I am truly sorry. Perhaps this humble official should take his leave now—take his leave!"

Dorgon kept a stiff face and waved his hand: "You slave of four surnames, get out of here! Go back and tell your Crown Prince: since ancient times, he who gains the Central Plain gains the realm. My Great Qing has already gained the Central Plain, and should be the lord of all under Heaven. If he wishes to keep a corner of Jiangnan, let him send tribute and declare himself a subject soon. Otherwise, the day the great army crosses the river will be the day the remnant Ming's realm is scattered to ash!"

(End of Chapter)