A flagpole stands high, and a pot and stove is placed under the flagpole. In the open iron pot, the boiling water kept bubbling, causing the white fat pieces of meat cooked in the pot to keep rolling.
There are slaves waiting next to the pot and stove, adding water and firewood at any time to ensure that the stove fire does not go out and the soup does not dry out. The white meat that has been cooked for such a long time has long lost its flavor and is greasy. It must not taste good. But for the Manchu people, who started their lives in the midst of white mountains and black waters, and had extremely poor conditions, it was already a rare delicacy.
??A piece of boiled pork in the "Man-Han Banquet" in later generations, as well as the pork belly used by the Qing Empire to worship ancestors every year. It is all due to this custom. However, during the Qing Dynasty, eating this kind of white-water meat had become a form of education to "remember the bitter and think of the sweet". Not only could no seasoning be added to the meat, but it had also been cooked a few days ago. It was cold and fishy, ??which made people uncomfortable. Swallow down. Fortunately, eating gizzard meat is mostly done in winter, so there is no risk of it spoiling.
But in today’s Houjin, we have not yet engaged in this formalistic habit. Huang Taiji and several of his brothers and ministers gathered around the pot, picked up pieces of meat from the pot with daggers, dipped the steaming meat in the seasoning bowl and put it into their mouths. This was actually the Mongolian way of eating Shabu-shabu. It's just pork.
Of course, you can also make a sacrifice before that - pour a few drops of oil soup from the pot and scatter it around, which is regarded as a sacrifice to the mountains and the earth. This group of people have all gone through hardships with the old Khan King Nurhachi, and they still act pragmatically. Whether it is a sacrifice, it's fine, and the big fat meat should be kept for themselves.
First, he devoured a lot of food. After filling his stomach, Dorgon raised his head and looked at his brother and master:
"Great Khan, I have a few things that I don't understand. I hope you can give me some advice."
"Say it."
Huang Taiji seemed to be in a good mood. Dorgon took a few more glances to confirm that his observation was correct, and then said:
"We have gained a lot in the Xuanda area these days, and we have already made up for the losses in the previous winter. Why should we take the risk of going deep into the capital of the Ming Dynasty?"
Huang Taiji smiled, turned his head and gestured towards a wooden pole in the distance:
"Is there any ready opportunity? Since that idiot is willing to give Juyongguan to us, I would be embarrassed if he doesn't accept it."
——The top of that wooden pole was stuck with a grinning head. It was none other than Chen Hongfan, the commander-in-chief of the Juyongguan garrison in the Ming Dynasty. Originally, given the danger of the Badaling Great Wall and the fact that the Later Jin soldiers were not good at attacking the city, this place should be foolproof. But Chen Hongfan, like everyone else, felt that Hou Jin was just messing around in Xuanda this time, and there was no military pressure on his side, just some patrols and partial troops.
So he wanted to get a few Tatar heads for himself from those "partial masters" so that he could win a promotion - but in the end, in a simple ambush, he gave his own heads to the other party, and also took the city with him. One. In this way, under the protection of the "three inner passes" of Juyong, Zijing, and Daoma, the most important Gyeonggi region of the Ming Empire opened its door to the invaders of the Later Jin Dynasty.
Of course Dorgon knew that this was a good opportunity, but he also knew what it would mean to the Ming Dynasty once he invaded Gyeonggi - they had done it five years ago. That time it was like poking a hornet's nest. All the armies from all directions of the Ming Dynasty came over and fought several solid battles. Although they did not suffer much loss, they were still defeated in the end.
So this time they learned to be smart. Previously, they only focused on the outer Xuanda area and did not attack the city. They only looted the villages and forts. They only plundered the wealth of the people and did not entangle with the regular army of the Ming Dynasty. Anyway, as long as they don't attack the city, the Ming Dynasty border troops will huddle in the city and dare not come out. Even if there are a few who dare to come out, they still can't defeat them, but they don't want to put in the effort.
——Why chew the bones when you can eat meat?
But after entering the Gyeonggi region of the Ming Dynasty, the rules changed. Dorgon believed that Huang Taiji must also know this, and with his usual shrewdness, he would not change his original strategy just because of the gain or loss of a mere pass city, so this must have been planned long ago.
But Dorgon found it difficult to understand, and he couldn't figure it out after thinking for a few days, so today, he found an opportunity and finally asked.
Huang Taiji is fat and has a much larger appetite than the average person. He is still eating on his own at this time. But he also seemed to notice that his answer did not dispel Dorgon's confusion. He didn't even raise his head, he was biting a piece of fat meat and said vaguely:
"Do you think that this move of this Khan is too big, and you are afraid that you will be entangled by the Ming army, and the gain outweighs the loss?"
It seemed like it was just a casual sentence, but it made Dorgon feel a chill behind him. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Hauge looking at him with a sneer, obviously waiting for him to talk nonsense, anger the sweat, and then be punished.
After briefly considering itAfter thinking about what he wanted to say and Huang Taiji's consistent temperament, Dorgon gritted his teeth and nodded:
"Yes, my brother feels that there is some truth in the saying of the Han people that 'it is safe to be safe'."
Huang Taiji finally raised his head and looked at him deeply for a long time. Dorgon's heart beat faster and faster when he saw him. Just when he was wondering whether he should kneel down to apologize, he heard the former suddenly burst out laughing.
Amidst the laughter, Huang Taiji dropped the dagger in his hand and pointed at Dorgon:
"Mergen Daiqing advocates caution in using troops. This is not a bad thing."
His tone was gentle, and the title of "Mergen Daiqing" was awarded to Dorgon personally by him, so it was natural that he did not mean any harm at this time. Dorgon secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally letting go of the fear in his heart.
"Since we are talking about Han people's words, I wonder if you have heard of another saying: 'Bodhisattvas fear causes, mortals fear consequences'?"
Dorgon was puzzled and shook his head - he was already considered to be the one who paid more attention to Sinology among the Baylors, but he was still not as good as the Great Khan.
"Then do you think we were able to shuttle across the border of the Ming Dynasty so easily before? Xuanfu Datong is an important town on the nine borders of the Ming Dynasty. The area that should be strictly guarded was allowed to come in and out of our army, as if it was an uninhabited land. ——Why is this?”
"My father Khan is wise and mighty, our Jin army is brave, but the Han people are cowardly and they dare not fight with our army."
Before Dorgon could speak, Hauge was already rushing to interject. He probably realized that the topic was not dangerous and quickly wanted to join in the fun.
After all, Huang Taiji takes more care of his son. Although Hauge obviously didn't hit the point, he still nodded encouragingly:
"It's true that the Ming army is already timid, leaving only a group of cowardly people who dare not fight with our army - but this kind of cowardice does not fall from the sky."
Huang Taiji smiled softly, with a fierce look in his slender eyes:
"Saerhu, Hunhe, Xiaolinghe, and Zunhua five years ago we killed all those who dared to fight us! The rest are naturally trash."
He looked at Dorgon and Haoge who were thoughtful, including Azig, Abatai, Yue Tuo and others who were not speaking nearby but were listening attentively - the group of young men who represented the future of Hou Jin Dynasty. , Huang Taiji patiently instructed:
"Understand it - today's result is actually the cause of yesterday. Without our bloody victory in the past, how could we be so calm today?"
"However, this situation may not last forever - the Ming Dynasty is a vast country, and there will always be people who are not afraid of death and dare to fight us. This time we encountered only cowardly people. Next time But not necessarily. Therefore, for the sake of success in the future, we must often conquer and get rid of those hard-core and unafraid of death before they become mature, so as to prevent them from slowly becoming bigger and becoming a disaster!"
"This is true for the Ming Dynasty, Mongolia, and North Korea. This is also the basic context of our military use in the history of Dajin. It is not as simple as coming over to 'rob the west' to make a profit when we have no money to spend."
"When we were young, we all followed the old Khan to let go of the mountains and cut down trees. The Ming Dynasty is like that century-old tree, with deep roots and lush leaves. It will not be possible to cut it down overnight. You can only come and go step by step Its branches and leaves are prone to decay if their roots are cut off. Peel off its outer skin, and birds, insects, and beetles will naturally emerge. When the new buds are gone and only dead branches are left, that is a good time to put it down. .”
As he spoke, Huang Taiji stood up, walked a few steps around the flagpole, and looked around at his brothers, nephews:
"My original plan was, even if I don't enter the capital this time. In a year or two, one or two of you will lead an army and enter the wall again. The population and property are only secondary. The key is to break the spirit of the Ming Dynasty. , get rid of all those who want to take the lead and those who dare to oppose me, Dajin. Repeat this three or five times, and those Han people will be completely frightened. After that, if they enter the pass in a large scale, they will naturally be unstoppable. "
"But before that, there is one more thing that must be done"
Huang Taiji took out an object from his arms, which was a conical metal-coated lead bullet. The surface of the bullet was smooth. It was obviously that it was often held in his hand and rubbed around, and it was coated with pulp.
"Those green-skinned mad dogs must be eliminated. They are not afraid of us, and they dare to take the initiative to fight us. Moreover, they are very difficult to fight"
It was completely quiet under the flagpole, only the sound of bubbling water continued. All the Houjin nobles who were dining stopped moving, with toothache expressions on their faces. Or should I say, fear.
Huang Taiji noticed their expressions and a sneer appeared on his face:
"youAre we afraid? Want to avoid them? Hiding far away, just like this time, far away from the sea, where the greenskins can't reach, grabbing some cattle, sheep, and women, grabbing some money and food Are you satisfied? "
Everyone’s eyes were evasive. They didn’t want to acknowledge Huang Taiji’s words, but they didn’t dare to refute them. Huang Taiji looked around, and when he saw that Dorgon and Hauge, who had high hopes, had similar expressions, his expression finally dropped:
"Idiot! Do you think you can escape just by hiding? Remember this sentence - 'Bodhisattvas fear causes, mortals fear results'. As long as the cause and condition still exist, the result will inevitably come!"