Chapter 986: Dodo, You're Just Feigning Death! (Please Subscribe)

Duoni was still quick-witted. With a turn of thought, he had already formed a plan, so he gritted his teeth and said to Sonin, "The Zhu Emperor bullies us beyond endurance, but would the hundred thousand and more soldiers of our Manchu and Joseon simply allow this tyrant to trample them?

Moreover, the Ming court has now opened hostilities on every side — in the north it fights the Mongols, in the northwest it battles Russia, while Shang Kexi and Kong Tingxun have opened a war in Qinghai against the Khoshut Khanate. In the southwest the Shun state is still contending with the Ming, and on the southeastern seas there is the Spanish fleet. Now the Zhu Emperor even plans to cross the sea and attack Japan. This is militarism carried to the extreme!

Since ancient times, no state that relied on its strength and recklessly employed its armies could long endure. The Ming is but a nation newly recovered from grave illness — outwardly strong but inwardly hollow, and it still has roving bandits entrenched in Sichuan and Yunnan that it has not rooted out. With internal troubles not yet settled, it rushes headlong into war on every side, opening battle on multiple fronts. This is truly a path to self-destruction. If our Manchu warriors seize the moment and rise again, a great victory like those of Sarhu and Song-Jin in former days can still be hoped for.

But I am merely the heir of the Qing Prince Yu, of no prominent standing, and I lack the prestige to summon the Manchus and Mongols. Even if I raised the banner of righteousness, not many loyal and brave men would follow. If His Majesty could come to Manchuria and ascend the throne once more, then the loyal remnants of the Great Qing scattered in every direction would surely rise in response. Even if we could not re-enter Shanhai Pass, we could still dominate beyond the passes!"

Hearing Duoni's declaration, Sonin felt a surge of excitement. Was the Great Qing's revival truly within sight?

Yet he had not entirely lost his vigilance — he had not told Duoni, Ajige, and the others that he had come from Qingliang Monastery on Mount Wutai. That was a secret!

"Good! Good!" Sonin nodded repeatedly. "As long as the heir raises troops beyond the passes, His Majesty will surely hasten here by night!"

Old fox!

Duoni cursed inwardly.

If he really did raise troops, what need would there be for Shunzhi to come? Shunzhi was a banner — one that could be raised, but not held in the hand. Once held in the hand, the lands beyond the passes would become the primary target of the Ming's attacks!

"Grand Secretary Suo," Duoni said thoughtfully, "if I truly raise troops beyond the passes, the Ming army will certainly seal the roads tightly. Where is His Majesty now? Can he get through?"

Where His Majesty was could not be revealed. But once war broke out again beyond the passes, it would indeed be very difficult for Shunzhi to leave.

Sonin considered carefully, then said, "How about this — after the Ming emperor refuses to enfeoff the heir as lord of the lands beyond the passes, this slave will escort His Majesty and slip out through Shanhai Pass. What do you say?"

Sonin had, after all, once been a Grand Secretary; his thinking was thorough.

He knew that as long as Duoni had a kingship beyond the passes to take, he most likely would not rebel — and might even betray the Shunzhi Emperor.

Duoni looked at Sonin and was silent for a long while. At last he nodded. "Good! It is settled!" He paused. "If the Ming emperor still grants me the Manchu lands beyond the passes, then I will not rebel for the time being, but will build up strength and await the moment. Given Zhu Cilang's militarism, the realm will be drained sooner or later. When the time comes, I will raise a great army and restore the Great Qing in one stroke. So I beg His Majesty to take good care of himself and await that day!

If Zhu Cilang means to seize the very root of our Manchu homeland, then I am not afraid. Manchuria is vast, its climate cold, and we have the Heilongjiang and Pacific fleets to rely on, as well as the natural strongholds of the Changbai Mountains and the Wanda Mountains. If the Ming army dares to come, I guarantee they will never return!"

Duoni's words were all things his father Dodo had told him before his death — the Valiant Prince was no good at anything else, but when it came to fighting wars he was a master!

Of course he knew where the key to the war beyond the passes lay. As long as Duoni deployed according to his father's dying instructions, it would be impossible for the Zhu Emperor to win a quick victory beyond the passes.

And the Ming was indeed fighting on multiple fronts. Its military and financial resources, though not stretched to the limit, were not ample either. If another campaign were opened in the especially vast terrain beyond the passes and it bogged down into a protracted war, things would truly become strained.

"Good!" Sonin also looked greatly encouraged. "This slave wishes Your Highness victory in the coming campaign!"

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Prince of Jin passed away on the third day of the first month. Sob... This is the Prince's final memorial, and this is the memorial of the acting protector of the Andong Protectorate, the Prince's heir."

On the tenth day of the second month of the tenth year of Hongxing, a mourning envoy of the Andong army, Shang Ke'ai, entered the Hall of Imperial Supremacy in the Old Mountain Palace, dressed in hempen mourning clothes with a white cap on his head, weeping and wailing.

As Shang Ke'ai wept out his report of the death, he chanted Amitabha in his heart. He knew his errand was not an easy one — reporting Dodo's death was nothing, but Dodo's final memorial recommended Duoni as the new protector, while Duoni, in his memorial to the Zhu Emperor, styled himself "acting protector of Andong." That was the problem.

Zhu Cilang had never granted the Andong Protectorate hereditary succession. Now Dodo was recommending his son to succeed him, and Duoni was calling himself acting protector — this was precisely an attempt to achieve hereditary succession!

And how could the Zhu Emperor tolerate hereditary rule over the Andong garrison? The Andong garrison was too large — vast in territory, rich in resources, with a rapidly growing population. If hereditary succession were permitted, in twenty or thirty years at most it would become too powerful to control.

So Zhu Cilang would certainly use Dodo's death to bring Andong to heel — at the very least, divide and rule.

And once the Zhu Emperor decided to use force against Andong, would not Shang Ke'ai, as the envoy, be thrown into prison?

"Hmph!"

The Zhu Emperor gave a cold snort, and Shang Ke'ai shuddered on the spot, then dropped to his knees with a thud.

"A fine Dodo indeed!" Zhu Cilang said sternly. "We summoned him to court and he did not come — and now he dares to feign death!"

What?

Feign death?

At this Shang Ke'ai was utterly stunned. How could Dodo be feigning death? He would have liked to feign death, but Heaven would not permit it! He was dead beyond all doubt...

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin is truly dead..." Shang Ke'ai hastily explained. "This slave — this subject — this subject saw it with his own eyes. He lay stiff as a board! And he died of a long illness; everyone in the Andong army knows it. How could it be feigned death?"

With a sharp crack, the Ming Emperor slammed the table. This was imperial wrath!

Shang Ke'ai was instantly drenched in cold sweat, his whole body trembling.

Zhu Cilang's tone was dark. "Shang Ke'ai, do you know of the Northern Provost Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"This subject — this subject — this subject..." Shang Ke'ai could not get the words out.

"Hmph!" Zhu Cilang's face was grim. "From the look of you, I can tell everything you just said was lies!"

Right — if you weren't lying, why so nervous?

"This subject — this subject's every word is the tru—"

"The truth of what?" Zhu Cilang glared. "Embroidered Uniform Guard! Where is the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

What Embroidered Uniform Guard?

This was the Hall of Imperial Supremacy, not the Provost Office. Apart from Guard Commander Zhu Chunjie of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who did attend, no other Embroidered Uniform Guard would come here. And today was a private audience — the only people present were the Secretariat Drafter and Hanlin Academicians responsible for recording and drafting edicts, plus a few imperial bodyguards. There were no Embroidered Uniform Guard riders here to arrest anyone.

But Shang Ke'ai could not withstand the intimidation. What kind of man was Zhu Cilang? A great sovereign of his generation — he had beaten the ferocious Great Qing into extinction. Did Shang Ke'ai dare offend the dragon's majesty?

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this subject — this subject will confess honestly!" Shang Ke'ai hastily changed his story. "Dodo is alive. Dodo is feigning death..."

"That's more like it!" Zhu Cilang nodded. This was the inspiration he had drawn from Mary Mancini — he could not allow a villain like Dodo to die comfortably without receiving just punishment!

Without this Emperor's approval, how could Dodo die? Therefore Dodo must be feigning death. The reason he feigned death was, of course, that he did not want to come to court for an audience. Such a petty trick could not fool the Emperor.

Zhu Cilang picked up Dodo's final memorial and Duoni's memorial, which had already been placed on the desk, and hurled them at Shang Ke'ai's feet. "Shang Ke'ai, since you have confessed honestly, We will not send you to the Provost Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Take back these two memorials full of absurdities! Since Dodo is not dead, We cannot accept his final memorial, and We will not read Duoni's memorial either. Take them all back and tell Dodo to come to court at once, without delay!"

What? Still come to court? How was he supposed to come? Arrive in a coffin? Would the court accept delivery?

"Your — Your Majesty..." Shang Ke'ai stammered. "Is the Prince of Jin you want alive or dead?"

"Insolence!" Zhu Cilang was angry again. "Of course We want Dodo alive! Tell him to come to court at once!"

(End of Chapter)