Huang Juezi, the minister of Honglu Temple, felt that the sky was about to fall when he saw the excerpt written by Xu Naiji to relax the ban, so he worked day and night to write "Strictly Prohibit Teeth to Strengthen the Nation" and presented it to him.
Emperor Daoguang looked at it and stayed in the middle without making any move.
Huang Juezi looked up to the sky and sighed: "Tooth fragments are more poisonous than snakes and scorpions. They have already made the people miserable and miserable. Xu Naiji's move really added fuel to the fire."
Jue Zi was not discouraged, and after two years of planning, he wrote again: I know that the emperor is diligent and diligent for the people of the world. But the national treasury is empty, people's livelihood is in decline, and the situation is in crisis. Every year is getting worse! What's the reason? After careful investigation, I found out that the uses of silver are nothing more than national defense, river engineering, disaster relief, and official and military salaries. However, this actually consumes only two cents of silver. The key is that the price of silver has increased sharply recently. In the past, one tael could be exchanged for one thousand yuan, but now it can only be exchanged for one thousand yuan. One thousand six hundred and zero. This huge difference is caused by the entry of tooth fragments and the outflow of silver.
Previously, my late Emperor knew that dental tablets were harmful to people, so he specifically banned them. At that time, the ministers did not expect that the poison from the tooth fragments would be so extreme. If it had been known earlier, there would have been severe punishments and severe laws to stop it in its bud.
According to some records, when a foreign ship arrives in Guangzhou, it must first write a guarantee letter to guarantee that there will be no dental chips included in it. Then the entrance is allowed. Although there are guarantees, the private profits of selling cigarettes are huge, and inclusion in the goods is inevitable. Before the fourth year of Daoguang's reign (AD 1824), only one million taels of silver were flowing out of the country every year. Drug addicts are just playboys. But in the past ten years or so, it has gradually spread, and everyone from officials and gentlemen to business students, women, monks, nuns and Taoist priests are taking it. The capital city was originally the foundation of our country, but it has become common recently.
Most of the foreign dental products are concentrated in the sea outside Guangzhou. There are profiteers in Guangdong who collude with the officials and soldiers on land and sea to transport silver overseas and import cigarettes. From the fourth year of Daoguang to the twelfth year of Daoguang, Guangdong had an outflow of 178 million taels of silver every year. From the twelfth year of Daoguang to the fifteenth year of Daoguang, more than 20 million taels were lost. Since Daoguang's fifteenth year, there has been an outflow of thirty million taels every year. In addition, the Haikou of Fujian, Zhejiang, Shandong, Tianjin and other places totaled tens of millions of taels.
Use China's useful wealth to fill the endless gullies overseas; it is easy to do harm to others and gradually become a worry for the country. Day after day, year after year, I don’t know when it will stop. Is it really not possible to ban it? I think it’s not that we can’t ban it, but that we don’t know how to ban it yet. The huge outflow of silver is because there are too many people selling it; there are too many people selling it because there are so many people taking it. If there is no smoking, there will be no selling, and if there is no selling, the silver will not flow out. If we want to eliminate its disadvantages, we must first treat smoking. Anyone who takes drugs, regardless of whether they are officials or civilians, must quit within one year; otherwise, civilians will be put to death and officials will be punished with additional penalties. Whether my foolish opinion is correct or not, I beg for guidance from the Holy Spirit.
"Use China's useful wealth to fill the endless gullies overseas; it is easy to use things that harm people and gradually become a worry for the country." Emperor Daoguang muttered for a long time, "Okay! If it is not the anger from the heart, who can have such anger? Speech. When someone comes, he will immediately tell the governors and generals of all provinces to sing Huang Jue's Tooth Tablets and it is strictly forbidden to break them. Anyone who neglects will be severely punished!" Emperor Daoguang said silently: It is time to make a decision. An edict was issued at random: the infantry commander's office and the provincial governors must severely punish those who smoke and sell cigarettes, conduct strict inspections, and punish them immediately once reported to the official.
On September 8, 1838, Prince Zhuang Yi Dou and Duke Fu Guo Xi were found to be sucking dental tablets, and Emperor Daoguang angrily revoked their titles. Immediately, two more edicts were issued: the provincial generals and governors, the infantry commanding yamen, Shuntian Mansion, etc. must strictly inspect and inspect, and those who smoke, regardless of princes, bannermen, or citizens, will be severely punished. Those who sell and open a store should be severely punished. Civil and military officials, soldiers and civilians who take drugs and do not know how to change their habits will also be seized.
Despite the evil teeth, the triennial examination was still carried out as scheduled. A candidate named Zeng Mingguofan was ranked the 38th Jinshi, and his palace examination score was the 42nd among the top three. Although his ranking was lower, his examination essay attracted the great attention of the examiner Mu Zhang'a.
The article says: If a lady and a monarch cannot know everything about the world, they must appoint good officials; if they cannot feel whether the officials are good or not, they must trust their left and right officials. However, the reputation of a great official may not necessarily mean that he is a bad official, and the destruction of those around him may not mean that he is not a good official...
Mu Zhang'a looked happy and felt sad for a moment. The day before yesterday, when we were talking about tooth fragments again, Emperor Daoguang rebuked: "You have been an official for many years, and why do you have such great achievements and fame?" Zhang'a was speechless for a moment, wondering where the emperor's anger came from? Could it be that someone is slandering me? Looking at the current dynasty, Zhang'a feels that he is inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. Who dares to do whatever he wants! Wang Ding Wang Ding? It must be Mr. Wang Ding! It must have been destroyed by that old man! I love money as well as talent. I am greedy but never greedy. I consider myself a good official. What Zeng said is a golden and good word! Thinking about this, I smiled for a long time.
People reported that Zeng Guofan asked for an audience, and Zhang Adao asked him to come quickly. The vassals of the country knelt down to worship him and praised him as "teacher". Zhang'a was very pleased to see that he was dignified, steady, and sincere in his words. He had a general atmosphere. We had a deep conversation and asked about the dental plaque. Although Guofan has thousands of words, he doesn't know where to start, and he is in a hurry.
Zhang Adao: The leakage of teeth and the leakage of silver have violated the foundation of the country. It is strictly forbidden to relax the prohibition. The fact has been established. When the world is at peace, there may be trouble again, and the barbarians are not easy to mess with; if war breaks out, the world will be in panic again.
Soon, reports from various frontier officials came one after another. 11 governors, 15 governors, and 3 generals requested a strict ban. However, only the governor of Huguang, Lin Zexu, the governor of Sichuan, Su Tingyu, the governor of Anhui, Sebu Xing'e, the governor of Henan, Guiliang, the governor of Jiangsu, Chen Luan, and the governor of Guangdong, strongly supported the "restriction on smoking". . Tao Peng, the governor of Liangjiang, basically agreed, but he was worried that the handling would be ineffective and caused a stir in Yanlu.
Yan Botao, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, reported secretly: I was originally registered in Lianping Prefecture, Guangdong. In the 10th year of Jiaqing (AD 1805), I returned to my hometown for the first time. At that time, there were only a few smokers in Lianping Prefecture, and they had already been criticized. In the 22nd year of Jiaqing (1817 AD), when I returned to my hometown, there were dozens of smokers in Pingzhou, but they were still hidden very secretly. In the thirteenth year of Daoguang (AD 1833), I returned to my hometown again, and there were countless smokers in Pingzhou. Those who suck it will not avoid others, and those who see it will be calm and will not be surprised. What's especially different is that the poor are lowly slaves and have a difficult life. They can live without food, but they have to smoke cigarettes wherever they can. If you are a dandy, come from a powerful family, and fall into this bad habit, you don’t even need to ask. At first the local officials were not lax in their investigation, but in the subsequent investigation they were inexhaustible. Instead of being burdened with blackmails from the bookkeepers and increasing the nuisance of the local area, if they just followed the rules and listened to them, they would still be able to live in peace. Lianping is only one state in Guangdong. It is a remote small town with barren land and poor people. However, it is so extreme that Lianping is like this. It can be known by Guangdong Province, and it can be known by other provinces.
Lin Zexu, the governor of Huguang, spoke harshly: Before dental tablets became popular, smokers only harmed themselves, so the punishment with a cane was sufficient. If the poison spreads to the world, the harm will be great, and the law should be strict. If we still take this seriously, it will mean that in a few decades, the Central Plains will have few soldiers who can defend the enemy, and there will be no silver to pay for it. When you think about it, you won’t have any shivers! Husband's wealth is the source of life support for billions of people, so he should cherish it for billions of dollars. The fruits are all scattered in the mainland, so why not harm the upper ones and benefit the lower ones, and hide wealth among the people? If it is leaked overseas, why should it be stolen by the bandits instead of being used as a plan?
Zhili Duqi was good at Tianjin, an important place in the capital, and found 130,000 taels on one ship, let alone elsewhere! If we still take this seriously, it will mean that in a few decades, the Central Plains will have few soldiers who can defend the enemy, and there will be no silver to pay for it! Emperor Daoguang shouted as if he had been given a slap in the face: "Send a message to Lin Zexu, Governor of Huguang!"
On December 26, 1838 AD, Zexu arrived in Baoding and met Qishan, the governor of Zhili. When Xu was serving as the censor of Jiangnan Province, he became familiar with Qi and had a pleasant conversation with her. After some polite remarks, Qi Shan said: "Is Shao Mu coming to Beijing this time for dental affairs?"
Zexu said: "Maybe it's possible, it all depends on the Holy Will!"
Qi Shan said: "I didn't take it seriously before, but I didn't know it would cause such a disaster. Huang Juezi seriously treated smoking, which I thought was very wrong. People who smoke are not only gangsters and thieves, but also descendants of loyal and good people, secretaries, scribes, and virtuous people." Widow Yuan and other people who keep their own peace and quiet. With a piece of teeth sucked, they will be caught in the legal net, and the people who will see the prison will be carried on the road. The prison can accommodate them without any gaps. The rope is slightly heavy, and there will be thousands of people who have died without waiting for the official to return. Absolutely. The eighteen provinces are so big that the number of addicts cannot be beheaded for decades. Who is willing to surrender and be captured? People will definitely gather to cause trouble, which is something to worry about. As for the coastal provinces of Guangzhou and Fujian, their people Accustomed to fighting with weapons, seven to eight out of ten smokers, hundreds of thousands of people, became desperate, fled to the island, colluded with the barbarians, and sang and made peace, which is even more worrying. The five families of the Huang family protect each other and eat the whole plant. It is even more undesirable. Who can clearly notice that a neighbor is sucking tooth chips at night or in a sheltered place? In one sentence, if you want to lead the world into a hell, this is really impossible. I think it is not as good as It is widely announced that if the market is closed and no trade is allowed, the dental tablets will have no place to come. The dental tablets have been imported into the mainland and do not need to be destroyed. Smokers can quit smoking for a year and a half. If they know that the cigarettes will not continue to come, the sellers will Then find another occupation, and the addict will have done all he can to save his body. If you do this, you will be calm and unhurried, and the world will live in peace and contentment."
Zexu said: "Jing'an's words, Shaomu will remember them carefully."
Qi Shan said: "Shao Mu is free to say one-sided words. The chipped tooth is a troublesome thing. Because of the ban, last month, Xu Naiji was demoted to the sixth rank of Ding Dai. Yi people are even more difficult to mess with, Shao Mu knows how to be kind. Mountain affairs? Sun Tzu said: The military is a major event for the country, the place of life and death, and the path to survival. We must not ignore it."
Of course Lin Zexu knew about Lu Kun and Lu Houshan. In September 1833, when Lu Kun took office as governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, the British Lu Laobei broke through the border with a warship. Although the cannons in Humen rumbled, they did not stop him, and Lu was dismissed. What does Qi Shan mean by this? Suddenly I remembered that many years ago, Qi Shan failed to supervise the river construction, and he wrote a letter "Jifu Water Conservancy Proposal". Isn't that the opposite? Also, in the past few years, the rivers in Zhili were flooded. As the governor, Qi Shan was at a loss. He also said that there was no need to block and control the water. The water from the Chaohe River, Baihe River, and Yongding River could be diverted to irrigate Tianjin, Hejian, Zunhua, and other places. The fields in the four prefectures of Yongping; in this way, the water will be rich and the soil is fertile, and rice can be widely grown; in this way, water transportation can be omitted. Isn't this the best of both worlds? Yue Zu took over twice, what did Qi think?
At dusk, Xu arrives in Beijing.
Emperor Daoguang sent a message: "It's great that Lin Aiqing has arrived. It's been a long and tiring journey. It's been a long day of rest. We'll go to the palace tomorrow."
On the 27th, Xu came to see him. Emperor Daoguang said: "My dear, you have lost weight after a rough month."
Zexu hurriedly knelt down again and said, "Thank you Lord for your kindness. I am only trying to benefit the country. This life is not worth mentioning."
Emperor Daoguang said: "How is your accommodation? How good is the food? The capital is not as good as Huguang. My dear, she wears a little less. Is it cold?"
Zexu was immediately filled with warmth and tears filled his eyes. He thanked the Lord for caring and said everything was very good. You come and I go, three moments of time have passed.
On the morning of the 28th, Zixu knelt down and worshiped. Suddenly he felt his legs softened. He looked carefully and saw that there was cotton felt under his knees. He was so moved that he boiled over.
Emperor Daoguang said: "My dear, 'The sea reaches the end of the world and the sky is the shore, and the mountain reaches the top and I am the peak.' But what did you do when you were young?"
Then Xu sighed and burst into tears.
Emperor Daoguang said: "I love you, all those who achieve great things in life start from a young age. In the third year of Daoguang (AD 1823), when you were in Jiangsu, you did everything yourself, no matter how big or small. Within four months, many backlogged cases were cleared. Jiangsu suddenly became a Qing government and a Ming Dynasty. In the tenth year of Daoguang (AD 1830), Qing was in Henan. He broke away from human sentiments, vigorously promoted the rules, eliminated the evils and money, and consolidated Lan'an. In the eleventh year of Daoguang (AD 1831), I reluctantly made it difficult for him. , Qing supervised the management of the river. All river embankments were piled with materials, and Qing had been surveying them all over the week. He always walked through each pile one by one, measured its height, width and feet, and compared its old and new, empty and solid. If there is any looseness, pull out any doubts. That is to say, tear it down, press the piles to measure the bundles, and press the bundles to calculate the kilograms. There is not a pile that is not measured, and there is not a hall that is not demolished. When the peach flood came, both sides of the bank were fine, all because you were serious about it! In the twelfth year of Daoguang (AD) 1832), Qing was in charge of Jiangsu. In the past five years, Jiangsu has changed rapidly, and the place has become nothing more than a mention. Last year, Qing went to Huguang. In the past, Huguang, rivers overflowed, and victims were affected every year. Qing paid attention to both construction and defense. In less than two years, thousands of people were killed in Jianghan. There is no overflow in the long embankment, and peace and prosperity are common. Year after year, I count all kinds of things, year after year, year after year, how lucky you are at this time! Everything is like this because of you!"
Zexu hurriedly said: "It is the duty of a humble minister to report to the emperor and occupy his position to pursue his political affairs. Only by working hard every day and being diligent all the time can we live up to the emperor's entrustment."
Emperor Daoguang said: "You don't need to be polite. Thank God for choosing you and me. Today, dental plaque is raging, and thousands of people are suffering. We need to recruit you urgently, and this is why we are so urgent!"
Zexu said: "This is reported to the Emperor. I respectfully listen to the Holy Will and go through fire and water without hesitation."
Emperor Daoguang said sadly: "The poison is accumulated, we must hurry up and take it out quickly. We will discuss it in the future and we can't be polite anymore." Suddenly he changed the topic and said, "Tomorrow, you can ride in the Forbidden City."
Zexu quickly knelt down to thank the Lord for his kindness.
On the 29th, Emperor Daoguang said: "Are you riding a horse?"
Zexu said: "To report to the emperor, I am ashamed that I cannot ride a horse."
Emperor Daoguang said: "In that case, you can sit in the sedan chair when you come again."
Zexu quickly knelt down and thanked the Lord for his kindness.
Emperor Daoguang said: "Tooth flakes are very poisonous, and I am really ashamed that I have not been able to stop the scourge to this day. Xu Naiji's Zhezi did a lot of harm to people. For a period of time, all the people in the world thought that tooth flakes should be bought, sold and smoked casually. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have hesitated and hesitated to reach this point today. Looking at the world, the most serious disaster area is still in Guangzhou. The so-called tracing back to the source must be done in Guangzhou!"
Zexu said: "I am reporting this to your Majesty. What your Majesty said is absolutely true. The poison from the teeth is rooted in Guangzhou. If Guangzhou is clean, then the world will be safe."
Zexu thought to himself: "Oops, the emperor is asking me to go to Guangzhou to ban smoking! Is it easy to ban smoking in Guangzhou? A hundred years of infiltration is more than deep-rooted! But the emperor is not kind to him! He is riding a horse in the Forbidden City. Sitting in a sedan chair, with carpets on the knees and under the Jinluan Hall, this is a treatment that has never been seen in the world. That's all, a scholar dies for a confidant. Life depends on success or failure. If you only want to benefit the country, do you dare to think that it is an insult to the door and wall?"
Emperor Daoguang said: "Peace be with the world in Guangzhou! Well said! I'll take a rest for now, dear, and we'll have a deep chat at the Yangxin Hall tomorrow."
On the 30th, Yangxin Hall. Then Xu Zheng wanted to kneel down and worship. Emperor Daoguang waved his hand and said, "It's just that I love you. You and I are exempt from the knot." After saying this, he shouted back and slowly knelt down. Two hours passed by in a hurry, and they didn't talk about any major military and state affairs. They were all interesting palace stories, folk anecdotes, the story of Zexu Ren, Emperor Daoguang's first time holding a gun and his hands trembling, etc.
At noon, Emperor Daoguang entertained Zexu. The table is full of dishes, including fish, meat and wine.
Emperor Daoguang said: "Many years ago, when the Queen Mother celebrated her birthday, the ministers came to congratulate them. I gave them each a bowl of braised noodles. I am not stingy. I want the ministers to always remember to be frugal. Besides, there were indeed many people that day. If everyone eats and drinks with open belly, how much wine and meat will be consumed? It is not easy for all living beings, every particle is hard work. But today is different, today there are just two of us." Emperor Daoguang gave a sly smile, "My dear, This is fresh venison, have you never eaten it before? Try it! While it’s hot, hurry, hurry, use your chopsticks.”
After the meal, Emperor Daoguang said seriously: "I invite you to come here this time to support the ban on smoking in Guangzhou. I have thousands of ministers and ministers, but I feel that I cannot take on this important task except for you."
Zexu knelt down and worshiped, saying: "To express my gratitude to the Holy One, I can only use all my foolishness to vow to eliminate this huge disaster for the Central Plains."
On December 31, Emperor Daoguang issued an order: "Instruction to the Cabinet: The governor of Huguang and the Minister of War, with the title Lin Zexu, issued the award to the Imperial Envoy, Guanfang, and went to Guangdong to investigate and deal with the dental affairs. All the naval forces in the province were also put under control..."
After the morning court, Zexu went to the Military Aircraft Department to lead the imperial envoys to guard the place. When he met Mu Zhang'a, Zhang'a was in a state of joy and anger and said: "Young Mu is really a bastard of the country, and the holy prohibition has been fulfilled; all the tooth fragments must be removed!"
Zexu said: "Thanks to the great love of Master Zhongtang, Shao Mu will keep it in mind."
Looking at Lin Zexu's back, Zhang'a was filled with anger: "The title of Minister of the Ministry of War is from the first rank; if he returns in triumph, what's the point?"
Later, Qi Shan paid a secret visit and talked about Yapian's errands. Qi Shan said: "Lin Shaomu is so beautiful!"
Zhang'a said helplessly: "The holy will has been decided, what's the use of envy? Think about how good we, the Eight Banners, were at that time, how capable we were of riding and shooting, and how many talented people emerged in large numbers! But now, Jing'an, go for a walk on the street and look at those people who have Thrushing eyebrows, carrying bird cages, fighting crickets, and throwing dice, who is not a member of my Eight Banners? How many dandy children, with all the sensuality and sensuality, have rotted their bones. Look at this world, how many people have been promoted to Jinshi, how many heroes and talents, How many bannermen do we have?”
After Zhang'a gave full play to his ability, he suddenly felt that something was wrong. Qishan also relied on the protection of his ancestors. He quickly said: "Jing'an, you are different."
Qi Shan said: "Master Zhongtang told the truth, and we Eight Banners disciples are indeed the same. Growing up in a honeypot, who wants to eat in the open air, hang on beams and thorns, and hear chickens dancing? Furthermore, if we accidentally play too big, Aobai, Heshen, Nian Gengyao?"
Zhang Adao: "Don't say this again in Jing'an! Who can understand the right and wrong? Cao Zhenyong and Pan Shi'en should be nourishing, talk less and kowtow more, live a stable life, and be given a good posthumous title after death. This update No, among us bannermen, who is willing to be mediocre and mediocre, and who is not willing to rise to the top of the sky and become famous!"
After hearing Zhang Ayan, Qishan was confused and didn't know what to say, so he could only laugh.
Zhang Ah Meng felt that he was majestic and said slowly: "Everything depends on the Holy Will. What Lin Shaomu does and says is in line with the Holy Will."
Qi Shan said: "I heard that the emperor is going to summon Lin Shaomu. Isn't this to praise him to heaven?"
Zhang Adao: "Again and again, and again and again, not counting three, four or five are added, and this is the sixth time we have been summoned. It can be seen that the holy will is so earnest, Lin Shaomu should not mess with it, Guangzhou Na Ya Movies are really not easy to ban. Jing'an, just wait and see what happens."
Among thousands of ministers, Lin Zexu was selected; not the best, but also better. However, Emperor Daoguang was still uneasy. He summoned him three times in a row and continued to be tempting. Finally, he said sincerely: "Guangzhou affairs are all handled by you with full authority. I will never control them remotely. The teeth must be eradicated and side provocations must not be opened lightly. Sharpen the knife for the sake of appearance." Don’t miss the job of chopping firewood, and also specifically told Zexu: It’s not easy to come to Beijing, spend a few more days, visit old friends and make friends.”
Zexu also knew why the emperor was so polite. He thanked the Lord for his kindness and left in a hurry.
In the evening of the next day, Wang Ding held a family banquet for Zixu to go on a farewell trip.
Zexu lamented: "I don't know, sir, but Shao Mu really doesn't want to go to Guangzhou. For a hundred years, Shao Mu has been able to solve all the teeth-related issues by himself? Can it be done completely? How could the emperor summon him eight times and invite him to talk seventeen times?" I can no longer bear the weight of the assignment, so I can only ignore the blessings, misfortunes, honors and disgrace, and accept it with tears."
Wang Ding said: "Young Mu has many plans and good judgments. He is committed and guarded, and he is worthy of this important task. Dingjiu has been in Beijing for many years, and he knows a lot about things. If there is any trouble, he will definitely stop it and report it. At this time when the people are in trouble and the country is in danger, , Shao Mu must cheer up and move forward. If you feel a little depressed, your family and country will be in dire straits and will never recover!"
Zexu said: "Don't worry, sir. Shao Mu is so eager to speak, because you are my dearest relative. You speak without restraint and speak from the heart, just to relieve the burden in your heart. I don't dare to be careless in the matter of national affairs. If your wish is not fulfilled, Human affairs must also be done.”
Outside the court, the sky is vast and the wind is howling.
