In the land of North China at the end of February, spring plowing had already begun for half a month.
However, due to the harsh environment of the Little Ice Age, there was still a slight spring snowfall from time to time, which was bound to freeze some early-germinating seedlings, resulting in another bad harvest year this year, and the people were miserable.
Historically, the two years between the 16th and 17th Chongzhen years were the two years with the most frequent and violent natural disasters in the late Ming Dynasty. It was not entirely a coincidence that the Ming Dynasty finally ended suddenly at this time point——
If you look carefully at the historical details, it is not difficult to find that in terms of size, at least most of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong's teams were suddenly recruited by Chongzhen sixteen years later.
In those two years, their expansion speed was like an extra bug, much faster than in previous years. It was like they suddenly broke through a critical point, opened up the Ren and Du channels, and then plummeted thousands of miles.
Obviously, from an objective and natural perspective, it was precisely because of the severity of the disaster in those two years that the number of people who suddenly couldn't survive increased by another order of magnitude, giving all the bandit chieftains endless coercion resources.
And history often tells people an experience: after a series of major disasters, they often do not end with the demise of a dynasty.
The disaster was supposed to last for three or four years. If the previous dynasty died just after the first two years, then after the next dynasty catches up, it will have to deal with the aftermath of the severe disaster for another one or two years.
God will not suddenly stop the disaster just because Ming died.
However, according to the original development, the initial stage after the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, although there were tragic disasters, it happened to catch up with the expansion period of shifting conflicts to the south. After conquering Jiangnan, it could immediately rely on the tonsure order to massacre the huge population of the city, and conquer the south
He grabbed all the supplies and surplus food to maintain his rule.
According to later research, the drought, flood, and locust plague that lasted for more than three years and nearly four years at the turn of the Ming and Qing Dynasties lasted from the 16th year of Chongzhen to the third year of Shunzhi (the first year of Shunzhi and the 17th year of Chongzhen coincided)
, so after the 17th year of Chongzhen, another two years can be delayed until the third year of Shunzhi)
It was only four years after Shunzhi that the disaster gradually slowed down, and people's production and recuperation gradually recovered. It was not until six years after Shunzhi that the disaster problem was basically turned over.
However, other regions in the north, except the capital, still need to return to Shunzhi for another eight years to ensure a balanced local fiscal balance and no need to rely on robbery and foreign transportation to maintain local food self-sufficiency.
Four years of disaster relief, six years of disaster relief, and eight years of self-sufficiency.
However, now, with the successive deaths of Duduo and Nikan, the Manchu troops equivalent to at least two reorganized banners have been completely wiped out, and many troops have been severely damaged.
The wheel of history, which the Qing government used to deflect conflicts to the outside world and solve food shortages, had its axles suddenly broken and could no longer move forward.
…
When the news reached the capital, Dorgon, as the regent, was naturally shocked, saddened, and felt tremendous pressure and uneasiness.
Not only did the national destiny of the Qing Dynasty become murky, but Dorgon's personal political future was also cast a heavy shadow——
When Huang Taiji died, his regent status was equal to that of Jierhalang. Although Hauge made a behind-the-scenes deal between him and Jierhalang to suppress it, now that Hauge is in the army and in the court, he still has the same regent status.
Somewhat slightly influential.
However, Jierhalang was relatively old and not aggressive enough. A few months after Huang Taiji's death, the Qing Dynasty encountered a god-given opportunity when Chongzhen was killed and Wu Sangui manipulated the Qing army to enter the pass.
On this major issue of right and wrong, Dorgon was a resolute advocate. He insisted on responding to Wu Sangui and led troops into Beijing. He also insisted on allowing the young Emperor Shunzhi to move the capital to Beijing.
Conservatives such as Hauge and Jierharang have more or less lost points on this series of issues. Many Manchu conservatives are worried that after moving the capital to the pass, they will lose strategic depth in the future. If the Central Plains has
If it changes, it will be inconvenient if you want to return it outside the customs.
Dorgon once again defied all opinions and insisted on making Beijing the capital, and then sent his two half-brothers to march westward and southward to deal with Li Zicheng and Nanming respectively.
The Qing Dynasty conquered so much land in one year, which raised Dorgon's personal prestige to its peak, and also made Jilharang and Hauge completely lose the possibility of fighting for power.
It can be said that Dorgon's status was not brought about by small plots of internal fighting. It was the result of solid efforts to expand territory and make decisions. The tricks of internal fighting were only auxiliary. Forging iron requires one's own strength.
But now, with the death of Duduo in battle and most of the Southern Expeditionary Army destroyed, the number of troops that Dorgon can control that are still loyal to him has been directly reduced by half! It is not an exaggeration to say that one arm has been cut off!
Will Hauge and Jilharang continue to obey him obediently? Can he still hold back?
…
Grief is grief, the problem still has to be solved,
Therefore, a few days after receiving the news that Nikan was also dead, Dorgon privately found Prince Zheng, the "uncle of the Xinyi Assistant Prince" Jierhalang, who was also assisting the government, and wanted to discuss the next step of military affairs with him.
Roughly.
There is only one core question: in the short term, should we continue to spend money and organize a new round of southern expedition as soon as possible?
The two "uncle regents" and "uncle auxiliary kings" had nothing to avoid overstepping their bounds. The emperor was still a child anyway and could not govern personally, so they started this discussion in Wuying Hall.
Dorgon is a big, fat, black man with a big beard. His appearance is incompatible with handsomeness. At best, he can be described as "heroic" because of his muscles hidden under the fat.
Dorgon and Jierhalang sat opposite each other and did not use their power to overpower each other. They also asked the eunuch to serve Jierhalang good tea and fine milk wine in order to soothe their throats while talking about business. You can drink whatever you want.
Which one to drink.
After settling down, Dorgon went straight to the point: "This king's defeat of the fifteenth brother and Nikan will naturally not shirk it. When I first ordered the generals, I should have thought that they were impulsive and decisive and easy to make a desperate move. Now I have lost two flags.
Soldiers and horses are really a pity for the government and the public.
However, the war is fierce and dangerous, and victory or defeat is unpredictable. The Qing Dynasty has suffered such a small setback, and we should work together to regroup as soon as possible. We must not give the Southern Barbarians a chance to breathe and gain a foothold. I wonder what Brother Wang thinks?"
Jilharang did not respond immediately, but was silent for a while before snorting inaudibly:
"Want to fight again? Although I am good at fighting, I have no reason to fight bloody battles with the barbarians every year. Since I have suffered a setback this time, I need to rest and rebuild the army. How can I risk it all again? What's more, even if the army is reorganized and sent out, the regent will have
Are you sure of victory?"
Jirharang said and gave a few examples casually:
The war between the Ming and Qing Dynasties took place during the Chongzhen period, from the second to the third year of Chongzhen. There was a big wave (that wave of breakthroughs was also the main reason why Yuan Chonghuan was finally killed), and then the Qing army stopped for two or three years.
It was not until the sixth or seventh year of Chongzhen that he broke through the barrier again.
Later, Chongzhen broke through the barrier in the ninth year, snatched it back, broke through again in the eleventh year, and went back that year (killed Lu Xiangsheng). From the autumn of the thirteenth year to the spring of the fifteenth year, it was a continuous tug-of-war with Hong Chengchou.
…
It can be said that although the Qing army was warlike, it also had a rest period. In the early stage, it entered the pass every three or four years, and at least one or two years later, except when it was fighting a war of attrition with Hong Chengchou, because it was unable to retreat due to the constant stalemate.
The Manchu Eight Banners are not made of iron, so how can they keep fighting without taking a breath? As for rotating troops to fight in turns, the Qing army does not have the strength now.
Two flags were destroyed and one flag was severely damaged, leaving only five flags with combat effectiveness.
Among the five banners, one at Azige lost more than half of its strength. It was all fought in a war of attrition with Zhang Huangyan, including the one that was attacked by Zhu Wenzhen's Huguang cavalry when they first came into contact with the Nanyang Ming Army last year.
The loss is not small.
Therefore, only four half-man flags can be directly put into battle.
Duduo's two flags were given away in vain. If two more flags were raised, they might be severely damaged. Then four and a half would have to be pressed down. If the rear was completely empty, what would happen if the northern Han people rebelled?
Jierhalang didn't need to talk about big reasons. Just based on the analysis of strength comparison, he thought that they couldn't fight again.
After taking stock of the key points, Jierhalang concluded with great momentum:
"...So I believe that the most important thing right now is to rebuild the two white flags that were completely wiped out! At the same time, let the two damaged red flags rest and recuperate! Instead of underestimating the enemy and rushing in with all your might!
The Prince of England's offensive in Nanyang should also be restrained, and the damaged troops should be returned to the rear, and the two red flags and the two blue flags should be re-levied. Each of the two red flags should have a high number of men, make up for the vacancies of the main men who died in the battle, and then conduct training.
And since the Two White Banners were completely wiped out as an established organization, I am afraid that they may not even have the generals, schools, and left officers needed to rebuild them. In my opinion, it is better to transfer some of the soldiers from the Two Yellow Banners as the backbone to rebuild the Two White Banners.
You can draw one Niu Lu from each of the two yellow flags to make up for the two white flags, and then recruit new soldiers from the second tier of the two white flags to make up the remaining four Niu Lu. Only by leading the old with the new and one with the five can we quickly
Form an army and regain combat effectiveness."
I have to say that from the perspective of military construction, Jierhalang's opinion is still very mature.
In later generations, even in modern times, and even in the modern World War I and World War II, when it was necessary to expand the army and mobilize reserves during war, this was basically how recruits were recruited.
For example, in World War I and World War II, the German army used three to four times the number of veterans to lead new recruits. During the war, a regular army division was divided into multiple regiments. Each division had one regiment of veterans in the new army, and the remaining regiments were
The newly mobilized reserves will take a few months to pass on, and the new unit will form its initial combat effectiveness.
Now that the two white flags have been beaten to the point where they have lost all their officers, and the regiment has been completely destroyed, if they want to rebuild, of course they have to second officers at all levels from other flags and build a new team.
Of course, considering that many of the family members of the Liangbai Banners are from noble families with high status, those relatives of Yuan Gushan, Meile Ezhen, Jia La, and Niu Lu can continue to work directly after being added to the army.
When they become an official, even if they did not have a military position, they can still become an official based on their blood.
But in any case, professional military talents must be supplemented. Otherwise, the new army will not be finished if it relies entirely on the "Zhao Kuo" who are of superior blood to lead the troops?
But the problem is that Jilharang's suggestion, which seems to be completely in line with the public spirit, sounds so harsh to Dorgon's ears, and it can stir up several sensitive nodes in his nerves at once.
"What a good plan. The two white flags were the foundation for our initial success, but the two yellow flags are absolutely loyal to the late emperor... Let the two yellow flags recruit people to rebuild the two white flags. Will the two white flags built in the future be able to obey my orders?
..." Dorgon thought viciously in his heart, but did not dare to show it on the surface.
Here we have to talk about a public eulogy when Huang Taiji died,
In fact, those who are familiar with Qing palace dramas, especially local dramas such as "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang", basically know that when Huang Taiji died, the two yellow flags initially supported Hauge's succession, but the two yellow flags controlled by Dorgon and Duoduo
Bai Qi would never agree, and even put on a posture of "if Hauge wants to seize the throne, he will fight to the end, even if it means civil war."
Later, in order to avoid civil war, the Two Yellow Banners, with the coordination of Jierhalang, expressed their willingness to take a step back from Dorgon: the Two White Banners did not support Dorgon's succession, in exchange for the Two Yellow Banners allowing the selection of another son of the late emperor (Huang Taiji)
After succeeding to the throne, Fulin (Shunzhi) succeeded in picking up the slack.
It can be seen that no matter who the two yellow flags finally promoted to the throne, they were loyal to Huang Taiji and only accepted Huang Taiji's son to take the throne. This has never changed.
The biggest problem with Duduo today is not only that he was given two flags for free, but also that he and Dorgon were directly related to him. This caused a huge imbalance in the power structure within the Qing Dynasty——
Of course, at this time last year, Duduo chose to bring two white flags as the main force of the southern expedition. There was nothing wrong with this choice. Because historically he had almost chosen this way. In Duduo's view at the time, going south to fight against Jianghuai and Jiangnan, those
The Han people in a weak place simply gained a lot of their great achievements in vain.
Since there is an opportunity to make great achievements, why not leave it to your own direct troops? Who would have thought that this opportunity to make great achievements would eventually turn into an opportunity to die?
At this moment, Dorgon had already guessed what Jierhalang was planning, but he really couldn't resist. His main direct troops were greatly weakened! His authority had been shaken!
Dorgon had no choice but to find other high-sounding reasons, reasons that were for the sake of the country, to persuade Jilharang:
"Prince Zheng! Whether or not to continue the war against Nanming cannot just depend on whether the Qing Dynasty has the strength to fight! Even if it does not have the strength to achieve a decisive victory, it should at least support the war with war and maintain pressure!
If you didn’t care about civil affairs before, you may not know how short the Qing Dynasty’s treasury and military supplies are now! The reason why Chongzhen fell last year was mainly because of the serious disasters in the north! Millions of Han people followed the invaders and so on.
Rise up!
The disaster situation has not improved at all this year. Look at the spring snow outside at the end of February. How many seedlings will freeze to death? This year’s spring famine will probably starve to death for many people! There will never be a good harvest in the autumn harvest. Every province, every year, people will starve to death.
There are at least one million people! The famine in the world has reached an unprecedented level!
We have to feed 200,000 bannermen, a total of 900,000 men, women, and children. Can we expect to squeeze the food and grass we need from the remaining 10 to 20 million northern Han people? Not to mention that we can't squeeze it out.
Even if it can be squeezed out, it will lose the hearts of the people!
Now the only chance for the Qing Dynasty is to transfer the anger and unwillingness of the northern Han people to starve to death into the hatred of the southern Han people!
We Manchus do not have enough troops, and it will take time to rebuild the Eight Banners, so immediately expand the new army composed of purely northern Han people! Use the bait of robbing the rich lands in the south to lure the northern Han people to fight for us!"
Dorgon said, and finally put forward his countermeasures to Jierhalang's "slowly plan and rebuild the Eight Banners" strategy - to establish a green camp army of the Han people! Give the Han people autonomy, rob for private purposes, and encourage the Han people to arm themselves and snowball!
Ji'erharang was a conservative, and he couldn't help being surprised and angry after hearing this: "How can we care so much about expanding the army! We Manchus rule the Han people, and we are walking on thin ice.
Although the Han people in the north have experienced severe droughts, floods, locust plagues, and wars for many years, their household registration has been reduced by half. Although the exact number is not yet known, it is definitely more than 10 million, and certainly less than 20 million.
We Manchus only have more than 200,000 young and strong men. Counting the old, weak, women and children, we have a total of 900,000 people. We have to dominate the northern Han people who are almost 15 times our size. If all the northern Han people are armed, one day they will
If you directly start a fight against the Qing Dynasty, you, Dorgon, will be the sinner of the Qing Dynasty!"
The ideological differences between the two sides were too deep, and tensions arose as they talked.
Fortunately, there are not many personal grievances. The main reason is that the understanding of governance methods is too different.
After Dorgon calmed down for a while, he realized that his failure was so huge that it was impossible to think about it again. The only way for now was to find a way to "take a step back" with Jierhalang again and find a new balance.
He couldn't help but think about it, and thought to himself: What he wants is nothing more than two things.
One is to immediately organize a new southern expedition to divert conflicts from the Southern Ming Dynasty, rob enough money and food to maintain rule, and prevent internal collapse.
The other thing is a means to serve the purpose of the Southern Expedition, that is, the preparation of the new Green Camp Army.
If the second thing cannot be done, even if Jierhalang agrees to the first thing and organizes a new southern expedition, the Qing government will not have enough troops now, so it will be in vain.
In this case, it is better to make a painful decision and postpone the immediate organization of the new southern expedition in exchange for Jierhalang's consent to form the Green Camp.
At the same time, I made it clear that I couldn't stop the two yellow flags from adding sand to the two white flags, so I might as well go with the flow and do it as a favor.
Even if the Two White Banners are rebuilt in the future, they will be attracted by Ji Erhalang and Hao to a certain extent and will no longer be absolutely loyal to themselves. But as long as the Han Green Camp led by him thinks about the good things of Dorgon and knows that Dorgon in the Qing court
Gun is the one who is relatively allowed to delegate power to the Han armed forces, so with the support of the Green Camp in the future, he may still have a trump card in the power struggle.
Thinking of this, Dorgon showed a painful expression and exchanged conditions with Jierhalang: "Forget it, if we organize a new southern expedition now, there is really no chance of winning. Even if we form a green camp, it will take time to practice and run in. Within this year
It is no longer usable.
No matter what, this year can only be a hardship for the people. Even if they impose excessive taxes, they still have to raise enough money and food to support and expand the army. Even if they arouse more bandits, there is nothing they can do. Let’s train with bandits!
I am willing to promise that I will not mention the Southern Expedition this year! The reconstruction of the two white flags is also allowed to draw the backbones from the two yellow flags to command! But Prince Zheng must also agree to the formation of the Green Camp Army! Otherwise, I will make the first two items
The promise is void!"
Jilharang's eyelids twitched, and he considered whether this game condition would make a profit or a loss. In the end, the interests of the small group surpassed the national interests.
At the beginning, he had always regretted that he did not have full say in supporting the two yellow flags, and he was deeply worried about the threat of civil war between the two white flags.
This time Dorgon was willing to give in, so he took advantage first.
As for the establishment of a green camp independent of the Han military flag system, although Jierhalang was afraid, he at least knew the simplest truth - he, Dorgon, was also a Manchu, and Dorgon would never bring in a Han armed force to create him.
It's your own reaction, right?
Maybe he has some other cunning tricks to restrain the green camp generals and ensure their loyalty?
No matter what the specific method was, he could only believe that Dorgon was at least okay from a national standpoint.
Jierhalang weighed it again and again and agreed to this compromise plan.