Chapter 361 Chapter 360 Xuanzong Aixinjueluo Minning

On the 10th day of August in the forty-seventh year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (September 16, 1782), in the Xiefang Hall of the Jiajun Prince's Mansion in Beijing, there was a new baby's cry, and Jiajun Wang Yongyan was happy to have a son.He was Min Ning, Emperor Daoguang of Emperor Xuanzong of the Qing Dynasty. In the 25th year of Jiaqing (1820 A.D.) at the turn of summer and autumn, the climate in the capital was extremely hot and irritating.Min Ning serves his father, who is over sixty years old, on a tour of Rehe Mountain Resort.Emperor Jiaqing was old and sick. He originally wanted to visit Rehe, temporarily avoid the heavy official duties of the court and the hot weather in the capital, take a rest and return to Beijing after the cool autumn.Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the Summer Resort, he felt dizzy, had a fever all over his body, and fell ill.Min Ning couldn't take off her clothes day and night, she never left her footsteps, served her carefully, and sincerely prayed to God to bless her father for a speedy recovery.Helpless and sad, on July 25th, Emperor Jiaqing passed away in disregard of the prince and his entourage, weeping and weeping.

The country cannot be left without a master for a day. When the Emperor Jiaqing was critically ill, he told his ministers: "As early as the fourth year of Jiaqing, I followed the ancestral system and personally wrote the words 'Li Huang's second son, Min Ning, as the crown prince', sealed it in a box, and hid it in the capital. After the plaque of "Uprightness and Brightness" in the Qing Palace, it is now known that I will not be able to recover from illness, and it will be passed down to the Crown Prince Minning." After Jiaqing passed away, the Rehe King's ministers obeyed the order and supported Minning as the emperor.Min Ning returned to Beijing with respect to Emperor Zigong of Daxing, and postponed his ascension to the throne until he returned to the capital. The first year of Daoguang.

Daoguang ascended to the top and ruled the world, and he really wanted to do something to restore the old view of "the prosperity of Kangxi and Qianlong".But at this time, the Qing Dynasty is full of evils. If we want to revitalize our ancestral business, where should we start?After thinking about it, I thought about the Qiang and Jia dynasties' conquests from the east to the west, the south tour and the north fortune, which exhausted their resources, and the clan nobles, the emperor's relatives and relatives were all corrupt and extravagant. lost.Therefore, Daoguang resolutely decided to start with rectifying people's customs, advocating frugality, and avoiding extravagance. He hoped that in a few years, the entire Manchu subjects would "return to their original roots" and restore the old customs of simplicity and frugality before entering the customs. Take pride in frugality, so that the warehouses will be full, the treasury will be rich, and the prosperous age will reappear.

In order to implement his ideas, Daoguang promulgated his famous "Theory of Sensuality, Merchandise and Benefits" in the form of the new emperor's decree after he ascended the throne. The harm to the whole body, the harm to the ruler and the world", requires officials and politicians not to be seduced by sensuality, goods and interests, strictly "restrain the body and mind, screen out the sensuality", advocate frugality, and everything "be simple and not vain ".At the end of Daoguang's era, although the imperial court's strategy of governing the country has its own emphasis in different periods, Daoguang has always placed advocating frugality and eliminating extravagance in a very important position. They all come from the fat of the people and the anointing of the people", so they should be cherished all the more, and we must "keep a thrifty heart" everywhere, and we must not be confused by sensuality.

Daoguang's advocacy of thrift and extravagance is not just talking about it or writing it on paper, but taking measures and putting it into action.Although his edicts and measures to promote frugality had little effect among the entire ruling class, he did practice them himself and practiced them himself. In terms of diet, under normal circumstances, the emperor usually had at least 20 dishes for each meal. Daoguang felt that this was too wasteful, and he was allowed to cook four dishes every day all the year round. Sometimes he only needed a bowl of tofu and roasted pork liver. The officials in the imperial dining room complained endlessly, because the more extravagant the emperor was, the more opportunities they could take advantage of. There was oil and water to fish for, and it was really impossible to falsely claim a bowl of roasted pork liver with tofu.Regarding Daoguang's frugality, the court civil and military officials were skeptical at the beginning.In the early years of Daoguang, there were two big banquets for the officials, and all the civil and military officials who attended the banquet were all dumbfounded, and only then did they believe it was true.One time was the Queen's Qianqiu Festival (birthday), Daoguang held a banquet to reward the ministers of the inner court. If they were destined to attend the banquet, civil and military officials thought that the Queen's birthday, the emperor would not be sloppy, and would surely be a real treat.Who knew that the officials who prepared the banquet had already been ordered, and the queen's Qianqiu celebration banquet was only allowed to slaughter two pigs, and serve the officials with stewed noodles, and the rest were all cut down, making the civil and military banquets dumbfounded.The other time was when Changling, a scholar of the university, quelled the rebellion in Huijiang, imprisoned Zhang Geer, the leader of the rebellion, and returned to the court. Daoguang was captured at the Meridian Gate in person, and then held a banquet in the Yulan Hall of Wanshou Mountain to celebrate his victory.This time, all civil and military officials thought that the return to Xinjiang would be pacified, and the emperor was very happy, so he should have a good celebration.As a result, after the banquet, none of the officials dared to move their chopsticks. It turned out that there were only a few small dishes on each table, which were of low quality and quantity. Drink it.From then on, civil and military officials began to believe that the emperor was frugal, and all of them pretended to be frugal when they went to court, so that when Daoguang asked him how much money it would cost to eat eggs at home, Cao Zhenyong lied that he was The child suffers from bloating and fullness, and has never eaten eggs in his life!

Daoguang's frugality in clothing is also rare among the kings of all dynasties.The remaking of smocks and patching of trousers were widely recited by scholar-bureaucrats in the late Qing Dynasty and had a great influence.Emperors of the Qing Dynasty often wore precious fur overcoats in winter. After Daoguang ascended to the throne, the Superintendent of Internal Affairs prepared a black fox fur overcoat for him.This kind of smock is made of outer leather and inner satin. The material is wide on the inside and narrow on the outside, and the satin lining around it is exposed. It is called "out of the wind".The black fur is embellished on the fine satin fabric, which looks graceful and luxurious, elegant and solemn.Daoguang thought that the fox fur was obtained from hunting wild animals, and the satin was made by the common people, so satin should be more valuable than the fox fur, and the "wind out" part is purely for decoration and has no practical use.Therefore, after he saw the fox fur smock, he immediately ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to remake it, ordering that no excess satin was allowed to be exposed around it.It is well known that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Qing Dynasty was full of corruption. Daoguang's frugality made the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have nowhere to start. This time, they were ordered to reform the smocks, thinking that they could take the opportunity to make some money, so they said in a memorial, "It takes a thousand taels of silver to make smocks."Unexpectedly, it was self-defeating. When Daoguang heard that it cost so much money to remake a smock, he immediately changed his mind and said: "The remake costs a lot, so it will be temporarily exempted. From now on, there will be no rumors about new remakes." Then he told the value of the matter. The Minister of Military Aircraft, so that all officials in the capital, big and small, have been wearing fur coats in winter since then, and have not dared to "go out" for more than ten years.

Daoguang clothing not only does not seek gorgeousness, but also wears less new clothes, especially inconspicuous clothes, and wears more every day.The clothes of the Qing Dynasty were covered with gowns and gowns, and the trousers were rarely exposed.In order to save money, Daoguang wore old trousers for many years, and the knees were worn out first, so he ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to make up a round patch.Court officials have experienced many times of personal experience, and they already know that the emperor's thrift is true.Therefore, in order to show that they lived up to the prestige, the ministers and workers of the inner court also tried their best to be "thrifty". Regardless of whether the pants were really torn or fake, they patched the knees one after another.

In addition to food and clothing, Daoguang also practiced frugality and frugality in the inner court and harem as well as supplies for going out.After Daoguang ascended to the throne, the Ministry of Internal Affairs prepared 40 square inkstones for imperial use according to the usual practice, and the four characters "Daoguang Imperial Use" were engraved on the back of each square.When Daoguang saw the list of royal supplies prepared by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he felt that it was a pity how one person could use 40 square inkstones and leave them unused. There is no need to prepare tribute inkstones all the year round.Pens and inkstones were indispensable for public affairs in ancient China. The imperial inkstones were prepared in a special place all the year round, and the imperial brushes were always specially made Zihao brushes. The words "Tianzhang" and "Yunhan" were engraved on the pen tubes.The so-called Zihao, that is, the sharp purple rabbit fur, is rare in the world.Bai Juyi has a poem "Zihao Brush", which says: "There are old rabbits on the rocks in the south of the Yangtze River. They eat bamboo and drink springs to produce Zihao. Workers in Xuancheng pick a brush from ten thousand hairs." It is extremely rare and valuable.Daoguang believed that the Zihao brush was precious and rare, so he ordered that it would not be requisitioned in the future, and the imperial brush would be replaced by a brush made of pure wool or wool and ordinary rabbit fur commonly used by ordinary subjects. After the decree, it will be the same as the folk brushes, and it only needs to be marked as "pure sheep's hair" or "both brushes and brushes" according to the situation.So frugal, among the feudal emperors of all dynasties, it can be said that it is like a purple hair in the pen, "choosing a hair out of a million hairs".

Daoguang practiced frugality and refrained from extravagance. On the surface, he could influence some people in the upper class of the ruling class to a certain extent, and somewhat curbed the vicious development of luxury and corruption. Restoring the original hope of the ancestors in the prosperous age.What's more, the current situation has changed drastically, and the traditional concept of thrift is of no help in the rise and fall. The Qing Dynasty inevitably went further and further down the road of decline. After Daoguang ascended the throne and inherited the great rule, facing the Qing Dynasty, which was "autumn in the world", while practicing frugality and abstaining from extravagance, he tried various methods to seek governance diligently, trying to reverse the disadvantages and revive the decline.For this reason, he thought about it day and night and took some measures to rectify the administration of officials, trying to be a wise king; sometimes he could adapt to the current situation and support some small reforms;But it is a pity that in Daoguang's Great Qing Dynasty, the entire bureaucratic class was corrupt and shameless.In the land of China, inside is "a great chaos will rise, and a sad wind will come suddenly", while on the outside, the western powers take strong ships and carry powerful guns, knocking on the pass frequently.Finally broke in.

The feudal dynasties in China have had the so-called donation system since ancient times, that is, if you have money, you can buy an official, and a small official can spend money to buy a big one.The Qing Dynasty inherited the ancient system, but at first it was stipulated that those who bought officials with money would only be given to the empty street, and no actual grants would be given. False title of honor.Since the Jiaqing Dynasty, the national treasury has become more and more empty day by day, and the huge bureaucracy, military supplies, river control, disaster relief, etc. need to be spent everywhere, so donations have been opened up, and the court regards selling officials as a reliable source of income. Shortage and sell, to solicit.There is generally no difference in terms of power and salary between the donated real shortage and the officials who were born in Kejia, except that their backgrounds are different.Gradually, the shortage was not enough, and the title of "alternate" was created, and lots were drawn by the Ministry of Officials once a month, and distributed to the central ministries or provinces for use.Therefore, anyone who has enough money can buy an official, regardless of his morals and talents.Since officials were bought with money, once they took office, they would act like wolves and tigers, making money and making profits, which greatly exacerbated the corruption of Qing Dynasty officials.When Daoguang was a prince, he knew something about this. He believed that corruption in the officialdom and bribery in public affairs were all related to the donation system. After he became emperor, he was determined to get rid of this disaster.However, when discussing the abolition of the donation system with the important officials of the court, the courtiers all thought that "military supplies, river work, and disaster relief require a lot of money everywhere, and the current state treasury has a large deficit in revenue and expenditure, and it is inconvenient to abolish all of the donations."

In the face of unanimous opposition from the court officials, Daoguang had no choice but to make concessions, but the original intention of abolishing donations remained unchanged. In the second year of Daoguang (AD 1822), he issued an imperial edict ordering the world to strictly enforce the donation system in all places and not to open it indiscriminately. Donation example, "The current officials are not allowed to donate their titles, and it will always be a rule."Daoguang has always been disgusted with people who spend money to buy officials, and he is always worried.Whenever Beijing officials are sent out or local officials have an audience for some reason, before leaving, he tirelessly instructs them to pay more attention to the officials who donated their backgrounds, saying that "members of the donated class have never studied, and they are seeking profit from their money. It’s hard to say a single word. Those who have money and don’t do other things, but spend all they have in order to become an official, have their own intentions. I am really worried about these people, and they must be strictly investigated and guarded against when they take office.” In the process of trying to rectify the administration of officials and looking forward to the decline of the evils, Daoguang gradually realized that the evils in the officialdom such as "officials and officials protect each other" and "bribery for public conduct" are largely related to the top, so he warned the important officials and clans with prominent official positions Nobles, ask them to always remember the corrupt ministers and empresses of the Qianlong Dynasty, and encourage the people all over the world to boldly report officials who invade the public and disturb the people, and severely punish the lawless officials at the top.In the seventh year of Daoguang, someone accused Zhang Tiancheng, the co-organizer of the university and the family member of Shang Shuyinghe of Lifan Academy, for relying on the power of the master, colluding with local officials, privately raising rents, oppressing innocent people, and wantonly extorting people's wealth.Daoguang attached great importance to this, and believed that Yinghe was the root of Zhang Tiancheng's daring to commit crimes. Therefore, in addition to punishing Zhang Tiancheng and relevant local officials according to law, he ordered Yinghe to be "removed from the post of co-organizer of the University Scholars and Secretary of the Lifan Academy." , Take back the purple rein" (the purple rein is a special symbol of honor bestowed on the clan and ministers by the emperor of the Qing Dynasty).Then he ordered the "Ministry of Communications to strictly discuss and deal with it."Daoguang also often pursued the responsibility of his superiors for the illegal acts of some local officials.In the 15th year of Daoguang, Lingxiu, magistrate of Xiangtan County, Hunan Province, heard that one of his captives had a daughter who was born beautiful, so he used all means to lure her into a concubine.After being reported by others, Daoguang was furious and ordered Lingxiu to be dismissed and sent to Yili to serve as hard labor, and he was not allowed to return for life.This matter had nothing to do with the provincial officials, but Daoguang suspected that his subordinates did not do anything wrong, which was the result of the superior's ineffective investigation or even intentional cover-up.Therefore, the governor of Huguang, the governor of Hunan, the chief envoy, and the inspector were handed over to the Ministry for discussion. Daoguang has always insisted on clarifying the administration of officials, focusing on the upper class, even the clan nobles, the emperor's relatives and relatives are no exception. Daoguang's third younger brother, Prince Dun, Miankai, was in his thirties and had no children. For some reason (perhaps he was eager to find a son, and wanted to find a way to have a son), he had a private relationship with the eunuch Zhang Mingde in the palace, which violated the royal family law. Therefore, Daoguang In seven years, he was reduced to the title of county king, dismissed from all positions, and was severely reprimanded.Later, he worked cautiously, followed the rules, and was once restored to the title of prince, and was awarded the titles of "walking in the inner court" and Zongrenfu Zongling.Unexpectedly, times have changed, and Mian Kai's old thoughts revived, and he hid the eunuch in the palace privately in the palace.The news leaked, Daoguang heard the news and verified it, and immediately ordered Miankai to be demoted to the county king, dismissed from all positions, and fined for three years.Miankai had no children in his prime, and his adopted son Yizan had passed away. His family life was not happy. In addition to this blow, he died of depression soon after. The emperor's nephew, Yiji, was once honored and honored in the mid-Daoguang period. He was promoted to the second-class general of the town, awarded Zi Ren, and promoted to the Minister of the Household Department. That's right, they don't know how to avoid themselves when things happen, and some domestic and foreign officials who follow the trend also fawn on them one after another.In the 20th year of Daoguang (1840 A.D.), Daoguang decided to take the opportunity to punish Yiji because of the improper exercise of power by the Lifan Academy, so that he would be scrupulous and perform his duties. Dai, together with Yi Ji, the Minister of Management, handed over to the Ministry for strict discussion.Afterwards, through various inquiries, he learned that Yiji had received silver donations from his subordinates, so he ordered Yiji Zixuan to be taken back, and he was removed from his post as imperial minister, minister of the household department, and minister in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.Soon, Daoguang felt that Yiji dared to accept gifts from subordinate officials privately at the feet of the emperor. Such punishment might not be enough to warn those who came, so he issued an edict ordering Yiji to be arrested for questioning and sent to Heilongjiang.All the courtiers were terrified that Yiji was severely punished because of the slightly improper exercise of power by the feudal court he managed and the acceptance of a silver gift from a junior official. In addition, after Daoguang succeeded to the throne, he has been vigorously banning opium.When opium was first imported by the Portuguese as a medicinal material, although some people ate it, the amount was very small and did not cause much harm to the entire society.Later, the British came to the east and established a huge colonial trade monopoly company on the Indian peninsula—the East India Company, which carried out colonial, plundering trade and aggressive expansion activities against India and even the entire Asia.In the early trade with China, Chinese native products such as silk, tea, ceramics, rhubarb, and sugar were welcomed by Westerners at that time, and the export volume increased year by year. Only the bureaucratic gentry wore silk and satin, while the common people wore homemade homemade cloth, which was unsalable for a long time, causing Britain to lose money year after year in the normal Sino-British trade, and had to ship a large amount of silver every year to make up for the shortfall. In order to obtain Chinese native products such as silk and tea without sending silver to China, the British bourgeoisie tried their best to find a good solution.When gunboats were unable to open the door to China for the time being and other commodities were difficult to enter the Chinese market, they found a special commodity called opium.Opium can not only make up for Britain's trade deficit with China, but also destroy the Chinese people both mentally and physically, laying the foundation for finally opening the door to China.Thus, from 1773 onwards, the United Kingdom squeezed out Portugal, the Netherlands and other countries, gradually established a monopoly on China's opium trade, and began to import drug opium into China in an organized manner. Since the law of opium smoking was introduced into China, opium has become more and more rampant, which has gradually attracted the attention of Chinese rulers.As early as the seventh year of Yongzheng (AD 1729).The Qing court immediately issued a ban on smoking, strictly prohibiting the sale and smoking of opium.In the fifth year of Jiaqing (AD 1800), the Qing government banned the import of opium from abroad for the first time (it used to be legal to import medicinal materials). Later, it issued bans many times, formulated anti-smoking regulations, and issued regulations on the crime of trafficking and smoking opium, with the intention of eliminating the scourge of smoking.As a result, opium has changed from legal tax import to illegal smuggling and smuggling, and the price of cigarettes has risen sharply.Guangdong Customs and other civil and military officials, and even important court officials, directly and indirectly benefited from opium smuggling, even ignoring the imperial ban, helping or supporting Chinese and foreign opium dealers in smuggling activities. foreign. Daoguang has a deep understanding of the dangers of opium, and Queen Yu is determined to eradicate this problem.In the first year of Daoguang, he hastily issued an imperial decree, strictly admonishing the ban on opium.Ruan Yuan, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, took advantage of the prestige of the new emperor to find out that Wu Dunyuan, the general merchant of the Thirteen Banks, had tacitly allowed foreign import merchant ships to carry opium. Punishment regulations for those who run tobacco dens.All of a sudden, foreign ships carrying opium were seized one after another and deported to the port. Some large opium hoarders and sellers in Macau also fell into the legal net one after another.The ban on opium had achieved initial results. Daoguang was overjoyed and determined to make persistent efforts. In the second year of Daoguang's reign, he ordered the governors of the coastal provinces to strictly control the opium dealers. In the following year, he ordered the court officials to discuss the local officials' failure to suppress opium and the regulations on disciplinary action. Manufacture of opium. Daoguang's determination to eradicate the scourge of opium is not insignificant, and the edict to ban opium is not insignificant.However, since the British government has established the policy of opium invasion against China, and the opium trade has brought huge profits to the British, British and Indian governments and the East India Company, they will never let it go.Since Guangdong’s inspections became increasingly strict and Guangzhou and Macau were unable to import or hoard opium, foreign opium dealers parked large ships around Lingding Island near Dayushan Ocean in the Pearl River Estuary to store opium.Each of these parked large ships can carry more than 500,000 catties of opium, and they are called "barges".All ships loaded with opium first sailed to barges to unload opium, and then imported legal goods and a small amount of opium samples that were extremely difficult to find, and placed orders with inland opium dealers, and completed all procedures in the name of trading goods in Guangzhou , Then hire and organize desperadoes, take a special armed clipper to pick up the goods from the barge, smuggle and smuggle them in the dark, and distribute them all over the place.Therefore, although Daoguang repeatedly issued the decree of "putting an end to the source of opium, in order to clean up the roots", but with his failure to rectify the administration of officials and the increasingly slack in the country's military, domestic smuggling networks spread all over the world, and abroad first the United Kingdom, and then the opium. The United States has blatantly used force to protect smuggling, or established a huge fleet to directly organize smuggling, and the amount of opium imported has surged year after year.In the first year of Daoguang, less than 6,000 boxes of opium were imported into China. In the 13th year of Daoguang (AD 1833), it increased to more than 20,000 boxes, and in the eighteenth year of Daoguang, it doubled to more than 40,000 boxes. The continuous import of opium and the increasing proliferation of drugs not only severely damaged the physical and mental health of the Chinese people, but also caused a large outflow of silver. Great concern, Daoguang, as the lord of a country, is even more worried. He has no choice but to promulgate repeated bans, opium smoke is becoming more and more popular, and he is struggling to find a good solution. In April of the 18th year of Suiguang, Huang Juezi, Minister of Honglu Temple, went to Shudaoguang, pointing out that the fundamental way to eradicate opium is to eradicate smoking. I can't come by myself."He believes that the reason why the smoking ban in the past has not been effective is that the criminal law is too light. He put forward the theory that smoking should be regarded as death, and asked Daoguang to issue an edict to the world. Ordinary persons shall be sentenced to death; if any official who knows the law breaks the law, once discovered, he will be executed, and his descendants will never be allowed to take the imperial examination. Huang Juezi's memorial to death by smoking was a severe test for Daoguang.It's okay for civilians to discuss death by smoking, but it's difficult for officials to discuss death. However, if someone from the royal relatives, clan and nobles is accused, how will they be dealt with?After repeated weighing, he felt that protecting the country, the people and the emperor's honor was the top priority. The opium drug continued to spread, and sooner or later the Qing Dynasty would be destroyed.Therefore, he ordered the generals and governors to express their opinions on Huang Juezi's death by smoking, discuss and reply in detail, and at the same time take strict measures to start from the top to show his determination to ban smoking to the world.In less than two months after receiving Huang Juezi's report, Daoguang first dismissed a group of smoking officials who had proven evidence. Among them, Prince Zhuang and Fu Guogong were sent to the king's office because they often went to the temple of monks and nuns to steal opium. At the same time, Xu Naiji, who had invited the relaxation of the smoking ban two years ago, was downgraded to a sixth-rank top wearer, ordered to retire and return to his hometown, and ordered Lin Zexu, who had achieved great results in smoking bans in the Lianghu area, to come to Beijing to discuss major plans for smoking bans. After Lin Zexu entered Beijing, Daoguang rewarded him with the honor of riding a horse in the Forbidden City, and summoned him 8 times in a row to discuss the issue of smoking ban. After repeated discussions, Daoguang decided to use two prongs. ", intended to put an end to opium imports.In order to show his trust and respect for Lin Zexu, he was specially awarded to Guan Fang, the imperial envoy, and all the sailors in the province were ordered to be restrained.On the one hand, he ordered the courtiers to strictly enforce the anti-smoking regulations in order to eradicate smoking.The new anti-smoking regulation clearly stipulates: "Anyone who smokes is given a one-and-a-half-year time limit to quit smoking. Those who do not know how to change their past will be hanged, regardless of whether they are officials or civilians." After the new regulation was approved by Daoguang, the name The "Imperial Prohibition of Opium Smoking Regulations" was promulgated and implemented nationwide. Since Huang Juezi's death on smoking came to the imperial court, under Daoguang's personal auspices, after about half a year of discussions and preparations by various parties concerned, there has been a vigorous upsurge in the comprehensive banning of opium and drugs in the land of China except Tibet. .All over the country, opium dealers were seized, tobacco soil was confiscated, smoking utensils were collected, smoking dens were closed, smoking officials were punished, and opium smokers were ordered to quit smoking within a time limit.It seems that opium poisoning is really going to be completely eradicated in Huaxia Shenzhou from now on. Faced with the unanimous upsurge of banning smoking across the country, Daoguang was extremely happy, thinking that if the years of chronic illnesses were wiped out, he would be able to comfort the spirits of his ancestors in heaven.But he never dreamed that the British bourgeoisie brazenly launched a large-scale war of aggression against China in order to maintain the evil opium trade. As a result, not only all his plans and measures for eradicating opium were defeated, but also he was pushed to the Qing Dynasty. For the first time since then, it has suffered heavy blows from foreign capitalist powers and was forced to humiliate and seek peace.This has to start with Lin Zexu's ban on smoking in Guangzhou. In the early spring of the 19th year of Daoguang (AD 1839), after Lin Zexu arrived in Guangzhou with his imperial envoy Guan Fang, he cooperated with Deng Tingzhen, Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, Yiliang, Governor of Guangdong, and Guan Tianpei, Admiral of the Navy. Punish drug dealers and dissuade drug-addicting militiamen; foreign businessmen from various countries who come to Guangdong are told to hand over all opium hoarded on overseas barges within a time limit.As a precautionary measure, while banning opium, Lin Zexu ordered people to collect and translate foreign books and newspapers, learn about the situation in the West and the businessmen who came to Guangdong, and strive to know himself and the enemy. , warships, and actively prepare for war. Faced with Lin Zexu's vigorous and vigorous anti-smoking measures, the foreign opium dealers, mainly the United Kingdom, were a little panicked, and they all sought advice from Elliott, the British business supervisor in China.In view of the fact that China's official smoking ban has always been anticlimactic, everything will be fine when a gust of wind passes, and everything will be business as usual. He thinks that this time is just a show, scaring the timid, catching a few unlucky ones, and agreeing with foreign merchants to refuse to seize opium.Lin Zexu saw that the time limit was about to pass, and there was no movement from foreign opium dealers, so he ordered to post notices everywhere, informing China and foreign countries, saying, "This minister has ordered to come to Guangdong to ban opium. Come back, I swear to stay with this matter forever, and there is absolutely no reason to stop."Expressed the determination that the smoking ban is imperative.Afterwards, he took decisive measures to seal all foreign merchant ships in Huangpu Port and not allow loading and unloading of goods. At the same time, he ordered the withdrawal of all Chinese employees in the Guangzhou business house, sent troops to besiege the business house, and cut off land and water transportation.As a result, the foreign merchants living in the commercial hall complained that Elliot had ruined their business, and the opium dealers living here panicked and urgently asked Elliot for a solution.At this time, Yilu had no good plan, and secretly plotted revenge in his heart. On the surface, he had to send someone to ask Lin Zexu to rescue him, and promised to persuade the opium dealers to hand over all the opium. In March of the 19th year of Daoguang, opium dealers mainly in Britain handed over 19,187 boxes and 2,119 bags of opium, totaling more than 2.376 million catties.After Lin Zexu confiscated it, he immediately reported to the imperial court for instructions on how to deal with it, and at the same time ordered to break the siege and open the cabin to resume Sino-foreign trade.Daoguang was overjoyed when he heard the news, and ordered Lin Zexu and others to destroy the opium and smoke in public outside Humen. If there is no solution, go to the capital for inspection, so that the coastal merchants and the Yi people in Guangdong can see and hear it, and they are shocked. There will be future troubles in Yongdu." From April 22 to May 15 of that year, Lin Zexu Zunzhi and Deng Tingzhen led Guangdong civil and military personnel to completely destroy all the opium collected on Humen Beach.At that time, coastal residents, foreign businessmen, missionaries and other spectators were crowded, the common people cheered, and the cigarette dealers were shocked and distressed.It is for the famous "Humen cigarette sales" in history. After the cigarettes were sold out in Humen, Lin Zexu ordered the importing merchant ships of various countries to make a statement: "Afterwards, the ships will never dare to carry opium. All foreign merchants in the trade obeyed the orders and signed imports. However, the British commercial supervisor Elliot deliberately provoked troubles, gathered warships to intercept its own merchant ships, prohibited imports from imports, and attacked the Chinese navy many times.Lin Zexu ordered to severely punish the invading British warships, and at the same time reported to the imperial court, suggesting that all foreign merchant ships, including the United Kingdom, implement the strategic policy of "those who obey the law will come, and those who resist the law will go", so as to concentrate their efforts on cracking down on non-compliance with China. Law or dare to invade the enemy.At this time, Daoguang was intoxicated with the joy of destroying opium, thinking that since then, silver would no longer flow out, and the national treasury would gradually become abundant.Hearing Lin Zexu's report, he immediately became furious and ordered Lin Zexu and others not to show weakness, saying, "I don't care about Meng Lang like Qing, but don't be afraid of Qing, and all British ships, big and small, will be driven out." Go to sea. Afterwards, no sails can be imported and traded." In January of the 20th year of Daoguang, Lin Zexu cut off the Sino-British trade. Daoguang originally wanted to intimidate the British and barbarians with the voice of the celestial dynasty, but he did not know that Britain had decided to launch a large-scale war of aggression against China in order to protect the opium trade.In May of the 20th year of Daoguang, more than 40 British warships arrived in the sea of ​​China and blocked the Pearl River Estuary first, officially provoking the first Opium War. The British army stayed in Guangdong for more than a month. They invaded Fujian in the north, but failed to succeed. They immediately marched into Zhejiang, captured Dinghai, and then moved northward to Baihekou in Tianjin. Unreasonably demanded that the emperor of China compensate the price of opium and cigarettes for the "injustice" suffered by the Englishman Zhaoxue in Guangdong, and cede land for trade.According to the usual practice, the local officials of the Qing Dynasty could not accept foreign notes without authorization, let alone submit notes from outsiders to the emperor.Helplessly, the British ships had heavy artillery, and except for Guangdong and Fujian, which were prepared in advance, the provinces had no solid warships to defend against the enemy beyond the ocean, nor did they have the available artillery or soldiers to prevent the enemy from landing.At this time, Qishan, the governor of Zhili, could not take care of the case. He directly accepted the notice and promised to be the representative of the court. He also played Daoguang and said: "The British and barbarian ships are strong and powerful, and they are invincible. If the barbarian ships don't come, that's it. If they come, Tianjin and other big seaports will definitely not be able to defend.” Some experts inside and outside the imperial court who are usually comfortable and happy are afraid that the war will disturb their peaceful life, but if the British landed ashore, they were ordered to resist the enemy, and they didn’t know how the battle would end. How to play.Frightened by the strong British ships and powerful guns, they only wanted to end the war as soon as possible, and spread rumors one after another. Some people said that Lin Zexu paid opium in Guangdong. I beg the great emperor of the Celestial Dynasty to give me justice and allow me to resume trade.Some people said that Deng Tingzhen was transferred to the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, but he did nothing. The British did not attack Xiamen, but they just went to the court and lied about their military achievements.All of a sudden, the court was in a mess. Daoguang learned of the defeat of the former enemy, listened to all kinds of rumors, read Qishan's memorial and Ba Maizun's note, and felt suspicious of Lin Zexu and others. He thought to himself that the British army threatened the capital. The purpose is to interrogate Lin Zexu to see what his words are right; to order Qishan to negotiate with the British, to deal with the situation, to see what the result is, and then to make a decision.He questioned Lin Zexu's decree with strong words, which roughly said: "It has been a year and a half since you were ordered to go to Guangdong to investigate the Haikou incident, but the cessation of trade has not been cut off; the investigation and violation of the law cannot be completely eliminated. Empty words and prevarication will not only lead to nothing in the end, but will cause many waves! Thinking is better than anger, let's see what words you can say to me?" In the imperial edict to Qishan, he was ordered to tell Yilu: "The Emperor of the Heavenly Dynasty Fusui all over the world, Enbu China and foreign countries, anyone who comes to China for trade from foreign vassals, who has a slight grievance, will be investigated immediately. Last year Lin Zexu and others banned opium and tobacco, but failed to uphold the righteousness of the righteousness, so they were deceived and mishandled. I wish to clear up the previous injustice, the great emperor has heard about it, and he must investigate in detail and punish the crime." The intention is to first order the British army to retreat, and then make a long-term plan. In the defense area under the jurisdiction of Qishan, there were 800 soldiers in Tianjin, and there was not even a single cannon in the Shanhaiguan area. The British army marched north, and the Qing defenders had already panicked.After Qishan received the Daoguang imperial edict, he was secretly happy, thinking that he had a magic weapon to defeat the enemy, and immediately sent a note to Yilu, Commander-in-Chief of the British Invasion Army (Yiliu's cousin), expressing clearly that Lin Zexu's ban on opium in Guangdong was "poorly handled." ", the Great Emperor knew it was wrong.As for the details requested in Palmerston's note, you can discuss them slowly. I hope that the British army will return to Guangdong and wait for the emperor to send an imperial envoy to "investigate and deal with it impartially."It was late autumn and the weather was getting cooler, making it inconvenient for the British army to take large-scale operations in the north.After Yilu received Qi Shan's note, he took advantage of the trend and led his army south to Guangdong, ready to wait for another opportunity. As the British army marched south, Qi Shan went up to the imperial court to exaggerate his ability to "repel the enemy".After Daoguang received the report, he felt that this Yingyi was not an unruly man. Lin Zexu and others might have betrayed me, and they did not handle it well.So a decree was issued to order Qishan to be the imperial envoy to go to Guangdong to continue the Sino-British negotiations. At the same time, he ordered Lin Zexu and Deng Tingzhen to be dismissed for investigation. After Qishan arrived in Guangdong under the decree, he flattered others and sought peace, hoping to withdraw from the British army and reward him for his meritorious service.Unexpectedly, the British army's southward move was originally a strategy to delay the troops. While negotiating with the Qing Dynasty in Guangzhou and putting forward more stringent demands for aggression, they secretly dispatched troops and generals.Qi Shan was unprepared for the battle, and retreated step by step, agreeing to almost all the unreasonable demands of the British invaders, but he did not dare to make a decision regarding the ceding of Hong Kong, and was going to go to the court to ask for instructions before making a clear answer.The British army dispatched troops and generals, and without waiting for Qishan's reply, they sent troops to capture Dajiao and Shajiao Fortresses, and then threatened Humen, and unilaterally issued the so-called "Chuanbi Grass Treaty" that had not been agreed and signed, and forcibly occupied Hong Kong. When Daoguang sent Ling Qishan to Guangdong, he originally wanted to lure the British army to the south, Gu Yun resumed trade, and punished Lin Zexu in exchange for the withdrawal of all British troops and the elimination of war disasters, so as not to go to war and spend too much money.However, at that time, he neither believed that the British strong ships and powerful guns were unstoppable, nor did he fully believe that the British would be easy to appease, so he ordered Qi Shan to "discuss with them, and strive to subdue the British and barbarians, and at the same time Properly prepared, if it is unruly and unruly, do not show weakness, which will lose the dignity of the Celestial Dynasty. The soldiers needed to defend and suppress can be dispatched and heard at the same time, and there is no need to ask for orders first, so as to miss the military opportunity."The British army launched an attack in Guangzhou again, and the news of the capture of Shajiao and Dajiao Fort reached the capital. Daoguang did not panic because he had expected it in advance, and immediately ordered Qishan to "hurry up the regiment to train bravely, reward the soldiers, and store military supplies, food, guns and artillery fire药，严惩英夷”。同时，诏令对英开战，命御前大臣宗室弈山为靖逆将军，户部尚书隆文、湖南提督杨芳为参赞大臣，征集各路大军共计1.7万余人开赴广东前线，意欲一举荡平入侵之敌。不料琦善毫无战心，竟上奏说广东“地势无要可扼，军械无利可恃，兵力不固，民情不坚，若与英夷交锋，实无把握，不如暂示羁縻……”道光览奏不觉动怒，心想如此懦夫，如何堪当前敌？正思降旨斥革，又接广东巡抚怡良等密折，参奏琦善一意孤行，不听众文武劝说，私允割让香港。怡良密折真是火上烧油，道光阅后直气得手足冰冷，两眼昏花。稍待镇静，提笔在琦善奏折上批道：“汝被人恐吓，甘为此遗臭万年之举，今又摘举数端，恐吓于朕，朕不惧焉。”随即传谕，令将琦善革职拿问，锁解进京，并将其全部家产悉数抄没入官；命奕山、隆文等星夜兼程，迅赴广东，整兵旅，歼丑类，收失地，惩汉奸，务期大伸天讨，以张国威。 英军获悉清廷派将增兵，遂先发制人，大举进攻，道光二十一年（公元1841年）二月初攻陷虎门。广东水师提督关天培及数百守军力战不敌，壮烈殉国。三月，参赞大臣杨芳先至广州，一战又失乌涌炮台，英船驶入省河，广州城危在旦夕。 奕山等在道光圣旨再三催促下，于道光二十一年三月底到达广州。闻听英军船坚炮利，本无战心；若不战而和，又恐遭重咎，遂召同来新任粤督祁贡及参赞、巡抚人等计议发兵攻剿。四月初一日，奕山兵分三路，夜袭英军，希冀一战而胜。不意英军早有准备，激战五昼夜，所有炮台要塞尽失，清军兵困广州城，不时发炮轰击。奕山攻守无术，慌了手脚，急命高悬白旗示降，令广州知府余保纯出城乞和，签定了屈辱的《广州和约》，议定双方停战，赔偿英国军费600万元，英军退出虎门，奕山等撤出广州城，率军屯驻离城60里以外。 奕山战败求和，自知如实上奏朝廷，吃罪不起，于是谎称广州停战，系因他率大军屡次“焚剿痛击，而大挫其锋……英夷穷蹙乞抚”。至于赔款，则是因为英夷战败，无路可走，“其头目投伏于地，向城作礼，乞还商欠，并恳请拨库钱280万，否则，年余未能通商，货物不能流通，资本折耗，非但商欠无以偿还，而且生计无以维持”。因此，经广州文武共同商量，为表天朝怀柔远人之意，奖励外夷向化之诚，议定允其所请。 道光接阅奕山瞒天过海的奏报后，非但毫无察觉，还真以为是英夷慑于“天威”，倾心向化，从此中外和好，免去刀兵之苦，不觉转怒为喜，竟颁旨“准令通商”，同时传谕沿海各省，酌量裁撤调防官兵，以节糜费。至此，他越发怀疑林则徐等在广州的行为，相信英夷兴兵构难，是由林则徐“办理不善”、“操之过急”所致。自思年余来寝食难安自不必论，其劳师糜饷，国无宁日，沿海生灵涂炭，不罪林则徐、邓廷桢，又由谁来任其咎？念及此，遂发谕一道，令将林则徐、邓廷桢从重发往伊犁，遣戍赎“罪”。 正当道光误信奕山谎报军情，认为夷乱已平而令沿海各省裁军撤防之际，英国政府换将增兵，准备进一步扩大侵略战火。道光二十一年（公元1841年）六月，英国新任特命全权公使璞鼎查、侵华英军总司令巴加聚会于香港。经过一悉密谋策划，月余后率军北犯厦门。总兵江继芸等力战牺牲，厦门陷落。随后，璞鼎查和巴加调集大队，北犯浙江，仅两月时间连陷定海、镇海、宁波三镇。定海三总兵葛云飞、郑国鸿、王锡朋等率军英勇抵抗，全部以身殉国；两江总督裕谦亲自登城督战，而浙江提督余步云未战先逃，以致镇海、宁波失守，裕谦自杀谢罪。总督死，提督逃，三总兵殉国难，整个浙东地区风声鹤唳，侵略军恣意烧杀淫掠，千千万万无辜百姓在铁蹄下呻吟。 为阻止英军的进攻，道光于道光二十一年九月初四日诏令宗室协办大学士吏部尚书奕经为扬武将军，侍郎文蔚、副都统特依顺为参赞大臣，调集江西、湖北、四川、陕西、甘肃数省马步各军，驰赴浙江。哪知奕经一出京师即把皇帝谕旨置诸脑后，一路游山玩水，广纳贡献，道光二十二年正月始到绍兴，并且视战争如儿戏，仓猝之间并未认真了解敌情即兵分三路，幻想一举夺回浙东三镇。结果是三路大军相继败北，奕经一口气逃到杭州，不敢再战，一面屯兵与英军对峙，一面上奏败绩，自请处分。 道光接到奕经败报，深感局势严重。这时他想到可以信赖的重臣及可以调拨的精兵基本已和盘托出，而夷焰非但未能稍戡，反而日见鸱张，足证英夷之凶狠。因此已心灰意冷，赶紧诏令盛京将军耆英署杭州将军，颁给钦差大臣关防，授以“便宜行事”之权；起用以前因主和革职的伊里布，赏给七品顶戴。使二人赶赴浙江前线，办理对英交涉事宜，做出了准备停止抵抗，实行所谓“招抚”方略的姿态。 耆英、伊里布到浙江后，即开始策划“羁縻”之策，试图“招抚英夷”，可他们怎么也没想到，英夷竟不肯就“抚”。道光二十二年三月，英国侵略者为了迫使清政府彻底屈服，决定按预定计划，集中优势兵力，攻取清政府南北交通的咽喉之地镇江，进而控制长江下游，切断清廷漕粮运输。 道光二十二年（公元1842年）四月初至六月底止两个多月的时间，英军相继攻取乍浦、宝山、上海、镇江。江南提督陈化成率部抗击，壮烈牺牲，镇江副统海岭统驻防旗兵拼死抵抗，全部殉难，两江总督牛鉴则闻风逃匿，英国侵略者兵锋直抵南京城下。至此，道光自觉已别无良策可寻，急命耆英、伊里布迅赴南京设法议和。 道光二十二年八月二十四日，经道光批准，耆英、伊里布等在南京城下江面上的一艘英国侵略者的军舰上签订了中国近代历史上第一个屈辱的不平等条约，内中规定诸大端者为：（一）清政府赔偿英国在广东缴出销毁的鸦片烟费600万元，商行“积欠”300万元，军费开支1200万元，合计2100万元；（二）将香港割让给英国；（三）开放广州、福州、厦门、宁波、上海等五处为通商口岸；（四）实行协定关税，嗣后进出口货物应纳关税等项，均应“秉公议定”，不能由中国自己做主；（五）废除公行制度，凡来中国贸易的英商，不论与何人交易买卖，均听自便。这就是后来人们所说的《南京条约》，时人称之为《江宁条约》。 历时两年多的对外战争，清朝政府支出战费7000万两，战后赔款2100万元，加上战争期间英国侵略军的无耻抢劫和战后鸦片的继续大量涌入，清王朝本已十分拮据的国库开支，濒于崩溃。为了偿还赔款，弥补亏空，道光在战后已顾不了许多，只有默认各级官吏尽情搜刮民脂民膏了。结果是“天下贪官甚于强盗，衙门污吏无异虎狼。民之财尽矣！民之苦极矣！” 官逼反，民不得不反。鸦片战后，清王朝内地18省和台湾、伊犁、西宁等地区，反清起义连年不断。自道光二十二年至三十年（公元1842年～1850年），各地各种起义暴动，令清政府手忙脚乱，损兵折将而载于史册的就有92次之多。道光历经两年多对外战争的磨难和美、法等相继遣兵船来华威逼签约，已是心力交瘁，不觉老之将至。面对风起云涌的起义暴动，他只知频颁谕旨，限令各地将军督抚及提镇大员加意弹压，尽力兜剿，再也无力无心去设法根治起义暴动之源，规复祖宗盛世之业了。 道光三十年（公元1850年）正月十四日，节俭一生的道光，外耻未雪，内忧未除，饱含一腔恨和愁，悄然长逝。死后谥号曰“成皇帝”，庙号“宣宗”。葬地在河北易县北宁山慕陵。