Chapter 223: Deliberations in the Qing Camp

Haisa Nandaxi was considered one of the bravest men among the Uriankhai tribes, yet before these seemingly frail Embroidered Uniform Guard officers, he barely put up any resistance before his head was chopped off—something most of the chieftains present had never expected.

Watching his own father being killed, Zhuoxi did not feel the gnashing rage that Urmai had felt upon hearing that his father Hadaxizhen had died at the hands of the Jianzhou barbarian false prince Ajige. On the contrary, seeing these fierce-faced arrivals from the Great Ming, he shrank back.

"Please, please spare this slave, Lord Feng. This slave will serve you like an ox or a horse, repaying your kindness."

"Hahaha, so this is the sort of man our Great Ming's future Consort Rou has set her eyes upon?" Feng Quan had assumed that this seemingly valiant Zhuoxi would at least put up some resistance, but he had thought wrong—the lad looked brave, yet in his heart he was more afraid than anyone, dropping to his knees and begging for mercy almost immediately.

"Zhuoxi! I... I truly misjudged you!" It was at this moment that Tuoya, dressed in fitted riding clothes, burst out from the inner chamber, shouted once, and ran off.

Seeing that Feng Quan seemed about to order someone to chase after her, Urmai sighed and said, "Lord Feng, to use your Han saying, my daughter and this spineless whelp could be considered childhood sweethearts. Today's affair is rather hard on her—let her run out and calm herself."

"Mm, very well."

Feng Quan nodded, thinking to himself that it was so—now that this fellow called Haisa had been killed, the Uriankhai were firmly bound to the Great Ming. There was naturally no need to press too hard.

Thereupon, Feng Quan turned his head to look at Zhuoxi, who was kowtowing without cease, and said with a lewd smile: "Send this lad to meet his father—on the road to the Yellow Springs, at least they'll have each other for company."

By all rights, at this point, even the most spineless man should have turned desperate and fought back like a cornered dog. But this Zhuoxi was truly weak-willed, still kowtowing as he said:

"Lord Feng, Lord Feng, this slave is the young master of the Ujiyed. If you save me, when I return to my tribe, I can persuade them to submit to the Great Ming. Lord Feng would earn merit and glory—what harm is there in that!"

Hearing this, Feng Quan hesitated for a moment, then suddenly seemed to think of something and laughed again: "Boy, you're still too green. Since you dare play these little tricks with this official, don't blame me for being ruthless. Make your move!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard Squad Leader had long since had his hand on his sword hilt. Hearing these words, he hesitated no longer, stepped forward a few paces, and mimicking the same manner, said with a vicious grin:

"You barbarian's name is Zhuoxi, is it? Mm, a fine name—pity you don't deserve it. When you meet your father on the road to the Yellow Springs, tell him that this Squad Leader did good deeds to the very end, personally sending father and son to meet King Yama!"

Afterwards, Feng Quan and Urmai sat alone in the chamber, having sent away the Embroidered Uniform Guard and all the other chieftains. What they discussed were matters of cleaning up the aftermath. As for making Hadatuoya the Great Ming's Noble Consort Rou—since Urmai had raised no objection, the matter was as good as settled.

As for how Hadatuoya herself felt about it, that was beyond Feng Quan's consideration. With parents' command and a matchmaker's word, how could a woman be allowed to voice opposition? Besides, this was state policy—the Great Ming Emperor had taken a liking to her daughter. Even if Urmai had to tie her up, he would bind his own daughter and deliver her to the capital to consummate the marriage with His Majesty.

The two men talked and laughed, a far cry from the sharp exchanges of their first meeting. Now it seemed like Zhou Yu and Huang Gai—one willing to give, the other willing to take.

Having said this, Feng Quan rose and said, "Lord Hadaguo need not see me off. This official has one more presumptuous request—when I depart shortly, it would be best for the future Noble Consort to travel with me."

"The Jianzhou barbarians have stationed a commander here. If word of this reaches him, I fear he will lead troops to intercept. If anything should happen to the future Noble Consort, this old man's head would be separated from his neck."

Urmai smiled, naturally understanding that Feng Quan, so favored by the Great Ming Emperor, would not be so easily killed. He thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Lord Feng speaks truly. On the road through the passes, the Jianzhou barbarians will certainly try to intercept and kill. My daughter traveling with the tribe would be inconvenient—she'd be safer following you, my lord." At this point, Urmai's tone shifted, and he continued: "I too have a presumptuous request. Since you're taking her anyway, my lord, why not also take my tribe's women, children, elderly, and livestock ahead to the various garrison cities?"

"Then when that Jianzhou commander leads troops to intercept, I can lead our grassland warriors in a good fight, and chop off a few Tartar heads as thanks to the Great Ming Emperor!"

Feng Quan thought to himself that this fellow looked crude and rough, but he'd learned the Central Plains ways quickly enough. He paced back and forth in thought for a moment, found no better option, and said through gritted teeth:

"In that case, I shall accept on behalf of the court. Feng here bears the sacred mandate, and must hurry back to report on this mission. Lord Hadaguo should hasten your tribesmen—the imperial command cannot be delayed."

"I understand." Urmai let out a breath of relief and hurried out to give the orders.

A few hours later, word reached the Jianzhou barbarian camp located in the central region of the Three Guards of Doyan. Haltai, the commander of the Bordered White Banner stationed there, was immediately both shocked and enraged, shouting:

"This Urmai—this commander knew he would do this! I reported to the Prince Regent long ago that this man should have been killed cleanly and early. But the Prince Regent insisted on 'pacifying and soothing' the Uriankhai. And now look—the man has taken his tribe and run off to the southern barbarians!"

As luck would have it, after Dorgon had put down the rebellions in Jin and Fu prefectures without even catching his breath, Joseon to the south had stirred up trouble again.

Joseon had always been quite stable. This time, reportedly, a domestic general named Im Gyeong-eop claimed to be the Regional Commander of the Joseon army appointed by the Ming Emperor, colluding with another man named Sim Gi-won. With the support of the ministers below and other Joseon generals, they had actually wrested control of government affairs from the hands of the Joseon king, Yi Jong.

Ning Wanwo truly could not understand what their Qing Prince Regent was thinking. Clearly the south had erupted in chaos and troops should have been sent early to pacify it, yet instead he had dispatched him to this godforsaken Doyan region, claiming he was worried something might happen with the Uriankhai.

Ning Wanwo had been rather displeased at first, but within a few days of arriving, things had indeed developed as Dorgon had feared—the Uriankhai chieftain, Urmai of the Hada clan, had formed a marriage alliance with the Ming and led his tribe in submitting to the Ming dynasty.

Not only that, Urmai had used a scheme to kill Haisa Nandaxi, who had submitted to the Qing, and the Ujiyed were reportedly also preparing to surrender to the Ming.

The Uriankhai main tribe and the Ujiyed were two of the three largest tribes of the Three Guards of Doyan. If both defected to the Ming at once, then with only the Ongniud tribe remaining here in Doyan, pacification would be difficult indeed.

Thinking of this, Ning Wanwo quickly said: "Commander, if the Prince Regent hears this news, your days will not be easy. In my view, you should take men to intercept and kill them as soon as possible. If you achieve something, at least you can offset your faults with merit."

Haltai saw how Ning Wanwo put on airs like a dog relying on its master's power, and anger welled up in his heart. Wasn't he just a dog kept by the Prince Regent? What was he playing at before this commander?

The day you lose the Great Khan's trust, this commander will come to your house and have his way with all your wives and concubines, big and small, for a good time!