Chapter 779: The Great Qing Can Rest Easy

"Wahaha!"

In the Hall of Martial Valor within the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Imperial Uncle Regent Ajige was laughing so hard he was doubled over, for he had just heard the news that the Ming generals were all taking remedial lessons.

The matter was indeed absurd and laughable — they had already become generals, yet they did not know how to fight and still had to learn on the spot. When would they ever finish learning?

Moreover, famous generals had always been forged in battle, not produced by remedial lessons! Since ancient times, where was there ever a famous general whose fighting ability was improved by remedial lessons?

"We had thought Zhu Cilang was some extraordinary enlightened ruler, but now he looks like a ridiculous figure as well." Ajige laughed. "To think the Chengzong Emperor feared him so — so this clever king does have his muddled moments after all!"

The young Shunzhi Emperor seemed somewhat unwilling to believe that the Zhu Emperor would do anything so absurd. "Could this be a scheme of Zhu Cilang's? Perhaps he simply wants us to lower our guard so he can strike suddenly?"

"Your Majesty," Fan Wencheng said, "it should not be a scheme. According to the spies' reports, the Zhu Emperor, in order to teach the generals under him how to fight, specially invited an expert from the Western country of France, named Kongdai, who seems to be a prince of France as well."

Shunzhi frowned. "Perhaps this French prince truly has ability."

"Ai, what great ability could he have?" Ajige waved a hand. "If he had real ability, why would he have no high office and rich salary in his own country and go to the Ming country to scrounge for food and drink? In Our view, Zhu Cilang is simply afraid before the battle has even begun — afraid of our Great Qing!"

His words were spoken grandly, but his mind was not actually so muddled. It was just that he needed to boost morale and rally people's hearts at the moment.

During this period, the heart of this Imperial Uncle Regent of the Great Qing was in fact very uneasy. Dodo's trusted man Holhoi had already sealed Shanhai Pass, preventing Ajige's men from leaving the pass.

At the same time, the Eight Banners nobles in Beijing who leaned toward Dodo were one after another dragging their families out beyond the pass, and over these past few months no fewer than two thousand households had already left!

Among the Nine Banner janggin commanders stationed in the outer prefectures, several families were also secretly preparing their troops behind Ajige the Regent's back, clearly showing they were not of one heart with Ajige!

Because Ajige worried that the Zhu Emperor would take advantage of the chaos to strike, he had long hesitated to open war with Dodo.

But the news that had been arriving one after another during this period had put Ajige's mind considerably at ease — the Ming side, it seemed, was also not ready to go to war with the Great Qing!

First of all, there was no money!

Last year the Great Ming had also run a deficit, losing several million taels of silver. This deficit was greater than the Great Qing's entire annual revenue at present!

And in order to fill the deficit and raise funds for war, the Ming court wanted to issue ten million taels of bonds to the public, but with the precedent of the princely debts, who would dare touch them? Moreover, Zhu Cilang could not afford high interest either, offering only five percent annual interest — no one was interested at all!

Secondly, there were no great generals.

Without money, one cannot fight a protracted war, so one must seek a quick victory — but who on the Ming side had the ability to defeat the Great Qing quickly?

There was simply no one!

The previous Battle of Turtle Mountain had shown that the Ming army could wear the Great Qing down to death, but it could not win quickly. Because the Ming army's cavalry was too weak, it had no way to advance deep at speed; it could only advance by fortresses, consolidating step by step.

And the Great Qing side could also use fortresses to counter them, and could also charge behind the Ming fortress line to fight mobile warfare — a fortress line was in fact not a line, but a series of points. Between point and point there would inevitably be dozens of li of distance; if the Qing army wanted to pass through, would it not take only a matter of moments?

Moreover, over the past two or three years, Dorgon had placed special emphasis on strengthening the Qing army's mobile combat capability, organizing mobile units such as the Vanguard Battalion and the Firearms Battalion.

If ten or twenty thousand Qing mobile troops really did slip behind the Ming lines to burn, kill, and plunder, could Zhu Cilang simply ignore it?

And to fight mobile warfare against mobile units like the Vanguard Battalion and Firearms Battalion, one must have great generals; relying on hard camps and dull battles would not do.

However, Zhu Cilang's method of opening a cram school to train generals still greatly exceeded Ajige's expectations.

But Ajige believed it, because he knew that Zhu Cilang's realm had not been won through a hundred battles — it had been inherited, and he had merely reorganized it.

Without the trials of a hundred battles, those who could fight naturally could not emerge, while those occupying high positions were not skilled in war. Apart from finding someone to teach them how to fight, what other method was there?

So the Great Qing could rest easy for the time being.

Having finished his boastful words, Ajige swept his gaze lightly across the Hall of Martial Valor, and the voices of agreement below rose up.

"Right, right, right — the little Zhu Emperor must be afraid of the Imperial Uncle Regent!"

"With the Imperial Uncle Regent here, our Great Qing will sooner or later unify all under heaven!"

"With the Imperial Uncle Regent here, our Great Qing is invincible under heaven."

Seeing that quite a few people were echoing him, Ajige nodded and said with a smile: "Now the balance between north and south under heaven has taken shape. Although the Southern Ming's strength has risen somewhat, it still has no power to break this situation, unless our Great Qing falls into chaos itself. Now that the Chengzong Emperor's tomb is nearing completion, We also wish to take this opportunity to meet with Old Fifteen. Which of you can make a trip to Shengjing?"

Bahana stepped forward: "Imperial Uncle Regent, this slave Bahana is willing to go to Shengjing."

"Good, good!" Ajige laughed. "Go and tell Old Fifteen: We and he, one west of the pass and one east of the pass, each managing his own domain. If he agrees, then come to the Chengzong Emperor's tomb, and we two brothers shall swear an oath before Old Fourteen's grave!"

"This slave Sonin greets the Regent."

"This slave Lambai respectfully inquires after the Regent's golden health."

"This slave Duran greets the Regent."

At the same time, the Great Qing's "Eastern Regent" Dodo was in his princely residence in Shengjing, summoning three envoys who had just returned from Haishenwai after visiting Europe.

Sonin, Lambai, and Duran — these three had truly broadened their horizons this time, having gone not only to Europe but also to the New World!

They had arrived at Haishenwai aboard a great sailing ship of the Pacific Trading Company from New Spain.

"Have any of you three heard of a French prince surnamed Kong?" After Dodo had the three seated, he directly asked about Prince Kongdai.

He too had spies gathering intelligence on the Ming, and of course he also knew about the "generals' cram school."

"My Prince," Sonin replied, "this prince of the Western country of France cannot possibly be surnamed Kong, because the king of France bears the compound surname Bourbon, and their princes are of course also surnamed Bourbon."

"Oh," Dodo pondered for a moment. "So then there is simply no such person as Prince Kongdai?"

"Prince Kongdai does exist," Sonin said, "but he is not surnamed Kong. Kongdai is a place name — it is his fief. Prince Kongdai's surname is also Bourbon."

Sonin paused, then asked in return: "My Prince, why do you ask about this man?"

"Because this man has gone to the Southern Ming, and has even become the military tutor to the little Zhu Emperor and a host of Southern Ming generals. Sonin, is this Prince Kongdai formidable in warfare and command?"

Sonin was startled.

He of course knew exactly who Prince Kongdai was!

"Extremely formidable!" Sonin said. "He is one of the top one or two famous generals of France, renowned for his skillful use of cavalry."

Dodo asked again: "Then does Western military learning have anything worth adopting?"

"It does!" Sonin said. "The Western nations contend for supremacy, even more fiercely than the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. They have fought for who knows how many years, from land all the way to the sea, and naturally produced countless famous generals, and the more they fight, the better they fight. How could their military learning have nothing worth adopting? If Prince Kongdai has truly come to the Southern Ming, then our Great Qing must heighten its vigilance and by no means be caught off guard by him."

Truly a man who had gone to Europe and America to see the world — Chancellor Sonin's insight was considerably greater than Ajige's.

Dodo sighed: "It is a pity Old Twelve does not understand this reasoning! He is single-mindedly set on harming Us. How should We respond?"

Sonin, Lambai, and Duran were all somewhat dumbfounded. Ajige and Dodo were full brothers! Same father, same mother! How had it come to this, that they were about to tear into each other?

"My Prince," Sonin said, "perhaps this slave should go to the capital and speak with His Majesty, and ask His Majesty to come forward and mediate?"

Dodo nodded: "That would be good. The fighting on the Sakhalin and Jingqili River fronts has quieted somewhat for now. We are preparing to attack the city of Yaksa, and We do not wish to fight a battle with Old Twelve."

(End of Chapter)