Chapter 1083 – Scheming Calculations
Even with the help of Di Chen’s forces, Dorgon had to consider one problem, “Facing the counterattack of the Ming Dynasty camp, should the Qing army strike out or choose a suitable location for a final battle?”
Both were difficult.
If they struck out, as the Ming Dynasty army used many attack tactics, the Qing army would need to split up, adding a lot of risk to the battle.
No matter which army fell in the end, it was not something that the Qing army could accept.
If they were to choose to have a final battle, it was like taking a gamble. The problem was if the Ming army would arrive at the place they chose.
Naturally, they would not.
The north was really vast, and Ming Dynasty could go around the target city up north to take Yanjing. If that happened, the Qing army would be in an awkward position where they could not go forward or backward.
“This cannot do, that cannot do either.”
Dorgon was really in a pickle. What made him feel a headache was that along with the news that the Qing army was destroyed in Jianye spreading out, the north was starting to be unstable and small riots have already started.
It was not hard to see why.
In history, in the process of unifying China, apart from fighting the Great Shun, South Ming, and Great Xi armies, there was also another power that played an important role. They were the people revolting.
The two massacres of Jiading were a typical example. Even after their city was wiped out, the Jiading people showed no fear and would start a rebellion whenever they had a chance.
This was the Han race backbone on full display.
Even after the Qing Dynasty unified China, the flames of civilian revolt were not extinguished.
Seeing that the Qing army was facing problems in Jianye, the Southern Alliance Army started to counterattack. The Han race people in the north obviously felt their blood boil, and it reignited the flames of anti Qing.
Especially under the original Great Shun regime, these resistances were much stronger.
The entire north situation was looking really unstable. If the Qing Dynasty faced another loss in their battle against the Ming army, the entire northern land would explode, and the Qing Dynasty foundations would collapse.
To say that Great Qing was in a precarious situation could not be closer to the truth.
And as the captain of this ship, most of the pressure was on Dorgon.
Thinking about it, he made a bold decision. That was to stop resisting and allow the Ming army to enter; he wanted to have a final fight at Yanjing.
“This was called driving someone into a fatal position, and he will come out alive.”
After eliminating all other possibilities, this was the only feasible plan.
The current Qing army did not have much fighting ability and could not fight the Ming army whilst crushing the rebellions. Rather than that, why not take a gamble and go all in?
In the Battle of Yanjing, if the Qing army lost, then naturally everything would be over. They were less skilled than their enemy, and there was nothing to be said about that. But if the Qing army took the win, they could use this win to sweep China once more.
The Qing army was able to sweep the mid plains once, so they would be able to do it twice.
The key was to crush this menacing Southern Alliance Army and totally crush the hopes of the Han Chinese.
One had to say, for Dorgon to be able to lead and rule so well in such a chaotic time showed that he had exceptional qualities. Not only did he have a sharp eye, but he could also grasp onto the key points in a desperate situation. Moreover, he was really bold and trusted in his own judgement, daring to give up on the gains he had obtained.
One could imagine how huge of an uproar this caused amongst the Imperial Court. To make the Manchuria nobles give up on the juicy piece of meat that had just entered their mouths, Dorgon was bearing a lot of pressure.
Even so, he would persist.
He had other reasons for choosing to have the final battle at Yanjing.
One must not look at how high the morale the Southern Alliance Army was, as internally, it was even more complicated than the Qing army. The player army, the Jiangdong four generals, Great Shun as well as Great Xi troops were tangled up with one another.
When they shared a common enemy and a target, they would be able to unite and go up against the Qing army.
However, what if that enemy was gone?
When the northern land was placed defenseless in front of all of them, would they not become selfish and start thinking for themselves? They definitely would.
Not mentioning the others, Zhang Xianzhong, who was a peasant uprising leader, definitely would not be able to resist the urge.
If Zhang Xianzhong was tempted, the Great Shun forces would follow closely behind. They would not follow instructions and would instead crazily occupy land to try to reclaim Great Shun territory.
These two powers were the core to usurping the Ming Dynasty, so why would they not be tempted by the northern land? Maybe even before the final battle, they would all start fighting amongst themselves.
Even to say that at that point, the Jiangbei four generals might be wrapped up amongst all that.
As they say, ‘Once Ming loses their position as the absolute ruler, everyone else will snatch for it.”
The moment that Chongzhen Emperor died, the Ming Dynasty was not the true ruler of China anymore. The South Ming regime was just a newly born regime and did not represent the Ming Dynasty.
When Li Zicheng attacked Yanjing and established the Great Shun country, he lived as the proper ruler of China.
If not, the Great Shun army would not have hesitated when they retreated against the Qing army, acting exactly the same as when they had tried to overthrow the Ming Dynasty.
The Great Shun army at that time swept the entire Ming Dynasty territory, doing as they wished without any hesitation.
Zhang Xianzhong was like that too.
After establishing Great Xi, his attitude changed greatly. Before establishing the country, he was just a rogue in the Ming Dynasty and naturally did not have much to worry about.
After establishing the country, he was the ruler of that land.
Since he was the ruler, he naturally had the responsibility to protect the land. Hence, when the Qing army attacked Great Xi, he retaliated without hesitation and did not give up.
This was the difference that status and identity made.
If the Qing Dynasty took the initiative to give up on the northern land, be it Great Xi or Great Shun, what reason would they have to not take it under their rule?
Even Hongguang emperor in Jianye would do something.
“What that happens, it would be really interesting!” Just thinking about that scene, Dorgon could not help but smile.
One had to say that Dorgon’s plan was truly a masterstroke.
With that, not only could the Qing army gather up all their troops in one spot, but they could also split up the Southern Alliance Army and make them collapse.
When they turned upon themselves, that would be when the Qing army would strike out.
The entire plan was closely connected and saw through the hearts and minds of people. As expected from Dorgon!
The current Dorgon looked out at the south and muttered, “Speaking of which, I’m really looking forward to it.”
