Although Zhou Peigong was the most capable pillar of the mid-Qing Dynasty, his situation made people think of Wen Zhong, Han Xin and other heroes who were "cooked by rabbits and dead dogs" by the monarch.
At that time, the rebellion between Wu Sangui and the Chahar Department was undoubtedly a succession of internal and external troubles for the Manchu Qing. At this time, Kangxi mobilized most of his troops to the southwest region to fight Against Wu Sangui, and the troops left behind in the capital were very limited. On this occasion, Zhou Peigong gave Kangxi an idea, that is, to reuse Han generals.
After all, at this time, the Eight Banner Army was no longer the same as the iron army before entering the pass, and only the use of the Han army could reverse the defeat. Therefore, Kangxi adopted Zhou Peigong's idea and appointed him as the general of Fuyuan, sending him to the north to meet the Chahar department. It can be said that although Kangxi gave Zhou Peigong a heavy responsibility, he did not hold out much hope. This can be seen from the fact that Kangxi allocated a large number of scattered soldiers to Zhou Peigong.
However, what Kangxi did not expect was that Zhou Peigong could build this ragtag army into an ace army, and it took only three months to defeat the Chahar Department. Later, in the subsequent wars, Zhou Peigong's power gradually grew, relying on the annexation of Wang Fuchen's troops, and easily defeated Wu Sangui, who dominated the southwest.
Originally, Zhou Peigong was a courtier without the strength of a chicken, but he completed this miracle like a natural famous general. Therefore, Zhou Peigong's situation made Kangxi shudder. In the end, Kangxi, who was jealous of Zhou Peigong's talents, transferred him to Shengjing under house arrest, and did not transfer him back to the capital until Zhou Peigong died of illness.
So why would Kangxi be so jealous of this person?
The author believes that it is entirely because Zhou Peigong's military ability is too good.
First of all, the generals under Zhou Peigong were strictly disciplined and were able to order prohibitions;
The army led by Zhou Peigong was originally a personal soldier under Empress Xiaozhuang, and as Manchus, they had an innate sense of resistance to the Han. Today, the general who led them, Zhou Peigong, was a Han Chinese with a red miao, and it was obvious that these soldiers would not be convinced of him. What's more, at that time, the situation on the front line was tight, and the imperial court only allocated one or two silver monthly salaries to each soldier.
The "life money" of one or two silver per month will not make these soldiers have fighting spirit at all. However, Zhou Peigong had a relatively clear understanding of the situation of the army, and he understood that if he wanted to master this army, he must establish strict military discipline and let the soldiers be restrained. Therefore, after Zhou Peigong gained the command of the army, he killed several Manchus who dared to oppose him at the first time.
Originally, after these Manchu Eight Banners thought that they were nobles, Zhou Peigong, who was a Han Chinese, did not dare to do anything with them, but he did not expect that Zhou Peigong would really dare to kill these old nobles.
In addition, after solving these "thorns", Zhou Peigong took advantage of the hot iron and immediately promulgated twelve decrees, and the soldiers dared to trespass the thunder pool one step and decided not to spare.
As for the issue of military salaries, Zhou Peigong also made sufficient consideration.
At this time, the imperial court was politically eventful, and it was impossible to come up with silver to supplement military expenses. Therefore, Zhou Peigong allowed his subordinates to plunder the enemy's property and feed the war with war. In this way, the soldiers who tasted the sweetness from the spoils of war naturally increased their morale.
Secondly, Zhou Peigong's strategic thinking was ahead of the times, and he was braver than any courtier to accept new things;
At that time, Kangxi held the mentality of trying it out, and deployed thirty red-clad cannons to Zhou Peigong's army. Although Zhou Peigong was a reader, he was not pedantic, and he understood the power of these imported products. Therefore, in the battle with Wang Fuchen, Zhou Peigong behaved with ease of laughter, while the Manchu minister Tu Hai jumped to his feet in a hurry.
The results proved that Zhou Peigong was indeed far-sighted. Relying on the power of the red-clad cannon, the Qing army easily solved Wang Fuchen.
In the end, Zhou Peigong is not only bold, but also very good at making things up, and can accurately grasp the psychology of the enemy;
In the Battle of Wang Fuchen, Zhou Peigong met Wang Fuchen alone before the war and negotiated with him. From here, we can see that Zhou Peigong is quite bold, and he is very smart. At that time, in the process of negotiations, Zhou Peigong deliberately exaggerated the number of red-clad cannons, exaggerating the original thirty cannons into two hundred, crushing the morale of the enemy in one fell swoop.
From here, it can be seen that Zhou Peigong is simply a natural talent. His talent for both literature and martial arts may be comparable to that of the ancient famous general Han Xin. The reason why Zhou Peigong was able to win this war was because he cultivated an invincible and strong army with strict military discipline, and could be united with Tu Haizhu.
In fact, such a powerful minister is an unattainable treasure in the chaotic world, and Kangxi naturally understands this. However, when the war ended, Zhou Peigong's identity became very sensitive. After all, he was a Han Chinese, and if he was appointed as a great general in terms of merit, he would certainly pose a threat to the established Manchu high-rankings.
Eventually, Kangxi was bound to do his best to send the meritorious minister to the remote Shengjing to prevent him from interfering with the Manchu centralization. Therefore, for Zhou Peigong's situation, we can only summarize it in one sentence.
However, there are many people who are born at an inopportune time in history, and they all feel the unfairness of fate to a greater or lesser extent, but they have left footprints in history and are known to the world, which is also a kind of compensation. In addition, although the northeast belongs to the bitter cold land, it is the rear of the Qing Dynasty and the land of Longxing. You know, Shengjing was the most important place on the frontier of the Qing Dynasty.
It can be seen that Kangxi left Shengjing to Zhou Peigong, putting the origin of his lifeline into the hands of Zhou Peigong. Therefore, everyone will know what the dethronement and exile are all about.
Resources:
[Records of the Ancestors of the Qing Dynasty, Drafts of the History of the Qing Dynasty, AndReography 38]