Chapter 792: The Great Qing Son of Heaven Guards the Gate of the Realm

"Prince Regent, if even the booi of four banners are to leave, won't Beijing be emptied out?" Jirgalang looked at Dodo, that ruthless man, and quietly cautioned, "The two Yellow Banners, the Bordered Red, and the Bordered White alone would have to move at least a hundred thousand people, and with their booi servants added, that's a hundred seventy or eighty thousand — nearly half of Beijing would be gone!"

Dodo nodded. "More must go as well! The Plain White Banner and Plain Blue Banner people go too!"

"Then it's over two hundred thousand!" Jirgalang spread his hands. "Beijing will have no one left." He suddenly thought of something. "Prince Regent, you don't mean to move the capital back beyond the passes, do you?"

Dodo smiled. "To be frank, this prince does intend to move to Shengjing. The Chengzong Emperor ordered this prince to manage the lands beyond the passes — was that not precisely to keep a line of retreat for our Great Qing?

The Southern Ming's national strength, after all, far exceeds ours, and Zhu Cilang is a ruler of a generation. These years he has pressed reform after reform, steadily raising the nation's strength and its armies. A great northern expedition is only a year or two away. If the foundation of our Great Qing is not moved back beyond the passes now, what will we do when the time comes?"

"But — but — but isn't this too fast?" Jirgalang said. "Too hasty. And such a great matter — shouldn't it be discussed with His Majesty?"

"No need," Dodo said with a wave of his hand. "His Majesty is not leaving!"

"Not leaving? Prince Regent, you mean—" Jirgalang's heart rose into his throat. What did Dodo mean? Was he about to bury the Emperor in Beijing?

This was regicide! Of course, if you want to kill the sovereign, I have no objection — but don't discuss it with me. As long as I don't know, that's fine. I know nothing at all.

"His Majesty must of course remain in Beijing to steady men's hearts!" Dodo said. "If His Majesty left, the situation within the passes would be beyond saving.

We do not make Beijing our foundation, but neither can we hand the territory within the passes back to the Great Ming. Without the lands within the passes, the lands beyond will be reduced to scorched earth!"

The Great Ming has supremacy at sea, so of course it can cross the sea to strike at Liaodong.

But however much it crosses the sea, its main force must be used within the passes. Otherwise the Qing troops within the passes could relieve the siege by attacking elsewhere, and the Huai lands, which have finally become a good place to live, would be ravaged again!

Dodo said, "The territory in Henan and Shandong is really nothing. What matters within the passes are the three regions of Yan, Dai, and Jin.

As long as we hold the three great cities of Taiyuan, Datong, and Beijing, we can command the strategic ground and pin the Ming's main force within the passes. And to hold Taiyuan, Datong, and Beijing firmly, we must steady men's hearts! Not only the hearts of us Manchus, but also the hearts of the Han and the Mongols. So it is best that His Majesty remain in Beijing, and guard Beijing."

This is called the Son of Heaven guarding the gate of the realm!

The question is — who will be this Son of Heaven?

Jirgalang thought for a moment, then asked, "Prince Regent, His Majesty is not being replaced, is he?"

Dodo's gaze swept across the hall, taking in every man's expression. "His Majesty... will not be replaced."

Jirgalang asked, "Then you will be Imperial Ama Prince Regent?"

The edict appointing Dodo as Imperial Ama Prince Regent had already been issued, but Dodo had not responded.

Dodo waved his hand. "I will not take it! This prince will not be Imperial Ama. An uncle is an uncle, an Ama is an Ama — they cannot be confused."

That made good sense, and everyone nodded repeatedly.

Jirgalang asked again, "Then will you still be Prince Regent?"

"No!" Dodo waved his hand again. "A Prince Regent must remain at court to administer the regency. This prince does not wish to remain in Beijing — what Prince Regent would I be?"

True — if he stayed in Beijing in normal times and then fled when Zhu Cilang attacked, he would lose all face.

Jirgalang pressed, "Not Prince Regent? Then what will you be?"

"Imperial Uncle," Dodo said with a smile. "This prince has heard that in the Liao dynasty there was such a title as Imperial Uncle. This prince will take that.

And add 'Army Supervisor.' The Southern Ming's Zhu Cilang was once Army-Supervising Crown Prince, and the roving bandits' Li Guo and Li Laiheng were also Army-Supervising Crown Princes. This prince will be Army-Supervising Imperial Uncle, stationed at Shengjing, directing military and civil affairs beyond the passes.

Datong Prefecture and Xuanfu will be defended by you, Prince Zheng; Taiyuan Prefecture will be defended by Prince Xun (Chang'adai of the Plain Red Banner). What do you all think?"

He was dividing up Shunzhi's territory and subordinates!

First he would pull away the hundred-some thousand people of the two Yellow Banners, the Bordered Red, and the Bordered White, then take Dorgon's Plain White Banner and his own Plain Blue Banner as well. If one counted the populations controlled by the Henan Angbang Zhanggin office and the Pingyang Angbang Zhanggin office, three or four hundred thousand people could be moved — Dodo's territory was large enough already. Both the inner and outer northeast were in his hands, and the Mongol tribes of the southern and northern Gobi all obeyed his orders, so he had no need to carve out more territory within the passes.

But he could not leave the Qing's territory within the passes to Shunzhi either, so he divided the most valuable parts — Taiyuan, Datong, and Xuanfu (Xuanfu and Datong could be seen as one territory) — between the Plain Red and Bordered Blue Banners, which had defected at the Battle of Jieshi Mountain.

"Prince Pacifying the South," Dodo said to Shang Kexi, "you need not stay in Guide Prefecture either. It is unsafe there, and there is little profit. Pingyang Prefecture and the salt fields of Xiezhou are all yours!"

Shang Kexi was overjoyed at these words and hastily rose to bow and thank Dodo.

Dodo smiled and waved him back to his seat, then continued, "Ajige was at fault, but Laoqin has held Taiyuan all along. If he has no merit, he has at least endured hardship. He may inherit the title of Prince Ying and take over the territory of Henan Prefecture!

Geng Zhongming's princely title shall be inherited by his son Geng Jimao, and the prefectures of Guide and Kaifeng shall both be his. As for Kong Tingxun — he has no son, but he does have a younger sister named Kong Sizhen."

Shang Kexi interjected, "Your Highness doesn't mean to make Kong Sizhen a queen of the Pacified South, do you?"

Dodo laughed heartily. "This prince has heard from Sonin that in the Western lands there are queens. But our Great Qing cannot do such a thing. Let Kong Sizhen's husband be Prince Pacifying the South. Has this Kong Sizhen married?"

"She has not," Jirgalang said. "But the Empress Dowager seems to want to match her with His Majesty, and His Majesty has some interest in her as well."

"Heh heh," Dodo laughed. "Then find her someone — Fan Wencheng!"

Fan Wencheng had also come to today's Deliberative Council of Princes and Ministers, and was dozing in a corner — he was originally a booi of the Bordered White Banner, and Dodo was his former master, so however unwilling he was, he had to attend.

Hearing Dodo's summons, he had no choice but to step forward and pay his respects to Dodo.

"Xiandou, in my youth this prince was ignorant and made use of your wife. I have long felt uneasy about it..."

Fan Wencheng had just stood up, but on hearing this he had to kneel again, and kowtowed as he knelt. "Why does Your Highness say such a thing? This slave is Your Highness's booi. For this slave's wife and daughter to serve Your Highness is only proper — it is this slave's honor..."

"Ah," Dodo sighed. "Your wife has been dead for some time now, hasn't she?"

"For some time."

"Do you still plan to remarry?"

"I will not take another wife." Fan Wencheng thought to himself: If I do, will you go and sleep with her too? There'd be no end to my cuckolding!

"Ah, what a pity! Then this prince will make it up to you with a wife!" Dodo said. "This Kong Sizhen shall be your second wife! She is a Heshuo Princess. If you marry her, you will no longer be a slave, but a Prince Consort and Prince Pacifying the South!"

Fan Wencheng could scarcely believe his ears!

This was Kong Sizhen — the Empress Dowager's adopted daughter, enfeoffed as a Heshuo Princess, who had to call Dodo "Uncle" when she saw him. However much Dodo might want, he could not make her go and share his bed!

And Kong Sizhen also brought a princely title with her. Although the territory was somewhat troublesome, the princely title was absolutely real!

Fan Wencheng would henceforth be a prince!

Watching Fan Wencheng stand there stunned, Dodo said with a smile, "This prince has thought it over, and this Prince Pacifying the South can be no one but you, so do not decline. As for territory, it is the three prefectures of the Eastern Depot, Daming, and Jibei, plus the land west of the Grand Canal in Yanzhou Prefecture. It is not good territory. Hold it if you can; if you cannot, it does not matter. As long as the Great Qing endures for a single day, your family will be princes for a single day!"

Hearing this, Fan Wencheng hastily kowtowed in gratitude. "This slave kowtows in thanks for the Imperial Uncle's heavenly grace!"

"No more calling yourself a slave!" Dodo said with a smile. "From now on you are a sovereign of a region, above ten thousand men!"

Dodo paused, then continued, "That is about enough. It is time to go see His Majesty. By the way, this prince has heard that His Majesty delights in letters and disdains arms, and that he is surrounded by many weak and bookish men of the Eight Banners. Is this true?"

"It is."

"It seems to be."

"I've heard of it."

Everyone had heard of this matter.

Dodo laughed and said, "This prince also delights in letters and keeps a number of men of literary grace and refinement. Tomorrow I shall bring them to the palace for His Majesty to see."

They are all men of letters and gentle bearing, after all. When the time comes, we can meet as friends through the written word.

(End of Chapter)