Qian Qianyi, who lacked morale courage, was just the epitome of that generation. The people that caused Ming Dynasty to die was not Great Shun, nor was it Great Qing, but it was the Ming Dynasty itself.
In the latter stages of the Ming Dynasty, factions rose up and competed against one another, each trying to take the others down.
After the Chongzhen emperor killed himself, the prince did not follow the customs and take over in Jianye, which was why his children and him were captured. After that, the throne could only be passed on.
At that point, including top choice Prince Fu, Prince Gui who Shi Kefa supported, and Prince Lu that the Donglin faction supported. The three princes and their three factions went against one another. They totally disregarded the situation in the north, giving the Great Qing enough time to stabilize and wipe out Great Shun.
In the end, King Fu obtained the support of the Jiangbei four generals, which were the main military powers, becoming the victor and ascending. He became the Hongguang Emperor.
Him asking them for help had a huge influence on how the future would play out.
The direct effect would be that he got what he wished and ascended the throne. The indirect effect was that the protectors lived as the people the son of god were indebted to.
In Jianye, neither the emperor nor the officials could control this army.
Gao Jie, Huang Degong, Liu Liangzuo, and others were all valiant warriors and had many great men under their charge, but their hearts were not settled. If the Hongguang emperor was as capable as the previous emperors and used plots, he would be able to control them to use the army for his own purposes.
Unfortunately, he was like his father, magnanimous and fat, and he did not have the military and administrative talent of his ancestors.
As a result of the internal conflict, during the Battle of Yangzhou, Shi Kefa defended the city whilst the four generals watched on and did not help, resulting in the tragedy that was the 10 days of Yangzhou.
On the way to the palace, Ouyang Shuo discussed with Feng Qiuhuang about the Battle Map situation, “If we want to change history, our 200 thousand troops are far from enough. We must use the strength of the local army.”
“Jiangbei four generals, the remaining troops of Great Shun, and even the Great Xi army are all choices.”
Feng Qiuhuang knew her stuff too and asked, “These people all have their own thoughts. Will they listen to us?”
“Of course they won’t.”
Ouyang Shuo was not so arrogant to think that he could just reveal his aura and people would kneel down to him in the Battle Map. In the map, no one would even bother about him.
“If we want to recruit them, we must have troops first. The 200 thousand army is our biggest chip. Secondly, we must have results. If not, they will not believe us.”
After pausing, Ouyang Shuo continued, “More importantly, we must make them united and put down their internal conflicts to focus on the Qing army.”
Feng Qiuhuang replied, “That will not be easy.”
“It really is not.” Ouyang Shuo nodded, “Rome was not built in a day. We do not have much time here, so we can only try our best. When needed, we can use desperate measures.”
“Do as you deem fit!”
When Ouyang Shuo heard that, he shook his head in amusement. He had heard that the only Chinese female Lord in China, and really quickly the first queen, had done many such things in Hedong Province.
As they spoke, the two of them had already entered the palace.
Within the main hall, the Hongguang emperor sat on the throne, but he lacked a domineering aura. The officials below looked at them with weird expressions. Some were wary, some were probing, and some were warm.
“What a mess!”
Ouyang Shuo came to such a conclusion. At the front of the civil servants, Ouyang Shuo saw the notorious Qian Qianyi, and his eyes shone with a cold light.
If this person did not die, Ouyang Shuo’s trip would be in vain.
The following conversation between Ouyang Shuo and the Hongguang emperor did not look like much, but in truth, it made the hearts of the officials rise up and down as they exchanged glances with one another.
Ouyang Shuo admitted the legitimacy of the Hongguang emperor’s rule and expressed his willingness to protect the rule. The 200 thousand player army would become his greatest chips against the Jiangbei four generals.
This was where Ouyang Shuo was smart.
The South Ming regime was really complicated, and the reason for that was a power that everyone respected did not exist. As a result, the little people could seize control and power.
If Ouyang Shuo followed what was done in the Battle of Yashan or the An Lushan Rebellion and got rid of the current ruler, it would only intensify the chaos.
Ouyang Shuo could only stabilize the position of the Hongguang Emperor and push him high up. Only then could he achieve his strategic goal. There was a huge prerequisite to that working, which was the emperor was not a fool and had some talent.
As expected, after receiving Ouyang Shuo’s loyalty, he was delighted and repaid it, immediately giving him the title of Prince Regent.
When Feng Qiuhuang saw that, she could only look on in awe.
…
After the meeting, news that Ouyang Shuo became the Prince Regent spread across China.
“This is interesting!”
Great Qing had a Prince Regent Dorgon, and now South Ming had Ouyang Shuo. Who knows what would happen when the two went head to head.
Just as the different military cliques thought that the newly appointed Prince Regent would make many changes and attack the Jiangbei four protectors, Ouyang Shuo did nothing.
Outside the residence that the Hongguang Emperor gave him were a row of carriages that were filled with people who had rushed over to meet the Prince Regent. Amongst which, there were some who were really patriotic while there were also some like Qian Qianyi who smelled an opportunity.
No matter who it was, they were blocked outside of the door.
The terrifying aura given out off the Divine Martial Guards scared anyone who passed by.
This made Gao Jie, Huang Degong, and the like feel really uneasy, thinking that the Prince Regent was hatching a huge plot to crush them all at once.
They should be nervous, as Ouyang Shuo was not a simple person, and his power came from his 200 thousand army and not the title from the emperor.
Although they did not know how strong this army was, from how large the army was, it was enough to send chills down one’s spine. Facing such an opponent, they could only be careful.
Just as the outside world was unsettled, within the residence, Ouyang Shuo was holding a military meeting.
