Snowflakes are falling in the ancient city of Beijing, and the weather in winter is dry and cold. In the morning, outside Chaoyang Gate, a fast horse galloped from the direction of Tongzhou.
As the copper bell under the horse's neck kept clanging, pedestrians on the road moved to both sides to avoid it. The galloping horses' hooves picked up snowflakes and mud on the ground and splashed them on many pedestrians, but those pedestrians did not dare to say a word other than glaring at the back of the rider on the stagecoach.
When the officers and soldiers guarding Chaoyang Gate heard the bell from a distance, they knew it was a stagecoach delivering official documents. They were about to call a halt when the man on the horse suddenly held up an official document and shouted loudly: "Six hundred liga." Hurry! Avoid!"
Upon hearing this, several officers and soldiers quickly drove the people at the city gate and the city gate hole out of the way. There was a bustle of people under the city gate, and several vendors had no time to get out of the city gate, so they hurriedly pressed their bodies against the wall of the gate. A gust of wind blew, and the post horse passed through the city gate like lightning and entered the inner street of Chaoyang Gate.
The messenger galloped all the way until he arrived in front of Dong'an Gate. Then he dismounted, took out the Ministry of War and an urgent letter with two chicken feathers stuck in it, grinned and said to the guard at the gate: "Quick! Urgent report from Jilin General's Mansion!"
In the Military Aircraft Department, Dong Gao was talking to Yong Yan about the end of the year report from the Ministry of Household Affairs, when he saw military aircraft Zhang Jingfu Lu walking in and whispering a few words in Yong Yan's ear. Yong Yan's expression changed, he turned around and said to Dong Gao with a smile: "Mr. Zhi Lin, please come here today. I have something urgent to do here."
Dong Gao said: "Then I won't disturb Brother Fifteen."
Yong Yan waited for Dong Gao to go out, and then asked Fulu, "Where is the person?"
"Waiting outside the Longzong Gate."
"Go get the letter and find a place for him to rest. If you don't have it all ready in a while, you still have something to ask him."
"嗻!"
Not long after, Fulu came in with a rectangular flat wooden box, holding it in both hands and placing it on the Kang table. Yong Yan first waved his hand to let Fulu out, and then used a key on his body to open the lock outside the box. After opening it, two folds were taken out.
These were two brochures sent by the eighth elder brother Yongxuan and He Shen. Yongyan opened Yongxuan's brochure first and saw that it said that a preliminary agreement had been reached on the negotiation with Zhao Ni, and the other party agreed to release him after the court paid the ransom. , the specific incident was explained in detail by He Shen.
Yong Yan already knew that He Shen led his troops to Ninggu Pagoda to sit down for negotiations, and he admired this man's courage. When Qianlong learned that He Shen was going to Ninggu Pagoda to negotiate with Zhao Xin, he also praised him as "the pillar of the country."
But when he opened Heshen's booklet and read the contents carefully, his face was filled with anger.
Five years! Log in to Guangzhou Trade! Ask for the island!
That Zhao Xin is really arrogant and rebellious, and he regards me as nothing! He Shen also mentioned in the secret book that "I'm afraid that the other party's positive words will rest, and the negative plans will strengthen the army and raise troops again."
However, He Shen and his eighth elder brother Yong Xuan had the same idea, and still suggested a temporary truce to the court. Although the land of ancestral Longxing cannot be ravaged by him, the firearms of Zhao Ni's men and horses are really powerful, and it will take time to gather and mobilize the soldiers. Therefore, the captured soldiers should be rescued first, and after the road thaws in the coming spring, Xiangguang will send spies to try to recruit Zhao Xin's subordinates to see if they can collapse from the inside. Only then can the army press the border, and internal and external forces join forces to defeat them in one battle.
According to Yong Yan's wishes, he did not want to agree to any of these three terms. But he also understood that at the moment, even the most powerful Jingying Firearms Battalion and the Mongolian Eight Banners could not defeat Beihai Town, and it was useless to say anything. If the other party goes back on its word and goes all the way south to fight against Shengjing, then people like myself will really become the eternal sinners of the Qing Dynasty!
Thinking of this, Yong Yan sighed, put the two secret folds into the box, got up and went to the Yangxin Hall. Whether this matter will finally come true depends on Qianlong's wishes.
An hour later, in the west warm pavilion of the Yangxin Hall, Qianlong was sitting on the throne, with a plaque above his head that said "Diligence in government and relatives of virtuous people". The two coupons belonging to Yong Xuan and He Shen were spread out on the small table on his right side. The water stains and tea bowl fragments on the ground have been cleaned up by the eunuch, and there is no trace left. And Yong Yan was kneeling on the ground, with tears on his face.
Qianlong gritted his teeth and said slowly: "I once said that the great unification and rejection of partial An, the inner China and the outer barbarians, this is the constant scripture of heaven and earth, and the universal meaning of ancient and modern times. Therefore, the barbarians are the Chinese, and the Chinese are the same; the Chinese are the barbarians. , then the Yi and Di. It is ridiculous that although Zhao Ni is a Han, holding the banner of Zhu Ming, he actually associates with the overseas Yi and Di. Since He Shen's excerpt said that he had heard it from Korean people, then he sent someone to Ask Joseon's envoy Li Xingyuan to find out the origin of the so-called Ainu country."
"I will send someone when I get back."
In Qianlong's view, judging whether a dynasty has orthodox status is not based on ethnicity, but on whether it has a considerable territory to rule and whether it can carry out effective management; those views in history books that "emphasis on Xia and despise barbarians" It's really unfair.
As for the legitimacy of the Manchu rule, Qianlong had already further explained the reasons for the loss of legitimacy in the previous Ming Dynasty, and informed the world's scholars through his imperial approval of the Tongjian of the past dynasties.
For example, Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty fled north to the desert. Although he had numerous descendants and Miao descendants, he abandoned the Central Plains and lost his "territorial trust" in the Central Plains. Therefore, the legitimacy of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty was also cut off.
("Reliable territory" means that the territory of the country under its rule can be effectively managed. Either it occupies the Central Plains or half of the south of the Yangtze River. Islands and borderlands are not included in this list.)
As for the demise of the former Ming Dynasty, Qianlong pointed out that in the era of King Fu, the Southern Ming Dynasty was still half a country, and its territory could be relied on. If you can build a strong country and not be too greedy, you can still live in peace, and you may not be any worse than Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty. As for Longwu and Yongli, they fled to Fujian and Yunnan, lingering on, and could no longer be regarded as a country. At most, they were similar to the two kings of the Southern Song Dynasty who finally fled to the island. When King Fu was defeated and captured, the orthodoxy of the previous Ming Dynasty was lost; and with the death of Yongli, the legacy of the previous Ming Dynasty was lost.
As a monarch in the "prosperous age", Qianlong's views on "Hua Yi Theory" have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in the past ten years, and scholars all over the world will no longer antagonize the demise of the Ming Dynasty and the legitimacy of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Further confirmed the rationality of Manchu rule. From this point of view, Qianlong did better than Kangxi and Yongzheng.
Yong Yan already understood what Qianlong meant. That is, the legitimacy of Qian Ming has been completely lost long ago; even if Zhao Xin can produce evidence to prove that he is a descendant of Queen Zhao, even if he raises the banner of Qian Ming, the scholars in the world will not follow him. And without the support of scholars, ordinary people will not follow.
Qianlong was actually helpless. He couldn't give in to the place where his ancestors were prosperous. But now that we can't fight again and again, we can only stand firm on the righteousness first, and then slowly pursue it.
"Get up."
"My dear father, I thank you."
"What do you think of that Zhao Xin?"
"From what I've seen, this man behaves quite strangely. The area around the twin cities is barbaric. He supports many of his men. He doesn't even ask for food and grass from the court, but he only wants to exchange our soldiers for gold treasures. What does he want to do? Why? I still can’t figure this out."
Qianlong said in a deep voice: "Since I was in the imperial court, I have respected my ancestors for their pioneering work and worked hard day and night. The white mountains and black waters are the birthplace of Xianzu, and there must be no loss of size! He wanted five years to recuperate, but I couldn't give it to him. Five years! Otherwise, if the thieves become too powerful, it may be difficult to defeat them again. Such cunning and ambitious clowns will not be tolerated lightly, and they will be killed and exterminated by large numbers of soldiers! Although he has elite firearms, the military power of our heaven cannot tolerate it. Blasphemy!”
Yong Yan said: "My father's cave has a view of thousands of miles, and the holy candle shines. Zhao Ni now only relies on the long distance and the bitter cold in the north before he dares to gather people to resist. Back then, my father ordered Zhaohui to conquer Yili and other places and return to the city. The road was very dangerous. Thousand times, once the army arrives, they will all be wiped out. What I want to say is to wait for the captured soldiers to come back and find out the battlefield in detail before formulating countermeasures. Once the army comes out, they must not be allowed to linger. "
Qianlong finally said rather painfully: "Then let's do this first. This money should not go from the Ministry of Household Affairs, but from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, this matter must be kept strictly confidential and no information should be leaked."
"Yes. Father, don't worry, I will arrange this matter without leakage. Father, I would like to ask for instructions on how to deal with Agui?"
Qianlong said: "What is the opinion of the Military Aircraft Department?"
Yong Yan said: "I'll wait for you. I'll pluck the flower feathers from my eyes and peel off my yellow mantle. After I return to Beijing, I'll hand it over to the Ministry for discussion."
Qianlong thought for a while and said: "Agui will be seventy next year. Alas! Just hand it over to the Ministry for discussion. After returning to Beijing, let him go to Henan to supervise the river work."
"My son, I obey."
Ordinarily, if you suffer such a great shame and humiliation, you must apologize to your ancestors. However, in order to prevent the news from leaking, Qianlong only asked Yong Yan to go to Fengxian Hall to pay homage and sacrifice on his behalf the next day.
There is no airtight wall in the world, and the Forbidden City is no exception. By night, some bannermen in Beijing had already heard the news.
At dusk, in Rouge Hutong east of Hufang Bridge, seven or eight little opera singing boys were so cold that they had runny noses. They lined up in tattered cotton-padded jackets and walked towards a room in the alley with opera signs hanging on them. The Tangzi walked over. Going further north from here is the famous Bada Hutong in later generations.
The Manchu and Qing dynasties were very strange. They banned prostitution but not allowed to have sex with actors and actresses. If an official engages in prostitution, he will be fined a hundred sticks, imprisoned for three months and then dismissed from office. As a result, there are many theater signs in the Bada Hutong, but they are actually the "Xiangongtangzi" where male actors sit and attract customers.
There is a corner lamp hanging in the gate of this Xianggong Hall. At this time, the crimson wax inside the lamp is burning high, like a golden crow falling from the west. It is very special. Anyone passing by will know it well just by taking a look.
In a private room in the third courtyard, a male actor aged thirteen or fourteen was singing babblingly to the accompaniment of the huqin and the Yueqin. At the banquet, several bannermen were drinking wine and listening to each other.
"Alas!" Someone at the table sighed and placed the cup heavily on the Eight Immortals table.
"Old rich, everyone is out here to have fun, why are you so angry?"
"I was worried about my eldest brother, so I followed Marshal Fu to the north. Unexpectedly...well, my eldest sister-in-law would hide in her room all day long and wipe her tears." As soon as he said these words, several other people also complained, and each While talking about the situation at home, he complained about Fukangan.
"That guy from the Fucha family is really smart but short-handed. He was beaten to pieces by a group of petty thieves."
"That's right, in my opinion, you shouldn't engage in any kind of negotiation!"
"No, let's get someone back first before talking about anything else."
Several people talked for a while, and one of them said to the person sitting in the main seat, shaking his head and listening to the play: "Master Min, why don't you speak?"
A middle-aged man in his thirties sitting at the front seat was already quite drunk. Seeing the dejected looks of the people present, he could no longer hide the little secret in his heart. So he smiled and said: "What are you talking about? You will know about this in a few days. Put your heart back in your stomach. You can all come back in the spring of next year at the latest."
"Huh?" Everyone at the table focused their attention on the person called "Master Min". "How did you say this?"
The middle-aged man didn't say anything, but glanced sideways at the male actors in the room.
"Stop, stop, stop! Get out! Don't come in unless I tell you!"
"Yes." Several male actors, all dressed in women's costumes, stood up, made a blessing, and walked out quietly.
Seeing that there was no one else in the house, the middle-aged man listened carefully to the noise outside, and then lowered his voice and said: "To tell you the truth, we have already negotiated with the adults. Pay the money and let him go."
Others couldn't believe their ears when they heard it. Since the Manchus entered the country and established a stable state, they have fought many wars for so many years, and many soldiers have been captured, but this is the first time I have heard that they have to spend money to redeem them.
"Master Min, where did you hear all this?"
"You must not tell anyone about this matter, or it will go to my stomach. If our families had not been friends for a long time, I would not have dared to say it even to death." The middle-aged man pointed at it. He said in a mosquito-like voice: "That person agreed."
"Don't worry now, just come back with all your hair and tail intact."
"In my opinion, he still doesn't have enough cannons! Next time he goes with hundreds of cannons, I don't believe he can defeat him!"
"What do you know! The news has been sent back from the north a long time ago, and not many people know about it. Zhao Ni's firearms are so fierce that the firearms camp cannot defeat them at all. They were defeated in a single encounter."
Everyone present looked at each other, and for a moment there was silence in the room...
In the early morning two days later, twenty government-made escort vehicles filled with large boxes, escorted by a thousand officers and soldiers of the Jianrui Battalion, set off towards Tongzhou Luhe Station. Not only the soldiers escorting the team, but also the driver driving the carriage were all from the Jianrui Battalion.
The official escort cars in the team are all of the same standard. They are four feet high, one foot four feet long and five feet wide. Both sides of the car body are inlaid with patterned iron plates. There are nine iron nails inlaid on the handle at the front of the escort carriage; there is a circle of iron bars on the outside of the wheels. There is a flag of Jianrui Camp on the left front of the cargo compartment.
The boxes on the car are all special boxes for carrying silver. In addition to the slots in the cargo bed, several thick hemp ropes are tightly tied to the carriage through small holes in the car body to prevent them from slipping during the bumps on the road. . Outside the box, a thick layer of straw mat was spread to cover it.
According to the number of prisoners and official levels provided by Zhao Xin, the total ransom amount was 150,000 taels of gold, which according to the metric system of later generations was 5,600 kilograms. The load capacity of the official escort car in the Qing Dynasty was 300 kilograms. Some "careful people" along the road also saw the doorway from the ruts; but in these days, no one dared to rob the government's escort car unless they were crazy.
The distance from Beijing to Wula, Jilin is 2,300 miles. The wing commander in charge of escorting had obtained Qianlong's secret order and there should be no delays along the way, so the daily traveling speed was maintained at about 40 miles. Even so, it would still take two months for them to arrive in Ula, Jilin.
The bodyguard of Yong Xuan, who was responsible for delivering the news, had already set off in advance and rushed back to Wula, Jilin at an accelerated speed of 600 miles to report the news.
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