Forty-eight years of Qianlong

"I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it." Yonghe smiled bitterly and shook his head as he spoke.

Yes, his true identity is just as Shen Guisheng said. He is the son of Jiaqing wet nurse and belongs to Zhengbai Banner.And when he came to Jinzhou this time, he also received Jiaqing's secret order to serve as a messenger.

As for why he came, it must start with the current predicament of the Qing court.

Although 1794 is not over yet, it is undoubtedly an extremely sad year for the Manchus.Even though they still occupy the colorful world within the pass, with a population of over 2 million under their control, they are already besieged on all sides and are at the end of their rope.

First, Zhao Xin personally commanded the Liaodong Campaign in the north, causing the Qing court to lose the entire Liaodong Plain.

To the east, the Shandong Peninsula was completely occupied by the Northern Navy, and the northernmost front had entered the North China Plain.

To the south, the southern troops led by He Xiwen landed at Lianzhou Bay in the seventh lunar month, sounding the clarion call to attack Guangxi.After more than three months of continuous fighting, this 5000-man force composed of Hoi An camp and servant troops moved north and west along the river with great momentum.At present, its troops have passed Hengzhou, which is only 220 miles away from Nanning City by water.

To the west, the [-]-strong West Route Army led by Liu Sheng and Fan Tong continued to attack Fang Qiu in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains.At present, Kurkarawusu, Talbahatai and Yili on the Tianshan North Road have all been captured, and the Qing troops along the road have all surrendered.On the Tianshan South Road, five thousand cavalry commanded by Jiang Fan successively captured Turpan, Karashaer, Kuqa, and Aksu.

At this point, the strategic encirclement designed by Zhao Xin six years ago has been completed.If the previous moves were just like corner layouts in Go, then Beihai Town's massive recruitment drive in mid-September means that this game of chess is about to enter its final stage.

In the eyes of many thoughtful people, it is a normal behavior for those who conquer the world since ancient times to recruit troops on a large scale. It took Beihai Town so many years to recruit troops on a large scale in Jiaodong, which is really a bit delayed.

However, when these people learned about the various measures taken by Beihai Town in this conscription, especially the propaganda and mobilization that went directly to the countryside, and the huge role played by the "Farmers' Association" that was hated by countless gentry, they were all confused. shock.

Only then did they understand why Zhao Xin's senior official named Kong spent two years and countless manpower and money to establish "offices" with all-round functions such as finance, personnel, and justice in Jiaodong townships; why he spared no effort They set up "agricultural cooperatives" to help landless farmers obtain land, and even dispatched the army to help people build houses and harvest autumn; why they spent money on food and recruited theater troupes to frequently go to the countryside to perform unheard of new plays; Families of soldiers and soldiers who were paid with wages were provided with free education and various labor benefits.

For the Qing court, the signal sent by the large-scale conscription in Beihai Town could not be clearer.Ten thousand or twenty thousand North Koreans can defeat them, and 10,000+ or ​​even hundreds of thousands are absolutely the power to destroy the country.

After Jiaqing discussed the conscription method in Beihai Town with several military and aircraft ministers, he was very tempted by its effect and wanted to try it in the "rear areas" of Shaanxi-Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan-Guizhou regions.

As a native of Shaanxi, Dongge University Scholar Wang Jie’s suggestion is to try it out in Shaanxi and Gansu first, choosing areas with traditional Chongqing and simple folk customs, adding officers to the inspection department at the township level, and directing each officer to manage [-] households. to fulfill.

However, when Dong Gao, who was in charge of the household department, simply settled the accounts for everyone present, Jiaqing felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured on him, and his activities ceased.

According to the census of the Ministry of Household Affairs in the 55th year of Qianlong's reign, there were 8737887 people in Shaanxi and 17136882 people in Gansu, for a total of 25874769 people.Taking into account population growth in recent years, the actual number is only slightly higher.

That's good. Let's calculate the person-to-household ratio as 1:5. With more than 2000 million people, there are 5174954 households.If there is one patrol inspection for every 1 households, more than 12 additional officials will be needed.An official's annual salary is 50 taels and the maintenance of honest silver is 64 taels, so the court's annual expenditure will increase by more than [-] taels.If you add in the services of Zaza Yamen, Duan Dian, Lancers, etc., it would probably be no less than a million.

Even if it only covers half of the population of Shaanxi and Gansu, its financial expenditure is not something the court can bear.And it would cost so much money in Shaanxi and Gansu alone, and if you include other provinces, it would be an astronomical figure.

At this time, Jiaqing felt that he finally understood the series of "sexy operations" in Beihai Town over the years, and he sighed: "Build walls high, accumulate grain widely, and slowly become king. Zhao Ni considered these nine The words are well thought out!”

In a narrow sense, all dynasties in China have adhered to the governance model of "imperial power not extending to the county." This does not mean that the imperial power does not want to extend to the county, but that in the traditional small-scale peasant society, the cost of governing the county is too high and is not the responsibility of the court at all. Financial revenue can bear it.As a result, a dual-track system was formed with "centralized power" above the county level and "autonomous system" below the county level. The key class responsible for communicating between the two was the gentry.

As the feudal autocratic centralization of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was unprecedentedly strengthened, although it had an annual income of more than 7000 million taels of silver, it still could not afford it and could only rule indirectly through grassroots organizations with a vocational nature.For example, the Inspection Department, Township School, Hebo Station, Taxation Department Ambassador, Gate Officer, Yi Cheng, etc.

If the state government in a traditional farming society wants to expand its financial resources, the only way to do this is to have more farmland, prosper market transactions, and increase tax revenue.Once the cultivated land within the territory is developed to the extreme, the imperial court's annual income will basically reach its peak.

Jiaqing, who received royal education from an early age and had been a prince for more than 20 years, knew this truth well, so he thought he had seen clearly what Zhao Xin had done over the years.

"No wonder he wants to seize land outside the customs from the imperial court, go to war with Rakshasa, and take over a large area of ​​the Far North! No wonder he wants to go to war with the Dutch in the South China Sea! No wonder he wants to make such a big fuss in Anping Port , if you have money, you don’t have to come up with a Beihai dollar!”

In his view, Zhao Xin wanted to build a huge dynasty with unprecedented vast territory, strict governance system, political power penetrating into the countryside, and super strong war mobilization power.

The problem was that the clearer he saw, the more anxious Jiaqing became.The so-called "said to be a loner and few friends", sitting on the throne of the emperor, he knew many things in his heart, but could not talk to outsiders.

In fact, that was not the only thing that made him anxious. You must know that Qianlong's Zi Palace is still in the Guande Hall in Jingshan!The mausoleum in Zunhua has not yet been completed, and thousands of pole pullers have just begun to practice. Even if they give up the "West Hunt" in Beijing, they still have to bury the late emperor first.Otherwise, how could he face his ancestors? !

Just two months ago, the Qing court received a secret report from outside the customs from Shang Yu's backup department, which detailed what he saw and heard during the Northern Navy's attack on Shengjing City.

While reading this secret report, Jiaqing noticed that the Northern Navy did not destroy the tombs of Nurhachi and Huang Taiji during the attack on the outskirts of Shengjing, and even sent troops to guard them after the war. This made him breathe a sigh of relief and also Quite a surprise.

As a confidant, the Minister of Military and Aircraft Dong Gao also read the secret report. After thinking about it for two days, he suggested to Jiaqing that it was better to use this as a breakthrough to start private negotiations with Beihai Town, using the Shengjing Imperial Mausoleum and the enshrinement ceremony of Emperor Gaozongchun as an excuse. Buy some more time.

After repeated consideration, Jiaqing reluctantly agreed.After all, the more time it can be delayed, the more taxes can be collected from various places.In recent years, he and Qianlong had transferred 500 million taels of silver and 400 million shi of grain and rice to Xi'an through the Ministry of Internal Affairs.It sounds like a lot, but once the imperial court moves to Xi'an, the grain that is regarded as a lifeline will no longer be considered, and the large amount of taxes directly under the Ministry of Internal Affairs will also be gone.

For example, Suzhou Weaving, Jiangning Weaving, Lianghuai Salt Administration, Changlu Salt Administration, Hedong Salt Administration, Guangdong Customs Supervision, Fengyang Customs Supervision, Jiujiang Customs Supervision, Huaiguan Supervision, the taxes payable to the Ministry of Internal Affairs every year are basically maintained. At more than 200 million taels, it accounts for nearly 10% of the annual income of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.So for him, if the Beihai navy could enter the customs later, at least it could take away several hundred thousand taels of silver.

The strategy is set, but how to contact them?Looking for the spies planted by Beihai Town in the capital?In the past, He Shen was responsible for such matters and reported directly to Qianlong; since he defected, this line has been broken.

Dong Gao's advice was not to contact Shandong, but to focus on Jinzhou.

It's not that he doesn't trust Liu Yong, but the matter is very important. The situation in Shandong is complicated and the gentry is unstable. Once the news leaks out, it will cause unnecessary turmoil.

Jinzhou was chosen because the private sea trade there had not been interrupted, and the imperial troops had retreated to Ningyuan Prefecture and Shanhaiguan, so outsiders would not know about the situation in Jinzhou.

Jiaqing was convinced of this.However, maritime merchants are easy to find, but messengers are not.First of all, he must be a trustworthy confidant, loyal to the emperor and the court. He must also be bold, careful, and steady in his work.The most important thing is that they must be bannermen.After much picking and choosing, his nanny brother Yonghe became the best candidate.

Yonghe's mother, named Siha, was the only wet nurse in Jiaqing. She died of illness ten years ago.In the Qing Dynasty, the prince usually had 3 to 4 nannies and only one wet nurse.They usually accompany the prince for several years or even more than ten years, and they undoubtedly have the greatest impact on the prince's temperament and upbringing.

For example, the reason why the Cao family was able to take charge of Jiangning weaving and became famous for a while was because Kangxi's wet nurse, Sun, was Cao Xi's wife.

According to the Qing court system, the prince's wet nurse must be a bannerman, have a good appearance, a gentle personality, and be well-educated. She must be proficient in Manchu and be from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In addition, she must be between 15 and 20 years old and have given birth to three children. , husband and children are healthy.The most important thing is that the third child must be a girl.Of course, if it is the princess's wet nurse, the third child must be a boy.

Jiaqing has a very good personal relationship with her elder brother Yonghe, and they used to meet each other often.This is a typical bannerman man. Because of his mother, he entered the leading guard house and became a blue feather guard after he became a young man. Buku is skilled in bow and horse, and he is also very peaceful. He has never relied on Jiaqing's connections to amass money.

Because his father passed away last winter, Yonghe was required to observe filial piety at home and could not go back to work after the annual festival.When he had nothing to do at home on weekdays, he often went to Tianhuixuan Teahouse in Di'anmen to pass the time by drinking tea, where he also met Guisheng, who was disguised as a teahouse waiter.The reason why he is called "Yong Erye" is because he is the second among his peers in the clan.

After the person was chosen, Jiaqing asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to issue an edict, posthumously conferring the title of first-class wife to the wet nurse Ta Siha, and at the same time, conferring the title of second-class wife to the living Ermaomo Zhang, Sanmao Zhang, and mother Zhu. The heirs were all rewarded with the rank of Cavalry Commander of the fourth rank, which they inherited three times, and each family was rewarded with one thousand, five hundred taels of silver.

According to old practice, after the new emperor ascends the throne, he must reward his nanny.Jiaqing has been very busy in the past few months since he ascended the throne. Moreover, the 59th year of Qianlong has not yet passed, so there is no rush.But because we were in a hurry to summon Yonghe, we had to use this method.

By the way, being an emperor does not mean that you can just let eunuchs deliver orders to anyone you want.Even Prince Baylor cannot be summoned into the palace at will without justifiable reasons.

The emperor issued a decree to reward his mother and himself, which was a great blessing for Yonghe.Even though "Xiao Xiang" has not yet passed, he still has to pass a sign to the palace to express his gratitude.

After the monarch and his ministers had a formal duel in the main hall of Yangxin Hall, they went to Dongnuan Pavilion for a private conversation.When Jiaqing expressed his thoughts, Yonghe naturally had no choice. He said with excitement that he would complete the mission of his younger brother even if he had to go through mountains of swords and seas of fire.

Then it was Dong Gao's operation. He chose the Shuixi Cha family from among the many maritime merchant families in Tianjin. He was interested in the fact that the other family had a great business and was the leader of the salt merchants.

Finally, on the 20th day after Jiaqing's summons, Yonghe carried the letter instructed by Jiaqing and drafted by Dong Gao himself, and brought a Lanling guard disguised as a domestic servant to board the ship bound for Matigou.

After Shen Guisheng learned of Yonghe's intention, he also read the contents of the letter and knew that the matter was of great importance.Although he is the person in charge of the Intelligence Bureau in Jinzhou, he cannot make the final decision on this kind of thing.So he immediately took Yonghe and his servant to Guangning County and settled them in an inn in the city.He also informed the local Military Control Commission and sent people to keep an eye on the whereabouts of Yong He.

That afternoon, he sent a telegram to the Eastern Front Command in Shengjing City through the Intelligence Agency's radio station.An hour later, a call back came. Chief of Staff Li Rui asked him to bring Yonghe to Shengjing early the next morning. He wanted to meet this man in person.

It is more than 300 miles from Guangning to Shengjing City. If you ride a horse, it will take two or three days to get there.So the next morning, after breakfast, Yonghe and his companions followed the two Bei navy troops to Zhenshuo Gate in the north of Guangning City, but they didn't see a single horse.

In addition to a few donkeys gnawing grass at the base of the city wall, there was only a dark green thing a few feet away, as tall as a person, with an extremely weird shape, placed on the post road. There were two black things as thick as buckets under the thing. The round wheel.

While the two were wondering, they saw a door opening on the side of the strange green thing, and a man wearing a Northern Navy uniform walked out.This scene immediately startled Yonghe and his companions, and they couldn't help but take a few steps back.

“Second Master Yong, don’t you recognize me when you change your clothes?”

Yonghe took a closer look and saw that it was Guisheng. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and said, "Master Shen, you said you wanted to take me to Shengjing. How can I go there without a horse?"

Guisheng laughed and explained: "It's so tiring to ride a horse, and it also wastes time. Let's go by car today."

"Car?" Yonghe looked around and thought there was no carriage.

Seeing that he still didn't understand, Guisheng reached out and opened the back door of the jeep, made a sign of invitation, and said, "This is the car. We can get to Shengjing City in the afternoon."

"what?!"

20. Xiaoxiang, also called the New Year Sacrifice, is an ancient sacrificial ritual performed on the first anniversary of the death of the deceased. "Book of Rites" says: "When parents are bereaved, they cry, eat less water and drink, and do not eat vegetables and fruits. In anticipation of Xiaoxiang, eat vegetables and fruits." In ancient times, Xiaoxiang was the first anniversary of the death of the deceased. They are highly valued and often have auspicious properties, and the atmosphere of sadness is not so strong.27. Where there is something small, there is something big. Daxiang is a ceremony held on the second anniversary of the death of the deceased, and it also has the nature of an auspicious ceremony.21. After the Daxiang ceremony, the next step is the "禫", which is the ritual of removing the clothes and will be held on the [-]th and seven months after death.Afterwards, the bereaved family can completely resume their normal life.Therefore, the ancients observed filial piety for [-] months, which was completely based on the requirements of "Book of Rites. Shi Yu Li".[-]. The Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty were quickly assimilated after entering the customs. Basically, mourning has been carried out in accordance with the requirements of the "Book of Rites" since the Kangxi era. However, it would not be until the [-]st year of Qianlong's [-]st year that the "Qing Dynasty Tongli" was officially established and standardized. promulgated.