Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 453: Qianlong's Enlightenment: The Essence of the "Wu Rebellion" Was Not Rebellion at All
Henan, Nanyang Prefecture.

The imperial guards in yellow jackets pressed their hands on the hilts of their swords, their faces pale, as if they had lost their parents.

Different from usual days,

The red tassel of the straw hat on his head was wrapped in white cloth.

The news that the Eight Banners garrisoned in Guangzhou were completely annihilated finally reached Nanyang.

Qianlong was grief-stricken.

The ministers also mourned.

All the royal entourage were dressed in mourning.

……

"Today I know what it means to be a pillar of the country!"

"The Eight Banners of the South have always been lax. But when the country was in trouble, they changed their past behavior and shed their last drop of blood for the Qing Dynasty."

When Qianlong talked about his grief, he actually shed tears and his arms began to tremble.

The ministers below were well prepared and started crying as well.

He Shen's eyes were like peaches from crying.

But his mind was racing, wondering whether the memorial handed over by the Minister of Militia Wen Yuande was true or false.

The Guangzhou Eight Banners were notoriously weak in combat effectiveness.

Even those bastard young men from the Beijing Banners could easily overwhelm the Eight Banners from Guangzhou.

When the old man first ascended the throne,
He felt deeply that the Eight Banners had become corrupt, and decided to impose strict rewards and punishments.

An imperial envoy was sent south to inspect the training of the Eight Banners in Guangzhou, but it turned out to be a huge joke.

Among the soldiers who were on duty at the drill ground,
3% of them were hired farmers from Guangzhou, and they did not look like Manchus at all.

……

Then came the horseback archery performance.

Some people fell off their horses, some people missed the target with 10 arrows, and some people shot their arrows directly at the reviewing platform.

Anyway,

It's hard to say.

and,

Heshen's father, Chang Bao, was once the general of Fuzhou.

Speaking of,
He knew something about the inside story.

The focus of the Qing Dynasty's garrison of the Eight Banners was in the north, especially in North China. The southern part of the country was weak in military strength, and the number of Manchu cities was not large.

Guangzhou and Chengdu are the two weakest links among them.

It is still credible to say that the Eight Banners of Jingzhou and the Eight Banners of Zhapu still have combat effectiveness.

Guangzhou Eight Banners?

Heshen always felt that there was something fishy going on.

……

"Announce to the world that we should follow the example of the Eight Banners stationed in Guangzhou and defend the Qing Dynasty to the death."

"The Emperor's Holy Might."

Qianlong was 68 years old. When people get old, they like to believe what they want to believe.

He firmly believed that the Eight Banners in Guangzhou fought to the last man and shot.

This is called "a loyal minister is revealed in a national crisis, and a person's heart is revealed in a turbulent time." No matter how bad the Eight Banners were on weekdays, they still retained the blood of their ancestors in their bones.

For a time,

The old emperor's confidence in the war situation increased slightly by 2 points.

"What do you think of the current war situation? Feel free to speak up. There is no guilt in speaking."

"I think that after the Wu thieves have taken over the entire territory of Guangdong, they will most likely attack Huguang."

"I think the Wu bandits may raid the Central Plains."

"I believe that the Wu thieves will build palaces on a large scale, proclaim themselves emperors and enjoy themselves."

Henan Governor Liu Yong,

Suddenly he said:

"I believe that the imperial court must protect Huguang because the food problem in the Qing Dynasty is almost uncontrollable."

……

inside the house,

It was suddenly eerily quiet.

On normal days, Liu Yong would never say this.

But today,
He must speak!

Because he was the governor of Henan, the only granary in the north of the empire.

Qianlong stared at him coldly.

"Liu Yong, is the situation so serious?"

"Your Majesty, the price of 5 dan of rice in the five northern provinces has remained at 1 liang for almost half a year. If this continues for a long time, I'm afraid~"

Qianlong turned his attention to Heshen.

He Shen nodded gently.
He was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Household Department and knew the grain prices very well.

……

Qianlong changed the subject:
“How is the spring grain harvest in Henan?”

"Your Majesty, this year's spring grain harvest is expected to increase by 1% compared to last year."

"Very good."

"However, I have discovered another big problem."

"speak."

"After I took office as governor, I immediately sent my trusted confidant in plain clothes to inspect the five granaries in Kaifeng and its surrounding areas. The grain in the warehouse was 5% different from what was recorded in the account books."

"what?"

Qianlong's eyes widened, and everyone present began to buzz.

Liu Yong fell to his knees:
"I dare not investigate publicly, for fear of upsetting the people. I shall be punished by death."

……

He Shen closed his eyes silently.
I thought,

Old Liu, you are not afraid of the instability of the people's hearts, you are afraid of the instability of the officials' hearts.

As soon as you, the airborne governor, start investigating, your subordinates will immediately sabotage you.
Fire dragon burns the warehouse, scapegoat, confession letter.

You will lose clearly and be stunned.

Liu Yong spoke again:

"I request an imperial decree to dispatch troops to seal up the granaries in various places as soon as possible and to control the officials guarding the granaries. If there is no corruption, they will be rewarded. If there is corruption, according to the Qing law, those who deserve it will be killed or exiled."

obviously,
Qianlong also understood the ins and outs of this, and paced back and forth for a few steps.
Decisive order:

"Someone is coming."

Four guards came in quickly and knelt on one knee.

"Let the imperial guards cooperate with Lord Liu to control all the granaries and grain road offices in Henan. If there is any obstruction, those below the third rank can be executed first and then reported to the emperor."

"Whoo."

……

Food is related to the safety of the Qing Dynasty.

Qianlong would not show mercy, even if it meant killing everyone in the grain administration from top to bottom.

Liu Yong,

He put a serious problem before everyone.

Food shortage!

There is a severe shortage of food!
Everyone, stop playing blind. You can get away with pretending that everything is as it should be in a memorial, but you can't get away with it on your stomach.

The northern provinces were already unstable, with gentry arresting and killing those who resisted paying taxes and causing chaos being commonplace, and the number of people who died of starvation was impossible to count.

Dear colleagues,

You don't want to fight in the front while Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong appear in the rear, right?

emperor,

You don’t want to be Chongzhen, do you?

If Huguang is lost again, how much silver will be sold for 1 dan of rice? 10 taels? 20 taels?
……

Simultaneously,

There is still a problem that is stuck in my throat.

Can the Green Camp be trusted?
In other words, can the Southern Green Camp be trusted?

The traitor Wu drove the surrendered Green Camp troops from Jiangxi and Guangdong provinces to attack the entire city of Guangzhou and committed heinous crimes.

Qianlong was very conflicted.
It was a matter of military morale. After all, 7% of the Qing army was from the Green Camp, and the southern provinces were mostly relying on the Green Camp at this time.

A rat-throwing weapon!

He paced back and forth in agony, suddenly realizing that the failed scholar whom he had never met was extremely ruthless.

For a time,

He even muttered in his heart:
"If I had known this, I would have awarded him the title of Jinshi~"

"The world's great talents must be brought into the emperor's grasp. If they are left in the wild, the country will be in danger."

……

Heshen is here.

He walked hurriedly, bringing two memorials from the capital.

"Master, something is happening in the capital."

Qianlong's triangular eyes became even colder. He snatched the letter and started reading it.

One letter came from Prince Jia Yongyan, the governor of the capital.

One letter came from Yu Minzhong, the Grand Councilor and Minister of Rites.

Both memorials actually tell the same story:

In the capital city of Zhili, grain prices have skyrocketed. If the problem is not resolved, there may be instability. How should we deal with it? Looking forward to the emperor's judgment?
……

Qianlong threw the two memorials to Heshen.

After reading it, Heshen instantly understood the old emperor's anger.

Whoever makes the decision will be criticized.

Food shortage is an indisputable fact.

On the surface, no one can solve it.

but,

In fact, there is a solution, but the person who steps forward to solve the problem will be branded with an unpleasant reputation.

Lao Yu is very slippery and would never get involved in such rubbish.

If he pushes too hard, he will get sick.
If he was pushed too hard, he would even dare to hang himself. Any civil official would know that this infamy has been circulating for at least 1000 years.

Lao Yu is 70 years old and he would rather die.

……

but,

The young and naive Prince Jia has actually learned this trick?
He is a perishable person and is not worthy of being a human being!
In the fold,
Yongyan cried:

Seeing the people of the capital city suffering from famine, he felt heartbroken. However, due to his limited talent, he could only spend all his family wealth to help the poor bannermen. Prince Jia and everyone else below him only had two meals of porridge a day.

There are so many difficulties, I beg the emperor to give me some good advice.

There is no father and son in heaven~
Sure enough.

However, Heshen couldn't help but admire that Prince Jia had a great grasp of the timing and attitude.

No matter how angry the old man was, it was not appropriate to touch his son at this time.

……

Qianlong suddenly spoke:
"Heshen, you have always been good at managing finances, and you are one of the few wise men in the court. What do you think?" "I think that the Qing Dynasty is in danger now, and all governors and ministers should be self-reliant and try their best to solve problems themselves, instead of asking the emperor for help on everything."

Qianlong's expression eased slightly.

Pointing to the stool next to him:
"Heshen, please sit down."

"Whoo."

Looking at the well-behaved and sensible favorite minister Heshen, Qianlong felt that if he had a son, he would be like Niu Hulu~
Yongyan,

If he had 7% of Heshen's understanding~
I couldn't sleep all night long!

……

"Then tell me, the grain system is now in name only, and the annual grain revenue has dropped by half. Who should the court give priority to ensuring that they have access to grain?"

"I feel that the soldiers on the front lines must not be short of food."

Qianlong nodded silently.

He Shen continued:

"The rice stipends of the Manchu and Han officials in the capital should not be short of money."

Qianlong nodded and decided that the central government must be protected.

"The rewards from the Mongolian princes must not be short."

Qianlong nodded again and said that at present, the grassland should not be in chaos.

The imperial court needs to join hands with the Mongolian princes and send more soldiers to the battlefield for consumption.

"The eight banners stationed in the north should not be short either."

Qianlong nodded again, saying that this matter concerned the foundation of the nation and the safety of the north.

……

"Your Majesty, can we allow the governors of the southern provinces to pay for some of their own taxes and grain?"

Seeing Qianlong remained silent,
He Shen continued to give careful advice:

"I think there is still surplus food in the area. But~"

"It's just that these surplus grains are in the hands of the gentry and the powerful, and the court can't collect them."

"There is no sage like a master."

Qianlong was not surprised at all, but laughed:
"I'll give them power!"

Heshen said no more, kowtowed and left.

……

Qianlong pondered for a moment, then picked up his pen to write the article himself.

The draft was sent to the Military Affairs Office.
Everyone's legs and feet trembled and their eyelids twitched as they watched.

Almost blurted out:

"Has the Emperor lost his mind?"

After local gentry in Huguang and Guangdong were allowed to organize their own militia, Sichuan militia was also opened up.

Yunnan and Guizhou provinces are quite special!

Qianlong re-awarded Governor Agui the first-class title of Honest and Brave Duke, the three-eyed peacock feather, and added the titles of Prince Taibao and Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace.

From the day of receiving the decree,
Agui was in charge of the army when on horseback and of the people when on foot.

They can raise their own armies and win over local chieftains. They do not have to ask the court for permission for any military deployment, and local officials below the third rank can be executed first and reported later.

Yunnan and Guizhou are poor.

Therefore, Sichuan must provide 3 taels of military funds and 80 shi of grain every three months.

……

The civil officials accompanying the emperor privately sighed:

From now on, Lord Agui is no longer the Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, but the King of Yunnan and Guizhou!
What is trust?

What is courage?

Your Majesty is truly a great emperor throughout history.

Everyone knows that Qianlong is obsessed with power, but few people know that he is also a calm political machine.

During this period of time, I devoted myself to studying the battle reports from the front.

Qianlong came to a conclusion:
The Wu army had become a powerful force, and was unstoppable in conquering cities and territories.

Even in a field battle,
The elite Qing troops were unable to overcome the firepower of the all-infantry Wu army.

before,

It should be viewed as the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories.

right now,

It should be treated as the An-Shi Rebellion.

……

Qianlong read history books and thought about it at a deeper level:
The root cause of the An-Shi Rebellion
Some said it was the expanding ambitions of the feudal lords, others said it was the Hu people coveting Han territory.

There are also some anecdotes such as a certain religion instigating behind the scenes and An Lushan losing his temper for his godmother.

What a fallacy!

The fundamental reason is,
The Hebei Group (local) had been suppressed by the Guanlong Group (central) for a long time and was becoming increasingly dissatisfied.

From top to bottom,

Countless people supported An Lushan in going to war with the central government in order to seize the benefits that should have been theirs but were taken away by the Guanlong Group.

now,

In contrast, the rising Wu State was almost a replica of the Anshi Rebellion.

Li Ni started his rebellion with a group of scoundrels from the streets and soon gained strong support from the Jiangnan Group.

The Jiangnan Group has been suppressed for too long, and they would rather hand over the huge amount of money and grain originally paid to the court to a more ideal agent - Li Yu!
Since then, money and guns have merged~
……

Since the Tang Dynasty, the Jiangnan region has been the financial and taxation center of the empire.

Needless to say, the Song Dynasty!

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was the foundation of the world's finances and taxation.

Relying on their economic advantages, the literati in Jiangnan fiercely suppressed those in other provinces in the imperial examinations.

During the Ming Dynasty, 3% of the top scholars in the country came from Jiangnan.

During the Qing Dynasty, 5% of the top scholars in the country came from Jiangnan.

Let alone Jinshi, the ratio is completely unbalanced.

These are within the rules~
As a result, the imperial courts of the Ming and Qing dynasties had to deliberately suppress it in order to maintain the balance of the origins of Jinshi scholars, dividing the list into north and south, adding special examinations, and doing all kinds of small tricks.
……

Qianlong even dug out the History of Ming Dynasty to find evidence.
In the 30th year of Hongwu,
That is, the year before Zhu Yuanzhang's death, the Ming court held an imperial examination.

This list,
All the successful Jinshi were from the south, and most of them were from Jiangnan.

The day the results were announced shocked the world.

among them,

It is difficult to find out how much of the difference was due to personal connections among the southern examiners and how much was due to the difference in levels.

Anyway,

Zhu Yuanzhang, who was about to be buried, was frightened.
He killed madly with his last breath and barely suppressed the counterattack of Jiangnan Group.

……

if we assume:
The North-South List case was a political offensive by the Jiangnan Group and was still within the rules.

Li Ni's uprising was an all-round attack by the Jiangnan Group, breaking the rules.

A sinister voice suddenly sounded in Qianlong's mind: the people of Jiangnan have been dissatisfied with the central government for a long time.

It seems,

It is difficult to suppress the Wu Rebellion, and it may not be possible with the power of the central government alone.

This is not a simple military confrontation, but a political contest.

Qianlong felt that he was very close to the correct answer, perhaps just a thin layer of window paper away.

……

My hands started to tremble again.
He quietly hid his hands in his sleeves to prevent the eunuchs nearby from seeing them.
these days,

The Emperor's hands trembled more and more frequently.

This was not a good sign, but Qianlong had no time to pay attention to it.

He just wanted to fight for his life.

Kill Li Yu and flatten Jiangnan before he gets into the coffin.

……

He considered himself the greatest emperor of all time.

By coincidence,

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was originally an emperor who would be remembered throughout history. During the Kaiyuan Period of Prosperity, who among his fellow emperors would not be jealous?
however,
The Anshi Rebellion dragged Xuanzong into the ranks of foolish monarchs.

Qianlong was so sensitive.

Because he and Li Longji have too many similarities.

Rational and calm, mean and cold-blooded, "creating a prosperous era", good at spending money~
in case,

He personally put down the "Wu Rebellion" and was able to surpass Emperor Xuanzong and get a posthumous title such as Zhuang or Gao.

in case,

If it was his descendants who put down the Wu rebellion, then his posthumous title would most likely be Huan or Ling.

if~
Ai Zong and Shang Zong could not escape.

……

Qianlong calmly figured all of this out.

Heshen figured out Qianlong.

Therefore,
The king and his subjects sang in unison.
He readily delegated power just to create as many obstacles as possible for Wu's army's conquest of the south.

As for,
Worried about the recurrence of the chaos of the late Tang Dynasty?

At least the Aisin-Gioro clan still controls the central government, so they have the right to worry like this.

……

A king who loses his country has no chance to worry about the power of local vassal states becoming too powerful to be eliminated.

Qianlong knew that Ah Gui was an all-round general who could attack and defend. At present, no one in the younger generation could surpass him.

The situation in the South is critical.
Give him maximum trust and empower him as much as possible.

Without the constraints of imperial power, Agui will surely become the mainstay of the southwest.

Qianlong even thought maliciously,

Even if Agui dies at the hands of Li Yu one day, three of Li Yu's teeth will be broken.

If Agui wins, Li Yu loses.

That's great too.

He couldn't deal with the failed student, but it was quite easy to deal with a servant of Zhang Jia.

……

Qianlong's facial expression became more and more ferocious.

Suddenly turned his head,

Staring at the chief eunuch Qin Si:

"Notify the spies in the sticking pole office. If they don't kill Li Yu, I will skin their entire clan."

"Whoo."

Qin Si came out of the side hall and realized that he was not trapped again.

Scared to the point of peeing.

but,

He was soon relieved and said to himself:
"It's not surprising that a local dog is scared to death when it encounters a tiger. Hey, Your Majesty, this tiger's might is something we really admire~"

……

(End of this chapter)