Hong Chengzu was saddled with many notorieties, such as "traitor" and "traitor", and even the Qianlong Emperor classified him as a "second minister". Its evaluation naturally has some praise and some criticism, and the following are listed below:
Zodiac Zhou: "Although the history is flowing, although it has not yet become famous, it can eventually be the law; Hong En is vast and cannot repay the country and become a vendetta." ”
Xiao Yishan: "When the domain is negative, the reputation is long, the life is flawed, and it is rarely generalized, and once it is betrayed, there will be an accident." It seems to be the common sentiment of man if we put aside the concept of the nation-state, but in the era of absolute monarchy, we will inevitably be ashamed of our subjects. ”
Sun Yat-sen: "The five ethnic groups compete for the great festival, and the Chinese are brilliant." The living beings are not destroyed, and the merits are high who do not know. Full back to the Central Plains, Han Qi survived for a long time. Wen Xiangtao strategized, and an-descendant changed his clothes. ”
……
However, in different eras and different historical environments, the evaluation of the same person is often different. With the weakening of national prejudices and the growing concept of the big family of the Chinese nation, Hong Chengzu's historical notoriety has gradually disappeared, and his historical merits have gradually become known to the people. Objectively speaking, after Hong Chengzu cleared the customs clearance, he still made certain contributions to the country and the people.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > beckons Jiangnan and wins</h1>
After entering the Qing Pass, Li Zicheng's army rushed to Henan and Shaanxi, and after retreating to Huguang, the regent Dolgun in March of the second year of Shunzhi (1645), ordered Duo Duo, the Prince of Yu in Henan, to lead an army south to attack Southern Ming. By May, the Qing army had eliminated the regime of King Mingfu of Nanming. When the good news reached Beijing, Dorgon was carried away by the victory, believing that the world had been decided, in addition to renovating the palace and fixing the uniforms of the officials, he brazenly implemented a policy of national high pressure and imposed a shaving order to show that the people of the Central Plains were subservient to the Qing Dynasty.
Although the Manchu aristocratic ruling clique made the wrong decision to strictly shave their hair, it also made a deliberate decision, that is, to appoint Hong Chengzu to Jiangning to preside over the affairs of appeasement.
The appointment of Hong Chengzu was agreed upon by the kings. During the regency of Dorgon in the early Qing Dynasty, the Council of the Council of The Council of Kings played a decision-making role on major issues in the Qing court. Appointing anyone to Jiangnan to appease this important matter, of course, must be approved by the king of the council, and is not dorgon's personal arbitrariness. There are several reasons for this choice:
1, Hong Chengzu is a Jiangnan scholar from Jinshi
Hong Chengzu was born in Nan'an, Quanzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province (present-day Nan'an, Quanzhou Province), and was the seventeenth ranked second in the 44th year of the Wanli Calendar (1616). After Hong Chengshi became a soldier, he served as the chief of the Punishment Department in the Beijing Division. During the Apocalypse period, he was promoted to the two Zhejiang Provinces and was in charge of the education and assessment of students in the two Zhejiang Provinces. That is to say, Hong Chengzu was once an examiner of the two Zhejiang students, and he was known for his prestige among the Jiangnan scholars.
2, Hong Chengyu is a scholar with great influence
Hong Chengzu was successively the chief of the Ming Dynasty, the ti xuedao, the envoy to the council, and the grain supervisor to participate in the government. In the fourth year of Chongzhen (1631), he was promoted to the governor of Shaanxi Province; for seven years, he supervised the military affairs of Shaanxi and Sichuan Lake in Henan, and was given the title of Prince Taibao and Bingbu Shangshu; in the twelfth year, he was appointed viceroy of Jiliao. It can be seen that Hong Chengzu had a lofty position in the Ming Dynasty. Because Hong Chengzu had irreplaceable influence from others, the Manchu aristocratic ruling clique asked him to go to Jiangnan.
3, Hong Chengzu was tested and considered a credible person by the Qing court
After Hong Chengzu was captured and surrendered to Qing, the "utility" soon appeared, and Zu Dashou took the initiative to surrender, which also had a considerable impact on Wu Sangui's later return to Qing at the Battle of Shanhaiguan.
After entering the customs, the Qing court, in view of Hong Chengzu's remarkable effectiveness, ordered him to "still use the Bingbu Shangshu and the Inner Courtyard to handle military affairs." In this way, Hong Chengyu, who was originally a prisoner of war, entered the central institution of the Qing court. This is even higher than the position of governor and governor he served in the Ming Dynasty.
In the central administrative organs of the Qing court, Hong Chengzuo served as a member of the Inner Secretariat Academy together with Fan Wencheng, and was in charge of drafting edicts and external documents, becoming a trusted scribe in the Qing court. In June of the second year of Shunzhi, the Qing court officially ordered that "the university scholar Hong Chengcheng domain was ordered to recruit the provinces of Jiangnan" and cast to "recruit the southern governor of the military university".
Subsequently, Dorgon issued an edict to Hong Chengyu, granting him extensive powers, such as misconduct in war or political affairs against subordinate officials, "civilian officials below the five pins, military attachés below the deputy general, all engaged in military law." ZhenDao and other officials, Fei Zhang participated in the impeachment". It is clearly stated: "Its Jiangning, Jiangxi, Huguang and future provinces will be subordinate to it, and they will listen to moderation." "Among the Han officials in the early Qing Dynasty, Hong Chengzu could be described as a high-powered and prominent position.
After Hong Chengyu arrived in Jiangning, the restoration of the Ming Dynasty became his top priority to appease Jiangnan. Zhu Yujian, the king of the Tang Dynasty, was based in Fujian, Zhu Yi, the king of Lu, was also based on Shaoxing, the king of Gao'an was based on Huizhou, and Zongmuzi was based on Raozhou in the name of King Jinhua, king of Le'an was based on Liyang, and king of Ruichang was based on Xinghua and Jintan, and united certain forces in the north and south of the jiangnan in an attempt to capture Nanjing.
In February of the third year of Shunzhi, Hong Chengyu used his troops to lure the second son of Zhu Shujiao, the "King of Fanshan", and beheaded him. King Le'an, King Ruichang, and others joined forces with 20,000 men to attack Nanjing, and Hong Chengzu fought back firmly and won the victory, and after persuasion was ineffective, he executed his leader.
These actions demonstrated Hong Chengzu's loyalty to the Manchu nobility and made it difficult for conservative Manchu nobles to be picky. However, for Hong Chengzu, who was a prisoner of war, as a military minister and sat on the side, it was impossible to get the full understanding and support of the Manchus, especially the nobles, and it was even more difficult to balance the psychology of the military nobles. Soon, the conservative nobles finally had the opportunity to "provoke" Hong Chengzu.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > in cross-examination and standing tall</h1>
In April of the fourth year of Shunzhi (1647), bashan, the general of the Eight Banners Army stationed in Jiangning, intercepted the counter-letter of the Minglu King FengHong to accept the domain of our country and do internal response, killing the eight banner generals, and reported to the imperial court. The Qing court said: "Because the secretary of state and others are all powerful ministers of my dynasty, they are trying to fall into the shadows. How could you fall into this villain's plan? This statement is quite trusting of Hong Chengzuo.
In October, Bashan seized the monk's letter from Hong Chengzuo to the pass, carrying a letter from King Nanmingfu, and handed it over to Hong Chengzuo for interrogation. This provocation put Hong Chengzu in a passive disadvantage, and he brought the matter to the imperial court, indicating that he would recuse himself from the case.
This case was different from the previous one, involving Hong Chengzu personally issuing a certificate, and the Qing court handed Hong Chengzu over to the Ministry of Deliberation, and the officials believed that he was dismissed from his post. Dorgon was still superior, and with Hong's commendable performance, he ordered a leniency. Although he was exempted from punishment, he was undoubtedly drunk on this important minister.
In view of this, Hong Chengzu requested to be relieved of his duties on the grounds that "Jiangnan Huhai Zhukou had been leveled" and his father died of illness in the township, and the Qing court immediately approved his request, but did not allow him to return to his hometown to guard filial piety, but returned to the university to do things. It should be said that this was a decision of mutual understanding between the Qing court and Hong Chengzu.
In December of the seventh year of Shunzhi, Dorgon fell ill and died, and the Shunzhi Emperor pro-government. The Shunzhi Emperor then declared Dorgon guilty and cut off his henchmen. As a major vassal of Dorgon, Hong Chengzu was detached from this internal strife between the Manchu aristocratic ruling clique. In February of the eighth year, Hong Chengzu was appointed as the governor of ZuoDu. But soon after, an internal dispute in the official arena befell him.
In May of the eighth year of Shunzhi, someone impeached Hong Chengzu for sending his mother back to his hometown of Fujian without asking for instructions, and also accused him of "secretly discussing rebellion" with Shangshu Chen Mingxia and others. The Shunzhi Emperor ordered a thorough investigation, and although the defection was fictitious, it was true that he sent his mother home without asking for instructions. The end result is "staying in charge for the after-effect", which is another blow to Hong Chengzuo.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Lao Ji Futuo, Pingding Southwest</h1>
In July of the ninth year of Shunzhi (1652), the anti-Qing army captured Guilin, and Kong Youde, the king of Dingnan, was forced to commit suicide. In November, the Dingyuan general Jingjing Prince Nikan was ambushed and killed in Hengzhou. The death of the two princes in battle dealt a great blow to the Manchu ruling clique, and it was necessary to choose another heavy minister to preside over the military affairs in the southwest. The Shunzhi Emperor had no choice but to rely on the banner of Hong Chengzu and award him the titles of Governor of the Five Provinces of Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, the rank of Taibao of the Special Jin Dynasty and the title of Prince Taishi, as well as the title of Shangshu of the Bingbu and the Right Deputy Capital of the Metropolitan Inspection Yuan, in order to exercise military and political power.
When Hong Chengzuo accepted this appointment, he had the feeling that he said: "The minister is more than sixty years old, and it is reasonable to retire." He knew well the reason why the Qing court was more important than himself, and he also understood the position of the word "Fu" in the pacification of the southwest.
"Counting away from the thieves' party and destroying the other's heart" was an important strategy for Hong Chengzu to pacify the southwest. At that time, after the Great Western Peasant Army won a certain victory in the struggle against the Qing Dynasty, internal contradictions intensified, and Zhang Xianzhong's descendants were expected to be defeated by Li Dingguo, and because of the high prestige of Hong Chengzu's surrender, he asked Hong to surrender. Sun Kewang was once crowned king of Qin by the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and was quite famous in the Southern Ming and peasant armies.
Although at that time, Hong Chengzu requested to be relieved of his post and returned to Beijing due to his illness, he still took the matter as a major matter. He took the matter to the imperial court and immediately informed the General of the Eight Banners, asking him to find out the actual situation and handle it together. In the end, Sun Kewang surrendered and was renamed "Righteous King". In this way, the Qing court decided to take this opportunity to quickly march into Guizhou and Yunnan and directly attack the enemy's henchmen.
In addition, Hong Chengzu also attached importance to winning over the upper echelons of ethnic minorities such as Tusi, and also enlightened Tusi who were temporarily dependent on the Great Western Army or held a wait-and-see attitude toward the Qing Dynasty, urging them to submit. Obviously, in the eyes of zhu Tusi, Hong Chengyu was the banner of their submission to the Qing court. After receiving Hong Chengzu's invitation, they quickly gave up resistance and submitted to the Qing Dynasty.
In the military struggle to pacify the southwest region, Hong Chengzu also reduced as much as possible the burden of food supply and labor service for the Han people and fraternal nationalities, and compensated them. This kind of generous economic compensation ensured the food supply of the troops, and also appeased the many fraternal ethnic masses in the local area, so that the Qing court army could smoothly advance and establish local political power.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > labor performance mao, was awarded the title of world</h1>
In the first month of the sixteenth year of Shunzhi (1659), the Qing court army entered Yunnan and declared the victory of pacifying the southwest. However, the remnants of Li Dingguo had not completely lost their combat effectiveness, and the Yongli Emperor was also on the run, and there were still many things to be done for the Five Provinces Jingluo. In October, Hong Chengyu pleaded for the dismissal of JingLuo on the grounds of an eye disease, and was immediately allowed to return to Beijing. For Hong Chengzu, this was an important decision to receive what was good, and he was far-sighted, and he drew a clear line with the misdeeds of Wu Sangui, the king of Pingxi.
In the first month of the eighteenth year of Shunzhi (1661), the Shunzhi Emperor fell ill and died, and the Kangxi Emperor was young and was ruled by the four auxiliary ministers. In May, Hong Chengzu requested retirement, and the imperial court agreed and issued a decree saying: "Since Emperor Taizong's upbringing, Hong Chengzu has served in Jiangnan, Huguang, Yungui and other places for many years, and has worked hard, only adding Fu false titles, not fully paid, and it is appropriate to hold hereditary official positions."
This was already very rare for the four auxiliary ministers, and the Manchu aristocratic clique at that time was correcting the atmosphere of reusing Han officials, but still wanted to grant Hong Chengzu the hereditary office, and in the edict, calling Hong Chengzu a person who was "favored" by Emperor Taizong was actually a euphemism for captives. However, because of his "rich performance", he was only awarded the same as other Han University scholars, who were awarded "false titles and insufficient remuneration". According to the ministry proposal, hong chengyu was finally awarded the third class Ada ha ha fan, which was translated as the third class light vehicle lieutenant in Chinese.
Obviously, this third-class light vehicle lieutenant was very low for Hong Chengzu's merits, but in the eyes of the Manchu nobles, giving a favored Han was also an exception. In February of the fourth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1665), Hong Chengzu died in Beijing, and the Qing court gave him a funeral according to the custom. As a banner of manchu and Han integration, Hong Chengzu fulfilled his role as an example.
Speaking of the end: Hong Chengzu's rebellion against the Ming Dynasty and the surrender of the Qing Dynasty is a big loss from the perspective of traditional concepts. However, from another point of view, he conformed to the trend of the times, and in the process of appeasing Jiangnan and pacifying the southwest, he relatively alleviated the poison brought by the war to the broad masses of the people. In exchange for the "notoriety" of one person for the safety of tens of millions of li people, even if it is a "traitor", why not?