Chapter 340: Deliberations in Shengjing (Part 1)

Late June of the twelfth year of Chongzhen, in Shengjing.

Shengjing was originally the Great Ming's Shenyang. After it was captured by the Later Jin, it was made their capital, and a palace was built within. In the seventh year of the Ming Chongzhen reign, Huang Taiji renamed Shenyang to "Shengjing." By the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, after the Qing state moved its capital to Beijing, Shenyang was designated the secondary capital. Decades later, Shengjing was renamed "Fengtian."

At this moment, outside the city of Shengjing, the clanging of hammers rang out unceasingly. Countless craftsmen toiled busily under the watch of Qing soldiers, forging weapons. As early as the Nurhaci period, blacksmith shops stretched for over ten li outside Shengjing, their fires and smoke never ceasing day or night. Because the Qing state strictly controlled weapon forging, with beheadings for the slightest infraction, the weapons and armor they produced were quite excellent.

During Nurhaci's time, through mutual market trade with the Great Ming, he amassed a large quantity of ironware. His territory also had many iron mines, and there was no shortage of charcoal or coal needed for smelting. In addition, Huang Taiji's many plundering expeditions had seized vast numbers of people and wealth from within the Pass, including no small number of craftsmen and iron tools.

Thus the Qing state was able to form large numbers of heavy infantry and cavalry, something other nomadic and hunting peoples did not possess.

Shengjing had eight gates. In the seventh year of Chongzhen, when Huang Taiji renamed Shenyang to Shengjing, he personally decreed names for the eight gates. The one due west was called Huaiyuan Gate.

The official roads of Shenyang extended in all directions. The Great Ming's centuries of operations in Liaodong were no small matter. After the name was changed to Shengjing, the entire Qing state still mainly relied on these official roads and post routes originally built by the Great Ming. The official roads were several zhang wide, paved with thick, rammed yellow earth, incredibly solid.

At this moment, on the road leading from Huaiyuan Gate to the western suburbs, an endless column of ceremonial guards came galloping.

Clearing the way at the very front were the Gebu Xixian Chaoha warriors of the Qing Emperor's personal camp. They wore black-tasseled iron armor, each equipped with a strong bow and powerful arrows. Every man's military bearing was strict and imposing, brimming with ferocity. Their horses' hooves and the steel torrent rolled onward, the sound of hooves pounding the ground a continuous thunderous roar.

Deploying the Gebu Xixian Chaoha warriors was a power reserved solely for the Qing Emperor. These soldiers were the Qing state's most elite warriors, with only two men chosen from each niru. Idlers on the official road had long since been driven far away. As the cavalry procession passed, they could only kneel in the distance, not daring to raise their heads.

The columns of cavalry seemed endless. Finally, in the middle of the procession, Huang Taiji's five-colored canopy appeared. After proclaiming himself emperor, he hastily copied the Great Ming Emperor's style, learning the various ceremonial systems—the grand procession, the traveling procession, the excursion procession—down to the last detail.

He was going to the outskirts for a grand military review, and what he now displayed was the grand procession. It was nothing like the shabby ceremonial display Wang Dou had seen when he encountered Huang Taiji in the valley; now his pomp was dozens of times more elaborate.

Not counting the Gebu Xixian Chaoha warriors at the front, the ceremonial guard alone numbered over a thousand men.

After the leading elephants and treasure elephants passed, there followed men carrying silent whips, men with grand musical instruments, all manner of carriages, and all sorts of drum and wind music accompanying them. Then came various five-colored golden dragon banners, wind banners, rain banners, constellation banners, and so on. Then countless round fans, yellow fans, square fans, peacock fans, and more.

Then came yellow canopies, purple lingzhi canopies, emerald-green canopies, and nine-dragon curved-handle yellow canopies, looking like giant mushrooms. There were also golden armchairs, golden vases, golden washbasins, golden spittoons, and the like. After all these passed came the vast ranks of sword-bearing ministers and ceremonial saber guards.

Next came the bronze rank-marking mountains, representing the status of the accompanying ministers. Finally, Huang Taiji's canopy made its appearance. Within the entire procession, this canopy was the most conspicuous and the most magnificent, made entirely of silk and satin, embroidered all over with lotus flowers, lingzhi, chrysanthemums, plum blossoms, and other flowers. Its color was purple, and when raised, it resembled an auspicious purple cloud.

This umbrella was quite large, several meters in circumference and several meters high. Only a man of extraordinary strength could hold it up.

Beneath the canopy hung wind chimes; when the wind blew, they chimed, meant to ward off evil spirits.

Following behind Huang Taiji's carriage was a vast procession of Qing princes, dukes, ministers, officials, and guards—an immensely huge retinue.

Huang Taiji sat in his carriage, narrowing his eyes as he pondered something. Compared to a few months ago, he had lost some weight and was not as grossly fat as when first seen, though overall, he was still a large fat man. In the third month, Huang Taiji had escorted the plundered population and wealth back to Shengjing. After a series of rewarding achievements and punishing failures, he immediately set about organizing the Han Eight Banners.

This could be considered a part of history altered by Wang Dou; the formation of the Han Eight Banners came several years earlier than in the original history.

However, Huang Taiji's move provoked strong opposition from the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners. They were full of vigilance toward the formation of Han military power. As they put it, these "barbarian slaves" could betray their former master, the Great Ming; once they gained strength in the future, who knew if they would not betray the Great Qing?

In particular, the Han banners' large-scale use of firearms made them even more worried. Once formed, the Han Eight Banners would reach 164 niru. Although each niru of the Mongol Eight Banners and Han Eight Banners had fewer men than the Manchu Eight Banners, not exceeding 200 men, 164 niru still amounted to over thirty thousand troops, surpassing the Mongol Eight Banners.

Moreover, not only would all their armored soldiers have to train with firearms, but even many unarmored bannermen would also have to train. It was estimated that in the end, twenty thousand men would train with cannons and arquebuses, with only a small portion using swords, spears, and bows.

The power of firearms—as early as last year's invasion, the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners had suffered bitterly under Wang Dou's firearm formations, each returning covered in dirt and ash, utterly discomfited.

Knowing the power of firearms, the prospect of a large-scale firearm force emerging within the Qing state left them unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Huang Taiji's reliance on Han officials had already surpassed that on the Mongols. As early as the New Year's Day court ceremony in the seventh year of Tiancong, paying homage right after the Manchu Eight Banners were the old Han officials like Prince Consort Tong Yangxing and Shi Tingzhu, and new Han officials like Ma Guangyuan, Ma Dengyun, and Zu Zerun.

This indicated that the Han official faction's status within the Qing state was second only to the Manchus, which left the various Mongol banner lords of the Eight Banners seething with resentment.

Not only that, but now the Emperor was forming Han armies on a massive scale and adopting firearms on a massive scale. This... watching one Han official after another being summoned by Huang Taiji, each entrusted with heavy responsibilities, the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banner princes, dukes, and nobles were all on edge.

However, they had no recourse for the time being. First, Huang Taiji's prestige was growing daily. In particular, he had personally led the army to rescue the original invasion force that had entered the Pass; otherwise, Dorgon and the others might have faced total annihilation. After the plundered population and wealth were escorted back to the Qing state, Huang Taiji's prestige reached its peak, and his word was absolute law throughout the Qing state.

Second, making the Manchu and Mongol bannermen abandon mounted archery and learn firearms instead was impossible. The threat posed by Wang Dou was also an obvious fact that needed to be addressed. So, looking at it from all angles, only having these Han Eight Banners, these traitor armies, use firearms was the most ideal solution.

Of course, although Huang Taiji insisted on his view, established the Han Eight Banners, and planned to use firearms on a large scale, any claim that he could rest easy about the strengthening of Han military power was only superficial. Those people who could betray the Great Ming had shown they were utterly devoid of loyalty, capable of selling out even their own ancestors. What else could they not sell?

He could only hope they would not spin a cocoon around themselves in the future.

But...

Carrying these unspoken inner worries and suspicions, Huang Taiji's carriage and ceremonial procession grandly proceeded toward the parade ground north of the city.