Chapter 458: Dorgon Wept Too (First Update, Begging for Monthly Tickets)

"Waaah, Hooge! My good nephew, how could you just die like this! Wuwu, it's all my fault, I didn't take good care of you. Late Emperor, I, Dorgon, have failed you. Hooge! Rest assured as you go — the Emperor has me to look after him, and your wife and children have me to look after them too. Rest assured."

In Beijing's Forbidden City, from the Hall of Martial Valor came the sound of loud wailing. It was the Great Qing's Imperial Uncle Prince Regent Dorgon, holding the little Emperor Shunzhi and weeping — weeping most grievously!

And the reason for his loud wailing was that Bahana and Oboi (he pulled through, and is still the foremost Manchu warrior), who had withdrawn outside the city of Fengyang Prefecture, had jointly submitted a memorial reporting the disastrous news of the "Defeat at Qingliu Creek" and "Prince Su Hooge's death without a whole corpse."

The reason it was "death without a whole corpse" was that no one had seen Hooge's body. Someone had only seen Hooge leading several dozen Manchu warriors in a desperate charge against the 3,000 iron cavalry personally commanded by Zhu Cilang!

Ah, how truly heroic! Several dozen men against 3,000 — it was said they cut down no fewer than three hundred Nikans. Hooge fought until he was covered in blood, cutting his way all the way to Zhu Cilang's front, and almost killed Zhu Cilang.

But no one expected that Zhu Cilang actually possessed martial skill. When he saw Hooge coming, he brandished twin swords, and together with Wu Sanfu, wielding an eighteen-foot serpent spear, and Zhu Chunchen, swinging a ghost-head great saber, they fought Hooge three against one. Only after a great battle of three hundred rounds did they beat the exhausted Hooge to death.

So Hooge died a heroic death, died a valiant death — honored in death though dead, worthy of a grand funeral. A pity they couldn't find his body, and didn't know what to bury.

After hearing the story of his eldest brother Hooge's heroic sacrifice, the little Emperor Shunzhi was also grief-stricken beyond measure. That was his own eldest brother! An elder brother is like a father — Hooge's death was like losing his father all over again. How could he not be heartbroken?

Moreover, that little Crown Prince of the Zhu family was more capable in a fight than he'd imagined! Although it took three against one to kill Hooge, Brother Hooge's martial skill was extremely high — he was a warrior counted among the foremost in all Manchuria!

Such a formidable warrior, and he was actually beaten to death by the little Crown Prince of the Zhu family.

Just as Shunzhi didn't know what to do, his good uncle Dorgon had already finished grieving. He released Shunzhi, wiped his tears, and sat back down in his own chair. Then he sighed: "Prince Su was brave, but truly too reckless. How could he lightly enter the dangerous territory of Huainan? How many times have I said it — first pacify Huaibei, take Shandong, secure Henan and Shaanxi, and only then advance on Xiangyang and drive the roving bandits eastward. Even if the roving bandits don't go east, we could build ships and establish a naval force at Xiangyang, then sail downriver. That is the one and only way to take Jiangnan. But he simply wouldn't listen! Fortunately, back then none of you supported making him Emperor — otherwise what would become of the Great Qing?"

"The Prince Regent speaks truly!"

"The Great Qing is fortunate to have the Prince Regent!"

"The Prince Regent is wise and brilliant!"

The great hall was filled with praise!

This time Hooge had gone south with the main force of the Plain Blue Banner, along with the Plain Yellow Banner, Bordered Yellow Banner, Plain Red Banner, and other Eight Banner noble factions "opposed to Dorgon." As a result, Qingliu Creek was beaten into a creek of blood! Over six thousand Han troops and booi were lost. The losses among the Eight Banners' full Manchus were somewhat fewer, but still close to four or five thousand.

After this battle, Hooge's own Plain Blue Banner was crippled! Its attached Han troops were nearly annihilated. Moreover, each niru lost on average over a hundred able-bodied men. The two Yellow Banners and the Plain Red Banner also suffered considerable losses! Meanwhile, the two White Banners of the three Dorgon brothers were completely unscathed.

The anti-Dorgon forces within the Eight Banners could be said to have suffered catastrophic losses!

Dorgon sighed: "Huainan can't be fought for any longer. Withdraw the troops back to Henan for now!

Also, the Plain Blue Banner has lost its banner lord — what is to be done? The Plain Blue Banner cannot be without a good master."

At these words, everyone in the Hall of Martial Valor was stunned.

How could the Plain Blue Banner be without a banner lord?

Banner lords of the Eight Banners were not rotating officials — the position was hereditary! Hooge was the banner lord of the Plain Blue Banner. Now that he was dead, his legitimate son Fushou should inherit the position of Plain Blue Banner lord. Where did this talk of "no banner lord" come from?

"Prince Regent, is there not still Fushou?" Prince Zheng Jirgalang quietly reminded him.

"Right!" Dorgon gave a mirthless smile. "How old is Fushou this year?"

"Three."

Fushou was Hooge's fourth son, born only in the eighth year of Chongde. By Western reckoning, he was just two years old.

"Can a three-year-old lead the warriors of the Plain Blue Banner into battle?" Dorgon asked in a cold, mocking tone.

"No." Jirgalang said. "But there is still the Plain Blue Banner's gūsa ejen!"

"Can a gūsa ejen replace the banner lord prince?" Dorgon asked again.

"This..." Jirgalang shook his head. "No."

A gūsa ejen could of course handle affairs in place of the banner lord prince, but Jirgalang was himself a banner lord prince. Moreover, the current Great Qing was ruled by a child sovereign with the banner lords sharing governance. Dorgon, Dodo, and Ajige — the three brothers — held the two White Banners; Jirgalang held the Bordered Blue Banner; Daishan's family held the two Red Banners; and Hooge held the Plain Blue Banner. These banner lord princes, along with the "princes and dukes of the eight privileges" (also called minor banner lords) who held niru but were not banner lords, were the current ruling faction of the Great Qing.

And the gūsa ejen, who represented imperial authority, were now — because the Emperor was still young — suppressed by the banner lord princes and the princes and dukes of the eight privileges.

How could Jirgalang be willing to let a gūsa ejen replace a banner lord prince? So once Dorgon made his point, he changed his own mind too.

"The Prince Regent is as thorough as ever," Jirgalang said, choosing his words carefully. "But who can go and take charge of the Plain Blue Banner's situation? How about making Prince Raoyu of the Second Rank the banner lord?"

Prince Raoyu of the Second Rank was Dorgon's seventh brother, Abatai. He was also sitting in the Hall of Martial Valor, attending the Deliberative Council of Princes and Ministers. He was a minor banner lord of the Plain Blue Banner and was close with his fourteenth brother Dorgon, so he knew Dorgon's intentions. He hastily waved his hand: "I can't do it. I'm not fit to be banner lord. Besides, the Plain Blue Banner has lost so many men — its vitality is already damaged. How could it be set right? In my view, we can only use the late Emperor's old method for reorganizing the Plain Blue Banner: find a banner strong in troops and horses and mix it with the Plain Blue Banner."

Dorgon nodded and continued asking: "Old Seventh, tell us — which banner can be mixed with the Plain Blue Banner?"

"The Plain White Banner!" Abatai said. "Right now the Plain White Banner and the Bordered White Banner are the strongest in troops and horses!"

This was to let the three Dorgon brothers swallow up the Plain Blue Banner!

Jirgalang looked at Dorgon, then looked at the Senior Beile Daishan, who had been invited today to attend the Deliberative Council of Princes and Ministers — he was there representing the Plain Red Banner and the Bordered Red Banner. But at this moment he seemed to have dozed off from lack of energy...

Crafty old fox! Jirgalang cursed inwardly, then also yawned and suddenly wilted.

"That's one way to do it," Dorgon said. "Then let the Plain White Banner, the Bordered White Banner, and the Plain Blue Banner be mixed. Once it's done, the Plain Blue Banner's banner lord will go to Old Fifteenth. The Plain White Banner will remain mine, and the Bordered White Banner's banner lord will go to Ajige. Will that do?"

"This..." Jirgalang hemmed and hawed without nodding — where was his benefit in this?

Dorgon let out a breath. "The situation in Henan is critical. I must personally take the field. I will take up the seal of Generalissimo of the Southern Expedition and march south. During my absence from the capital, all matters will be entrusted to Prince Zheng."

Jirgalang said hurriedly: "With the Prince Regent going to Henan to personally oversee the reorganization of the Plain Blue Banner, it will surely be twice the result with half the effort. Giving the Plain Blue Banner lordship to Prince Yu is the best possible choice. Prince Yu is exceptionally talented and will certainly lead the Plain Blue Banner well."

"Old Seventh," Dorgon said to Abatai, "come south with me. Once Henan is somewhat stabilized, you will remain there to garrison it."

"Fine, fine. I'll make the trip with Old Fourteenth," Abatai said. "Old Fifteenth taking charge of the Plain Blue Banner is good too. Come to think of it, he's the only one who can rebuild the Plain Blue Banner."

"Senior Beile! Senior Beile!" Dorgon called out to Daishan.

"Ah—" Daishan responded, then burst into loud wailing. "Wuwu, Hooge, you died so miserably, died so miserably..." After crying for a while, the old man suddenly stopped, looked at the Prince Regent, and said, "Old Fourteenth, all done?"

"All done." Dorgon nodded.

"Oh. Then when do we send Hooge off?"

"After I return from Henan," Dorgon said. "Then we'll give him a grand funeral!"

(End of Chapter)