Dorgon and Sahalian also knew the importance of Jiangnan to the Ming Dynasty.
When they heard that Shandong was using force against Jiangnan, the two of them were overjoyed.
"Without the financial and tax support from Jiangnan, the Ming Dynasty will not be far away. Zuo Menggeng's move will definitely make the Ming Dynasty go all out. Who knows, after we wipe out Chahar, we can still pick peaches."
Saharian is gearing up and has already begun to look forward to Shu.
Dorgon was a little more cautious.
"Shandong is just a small place. Although firearms are powerful, Zuo Menggeng uses weapons so recklessly. Is he really not afraid of backlash?"
Saharian could not answer this question. The voices of the people next to him attracted their attention again.
That old man Wu was still shouting loudly.
"Brother Chen, I heard that your boy is back?"
"Isn't that right? This kid also came back with the army. I heard that the imperial court in the west was defeated, and those bandits are going to harm the Central Plains again."
The people around were all drunk and joined in one after another.
"It's okay to harm the Central Plains, but it can't harm us in Shandong."
Brother Chen kept nodding his head.
"Isn't that the truth? My boy came back with the army to be prepared for this. The army is here, we are not afraid of anything."
Everyone claimed yes, obviously full of trust in the new army.
But what they said shocked Dorgon and Saharian.
Houjin has also been paying close attention to the peasant uprising in the northwest.
Many military operations of the Later Jin Dynasty were actually based on the internal situation of the Ming Dynasty.
This is why every time Hou Jin fought against Ming Dynasty, Ming Dynasty was stretched thin and extremely uncomfortable, and finally lost in frustration.
However, this time Dorgon and Saharian were far away in Shandong, so it was naturally impossible for them to obtain information smoothly. They did not know that new changes had occurred on the battlefield in the Central Plains.
The two of them were like ants crawling, and they wanted to rush forward and ask.
But they knew clearly that if they really took the initiative to ask questions based on their status, Zuo Mengeng would definitely learn about it.
And these Shandong people will definitely not tell them.
The two of them were thinking about each other, and their hearts were ups and downs.
In the end, Saharian couldn't help it.
"Zuo Menggeng has to attack Songjiang Mansion, guard against the northwest bandits, and beware of the Ming Dynasty. Where does he have the courage to not accept our kindness?"
Dorgon thought a lot more clearly.
"It's not that he doesn't want to accept our kindness, but he just doesn't dare. These Han people have always regarded us as barbarians. Whenever they talk about us, they will gnash their teeth and wish to break their bones and ashes. Among the Han people, whoever dares to get close to us will be punished.
Call him a traitor. This Zuo Menggeng has great ambitions and is spying on the world. He is most afraid of losing the hearts of the people. How dare he form an alliance with us? Since he can't, he can only bluff and try to deceive us."
As a wise man among the Jurchens, Saharian obviously thought very carefully.
He quietly pointed at the people around him.
"I'm afraid that Zuo Menggeng has ulterior motives and deliberately induces us."
This is not impossible.
Dorgon thought for a long time and finally made up his mind.
"Let's leave the city."
Half an hour later, the two of them arrived outside the city and stood beside the official road, just like other ordinary people, inconspicuous.
And right in front of their eyes, a mighty army came from a distance, heading west.
Eventually the canal was crossed and the construction of a military camp began on the west bank of the river.
They were all old men who were accustomed to fighting. Dorgon and Saharian could tell the strength of this army just by looking at them.
"There are tens of thousands of horses and horses, complete weapons and equipment, and the camp is impregnable and well-organized. It is obviously planned to stay here for a long time."
Dorgon smiled.
"Everything can deceive people, but not this one. It seems that Shandong is really on guard against the northwest bandits. So Zuo Menggeng's shouting about beating us and killing us must be a bluff."
Saharian was cautious enough and told the people below: "Go to the south and have a look. Be careful and don't get into trouble."
The people below took the order, took the money, and left Linqing, heading south.
Half a month later, these people came back one after another and reported everything they saw.
"Reporting to Jiu Beile, Lord Chengzheng, we also saw the Shandong New Army in the Yanzhou area. The number of soldiers and horses is only much larger than here."
Another person followed and reported.
"I heard that Xuzhou further south has mobilized an army of 30,000 to 40,000 people, but it's just too far away that we can't investigate."
There is no need for them to make another trip.
Just these two pieces of information allowed Dorgon and Saharian to make a judgment.
"Shandong will definitely not be able to attack Liaodong in the near future. The more fierce Zuo Menggeng yells, the more false it is."
Even Sahanian judged this way, let alone Dorgon.
"In this case, although we can't negotiate peace, it doesn't matter. We will not argue with him again after we have defeated Chahar and unified Mongolia."
It was rare for Sahalian to reach an agreement with Dorgon.
"Then we must return quickly so that the Great Khan can know that Chahar must be annihilated sooner rather than later."
After the two discussed it, they went to bid farewell to Zuo Mengeng.
"Commander Zuo, my great power has shaken the world, and all barbarians have surrendered. I have rejected our sincerity, and I hope you will not regret it in the future."
Zuo Mengeng sneered reservedly.
"The only way out before you is to lay down your weapons and surrender completely. Likewise, I hope you will not regret it in the future."
The two sides exchanged harsh words, and the peace talks eventually broke down.
Dorgon and Saharian thought they had spied on the situation in Shandong and did not dare to delay.
After saying goodbye, they even rejected Shandong's offer to send him off by boat. Instead, they braved the scorching heat and quickly returned to Dengzhou by land, then took a boat back to Liaodong.
It wasn't until Dorgon and Saharian left that Shandong heaved a sigh of relief.
It can be said that Shandong's strategic deception has fully achieved its effect.
One of the fundamental reasons why it is so easy is that everything Shandong does is true.
If true deception cannot deceive the enemy, then there will be no more sophisticated deception in this world.
What Dorgon and Saharian saw about the mobilization of Shandong's new army, what they heard about Shandong's attack on Songjiang Prefecture, and the news that the northwest bandits defeated the official army were all true.
And just because it was true, smart people like Dorgon and Sahalian had to fall into Shandong's strategic deception and act according to Shandong's ideas.
Because even if they were extremely smart, they would never have imagined that Shandong's strategic goal was not in front of them at all, but in the future.
Not even in the Central Plains, but in North Korea.
Faced with such a big deal, Hou Jin could only act as a knife in Shandong's hands. Just like the White Lotus Sect and the Dongjiang Town rebels, they went to open up the situation for Shandong.
A month later, the information was sent from Shenyang City.
Huang Taiji summoned the elite Eight Banners to head west, while he personally guarded Shenyang.
Houjin has begun to act as expected.
Zuo Mengeng's eyes were looking to the west.
He is waiting.
Waiting for the northwest rebel army to sweep through the Central Plains again.
And this time, it is also an opportunity for Shandong.