Chapter 372: New Outlook of the Ministry of Rites (VIII)
The Manchu Emperor Hong Zhou stood in front of the mausoleum of his great-grandfather Nurhaci, not knowing what to say for a moment.
His father is Yongzheng, his grandfather is Kangxi, his great-grandfather is Shunzhi, his great-grandfather is Huang Taiji, and his great-grandfather is Nurhaci. Among the tombs of the five generations of ancestors, the tomb of Nurhaci is the simplest.
The construction of the Qing Fuling Mausoleum began in 1629 (the third year of Tiancong), and it was officially named "Fuling" on April 12, 1636 (the first year of Chongde). The Qing Fuling Mausoleum was the first ancestral mausoleum named by the Qing Dynasty royal family.
In the first year of Chongde, the mausoleum was rebuilt and renovated many times, and finally the mausoleum regulations were formed. The mausoleum complex consists of the dismounting monument, stone archway, Zhenghong Gate, sacred road, stone statues, 108 steps, the monument building of divine merit and saintly virtue, the washing room, the fruit room, the tea and food room, the court room, Longen Gate, Longen Hall, the East Side Hall, the West Side Hall, the silk burning furnace, the two-pillar gate, the stone five offerings, the Daming Tower, the treasure city, etc. Among them, the 108 steps on the sacred road built according to the mountain are unique in form. The stone archway is finely carved, reflecting the level of Manchu architectural technology in the early Qing Dynasty.
Hong Zhou still vaguely remembered that his father Yongzheng was not very happy when he ordered the renovation of Fuling. In his father Yongzheng's view, the purpose of repairing Fuling was to give money to the princes outside the Great Wall so that they could make a fortune. There was something they could do. They didn't have to cry poor to the court every day.
Recalling the vague memory, Hong Zhou felt that his father Yongzheng was right about the princes outside the Great Wall. Although they escaped from Shenyang, they did not surrender. Hong Zhou's eighth uncle died of illness, which only made the princes lose their minds. After fighting several battles with the court, seeing the court's sharp firearms, these bastards did not surrender honestly, but dispersed and fled to the wilderness where the Jurchens were.
Hong Zhou suddenly found it very funny. They said that the Manchus were martial and brave. Even in the capital, when talking about the old Jurchens living outside the Great Wall, they must be praised as a "role model". In reality, outside the Great Wall is cold and there are wild fields everywhere.
Those old Jurchens wearing thick fur clothes ran into the woods, and the imperial army of 100,000 couldn't find them.
They thought that after taking Shenyang, they would go straight to the tiger's lair and crush it with ease. In fact, the court troops, who seemed to have won a great victory, suffered heavy losses when they pursued the princes.
No one knows when, a group of princes from outside the pass suddenly came out to attack the grain transport troops, or killed a small group of imperial court troops. When the imperial court troops arrived, the ground was full of corpses.
The most annoying thing is that the accents in a few cities outside the Great Wall are barely intelligible, but outside the cities, the closer you get to where the old Jurchens live, the less you can understand their language. The language of the old Jurchens is already very different from that of the descendants of the Eight Banners who entered the Great Wall. If the descendants of the Eight Banners who entered the Great Wall want to get news from the old Jurchens, they have to send translators.
This is the current situation of the great old Jurchens. Less than a hundred years have passed since the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, and the Manchus themselves had already split into two worlds.
Compared with Kangxi's mausoleum, Nurhaci's mausoleum is indeed very inconspicuous. Liu Tongxun, who was beside Hong Zhou, had ordered people to place incense and candles. Seeing this, Hong Zhou asked: "Liu Tongxun, do you think my great grandfather would approve of such worship?"
"Ah?" Liu Tongxun was stunned.
Hong Zhou continued, "From what I see, the area outside the Great Wall is more like the Mongolian area."
Liu Tongxun, a scholar who was well-read in poetry and literature, hesitated for a moment and quickly went over what he remembered in his mind.
After Nurhaci's death, there was indeed a great power struggle within the Qing Dynasty. However, since the person was gone, the funeral needed to be handled. In the Central Plains, the emperor's body was usually placed in a coffin and buried underground. At that time, the custom outside the Great Wall was not like this. Nurhaci, Huang Taiji, and Emperor Shunzhi were all cremated. Starting from Emperor Kangxi, burial was changed.
There is no record in history books about when Emperor Taizu of the Qing Dynasty was cremated, but it must have been no more than three years since his death, because Nurhaci was officially buried in February of the third year of Tiancong. Along with Emperor Taizu, Abahai, his beloved woman, was cremated.
When her father's body was still warm, the princes forced Abahai to be buried alive with the late emperor. Abahai refused and was told, "The late emperor has given the order. Even if you want to disobey, you cannot." She had no choice but to put on a dress, put on jewels, dress herself up beautifully, and follow Nurhaci.
The coffins of the two were cremated together, and their ashes were placed in the "Treasure Palace". During the Shunzhi reign, Dorgon was convicted and politically purged, and Abahai's tablet was removed from the Imperial Ancestral Temple, but her ashes were not moved out of the Fuling Mausoleum, because her ashes were mixed with those of Emperor Taizu, and it was impossible to tell which was whose. If Taizu's ashes were accidentally moved out of the Fuling Mausoleum, it would be a serious sin.
I think this is what Hong Zhou was referring to. Because what was being worshipped at that time was the mixed ashes, not the separated remains. From the perspective of the Han people... a couple with a very good relationship would just sleep together in life and be buried in the same grave in death. It is extremely rare for the ashes to be mixed together.
But Liu Tongxun knew that Hong Zhou would never care about such a thing. Liu Tongxun asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, the bannermen outside the Great Wall are indeed very different from those inside the Great Wall. If you leave troops to garrison Shengjing, you will have to make Mongolia surrender again."
Hong Zhou recognized Liu Tongxun's intelligence, but he disagreed with his idea. He angrily rebuked him, "What's the point of this long expedition if we can only capture Shengjing?"
Liu Tongxun immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. We failed to plan everything properly and we are guilty."
Hong Zhou felt better when he saw Liu Tongxun, the minister who supported the expedition to Shengjing, admit his mistake. This matter cannot be blamed entirely on Liu Tongxun. It can only be said that Hong Zhou did not expect it. At the beginning, Hong Zhou and the court had repeatedly discussed and agreed that they should first eliminate Lao Ba and seize the area outside the Great Wall. In this way, Hebei can be restored. If the capital can be recaptured, it means that the turmoil in the Qing Dynasty has passed and they can concentrate on dealing with Huo Chong.
However, the suggestions made by the officials were based on the same idea as those inside the Great Wall. When they really arrived outside the Great Wall, Hong Zhou felt that the army was like entering an uninhabited land... and it was indeed so. The land outside the Great Wall was very vast, as large as several provinces inside the Great Wall combined.
But in such a large area inside the pass, there must be at least 10 million people. But outside the pass, it is said that there are less than 5 million people. Isn't this a no-man's land? How can we meet a few people if we advance our army here?
It was precisely because of the misleading of these bannermen and Han civil and military officials that Hong Zhou was in a dilemma. If the army was withdrawn to the northwest at this time, could the troops left here really restore the governance outside the pass? Hong Zhou really had no confidence.
The idea of this expedition was wrong in the first place, and the result was like punching into the water. No matter how hard you stir, it only scatters useless water. If the enemy is a rope, even as strong as a piece of iron, it would be a good thing.
Liu Tongxun certainly knew the current situation. He also discussed it carefully with General Basai and other civil and military officials who led the army. The result was not optimistic.
The more optimistic view is that if the suppression can be continued outside the Great Wall for one or two years, the princes outside the Great Wall will not be able to withstand it and will probably surrender. But now the real threat is Huo Chong inside the Great Wall.
Thinking of Huo Chong, Liu Tongxun felt very anxious. Huo Chong did not take advantage of this time to conquer everywhere, and did not even take action when the Yangtze River became Wuhu. He just watched Wuhu stationed hundreds of thousands of troops and just stood there. Fu Qing in Wuhu also made various small-scale infiltrations in the past year, but all failed. Huo Chong's progress in expanding territory only reached Fujian. Recently, I heard that Huo Chong sent tens of thousands of troops to seize the empty capital.
If it wasn't for the internal chaos of Huo Chong, there was only one reason, Huo Chong was trying to accumulate strength. Various reports showed that Huo Chong was creating a new official system. It was undoubtedly an internal effort. So the best way this time was to start from Shengjing and cooperate with the Qing army starting from Shanxi and the Qing army going south from Wuhu. Hundreds of thousands of troops launched a decisive attack, making it difficult for Huo Chong to take care of both ends, and then he was destroyed.
The plan was good on paper. But Liu Tongxun was not optimistic at all. Huo Chong was a rare bandit. In every dynasty, bandits became powerful and became warlords. At least they could establish a stable small court. And Huo Chong's strength would only get stronger. If he lost the decisive battle with Huo Chong this time... Although it was June, Liu Tongxun couldn't help but shudder.
Hong Zhou did not ask Liu Tongxun again. The attack plan of three armies with a total of 400,000 troops had already been formulated. This was also the basis for Hong Zhou's long expedition.
This plan has been discussed repeatedly and has been implemented very well at least until now. The three main forces have already reached their attack positions. June is also the beginning of the harvest season, so there is no need to worry about food and grass.
But the situation outside the pass seemed fine on the surface, but in reality it was completely different from the plan. This was what worried Hong Zhou the most.
Although Nurhaci, the great-grandfather who had just been mocked, might not necessarily agree with the Han people's way of worship, Hong Zhou still burned incense for Nurhaci, the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and burned the prayers for worship according to the Han people's way.
Hong Zhou prayed devoutly in his heart to the ancestors who founded the Qing Dynasty, hoping to receive the blessings of their ancestors' spirits in heaven.
After the worship, they returned to the Shengjing Imperial City. General Basai suggested to Hong Zhou again, "Master, let's send troops. If we go out now, we can at least take back Zhili."
Basai took the lead, and other generals followed suit and asked Hong Zhou to make a quick decision.
The words "Can Shengjing be defended after we leave?" were on the tip of his tongue, but Hong Zhou couldn't say them. Hong Zhou knew that he had made such judgments many times before. However, it was useless and made the discussion more complicated. Those who only wanted to speak in accordance with Hong Zhou's thoughts jumped out and talked nonsense.
Hong Zhou was extremely annoyed with these people, but he could not punish them immediately because of his face. If he did so, he would be slapping himself in the face. After all, Yongzheng asked Nuomin to clean up the deficit and gave Nuomin a plaque of "the best governor in the world".
Later, it was discovered that Nuomin was just deceiving his superiors and subordinates, relying on collecting money randomly and even borrowing money from merchants to make up for the deficit. Yongzheng slapped himself in the face and killed Nuomin. The shock and backlash caused by that slap in the face was too tragic.
After Huo Chong went to Beijing and killed Yongzheng, Longkodo, who recommended Nuomin, was imprisoned, but he colluded with Lao Ba wholeheartedly. Without Longkodo's secret help, Lao Ba would have been killed long ago, and there would not be these things happening now.
After thinking it over, Hong Zhou decided to follow the plan even though he felt very embarrassed. After all, although there were unexpected situations in the implementation of this plan, at least the general direction was fine.
"Basai, are the men and horses ready?" Hong Zhou asked.
Basai quickly responded: "It's ready."
Hong Zhou couldn't help but ask, "Where are the troops chasing those rebels?"
Basai replied firmly: "Those troops will withdraw to Shengjing first and serve as the rear guard."
Hong Zhou felt extremely uneasy, and the pressure on the emperor was indescribable. Although he was extremely reluctant, he had to make the decision and bear the consequences of the decision.
My subordinates are all a bunch of unreliable trash! Hong Zhou had no idea how many times he had this feeling, but he said firmly: "Then give the order to enter the pass!"
The court immediately became lively, and all the generals shouted: "Enter the pass! Enter the pass!"
Liu Tongxun's heart seemed to be hit hard. The current situation was like this. Naturally, it was beyond his expectations. However, the word "enter the pass" seemed to have an inspiring magic, which made Liu Tongxun excited.
On April 7, the first year of Shunzhi (the first year of Yongchang in Dashun, 1644), the Manchu nobles mobilized Manchu, Mongolian, and Han soldiers, almost all of them, and led by the regent Dorgon to march south. The Qing army's marching route this time was still planned to follow the route of entering the pass and heading south in the past, that is, bypassing Shanhaiguan and breaking through the Great Wall. On April 15, the Qing army advanced to Wenghou (near Fuxin, Liaoning today), and received a letter from Wu Sangui, the general of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty who was guarding Shanhaiguan, asking for troops, and immediately changed the route to march to Shanhaiguan.
Shanhaiguan, with its mountain and sea views, is an important pass in the eastern part of the Ming Great Wall. When Li Zicheng's rebels invaded Beijing, Wu Sangui had led his elite troops into Shanhaiguan. Li Zicheng tried to persuade him to surrender, but he refused, and a fierce battle broke out between the two sides. On April 21, the first year of Shunzhi (1644), thousands of cavalrymen of the Dashun Army approached the Xiluo City of Shanhaiguan. A Ming army on the north wing of the city rebelled and surrendered to Li Zicheng, and Shanhaiguan was about to fall.
On April 22, the first year of Shunzhi (the first year of Yongchang in Dashun, 1644), the Qing army rushed to Shanhaiguan, and Wu Sangui opened the gate to welcome them in. Under the combined efforts of Wu Sangui and the Qing army, Li Zicheng's rebels were outnumbered and had to retreat. So the gate of Shanhaiguan was opened, and a large number of Qing troops entered the pass and rushed into the Central Plains. In October of the same year, the Qing Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, and then gradually established its rule over all of China.
The current situation is completely different from the Dorgon era, but the foundation of the Qing Dynasty was established at that time. If Li Zicheng had not entered the Shanhai Pass, if he had persuaded Wu Sangui to surrender and defended Shanhai Pass, giving Li Zicheng a chance to breathe, the Qing Dynasty might have only been able to occupy the area outside the Shanhai Pass and Mongolia.
Even when he just heard the word "enter the Pass", Liu Tongxun felt that he was about to embark on that glorious road again.
On June 28, the fourth year of Qianlong's reign, the Qing Dynasty gathered its troops outside the Great Wall, and 100,000 troops marched south to Shanhaiguan. On July 7, the troops guarding Shanhaiguan surrendered to Hong Zhou. On July 10, the Qing army, which had been slightly reorganized, set foot on Zhili again.
On July 12, the Huaxia Army's troops in Beijing had confirmed the news that the Qing Army was attacking Beijing, and sent the news to Xuzhou as soon as possible.
On July 17, Huo Chong gently patted Qian Qing's back, trying to help her recover from morning sickness. Qian Qing retched for a while and pulled Huo Chong's hand away, "Sir, please stop making things worse!"
Huo Chong was helpless to be rejected. Huo Chong could not help with such a matter concerning personal feelings. He could only say to Qian Qing: "Don't go to the meeting."
Hearing this, Qian Qing refused to agree while retching, "I have to go to a meeting."
"The Qing Dynasty is here to die, so the children are more important." Huo Chong continued to persuade.
Qian Qing no longer felt such a strong sense of morning sickness. After rinsing her mouth, she held Huo Chong's arm and said, "Sir, you are still far from being unable to move..."
Huo Chong's face darkened and he ordered, "Don't do that. The body cannot be controlled by the brain. If your body feels that it cannot continue the pregnancy, it will have a reaction of miscarriage. And you are a strong person, how can you let others see your weakness?"
Mrs. Luo, as an experienced person, also advised: "Sister, don't be too aggressive in this matter."
Huo Chong looked at his wife Miss Luo, and couldn't help but feel pity in his heart. In terms of age, Qian Qing was several years older than Miss Luo. In terms of power, Miss Luo knew very well that she could not compare with Qian Qing at all. Miss Luo secretly asked Huo Chong if he would take good care of the two children born to him and her if she died suddenly.
Huo Chong was angry and wanted to cry. The old era was like . Huo Chong felt that he was not a good person in the new era, but he still could not accept the way things were in this era.
In the new era, even mistresses are protected by national laws. Even if the wife catches the mistress in bed, she cannot be beaten to cause serious injuries. If she is severely injured, even if the police station does not want to intervene, they will still have to deal with it according to the law.
As for the fact that the wife killed the mistress, she will be held responsible for the crime of murder.
However, in this era, Qian Qing really killed Miss Luo. Could Huo Chong really do anything to Qian Qing? Obviously, no matter how unhappy Huo Chong was, he couldn't do anything to Qian Qing.
Moreover, if Qian Qing killed Miss Luo, she would have died clearly, which was already quite extraordinary. What was even more terrifying was that someone was willing to help Qian Qing. Miss Luo's unclear death was not surprising at all.
Even in the Qing Dynasty, let's take the example of Xiao Jiang, the son of the bald man. Dai Li followed orders, and Xiao Jiang's lover named Zhang died inexplicably.
No one would be stupid enough to touch the two sons Miss Luo gave birth to Huo Chong. However, in the center of power, Miss Luo herself was meaningless. Even Huo Chong's purpose of marrying Miss Luo and giving birth to children was not because he loved Miss Luo. It was just because after giving birth to a son, the Chinese court could get a layer of insurance.
This era is cruel, and what is even crueler is the power center, which never considers human life. In the power center, everyone only represents power. Without power, human life is nothing.
