Chapter 91 Section 1 Famous filial sons and loyal ministers

In the fifteenth year of Ming Chongzhen (AD 1642), Wu Sangui was thirty-one years old.This is the most upright and beautiful time in my life.In this year, for the first time, he faced the mental pressure he had never experienced. In March of this year, the last critical battle between the Ming Dynasty and Manchuria-the Battle of Songjin was settled.The 130,000 troops of Hong Chengchou, the Liaodong governor of the Ming Dynasty, collapsed, Jinzhou fell, and Hong Chengchou was captured.The Ningjin defense line that the Ming Dynasty worked hard for more than ten years was finally torn.Ningyuan became the last fortress of the Ming Dynasty outside Shanhaiguan.

After Hong Chengchou, the 31-year-old Wu Sangui led the Liaodong army and became the highest military officer in Ningyuan City. .The eyes of Emperor Chongzhen and Huang Taiji came from Beijing and Shengjing respectively, focusing on him. The pressure and suction from the political, military, and even social relations on both sides of the east and west tore him apart. To the west is the motherland and homeland with a bleak future.The place was in the midst of tension and panic on the eve of disintegration, but thanks to the tall and thick city walls of Shanhaiguan, the groans of the hungry people and the cries of the rebels were strictly blocked, allowing him to enjoy a moment of peace.And to the east, three hundred and fifty years ago, on the open and wild Liaodong Plain, screaming and howling Manchurians rushed in wave after wave, washing Ningyuan City to the point of collapse.

More and more people are throwing themselves into Manchuria, like a dyke that is constantly collapsing under the flood.Among them were Wu Sangui's three uncles, the famous three great generals of the ancestral clan, who were originally guarding this Ningyuan City.The three Zu brothers traced their ancestry back to Zu Ti (ti), a hero of the Eastern Jin Dynasty who aspired to restore the Central Plains.They established their own achievements in Liaodong, and successively cultivated and promoted Wu Sangui's father Wu Xiang and Wu Sangui himself.Now, however, they no longer mentioned their famous ancestor, and they wrote their own letters to persuade the Manchus to surrender.

These letters explain in detail that under the erosion of famine and bandits, the Ming Dynasty was riddled with holes and exhausted, and those who knew the current affairs were the best.Along with the letter came Huang Taiji's edict, which stated that the official position promised by the Manchurians to Wu Sangui was far higher than that given by Emperor Chongzhen. However, no matter how high the official position is, it belongs to the Manchus after all. The word "surrender", even if it flashed in Wu Sangui's mind, it was hot and hot, making his nerves uncomfortable.How could he, Wu Sangui, be connected with the rebellion and surrender?

With a high self-esteem, he couldn't accept this dirty word.The Celestial Dynasty and the alien race have always been two worlds that dissolve each other.The more you gain from the enemy, the more you lose.No matter how prominent the status the Manchurians gave him, it could not compensate for the loss of personality and reputation that the surrender had cost him.If so, he will bear the psychological pressure caused by public opinion day and night. It is completely different from the rambling and disorderly world presented in front of our eyes. After three hundred and fifty years of time and space, in the land of Kanto (at that time, this land was covered with unkempt forests and boundless Weeds. Human beings just eroded a few small ugly scars on the chest of this barbaric and unrestrained land, as cities and farmland. The whole scene is like the symptoms of skin diseases at the beginning), looking around, the world you see But it is clear, solid, and complete.That was the world in the hearts of the ancestors about 350 years ago.

This world has its source and its destination, with a rigorous structure, majestic and magnificent, and it is clear at a glance.This world is supported by Confucian ethics, which has been repaired and strengthened by wise men for thousands of years, making it an excellent spiritual home.Every person is born with a reason and purpose for existence, and every soul can rest safely and lazily under this grand and solid shelter.These souls all relocate, and will not find another way unless they are forced to do so. In this world, life does not belong to oneself. All things are based on heaven, and people are based on ancestors.

Life is a gift from ancestors, attached to parents and family.Therefore, the purpose of a person's existence is to repay the kindness of parents for their upbringing, expand the family's foundation, and continue the family lineage so that it will not be cut off.This responsibility takes precedence over personal life interests.This kind of thinking is broad and broad, the whole society is a big family, and all social relations are the extension of blood relations. The emperor is the head of the whole society. He enjoys the supreme suzerainty because of the authorization of heaven. Everything in the world is marked with royal property rights. Reward, pardon, permission, enke, exorcism, entitlement.

Therefore, in this world, all behaviors of all members of society must be based on two basic principles, that is, "loyalty" to the emperor and "filial piety" to parents.This is the magic weapon for coordinating all social relations. If all social members can fully develop these two qualities, all social problems will be solved easily. The key to governing the world is to fully cultivate and encourage people's quality of loyalty and filial piety.If a dynasty falls, then the upper-class members of society (including officials and scholars) who are the main beneficiaries of the dynasty’s grace are obliged to die loyally for their benefactor (this is an honorable choice), or at least return to the mountains and forests , no longer serve the new dynasty (this is the minimum requirement).

In a sense, "loyalty" and "filial piety" have departed from the category of moral norms, and have risen to the level of value ontology.Traitors, surrenderers, second ministers, they betrayed not only their masters, but the whole world.They are destined to be abandoned by the world. When looking through the entire shelf of yellowed history books in the library, I was amazed by the number of loyal ministers and martyrs in the past dynasties. They always appeared in a concentrated way when the dynasty was in turmoil. Out a lot of space.Most of them committed suicide safely without immediate danger, and some also killed their wives, children, and even personal servants at the same time, and often set themselves on fire behind closed doors.

They use this cruel way of suicide to win space for their own spiritual existence, and thus gain a sense of spiritual self-sufficiency.This is the perfect choice for them to fulfill their mission of existence in this world. Wu Sangui seems to have more reasons to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty than others. In the Ming Dynasty, Wu Sangui was a well-known filial son and good minister in the ruling and opposition circles.He might even be called a moral role model for the world.This was due to an accident. That was the end of the apocalypse.That year Wu Sangui was just sixteen years old, still a half-grown child, learning martial arts under the guidance of his uncle Zu Dashou, and his father Wu Xiang was a general officer under Zu Dashou.On that day, Wu Xiang led 500 soldiers out of Jinzhou City to patrol the desolate white mountains and black waters in western Liaoning, doing routine daily work.However, this time it happened by accident, and 40,000 Manchurian soldiers led by Wu Xiang and Huang Taiji encountered dozens of miles outside the city.

Why Huang Taiji led such a huge army to appear here is not clearly recorded in the history books, but Wu Xiang's situation can be imagined.Wu Xiang retreated in a hurry, but a few miles away from Jinzhou City, he was still surrounded by the wolf-like Manchurian Corps.Wu Xiang led these 500 people to rush left and right, but to no avail, the annihilation of the entire army seemed to be the only possible outcome. After hearing the news, Zu Dashou took his nephew Wu Sangui to the tower to watch the battle.Both of them were anxious, and Wu Sangui repeatedly urged his uncle to send troops to rescue.However, there are only 3,000 guards in Jinzhou City, and the defense is not enough. How can we talk about going out of the city to rescue.In desperation, Zu Dashou had no choice but to harden his heart and refuse Wu Sangui's request. We cannot know the psychological feelings of the 16-year-old Wu Sangui, nor can we know for sure that his actions are due to the deep affection between father and son (Wu Sangui and his father have a really good relationship, which was a rare situation at that time), It is still the passion of young people.In short, without Zu Dashou's attention, the young Wu Sangui led more than 20 famous families Ding Chi out of the city gate and entered the siege of 40,000 Manchu soldiers. At this time, Huang Taiji wanted to lure the Ming army to fight, but the team of more than 20 people was beyond his expectation. This shrewd and powerful Manchu leader didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in the Ming army's gourd. Young Wu Sangui disregarded life and death at this time, with a burst of blood, he led more than twenty servants, unexpectedly entered the land of no one, killed his father, and brought Wu Xiang out from the stunned Manchu soldiers.Huang Taiji suspected that the Ming army was deceitful, so he ordered the soldiers not to chase and kill, and let Wu Sangui and his son escape. This legendary encounter brought Wu Sangui a reputation capital that he could never use throughout his life.In the Ming Dynasty, where Wen Tian and Wu Xi played, this teenage boy's act of filial piety and bravery was immediately heard all over the world.Even Huang Taiji was full of praise for this young man, calling him a "good man", and said without regret: "If my family gets this man, why worry about the world?" In a society where morality is the rule of the world, people's moral consciousness is very important.The relationship between father and son is the most basic social relationship. From a person's attitude towards his parents, he can infer his attitude towards others towards the empire. "Seeking loyal ministers at the door of filial sons" has become a natural logic.When Wu Sangui returned to Jinzhou City covered in blood and sweat, the first words Zu Dashou said to him were: If you don't worry about being rich or honored, I will ask you to worship me. Afterwards, Wu Sangui took the martial arts exam in high school.Afterwards, his official career was magnanimous. At only 28 years old, he became the commander of Ningyuan guarding one side and became a leader among young generals.In the process of climbing the official career, he felt more deeply than anyone else the great role of moral resources in promoting a person's social achievements. Wu Sangui cherishes his social image as a loyal minister and filial son very much, and he is used to designing his actions around this image.Respectful and considerate in front of his parents, ignorant of money and good men in the circle of friends, and unparalleled in the army of millions, Wu Sangui knows the society's expectations of his role, and he does his best to perfect his social role. At only 31 years old, Wu Sangui was exceptionally promoted to be the admiral of Liaodong, in charge of the military outside the customs. The society gave him a lot of feedback.The Ming Dynasty really treated him with kindness and kindness. It may be impossible to accurately analyze the proportion of moral principles and practical interests in Wu Sangui's choice.However, the final result was clear, and he rejected his uncle's proposal.This move was quickly known to the court and further enriched his moral capital.However, we will learn from the subsequent narrative that Wu Sangui's choice was not easy.