Chapter 358 Chapter 357 Sejong Aixinjueluo Yinzhen
On October 30th in the seventeenth year of Kangxi (AD 1678), another baby boy was born in the solemn and mysterious Forbidden City.This baby is Yinzhen, the fifth emperor of the Qing Dynasty who ascended to the magnificent dragon chair in the Qing Dynasty 44 years later.
Like many sons of Kangxi, Yinzhen grew up slowly in the glory and wealth of the emperor's family.Kangxi was strict with his sons, and he paid close attention to education.The prince entered the South Study Room when he was 6 years old, and his masters were all erudite Confucians in the Imperial Academy.The courses studied include Manchu, Chinese, Mongolian and Confucian classics and history books, as well as military, physical education and other subjects.Five drums every day, before dawn, you have to get up and go to the study to study.The daily courses are all arranged, first read history and composition, then have a Manchu master to teach Manchu, and learn riding and archery in the afternoon.The day's homework is not over until the sun goes down.Emperor Kangxi saw that some noble families pampered their children and grandchildren, and when they grew up, they were waste and harmed their children and grandchildren.Therefore, he had very strict requirements on the princes. Emperor Kangxi often checked the princes' homework in the busy government affairs, and especially warned them to familiarize themselves with the Four Books and Five Classics, understand the principles of nature, and regulate themselves with Confucian ethics and morals, so as to become a man with both ability and political integrity. The person above the person.
As the princes grew older, Emperor Kangxi also exposed them to some military and political affairs and underwent practical exercises to increase their knowledge and ability to deal with problems.Since the age of 8, Yinzhen often went to the frontier with his father to learn about the situation in the frontier.In the 32nd year of Kangxi (1693 A.D.), 15-year-old Yinzhen and several elder brothers participated in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to Confucius in Qufu.In the second year and the thirty-ninth year of Kangxi, he visited Yongding River (also known as Hunhe River) with his father twice, and personally presided over the governance of Yongding River.In the thirty-fifth year of Kangxi (AD 1696), Yinzhen and his brothers participated in the crusade against Galdan, and he was ordered to take charge of the camp of Zhenghongqi. No matter how hard he tried, Yinzhen still learned a lot from it.In the forty-second year of Kangxi, he followed Kangxi on his southern tour, from Dezhou, Jinan, Taishan, and Yizhou, via Huai'an, Yangzhou, and Zhenjiang to Hangzhou.It took 4 months to return to Beijing via Nanjing, Peixian, Dongping, and Dongchang.Yinzhen was able to learn more about the customs and customs along the way and the canal dam project.
The tradition of the Qing Dynasty was that no crown prince was established, and the heir to the throne was appointed by the old emperor before his death.This method of not establishing a crown prince has both advantages and disadvantages.The advantage is that everyone who has the hope of inheriting the throne can be loyal to the emperor and work hard to win the favor of the emperor in order to be established as the king.The disadvantage is that there is no crown prince, and there are many people coveting the throne, which will easily lead to intrigue between father and son, and brothers, and even swordsmen will meet each other, leading to a catastrophe in the struggle for the throne.After Emperor Kangxi came to the throne, he considered the pros and cons of establishing a prince, and determined to change the habits of the Qing Dynasty and learn from the predecessors' method of establishing the eldest son as the prince.In the fourteenth year of Kangxi (AD 1675), he made Yinfeng, the second son of the emperor who was born to Empress Xiaocheng, who was only 2 years old, as the prince.The eldest son of the emperor, Yinti, was not established because he was a commoner.Afterwards, Kangxi's several sons competed for the reserve position, and it was impossible to fight.Yinfeng was established and then abolished, and when it was abolished, it was established.
Kangxi was overwhelmed and sad because of the abolition of the crown prince, and fell seriously ill.And the princes are mostly busy with managing their own forces and competing for the reserve position, and rarely care about their father's illness.Only Yinzhen and Yinzhi asked doctors and medicines, cared for them, and were very pleased with Kangxi.Therefore, when Yinreng was reestablished, Kangxi granted the princes, and Yinzhen, Yinzhi, and Yinqi were named princes, surpassing Yinreng and others, and achieved a great victory.In addition, Yinzhen knows how to pretend, hide his strength and bide his time, and avoid being jealous because of being too sharp.Before the situation became clear, he maintained a good relationship with all parties and effectively protected himself.Although he expressed concern for Yinreng, he also maintained some kind of connection with Yinreng.To the other brothers, he only said good things and never bad things in front of his father.He is there to support when someone needs it.After he got the title of prince, he himself asked to lower the Spyker and raise the status of other brothers.His actions like this won Kangxi's favor and praised him for being sensible.
The restoration of Yinfeng did not quell the contention among the sons, nor did it eliminate the conflict between him and his father.After Yinreng was restored, he still collected party members, recruited troops, and quickly gathered a group of trusted ministers.Seeing that his wings were becoming fuller and more arrogant, Kangxi had to take decisive measures again. In October of the 50th year of Kangxi (AD 1711), he was abolished again, the princelings were arrested, and Tuoheqi was burned to ashes. , Geng E, Qi Shiwu and others locked up for interrogation, and at the same time made it clear that they would no longer establish a prince.He said that there is no suitable person, and if he is established, it will cause fights. This is the practice of not establishing a prince, and it is not an exaggeration not to establish a prince.
The scheming Yinzhen saw clearly that Yinti, Yinreng, including Yinzhi, could not be chosen as the heir by his father. He was the oldest among the other princes and occupied a good position, so of course he had With the idea of taking over, I secretly made some preparations.Yinzhen's approach is to cater to his father's will as much as possible and win his father's favor.On the one hand, they stepped up activities underneath, and obtained the support of Long Kodo, the infantry commander who guarded the capital, and Nian Gengyao, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi who held a heavy army in the northwest.On the one hand, he showed his father and the world that he was not interested in the throne, and paralyzed Kangxi and the brothers.
Since Yinfeng was abolished for the second time, Kangxi paid more attention to Yinzhen, and asked him to participate in many important state affairs activities.In the fifty-first year of Kangxi, Yinzhen participated in the trial of the princelings.In the fifty-fourth year of Kangxi, he participated in the negotiation of the Northwest Military Affairs.In the fifty-seventh year, the empress dowager was buried, and Yinzhen read the proclamation on behalf of his father.In the 60th year of Kangxi and the 60th year of Kangxi's ascension to the throne, Yinzhen went to Shengjing for a grand ceremony.After returning to Beijing, he was ordered to sacrifice to the Taimiao and the apse.In the same year, Yinzhen was ordered to deal with the unjust selection of scholars who were not ranked in the examination.On the winter solstice of that year, he was also ordered to worship the heavens in Yuanqiu on behalf of his father.In the sixty-first year of Kangxi, Yinzhen led people to search the Jingtong warehouse.This shows that Kangxi already had certain ideas about making Yinzhen the crown prince, so he let him fully participate in military and political affairs.
On November 7th in the sixty-first year of Kangxi (AD 1722), Emperor Kangxi fell ill, and Yinzhen performed the winter solstice sacrifice.On the thirteenth, Kangxi summoned Yinzhen in Changchun Garden. Before Yinzhen arrived, Kangxi had confessed to Yinzhi, Yinxiang, Yinrongyi, Nian Daqing, Longkoduo and others who were beside the sick bed that Yinzhen would succeed him. After the emperor arrived, Yinzhen greeted his father, Kangxi told him about his illness, and Yinzhen comforted him with tears.At about 8 o'clock in the evening, Kangxi passed away suddenly.Yinzhen wailed and cried bitterly, and Longkodo verbally announced Kangxi's edict in public, ordering Yinzhen to ascend the throne.That night, Kangxi's body was transported back to the harem, and Yinsi was made the prince the next day.Zhao Yinti returned to Beijing and closed the nine gates of the capital.On the 16th, a will was promulgated to the world.On the 20th, Yinzhen ascended the throne and was congratulated by all officials. The next year was changed to the first year of Yongzheng.Announced that all the laws and regulations of the father would be inherited without any changes, and called for the unity of the royal family and the unity of all brothers, so that the Qing Dynasty would be solidified forever.
Due to the divergent unofficial history, whether Yongzheng's accession to the throne was Kangxi's will, whether it was legal or not has always been a topic of discussion, and historians are also at a loss.
Yongzheng sat on the throne of the emperor, and his brothers, especially Yinxuanyi and Yinti, did not give up.One day without a thorough settlement of the struggle between brothers, his throne will not be secure for a day.And the handling of this matter is far more complicated than everything else, and he has to spend a lot of energy.
On the second day of Yongzheng's accession to the throne, he named his political enemy Yinrongyi the prince, and made him, along with Yinxiang (the thirteenth son of the emperor, who had the best relationship with Yongzheng), Longkodo, and Yinrongyi's confidant Ma Qi, ministers of prime minister affairs. Do everything.At the same time, some cronies of Yin Rongyi were also appointed.Yongzheng's move surprised people.All of Yinrongyi's subordinates celebrate with each other, but only Yinrongyi has doubts and fears.He said to people: "The emperor showed grace today, how do you know that he has no intention of beheading tomorrow?" As an insider, Yin Rongyi naturally thought more deeply than others.However, Yongzheng's actions effectively blocked the mouths of many people, and at the same time controlled the differences in his own hands, gradually dividing his cronies.He wanted to stabilize Yin Rongyi for the time being, and then kill him when the time is right.
When dealing with Yinti, his brother from the same mother, Yongzheng was really hard to deal with.Yinti is the most powerful contender for the heir to the throne. In addition, there are rumors that Yongzheng has seized Yinti's throne. Yinti is very sympathetic. Therefore, he has potential appeal. Yongzheng must not take it lightly. depending on it.Yinti was fighting against Junggar in Tibet at that time. When his father died, Yongzheng quickly ordered Yinti to return to Beijing to attend his father's funeral, and handed over the frontline military affairs to Yongzheng's brother-in-law Nian Gengyao.Before Yinti arrived in Beijing, he specially sent someone to ask for instructions on whether to pay a visit to his father's palace first, or to meet the new monarch first.Yongzheng ordered him to visit his father's coffin first.Yinti faded into the mourning hall, seeing his father's coffin, with mixed feelings, fell to the ground crying.Yongzheng stood far away, and Yinti, of course, was full of hatred towards his elder brother who had ascended the throne, but under the low eaves, he had to perfunctorily kowtow to his elder brother.In order to show his elder brother's demeanor, Yongzheng stepped forward to help him, but Yinti ignored him, which made it difficult for Yongzheng to step down, which made Yongzheng very unhappy.Therefore, Yongzheng took advantage of this incident to reprimand Yinti for being "arrogant and high-minded", cut off his title of prince, and only retained the title of Beizi.After a month, Yongzheng and the princes sent Kangxi's coffin to be buried in Dongling.After the incident, Yinti was ordered to stay and guard his father's tomb, which actually imprisoned him in Zunhua.Several of Yinti's cronies were also arrested and punished.
Yongzheng's ruthlessness to Yinti made their mother Wu Yashi very sad, but she couldn't control the eldest son and couldn't help the young children, so she fell ill in a fit of urgency.In the first year of Yongzheng (1723 A.D.), he fell ill on May 22 and died the next day.This woman who was born in a small family had no luck to be a noble empress dowager, so she let go of this world where flesh and blood cannot love each other.Wu Yashi's death, according to Yongzheng's political opponents, was because she wanted to see Yinti, but Yongzheng didn't allow it, so she hit an iron pillar in a fit of anger.This statement is quite true. In order to comfort his mother, Yongzheng immediately made Yinti the king of the county, but he was still imprisoned in Zunhua.Soon Yinti's wife also fell ill and died.Yinti felt grief, indignation and frustration after being hit like this, and told Yongzheng that he had come to the end of his life, and hoped that his brother would let him go, so he saved his life.
The ninth son of the emperor, Yinzhen, and the tenth son of the emperor, Yinyu, were also supporters of Yinti, and they were also dissatisfied with Yongzheng's rise to power.After Yinti returned, Yongzheng ordered Yinti to go to Xining to handle errands, and secretly ordered Nian Gengyao to put him under house arrest in Xining.At the same time, Yinrong Woge was imprisoned in the capital for the title of county king.He still strictly imprisoned the deposed prince Yinreng and elder brother Yinti.
Yongzheng was not cruel in dealing with the brothers in the early stage, and did not endanger their lives.He knew that if he started the killing ring when he first succeeded to the throne, it would intensify the conflicts in the royal family, which would be detrimental to his rule.However, Yongzheng's political persecution of the brothers intensified step by step.
After two or three years of preparation, his power has been consolidated, and he is ready to solve the problem thoroughly.In the first month of the fourth year of Yongzheng (1726 A.D.), Yongzheng listed all kinds of lawlessness in Yinrong and demoted him to the king of the people.Confine the high wall and give it the name "Aqina", which means dog.In May, the crimes of Yin Rongyi and others were promulgated to internal and external ministers, soldiers and civilians.Yinzhen was named "Sai Simo", which means pig, and was killed in Baoding in August of the same year.In September, Yin Rongyi also died in the forbidden place for no apparent reason.Only Yongzheng's younger brother Yinti survived and lived to the 20th year of Qianlong (AD 1755).So far, Yongzheng has completely ended the struggle of the brothers for the throne, consolidated his position, strengthened the imperial power, and confirmed his unshakable authority.After Yongzheng got rid of the struggle for the throne, he began to devote more energy to the affairs of governing the country.
In the late Kangxi period, officials were corrupt and officials were corrupt.Therefore, the shortage of money and food and the emptiness of the national treasury have caused many serious social problems.When Yongzheng was a prince, he knew that the first thing to do to enrich the people and the country was to rectify the administration of officials.However, it is not easy to rectify the administration of officials and break ground on the bureaucratic team. If it is not done well, it will be out of control.Yongzheng knew that "official governance is a true article", and he was determined to do a good job of this true article.
The shortage of money and food was a big problem at that time, mainly due to official corruption.When Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, the cabinet drafted the Dengji Enzhao, which listed the shortage of money and grain for exempting officials.Yongzheng noticed it immediately, and he immediately took this item off, and he would never condone the corruption of officials.On December 13, he issued an order to the Ministry of Households to comprehensively check the outstanding money and food, and asked all localities to strictly implement it.Find out what is the shortfall and what is the reason, and order all the shortfalls to be made up within 3 years, and it is not allowed to impose harshly on the people.Those who were extorted by their superiors and those who used it for public use were punished separately.Those who are bullies and embezzlers must be punished in addition to compensation.Immediately, the examination office was set up in the central government, and Prince Yi Yinxiang and Longkodo were responsible for carrying out the investigation to the end.
The Huikaofu is the central auditing agency, and all ministries and provinces are supervised by it.The Huikao government found a deficit of 2.5 million taels in the household department, and Yongzheng ordered the household department to pay 1.5 million taels for the officials, ministers, and ministers, and the other 1 million taels were made up by the household department year by year.The high-level officials involved in the investigation were absolutely merciless, so that at that time, many county kings and beizi sold their family properties on the street to make up for the shortfall.For some bureaucrats with a lot of corruption, Yongzheng ransacked his home and used his family property to fill the void.
Local investigations are even more popular.Due to the deficit, many provincial officials were dismissed and their homes were seized.Severe measures were taken against corrupt officials. In addition to ransacking their homes, their relatives were ordered to pay compensation.All corrupt officials who are deficient will be dismissed once they are exposed.As many as one-third of the officials in various provinces were dismissed from office, and in some cases it was as high as half.Therefore, the folks said that Yongzheng was "easy to copy others".Yongzheng believed that this should be done, and corrupt officials should not be allowed to take advantage of it.The nationwide comprehensive inventory has achieved very good results. In three years, basically all the arrears since Kangxi were cleared, the treasury was enriched, and corrupt officials were cracked down.
Corruption of officials has a problem with the quality of the bureaucratic team. In the Qing Dynasty, there was also a specific objective reason, that is, the salary of officials was too low.In the Qing Dynasty, first-rank officials only had 180 taels of silver per year, and seventh-rank officials had 45 taels of silver.Relying on this salary, you can't even support your family, and you have to send it to welcome, socialize during the New Year, and take care of your boss.Don't let them get money in other ways, unless they starve to death.Therefore, in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, the local officials relied on exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. The most important thing was to collect taxes and money and add "fire consumption" to fill their private pockets; Life.How can such an officialdom not be corrupt.
Local officials at all levels generally use the name of "huo consumption" as a method of corruption and extortion.The name used is that the state collects taxes as loose silver, and when it is handed over to the treasury, it needs to be melted into silver ingots. Therefore, if there is loss, more silver taels should be collected to make up for the loss, which is called "fire consumption".In addition, there are also names such as "sparrow consumption" and "rat consumption" in grain requisition. The sign of "fire consumption" varies from place to place, but it is getting more and more serious. In some places, one tael is being paid with four or five dollars for "fire consumption".Yongzheng knew very well that the unlimited collection of "fire consumption" is to exploit the people's fat and anointment, and over time, it will inevitably lead to chaos.However, if the collection of "fire consumption" is prohibited, officials at all levels will lose their money and their livelihood.Yongzheng considered this issue very carefully.In May of the third year of Yongzheng (AD 1725), Yang Zongren, governor of Huguang, proposed that the "fire consumption" should be levied by the state and collected uniformly.Part of it goes to the province for public use, and part of it is distributed to local officials at all levels.His opinion was appreciated by Yongzheng.
For the sake of prudence, Yongzheng ordered the Minister of State Affairs to convene the relevant departments of the central government to discuss in detail.The results of the discussion, each insisted.Yongzheng was very annoyed, reprimanded them for being short-sighted, and stopped listening to their opinions. In July of the fourth year of Yongzheng, he categorically ordered the implementation of "returning fire consumption to the public".It is stipulated that the rate of fire consumption collection in each place shall be determined according to the situation of each place, and it is only allowed to be less than the original amount, and no increase is allowed.All the "fire consumption" collected was brought to the province.A part of it will be used as official support for honest money, and the rest will be used for local public expenses. This law will soon be implemented nationwide.The "fire consumption" rate in various places has decreased compared with the original amount, and many have dropped from 80% to 18%, such as Shandong and other provinces.The "fire consumption" rate in all provinces of the country generally remains below 20%. After "Huo Consumption" was returned to the public, officials at all levels were given out money for supporting honesty. The amount of money for supporting honesty was very large, far exceeding the salary.For example, there are 20,000 taels of silver for first-rank officials every year, more than 100 times their salary, and about 2,000 taels of silver for seven-rank officials, which is more than 40 times their salary.
The three things of cleaning up deficits, returning fire to the public, and implementing clean and honest banks have been carried out at the same time, which has greatly changed the bad habits of officials who arbitrarily dispatched small people, accepted regulations among officials, and corrupted and extorted, and promoted the bureaucracy to become clean.At the same time, the national treasury is enriched, and the local public funds are sufficient, which has achieved the effect of killing two birds with one stone.
In order to increase national income and crack down on unscrupulous landlords and bureaucrats who evade taxes and servitude by equalizing labor and servitude, or transferring the burden to small farmers, in the third year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng decided to implement the system of "dividing din into mu".Spread the small labor on the land, whoever has more fields will contribute more labor, and those who have no land will contribute less.This method is of course beneficial to small farmers.Since Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty put forward this idea with the "one whip method", it has been unable to be implemented for a hundred years, and Yongzheng is determined to complete it.With his clear understanding and strong perseverance, he contributed to the great reform of this taxation system.Since then, there has been no slavery, the burden on small farmers has been reduced, the rich have been suppressed, the poor have been supported, and the disadvantages of uneven labor and the distribution of rich and poor have been completely solved.On the other hand, since the land is fixed and the population is fluid, the combined harvest of grain and grain guaranteed the Qing government’s income from silver and silver, which was also beneficial to the country.So this tax reform is a historical event of great significance.
Yongzheng was a shrewd emperor.He knew very well that in the later period of Kangxi, the ups and downs reported good news but not bad news, which caused his father to overlook many things.As soon as he ascended the throne, he could no longer allow this to happen.For him to hold his power more firmly, he needs to have a very clear understanding of what is going on in the country every day, and he needs to be able to see and hear.For this purpose, Yongzheng made some reforms and creations to the administrative system of the dynasty.The main reforms, one is to improve the system of secret records, and the other is to create the Military Aircraft Office, the purpose is to strengthen the centralization of the emperor.
The official documents of the Qing Dynasty were mainly title books and memorial books.The inscription is a memorial made by officials due to official business, and official seals must be added.The playbook is a personal matter and does not need an official seal.Both were sent to the emperor by the Secretary of General Administration. In fact, the cabinet had already seen them before the emperor.Both documents are therefore public.In this way, there are many limitations. Some officials dare not speak publicly, and the emperor has no way of knowing.Therefore, during the Kangxi period, a remedy-secret memorial came into being.The secret memorial can only be used by the emperor's most confidant and trustworthy people.The contents of the performance include customs and customs, local public security, officials' situation, climate, food prices, and folk trifles.This kind of memorial is sent directly to the emperor, and no one else is allowed to open it.The emperor read it and sent it back to him for safekeeping after giving instructions.However, during the Kangxi period, there were not many people who could use secret scriptures to perform events, and a strict secret scripture system had not yet been formed.
After Yongzheng came to power, he felt that confidentiality was the best way to understand the situation.He first expanded the scope of who can write secret folders, so that all provincial governors have this authority.Later, secret powers were given to the admiral, chief military officer, political envoy, inspector envoy, and academic and political officials.Some mid-level and lower-level officials, with the permission of Yongzheng, can also secretly report their affairs.Officials who are temporarily dispatched to other places also have this right.It is estimated that there were more than 1,000 people in the Yongzheng Dynasty who successively had the right to perform secret works.
The establishment of the secret book system enabled Yongzheng to open up his eyes and ears, and to know the whole country like the palm of his hand.Therefore, when dealing with all kinds of things, we have insight into the details, and in a word, we have strengthened the administrative efficiency.All the major policies of the Yongzheng Dynasty had secret contributions.Returning consumption and envy to the public, distributing the land to the mu, and reforming the land to the locals, he has conducted careful investigations and many arguments with his confidant ministers, so he can implement them with ease.Mizhe also played the role of tightly controlling officials, making everyone vigilant and dedicated to the public, because nothing they did could escape Yongzheng's eyes, and Mizhe was like an invisible whip, driving them away. .Yongzheng's establishment of the secret seal system did not have the disadvantages of the Dongchang in the Ming Dynasty, but received the actual effect of the Dongchang.This is the brilliance of Yongzheng.
Another invention of Yongzheng was the establishment of the Military Aircraft Department.In the seventh year of Yongzheng (1729 AD), the Northwest used troops against Junggar.In order to deal with various major military affairs more accurately and quickly, Yongzheng set up a military department near his palace, the Hall of Mental Cultivation.The Military Aircraft Department is not a yamen and has no subordinates. It is just an organization that temporarily handles confidential military affairs.The minister of military aircraft is not a full-time official, but an official who was transferred temporarily and trusted by Yongzheng, and his original position is concurrent.The military plane Zhang Jing was also transferred here, and he still belonged to the establishment of the original Yamen, and the promotion and transfer were carried out in the original Yamen.Military aircraft Zhang Jing was a secretary in charge of writing work. Yongzheng used the military aircraft office as a tool, and his edicts were directly forwarded by the military aircraft office.Yongzheng summoned the minister of military aircraft regularly every day, and summoned him at any time when there was something to do. The minister of military aircraft often could not rest in the middle of the night.
The Military Aircraft Department was initially set up to handle military affairs in the Northwest. Later, Yongzheng felt that the Military Aircraft Department was convenient to use. After completing the military affairs in the Northwest, it was used to handle all the country's confidential affairs. Therefore, in the hands of Yongzheng, the Military Aircraft Department has replaced the cabinet and became the actual center of the country.All important and confidential matters are handled by the Military Aircraft Department, and the cabinet can only handle general affairs.In addition to acting on orders, the Military Aircraft Department also had the task of advising the emperor, providing consultation, and participating in political discussions.The Minister of Military Affairs was selected by Yongzheng, all of them belonged to his cronies, and everything was ordered by him personally, so Yongzheng firmly grasped all the power of the country.
When Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, the border areas of the Qing Dynasty were not stable.First of all, Qinghai and Tibet were in turmoil.The Mongols in Qinghai and Tibet had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty during Kangxi.Due to the instigation of the Junggar tribe, Luobu Zangdanjin of Qinghai rebelled in the summer of the first year of Yongzheng.He gave up the title of the Qing Dynasty, restored the old title, attacked the other two Mongolian princes who did not follow him, detained Qing officials, and attacked Xining.Yongzheng heard the news from the front and was determined to put down the rebellion by force.Nian Gengyao, governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, was ordered to be the general of Fuyuan to preside over the extermination military.Nian Gengyao made a careful deployment. In the winter of the first year of Yongzheng, he won several victories and surrendered 100,000 enemies.Luo Bu Zang Danjin fled to Qaidam.Yue Zhongqi led 5,000 elite soldiers to storm the enemy's nest in heavy snow.On the eighth day of February of the second year, Luo Bu Zang Danjin was defeated and his mother and sister were captured. Luo Bu Zang Danjin disguised himself as a woman and fled to Junggar.After the victory of the anti-insurgency battle, the Qing Dynasty strengthened its rule over Qinghai. It established Qinghai Minister of Affairs to deal with Mongolian and Tibetan civil affairs, and placed several prefectures and counties under it, making Qinghai directly subordinate to the central government, which changed the indirect rule of Qinghai during the Kangxi period.After the suppression of the rebellion, farmland was carried out in various parts of Qinghai, agricultural water conservancy was established, and the economic development of local ethnic minorities was supported in various ways, which achieved great success.
During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the Tibetan area had expelled the Junggar forces, and 2,000 troops were stationed there, and Tibetans who were pro-Qing were appointed as the local leaders of Tibet.In the first year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng withdrew his army from Tibet at the request of the governor of Sichuan. In the fifth year of Yongzheng (1727 AD), the Albuba Rebellion occurred.Po Luo Nai, the leader of the post-Tibetan government, led his troops to resolutely suppress the rebellion and deal with the enemy.Upon hearing the news, Yongzheng ordered the troops stationed in Sichuan and Yun to send troops into Tibet.In the autumn of the following year, the rebellion was put down in one fell swoop.After Tibet was pacified, Yongzheng decided to strengthen control over Tibet from the consideration of long-term interests.In Tibet, a minister stationed in Tibet was established, with 2,000 troops left for defense.At the same time, the Dalai VI, the religious leader of Tibet, was moved to Kangding and sent troops to guard it.Initially stabilized the situation in Tibet.
The Northwest Junggar tribe launched several attacks during the reign of Kangxi, and the situation tended to ease after Kangxi used troops several times, but it was still in a state of hostility with the Qing Dynasty.They often provoke troubles and provoke the Mongolians in Qinghai, Tibet, and Mongolia to make troubles.Therefore, the Junggar tribe was not peaceful, and the northwest border of the Qing Dynasty would not be peaceful.Yongzheng inherited his father's behest and was determined to solve the Junggar issue thoroughly.However, due to Yongzheng's mistakes in decision-making and the recklessness of the front-line generals, the Qing army failed many times, and it failed to achieve its goal until Yongzheng's death.
The southwestern Yunnan-Guizhou region is an area inhabited by ethnic minorities.Since the Ming Dynasty, the central government has been governed by the chieftain system.That is, self-government by ethnic minority chiefs.The leaders of these ethnic minorities have inherited their positions from generation to generation and brutally oppressed and exploited the local people.The chieftains often fought for land, forests, and population, and sometimes they united to rebel against the central government and plundered the Han and other ethnic groups. During the Ming Dynasty, it was always a serious problem for the country.The Qing Dynasty also inherited the Tusi system of the Ming Dynasty. After nearly a hundred years of practice, the various disadvantages of the Tusi system became more and more serious.
Yongzheng was well aware of the disadvantages of the chieftain system since the Kangxi period, but he had no way to solve it.In the winter of the second year of Yongzheng, Yongzheng appointed Ertai as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, and asked him to put down the chieftain rebellion in Guizhou on the one hand, and to investigate and study carefully to find out the fundamental solution to the problem of the chieftain system on the other hand.In September of the fourth year of Yongzheng, Ertai put forward the idea of Yunnan-Guizhou chieftain reforming land returnees.Yongzheng believed that this was a fundamental solution, so he made a decisive decision and ordered Ertai to complete the matter.And quickly equipped him with the necessary assistants.For the convenience of Ertai's work, Yongzheng re-determined the administrative division of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, and appointed him the governor of the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi.
Ertai began to suppress the rebellious chieftains from the second half of the fourth year of Yongzheng, and first converted these chieftains to natives.Then, it comes to the chieftain who has not rebelled.Abolish the heads of ethnic minorities, set up prefectures and counties, dispatch officials to manage them, and make every effort to check household registration and land, and give honorary titles to chieftains who are loyal to the court and properly arrange them.In the eighth year of Yongzheng, the work of Yunnan-Guizhou reform and land return was basically completed.The move dealt a blow to rebel separatist forces and strengthened the central government's rule over ethnic minority areas in the southwest.
Yongzheng was quick in thinking, and because of his profound knowledge in literature, history, and Confucian classics, his thinking was very logical and organized.Every day, he has to read a large number of documents and secret papers, and personally write instructions, ranging from numbers, counting crosses, to thousands of words, all of which are written in one go, and the writing is fluent and reasonable.The instructions he made were seldom blotted out and rarely changed.Instructions of hundreds or thousands of words are often not changed at all, or rarely changed.He handles so many things in a day, it can be said that he can do everything in a day, and he can do this, which shows that he is talented.Yongzheng's calligraphy is also very good. Kangxi admired his calligraphy very much, and asked him to write more than 100 fan paintings every year.There are many handwritings left by him, and his handwriting can still be seen in the existing original copy of Zhu Zhu's memorial.
Yongzheng's political ability is reflected in his understanding of his subordinates, his subordinates, and himself, and he can use all means to achieve his goals.
Yongzheng said that he is not as good as his father in everything, but he only knows that Xiaqing is worse than Kangxi.He clearly knows where the ills of the world are and what the bad habits of the officialdom are the worst, so he handles government affairs with ease, and nothing can be hidden from his eyes.In particular, his ability to know people well and control his subordinates is even more unmatched by others.
Yongzheng said: "The only way to govern the world is to use people first, and the rest is just a matter of fact." In the Chinese feudal society where "rule by man" prevailed, Yongzheng's understanding can be said to be very accurate.As long as people are employed properly, the world can be governed.When Yongzheng was the prince, he formed his own principles and style of employing people.
Kangxi's employment was relatively generous, and his bureaucratic team was relatively stable, but it formed a phenomenon of mediocrity and officialdom corruption.Yongzheng wanted to change the situation in the last years of Kangxi and create a team of uplifting, promising and pioneering officials to ensure the realization of his political goals.Therefore, his principle of employment is different from that of his father.Yongzheng's principle of employing people, in his own words, is "Employing people is only based on talents and skills, and never restricts to conventions."The difference between the emperors and the employing people of the past dynasties in China always lies in how much emphasis is placed on virtue and talent, that is, whether to emphasize virtue or talent.There are people with both ability and political integrity, but the number is small and far from enough for the country.Most of the bureaucrats are mediocre talents, it depends on how the ruler uses them.Generally speaking, people with high moral character often lack talents, and they are mostly gentlemen who are loyal, mature, cautious, conscientious, and lack of pioneering spirit. Such people can be trusted, but they cannot be used to achieve a big cause.Talented people are often proud of their talents, not constrained by moral constraints, not easy to control, and even have flaws in major and minor details. They are despised by gentlemen and often attacked by others, but they are often such people who achieve great things.
Yongzheng employed people according to the requirements of history.In his time, in order to get rid of the old and bring forth the new, and to revolutionize politics, it was necessary to employ a group of capable ministers, even if such people had mistakes of one kind or another.He believes that the purpose of setting up officials and appointing posts in the country is to do things, not to employ people, especially not to use official positions to support idlers and mediocre people.Whoever can do things well can be employed, regardless of his origin, prestige or virtue. Under this premise, we should strengthen education for talented ministers with shortcomings, and let him make room for mediocrity. talented person.Yongzheng once commented on Tian Wenjing's secret book like this: "Anyone who has talents should cherish them and teach them. Although my intentions are evil, I can't escape my scope. Why should I be afraid of them? When you teach and don't listen, there are real evidences. , deal with it according to the law, it is self-obtained, why not? Qing and other ministers of the frontier only pay attention to using their talents. People who are mediocre and quiet, clean and self-sufficient, although they save effort to control, they are afraid of making mistakes." It can be said that, This passage sums up Yongzheng's way of employing people.
For bureaucrats, even if they are talents, Yongzheng has strict requirements.The kings of the past dynasties required ministers to be nothing more than the three words "clear, cautious, and diligent", but Yongzheng believed that only these three requirements were not enough.To be an official, especially a high-level official, you should have a broad vision, a sense of the overall situation, and a broad mind. Otherwise, no matter how good your character is, you will be nothing more than a puppet.For truly talented ministers, Yongzheng broke the practice of promotion and transfer of officials, and gave high-ranking officials generous salary and promotion by leapfrogging.In his edicts to several confidant ministers Tian Wenjing, Ertai and others, he repeatedly asked them to recommend talents.As for weak officials, he took a serious approach to deal with them.During the Yongzheng period, many incompetent officials were dismissed.Yongzheng also gained a reputation for being "mean and ungrateful".
From the perspective of the entire Yongzheng period, Yongzheng was not mean to talented ministers at all.He often rewards capable ministers by rewarding world positions, increasing ranks, giving four groups of dragon men's clothes, double-eyed feathers, yellow belts, and purple bridles, bestowing the word "Fu", and rewarding food and medicine.He personally sent an imperial doctor to visit the sick minister.People like Yang Zongren, Song Wei, and Fang Jin have all received this honor.Chen Shixia, governor of Jiangsu, wanted to welcome his mother in Yunnan to his post, so Yongzheng ordered the governor of Yunnan to send Chen's mother away.For ministers with different political views, Yongzheng still trusts him as long as he is loyal and loyal.Like Zhu Shi, he once opposed his consumption and envy returning to the public, and opposed the use of troops in the northwest, but Zhu Shi was talented and loyal to the court, and Yongzheng still trusted him.Li Yuanzhi, as the supervisory censor, invaded Yongzheng in a few plays, and his words were fierce. Yongzheng thought that he had no malice, so he gave him lychees, and it didn't hurt to ask him to speak out.There were many such examples during the Yongzheng period.
Yongzheng's employment has his own characteristics. It can be said that he pays equal attention to talent and virtue, but prefers talent.His method of employing people complemented his generation rule.
Yongzheng is extremely confident, which determines his resolute temperament.He educated his ministers not to be indecisive, not to look forward and backward, and not to make up their minds.If you are approved, you will do it, and you will not be afraid of difficulties.He himself is very decisive, and he has approved of all the things he has decided to go to the ground and return to the public, so he resolutely goes to the end regardless of public opinion.The other side of his personality is impatience.Emperor Kangxi once criticized him for this, saying that he was "moody", and his personality did not change after he actually took power.He also did many things rashly, such as forcing the natives of Fujian and Guangxi to learn the official language, but the result was ineffective.When he is angry, he often talks exaggeratedly, goes to extremes, and has the problem of violent rage.It often happens that an official irritates him, and he yells at the person in his instructions, but when he turns around, he praises him again.He has a stubborn personality, but he can admit mistakes sometimes.After Nian Gengyao and other cases were dealt with, he also publicly admitted his mistakes many times, saying that he should take the blame for his improper employment.
He handles government affairs very seriously and does not tolerate any falsehood and ambiguity.He reads the memorial very carefully, and can often find problems in it. Once he finds a problem, he has to find a result.He would get angry if his instructions could not immediately arouse the reaction of his subordinates, so the administrative efficiency during the Yongzheng period was extremely high, and his work style was inevitably called "harsh inspection" by his subordinates.Yongzheng said that he is in the position of the emperor, and he must be serious in taking over all opportunities.Those who are afraid of the monarch Yingcha are just trying to deceive the monarch and cover up their crimes.
Yongzheng had no sensuality, and after succeeding to the throne, he let go of all the rare birds and animals raised in the palace.He doesn't do hunting, not even a parade like his father's.But he likes gardens very much. The place where he works all the year round is in the Old Summer Palace. The garden has been expanded and repaired, and the lake and mountains are picturesque.In his spare time, Yongzheng liked to linger among the mountains and rivers in the garden.Yongzheng didn't pay too much attention to other living utensils.In terms of eating and drinking, I just like to drink some wine, and I am restrained.当时西方传来的新鲜东西，像温度计、望远镜、玻璃眼镜他接受得很快，还让宫廷匠役仿造，赐给亲近大臣。
雍正共有8个后妃。这在清代皇帝中，乃至历代帝王中都是少的。他当皇子时只有一妻一妾。继位后根据历代惯例，为了“广嗣继”才纳了几个妃子。
雍正继位后勤政好学，事必躬亲，身体状况一直很好。雍正七年曾大病了一场，但一年后已完全痊愈。但到了雍正十三年（公元1735年）八月二十一日，雍正在圆明园偶感不适，他未在意，仍照常办公。到二十三日晚上病情加重，急忙召见四皇子弘历及亲信大臣，谕及后事，二十三日子时，也就是二十二日深夜，雍正便死了。谥“宪皇帝”，庙号“世宗”。