In the late twelfth lunar month, the Forbidden City is already a world of snow. The sky is dim and vast, thousands of flowers are flying, and the red walls and green tiles are covered with silver, turning into beautiful buildings and jade buildings. As the saying goes, "The swirling bead curtain passes over the white wall, it is lighter than catkins and heavier than frost."
The howling north wind made the wind chimes on the roof of the temple jingle, and the snow on the ground was swept back and forth. On the square outside Qianqing Gate and Taihe Hall, snowflakes were circling in search of a way out, or Jump over walls, or crawl through doors or windows.
Although it was freezing cold, the guards and soldiers guarding the palaces in various places stood as still as nails. Some of the eunuchs were building snowmen and elephants, and some were using urns to store snow water in preparation for the imperial sencha in the coming year. With his head and body covered with snow, he worked very energetically, adding a lot of vitality to this imperial mansion that has gone through many vicissitudes of life.
At the entrance of the pit outside the eaves window of the East Nuan Pavilion in the Yangxin Hall, two eunuchs opened the covered wooden boards and got inside to fill the fire pit with coal. Since the Ming Dynasty, fire floor heating has been the main method of heating the palace in winter.
The eunuch who was standing behind and responsible for delivering the coal basket saw someone in Dongnuan Pavilion when he went down to the pit. It seemed that Qianlong was receiving several ministers, so he whispered to the eunuch in front: "Second brother, who do you think the old man is meeting?" "
The eunuch who was filling coal in front didn't even look back and said, "It seems to be He Zhongtang and Mr. Liu Chongru, right? The others didn't see clearly."
"The yamen should be almost sealed by now, right? It's so cold in the cold weather. It's so comfortable to stay under the covers at home."
"Work hard! It's not our business to talk about national affairs. Let people listen and give you a slap in the face!"
In the Dongnuan Pavilion of the Yangxin Hall, it is as warm as spring. On the big Kang leaning against the eaves window, the seventy-seven-year-old Qianlong is sitting cross-legged. His eyebrows are more vigorous, and several thin wrinkles have been added to the corners of his eyes. He Wearing a red velvet knotted sea dragon skin uniform crown, a maroon four-way wedge uniform gown, and an azure colored uniform gown. There are no beads hanging around the neck, which makes it look a bit loose and casual, but his expression is very solemn. .
Sitting on the tables in front of the Kang, Yong Yan, He Shen, A Gui, Wang Jie, Qing Gui, Dong Gao, Fu Chang'an, Liu Yong, Ji Yun and others were also wearing ordinary clothes and ordinary robes, and none of them were hanging up. Chaozhu.
When emperors of the Qing Dynasty summoned ministers, no matter which palace they were in, they would always be in the Nuan Pavilion or the Second Room. It was absolutely impossible to say that sitting on the throne in the middle of the Ming Palace to discuss state affairs was inconsistent with etiquette. (Some movies and TV dramas in later generations were always shot in a nondescript manner, and the emperor often sat on the throne of the Ming Palace to hold imperial meetings.)
Moreover, when summoned, the emperor and ministers all wore the same kind of crown uniforms. Either all wear auspicious clothes or all wear crown clothes. It is impossible for ministers to wear patchwork robes and flower feathers on their heads, while the emperor wears a melon skin hat. After the minister handed over the sign, the eunuch in charge of the imperial palace would remind the emperor what style of crown clothes he would wear today so that he could change his clothes in time (there is only one file called the "Wearing File" of the Qing Palace, which is accurate to what the emperor wore at a certain time.)
This is called "the rule of the king and his ministers" and the rules and regulations. It’s not that the people below are all slaves, I am the emperor and can wear whatever I want.
At this time, except Liu Yong who was talking, the others were listening quietly.
"...I think we must attack from two sides. This person is not only a mortal enemy of our court, but also a great enemy of the scholars in the world. With my knowledge, I still need to uphold discipline and orthodoxy, and let the people know This person has nothing to do with Zhu Ming, he is just using the guise of Zhu Ming to deceive the world, in order to correct people's hearts, promote customs, and cultivate the vitality of the country."
Qianlong's eyes were filled with light, and he glanced at several courtiers and said, "What Liu Yong said is right to the point. The origin of government is Taoism, and if it is not learned correctly, the Tao will not be clear. In the past, Shun warned Yu, "There is only one thing that is fine, and it is allowed to hold on to it." This is Yu Ting's words of warning are the source of the rule of the ages. If you violate the law and harm the reputation of the people, you will not treat the people sincerely, and you will inevitably fall into the rule of the miscellaneous tyrants."
The "Qianyu" mentioned by Qianlong here comes from "Guwen Shangshu", which means to gain prestige among the people by means that violate orthodoxy. Kong Anguo's commentaries say, "It is a derogatory thing for the ancients to seek fame if one loses track of the Tao."
His words seemed to have nothing to do with Beihai Town, but they actually had profound meaning. In his opinion, Beihai Town does not respect orthodoxy, and its foundation is no longer correct. Zhao Xin controlled the people with land, commercial goods and even military power. This was not treating the people with sincerity, but tempting them with utilitarianism.
At this time, everyone listened and hurriedly knelt on the ground. Ji Yun, who was the minister of the Ministry of Rites, said: "The emperor regards sincerity as the foundation of his administration, and the nine classics are timely and appropriate; he takes body and Tao as the basis of governance, and the people follow the wind." And Xiang Hua, holds the holy document of the charter, and explores the essence of the heart to pass it on. I am overwhelmed with admiration."
Ji Yun said everything that needed to be said, and the others had no choice but to kowtow: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
"Let's all be flat."
At this time, He Shen was heard saying: "This is a servant's dereliction of duty. In the case of the Xu family in Dongtai, the whereabouts of Shen Chengzhuo's granddaughter have never been found. I beg the master to punish her."
Liu Yong also followed and said: "I am also responsible for negligence. Please punish me."
Qianlong smiled and said: "There is no need to mention this matter again. If I punish you two for this matter, wouldn't I be fulfilling Zhao Xin's wishes? Everyone, get up."
When everyone stood up and sat back down, Qianlong asked Qinggui: "Qinggui, what do you think about Zhao Ni's entanglement with the Russians?"
Qinggui hurriedly stood up and played: "Go back to the emperor. At present, Zhao Ni is holding tens of thousands of Rakshasa prisoners in Yaksa, and has fought across Lake Baikal. The Russians will definitely not give up. Next year, they will definitely raise a large number of troops to fight Zhao Ni to the death. . I think it’s better to take this opportunity to send more troops to Culun and Qiqihar, otherwise with Zhao Ni’s momentum, he will probably turn back south after fighting Rakshasa.”
The Manchu Economic and Strategic Minister stationed in the Northeast came back the day before yesterday. Counting today, Qianlong has summoned him three times in a row. Although Ning Guta's defeat made Qianlong angry, he also knew that the weapons of the Northern Navy were too powerful. If this happened before, Mingliang would have committed suicide long ago.
Wang Jie, a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion and Minister of the Ministry of War, said: "I would like to transfer the garrison in Zhangjiakou to the north, and then send 10,000 troops from the six Mongolian tribes in Khalkha. The Ningxia camp and the Ganshan camp will form the west route to form a three-sided pincer attack on Zhao Ni." In addition, the various ministries in Inner Mongolia will mobilize 50,000 green battalions from Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei, and Henan to go north to support the Qiqihar, Bukhat, and Morgan lines."
Qianlong's face remained calm, but deep down he sighed. He turned to look at Heshen and said, "Heshen, what do you think?"
Although He Shen had no military knowledge, he was very clear about money and food. He replied: "I think it is absolutely undesirable. Such a large-scale deployment of troops will not be able to supply military supplies at all. As a folk proverb cannot build a house without a mountain of rice, as a national proverb We can’t fight a war without gold and silver!”
Wang Jie said: "I don't see it that way!" After saying that, he knelt down again and said to Qianlong: "I ask the emperor to issue an order to recruit 100,000 landless tenant farmers from Hubei, Henan and Shandong, and go north to Qiqihar to farm. One item can save hundreds of thousands of food and wages for the army."
Qianlong frowned and asked, "What's the reason?"
Wang Jie said: "Instead of letting Zhao Ni recruit refugees from the mainland to open up wasteland in Jilin, it is better for the emperor to show mercy and move 100,000 households to the north of Qiqihar. They can train in their spare time and farm in busy farming times. This can provide most of the food and grass and can also provide defense." Frontier.”
He Shen said: "I think it's impossible. If Zhao Ni's army reaches Qiqihar, it will give him 100,000 strong households in vain."
Wang Jie said: "If this were not the case, wouldn't my Chao Longxing land fall into Zhao Ni's hands?!"
This sentence can be regarded as a poke in Qianlong's heart. Not to mention anything else, Aihui City, Ninggu Pagoda, and Sanxing City are now all in enemy hands. If they are not recaptured, the source of Sauron's soldiers will be completely cut off. Everyone knows the virtues of the Eight Banners in Guan Nei. At present, the most capable Eight Banners besides the Beijing Camp is the Tianshan Banner Camp composed of Sauron soldiers. Mingliang has transferred 3,000 people before, and it will definitely be impossible to transfer them again.
Since the defeat of Ninggu Pagoda in the Qing Dynasty, not to mention the various tribes in Outer Mongolia, even some people in the northwest and Qinghai-Tibet have begun to make moves.
Qianlong said slowly: "It's already the sixth generation since I was defeated by Taizu. Taizu and Taizong created great achievements, the ancestors united all nations, the saintly ancestors ruled the world with their sacred literature, gods and martial arts, and the emperor passed the imperial examination to inherit the saintly ancestors' benevolence. The emperor spent more than sixty years in a prosperous period of prosperity and prosperity, and accumulated the blessings of Qing and Chui. With the addition of virtue and prosperity, he succeeded in governing the country.
"Forefathers plant trees, and others can enjoy the shade." I have thought carefully about this saying. It is a word of ruin for a family, and it is a word of ruin for a country. If future generations enjoy the shade without planting trees, their descendants will have no shade. take. A gentleman's benevolence will be cut down for five generations, just because he did not plant trees from generation to generation. Once the old trees are cut down, the hozens enjoying the shade will naturally disperse!
Didn’t Zhao Xin want to imitate my dynasty’s great ancestor, Taizong? I just can't let him succeed! Wang Jie, Qing Gui, you two go back and draw up a plan. "
"嗻!"
Qianlong waved his hand and said, "Please step back first, and He Shen will stay."
After everyone else left, Heshen said to Qianlong: "Master, how should the Rakshasa people respond?"
Qianlong took the hot tea from the eunuch and took a sip before saying: "Russians are despicable and deceitful by nature. They are begging for mercy quietly and humbly now, but it is just because they suffered a big loss at the hands of Zhao Xin."
"Go back to the master," He Shen said, trying to figure out Qianlong's thoughts: "The slaves actually think the same way, but no master sees it so clearly. These barbarians don't abide by our Chinese morals, and they have both ends. This time they The queen sent an envoy to meet with the left deputy general of Dingbian (General Ulyasutai), and actually wanted to use Khalkha to conduct a north-south pincer attack. According to the slave's thinking, these people are only seeking profit, and what they want is Kyakhta trade. "
Seeing Qianlong's silence, He Shen knew that his words had an effect, so he further said: "Master, no matter how treacherous the Russians are, all they want is money and things. They sent troops to Heilongjiang earlier because of the previous Kyakhta The shutdown made them anxious. Ordinarily, if Zhao Xin, a traitor, had not caused trouble in Jilin, they would not have dared to send troops even if the Qing Dynasty never did business with Russia.
The slave thinks that neither Russia nor Zhao Xin is a good thing! It's just that one is seeking money, and the other wants to dig out the roots of our Manchu people! It is better to get rid of the worries first. As long as the northwest and northeast are stable, he will not dare to have any more thoughts. "
Qianlong frowned, and He Shen just revealed the biggest pain in his heart. What he used to say, "White mountains and black waters, the land of our ancestors cannot be shared with outsiders" turned out to be a joke.
At present, although Fukang'an has gone to Guangzhou to receive British warships, he also has to train a new navy. But according to the secret report of the spies stationed in Beihai Town, Zhao Xinxin already has four large Western sailing ships. It is said that they were captured from the Russians. In such a comparison, the advantages of the five new sail warships added by the Qing court suddenly disappeared.
For the Manchu Qing Empire, which dominated East Asia in the 18th century, Beihai Town, located in a corner, was like an iron pea that cannot be steamed but cannot be smashed, leaving the Manchu monarchs and ministers helpless. I hate it so much, but I can't beat it.
What Qianlong is most worried about now is that after Zhao Xin has dealt with Russia, he will be free to send his troops south. The imperial troops and horses cannot withstand the cannons of the Northern Navy. Whether it was Fukang'an, Mingliang, or Na Qitai, they all mentioned the North Navy's cannons that could hit for dozens of miles many times in their memorials. The momentum was simply overwhelming, and a real shot could destroy dozens of miles.
As for the green iron box of the Bei Navy that Mingliang mentioned in his confession, which could not be penetrated by cannons and could be fired while advancing, Qianlong did not pay much attention to it; people in the Military Aircraft Department and the Ministry of War thought it was just a kind of processing. It's just a rowboat equipped with iron plates. This thing has existed since ancient times. It was used by Taizu Taizong when he attacked Ningyuan.
"I think this slave doesn't mention the matter of borrowing the road. A group of barbarians still think that I have no one in the Qing Dynasty? How about the two sides negotiate in advance, agree on a time, and attack from the north to the south. Cut off Zhao Ni's control of Irkutsk and Kyaktu. The soldiers and horses fled eastward. As for Russia's previous border provocation and invasion of Heilongjiang, how about asking their queen to send an envoy to Beijing to plead guilty? As the master said before, if you don't come to apologize for one day, Kyaktu will not come for one day. open."
Qianlong looked at He Shen gnashing his teeth and couldn't help but laugh. After a while, he said, "How did that matter go?"
He Shen quickly replied: "The people sent by the slave to the island country have already contacted the Ida family, and they agreed to sell twenty repeating short muskets."
Qianlong thought for a moment and asked, "Is it the one from Ma Ba Shi San?"
He Shen smiled and replied: "My name is Ma Ruilin, and he is the safest among the servants. The servant now lets him stay in Nagasaki. He not only keeps in touch with the people in the shogunate, but also has a relationship with the Date family." .”
Qianlong said: "Repeating short muskets are actually nothing. The French have paid tribute before. The most important thing is to figure out the secret of the Beihai Town cannon."
He Shen said: "This matter is also being handled. Several people sent before have entered the ironmaking plant in Beihai Town. I believe there will be news back soon."
Qianlong listened and nodded with satisfaction. He asked in a deep voice: "Have you found everyone you asked to find?"
He Shen said: "The servants took the letter written by Xu Ji and found the descendants of Chang Naizhou, namely Chai Rugui, Gao Liugeng and Li Qingwen. There is a saying in Henan that 'three people entered the house'. Chang Nai Zhou Zhenzhuan was obtained. In addition, Dong Yulin, the key criminal of the Bagua Cult who was captured previously, also agreed to serve the court. The servant promised him to be the boss and would release his family members from the northwest after the incident was completed. It is said that this person's Bagua Quan His attacks were extremely vicious, and he once injured people's lives with just a raised hand."
Historically, the name "Bagua Quan" came from the Bagua Cult, just like the relationship between Hongmen and Hongquan. Otherwise, in the North China region of the Qing Dynasty, the name "Bagua Quan" would not have appeared without the influence of Bagua Cult.
The Bagua Sect is the "Tianli Sect" of the Jiaqing period and is a branch of the White Lotus Sect. The three-pan theory of Baguazhang in later generations is derived from the three-pan theory in Bagua sect that "only those who are ranked above, middle and below can distinguish between heaven, earth and man".
Dong Yulin, whom He Shen mentioned, was the leader of the Bagua sect in Guan County, Shandong Province. He was captured by the Qing court in October of the 51st year of Qianlong's reign.
At this time, Qianlong was already a little tired. He felt more and more lack of energy recently, so he finally told He Shen: "This matter must not be leaked, otherwise you are the only one to ask!"
Carrying out assassinations is something that can only be done but not talked about. If word really spreads, the mighty Qing Emperor would send killers to deal with the rebels, which would really be disrespectful to the court. But there are not many ways to be upright, so we can only attract the evil ones.
After hearing this, He Shen quickly kowtowed to the ground and said, "Master, don't worry, I will definitely do everything right!"
