On August 9, the eighth year of Chongde (1643), the fifty-two-year-old Emperor Taiji died of illness in Shenyang. Regarding the cause of his death, the Draft History of the Qing Dynasty says that there was "no disease collapse". In fact, Huang Taiji's health was not very good after he was fifty years old. During the Songjin War, he dragged the sick body to the front line, and there was many bleeding in his nasal cavity. Huang Taiji married 15 women in his lifetime, and his favorite after succeeding to the throne was Concubine Chen, and the two had a very good relationship. However, during the Songjin War, Concubine Chen fell ill and was in danger. Hearing the news, Huang Taiji ignored the tight war on the front line and rushed back to Shengjing to visit. Unfortunately, by the time he arrived, Concubine Chen had already died. This was a big blow to Huang Taiji, and he was unconscious on the spot. Since then, Huang Taiji's health has deteriorated, and the amount of food has become less and less. The words "Holy Bow Violation" appear many times in the history books. In the sixth year of Chongde, Emperor Taiji issued a general amnesty decree and prayed specifically, hoping that the heavens would give him good health. However, the heavens did not restore the Emperor Taiji to health, but on the contrary, it became more and more old. Two years later, Emperor Taiji died at The Qingning Palace. A generation of Lords, rest in peace.
After the death of Emperor Taiji, the heir issue became the biggest problem for those in power. Unlike other dynasties, the Qing Dynasty followed the primogeniture system. Emperor Taiji did not have a crown prince before he died, and because he died suddenly, he did not have time to arrange for the events behind him. So, who will inherit the throne? As a result, a fierce battle for the throne quickly began.
Huang Taiji had 11 sons in his lifetime. Among them, those who did not grow up to adulthood and died prematurely were the second son of the emperor, the third son of the emperor, and the eighth son of the emperor. In addition to these three princes, the others were alive when Emperor Taiji died.
The emperor's eldest son, Hauge, once followed emperor Taiji in his conquest of Korea, followed Dorgon on his expeditions, fought against the Ming army, and made military merits. When Emperor Taiji died, he was thirty-five years old. The fourth son of the Emperor, Ye Bushu, was the age when Emperor Taiji died. The fifth son of the Emperor, Shuo Sai, was the age when Emperor Taiji died. The sixth son of the Emperor, Gao Sai, was seven years old when Emperor Taiji died. The seventh son of the Emperor, Chang Shu, was also seven years old when Emperor Taiji died. The ninth son of the Emperor, Fu Lin, was born in 1638, and his biological mother was Empress Xiaozhuangwen of the Borjigit clan. He was only six years old when Emperor Taiji died. Emperor Taiji's tenth son, Tao Sai, was only five years old when Emperor Taiji died. The eleventh son of the Emperor, Bomu Bogol, was only one year old when Emperor Taiji died.
In this row, among the sons of Emperor Taiji, the most likely to inherit the throne should be the eldest son Hauge. Because he was thirty-five years old at this time, he was strong and strong, and he was rich and powerful. He also has military merit, has the army in his hands, and has experience in politics.
However, it is not only the princes who are involved in the struggle for the throne. Apart from Hauge, the most powerful contenders for the throne were Daishan and Dolgun. DaiShan was the elder brother of Emperor Taiji, Great Belle, and after Nurhaci's death, it was because of his support that Emperor Taiji was able to succeed to the throne, and his prestige was very high. Dorgon, the younger brother of Emperor Taiji, led the army to fight in battle after becoming an adult, with outstanding military merit, great power and high prestige.
Daishan, Dorgon, and Hauge, the three people, Daishan, who had been suppressed by Emperor Taiji for many years, had stopped asking about the world. Dorgon was talented, powerful, and had the greatest desire for the throne. Hauge, the eldest son of the emperor who was young and powerful, had the advantage of blood, and had military merit and a high status.
In this case, it depends on who has more supporters and who is more politically smart.
Daishan's two most talented sons, Yue Chen and Saharan, died young, and the other sons were either incompetent or young. Coupled with the humility of Daishan, he did not want to participate in the political struggle for the throne in his old age. However, his attitude is very important. Whichever side he leans towards, the odds of winning will increase greatly.
As the eldest son of Emperor Taiji, Hauge supported more people in the DPRK, and both the yellow flag and the yellow flag supported Hauge. In addition, Hauge is also the flag owner of the Positive Blue Flag, which also supports Hauge's succession.
Dorgon, behind him is the white flag and the white flag, in addition, he also has the support of two brothers, his two brothers Azig and Dodo, Kong Wu is powerful, and his military achievements are outstanding. In addition, some clans in the Positive Red Flag and the Positive Blue Banner also secretly supported him, which made him even more powerful.
In addition to the three of them, Zilharan is also a figure to be reckoned with. Zilharang was the sixth son of Shulhazi the Prince of Zhuang, who was Nurhaci's younger brother. Zilharang was also the lord of the blue flag, leading troops for a long time and making outstanding military achievements. Because of his blood distance, it was impossible for him to compete for heirs. However, whoever succeeds to the throne is inseparable from his support.
As soon as Emperor Taiji lost his breath, Hauge and Dorgon began to conspire. On Hauge's side, the two yellow flag ministers Turge, Sony, Turai, Sihan and others expressed their support. He also sent men to woo Zilharang for his support. On Dorgon's side, his two brothers had already been fiercely fighting and waiting for them, and at the same time sent people to win Zilharang together.
August 14 is the final date. The kings and ministers met at the Chongzheng Hall to discuss the succession to the throne. Outside the main hall, all the guards were "bowed and sheathed", and their swords were tense.
At the scene of the meeting, Hauge's people attacked first, and the guards of the two yellow flags rushed into the main hall and proposed to make the prince emperor. Azig and Dordor also rose up and proposed that Dorgon succeed to the throne. At this point, the two sides were deadlocked. Dorgon is careful and adept at change. He drank back the two yellow flag guards while ostensibly rejecting Dodo's offer. There was an awkward silence at the meeting site.
At this time, Dodo proposed that Daishan be asked to succeed to the throne. The scheming Daishan categorically refused on the grounds of "old age and physical decline". But he also did not say who he supported.
Hauge took the opportunity to get up and said to the princes and ministers present in a domineering manner, "I am the eldest son of the former emperor and should be succeeded by myself, and if you do not agree, I will immediately retire." As soon as the words fell, the princes and ministers who supported him said that if they did not establish a prince, they would rather die than go underground." Dai shan saw that they were emotional and afraid of a gunfight, so he got up and left the table. When Dorgon saw this, he knew that he could not come hard, so he immediately changed his strategy. He hastened to propose that Fu Lin, the ninth son of Emperor Taiji, would succeed to the throne, with him and Zilharang serving as auxiliary ministers, and that fu lin would be in charge after he became an adult.
Dorgon's proposal surprised everyone present. No one expected that Dorgon would come to this trick. This move is really powerful, first of all, it deprives Hauge of the right to inherit, and secondly, it consolidates its own power, the third of which draws Zilharang together, and the fourth of which blocks the mouth of Hauge's supporters.
If Dorgon's proposal was approved, Zilharan rose to prominence as an auxiliary chancellor and his power increased. So, Zilharan was the first to support Dolgun's proposal. Daisan and Hauge have no interests, and in order to stabilize the overall situation, he also agrees to Dorgon's proposal. Hauge saw that the two powerful figures of Zilharang and Daishan agreed to this proposal, and even if they opposed it, it was useless, so they had to agree. In this way, the six-year-old Fu Lin succeeded to the throne.
After Fu Lin succeeded to the throne, Dorgon and Zilharan served as auxiliary ministers, but in fact, most of the power was in the hands of Dorgon. Since then, Daqing has embarked on a new journey full of glory and challenges.