Folk research shows that rather than saying that Hong Chengchou was defeated by Xiaozhuang, it is better to say that he was awakened by Xiaozhuang's tenderness.

There is a Chinese saying that is taboo for the venerable, and a famous saying in the West is that "history is written by the victors."

First of all, the affairs of Xiaozhuang (still the concubine of Zhuang at that time) and Hong Chengchou will not be recorded in the Ming and Qing histories.

Hong Chengchou was captured and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in 1642, and the Ming Dynasty perished in 1644. The Ming Dynasty perished so quickly, it is impossible to obtain first-hand information, not to mention the rumors that Xiaozhuang Zhi surrendered to Hong Chengchou. In the secret room, it was impossible for the historians of the Ming Dynasty to know.

Secondly, the person who compiled the history of the Ming Dynasty was Zhang Tingyu. Zhang Tingyu was the only minister among the Han people who was entitled to the treatment of the Imperial Ancestral Temple. He was more loyal to the Qing Dynasty than the Eight Banners. How could he record the secret history of Hong Chengchou and Xiaozhuang? It must be taboo for the venerable.

Xiaozhuang is the mother of the country. Xiaozhuang really has such a past with Hong Chengchou, Zhang Tingyu would not dare to write about it, unless Zhang Tingyu is tired of living and wants to have the nine tribes exterminated.

Besides, Xiaozhuang Zhi’s surrender to Hong Chengchou happened in a secret room. No third party except her husband Huang Taiji knew about it.

Even if the early bannermen did not pay much attention to the feudal ethics of men and women, it was still a dishonorable thing. Xiaozhuang would not tell anyone, even his best friends.

As the king of a country, Huang Taiji also has to consider his own prestige and influence, let alone tell others about it.

It cannot be ruled out that Hong Chengchou himself had the original motive of publicizing this matter. After all, it is a supreme honor to be close to the mother of the country, and to show off oneself in private situations in front of close friends. However, even though he was favored by the Qing court and accompanied the emperor like a tiger, Hong Chengchou did not have the courage to do so.

Unless Hong Chengchou fell out of favor, felt abandoned by his master, and wanted to be cooked, he might be desperate and complain to Xiaozhuang, saying, "Why don't you think about our feelings?" Are you going to push me to a dead end?

So is this possible?

Judging from Huang Taiji’s work style, he most likely wouldn’t mind.

The Qing Dynasty has a tradition of using women as political tools, which began in the Nurhaci era.

Nurhaci had eight daughters in his lifetime, all of whom were used for political marriages.

The eldest daughter, Princess Gu Lun, married He Heli, the leader of the Dong'e tribe, and her husband was only two years younger than her father, Nurhachi.

When the fourth daughter Mukush was 14 years old, her father married her to the tribal leader Buzantai. And later, when Buzhantai fell out and couldn't come to an agreement with Nurhachi, Nurhachi actually asked for the return of the money and married his daughter to another leader Turge.

Some people say that the banner people can integrate with the Mongols, but nothing can happen with the Han people, because they look down on the Han people.

Wrong, Manchus and Han people could not intermarry. That was when the Qing army was firmly in control of the world. When they were conquering the country, they would use whatever means they had and could not care about so many things.

Wu Yingxiong, the son of Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong in the late Ming Dynasty and the king of Pingxi in the early Qing Dynasty, married the biological daughter of Huang Taiji, the 14th daughter of Princess Jianning.

Huang Taiji’s ultimate goal is to conquer the Central Plains. In order to achieve his political goals, he is willing to pay any price. Isn’t it just a daughter, which is not a scarce resource.

What's more, if there were not so many Han officials who worked hard to assist, it would be impossible for the Qing army to take over the Central Plains.

Huang Taiji is willing, but he still needs Xiaozhuang to agree. Will Xiaozhuang agree to sacrifice himself?

The answer is still yes.

Xiaozhuang is not only a politician, but also a politician with strategic vision and extraordinary actions.

It was precisely because of his closeness to her that Dorgon obeyed her and allowed the power of the Qing Dynasty to be smoothly transferred to Shunzhi.

When Huang Taiji died, Shunzhi was only 5 years old. If Xiaozhuang did not have the skills to control, how could the rebellious Dorgon be willing to be manipulated by others.

Okay, the problem of motivation has been solved. Although Huang Taiji and Xiaozhuang both agreed, it still depends on the intention of the person involved, Hong Chengchou. To be honest, Hong Chengchou, the protagonist, did not choose to cooperate, at least in the early stage.

Hong Chengchou was a Jinshi in the forty-fourth year of Wanli (1616), and he was also a very outstanding military strategist. In October of the 12th year of Chongzhen (1639), Hong Chengchou led his troops to attack Li Zicheng into Shangluo Mountain. With only eighteen riders left, we almost put down the "banditry" once and for all.

Therefore, Chongzhen valued him very much, gave him the highest power, and appointed him as Minister of War and Governor of Jiliao.

Every time Hong Chengchou met Chongzhen, Chongzhen would greet him, give him a banquet in person, and praise him full of praise.

Just when Li Zicheng was about to be wiped out here, the Qing army launched another offensive over there. Hong Chengchou was ordered to block Yanyan in 1640. In 1642, Hong Chengchou defeated Songjin and became a prisoner.

A scholar will die for his confidant. When Hong Chengchou first started, he was not ready to betray his boss Chongzhen at all, and his performance was very unyielding.

After Hong Chengchou was captured, Huang Taiji treated him as a distinguished guest and asked the palace ethnic song and dance troupe to perform theatrical performances, play emotional cards, and let ministers take turns to persuade him to surrender. Hong Chengchou was unmoved and went on a hunger strike for several days.

"I ordered all the civil servants to advise me, but Hong did not respond, so I treated him generously. The reward was useless, so Chen Baixi congratulated him."

Hong Chengchou was unyielding and regarded death as home, and had no intention of returning alive. This news was brought to the capital, so much so that Chongzhen thought that Hong Chengchou had chosen to die for his country, so he held a grand memorial service for him and called on officials and people across the country to learn from him.

But even so, Huang Taiji did not retreat despite the difficulties. He must capture this fortress at all costs because Hong Chengchou was too heavy.

"It's like a blind person who gets a lead, and he's not happy."

When Guizhou Donkey was at the end of his rope, he thought of the honey trap. This is a clever trick that has been tried repeatedly in Chinese history. .

The hero has a hard time with the beauty test. No matter he is a passionate man or a murderous demon, he cannot pass the test of the opposite sex.

If faced with a butcher's knife, many men will die generously, but when faced with a tender woman, even steel will be softened.

Xiaozhuang represents not only female beauty, but also a symbol of love and a hope for life, arousing Hong Chengchou's attachment to life and longing for his relatives.

In the gentle countryside of Xiaozhuang, he thought of his wives, concubines and sons; the tenderness of Xiaozhuang may also remind him of the glory of maternal love.

It wasn't Hong Chengchou's flirtatious charm, but Xiaozhuang's tenderness and sweetness that restored his humanity to a warrior who had been killing for many years.

The ants are still greedy for life, and the only option is death. So when Hong Chengchou, a man who would rather die than surrender, raised his head from Xiaozhuang's arms, his bones had been softened, and he lowered his proud head to Huang Taiji.

It must be pointed out that the theory that Xiaozhuang induced Hong Chengchou to surrender actually comes from unofficial history and has no basis. In history, the real reason for Hong Chengchou's surrender was not only the repeated persuasion of many Han officials but also Fan Wencheng's ingenious observation. , Huang Taiji's personal kindness (giving minks to keep out the cold) and other reasons. Of course, the most important thing is that Hong Chengchou took the initiative to recognize the relationship between the situation.

Is it wrong for Hong Chengchou to do this? Opinions vary.

Some people say that when you work in a company, the boss has a problem with his business ideas and is about to go bankrupt. The boss may jump off the building. Will you follow suit?

Some people say that since you are an official of the Ming Dynasty, no matter what the emperor's talents and character are, you should not be a traitor.

Huang Daozhou, a writer in the late Ming Dynasty, commented:

"Historical writings are famous, although they have not become famous, they will eventually be punished; great kindness, if they cannot serve the country, they will become enemies."

"Chengchou has a long-standing reputation, and his faults in his life are rarely seen. Once he betrays, it will be unexpected. If we abandon the nation-state, It seems to be human nature to make judgments based on concepts. However, in the era of autocratic monarchy, it is inevitable to leave the ministers with shame. "