Miracles have been accomplished
Aisin Kyoro Dolgon, the fourteenth son of Qing Taizu Nurhach. Nurhachi had a total of + six sons, two of whom were the same mother as Dorgon, brother Azig and brother Dordor.
Shizu Fulin (i.e. Shunzhi Emperor), ascended the throne at Chong Ling, assisted by the regent Dolgon. Clearing customs and starting a business, opening a national foundation, all by Dolgon; Before the reign of Shizu in the seventh year of Shunzhi (1650), the military affairs of the Qing court were mostly dictated by the regent, so Dolgon was the actual founder of the Qing Empire, with outstanding achievements and outstanding momentum. Although Dolgon did not claim the title of emperor, he had the authority of an emperor. Dolgon was knighted many in his life, during the Taiji period of Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty, he was first named Belle, and then Morgen Daiqing (that is, the wise king), Prince Rui, and after Shizu Fulin ascended the throne, he was called the regent and the regent of the imperial father, and after his death, he was posthumously named the Emperor of Chengjingyi, and soon he was demoted to the knighthood, and the Prince of Furui was still the prince of Furui during the Qianlong Dynasty. At that time, Koreans often called it "Nine Kings", "King Amma" in Western writings, and sometimes called it "Nine Chiefs" in Ming records.
In Dolgon's era, China was in the midst of great changes and turmoil, which provided Dolgon with the opportunity to show his talents. The young Dolgon has already emerged and is quite valued by Nurhach. In the eleventh year of the Mandate of Heaven (1636), Nur Hachi died in Yaoji Fort (forty miles from Shenyang), and Emperor Taiji ascended the throne as emperor, and Dolgon, who was only five years old at the time, was named Baylor. In February of the second year of Tiancong (1628), the seventeen-year-old Dolgon accompanied Emperor Taiji to the Chahar Dorot Division, and Ao Mulun was victorious, and Dolgon made considerable combat merits, so he was named Murgen Daiqing by Jin and gradually became one of the main commanders of the Later Jin army. Dolgon, who was intelligent, strategic, and heroic and good at fighting, was deeply trusted by the Emperor Taiji, and was entrusted with important responsibilities many times, participating in major military operations, fighting in the East and the West, and repeatedly achieving miraculous achievements.
In February of the ninth year of Tiancong, Emperor Taiji took advantage of the death of Chahar Lindan Khan to order Dolgon and others to be marshals, and led more than 10,000 elite troops to attack Erke Konggol Erzhe, son of Chahar Lindan Khan. Based on the principle of "deterring the soldiers, cherishing the virtues", Dolgon took advantage of the kinship relationship, did not fight bloody blades, and submitted to Erzhe, making this march a grand surrender ceremony. After Erzhe led his troops to surrender, other tribes followed, and the 400,000 tribes of Mongolia obeyed the Qing people, thus successfully solving the Mongolian problem. Dolgon also received the Yuan Dynasty's seal of the state, the "Treasure of Making", and Emperor Taiji changed his name to Yuan Chongde and changed the name of the country to Qing, and Dolgon was also crowned Prince of Jin and Shuorui. In the war in which Emperor Tae-Ki submitted to Korea, Dolgon once again showed his outstanding talent. At the end of the first year of Chongdeok (1636), Emperor Taiji led an army to invade Korea and besieged the Korean king Yi Bao at Namhansanseong. In February of the infancy, Dolgon led an army to attack Ganghwa Island, inhabited by the second prince and princess of Joseon, as well as many ministers and their dependents. Dolgon was used to force Ganghwa Island to surrender; After the surrender, it was strictly forbidden for the soldiers to kill and pillage indiscriminately, and returned the captive soldiers and daughters, and treated the concubines of the Korean king with courtesy, which deeply touched the Korean king and promoted the surrender of the Korean king. In the war against the Ming Dynasty, Dolgon was also known for his bravery and good fighting. In the third year of Chongde, Dolgon, as a general under orders, commanded the Qing army on the left flank, and Yue Tuo led the Qing army on the right flank, respectively, from Dongjiakou and Wallziling to destroy the border wall and invade the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty, swept west to Shanxi, and then broke through Jinan in the east, and Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of the Ming Dynasty, plundered Tianjin, moved to An, and returned out of Qingshan Pass. They traversed thousands of miles, ravaged more than 40 cities, burned, killed, and plundered everywhere they went, plundered more than 250,000 people, plundered countless goods, and suffered heavy disasters from subjects in Shanxi, Hebei, and Shandong provinces. The campaign against the Ming commanded by Dolgon seriously destroyed the hinterland of the Ming Dynasty in Gyeonggi and effectively weakened the national strength of the Ming Dynasty.
With his outstanding battles and outstanding intelligence, Dolgon stood out, leapt above the kings, and became the most powerful confidant of Emperor Taiji in the process of the founding of the Qing Dynasty. This provided a real formula for his involvement in later political struggles. The battle for the throne after Emperor Taiji's death provided an opportunity for Dolgon to seize the supreme power of the Qing dynasty.
"Regent of the Heavens"
On the ninth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of Chongde, Emperor Taiji collapsed, and there was a sharp contradiction among the Manchu rulers over the succession to the throne. Before the Qing Dynasty, the succession of the heirs was not appointed by the emperor among the princes during his lifetime, but by the Council of Ministers. Before Emperor Taiji died, there were already signs of contention within the kings. As soon as Huang Taiji died, this contradiction immediately sharpened. At that time, there were many people among the kings who were contentious, and finally formed two opposing factions, led by the eldest son of Emperor Taiji, Suwang Haoge, and Dolgon, the Prince of Rui, and did not give in to each other. The yellow and yellow flags originally led by Emperor Taiji strongly advocated the establishment of Haoge, while the white and white banners, led by Dolgon and his half-brother Dordo, swore to establish Dolgon as emperor. The relations between the two sides are very tense, and there is an atmosphere of armed confrontation. In this stalemate situation, after the mediation of Empress Xiaozhuang of Emperor Taiji, Dolgon did not rashly move, but proposed to appoint Fulin, who was only six years old, the ninth son of Emperor Taiji, as emperor, with him and Zir Harang assisting him, and returning to government immediately when Fu Lin was older. This compromise was accepted by both parties.
Dolgon did not establish himself as king, nor did he necessarily "become benevolent in nature" and obeyed the festival. The main reason why Dolgon did this was that he did not have a clear advantage in comparison with Haug's political power, nor did he necessarily have a sure chance of victory; On the contrary, not only did it make it easier for Dolgon, who had the name of auxiliary, to control power, but also enabled Dolgon to win the support of most of the upper nobility. Through this political maneuver, Dolgon not only greatly improved his political status, but also avoided the division within the Manchus, and was able to work together with each other, laying the foundation for his great political ambition of seizing national power.
In August of the eighth year of Izuku, Fu Lin, who was only six years old, ascended the throne. Dolgon lived with Zilharan as an auxiliary government and became regent. Dolgon took advantage of his advantageous position as "acting as regent of heaven" to quickly complete the process of centralizing power. He held great power with the dignity of a regent, and "the criminal government was eliminated, and all large and small state affairs" were in charge. He further weakened the power of the Council of Ministers, concentrating power in the hands of the Regent in the name of "inconclusive deliberations and mishandling of state affairs". The kings were dismissed from administering the affairs of the ministry, and all kinds of affairs were in charge of the Shangshu, and the regent was under the command. Order the capital to inspect the kings of Baylor, according to the facts, and shall not hide for personal gain; It was stipulated that all the offices should conduct their affairs, and that anyone who should be heard of or recorded in the archives should first inform Dolgon. In this way, the power of the kings to pre-rule was weakened, and another regent, Zilharang, also retreated under Dolgon, who began to monopolize the military affairs. On the other hand, Dolgon showed no mercy to political enemies who threatened his position, resolutely cracked down, deposed Su Wang Haoge, who had previously competed for the imperial throne, and his confidants were also killed. In just a few months, Dolgon assumed power. In order to honor Dolgon's prominent status, in January of the first year of Shunzhi (1644), the Ministry of Rites agreed on the etiquette of the regent Dolgon's residence and hunting march, and the kings were not allowed to sit on an equal footing. As a result, Dolgon actually enjoyed the honor and power of the emperor and became the actual ruler and decision-maker in the early Qing Dynasty, thus providing a strong guarantee for his subsequent major political and military operations.
After Dolgon took power alone, he judged the hour and sized up the situation, was quick and decisive, and quickly carried out a series of strategic adjustments politically and militarily, enabling the Qing army to smoothly pass the border, occupy Beijing, gain political and military superiority, and seize the initiative.
Dolgon's understanding of many major issues was unique and perceptive, surpassing that of other Manchurian nobles of the time. As early as the seventh year of Tiancong, Dolgon made it clear that he wanted to seize Beijing and unify the whole country. However, the ordinary Manchurian princes and ministers lacked this strategic goal, had no ambitions, and arbitrarily killed and plundered. In March of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen (the first year of Shunzhi), Li Zicheng led the Dashun army to capture Beijing, and the Chongzhen Emperor hanged himself, and the Qing Dynasty had not yet been confirmed, but Dolgon had quickly seen the drastic changes in the situation, decisively adopted Fan Wencheng's suggestions, and quickly responded. Fan Wencheng pointed out that the death of the Ming is imminent, and "although the mainland competes with the Ming for the world, it is also a rogue and a rogue", and demanded a fundamental change in tactics, one against the Qing army's burning and looting of the Ming war in the past, and "strict discipline, no crime in autumn" to win the hearts and minds of the people, officials still in their posts, and the people to restore their careers, so as to attract rebels; At the same time, we should lose no time in leading the army directly to Beijing. At that time, within the Qing Dynasty, there were very few people who held this view, and only Fan Wencheng among the old ministers and Hong Chengcheng among the subordinates. Fan Wencheng's strategy was a huge relationship in the founding of the Qing Dynasty, which can be described as the first step of Wang Ye. And Dolgon, with his extraordinary political insight, was able to quickly gather troops and horses within a few days, leading two-thirds of the Manchurian and Mongol armies, and the Han army Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, and Shang Kexi, to march towards Guannei. After learning the exact news of the fall of Beijing and the self-hanging of the Chongzhen Emperor on the way, he immediately marched towards Shanhaiguan at the same time, and adjusted his strategy again, openly raising the political banner of "revenge and extermination of thieves" and "benevolence and righteousness"; At the same time, it was clearly pointed out that the purpose of this march was not to be like the previous captives and massacres, but to "secure the country and the people, and hope for a great cause" to unify China. Since then, the Qing government has achieved a major strategic change in politics and military, shifting from Fa Ming to taking the peasant army as the enemy, firmly grasping the banner of "benevolent and righteous division" of "hanging the people for the crime of logging". However, just over two months ago, Dolgon also sent a letter to the generals of the Dashun army, asking for joint efforts with the peasant army, and taking the Central Plains, splitting the land into a frontier, and sharing wealth, which shows Dolgon's rapid change.
It was Dolgon's rapid and agile change that enabled the Qing army to take the lead in a series of subsequent military operations, firmly grasped the initiative, and the troops were like a bamboo. The Qing army recruited Wu Sangui and was able to quickly pass through Shanhaiguan, defeat the 60,000-strong army led by Li Zicheng, and then drive straight into Beijing. On the second day of May, the Qing army occupied Beijing, and Dolgon entered Beijing through Chaoyangmen, and the widow of Ming Wen Wu went five miles away. Dolgon went to the Wuying Hall to sit down, accepted the greetings of all the officials, and declared the capital Yanjing. From the time Dolgon sent troops to the Qing army occupied Beijing, it was less than one month.
Nation-opening customization
After the Qing army occupied Beijing, Dolgon once again showed his political prowess, greatly adjusting his political strategy to suit the political, economic, and cultural traditions of the vast advanced region.
Dolgon has always adhered to the strategic principle of setting the capital in Beijing and striving for progress, and resolutely opposed the conservative idea of short-sightedness and regression. At that time, some Manchurian nobles advocated that they should take advantage of the occupation of Beijing to massacre and plunder, leaving only a few troops to guard Yanjing, and the soldiers either retreated to Shenyang or to Shanhaiguan. These claims were harshly refuted by Dolgon. In June, Dolgon and the princes and ministers finally agreed on the capital Yanjing, sent envoys to welcome the Shunzhi Emperor from Shenyang to Beijing, and moved in large numbers to Liao-Shenmanchu to enrich Gyeonggi; In October, the Shunzhi Emperor arrived in Beijing, that is, the emperor's throne, promulgated the Great Qing Constitutional Calendar, decreed the world, and granted amnesty. Since then, the Ming Dynasty has been replaced by the Qing Dynasty.
From the very beginning of his army entering the customs, Dolgon tried his best to win the hearts and minds of the people. He severely wounded the whole army, did not kill innocents, did not plunder property, did not burn houses, and offended those who violated the crime, and told the residents to "mutilate and not kill, and share the peace." After entering the city of Beijing, he ordered that soldiers and people's homes be forbidden, and the people were blocked. On the third day of the occupation of Beijing, he ordered a mourning for the Chongzhen Emperor. The military and civilians served for three days of mourning, and they were buried with imperial rites. During the occupation of Beijing by the peasant army, the palace of the Chongzhen Emperor was moved to Changping for a time, and Dolgon was buried with imperial rites. Dolgon also adopted Fan Wencheng's proposition to turn the Ming Ji Zhi Jia faction back and reform it together. These measures have played an important role in winning the hearts and minds of the people.
Dolgon actively wooed the upper aristocracy of the Han nationality and officials at all levels, and on the second day of occupying Beijing, he immediately ordered the military department to directly subordinate the county and the officials who returned to the rank were promoted; Whoever returns from the kings of the Ming Dynasty does not take his titles; Officials in Beijing and those who avoid hiding are each hired by their reputation. Dolgon was well aware of the truth that "those who set the world in ancient times must enlist the wise and talented", and a large number of Han nobles and officials at all levels could be appointed as long as they were loyal to the Qing dynasty, such as the notorious Feng Quan in the Ming Dynasty, and even the despised Niu Jinxing. At the same time, Wu Sangui and Feng Quan were set as examples for demoting generals and officials, so as to continue to submit to the Han people. For example, Wu Sangui, Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi, and Hong Chengzhuo made great contributions to the Qing court's determination of the world. On the one hand, he paid homage to the ancestors of the emperors and sages, guarded the tombs of the Ming Dynasty, advocated respecting the study of the scriptures, and opened up the imperial examination to win over the hearts and minds of Han intellectuals. On the other hand, threats and inducements are made to those who are unwilling to cooperate. These measures played a great role in attracting Han intellectuals to participate in the Qing regime, and literary celebrities such as Chen Mingxia and Chen Zhixian in the south, and Shen Weibing and Wang Yongyong in the north were recommended one after another.
The system of Dolgon's founding, except for the military system with its own eight banners as the foundation, Yu Duo followed the Ming system, almost unchanged, and did not think of the previous generation as the cause. The implementation of the Han system in the early Qing Dynasty not only met the needs of ruling the whole country, but also played a role in cleaning up the hearts of the people. At the beginning of the third year of Shunzhi, Dolgon compiled the "Ming Hong Wu Baochuan", and the ancestor Fulin made a preface for it, promulgated the world, and expressed his willingness to abide by the ancestral precepts of Ming with the world. According to the suggestions of Fan Wencheng, Hong Chengzhuo, Feng Quan and others, Dolgon established a central ruling body according to the Ming system, and revised the "Book of Endowments", "The Great Qing Meeting", and "The Great Qing Law". The implementation of these political measures effectively coordinated with the military action to unify China in the early Qing Dynasty.
In a series of military operations carried out in the early Qing Dynasty, Dolgon was also well-commanded and took the initiative. After occupying Beijing, Dolgon quickly made the deployment of attacking the peasant army in the southwest and then planning for the south of the Jiangsu, a military policy that was in line with the actual situation at that time. Dolgon first pointed the attack at the peasant army, which not only enabled the Qing army to concentrate its main forces to defeat the enemy and avoid simultaneous wars between the east and west, and gained the military initiative, but also enabled the Qing court to continue to fight for the political initiative under the guise of "revenge of the monarch and father" and fight with the "rogues", and Dolgon concentrated all its elite forces to launch a decisive battle with the Dashun army. In November of the first year of Shunzhi, the Qing divided the army into two routes, one with Prince Ying Azige as the general of Jingyuan, leading Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi and other Manchu, Mongolian, and Han armies from southwestern Shaanxi to Xi'an, and along the way with Kong Youde, Geng Zhongming and other armies led by Prince Doduo of Yu, from Henan to the west to Tong Pass, the two roads were sandwiched, and agreed to meet Xi'an. Azige led his army like a broken bamboo, trapped Taiyuan, Pingyang and other cities, and occupied Shanxi; Doduo led his army to Tongguan in January of the following year, and the fortification lasted for a month, breaking through Tongguan in early February and occupying Xi'an. Azige led his troops to continue to pursue the Dashun army, breaking Wuchang in May, and Li Zicheng was killed in Jiuguanshan, Hubei in June. Another peasant army, the Great Western Army, was also defeated by Qing forces in Sichuan, and its leader Zhang Xianzhong was killed in February of the second year of Shunzhi. In this way, the Qing army won a complete victory on the western front, the main force of the peasant army was basically defeated, and the remaining troops retreated south to protect themselves and continue to resist the Qing.
In dealing with the Hongguang regime in Nanjing, Dolgon also played with political tricks. At the beginning of the occupation of Beijing, in order to stabilize the situation in the southeast, Dolgon once spread the word that he wanted to reconcile with Jiangzuo. The Hongguang Dynasty fantasized about dividing the north and south with the Qing court, sent envoys with generous gifts, went north to discuss peace, hoping to follow the story of the Song Dynasty, cut land and coins, surrender to the southeast, and even dreamed of uniting the Qing army and suppressing the peasant army together. In fact, Dolgon's move was only a measure to feel the enemy, and he would not allow the Southern Ming regime to realize this dream. In July of the first year of Shunzhi, with the continuous victories of the Qing army and the consolidation of Beijing, Dolgon's attitude towards the Hongguang regime changed abruptly, causing Hongguang to return to the domain, threatening Hongguang's surrender; In October, he also sent an edict to Jiangnan, strictly affirming that the establishment of Hongguang was an act that the king's law would not forgive, and he would definitely be punished; In the same month, three envoys of the Hongguang regime arrived in Beijing, and Dolgon ordered the imperial court to receive generous gifts, but treated them as a courtesy of the court, regarded Hongguang's imperial letter as a tribute document, and sent people to count the crimes of Hongguang. At the beginning of the second year of Shunzhi, after the Qing army marched west to occupy Xi'an and the battle situation was clear, Dolgon quickly divided his troops and ordered Duoduo to lead his troops south, passing through the south of Jiangsu. In April, Yangzhou was captured, and on 14 May, Nanjing was captured, Hongguang was captured, and a large number of civilian and military officials and more than 200,000 troops surrendered. After the southern capital was down, Longwuzhi was in Fujian, Lu was in the sea, and Yongli Emperor was in Liangyue and Moqian, fleeing and exile, only preserving his name. After the Qing army occupied Nanjing, it continued to advance south, and by the time of Dolgon's death in the seventh year of Shunzhi, although there were repeated wars in the southern provinces, most of China was under the rule of the Qing court.
The work is too clear
In the six or seven years after the Qing army entered the customs, in order to adapt to the new ruling situation, Dolgon quickly made a series of adjustments to the Manchu policy, attacked the Ming system, used Han people, and accelerated Sinicization, so that the feudal ruling order of the Qing Dynasty could be stabilized as soon as possible, and at the same time, the culture between the Manchus and Han could communicate and integrate with each other, which was also the historical role played by Dolgon in the early Qing Dynasty. However, the stage of social development of the Manchus before entering the customs was much lower than that of the Han, and Dolgon, as the representative of the Manchu ruling class, inevitably carried this backward imprint and implemented some traditional policies before the Manchus entered the customs, and these backward policies were not applicable to those Central Plains regions that were already highly developed feudal economy at that time, thus bringing unprecedented disasters to the Han people in this area. This is the case with the law of enclosure and the law of escape. With Dolgon's approval, the Qing aristocracy occupied a large amount of land in Gyeonggi, Hebei, and Shandong, forming various farms under the management of Zhuangtou, and forced the Han people to surrender or bring land into slavery, and used violent means to transplant backward serfdom to Han areas with highly developed feudal economies, and the people were displaced and suffered from the disaster. In order to suppress the flight of a large number of serfs and safeguard the interests of the Manchu rulers, the early Qing government also implemented a strict fugitive law, which was a great escape law to protect the interests of a very small number of Manchu serf owners, which excessively damaged the interests of all classes and strata, causing long-term social turmoil. Dolgon also pursued some policies of ethnic oppression and ethnic discrimination, forcing the Han people to change their clothes and shave, and strictly enforced it as a sign of the obedience of the "new dynasty", "growing hair without head, and keeping head without hair", imposing Manchu customs, clothing and clothing on the head of the Han people, causing strong dissatisfaction among the Han people.
With the unlimited expansion of power, Dolgon's title became more and more honorable. In the first year of Shunzhi, Jin was named regent of his uncle, and in the fifth year of Shunzhi, he was honored as the regent of his father, "acting as regent of heaven", "reward and punishment are equal to the imperial court", and even moved the emperor's seal back to the palace, and for a while he was in power, and only King Rui was known inside and outside the customs, as if he was the king of a country. He is high and high, and the good rise indiscriminately, and the contrary descend indiscriminately; He asserted his authority and excluded dissidents, such as Haoge the King of Su, who had made great achievements in battle, was accused of trumped-up charges and put to death, and his Fujin was also taken in as a side chamber by Dolgon; Zilharan was also regent but was deposed for advocating for supporting Hauge. He suffers from wind and temper; He was extravagant in nature, and his mansion was gorgeous and magnificent, more than the imperial residence, and he loved to let eagles hunt around, which cost a lot of money.
The shrewd and capable Dolgon, with his outstanding political and military talents, supported troops and entered the customs, thus laying the foundation for the founding of the Manchu Qing Dynasty for more than 270 years, and can be called the first person to establish the Manchu Qing Dynasty. With his superb political skills, both rigidity and softness, and in the name of regent, he concentrated great power in his own body, which effectively ensured the realization of his political ambition of dominating the country and establishing a foundational state. However, things are bound to backfire, and Dolgon's excessive power eventually led to his personal tragedy. In November of the seventh year of Shunzhi, Dolgon went out to hunt outside the Gubeikou, suffered a knee injury, and died of death, (only thirty-nine years old. His spirit was transported back to Beijing, solemnly buried, and posthumously honoured as "Emperor Chengjing Yi". However, only two months after his death, that is, in the middle of the bloody year of Shunzhi, someone first accused Dolgon that he had plotted to usurp the great position, and the princes and ministers headed by Zilharang jointly investigated his crimes, edicted the knights, had no official property, and destroyed the tomb. Westerners who witnessed it at the time recorded that Fulin "ordered the destruction of the ornate mausoleum of King Ama (i.e., Dolgon),...... They pulled the body out, beat it with a stick, whipped it with a whip, and finally cut off the head, and the corpse was displayed in public, and his majestic mausoleum was reduced to dust." The Rui King Mansion, located in the Mingnan Palace, was abolished at the same time. The princes and ministers who were reused in front of him either defected or were killed and degraded. It is really sad and sad that a generation of famous kings was blamed after his death and ended up in such a miserable situation.
However, the regent Dolgon's merits in the founding of the Manchu Qing dynasty were made public by his descendants. The Qianlong Emperor was extremely unhappy with Dolgon, and issued an edict as Zhaoxue, the Prince of Furui, who was succeeded by Sun Chunying, the fifth emperor of Dolgon, and was equipped with the temple, rebuilt the Ying tomb, and rebuilt the Rui Wangfu, and his knighthood was inherited from generation to generation, becoming one of the eight iron hat kings of the Qing Dynasty. Qianlong spoke highly of Dolgon's great contribution: "Dispatch kings, hunt down the rogues, pacify the frontiers, and all the scale of creation is planned." Seeking and welcoming the ancestors of the world drove into the capital, determined the country and opened the foundation, and became the cause of unification, and made the most meritorious achievements." This assessment is indeed a fair statement of Dolgon.