When facing an opponent they cannot defeat, most ferocious beasts will expose their soft underbellies to signify complete surrender. The current stance of these grassland princes and taijis is much the same.
For these grassland princes and taijis, their greatest bargaining chip and most important foundation for survival is their cavalry. If not for these cavalrymen, would the Great Qing show them any favor?
Although Zhu Jinsong does not place as much importance on cavalry, he would not refuse the good intentions of these princes and taijis.
Zhu Jinsong said with a smile, "Since you all have this intention, I shall accept it. We, sovereign and subject, will eagerly await the day they achieve great merit."
For a moment, there was a sense of harmony between sovereign and subject.
However, this atmosphere of harmony between sovereign and subject was ultimately temporary.
For Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming, while appeasing these grassland princes and taijis and setting the basic direction for future governance of the grasslands was important, it was even more crucial to march on Shenyang and drive the Great Qing completely towards Yakesa.
This was because it involved the national security of the Great Ming.
If the Great Qing were merely driven out of the pass, then the Great Ming would have to station heavy troops at Shanhaiguan, Xifengkou, and Xuanda, and the issue of governing the grasslands would be delayed indefinitely.
Whether Qianlong the old dog had any intention of counter-attacking the Great Ming or not, the Great Ming had to do this.
This was akin to Russia fighting Ukraine – if Ukraine joined the NATO alliance, American missiles could be deployed right at Russia's doorstep. Whether America had any intention of launching missiles or not, Russia would likely live in constant anxiety, unable to even sleep soundly.
The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Korean War were for the same reasons.
Simply put, national security always trumps all interests and morals.
Think of the Syrian girl who raised her hands to the camera, or the Brazilian player who surrendered to the thermometer.
For the people of the Great Ming to be able to run to the streets and watch the excitement with near impunity, and for the people of the Great Ming to dare to go out freely at night, a safe and stable environment was essential.
Without completely eliminating the threat of the Great Qing, the Great Ming would never be able to achieve such a safe and stable environment.
Coincidentally, Qianlong the old dog had similar thoughts.
Qianlong the old dog did not consider issues of national security, as the Great Qing had always been a bandit group disguised as a nation, and Qianlong the old dog had no concept of national security in his heart.
Qianlong the old dog was thinking about how to make the Eight Banners of the Great Qing rise again.
After losing the Han Chinese Eight Banners and the Solon Banner, the Great Qing could now only rely on the Gurkha Eight Banners and the Joseon Eight Banners. Unfortunately, with Zhili and the Protectorate of Ü-Tsang successively falling into the hands of the rebel Zhu, the Great Qing had lost contact with the Gurkhas.
Similarly, Joseon was now divided into two factions. Those led by Li San were loyal to the Great Qing but lacked fighting strength. Li Shan, who had slightly better fighting strength, was loyal to the rebel Zhu. Although the Joseon court under Li Shan showed signs of turmoil, Li San could not deal with Li Shan anytime soon, so Joseon could not be relied upon either.
Moreover, even if Joseon was not in turmoil, what difference would it make? Joseon could not defeat the Japanese, and the Japanese were obediently submitting to the rebel Zhu and paying tribute, even going so far as to capture some "so-called Japanese pirates" and steam them alive to show their loyalty. Therefore, Joseon would be even less able to defeat the Ming army.
Thus, the Great Qing's situation was truly precarious, with no support to be found. If they did not find a way to revive the Manchu Eight Banners, then the Great Qing would be completely finished!
What troubled Qianlong the old dog more was how the Eight Banners of the Great Qing could be revived.
Helping to suppress rebellions in Joseon for training purposes was out of the question. The rebel Zhu's navy was attacking Ningjin and Lushun, and the Great Qing could barely take care of itself, let alone worry about the fate of Joseon.
Apart from training in Joseon, the Great Qing now had only two paths to take.
One was to directly assemble the Manchu Eight Banners of the Great Qing and engage the Ming army under the rebel Zhu on the front lines. If they won, they would revive; if they lost, they would be completely finished.
The other method was to break up the large forces into smaller units and have the Eight Banners of the Great Qing constantly harass the Ming army under the rebel Zhu, dragging all those rebels to death in the lands outside the pass.
Of course, the Great Qing also had another unworkable option: to negotiate with the rebel Zhu, using Shanhaiguan as the border and dividing the land, with the Great Qing guaranteeing not to trouble the rebel Zhu, and the rebel Zhu not to cause trouble outside the pass. However, the success rate of this method was almost zero, and even Qianlong the old dog did not place his hopes on it.
After careful consideration, Qianlong the old dog finally made up his mind.
Waving the "Menglianggu Newspaper" in his hand, Qianlong the old dog said to Heshen, the Grand Secretary, and Zhangjia Qinggui, "I have often reflected recently, and I have been thinking about how our Great Qing Eight Banners can annihilate the rebel Zhu."
"Fortunately, that rebel Zhu, in his arrogance, has written the method to deal with him in this 'Menglianggu Newspaper.'"
Heshen, the Grand Secretary, took the "Menglianggu Newspaper" from Qianlong the old dog, glanced at it a few times, and then handed it to Zhangjia Qinggui.
As for the intelligence of Qianlong the old dog, Heshen, the Grand Secretary, had almost completely despaired. Could their Great Qing directly use the methods written in the newspaper by that rebel Zhu? Didn't you even see what he wrote!
"Unity is a fire, dispersal is a sea of stars." How could their Great Qing use this tactic of dispersing large forces into small ones, abandoning logistics and supplies to achieve rapid traversal? They could disperse, but could they reassemble after dispersing?
"Ambushes everywhere, blockades at every level." Their Great Qing's Eight Banners could lay ambushes, but could they rise after ambushing?
Similarly, Qinggui, the General of Shengjing at the time, also did not look favorably upon this tactic.
As the saying goes, those who lead the troops know them best. It was hard to say what kind of character the Eight Banners gentlemen that Qianlong the old dog brought from Zhili were, but Qinggui knew very well what kind of character his Eight Banners gentlemen were.
When it came to kicking down a widow's door or digging up an ancestral grave, they were second to none. However, when it came to wielding swords and fighting with matchlock or flintlock guns that were prone to exploding, it was too difficult for them.
Seeing the expressions of Heshen, the Grand Secretary, and Zhangjia Qinggui, Qianlong the old dog could not help but ask in a deep voice, "What, you two do not look favorably upon this strategy?"
Heshen, the Grand Secretary, quickly bowed and said with a fawning smile, "Replying to Your Majesty, your servant does not look unfavorably upon it, but your servant feels that since Your Majesty has decided to hold Shengjing, it would be better..."
Qianlong the old dog snorted, "When did I not know about holding Shengjing?"
After speaking, Qianlong the old dog sighed again, pointed in the direction outside the hall, and said, "If we do not tie down those rebels here in Shengjing, how many of our Great Qing's over a million Eight Banner descendants will be able to reach Yakesa alive?"
Heshen, the Grand Secretary, thought to himself, "Isn't this nonsense? How many people do the Ming army have? How many people does our Great Qing have in total?"
If you truly cared about the lives of your Eight Banner descendants, wouldn't it be much better to directly lead us north and cover the retreat of those Eight Banner civilians than to stay in Shengjing?
In the end, you are afraid you cannot defeat the guy named Zhu, yet you still want to stab him. This is a typical case of inviting trouble.
After thinking about it, Heshen, the Grand Secretary, decided to test the waters: "Or, perhaps your servant could send someone to contact those Western barbarians and ask them to mediate?"
Heshen's suggestion piqued Qianlong the old dog's interest: "Hmm? Tell me, how would they mediate?"
Although the Great Qing had a closed-door policy, Qianlong the old dog was not ignorant of overseas affairs. Coupled with his past correspondence with Louis XVI, Qianlong the old dog naturally knew the word "mediate."
Heshen, the Grand Secretary, bowed and said with a fawning smile, "Your servant believes that His Highness Louis XVI, the King of France, and Your Majesty are pen pals, and currently have some acquaintance with the rebel Zhu. Therefore, your servant wonders if France could be asked to send someone?"
"Since Your Majesty has already bestowed the lands within the pass to the rebel Zhu, our Great Qing shall draw a line at Shanhaiguan with him, and neither shall infringe upon the other..."
Qianlong the old dog's eyes suddenly lit up – those Frenchmen were greedy and treacherous. As long as the Great Qing showed them a little bit of wealth from their fingertips, they would be willing to mediate.
Thinking further, Qianlong the old dog thought of another possibility.
Heshen had once interceded for Ji Xiaolan to be an envoy to the rebel Zhu. Although no news had been received since then, judging by the fact that the rebel Zhu's army was advancing at a steady pace, allowing the Great Qing ample time to withdraw from outside the pass, it indicated that Ji Xiaolan's mission had likely been successful.
This was good news – I do not wish for bloodshed, and I have not even destroyed the tombs of the Zhu family's past emperors, and the rebel Zhu has also given me enough time. This indicates that there is at least some tacit understanding between me and the rebel Zhu.
Therefore, even if the rebel Zhu refused to accept mediation from France, could I directly abdicate to him?
As long as he agreed to provide preferential treatment to the imperial family and acknowledge my past achievements...
At worst, I will admit that I am Han!
With this thought, Qianlong the old dog instructed Heshen, the Grand Secretary, "Very well, you go and contact those Frenchmen."
Heshen, the Grand Secretary, immediately bowed in assent.
However, after leaving Qianlong the old dog's sleeping quarters, Zhangjia Qinggui frowned and asked, "Grand Secretary Heshen, the rebel Zhu's army is currently strong, he..."
Heshen, the Grand Secretary, sighed and said, "Can the rebel Zhu accept mediation from the French?"
After Qinggui nodded in agreement, Heshen, the Grand Secretary, sighed again and said, "What if the rebel Zhu accepts? What if the rebel Zhu does not accept? Let me ask you, is there any way by land or sea to send someone to Jinan Prefecture to contact those Frenchmen?"
Qinggui was immediately dumbfounded by Heshen's question: "Grand Secretary Heshen, this..."
Heshen shook his head and said, "It is merely to comfort the Emperor's will. Otherwise, will you lead the troops? Or will this humble official lead the troops?"
Qinggui was somewhat timid: "This... this is deceiving..."
Heshen, the Grand Secretary, snorted and glared with dead fish eyes, "Deceiving what? Huh? Are you still trying to say that this official is deceiving the Emperor and the country? Let me tell you, this official sent someone to contact those Western barbarians, but they could not be contacted!"
"Besides, in three to five days, His Majesty will forget about this matter. Even if he doesn't forget, His Majesty will still rely on you, the General of Shengjing. What are you worrying about? Really!"
Speaking of this, Heshen, the Grand Secretary, looked up at the hazy sky and sighed leisurely, "The heavens, they are about to change."
Qinggui was speechless.
After a long while, Heshen, the Grand Secretary, spoke again, "This way, this humble official will first have someone allocate you one hundred thousand taels of silver. Take it and recruit some daredevils. Remember, this hundred thousand taels must be spent entirely on those people. If you dare to touch even a single cent of it, this official will absolutely not let you off lightly!"
Qinggui's heart tightened, and he asked, "What does Grand Secretary mean?"
Heshen said, "Give these people enough money, leave their families in Shengjing, and then, let them go fight the rebel Zhu. Do you understand?"
"I don't care where they fight the rebel Zhu, whether it's in Lushun, Ningjin, or the rebel Zhu's army outside the pass. I only want to see the heads of the rebel Zhu's rebels!"
"If you don't want to go to a harsh and cold place like Yakesa, then find a way to win over these people. The more heads they bring, the greater our bargaining chip will be when we negotiate with the rebel Zhu."