A Gui watched Fu Huan stand there, clearly understanding his meaning, and said with a smile, "They all say that officials travel a thousand miles for wealth. Killing officials and rebelling, naturally, is for amnesty."
"As long as the rebel Zhu agrees to amnesty, we can rescue Lord Fu. Then, the three of us can join forces, together with Ming Xing and Minister He Zhong, to submit a memorial to His Majesty. We can bestow any high official position upon the rebel Zhu, and wouldn't the bandit problem in Shandong be resolved?"
Fu Huan shook his head and said, "A high official position? No, no. Given Zhu Jinsong's ability to sweep across all of Shandong in just one year, wouldn't merely granting him a high official position make my Qing imperial court seem petty?"
"In my opinion, if we are to offer amnesty, we must be willing to pay the price. Let's directly grant him a hereditary prince. If he is unwilling to go to the capital, then bestow all of Shandong upon him, just like the precedent of the Prince of Pingxi in the past."
"As long as the rebel Zhu accepts amnesty and becomes a prince of our Qing dynasty, what threat can Chen Tailai, the Bagua Sect, the White Lotus Sect, Tian Wu, Lin Shuangwen, and the like pose?"
"Even if Zhu Jinsong cannot suppress them, what loss will our Qing imperial court suffer?"
Listening to Fu Huan's analysis, A Gui immediately gave him a thumbs-up, praising, "Brilliant, as expected of Grand Scholar Fu Huan, I am impressed, truly impressed!"
However, after praising Fu Huan, A Gui began to worry about another problem.
Who should be sent as the envoy for peace talks?
Manchu cavalry?
Manchu infantry?
The Manchus are definitely out. What if the peace talks fail and the envoy is captured by the rebel Zhu Jinsong?
Green Standard Army generals?
The Green Standard Army generals are also unsuitable. Hardly any of the Green Standard Army remains, and the remaining few generals are needed to keep them in order.
Grand Academicians of the Hall of Martial Valor like A Gui or Grand Academician Fu Huan?
Don't be ridiculous. If the Manchu cavalry and infantry are not suitable, how could someone of A Gui and Fu Huan's stature personally risk danger?
After much thought and careful discussion with Fu Huan, A Gui finally decided to casually pick a talkative young man from the laborers, first assign him an official position in the Jinan prefectural yamen, and then have this laborer go for the amnesty.
Even if the negotiations ultimately failed, the loss would only be that of a laborer, which would have no impact on A Gui and Fu Huan.
With the plan decided, A Gui and Fu Huan immediately summoned all the strong young laborers. They first chose a presentable and eloquent young man, then assigned him the identity of the magistrate of Licheng County, and explained all the matters of amnesty to this newly minted magistrate of Licheng County.
A Gui stated that as long as the peace talks were handled properly, this young man named Chen Ergou would truly become the magistrate of Licheng County. If negotiations ultimately failed, it would be fine too. As long as they could confirm whether Fu Kangan was still alive, A Gui would still arrange an official position as magistrate for Chen Ergou.
Illiterate? Illiteracy is not a problem. There are plenty of illiterate officials in the Qing court, and you wouldn't be the only one.
Don't know how to be an official? It's also fine if you don't know how to be an official. There are plenty of officials who don't know how to be officials in the Qing dynasty, and you wouldn't be the only one.
In short, the task is arduous, and the reward is generous. His Excellency the Imperial Envoy and Grand Academician Fu Huan have given you the opportunity, and it's up to you to seize it.
Being cajoled by A Gui, Chen Ergou couldn't help but feel a surge of enthusiasm.
To repay the favor of His Excellency the Imperial Envoy and Grand Academician Fu Huan for their regard, Chen Ergou knelt down on both knees and patted his chest, pledging, "Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy, please rest assured, I will handle this matter properly. If anything goes wrong, I will present my head!"
A Gui laughed and pointed at Chen Ergou, saying, "Look, you say you are illiterate? If you were illiterate, how could you say 'present my head'? In my opinion, the magistrate of Licheng County is destined for you."
Chen Ergou was overjoyed and immediately bid farewell to A Gui and Fu Huan, heading towards Zichuan with a white flag.
After crossing the Xiaofu River and meeting Liu Heming, Chen Ergou got straight to the point about the amnesty: "The Manchu Imperial Envoy A Gui and Grand Academician Fu Huan have decided to offer amnesty, saying they want to enfeoff our young master as the Prince of Lu or the Prince of Qi, and they sent me to inquire if Fu Kangan is still alive and if we can exchange something to get Fu Kangan back."
As soon as he heard "our young master," Liu Heming knew what was going on.
On Liangshan Mountain, whether they were the ones who started with Zhu Jinsong from Ningyang County or those who joined Liangshan along the way, they all referred to Zhu Jinsong as the Great Leader. Only those from the Tiandihui called Zhu Jinsong "Young Master."
Therefore, this Chen Ergou before him...
Liu Heming sized up Chen Ergou and asked, "Did you see the bay when you arrived?"
Chen Ergou replied, "I didn't see a bay, only two mountains. To the south, there is Daming Mountain, and to the north, there is Mianqing Mountain."
Liu Heming then grunted and asked, "Any other news?"
Chen Ergou found a teacup for himself, poured himself a bowl of tea, and after drinking it down, wiped his mouth, saying, "There's nothing else to report. The Manchu Green Standard Army has almost all defected. If nothing unexpected happens, there won't be many people left in three days."
"However, the ten thousand Manchu cavalry in the Manchu army remains a hidden danger. If you can get some avellan seeds, send them to me before preparing to eliminate the Manchus. I will find a way to put them in the horses' fodder. If it succeeds, our young master will have another ten thousand excellent warhorses."
After speaking, Chen Ergou cupped his hands towards Liu Heming and said, "Alright, the news has been delivered. I should go back to report to the Manchus."
Liu Heming was startled and asked, "No, how will you report back about this amnesty? And you won't ask about Fu Kangan's life or death?"
Chen Ergou laughed and retorted, "Do you think our young master will agree to the Manchu amnesty? So, let's stall for now. I'll just say that our young master needs time to consider, which can delay them by three to five days. As for that dog slave Fu Kangan..."
"Besides, the Manchus don't know if he's alive or dead. Even if he's turned to ash, I'll still say he's alive. Otherwise, won't A Gui and Fu Huan retreat immediately?"
Saying this, Chen Ergou drank another bowl of tea and then said to Liu Heming, "Alright, do you have any other instructions? If so, please state them quickly. If not, I'll be leaving. I'm busy going to be a magistrate of the Qing dynasty."
Busy going to be a Qing magistrate?
Liu Heming suddenly felt a sense of unspeakable frustration.
It wasn't a big deal to give up an official position as a magistrate. After all, our Qing dynasty has over a thousand counties, and it's not a big deal to lose the revenue from one magistrate.
But why would that rebel Zhu have anything to consider? Isn't it better to obediently accept amnesty and all serve His Majesty as slaves?
Of course, our amnesty was not for good intentions, and we had planned to slowly sow discord and stir up trouble for you once you accepted it, and then eliminate you when you were sufficiently weakened. But we haven't done that yet.
However, since Fu Kangan is still alive and the rebel leader Zhu Jinsong is willing to consider, it means there is room for maneuver.
But upon second thought, Fu Huan felt that something was not quite right and pondered in his heart, "You say, could that rebel Zhu have no intention of surrendering at all, and merely intends to delay the time?"
A Gui grunted and after careful consideration, said, "If the rebel Zhu wants to delay the time, it may not be without benefits for us. Besides, even if he wants to delay, we have no other choice, as Lord Fu is still in the rebel Zhu's hands, and we cannot abandon Lord Fu."
Hearing A Gui's words, Fu Huan suppressed his frown and asked, "Not without benefits for us? What benefits could there be? Don't forget, for every day we delay, some of our Green Standard Army soldiers will desert. If we delay for another three to five days, how many soldiers will we have left?"
A Gui shook his head and retorted, "Why is it that Zhu Jinsong can always win battles with fewer men?"
Fu Huan asked, "Isn't it because Zhu Jinsong has new firearms and is skilled at ambushes?"
A Gui chuckled and said, "No matter how powerful firearms are, someone has to use them in the end. To put it plainly, this matter is related to 'soldiers'."
"Originally, we had over a hundred thousand troops. However, these hundred thousand troops are not united in heart. The more men there are, the more scattered their thoughts become. On the other hand, Zhu Jinsong has only a small force, and everyone works with one heart. This is what the ancients meant by 'quality over quantity'."
"Therefore, let us take this opportunity to let those Green Standard Army soldiers disperse, leaving only our twenty thousand Manchu armored soldiers. At that time, we will tell them that they can either fight to the death with us, and after pacifying the rebel Zhu, we will all be promoted and prosper, or they can continue to be deserters and face severe punishment for their families."
"This way, the soldiers will be united in their efforts, and the rebel Zhu will naturally be no match for us."
Saying this, A Gui's expression turned grim, "The truth of the matter will be revealed in three days. If Lord Fu is still alive and the rebel Zhu is willing to accept amnesty, then it will be a happy occasion for all."
"If Lord Fu, if Lord Fu has died heroically, and the rebel Zhu is not sincere in accepting amnesty, then we will directly suppress the rebel Zhu, which will at least alleviate our own sins."
Fu Huan was stunned again and asked, "So, you were not truly sincere in wanting amnesty from the beginning?"
A Gui nodded and said, "That's right. The rebel Zhu wants to delay the time, and I also want to delay the time. However, to guard against Zhu Jinsong's spies within our army, I kept it from you. I hope my brother Fu Huan will not blame me."
"Now, it depends on what the rebel Zhu chooses."
Zhu Jinsong chose to eliminate A Gui and Fu Huan.
Initially, Zhu Jinsong still considered keeping A Gui, the great transport captain, and killing him when he was no longer useful. But as Fu Kangan massacred villages in Puji Town, Zhu Jinsong's thoughts changed.
Other Manchu soldiers could atone for their sins through labor, but Zhu Jinsong did not intend to give the Manchu soldiers under A Gui and Fu Kangan the chance to atone for their sins by living.
Zhu Jinsong planned to place the heads of A Gui, Fu Huan, and Fu Kangan on top of the "Jingguan" as decorations, as a warning against those who treat people like beasts.
...
As Mr. Lu Xun once said, the soldiers are like their generals. Zhu Jinsong, the leader of Liangshan, liked to play with grenades, and Liu Heming, the commander of the First Division, naturally had the same habit.
Liu Heming stood behind the artillery position, holding a flintlock rifle in his left hand and playing with a grenade in his right. Apart from his appearance not being as ordinary as Zhu Jinsong's, his demeanor was almost identical to that of the rebel leader Zhu Jinsong.
Liu Heming was enjoying the rumbling sound of artillery fire. Because while they were bombarding each other with cannons, the cannons made by Liangshan could launch shells to the west bank of the Xiaofu River, while A Gui's cannons could not launch shells to the east bank of the Xiaofu River.
With such a small gap, Liu Heming could lead his artillery battalion to bombard the enemy, while A Gui could only be bombarded.
As for the rest, it was up to Zhu Jinsong, the leader.
ps: Second update. Today's updates total 7,000 characters. There will be another update later.