Chapter 27 Chapter 27 A Real Obai

Among the founding fathers of the Qing Dynasty, Obai was a well-known figure.Thanks to the story of "Kangxi plans to get rid of Oboi", this famous official in the early Qing Dynasty who had power over the government and the public mostly appeared as a villain in literary works and historical materials.For example, in the martial arts novels that people talk about today, the word "the treacherous minister Obai" appears very frequently, as if at that time, this was a character that caused a lot of public grievances, and everyone wanted to get rid of it quickly.Speaking of him, the world generally connects him with images of demons, beasts, and villains.

But is this really the case? Aobai, a man from Manchuria with a yellow banner.In terms of background, Oboi can be said to have a good root. When Nurhachi started his army with thirteen pairs of armor, Oboi’s uncle Fei Yingdong was one of the "twelve strong men" who wore armor. .There is no exact record of the year of Oboi's birth in history. The "Drafts of Qing History" says that he "conscripted and made meritorious service" since Nurhachi, which can be said to be a veteran of the founding generals of the Qing Dynasty. Obai's arms are quite special. During the Nurhachi period, his arms were called "death soldiers", that is, death squads.When Nurhachi fought against the Ming Dynasty in the early days, the Ming army used firearms to deal with the Jurchen cavalry, while Nurhachi used "dead soldiers" to charge, and launched an attack after the Ming army's ammunition was exhausted.The Battle of Salhu was won with this tactic.Aobai is a naturally brave character, every time he is a dead soldier, he will charge forward and take the lead in breaking through the Ming army camp, so he has made a lot of meritorious deeds.At this time, Oboi was still a small person beside Nurhachi.After Huang Taiji ascended the throne, Aobai became Jialaerzhen beside Huang Taiji. He really emerged because of a crucial battle in the seventh year of Chongzhen (1634 AD): the Battle of Pidao.

Phi Island is located at the mouth of the Yalu River, just across the river from North Korea.After Ming general Mao Wenlong occupied the island during the Tianqi period, he turned it into a base for the Ming Dynasty to contain the Qing army.The Qing army launched attacks against the Ming Dynasty many times, all of which were forced to retreat because the Ming army harassed Pidao from the rear.In order to pull out this nail, from Nurhachi to Huang Taiji exhausted all means, but a strong attack was not enough, because the Qing army had no navy at the time, and Mao Wenlong refused to surrender.In the first year of Chongzhen (1628 A.D.), Yuan Chonghuan, who was reinstated as the governor of Jiliao, killed Mao Wenlong who was stationed in Pidao. The original intention was to unify the power, but it plunged the situation in Pidao into chaos.The three giants under Mao Wenlong, Geng Jingzhong, Kong Youde, and Shang Kexi collectively surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, bringing elite navy and firearms to the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing army's confidence in capturing Phi Island was greatly increased.Since then, the Qing army has launched several attacks, all of which were repelled by Huanglong, the general soldier of Pidao at that time.In the seventh year of Chongzhen (1634 A.D.), Huang Taiji was determined to pull out this nail completely, and with Azige as his commander, he launched another aggressive attack.This time the Qing army adopted the tactic of attacking the west from the east. First, the warships lined up from the front, and then sent elite soldiers to detour to the rear to make a surprise attack. It was Oboi who was in charge of the surprise attack.Obai's military order before the battle "If you don't get this island, you will never come to see the king".After the battle started, Oboi led his troops to rush to the beach and landed. After going to the island, he found that the Ming army was in full formation, and the dense artillery was overwhelming the Qing army.At the critical moment, Oboi reappeared his true nature as a "dead soldier", braved the hail of guns and bullets, and conquered the Ming army's position in one fell swoop.After the battle, Oboi was injured in more than 40 places all over his body. Azig sighed in his report to Huang Taiji: "I haven't seen such a good fighter for a long time."

The victory at Phi Island made Obai famous. After the war, he was awarded the title of "Batulu", and Obai's title of "Manchuria's No. 1 Warrior" began from then on.Since then, he has participated in the wars between the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty many times, and has repeatedly made military exploits before and after entering the pass, especially in the First Battle of Sichuan Xichong in 1646 AD. He killed Zhang Xianzhong, the leader of the Peasant Army, and captured the whole of Sichuan for the Qing Dynasty.In the unification war of the Qing Dynasty, Oboi and his army often acted as the vanguard. They experienced many tough and fierce battles, but they were rarely defeated. The bravery of their battles was unmatched among the generals of the Qing Dynasty at that time.However, his official career was full of twists and turns. He was once imprisoned because he was falsely accused of colluding with Prince Su Haoge to conspire against him.However, the Emperor Shunzhi and the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang appreciated him very much. When Emperor Shunzhi was in charge, Obai was already a minister in charge of the guards and became a core figure in the Qing Dynasty's authority.

The reason why Oboi was able to hold power was because of his outstanding military exploits on the one hand, and on the other hand, because he was on the right team politically.It can be said that he was the absolute hero for Emperor Shunzhi to inherit the throne. When Huang Taiji passed away in 1643 AD, he did not designate an heir. The recognized heirs of the Qing Dynasty at that time were Dorgon, Huang Taiji’s younger brother, and Hauge, the eldest son of Huang Taiji. ", one faction advocates "the son inherits the father's business".The strength of the two factions is equal, and the conflict is imminent.At that time, Aobai, who was the commander of the Xianghuang Banner Guard Army, held a heavy army, so he naturally became the target of both parties.Aobai is Haoge's confidant, and he made an oath with Suo Suo, Tan Tai and other ministers to never allow Dorgon to inherit the throne.On August 14th, when the government was discussed in the Chongde Hall, Dorgon's faction gradually gained the upper hand. At the critical moment, Ao Bai went up to the hall with a sword and angrily rebuked Dorgon, even threatening death with a horizontal sword in front of his neck.Because of his insistence with a group of generals, Dorgon had to make concessions. In the end, the two parties made a compromise, and Fulin, the youngest son of Huang Taiji, "inherited his father's business."Obai, who was loyal to Hauge, inadvertently became the number one hero of Emperor Shunzhi's ascension to the throne.

Because of this, when Dorgon was in power as "Regent", Obai became a thorn in Dorgon's side.In the year when Shunzhi came to the throne, Obai was charged with "falsifying military information" by Dorgon, and he was almost sent to prison and executed. Seven years later, Oboi was accused of supporting Hauge, the Prince of Su, and was imprisoned by Dorgon. Fortunately, Emperor Shunzhi pardoned him this time, so he saved his life.After Dorgon's death, Obai finally felt elated. He was first promoted to be the Minister of the Guards, and then he was entrusted with important tasks many times.When Oboi was sick at home, Emperor Shunzhi visited him in person, and Oboi repayed his kindness.Shunzhi's mother, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, was seriously ill once, and Obai served soup and medicine, and waited by her side for 7 days and 7 nights, which can be described as loyal.In terms of state affairs, Oboi is also very dedicated. Nowadays, people often say that Oboi has created unjust prisons. However, during the Shunzhi period, Oboi asked for an order to review the cases of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs, and involved more than 30 unjust, false and wrong cases in the Dorgon era. Most of the people who were rehabilitated were common people.Whether it was when Dorgon was in power or after Shunzhi was in power, he was the minister of the Zhu Kingdom that Shunzhi's mother and son relied on most.

Oboi is a man, if we talk about his character, he can be said to be "straight".Born as a general, he has an upright personality, without the hypocrisy of a civil servant, and has an extremely stubborn personality. Just as he is not afraid of bullets on the battlefield, he is also fearless of political storms.Dorgon's repeated blows did not make him succumb, and he was always loyal to Shunzhi's mother and son.In his daily work, he was full of the arbitrary style of a general, speaking to the emperor and arguing fiercely.For example, in 1659 A.D., when Zheng Chenggong of the Southern Ming Dynasty came to Nanjing, Emperor Shunzhi wanted to go south to conquest in person. Obai thought it was impossible, and when the debate got heated, he grabbed Emperor Shunzhi's sleeve and roared.The Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang was not annoyed when she heard about it, but instead praised and said: It is the blessing of the country to have direct ministers.

In 1661 AD, Emperor Shunzhi, who had been on the throne for 18 years, passed away, and the third son Xuan Ye, who was only 8 years old, came to the throne. This was the famous Emperor Kangxi, and Obai was appointed as one of the four auxiliary ministers.His personal glory reached its climax, and his fate began to turn around from this moment. When Kangxi first came to the throne, Obai was only the last of the four assistant ministers, but soon he became the most powerful among them.The reason is simple: among the four assistant ministers, Sony is old and sick, and retired early; Ye Bilong is cowardly and tolerant in everything; No one is on the right side of Oboi.

The reason why Oboi was gradually loathed by Kangxi was not as simple as "domineering".In fact, Oboi was stuck on two issues left over from history. The first problem left over from history is the contradiction between the two major forces of the Qing Dynasty, the Xianghuang Banner and the Zhengbai Banner. The contradiction between the two banners has a long history, and it has existed since the time when Nurhachi founded the Eight Banners.When Huang Taiji died, the Zhengbai Banner supported Dorgon, and the Xianghuang Banner supported Hauge.When Oboi was in charge of the government, his political enemy Sukesaha was Zhengbaiqi.Now there are many film and television dramas that describe Suksaha as a capable minister who "upholds justice", but in fact, this person is a well-known "grass on the wall" in the official circles of the Qing Dynasty. When Dorgon was in power, he worked desperately, and Shunzhi was in charge Then he took the initiative to seek refuge.At that time, he had conflicts with the other three auxiliary ministers.Therefore, under the trap of three people, Suksaha was convicted of 24 major crimes. Kangxi refused at first, and Oboi then acted like a "direct minister" and yelled at Kangxi, forcing Kangxi to give in and execute Suksaha. .From then on, Obai "registered" in Kangxi's heart.

The second is a historical issue, which is the enclosure movement that started in the early years of the Qing Dynasty.In the early days of the Qing army's entry into the customs, in order to stimulate the enthusiasm of the generals, the "Enclosure Order" was promulgated to enclose land wantonly, resulting in the displacement of a large number of farmers in the Central Plains.When Kangxi came to power, in order to restore and develop the economy, the enclosure policy should be abolished.Obai was a defender of the enclosure policy.Su Nahai, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and Zhu Changzuo, Governor of Zhili, opposed the enclosure, and Aobai hated them deeply, so they were executed on charges of Luo Zhi.So far, Oboi's party feathers are everywhere, monopolizing power, has become Kangxi's thorn in the flesh, killing Oboi is not only the need for power, but also the need for Kangxi to adjust internal and external policies and stabilize the rule of the Qing Dynasty.Obai's death was inevitable.

Speaking of Kangxi's plan to get rid of Oboi, apart from arranging more than a dozen teenagers to capture him in the palace, Kangxi actually made other preparations.For example, Kangxi combined the Aixinjueluo family, the Niu Gulu family, and the Hesheli family to form a united front against Obai.On the day Oboi entered the palace, Soni's son Suo'etu was transferred to the palace guard, and he had already led his troops to ambush outside. Even if a dozen teenagers could not catch Oboi, he would not escape.Then, in May of the eighth year of Kangxi (AD 1669), Obai entered the palace to have an audience, and was captured by more than a dozen young guards under Kangxi. He was convicted of 30 major crimes and died in prison a year later.I think that when Oboi shot and killed Zhang Xianzhong in Fenghuang Mountain in Sichuan, and made a great achievement, he once said loudly: "Who in the world can capture me."He never expected that the way to capture him was to capsize the boat in the gutter.