Summoning of the Great General of the Great Qin Empire

Chapter 188

The fourth person, Wu Sangui, the number one traitor in the late Ming Dynasty, has 96 in military power, 96 in command, 88 in intelligence, and 90 in politics;

In the 40th year of Wanli (1612), Wu Sangui was born in Zhonghousuo, Hanzhen, outside the Guan, and his ancestral home was Gaoyou, Jiangsu.Born in a famous general family in western Liaoning, he has practiced martial arts since childhood, and is good at riding and shooting.Wu Xiang heard and witnessed how the Ming Dynasty lost in the Battle of Guangning in the second year of Tianqi (1622), how Xiong Tingbi, the economic strategist of Liaodong, was passed on to the first nine sides, and how Wang Huazhen, the governor of Liaodong, was imprisoned and died.Wu Xiang was transferred to Beijing by order and married Zu Dashou's younger sister.Zu Dashou was a prominent family living in western Liaoning, Wu Xiang became Zu Dashou's brother-in-law, and Wu Sangui became Zu Dashou's nephew.

The marriage between the ancestors and the Wu family enabled Wu Xiang, Wu Sangui and his son to find a strong backer, and also made the Zu family more powerful.Under the teaching and influence of his father Wu Xiang and his uncle Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui studied both literature and martial arts. He passed the martial arts examination when he was less than 20 years old. From then on, he followed his father Wu Xiang and his uncle Zu Dashou to start his military career.

In the second year of Chongzhen (1629), Qing Taizong Huang Taiji personally led an army of [-] to [-] to avoid the Ningjin defense line built by the Ming Dynasty, and went straight to Beijing by bypassing Mongolia.Yuan Chonghuan did not try his best to stop Huang Taiji, which led to the Qing army's approaching the city of Beijing. In addition, the previous Jiaozhao killed Mao Wenlong without authorization and cultivated his own power in Liaodong. Emperor Chongzhen arrested Yuan Chonghuan and put him in prison.

When Zu Dashou heard about it, he immediately withdrew from Beijing with Wu Xiang, Wu Sangui, his father and son, and 5000 Qin Wang Mingjun.Return to Ningyuan in a hurry to protect yourself.This year Wu Sangui was 17 years old. [6] During the Battle of Dalinghe in the fourth year of Chongzhen (1631), Wu Xiang, the commander-in-chief of the regiment, led more than [-] horses to aid Dalinghe Zu's birthday. As a result, Wu Xiang escaped before the battle and was dismissed.

In June of the fifth year of Chongzhen (1632), in order to quell the mutiny of Kong Youde, a general in Dengzhou, Shandong, Wu Xiang followed his deputy Zu Dabi to go to Shandong. Finally, Kong Youde crossed the sea from Dengzhou and went to Houjin. soldier duty.With the reinstatement of Wu Xiangguan, Wu Sangui also served as a guerrilla at the age of 20.

In the eighth year of Chongzhen (1635), Wu Sangui was promoted to be a general of the forward right camp at the age of 23.In September of the 11th year of Chongzhen (1638), he was appointed as the deputy general of Qianfeng Youying, equivalent to the deputy commander in chief. He was 26 years old at the time.In the 12th year of Chongzhen (1639), Hong Chengchou, governor of Jiliao, Fang Yizao, governor of Liaodong, and Gao Qiqian, governor of Guanning and the eunuch of the two towns, reported to the imperial court for approval. Wu Sangui was promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Ningyuan regiment at the age of 27.

In the 13th year of Chongzhen (1640), the Ming army and the Qing army had an encounter in Jiama Mountain near Xingshan (now Xingshan, Jinxian County, Liaoning).Wu Sangui showed his superb fighting skills in this battle. He fought desperately and fought bloody with the Qing army, but because of the extraordinary bravery of the Qing army, it ended with mutual casualties on both sides.

At the beginning of the 14th year of Chongzhen (1641), the Qing army gradually formed a siege of Jinzhou.Governor Hong Chengchou of Jiliao discussed with Qiu Minyang and Wu Sangui, governors of eastern Liaodong, and decided to take the risk of transporting rice to Jinzhou, Songshan, and Xingshan.

In the first month of the 16th year of Chongzhen (1643), Zu Dashou, who had surrendered, received a letter from Wu Sangui in Shengjing. Zu Dashou forwarded the letter to Huang Taiji. The heart of the general is hesitating. I am afraid that the general will lose this opportunity, and it is a pity."

Wu Sangui was wavering. Although he did not surrender to the Qing Dynasty, he had left himself a way out.In the spring, Wu Sangui was ordered to enter the pass and rush to the aid of the capital to resist the Qing army that entered the fortress through a roundabout route for the fifth time.The march was slow, and the Qing army had retreated when it arrived, but Chongzhen still valued him very much and thanked him for coming to Beijing to serve the king.On May [-]th, Emperor Chongzhen invited Wu Sangui and others from King Qin to a banquet in Wuying Hall, and gave Wu Sangui Shangfang Sword.In September, the Qing army bypassed Ningyuan and took down Housuo, Qiantunwei, and Zhongqiansuo. Seven or eight days before and after, all three cities fell. Wu Sangui's Ningyuan became an isolated city outside Shanhaiguan, which had lost its strategic significance.

At the beginning of the 17th year of Chongzhen (1644), the Ming Dynasty, facing the fate of collapse, bet on Wu Sangui, who had a heavy army outside the pass.Many courtiers such as Wang Yongji and Wu Linzheng went to Shu successively, demanding that Ningyuan's division be withdrawn to defend the capital.The Dashun army pointed directly at the capital, and Chongzhen ordered the king of soldiers to conquer the world. On March [-]th, Wu Sangui was named Ping Xibo, and Wu Sangui was ordered to lead the troops into Beijing to defend Beijing.

On March 22, Wu Sangui led his army to Shanhaiguan, and then led his troops west to Gyeonggi. On the [-]nd, Wu Sangui's soldiers arrived in the Yutian area. At this time, they suddenly received the news that the capital had fallen and Chongzhen had hanged himself.The fall of the Ming Dynasty caused Wu Sangui to lose his reliance. In order to find a new master, Wu Sangui carried out speculation activities among various political forces for more than a month.

Dashun Li Zicheng had repeatedly surrendered, Wu Sangui hesitated again and again, and once had the idea of ​​surrendering Li Zicheng.It is said that he later gave up when he heard that his concubine Chen Yuanyuan was taken captive by Li Zicheng's subordinates.Wu Sangui, who was attacked on both sides, lost to Li Zicheng internally, and could not stop Dorgon externally.Chen Yuanyuan and Wu's relatives became Li Zicheng's hostages.In order to save the lives of his family, Wu promised to negotiate a peace with Li Zicheng. In order to prevent Li Zicheng from cheating, he privately asked Dorgon for help on the condition that the Yellow River was divided into north and south.

On April [-], Li Zicheng led an army of [-] to Shanhaiguan.At this time, Li Zicheng, who was dazzled by the series of victories since the beginning of the year, underestimated the seriousness of the military confrontation at that time.After Wu Sangui learned that Li Zicheng personally led the army to the Eastern Expedition, he sent six people, including Shanhaiguan gentry and Confucian scholars Li Yousong, Tan Suihuan, Liu Tailin, Liu Taishan, Huang Zhen'an and Gao Xuan, to welcome Li Zicheng's army in Beijing. Sanhe County, not far to the east, expressed its intention to surrender in order to delay the time and wait for the Qing army.

After the envoy sent to the Qing army for help returned to Shanhaiguan with Dorgon's reply letter, Wu Sangui immediately sent a letter to Dorgon, asking him to "quickly complete the tiger brigade and go straight to the mountains and seas."Li Zicheng didn't discover Wu Sangui's real intention of false surrender until the time when the representative Wu Sangui sent to contact the surrender tried to escape when he arrived at the closing gate.However, Dorgon arrived fifteen miles away from the closed gate on the 21st after receiving Wu Sangui's second request for help.

On April 21, Dorgon took advantage of the critical situation Wu Sangui was in to force Wu Sangui to abandon the policy of uniting the Qing to attack Li and completely surrender to the Qing Dynasty.On April 22, when Wu's army was initially defeated, Wu Sangui asked Dorgon for help. Dorgon took advantage of Wu Sangui's negotiation with Li Zicheng and suddenly attacked Li Zicheng.In the Battle of Pianshi, Wu Sangui united with the Qing army to defeat Li Zicheng.After the Qing army entered the pass, they invaded Beijing. Dorgon moved the young Emperor Shunzhi and the court from Shengjing in the northeast to Beijing.

(End of this chapter)