Chapter 14: The Jianzhou Barbarians Deliberate Policy

After Liu's mother hanged herself, the Liu household was thrown into chaos, busy preparing the funeral — but that is a matter for another time. Liu Xingzuo, meanwhile, was submitting a memorial to Hong Taiji:

"Your servant Liu Aita risks death to report:

As I face this memorial, my tears fall and I scarcely know what I write. I beg the Great Khan's forgiveness ten thousand times over.

I was born a commoner, yet the Old Khan plucked me from obscurity, and despite my lowly station entrusted me with the heavy responsibility of the Four Southern Garrisons. I should have emulated the Martial Marquis Zhuge, sparing no effort until my dying breath.

But my mother, so heartsick with longing for home that she passed away, left me a note asking that her ashes be buried in her native soil.

I am dull and ignorant, and do not presume to grasp the Great Khan's grand strategy for attacking the Ming. Yet my desire to bury my mother is most urgent, so I risk death to petition the Great Khan: permit me to conduct military exercises at Fuzhou.

I shall personally lead the troops of the Four Garrisons, and on the third day of next month sacrifice to the banners and strike against the Ming.

Your servant Liu Aita risks death and bows a hundred times to report. A capital offense, a capital offense."

In Shenyang, at the old Qing palace — ever since the Jianzhou barbarians had seized Liaodong, they had made this place their base of operations.

Goaded on by certain bondservant slaves who always styled themselves as students, they built their own imperial palace in imitation of the Ming's Forbidden City. Yet whether in scale or in layout, every part of it exuded a cramped, petty air.

Even so, who knows how much blood and tears of the Liaodong Han people are buried within it!

In the so-called Hall of Diligent Governance, just as Hong Taiji received the memorial submitted by Liu Xingzuo, another secret report was also laid upon his desk.

Hong Taiji first read through Liu Xingzuo's memorial. He made no comment, tossed it aside, then casually picked up the secret report and read: "Liu Aita sought pleasure with friends at a brothel on the fourteenth and did not return all night.

Scouts confirm he slept at the brothel. Liu's mother died on the sixteenth.

No wounds. No illness.

The body was laid out by Liu Aita's wife and Liu Xingxian's wife. Funeral procession set for the twenty-second.

Liu Aita has summoned the troops of the Four Garrisons to Fuzhou for military exercises, intending to strike first against the Ming to bury his mother."

Hong Taiji compared Liu Xingzuo's memorial with the covert report from his spies. Although he felt throughout that something was not quite right, he had no other evidence to corroborate his suspicions.

He said to the bondservant attending at his side, "Send someone to summon Mr. Fan, Daishan, Amin, Yoto, Jirgalang, Ajige, and Dorgon. Let Manggultai rest well at home; send someone to inform him."

The bondservant beside him answered "Ja!" and ordered men to summon those Hong Taiji had named to come before the Great Khan.

The others, upon receiving word, dared not delay and hurried to the palace to see Hong Taiji. Only Daishan and Amin came at a slow, leisurely pace.

Daishan and Amin were, after all, the eldest and second sons of the old Jianzhou barbarian Nurhaci, while Hong Taiji was the fourth son. Although he had won the khanate, Daishan and Amin still did not fully submit.

Daishan, however, was skilled at swallowing his pride, always presenting himself as a good-natured man, so much so that even the wily old fox Hong Taiji was deceived by him. As for Amin, he had never accepted Hong Taiji — the sort of fellow who grew only muscle and no brains.

Though Hong Taiji found him a headache on ordinary days, he would not go out of his way to deal with a brute like Amin.

Hong Taiji took no offense at the two arriving late. Even if in his heart he wished he could kill them both right now, his face had to wear a beaming smile. After all, he still had to put on a show of brotherly harmony for outsiders, to let people know that Our Great Qing had face to keep!

Hong Taiji handed Liu Xingzuo's memorial to Daishan and said, "Elder Brother, you all take a look."

Once everyone had passed it around and finished reading, Hong Taiji cleared his throat and said, "The reason I've called everyone here today is to have you all discuss this. Let us see what sort of policy we ought to adopt."

Amin was a coarse man and already resented Hong Taiji. This time he had been summoned in the middle of the night, torn from his warm bed and the soft, smooth body of that Ming little lady warming it.

At this moment, he was close to wanting to draw his blade and hack Hong Taiji to death. He shot back bluntly, "What'd you call us for?

You're the Great Khan, you decide. Can't you just make up your own mind?"

Daishan beside him was secretly delighted, but on the surface he turned his head and scolded, "Amin, what nonsense are you spouting?" He turned back, bowed to Hong Taiji, and said, "Great Khan, forgive him. Amin is rash by nature; do not lower yourself to his level."

Hong Taiji was stifled with anger inside, but his face revealed nothing.

With a faint smile, he said, "Elder Brother, what are you saying? We are blood brothers; how could I take offense? I merely wonder — what does Elder Brother make of Liu Aita wanting to drill the troops and attack the Ming?"

Daishan said, "This slave could not presume to say. What if I ruined a matter of military and state importance? This slave's death ten thousand times over could not atone for such a fault. Mr. Fan has always been full of stratagems; why not first ask Mr. Fan's opinion?"

Hong Taiji knew in his heart that he could get nothing out of that old fox Daishan. If not for maintaining appearances, he would never have intended to call these few here in the first place. It would have been enough to discuss it with himself and that dog-slave Fan Wencheng.

Fan Wencheng, who had been standing to the side the whole time, saw his master look his way and hurriedly said, "Master, this slave believes we should simply let Liu Aita do as he pleases. Either way, we will not lose out."

Amin, however, retorted, "What if Liu Xingzuo's body is in Cao Cao's camp but his heart is with the Han? If he goes and never returns, wouldn't we be letting him flee south back to the Ming for nothing?"

Fan Wencheng said, "The Beile speaks truly. But as this slave understands it, the southern barbarians' Chongzhen Emperor, even when he was still Prince of Xin living in his princely residence, placed extreme trust in those Donglin Faction men.

Those people are all vainglorious, obsessed with face and pomp. Though useless to family and country, they all usurp high office.

This time, with Liu Aita drilling troops at Fuzhou and sacrificing to the banners to attack the Ming, once word reaches the southern barbarians, even if he truly wishes to return south, I fear he will find it impossible."

Once Fan Wencheng finished, Hong Taiji picked up the thread: "Quite right. According to reports from spies this khan has planted on that side, Liu Aita's old mother left him a letter before she died, demanding to be buried in the south.

I fear filial piety has stirred within Liu Aita, and he is anxious to bury his old mother."

Amin disagreed: "What if the Ming people arranged this all beforehand? Those southern barbarians have always been cunning; their words cannot be trusted."

He finished, then ground his teeth and said, "In this slave's view, we should simply let this slave lead troops and go kill that Liu Aita! A treacherous scoundrel like that has probably long wanted to go back to the southern barbarians!"

Dorgon also resented Hong Taiji. After all, that dog Hong Taiji had not only caused the death of his own mother, but had also stolen his khanate and seized his beloved Dayu'er, and he still had to kowtow and kneel to him.

But the situation now was stronger than the man. Dorgon knew in his heart that no matter what, he could not contend against Hong Taiji.

He had to swallow his pride and endure — even if he always felt that his own head was just like the Khorchin steppe, he had to endure!

Since he had to endure and protect himself, Dorgon simply played dumb and hid his talents: "This matter is simple. Why would Amin-ge need to lead troops there?

Let the Great Khan simply summon him to the capital under the pretext of posthumously honoring his old mother and discussing the attack on the Ming. If his heart holds no ghosts, he will surely dare to come, and then we can kill him or flay him as we please.

If he does not come, his heart likely harbors ghosts, and then Amin-ge can dispatch troops without it being too late. Only one condition — you must let your little brother be the vanguard and lead the first charge!"