Wu Sangui walked out of the tent with a nervous mood, mounted his horse and galloped towards Jiefan Mountain.
After crossing the mountain road, he arrived outside Jiefan Village.
He had been ordered to attack this place before, but failed to take it down after a long time.
Now returning to the old place, I feel sad.
Just as he was sighing with emotion, Dorgon came outside to greet him in person: "General Wu abandoned the dark and surrendered... General Wu's surrender to the Qing Dynasty is a blessing for the Qing Dynasty and for me!"
Dorgon originally wanted to abandon evil and join the light.
But he felt that the name of the country, Ming Dynasty, was inappropriate here, so he simply changed the sentence.
Wu Sangui was so excited that he took a step forward, knelt down and said, "Wu Sangui greets His Majesty!"
"Please stand up quickly," Dorgon personally helped Wu Sangui up, "You don't have to be polite in front of me."
Wu Sangui quickly explained: "Your Majesty is a noble man, and I am just a surrendered general. I cannot violate the etiquette."
The two men exchanged pleasantries for a while, and Dorgon asked Wu Sangui to walk in side by side with him.
Wu Sangui was flattered and deliberately walked a step slower than Dorgon.
When they arrived at the camp, the food was already prepared.
This was a welcoming banquet prepared for Wu Sangui.
Except Dorgon.
Also present were Man Dahai, Luo Luohun and other Eight Banners generals.
Hong Chengchou was also there, and his position was very close to Dorgon.
Although his status was not as noble as the Eight Banners generals present.
But as Wu Sangui's adviser, he was treated as a guest of honor by Wu Sangui.
After some more greetings, Wu Sangui was arranged to sit next to Dorgon.
The banquet officially begins.
Dorgon first welcomed Wu Sangui's surrender.
Then he introduced the people present to Wu Sangui.
Then everyone drank and chatted.
Man Dahai asked about Wu Sangui's military situation.
After he finished asking, others began to ask about the situation within the Ming army.
Wu Sangui told them all.
Dorgon had drunk a lot of wine at this time. He said to everyone with a little drunkenness: "General Wu not only informed the Qing Dynasty when it was in danger, but also surrendered to the Qing Dynasty with more than 10,000 soldiers at the critical moment."
"This is a huge achievement, and I think he should be rewarded handsomely!"
In Dorgon's view, although he failed to inflict inflict heavy damage on the Ming army in the Battle of Fushun.
But he got Wu Sangui and his more than 10,000 soldiers and horses.
This, like the surrender of Kong Youde, Geng Jingzhong and Shang Kexi in the past, has strategic significance.
It was reasonable for him to reward Wu Sangui handsomely.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"The Qing Dynasty is in need of talents right now. General Wu's move is like a timely help. He deserves a reward!"
"I second the motion."
"I second this motion."
The Eight Banners generals present all expressed their agreement.
Just when everyone thought that Dorgon would order a reward, Dorgon frowned.
Because he found that Hong Chengchou did not express his opinion.
No statement was made from beginning to end.
Dorgon took the opportunity to go to the toilet and came outside.
Hong Chengchou also came out soon.
The two came behind a wall, and Dorgon asked directly: "Mr. Hong, do you think that I shouldn't reward Wu Sangui so much?"
Hong Chengchou asked in return: "I wonder what the reward that the prince is talking about is?"
"I intend to make Wu Sangui a king of a different surname!"
Hong Chengchou shook his head directly: "I think he should be rewarded, but not too much."
"Why?"
Hong Chengchou began to analyze: "First, Wu Sangui did not surrender voluntarily, but was forced to surrender when he knew that he was about to be liquidated by the Ming court and knew that he was no match for the Ming court."
"Secondly, Wu Sangui besieged Wang Yongji with several times more troops. However, after fighting for a long time, he was unable to kill him in battle, which resulted in him being unable to split his troops to attack the Ming army's reinforcements. Wu Sangui should bear at least 50% of the responsibility for Wang Yongji's failure to inflict heavy damage on the Ming army."
"Third, Wu Sangui suffered a rout on the battlefield. The loss of soldiers and horses is secondary, after all, those who died were from the Guanning Army, not the Eight Banners. But he lost a lot of supplies, and the Qing Dynasty was already stretched thin, so we have to find a way to give him some."
"When Kong Youde, Shang Kexi and others surrendered, they not only brought a large number of soldiers and people, but also countless supplies, especially the artillery that the Qing Dynasty urgently needed, the copper and iron for casting artillery, and the craftsmen who cast it!"
"The current Wu Sangui cannot be compared with Kong Youde and others back then."
Dorgon thought for a moment and asked, "What title do you think should be bestowed on him, Mr. Hong?"
Hong Chengchou replied: "Wu Sangui's title in the Ming court was Pingxi Bo, but now that he has come to the Qing court, the title of Marquis is enough."
There are three types of titles in the Qing Dynasty: titles for royal family members, titles for meritorious officials of different surnames, and Mongolian titles.
The title of Grandmaster is divided into male and female.
The highest rank for a man is the first-class prince, and below that are the county prince, beile, beizi...
The highest title for a woman is Princess Gulun, followed by Princess Heshuo, Princess Jun, etc...
The titles of meritorious officials of different surnames are divided into nine levels.
Each level is divided into first, second and third grades.
The highest title is the first-class duke, followed by the second-class duke and the third-class duke.
Below the Duke are the Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Baron, Light Chariot Commander, Cavalry Commander, and Cloud Commander.
The king of a different surname ranks above the duke and is a special product of a special period.
No customization has been formed.
Now Hong Chengchou is just Dorgon's adviser and has no title.
Hong Chengchou in history was not much better.
He worked for the Qing Dynasty for half his life, and was only given the title of third-class light cavalry captain when he retired and returned home.
After listening to Hong Chengchou's suggestion, Dorgon frowned, thought for a while, then turned and left.
He knew that what Hong Chengchou said made sense.
If the Qing Dynasty was at its peak at that time, he would have granted Wu Sangui the title of Marquis according to Hong Chengchou's wishes.
But the Qing Dynasty is in a difficult situation now.
In order to win over the surrendered Ming army led by Wu Sangui, he could not do that.
Back in the house, Dorgon raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.
Those who were drinking immediately put down their glasses, and those who were chatting shut up.
"Everyone," Dorgon said with a smile, "It is a blessing for the Qing Dynasty that General Wu can submit to the Qing Dynasty. Although he failed to take the opportunity to inflict heavy damage on the Ming army, he still helped the Ming army switch from offense to defense. It is a great achievement both emotionally and rationally."
"So," Dorgon put away his smile and said seriously, "I have decided to confer Wu Sangui the title of King of Pingxi of the Qing Dynasty to commend his achievements."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present held their breath.
Especially Wu Sangui himself.
He knew that the time was wrong to surrender.
So he was mentally prepared to be controlled by Dorgon.
Unexpectedly, Dorgon actually made him a king of a different surname.
How important is this?
Wu Sangui immediately knelt down and said respectfully: "I bow to thank Prince Rui!"
Dorgon personally helped Wu Sangui up and whispered, "It's just a verbal reward at the moment. You can only see the imperial edict after I submit it to the court. But don't worry, my words are more effective than the imperial edict."
Wu Sangui was stunned for a moment, then he reacted and immediately expressed his loyalty: "I am willing to serve you like a dog and a horse!"
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