Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 415 Elimination

The news that Hauge was captured by the Regent after entering the palace shocked the whole country. The officials in the court, especially those who supported Hauge, were angry, while others were worried that they would be completely purged by Dorgon.

Dorgon knew that taking action in the palace would widen the rift within the Eight Banners, but he had no choice. Ever since Hauge returned to Beijing, Dorgon felt like he had something stuck in his throat and was sitting on pins and needles. Could Dorgon back off? Was Hauge willing to back off?

If Dorgon was powerful, he could still suppress Hauge. However, since Dodo's death, dissatisfaction with Dorgon's wrong decisions has gradually emerged within the Eight Banners. Especially after Hauge returned to Beijing, many officials flocked to Hauge, which made Dorgon deeply uneasy.

Moreover, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was happy to see Dorgon's attack on Haoge, because if Dorgon failed, it would be absolutely bad for Xiaozhuang. Dorgon had no children, so he was not a big threat to Fulin. But Haoge was different. If Dorgon failed, Haoge would definitely ascend to the throne. Would she still be the empress dowager at that time? For Fulin, looking through the history books, there was no emperor who would let go of the deposed emperor.

Therefore, even if Dorgon knew that it was wrong to take action, could the worst result be worse than not taking action? Should he wait for Hauge to take action first? By then, the internal struggle might be even more brutal. In this case, Dorgon made a prompt decision to capture the leader first, take down Hauge in one fell swoop, and then divide and disintegrate his subordinates.

Outside the city, although Leng Sengji forcibly gathered the Zhenglan Banner and tried to use force to threaten Dorgon to release Hauge, even so, many generals and soldiers in the army felt uneasy about confronting the court, and their morale plummeted.

Moreover, with the court's enticement and the empress dowager's guarantee, many Eight Banners generals privately contacted Dorgon's secret envoys. Naturally, some of these generals did not want to consider the overall situation and did not want to provoke a civil war at a time when the Qing Dynasty was in decline, giving Meng Jun an opportunity. Only Leng Sengji and some of Haoge's diehards were still trying to rescue Haoge.

For Dorgon's supporters, the arrest of Hauge was undoubtedly a major victory. Many people began to actively publicize the regent's wise decision-making and impeach Hauge's wolfish ambitions, trying to consolidate Dorgon's authority in the court.

On the fifth day of May, just a day and a half after the palace coup, Leng Sengji found that he had lost control of the power in the army. He summoned the generals, but many people began to make excuses not to come. Even if some people came, they were only escorted by a large group to meet with Leng Sengji.

What's more important is that Dorgon's troops around are already eyeing him covetously. If it is not unavoidable, Dorgon does not want a civil war to break out in the capital. On the one hand, this will make the already crisis-ridden Qing Dynasty even worse. On the other hand, internal strife will further weaken the power of the Eight Banners. Therefore, Dorgon continued to increase the rewards for the Zhenglan Banner and wrote letters to Hauge's subordinates swearing that he would never harm Hauge.

Leng Sengji was very worried about this. At night, a confidant reported to him that Sachabao was conspiring with the generals, and no one knew what they were talking about.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Leng Sengji led more than 300 Eight Banners soldiers to escape from the camp at night and rushed towards Shandong. After shaking off the pursuers, Leng Sengji looked towards Beijing with tears in his eyes and said with emotion: "It's a pity that the prince didn't listen to me, otherwise it wouldn't have come to this!"

After Leng Sengji escaped, all the soldiers of the Zhenglan Banner laid down their weapons and an imminent mutiny was averted. However, the morale of some soldiers was almost completely low, and even with generous rewards, they could not recover.

In order to stabilize the situation, Dorgon did not purge Hauge's subordinates. As for Hauge himself, Dorgon did not kill him in prison as in history. Instead, he arranged for imperial doctors to take care of him day and night. Apart from the deprivation of personal freedom, he was not treated harshly in his life.

Although Dorgon quelled the mutiny, the capital was still shrouded in a depressing and uneasy atmosphere. A large number of Han officials increasingly felt that the Qing court was on the decline. It was said that its rise was rapid and its fall was sudden. In the final analysis, it was because the Qing court’s foundation was too insufficient.

Since Nurhaci, the Ming Dynasty could suffer defeat again and again, but the Qing army could not be defeated even once. In the Battle of Sarhu and the Battle of Liaoshen, although the Ming army was defeated again and again, it could still transfer troops from the interior. However, it was different for the Qing army. Once it was defeated, there would be no chance of recovery.

Even though the Qing court still occupied most of the Central Plains, after the Battle of Huguang, the Qing army had actually lost the opportunity to unify the world. History has different paths but the same end, with some rising and some falling. In the fight for the world, even though Dorgon eliminated the threat of Hauge, strategically, the Qing army had already fallen completely into a disadvantage.

Everyone understood that the storm caused by Hauge's imprisonment actually touched upon the most fundamental power structure of the Qing court, and its outcome would profoundly affect future directions.

………………

Jinan City.

As the saying goes, when good luck comes, all heaven and earth are on your side, and when bad luck comes, heroes are helpless. When the news of the internal strife in the Qing court reached Jinan, all the generals in the army were extremely excited, and they all said that they could take the opportunity to go north and retake Beijing in one fell swoop.

Only Bai Yongfu was worried about this. He told Meng Jun that the Hebei plain was full of cavalry and it might be inappropriate to go north rashly.

Meng Jun sat in the tent, lost in long thought. With the internal strife in the Qing court, Meng Jun knew that this was a great opportunity. However, Bai Yongfu's words also made him have some concerns about the idea of quickly resolving the northern issue.

Meng Jun walked out of the military tent and walked aimlessly in the camp. Seeing the soldiers saluting him along the way, Meng Jun did not feel complacent. Instead, a heavy sense of mission weighed on his heart.

When carrying the hopes of thousands of people, Meng Jun knew that every decision he made would affect tens of thousands of lives. However, since he had come to this era, no matter whether the future was bright or rainy, he was destined to have an obligation.

Finally, Meng Jun returned to the tent and summoned Zhao Yongping. He said with some emotion: "From the beginning of the uprising, we have gone through hardships and dangers to the current situation. We have come step by step. Every inch of land along the way is stained with the blood of soldiers. The souls of many heroes have been looking forward to us day and night to restore peace and prosperity."

Zhao Yongping remained silent. Meng Jun smiled softly and continued, "It's a pity that the civil war between Dorgon and Hauge's subordinates did not break out this time. Otherwise, we could have taken this opportunity to march north in one fell swoop."

Zhao Yongping heard this and replied, "Your Majesty, although the Qing army did not start a fight, they just had an internal conflict, and their morale must be unstable. If they launch a large-scale northern expedition, they will have a chance of winning!"

Meng Jun took a deep breath and said, "Wait a minute, wait until Gao Jinku makes some noise outside the pass, and then see whether Dorgon will send troops to support us, or fight to the death with me."

Meng Jun whispered something that Zhao Yongping couldn't understand, "Let the bullet fly for a while!"