Chongzhen Year Eleven.
Ninth Month. Twenty Second Day.
The Qing army launched another invasion.
Historically this invasion had been massive. But because Gao Family Village had intervened in the situation, the strategic environment had changed.
To the north, the Mongols were watching the Qing closely.
To the south, the strongholds at Pi Island and Dandong were like two poisonous needles stuck deep in Qing flesh.
Because of this pressure from two directions, the scale of this invasion was actually not large.
Only one major general led the operation.
Dorgon.
And he only brought a large force of roaming cavalry.
Of course, such things could never be openly announced to the Ming court.
One could not send a message saying:
"We are only sending a small group to harass you."
Hong Taiji understood strategy very well.
If he wanted to buy time through harassment, he needed the Ming court to fear him.
So he made a grand public announcement.
He claimed that he himself would personally lead an army of one hundred thousand troops in an invasion of the south.
The operation was given an impressive name.
Cao Cao's Southern Campaign.
After making this announcement, Hong Taiji quietly stayed inside the palace at Shengjing.
He rarely appeared in public.
To the outside world, it looked as if he had already gone to war.
Meanwhile, Dorgon led the roaming cavalry southward.
They called themselves the vanguard of the great army.
---
The moment the news reached Ming territory, the entire country trembled.
Inside the capital, high officials and nobles became extremely anxious.
Landowners and gentry families living in Northern Zhili immediately began packing their belongings.
Entire families fled toward the capital.
Children.
Servants.
Elderly parents.
Everyone rushed toward Beijing.
Within a short time, the atmosphere in the capital became tense.
The streets filled with refugees fleeing the threat of war.
High officials could stay with friends who held positions in the capital.
Wealthy merchants rented inns or expensive houses.
But poor people had no such options.
They huddled in corners of the streets, shivering together.
Crying and arguing could be heard everywhere.
The imperial capital began to look less like the seat of an empire and more like a giant marketplace in chaos.
At times like this, the common people suddenly remembered someone.
"Where is the Minister of War, Sun Chuanting?"
"Sun Chuanting is an incredible commander!"
"He killed two Chuang Wang leaders!"
"Quick! Ask him to come back and deal with the Jianzhou Barbarians!"
It was not just the common people thinking this way.
Many officials in the capital thought the same.
Soon numerous memorials appeared in court.
"Your Majesty, Sun Chuanting should not be resting anymore. He must be recalled to command the war."
Zhu Youjian himself was also feeling nervous.
Not about the capital.
About his Imperial Estates.
Those farmland estates were outside the Forbidden City.
If Qing soldiers arrived and trampled the crops that he had painstakingly grown using chemical fertilizer...
Who would he cry to then?
Just as he was about to issue an imperial order recalling Sun Chuanting, Gao Qiqian came running into the imperial study.
He bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, that Sun Chuanting is arrogant and disrespectful."
"When he heard that the Qing army had invaded, he laughed loudly."
"He said Your Majesty would definitely recall him."
"And he even said Your Majesty would have to swallow your pride and beg him to return."
Zhu Youjian exploded in anger.
"What?"
"How dare he say such things?"
"Am I truly forced to rely only on him?"
He snorted coldly.
"If he is so arrogant, then I will refuse to use him!"
Inside his heart, Gao Qiqian was quietly delighted.
This emperor was unbelievably easy to manipulate.
Zhu Youjian thought for two seconds and made a decision.
"Summon Lu Xiangsheng, Governor General of Xuanda."
"He will enter the capital and command the reinforcements from across the realm."
Gao Qiqian quickly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I too wish to share Your Majesty's burden."
Zhu Youjian had always trusted Gao Qiqian's so called military abilities.
He was immediately pleased.
"If you go as well, that would be excellent."
"I appoint you as supervising commander."
"You and Lu Xiangsheng will jointly command the reinforcements to defend the capital."
Gao Qiqian was overjoyed.
"Thank you for Your Majesty's trust."
As he left the palace, he practically walked with the wind.
With nothing but a smooth tongue, he had pushed Sun Chuanting out of command.
Not only that, he himself had become supervising commander.
Once seated in that position...
The money would never stop flowing.
Just skim a little from the eastern army's pay.
Take a little from the western grain supply.
Pocket a few warhorses from the southern cavalry.
He clicked his tongue happily.
Becoming rich would be effortless.
---
While Zhu Youjian was falling straight into Hong Taiji's strategy and panicking himself into chaos...
Bin Sheng and his ten subordinates had just returned to Chang'an Factory.
This mission had been classified as a covert intelligence operation.
Because of that, no battlefield reporters had followed them.
Naturally the mission had never appeared on Gao Family News.
Aside from a few relevant military personnel, almost nobody knew what they had been doing.
When Bin Sheng jumped down from the train and stood at the factory gates, only a few people were there to welcome him.
Gao Yi Yi.
Qi Cheng.
Yan Zi.
The crowd was small.
But the reception was prestigious.
Even the factory director Gao Yi Yi had come personally.
Bin Sheng suddenly noticed a slightly plump middle aged man standing behind Gao Yi Yi.
He looked about forty or fifty years old.
Clean shaven.
Smiling gently.
The man seemed strangely familiar.
Bin Sheng stared carefully.
Then suddenly he recognized him.
The highest administrative leader of Gao Family Village.
San Shier.
The Third Steward.
Bin Sheng froze in shock and forgot to greet anyone.
Yan Zi rushed forward and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly for a long time.
Bin Sheng stammered.
"Director Gao... Director Qi... this gentleman... could it be..."
Gao Yi Yi laughed.
"Correct."
"This is the Third Steward."
"He came personally to commend you."
Bin Sheng and his ten men were instantly overwhelmed with joy.
"This is why Gao Family Village is the best place in the world!"
When they returned to Shengjing with the blueprints for the Great Iron Vehicle, none of the Qing officials had even looked at them.
Only after Bin Sheng volunteered to supervise the construction did Hong Taiji finally summon them.
But Gao Family Village was different.
The highest administrative leader had personally come to greet them at the factory gates.
This level of respect alone was enough to make a man feel that dying for someone who truly understood him was worthwhile.
San Shier smiled.
"Because of the nature of your mission and your former identities, the village council has decided to keep things low profile."
"Your identities cannot be exposed."
"You cannot appear on Gao Family News."
"But heroes should never be treated unfairly."
"That is why I came personally."
"You will enjoy the rewards you deserve quietly."
"This is called rewarding merit."
Bin Sheng and his men instantly had tears in their eyes.
Just look at Gao Family Village.
This was what a real society should be.
San Shier took out a medal carved from pure gold.
One by one, he placed them around the men's necks.
Special Hero Medal of Gao Family Village.
Then he handed each of them a large reward bonus.
Bin Sheng's nose tingled.
He desperately wanted to cry.
San Shier patted his shoulder gently.
"Come now. A man should not look so embarrassed."
Bin Sheng quickly wiped his eyes and laughed awkwardly.
San Shier turned to leave.
Suddenly Bin Sheng spoke.
"Third Steward, I have a request."
San Shier turned back.
"Oh? What matter?"
Bin Sheng said seriously.
"Gao Family Village seems to lack an intelligence department."
"I am not particularly talented."
"But while serving as deputy director of Chang'an Factory..."
"I would like to train a group of professional intelligence agents for the village."