In "Kangxi Dynasty", one of the most classic episodes is that the 17-year-old Kangxi sent a group of young men to defeat Aobai, a famous general of the Qing Dynasty at that time. The story is striking because Kangxi succeeded in eradicating the Qing Dynasty's "Cao Cao" and "Sima Yi" through a group of young teenagers. However, what is less known is that Ao Bai at that time had already sensed the danger and had a huge army of 400,000 at his disposal. Why did he procrastinate and unwilling to accept the transfer of power, and was finally killed by Kangxi? In order to reveal this secret, we need to look back at the history of Ao Bai and find out who was behind him, so that he never dared to rebel.
Born into a prominent family, Ao Bai has been involved in the battles of successive masters of the Later Jin (the predecessor of the Qing Dynasty) since the time of Nurhachi, becoming the "Elder of the Four Dynasties". Not only was he experienced, but he also excelled in important battles, including the battle for strategically important islands, the Battle of Songjin in the Qing Dynasty's national fortune battle, and the struggle against the peasant army.
Phi Dao was an important strategic point established by Mao Wenlong in the rear of the Later Jin. The Ming Dynasty could harass the rear of the Later Jin Dynasty by sea, and the cavalry of the Later Jin could not deal with Mao Wenlong's naval army, which caused Nurhachi and Huang Taiji a deep headache. Although Yuan Chonghuan later killed Mao Wenlong, Phi Dao was still a big problem for Hou Jin. In order to solve this problem, Huang Taiji sent Ao Bai and others to attack Phi Dao. Before leaving, Ao Bai made an oath: "If I cannot occupy Phi Dao, I will surrender immediately." Although the Qing army suffered heavy casualties and had the idea of retreating, Ao Bai personally led the charge, which inspired the Qing army and finally conquered Phi Dao.
In the Battle of Songjin in 1641, Ao Bai led his army to encounter a large number of troops of the Ming army, and without waiting for orders from his superiors, he spontaneously charged five times in a row, and finally defeated the Ming army. During the period of the peasant army, Aobai also made important military achievements. From these historical events, it can be seen that Ao Bai was by no means a conspirator like "Sima Yi" or "Cao Cao", he rarely used trickery in battle, and used bravery and charging as the main tactics, more like a warrior like Fan Xu or Xiang Yu.
However, when it came to the issue of succession to the throne, Ao Bai showed loyalty to the Huang Taiji family. Huang Taiji died in 1643, when the Qing Dynasty had not yet established a perfect system of succession to the throne. Emperor Taiji's younger brother, Dorgon, possessed significant military power and resourcefulness, and according to northern tradition, it was not unacceptable for a brother to be a brother. Dolgon's aspirations to become emperor of the Qing Dynasty were met with fierce opposition, with Aobai being one of the strongest voices in the opposition. He warned Dorgon: "We all grew up eating the food of the first emperor and wearing the clothes of the first emperor. The kindness of the first emperor to our cultivation is as deep as the sea and as high as the sky. If we don't have the son of the first emperor, we would rather go to the first emperor underground immediately! Dolgon was eventually forced to abdicate in favor of Emperor Taiji's son, Shunzhi. However, Aobai was brutally suppressed by Dolgon.
After Dorgon's death, Shunzhi became emperor, but he was only 21 years old at the time. Ao Bai and others became the most powerful people, and they did not rebel or seek power, but loyally assisted Shunzhi to quell the civil turmoil. In 1661, Ao Bai became the chief auxiliary minister of Shunzhi, when Kangxi was only 7 years old. From a historical point of view, Ao Bai had at least a few opportunities to successfully seek power, such as after the death of Dolgon, or after the early death of Shunzhi, he had the opportunity to support himself as emperor. However, Ao Bai has never had a rebellious heart, and he has always been the bravest and most loyal general of Huang Taiji, fighting with Huang Taiji. But by the time Kangxi became emperor, Ao Bai was old, upright, and probably rude, which was evidence that the young Kangxi considered him "disloyal." In the end, Kangxi killed him, and the Qing army lost an important "military soul". Kangxi's descendants realized his mistake and gradually restored the reputation of Aobai.