Chapter 26 8.Monarchs and ministers make plans

Hong Chengchou didn't expect the Prince Regent and Prince Yu to visit the mansion together. He was really flattered and flustered, but the Prince Regent was very casual. He smiled and pulled Hong Chengchou up who was doing the ceremony, turned around and sat on the kang with Prince Yu, and took off his shoes. He crossed his legs and said casually: "It's March in Yangchun, and it's still so cold outside the customs. How far is this situation from your hometown?" Hearing that the regent compared this place to his hometown, Hong Chengchou really wanted to memorize a passage from "Li Ling's Answer to Su Wu Shu", the so-called: Wei Wei's curtain is to protect against wind and rain; Happy with each other; Hudi Xuanbing, the border soil is cracked, but hearing the sound of sad wind and depression, I can't sleep at night...

But as a descendant, how could Hong Chengchou speak?I had no choice but to nod vaguely and said, "It's almost the same, and it's very lively here." Dorgon touched the wolfskin mattress under his buttocks and said, "What's the matter, it's freezing and snowy here, how can southerners get used to it, but it's coming soon." As soon as Hong Chengchou heard the regent said "soon", he understood what he meant. Although he didn't dare to inquire, he couldn't bear it anymore. While hesitating, Dorgon seemed to see his thoughts and asked suddenly:

"Mr. Hong, I heard that when you were in the pass, you fought with the rogues for several years, and the rogues were defeated by you several times. The so-called know yourself and the enemy, and you will win every battle. So, you must know the situation of the rogues like the palm of your hand?" When Hong Chengchou heard it, he immediately understood that the regent's trip was related to the rogues. He nodded quickly and said, "Yes, I was once appointed as the governor of the three sides by Chongzhen, and was responsible for suppressing thieves. Therefore, I have some understanding of the origin and development of the rogues. Gao Yingxiang, the former Chuang Wang, was captured by Sun Chuanting, the governor of Shaanxi under my minister."

Dorgon couldn't help but looked at Duo Duo with a smile, and Dorgon said: "It's only been a few years since Mr. left, and the gangsters are getting bigger and bigger, especially Li Zicheng, who has become very powerful." When Hong Chengchou heard this, he was about to ask how far the bandits had gone, but Duoduo, who didn't want to be aside, suddenly asked: "Mr. Hong, let me ask you, this Li Zicheng is a descendant of Li Shimin. He is a descendant of the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Do you want to ask the Zhu family to get the country back?" This question lacks common sense. If it were someone else, Hong Chengchou might scoff, but now he can only answer honestly: "Returning to the prince, although Li Zicheng and Li Shimin have the same surname Li, they have the same surname and different ancestry, and they are separated by seven or eight hundred years." , the theory of recovering the country will not hold water."

Duoduo said, "Why do you have the same surname but not the same clan?" Seeing this situation, Hong Chengchou had to start from the beginning. When he was the governor of the three sides, he also sent people to inquire about the background and family background of Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others.Li Zicheng originally lived in Mizhi, northern Shaanxi, which belonged to Yinzhou in the Tang Dynasty, and was the residence of Tuoba Sigong, a member of Dangxiang. Li Zicheng's hometown is Li Jiqian Village, 40 miles away from Mizhi. Li Jiqian is a member of the Dangxiang clan, and his original surname The Tuoba family, because their ancestors had meritorious service to the court, was given the surname Li by the Tang Dynasty to Li Jiting, and because Xiazhou was returned to the Song Dynasty, and Song Taizong was in charge of him, he was given the surname Zhao and the name Baoji, the grandson of Zhao Baoji (Li Jiqian) , Li Yuanhao, the first king of the Xixia Kingdom, abandoned the Zhao surname and still surnamed Li because he abandoned the Song Dynasty to stand on his own.If Li Zicheng is a descendant of Li Jiqian, then his original surname should be the Tuoba family. As for his blood - Hong Chengchou talked about it eloquently, but he couldn't go on talking about it in the end, because since his surname is Tuoba, then it should be Dangxiang Qiang, that is a remnant left over from the period of the Wuhu chaos in China, but it has been Sinicized. Isn’t the Aixinjueluo family in front of you also a Huren?

When Hong Chengchou was talking, Dorgon seldom interjected, but seeing him suddenly stop talking, he immediately understood that he had some scruples, so he couldn't help but smiled tolerantly and said: "You mean, this Li Zicheng should be a barbarian?" Hong Chengchou said with trepidation: "Yes, ordinarily, he should be from the Dangxiang clan, and Li Shimin's prefecture is Longxi, and the two Li can be said to be irrelevant." Hearing this, Duoduo began to hear some clues, he couldn't help but sighed and said: "After a long time, Li Zicheng's surname is Tuoba, but why did this Tuoba lose his original surname?"

Dorgon didn't want to discuss these things right now, he was afraid that Duduo would ask further questions, so he quickly interrupted the topic and said: "Mr. Hong, although Li Zicheng and Li Shimin are not related, he has really become popular - at present The situation has changed drastically, sir, would you like to know the details?" Hong Chengchou hurriedly bowed his hands and was willing to listen, so Dorgon briefly explained the information he had obtained. When he heard that the bandits had taken Taiyuan, Hong Chengchou couldn't help being surprised.Years ago he had heard the news of Sun Chuanting's defeat in Lintong, and he thought that with Sun Chuanting's defeat, the elite of the Ming army would be completely lost. Later, when he learned that Yu Yinggui was his successor supervisor, he thought in his heart, there is really no general in Shu, Liao Hua is the vanguard, and with a scholar like Yu Yinggui as supervisor, Li Zicheng is not unscrupulous?Looking back, if I were this Li Zicheng, what would happen next?In such a flash, he suddenly saw something, and couldn't help but brows with joy, arched his hands, congratulated Dorgon and said:

"This is a great happy event for the Qing Dynasty, and I congratulate you." Dorgon said: "The rogue bandits are very powerful. Thanks to them holding back Chongzhen's hands and feet, our Qing Dynasty was able to achieve less than one-tenth of the Ming Dynasty's military strength and national power. It has repeatedly succeeded, but now they are approaching Beijing. , the Ming Dynasty is about to come to an end, and those who will be my enemies in the future must be bandits, sir, is this congratulatory, is it forced?" Hong Chengchou said confidently: "My lord, if you are not sure, the minister will not say it. Don't look at the current situation of the bandits. After all, the foundation is not strong. The so-called weak ones should not be deep, and the small ones should not be big. This is the key point." At that time, the universe is at stake, so how can we bet easily? It should be noted that although entering Beijing is the ultimate goal, Beijing is not so easy to enter. When the time comes, the sheep will conquer the vassal state, and the puppet will be the top card. In the future, it will be me who will clean up the mess There is no doubt about it.”

This ending is of course what Dorgon hoped for, but Hong Chengchou was too vague, and he didn't believe it, so he said: "It is said that since the year before last, rogue bandits have entered Henan, and tens of thousands of hungry people's daily followers, last year they took millions The crowd, in order to take Guanzhong as their base, Sun Chuanting's entire army was wiped out in the battle of Lintong. At the beginning of the year, Li Zicheng crossed the Yellow River from Shaanxi, and he was invincible all the way. Everyone can see that Emperor Chongzhen has no generals in his hands, and his soldiers are short of pay. It's a matter of time before the bandits enter Beijing, and there are people around me who are worried that once the bandits stabilize the situation, they can command the world. Although our army is strong, we can't compete with them. I don't know if you think this makes sense?"

Hong Chengchou shook his head with a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid the theory of millions of bandits may not be true. As far as I know, in the past few years, there have been frequent wars and famines in the Guan. Hungry people are easily threatened by bandits, so it is not difficult for bandits to recruit millions of soldiers, but it is not easy to feed millions of soldiers. Millions of elites are not enough, can the rogues do it? Therefore, according to my estimate, it is not easy for them to bring 200,000 soldiers to Beijing besides the soldiers left behind in Shaanxi and Henan."

Dorgon was skeptical about the theory that there were "millions" of rogue bandits. Hearing Hong Chengchou's analysis, he couldn't help nodding his head, but said, "Mr. Province, the more you fight, the stronger you are, this is probably true." Hong Chengchou understood the purpose of the regent's trip from the very beginning, since the prince condescends to ask for advice, why is he stingy?He hurriedly said: "My lord, if you want to talk about rogues, they are powerful, but rogues also have their fatal weaknesses. It can be said that Li Zicheng is indeed superior to other thieves. Otherwise, he would not be able to come back to life several times; but No matter how strong Li Zicheng is, he still cannot avoid the accumulated habits of bandits. Although he can be troublesome for a while, he cannot rule the roost forever. The so-called "the way of heaven and earth is reversed when it is extreme, and it is damaged when it is full." .” Dorgon said: "Sir, what he said is of course right. But when everything is born, it must prosper, just like Liu Bang and Zhu Hongwu back then. Why do you say that he is bound to perish?" Hong Chengchou waved his hands again and again and said: "Liu Bang and Zhu Hongwu are all heroes of a generation. Not only are they ambitious and far-sighted, but they also serve as ministers of the prime minister, such as Zhang Liang, Chen Ping, Xu Da, and Li Shanchang. Therefore, Liu and Zhu were able to win the world; but Li Zicheng lost a thousand miles by a small margin." Although Dorgon had an innate interest in the history of the Central Plains, he had never heard anyone analyze Liu Bang, Zhu Yuanzhang and other specific figures, so he was very interested in it for a while.Nai said: "Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang were both born civilians. They were forced to revolt under the tyranny of the Qin and Yuan dynasties. What is the difference between this and Li Zicheng? At the beginning, they also grew from weak to strong, and finally ruled the world. Isn't Li Zicheng becoming more and more decent now?" Hong Chengchou smiled and shook his head and said: "Okay, no, I think at the beginning, Qin lost its deer, and the world chased after it. Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised the flag of righteousness first, so why couldn't things be done? The reason is that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang have no ambitions after all, and they are greedy for pleasure. However, Liu Bang is different. Although he was born as a rascal, he knew self-restraint. He was supported by Xiao He and Chen Ping. With the support of the elders in Guanzhong, he finally gained a firm foothold. After defeating Xiang Yu, destroying Han Xin, etc., lightly corvee and pay, and rest with the people, so that the song of the strong wind resounded through the four villages, and Liu Bang finally became the hero who created a generation of great achievements The same is true of Zhu Yuanzhang. At the beginning, when Emperor Yuan Shun lost his virtue, treacherous ministers seized power, and was politically corrupt, Liu Futong and Han Shantong rebelled. At the beginning, Zhu Yuanzhang was just a soldier of Guo Zixing, whose name was not mentioned in the classics. At that time, Chen Youliang, Fang Guozhen, Zhang Shicheng For generations, all heroes competed for the throne, but Zhu Yuanzhang was able to defeat them one by one and achieve a great cause. This is not because the Zhu family is favored by God, but because Zhu Yuanzhang has his own excellence. The so-called "with the capital of wisdom and martial arts, embrace the ambition of helping the world and the people , taking advantage of the time, taking advantage of the situation, setting up guards and garrison fields, and having enough soldiers and food'. This is not a beautiful word from later generations, but the actual situation at that time; in addition, Liu Ji, Li Shanchang, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and other civil servants, How could Chen Youliang and Fang Guozhen be able to provide the assistance of military generals? In today's world, although it is similar to the late Qin Dynasty and the late Yuan Dynasty, Li Zicheng came from a humble background, and his deeds are also similar to Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang. However, Niu Jinxing, Liu Zongmin, etc. , or for a low-ranking person, or for a martial artist, short-sighted, small and easy-to-grow, this sincere monkey is crowned, how can he look up to Zhang Zifang, Xu Da and other national scholars? If you don’t believe it, just look at them Now that the army is hanging from the north to commit crimes, we can see how wrong Li Zicheng has made to go around the temple." When Duoduo heard this, he couldn't help saying loudly: "Mr. Hong, do you have anything to say about the four characters of "Hanging the army to the north?" Dorgon was also interested in this topic, so he said: "Yes, since Chongzhen has no generals in his hands, and Li Zicheng has a strong army, he naturally wants to win the Central Plains. Why do you blame him for hanging the army and committing crimes?" Hong Chengchou smiled slightly, and said: "Your Majesty, the saying of hanging the army comes from the "Records of Ming Taizu". I think that at the beginning, Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang had eliminated Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and other ministries. Except for eastern Zhejiang, he covered a large area of ​​Jiangnan , He called all the generals to discuss the Northern Expedition. Chang Yuchun, the Duke of E, advocated directly attacking the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, thinking that it would be possible to break through the bamboo, but Taizu didn't think so. If we don't move forward, the four sets of reinforcements will be dangerous. Therefore, the Taizu decided to take Shandong and Lianghe first, pull out Tongguan, and conquer Shaanxi. Later, the war situation developed, as Taizu said, so the world was quickly pacified. As for the current rogue bandits, the situation is similar to that of the past. In Jiangguang, Chongzhen was powerless, but after careful study, it was far from the truth. First, they entered Guanzhong in September or October last year. It took less than half a year and they had not gained a firm foothold. Second, Hebei, Shandong and Jiangnan A large piece of land is still owned by Chongzhen. Zhu Ming has ruled the world for three hundred years. The tree has deep roots. It will take time to uproot it. If the army commits crimes in the north, it should be suggested that he first manage Guanzhong, stabilize Heluo, divide the army to set up Qilu, Shanxi and Hebei prefectures and counties, and completely cut off the connection between the north and the south of the Ming Dynasty. Gong, at the moment my foundation is not solid, the fence of the Ming Dynasty has not been removed, the lone army goes deep, and is surrounded by enemies on all sides. After hitting Beijing, there must be very little left. If our army takes the opportunity to enter at this time, the rogue bandits will be invincible. If the rogue bandits don't attack Beijing at this time, it's fine, if they attack Beijing, they will die." Before this, Dorgon felt faintly that Li Zicheng's Northern Expedition was indeed too early. After Hong Chengchou's high-level analysis and citing scriptures, he began to feel a sense of enlightenment. Therefore, he talked with Hong Chengchou about his entry into the customs with great interest. Planning, talking with eloquence, and swaying in a suave manner, really has the feeling of a roc spreading his wings and hating the sky. Dorgon visited Hong Chengchou in person, but he didn't want Fan Wencheng to sit and wait at the Prince Regent's Mansion. Fan Wencheng was known in Nurhachi as a commoner, and he was an official to a bachelor of the Academy of Secretaries. In his heart, he didn't care about the distinction between Manchu and Han. These days, there is news every day in the pass that Li Zicheng has not only swept the Three Qins, but has also entered the Three Jins. Right now, the Ming army has two or three hundred thousand troops in Datong and Yanghe and has no desire to fight. It seems that they will go to Beijing soon. Thinking of the hexagram I made for Dorgon at the beginning of the year, I couldn't help but feel agitated, and excitedly went to see the regent.Unexpectedly, the prince, who is a virtuous corporal, would take the initiative to visit a demoted official. Fan Wencheng couldn't help being moved, so he sat and waited in the Prince Regent's mansion. The prince regent finally came back, Fan Wencheng bowed to the end, and said, "My lord went to the Hong Mansion, but did you take a big peace of mind pill?" Dorgon smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Fan is still smart." Fan Wencheng said: "I heard that the rogues have crossed the Yellow River and descended to Taiyuan, and the vanguard is pointing directly at Datong Mansion. Is the prince in a hurry, afraid that the rogues will take the lead?" After hearing Hong Chengchou's analysis, Dorgon's confidence has already doubled, and now he can't help but say complacently: "Isn't it? The efforts of my father and son in the Qing Dynasty, although we are in a corner right now, are already ready to go, and I don't want to kill them halfway." With Li Zicheng out, if we let him get there first, wouldn't we be in vain?" Fan Wencheng comforted him easily and said: "Everything has its own owner, you can't force it, and you don't care about it sooner or later. In my opinion, even if the rogues occupy Beijing, it won't last long. Why should the prince be in a hurry?" Dorgon nodded and said, "That's true. Just now Mr. Hong and Gu talked about the miscalculation of the rogues. He had a solid foundation. He finally concluded that as long as the rogues enter Beijing, they will be defeated." Then, Dorgon told Fan Wencheng exactly what Hong Chengchou said.Fan Wencheng looked at the regent, pondered for a while before saying: "Hong Chengchou indeed has the talent of Wang Zuo, and his knowledge is beyond my generation. The prince is so respectful and virtuous, and he will definitely use what he has learned in his chest to offer advice and suggestions for the Qing Dynasty." When Dorgon saw Fan Wencheng's look on Ai Ai's face, he knew that he had also made contributions. He couldn't help but sighed, and called Fan Wencheng's words: "Xiandou, Hong Chengchou is indeed a national scholar, and Gu will definitely use him greatly in the future. However, with his status, there must be some unsaid words right now. Fortunately, God has arranged you by Gu's side. It can be regarded as Qingshan is filling the city. lack." Fan Wencheng couldn't help nodding, and said: "Your lord is laughing at me. I'm stupid. How can I resist Hong Chengchou's case? Please forgive me if my words are inappropriate." Dorgon laughed and said: "Mr. Fan is an old minister of the late emperor, and he relies on his trust as his left and right sides. If he still says that, wouldn't he be born?" Fan Wencheng also laughed, and then sighed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Ming Dynasty is about to come to an end. Although the destiny is at stake and cannot be strengthened by human power, no one expected that Zhu Ming has ruled the world for three hundred years and is deeply rooted. , to die so quickly." Dorgon also sighed and said: "Zhu Mingzhi is today, he should be guilty of the sky. The ancients said that if you are guilty of the sky, you can't pray." Fan Wencheng nodded again and again, pondered and said: "The one who destroys Zhu Ming is Zhu Ming, not a bandit. Zhu Ming has no time to mourn for himself, and later generations will mourn, and future generations will mourn without warning, which will also make future generations mourn again. People too." When Dorgon heard this, he looked at Fan Wencheng in surprise, and said after a long while, "Mr. Fan, I seem to have heard of you somewhere—ah, yes, this is not written by the man named Du Mu." Is it the Efang Palace Fu, it just changed the protagonist, Mr. Fan moved here, does it mean that we Qing Dynasty can’t learn from it?” Fan Wencheng nodded and said: "My lord, Shengming, draw inferences from one instance to another, it seems that Fan Mou is overwhelmed." Dorgon said: "No, since Mr. Fan is making such an analogy, it must be that we have made mistakes before. Now that we are talking about this, why don't Mr. Fan speak freely?" Fan Wencheng saw that Dorgon really wanted to ask for advice, so he said incessantly: "If you are wise and lose your morality, there will be bandits; In Manchuria, thanks to the efforts of the two generations of Taizu and Taizong, the current national strength is strong and talents are gathered, and they are fully capable of aspiring to the Central Plains and establishing an undefeated industry. Because this is not a fight with the Ming Dynasty, but a fight with the bandits, so it can be done The name is right and grand, and it is inevitable to defeat the rogues and win the world. But before, I entered the customs several times with eight horses, and there were mistakes. I hope the regent prince can learn from it. This is the people's house, burned and looted, The strong men, the old and the weak, were slaughtered to death, causing the people in the capital area to resent the reincarnation of the Qing Dynasty, thinking that I was no different from the bandits, and that I was only doing robbery and plundering without great ambitions. , don’t worry about what you can’t, but what you can’t get is not what you have. The only plan for now is to calm down the hearts of the people and appease the people. The reason is to clarify the righteousness of the world today; officials from all over the country still perform their duties, and the people of the Central Plains have their own jobs. Difficulties must not be slowed down. Let the virtuous caress the people, those who are close will be happy, and those who are far away will come; hang the people and punish crimes, the young will be raised and the old will be safe, so that the people will understand that our army is no longer what it used to be, so that we can turn enemies into friends and make peace. If we can To do this, the two rivers can be passed down, and the two rivers must be determined. The Jiangnan and Pinghuguang can be handled accordingly. ?” Fan Wencheng's remarks pointed directly at the previous mistakes of the Qing soldiers, such as burning, killing, looting, and cruelty. This is indeed something that Hong Chengchou should not export. Changing the past style of work and seizing the world is also empty talk. When Dorgon heard this, he couldn't help but nodded in conviction, and said, "Mr. Fan's words are resounding, how dare you not take them as a warning? Before entering the customs this time, we must strictly enforce discipline, and never offend the common people. Moreover, All the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes and abuses of the people in the Ming Dynasty will be abolished." At the moment, the two monarchs and ministers discussed in detail the specific measures after entering the customs. A few days later, with the help of Fan Wencheng, Hong Chengchou and others, Dorgon wrote a long memorial to the emperor in the name of the regent, explaining in detail the plan to destroy the Ming Dynasty and unify the Central Plains.After discussing with the six ministries and nine ministers, the emperor approved the plan-this was actually just a formality. On the eighth day of April, the six-year-old Fulin drove to the Dugong Palace and issued an imperial edict, saying that he was too young to serve in the army himself, so he appointed the regent Dorgon to lead the six armies on his behalf to attack the Central Plains.It was given the seal of General Dorgon, and all rewards and punishments were cheap. "The kings, Baylor, Beizi, princes, ministers, etc., serve the general as I do." Fox hats, mink robes, mink jackets, sitting mattresses, straw hats, python robes, python jackets, etc., to show their superiority. The next day, Dorgon led King Azige of the British Commandery, Duoduo King of the Yu Commandery, Kong Youde, King Gongshun, Geng Zhongming, King Huaishun, Shang Kexi, King Zhishun, two-thirds of the Eight Banners of Manchuria and Mongolia, and all the Eight Banners of the Han Army. After the salute, the cannons were fired, and Fan Wencheng and Hong Chengchou accompanied them, marching towards the pass...