In the early morning, the cold wind was as cold as a knife, and the air was full of clouds, and when the sky was just bright, there were already small snow particles in the air, fluttering and falling.

On this drowsy snowy day, all the troops returning to the west, everyone was dressed in heavy filial piety, waving a plain white banner, under the leadership of the general Dolgon, leaving Fushun, mourning all the way, turning to the southeast, and returning to Liaoyang.

Surrounded by a group of guards, Dolgon wore a white hat, white armor, and a pure white sè cloak, and guarded the golden silk nanmu coffin with the corpse of Huang Taiji, his face tense along the way, silently moving forward, from time to time there were snowflakes and paper money sprinkled on his face, but Dolgon has always looked like he was contemplative, and he seemed to be unaware of these.

Dolgon was silently thinking about how to establish his prestige among the ministers and generals after returning to Liaoyang, so as to officially become the successor of Huang Taiji, how to dispatch troops to crusade against Haoge, and how to arrange troops to guard the border in case Li Xiao's Tang army came to sneak attack.

Among the generals who followed him back, Duoduo's expression was no different from yesterday's, but another clan general, Abatai, although he had been bowing his head and was speechless, his face was very ugly. In the team, he took the lead and followed the team from a distance.

Last night, when Dolgon killed Emperor Taiji, Abatai was tired from the march and had already laid down early to rest, but in the middle of the night, he heard the terrible news that Emperor Chongde had been killed.

Although the soldiers who reported to Abatai told him that it was Huang Taiji who suddenly fell ill and was finally killed by the medical officer, this news, for Abatai, who has also been in the political arena for a long time, of course he knew in his heart that this was just a lie to cover people's ears. The real cause of Huang Taiji's death is actually very likely to have been killed by Dolgon.

Because for anyone, they have no reason to kill Huang Taiji, only Dolgon, who wants to seize the supreme power of the Qing Dynasty, has always been afraid of the emperor returning to power, so he will kill the killer and finally kill the emperor to prevent future troubles.

And the reason why Dolgon suddenly killed the emperor should be given because of the unavoidable reasons, such as the emperor suddenly regained his senses, etc., after all, the emperor who was originally in a state of dementia did not pose any threat to Dolgon, only the emperor who regained his mind and reason would make Dolgon feel threatened, so that he could kill him.

Speaking of which, although Abatai was entangled and uncomfortable in his heart about Dolgon's cruel and cruel methods, he could actually understand Dolgon's approach. After all, there is only one throne in the Qing Dynasty, and since Dolgon temporarily took over power, he has been desperately chasing towards the goal of seizing power in the Qing Dynasty, and in order to achieve this goal, he even did not hesitate to force Hauge to oppose Haoge, and did not hesitate to bring the entire Qing Dynasty to the brink of civil war, so it is not surprising that Dolgon finally killed the emperor.

However, to Abatai's displeasure, he was angry at Dorgon's attitude towards him after he killed the emperor.

For the whole night of the previous week, Dolgon did not explain to him why he had to kill the emperor, and did not even send a messenger to inform him, but his own soldiers only quietly reported to him after finding out the news.

Abatai was very dissatisfied with Dolgon's contemptuous attitude towards him, but now that he had followed Dolgon to the thief ship, even if he had the heart to oppose it, there was nothing he could do.

Abatai couldn't help but think that maybe one day, he would become a stumbling block for Dolgon, and then he would definitely kick himself away without hesitation.

Perhaps, from now on, even if he continues to follow Dolgon, then it should be the best choice to work without help.

From Fushun to Liaoyang, along the way, Abatai became more and more convinced of his own point of view.

After another three days, Dolgon led the whole army, carried the emperor's coffin, and finally arrived in Liaoyang, where Azig was stationed and personally went out of the city to greet him.

After seeing Dolgon, Azig did not hesitate to greet the officials, and was the first to kneel on the ground, and then wept loudly to show his condolences to the emperor's coffin, and of course, to implicitly acknowledge the succession of Dolgon, who stood next to the coffin.

Seeing Azig bowing like this, the rest of the officials, knowing what he meant, immediately followed him and bowed down with him, and then they all wept bitterly.

At a glance, outside the entire Liaoyang City, a large area of Wuyang fell to its knees, which was quite spectacular.

Seeing his brother and a group of officials so respectfully, clearly weeping and worshipping the emperor, but in fact paying homage to himself, Dolgon was very pleased, but on the surface, he still had to act like them, very sad because of the emperor's death.

Then, after ordering the emperor's coffin to be carried into a large mourning hall, Dolgon and Azig walked side by side to the palace in Liaoyang, Tokyo, which had been arranged for him.

Along the way, Azig briefly told him about the number of soldiers and horses in Liaoyang City, as well as the situation of the many forces that came to take refuge.

When Dolgon learned that in addition to the three banners of the Yellow Flag, the Yellow Flag, and the Blue Banner, almost all the soldiers and horses of the Qing Kingdom had come to join him, his heart was extremely happy. And when he heard that such as the Eight Banners of the Mongols, the Eight Banners of the Han Army, and many officials who had escaped from Shengjing, all came to join him and supported him to control the supreme power of the Qing Dynasty, Dolgon's heart was happy, He Kesheng said.

Hmph, with this almost overwhelming number of soldiers and horses, then, before Haoge has completely gained a foothold in Shengjing City, he has launched a large army and attacked Shengjing City in a big way, and it is very likely that Nahaoge will be defeated in one fell swoop, and if this is the case, then Li Xiaozong will lead the Tang army to help, but I am afraid that he can only stare dryly.

However, when he learned that although the two red flag soldiers and horses and the blue flag soldiers and horses had taken refuge in him, Prince Dai Shan of Li and Prince Zheng Zierharang were still in Shengjing, Dolgon's originally smiling face instantly sank.

He was such a smart man, and he naturally understood that although Dai Shan and Zilharang sent their subordinates and horses, they did not come to him, they just wanted to bet on both ends, and finally let themselves win the ticket.

These two old foxes are really cunning.

However, Dolgon also knew that now that the situation was uncertain and the final outcome of this civil war was not determined, of course he could not express his dissatisfaction with these two powerful clan magnates in the Qing Dynasty, after all, they had actually handed over their soldiers and horses to themselves, and in comparison, their support for themselves was far heavier than that of Hauge.

The two brothers walked and chatted, and before they knew it, they entered the lobby, where more officials were already waiting.

Dolgon sat proudly on the tiger head chair that stood above everyone, and after looking around the crowd, he officially announced to everyone the cause of the emperor's death and his official appointment as the successor of the Qing Empire before the emperor's death.

The phrase that Huang Taiji appointed himself as the successor of the Qing Emperor before his death was suddenly thought of by Dolgon on the road, and Dolgon believed that the dead could not speak anyway, so they could naturally make it up as they pleased.

And once the dying will of Huang Taiji is raised, it will undoubtedly greatly add points to his political image, and the orthodox xìng and legal xìng who succeed to the throne will also be more sufficient.

Of course, there is a huge loophole in Dolgon's argument that is almost impossible to justify.

That is, according to what he said about the cause of Huang Taiji's death, since this Huang Taiji had a sudden madness and was finally killed by the medical officer by mistake, then how could he be so sober as he was still on his deathbed, so that he could clearly dictate the decree and let Dolgon succeed to the throne of the Qing Dynasty, which cannot be explained in normal language at all.

It's just that when Dolgon's flawed words came to this, everyone below was alive and well, everyone knew what he was thinking in his heart, and no one dared to come out to expose the unreasonableness in his words.

So, after a whispering movement below, among the officials standing below, the university Shi Ning stood up first.

"Prince Yurui, the slave thinks that now that Emperor Chongde has made a big move, even if he repents and weeps, it will be useless. There is a way that the country cannot be without a master, and the people cannot be without a king, and the slaves think that Prince Rui is wise and brave, virtuous and worthy of heaven and earth, and his merits cover the Qing Dynasty, and there is the emperor's dying edict as evidence, he is actually the most orthodox candidate to succeed me to the throne of the Qing Dynasty. If Prince Derui is the lord of the Qing Dynasty, then everyone in the Qing Dynasty should be happy and all people should be subservient. I also hope that Prince Rui will not shirk, he needs to obey the heavens and the people, accept the order on behalf of the heavens, continue to be the king, and become the lord of my Qing Dynasty, then I am very fortunate in the Qing Dynasty, and the people are very lucky! ”

After I finished speaking, I took the lead in bowing. And seeing him prostrate and worship, the other people were naturally not fools, and they knelt down and kowtowed.

Seeing that the courtiers in the hall had expressed their positions, Azig and Duoduo looked at each other and smiled, and also hurriedly bowed to the ground.

As for Abatai, after a little hesitation, he also answered the order loudly in his mouth, and also knelt down and bowed.

Seeing that everyone was under the leadership of Ning Wan me, they all expressed their support in front of him, and Dolgon's heart was as sweet as drinking honey, but on the surface, he still showed a very embarrassed look.

"Cough, everyone's feelings, this king understands himself, but now it is a national mourning, and the emperor's bones are not cold, how can this king have the heart to take the opportunity? What's more, that Haoge occupied Shengjing City, plotting rebellion and self-reliance, the country is not unified, the golden ou is not finished, how can this king have the idea of inheriting the throne. You are so kind, but you have put this king on the stove to roast it. As for the throne of the Qing Dynasty, this king still thinks that it is appropriate to follow the ancestral system and let the Eight Banners Banner Lord and the civil and military ministers jointly nominate and agree. ”

After listening to Dolgon's statement, the officials kneeling below were all secretly wondering in their hearts, what was the purpose of Dolgon's words, could it be that he was really so high-spirited and unwilling to take the opportunity to seize the supreme power of the Qing Dynasty?

Just when everyone was thinking to themselves, one of them straightened up and bowed his hand to Dolgon: "The ancestor has not passed the mourning period, and the country has not been unified, so Prince Rui will not succeed to the throne, and the lord of true benevolence and virtue will also be." It's just that Weichen is thinking, Prince Rui is doing this, although it is all small, but it will inevitably lose the righteousness. ”

Hearing this voice, Dolgon and the other officials turned their heads unconsciously, only to see that the person who spoke was Fan Wencheng, a scholar of the Inner Pavilion University.

This Fan Wencheng, after receiving the news that Huang Taiji was seriously injured in Vladivostok on the same day, hesitated in Shengjing City for several days, and finally decided that Haoge, who had few soldiers and horses and insufficient power, might be defeated, and Dolgon, who had many soldiers and was outstandingly resourceful, should be able to finally seize the supreme power of the Qing Dynasty, so after some careful consideration, he finally decided to bet on him.

Therefore, he took advantage of the turmoil in Shengjing, led all his family members, and fled from Shengjing in a hurry, all the way to Liaoyang, Tokyo, the largest and most fundamental stronghold of Dolgon.

Now, seeing Dolgon coming back, he said so much hypocrisy, but it was Sima Zhao's heart, and the words that were known to passers-by, Fan Wencheng knew that the time had come for him to express his loyalty.

Dolgon's brows furrowed slightly, but he suddenly understood what Fan Wencheng meant by this.

He sighed, and then deliberately asked, "Master Fan, since you say this, what ideas can you have, and you can tell this king from the truth." ”

Fan Wencheng snorted, and immediately replied: "Prince Rui, Weichen wants to say that now the country's new monarch is the most turbulent time, not to mention, now there are traitors guarding the capital, and there are evil neighbors outside looking at the border, at such a critical juncture, if the country does not have a strong monarch to lead, I am afraid that there will be many crises, and there will be countless dangers." How can Prince Rui be confined to the ancestral system and etiquette, and abandon the Qing Dynasty and his subjects? ”

Listening to Fan Wencheng's words, Dolgon was very happy, but his face was still embarrassed: "Alas, the words of the scholar are not unreasonable. It's just that the ancestral system is in front, the monarch is newly mourned, and the king is so anxious to ascend the throne, I am afraid that there will still be villains who chew their tongues behind their backs, and there must be many courtiers who are not convinced, and they still need to discuss a safe method. ”

That Fan Wencheng seemed to expect him to be like this, and he immediately said loudly and proudly: "Prince Rui, if you are really embarrassed and refuse to succeed to the throne immediately to inherit the unification, there is also a way to make Prince Rui not ascend the throne and become emperor, but also to smoothly control the supreme power of the Qing Dynasty." ”

After Fan Wencheng said this, there was a whisper around him, and then it was all quiet.

"Oh, how, let's see." Dolgon was obviously also very interested, and he asked Fan Wencheng with a glare.

"Prince Rui, that is, Prince Rui can be appointed as the regent of the Qing Dynasty, thinking that it is intended to replace the emperor to control the regency and military, so that even if there are villains chewing their tongues, even if there are courtiers secretly dissatisfied, but there is nothing to blame for Prince Rui's actions. And Prince Rui should be able to do the emperor's reality even though he doesn't have the name of the emperor, isn't it a good plan to have the best of both worlds? If Shengjing is pacified in the future and the Qing Dynasty is unified, Prince Rui will push the boat down the river to become the emperor, which is completely possible. Fan Wencheng said calmly and slowly with a smile on his face.

Listening to Fan Wencheng's words, there was a flash of light in Dolgon's eyes. He groaned for a while, then smiled and said loudly: "Okay, very good, since the heart of Master Fan and your recommendation is so sincere and earnest, how can this king bear to go against the will of the people, then this king will be reluctant to make it difficult, temporarily serve as the regent, and hope that you will assist this king and serve the country together." “