“Dorgon is also in Xuzhou now; I wonder what he will do.”
Regarding this legendary figure, Zhu Ci remained very vigilant.
It was a pity that he had only read a portion of the spoilers back then and had not actually read the subsequent plot.
It would be fine if the author had lowered Dorgon's intelligence just to highlight the male protagonist. If it were the one from history.. even if he had better weapons in hand, Zhu Ci would have to be worried.
Most people in later generations believe that Kangxi was the one who vigorously promoted Confucian culture and adopted Han Chinese systems, but in reality, it was Dorgon who truly laid the foundation.
Dorgon's political talent was extremely exceptional; first, he utilized a strategy of compromise to prevent the fragmentation of the Eight Banners, immediately following that, he adopted the Ming system and employed Han officials to establish the Qing Dynasty's centralized power system.
In addition to this, he also established the Six Ministries and the Lifan Yuan, establishing the administrative models for the management of Mongolia and Tibet.
One could even say that without these foundations, the subsequent era of prosperity under the Kangxi and Qianlong Emperors might not have come to be.
After all, it was no easy feat for the Manchu Qing system to rule over such a vast expanse of land.
His military talent is on par with his political talent.
When he heard that he had personally led his troops to Xuzhou, Zhu Ci felt immense pressure.
Neither Liu Zhaoji nor Shi Kefa was his match, which was why Zhu Ci had ordered the two of them to be more cautious. As long as they could hold Xiaoxian, it would be fine; if all else failed, they could retreat, but the bottom line was Fengyang and Huaian.
These two places must absolutely not be lost. Needless to say, Fengyang is essential, as the Imperial Ancestral Mausoleum and the Imperial Mausoleum are located there.
Having already fallen into enemy hands once, it would be an unbearable disgrace if it happened again. Not to mention that Zhu Ci had previously paid respects at the Imperial Ancestral Mausoleum and the Imperial Mausoleum, had even obtained the Imperial Seal near Dingyuan within Fengyang Prefecture.
Not to mention Huaian; he rose to prominence starting from defending Huaian, these two places are truly too symbolic.
Once captured by Dorgon, the blow to morale would be too great.
Therefore, the only hope now is that Li Zicheng can step up his performance; as long as he fights more fiercely, perhaps Dorgon will have to return to reinforce Beijing.
Zhu Ci looked at the battle reports to analyze the situation on the front lines; he could only say that, looking at the paper strength, the Great Ming still held the advantage.
“I wonder how things are going over there with Zhang Huangyan.” Zhu Ci put away the battle reports, suddenly thinking of the Great Ming fleet currently weathering the storm at Penghu.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Huangyan's memorial arrived.
To be precise, it was a memorial, the impeachment was against Zheng Chenggong.
Zhu Ci couldn't help but frown upon hearing this.
Are these two having a falling out? Surely not? They are both naval commanders he personally favors.
Zhu Ci took a deep breath and opened Zhang Huangyan's memorial, only to find after a quick glance that the two men had a disagreement regarding the landing.
They had been staying in Penghu since the 24th due to the storm, originally intending to continue their advance once the storm subsided, but the storm had not stopped for five days; although it had lessened in intensity during the later stages, it was still raining.
Zheng Chenggong proposed a forced crossing of the Taiwan Strait, because they had originally planned to launch a surprise attack on the Southern Navigation Channel's Aidui Port to catch the Dutch off guard; if they stayed in Penghu for too long, they would easily be discovered by the Dutch.
Now that the wind and rain have subsided, we should take the risk and force a crossing.
However, Zhang Huangyan felt it was too risky. They had plenty of men and ships, their weapons and equipment were not bad either; even a frontal assault might succeed, so there was no need to take such a risk.
Zheng Chenggong, however, said, "If we launch a frontal assault, I fear we will suffer heavy losses. Currently, the national treasury is empty, His Majesty is using his own funds to subsidize military equipment; we cannot afford a war of attrition with the Dutch."
Zhang Huangyan was truly angered after hearing this; it sounded as if he were a coward who did not understand the hardships His Majesty endured.
He said with a dark expression, "If the forced crossing fails, it will mean we have suffered losses before even engaging the Dutch. How will you account for that to His Majesty then?"
If it does not succeed, I will personally plead my guilt before His Majesty.
Hearing this, Zhang Huangyan flicked his sleeves. "What use is there in asking for forgiveness? I do not agree. If you insist on this, then go forth on your own."
Then Zheng Chenggong truly took his twenty-five thousand men and one hundred and fifty warships to launch a surprise attack on Luer Men.
Zhang Huangyan never expected this young man to be so bold as to openly defy military orders.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Young people are born rebellious, it's just basic operations. A kitty jumps into the sea, catches a fish, brings it ashore. jpg
Ahhhhh, I forgot to update the scheduled time, so I'm releasing two chapters at once~
Chapter 194
While Zhang Huangyan was arranging for people to prepare reinforcements, he was also making preparations for military disciplinary action.
At the same time, another memorial was sent to the Emperor's desk.
He didn't think this memorial could do anything to Zheng Chenggong; he just wanted to leave a record with the Emperor, so that if Zheng Chenggong were to suffer a defeat, he could distance himself from the matter first.
Zhu Ci looked at this memorial and felt a sudden headache.
Previously, he had always felt that Zhang Huangyan was steady and Zheng Chenggong was enterprising, making the two of them a perfect match to campaign together.
As a result, he forgot that both of these men were people with extremely strong opinions; Zhang Huangyan held great power during the time when Zhu Yihai was Regent, Zheng Chenggong was also highly valued by Zhu Yujian.
His father was unable to be granted an imperial surname, yet he received one, among his many brothers, he was the only one to receive a peerage.
Since the two men had different personalities, they would certainly have disagreements regarding military strategy.
That was careless.
Even if he had known in advance, he would have been unable to override all opposition to arrange Zheng Chenggong's expedition, because Zheng Chenggong did not have any particularly brilliant military achievements.
Fu watched the Little Emperor frown while holding the memorial and couldn't help but call out, "Your Majesty?"
Zhu Ci then remembered that Fu had not yet seen the memorial, so he handed the memorial to him and said, "Take a look."
After quickly scanning the memorial, Fu asked, "Why is it so difficult for Your Majesty to make a ruling?"
Zhu Ci did not answer, but instead asked, "What do you think should be done?"
Fu said decisively, "Zheng Maoxun ignored military orders; he must be punished."
Zhu Ci said instinctively, "But didn't Zhang Huangyan say himself that if Zheng Maoxun insisted, he should be left to deal with it himself? Was there anything wrong with what Zheng Maoxun did?"
Fu slowly put down the memorial in his hands, suddenly feeling that if Zhu Ci were in Zheng Chenggong's position, he would likely make the same decision.
They shared similar interests.
Fu also did not know why such a sentence had suddenly flashed through his mind.
He said after some deliberation, "But Zhang Huangyan is not wrong; he did indeed violate military orders."
Zhu Ci blurted out, "A general in the field is not bound by military orders."
Fu was almost moved to laughter by his audacity: "Your Majesty!"
If Zhang Huangyan said this, it might have some merit, but what right did Zheng Chenggong have? Moreover, he was facing his own superior, not the Emperor far away in the Imperial Palace.
Zhu Ci cleared his throat, knowing he was being somewhat unreasonable, simply set the memorial aside, saying nonchalantly, "Let me think about it more."
Fu knew that the Little Emperor's persistence must have its reasons. In the past, he might have simply overlooked it, but today he could not help but ask, "Your Majesty has always emphasized military discipline and insisted on clear rewards and punishments; why not punish them this time?"
Zhu Ci lied casually, "It's not that there will be no punishment, but rather a delayed, slow, planned punishment."
Fu truly laughed this time.
After noticing the Grand Secretary's gaze growing increasingly unfriendly, Zhu Ci had no choice but to say, "If I issue an imperial decree now, Zheng Chenggong will only turn back; he won't be able to do this."
Fu Qingsheng asked stubbornly, "Why?"
Zhu Ci felt helpless and could only wave his hand, dismissing all the eunuchs and female officials before saying with certainty, "Because he will win."
Originally, Zhu Ci did not want to be too explicit, as every time he revealed such things, he had to dismiss everyone, as if he were about to do something shameful.
Although he indeed could not let others know, as the frequency increased, the rumors outside also grew.
Why were the two of them also implicated when Alna spread those rumors last time?
Looking at the source, Alna never intended to target the two of them because he had no evidence, but Zhu Ci did indeed have something on him.
As a result, someone was being overly clever and dragged him and Fu into it, which caused Alna's efforts to fail. Since the Emperor and the Grand Secretary were innocent, the Prince of Ning, who was being implicated alongside them, was certainly innocent as well.
It was just that I didn't know why Fu Qingsheng was being so persistent today, as if he absolutely required an answer from me.
Zhu Ci could only helplessly drive everyone out.
Fu had long suspected as much, after listening in silence for a while, he said, "Your Majesty may delay, but it should not be for long, lest it wounds the hearts of your subjects."
After all, Zhang Huangyan was not in the wrong. Even if the outcome was known, as the Emperor, he could not show such blatant favoritism; otherwise, why not have simply appointed Zheng Chenggong as the leader of the Navy and sent Zhang Huangyan on an expedition?
Zhu Ci also felt at this moment that he seemed a bit biased. He thought for a moment and said, "Then.. shall we first issue an imperial decree to appease Zhang Huangyan?"
Grand Secretary Fu said quite bluntly, "What difference is there between this and directly stating Your Majesty's attitude?"
That's far too perfunctory.
Zhu Ci's eyes flickered as he turned to give Grand Secretary Fu a sweet smile: "Then I shall need you, my dear minister, to help ease my worries."
Fu subconsciously averted his gaze and asked without thinking, "What does Your Majesty wish for this official to do?"
“Help me write a letter to Zhang Huangyan,” Zhu Ci said, leaning over the imperial desk. “Help me appease Zhang Huangyan. Hmm, just say that since Zheng Chenggong has already led the fleet on an expedition, calling the men back now would only waste time. Let him decide what to do with the remaining fleet. If Zheng Chenggong is victorious, his merits will offset his faults; if he fails, he will be punished twofold.”
This was barely acceptable. Fu now had a writing desk in the Imperial Study as well; Zhu Ci would speak atop it, he would take notes below.
While writing, he asked nonchalantly, "Would Your Majesty be willing to let his merits and faults offset each other?"
If the surprise attack succeeded, it would be a great achievement. He had long suspected that Zhu Ci had been waiting for Zheng Chenggong to perform a great feat so he could reward him; if his merits and faults were truly to be offset, wouldn't his plans fall through?
Zhu Ci vaguely felt that something wasn't quite right, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was, so he could only attribute it to the fact that Fu Qingsheng and Zheng Chenggong simply did not get along.
He is relatively indifferent to this; after all, one is in the Grand Secretariat and the other will be in the military, making them difficult to deal with, even if they do deal with each other, there are rarely any conflicts of interest.
Zhu Ci said casually, "This offsetting of merits and demerits only applies to amphibious warfare. Landing is just the first step; the real focus comes next."
As expected, he had said there was no way the merits and demerits could truly cancel each other out.
After finishing the writing, Fu handed the letter to Zhu Ci and said, "Your Majesty, please review this."
Let him be biased, then. If Zheng Chenggong lives up to the Emperor's expectations, even Fu would have nothing to say.
He had originally wanted to remind the Emperor that Zheng Chenggong's youthful impetuousness was not a good thing, but in the end, he said nothing.
Such words were truly too much like slander. Zheng Chenggong was fighting for the country far from home, it was quite despicable to speak such things in the Emperor's ear. At the same time, he naturally did not want Zheng Chenggong to lose, so he tacitly accepted the Emperor's favoritism.
Thus, his letter to Zhang Huangyan was written in a mild tone, while also offering some defense for Zheng Chenggong.
After reading it, Zhu Ci found it quite unusual. "You actually spoke well of Zheng Maoxun."
Only when Fu's pale blue eyes looked over with confusion did Zhu Ci say, "I thought you didn't like him."