Qing Dynasty Secret History

Chapter 56 Establishing a New Law
It is said that after opium was banned as an example, all the officials in the court were very happy. You have a copy, and I have a copy. Please strictly prohibit it.It's really flowers blooming, and the fire cooking oil.

In the 18th year of Jiaqing, Huang Juezi, the Minister of Honghe Temple, published another book, which greatly moved Xuanzong.

Its text says:
Huang Juezi, the official minister of the Honglu Temple, the servant, kneeled down to ask for the seal of leaks to improve the country's ability: I have seen that the price of silver has increased in recent years. The mainland is actually leaking money overseas.

Since opium flowed into China, Daoguang three years ago, millions of taels of silver were leaked every year.

At the beginning, he was just a dude, and he used to be superficial.Afterwards, from the government and gentry, down to the industrial and commercial Youli, as well as the women, monks, nuns and Taoists, they smoked all the time.The profiteers in Guangdong Province colluded with soldiers to transport silver out of the ocean and import cigarettes by boats such as dragons and fast crabs.Therefore, from the third year to the eleventh year of Daoguang, 11 million taels of silver were leaked every year.From 800 to 11, more than 14 million taels of silver were leaked every year.Since 14, it has gradually leaked to as much as 3000 million taels.The seaports of Fujian, Zhejiang, Shandong, and Tianjin are in the tens of millions of taels.Use China's useful wealth to fill the endless abyss overseas.Changing this harmful thing has gradually become the worry of the sick country.Day after day, year after year, I don't know Yiyuhudi.

All Shengzhou and counties collect money and grain, and most of the money is collected.And the sales of memorials are all exchanged for money and silver.In the past, there were many surpluses, but now there are all losses.Salt merchants in all provinces sell salt with money and papers, and all lessons are paid in silver.In the past, those who fought for profit are now regarded as fearful.If the price of silver becomes more expensive over the next few years, how can it be done?How can the tax be cleared?If there is an unexpected use, how can it be supported?

Today everyone knows that opium is leaking, so the method of blocking it is also emphasized, but it is not known why it is banned.Husbands consume a lot of silver because of the prosperity of tobacco sales, and the prosperity of tobacco sales is due to the number of people who eat tobacco.If there is no smoking, there will be no prosperity, and if there is no prosperity, foreign cigarettes will not come!
If you want to aggravate the crime, you must first deal with smoking.I ask the emperor to give me a one-year deadline to quit smoking. Although the addiction is great, it cannot be stopped.One year later, if they still smoke, they are disorderly people who do not obey the law, and it is fair to give them severe punishments.According to the old cases, those who smoke opium are only guilty of the cane.It does not point out those who sell goods, and the crime stick is only one hundred and three years.However, it is a crime of living.The pain of quitting addiction is worse than that of shackles and sticks, so I refuse to quit.If the crime is regarded as death, it is the urgency of the execution, and it is even more difficult to procrastinate from addiction.The minister knows that he would rather give up addiction and die at home, but he would not be tortured and die in the city.What's more, the majesty of my majesty's thunder is so powerful that he is so angry that even a foolish person can be deaf and shaken after a long time.When the decree is first issued, it is always important to be strict.If the emperor's decree is strict, the officials who follow the law will be strict, and those who break the law will be fearful.Within one year, without punishment, eight or nine out of ten have been given abstinence.Those who have eaten go to the country's law to save the rest of their lives, and those who have not eaten will also take their entire lives because of the abstinence.The great power of the emperor's restraint is the great virtue of good life.

Fu asked all the governors to order, strictly ordered the prefectures and counties, checked Baojia, and informed the residents in advance that it was scheduled to be established in five families in one year.If there are still offenders, they will be ordered to be reported and awarded with meritorious awards.

If there is any tolerance, once found out, the offender will be sentenced to death according to the new law, and those who make friends with each other will be punished according to the law.In Dayi, the capital, merchants are ordered to shop, and if there are people who take in cigarettes, they will be punished as harboring bandits.Incumbent civil and military officials, large and small, if there are smokers who exceed the limit, they will be treated as usual, and their descendants will not be allowed to take the exam.Officials, relatives, friends and family members, in addition to punishing the criminals, the officials in charge will strictly discuss and punish them.Manchu and Han camps in all provinces are handled according to the local Baojia.Jurisdiction over those who neglect supervision shall be dealt with by local officials.The army and the people are integrated, and the upper and lower levels are eliminated.Leakage can be plugged, and the price of silver will not be high again.Then pay attention to the way of financial management, and be sincere to the blessings of all the subjects of the world.For the sake of the people's livelihood and the national economy, I would like to hear the truth.Sincerely.

Xuanzong decreed to hand over Huang Juezi's memorial to the governors' councils of all provinces.All the opinions are the same, and they all advocate a heavier punishment.So the officials of the Ministry of Order re-established a new rule, no matter whether they smoke or sell cigarettes, they must be beheaded to show the public.Huang Juezi was indescribably happy seeing Xuanzong's remonstrance so easily, his eyebrows dancing and his eyebrows flying.At the moment, he also invited the special imperial envoy to Guangdong to investigate and deal with opium affairs.

Xuanzong said: "It's not difficult to investigate, but this person is not easy to find for a while."

Huang Juezi said: "I have to protect one person, and I will be competent."

Xuanzong asked him who to protect, Huang Juezi said: "Lin Zexu, the governor of Jiangsu, is shrewd and capable, and he is not afraid of strong imperialists. Send him to investigate and deal with it. Forgive me for not harming the country."

Xuanzong said: "Lin Zexu and I called him. He came to play the month before last, saying that he had already left, and he planned to arrive in the next few days. When he comes, let's talk about it."

The two monarchs and ministers said a few other words before they dispersed.

This Lin Zexu, courtesy name Shaomu, was born in Houguan County, Fujian Province. He was upright and diligent in his work.I have been born with opium, and I hate it the most.I happened to arrive in Beijing the next day.Entering the court and facing the holy, the performance is very suitable.Emperor Xuanzong ordered Lin Zexu to be sent to Guanfang by imperial envoy, and told him to go to Guangdong to investigate opium affairs with Deng Tingzhen, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.Lin Zexu received the favor and did not dare to be negligent. His majesty resigned from the capital and traveled day and night.From the departure on the 18th of the [-]th year to the [-]th day of the first month of next year, Deng Tingzhen has been sent to the court, and he has acted vigorously and handled it very seriously.Tobacco peddlers and smoking criminals, who have been locked up in the Yamen, are hundreds of thousands, and the prisons in one prefecture and two counties are almost full.Seeing China's handling so well, the foreigners became frightened without realizing it, and they all put the barges directly on the Lone Ocean for anchorage.

As soon as Lin Zexu arrived in the province, he called on Deng Tingzhen and asked about the smoking ban.Tingzhen said: "At present, the province is almost clean of opium criminals, and the opium barges have also been released. Naval ships and military ships have been sent to guard every port in the interior ocean in turn. Even the foreign ships on the East Road have already fled with guilt. Judging from the present, it seems to be nothing."

Lin Zexu said: "Foreigners are so deceitful. For now, although we want to avoid them, there is no guarantee that he will not collude with traitors from the mainland and still sell and buy them secretly. I think this method is not very appropriate."

Deng Tingzhen said: "I have a very high opinion, you might as well ask for advice."

Lin Zexu said, "How many opium barges are there?"

Tingzhen said: "I heard that there are 22 ships."

Lin Zexu asked, "How many boxes of opium are there in each ship?"

Deng Tingzhen said: "I'm afraid there are about a thousand boxes."

Lin Zexu said: "Deng Zhijun, if you think about it, one ship has thousands of boxes, and 22 ships, there are [-] boxes. These [-] boxes of opium were packed by foreigners, would he be willing to throw them into the ocean? Not only refused to throw it away, but also absolutely refused to pretend to go back to the country. Sending it overseas is just to avoid the limelight, and it was originally going to be sold to China in the morning and evening. Since we can do something, we must do it once and for all, and we must not just focus on it. Right now, I'm following the rules. Deng Zhijun, have you heard what my brother said, are you wrong?"

Deng Tingzhen said: "In my princess' opinion, what should I do?"

Lin Zexu said: "According to my brother's opinion, the foreigner must be asked to hand over all the opium first before he is allowed to open the cabin for business."

Deng Tingzhen said: "I'm afraid I can't do it this way. I remember that year, the British Taipan brought a foreign woman to live in the public office. Director Xie of Dongyu Yangxing flattered Taipan and gave him a shoulder." Sedan. Unexpectedly, Yelang, the big class, was so arrogant that he didn't allow passers-by to get up in the sedan chair. The prince of Guangdong Province heard about this and immediately took Xie to justice. The British big group even displayed their troops, and there was a great potential for chaos.

The prince was afraid of sudden changes, so he finally sent a general to check the gang, and after repeated reasoning, nothing happened.

Lin Xingshi, it is not allowed for foreigners to bring their family members, and it is still the case, not to mention the cancellation of opium. "

Lin Zexu said: "It's not enough to be blind to Rouyuan. I remember that in the early years of Daoguang, there was a fire outside the city of Guangdong, and it was burned to a piece of white ground.

The British wanted to expand his office, and under the pretext of repairing it, they occupied many miles.The people affected by the disaster went to the Taiwan government office to sue.Li Hongbin, who made the stage, ignored it, and the foreigners were very proud.Later, all the people took advantage of the time when Li Hongbin was in attendance, and filed a complaint with Zhu Guizhen in Futai.Zhu Guizhen was originally a raging fire. With approval, he immediately took Tongshisuo into prison, personally supervised the soldiers, and demolished the houses built by the British to the ground.The British have been threatening for half a year, so how can they get cheap!It can be seen that to deal with foreigners, it is necessary to combine toughness and softness. "

Deng Tingzhen said: "Britain has sent a new consul here. The name of this consul is Yilu. I heard that he is very stubborn.

Lin Zexu said: "What consul? I don't seem to have heard of this name before?" "

Deng Tingzhen said: "The capital of the British Siban Company is all borrowed from the country's national funds. In recent years, the trade has suffered losses, and the principal and interest have not been paid. Please order the foreign merchants to send letters back to China, and follow the previous example, and send the company's executives to Guangdong to manage trade. The monarch of the country set up a consulate after receiving the imperial edict from the Chinese court."

Lin Zexu said: "So there is such a thing. I don't care, now we do our own thing, he is stubborn, I have the ability to deal with his stubbornness."

Seeing that Lin Zexu was determined to implement it, Deng Tingzhen was very opposed to it, and then said: "The affairs of foreigners should be handed over to the stewards of foreign firms. Let's pass on the stewards of thirteen foreign firms first, and send them an imperial letter, asking them to pass on the order." All foreign companies."

Lin Zexu nodded "Yes" and said a few other words.

Lin Zexu resigned and went back to Yuanyuan. He immediately asked the old master to do a few corners of official documents. He consulted with the admiral of the Humen Navy, the commander of Jieshi Town, and the battalions of Tongdai Ti Town.On the fourth day of the second lunar month, Lin Qinchai and Deng Zhitai, together with Yiliang, the governor of Guangdong, sat in the grand hall of the Xingyuan Hall, and sent a letter to the secretary of the thirteen foreign companies, ordering him to tell all foreigners to store the smoke and soil. Actual billing report.

When the foreign firms received the imperial invitation, they only complained bitterly.Taking care of the foreigners, the foreigners laughed and said: "You Chinese officials, you only need a few dollars. Lin Qin sent nothing to make waves, pretending, and it's just because of that thing. It's a big deal. Let's fight for a few dollars." Wan Yinzi, will something happen again?"

The secretary said: "Miss Lin Qin is very serious, I'm afraid I won't be able to buy any money."

The foreigner didn't believe it, so he immediately issued a bank note of 5 taels of silver and sent someone to send it.But in a day's time, the messenger came back and presented the original letter, but the original letter remained unchanged.

The foreigner was surprised: "Some Chinese officials don't want money, but it's a bad thing."

Busy looking for Yilu to discuss.Elliott said: "Whatever he does, the Chinese are anticlimactic. It will be fine after a while."

Unexpectedly, Lin Zexu was serious in his work, urging him to report three times a day.

The ax eats the chisel, and the chisel eats the wood.Yilu was overwhelmed, so he had to come to the province by boat, but he still lay dead in the public office and did not come to see him.

It just so happened that a profiteer escaped in a hurry. Lin Zexu was furious, and he was ordered to go on a business trip to arrest him. On the one hand, he referred to the case of violating the sealing of the cabin and referred it to the supervision of the Guangdong Customs to seal all the goods stationed in Huangpu. , stop trading.He also arrested the compradors used by foreigners and put them in prison.After doing this, the foreigners on the ship had neither support nor trade, and it was extremely difficult.So Elliot voluntarily surrendered the money according to the facts, and made a list, totaling 83 boxes of tobacco.Lin Zexu smiled and said to Deng Tingzhen, "Deng Zhijun, what do you think?"

Tingzhen was also very impressed. Following the hit officer, he sent out a big order to order all the foreign ships to sail to Humen for collection.On the one hand, all the battalions in the town will lead the pacesetter ships, and they are scheduled to gather inside and outside the gate on the 27th of this month for customs inspection.

On this day, Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen all took the deacons together, boarded the official ship, and went to Humen for surveillance.Customs supervision will accompany the inspection.Foreigners from all over the world, there is no one who does not bow their heads and stick to their ears, but only obeys orders.It took three or five days to collect it before it was finished.He also ordered all the foreigners to issue a certificate of never selling tobacco and soil, with words such as "Subsequent offenders will be punished, and the cargo ship will be officials", with strict and righteous words and dignified orders.Officials and people in Guangdong Province all said it was fast.

Lin Zexu played Wen Tianzi that night, and said in his speech:

Imperial Envoy Lin Zexu, Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi Deng Tingzhen, and Governor-General Yiliang of Guangdong knelt and played: to frighten Tiancheng for foreigners from England and other countries, all the opium on the barge was confiscated.It is now undergoing joint inspection and acceptance in Haikou, Humen.Respectfully fold and pray for the holy mirror.It is stolen that opium smoke comes from abroad, poisoning China, and it has spread for a long time, and it is almost irreversible.Fortunately, my emperor called the number to make a big announcement, and the plan is still determined. To eliminate the evils, the law must be done.Moreover, Holt awarded Guan Fang, the imperial envoy, and sent his minister Lin Zexu to Guangdong to investigate and deal with it.Gu Zili's great responsibility cannot be overcome by ambiguity.Relying on the strict edict, the virtues and powers are far-reaching, not only prohibiting travel in the interior, but also spreading the word to foreign countries.

The minister Deng Tingzhen Yishi of the reply order worked hard, obliterated the boundary, felt admiration, thought hard and tried hard to get rid of it.Before Chen Lin Zexu arrived, hundreds of kiln smokers and smokers were arrested and punished separately.They also sent naval ships to take turns to guard the blockage, and the water and land were strictly controlled.The foreign ships on the East Road and the traitors in the province were expelled one after another.

The scriptures of the festival were learned from the holy mirror, and the minister Lin Zexu came to the province on the 25th of the first lunar month, and he will prepare the general situation together, and record it in advance.Weishi's barge No. 22 in the ocean has been closed one after another, as a sign of returning home.It is not difficult if you return to Fanjie by chase, that is, for the sake of things.Weichen and others have carefully thought about it, stealing that this special investigation will be done in Yongdu Qiyuan, and they dare not only focus on the current responsibilities.Chayang people are treacherous, and opium sellers are even more treacherous.This time I heard that there was an imperial envoy to the province, and I knew that the foreign ship would be ordered to be driven away, so it started first and retreated to the ocean where it had always been anchored, to show that it would not dare to disobey.In fact, there are no less than a thousand boxes of opium stored in each ship.Since last year, all seaports have been strictly guarded, making it difficult to sell.But for his treacherous schemes, he still wants to take advantage of the time to find and sell them.Not only do they refuse to abandon the ocean, but they also refuse to bring it back to their home country.Even if you are expelled from Wanshan Mountain, you will only escape for a while and come back soon, it will not be the end.It is difficult to guarantee that the pirate ships from the mainland will not go abroad to collude and sell them.

It is necessary to eliminate all the opium on its barges, in order to prevent the root cause of the disease.But in the torrential waves, it is impossible to be sure.Because although the barges are stored in the ocean, most of the profiteers who sell them are in the provincial hall. Although there is no need to bring justice to justice, it is even more necessary to intimidate them with reason.Lin Zexu, the minister, translated the imperial post and ordered all the foreigners to "hand over all the smoke and dirt on the barge to the officials, and promise to thank the emperor for his grace, so that he will be exonerated from past crimes, and please reward him as appropriate to reward his remorse and fear. Afterwards, it is not allowed to bring opium back to the mainland, and the perpetrators will be punished according to the new regulations of the Celestial Dynasty, and the goods will be sent to the government." etc.Discuss with ministers Deng Tinglai and Yiliang, that is, on the fourth day of February, they sat together in the hall, summoned foreign merchants, and sent them the edict, ordering them to go to the foreign ship, bring back Tongshi, explain the edict in Western language, and order them Reply today.Some secretly sent military service and concealed defenses to check overseas.

Since the establishment of the company's bureau, each country has sent a fourth-level chieftain every year. Chang Chuan guards the foreign company and specializes in its affairs.After Wei Shichen and others delivered the decree, they all waited and watched the British, and the British tried to evade Yilu.In addition, Yizhan, a foreigner who is proficient in Chinese, and four others, passed the message to the office through Si Dao and Guangzhou Mansion, and made an announcement in person.The Yizhan and others are submitted, which is still respectful.Immediately, the merchant gave a piece of red silk and two jars of rice wine, and ordered to enlighten the merchants, to pay the opium quickly, and to report the reply immediately.

On the [-]th day of February, Elliot entered from Macau, profiteers and others, trying to escape in time.After investigation and interception by the ministers and others, Yilu was charged with a crime that could not be restrained, and the case of sealing up the cabins when foreigners disobeyed them was referred to Yukun, the supervisor of the Guangdong Customs, to seal up the cargoes stationed in Huangpu immediately and stop them. its trade.In addition, the comprador workers in foreign houses were also ordered to be temporarily detained every time they secretly delivered news to their enemies.And the military service for the hidden defense will be added as appropriate.All areas near and far away are strictly guarded, and foreigners are not allowed to come and go.Still secretly ordered the Bian soldiers not to provoke rashly.The ministers and others use static brakes to prevent evil and be strict.But the foreigner was terrified and afraid of power.

Since the strict defense, the foreign mansion in the provincial capital, Huangpu, Macau and the information on the summer boats in the ocean have never been connected.The minister Lin Zexu again superimposed instructions, exhorting and admonishing at the same time.That is to say, on the 23rd, according to the facts, he was willing to surrender the opium.

It has been five days since the time when the compradors were detained in Weishi, and the food on the foreign ships is gradually becoming scarce.The ministers and others immediately rewarded 240 pieces of livestock and other things, and then checked the exact number of opium.After repeated investigations in Yilu, it was revealed that there were 83 boxes in total.Zha Xianglai seized the original boxes of opium from abroad, each box counted 44 bags, each bag weighed three catties, and each box weighed 120 catties.Dried in the sun for a long time, it is also about a hundred catties.Based on the current reimbursement and cancellation figures, it is no less than two million and hundreds of thousands of catties.The ministers and others were still afraid that the report might not be true, so they ordered the foreign navy and merchants to buy it. Jin said that the storage of each ship of the overseas tall barge was no more than a thousand boxes. There were 22 barges. The amount reimbursed is not very different.That is to say, the order was sent to Humen to collect it.

Except Shang Mingchen Yiliang who suppressed and guarded in the province, minister Lin Zexu and minister Deng Tingzhen all took a boat for introspection on February 27 and arrived in Humen on the 28th.Admiral Guan Tianpei is stationed in Humen, and he discusses with his ministers at any time to prevent foreign ships from being seized and sold privately.Since the edict of confiscation has been issued, strict precautions must be taken.There were 22 barges in front, except for continuing to Humen, the minister Guan Tianpei immediately supervised the generals to lead the battalion ships, and they were arranged inside and outside the gate, with a very strong reputation.Yukun, the supervisor of the Guangdong Customs, was also stationed at the tax gate in Humen to take care of the inspection.Nanxiong, the magistrate of Zhili prefecture, Yu Baochun, the magistrate of Zhili prefecture, etc., dispatched civil and military personnel, large and small, to receive, inspect, transport and store.However, there are so many boxes, that it takes dozens of stripping boats to carry them.And it takes dozens of miles to transport it from the port to the inland storage place. If the date is too fast and it is confiscated hastily, it may cause harm.The minister Deng Tingzhen returned to the province three days after receiving it, and the minister Lin Zexu lived in Haikou, and inspected everything in detail with the minister.

After the confiscation, we will find out whether the actual number of boxes is consistent with what the foreigner reported, and then give a respectful report.And take a foreigner, never entrain and cut the knot record, in order to prevent his desire to steal and sell again.However, this foreigner has been selling opium for many years, and he has been doing the law of the Chinese dynasty. If it follows the rules: "If a foreigner commits a crime, and he will be punished according to the law, he will be punished and deserve what he deserves. I just think that this foreigner was far away across the ocean in the past. It is not well known that since paying in full according to the regulations, it is no different from surrendering yourself. Together with Wuyun, I beg God's grace, the rabbit chases the past, and strictly prohibits the future. I also hope that all foreigners will be empty of opium and have no money to buy goods, and reward tea as appropriate Every foreigner handed over a box of opium under his name and rewarded him with five catties of tea as a reward for his obedience and for his repentance and reformation. Don't dare to spend when you donate.

It is the first time that foreigners consigned so many opium.We should appoint civil and military officials to unpack the original box for verification and then destroy it to show the truth.Whether it is right or not, the ministers and others would like to play together, and record the original manuscript of the foreigner, and two pieces of the foreigner's report, and present them to the imperial court.Sincerely.

If you want to know what changes have occurred after this book arrived in Beijing, let's listen to the next chapter to break it down.

(End of this chapter)