Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 499 The Inertia of History

"History does indeed have its irreversible inertia; no matter how hard we try, we can hardly shake the surging tide of the times!"

Zhong Minghui reined in his horse and stood still, gazing at the street covered in fresh snow before him, letting out a long breath of white air.

The wisp of mist swirled in the biting wind and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye, just like those feeble efforts to change the course of history, which ultimately could not withstand the harsh laws of nature.

In the past few days, I have received news from Shenyang that less than a month after Huang Taiji's death, after a fierce struggle and necessary compromises, the transfer and ownership of power in the Qing Dynasty was more stable than expected.

The anticipated struggle among the Eight Banners, and even the brutal civil war, did not occur as expected. Although Hauge controlled half of the two Yellow Banners and the complete Plain Blue Banner, his efforts were thwarted by the sudden defection of Jirgalang and Luoluohun. Dorgon, although he joined forces with Dodo to control the two White Banners, chose to back down when Daišan clearly expressed his opposition.

That six-year-old, oh no, at this time only four-year-old Fulin, with the "unanimous support" of the Eight Banners, still became the third leader of the Qing army.

Dorgon, Jirgalang, and Daišan jointly assisted in governing the country, and the princes, beile, and banner lords of the Eight Banners attended court to discuss politics, which quickly stabilized the political situation of the Qing dynasty.

The river of history flows ceaselessly, and beneath seemingly random ripples lies a profound and powerful force.

This force, like an invisible giant hand, can always forcibly pull a political or social structure back onto its predetermined track when it is on the verge of collapse.

Even though the intervention of the new Chinese led to significant changes in many historical events—the Qing dynasty did not achieve a decisive victory in the recently concluded Battle of Songjin, and Huang Taiji died two years earlier than expected—we can still clearly see that the fundamental logic that maintained the rule of the Eight Banners remained unchanged.

The collective survival instinct of the Eight Banners nobility, the self-repair mechanism of the power structure, and the vested interests of the military group together formed a vast and inescapable web.

The root of this historical inertia lies in the conservative choices of vested interests and their ability to assess the situation in times of crisis.

When Hauge and Dorgon were locked in a fierce struggle for the right of succession, the first reaction of Daishan, Jirgalang, and other elder members of the imperial clan was not to support either side's risky actions, but to do their best to maintain the apparent unity of the Eight Banners group and prevent the entire group from falling apart.

The generals of the two Yellow Banners may have doubts about Hauge's abilities, but they were even more afraid of the annihilation that would result from the split of the Eight Banners.

Even though the officers of the Plain Blue Banner were very loyal to Hauge, they could not help but have the urge to retreat when faced with attacks from other banners and food shortages in the cold winter. They strongly advised Hauge not to take any extreme measures.

The resilience of a system often lies not in its perfection, but in the understanding among all participants that the cost of breaking the status quo may be far more painful than enduring it.

It is this collective risk aversion that often leads to major historical turning points ending in compromise, causing seemingly inevitable upheavals to ultimately become a mere passing mention in history books.

As the highest-ranking member of the imperial clan and the most meritorious in military affairs, Daishan did not become detached from the situation as he grew older and under Huang Taiji's continued pressure. He remained the most symbolic "arbitrator" and "mediator" in the Qing-Liao group.

His intervention, to some extent, prevented an extreme incident of armed infighting between Dorgon and Hauge, keeping the power struggle within the framework of political maneuvering.

This veteran minister, who had served three emperors, skillfully mediated between the two sides, who were on the verge of conflict. Like a rider holding the reins tight on the edge of a cliff, he prevented the situation from spiraling out of control and into the abyss, while also preserving room for dignified concessions for all parties.

As Huang Taiji's "legacy," the fates of the generals of the Two Yellow Banners were always deeply intertwined with the Huang Taiji family. Even though Hauge was excluded from the succession, they would still prioritize supporting the Khan's sons to succeed him, rather than Dorgon, in order to protect their overall interests. Of course, the "defeat" in the Battle of Songjin also made it even more urgent for the Two Yellow Banners to "support a young ruler" in order to collectively absolve themselves of responsibility (attributing the defeat to Huang Taiji's death).

Zhong Minghui tapped his riding whip lightly on the saddle, his mind still replaying the many details from the intelligence reports: Dorgon had ordered the Mongol tribes to offer a batch of cattle and sheep to alleviate the food shortage within Qing territory; Daišan suggested reducing the food rations for all bondservants and Han slaves, distributing them as much as possible among the bannermen of the Eight Banners; Hauge had been dispatched to Liaoyang to prepare a retaliatory military strike against the raid on Liaonan Town; the cannon-casting workshops in Shenyang were working day and night to meet demand; and the Eight Banners were conducting a large-scale military mobilization, intending to carry out another plundering operation…

These seemingly contradictory measures reveal the truly terrifying aspect of historical inertia—it not only eliminates variables but also devours those who try to change it.

"General, do you think the Qing invaders will risk entering the pass again?" Zhang Yougong pulled down his felt hat and said in a deep voice, "I think they could feint and then turn to Korea to seize some grain. After all, the Koreans are weaker."

“Korea?” Zhong Minghui shook his head and said, “Kong Youde has occupied most of Hamgyong Province, causing widespread anger and resentment. They’ve practically plundered the land. Where would there be any surplus resources for the Qing to plunder? As for Pyongan Province, the west is bordered by Cheolsan and Uiju in Donggang Town, which are two major obstacles for the Qing. As for Hwanghae Province, Prince Gwanghae keeps conscripting soldiers and requisitioning grain, leaving the local Korean people with almost no food to eat.”

"As for the prosperous Gyeonggi Province, Jeolla Province, and Gyeongsang Province, they are located in the south of Korea. After being frequently attacked by Donggang Town and our Xinhua, their people are suffering and agricultural production has been greatly reduced. Their grain reserves are probably not very abundant. Even if the counties near the inland areas have a little surplus, it must be given priority to supply and allocate to Hanyang City to maintain the daily needs of the court officials and the army."

"Therefore, if the Qing dynasty had set its sights on Korea, it would not have been able to plunder much, and might have even pushed this vassal state, which was beset by internal and external troubles, toward the Ming dynasty, forcing King Injo to consider breaking away from the Qing."

"Yes, General, you are right." Zhang Yougong nodded. "As the suzerain state of Korea, failing to do its utmost to protect its security and instead allowing its troops to plunder will indeed chill the hearts of the Korean people. However, the Qing army has just suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Songjin. Do they really dare to send troops into the pass to plunder again?"

"Aren't they afraid of being trapped inside the pass by the Ming army and suffering a total annihilation? If the various garrisons in Liaodong take the opportunity to attack Shenyang while the Qing army is diverting a large number of troops into the pass to plunder, and destroy their stronghold, wouldn't that solve the Liaodong war in one fell swoop?"

"You overestimate the strength of the Ming Dynasty and underestimate the adventurous spirit of the Qing invaders!" Zhong Minghui smiled. "You should know that two years ago, the Qing invaders broke through the pass and ravaged the region for half a year, running rampant across the capital region, Hebei, Shandong and other places, involving six prefectures including Shuntian, Baoding, Hejian, Zhengding, Shunde and Jinan, and dozens of counties and towns. They were like people entering an empty land. Who could stop them even half a step?"

"Not to mention, the peasant uprisings in the Central Plains, Huguang, and Shanxi and Shaanxi are getting worse and worse. The Ming army is exhausted from suppressing them and has no spare troops to deal with the Qing army that breaks through the pass. As for the various garrisons in Liaodong taking advantage of the fact that the main force of the Qing army is out of the field, I estimate that no Ming general would dare to take such a risky action. At most, they would send troops out of Jinzhou to make a show of force in order to deal with the court's criticism."

“A month ago, we captured Haizhou and Liaoyang in succession and learned that the Qing army had almost no food reserves. If they did not enter the pass to plunder, a severe famine would inevitably break out. Therefore, whether it was to regain face with the Ming Dynasty and restore their confidence in fighting the Ming army, or to alleviate the food shortage problem within their territory, the Qing army would inevitably choose to enter the pass to plunder.”

"So, that's why the commander-in-chief is so eager to control Liaonan Town?" Zhang Yougong immediately realized, "So, when the Qing army breaks through the pass, he can lead the Ming army from Liaonan Town to attack Liaoyang again?"

“Hehe…” Zhong Minghui glanced at a patrol of Ming soldiers and chuckled twice. “What merit do we, the Liaohai Colonization Area, have to control Liaonan Town? Before the collapse of the Ming Dynasty, the local Ming troops will still obediently abide by the laws and regulations of the court and obey the orders of the Ministry of War. They will not become independent local warlords.”

"What we need to do is to take advantage of the situation, or rather, to seek positive and effective military cooperation with local military garrisons within the framework of the Ming Dynasty."

"General, what if Fan Hualong, after securing the position of General of Liaonan Town, decides not to continue cooperating with us?" Zhang Yougong asked worriedly.

“Greedy people, those blinded by greed, are the easiest to control,” Zhong Minghui laughed. “If he wants to secure his position as general, he'll need our support and help. Furthermore, we'll need to mediate his relationships with generals like Shang Kexi and Zhang Dalü. Otherwise, he probably won't hold onto his position for long!”

"By the way, go to Lushun tomorrow, and then take a boat from there to Changshan Island to pay a visit to Shang Kexi. Tell him that we need to borrow his more than one hundred cavalrymen and more than four hundred infantrymen for a few months, and return them after the situation in Liaonan has eased."

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief," Zhang Yougong replied, bowing respectfully.

"It looks like snow is coming again." Zhong Minghui looked up at the gray sky, lightly tapped his horse's flanks, and rode towards the Xinhua Guild Hall.
-
(End of this chapter)