Chapter 790: The New Imperial Ama

The moment he heard Jirgalang still had proper business to attend to, Fulehe finally breathed a sigh of relief — his life was saved after all!

"Prince Zheng," Fulehe said hurriedly, "if there's proper business, then get to it quickly! Any later and it'll be too late!"

"Very well," Jirgalang nodded, then said to Jidu, Shang Kexi, Suoni, and Shang Ke'ai, "Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill and have our strength up, it's time to get to work."

"Aye!"

"Just watch!"

"We've long been waiting for those words from you!"

"Right-o."

The four of them didn't waste a moment. They set down their bowls and chopsticks, wiped their mouths, and then, grinning, surrounded Fulehe.

Fulehe might have been slow-witted, but even a fool could tell something was wrong from the look of things!

"Wh-what are you all trying to do?"

Shang Ke'ai smiled most adorably and, looking at the flustered Fulehe, answered: "Do what? Do you, of course! Little Prince, surrender quietly and go kowtow and beg forgiveness before the Brave Prince!"

Jirgalang said with a laugh: "Don't be afraid. As long as you're willing to repent, the Brave Prince won't kill you!"

"You — you —" Fulehe was so frantic he couldn't get the words out.

Jidu, Shang Kexi, Suoni, and Shang Ke'ai seized the moment and rushed him all at once, grabbing his arms and legs and taking Fulehe down. The ox-sinew rope for binding him had long been prepared; now they brought it out and trussed Fulehe up tight.

Fulehe knew it was over. Heartsick and miserable, he burst out crying with a loud wail.

Jirgalang glanced at him and sighed: "It's all fate. This battle — who knows how many old Manchu have died. No one's going to have good days anymore!"

With that he waved his hand again and shouted: "March!"

At that same moment, the great armies of the Plain Red Banner and the Bordered Blue Banner on Black Peak Mountain and Chengshan also moved. They had long prepared pure-blue banners, and now they raised them all at once — the two mountaintops were covered in blue as far as the eye could see.

Needless to say, Wakda and Naodai had also defected!

They, along with Jirgalang, Shang Kexi, and the others, had all come to Jieshi Mountain to drink mutton soup and play weathervane. If Ajige had the upper hand now, they would have struck Dodo. Now that Dodo held every advantage, they naturally turned and struck Ajige — why hold back? Kick a drowning dog!

In any case, it was just finding a new Ama for the Shunzhi Emperor. Ajige and Dodo were both fine Amas — the little Shunzhi Emperor would be pleased with either!

But Ajige was not pleased with Dodo as this new Imperial Ama. He was not resigned to going to Jianling to keep Dorgon company. He felt he still had some capital left — he still had his territory in Taiyuan Prefecture!

After the five-year north-south pact was concluded, Taiyuan Prefecture had been handed over to Ajige's Bordered White Banner to administer. Ajige himself had long been stationed in Taiyuan, personally holding the post of Taiyuan Angbang Zhangjing — in other words, the local emperor of Taiyuan.

After Ajige entered the capital and seized power, the post of Taiyuan Angbang Zhangjing had been given to Ajige's third son, Laoqin, and several thousand Bordered White Banner troops had been left in Taiyuan to garrison it.

If only he could reach Taiyuan, he could still hold out in a corner!

So once he realized the game was lost, Ajige took his fourth son, Bo'ersun, and two or three hundred Bayara soldiers, abandoned the main army, and fled west. As they rode, he discovered a group of cavalry without armor had joined his escape column. Ajige recognized the rider at their head — it was Suksaha, Dorgon's trusted confidant.

Suksaha was the commander of the capital's Vanguard Battalion. This time he had also brought twelve hundred Vanguard Battalion cavalry with Ajige to Jieshi Mountain.

But Ajige looked down on these unarmored firearm cavalrymen, so he had tossed them aside and made them cheerleaders. As a result, the five banners that followed Ajige most closely — Bordered White, Plain Yellow, Bordered Yellow, Bordered Red, and Plain Green — all suffered terrible casualties, while this Vanguard Battalion cavalry alone remained intact.

Moreover, they were all unarmored and lightly equipped, with two horses per man, one of which was a specially selected fine mount, so they were considerably faster on the run than those armored cavalrymen.

Suksaha seemed to have spotted Ajige too, for he came galloping up with several dozen riders to greet him, and to show he meant no harm, he even threw away the carbine slung on his back.

These firearm cavalrymen had little melee ability to begin with. Now without their carbines, they had only a saber apiece and were no match at all for Ajige's armored personal guards. So Ajige did not have his men stop them, but let Suksaha and his party approach.

Suksaha spurred his horse up and asked: "My Prince, where are we headed?"

Ajige answered without a second thought: "To Taiyuan!"

Suksaha asked again: "Should we bring the Emperor along?"

Bring the Emperor or not?

Ajige needed to think. Just as he was mulling it over, Suksaha had already produced a flintlock pistol from somewhere, aimed it at the warhorse beneath Ajige, and pulled the trigger — and then came a burst of gunfire! It was not one pistol firing, but many flintlock pistols firing at once! Not only was Ajige shot off his horse and thrown to the ground with his face bruised and swollen, but the Bayara soldiers following Ajige also fell dead or wounded in swathes.

On July 20th, the evening of the day after the great battle at Jieshi Mountain ended, the Qing Shunzhi Emperor in Beijing already knew the good news that he was about to have a new Ama.

The good news was brought back by Suoni. So that Shunzhi might learn of this happy tidings as early as possible, he had set out for Beijing with several dozen riders before the great battle at Jieshi Mountain had even fully ended, traveling day and night without rest, eating and drinking in the saddle, and had finally managed to reach Beijing before the city gates closed on the 20th.

"Your Majesty, wonderful news! Prince Yu has won — a complete victory! Ajige's men lie dead across the field. In a few days, many households in Beijing will be raising mourning banners and wailing for their dead..."

"Th-this is good news?" The speaker was Bumbutai. The moment she heard Suoni had returned, she had gone straight to the Qianqing Palace where Shunzhi resided.

"Of course it's good news!" Suoni appeared extremely excited. "Prince Yu truly lives up to the name Brave Prince — he's only been outside the Pass a few years, and he's already built up the New Army! All those old Manchu under Ajige's command were simply no match for the New Army from outside the Pass. In the battle of Jieshi Mountain, at least six or seven thousand were lost! The Bordered White Banner and Bordered Red Banner have been badly weakened, and our two Yellow Banners took no small losses either. Still... it was worth it!"

This Suoni is a traitor!

Shunzhi understood now! Suoni was no good man — he had gone over to Dodo.

Bumbutai narrowed her small eyes and looked at Suoni: "What now? Honor the Fifteenth Master as Imperial Ama?"

Suoni nodded: "The Empress Dowager is wise. Our Great Qing cannot be without an Imperial Ama!"

What nonsense, what nonsense — Shunzhi was nearly mad with rage. What did he mean, Great Qing cannot be without an Imperial Ama?

The Great Qing has an Emperor!

"Very well!" Bumbutai nodded. "Then we'll trouble you to make one more trip... to Prince Yu's army and deliver the edict."

"Mother!" Shunzhi said urgently.

This edict must not be delivered!

Bumbutai shot her son a sharp look: "My son, Prince Yu has won so thoroughly and killed so many old Manchu — who doesn't fear him now? If you won't let him be your Imperial Ama, then he'll be the Emperor instead!"

How many able-bodied old Manchu were there in all? The battle of Jieshi Mountain alone had wiped out six or seven thousand — more than one in ten! This time Dodo had done what Dorgon had wanted to do but never dared — built his authority within the Manchu through the butcher's blade.

And he now had a true New Army!

So Dodo already possessed the power to usurp the throne!

Suoni received the imperial edict and left in a whirlwind. Now only Bumbutai and Shunzhi remained in the great hall of Qianqing Palace.

Bumbutai said: "My son, Dodo is not Dorgon, nor is he Ajige. When the Taizu Emperor had just passed away, he was only twelve or thirteen, and he already volunteered to be Great Khan. That ambition has never died!"

"Mother, he wants to usurp the throne?" Shunzhi drew a sharp breath. "That is defying the whole world!"

Bumbutai snorted: "Who doesn't know the Taizu Emperor wanted to pass the throne to him? How would him becoming Emperor be usurpation?"

Shunzhi was on the verge of tears. How were his uncles each more ruthless than the last? What was he to do?

Bumbutai sighed: "We can only gamble! My son, have you not been planning all these years to seize Dorgon?"

(End of Chapter)