After the Battle of Songjin, the last glimmer of hope of the Ming army outside the Pass was almost bankrupt. At this time, even though Chongzhen felt very embarrassed, the voices of court officials and cabinet ministers, from top to bottom, calling for peace became louder and louder.
.
The emperor gradually felt that the time was ripe, especially after the news of the destruction of Zuo Liangyu's regiment reached Beijing. Chongzhen finally felt that proposing peace at this time would not attract opposition from the government and the public.
What's more, the country is in turmoil now, and even if he makes peace, people can only say that the emperor has the overall situation in mind, and will not say that he has gone back on his word. As for those who helped Chongzhen in planning peace, the emperor crossed the river, demolished the bridge, and killed him.
The poor donkeys can only say that they did not live at the right time.
This was the second time that the peace negotiation mission headed by Ma Shaoyu went to the outside of the pass. Just after the Songjin War, the mission came once. However, because Huang Taiji had not cleared away the remaining Ming troops outside the pass at that time, he used the excuse of the mission's
The imperial edict was a forgery, claiming that the "Southern Dynasty" had no sincerity in peace talks and refused to receive the mission.
After Zuo Liangyu's defeat, Chongzhen, who was impatient, finally made up his mind that "in order to fight foreign affairs, we must first settle the domestic affairs". This time, he no longer worried about the public opinion of the government and the public, and gave Ma Shaoyu's mission a real credential and seal of credence.
The group's funding and high expectations were placed on it.
Ma Shaoyu arrived in Shenyang in July, but the old Khan Huang Taiji was not in what the Manchus called "Shengjing" at that time. Huang Taiji was very good at winning over the Mongols and many "savages" who still maintained the tradition of fishing and hunting, unlike the Ming Dynasty emperor
Being trapped in the Forbidden City with all kinds of shackles for a whole year and a whole life.
After Huang Taiji presided over the surrender ceremony of a group of people from Hong Chengchou, and dealt with several major military and political matters, he rode out with the queen and concubines, inspected the royal pasture, saw several grazing cattle and horses, and shot hunting at any time.
However, while he was away from Shengjing, in response to major military and state affairs, the inner court academicians would always send people to report on flying horses. Regarding entertaining the Ming Dynasty peace envoys, they all followed his instructions.
The last time the envoy came, Ma Shaoyu was treated with dignity before the Manchus made trouble for the imperial edict. At that time, several Qing ministers went out to welcome the Ming envoy twenty miles away and held a banquet in his honor.
According to the etiquette agreed upon by both parties: at the beginning of the banquet, the Ming envoys knelt down and kowtowed three times to the north, and after the banquet, they saluted again. At that time, Huang Taiji appointed the Ministry of Rites to take charge of Mandarhan, participate in the politics of Ahanikan, and the Inner Court.
Bachelors Fan Wencheng, Gang Lin, Bachelor Luo Shuo and others went to the Guanyi where the mission was staying to entertain the Ming Dynasty's envoys.
But this time the situation was different. This time Huang Taiji no longer even held a banquet to entertain Ma Shaoyu. Mandarhan and others asked him for the peace treaty credentials in a very rude manner, claiming that the mission did not bring the credentials when they came last time.
It only contains an edict from Emperor Chongzhen to Chen Xinjia, Minister of War, which is completely insincere. If there is still no credentials this time, there will inevitably be a sword-fight, and "a large army will be sent to patrol the Central Plains."
Ma Shaoyu said that he had brought his credentials, but the credentials must be handed over to Huang Taiji in person, and Mandarhan and others could not ask for them on his behalf. However, the Manchu officials did not care about his request and still said that they must verify the credentials first.
, Huang Taiji will receive the envoy.
In desperation, Ma Shaoyu could only make an exception and hand over his credentials to the Mandarhan. Of course, the authority of the Ming Dynasty was ruthlessly trampled on at this time, but at this moment, the traditional tribute order centered on the Ming Dynasty had actually been broken into pieces.
This was only the first step, because Huang Taiji was not in Shengjing, but on tour. Ma Shaoyu's delegation had to leave Shengjing and went to the temporary Manchu camp near the Liaohe River to wait for an interview.
The next morning, on the bank of the Liao River, at the foot of the hill, in a yellow felt tent, Huang Taiji sat on the ground, Man Darhan, Fan Wencheng and Gang Lin sat on the left and right.
The biggest controversy at this time was that the Manchus asked Ma Shaoyu to practice the ritual of kneeling three times and knocking nine times. Such a humiliation was firmly unacceptable to the mission. However, Ma Shaoyu also had a heavy responsibility to make peace with the Manchus. If it was caused by etiquette issues,
If the peace negotiation failed, how would he explain to Emperor Chongzhen?
When the two sides were in a stalemate, Hong Chengchou, who surrendered to the Qing court after the battle of Songjin, came up with a way. He asked Huang Taiji to move his seat to the west, and asked Ma Shaoyu to face the west and kneel three times and kowtow nine times.
The mission thought that by facing west and worshiping, they could explain to Chongzhen after returning to Beijing that they were worshiping from afar. Such a compromise was accepted by Huang Taiji, and Hong Chengchou's appearance in Huang Taiji's tent finally completely
Another piece of news that had been circulating in Beijing for a long time was confirmed: Hong Hengjiu was a traitor after all!
Not only did he fail to become Zhang Xun, he also failed to become Wen Tianxiang. He could not persist for a while like Su Wu, and he was not even as good as Li Ling who surrendered after his family was killed.
Ma Shaoyu couldn't believe it, but seeing Governor Hong in Huang Taiji's tent with his own eyes forced him to admit the reality: Hong Hengjiu was really a shameless traitor who sought glory for his country.
The ancestral hall that the Holy Emperor built for Hong Hengjiu in the capital, and the royal tribute that the Holy Emperor personally wrote for Hong Hengjiu, how will all this end?
well!
After a helpless gift, Huang Taiji once again challenged the title of his credential. He said in Manchu: "I originally sent envoys to seek peace, but the emperor of the Ming Dynasty did not use the titles Qingguo, Manzhou, emperor, etc. I
I heard that Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette, why should I be so rude?"
Huang Taiji has a tall and muscular body, with slender eyebrows and eyes. He looks like a cunning fox, but also has the ferocity and cruelty of a tiger and wolf. His beard is very long, and he beats up and down slightly as he talks, which makes Ma Shaoyu feel strong.
The horror comes.
Huang Taiji smiled. His smile was more terrifying than his stern appearance, exuding a cold temperament.
He still said in Manchu: "Huh, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty thinks he is the dynasty of heaven and the son of God, and he despises others."
Huang Taiji handed the credential to Fan Wencheng and asked this bachelor, who was proficient in Manchu and Chinese languages, to read the contents of the credential to everyone in Manchu.
After listening to this, all the Manchu ministers, except Hong Chengchou who could not understand Manchu, burst into laughter.
Mandarhan also laughed and said: "Great Khan, from his tone, it seems that his Ming Dynasty has defeated our country, and it is our country that is begging for peace!"
Ma Shaoyu didn't know what they were talking about, but he already felt from everyone's expressions and atmosphere that the matter seemed to be very critical. He tried to stay calm and argue with reason to reach a peace agreement, but there was a gloomy atmosphere in the Manchuria tent.
The terrifying atmosphere and Huang Taiji's cunning fox-like face completely paralyzed Ma Shaoyu's nerves and rendered him speechless.
Huang Taiji said coldly: "After my refutation last time, the emperor of the Southern Dynasty's edict sounded more honest this time, but it was not completely honest. I don't care what the Southern Dynasty's plan is. Until you show enough sincerity, the Qing Dynasty will not
We will negotiate peace with the Southern Dynasties."
He asked Fan Wencheng to translate this passage to Ma Shaoyu. After listening to this, Ma Shaoyu turned pale and could hardly stand. Huang Taiji waved his hand and ordered people to take Ma Shaoyu down. He himself was able to swim leisurely two days later.
Zai returned to Shengjing.
All the kings Baylor who had returned from the Jinzhou front line were waiting for Huang Taiji. Everyone, led by Duoluo Raoyubele Abatai, took turns kneeling in front of him, hugging his waist, and moving their heads left and right.
Next, he hugged the other person's shoulders and back loosely. After performing this most solemn hug ceremony, they returned to the capital together, first went to the hall to worship the gods, and then returned to the palace.
Regarding the peace negotiations, a group of Manchu and Han ministers, headed by Zukefa and Zhang Cunren, who had surrendered to the Han people and were currently participating in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, advocated rejecting the Southern Dynasty's peace proposal. They took advantage of this moment to send a large army to "southern expedition" and forced Chongzhen to flee.
Nanjing paid tribute and became a vassal, and the two countries were bounded by the Yellow River.
But Huang Taiji did not agree with their suggestions.
Indeed, he also had a dream to enter the pass and rebuild Jin Taizong's legacy. But Huang Taiji had his own set of practical steps, unlike these Manchu and Han ministers who changed their strategies with changes in the situation.
Huang Taiji's ability far exceeds that of the old Khan Nurhaci. The Manchus were able to "kill all the people without grain" in Nurhaci's later years, to get out of the chaotic situation on the verge of collapse, and to become increasingly powerful and regular, all thanks to the foundation laid by Huang Taiji
and effort.
He reformed Nurhachi's brutal slavery system and developed the Qing Dynasty into a serfdom country that was still very backward compared to the Han government, but was much more advanced than the primitive and barbaric slave country of the old Khan Nurhaci.
Not to mention Huang Taiji’s two conquests of North Korea, which forced North Korea to import rice, cloth and other annual tributes to the Qing Dynasty every year, which gave the Qing Dynasty’s fragile economy a blood transfusion.
As for Huang Taiji’s achievements in defeating Chahar, subduing Tumut, conquering Monan Mongolia, and wooing King Sanshun to establish the strongest artillery force in East Asia, it is simply impossible to write down all the achievements.
There is no doubt that Nurhachi was just a first-rate figure like the Grand Master Yexian, Dayan Khan, and Ada Khan. Only Huang Taiji was the founder of the country that made the post-Jin Qing regime go beyond the barbarian category.
Regarding the proposal by the kings, Baylor, and ministers to conquer the south and destroy the Ming Dynasty, Huang Taiji felt that the time was still premature.
Regarding Ma Shaoyu's mission, Huang Taiji found fault in every possible way, putting tremendous pressure on Ma Shaoyu. However, he only criticized Ma Shaoyu from aspects of etiquette and did not deny the possibility of negotiating peace, which undoubtedly gave the mission great hope.
Three days later, Huang Taiji ordered Fan Wencheng and others to go to Guanyi to entertain the envoys, and hinted that as long as the Ming Dynasty wrote the letter of credence with reciprocal etiquette, the Qing Dynasty would agree to negotiate peace.
Immediately, the Manchurians sent the mission back to Ningyuan, and everything seemed normal. But as soon as the mission left, Huang Taiji summoned Dororao Yubeile Abatai and Interior Minister Niu Hulu Turge to prepare to destroy the border wall and enter the customs.
Great plunder.
"Taking Yanjing is like cutting down a big tree. You must cut it from both sides first, and then the big tree will fall on its own."