Chapter 13 Chapter 12 Huang Taiji enters the Central Plains, and the Qing Empire debuts!

The "Drafts of Qing History" commented on Huang Taiji in this way: "Taizong Yunwen Yunwu, internal political affairs, external crusades, military use like a god, and meritorious service. Although the great meritorious service has not been collected, the ancestors came to the throne for a year, and China and foreign countries are unified. Gai Di's scheming is far away." The author of "Drafts of Qing History" believes that some of Huang Taiji's ways of communicating with foreign countries can even be compared to ancient sages.Finally, the author ended his evaluation of Huang Taiji with a noble exclamation, saying: "Woohoo, holy!"

Looking back, among the grandiose and forty-eight "Manuscripts of Qing History", only Huang Taiji was evaluated by the word historian of later generations-sage.As for Emperor Kangxi being given the posthumous title of "Holy Ancestor" by his son, it is obviously a different matter. In the concept of the ancients, wisdom and morality that are extremely lofty and thus reached the extreme can be called "sages".This is a word second only to "God", and it cannot be used casually. We know that the "Drafts of Qing History" was compiled after the Revolution of 1911.At that time, the Qing Dynasty had been in disintegration for more than ten years, and the Chinese people were struggling to find a way to survive and become stronger in the darkness of warlord melee.The powerful royal relatives of those days were busy finding buyers to sell the treasures left by their ancestors—from mansion properties, rare calligraphy and paintings, jadeite fingers, to snuff bottles and cricket jars. A good price to spend your time bitterly.The majesty of the Eight Banners cavalry has long since disappeared, and the children of the Eight Banners have become synonymous with Gaoliang, dude, and prodigal son.Aixinjueluo, once a glorious golden caste, has now become an ominous word. The yellow belts and red belts have changed their names and surnames to avoid discrimination, hatred or coveting eyes.

At that time, the writers of the "Drafts of Qing History", even the old and the young, did not have much realistic pressure or motivation to sing unprincipled praises for a former emperor who had died for nearly 300 years, so as to protect themselves Earn the notoriety of a scumbag.From this, it can be partially known that in the late Ming and pre-Qing dynasties, Huang Taiji's deeds may be the most remarkable among all the contemporaries. Huang Taiji was born on October 25th in the 20th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (AD 1592). He was born in Feiala, the first base after Nurhachi raised his troops, and ruled near Yongling Township, Xinbin County, Liaoning Province today.Among Nurhachi's sixteen sons, Huang Taiji was the eighth.

The origin of Huang Taiji's name is still a mystery.In the Nurhachi family, many people's names are related to birds and beasts, indicating that their living conditions must be closely related to the production and living conditions of nomadic fishing and hunting.However, experts are unable to say exactly what the name Qing Huang Taiji means in the Jurchen language.Therefore, people can't help but believe that this is a name of great fortune and wealth.The Han people, the Jurchens, and the Mongols have a deep influence on each other. It is said that Taiji in Mongolian means "Taiji" in Chinese. Transliteration.As a result, a mysterious connection was established between the crown prince—Huang Taiji—and Huang Taiji.Although the academic circles do not agree with this statement, and the official history books of the Qing Dynasty also deny it, since the academic circles cannot solve such a major problem, people outside the academic circles have no choice but to regard this as God's will.For example, when talking about this topic in the "Drafts of Qing History", the expression is: When Huang Taiji succeeded to the throne, people "saltly thought that there was a will of heaven." ("Drafts of Qing History" the second chapter)

In historical records, Huang Taiji's mother was highly praised.For example, in the "Drafts of Qing History", it is believed that this Menggu Gege of the Yehe tribe is "zhuangjing intelligent", gentle and docile, and she is not complacent when she hears good words, and she can still be amiable in the face of disobedience or slander. .She doesn't like flattering words, and she doesn't get close to treacherous people. She "hears no false ears, never speaks false words", never interferes in external affairs, and only serves her husband wholeheartedly.Such a mother must have had a great influence on Huang Taiji in his childhood.

When she married Nurhachi, Menggu Gege was only fourteen years old, and Nurhachi was thirty.That year was the fifth year that Nurhachi started his army.At the time, Nurhachi may have had at least five wives.They gave birth to Huang Taiji after four years of marriage.Eleven years later, Meng Gu Gege died of a serious illness.Nurhachi showed rare grief.Weeping bitterly, he ordered the four slaves to be buried without drinking or eating meat for a month, and parked the coffin for three years before burying it.At that time, the relationship between Nurhaci and the Yehe tribe was very tense. Meng Gu, who was seriously ill, wanted to see his mother for the last time, but was rejected by her brother and the chief of the Yehe tribe.For this reason, Nurhachi, who was enraged, led his troops to attack the Yehe tribe not long after his wife died, regardless of the disparity in strength.This year, Huang Taiji was under twelve years old.

According to historical records, Nurhachi "loved Huang Taiji like a heart". ("Manchu Old Documents", Taizu Volume 3) In addition to the reason of Menggu Gege, it may have a lot to do with Huang Taiji's intelligence.It is said that Huang Taiji was very sensible when he was three or four years old, and he "never forgets what he hears, and knows it when he sees it"; when he was seven years old, Nurhachi "entrusted him with housekeeping, and he was able to appreciate it without bothering with instructions." . (Volume 1 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty") That is to say, this is a seven-year-old adult who can help take care of the family's affairs without the guidance of an adult.

The year of Huang Taiji's birth coincided with the outbreak of the Ming Dynasty's War to Resist Japanese Aggression and Aid Korea.Seven years later, the war is over.Soon, the imperial court sent Li Chengliang to guard Liaodong for the second time, which took another seven years.The past decade or so has been a critical period for Nurhachi to expand his strength.According to records, at that time, Huang Taiji's older brothers, such as Chu Ying and Dai Shan, followed Nurhachi to fight abroad all the year round, and Nurhachi handed over all the housekeeping to Huang Taiji, who was only over ten years old.

Judging from historical records, it was not a small stall.At that time, Nurhaci's family lived in the inner city of Feiala City, and they used wooden fences to form a circular compound. Among them, there were more than ten tile-roofed houses and more than thirty thatched houses ranging from one to four rooms. Among them lived many wives and concubines, children, guards, servants, clerks and other staff of Nurhachi, as well as teachers who educated their children.In addition, there are many farmlands outside the city, and a lot of property inside the city. (Shen Zhongyi's "Jianzhou Chronicle and Map Notes")

In the 31st year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty (1603 A.D.), Huang Taiji's mother passed away.It was also this year that Nurhachi moved his royal city from Feiala to Hetuala, more than ten miles away, and their family business grew even bigger.However, it is said that Huang Taiji still manages everything in an orderly manner, and is very concerned about Nurhachi.Such training and experience should not be underestimated for a teenager. An observer at the time recorded that the Jianzhou Jurchen in Nurhachi loved shooting and hunting.Whenever large-scale hunting, people bring fried noodles, mixed with water to satisfy their hunger, eat and sleep in the open, and do not feel bitter; horses are also very able to endure hunger and fatigue, and can gallop day and night with only a small amount of aquatic plants; women gallop and hunt as much as men, Children in their teens can also chase with bows and arrows and fight fiercely. (Li Minyu's "Jianzhou Wenjianlu") Many years later, Huang Taiji once recalled: "When I was young, when I heard that I was going to go hunting, everyone was jubilant. I tuned the eagle and kicked the ball in advance. If I didn't let go, I cried and asked Taizu Approved." ("Manchu Old Archives" Taizong Chongde 23) This situation may be part of the reason why Huang Taiji's martial arts was outstanding when he was an adult.More than one historical record records that during the expedition to Lindan Khan in the Chahar tribe of Mongolia, there was a lack of food on the way, and Huang Taiji and the entire army shot and hunted for a living.He alone hunted fifty-eight gazelles at a time, among them, many of them pierced through two gazelles with one arrow, which shows his martial arts supernatural power. (Wang Xianqian's "Donghualu" in May of the sixth year of Tiancong) It is said that the bow and arrow used by Huang Taiji was stored in Shisheng Temple in Shenyang. (Volume 1 of Ruan Kuisheng's Talking After Tea)

Huang Taiji was taller and taller than his father, Nurhachi, and became very fat after middle age, weighing about two hundred and fifty catties.Coupled with the heavy armor, it is difficult for ordinary war horses to bear this huge weight.He has two beloved war horses named Dabai and Xiaobai.After Huang Taiji died, there were two stone-carved steeds in front of his tomb, which are said to have been carved in the images of Dabai and Xiaobai.The emperor's beloved war horse should be the most handsome.However, among these two horses, one of them, Huang Taiji, can only ride fifty miles a day, and the other can only carry him a hundred miles a day. Huang Taiji may belong to that kind of hot pure yang constitution.In the fourth year of Tiancong, it was November, and it was the season when the rocks in the Northeast were frozen and cracked. Huang Taiji led the Manchu, Mongolian, and Han officers and soldiers to hold a large-scale hunt.At that time, almost everyone was shivering in the cold wind; only Huang Taiji, wearing only a small narrow hat with no sleeves in his hands, galloped his horse as if he didn't know the cold at all, which caused the surprise and admiration of the people around him. (Volume 7 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty") Taizong's "Drafts of Qing History" describes at the beginning of the chapter: "Huang Taiji's face is like Wodan, and he is not afraid of severe cold." That is to say, he is not afraid of severe cold, and his face is as red as if painted red. And shiny.From the perspective of modern medicine, this sign is not a good phenomenon.Tall and fat, coupled with a red complexion, is basically a sign of plethora and high blood pressure.In fact, in his later years, Huang Taiji had severe epistaxis, frequent nosebleeds, dizziness, and died suddenly at work, which may be caused by intracranial hemorrhage and cerebral hemorrhage caused by high blood pressure. In various historical records, there are many records of Huang Taiji's military activities. He started to lead troops to fight when he was about twenty years old.In the 40th year of Wanli in Ming Dynasty (AD 1612), Nurhaci conquered the Ula tribe among the four tribes in Haixi, and Huang Taiji was one of the leading generals.In his early military career, the most outstanding performance should be regarded as the battle of outwitting Fushun Pass. Fushun Pass is an important gateway from Jianzhou Jurchen to the heartland of Eastern Liaodong of the Ming Empire, and it is also one of the commodity distribution centers in Eastern Liaodong.In the forty-sixth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty and the third year of Tianming in the Later Jin Dynasty (1618 AD), at the birthday banquet celebrating Nurhachi's 60th birthday, Nurhachi officially expressed his determination to go to war against Ming Dynasty.During the banquet, the big and small Baylor offered wine to Nurhachi to celebrate his birthday, while discussing where to start.There are different opinions, and it seems that there is no way to get in.Huang Taiji believes that Fushun Pass is the gateway to Jianzhou, and this place must be taken first.He suggested that when the horse market is open in spring, send troops disguised as horse merchants to enter the city for trade, and then lead 5,000 soldiers and horses to march to the city at night.This is the first battle between Hou Jin and Ming as enemies, and its significance is self-evident.Nurhachi adopted Huang Taiji's plan.As a result, all subsequent developments were almost as expected by Huang Taiji. In the era of cold weapons, in a rising fishing and hunting tribal country like Jianzhou Jurchen, if there is no outstanding military achievement, it is very unlikely to become a leader and become a leader.In many historical books, we can read many records of Huang Taiji "foreseeing the enemy to win, using soldiers like a god". It should be said that this kind of evaluation is not an exaggerated praise.As a matter of fact, not only was he attacking his wits, but Huang Taiji's bravery and strength, and his bravery to take the lead and charge into battle was also quite eye-catching.So much so that later Nurhachi worried that he would have an accident in the battle and prevented him from rushing to the battlefield.And Huang Taiji himself soon became one of Nurhachi's most important generals. The Shenyang offensive and defensive battle is known as the "first bloody battle" since the start of the Liaodong War, and the two sides fought extremely fiercely.During the fierce battle, the firing frequency of the cannons of the Ming army was too high, which caused the barrel to overheat, so that the guns could not be fired immediately after charging.The Hou Jin army also suffered heavy casualties, "but then returned to the front, if so three times"-after retreating again and again, they rushed up again.In the end, on the bank of the Hun River, a general of the Later Jin Army did not dare to fight any more in the face of the outnumbered Ming Army, and fled backwards.Huang Taiji immediately led the cavalry to charge head-on. As a result, the Ming army, which had an absolute superiority in strength, was crushed to the point that it was out of control.It has been mentioned more than once in the history books that Huang Taiji led his troops into the battlefield at critical moments when the battlefield situation was critical several times, thus turning the tide of the battle. In the defense of Ningjin, facing Yuan Chonghuan's strategy of "strengthening the city and using cannons", Huang Taiji was helpless, commanded an extremely useless battle, and encountered a lot of embarrassment.In addition, in the more than 30 years of military career, we can hardly find other military mistakes or failures of Huang Taiji in historical records. From various historical materials and records, we will notice a striking phenomenon: Huang Taiji speaks very plainly.Described in today's language, it means that he pays more attention to presenting facts and reasoning, and rarely whitewashes and exaggerates and puts on airs.A particularly glaring comparison is: there are almost too many such things in the official documents of the Ming Dynasty at the same time, and it can be said that they can be found everywhere.In the last decisive battle between the Ming and Qing Dynasties - the Battle of Songjin, Hong Chengchou commanded an army of 130,000, steady and prudent, and the frontline Qing army suffered consecutive defeats, and the situation was critical.In view of the huge strength of the Ming army, the senior generals under Huang Taiji's command repeatedly advised him to slow down.Huang Taiji smiled and said: "I'm only worried that they will run away when they hear that I'm coming. If they don't run away, I will destroy it." Uncomfortable, no matter how you look at it, it seems a bit boastful.What happened later proved that Huang Taiji was not bragging. Among the contemporaries, it is said that Huang Taiji's military talent is far superior to others, which is generally in line with the actual situation.At that time, there were two observers of North Korea, one believed that Daishan was just an "ordinary mediocre ear"; Absolutely brave." (Li Mincheng's "Jianzhou Wenjianlu") Their observations will not be unreasonable. In the fight of iron and blood, defeating opponents again and again is the way for ancient and modern Chinese and foreign heroes to make achievements. For this reason, they often form great prestige among the people.This is a human tragedy, but it is also a human reality.Therefore, understanding that Huang Taiji was elected by the audience to inherit the position of Hou Jinhan as a logical consequence of such a heroic performance does not seem to be farther from the truth than those "conspiracy theories" on this issue.As Mr. Lu Xun said: tricking ghosts is also effective, but limited; there has never been anyone who has achieved great things with this method since ancient times.If these words of the gentleman are applied to Huang Taiji, they seem to be quite appropriate.After carefully reviewing historical materials, we can hardly find any slightly stronger evidence that it is enough to prove that Huang Taiji took the Khan position through conspiracy.Even before and after the Revolution of 1911, sentiments against Manchuria and Manchuria were at an all-time high, and such speculations were rarely seen.This is somewhat comforting.Think about it, most historians today tend to agree with this view: the reason why Dorgon was able to occupy the Central Plains and establish a stable rule of the Qing Empire was the foundation laid by Huang Taiji during his seventeen-year ruling career. .That is to say, the "Drafts of Qing History" quoted at the beginning of this chapter: "Gaidi's scheming is far away." If Huang Taiji achieved such a great achievement by relying on cunning and cunning, wouldn't it make people's eyes dark? In fact, the issue of Huang Taiji's personal and political character has already been involved here. The Jurchen's fishing and hunting customs involved the fundamental economic interests related to survival, so there were very strict taboos.This kind of taboo is similar to military discipline or law, simple, strict and efficient.Many books have mentioned that when the Jurchens shoot and hunt, it is very similar to marching and fighting. The arrow master elected by everyone—Niu Lu'erzhen has absolute authority, and can even execute tribe members who violate the hunting discipline.In their hunting discipline, they must obey the command of Niulu Ezhen, they are not allowed to talk or move, they are not allowed to leave the designated position without authorization, they are not allowed to break the fence, they are not allowed to trample on the farmland, they are not allowed to cut down forests, and they are not allowed to shoot others. The prey you kill is your own, and you are not allowed to deliberately give up the wild animals you shoot to others, etc. Those who violate these disciplines may have to pay a serious price, which goes far beyond discredit.This custom is obviously very helpful in cultivating a person's sense of discipline, devotion to duty, cooperation, and honesty.From this, a little bit of association can be found, here, what is cultivated is basically an excellent fighter.Two hundred years later, the Opium War opened the door to China, and since then, the westerly wind has flourished.It is reported that when Westerners are going to do business in the Qing Dynasty, the predecessors who have been there will advise them: After arriving in China, it is best to associate with the Manchus.Because, in comparison, they are more honest and trustworthy. In the twelfth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty and in August in the fourth year of Chongde in the Qing Dynasty (1639 A.D.), Huang Taiji, who had already entered his later years, recalled the past with his courtiers with emotion: "I followed Taizu to hunt since I was a child. The wild animals hunted by others are my own; the trophies of the victories in the army, I have never left anything privately for my own pockets. It is because of my integrity that I can gain the favor of heaven." ("Records of Emperor Taizong of Qing Dynasty") "Volume 48) If in the long years of more than ten years, Huang Taiji deliberately committed those deeds of murdering his brother, killing his mother, and seizing his brother's power, and now he said something like this, then he would be the number one villain in history; The people who elected him to the position of Empress Jinhan a few years ago, supported him to sit on the throne of the Qing Dynasty ten years later, and praised him with "sacredness" more than two hundred years later are a group of out-and-out idiots. Common sense tells us that this may not be true. "Drafts of Qing History" wrote when introducing Huang Taiji's hobbies: Huang Taiji "is sexually addicted to classics, and I am tired of reading them."That is to say, this person likes to read very much besides frequent battles and fights. He often indulges in ancient and modern classics, discussing and reading tirelessly.It can be seen from the recorded records that Huang Taiji often uses the past to discuss the present, and can accurately quote the examples recorded in ancient Chinese classics.For example, he likes to educate those Baylors with the stories of famous ancient generals who love soldiers like sons. For the general who sucked sores for soldiers in the Warring States Period, and for the general in the Han Dynasty who refused to enjoy fine wine to himself in hardships, he poured them out. Huang Taiji seems to be particularly fond of talking about the stories he shared with the soldiers when he went into the river. (Volume 8 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty"; "Manchu Old Documents" Taizong Tiancong 23) In the historical records about Huang Taiji, there may be nearly a hundred places where it is mentioned that he studied history and talked about history.It can be seen from it that he covers a wide range of Chinese history, from the ancient Tang Yao, Yushun, to Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, and he often has wonderful and pertinent insights, which are rare among all the emperors in the history of our country. .More than 300 years ago, he once pointed out very pertinently: Chinese history books have too many whitewashing words, and these exaggerations are really of no benefit. (Volume 23 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty") This situation may partially explain why Huang Taiji was praised as "holy" by later generations of historians. When he became Queen Khan, once he walked into the library and saw an official working at his desk, so he asked him what he was doing.The official replied: I am sorting out the records of King Khan.Huang Taiji immediately said: "This is the work of a historian, I am not suitable to watch it." Then he withdrew according to the regulations. ("Records of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty" Volume 8) At that time, Chinese characters and Chinese were a real foreign language and heterogeneous culture for Huang Taiji, and the translation industry was far less developed than it is today.It's no wonder that later generations of historians believe that Huang Taiji is a "smart and wise" person. ("Drafts of Qing History" Taizong Benji 1) Such all-round talents in civil and military affairs, if not unique, at least not very common among the Baylor masters at that time.This kind of situation may make Huang Taiji feel good about himself, so he is a little arrogant and unlovable.Or it may be because he likes to read, he looks like a spring and snow, high-spirited, especially when he stands with rough warriors like Amin, Mang Gurtai, and Azig, he must have the effect of standing out from the crowd. Once, Nurhachi said a long passage, admonishing Huang Taiji: You are a sage, you should do everything properly, treat others leniently, and let your brothers develop a heart of respect and love.But you keep yourselves alone and indulge your brothers to do whatever they want, this is very wrong.Do you want to be sweaty?When you retire from court, send your elder brothers off first, and then your elder brothers’ children will definitely repay you and send you home.Now, if you don't send your brother off, but your brother's child will send you off, you will silently accept it.Is it wise to act like this?For this reason, your brother Degelei, Jierhalang, nephew Yuetuo and others have already caused dissatisfaction, saying that you have done too much.Although this is slander, it cannot be said that you are wise.Nurhachi said very emotionally: "You are the son of my first wife, and I love you very much, but you can't be self-important because of this. How ignorant you are to think like this." According to historical records, the place of emotion, Nurhachi burst into tears. ("Manchu Old Documents" Taizu Volume 54) This matter does not seem to be a big deal, but a lot of information revealed in it is quite intriguing. This incident happened in June of the third year of Great Ming Qi and the eighth year of Hou Jin Tianming (AD 1623).Three years later, Nurhachi died, and Huang Taiji was elected by everyone to succeed him.Among the recommenders, the Yuetuo brothers performed the best.Judging from the historical records, Jierhalang, Yuetuo, and Sahalian are both civil and military, and capable of fighting well. They belong to the category of senior generals most trusted by Huang Taiji, and they will be entrusted with important tasks many times in the years to come.I don't know whether it was Huang Taiji who corrected his excessive behavior, or whether they had a good understanding and sought each other. Before Huang Taiji inherited the Khan throne, the situation was roughly the same.He became the queen of Khan, and the situation became extremely complicated, especially in the relationship between Huang Taiji and the four major Baylors of Daishan, Amin, and Manggurtai. According to the system of the Eight Great Baylors co-administering state affairs, after Huang Taiji ascended the Khan throne, there is no difference between emperors and ministers from other Heshuo Baylors. In theory, their identities are equal and coexist equally. During such gatherings and important ceremonies, the four Baylors sit side by side and accept everyone's worship together.During the New Year's Day Ceremony, Huang Taiji would also lead his brothers and nephews to pay respects to Daishan, Amin, and Mang Gurtai.Evidence shows that for quite a long period of time, under this institutional principle, a balanced situation has generally been maintained.With the development of the situation, Huang Taiji's authority became stronger and stronger, and finally, the balance was finally broken. The chain was first broken on Erbeile Amin.The incident happened in the fourth year after Huang Taiji succeeded to the throne as Khan. A Min is Huang Taiji's cousin.After Nurhachi killed his younger brother Shuerhaqi, he let Amin inherit most of the inheritance left by his father Shuerhaqi.Therefore, Amin wholeheartedly followed Nurhachi to conquer the east and west, and made a lot of military exploits. He has always been one of Nurhachi's most important generals.Probably belonged to the kind of fierce, not afraid of death, very capable of fighting, but also very rough and violent. He was very happy about the issue of electing Huang Taiji.Unexpectedly, not long after Huang Taiji succeeded to the throne, this Amin asked Huang Taiji to allow him to "reside in a foreign domain", intending to form his own country, but Huang Taiji flatly refused.As a result, Huang Taiji became dissatisfied with Amin. (Wang Xianqian's "Donghualu" in August of the fourth year of Chongde) When Huang Taiji led his army to harass Beijing for the first time, he may have the intention of opening up the road to Shanhaiguan in the opposite direction. Therefore, after conquering the four cities of Yongping, Luanzhou, Qian'an, and Zunhua, he ordered Amin, who stayed in Shenyang, to lead the way. The soldiers went to garrison.At that time, Huang Taiji resettled the officials and people who surrendered in these cities, and strictly restrained the kings Baylor, and did not allow them to be harmed, so as to expand the political influence in the Han area in the pass. Violators will be severely punished. Unexpectedly, Amin didn't care at all.As soon as he arrived in Yongping, he said to his subordinates: "Since the city has been captured, why don't you slaughter its people? Now that I'm here, I won't let you go back empty-handed." At that time, Sun Chengzong led the Ming army to launch a major counterattack. At this time, this guy neither organized resistance nor supported neighboring troops, but ordered the massacre of all the Han officials who had surrendered, as well as the civilians in Yongping (now Lulong County, Hebei Province) and Qian'an. , Looted all the belongings, and then ran back to Shenyang. This bloody massacre had serious political consequences.Since then, the soldiers and civilians in Dalinghe, Jinzhou and other places would rather die in battle or starve than surrender, which is directly related to the massacre. After Huang Taiji received the military report of the Ming army's counterattack, he immediately dispatched troops to help.Afterwards, news came that Amin had abandoned the city and fled back.The emperor was greatly shocked, and ordered Amin to be stationed fifteen miles outside the city, not allowed to enter Shenyang City, and asked why. Three days later, on June 7, the third year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty and the fourth year of Tiancong in Later Jin Dynasty (1630 A.D.), Huang Taiji summoned all the ministers of Baylor and announced Amin's sixteen major crimes in one breath.In all fairness, this fellow A Min did have his own way of taking death, and the taste of self-inflicted guilt is very strong, and he is not worthy of sympathy.After Yongping massacred the city and abandoned it, some sources said that there was a sound of blood flowing in the city, and that Amin deserved death.Those other crimes also obviously deviated from the oath he personally made when he elected Huang Taiji to succeed him.Therefore, after careful consideration, although there are suspicions of intentional crimes, for example, there are as many as eleven charges accusing Amin of belittling Huang Taiji and having misconduct, which is hard to be completely convinced, but after all, it is not Create something out of nothing.Huang Taiji asked everyone to discuss the solution collectively, and everyone agreed that Amin should be executed.Finally, Huang Taiji ordered him to be confined. (Volume 7 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty") Ten years later, that is, the thirteenth year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty and the fifth year of Chongde in Qing Dynasty, Amin died in confinement. Next, it was Mangurtai's turn. Sanbeile Mang Gurtai is the fifth elder brother of Huang Taiji. Among Nurhaci's many nephews, his ability to become one of the four beiles is obviously related to his bravery and illustrious military exploits.Mang Gurtai fought side by side with Huang Taiji very early on, and the relationship between the two may have been very close at one time.The two turned against each other in the second year of Amin's confinement. On August 12th in the fourth year of Chongzhen in Ming Dynasty and the fifth year of Tiancong in Later Jin Dynasty (1631 AD), Huang Taiji led his army to besiege Dalinghe City.The next day, Mang Gurtai approached Huang Taiji and demanded to return to him the elite soldiers who had been dispatched under his banner.Huang Taiji said: "I heard that your subordinates always make mistakes whenever they are assigned." Mang Gurtai said: "Whenever there is an assignment, my subordinates always have twice the number of others. ?" Huang Taiji said angrily: "If it is true, it is a false accusation, and I will pursue it strictly; if the revelation is true, the offender must be brought to justice." After speaking, Huang Taiji blushed and prepared to mount his horse and leave.Mang Gurtai was in a hurry, and said: "The emperor should explain clearly with a public heart, why do you always have trouble with me? Because you are the emperor, I follow you in everything, but you are so dissatisfied! Are you trying to kill me? "While speaking, he held the handle of the knife at his waist and stared at Huang Taiji.Seeing this, Mangurtai's younger brother De Gelei punched Mangurtai and scolded: "You are treasonous." Dare to hit me!" As he spoke, he pulled out the saber half a foot, and De Gelei quickly pushed him aside. After returning to the tent, Huang Taiji scolded General Zhubeile: "He is just a guy who kills his mother and invites his favor. How could he despise me to this extent?" Then he scolded the imperial guards: "What's the use of raising you? Look at him Draw your swords, why don't you step forward to protect them?" (Volume 12 of "Records of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty") After the Battle of Dalinghe, in October of that year, all the Baylors agreed that Mang Gurtai's "big disrespect" of "showing his sword in front of the imperial court" would remove him from the title of Dabaile, downgrade him to Dorobeile, and fine him 10,000 taels of silver. , Win five bull records.Mangurtai also said afterwards that he was drinking too much at the time, so he couldn't control himself.In the second year, Manggurtai participated in the battle against the Chahar tribe of Mongolia and the raids against Datong and Xuanhua. In December, he died inexplicably. According to historical records, Huang Taiji attended Mang Gurtai's funeral and did not come back until midnight. Then, he set up a mourning hall at the middle gate and cried a lot. (Biography 4 of "Drafts of Qing History", Zhu Wang 3) Three years later, one month after the death of Mang Gurtai's younger brother De Gelei, someone reported that the three brothers and sisters of Mang Gurtai conspired to endanger Huang Taiji.When ransacking the house, sixteen plaques engraved with the words "Emperor of the Great Jin Kingdom" were found, and the titles were deprived. Mangurtai's younger sister and one son were executed, and six sons were reduced to common people. The population and property were confiscated into the officials.The Zhenglan Banner to which Mang Gurtai belonged was taken over by Huang Taiji himself.Finally, the so-called upper three banners of Zhenghuang, Bordered Yellow and Zhenglan were formed. Now, among the four great Baylors, apart from Huang Taiji, there is only one Big Baylor Daishan left. When Huang Taiji inherited the throne of Khan, Dai Shan recommended him the most.At that time, Nurhachi's generation had basically passed away, and Daishan was the living person with the longest age, the highest seniority, and the most outstanding qualifications and military achievements. The heart is the balancer and stabilizer in the decision-makers of the Later Jin Dynasty and even the Qing Dynasty.It may be related to what happened to his mother Tong Jiashi and his elder brother Chu Ying. Daishan behaved modestly and mediocrely, without showing the pattern and courage of a leader.We can't say for sure why Daishan voluntarily withdrew from the Khan position competition and turned to fully support Huang Taiji.Self-aware?For the ambiguous rumors with the concubine six years ago?Taking care of the overall situation?Is Huang Taiji what everyone expects?We don't know.It may be inferred from Daishan's behavior and character throughout his life that it may be due to the combined effects of the above factors. Generally speaking, the relationship between Huang Taiji and Daishan is not bad. There is more unity and less struggle. Even if there is a struggle, it never involves fundamental interests.For example, when Mang Gurtai and Huang Taiji quarreled, it was obvious that Huang Taiji was at fault, but Dai Shan still angrily scolded Mang Gurtai: "It's so rebellious, it's better to die!" (Wang Xianqian's "Donghualu", December of the fifth year of Tiancong) and later offered not to sit side by side with Huang Taiji, so that Huang Taiji successfully realized "sit alone in the south". ("Manchu Old Documents", Taizong Tiancong forty-five) In the ninth year of Tiancong, Dorgon went on an expedition to Chahar and obtained the Jade Seal of Chuanguo, which made the later Jin people think that this was the destiny, and their morale was greatly boosted.Everyone imitated the practice of electing Huang Taiji to inherit the Khan throne, and swore to support Huang Taiji as the emperor.Huang Taiji instructed that because Da BeiLe was old, he could be exempted from taking the oath.Dai Shan disagreed, and took the initiative to ask and finally took the lead in swearing in front of everyone that he would support Huang Taiji as the emperor, saying that if he had evil intentions like Mang Gurtai and De Gelei, the world would not be tolerated and he would suffer disaster and die. ("Chinese Translation "Manchu Old File"") In this way, Daishan was generally treated and respected by Huang Taiji.However, some friction between the two is also very interesting and quite meaningful.In Daishan, he would do things that made Huang Taiji uncomfortable from time to time to show his existence; in Huang Taiji, as his authority grew stronger, he would show his interests to Dai Shan from time to time, even without any false words. The most serious conflict between the two occurred in the ninth year of Tiancong, which was caused by Huang Taiji's sister. According to Huang Taiji, his elder sister, Princess Hada, has a bad temper and is especially fond of slandering behind her back. She probably belongs to the category of shrews with long tongues.Therefore, it may be that the relationship between the siblings has been bad since the Nurhachi era.In September of this year, Huang Taiji led everyone to welcome Dorgon's triumphant expedition to Chahar.On the way back to Shenyang, Princess Hada and Huang Taiji had an unhappiness, so they left in a fit of anger.When passing by Daishan's camp, Daishan asked his wife to welcome the princess into the tent, hold a feast for her, and present money and silk gifts.When Huang Taiji found out, he was furious. Apart from sending someone to question him, he didn't know anyone. He returned to Shenyang alone, and closed the palace gate, not allowing anyone to see him. A few days later, Huang Taiji summoned all the ministers and guards of Baylor to reprimand Daishan face to face.He talked at length, talked painfully about his family history, and poured out his grievances and grievances with Daishan for decades.He angrily asked Daishan: Why did he have a bad relationship with Princess Hada in the past, but now he sees Princess Hada making trouble with him, so he treats Princess Hada like this?What are your intentions?Then, he denounced the other Zhu Baylors by name one by one.Finally, he said angrily: You are so rebellious!I will live in Dumen, and you can elect another strong man as the king.It is enough for me to live by myself.Afterwards, he returned to the palace angrily, closed the palace gate and never showed up again. 最后，心惊肉跳的诸贝勒大臣会同六部官员公审代善，拟定革大贝勒名号，削和硕贝勒职，夺十牛录，罚雕鞍马十匹，甲胄十副，银万两，并拟定处罚他的儿子萨哈廉。然后，所有人等一齐来到朝门前，跪请皇太极出宫视政。 皇太极挣足了面子，遂下令宽免代善、萨哈廉，罚款了事。（《清太宗实录》，天聪九年九月壬申） 有趣的是，这件事情过后不久，代善、萨哈廉就成为拥戴皇太极上皇帝尊号最为积极的人物。皇太极也在登上帝位之后，封代善为“和硕兄礼亲王”，成为皇帝之下的第一亲王。更加有趣的是，一年后，代善又做了一件更加意味深长的事儿。 皇太极即位后，曾经作出一项规定，限制诸王贝勒的侍卫人数。代善可能不太高兴，有一天，他不带侍卫，自己牵着马，腋下夹着褥垫去见皇太极，显然是故意做给皇太极看。后来，皇太极称帝的第二年，代善违反规定，为自己多配备了十二名侍卫，并对有关部门负责人说，皇太极的护卫也超过了定额。这件事逼得皇太极当众对证，最后，证实其侍卫人数不但没有超额，反而还不够定额。（《清太宗实录》卷三十七）我们知道，皇太极前后执政十七年。这件小事的意味深长之处在于：在皇太极继承汗位十年、登基做皇帝两年之后，代善仍然敢于和他攀比，并不将他看成是可以为所欲为、至高无上的皇帝。 崇德四年底，皇太极携众人前往叶赫地区打猎。代善马失前蹄，伤了脚。皇太极跳下马，亲自为他裹伤、给他敬酒，并且流着泪责备他：“大哥年纪大了，我再三劝你不要驰马，大哥为什么这么不善自珍重？”随即罢猎而还，并命代善坐轿缓行，一直护卫到家。（《清太宗实录》卷四十九） 三年后，皇太极死。代善为防止内乱，拥戴皇太极六岁的儿子福临继位，并可能亲自出面，断送了自己策划拥立多尔衮的一子一孙的性命。就这样，他成了大清帝国前期最受人尊敬的安全阀，并在威望崇高、地位尊荣之中，平平安安地度过了一生。虽然他可能时时感受到不那么令人愉快的深深的悒郁。 从这些事迹中可以看出，代善显然不是一个庸懦无能的人。在他的行事中，甚至能够令人部分地体味出，人口满打满算不到一百万的女真人，怎么就能够取代大明，在人口上亿的中华帝国，建立了最后一个王朝？ ! 严厉执法从而赏罚严明，是皇太极执政岁月里十分引人瞩目的特点。 除了上述发生在三大贝勒身上的故事，皇太极手下几乎所有著名的王公贝勒、高级将领都曾经受到过严厉的处罚。代善、阿敏、莽古尔泰、岳托、多尔衮、阿济格、多铎、杜度、萨哈廉、阿巴泰、德格类、硕托还有皇太极自己的亲生儿子豪格等。似乎只有阿敏的弟弟济尔哈朗是唯一的例外。同时，这些人也因为各种功劳而得到过崇高的奖励、荣誉与地位。 崇德二年，在进行第二次征服朝鲜的战争总结时，皇太极认为：“诸王以下，诸将以上，多违法妄行，命法司分别议罪。”刑部审议后，认定自礼亲王代善以下共计六十四人犯有不同程度的罪过，分别判处二十四人死刑，十三人撤职，五人鞭刑，二十二人罚款处分。其中，有皇太极的儿子、哥哥、弟弟、侄子、额驸（即驸马），皇亲国戚占四分之一左右，将官一级占三分之一。最后，从代善开始，这些人分别受到了处罚。据说，这帮家伙全部心悦诚服。（《清太宗实录》卷三十六）仅此一项，与中国历史上所有最伟大的帝王相比，都毫不逊色，甚至出类拔萃了许多。 在皇太极身上，曾经发生过几件小事儿：一天，皇太极出宫时无意中违背了礼仪规定，按照制度，需要接受罚羊的处分。有关部门将此事通过皇太极身边的工作人员告诉了皇太极。他立即认错，并将所罚羊只送往该部门。就在这一次，针对法治废弛、有法不依，他说了一句堪称千古经典的话：“朕若废法，谁复奉法？”（王先谦《东华录》，天聪五年二月） 天聪四年十一月，正值禽兽最为肥美准备度过漫长冬季的时节，皇太极率众进行大规模秋冬围猎。两员高级将领追逐一只被射中的狍子，然后，说是皇太极所射中的，将猎物贡献了上去。皇太极说，这不是我射的，我严禁别人强取他人财物，我也不取不是自己的东西。遂将狍子还给了射出那支箭矢的人。 有一天，莽古尔泰的奴仆强夺一个士兵猎获的鹿和野猪。皇太极知道后，叹息道：“大凡出兵行猎不错不乱，事业才能成功。一个小卒人困马乏又能得到多少东西？如此妄行，下面的人怎么活？”莽古尔泰遂将鹿退还原主，却把野猪留下给了皇太极。皇太极说：“这不是让我犯错误吗？凡事不要以为小，最怕积小成大呵。”据说，莽古尔泰很羞愧，把野猪也还回去了。（王先谦《东华录》，天聪四年十一月）从许多类似的记载中，大体可以知道，皇太极是一个能够设身处地为下属着想的上司。 为了推行重用汉官、调和民族矛盾的政策，皇太极采取了极其严厉的措施，他将肆意骚扰汉族官民，视同企图作乱的罪魁祸首，以连同妻子一起杀死相威胁，以此强力制止女真王公贝勒荼毒归顺或投降的汉人。（王先谦《东华录》，天聪七年六月）为此，他甚至说出了准备辞职的话，从而导致努尔哈赤之后，后金政权局势的全面迅速好转，以至于许多辽东汉人认为：后金是可以安居乐业的乐土。（《清太宗实录》卷二十三） 皇太极特别注重研讨辽、金、元三朝历史，部分原因是为后金政权寻找历史和法理上的合法性。为此，他多次特意指出：这些朝代都是“夷”民族在中国境内建立的政权。言外之意是：属于哪个民族并不重要，重要的是对人民是否有恩德。这样的见解，就是放在今天也应是足够精彩。还有另外部分原因是，皇太极显然在寻找并汲取上述少数民族政权兴衰治乱的经验教训。 从民族学和文化人类学的角度讲，相对于中原农耕文明地区的汉族文化而言，契丹、女真、蒙古文化属于一种截然不同的游牧渔猎文明的异质文化。世界文化发展史表明：在两种文化剧烈碰撞、融合的过程中，不同文化之间的优质或精华部分相互结合后，会孕育出更加灿烂饱满的文明花朵和果实。同时，另外一种情形也不在少数，即不同文化中劣质或糟粕部分同样具有异性相吸的强大力量，从而，催生出千奇百怪的恶之花，结出足以令人目瞪口呆的丑陋怪胎。这种情形，在人类发展史上屡见不鲜。历史事实表明，辽、金、元三个政权，在其建立之初，全部具有似乎可以无敌于天下的力量。然而，在吸纳了汉族政治文化传统之后，这三个曾经生机勃勃的政权，大体都迅速衰变，其堕落的速度惊人，其腐败的花样百出，其朽烂的深重程度，全都远远超出了人们的意料。 有证据表明，在皇太极执政之初，这种情形已经在后金政权高层初露端倪。 努尔哈赤刚刚死去的服丧期间，据说代善和皇太极十分悲恸，在家素衣素食哀悼乃父；莽古尔泰兄弟和妹妹则将歌舞伎召到家里，大排盛宴，欢歌燕舞，不知是否与努尔哈赤逼死他们的母亲有关。 有一次多尔衮出征，按照惯例，皇太极率领诸贝勒大臣出城送行。多尔衮的亲弟弟多铎以避天花为名，实则很快乐地躲在家里和妓女们厮混。当时，他身着优伶服装，学习“傅粉”之态。（王先谦《东华录》，崇德四年五月）其情形，大约就是涂脂抹粉，男身女态吧。 战争中，前线军帐里甚至出现过召歌舞伎和优伶吹弹歌舞之事。（《清太宗实录》卷六十一） 翻检史书，这种情形和元朝末期“以肉阵为军阵，以酒令为军令”已经相去不远。 这种情形，可能是皇太极吸取历史经验，以霹雳手段严明执法的重要原因。平心而论，若没有他的努力，他的后继者想要入主中原，恐怕远远没有那么容易。 在皇太极的诸多作为中，肯定还有一个动机也在发挥着重大作用，那就是尽可能削弱其他大小贝勒的权势、地位与影响，将权力最大限度集中到自己手上，从而形成至高无上的地位。这种动机的形成，大体与下列因素有关：努尔哈赤在世时威厉暴烈、一言九鼎的影响；后金政权整体形势的发展；建功立业的冲动；威权日重后的心理膨胀；还有一个绝非不重要的因素，即汉族官员们极力、大量的怂恿。 这个话题敏感而令人颇费踌躇，但却很可能是事实。皇太极继位之后，立即开始重用汉族官员，并通过各种方式大量选拔汉族儒生进入政府机构。他们对于后金政权的国家管理、缓解内部民族矛盾肯定发挥了不小的作用。同时，翻检史料也会很容易发现，这些汉官发表了数量不小的言论，核心思想在于抨击八大贝勒共治国政制度，反对四大贝勒并肩而坐，要求皇太极独坐称尊。这些汉族官员大声疾呼，为皇太极“虽有一汗之虚名，实则无异于一旗之贝勒”的情形鸣不平，对这种状况表现出了真诚的痛心疾首，并且断言，凭借八旗铁骑，即便拿下中原，也必将在数年之内错乱不已，终至不可收拾。（《天聪朝臣工奏议》卷上；胡贡明《五进狂瞽奏》）结论则是不言自明：仿效明朝“君权至上”的集权制度，对后金政权进行改革。 这种表面慷慨激昂实则其媚入骨的取媚之术，实在是太能搔到皇太极的痒处了。受过近两千年历史的帝制、儒家思想训练和朱元璋强化培训的汉族官员与知识分子，在此方面的才能早已臻于化境，其解语花一般的善解人意，已经锤炼得登峰造极、炉火纯青，无往而不胜、无坚而不摧。揣度皇太极听到这些言论时的心境，应该是高兴得想翻跟头才对。 为此，皇太极采取大量措施贯彻这一意图：继位伊始，皇太极沿袭旧制，仍然在八旗设置八位总管大臣，但扩大了他们的权限，规定，“凡议国政，与诸王贝勒偕坐共议之”。（王先谦《东华录》，天命十一年九月）同时，增设十六位佐管大臣、十六位调遣大臣。两年后，以不愿三大兄长贝勒过于操劳的名义，取消了四大贝勒按月轮值掌理国政的制度，改由诸小贝勒代理。（《清太宗实录》卷五）同时，实行科举考试，大量选拔汉族儒生士大夫进入政府各部门。再过三年，完全仿照明朝制度，设立六部，制定各种仪仗礼仪，取消四大贝勒并肩而坐之制，并在住房、行路、仪仗等方面突出了皇权高于一切的特征；设置蒙古八旗和汉军八旗，等等。这些措施，可以理解成适应了形势的发展，可以理解成完善了国家管理制度，可以理解成实现了政府机构正规化，等等。 同时，这些举措也和修理三大贝勒一样，实实在在地达到了“君权至上”的目的。 此时，大明帝国已经烂到了骨头里，皇太极和汉官们所要仿效的却是那朽烂的制度。他们明明身体在向前走，头却偏偏扭到背后去寻找方向。此种状况，只能说明一个问题：他们政治思维的发育已经停止，他们的头脑已经凝固，滋养心灵的政治智慧资源已经枯竭。 到天聪十年四月，皇太极登基称帝，改国号为大清，改年号为崇德。就此，努尔哈赤于天命七年三月规定并实施了十余年的八和硕贝勒共“治”国政制度——那具有浓厚贵族共和色彩，酷似上议院的制度，变成了和硕贝勒共“议”国政制度，变成了真正的附庸和婢女。大清朝由此进入了帝权独尊时代。从此，就应该称呼其为大清帝国了。从那时起，注定了皇太极没有能够超越升华于他的时代，注定了他无法在中国历史上占据更加崇高而伟大的地位，而大清朝只能作为中华帝国垂死前最后回光返照的宿命，也由此注定。 皇太极在其执政岁月中，干过几件混账事儿，桩桩件件被记录在案，大清朝官方史书上亦有记载，应该不必怀疑。 天聪元年三月，皇太极继位后半年，一位名叫岳起鸾的读书人上书皇太极，建议他不要进兵朝鲜，应该和明朝议和，尽快把俘获的汉人归还给明朝。皇太极认为，议和可以，但俘获的人乃“天之所与，岂可复还敌国耶？”随即让汉官讨论此事。谁知，汉官们竟义愤填膺，所有人都发起怒来，一致认为该人最好的出路是被判处死刑。皇太极不同意，认为不能因为别人提不同意见而杀人，那样就没有人敢说真话了。努尔哈赤再暴烈，也没有这样干过。不料，汉官们不依不饶，一再力请，说是此人蓄谋向敌，不杀不足以平民愤。结果，皇太极就把这个读书人干掉了。（《清太宗实录》卷二） 十二年后，崇德三年八月，礼部承政祝世昌建议皇太极，改变把俘虏的妻子沦作娼妓的做法。不料，皇太极大怒，下令痛加批驳，并严厉查处。最后，将相当于礼部尚书的祝世昌发配到极寒的边远之地，将为他润色文稿的助理孙应时处死，还牵连了几位赞同这一看法的官员。（《清太宗实录》卷四十三）揣度皇太极的心理，可能也觉得这种做法不是什么光彩事儿，但又害怕此事过于敏感，张扬开既丢人又可能影响社会的安定团结，于是就将指出皇帝没穿衣服的聪明孩子杀死了。 另外两件特殊残暴的事情发生在松锦大会战中。松山城破后，皇太极下令，除了洪承畴之外，其余被俘的三千多人一律处死。随后不久，锦州城内“粮尽，人相食，战守计穷”。守城主将祖大寿率部投降。结果，清军入城后，“屠戮城中人民”，将全城洗劫一空。皇太极更下令：除祖大寿家人及妇女儿童外，已经跟随祖大寿放下武器的三千余守城官兵，全部被杀死。（《清太宗实录》卷五十七）这两次杀俘、杀降事件与皇太极一贯的做法差距很大。有人认为，这是为了杀给洪承畴和祖大寿看，以寒他们的胆，令他们对自己更加感恩戴德。显然，不管为了什么，都不能成为这种恶行被原谅和饶恕的理由。 皇太极先后五次率领或者派遣大军，绕道进入关内烧杀抢掠，给至少数百万生灵带来深重痛苦。皇太极认为，这个责任，应该由明朝皇帝和政府来负。在某种意义上，这并非毫无道理。 大明崇祯十六年、大清崇德八年（公元1643年）八月九日亥时，即夜九点到十一点之间，皇太极坐在沈阳皇城中宫清宁宫东暖阁的南炕上，端坐着猝然死去。从症状上判断，很有可能是高血压导致的脑溢血。死前有两道“遗谕”，内容是安排减免朝鲜历年贡额等，只字未提身后继承人之类事项。（《清世祖实录》卷二，崇德八年九月丙午） 皇太极是十五个妻子的丈夫，二十五个儿女的父亲，在后金汗王位和大清皇帝位上，前后执政十七年。在这十七年的漫长岁月里，皇太极和他的父亲努尔哈赤有一点相同之处：二人死前，都曾经缠绵病榻，也都是在神志清醒的状态下死去，没有任何具有说服力的证据可以表明，他们准备指定哪一个人来继承自己的家业与事业。虽然在帝制传统之下的中国人看来，这是普天之下、世界之上最最重大的一件事情，已然涉及了“国本”——国之根本，但这二位——此前的努尔哈赤和此后的皇太极——都是这么做的。同样，没有证据能够证明皇太极曾经着意培养过哪一个儿子做自己的接班人，表明至少在这一点上，他们没有改变本民族政治文化中的根本原则。 皇太极享年五十二岁。他死后八个多月，他的弟弟多尔衮而不是儿子，率领大军杀进山海关，并一举拿下全中国。他死后正好一年，多尔衮迎接皇太极的儿子，从沈阳迁都到了北京。这本来是皇太极的梦想。 不管怎样，从此，一个新的时代开始了。