Faced with the requests from civil and military officials, Zhu Youlang always kept a clear head.

He knew very well that in war, it was the economy that was fought, and it was the economic strength that was fought.

In terms of economic strength, the time for the Northern Expedition is indeed ripe.

The Ministry of Revenue took out millions of taels of silver to the Northern Expedition, but there was no problem at all.

However, after the vast Jiangbei region was recovered, the primary problem faced was not construction, but the issue of allowing the people to have enough food.

We can't let the people who return to the embrace of Daming go hungry, right?

Therefore, there is also the question of whether there is enough food.

Therefore, Zhu Youlang was not busy making a decision, so he first asked Chen Bangyan, the head of the Ministry of Revenue.

"Ling Bin, now the court is quarreling about the Northern Expedition, and you have also submitted a memorandum. It is not that I don't want to fight the Northern Expedition, but it is easy to recover the land of Jiangbei. It is a big problem to prevent the people from going hungry. What I am worried about is whether there is enough food."

"I have only been recuperating in Jiangnan for a year. The national treasury has enough grain to support military use. If it is used for people's livelihood, it will be difficult. However, I have a way to raise grain, so I ask Your Majesty not to worry about helping the people."

"Oh? Ling Bin, tell me about your way to raise food."

"Your Majesty, the sea route is now open, so I can send someone to buy food in Nanyang."

"Nanyang? Nanyang rice cooks four times a year and has a bad taste."

"Your Majesty, although the rice in Nanyang is not good and not chewy, it can fill your stomach and is cheap. You can buy five stone rice for one tael of silver, which ensures that the people in Jiangbei will not be hungry, and I can do it."

"Well, okay, just follow you. Hey, when it comes to Nanyang, Zheng Chenggong doesn't know what happened in Taiwan?"

"When you go back to your Majesty, Zheng has already killed the Dutch devils and has gained a foothold in Taiwan. There is no difficulty with our Ming merchant ships. However, we still do not regard our dynasty as the truth."

"Hmph, I'm alone overseas, intending to be independent, and I think very beautifully. Well, when the matter in the north is resolved, I will free up my hands to clean up him."

After the plan for the Northern Expedition was established, Zhu Youlang issued an imperial edict, ordered the Ministry of War to formulate a plan for the Northern Expedition, and promulgated the generals of Zhang Jiayu, Li Chengdong, Shi Lang, Li Dingguo and other military officers to return to Beijing to discuss major events.

...

"Your Majesty, news came from Beijing that the Qing court had sent Ning Wan, a Grand Secretary of the National History Academy, to my mission to discuss peace with our court."

On the seventh day of the second month, Chen Jitai, the Zhongyong Hou, hurried to the palace and brought a message from Fu Shan to Beijing.

"Oh? Peacekeeping?" Zhu Youlang was stunned: "What does it mean? Do you want to surrender or do you want to rule the river?"

"Your Majesty, Fu Shan's information did not clarify the purpose of the peace talks. He only said that the daughter of Prince Yu, Duoduo, and Dorgon, Princess Dong'e, who accompanied Ning Wan on an envoy."

"What? They are here too? Which chapter is this?"

"The situation is unclear at the moment. Fu Shan said that the Qing court discussed peace talks with our court last year, but was blocked by Shunzhi. For some reason, Shunzhi was correct again this year."

Upon hearing this news, Zhu Youlang thought to himself: "As soon as the Northern Expedition was about to be launched, the Qing court hurriedly discussed peace, obviously trying to delay time, but I don't know what Duoduo and Yang Huiyi are doing? Humph, the arrow is on the string and have to be fired. Unless Fulin surrenders unconditionally, nothing will stop the Northern Expedition."

"Okay, I understand." Zhu Youlang thought of this and waved his hand and ordered Chen Jitai to retreat.

...

Ning Wan, a native of Liaoyang, with his courtesy name Gongfu. He was already in his old age. He was one of the hard-core Han officials who followed Nurhaci in his early years. He was promoted to the Zhenghong Banner of Manzhou for his merits, which played a very positive role in improving the Chinese official system of the Qing Dynasty.

He was unwilling to go to Nanjing this time.

On the one hand, as a Han Chinese, when he went to the Han court for envoys, he would obviously be insulted by those tricky Han officials, especially when the country was in danger and his back was not strong.

On the other hand, the Qing court had fought for nearly half a year in this peace talks, and he knew very well that this was a mess. If the errands were done well, the Empress Dowager Party was satisfied, but the Imperial Party was not satisfied; if the errands were not done well, the Imperial Party was satisfied, and he would offend the Empress Dowager Party.

It turned out that before Duoduo came to Beijing, he submitted a memorial with Shunzhi, requesting that Sony preside over the peace talks and send him and Qi Gedongo to Nanjing as a condition to show the sincerity of the Qing Dynasty.

As soon as this was announced, the court immediately stirred up storms. Although Fulin was young, he felt that his fifteenth uncle was willing to sacrifice his own spirit for the sake of family and country interests. He never agreed to take this inferior policy, believing that "it hurts the country's system and goes against the ambitions of his ancestors." He insisted on letting Duoduo and Dong'e enter Beijing.

But Bulftai, who lives in the harem, was extremely supportive of this. It can not only buy time for the Qing Dynasty, but also remove the major problems in his heart, so why not do it?

Therefore, the emperor and the empress dowager fought a new round of struggle.

In the end, Bulftai made a plan to kill Prince Xiang Boguoer, who was sick, and carried Dong Xiaowan into the palace and became a concubine, fulfilling Fulin's wish.

Fulin understood that if he didn't compromise, even though Dong Xiaowan had entered the palace, his life was in the hands of the empress dowager, and he might die suddenly at any time.

Fulin actually disagrees with the mother's approach of only talking about interests and not affection. According to his nature, he would rather become a prisoner of Zhu Youlang than give his uncle and cousin to the enemy.

There is no way, who made him love Dong Xiaowan deeply? For the sake of the most important woman in his life, he had to agree to peace talks, and he had to agree to send Duoduo and Dong'e out.

So, Ning Wan was the job I went to Nanjing for a mission.

I received the imperial edict and complained so much that my hair and beard were completely white overnight.

In the end, there was no way. I knew that this was a mess, but I had to go there, and I had to go there even if I didn’t go there.

...

Ning Wan, I was fully prepared to be insulted by the Ming Dynasty's monarch and ministers, but what he could not have imagined was that as soon as they arrived at the Yangtze River, they felt the high-standard courtesy of the Ming Dynasty.

At the Xijin Ferry, the Ming Navy's fleet was neatly crossed over the Yangtze River, and a group of Ming Dynasty civil and military officials lined up to greet him on the shore.

The leader is a middle-aged civil servant wearing a breeze.

Ning Wan, I quickly abandoned the sedan chair, kept my pace, and slowly stepped forward. The official came up and bowed and asked, "Is it that the Qing envoy, Grand Secretary Ning, was in front of me?"

"It's Ning, who is my sir?"

"The surname is Huang, and his name is Zongxi."

"Oh, it turns out it's Lord Huang, I've been admired for a long time!"

Ning Wan, I didn’t expect that Emperor Yongli would send such an important official to the Yangtze River to pick him up, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

"Mr. Ning, Huang is ordered to welcome Mr. into the city and please get on the boat." After Huang Zongxi and Ning Wan, I reached out to make a gesture of invitation.

Ning Wan, I was about to get on the boat, but I saw two teams of Ming soldiers holding steel guns running over and surrounded them from both sides.
Chapter completed!