In 1912 AD, the two thousand years of feudal monarchy in China came to an end. The last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, was also completely expelled from the ruling class. Nurhachi, the pioneer of the Qing Dynasty, never imagined that the country he had worked so hard to build would one day be like this. Today we look back at that bloody era, the defeat of Emperor Chongzhen, the pride and complacency of Li Zicheng, the deceitfulness of Manchu , and all the past cannot spare one person--- Dorgon. As the fourteenth son of Nurhaci, Dorgon's ability to gain the appreciation of his father among many brothers has a lot to do with his own excellent talent and diligence.
In the subsequent battle for the throne, Dorgon missed the opportunity twice despite his talents, and in the end he only became the regent. The reason why he could not succeed was not that he was not good enough, but that his opponent was too powerful.
One of the fierce rivals, Huang Taiji
In the fight for the throne, it is often either you or I who die. The court is bloody and bloody, and those who can stand out are the best. The most famous battle for the throne in the Qing Dynasty was, of course, the battle for the throne between the nine sons. The protagonists were Kangxi and his nine outstanding sons. In Kangxi's grandfather's generation, the battle between Dorgon and Huang Taiji was also full of crises.
Nurhachi fought in all directions throughout his life, conquered Liaodong, looked at the Central Plains, respected Han culture, and learned Han culture. This was one of the reasons why the Qing Dynasty was able to rule the Central Plains for hundreds of years. Therefore, in addition to requiring his successors to have military capabilities, Nurhachi also needed his successors to possess In terms of political literacy, among the many princes at that time, the eldest brother was originally the prince. However, because he was not able to stand up to the wall, he was addicted to eating, drinking and having fun, and did not know how to govern the country and use troops. The title of prince was in name only, while the remaining princes were Among the brothers, only the fourteenth son Dorgon and the eighth elder brother Huang Taiji are of great use.
Huang Taiji has been outstanding since he was a child. At that time, he was the only one under Nurhachi who could read Chinese characters. , Huang Taiji not only had keen political literacy and deep scheming, but was also familiar with Chinese culture. Faced with the prince's absurd behavior, he not only did not stop and dissuade him, but instead fanned the flames. The eldest brother only wanted to have fun and often asked Huang Taiji to do ridiculous things with him. Huang Taiji, who had been dormant for several years, finally became full-fledged in the court. Now that he had his own supporters, he immediately launched his killing move, which caused Nurhaci to be completely disappointed with his elder brother and put him under house arrest.
After this, Huang Taiji showed his talents, and Nurhachi also appreciated his outstanding son more and more. Before the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, there was no Han custom of eldest son inheritance. The Manchus and the Eight Banners co-governed, and the most capable people always took over. Huang Taiji gained more supporters through his own efforts, and he suddenly became the most popular. The heir of two people, and at this time, although Dorgon was just showing his talents, he was still an unexperienced child. Even though his mother was favored, he had repeatedly made military exploits. He could also participate in court meetings with his father and elder brother, and made many suggestions. Constructive opinions, and even Nurhaci rewarded him with land beyond his rank. But in his eyes, fighting for the throne is very important, but the friendship with the Eighth Brother is also very important. How can such a child defeat Huang Taiji, who has already established a foothold?
Shortly afterwards, Nurhachi was hit by Yuan Chonghuan 's artillery fire. Huang Taiji succeeded to the throne as a matter of course. His reign name was Tiancong. During his reign, he reused Han ministers and Sinicized the Qing Dynasty. He was influenced by Confucianism He was profound and unwilling to massacre the Han people like his father Nurhaci, which also laid a good foundation for the stability of the Qing Dynasty's rule later. Looking at Huang Taiji's life, he was shrewd, capable, wise and knowledgeable. He could fight on horseback and govern the country with ease. Such an opponent, I'm afraid It is difficult for Dorgon to be his enemy even as an adult. As a result, Dorgon missed the throne for the first time.
The second rival, Hauge
In 1643 AD, Huang Taiji passed away. At this time, the most competitive heir became Dorgon and Huang Taiji's eldest son, Hauge. Hauge has been influenced by his grandfather since he was a child. He has a strong interest in leading troops in war and has made outstanding achievements in combat throughout his life. When Nurhaci was still alive, he had already made his mark. He followed his father and grandfather to the battlefield many times. He was brave and invincible and was deeply loved by Nurhaci!
Hauge was also named Baylor at that time. After Huang Taiji came to power, he and Dorgon simultaneously became the humerus force of the Qing court to attack the Central Plains. Brothers fighting tigers, father and son soldiers in battle, the two worked together to gather Mongolia and break through The last line of defense of the Ming Dynasty army broke into Beijing. Huang Taiji was very happy and conferred the title of prince on the two of them at the same time. At this time, Hauge had the innate advantage of being the emperor's eldest son and had his own power in the court. He was also an enemy that Dorgon could not underestimate.
One has a lot of troops and power, and the other is the eldest son who has the support of eight banners and important ministers. The two are in a stalemate. But the country cannot live without a king for a day, so Empress Xiaozhuang had no choice but to step forward and establish the emperor's nine sons. Fulin, who was still young at the time, was the heir, and Dorgon was the regent. This time, Dorgon once again missed the throne.
Regent Dorgon
html The 16-year-old Fulin succeeded to the throne, with the reign name Shunzhi . Dorgon's ambitions at this time have not been extinguished. A woman in the harem and a six-year-old child are not enough evidence. The most important thing is to get rid of Hauge. There is no kinship in the competition for power. Hauge and Dorgon have long been enemies, but Hauge didn't expect Dorgon to take action so quickly.
In the second year of Shunzhi, after annihilating Zhang Xianzhong, Hauge returned to the capital. What he didn't know was that while he was fighting bloody battles on the battlefield, a trap was slowly unfolding. In March, Dorgon framed Hauge for treason and imprisoned him. A month later, Hauge was assassinated in prison by Dorgon. At this point, although many important ministers in the entire Qing court were dissatisfied, there was no one who could compete with Dorgon. Fulin was young, and Xiaozhuang lived in the harem. Dorgon was the actual person in charge of all the major and minor matters in the previous dynasty. There are even unofficial records that Dorgon not only coveted the throne, but also had a deep love for Xiaozhuang, and once forced Fulin to appoint himself as regent to his father. In the film and television drama "The Secret History of Xiaozhuang", the story of Dorgon and Dayu'er is based on this period of unofficial history.
No matter how much power he has, he is not the real emperor after all. Dorgon treats Fulin as a puppet and turns his own hands into clouds and rain, which ultimately leads to Fulin's hatred. The world is unpredictable, Dorgon had a life of ups and downs, and stood in the whirlpool of power struggle. He died unexpectedly at a young age. After his death, Fulin's hatred for his little uncle was fully expressed. He first dug out Dorgon's body, then whipped it, and finally gave him the punishment of Lingchi.
It was not until Dorgon's great-nephew Qianlong came to the throne that Dorgon was rehabilitated. Although Dorgon was an outstanding political and military leader throughout his life, his luck was always a little bit worse. There was Huang Taiji before him. Later, there was Hauge, and perhaps being a regent was the best destination for him.
