Chapter 007: The Small Court

What do you mean by your intention?

Yes, we have no choice; if we want them to listen to us, we can only engage in a two-front battle

Li Yutian said

Song Quan, dressed in the attire of a provincial governor, and Tang Yu, clad in the uniform of a general, stood on either side, protecting the carriage in the middle while shouting loudly

He did not expect that there would actually be an anomaly. In fact, Song Quan and others certainly knew that such a situation would arise and were aware of how to respond to it. They would simply muddle through, as even if Dorgon acted this way, they could at most choose to submit to the Qing dynasty, and at that time, they would strive for a better treatment for their emperor. As long as their conscience was clear, that would suffice. Even if Dorgon were to roast the emperor a few days later, they would merely shed a few tears. Li Yutian would not be unaware of this, yet he still opposed it, meaning he did not wish to submit to the Qing dynasty.

Now that things have come to this point, what use is there in saying this? For the sake of all of you, for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Shanhaiguan, I shall endure some humiliation! Now I only hope that Dorgon still possesses a shred of humanity

Wang Cheng'en said with great pride

Your Majesty, the Marquis of Pingxi is currently leading the army back. However, the movement of tens of thousands of troops is not the same as my light-armed approach, and it is estimated that they will arrive by tomorrow

Li Yutian said

What does Wang Qing think about Song Qing's proposal to borrow troops to suppress the bandits?

It is too late for the elephant cart, so I can only casually find a carriage to modify a bit

Your Excellency, please rise. A fierce wind reveals strong grass; in times of national crisis, loyal ministers are revealed. Your presence brings great comfort to my heart. Speaking of which, had it not been for the turmoil caused by the traitors, I would not have realized that there are so many ingrates around me. However, it has also allowed me to discern who the true loyal ministers are. You are loyal ministers; all of you are my loyal ministers, and you are all loyal ministers of our great Ming dynasty. From now on, I shall rely entirely on you, my esteemed officials. Here, I swear before heaven that when I return to the palace, I will share wealth and honor with all of you!

Old Wang lay there shouting

The troops at Shanhaiguan are limited, and even in the face of the formidable enemy, we do not dare to ensure complete safety. How can we muster forces to defend Ningyuan? Moreover, at this moment, Ningyuan must have already fallen into the hands of the Qing army. If we wish to defend it again, we must first reclaim it. Since we are borrowing troops from them, how can we challenge them first and then expect to borrow troops again?

Liang Cheng suddenly entered to report

According to what I know, although the Qing army has already taken control of Ningyuan, the number of defending troops is very small, and they would not expect our army to turn back. It is estimated that reclaiming Ningyuan will not pose much of a problem. As for the issue of instigating hostilities first, there is no need to pay attention to it

Your Majesty, what if the invading bandits take advantage of this opportunity to invade?

Li Yutian said

I, Li Yutian, the Governor of Liaodong, respectfully present myself before Your Majesty

The vanguard, led by Deputy General Chen, charged in with dozens of soldiers holding various flags. Amid the astonished gazes of the guards on either side of the city gate, Yang Feng, clad in a dragon robe, sat upright in an open-top carriage.

Even Wang Yongji and a group of ministers hurriedly expressed their gratitude once again, and then announced the new official position of Old Wang. Old Wang was busy thanking them again. At this point, whether he was the Prime Minister or not was of little consequence. It was of no real use to confer upon him the title of Earl, and bestowing upon him the title of King would be equally meaningless.

He then said.

Li Yutian said

Wang Yongji, weary from his journey, immediately prostrated himself upon entering and wept as he pleaded for forgiveness. He only learned that Yang Feng had fled to Shanhaiguan after receiving the report from Yang Yujia, the military commissioner of Jizhou. The distance from Yutian to here was relatively short; although he had departed a bit late, he still arrived in time.

Song Quan said

Old Wang said

The holy carriage has arrived, kneel to receive the holy carriage

The Emperor has decreed that, in this time of national peril, we must not be bound by old customs. Therefore, a special cabinet is hereby established, with Wang Yongji, the Governor of Jilin and Liaoning, as the Chief Minister of the Cabinet; Song Quan, the Governor of Shuntian, as the Deputy Minister and concurrently the Minister of Personnel; Li Yutian, the Governor of Liaodong, as the Deputy Minister and concurrently the Minister of Revenue; Gao Di, the General of the Pass, as the Minister of War; Wu Sangui, the General of Liaodong, as the Grand Commander of the Five Armies; Gao Zhongxuan, the Deputy General of Shanhaiguan, as the General of the Pass; Tang Yu as the General of Liaodong. Those among them without titles shall be granted the title of Earl, while Wu Sangui shall be promoted to the title of Marquis of Pingxi.

Your Majesty, how can Your Supreme Majesty endure the humiliation from the usurpers? We are guilty of a thousand deaths!

Gao Di said

Yang Feng said dejectedly

I humbly await Your Majesty's wise judgment

Yang Feng said with sorrow

Wang Yongji stated

Li Yutian said

This is something that was developed together with Song Quan on the road. Now, there are hardly any officials left, so there is no need for that complex bureaucratic system. Wang Yongji is the governor, while Song Quan and Li Yutian serve as provincial governors, perfectly fitting the roles of one cabinet chief and two assistants, each also holding the position of a minister. Gao Di has been appointed as the Minister of War, and his family members, originally vice generals at the Shanhaiguan, have been promoted to generals. I believe they will be able to accept this. Wu Sangui will directly become the Grand Commander of the Five Armies Command, and at this time, there is no need for five commanders; it suffices to restore the position of Grand Commander from the early Ming dynasty. Meanwhile, the previously idle Tang Yu will take over as the general of Liaodong.

Wang Yongji stated

He then inquired

The royal entourage has arrived

Proclamation

Your Majesty fought valiantly against the bandits, killing hundreds before breaking out of the capital. In Jizhou, there was another fierce battle with the bandit army. All of this was due to the weapons of the bandits. However, Your Majesty, the true dragon of heaven, is protected by the gods. Although the bandits damaged the dragon robe, they could not harm Your Majesty's body

He said淡淡地.

Yang Feng said little more, and under their escort, he entered the general's yamen, then directly sat down in the center of the main hall, where everyone, including Song Quan, paid their respects again

Yang Feng was not worried that his subordinates would surrender to Li Zicheng, as news of Li Zicheng's actions against the wealthy in Beijing would soon spread. However, he had to address the issue of them seeking assistance from the enemy or even defecting to the Qing.

Old Wang shouted again

Then the other ministers also all lay down and began to shout. As for whether they were truly moved by His Majesty the Emperor's greatness, that remains unknown. However, this time the Emperor was indeed very great. After all, it is a tremendous humiliation for an emperor to personally approach the enemy with a smiling face to seek help, not to mention that this emperor is known for his obstinate temperament. At this moment, they probably all saw the brilliance of the sage ruler shining behind him. After all, it is a tremendous humiliation for an emperor to personally approach the enemy with a smiling face to seek help, not to mention that this emperor is known for his obstinate temperament. At this moment, they probably all saw the brilliance of the sage ruler shining behind him.

Wang Cheng'en stood beside Yang Feng and shouted

Li Yutian and Gao Di quickly lay there shouting "Long live!" Of course, they certainly did not believe such nonsense. However, Yang Feng's appearance was indeed quite striking, especially for someone like Gao Di, who could tell at a glance that the majority of the injuries were from arrows, and the wound under his rib was clearly from a spear. Yet, looking at the Emperor, he certainly did not appear to be injured.

Minister and Chief of the Gate Guards, Gao Di, respectfully presents himself before Your Majesty

At this moment, the defending troops finally reacted, instinctively kneeling to the sides. Yang Feng and his entourage did not pause for a moment, galloping through the streets of Xiluocheng, quickly reaching the front of the Guancheng Ying'en Gate. Just like at the Gongchen Gate, the leading Deputy General Chen ordered the city gate to be opened, and Yang Feng's carriage rushed directly into Guancheng, heading straight for the General's Yamen along the chaotic streets. When they arrived at the General's Yamen, Gao Di had just received the news. The General of Shanhaiguan and a middle-aged scholar rushed out in a state of panic, and then immediately knelt before the carriage.

Yang Feng sat upright in his chair, gazing solemnly at the civil and military officials before him, contemplating how he should deceive them

The Archway of Gongchen in Xiluocheng, Shanhaiguan

This is his greatest trouble

Where is the Marquis of Pingxi

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she could not help but lower her head to wipe away her tears

On either side of him were the Imperial Guards in their brocade uniforms

Your Majesty, you must not!

Yang Feng said

Alas, now that matters have come to this, I can only endure this moment of humiliation. Li Qing, do you have any way to contact that Dorgon? I will speak with him personally. However, you must first select ten thousand elite troops to hand over the defense of Shanhaiguan to the Marquis of Pingxi. I will personally lead the army to retake Ningyuan. Once you have contacted Dorgon, just tell him that I will meet him at the foot of Ningyuan City, and I will see if I can persuade him with reason.

Yang Feng stood up and said excitedly

However, they did not know that as His Majesty the Emperor lowered his head to wipe away his tears, a trace of wicked sneer appeared on his face

Naduer Gun can also be considered a formidable hero; he similarly harbors ambitions for the world. However, if Li Zicheng were to seize control, Naduer Gun would have no chance of entering the pass again. Once Li Zicheng stabilizes his power within the pass, he may even have to face threats from the latter. At such a time, our existence is advantageous to him; continuing to fight against Li Zicheng benefits him. Therefore, assisting us is his best choice. However, his assistance to us is not for the sake of His Majesty returning to the palace, but rather to play the role of Bian Zhuang in the tiger's den. Once we have exhausted Li Zicheng's strength, he can then make a grand entry into the pass to seize control of the world. The premise for his grand entry into the pass is to first control Shanhaiguan; only then can this route be opened. If we allow him to remain outside the pass, it would be tantamount to giving him Shanhaiguan. Thus, we must retake Ningyuan to make him aware that this route is our bottom line, and only then will he truly follow our lead.

Your Majesty, Governor Wang Yongji of Jilin and Liaoning is here to see you

It can be restricted to only exit through the Zunhua checkpoint

To defend the Shanhai Pass, it is essential to secure Ningyuan. Subsequently, they would not only have to face the formidable army of Li Zicheng but also contend with the forces of Dorgon. Yang Feng certainly did not expect the loyalist troops to arrive; in fact, he did not believe he would receive any reinforcements at all. The notion that the four towns of Jiangbei could breach Li Zicheng's defenses was utterly absurd. He was prepared to rely on the tens of thousands of troops from the two generals stationed in Liaodong and Shanhai Pass, along with the more than one hundred thousand relocated civilians here, to hold the line alone. In truth, he did not believe he would have any reinforcements, and the idea that the four towns of Jiangbei could break through Li Zicheng's defenses was completely nonsensical. He was ready to depend solely on the tens of thousands of troops from the two generals in Liaodong and Shanhai Pass, as well as the over one hundred thousand relocated civilians here, to play the role of a solitary force.

Yang Feng nodded

Yang Feng inquired

"Your Excellencies, please rise!"

Long live our Emperor, for ten thousand years!

Does Brother Yuanping really think that Dorgon would be so obedient? If he were to lead his army to cross Ningyuan and directly besiege the city, what would we do? If we do not open the gates, he would just sit back and watch as his forces attack the city. I fear that when we are exhausted and at our wits' end, we would still have to beg him to enter the pass. If we open the gates to let him in, how can we ensure that he won't seize Shanhaiguan first? At that time, what could we do?

He must firmly hold these two points

Yang Fengrao inquired with great interest

Troops may be borrowed, but preparations must be made to firmly defend Ningyuan

Everyone fell silent

Your Majesty, what is this?

Amidst their reverent bows, Yang Feng, clad in a dragon robe riddled with holes and tears, descended from the carriage with an imposing demeanor

Thus, he must have sufficient land to support these people, and the plain corridor between Ningyuan and Shanhaiguan is the best choice

The Governor-General of Liaodong is stationed in Ningyuan, and Wu Sangui certainly would not want to go to Ningyuan at this time, so he would not have any objections to this appointment

However, even so, the result is still a two-front war

Li Yutian looked at him in horror and asked about his body