On the third day of March, Jirgalang was escorted to Guangzhou.

Zhu Youlang summoned him immediately, and Hong Chengchou, Hazhan, Dahai and Obai were also summoned.

Because this summons are of great importance, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Chen Jitai, Lin Cha and Ma Jixiang are all accompanying the Qinzheng Hall.

Qu Shixi has been relieved of punishment and has been restored to his position as a Grand Secretary in Dongge.

Of course, Zhu Youlang's male secret Gu Yanwu and female secret Yang Ai will not be absent, and they will all serve you by your side.

"The guilty man Jirhalang pays homage to the Emperor, long live my emperor!"

Jirgalang had removed his crown, python uniform, and dressed in ordinary soldiers' costumes. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed respectfully.

Hong Chengchou, Ha Zhan, and Dahai all followed the rules and performed their manners.

"No gifts, just keep your body flat." Zhu Youlang said lightly.

Jirgalang saluted again, then stood up and retreated aside.

Zhu Youlang looked at Jiergalang carefully and saw that he was in his fifties, his clothes were ordinary, his hair was messy, and his braided tips were white. He looked very haggard when he looked at his face, with swollen eyelids and chapped lips.

Obviously, making the decision to surrender was a huge torment for him.

"Give a seat." Zhu Youlang ordered.

Li Hong moved a brocade stool and placed it in front of Jiergalang. Jiergalang thanked him and sat down with his body.

"Jirgalang, you can recognize the general trend and think about the common people. I am very relieved to lead my troops to surrender. Don't be anxious, history books will give you good reputation for your actions today." Zhu Youlang said warmly.

Jirgalang was a surrendered general, not a prisoner of war, and Zhu Youlang would not sprinkle salt on his wounds.

Jirgalang bent down, his voice was not excited by Zhu Youlang's high praise: "The guilty person dare not be praised by Your Majesty. Today, I am not planning for my own safety, and I am really unwilling to commit more murder. I dare to ask Your Majesty, how should we deal with our surrendered generals and soldiers?"

"After the word "disposal", I will not deal with it, but will be properly placed. If the soldiers are willing to farm on the spot, I will be assigned to the people and allocated land; if those who are willing to return to their hometowns and whose hometown is in the south of the Yangtze River, they can be paid for travel expenses to return to their hometowns and farming. Of course, Manchus cannot return to their hometowns for the time being. In the future, the entire area of ​​Jiangbei is liberated, and they can be returned to their hometowns and settled. As for Aobai, Hazhan, Dahai and others, the same is true for them. If you are willing to continue to lead troops, I will arrange for official positions as officials. In short, follow your personal wishes. As for you, I still have some reliance, so I will accompany you in the court."

"Your Majesty, the placement of soldiers is extremely appropriate, and it is a great emperor's grace. But what if you intend to continue to serve in the army? Can Your Majesty trust them?"

"It's not that I can't trust them. The reason why I don't let them continue to join the army is because our dynasty already has more than 300,000 troops, which is enough. In the future, I will take the elite military route, and it's just that it's so large that it can't be increased. The reason for this is two reasons: one is that the court's financial resources are not allowed; the other is that the world is fighting for a long time, and it is urgent to settle down and recuperate. Years of war have caused a decrease in the population, especially in the Jiangbei area, where nine out of ten houses are empty, there are a lot of unowned land, and a large amount of labor."

"Your Majesty is concerned about the people and has made a lot of plans. Those who are guilty admire it very much. Do you dare to ask Your Majesty if you want to pursue Hong Chengchou's crime?"

Jirgalang didn't hear Zhu Youlang's name just now, and thought he was going to pursue his crime, so he asked.

Zhu Youlang smiled and said, "Jirgalang, I am not the one who breaks my word, how could I pursue Hong Chengchou's crime? Hong Chengchou!"

"The criminal is here!" Hong Chengchou heard the emperor's call and hurriedly came out to kneel down.

Jirgalang called himself a "criminal person", Hazhan and others called themselves "criminal generals", and Hong Chengchou called himself a "criminal minister", which is all of which are of particular importance.

Hong Chengchou called himself a "criminal minister" and put himself in his position as an old minister of the Ming Dynasty.

"Hong Chengchou, as an important official of the Ming Dynasty, I don't blame you for losing your integrity. The country's fate is difficult and it is difficult to ask everyone to die for the country. Besides, after you were captured, you also went on a hunger strike to show your ambition, but you didn't withstand the temptation later. After surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, you offered suggestions to advocate Confucianism and appease the Han people. Although it was essentially a contribution to the rule of the Qing court, it objectively protected the Han people from being massacred, which intentionally or unintentionally did a good thing."

When Hong Chengchou heard Zhu Youlang's evaluation of him, a warm current surged into his heart.

All literati love names - this characteristic cannot be said to be good or bad.

Hong Chengchou's concern is actually that he is afraid of leaving behind a bad reputation in history books in the future.

Zhu Youlang's comments today made him feel relieved.

"You have talent, you can say that you are the few handsome mentors today, and this is the best; but you don't cultivate yourself and your character, and you don't develop a righteous spirit like Sun Chengzong, Shi Kefa, etc., which is the shortcoming. I can say that if you don't surrender to me now, don't say that the Han history books will leave you a crooked reputation a hundred years later. Even if the Qing people study history, they will list you as a 'traitor'. Do you understand?"

"The criminal understands."

Hong Chengchou is extremely smart, so of course he understands what this means.

He surrendered to the Qing Dynasty because it was beneficial to the Qing Dynasty at that time. If the Qing Dynasty ruled firmly, he would vigorously promote loyal ministers and filial sons. In order to alert future generations, he would definitely criticize him without hesitation.

In fact, in the original history, Emperor Qianlong did list Hong Chengchou as a "traitor" when he was reciting the history of the Ming Dynasty.

"I have always adhered to the principle of 'punishing past mistakes and preventing future generations, curing diseases and saving people', and wash away the stains on my own. Just like Li Chengdong, the creator of the "Three Massacres of Jiading", also participated in the "Ten Days of Yangzhou". Now it is my right-hand army marshal. There is also Li Dingguo who once attacked Hengzhou, but I was also captured because of this. Now it is my left-hand army marshal. The two of them will leave a good reputation in history books."

"I have appointed you as the Minister of War. I hope you can use your strengths to create achievements and clear the stigma of losing your integrity and surrendering the enemy."

"I... I am ashamed of myself. Your Majesty is remembered in my heart. I will definitely change my heart and make contributions again." Hong Chengchou was moved and burst into tears.

Yes, not only did he not be sentenced to death, but he also provided him with an opportunity to rectify his name. This was an unexpected surprise. How could he not move him very much?

"Jirgalang, what are the questions?" Zhu Youlang turned to Jirgalang and asked.

"Your Majesty, can you ask if you can keep your braids?" Jirgalang asked.

Zhu Youlang was stunned.

He really never thought about this question.

He knew that for Manchus, cutting off their braids was like killing them.

Should they force them to cut off their braids or follow their national customs?

This question seems simple, but it is not simple, and involves many political issues.

Failure to comply with their ethnic customs is inconsistent with the policy of preferential treatment of ethnic minorities advocated by Zhu Youlang.

It seems that it is not appropriate to obey. After all, the Manchus have established a dynasty. Over time, will they think about their homeland and develop a rebellion?
Chapter completed!