Although the title has not yet been handed down, there is already a bustling crowd in front of the Hongzhai gate, with cars and horses gathering, making it very lively.
In terms of official positions, Hong Chengchou has been on an idle job since he entered the Qing Dynasty. He was nothing in the Qing court or even in the system of surrendered ministers.
But in terms of status, knowledge, and official rank before surrender, he was the top among the surrendered ministers.
Both Fan Wencheng and Zu Dashou took good care of him.
Because they understood that maybe the two of them could barely tie with Wen Wen or Wu alone, but they couldn't stand up to Hong Chengchou who was both civil and military!
He was born as a Jinshi and was promoted to governor-general. Whether it was strategic vision or ability, he was far superior to the two of them. In other words, there were very few people in Liaodong who could match him.
Fan Wencheng was a little more scrupulous, but Zu Dashou was an idle man, had no errands, and was old and frail, so he went to the house openly.
"Why is grandpa here?"
Zu Dashou's family has deep roots in the Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty. In addition, he is old. Although he was his former subordinate, Hong Chengchou changed his attitude very quickly and became extremely friendly.
"You are old and frail, so come and see Mr. Hong!"
Zu Dashou was over seventy years old, fourteen years older than Hong Chengchou. At this time, he was full of energy, with clear silver hair, and he walked in without a cane.
Zu Dashou, who lived in a simple life, looked at Hong Chengchou with a tired face, and laughed for a moment: "The war in Korea made a lot of profits, and Hong Gong has made a name for himself."
"Those people who looked down on you have nothing to say now."
Looking at Zu Dashou with a loud voice, Hong Chengchou put his arms in and sighed: "The slander from the world is nothing to me, but the current situation has changed, and it has been eight years in the blink of an eye."
"My teeth are loose and my hair is thinning. I am getting old after all. After a trip to North Korea, my health is a bit unbearable."
Although Hong Chengchou was smiling, his words were hard to express.
"You are younger than me, how can you grow old?"
On the contrary, Zu Dashou was full of energy. He looked at the palace maids standing in the distance, who were the eyes and ears given by Huang Taiji, and whispered: "These women are ugly and an eyesore to you. Nowadays, the officials and nobles are top-notch, and there are many beautiful ones in the Han army."
woman."
"At this age, it's better to have a few more concubines and carry on the family line."
Having said this, Hong Chengchou's heart was moved.
Although he already has a son at home, he is a bit weak after all, and he doesn't know what his situation is now, so he needs to do more planning.
After a few more words, Zu Dashou said softly: "You are not an outsider either. How is my nephew doing in North Korea?"
"I've become more diligent."
Hong Chengchou shook his head and said with a wry smile: "The incident at Inchon drove me out of Seoul. I heard that I was granted the title of Marquis. It seems that I will still be used in important positions in the new dynasty."
"Don't praise him. Everyone can see clearly on the Korean battlefield."
Zu Dashou said solemnly: "With your 10,000 people, you have been able to carry it for more than a year. If you have logistical supplies, you will have to leave North Korea sooner or later."
"He just took a chance and took advantage of the opportunity to make great achievements."
Hong Chengchou was noncommittal.
If it hadn't been for Wu Sangui, he would have been able to withdraw from North Korea decently, and he wouldn't be in such an embarrassing situation.
Zu Dashou said a few more words to calm him down, and then slowly left Hongzhai.
After returning home, Zu Dashou gathered his nephews and sighed:
"This Ming Dynasty has really come to life."
"There is no difference between the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. They are our ancestral home, so what?"
Because he obtained a large amount of supplies from North Korea, even though he lost North Korea, Dorgon still held a funeral ceremony, made Hong Chengchou the Marquis of Jing'an, and entered the cabinet.
But in the eyes of knowledgeable people, the loss of North Korea not only meant the loss of a financial source, but also meant that the Ming Dynasty encircled Liaodong from both sides.
That is, the Ming army could avoid the Liaoxi Corridor where the fortresses were clustered, and thus cross the Yalu River and directly attack its belly - Shengjing.
The Ming army gained strategic advantages.
However, many people still believe that with the recovery of the Eight Banners' military strength, it is possible to maintain the separation of Liaodong and the Northern and Southern Dynasties like the Song and Liao dynasties, instead of detaining and entering the country as before.
…
During the critical period when the Ming and Qing Dynasties were generally peaceful and local wars were still ongoing, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau fell into a war.
It is said that Li Zicheng attacked the Qinghai area and occupied the two wings of Qinghai and Shuote, that is, the pastures divided and ruled by his ten sons.
Only six of his ten sons managed to escape, and they were in extreme embarrassment with their followers.
It was under this situation that Gushi Khan had to send envoys to Beijing to pay tribute to the Ming court and become a vassal state.
Re-incorporating the Uzbek area into the tribute system and incorporating the territory into the territory was a matter of benefit and cost, and the imperial court naturally agreed.
Emperor Shaowu was worried that there was no basis for disturbing the Qinghai-Tibet area, so he naturally agreed.
Unfortunately, just when Gushi Khan was building up his troops and preparing to invade Qinghai, Li Zicheng felt that there was no hope of counterattacking Han and planned to capture Lhasa for retirement, so he chose to go south directly.
After being buffered by the high altitude of the Qinghai area, the Chuang army barely adapted to Tibet, and its combat effectiveness was constantly recovering.
This was unacceptable to Gushi Khan, who had enjoyed peace for many years.
So at his order, the Mongolian nobles and Tibetan nobles who had been granted titles in various places came to Lhasa with their horses and gathered in Lhasa.
In just three months, the number of soldiers and horses exceeded 30,000. Including his own Danxiong soldiers (that is, the elite troops stationed in Damxiong), the total number exceeded 50,000.
In the sparsely populated Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, they are an incredible force.
Li Zicheng's southern expedition only led 20,000 people.
Gushi Khan, as the Protector of the Dharma, recruited more than 10,000 warrior monks from the monastery, and also obtained supplies supported by monasteries in various places.
With the gathering of these 60,000 people, Gushi Khan's confidence doubled, and he recharged his energy in the city of Damxung (north of Lhasa, adjacent to Namtso), waiting for work in leisure.
Li Zicheng led the cavalry and galloped on the vast and desolate plateau. The further south, the more manors, temples and supplies there were.
When he arrived in Naquka, it had been more than a month since his expedition.
The whole army was resting here. Song Xiance was panting like an ox. It took him a while to recover. Looking at the Tibetan people's hostile eyes, he fell into deep thought.
After visiting this small town, Song Xiance found Li Zicheng:
"Your Majesty, this place is only a few hundred miles away from Lhasa, but there are hundreds of manors. They are all attacked one by one. The loss of troops is too great. They ignore it and are harassed by it."
"I understand what you said."
Li Zicheng sighed: "The further south you go, the greater the resistance. If you treat me as an enemy, wouldn't I be an enemy of Buddha? These Tibetans are not even afraid of death, and they are not willing to obey."
"Gushi Khan is in charge and has accumulated over 100,000 people, which is several times our number. We have to be cautious."