Since Yongzheng succeeded to the throne, he has always been thinking about what measures and methods should be used to further unify the empire? How to further improve your monarchy?
First, he took action against the "Five Banners". After all, Xie Jishi and Lu Shengzhan (zhan) had suggested implementing the "feudal system" theory of feudal states and nation-building before this. How could he accept such a decentralization of power?
The so-called "Five Flags" refer to the five flags with white, blue, blue, red and red flags.
Corresponding to this are the "Shangsan Banners", which are the three flags of Zhengyang, Xianghuang and Zhengbai.
At the beginning, Nurhaci established his hegemony with "Thirteen Armors", contacted various Jurchen tribes, and established the Khanate. This Khanate was actually a tribal alliance at the beginning, divided into eight banners, each with its own banner owner. The flag owner has absolute power over his subordinates, and his superiors only need to answer to Nurhaci.
Nurhachi was also very smart. He appointed his nephews as the flag owners of these eight flags. Huang Taiji, who later went to Khan and proclaimed himself emperor, obtained two yellow flags at this time: the Zhenghuang Banner and the Xianghuang Banner.
After the violent death of Huang Taiji, Dorgon, as the leader of the Zhengbai Banner, united with his mother-brother Duduo's Xiangbai Banner, and then contacted the elements in the two yellow flags that could be united to seize the actual political power and become the de facto emperor. , first served as assistant to the government, then as regent, and finally called himself "Emperor Father" and treated Aisin Gioro Fulin, the Shunzhi Emperor, as his son.
After Dorgon's death, Zhengbai Banner no longer became the flag owner of anyone else. Shunzhi took it directly. Zhengbai Banner became the "Emperor's Own General", and together with Zhenghuang Banner and Xianghuang Banner, it was collectively known as "The Emperor's Own General". "Up to Three Flags".
When Xie Jishi and Lu Shengzhen proposed the idea of restoring feudalism to the then garrison chief Fu Peng and Zhenwu General Xi Bao, Fu Peng was the owner of the red flag, and Xibao was the owner of the red flag. How could Yongzheng not be alert or angry?
Fu Peng's title is Prince Ping, and his father's name is Narsu. This Narsu's wife is Cao Xueqin's aunt, and Narsu himself is also a descendant of Daishan.
Xibao's title is Shuncheng County Prince, and Xibao's grandfather himself is also the third son of Daishan.
The other two flags under the Five Flags are:
Trimmed with white flag: Fuguo Gongsaiqin
Zhenglan Banner: Wang Dezhao of Xin County
Trimmed with blue flag: Prince Jane is saved by God
None of these three are as important as Fopeng and Thibau.
Originally, Fu Peng's father Narsu was more capable and powerful than him, but he was beaten by the then crown prince Yin Reng during the Kangxi period. Obviously he belonged to the camp of the eighth prince Yin Rong. In the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, his title was removed and his son Fu Peng succeeded him.
Prince Jian's father was also deprived of his title by Yongzheng in the fourth year of Yongzheng's reign, and his son inherited it.
It is worth mentioning that Cao Fu's home was confiscated in the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign. Some people say that he was implicated by Narsu.
After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he issued an edict strictly prohibiting the flag owners of the five flags from extorting the flag members of the ministers in the court.
It was not easy for them to maintain their moral integrity. Yongzheng asked the Manchu censors from the Metropolitan Procuratorate to be transferred to the Eight Banners, with two people per banner, to supervise everything. From then on, everything within each banner was in fact directly managed by the central government, and the lower five banners no longer had any semi-independent rights.
Kangxi once made a good idea, using the flag members of one flag as the captain of another flag, hoping to keep the flags in check with each other. However, he did not expect that it would be much more difficult to become the flag member of the captain. He is less subject to the flag owner of this flag and the flag owner to which he belongs.
Yongzheng improved this a bit and used the flag owner of one flag as the commander of another flag, making it impossible for the other flag owner to compete.
Yongzheng stipulated that the banner owners of the five banners can still enjoy their rights as "masters" with respect to the slaves. As for the flag members, they can only use "guards, casual riders, pro-military schools, and pro-army", which is not allowed. Used as servants, managing household chores, and serving as servants. If you dare to be transferred from the flag members to do these lowly tasks, you must file a special petition. If a flag member becomes an official above the rank of imperial minister or above, or above the rank of governor of a foreign county, the flag owner is not allowed to select their children as attendants, or as "lower officials" in charge of their servants.
In order to prevent the various flags from being related, horizontal relationships between the flags are not allowed. The flag members and captains of this flag are not allowed to work as errands in other flags, and it is absolutely not allowed to be the captain of the three flags. Walk in the doors of kings.”
Yongzheng is a man who is very capable and energetic. He is not afraid of tedious things when doing things. He can be said to be a workaholic. His frugal life was even worse than that of Kangxi. The measures and policies he made, such as checking taxes, increasing tariffs, and salt taxes, were just to fill the national treasury, not for the enjoyment of himself and his harem, let alone Maybe it was for the entertainment of the eyes and ears, the desire for food and drink, militarism, and great achievements that later generations would say (these are somewhat appropriate in the second half of Qianlong's period).
Let us rationally say that if Yongzheng was not an emperor, but a prime minister, with his style and ability, he should be comparable to and even surpass Zhang Juzheng, the Ming Wanli emperor's master.
Regarding centralization, we cannot look back at the past from the perspective of today. We should look at history based on the environment and historical background of the time. This should be called "historical limitations." In the world at that time, apart from the fact that Britain had just completed the bourgeois revolution, China was a country where authoritarian centralization had developed since the establishment of the Qin Dynasty by Ying Zheng until today. In such a China, you would want to expect an emperor who was in the context of the times. ——Yongzheng, it is unfair to be democratic and enlightened.
Speaking of matters, if we evaluate the emperor Yongzheng according to the evaluation standards of historical figures at that time, his employment and administration are much better than those of his son Qianlong and father Kangxi.
The first is Yinxiang, the thirteenth son of the emperor, who was absolutely obedient to Yongzheng and loyal to him. He first became one of the ministers of "Prime Minister Affairs", and later became a bachelor and military minister. Indeed, in terms of personnel, Yongzheng had a lot of respect for Yinxiang. There is nothing wrong with the use of Xiang.
The ones who were inferior to Yinxiang were Ertai, the first among the Manchus, and Zhang Tingyu, the first among the Hanchens. Ertai is a flag member of the Manchuria Xianglan Banner. He can be said to be of the same clan as the royal family but not a clan, because he is a "Xilinjueluo clan" (not Aixinjueluo clan).
During the Kangxi period, Yongzheng once relied on Ertai as the fourth prince, but he rejected it. Unexpectedly, such rejection attracted Yongzheng's attention and favor. After Yongzheng ascended the throne, he immediately promoted him, let him take the post of chief examiner in Yunnan, and then became the chief envoy of Jiangsu.
In the position of Chief Envoy of Jiangsu, Ertai used the "minister's silver" (office expenses that could be "reimbursed") that he should have "earned" as usual to sell 34,000 shi of millet and distribute them in Suzhou. , Songjiang and Changzhou three prefectures are used to prepare for future famine relief. Yongzheng was very happy to see him doing this and promoted him to governor of Guangxi.
When he first arrived in Guangxi and took office, he also served as governor of Yunnan and "governor of Yunnan and Guizhou" (acting governor). In less than a year, he suppressed the armed rebellion of the Miao people. Yongzheng liked him very much and was promoted to the real governor of Yunnan and Guizhou. .
Ertai was in his seat and suggested that Yongzheng implement the measure of "returning native land to locals". In fact, this measure was not started by Yongzheng, or even by the Qing Dynasty. As early as the Ming Dynasty, it had already advocated the return of the leaders of ethnic minority areas. He was replaced by a floating official sent by the central government. Ertai advocated the abolition of several hereditary pacification envoys and Xuanfu envoys established by the Ming Dynasty, and the replacement of magistrates and county magistrates, so as to merge with the county system in the interior.
Yongzheng strongly agreed with his idea. Everyone, whether Miao or Yi, was a subject of the Qing Dynasty and should not be separated by feudal chieftains.
Later, Ertai used force to implement the reform of the land and suppressed the tribes that wanted to resist.
In the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign, an additional province was allocated to Ortai, and he was called the "Governor of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi", so several chieftains in Guangxi also returned to exile.
In the tenth year of Yongzheng's reign, Ertai returned to Beijing and was granted the title of "Grand Bachelor of Baohe Palace, and concurrently Minister of the Ministry of War, handling military aircraft affairs." Together with Zhang Tingyu, he served Yongzheng in his office at the "Military Aircraft Department".
This military aircraft department was originally called the "Military Machinery Room", which is the successor of the "Military Supplies Room". The Military Supplies Room was established in June of the seventh year of Yongzheng. Three people set it up in a small house in the inner court.
At this time, since Yinxiang served as the minister of "Prime Minister's Affairs", he had been quite effective in handling the water conservancy in the capital region. Following Yongzheng's order, he took charge of the affairs of supporting the northwest military affairs. In other words, this military supply house was originally set up for Yin Xiang. Zhang Tingyu and Jiang Tingxi were two capable assistants. Jiang Tingxi was the Minister of Household Affairs at that time. Without this person in charge of money, there would be nothing to talk about in the war, so he was also Transferred to the military quarters office.
In the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign, the munitions room was changed to the military machine room. Yinxiang also died of illness in May of that year. Only Zhang Tingyu and Jiang Tingxi were left in the military machine room. In the twelfth year of Yongzheng's reign, Ertai was added to "handle military aircraft affairs". " minister, plus Ha Yuansheng, the former governor of Guizhou who "handled the military aircraft department's travel". This Ha Yuansheng "walked" for less than a month. The Miao people in Guizhou rebelled again, and he had to return to his original post to continue to preside over affairs. .
The military supply room was indeed set up for Yinxiang at the beginning, but the Military Aircraft Department was promoted to the actual cabinet and took away the actual power of the cabinet. This was Zhang Tingyu's suggestion.
Zhang Tingyu's suggestion is that as long as memorials are written to the emperor from various aspects, they should be divided into two categories. Those involving ordinary government affairs are called "shu", and "important matters" involving military and state secrets are called "zhe". The Secretary of General Affairs will collect the documents and hand them over to the Cabinet for approval. The Secretary of General Affairs will not use the General Affairs Department, but will use the "Report Office" to collect the documents. They will no longer be handed over to the Cabinet for approval, but will be drafted by the Emperor at the Military Aircraft Department while watching the Minister of Military Aircraft. Once approved, it was immediately copied and sealed by the staff of the Military Aircraft Department, without going through the cabinet, let alone the various ministries, in an effort to keep it confidential and speedy.
Yongzheng adopted Zhang Tingyu's suggestion, and from then on, the Military Aircraft Department became the highest and most important department in the country.
Yongzheng had Zhang Tingyu and others at the military aircraft office, accompanying him in the office every day. Zhang Tingyu himself is a bachelor of Baohe Palace, so not only Zhang Tingyu's "important matters" related to military aircraft, Zhang Tingyu, as the minister of military aircraft, upholds Yongzheng's will and quickly implements it in person The content of the "cabinet vote draft" is waiting for Yongzheng's "Qian Gang Decisiveness".
However, under such a centralized monarchy, the method of "meeting" is not absolutely impossible. During the reign of Nurhachi, there were already five ministers and ten Zaluguqi. During the reign of Huang Taiji, the number of administrative ministers and deputy ministers was increased to sixteen.
After entering the customs, the Qing Dynasty accepted the Ming Dynasty system, and important matters were often handed over to the "Jiu Qing Ke Dao" for miscellaneous discussion. As for Jiuqing, it is not just the original Taichang Temple, Honglu Temple, etc., but also includes the six ministers. As for the Kedao, it refers to the "Gi Shizhong" of each department (officials, households, rituals, military, punishment, and work) under the Metropolitan Procuratorate and the supervisory censors of each department.
When a high-ranking official is impeached or military action is to be taken against foreign countries, the matter must be handed over to the "King Minister" for discussion. After the discussion, a written report will be sent to the emperor, who will make the final decision.
We have said before that Yongzheng was extremely capable. Even from a personnel perspective, his father Xuan Ye and son Hongli were much better. He not only knew the national government affairs well, but also knew the abilities of the governors below him. He often appreciated some governors and below. Small official.
Among the governors, such as Li Wei, Tian Wenjing, and Wang Shijun, they were all minor officials.
Li Wei had said before that he was born in Zhanban, and when Yongzheng came to the throne, he was just a doctor in the household department. Within three years, Yongzheng appreciated him and became the governor of Zhejiang, "taking charge of the salt administration of both Zhejiang and Zhejiang." Two years later, he was promoted to the governor of Zhejiang. Governor, ten years after Yongzheng's reign, he was promoted to Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice.
As for Tian Wenjing, he was a member of the Zhenghuang Banner of the Han Army. He was from the same donation class as Li Wei. He worked very hard and was determined to increase tax revenue for Yongzheng. He did have a mean side to the people.
Wang Shijun was born in the right way and was an Imperial scholar. He was promoted by Yongzheng to "Governor of Donghe and Governor of Henan". He succeeded Tian Wenjing in the tenth year of Yongzheng's reign. He was originally famous for impeaching Tian Wenjing, but after he succeeded, his style was exactly the same as Tian's.
Tian and Wang reclaimed a lot of wasteland in Henan. Reclamation was not a bad thing in the first place, but Tian Wenjing was eager to seek governance and acted vigorously and resolutely. As for the state and county officials, they were forced by their decrees to tax the people on an acre basis and even "grave tax". Taxes will also be collected on the sides and river embankments.
It is also true that the two of them dared to do things and were not corrupt. When Tian Wenjing checked the money and grain in Shandong, he found a loss of more than 2 million taels. He reported to Yongzheng that it was because "the fire consumption was too heavy and there were too many private factions." The common people did not Ability to pay clearly on an annual basis.
On the one hand, the high expenditure and extra dispatch were a heavy burden for the common people, and on the other hand, they were also a source of "oil and water" for the officials above. After all, the prefect at that time had only a few taels of silver a month in salary.
A man named Nuomin from Shanxi proposed to Yongzheng a proposal to "return the money spent by fire to the government", and planned to let the states and counties take the "silver spent" collected every year to the treasurer of the Chief Envoy Department. The governor and governor proposed 200,000 yuan. Two will make up for the shortfall, and the rest will be used as silver to support integrity.
Yongzheng's "Wang Minister" discussed it and agreed to Nuo Min's suggestion. Later, there were such "integrity-raising silver" not only in Shanxi but also all over the country. However, in the late Qing Dynasty, the fire consumption still existed.
Yongzheng's tax system could not be what it is now, but he really wanted to reduce the burden on the people.
In terms of finance, Yongzheng's most famous trick, we have mentioned it before: divide the small family into the whole family. It is to forcibly spread the Ding Yin (head tax) for the 50th year of Kangxi, which was set in the 51st year of Kangxi, into the land rent (land tax), which is also called "the integration of Ding and grain into one". Not only has the procedure been reduced, but in the future only those who own land will need to pay ding grain, and people without land will not only not have to rent land, but they will also be exempted from paying ding grain. This is indeed a policy that benefits the people.
