Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 412: Qianlong's Southern Tour, Revealing His Heartfelt Thoughts

In 1777, on the eighth day of the tenth lunar month, it was a bitterly cold day.

Hundreds of officials knelt along the streets to see the emperor off from the capital!
Qianlong opened the curtain of the sedan chair with mixed feelings.

This time he took away nearly half of the court officials and 3 Manchu and Mongolian officers and soldiers.

The failure of the Jiangbei Campaign left a huge shadow in his heart, which was not as light as it seemed on the surface.
only,
He must be confident!
If the emperor panics, his ministers will be even more panicked.

Once panic spreads, it is more terrifying than an epidemic.

Confidence is more precious than gold.

It takes hundreds of years to cultivate, but only a few months to destroy.

……

The elderly Yu Minzhong stayed in the Grand Council to assist Prince Jia Yongyan in taking charge of all affairs in the capital, and providing food and wages for the imperial carriage was the top priority.

A huge army set out from Tongzhou, advancing both by land and sea, with flags flying and military formations in place.

Many people along the way watched and praised the performance.

Before you know it,
Many people felt that the South's defeat was a minor matter.

The great Qing Dynasty conquered all the neighboring small countries and suppressed countless banditry and rebellions.

For unknown reasons, the confidence of the officials and people of Zhili rose again.

On this trip,

The scale and momentum of the imperial tour only increased. Compared with the previous three southern tours, the biggest difference was the destination.

Don't go to Jiangnan,

Go to Henan~
Qianlong could no longer sit still in the Forbidden City. He wanted to get closer to the front line to find out what Wu’s army looked like, but things were always blurry when he looked through the memorials.

Can't see clearly!
……

Inside the boat,
"Heshen, do you think Jiangxi can be defended?"

"Can't hold on."

"What about Guangdong?"

"Can't hold on."

Qianlong was somewhat displeased. He paused in his review of the memorials, turned his head and stared at this beloved servant, and asked again:
"What about Huguang?"

"Your Majesty, we still can't keep it."

Snapped,
Qianlong threw the memorial at Heshen's face, leaving a red mark.

He Shen knelt on his knees, silent and solemn~
"You~"

"I know my master doesn't like it, but I have set a principle for myself since I became an official in the court: I must tell the truth to my master in everything. Even if my master doesn't like it."

……

Seeing his loyal and honest appearance, Qianlong was not so angry anymore.

After a long time,

Qianlong sighed and picked up the memorial on the ground:

"Tell me, what should the court do now?"

He Shen seized the opportunity and whispered:
“It’s time to reflect.”

"Reflect on what?"

"Reflect on why we cannot defeat the Wu bandits. The Wu bandits have guns and cannons, and so do our Qing officers and soldiers. The Wu bandits have money and food, and so do our Qing."

Seeing Qianlong in deep thought, Heshen continued:

"Even though Wu thieves have learned Western technology and their guns and cannons are more powerful, in every battle, the government army has several or even ten times more troops than Wu thieves. Three matchlocks against one flintlock, three spears against one bayonet, how can they lose? I really don't understand."

……

Qianlong was also thinking about it.
I slowly stood up and looked at the scenery along the Grand Canal.

He said with his hands behind his back:
"I can answer your question."

"As the ancients said, civil officials do not love money, and military officials do not value their lives. But our Qing Dynasty has been established for more than a hundred years, and there has been peace for a long time. A large number of officials have forgotten their duties. Civil officials only want to make money, and military officials dare not go to the battlefield to fight. If people are not united, what is the use of having more soldiers?"

Qianlong wanted to use the example of "Our dynasty entered the Pass with hundreds of thousands of people and conquered 100 million people".
Suddenly I felt it was very unlucky, so I stopped talking immediately.

He Shen continued to ask sincerely:
"I have another question. We have pacified the Dzungar Khanate, conquered Jinchuan, conquered Burma, and pacified the two Khoja brothers. The imperial court was unstoppable. Civil officials prepared military pay and military officials fought one after another. There was no decline as the emperor said."

"I have overstepped my bounds, and I shall be punished by death."

……

Qianlong turned around and looked at this most pleasing servant.

A sense of relief,
Said in a low voice:

"Heshen, I will only talk to you about some things. It is absolutely impossible to change someone else."

"I have been in this position for more than 40 years and have some experience in governing a country. The Qing Dynasty is too big. What do we rely on to maintain such a huge empire?"

"Soldiers and money."

"Yes, you said it very well." Qianlong continued, "The regular soldiers of our Qing Dynasty have long been unable to withstand fierce battles. During the time of Emperor Shengzu, the bannermen were sinicized. They fell off their horses, dropped arrows when shooting arrows, carried bird cages, and ate, drank, and had fun."

"I have been committed to changing this situation since I ascended the throne. It is impossible to change it completely, I can only change part of it."

He Shen shook his head:
"I am stupid and don't understand."

"It's normal that you don't understand. I'm afraid that among the 300 million people of the Qing Dynasty, no one understands my painstaking efforts." Qianlong seemed quite emotional today, "Part of the changes I mentioned is to maintain a small number of elite troops and a small number of Eight Banners nobles."

"For example, Solon, the Eight Banners of Heilongjiang, and the Eight Banners of the Northwest Garrison. I have been trying to protect them from corruption throughout my life, so that they will not see the world of pleasure, but will be content with poverty and maintain their wild nature."

"I also opened the Imperial Clan School, the Juelu School, and the Official School, which admitted the children of the Eight Banners for free, and taught them both literature and martial arts. In the end, there were always a few who became useful, such as Zhaohui, Fuheng, and you, Heshen~"

"With a small group of people at the front, my Qing Dynasty will be able to maintain peace forever."

……

Qianlong continued:

"In every battle, I lead with elite troops, followed by qualified troops, assisted by superior artillery, and with clear rewards and punishments, I am always victorious."

He Shen stood in awe.

Said in a low voice:

"The emperor's rewards and punishments are clear, which makes the ministers in the world respect and admire him."

"Hmph, from now on, I will reward those who have made contributions, even if they are insignificant officials. Those who have committed crimes must be punished, even if they are members of the royal family. They can be greedy, and I can pretend not to know. But if they make me miss the task, I will kill them and make them pay back with interest."

The cabin was silent.

Qianlong also felt that he had said too much today.

However, Heshen, this servant, was indeed good at talking and was closer to him than his own son.

……

suddenly,

Qianlong's eyes flashed with coldness, and he ordered loudly:
"Pen and ink are at your service."

The chief eunuch Qin Si immediately slipped in, spread out the rice paper and ground the ink.

Qianlong wrote it in one stroke:

4 Ways to Suppress Bandits

Rewards and punishments are clear, and food and wages are sufficient.

Build a new army and disband the old army.

They made a lot of guns and cannons and imitated other weapons.

If a city is lost, we must pursue it. We must defend first and then attack.

After reading it, Heshen immediately knelt down and kowtowed devoutly.

"With the emperor's method, our Qing Dynasty will surely win."

Qin Si also knelt down hurriedly and shouted in a hoarse voice, "The Qing Dynasty will win."

The guards on the deck had no idea what was happening.

Since both the Lord and Eunuch Qin are shouting the same thing, I will follow suit and shout “The Qing Dynasty will surely win.” I will definitely not go wrong.

At last,
The entire fleet shouted "The Qing Dynasty will win."

The shouts that resounded through the sky made Qianlong very happy, and the gloom in his heart was much dispelled.

……

That day,

After the four methods of suppressing bandits written by Qianlong were polished by the military officials who accompanied him to the emperor, he issued an imperial edict.

All governors and governors-general will receive it and need to understand it carefully and ponder it in detail.

Then give me some feedback~
Heshen also felt relieved. He had finally achieved his goal in a roundabout way - to make the stubborn and sensitive Emperor Qianlong accept military reforms.

To imitate weapons and techniques actually means to imitate and build European military weapons and adopt new European army methods.

But Europe is too far away, where can I learn?
Of course we learn from the traitor Wu. Whatever the traitor Wu does, our Qing Dynasty will do the same.

But it doesn't sound good to say it out loud, so it must be called the "New European Military System."

Some of the Green Camp soldiers must be laid off and replaced by new troops.

It's better to paint on white paper.

Then, when the new army is complete, they will slowly replace all the Green Camp soldiers.

Be mature and plan for the country!

……

Eight Manchu and Han officials from the Mobile Military Affairs Council worked all night to come up with a detailed explanation of more than 8 words.

Qianlong was surprised when he saw it.
"Heshen, I said so much yesterday? I don't even remember it."

"Your Majesty's words are profound and profound, just like the words of a saint. Our officials have carefully considered them, but I am afraid there are still omissions."

Qianlong was in a good mood today, so he glanced at it:
"Okay, okay, let's send it like this." "Yeah."

Heshen felt relieved, but was afraid that Qianlong would regret it after seeing it carefully, so he sent it immediately!

I'm worried about the future of the Qing Dynasty, sir.

……

It was difficult to do things in the Qing Dynasty.

You have to pay attention to the method and technique, the timing, and also be careful not to get yourself burned.

The two brothers Heshen and Helin talked in the secret room of the mansion for five hours and came up with a detailed plan, which after a series of dazzling operations became the emperor's plan.

among them,

There are many regulations, and the governors of various provinces would probably be shocked when they read them.

For example:

Build more bastions and more battle bunkers.

Don't waste money on strengthening your city walls.

If such words that "boost others' morale and suppress one's own prestige" did not come from an imperial edict, the governors and censors would have criticized them to death.

……

Shandong Governor Guotai led more than a hundred civil and military officials to welcome the emperor at Dezhou Wharf.

The king and his ministers played against each other.
Qianlong suddenly said:
"Guotai, have you ever heard of negotiating the crime silver?"

The short and fat Guotai was startled and immediately replied:

"I was just about to apologize to the emperor for my poor handling of the Weishan Lake dispute."

"What is Weishan Lake?"

"This is a large lake on the border between Shandong and Jiangsu. When the flood receded, many unowned fertile lands appeared on the shore, and the people scrambled for them, with hundreds of people fighting with weapons."

"Then how did you deal with it?"

"Hundreds of unruly people from Pi County, Xuzhou Prefecture, took away the fertile land by the lake with weapons. But the people of Yanzhou are not pushovers. Last month, they gathered 2000 people and took it back. I failed to mediate. I have selfish motives and want to protect the people of my province. I voluntarily pay 10 taels of silver as a punishment for my crime."

Qianlong received the report from Yanzhou Prefecture on this matter.

My thoughts were obviously led astray, and I was puzzled as to why the fight between the people of the two places was so fierce?

……

Cathay Pacific disembarked happily. This system of negotiating criminal silver is really good.

The guilty ones shall atone for their sins, the innocent ones shall be saved in advance.

If the Pope came to the East, he would certainly sigh that the "silver for sins" was so advanced that it was at least a hundred years ahead of the "indulgences".

Although indulgences are good, they are not elegant enough, and only "sinners" are willing to pay.

The "crime silver" is different.

The audience is wider, and you can also make friends with innocent good people.

Even if you are a good person today, there is no guarantee that you will still be a good person tomorrow.

In addition, indulgences had to be printed on paper.

The cost of negotiating the crime was even omitted.

……

I guess it will happen when the imperial carriage arrives in Henan.

Just the amount of silver collected for criminal offenses alone could reach over one million taels, and everyone along the way was very enthusiastic in paying it.

Qianlong met with local gentry as usual.

First, they made demands, such as increasing food and salary. Second, they offered sweeteners, such as granting the "right to manage prisons in villages and towns."

The fleet set sail, blocking out the sky and the sun.

A supply ship fell behind,

The boatman looked at the man carrying a load on his shoulder running along the river bank, not knowing what to do.

The man shouted:

"Dezhou Braised Chicken, 80 wen. A braised chicken is only 80 wen."

The boatman was instantly excited.

It was 200 wen each before, the price reduction is quite drastic~
The boat speed gradually increased.

The man carrying the load became anxious and shouted:
"50 cents! Just 50 cents!"

The boatman held a string of copper coins in his hand and decided to take advantage of this bargain.

Shouting:

"I want one."

……

The man put down his burden and picked up a mud-sealed roast chicken.

The pace has obviously accelerated:

"You throw the copper coins onto the shore, and I'll throw the roast chicken to you."

The boatman shouted:

"No, throw the roast chicken over here first."

After a stalemate for a while,
The man gave in first, and with a strong throw, the heavy mud-sealed roast chicken fell onto the boat.

The boatman slowly collected the copper coins.
Looking at the man who stopped on the shore with a gloomy face.

A free chicken.

however,
When the boatman sits down and prepares to enjoy.

It was found that there was a layer of yellow mud on the left and then on the right.

When you get to the core, it's still mud.

"You damn liar, where's the chicken?"

The boatman jumped up in anger and cursed to the sky.

……

in comparison,

Jiangpu - Suzhou's secret business is more secure and reputable.

After the Battle of Jiangbei,

Hu Zhihuang led his troops to flee hundreds of miles away and returned to Jiangpu County safely.

Duolong, a lieutenant commander of the Zhenglan Banner who was originally stationed in the city, smelled danger and immediately left the city with the looted money.

While fleeing, Hu Zhihuang's troops lost extreme weight.

Most people were unarmed and the city defenses were weak.

Within two days, two black market ships arrived from Jiangnan, selling firearms.

The ship owner was very frank.
They claim to have connections there and are doing a risky business in pursuit of profits.

In a word:

"Do you dare to ask for it?"

The gentry of Jiangpu County gritted their teeth and pooled their money to buy it.

With 1000 flintlock rifles, 1000 matchlock rifles, and 4 bronze cannons, Jiangpu Town was fully armed, and everyone in the city felt at ease.

……

Hu Zhihuang told everyone in detail the process of the battle, exaggerating the weakness of the Qing court and the chaos of the Eight Banners of the Manchus.

And tell everyone,

From then on, the imperial court had no control over the safety of the prefectures and counties along the river, and would only intensify its grain collection.

Duolong is just a little ghost, the King of Hell is behind him.

By the end of the year,
All the gentry and merchants were ruined~
After a "Hu narrative" that was based on facts and exaggeration, Hu Zhihuang and the gentry formed a community of interests and announced that Jiangpu would be autonomous from then on!
After much hesitation, the magistrate decided to resign. The two sides parted ways amicably, and Hu Zhihuang took with him a handwritten letter from Hu Zhihuang to the governor Fu Chang'an.

The central idea of ​​the letter is:

I, Hu Zhihuang, am still loyal to the imperial court. I hold on to Jiangpu to protect myself. I am heartbroken to be used as cannon fodder in the Battle of Jiangbei, but I will never surrender to the Wu thieves!
From now on, I will shoulder the responsibility of the civil defense of Jiangpu.

All taxes are withheld.

……

In order to prevent the Qing court from retaliating,

Hu Zhihuang decisively expanded the army, overhauled fortifications, and appointed more than ten trusted officers to take charge of the county's affairs, implementing military control over the entire county.

Keep it secret internally for now.

The Qing dragon flag was still flying on the city wall, and the soldiers were still wearing green camp uniforms.

Everything seems to have remained the same, yet it seems to have changed.

The copper mining and medicinal materials business was no longer secretive, and was sold to the south of the Yangtze River through middlemen in exchange for firearms and gunpowder.

This scale is well struck.

The gentry all felt that this was the best option at the moment.

It can not only safeguard one's own interests but also ensure safety without offending either side.

……

【Regarding the timeline of this book, the author briefly explains. The timeline is obviously compressed, and 1 year is used as 3 years. There are two reasons: First, to avoid being too close to modern times, everyone understands. Second, to go through more plots. There are too many to write. Killing the Qing Dynasty is just a small step, and the talent and mission of art students is a big step. In addition, if the plot involving overseas is written realistically, it will take 2 years for a ship to go back and forth between Europe and Asia. Li Yu will not be able to go through a few plots in his life. Therefore, the author considers shortening the time artificially when it comes to the nautical plot to ensure the relative coherence of the plot. What do book friends think? Welcome to leave a message. 】

(End of this chapter)