Chapter 260: Striking the Hollow and Pounding the Weak, Establishing Governance by Seizing the Moment (33rd Name

Nurhaci's princely residence stood at the very center of Shenyang.

But after Hong Taiji succeeded to the throne, he did not move into that residence; instead, he renovated his own Fourth Beile mansion and made it the new princely residence. On ordinary days, however, whenever the Beile needed to discuss state affairs, they still gathered at this original residence.

In a side hall of the Great Governance Hall, just before the deliberative assembly began.

Hong Taiji sat before a desk, a volume of the Zuo Commentary cradled in his hands, reading it with close attention, his expression one of deep concentration.

"Great Khan, all the Beile have arrived." An attendant gently pushed open the door and entered, announcing this in a low voice.

Hong Taiji nodded, slipped a single plume feather between the pages as a bookmark, and only then closed the book and rose to his feet.

"Let us go."

His voice was steady and calm — plainly, he was fully confident of the political storm he was about to unleash.

Stepping out of the side hall and passing along a covered corridor, he was met by a biting, bitter wind; Hong Taiji narrowed his eyes slightly.

This year had not been an easy one for him.

Though he had ascended to the position of Great Khan, the seat beneath him was far from secure.

The Jurchen had risen to power from the bow and the saddle, and the shifting landscape of their political map was, naturally, deeply shaped by military strength and manpower.

Thus, to gauge the true extent of Hong Taiji's power, one need only look at how much of the Eight Banners' military force he actually controlled.

On paper alone, Hong Taiji's current title of Great Khan was a hollow name, utterly unworthy of the reality.

Within the Eight Banners:

The Plain Yellow Banner was personally commanded by Hong Taiji; the Bordered Yellow Banner had been intended by Nurhaci for Dorgon, but before the arrangements could be finalized, Nurhaci died, and Hong Taiji seized it, placing it under the personal command of his eldest son, Hooge.

Next was the Great Beile Daishan, who commanded the Plain Red Banner and the Bordered Red Banner. The Second Beile Manggultai commanded the Plain Blue Banner, and the Third Beile Amin commanded the Bordered Blue Banner. Finally, the three brothers born of the Grand Consort Abahai — Ajige, Dorgon, and Dodo — had equally divided the two banners Nurhaci left behind. In the end, Dodo alone commanded the Plain White Banner, while Dorgon and Ajige were grouped together under the Bordered White Banner, with Ajige serving as its banner lord.

So, when all was tallied, in terms of real military strength, Hong Taiji held at most one share among four.

Moreover, these two Yellow Banners had been created by swapping banner names with the two White Banners; in essence, they were still the original two White Banners.

In actual fighting strength, they were far inferior to the sixty elite niru that Nurhaci had left to Dorgon and his two brothers.

Yet ever since Hong Taiji began his formal education at the age of seven, beyond horsemanship and archery, his greatest love had been reading.

His level of learning, set among these brothers who knew only how to ride and shoot, was like the sole university student in a village — a crushing, dimensionality-lowering blow.

Before his succession, Daishan had been entangled in an illicit affair with Abahai, and Dorgon and his two brothers were the sons Abahai had borne.

Should this latent "Daishan–Dorgon brothers alliance" ever take shape, it would hold the power of four of the Jurchen banners! How could anyone not fear it? And so, the moment Nurhaci died, while Daishan still hesitated, Hong Taiji moved directly, joining forces with Amin, Manggultai, and numerous other Beile.

Using Nurhaci's dying command as a pretext, he directly forced Abahai, the linchpin of that alliance, to be buried alive with the dead.

The highest tactic in political struggle is the physical elimination of the opponent.

After all, when a person is dead, they are dead, and all the power clinging to them dissolves like smoke.

Unless, of course, another person emerges to inherit that legacy.

But plainly, Daishan was not that person, nor were Dorgon and his brothers — and so Hong Taiji peacefully succeeded to the throne.

Ruthless as this method was, it proved supremely effective.

As for the various aftereffects and repercussions that followed, those could all be slowly digested and dealt with later.

This was also the first reason Hong Taiji regarded the Yongchang Emperor to the south with such vigilance.

That seventeen-year-old boy emperor, on only the third day after his elder brother's death — indeed, on the very afternoon of his own enthronement — had directly strangled Wei Zhongxian to death! Such a method was, frankly, even more brazenly amoral than Hong Taiji's own act of forcing Abahai to her death!

After all, Hong Taiji at least had the excuse of the late Khan's dying command.

But that Wei Zhongxian — according to whispered rumors, he had been a loyal minister of state, personally entrusted by the Tianqi Emperor to the care of this new sovereign...

Just who, in the end, is the barbarian here — you, or me?!

"Even setting everything else aside, that degree of decisiveness and ruthlessness alone already makes him no easy opponent..."

Hong Taiji sighed inwardly, then reined in his wandering thoughts and strode into the Great Governance Hall.

Inside the hall, all the Beile had long since taken their seats in the proper order.

At Hong Taiji's entrance, they rose as one and performed a single bow of salutation.

Hong Taiji swept his gaze across the assembly, letting it pass over the faces of Daishan, Amin, and Manggultai one by one, before finally coming to rest on the face of Dorgon, the banner lord of the Bordered White Banner. Physically eliminating a political rival, of course, leaves aftereffects.

Namely, Daishan's deep-seated resistance toward him, and the three brothers' bitter hatred.

But to Hong Taiji, these were truly trivial matters.

Daishan, back then, had doted on a new consort and treated the sons born of his first wife — Yoto and Šoto — with cold neglect.

In the end, Nurhaci had even stripped Daishan of his position as heir apparent precisely because of his mistreatment of his two sons.

Between the three of them, whether father toward sons or sons toward father, the relationship was all but beyond repair.

Hong Taiji, naturally, was not about to let such an opening slip by.

He employed every stratagem taught in the Records of the Three Kingdoms to draw the two brothers to him, winning them over until they stood at his side. Thus, although Daishan appeared to control the two Red Banners, the Bordered Red Banner — with Yoto and Šoto within it — could practically be counted as Hong Taiji's. As for Dorgon and his two brothers, the matter was even simpler.

Three men, yet only two banners between them — the history books of the Han had already written out the outcome with perfect clarity.

He found a pretext to remove Ajige, who had originally commanded the Bordered White Banner, and replaced him with the even younger Dorgon; thus, the three brothers were divided among themselves. As for the vengeance of a murdered mother...

Ha! Among the Jurchen, what vengeance for a murdered mother could there possibly be?!

Manggultai had killed his own mother with his own hands to prove his loyalty to Father Khan!

The ethics and morality of the Han — that is precisely the cause of their weakness!

The strength and vigor of the Jurchen people lies, of course, in this very savagery that refuses to recognize even its own kin!

It was through such methods — methods these fool brothers either could not see through, or, even if they saw through, could scarcely resist —

that from his enthronement in the ninth month of the sixth year of Tianqi to the present day, little more than a single year had passed.

On the surface, Hong Taiji commanded only two banners, but in reality, he already held covert control over four, his military strength now approaching half of the Eight Banners.

As for today's assembly, it was, in truth, hardly worth mentioning — merely another routine day in his consolidation of power.

The deliberative assembly formally began.

"I have summoned all the Beile here today to discuss the transgressions of Abatai," Hong Taiji began.

The voice echoed through the great hall, and in an instant, every gaze converged on Abatai.

Abatai froze, then jerked his head up. "Great Khan, what crime have I committed?"

Hong Taiji's face was expressionless as he said flatly, "Last year, when I succeeded to the throne, after Abatai attended the banquet, he had Efū Darhan relay a message to me."

"He said that in the future, when we go to war, he will don his armor and take the field; when we hunt, he will wear his bow and arrows and go. But he will not come to the banquets any more, because he is ashamed to sit among the ranks of his sons and nephews."

At this, Hong Taiji's gaze shifted to Abatai. "Abatai, were those your words?"

His grievances laid bare before the entire assembly, Abatai's face flushed crimson. He ground his teeth.

"I said it, and I meant it!"

"When Father Khan was alive and feasted the Tüsheetü Khan of the Khorchin, I always received him together with the Four Great Beile! Now I can only sit at the lower end, lumped together with a pack of juniors — of course I am unwilling!"

A rustle of whispered murmurs broke out through the great hall.

Hong Taiji neither confirmed nor denied. He turned his head toward Darhan. "How did I reply at the time? Do you still remember?"

Darhan immediately kowtowed. "Your Majesty rebuked us then, saying that as subjects, we ought to remonstrate with the Beile, not pass such words directly on to the Great Khan."

Hong Taiji nodded, his gaze once again sweeping across the faces of the assembly, observing even the subtlest shifts in expression.

He continued, "Last month, at the banquet for the submission of Engke-Tümen Dügüreng Beile of the Naiman — you still did not attend, did you? What did you say then?"

By now, Abatai had sensed the shift in the atmosphere. Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his voice dropped low. "I said… at the time I said…"

He hemmed and hawed for a long while but could not produce a single complete sentence.

Hong Taiji ignored him and turned to Darhan. "What did Abatai say at the time?"

Darhan's voice rang out.

"At the time, Abatai said that the Great Khan always treats newcomers more warmly than his own brothers."

"'If this goes on, how can he expect his brothers to go hunting lambs for him?'"

The moment these words were spoken, the great hall erupted in an uproar.

The Mongol Beile, who had been watching with the detachment of spectators at a play, all changed color.

The resentment in those words was no longer directed merely at seating order — it struck straight at the state policy of the Manchu-Mongol alliance!

Hong Taiji's face darkened.

"A few days ago, at the banquet for the submission of Brother Ilden — you still did not come. What did you say then!"

Abatai opened his mouth, but found his throat as if stopped up, unable to force out a single word.

At this moment, he felt as though he had been stripped naked and thrown into a crowd. Shame, fury, and terror twisted together inside him.

"Darhan, since he cannot speak, you speak!" Hong Taiji pointed at Darhan.

Darhan kowtowed again. "Abatai said… he had no fur coat to wear…"

"And what else!" Hong Taiji roared.

"He also said… 'Even the Mongol Beile Ming'an and Beile Baki sit in the seats of honor, while I sit in the lower seat. What point is there in my going?'" These words detonated the powder keg in the great hall once and for all.

That bizarre specimen Abatai had, entirely by his own efforts, managed to offend everyone — from every angle, without a single blind spot.

He had offended not only the Great Khan, not only his brothers, not only his sons and nephews, but also the Mongol allies.

Hong Taiji watched the crowd seethe with righteous indignation. Inwardly he sneered, but on his face he wore an expression of deep anguish.

"Gentlemen, Abatai's grievances were first directed at me. I thought it was because my admonitions had not gotten through to him."

"Later, his grievances shifted to all of you, his sons and nephews. I thought perhaps my words had not been stern enough. But now, his grievances have spilled beyond words and even spread to so many of his brothers. I feel I can endure it no longer. That is why I have gathered you all here today to deliberate on this matter. Speak your minds."

The words had barely faded when the great hall erupted in a torrent of curses.

Manggultai roared that Abatai did not know what was good for him. Amin sneered without pause. The many Mongol Beile let fly a stream of foul abuse.

Abatai's face was ashen. He slumped to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

He finally understood that he had provoked universal outrage.

Daishan, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines all this while, now furrowed his brow slightly.

He glanced at Hong Taiji seated high above, then at the terrified and uneasy Abatai, weighing the matter in his mind.

At this moment, someone had to step forward and speak.

And those words had to be spoken quickly. If they were not, Hong Taiji might well speak them himself.

Daishan immediately strode out from the ranks, pointed at Abatai, and thundered a rebuke.

"Abatai! Back then, you could not even make it into the ranks of the Five Ministers — how dare you voice such grievances!"

He turned and pointed at the men in the hall, his voice ringing out. "Taiji Degelei, Jirgalang, Commissioner-in-Chief, Yoto, and Hūsotū — which of them did not begin participating in state councils long ago? Beile Ming'an and Beile Baki have been brothers as close as family ever since Father Khan first raised his banner!"

"It is only because, among all your brothers, you happened to be put in charge of six niru that you were able to join the ranks of the Beile! And now whom do you wish to measure yourself against?" Daishan grew more impassioned as he spoke, his finger now pointing at Dorgon and his two brothers. "Age Ajige, Dorgon, and Dodo — they are all sons to whom Father Khan granted entire banners!"

At this, he paused deliberately, his eyes sharply catching a flash of resentment that flickered across Ajige's face.

Daishan smiled inwardly with satisfaction, then continued. "Their standing among the Eight Great Beile also predates yours. Now that you have become a Beile, you are still not content in your heart — you wish to stand equal with the Three Great Beile and disrupt the governance of the state?"

"Your resentment runs so deep — shall I yield my seat as Great Beile to you, then!"

"And if you became Great Beile, would you then aspire to call yourself Khan as well!"

Every word of this speech rang with weight, each phrase a blade to the heart.

It not only flayed Abatai, but also, in passing, elevated everyone else — and above all, defended the existing order of rank.

It instantly won the acclaim of the entire hall. The assembled Beile cast looks of approval at him one after another.

Abatai collapsed utterly. He lay prostrate on the ground, not daring even to lift his head.

Having finished his tirade, Daishan exhaled deeply and withdrew back into the ranks.

He was shrewd enough to know that his words had gone far enough.

To say any more would be to broach the specific punishment.

If Hong Taiji, in his fury, imposed an excessive punishment — stripping Abatai of his niru, or even putting him to death — it would inevitably make the other Beile feel the grief of the fox for the hare, each fearing for his own safety.

When that moment came, he could step forward to plead for leniency — which would be yet another favor earned, at just the right time.

After all, since the Battle of Ningjin, this Great Khan's prestige had truly been hanging somewhat in the air.

Yet Daishan would never understand.

He saw only the surface phenomena, but never perceived the essence of power.

The four words "power over life and death" are the finest inscription of authority.

To forgo contending for this ultimate power of judgment, and instead chase after empty, fleeting reputation and lip-service — this Daishan is, in the end, nothing but a fool.

Seated upon the high dais, Hong Taiji saw Daishan's thoughts with perfect clarity.

He slightly raised both hands and pressed them downward.

The previously clamorous great hall gradually fell silent.

"Abatai, are all the words spoken above true? Is there a single phrase that wrongs you unjustly?" Hong Taiji's voice remained even, betraying neither joy nor anger.

Abatai's voice trembled: "Nothing wrongs me unjustly. It is all true."

"Then do you admit your guilt?"

"I… I am indeed guilty."

"Good!"

Hong Taiji slammed the table and shouted: "At least you dare to act and own it — you are not one of those hyena-men who stab in the dark!"

He rose to his feet, swept his gaze across the assembly, and declared in a ringing voice: "Abatai spoke wildly and nursed resentment in his heart, but he can at least admit his guilt and knows to reform."

"Considering this is his first offense, and that he is a brother… his punishment shall be…"

Everyone's ears pricked up, awaiting the final judgment.

"To present to me one armored warhorse fitted with a first-grade carved saddle."

"To present to the three Great Beile fine horses fitted with second-grade carved saddles."

"To present to all Beile who participate in council deliberations fine horses fitted with third-grade plain saddles."

"Gentlemen, does anyone object?"

After a brief moment of stunned bewilderment, the other Beile reacted one after another, each face breaking into delighted grins as they cupped their hands and shouted: "The Great Khan is wise! The Great Khan is merciful!" They had vented their anger and gained a free horse — who would be displeased? Abatai was even more like a man granted a great amnesty; in his wild joy, he kowtowed with loud thuds: "I thank the Great Khan! I thank the Great Khan!"

Heh, after all that storm and fury, somehow everyone was happy now.

Then onto whom exactly had this unhappiness been transferred?

Was this great assembly really going to draw its curtain so triumphantly, perfectly, and harmoniously?

Matters were not so simple.

The real knife was only now about to be drawn.

After ascending the throne, Hong Taiji had, apart from drawing the various banner lords to his side, also implemented a new institution.

Beneath each of the Eight Banners' lords, an additional Superintendent Minister was appointed, called a Gushan Ejen, who managed all affairs within the banner.

After a period of time, two additional Assistant Ministers were appointed, to separately handle each banner's litigation and troop-deployment matters.

That is to say, the personnel participating in council deliberations expanded from the original four Beile and eight banner lords to include these twenty-four ministers as well.

Was this a hollowing-out of power?

In a sense, yes; in a sense, no.

For these three newly added ministers were, from the start, intended to help the various banner lords free themselves from trivial matters such as litigation, logistics, and land reclamation, so they could focus on leading troops into battle.

The selection and appointment of these ministers were also entirely up to each banner lord himself.

But once there were more people and more positions, power naturally developed cracks.

Hong Taiji now intended to use the matter of Abatai to pry that crack open a little further.

Hong Taiji continued:

"We are all brothers. What is punishment, after all? Is it truly to flog him with a whip, to cut and hack him with blade and sword? It is merely the hope that he will turn back from his lost path."

"However…"

"Darhan, did you treat Abatai with the affection of a brother?"

"I repeatedly bade you to counsel your brother — did you truly counsel him?"

Darhan prostrated himself once more: "Great Khan, I have indeed failed to fulfill the affection of a brother! I admit my guilt and accept my punishment!"

Hong Taiji shouted: "Good!"

"You are now the Gushan Ejen of the Bordered Yellow Banner. Since you cannot even properly admonish a brother, there is no need for you to continue as this Gushan Ejen!" "I shall strip you of your post, and you shall not recover it until you have rendered new military merit. Do you object?!"

Dismissal of a Gushan Ejen!

This was the true thunderbolt!

This was a direct intervention in the personnel appointments and dismissals within a banner, with a grand and righteous justification, and it was carried out first upon the Bordered Yellow Banner commanded by the eldest son, Hooge — from every angle, it left no room for rebuttal.

Darhan replied in a loud voice, without the slightest hesitation: "The Great Khan is wise! I have no objection! I shall surely sever enemy heads for the Great Khan and redeem my transgressions!"

Hong Taiji nodded, and a smile reappeared on his face: "Good. I shall await the heads you present!"

This entire performance, though it had its introduction, development, twist, and conclusion, was ultimately a bit too rushed and hurried — truly somewhat crude.

Yet among these Tartars, few could see the inner workings behind it.

The assembled Beile had just recovered from their delight when they saw Darhan already stripped of office and rank.

They merely felt that the Great Khan was clear in his rewards and punishments and strict in military governance, and could not help but burst into another round of cheers.

"The Great Khan is mighty!"

Amid the chorus of cheers, only Daishan was not happy.

He stared in shock, eyes wide, at this absurd scene before him.

Wait… have you all not seen through this?

This is a power grab! This is using a pretext to meddle in the posts within the banners!

He could not help but turn his head to look at the faces of the other Beile.

But they saw Manggultai clapping his hands vigorously, shouting, "To know one's faults and correct them — that makes a good brother."

Meanwhile, Amin stood with arms folded, a mocking smile on his face, though it was impossible to tell whether he had seen through it or not.

Daishan instinctively glanced toward Hong Taiji's face.

And he saw that Hong Taiji, too, was looking back at him through the layers of the crowd.

Their eyes met.

Daishan felt a jolt of alarm in his heart. The muscles of his face stiffened, yet involuntarily, an awkward but courteous smile emerged.

And at precisely that moment… Hong Taiji also broke into a smile.

That smile was gentle, warm, and brimming with brotherly affection.

The two men exchanged a glance across the crowd, each nodding and smiling, blending so perfectly into the harmonious atmosphere that no one could tell them apart from it.