Chapter 874: What? The Great Qing Is Gone! — Fifteen (Please Subscribe)

"What? Your Imperial Majesty, you want our Empress Dowager? That—that would be improper, wouldn't it?"

The one who found it improper was Sonin. He and Sun Zhixie had also traveled in great haste, arriving at Yunlong Mountain in Xuzhou only two days later than Zu Kefa.

The Zhu Emperor was quite warm in his reception. As soon as the two of them arrived, he immediately arranged an audience, and he very readily agreed to Fulin's request to acknowledge him as father. But then he put forward two demands of his own. One was for Fulin's son Fuquan — a grandfather wants to see his grandson, and could a filial son like Fulin refuse? So that one was no problem.

The second demand was for Fulin to send his mother, Bumbutai, to Yunlong Mountain... Ama wants E'niang — is that proper?

"How is it improper?" Zu Kefa spoke up. "Since the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming is your lord's father, and Bumbutai is your lord's mother, now that the father wishes to see the mother, how is that improper?"

Qian Qianyi nodded along as well: "This accords with ritual propriety!"

Sonin shot a glance at Qian Qianyi, thinking to himself: This sort of thing accords with ritual propriety? You Donglin traitor, do you think I haven't read the classics of the sages?

Li Yan added: "It also accords with the customs of the steppe... Is your lord not the Great Khan of the Mongols? He ought to know the customs."

That did make some sense... but Sonin still wanted to argue his case. Before he could open his mouth, he heard Sun Zhixie beside him say in a voice so faint it was barely audible: "Grand Secretary Son, agree to it... The Ming Emperor merely wants hostages!"

Prompted by Sun Zhixie, Sonin suddenly understood. The Zhu Emperor wanted hostages... but that didn't seem right either. If he wanted hostages, wasn't Fuquan enough? If not enough, he could also take Gaosai, Changshu, Taosai, and Bumbogor — all those brothers. Why ask specifically for the Empress Dowager?

Zhu Cilang smiled: "Sonin, go back and tell Fulin... We intend to take back all the lands south of the Great Wall! However, We can give him some time to gather his remaining forces and go beyond the passes to the Mongolian steppe. We can also enfeoff him as King Beyond the Passes and a Prince of the Great Ming, making his Mongols a vassal of the Great Ming. But he must first hand over Bumbutai and Fuquan. Only by handing over those two can We permit him to leave the Tianjin garrison."

"Otherwise, he can spend the rest of his life in the Tianjin garrison... His remaining days shouldn't be too many. In a year or two, he can always starve to death, can't he?"

The Zhu Emperor spoke with a smile, but Sonin heard in it an authority that brooked no doubt.

For Zhu Cilang to deal with Mongolia and the lands beyond the passes might not be so easy, but to besiege the Tianjin garrison was truly not difficult. Moreover, the stores inside the Tianjin garrison were not plentiful; after a year of siege, it would be about finished.

Sonin still wanted to struggle a bit. Gritting his teeth, he said: "Your Majesty, if our lord is gone, then the lands beyond the passes and Mongolia will be unified by Dodo... And Dodo is far more skilled in war than our lord!"

Zhu Cilang smiled: "No matter. We have Shi Kefa, which is enough to pacify Liaodong in five years!"

Shi Kefa! Not Yuan Chonghuan, not Sun Chengzong, not Hong Chengchou... The moment Sonin heard that name, he was terrified! How could he not be afraid? That fellow grew braver with every battle, and through long defeat had become a fine general! Even the Valiant Prince had been beaten by him until his whole head and face were covered in blood. Who in the Great Qing was left to fight him?

Sonin thought to himself: It's just that Chongzhen was blind and failed to recognize a great commander! If Shi Kefa had been used to pacify Liaodong back then, the Great Qing would have been finished long ago...

"Sonin," Zhu Cilang said kindly, "the reason We have adopted Fulin as Our foster son and accepted his submission with the Mongol tribes is not because We so greatly fear the Mongols, but because Russia in the west is pressing eastward step by step and has already reached the territory of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission... If We are to wage war at Lake Baikal, We must have the Mongols' supply of cattle and sheep. The Mongols of today are already in decline, while Russia has just risen, full of vigor, like the Mongols in the time of Genghis Khan. Therefore We wish to conciliate the Mongols and resist Russia!"

These words were, of course, meant to deceive Sonin!

In truth, Zhu Cilang had little interest in Lake Baikal and Siberia, and had no intention of directly sending troops to Lake Baikal.

But he did need to cultivate one or two vassal lords among the Khalkha Mongols and the Inner Mongolian tribes who could stand against the Dzungar tribe.

This was to prevent the Dzungar tribe from unifying Mongolia!

Once the Dzungars unified Mongolia, they would turn from the Great Ming's hunting dogs into tigers and wolves contending against the Great Ming!

Of course, sending a great army to destroy the Khalkha Mongols and the Dzungar Mongols would also not be worth the cost... Once those two groups of Mongols were destroyed, Russia and the faith of Arabia would invade eastward together, and then the Western Regions and the north would both become festering sores for the Great Ming.

After all, the two territories of the Western Regions and Mongolia held little attraction for the Han people of the Central Plains, yet at the same time they were not too terrible, and could still attract some foreign peoples to migrate in and settle...

Sonin let out a breath of relief: "Your Majesty's meaning, this subject understands. After this subject returns, he will certainly persuade our lord."

Zhu Cilang nodded and smiled: "Fulin may proclaim himself Khan. Is he not the Eyeer Jasag Khan? Henceforth let him use that khan title to command the Inner Mongolian and Outer Mongolian tribes! As for his khan's court, it may be set up in Guihua City."

"In addition, We shall further enfeoff him as the Obedient and Submissive Prince. And We shall give him one year to relocate his followers; one year from now, he must hand over Beijing."

"If Fulin agrees, then let his mother and son come to Yunlong Mountain. Once We have seen them, We shall issue an edict to Shi Kefa to let Fulin leave the Tianjin garrison."

Having obtained the Zhu Emperor's terms, Sonin did not bother to rest, but rode at full speed back to the Tianjin garrison together with Sun Zhixie — this matter would only grow worse with delay! The one besieging the Tianjin garrison was the terrifying Shi Kefa! Who knew whether he would break through the Tianjin garrison? If the Shunzhi Emperor were captured by Shi Kefa, that would be a disaster!

Moreover, Zhu Cilang had not ordered the Ming armies anywhere to halt their offensives, so the war was still going on! In particular, the Qing troops in the great camp on the south bank of the Yellow River would soon be soaked into water ghosts...

"Sonin, what are you crying about? Sun Zhixie, why are you sighing? Could it be, could it be..."

By the time the Shunzhi Emperor saw a dust-covered, haggard Sonin and Sun Zhixie again, it was already the twenty-fourth day of the second month. Perhaps the journey had been too grueling, for both men had grown thin and their skin much darker. Upon seeing Shunzhi, they knelt and wept bitterly, with the look of men announcing that the Great Qing was finished — oh, rather, that Shunzhi was finished!

Shunzhi was so frightened his face turned deathly pale. These days he had nightmares every night, dreaming that he had been driven up to the Coal Hill fortress, where he found a crooked locust tree and hanged himself...

It was truly terrifying!

But however terrifying the dream, he was supposed to return to Beijing first and then die! The Coal Hill fortress was in Beijing... and Shunzhi was still in Tianjin!

Could it be that he could not even return to Beijing?

"Your Majesty, this slave is useless!" Sun Zhixie said through tears.

Useless... does that mean death?

Tears streamed down Shunzhi's face!

Only then did Sun Zhixie continue: "The Son of Heaven of the Great Ming demands that you hand over the Empress Dowager and Prince Yu before he will permit you to leave the Tianjin garrison..."

"Hand over the Empress Dowager?" Shunzhi was stunned. "Why does he also... What is so good about Our mother? Why does even Our Ama want her?"

Sun Zhixie picked up from Shunzhi's words: "Your Majesty's Ama naturally must have Your Majesty's E'niang..."

That actually seemed to make sense!

Shunzhi was left speechless. He looked at Sonin, who was still weeping. Sonin said: "Your Majesty, do not misunderstand. You are thinking wrongly. The Son of Heaven of the Great Ming does not wish to bed the Empress Dowager..."

"Silence!" Shunzhi roared. "What nonsense are you spouting, Sonin? How could We possibly think in that direction?"

Only then did Sonin realize he had let his tongue slip. He hastily kowtowed: "Yes, yes, this slave deserves death. This slave thought wrongly... This slave's crimes merit ten thousand deaths!"

Shunzhi stamped his foot: "Enough of this useless talk!"

Sonin said: "Then, then this slave shall say something useful! Your Majesty, this slave and Sun Zhixie discussed it the whole way here and believe that you must hand over the Empress Dowager... Only by handing over the Empress Dowager can you leave the Tianjin garrison, and only by leaving the Tianjin garrison can you keep your green hills!"

Shunzhi said in a voice so faint it was barely audible: "Will he truly let Us go? This is releasing a tiger back to the mountain!"

"Your Majesty," Sonin shook his head, "the Son of Heaven of the Great Ming does not regard you as a tiger... If you were to die for the Great Qing's realm in Tianjin, the Imperial Uncle would become the new Emperor of the Great Qing! He is more like a tiger than you!"