Chapter 783: The Land and the Princess — We Want Both!

In the Western calendar year 1652, it was the fifth year of Hongxing in the Great Ming and the ninth year of Shunzhi in the Great Qing. When summer arrived, the two regents of the Great Qing almost simultaneously issued orders to muster large armies!

Ajige and Dodo were, after all, full brothers. Not only did they muster their armies at the same time, they even used the same pretext — an attack on Russia!

Because neither side had achieved a complete "separation of soldiers and farmers," and each was thoroughly entangled with the other, there was no such thing as strategic surprise.

Just the mustering and training alone could not be completed in under a month!

Not to mention that Ajige and Dodo both knew each other's plans — even the Great Emperor Zhu, busy with remedial classes and examinations in Nanjing, received in the sixth month of the fifth year of Hongxing a copy of the "Proclamation Against Russia" issued in the name of the Shunzhi Emperor.

This copy was brought back to Nanjing by Huang Dabao, along with a portrait of the Fourteenth Princess — and the portrait indeed showed a rather lovely little beauty.

With a soft snap, Zhu Cilang tossed the portrait of the Fourteenth Princess onto the table, his expression hovering between a smile and a smirk, part amusement, part satisfaction. At last he laughed aloud: "They're giving Us such a pretty girl for free. This Shunzhi Emperor schemes on a grand scale — it seems he wants to play the fisherman too! We sincerely hope he plays the fisherman well and seizes power over the northern Qing. Whether Dodo or Ajige, both are far harder to deal with than he is!"

After saying this, Zhu Cilang glanced left and right. He was presently in the Western Building, having just finished his military class and was now bonding with his classmates. Seated beside him were Zhu Cijiong, Wu Xiang, Wu Sangui, Wu Sanfu, Wu Guogui, Wu Guoyong, Li Yan, Feng San, Hao Yaoqi, Hao Jian (Hao Yaoqi's cousin), Li Ruolian, Li Shaoyou, Yu Daren, Tian Qingyi, Zheng Sen, Zhou Quanbin, Gan Hui, and others.

Apart from Zhu Cijiong, this group represented the four great military blocs under the Great Emperor Zhu's command. The first was the Guanning bloc headed by the old Wu family; the second was the refugee bloc headed by Li Yan and Hao Yaoqi; the third was the Northern Metropolitan bloc headed by Li Ruolian and Zhu Chunchen; and the fourth was the Eastern Ning bloc of the Zheng family.

These four great military blocs were like four pillars supporting the realm of the Southern Ming!

Zhu Cilang had brought the core commanders of these four blocs to Nanjing for remedial study, and his purpose was not merely to raise their professional competence but also to build personal bonds — from now on, they would all be classmates who had attended cram school together.

Emperor Zhu also had gifts for his cram-school classmates — Western-Chinese hybrid villas located near the Old Mountain detached palace in Nanjing, one for each. These villas occupied large plots of land and came with a small horse farm. Emperor Zhu would later also give them Indian Marwari horses and Arabian horses — stallions, mares, and geldings that could be ridden into battle.

Although the Prince of Condé thought Emperor Zhu's cavalry program had gone somewhat off course, Zhu Cilang had no intention of abandoning the breeding of quality warhorses.

Moreover, he intended to have the high officials and military commanders of the Great Ming join in the enterprise of breeding quality warhorses — this matter could not rely on the state horse administration alone; it needed more hype!

If the fashion for breeding quality warhorses could not be sparked, how many quality Arabian and Marwari horses could the state horse administration raise?

If the wealthy and powerful could be drawn into horse racing and polo, then fine horses would be bred in overwhelming numbers.

Zhu Cilang fell silent for a moment, then turned and asked Wu Sangui: "Changbo, what do you make of the infighting in the northern Qing? How long will it last? Will the northern Qing split in two? Is there any chance we can win over the Plain Green Banner troops in Henan and Shandong?"

Wu Sangui had been in excellent spirits lately — he had gained real skill! That short, scrawny Frenchman truly had genuine ability! Wu Sangui was also a good student; after attending the cram school, his military skill had advanced by leaps and bounds! He could now handle the Spanish tercio, the Maurice formation, and the Gustavus formation with ease, and his command of cavalry had risen more than one level.

If he had possessed his current ability during the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, the Kangxi Emperor would have been in serious trouble.

Now, hearing Zhu Cilang's question, he smiled and said: "Your Majesty, this subject believes the infighting in the northern Qing will not last long, and a split into two is even less likely. Perhaps a single battle will settle who is superior. Because there are too many fence-sitters — whichever side's wind blows a little stronger, they will all lean that way.

As for those men of the northern Qing's Plain Green Banner, if the price is right, some will of course defect to us. But Your Majesty should not place too high an expectation on such men, nor offer too high a price. These people — destroy them if you can, drive them out if you can. Winning them over is not worth much. If we win over too many of this sort, the war will be fought at a loss!"

Wu Sangui now hated losses above all!

In his view, was not the most valuable thing in the Central Plain simply the land? If all the land were distributed to fence-sitters, would the Great Ming court's northern expedition not be fought at a loss? Moreover, he and his men did not wish to grow old in the northwest; they wanted to return to their old home in Liaodong in the future. That matter involved how the "banner lands" were to be recovered! The defecting Green Banner troops could not be allowed to keep holding land — if that became the established rule, then in the future the land in Liaodong might also prove impossible to recover.

Zhu Cilang turned his head again and looked at Li Yan. He was a Henan man, so on the matter of recovering Henan, his opinion should naturally be heard.

Li Yan said: "This subject believes the Duke of Liang speaks reason! Is Your Majesty not planning to complete the northern expedition within ten years? Then there is no need to seek quick victory. If Your Majesty wanted a swift victory, there would be no need to march through the Central Province — simply land at Tanggu, then strike straight for Yanjing, and stake victory or defeat on a single battle. However, since the northern Qing already has plans to withdraw beyond the passes, they presumably no longer fear a decisive battle in Northern Zhili, so this subject does not recommend a rapid capture of Beijing.

If we do not seek swift victory, this subject also recommends developing the Central Province! And to develop the Central Province, we should drive out or destroy the Plain Green Banner. Because at present the land in the Central Province has either been distributed by headcount to the common people of the Central Province, or been enclosed and seized by the Plain Green Banner. We cannot take back the land distributed to the common people, can we? If we also fail to recover the land given to the Plain Green Banner, how is the Central Province to be developed? Where are the meritorious officers and men, and the meritorious officials who follow Your Majesty, to receive their land?"

Zhu Cilang then looked at Li Ruolian. Li Ruolian said: "Your Majesty, this subject also believes that the Central Province, Northern Zhili, and Shanxi should be properly developed. We cannot allow the treacherous men of the Plain Green Banner and Bordered Green Banner to hold vast tracts of land. Otherwise, what of the meritorious officials who followed Your Majesty south? What of all those officers and men with meritorious service?"

The three great military blocs were of one mind.

Zhu Cilang let out a breath. He understood why these three families all did not want the men of the two Green Banners to come over — they had all set their eyes on the land held by the two Green Banners!

Why else fight the northern expedition?

In the end, it was still for land!

The three great military blocs that Zhu Cilang relied upon were, in the final analysis, a group of northern landlord military aristocrats!

Of course they hoped to possess more land!

And Zhu Cilang was unwilling to distribute too much southern land to them, because that would greatly reduce the court's annual revenue — so they could only set their sights on the land of their old northern homes.

Zhu Cilang then looked at Zheng Sen. The eldest senior brother had no interest in northern land; to him, putting silver into land was far too inefficient.

"Your Majesty, this subject also believes the banner lands of the Central Province should be recovered," Zheng Sen said. "When Green Banner officers and men come over to us, not pursuing their crimes is already generous enough. How can they still be allowed to keep holding land? There are still many northern refugees in the south whose food and clothing are in dire straits — those lands would be just right for settling them."

Emperor Zhu remained silent, then turned his gaze to Wu Xiang, who was attending the cram school together with his two sons.

"Your Majesty," Wu Xiang now spoke up, "subduing the enemy without battle is the best of the best. If Your Majesty wishes to advance steadily and securely, why not demand the land of the Central Province from the northern Qing court?"

"How would We demand it?" Zhu Cilang asked.

"Are they not marrying the Fourteenth Princess to Your Majesty? Then demand the land in the name of a dowry," Wu Xiang said. "Though the land may not actually be obtained, it will frighten off many of the Plain Green Banner's bannermen. Once they flee, our war will be easier to fight."

"That makes sense!" Zhu Cilang nodded and laughed. "They must be made to understand that We will not choose between the Fourteenth Princess and the land of the Central Province. We want both!"

(End of Chapter)