When the two brothers returned to Prince Rui's Mansion, Hong Chengchou, Fan Wencheng and Ning Wan were already waiting at Dongnuang Pavilion. Only Manchu nobles could participate in Jiannu's New Year sacrifice, and Han ministers were not eligible.
Hong Chengchou and the others could only wait at Prince Rui's Mansion to wish Dorgon the New Year.
As soon as Dorgon and Duoduo came in, Hong Chengchou and the others slapped their sleeves and knelt down on one knee: "I wish you a happy new year and a happy new year for my two masters, and the prosperity of the Qing Dynasty and the people."
"Haha, let's see and enjoy." Dorgon said with a smile.
Hou Fangyu immediately walked out holding a tray.
I saw three wooden boxes placed on the pallet, which were open.
What's inside is a bunch of pearls that are almost as big as a thumb.
These beads reflect a dazzling light against the backdrop of lights.
Dorgon smiled and said: "The three gentlemen have worked hard for the Qing Dynasty last year and made suggestions. This is the Dongzhu that General Liaodong has just paid tribute to. A small gift would not be disrespectful."
"Master, this reward is really too much." Hong Chengchou and others declined.
Duduo, who was next to him, couldn't help but be a little jealous, as he was not even rewarded with so many Dongzhu.
"Take it." Dorgon waved his hand and said, "If the three gentlemen don't accept it, then it's too little."
"The slaves are waiting in fear." Seeing what Dorgon said, Hong Chengchou and the other three could only accept it in fear.
According to etiquette, after paying New Year's greetings to Dorgon, Hong Chengchou and the others could go home. However, this year they were stopped by Dorgon just as they were about to leave.
"Three gentlemen, please go slowly." Dorgon waved and said, "I still have something important to discuss with you."
Hong Chengchou and the others immediately returned and stood in front of the Kang with respectful expressions, waiting for Dorgon to speak. They had a vague intuition that the matters to be discussed today would directly determine the fate of the Qing Dynasty.
Dorgon lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said: "The news from the south is not very good."
"Chongzhen's 'Meishan Enlightenment' may be true, because since Chongzhen was expelled from the capital and fled to Nanjing, his military and political actions were completely different from before."
“Military, let’s not talk about its performance in the Battle of Xuzhou.”
"I have just received an amazing news. When the Qing Dynasty and the puppet Shun were fighting in the Hetao, Chongzhen also led an army of 200,000 to put down the Tusi rebellion in Yunnan. He even promoted land reform in western Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi and Yunnan.
Return!"
"Change Tutu Guiliu?" Hong Chengchou and the others were stunned when they heard this. Is Chongzhen actually going to implement the reform of Tutu Guiliu?
Fan Wencheng said: "Master, this is the way to cause chaos. From now on, there will be many troubles in the southwest border."
Ning Wanwo also said: "What Brother Xian Dou said is absolutely true. Reforming the land and returning it to the local people will indeed benefit the country and the people in the long run, but in the short term it will only lead to the disarray of the people and the depletion of national strength. Chongzhen's move is really short-sighted. The master can't
Quickly send your confidants to the southwest border, secretly contact the chieftains in the southwest, and plot to cause trouble."
Fan Wencheng said: "If there is chaos in the southwest, the national power of the Southern Ming Dynasty will be seriously damaged, and its military strength will be greatly restricted by the chieftains in the southwest. This will give me an opportunity for the Qing Dynasty to take advantage of."
"Alas, God doesn't bring what one wishes." Dorgon sighed and said, "The news I got is that the chieftains in western Hunan, Hubei and Yunnan are not causing trouble. Although the chieftains in Guangxi are making trouble, it is unlikely to become a problem. In the Southern Ming Dynasty,
The national power has not been weakened, and its military strength has not been constrained."
"Ah?" Fan Wencheng and Ning Wan were stunned.
Didn't the implementation of reform and return to local migration lead to riots?
How could Chongzhen, the dog emperor, be so capable now?
Hong Chengchou also looked gloomy. Is the Ming Dynasty really looking like a renaissance?
Dorgon continued: "In addition to using troops in the southwest and reforming the country, Chongzhen has also made great progress in governing the country compared with before. It is said that the current Jiangnan market is prosperous, all industries are prosperous, and every household can afford it.
It’s unbelievable that you can afford plain rice and cotton-padded clothes.”
"This?" Hong Chengchou and the other two looked at each other.
Can every household in Jiangnan afford white rice and cotton-padded clothes?
Duduo also didn't believe it, and frowned and said, "Brother Fourteen, could it be that those two dog slaves Luo Zuojiu and Luo Zuochang are deliberately making scaremongerings to increase expenses?"
Dorgon shook his head and said, "I have already sent someone to verify it."
After a pause, Dorgon said again: "No matter whether Luo Zuojiu or Luo Zuochang exaggerated, one thing is certain, that is, Nanming's national power has shown a growing momentum. If this momentum cannot be stopped, we will definitely
The gap in national power between the Qing Dynasty and the Southern Ming Dynasty will only become more disparate."
Hong Chengchou and the other three couldn't help but look at each other, and the conversation turned to the topic they expected.
At that moment, Hong Chengchou followed Dorgon's words and said: "What the master said is absolutely true. If you don't say anything else, I just say that in terms of population, there can be no scheming between the Qing Dynasty and the Nanming Dynasty."
"According to the Fish Scale Atlas of Wanli, Beizhi originally had more than 4 million adults, including women and children, no less than 10 million. However, as of the end of last year, Beizhi included the Qing dynasty immigrants who moved in from outside the customs.
, the total adult population is only over 1.5 million, and including women and children, the population is only over 3 million."
"The loss of population is too great."
"If things go on like this, the population gap between the two sides will only get wider and wider."
Speaking of this, Hong Chengchou said again: "The huge gap in population will inevitably lead to a huge gap in the national strength of the two sides. By then, the manpower, material resources and military power that Nanming can mobilize will probably be ten times that of our Qing Dynasty."
"So what if it's a hundred times larger than our Qing Dynasty?" Duduo said disapprovingly, "When the old Khan started his campaign, the total population of our founding state was only a hundred thousand, and the Eight Banners warriors were only 40,000. How could we still defeat a country with a population of hundreds of millions?
The Ming court with millions of troops? It can be seen that the population is not the decisive factor."
Hong Chengchou immediately shut his mouth.
Never try to convince others.
If Dorgon and Duduo brothers don't agree, it's useless to say anything.
However, Hong Chengchou had a vague intuition. Dorgon seemed to have realized that insufficient population would really lead to the destruction of the Qing Dynasty, so he hoped to change the established national policy.
At least we can no longer oppress and persecute the Han people in Beizhi.
At the same time, major reforms must be made to the Eight Banners system.
"Old Fifteen, what you said is wrong." Dorgon said quietly, "Today is different from the past. When Lao Khan was here, he could fight all over Manchuria with his big bow and Baya soldiers, but now
Is it still possible?”
"In the battle of Junzhijin, if it hadn't been for the flintlock guns and Hongyi cannons built under the supervision of Tang Ruowang, our Qing army would have been defeated."
"From now on, it will no longer be the Da Shao Gong and the Qing Ba Ya La who determine the outcome of the war, but the flintlocks, Hongyi cannons, and the gunners and musketeers of both sides."
"Can a big bow, no matter how sharp it is, be as powerful as a flintlock gun?"
"No matter how strong the armor is, can it stop a flintlock gun from firing at close range?"
"I know you will say that there is a carriage, but can the carriage stop the cannon?"
"Old Fifteen, have you ever thought about how much it costs to train a Bagala in the Qing Dynasty? However, it only takes three months for the Green Battalion to train a musketeer, but Bagala may not be able to defeat a musketeer now."
With a sigh, Dorgon added: "Old Shififteen, times have changed."
Duduo was left speechless because what Dorgon said was the truth and he had no way to refute it.
"The future is the age of firearms." Dorgon said, "In addition to the Eight Banners Mongolia retaining mounted archery, our Eight Banners Manchuria must also fully replace firearms. Heavy armor and large bows can no longer keep up with the times."
"My master is wise!" Hong Chengchou was so moved that he almost wanted to cry.
Dorgon added: "The heavy armor and large bows cannot keep up with the times, and the Eight Banners system cannot keep up with the times, so it must be reformed. We must learn from the Han people and implement centralization of power."
"If we can't twist the Eight Banners into a single rope and direct all our efforts in one direction, how can we compete with Nanming?"
Speaking of this meal, Dorgon said solemnly: "From now on, all the manpower, material and financial resources of the Qing Dynasty must be uniformly allocated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Anyone who dares to oppose will be killed without mercy."
Duduo was stunned for a moment when he heard this, why did he become the unified dispatcher of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?
The Ministry of Internal Affairs is an inner court office established by Huang Taiji, which is in charge of all affairs in the palace.
Let the Ministry of Internal Affairs allocate all the manpower, material and financial resources of the Qing Dynasty. Wouldn't that mean handing over the power to Fulin? Did the old fourteenth couple become insane? Or were they confused by Bu Mu Butai?
But Dorgon's next sentence immediately dispelled Dodo's worries.
Dorgon continued: "Old Fifteen, from now on you will be the Minister of Internal Affairs and in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
Duduo hurriedly got off the kang, flicked his sleeves and knelt down on one knee: "I accept the order. Brother Fourteen, don't worry. I will take care of the Ministry of Internal Affairs like an arm."
"Don't take too big steps, and eat your food one bite at a time."
Dorgon pondered and said: "The first step is to reform the military system and replace it with firearms."
"My brother understands." Duduo nodded, "My brother asked Tang Ruowang to increase the production of flintlock muskets and produce 50,000 flintlock muskets within a year, as well as 500 red cannons."
Dorgon said: "What is more important is the reform of the military system."
"Reform of the military system?" Duduo frowned and asked, "How to change this?"
Dorgon said: "Return the money, grain, and military equipment from each banner's public treasury to the national treasury. From now on, when going on foreign campaigns, the bannermen of each banner will not need to bring their own grain, grass, and military equipment. Instead, the imperial court will provide grain, grass, and military equipment."
Lao Nu's Eight Banners system is actually not new at all, it is a primitive hunting system.
That is, the hunters bring their own dry food, horses, and bows and arrows, and then hunt together. After the prey is caught, the prey is distributed according to the contribution of each hunter.
This set of systems already existed in primitive society.
Therefore, the system does not necessarily have to be advanced, the most important thing is whether it is applicable or not.
For primitive tribes like Jiannu, the same primitive system is the most suitable.
However, after the efforts of Huang Taiji and Dorgon, especially after the occupation of Beijing, and the large number of Han officials such as Hong Chengchou and Fan Wencheng, this primitive hunting system was no longer applicable.
