Chapter 784: No More Thrice-Serving Ministers!

The news that Zhu Cilang, in the name of the Fourteenth Princess's dowry, was again demanding the lands of the Central Plain was delivered by Zu Kefa and Huang Dabao to the Great Qing Western Army's main camp at the foot of Jieshi Mountain.

Jieshi Mountain lies about a hundred li beyond Shanhai Pass and more than twenty li from the shore of Bohai Bay. From its southeastern slope one can gaze out over the boundless sea — this is the famous "Viewing the Sea from Jieshi."

By the time Zu Kefa and Huang Dabao reached Jieshi Mountain, the place had gained another scenic landmark: the Qing Chengzong Mausoleum — that is, Dorgon's grave mound, called the "Jian Mausoleum." Naming an imperial tomb with the word "Jian" was meant to show that it had been built with extreme frugality and absolutely contained no valuable burial goods, so that later grave robbers need not bother setting their sights on Dorgon's tomb.

The Qing Jian Mausoleum was indeed built very plainly, with few grand or imposing halls. Within its walls stood only low, shabby buildings. Yet the mausoleum's grounds were by no means small, and its site was strategically chosen — wedged beneath the southeastern slope of Jieshi Mountain, facing Shanhai Pass across the distance.

Moreover, the walls of the Qing Jian Mausoleum had been built with care. The outer face did not meet the ground at a right angle but sloped inward; though this made climbing easier, it effectively defended against cannon fire and also gave the defenders on the wall a better field of fire.

Outside the mausoleum's wall there was also a moat three zhang wide and one zhang deep, its bottom densely planted with sharpened wooden stakes.

This great tomb where Dorgon lay buried was less an imperial mausoleum than a fortress!

Of the great army Ajige had brought from Beijing, a small portion was now quartered inside the Qing Jian Mausoleum, while the rest had set up camps around it — one wonders whether they disturbed Dorgon, sulking in his grave below.

The army Ajige had brought was by no means small: a full eighty thousand strong!

Of the nine banners inside the Pass, only the Plain Blue Banner, whose banner lord was Dodo, had not sent troops. The other eight banners had all contributed forces. Of these, the seven Manchu banners had sent about forty thousand men in total (including Han troops and booi). Of the remaining forty thousand, thirty-six thousand were the troops of the three kings of the Plain Green Banner, and the rest were Mongols.

Ajige himself made his headquarters in the sacrificial hall of the Jian Mausoleum, and so the formal audience was also held in the sacrificial hall.

Since Ajige already knew what demands Zhu Cilang had made, he ordered all officers of the nine banners at the front from the rank of jalan commander upward (including jalan commanders) to attend the audience in the sacrificial hall — in Ajige's view, the terms Zhu Cilang proposed were relatively favorable to him.

And before Zu Kefa and Huang Dabao arrived, word that negotiations between Dodo and the Great Ming had completely broken down had already reached the front at Jieshi Mountain. So the news that Zhu Cilang was willing to marry the Fourteenth Princess meant that the Southern Ming and the Northern Qing ruled by Ajige could live in peace.

"Prince Regent, our Great Ming Emperor does everything by the book. Now that your Qing state has split into east and west, and a bloody war is plainly coming, it would hardly make sense for our Emperor not to make some gains in the Central Plain, would it? But our Great Ming's Hongxing Emperor is by nature no lover of war, and he is unwilling to see living creatures reduced to ashes. And you, Prince Regent, are willing to marry the Fourteenth Princess over to form a bond of Qin and Jin. So our Emperor's demands are not high. Just add a bit of dowry for the Fourteenth Princess: Henan Prefecture, Ruzhou, the Henan lands of Kaifeng Prefecture, Guide Prefecture, the lands west of the canal in Yanzhou Prefecture, the Eastern Depot Prefecture, the lands north of the Daqing River in Jinan Prefecture, and the few counties you occupy in Nanyang Prefecture and Runing Prefecture. If you will only agree to these terms, our Emperor is willing to live in harmony with you, and will even produce a betrothal gift worth 1.88 million taels of silver, so that you, my Prince, will not lose face."

The speaker was Zu Kefa, who had now been appointed marriage envoy and had once again gone north to swindle a little princess for Emperor Zhu.

Ajige snorted twice. "1.88 million taels for seven prefectures of the Central Plain, and you want our Great Qing to throw in a lovely little princess as well? Your Hongxing Emperor's abacus is a little too clever, isn't it?"

Zu Kefa smiled. "And whose fault is it that your Great Qing has split in two? My Prince, the matter of silver can still be discussed. If you think 1.88 million taels is too little, then name a price, and this envoy will go back and discuss it with our Emperor. But if you refuse outright, and our Emperor gets angry, he may well send his great army over to take it himself! Then it won't be just the seven prefectures of the Central Plain — he'll take at least all the territory inside the Pass!"

"Heh heh, what big talk!"

"What's the matter? Would my Prince care to test it?"

Ajige laughed. "Isn't your emperor still off learning warfare from some prince of the Franks, along with a pack of his generals? Have they finished their studies?"

Zu Kefa laughed heartily. "I won't deceive you, my Prince — the cram school isn't over yet. But it will be soon, and then you'll learn how formidable they are! Our Emperor truly does not wish the people of the Central Plain to suffer further devastation, so he is giving the Plain Green Banner and the other banner troops stationed in the Central Plain a way out. Let them leave on their own. This 1.88 million taels of silver can serve as travel expenses, and if it isn't enough, a bit more can be added."

At these words Ajige suddenly burst out laughing. "All of them leave? Isn't the Southern Emperor the one who loves best to recruit the surrendered and win over the rebellious? Not recruiting this time?"

These words were in fact a warning aimed at the three kings of the Plain Green Banner and the other senior officers present — the Prince Regent Ajige was shrewd indeed, and knew they were candidates to become "thrice-serving ministers."

But Zu Kefa's reply shattered the hearts of all the traitors who wished to become thrice-serving ministers.

"No recruiting, no recruiting!" Zu Kefa shook his head with a grin. "This time there will be no recruiting. Our Great Ming now has crack troops and brave generals, ample money and grain, and even in a pitched battle we are certain to win!"

And that was true enough! The Great Ming now had an army of several hundred thousand, and the generals had all attended the cram school, so their skill at war was rising by leaps and bounds. What need was there for a pack of base, shameless traitorous thrice-serving ministers?

Zu Kefa swept an apologetic gaze over his former colleagues and said with a smile, "All of you, go! There is fine territory beyond the Pass — why crowd into the Central Plain? The Central Plain has only so much land, and who knows how many people are waiting to divide it up. Besides, land granted to the common people is not so easy to take back."

This was the plain truth! Either it slipped out by accident, or Zhu Cilang had instructed him to say it!

This was called manufacturing panic!

The goal was to drive people out of the Pass.

The Plain Green Banner had nearly a hundred thousand households inside the Pass!

With a bit of effort at mobilization, they could field a hundred ten or twenty thousand men. If they all held their fortresses to the death, how troublesome would that be to fight? But if they were recruited into surrender, then there would be less land to go around. The northern nobles, officials, and meritorious subjects under Emperor Zhu were all waiting to carve up the banner lands of the north!

If there were no land to distribute, where would they get the drive to launch the northern expedition against the Central Plain?

Besides, everyone had attended Prince Condé's cram school, and their skill at war had improved. There was no need for these would-be thrice-serving ministers to defect.

And Dorgon had carried out land distribution by headcount in the Central Plain, granting out over a hundred million mu at a stroke! This land Zhu Cilang could not easily take back either — the lessons of the peasant uprisings were too profound to forget so quickly.

So the only option was to make the Plain Green Banner and the other banners hand over their banner lands!

Once this plain truth was spoken, the traitors in the sacrificial hall all felt as though they had fallen into an icy pit.

The Great Ming no longer wanted thrice-serving ministers!

Ajige, for his part, was rather pleased. These twice-serving ministers could no longer become thrice-serving ministers; they could only stick with the Great Qing. He snorted. "Zu Kefa, go back and tell Emperor Zhu that our Great Qing will not give up the lands of the Central Plain! If he only wants the princess, the Fourteenth Princess can go over at any time to fill the vacancy left by that girl Dong'e. But if he wants territory — hah! Let him come and try to take it by force! The sons of our Great Qing's Plain Green Banner do not fear him!"

How could they possibly not fear him!

Shang Kexi, Geng Zhongming, and Kong Tingxun were all on the verge of tears from sheer anxiety! Never mind how formidable the Ming generals had become after attending the cram school — even without that cram school, the Three Compliant Kings could not beat them! Last time Dorgon had to exert the strength of nine bulls and two tigers just to fight Shi Kefa. Why won't you, Ajige, let everyone run away?

Oh, right — there was nowhere to run!

Beyond the Pass was Dodo's territory. That would never do!

Just as the three traitor princes were turning these calculations over in their minds, a white-armored soldier of the Bordered White Banner dashed into the great hall, came before Ajige, dropped into a Manchu salute, and reported in a loud voice: "Reporting to Your Highness, urgent news from the Dashi River: this morning, Prince Yu's army has marched out of Shanhai Pass in great force and is heading west!"

(End of Chapter)