by Poon, Alice;
The next day he granted Wukeshan the honorary title of Prince of the First Rank of the Jurchen Court, which meant that he could set up residence in Mukden and be near his sister. This sent her into a jubilant mood.
Before Bumbutai realized it, her first year in Mukden was coming to an end. But it was not until three years later that their marriage would be consummated. Before that would happen though, Hong Taiji would first be swept up in a blood-spilling power play.
In the spring of the eleventh year of Nurhaci’s reign, the seventh of the Tianqi Emperor’s reign, the Ming eunuchs recommended a new military commander to the Emperor. Upon arrival at the Ningyuan stronghold, this new commander showed General Yuan an imperial edict and ordered that the main defending forces retreat inside the Great Wall and abandon all the territories beyond the Great Wall. This order contradicted General Yuan’s intention of strengthening the defense of Ningyuan. Being an ultra-loyal subject to the Emperor, he could not bring himself to disobey the imperial edict. Thus, he was left with only 10,000 soldiers to hold the fort at Ningyuan.
The Jurchen sentinel immediately reported the situation to Nurhaci. The Jurchen Khan saw this as his golden opportunity to launch the long-awaited attack. He picked Daisan, Hong Taiji and Manggultai as his commanding generals and led a troop of 100,000 in an all-out offensive. The cavalrymen traveled for days to reach Ningyuan and upon arrival, took up an attack position.
But General Yuan was not one to give up easily. He wrote a defiant letter in his own blood to Nurhaci vowing to fight the enemy to the death of his last soldier. At the same time he sent orders to the Great Wall guards to execute any soldier who was coward enough to become a deserter. Being the patriot he was, he immediately gained the staunch support of Ningyuan’s residents. Most of the males volunteered as civilian fighters. Their feisty spirit gave an immediate boost to army morale.
In the battlefield, the two sides fought ferociously for two days. With the help of the iron cannons, which could fire shots of forty pounds, the Ming artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the Jurchen cavalry. These cannons had been newly made in a foundry in Beijing under the supervision of a German Jesuit priest, Johann Adam Schall von Bell. They proved to be the vital weapon in the Ming army’s arsenal.
On the third day on the battle front, Nurhaci galloped in the leading position of the central column, flanked on the right and left by Daisan’s and Hong Taiji’s troops. He was waving the section with scaling ladders forward with a Jurchen flag, determined to breach the defences of the Ningyuan fortress.
A swishing sound fell on his ears and before he knew it, a cannon shot blasted right in front of him and split his chest open. He slumped to the ground, bleeding profusely. As Daisan saw him fall, he jumped from his horse and rushed up to his wounded father. Nurhaci had already fainted and was lying motionless, sprawled over the crumpled, blood-drenched flag. Daisan picked him up swiftly and carried him on his own horse away from the frontline.
Hong Taiji took over as Chief Commander. He and his stunned soldiers braved the cannon fire for another short while before fear overcame them all. Scores of his cavalrymen lost the will to fight and turned their horses round to flee. Seeing that there was no point in losing more lives, Hong Taiji ordered a full retreat back to Mukden.
Five
Once back in Mukden, the brothers summoned the finest herbalists in the capital to Nurhaci’s Palace. By the time the herbalists had managed to stop the bleeding, he had already lost far too much blood. The huge blood loss didn’t kill him immediately but was serious enough to make him bedridden. Lady Abahai spent all her time by his sick bed, nursing him day and night.
Several months passed, and the Khan’s condition showed no improvement. Seeing their father in such a precarious state, Daisan called a meeting of the Four Great Beiles to discuss the succession issue. He addressed the meeting by saying that the previous night he had had a talk with Lady Abahai.
“She told me that the Khan was slipping fast and that we should be prepared for the worst. She said that his last conscious words were that he wishes for Dorgon to succeed him if he doesn’t recover.”
“But we all know that the Khan has always embraced the merit system,” Hong Taiji snorted in disdain. “Dorgon has little war credit to show. I am sure the Bannermen will revolt if he’s made the next Khan.” He looked around at the others. “You are not taking that woman’s words seriously, I hope.” His piercing gaze made Daisan shift uneasily in his chair.
“You definitely have a point there, brother!” he declared. “Dorgon is far too young. I thought Lady Abahai was most likely too distressed. She may have made things up.” He was quick to say what Hong Taiji wanted to hear. “But she is still our stepmother. If she insists….” He threw his hands up to show he was in a bind. He had been hoping to sit on the fence until he could feel which way the wind was blowing, but he was not one who could withstand pressure.
Manggultai, as usual, had no strong opinions of his own and was happy to look to Daisan for guidance.
“I agree with Daisan,” he said. “Women’s words are not to be trusted, but we have to respect her as our stepmother.” He shook his head in a pensive manner, as if in deep thought.
Hong Taiji ignored him. “So you are suggesting that it’s better to risk the Bannermen’s wrath than to thwart a boldfaced woman’s ambitions?” he demanded of Daisan.
“Of course not… I was just saying….,” His face whitened as he stammered. “We have always listened to your sound advice. Whatever you deem fit, we’re willing and happy to follow.”
Jirgalang remained reticent throughout. He knew better than to cross Hong Taiji. Besides, being only a nephew, he was clear where he stood in this matter.
Hong Taiji had always perceived Lady Abahai and her three young sons as the major stumbling block to his ambitions. Knowing full well that an open confrontation might bring about circumstances beyond his control, he decided to opt for a safer and more devious way out of the impasse. First, he would feign humility and disinterest in claiming the throne for himself. He would try to convince the other three Great Beiles that the best way to solve the succession problem would be for the Four Great Beiles to share the throne equally. They had been the de facto Ruling Council all along, and such an arrangement would meet with little resistance from the Eight Banners. Once this proposal was accepted, he would unsheathe his hidden dagger.
The end always justifies the means, even means of the most wicked sort, he would say.
In both Han and Jurchen culture and history, favorite consorts who had sons had always carried political sway on Court matters, especially when one of their sons was made the crown prince or put on the throne. It was customary for such consorts to practice nepotism, even long before the throne came within their control. In extreme cases, such practices brought about the eventual subversion of the royal Court. Hong Taiji saw the problem with this custom, how it prevented true talent from making contributions to the state, and he was determined to put an end to it. Removing Lady Abahai, who was beginning to build up her own network of allies, would mean killing two birds with one stone. As for her three sons, he planned to win them over.
In the seventh lunar month, Nurhaci’s condition took a turn for the worse. Hong Taiji deliberately sent Ajige, Dorgon and Dodo on a military mission to fight the Chakhar Mongols. By this time, he had already made a secret pact with the other three Great Beiles to share power equally as Co-Rulers upon Nurhaci’s death.
One night in the following month, a shrill scream shot out from Nurhaci’s Palace, tearing through the crisp autumn air. Sumalagu bolted into Bumbutai’s bed chamber to deliver the sad but unsurprising news. A moment later, Bumbutai was summoned to Lady Abahai’s Palace. All women of the royal household were congregating there in white mourning robes.
In her mid-thirties, Lady Abahai still looked very fresh and attractive. Her white cloth mourning garment made h
er look vulnerable. Seeing the hapless pallor of her tear-stained face, Bumbutai felt pity for her. This woman had just lost her main prop in life. A Consort’s fate is just the flimsy shadow of her husband’s. With her once-powerful husband now walking among the dead, Lady Abahai’s future was becoming perilous, if she had a future at all.
In a glum mood, the grieving widow led the procession of royal women towards the Throne Hall. There, in the center, a bier had been set up on which lay the casket that contained the corpse of the Jurchen hero. White lanterns were hung on both sides of the entrance. Inside the Hall, white candles were lit all around the bier. A ghostly white light fluttered over the faces of the male mourning crowd.
As soon as the women took up their kneeling position on both sides of the bier, Daisan rose up and addressed the crowd, holding a piece of paper in his hand:
“This is a painful day for our family and for the whole Jurchen tribe. We have lost a great ruler. A man who re-wrote our history. A man of unequaled valor and wisdom. A man who fought all his life to unite our tribe and who ruled with foresight. Fortunate for us, though, he made his wish known while he was alive, and his wish is for the Four Great Beiles to continue to rule jointly after his death. The four new Rulers will be headed by Hong Taiji. By consensus, the Four Great Beiles have voted to respect Nurhaci’s wish and to take over the throne with immediate effect. If there is any objection to this succession arrangement, please let it be made known now.”
Dead silence echoed in the Hall. Then a weak husky voice floated up from the female throng on the right:
“My three sons are on their way back from the battlefield right this moment. My late husband indicated clearly to me that he wants Dorgon to succeed him. I would plead with the Four Great Beiles to delay making any move until my sons have arrived.”
The crowd stirred in a buzzing murmur on hearing this daring affront.
“Lady Abahai, the late Khan had his wishes written down. This cannot be disputed. I have the paper in my hand. In fact, I was about to announce the other important wish of his.”
Daisan paused deliberately to look around him and, detecting no dissent, he continued to speak with a solemn expression: “Our great Khan foresaw the immense pain that his death would inevitably inflict on his beloved Concubine. His last wish is for Lady Abahai to escort him into the realm of ancestors.” Then, turning to the widow, he said: “As for what you just said, the late Khan did state on paper that your three sons would all be appointed to a Private Council to assist the Four New Rulers.”
A loud gasp erupted amongst the mourners. Lady Abahai could no longer keep her calm. She burst into a cataract of tears while muttering her vain protests. On the order of Hong Taiji, who had all this while remained silent, two strong maids went up and hustled the wailing widow out of the Throne Hall.
A chill went down Bumbutai’s spine on witnessing this grim tragedy. She had never imagined that a helpless widow could be subjected to such calculated cruelty for political convenience. The whole event made her shudder with revulsion. What would Dorgon and his brothers do when they heard the news? She bit her lips in anguish. But it was there in writing. So probably no one could argue with that.
That very night, the Four Beiles appeared in Lady Abahai’s bed chambers to carry out their late father’s last wish. It would be prudent to do it before the return of her three sons to Mukden, which was expected the next morning. They knelt before Lady Abahai and pleaded with her to submit to the late Khan’s wish. The thirty-six-year-old widow looked collected and calm, having accepted her fate. She said in a steady voice:
“I was married to the Venerable Khan at the age of twelve. I spent many joyous years in his company and was blessed with his affections and his many favors. It will be my honor to follow him into the land of our ancestors as he wished. Before I do that, I have only one request: I am entrusting into your care my three young children and I beseech you to treat them with kindness. Can I have your word that you will never do them any harm?”
“You have our word. There is nothing more for you to worry about. We beseech you to begin your journey to rejoin our Khan,” answered Daisan.
“I will get dressed properly. Please allow me just one moment.”
A moment later she reappeared from the inner chamber in her glamorous red bridal robe. She sat down at her dressing table to powder her face. Manggultai and Jirgalang crept up from behind and strangled her with a bowstring. Her flailing hands scratched the air madly for a full minute before she went limp.
In a dark corner outside, two strong men were manhandling Nurhaci’s lower-ranked concubine who had helped Hong Taiji to spread the tale of an adulterous affair between Daisan and Lady Abahai. They were putting the noose of a white rope around her neck after telling her that she had been selected to accompany the favorite Concubine.
When dawn broke, three stallions raced at lightening speed towards the Throne Hall. Having dismounted, the three brothers disarmed themselves and brusquely threw on the white mourning garments that were laid out for them at the entrance. They went up to the casket and fell to their knees, breaking into loud wails.
Not seeing their mother among the mourners, Dorgon was the first to raise the unwelcome question: “Where is our mother?” His frantic gaze swept the entire Hall. Daisan stepped forward and told him in a stutter what had happened the previous night. The young Beile almost went berserk. He lunged at Hong Taiji like a raging bull and would have strangled him with his bare hands were he not restrained by Jirgalang and Manggultai. When Dorgon had calmed down a bit, Daisan showed him and his two full brothers Nurhaci’s handwritten will. The three brothers then fell into silence, but could hardly hide their bitter resentment.
Two days later, inside the antechamber, Bumbutai was serving Hong Taiji a dinner of Chinese dishes, which were his favorite. She was pensive the whole evening and didn’t say much. Hong Taiji couldn’t help asking what it was that was bothering her.
“Was it really necessary to waste two human lives, even if it was written in the late Khan’s will?” she blurted out. “The new Rulers could well have granted them a reprieve, if only to show magnanimity. Being a widow, Lady Abahai could hardly be a threat to the Four Rulers.”
To her, it just didn’t make any sense that Nurhaci would want to deliberately deprive his favorite sons of their mother. On the succession issue, though, she was ready to believe the arrangement was indeed his wish.
Not at all used to the slightest reproach, Hong Taiji felt badly stung by this sharp observation. His face instantly creased into a scowl.
“Woman, don’t you ever dare talk to me about Court matters again, unless on my request,” he shouted. “You have to know your place. Consorts who commit such a misdemeanor should be punished by flogging and banished from the Palace.”
Hong Taiji’s anger was so humiliating to Bumbutai that it made her eyes brim with tears. For the first time she saw savagery in his eyes. She knew she had touched a raw nerve but she didn’t regret speaking her mind. It was just plain cowardice to murder a defenseless woman. Seeing the tears, the new Khan’s face relaxed somewhat and, lifting her chin, he changed to a coaxing tone:
“Come now, my sweet Bumbutai. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Please stop crying. You’re making my heart ache!”
“I beg you to forgive me, Venerable Khan. I will observe court rules more carefully. This will never happen again. Please don’t be angry with me,” she pleaded in a meek voice. She lowered her eyes and sobbed. She knew that tears were her shield. She also learned a lesson in man-woman relationships: that a man can become unreasonably hostile if challenged intellectually.
“Rulers have to be obeyed absolutely. All lurking threats of betrayal or disloyalty have to be nipped in the bud,” Hong Taiji continued. “You may be too young to understand these things. Your most important duty is to give unquestioning support to whatever I do and to indulge me with your aff
ections. I could banish you to a retreat house for flouting a court rule. Do you understand me?”
“You are kind to explain all this to me, Venerable Khan. I will obey you and serve you well with all my heart.”
But she still silently questioned the morality of expending two human lives out of the mere suspicion of disloyalty. She had heard about Hong Taiji’s old grudges against Lady Abahai and could understand his need for self-preservation, but she feared that this killing of the mother would sow seeds of hatred in the three sons’ heart, which would only spawn more bitter strife in the Court. Hatred is a destroyer of the human spirit, a poisonous burden to carry on one’s shoulder. She wished so much that Hong Taiji could see he had made a terrible mistake. At this point, though, she was still in the total dark about the story of Nurhaci’s will.
In the ninth lunar month, the enthronement ceremony was held in the Throne Hall. Four dragon seats were placed on a line all facing south on the raised dais. It symbolized an equal ranking of royal prestige for all Four Rulers. Hong Taiji also used this opportunity to mend his relationship with his three half-brothers by putting them on his Private Council and granting them new residences in Mukden. Extending an olive branch to Dorgon, he promoted him to the prestigious position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards as a reward for his military success against the Chakhar and Khalkha Mongols. Out of self-interest though, he appointed his eldest son Hooge, who had much less military merits than Dorgon, to the position of Chief Commander.
In the months that followed, Hong Taiji set his heart on taking Ningyuan and avenging his father’s death. He knew that in order to capture Ningyuan, the first thing he would need to do was to eliminate General Yuan. Aware of the long-term animosity between the Ming eunuchs and General Yuan, he thought it best to leverage that division to his own advantage. Recalling the Sun Tzu stratagem of using spies, he planted his own eyes and ears inside General Yuan’s military camp to gather information. Meanwhile, he drew up a detailed plan to set up a decoy that would rid him of his Han arch-enemy once and for all.