Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 484 I won't pretend anymore, I'll take off my dragon robe and compete with you, Li Yu~
For a long time,

Qianlong nodded and let out a long sigh:

"I~ agree."

"You can do whatever you want in Yunnan and Guizhou. Once we reach a military agreement with the Westerners, I will build a Western-style army in the Central Plains and the capital."

Ah Gui hesitated.

Said:

"In this case, I will have to deal directly with the Westerners from Southeast Asia, which may be presumptuous~"

Qianlong interrupted decisively:

"From now on, I will confer upon you the title of Loyal and Righteous Prince. You will no longer need to consult the imperial court regarding matters concerning Yunnan and Guizhou. You will make your own decisions. I will withdraw the governors of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces to reduce constraints. From now on, you are the Prince of Yunnan and Guizhou of my Great Qing."

"Your Majesty, slave~"

"Employ people with integrity, and don't employ people you doubt. Please wait outside. I will write two more decrees. One is for your sons in Beijing to go to Yunnan and Guizhou to assist you, so that father and son can fight together. The other is for the Ministry of Revenue to allocate 100 million taels of silver, and you can take it back as military expenses."

……

Ah Gui couldn't hold back and burst into tears.
He kept bowing.

Although the emperor is stubborn and self-willed, once he becomes wise, he is truly unprecedented and unparalleled.

Exit the hall,
He sat on the steps at the door and cried his heart out.

Moved?
Definitely touching!

Sincerely?
At least 8% of it is sincere.

He was conferred the title of a prince, and was in charge of Yunnan and Guizhou, and was in charge of military, political and diplomatic affairs without even needing a hostage. What a boldness he had.

But those who knew Qianlong knew that the old emperor had such a temperament and was a complex of contradictions.

……

Qin Si passed by and silently handed Agui a towel.

Then he slipped into the hall.

He needed to draft the emperor's edict and then stamp it with the imperial seal to cover up the emperor's increasingly serious hand tremors.

Inside and outside the court,

He may be the second person who knows Qianlong best.

First of all,
Obviously it is Heshen and the adults.

High efficiency,

Both imperial edicts were issued on the same day.

After Agui rested in Nanyang for three days and was about to return, Qianlong suddenly summoned him.

He had secret talks with her on two highly confidential matters.

……

"There are still more than 10,000 Mongolian cavalry in Hubei. Should we fight or retreat?"

Ah Gui gritted his teeth.

"I suggest using them to consume the Wu army's infantry."

"Why?"

"Once the peace talks begin, the villains on all sides will be ready to make a move. The Outer Mongols are different from the Inner Mongols. They still care about the glory of the Yuan Dynasty and may not behave themselves."

"Ah."

Qianlong nodded.

Agui has the same idea as me!
Once the Manchus become weak, the Mongols will no longer be honest.

Just be straightforward.
Let these people die in the Huguang battlefield and give Wu's army a military merit.

……

The second thing,

Ah Gui had heard of it, but didn't know much.

"I have conscripted 2 slaves and 3000 shipbuilders in Lushun, Liaodong, to build a large number of seagoing ships. This is the highest secret of the court, and few people know about it. Of course, building seagoing ships takes a long time and will take some time."

"Your Majesty, when did this project begin?"

"After Jiangning fell, the work started in Lushun. It's been almost two years. In another year, the first batch of felled wood will be almost dried in the shade~"

"The Emperor's Holy Might."

Qianlong rambled on and on:

"After the Lushun fleet is launched and completed, I will find an opportunity to lure the Wu bandits to advance in various battlefields. Then, the fleet will go south along the coastline and land in Songjiang, Ningbo and other places. The Jiangnan plain is flat and the troops are weak. I will give them a black tiger heart-ripping blow. When the Qing Dynasty entered the pass, it still slaughtered less people in Jiangnan. This time, I will make Jiangnan completely change its race."

……

When Ah Gui left,
Loyalty and faith were stretched to the highest point.

He didn't notice it at all.

Every word the emperor said to him today was carefully designed. In the conversation between the monarch and his subjects, he unknowingly reshaped his own psychology.

How experienced Qianlong was.

It is a political machine that has been running silently for 40 years with few failures. There is no problem with the hardware, but the software version is outdated.

The previous vassal king who ruled Yunnan and Guizhou was Wu Sangui.

Could he not worry?

As Ah Kuei himself said:
Choose the lesser of two evils.

It is better to let Agui, a relative of the Eight Banners, rule Yunnan and Guizhou and make it difficult to eliminate him, which is 100 times better than the rise of the Han people in Jiangnan.

At least the meat is rotten in the pot.

Take ten thousand steps back and say,
Even if Agui changed his mind one day and wanted to become emperor, the Eight Banners would be the first to refuse to submit.

……

On his way back, Agui chose to take the western route through Sichuan.

Qianlong ordered the allocation of 100 million taels of silver, but the Ministry of Revenue only gave 70 taels, and the remaining 30 taels were lost as usual.

What's wrong with being conferred the title of Prince?
As a prince, it is even more important to maintain the existing order.

For the convenience of carrying on the road,

Agui then proposed to replace the silver with gold to reduce the volume. This exchange resulted in a loss of another 7 taels of handling fees.

finally,
He traveled lightly and led the convoy over the mountains and across the rivers.

100 million taels became 63 taels~
This caused Agui's confidence to drop by 5 percentage points.

in case,

Based on the calculation of 15 taels per flintlock rifle and 500 taels per hired instructor,
1 Western-style troops evaporated.

Hey, Qing Dynasty!

……

After sending away the only military commander he could rely on, Qianlong took out Wang Jie's memorial, or it would be more appropriate to call it a suicide note.

This man is dead, and was beheaded on the spot by the Wu army.

Wang Jie, a loyal minister.

Qianlong thought about it again and again.

It was decided to posthumously confer the title of "Prince Taibao" on Wang Jie and the posthumous title of "Wenzheng", and to allocate funds from the imperial treasury for funeral expenses. At the same time, a shrine was built in his hometown of Hancheng, Shaanxi.

It can be said that he was honored after his death.
It also inspires living people.

As for Wang Jie's tearful exhortations, his suggestions of reducing taxes and levies, cleansing up bureaucracy, abolishing criminal inquisition, and ensuring equality between the Manchus and the Han people, were all just the opinions of a scholar.

Qianlong sneered and had no intention of adopting the suggestion.

Wang Jie wrote: If we don't carry out reforms, the Qing Dynasty may
Qianlong thought,

If I listen to you and carry out political reform, the Qing Dynasty will really be finished. I'm afraid it will collapse so badly that even dogs won't recognize it.
in comparison,

Agui’s military reform is still more reliable and sophisticated!

……

but,

Qianlong still adopted two suggestions from his memorial.

5. Zhao Zhuangwen, a scholar from Hunan, was granted the title of Imperial Academy graduate and was appointed assistant director of Hunan militia, a th-rank official.

Second, lift restrictions on firearms and no longer implement a graded firearms allocation system.

These two are just a matter of course.

The imperial court had to learn from the Western army, so it was not a difficult decision to lift the ban on all kinds of firearms, including sky rockets.

Promoting the unknown scholar Zhao Zhuangwen is to fulfill Wang Wenzhenggong's last wish in the underworld.
As for what effect it will have?
Qianlong didn't expect it at all. He looked down on the Han officials and Confucian scholars from the bottom of his heart.

……

Temporary Military Aircraft Department,
A Han Dynasty official was working furiously at his desk with his head down.

In accordance with the emperor's will, preferential treatment was given to militia members with military merit.

No matter whether it is suppressing bandits or quelling riots, as long as the military merits are reported by the local area, they will be recognized.

Among them were the militia of Cenxi County, Wuzhou Prefecture, Guangxi. The militia commander Lu Tingwu and the sentry officer Bai Jianren were awarded the 5th and 7th grade military ranks respectively.

Just a letter of authorization, nothing else.

Raise your own salary, buy your own official robes, and recruit your own soldiers~
but,

The title of "being an official" alone is enough to make many people rush to work for you.

Han Zhangjing wholesaled more than 40 hats in one go, and then put down his brush.
Rub your sore wrists,
laughed:

"Even if there are tens of millions of new officials, not a penny of silver will be spent."

My colleague immediately said with vigilance:

"Shh, keep your mouth shut."

……

Militia training in southern provinces was completely liberalized in the last round.

Each county can organize its own group training according to the situation.
You can set up your own customs within the country to solve the problem of military pay for militia training.

Qianlong had already seen it.

It will take time for the Han gentry to rise. If we don't prepare in advance and wait until the Wu army is at the gates of the city before hastily opening up, it will not be beneficial to the overall situation.

No battles, no bloodshed.

Tuanlian = a mob.

Not to mention resisting the fierce Wu army, even wanting to consume the Wu army's manpower with a ten to one exchange ratio is just a dream.

Qianlong gritted his teeth and completely tore off the last bit of fig leaf.

I won't pretend anymore. I'm going to show my cards. I'm going to give up my dignity.

……

Currently,

There are two models in the southern provinces that are still under the control of the Qing Dynasty.
One is Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi and Sichuan, which are autonomous.

One is the Yunnan-Guizhou system, which is a feudal monarchy system.

Not long after,

A third type emerged - the tax-farming system.

The Ministry of Finance is really out of money~
In order to supply the front line,

From the Spring Festival to now, 3% of the salary for officials at all levels has been in arrears and has not been paid yet.

Even more terrifying is,
The 2 soldiers accompanying the emperor have not received their salaries for two months, and the soldiers are complaining.
Two guards were dissatisfied and beat their superior.

Even Qianlong was alarmed.

This is a big matter.

If you don't want Nanyang Prefecture to become Mawei Slope, you'd better raise funds quickly.

……

The Minister of Revenue Heshen formally wrote a letter proposing two urgent measures to resolve the urgent problem.

1. Discuss the fine for crimes and implement it comprehensively.

Second, the tax package system will be implemented partially.

The area here is quite large.

Simply put:

In all the unoccupied counties and cities in Sichuan Province and Huguang (south of the Han River), powerful local figures can take the initiative to contract for money and grain.

……

Sichuan Suiding Prefecture Daxian County~
In the dilapidated county government office,

The magistrate looked angry as he looked at the powerful people sitting on both sides of the table.

There are gentry, horse gangs, dock gangs, and clans~
On weekdays,
The magistrate had already thrown down a red stick and ordered these disrespectful guys to be dragged down and beaten with 20 sticks.

But now, things have changed.

The official document on the "tax-farming system" stamped with the governor's seal was clearly posted at the entrance of the county government office.

The actual taxes and grain that the county should pay in the 40th year of Qianlong's reign is used as the basis.

The tax farmer must pay the required amount of money and grain to Chengdu Prefecture within the specified period, not a pound less or a penny less.

As for how the tax farmers collected taxes from the people,
The county government doesn't care or ask.

and,

All lawsuits involving money and grain are decided by the tax farmers themselves.

To put it bluntly,
Tax farmer = county governor

……

The gray-haired Bao Juren held up a cane.

Argue on the basis of reason:

"Collecting taxes and levies is a major national issue. How can you, a gangster, understand the ins and outs of this?"

Lao Wen stood up. He was the leader of the dock gang in this county.

He pulled a knife out of his boot and stabbed it on the table.

"The scoundrels are defaulting on their taxes and levies, what are you going to do, Mr. Bao?"

He folded his hands again and said:
"Over the years, the amount of money and grain owed in this county has ranged from 1% to 3%. Your Excellency, I'm afraid that the northern guards in Mr. Bao's family can't handle the unruly people, right?"

The magistrate looked solemn and nodded silently.

Lao Wen nodded to a man next to him.

The man went out.

After a while, cheers from hundreds of men were heard on the streets outside the county government office.

……

No surprise,

Lao Wen, who was better at fighting, became the first tax farmer of Da County.

The next day,

The gang members gathered at the dock, set up an incense hall and burned yellow paper.

Bao Juren was among them.

The county's chief clerk and bailiff, two gentlemen who were not wearing official robes, were also among them.

A brand new hall was born.

The composition is complex, including gentry, officials, merchants, craftsmen, and manual laborers.
The internal gang rules are strict and emphasize loyalty.

This new hall is also called Qingshui Paoge~
Lao Wen is the leader, also known as the big brother.

Bao Juren is the second elder brother and is considered a mascot.

The chief clerk is the third brother, who is in charge of financial expenses.

……

Da County did not organize a militia.

Because Sichuan was still far away from the war, the county did not actively respond to the court's call.

However, with the implementation of the tax package system,
The original members of the Pao brothers simply took on the role of militia training as well.

The county magistrate, who had seen through the chaos, simply stopped asking questions and spent his days drinking and writing poetry in the back hall, letting this complicated gang of brothers do whatever they wanted.

He no longer had any hope for this court.

I just hope to avoid the whirlpool so that I can have less trouble when I surrender to the new master in the future.

……

The leader of the Pao brothers in Da County, Lao Wen, clamored:

"The government can't afford it, but the Pao brothers can."

"The government can't do anything about it, but the Pao brothers can."

"The sky of Da County is supported by the Qing Dynasty. But the land of Da County is protected by the Pao brothers."

The militia set up more than 20 customs offices at the docks and important waterways to collect tolls from all merchants and civilians passing through.

Daxian is just a microcosm~
Similar situations are happening everywhere.

The land of Sichuan and Chongqing is filled with foul smells and foul air.

……

Even the most dull-witted person can realize that the order has changed and chaos is coming.

but,

The tax farmers in each county have honestly paid all the money and grain for this year.

Every penny is a lot!
The new governor, Sun Shiyi, relied on the Eight Banners and Green Camp soldiers stationed in Chengdu to try to maintain the last dignity of the imperial court.

While laying off the old and weak, new troops were trained.

The Ministry of Works compiled the casting techniques and drawings of 14 types of artillery into a book and distributed it to the provincial governor's offices.

Sun Shiyi was just getting anxious about the new army's salary.
Quick thinking,

Each cannon casting process was sold to local group leaders at a price of 100 taels.

Qianlong went mad.

This caused all the provincial governors under him to go crazy.

The Han group is here, selling!
Toast is here, let’s sell it too!
cannon,

It is the soul of war.

Even the most ignorant chieftain knew what artillery meant. It had only been a few years since the smoke of gunpowder had dissipated from the damn Jinchuan Mountains.

……

Outrageous things happened one after another.

Several descendants of the Hunan chieftains who were ordered to go to Nanyang Prefecture to pay homage to Emperor Qianlong were all given official titles.

and,

Qianlong granted the Han people counties adjacent to the chieftain's territory as fiefdoms.

And promised,

The chieftain title was hereditary and remained unchanged for 100 years.

Since then,

The imperial court did not implement the policy of converting natives into officials, but instead implemented the policy of converting officials into natives.

The news shocked countless people.

Many people lamented,
Senggesang, the chieftain of Xiaojinchuan, and Sonom, the chieftain of Dajinchuan, were both born at the wrong time.

If he had raised the flag of rebellion later, he would have been appointed a high-ranking official by the Qing court.

Even Qianlong himself regretted it.
If the Jinchuan tribe had been a little more obedient, they might have become a serious threat to the Wu army, and at least cost Li Ni 3000 million taels of military expenditure.

……

Wuchang City.

Liu Qian, director of the Intelligence Agency, suddenly arrived.

In the temporary command center,

Only Army Minister Lin Huaisheng and Liu Wu were left, sitting opposite each other.

All I could hear was the rustling sound of flipping papers.

"Is the information true?"

"It's true."

Anyone else who dares to question Liu Qian like this would probably be in trouble.

But Lin Huaisheng is different!
There was silence for a while,
Lin Huaisheng's comments:
"Qianlong is crazy. He would rather dig up the foundation than let us easily occupy the southwestern provinces."

"Yes. It's very insidious, but effective." Liu Qian added, "This also shows that our army has suppressed the Qing army to the extreme. When people are desperate, they will go crazy."

(End of this chapter)