The emperor's casual tone sounded almost like a joke, but Luo Yangxing dared not take it as one. He hastily bowed and said, "I would not dare, Your Majesty. Serving you loyally is simply my duty."
"No need to be nervous. Poor work deserves punishment, and good work naturally deserves a reward. I am not an unreasonable man." Zhu Youjian felt delighted whenever he thought of the extra silver in the Imperial Treasury. More than a million taels! That could accomplish a great deal. At least for the immediate future, he would not lack money to spend. Disaster relief, soldiers' pay and provisions, even compensation for the families of the fallen-all now had a source of funding. It put Zhu Youjian in an excellent mood, and even Luo Yangxing looked much more agreeable to him.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The atmosphere in the hall relaxed somewhat, and a faint smile appeared on Luo Yangxing's face. He presented the drawing he had carried inside his robes and said, "Your Majesty, following your instructions, I investigated those at court who colluded with the Eight Great Shanxi Merchants and the Jurchens. Today, I finally made a discovery. This man is a household servant of Chen Zhiguo, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, and has dealings with the Fan family of Shanxi!"
In truth, dealings between officials and merchants were perfectly ordinary these days. Under normal circumstances, no one would bother interfering.
But times had changed. Zhu Youjian had set his sights on the Eight Great Shanxi Merchants, which naturally made everyone associated with them a suspected collaborator with the enemy. Whether Chen Zhiguo merely maintained a private friendship or passed news from court to the Jurchens through the Fan family, he had to be thoroughly investigated!
Zhu Youjian's expression chilled at these words. The household servant in the portrait was utterly unremarkable; placed in a crowd, he probably would not merit a second glance.
A Hanlin Academy compiler was a seventh-rank official, not even qualified to attend court. Yet his everyday duties included drafting imperial edicts and lecturing at the imperial classics seminars. Though he did not attend court, he knew all its major developments. If Chen Zhiguo truly was a Jurchen spy, they certainly knew how to choose their man.
"Your Majesty, shall I have him imprisoned and interrogated?" A ruthless look flashed across Luo Yangxing's face. Once someone entered the Imperial Prison, there was nothing he could not dig out under severe torture.
"No need. Just keep watch." Why uproot a spy already in plain sight? So the Jurchens could find another? Now the enemy stood in the light while they remained in the shadows. Since they knew this man existed, why not put him to good use?
Luo Yangxing understood the emperor's intent in an instant. After considering it, he asked, "Should we leak something to him?"
Zhu Youjian shook his head, then suddenly asked, "Earlier, I ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to spread word of peace negotiations. How did that turn out?"
"Everyone in Datong, Baoding, Hejian, and the other prefectures knows of it now," Luo Yangxing replied.
Datong, Baoding, and Hejian lay respectively to the north, south, and east of Beijing City. As the news spread from mouth to mouth, it would reach Huang Taiji's ears through the common people or Jurchen spies.
Outside Changping, army camps stretched in an unbroken line. Jurchen banners flaunted themselves in the wind, snapping noisily. The patrolling soldiers wore leather armor and carried long halberds, their morale high.
It was hardly surprising that Jurchen morale far exceeded that of the Ming troops. Every time the Jurchens entered through the passes, they swept across the capital region and carried off vast quantities of supplies and slaves. They returned laden with spoils-how could they not be excited?
The patrolling soldiers passed the command tent. A sudden gust stirred its flap, revealing three figures inside.
Dorgon, commander of this campaign and appointed "General by Imperial Command" by Huang Taiji, occupied the seat of honor, with Yoto and Hao Ge seated on either side.
Yoto was Nurhaci's grandson. In his early years, he had accompanied Nurhaci on campaigns east and west. After Nurhaci died of illness, Yoto persuaded his father, Daisan, to support Huang Taiji's succession as khan, then helped Huang Taiji consolidate his power, earning his trust and important appointments. After Huang Taiji proclaimed himself emperor, he made Yoto Prince Cheng of the First Rank.
Hao Ge was Huang Taiji's eldest son, but when Huang Taiji proclaimed himself emperor, he did not name Hao Ge crown prince, granting him only the title of Prince Su of the First Rank. Later, when Huang Taiji learned of his dissatisfaction over this, he demoted him to beile. This filled Hao Ge with fury and made him all the more eager to prove his strength.
As long as his imperial father did not appoint a crown prince, their customs meant that Dorgon, too, might inherit the throne. And for this invasion, his father had placed Dorgon in command, trusting him with greater responsibility than his own son. That made Hao Ge feel even worse.
During their discussion, Hao Ge treated Dorgon with open insolence, slouching in his seat and eyeing him sideways. He snorted contemptuously. "Lu Xiangsheng has so few men. How much longer are we going to wait? Are you all useless? Why not let this beile go and bring you Lu Xiangsheng's head?"
Dorgon paid no mind to Hao Ge's arrogance and merely let his words pass. Lu Xiangsheng did not have many troops. According to the spies' reports, after he reached Tongzhou, Gao Qiqian, the chief military supervisor at Shanhai Pass, had even taken some of them away. Yet the remaining twenty thousand clung doggedly to them. If they stayed still, so did he. The moment they moved, Lu Xiangsheng would stick to them like sticky oxhide candy.
Yoto and Hao Ge belonged to the same generation and were on somewhat better terms. Seeing Dorgon frown without answering, Yoto said, "Uncle Wang, why not divide our forces? We have forty thousand men, and Lu Xiangsheng has twenty thousand. Gao Qiqian won't make a move. We can split into ten columns, bypass Lu Xiangsheng, and head south."
Dorgon shook his head at that. "We must take Lu Xiangsheng's head this time. With a commander like him in the Great Ming, are we supposed to let him tie us down every time we enter through the passes?"
Hao Ge scoffed again. "That's why you should just let this beile go. I have no idea why Father put you in command. You fuss like a woman and never get anything done!"
"Hao Ge, mind your manners!" Yoto hastily shot him a warning look. However dissatisfied he was with Dorgon, this was no time to forget himself.
Having said that, Yoto changed the subject and asked Dorgon, "Uncle Wang, word has come from the Ming State court that their emperor wants peace negotiations. Is it true?"
"Negotiate my fucking ass!" Before Dorgon could speak, Hao Ge cursed. "Tell their emperor to hand over his realm, and then we'll negotiate!"
Dorgon gave a cold chuckle. "How could a matter as important as peace negotiations be ours to decide? If they want peace, they can go beyond the passes and speak to His Majesty. What does that have to do with us? Our orders are to fight!"
Yoto burst out laughing. "Then all the better! I was feeling rather bound hand and foot before, but now I can relax. I also heard that the Ming emperor hurriedly evacuated the people of Gaoyang and Jinan. Sun Chengzong shouted that he would not leave, but they dosed him with Monghan Drug and hauled him out of the city. What do you suppose the Ming emperor is thinking? With such loyal ministers and fine commanders, he still has his heart set on peace?"
Hao Ge nodded and chimed in, "And Jinan Prefecture, too. What do you think the Great Ming emperor means by this? Even if he wants peace, there's no need to empty the cities. Hey, perhaps he prepared them for us! I hear Prince De's Residence is splendid. Let me stay there for a few days!"
Dorgon frowned without speaking. He thought that this affair did indeed show the Ming State's determination to negotiate peace, but would His Majesty truly agree? In his opinion, the best course was to leave the Ming State's hopes dangling without giving them a direct answer. Once they had plundered enough, they could humor them a little and demand some gold, silver, money, and grain. Would that not kill two birds with one stone?
"Very well. Once we take Lu Xiangsheng's head, we'll go to Jinan and see what treasures Prince De's Residence holds!" Dorgon said with a smile.
At last, a trace of a smile appeared on Hao Ge's face, and even Dorgon no longer looked quite so disagreeable to him. "Then when do we attack?"
"Wait until dark." Dorgon raised his eyes to Hao Ge and said evenly, "After dark, we divide into three columns, surround Lu Xiangsheng's army, and annihilate it!"
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