Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Zhao Xinyan's heart moved, he felt as if he had heard of it somewhere, so he asked someone to find Liu Daguan's resume.After reading the resume, he remembered that when Yuan Mei came to Beihai Town last year, he had mentioned this person to himself.

Liu Daguan, courtesy name Zhengfu, was born in Qiu County, Linqing Prefecture, Shandong Province.In the 42nd year of Qianlong's reign, he was recommended by Xuezheng, and entered the Guozijian in Beijing as a Bakong student. The next year, he got a second-class test in the imperial examination, and was then sent to Guangxi to try out as a county magistrate.This person has worked in Guangxi for ten years, including Guilin, Liuzhou, and Pingle in the east, and Zhen'an in the west. At the peak, he was in charge of the seal of the prefect of Zhen'an.When he was an official, his official voice was very good, he was neither corrupt nor corrupt, and he was brave enough to do things.

After so many years in the eighteenth century, Zhao Xin knew quite a lot about imperial examinations.He knew that in addition to the "regular tribute" donated with money, other tributes such as Engong, Bagong, Fugong, and Suigong were all considered to be born in the imperial examination, and their achievements were equivalent to the vice-bang list.For example, Bagong is a student with excellent writing and conduct selected by the provincial education and government, and the selection is only once every 12 years.If we use the situation of future generations as a metaphor, it is similar to 985 special enrollment.

Bagong students had to take part in imperial examinations, and the first-class candidates were appointed as the seventh-rank Beijing officials, the second-class officials were assigned as county magistrates, and the third-class officials were appointed as teachers.As for those who are unqualified, they can only go back and forth, which is called "abandoned tribute".

Scholars can rise all the way to become an official, and if they go well, they can eventually become a big official in the frontiers, and the minister of military affairs is no problem; and because Bagong students only have the honor of raising people, they can only go around in the ranks of six or seven ranks in the grassroots for the rest of their lives.Of course, if you still want to go up, it is not impossible. In addition to having a better official reputation, you have to pay for "additional donations", and at most you can only achieve the fourth-rank Daotai.Like Zuo Zongtang of the later generation, it is a special case in troubled times to be able to become a feudal official with the fame of raising people, and even go straight to the central government.

In the 54th year of Qianlong, Liu Daguan's stepmother died and Ding You returned home.After the funeral, Liu Daguan went on a trip and made a special trip to visit Xiaocangshan Suiyuan.Because he was very close to Yuan Mei's good friends Li Songpu and Li Shaohe, both of whom were officials in Guangxi, so they had a very happy chat.

Zhao Xin considered that He Xiwen and his subordinates were all more than brave, but not literary enough; once the Beihai Navy entered Guangxi, with the rapid collapse of the Qing government, it became a top priority to control chaos and maintain stability. People from local government affairs and people's conditions assisted.

You must know that although the Yongzheng era has carried out drastic reforms to the southwestern regions, there are still many chieftains in the southern part of Guangxi.These people certainly obeyed orders when the Manchu Qing regime was strong, but with the collapse of the old regime, the local officials will definitely do things.

Liu Daguan has been an official in Guangxi for many years, and all of them are county magistrate-level officials who are close to the people. He should be very familiar with subordinate officials and people's livelihood.Thinking of this, Zhao Xin decided to meet him.

In the morning of the next day, Liu Daguan, who had been staying in the backyard of the Kaiyuan County Government Office, followed a staff officer from the headquarters to the living room in Xuanzhen Temple.After waiting for a while, he heard a low "salute" from the guard outside the door, and then Zhao Xin strode in.

Because I was told in advance that Beihai Town did not have the custom of kneeling when seeing officials, and the staff officer who brought him did not say who wanted to see him, so Liu Daguan just stood up and bowed to Zhao Xin, saying: "Qiu, Linqing Prefecture Liu Zhengfu, a county student, pay my respects to the general!"

Yo?Seeing that he was neither humble nor arrogant, Zhao Xin thought it was interesting, but he didn't mention the county magistrate status given by Man Qing, only his fame.He smiled and said: "Mr. Liu, hello. I invite you to come here today. I have something to ask. Please sit down."

"Don't know the surname of General Gao?"

"My surname is Wang, and I'm currently in charge of logistical matters." Zhao Xin didn't plan to reveal his identity, and he was worried that if he said it, he would scare the other party, and he wouldn't be able to talk later.

"Mr. Liu, I have read the resume you wrote before. Last year, Mr. Yuan Zicai came to Beihai Town as a guest. I had the honor to chat with him a few times. He also mentioned you, which is very appreciated."

Zhao Xin's tone was very flat, but in Liu Daguan's mind, it sounded like Huang Zhong Dalu, which shocked his brain.He never imagined that Yuan Zicai had an affair with Beihai Town!It's no wonder that this person is called "Tongtian Old Fox", and his hiding is really deep enough.

Yuan Mei had a good impression of Liu Daguan. When he recommended it to Zhao Xin, he compared the Tianbao County he had governed to a paradise: "There are three autumns in the year, and there is no prisoner. One or two papers are received every month. The official Chen came to listen to the service, and returned to farming in the afternoon. There are no beggars, advocates, or thieves in the county, and I don’t know that there are scorpions (gambling), sea vegetables, silk and satin, etc. The maintenance is eight hundred gold, and the annual salary, rice, chicken, and dolphin , all the elders and children carry it on their backs. Yangko dances are happening everywhere under the moon, so you know that the scenery of Taoyuan is still in the world."

To be honest, Zhao Xin disapproved of the few people recommended by Yuan Mei.Those who can talk about friendship with this old man are generally good at writing poems, and political ability is purely incidental.Besides, the so-called "Xanadu" in these days is nothing more than a remote location and a backward economy, otherwise the common people would not even know about gambling and silk.

Seeing the surprise on the opponent's face unconsciously, Zhao Xin smiled slightly, and then threw another bomb, completely shocking Liu Daguan. "The one who went to Beihai Town with Layman Cangshan, and Mr. Oubei. Must Mr. Liu have heard of it?"

How could Liu Daguan not know Zhao Yi, that is his role model as an official and even in life.The latter had been the magistrate in Zhen'an, Guangxi for two years, but he was more than ten years earlier than him.When he first came to Tianbao County in Zhen'an Prefecture, the local people still missed Zhao Yi.

It is said that Zhao Yi originally planned to wait for the end of the border negotiations between Beihai Town and Li Dynasty before leaving, but who knew that he would wait until the beginning of winter before returning.If Yuan Mei hadn't gone back early to say hello to Yangzhou Anding Academy, the whole academy would have thought something had happened to him.

Afterwards, Zhao Xin asked about Liu Daguan's tenure in Guangxi. The latter heard this, and immediately started talking about it.During the conversation, Zhao Xin asked many times about the situation of Nanning Mansion, Sien Mansion, and Zhen'an Mansion. Liu Daguan was only familiar with Zhen'an Mansion in western Guangxi, and the other mansions picked up what he knew.

The two of them were talking and it was past noon, and Liu Daguan was also hungry, and his stomach groaned unsatisfactorily.Zhao Xin was a little embarrassed, and quickly ordered to prepare the meal.The guards outside had been waiting for a long time, and hurriedly brought up four dishes and one soup.Liu Daguan took a look, two meat and two vegetables, the dishes were very common, except for a tomato and egg soup that he did not recognize.

"General Wang, please forgive Liu's ignorance. What is this?" Liu Daguan took a sip with a spoon and found it delicious.

"Tomato, tomato." Seeing that the other party still didn't understand, Zhao Xin thought for a while and said, "Have you heard of Tomato?"

"Oh, I seem to have seen it in some book."

The history of Chinese eating tomatoes is actually not long. Although they were introduced and cultivated in the Tianqi Year of the Ming Dynasty, they have always been ornamental plants, and they were not eaten until the end of the Qing Dynasty in another time and space.Moreover, the ornamental tomatoes planted in this year are simply incomparable with the plump ones in later generations.The tomatoes eaten in Beihai Town were seeds brought by Zhao Xin from another time and space; as for the troops, they were all homemade canned food.

During the dinner, Zhao Xin suddenly remembered something, and when Liu Daguan was almost finished eating, he asked curiously: "Mr. Liu, I heard that the candidates for officials in the capital now regard going outside the pass as a dangerous place, and no one is willing to come. Why do you want to come?" Dare to come to Kaiyuan to take office?"

Liu Daguan couldn't help being taken aback. He put down the bowl and chopsticks, was silent for a moment, and sighed: "I'm not afraid of General Wang's jokes. Liu came here to take up the post. He originally planned to find a chance to join Zhao Wang. Who would have thought that you would open up like a raging fire, and you would not By the time I find an opportunity to contact you, you will already be at the gates of the city."

Now it was Zhao Xin's turn to be stunned. After some questioning, he finally understood what was going on.

Didn't it say that Liu Daguan and Ding You traveled abroad during the period?It was also this trip to Jiangsu and Zhejiang that allowed him to see that under the cloak of prosperity advocated by the Qing Dynasty, there was a picture of blood and tears, hiding a crisis that was difficult to save.

Yangzhou was originally a place where rich merchants gathered, but in the face of the critical moment when the mansion of the Qing Dynasty was about to collapse, salt merchants and officials still valued extravagance and competed for extravagance. Weddings and funerals, hall meals, clothes and horses, spent a lot of money at every turn. a few millions.They squander money, spend a lot of money, manage gardens and kitchens, preach singing and dancing, seek pleasure, and live and dream.Whether it is an official or a subordinate staff, they have lost their sense of shame, they only pursue profit, they extort money from the common people, and exploit them layer by layer.It can be said that human desires are flowing, and the eyes are full of filth.What he saw and heard along the way made him fall into contemplation that he couldn't extricate himself from.

After Liu Daguan arrived in Yangzhou, he first went to Anding Academy to visit Zhao Yi and expressed his confusion.At that time, Zhao Yi was very moved when he heard it, and even showed him his poems over the years.After Liu Da watched it, he realized that the other party was also in confusion and hesitation, even more serious than himself.It's just that after some painful reflection, Zhao Yi has given up the idea of ​​becoming an official, and regards articles as "a great cause of governing the country and an immortal event", using literature to nourish himself, use literature to supplement the world, and use literature to resonate the world, instead of I wish to be in fame, fortune and wealth again, and go with the flow.

However, Liu Daguan was not Zhao Yi, who was already in his 60s. He was not yet [-] at the time, so he couldn't just go back to his hometown and live in seclusion, right? "Zuo Zhuan" talks about "Three Establishments" - Li De, Li Gong, and Li Yan. His full of ambitions have not yet been realized!

As a scholar in the feudal era, Liu Daguan was influenced by traditional Confucianism since he was a child. In the choice of life path, it is impossible to surpass the requirements of the general ethics of self-cultivation, family harmony, state governance, and peace of the world.However, the imperial court is so bad, what can he do as a low-level official who was born in Bagong?
When he learned that Wang Zhong, Liu Taigong, Hong Liangji, Jiang Fan and others had fled with their families and gone to Beihai Town, the shock in his heart was beyond words.Because he has been an official in Guangxi for a long time, he doesn't know much about Beihai Town.He couldn't figure out why these people who he had looked up to had defected to the bandits called "monsters" by the court to rebel.

However, as he learned more and more things about Beihai Town from the folks and literati in the south of the Yangtze River, especially the rumors that millions of victims of the disaster were taken away in the 50th, 52nd and 56th years of Qianlong, his thoughts also had potential changes. The change.

In the history of another time and space, during the period of Liu Daguan and Ding You, his father also passed away, so he did not become an official until the winter of Qianlong 59.However, in this time and space, because those businessmen who went to Anping Port for trade introduced the anti-inflammatory drugs produced in Beihai Town to the coastal provinces for private sale, Liu Daguan's father, who had a lung infection, finally escaped. Fully recovered.

So he went to Beijing the winter of the previous year and learned from his fellow countrymen who were officials in Beijing that the county magistrate of Kaiyuan would be the soonest to take office, so he moved his mind.The hall official of the Ministry of Officials was worried at first, seeing that someone dared to go, the next day after the interview, he went through all the procedures that he should leave.

When the "certificate"—that is, the letter of appointment from the imperial court came out, some acquaintances advised him not to take up the post outside the customs, but Liu Daguan was very stubborn, and it was useless to let others wear his mouth.At the farewell banquet before leaving Beijing, several friends saw him off with tears, thinking that his departure would be bad or good.

Looking at it now, if he had known that both Yuan Mei and Zhao Yi were related to Beihai Town, why bother?The moment when the Beihai Navy fired artillery to wash the city wall, it scared him a lot.At that time, he was pretending to command and defend the city on the north city wall. If he ran slower, he would confess directly.

After listening to Liu Daguan's self-analysis, Zhao Xin couldn't help but look at him with admiration.

You must know that in such an environment like the end of the world, it is indeed very rare to be able to be independent, keep a clear mind, and even make a resolute choice.In this person's conversation, there is neither the "wow and spit" hypocritical words of "Yu Linglian" Chen Zhongzi, nor the lofty attitude of Boyi and Shuqi Kunzhong who "do not eat Zhou millet", which is really rare .However, as an insurance policy, until Liu Daguan left, Zhao Xin didn't say anything about the recruitment, but only said that he would report to his superiors and let him go back and wait for a few days to find out.

Afterwards, Zhao Xin asked his staff to send a telegram to Wang Changsheng, asking the intelligence bureau to investigate Liu Daguan through the intelligence stations in Beijing, Yangzhou, and Jiangning to see if it was as he said. It was a background check.If there is no problem, let the subordinates talk to him again, and go to the administrative school in Beihai Town for a two-month training course before going to Guangxi.In addition, he had to pick some of those who took part in the imperial examination last year to go with him.

For the next few days, Zhao Xin devoted his energy to the progress of the battle.Just when the Qing army in Shengjing was cut off from retreat and was about to be surrounded on three sides, the battle of the Northern Navy at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula finally started.

At dawn on July 7, the North Navy fleet that sailed from Mokuowei and stopped at Anping Port mobilized four motor sailing gunboats to bombard the Manchu Qing water village in Lushunkou.In an instant, the sky collapsed and the earth trembled.The dense shells swarmed towards the pier and the barracks on the shore with a frightening roar.For a while, there were repeated explosions inside and outside Lushun Water Camp, ships and houses were destroyed, and the forts of the Qing army were all ablaze, and the vegetation was burning.

On the same night, the North Navy on the Jiaodong side dispatched a regiment of troops, crossed the Longevity River in the east of Laizhou Prefecture, and approached Yexian County, the seat of Laizhou Prefecture.In the south, another regiment crossed the Baisha River at the southern foot of Daze Mountain, and went straight to Pingduzhou City.

In the face of the North Navy's full-scale attack on Laizhou Prefecture, Liu Yong, who had been staying in Jinan, finally couldn't sit still. When he sent an emergency report to the capital again, he brought more than 3 troops recruited from various places in the west of Shandong. Green battalion and regiment training came to Qingzhou mansion day and night.

He knew very well that once the army in his hand was defeated, the whole Shandong would be completely over!
[-]. For Yuan Mei's evaluation of Liu Daguan, see "Suiyuan Shihua. Addendum. Volume [-]", the first article is.[-]. The allusion of Chen Zhongzi comes from "Mencius. Under Teng Wengong".Chen Zhongzi was a native of Qi State in the Spring and Autumn Period. His older brother was Prime Minister of Qi. Zhongzi thought his older brother was doing something unrighteous, so he left home with his wife and lived in Yuling. He asked his wife to weave linen in exchange for food and clothing.Later, when he went back to visit his mother, he accidentally ate a goose given to his brother by someone else, and when he found out, he vomited.Some people in later generations used this incident to say that Chen Zhongzi had a noble character.However, Mencius ridiculed this: "I don't eat what my mother gives me, but I eat what my wife gives me; if I don't live in my brother's house to be filial to my mother, but go to live in Yuling, can this be regarded as a noble character? At best, it's an earthworm." .”