Li Chengliang's army withdrew very decisively, waving his sleeves and not taking away a single cloud.
Since he didn't even take away the clouds, he certainly didn't take away the Nurhaci brothers and Bukulu either.
It would be normal not to take Bukulu away. This man is now the city lord of Tulum City and has his own territory. No matter how much he flatters the Ming Dynasty, he will not give up his hometown and follow Li Chengliang every day to brag and flatter him.
But it would be a bit strange not to take away the Nurhachi brothers, because the two brothers were prisoners of war after Li Chengliang's victory in attacking Wang Gao in the third year of Wanli. Although Jue Chang'an and Tucker Shi's father and son switched to Li Chengliang and attached themselves to the Ming Dynasty, the Nurhaci brothers He was not treated badly, and he even gradually became one of Li Chengliang's groomsmen, oh, probably the second one.
However, theoretically speaking, their status as prisoners of war has not changed. According to the customary name of the Ming Dynasty at this time, they should be called "subdued slaves".
It is obvious that slaves have no personal autonomy, but Li Chengliang did not take them with him when he left, and he did not even say anything or give any explanation. This is a bit puzzling.
With the current prestige of the Ming Dynasty and Li Chengliang himself in the Liaodong region, if the surrendered slaves unfortunately become fugitive slaves, the consequences will obviously be very serious.
So now Shuerhaqi is very anxious and keeps complaining to his own Ahun Nurhaci: "Ahun, what can we do? We just went to ask about the situation. Now the uncle is angry and won't take us away, then we won't Will he become a runaway slave? The fate of a runaway slave is very miserable. If he is caught..."
[Note: Ahun means elder brother in Manchu; uncle is a compliment that many people in Liaodong called Li Chengliang at that time, and Nikan Wailan also called him that. ]
"Why are you so anxious?" Although Nurhachi is only twenty-four years old this year, he is obviously far more calm than his younger brother. Hearing this, he frowned and said: "The uncle's intention is obvious. Mafa and Amma are gone. Let’s go back and inherit the tribe.”
"Really?" Shuerhaqi hesitated: "Don't let Ahun just guess?"
Nurhaci did not answer, but said: "Dou, do you think Nikan Wailan deserves to die?"
Dou means younger brother in Manchu.
Shuerhaqi hesitated for a moment and said: "It is certain that this guy Nikan Wailan talks a lot, but if he wants to frame Mafa and Amma deliberately, I don't think it is true. I'm afraid what Nikan (Han) said Not quite true."
Nurhachi shook his head and said: "No, even if Nikan Wailan deserves to die, he must die."
Shuerhaqi was stunned and asked: "Is it because he suggested that the Ming army attack the city? But Nikan said that Mafa and Ama were first captured by Ahai, and then the Ming army failed to tell them apart after they broke through the city. It was a manslaughter. In this way, although Nikan Wailan is guilty, he is not guilty enough to die. After all, it was the Ming army who did it..."
"If it were the Ming army, would you and my brother have avenged this revenge?" Nurhachi said coldly: "This mistake belongs to Nikan Wailan alone. After we go back, we must find a way to avenge him. He must be killed. , can we revive the prestige of my Aixinjueluo family!"
"Go back? Where?" Shuerhaqi smiled bitterly and said, "Ahun, without the Ming Dynasty's governor's edict, we can't even go back to Hetuala."
This is a question. Nurhaci thought for a while and said: "In that case, let's go to Yehe first. Yehe's two brothers, Beile Qingjia Niu and Yang Jiniu, are both outstanding people in the world, and they have lofty ambitions. They will definitely be able to help you and my brothers. People do them good.”
Shuerhaqi thought for a while and said: "Ye Hebeile is indeed an ambitious person, but they have a bad relationship with the Hada Tribe Wangtai Governor. Didn't we listen to the analysis of the Ming army generals when we were in the uncle's tent last time? It is said that the Ernu (the Ming Dynasty’s title for Ye He and Er Beile, because of the pronunciation of the third character of their names) is becoming increasingly domineering, and Wangtai is old. Is it possible that Ye He and Hada will fight within two years this year and next? My brother If I vote for Ye He at this time, I'm afraid he will be used as a swordsman."
Nurhachi sneered and said: "If you want to use me as a sword, you have to give me some capital. Although you and I are brothers who have died in peace, after all, we are from a prominent family in the left guard of Jianzhou, and are the direct descendants of Timur, the fierce brother (that's right, Meng Ge Timur is the sixth generation ancestor of Nurhaci, and his son Dong Shan is the fifth generation ancestor of Nurhaci)."
Shuerhaqi was about to speak, but Nurhaci hadn't finished speaking yet. He paused and continued: "Besides, just because Yehe and Hada are likely to fight soon, my two brothers went to Yehe, so they didn't As for being left in Yehe, you are not allowed to return."
Shuerhaqi was slightly startled and asked: "Ahun, why is this?"
"Dou, think about it, how big of a role can our brothers play in this battle if we stay in Yehe?" Nurhachi asked.
Shuerhaqi frowned and said: "It's hard to say. We have been fighting with the uncle for seven or eight years. I have learned a lot, and I must have learned a lot too. In this case, if Ye He and Belle are willing to let my brother lead Soldiers, with Ye He’s current strength, he might really be able to capture Hada.”
Nurhachi chuckled: "That's true, but do you think Ye He and Baylor can be so generous?"
"That's not possible, definitely not." Shuerhaqi curled his lips: "Who is willing to give up his own army to be led by outsiders?"
"That's it." Nurhachi smiled slightly: "So, we are just two outsiders in Yehe. For them, at most we have some courage, but no matter how brave two people are, it is insignificant for a big war. , they won’t take it to heart.”
Shuerhaqi gradually understood and asked: "What Ahun means is that Ye He and Baile will send us back to Hetuala?"
"That's right. Not only will they send us back to Hetuala, but they should also give us some things, such as soldiers, armor, and horses."
"Will you send the imperial edict?" Shuerhaqi asked immediately: "Without the edict, we will die poor if we go back."
Nurhachi's face fell a little. He sighed and shook his head and said: "Don't count on the imperial book. Who among the Jurchen tribes doesn't read the imperial book closely, and how many battles are fought over a few imperial books? If nothing else, Ye Isn’t it because Ye He feels that the current strength of the Hada tribe is no longer worthy of the number of edicts they have in their hands?”
Shuerhaqi's expression suddenly collapsed and he sighed: "But we don't have the imperial edict in our hands, how can we survive in the future? We can't just rely on hunting and fishing to survive, right?"
Nurhachi thought for a while and said: "It's not impossible. Let's get the recognition of Ye He and Beile first, and then go to negotiate with Nikan. It's best to find the uncle directly and talk about the tragic deaths of Mafa and Ama first. , and then beg for mercy, be subdued, and think of a way to get the uncle to give us some edicts..."
Shuerhaqi thought for a while, nodded and said: "This is a good idea. If the uncle's connections can be opened, the edict will be easy to handle, and we will be able to live in the future."
The two of them agreed on this, leaving Nikanwailan who was close at hand not to take revenge, and went straight to Beitou Yehe.
However, the issue of the edict they mentioned needs to be discussed here, it is very important.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the Jurchens were vigorously recruited, and the Jianzhou Guard, Maolian Guard and other prison guard systems were established in the Jurchen area, and the policy of "using barbarians to control barbarians" was implemented against the Jurchens.
Under this policy, although the local officials in charge of the Jurchen tribes were the leaders of the Jurchen tribes, they also accepted the canonization of the Ming Dynasty politically, such as imperial edicts (i.e. letters of appointment), official seals, and the issuance of crowns, belts, and uniforms on behalf of the court. Delegated measures.
Among them, the one that plays a key role in the relationship between the Jurchens and the Ming Dynasty is the imperial edict, also known as the "imperial edict". Its key lies in its "certificate" function, which is the central court's certificate for conferring official positions and grades on local officials. It is also a certificate for the Jurchens to pay regular tribute to the court and receive rewards. It is an important proof of both status and trade. The existence of the edict is also the most prominent feature of the trade between the Jurchens and the Ming Dynasty compared with North Korea.
The Ming Dynasty's formal regulations on the status of imperial edicts began in the orthodox period. "As he said above, he ordered the commander-in-chief of the army and other officials in Liaodong and other places. From now on, foreign barbarians who come to the court will only be allowed to have two or three people or four or five people, unless they have a seal." Official documents should not be ordered to enter the country without permission."
In the tribute trade and horse market trade between the Jurchens and the Ming Dynasty, the "imperial edict" is required as an important document for entering Beijing and the market. When entering customs and entering the horse market, the edict and tribute items or trade products must be handed over to relevant officials. Check.
It can be seen that the imperial edict not only represents the absolute political power of the Ming Dynasty, but is also closely related to economic issues, and played an important role in the growth of the Jurchens' economic strength and military rise - only if you have the edict can you trade with the Ming Dynasty. And since each edict limits the number of transactions to "two, three, or four or five people," the more such edicts you have, the greater the amount of trade you can carry out.
In fact, when the Ming Dynasty first used imperial edicts, its purpose and role were more political. The most direct function of the edict is to ennoble local officials, "give the edict and unify each branch." In other words, the imperial court bestows local official positions, and officials are the controllers of political power. Therefore, the Ming Dynasty issued the edict to the Jurchens, which means that from Politically, the relationship between monarch and minister, master and subordinate was clearly established, placing the Jurchens within the political sphere of influence of the Ming Dynasty, and stipulating their obligation to pay tribute to Beijing.
Of course, this obligation also carries political and military compulsions.
It can be said that the tribute and horse trade evidenced by imperial edicts established in the early Ming Dynasty and continued until the establishment of the Later Jin Dynasty were an important means used by the Ming Dynasty to control and make the Jurchens surrender, and the edicts were proof of this means. .
But what the Ming Dynasty valued was politics, but what the Jurchens valued more was probably their economic interests.
Of course, this does not mean that the Jurchens do not value their political role. In fact, after the Ming Dynasty appeased the various Jurchen ministries, it appointed local officials who managed the Jurchens by issuing edicts. This kind of ceremonial certificate marked the previous role of the Jurchens. The nomadic Jurchens began to have a bureaucratic class.
The hereditary position will gradually make the upper class with management power surpass the common people economically and accumulate wealth from generation to generation. In the originally quite primitive Jurchen society, the concept of "private property" gradually emerged and a stable differentiation between rich and poor was formed.
In other words, the promulgation of the edict accelerated the class difference in Jurchen society. This obvious class difference and private system are also one of the manifestations of the transformation of Jurchen society into feudalization.
Some people in later generations thought it was great that Nurhaci established the Eight Banners system. In fact, it was completely reasonable and reasonable for him to establish the Eight Banners system - the Ming Dynasty's imperial edict system laid the foundation for him.
In fact, he just took advantage of the situation and put the unspoken rules on the table: This flag is mine, that flag is yours, everyone is the upper ruling class in a semi-slave and semi-feudal system - isn't this a continuation of the Ming Dynasty's edict system?
However, political influence is a subtle process, while economic influence is more time-sensitive.
The imperial edict is a key token for Jurchen tribes to pay tribute in Beijing and enter and exit the horse market. This is also the most obvious feature that distinguishes them from other trades. After mastering the edict, the Jurchens, relying on the existence of tribute and horse markets, gradually no longer rely solely on the primitive fishing and hunting economy. , but learned to use the products of the fishing and hunting economy to trade with the Ming Dynasty and others to obtain items needed for survival and even expansion.
This process, in turn, not only ensures the continued maintenance of the fishing and hunting economy, but also expands and strengthens the development of Jurchen society, such as population growth, increase in social needs, etc. When the Jurchen's simple social organization cannot meet its own development by relying on fishing, hunting and trade. , correspondingly gave rise to more plundering behaviors - whether it was Wang Gao's bandits plundering the people of the Ming Dynasty back then, or the upcoming battle between Yehe and Hada that Nurhachi said was about to break out. This was the case.
In the process of the development of various economic methods supported by the Jurchen imperial edict, iron tools strictly prohibited by the Ming Dynasty, seeds and cattle granted by the Ming Dynasty were also introduced to the Jurchen through various formal or informal means.
In fact, at present, agricultural production has been widely used among Jurchen tribes. Driven by the agricultural economy, the Jurchen tribes closer to the border of Ming Dynasty quickly took advantage of the opportunity to enter the capital and horse market with the imperial edict to develop their own handicraft industry. , such as weaving, salt industry, pottery making, iron smelting, etc., also greatly contributed to military strength.
Therefore, it can be said that the economic role of the edict is more attractive to the Jurchens.
Precisely because of the irreplaceable key role of the imperial book, possessing the imperial book also has the opportunity to increase wealth and strength through trade. Therefore, during the rise of the Jurchen tribes, there has been a fierce competition for the imperial book.
So here comes the key question, how to distribute the Ming Dynasty’s imperial edict? How much to send? How to distribute?
Theoretically speaking, since it is an imperial edict, of course these matters are decided by the emperor.
But this is just a theory. In fact, the emperor may not even remember the messy tribal names of the Jurchens. How does he know who to give and how much to give?
Therefore, the emperor had to rely on the advice of his ministers and commanders to issue edicts. However, Liaodong has certain special characteristics: border ministers usually come here to work for a few years and then leave, while most of the border commanders and generals are locals and have a better understanding of the internal situation and strength of the Jurchens.
After Li Chengliang conquered Liao, he worked as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong for more than ten years. He won countless big and small battles, and his reputation in Liaodong was unparalleled. Since the imperial edict was originally a means to control the Jurchens, how could the edict be issued? , can you still not ask him?
So the reality now is that in theory the imperial edict issued to Jurchen is in the control of the emperor, but in fact it is based on the advice of the Governor of Jiliao, the Governor of Liaodong and the General Soldier of Liaodong. In view of the special characteristics of Liaodong, the Governor of Jiliao and the Governor of Liaodong are in Many times, Li Chengliang's meaning will be used as the main reference.
Therefore, Li Chengliang is actually the godfather of the entire Jurchen!
Why do both Nikan Wailan and Nurhachi subconsciously call Li Chengliang "Uncle"?
Because Li Chengliang is really the uncle to the Jurchens!
----------
I saw a book review yesterday. The general idea was that the Battle of Gule Village slowed down the pace. Let me explain: Several important figures who appeared in the Battle of Gule Village, such as Yang Yuan, Zu Chengxun, Li Pinghu, Li Rumei, etc., all They were important figures in the battle to quell the Imjin Japanese Rebellion. I had to let them appear in advance and show their personalities. Similar "paving the way for ten years later" has been done many times in the previous article, and the pitfalls have basically been filled. So don't worry, I didn't write some useless characters.
