readsfreenovel Chapter 446 Death of Dorgon
Chapter 446 Death of Dorgon
Sichuan, Luzhou, late at night.
It was a dark and windy night. Inside Luzhou City and Wu Sangui's mansion, there was silence except for the sound of the armor plates swaying as the patrolling soldiers moved around.
Wu Sangui tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. After a while, Wu Sangui straightened up and shouted to the guards outside the house, "Has Mr. Fang arrived?"
"Your Highness, Mr. Fang just arrived tonight." The personal soldier replied.
"Go and invite Mr. Fang!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The news of Meng Jun's entry into Beijing made Wu Sangui uneasy and unable to sleep or eat. He sighed, then put on a thin robe and paced back and forth in the room.
Not long after, the personal guards came to report that Fang Guangchen had arrived, and Wu Sangui hurried out to greet him.
Fang Guangchen bowed and saluted: "Greetings, Your Highness." Fang Guangchen's voice was gentle, but his face looked a little tired due to the long journey.
Wu Sangui hurriedly supported Fang Guangchen and pulled him to sit down. Then he sighed and said, "Meng Jun has taken over the capital, and the situation in the world has changed drastically. I am very worried, so I urgently summoned Tingxian to come."
Fang Guangchen was also a little worried about this, but he still comforted him: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Although Meng Jun has entered Beijing, the Qing court has not been destroyed. Its main force has retreated to the outside of the Great Wall, and it is still a threat to Meng Jun."
In fact, Fang Guangchen did not expect that Meng Jun's Northern Expedition would be so smooth, nor did he expect Dorgon to be so incompetent. There was no news of any decisive battle in Meng Jun's Northern Expedition, and the only battle that could be considered a field battle was actually fought by Jiang Xiang.
Wu Sangui felt relieved after hearing this, but his brows were still furrowed. "Meng Jun is very ambitious. He has already conquered the north and occupied the two capitals. Next he will covet the southwest. In this way, I am attacked from both sides and my situation is worrying!"
Fang Guangchen pondered for a moment, then continued: "Things in the world change, then they will be smooth, and smooth will last forever. I have three strategies, good, medium and bad, for Your Majesty to choose from!"
Wu Sangui was overjoyed when he heard this. He quickly stood up and poured a cup of tea for Fang Guangchen, then said, "Tingxian, please tell me in detail."
Fang Guangchen bowed and took the teacup, blew away the foam, took a sip, and then said slowly: "The best strategy is to follow Ming and unite with Li Dingguo, Li Chengdong, and Zheng Sen to fight against Meng together."
Wu Sangui was a little confused when he heard this, and after a while he said, "The Ming court is in a state of despair. Returning to the Ming court now is like boarding a broken boat. The future is uncertain and good or bad is hard to predict."
"As the prince said, the Ming court is weak. However, Ming is the legitimate government. If we support it, we may be able to win the hearts of the people. Based on this, it may not be a bad idea to plot for the whole world." Fang Guangchen said slowly.
Wu Sangui frowned and thought, return to the Ming court? After a long while, Wu Sangui shook his head and said, "Tingxian's words are reasonable, but they are inappropriate. If Meng Jun attacks the Ming, I will be the first to bear the brunt. In this way, wouldn't it be a wedding dress for Yongli! Tingxian, please give me a middle plan."
Fang Guangchen sighed and continued, "The middle strategy is to take the initiative to attack, to retreat, to continue southward, to capture Yunnan and Guizhou, to use Yunnan and Guizhou as a base, to defend Sichuan and Shaanxi. This is the most appropriate move at the moment."
Wu Sangui's brows relaxed when he heard this, and he nodded, saying, "Tingxian is a bad idea."
Fang Guangchen lowered his head and said, "The worst option is to surrender to Meng!"
Wu Sangui was furious when he heard this and said, "Tingxian urged me to focus on the whole country, but now he wants to surrender to Meng."
Fang Guangchen shook his head and said, "Times change and the situation changes. Now Meng Zhou is powerful. He is now in Yanjing in the north and controls Nanjing in the south. His military power is very powerful. If Your Majesty surrenders, he will not lose his wealth and glory."
Wu Sangui was silent for a long time before he spoke: "Although Meng Jun is powerful, I now control Sichuan and Shaanxi, as well as Nanyang, Xiangyang, and Hanzhong, and have an army of more than 100,000 people. How can I surrender like this? Meng Zhou is powerful today, but who knows if it will be in trouble in the future. Although the Qing army has withdrawn from the pass, many passes such as Shanhaiguan, Xifengkou, and Longjingguan are in the hands of the Qing court. The Qing army can go south at any time and repeat the old Chongzhen incident."
"What does the prince mean?"
Wu Sangui's eyes gradually brightened, and he said in a firm tone: "The world is like a chessboard, and the Golden Horn is the best. Yunnan and Guizhou are the Golden Horn. They are far away from the Central Plains. If we can control them, our army's strength will increase greatly. It is wise to use them as a springboard to observe the changes in the world. Therefore, I have decided to use the middle strategy."
Therefore, after stationing troops in Luzhou for more than ten days, Wu Sangui sent troops south again.
On August 17, the fourth year of the Yongli reign, Wu Sangui dispatched more than 66,000 cavalry and infantry, more than 30 red-haired cannons, and more than 100 small artillery pieces of various types.
The Wu army set out to first capture the deserted city of Xuzhou, and then went down the river and marched into Yunnan.
…………
Beijing city.
Since Meng Jun issued the proclamation in the Forbidden City, almost all of Henan and Hebei have surrendered. This is even comparable to the wave of surrender from all over Hebei after Li Zicheng entered Beijing.
But the most important thing facing Meng Jun at this time was not Li Chengdong, Wu Sangui and others in the south, but the Great Wall defense line. After Meng Jun captured the capital, the biggest strategic goal of the Northern Expedition had been achieved. Therefore, the troops stationed in the important cities on both sides of the canal could be withdrawn to the north.
Although the Qing army withdrew from the interior, they still left troops stationed at various checkpoints. Meng Jun sent Jiang Xiang, Zhao Yongping, Bai Yongfu and others to march north to take over various checkpoints.
Meng Jun sent Jiang Xiang to send troops to Miyun area to seize Gubeikou and Huangyakou, and rebuild the defense line of the checkpoints. Bai Yongfu and Hao Yongzhong sent troops to Zunhua to seize Qingshankou. Zhao Yongping led his headquarters and the four newly formed towns to send troops to Yongping Prefecture to seize Lengkou, Jielingkou and other fortresses.
Only Shanhaiguan was heavily guarded by Dorgon, which was like a thorn in Meng Jun's side.
However, Dorgon’s physical condition is not optimistic at present, and the Qing court is temporarily uninterested in affairs within the Great Wall.
In Shengjing City, Dorgon was lying in bed, his face was pale, his eyes were dull, and his former spirit was long gone.
His leg injury had not healed, and coupled with a series of setbacks, he was physically and mentally exhausted, and his condition became increasingly serious.
The curtains were drawn, and the imperial doctors were helpless. They could only prescribe some rest medicines and occasionally exchange worried glances with each other.
Dorgon's eyes were dull, as if he was looking at something, yet seemed to be looking at nothing. Dorgon recalled the glorious past, when the iron cavalry of the Qing Dynasty swept across the Central Plains, invincible. Once upon a time, the unification of the world that the Qing Dynasty had long dreamed of was right before its eyes.
However, the order to shave the hair resulted in the emergence of Meng Jun, and the Qing Dynasty suffered defeat after defeat, including Bolo, Lekedehun, Duoduo, and even himself.
After repeated defeats and low morale, the army was eventually forced to withdraw from the interior. All his years of hard work went down the drain. The pain in Dorgon's heart was far greater than the physical pain. He knew that the fate of the Qing Dynasty had been reversed because of him.
At this moment, Dorgon's breathing gradually weakened, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips: "The defeat is all my fault, I feel ashamed towards Taizu..." Before he finished speaking, he was already hoarse and fell into a coma.
The palace maids and eunuchs called out in panic, but were unable to wake the dying man. Soon, Dorgon's breath finally dissipated. When the news spread, the entire Qing court was shocked. Dorgon's death also symbolized the end of an era.