Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 975 Zhezhe's Question
Dorgon is not Huang Taiji. Huang Taiji trusted Fan Wencheng very much back then. He not only consulted with Fan Wencheng on everything, but also promoted Fan Wencheng to be the Grand Secretary of the Internal Secretariat, and promoted him to the second-class Jiala Zhangjing, the first-class Ashanihafan and Tuosalahafan, and then to the second-class Jingqinihafan.

Before Huang Taiji passed away, he promoted Fan Wencheng directly to the position of Minister of State Council. It can be said that Fan Wencheng was not only the number one Han minister, but his official position and actual status in the Qing Dynasty were higher than those of ordinary Qing nobles or even ordinary princes.

According to Huang Taiji's division of the Qing Dynasty's political structure, Huang Taiji intended to gradually replace the political structure based on the Eight Banners founded by Nurhaci with a new political structure. It was just because the Eight Banners had too much influence within the Qing Dynasty, and the military power of the Eight Banners was controlled by the banner owners, even if Huang Taiji was the emperor, it was impossible to completely take away all the military power from these banner owners, so Huang Taiji adopted a step-by-step strategy, taking away the actual power of the Eight Banners bit by bit, and then rebuilding a new political structure, first in a way that the two coexisted, and then slowly and imperceptibly, taking time to eliminate the influence of the Eight Banners, and then replacing it with a new political structure when the time was right.

But unfortunately, Huang Taiji died before he could do this, so until his death, the political structure of the Qing Dynasty was still a dual political structure. Moreover, after Huang Taiji's death, the internal power of the Eight Banners rose again and directly suppressed the new political system that Huang Taiji had worked so hard to form.

From this point of view, the influence on Fan Wencheng is huge. You should know that when Huang Taiji was in power, Fan Wencheng was not only the emperor's secretary, but also served as the chief minister of the Ming cabinet. Now, with the new emperor's accession to the throne, Dorgon has become the regent prince, and Fan Wencheng's power has been greatly weakened. At present, he, the so-called Grand Secretary of the Internal Secretariat, has become just a decoration.

Dorgon always looked down on Han officials and had no good feelings towards Fan Wencheng. Today, he suddenly received an imperial decree from the palace to let him enter the palace. Dorgon didn't care at first, but he didn't expect that this would happen after entering the palace. It doesn't matter whether Dorgon cares about what happened in Mongolia or not. What matters is why Zhezhe told him about this instead of telling him himself?
As the regent prince, shouldn't he review all political affairs before reporting to Zhezhe? Now it's the other way around? In addition, when he entered the palace, he found that Fan Wencheng, a Han minister, was also there. How could a smart man like Dorgon not understand the reason? He immediately expressed his strong dissatisfaction.

Fan Wencheng had neglected this point before, and now he was directly forced into a corner by Dorgon's words. If Dorgon used this matter to make trouble for him, Fan Wencheng's shoulders would not be able to bear it. Just when Fan Wencheng was feeling uneasy, Zhezhe spoke up to help him out, saying, "This letter was sent to me by Qitat in the name of a family letter. I called Mr. Fan to discuss this matter after receiving this letter. However, Mr. Fan felt that it was inappropriate for a civil official like him to discuss this matter, so I summoned Prince Rui to the palace to discuss it. That's why I asked him to come to the palace to discuss this matter together."

As soon as these words came out, Fan Wencheng felt relieved. He didn't expect Zhezhe to cover up for him in this way, and he was extremely grateful in his heart.

Dorgon was slightly stunned after hearing this. He looked at Zhezhe suspiciously, then looked at Fan Wencheng who was standing aside with his head down and silent, and then he burst into laughter.

"This is my fault. I was prejudiced." Dorgon smiled and raised the letter in his hand and said, "I forgot the relationship between the Queen and Korchin. This is my fault. Because of Korchin and the Queen, it is normal for Qitat to send a letter to the Queen. By the way, since the Queen has summoned Lord Fan to inquire about this matter, what is Lord Fan's opinion on this? Why don't you tell me?"

Zhezhe smiled faintly and said to Fan Wencheng: "Since Prince Rui is like this, Mr. Fan, please tell us."

"Yes..." Fan Wencheng agreed, and immediately raised his head to give a general judgment on the matter, and also analyzed the possible future trends of Mongolia, including the impact on the Qing Dynasty. However, Fan Wencheng was more cautious and did not discuss the final decision of the matter, nor did he even make any suggestions, but just narrated the matter from an objective perspective.

After Fan Wencheng finished speaking, he took two steps back, still standing with his head slightly lowered and his hands hanging down.

"Lord Fan has said so much just now, but I did not listen to Lord Fan's opinion on this matter. Why is that?" Dorgon asked with a smile.

"Your Highness, I am only a civil official who does not understand military affairs. I dare not say much about matters concerning the military and the state. Your Highness summoned you to the palace for this very reason. Your Highness is now the regent of the Qing Dynasty. Such important matters should naturally be decided by you and Your Highness. How can I be qualified to comment?"

Dorgon laughed loudly, with satisfaction on his face. Regardless of whether Fan Wencheng's words were true or not, Dorgon was smart enough to guess. He didn't know what Fan Wencheng and Zhezhe had discussed before he came, but Fan Wencheng would definitely not say nothing as he said, otherwise what were Zhezhe and Fan Wencheng talking about?
Moreover, Fan Wencheng was Huang Taiji's confidant. Dorgon knew how capable this person was, even though others didn't know. It was a pity that Fan Wencheng was not a Manchu. As a Han minister, he was born with deficiencies, otherwise he would have become an important minister of the Qing Dynasty. It was good that way, at least without the restraint of people like Fan Wencheng, he could have the status of being the most influential person today. To be honest, Dorgon still recognized Fan Wencheng, at least recognized his ability, but he didn't think it was necessary to use him, after all, he was not Huang Taiji.

His ideas were completely different from Huang Taiji's. Dorgon believed that the Eight Banners were the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, and that the rest were just auxiliary means to improve the Eight Banners system. Huang Taiji, on the other hand, was the opposite. All he had been doing was to eliminate the influence of the Eight Banners and strengthen the imperial power. This was the difference in the positions and political vision of both sides, and from this point of view, it cannot be said who was right or wrong.

Since Fan Wencheng took the initiative to give in and expressed his attitude in person, Dorgon's purpose of warning him was achieved.

Dorgon had no intention of capturing Fan Wencheng or even killing him. After all, he still needed people like Fan Wencheng to do things. What he said today was just to let him put himself in the right position and understand who was the master and who was the servant. In addition, he also took this opportunity to remind Zhezhe that he was the regent prince.

"What do you think about this matter, Your Majesty?" Dorgon shifted his gaze away from Fan Wencheng and asked Zhezhe.

Zhezhe smiled faintly: "I am just a woman. I can make the decision on ordinary trivial matters, but when it comes to national affairs, I naturally have to seek the opinion of Prince Rui. Moreover, this matter is related to the war. I don't know how to fight. Prince Rui has experienced many battles. He personally led his troops to fight against the Tumed tribe. Naturally, he understands the other side's capabilities better than I do."

"In addition, the Khorchin tribe is the barrier of our Qing Dynasty. The three generations of Khorchin leaders are loyal to our Qing Dynasty. Moreover, from Taizu to the previous emperor, there are many relatives in law with our Qing Dynasty. The two families are connected by blood. They are really one family. There is an old saying among the Han people in the south, which is "lips and teeth are cold". With Khorchin to the west of our Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty is as stable as a rock. Once Chahar is occupied, it is afraid that not only the Khorchin tribe, but also the Inner Khalkha will face direct attacks from the other side. If things change drastically, how can our Qing Dynasty appease the Mongolian tribes? How can we suppress the grassland? Moreover, the Eight Banners of Mongolia are also part of the Eight Banners of our Qing Dynasty. How can our Qing Dynasty sit back and watch our allies in danger?"

Zhezhe spoke very calmly and in a low voice, but although he did not express his attitude in his words, his intention was obvious.

In other words, Zhezhe was inclined to unite the Mongolian tribes and go to war with Agudamu as soon as possible. He must prevent the other side from occupying the entire Chahar and ensure the stability and security of the west. Zhezhe also mentioned the past battle between Dorgon and the Tumed tribe, which made Dorgon's eyelids jump and his hands beside him clenched into fists involuntarily.

You should know that the Dorgon brothers were ordered by Huang Taiji to attack Mongolia. After occupying the Chahar grassland, they continued to move westward, intending to attack Tumed in one fell swoop, thus completely bringing the entire Mongolia south of the desert under the rule of the Qing Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, the battle that was originally a sure win ended in a disastrous defeat. The Dorgon brothers led the elite Eight Banners and the Mongolian coalition forces to be defeated by the Tumed tribe. Not only did the entire Mongolian coalition collapse, but even the elite Eight Banners under their command suffered heavy losses.

If the Dorgon brothers had not run fast, they might have died on the battlefield. After the Ji Yi Incident, Huang Taiji took advantage of the sudden change in the Ming Dynasty and led his troops south again, intending to repeat the old trick and attack the Great Wall and reach the heartland of the Ming Dynasty, but he was stopped at the Great Wall. The two sides fought fiercely relying on the Great Wall.

At that time, Dorgon was responsible for detouring from the west and looking for a breakthrough to attack the Ming Dynasty, but he did not expect that the Tumed tribe also appeared on the battlefield at this time. Moreover, the Tumed tribe took advantage of the war in the south to attack the empty Chahar region in the rear, causing the western and central regions of Chahar to fall one after another. After learning the news, Dorgon led his troops northward, intending to avenge the humiliation of the previous defeat, but he not only did not gain an advantage in the subsequent battles, but also suffered a little loss. In addition, the Ming army in Xuanfu and Datong took the initiative to attack again, and Wu Sangui's elite Liaodong cavalry arrived on the battlefield. Dorgon could not fight against four hands, so he could only abandon the western and central regions of Chahar and retreat eastward. After Huang Taiji learned of this, he took into account the consequences of being surrounded, and finally issued an order for a full withdrawal. In this way, the Great Wall Battle gained nothing, and the Qing Dynasty did not get any benefits, but suffered losses.

These two battles can be said to be the shame of defeat that Dorgon could not get over in his life. Dorgon, who was very arrogant, always remembered it in his heart. Now Zhezhe suddenly mentioned this matter again, which was clearly a way to remind Dorgon, asking Dorgon if he had forgotten the shame of the defeat back then? Didn't he want revenge?
(End of this chapter)