Chapter 16 The Misty "Xinyou Coup"

Frightened, Xianfeng did not want to return to Beijing. The war made him feel scared and humiliated. He didn't want to go back to the sad place, so he stayed in Rehe.In this way, in less than a year, Xianfeng, who had been paralyzed by women and opium all day long, and spent his days in a coma, finally couldn't hold on anymore, and got braided in Rehe at the age of 31. He was not born great, and died a foolish person, but he was liberated in the end. Xianfeng left three "inheritances" for the inheritance of the Qing Dynasty: the only son - the 6-year-old Tongzhi Emperor, the 26-year-old young wife - the Empress Dowager who has just been promoted from Concubine Yi, and eight domineering assistant ministers .

Next, a strange, interesting, and mysterious story happened around the mother and son and the eight assistant ministers. This is the "Xinyou Coup". Briefly describe the process of the "Xinyou Coup" - in the Xinyou year of the lunar calendar, that is, in 1861, the graceful and graceful Queen Mother, at the age of 26 and her husband just died, was in danger without chaos. Find the key to unravel the puzzle in the complicated situation.In the end, the reliable allied army—Prince Gong Yixin, was united, and the trump card motorized troops (Mongolian cavalry) commander Seng Gelinqin and the Beijing city defense commander (infantry commander) Wen Xiang and others who were excluded from the eight major auxiliary ministers made use of their heavy troops. Out of dissatisfaction with others, he decisively launched a coup d'état, and quickly took down the eight auxiliary ministers in one fell swoop, and established a political pattern of "listening to politics behind the curtain".

Speaking of this, everyone knows that this young woman who rose to power by a coup was later the Empress Dowager Cixi. For more than a hundred years, there have been two mysteries surrounding the "Xinyou Coup". Puzzle 1, what was the cause of the coup? Was it Empress Dowager Cixi's struggle for power or the domineering eight ministers' disorderly administration? Some people attributed the cause of the "Xinyou coup" to Cixi's struggle for power, saying that it was because Cixi wanted to listen to politics behind the curtain, and the eight ministers did not allow Cixi to do anything.

This idea is ridiculous and obviously illogical. The eight assistant ministers of the family have established their legal status by the edict of the first emperor, and they have the support of many cronies among civil and military officials. Almost everyone holds important military and political positions, and Cixi is just a 26-year-old young woman who is alone and lonely. How could it be possible to strike a stone with an egg for power?Unless your head is flooded. After excluding all unreliable theories, there is only one reasonable explanation left - after Xianfeng raised his braids, the eight ministers showed their true colors and wanted to take advantage of Cixi and the little emperor's orphans and widows to monopolize the imperial power.

But what made the eight ministers depressed was that the decrees they issued would only take effect after being stamped by the Emperor Tongzhi.The emperor's seal ("Tongdaotang" seal) is managed by his mother Cixi.Obviously, Cixi is the roadblock for the eight ministers to seize power, and she must be removed! Therefore, in order to survive, Cixi, who is in a weak position, must fight back.This should be the real reason why Cixi took the risk to launch a coup. In addition, from the perspective of caring for her son, Cixi's coup is also beneficial and harmless. Historical experience tells Cixi: the auxiliary ministers are too fond of power, which will inevitably lead to the fall of imperial power.Therefore, the mother's love from the heart made the 26-year-old mother determined to fight to the death with the eight ministers.Obviously, success means that the imperial power is in the hands, and the son is stable; failure is nothing more than his own death, and it is no problem for the son to be the puppet emperor. After all, Tongzhi is the only prince of Xianfeng.

Some people may ask, if Cixi was really good for her son, why would she not delegate power and let her only son be a puppet?In fact, everyone should think about this issue differently. Suppose you are the only child in your family, and your parents have started a company.When you were a child, the company was run by your parents, right?When you grow up, your parents should help you get on the horse and see you off, right?Which parent is willing to put pressure and responsibility on their children early?In short, it is only a matter of time before the full succession, and sooner or later you will inherit the family business.That being the case, why do we have any reason to suspect that Cixi's coup was not for the good of her son?

Puzzle 2, why did Yixin help Cixi? Some people think that he has an affair with his sister-in-law Cixi, and that the two of them are promiscuous in the harem, so they are willing to take risks and try their best to help their orphans and widowed mothers. It can only be said that people who hold this view have too much imagination. At that time, Cixi had no real power, and her allied Prince Gong was also excluded from the eight ministers of Gu Ming, and did not have much real power. Two young people in their twenties teamed up to deal with the eight political veterans who monopolized the military and political power. , there is really no chance of winning, but why did Yixin choose to hit the stone with the pebble?

As I said before, Xianfeng's throne is not easy to come by, because the throne is not easy to come by, so Xianfeng has always been wary of Yixin, such as leaving Yixin in Beijing as cannon fodder.Before Xianfeng was about to die, he did something even worse. Not only did he dismiss Yi Xin from his post as Minister of Military Aircraft, but he also excluded his closest brother from Minister Gu Ming.And Xianfeng's arrangement will inevitably arouse Yixin's heart of complete rebellion.Therefore, it is completely logical for Yixin to join hands with Cixi to eliminate the eight ministers and regain the power that should belong to him.

Sure enough, after this battle, Yixin achieved his original goal, becoming the king of politics and the chief minister of military affairs with one person under one man and more than ten thousand people. Cixi was lucky. She obtained the greatest benefit at the least cost. In the process, she showed extraordinary courage, vision, scheming and skill, which is admirable. This Empress Dowager Cixi, whose full name is Yehenara Xingzhen ("Xingzhen" adopts the correct version, which is controversial), also known as "Queen Dowager" or "Lafayette", has ruled China for forty-eight years since then.To add, this legendary woman was born in 1835 and is a sheep.

In fact, the timing of Empress Dowager Cixi's ascension was not good. The country left by her husband Xianfeng was riddled with holes, internal and external difficulties, which was very bad.Fortunately, Cixi, as a top political politician, not only saw the existing problems, but also thought of ways to solve them. Her method is to employ people, know them well, and use the most suitable people to do the most suitable things.Among the most suitable candidates, the most important are the two sheep. She will join hands with them to save the Qing Empire and create a legend!