Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 276 The Ming Dynasty is too wicked (╥﹏╥)
"Gabula, Soetu, are you willing to lend me a hand and avenge the Fourth Prince and Sonijala?!" Ajige asked, his tears still wet on his face, feigning sincerity but actually extremely nervous.

Ajige's question had a somewhat coercive tone, but everyone was here to join in the fun, not to see how horribly their own people had died. The redistribution of the Plain White and Two Yellow Banners was, in itself, the purpose of this gathering. But to be so eager to fight for power and profit before their bodies are even cold is rather unseemly!

Faced with Ajige's questioning, Gabula subconsciously glanced at his third brother, Soetu. In that instant, the distinction between primary and secondary was clear! Soetu, however, feigned ignorance, but his peripheral vision caught sight of the First and Third Princes, swords drawn in the distance.

Mangultai stepped forward, while Daišan remained rooted to the spot. At that moment, Songgotu also made his choice, bowing his head and declaring, "We, the Hesheli clan, will forever be loyal to the Great Jin, forever loyal to the Great Khan!"

This statement was essentially meaningless, essentially saying he would side with whoever won. However, although Ajige wasn't stupid, he wasn't particularly perceptive either. He assumed that the Soetu brothers had already agreed to pledge allegiance to him, and couldn't help but burst into laughter, baring his two rows of teeth. But then he suddenly remembered that the occasion was inappropriate, so he could only bite his lip tightly and put on a pitiful look.

"What are you doing?!" Mangultai roared at Daishan.

"Why are you yelling? I didn't stop you," Dai Shan said, rolling his eyes.

Mangultai clenched his fist, lowered his head, and sulked inwardly.

In the early days of the Eight Banners, the different colors of the banners were merely used to distinguish the troops, and there was no distinction of rank or status. The difference in status was simply due to differences in kinship and development, as well as the disparity in strength.

The two Yellow Banners and the Plain White Banner, which were later known as the Upper Three Banners, were not under the control of Huang Taiji. This was naturally done to strengthen his control over these three banners.

Huang Taiji liked to use the three Ajige brothers as temporary henchmen to take charge of the three banners. Even though he wanted to use them, he would find excuses to dismiss them from time to time, and then release them after a while and reassign them to other banners.

Nurhaci also favored the three Ajige brothers. In his later years, he divided some Niru (military units) of the two Yellow Banners among the three brothers.

After Nurhaci's death, Huang Taiji succeeded to the Khanate. In order to legitimize his rule and consolidate his power, he changed the Plain Yellow and Bordered Yellow Banners, which were commanded by Dodo and Ajige, to Plain White and Bordered White Banners, respectively. He also changed the Plain White Banner, which he personally commanded, to Plain Yellow Banner. Furthermore, he seized the position of the former Bordered White Banner leader from Dudu and handed it over to his eldest son, Hauge, who changed the banner to Bordered Yellow Banner.

Changing the banners only involved exchanging flags and clothing colors; the people belonging to each banner remained under the control of their respective banner lords. As the saying goes, "If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too," Nurhaci himself turned against his own people, causing a major reshuffling of the power structure within the Jurchen tribes.

In his old age, he regretted killing his brothers and hoped that his sons could live in harmony. So he painstakingly set up the Eight Banners system of governance, distributing military power among his sons.

Because the three Ajige brothers had different mothers than Huang Taiji and his brothers, and Huang Taiji took special care of his younger sons, fearing that they would be killed by their older brothers.

The Eight Beile Council theoretically had the power to depose and install the Great Khan, but in practice it was a mess. Nurhaci himself was autocratic, and his successor naturally didn't want to be just a mere leader.

After ascending the throne, Huang Taiji did not hesitate. Through a series of dazzling maneuvers, he successfully increased the power of his Plain White Banner to three banners, manipulating the three Ajige brothers under his thumb. At present, Ajige and his younger brother Dodo shared control of the Bordered White Banner, while Hauge was the lord of the Plain White Banner, but he had long been unable to obtain full banner lordship power.

Although the Plain White Banner still acknowledges his position, who would want their banner leader to be crippled? When Huang Taiji was around, he could be suppressed, but now that Huang Taiji is gone, Hauge is worthless.

The Plain Yellow Banner was originally led by Huang Taiji himself. After Huang Taiji died, Songgotu was just one step away from being formally appointed as the banner lord. He temporarily sided with Ajige in exchange for the legitimacy of being formally appointed, which was a worthwhile deal.

The remaining Bordered Yellow Banner also lacked a formally appointed banner leader. Theoretically, the banner leader of the two Yellow Banners was Huang Taiji himself. Unlike the Plain Yellow Banner, which quickly determined its leader, the Bordered Yellow Banner was now in chaos, with no one to take charge. This was also due to Huang Taiji's political maneuvering, which scattered the power of the Bordered Yellow Banner and deliberately created checks and balances.

Just as the Hongwu Emperor dismantled the Six Ministries into pieces, it was a good system while he was alive; after his death, the power structure of the court became fragmented.

Zhu Di had no choice but to fill the gap with a cabinet, but the cabinet had no established system, which further dispersed power, leading to frequent infighting and disunity within the Ming court. Efficiency and checks and balances were never quite right.

Ajige, greedy for power, after taking control of the Plain Yellow Banner, wanted to repeat his old tricks and reach out to the other two banners. He used the same rhetoric with Hauge, but Hauge ignored him completely! When he turned to the Bordered Yellow Banner, Daišan finally made a move, and Mangultai followed suit.

“A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and a flag cannot be without a master for a day. I propose that Ilden be the banner lord of the Plain Yellow Banner, and the youngest son, Fiyango, be in charge of the Bordered Yellow Banner.”

"As for Hauge, your current condition is not suitable for leading troops into battle. As your uncle, I won't bully you. You can appoint a general to take command of the army. When you are not on campaign, you will still be in charge of the military and political affairs of the Plain White Banner," Daishan said loudly.

Upon hearing Daišan's speech, Mangultai was actually somewhat impressed by his second brother. He was truly a man of few words but great talent; he himself would never have uttered such words. However, his speech immediately offended three families: Ajige, Suo'etu, and Hauge.

Ajige was frantic. The Plain Yellow Banner, which he had finally secured, was just slipping away like that?! Without thinking, he blurted out, "Yideng is a defeated general who should have been executed. I only spared his life because of my mercy. What face does he have to command the Plain Yellow Banner? I believe that appointing Songgotu as the banner commander is what the people truly want!"

Yildeng, who had already pledged allegiance to Ajige, turned gloomy upon hearing his lord speak like this. When he was with Huang Taiji, he didn't need to give Ajige any face! Ajige's stubborn Suo'etu also looked unpleasant; he felt like he had found a terrible ally.

Songgotu was no fool. Even a fool would know that Huang Taiji's death was suspicious, and Ajige was a prime suspect. In other words, Ajige was very likely his father's killer, indirectly causing his father's death.

Although Ajige supports him now, he is putting on a very poor show. Ajige is not supporting him as a person, but only plotting to seize the power of the Plain Yellow Banner!

Upon seeing this, Daishan revealed a strange smile: "Since that's the case, let's do as the Great Khan says!"

(End of this chapter)