Eunuchs who traveled through the Qing Dynasty

Of course, if he knew that Xiao Ran was a speculator from the 21st century, he would definitely despise him.

The two talked from morning to noon, with great interest, and the more they talked, the more speculative they became.Until Mei Liangfu, who was watching the wind outside, was dizzy with hunger and couldn't stand it anymore, so he came in and begged the two of them to eat.Only then did Zuo Zongtang realize that it was already noon, so he hurriedly left.Xiao Ran smiled and said: "It's already this time? Time flies so fast, it seems like I still have a lot to say in my stomach!"

Zuo Zongtang admired his quick words very much, although he looked immature, he did not lose his sincerity.Immediately said with emotion: "Brother Xiao, I am the one who should say this! I am already fifty-two this year, and I have never really admired anyone except my friend Zeng Gong. I didn't know that I was until I saw you today. It's just a frog in a well. People say: listen to what you say. It's better than reading ten years of books. I only hate Ji Gao's shallow relationship and not meeting an expert early! My brother's vision and insight are indeed the wonders of the world. After a long time, great things will happen! Zuo sincerely worships, from now on, but where there is life, I will spare no effort and go through fire and water!"

Zuo Zongtang's character.It has always been a word that must be practiced, and the deep meaning of this sentence is self-evident.Xiao Ran was very moved, but it was inconvenient to explain too much.Just cupping his fists and bowing, he took Mei Liangfu and others out of the inn.

Back in the palace, Mei Mei and Lan Er just came back from court.As expected, the heavenly hall was calm and calm.Only some trivial matters related to the relocation of the capital were dealt with.Eyebrows saw that Xiao Ran was full of energy, and joked: "Where did you sleep this little third son? Doesn't he look good!"

Xiao Ran smiled wryly and said: "Why do you sleep? From last night to now, I haven't put my eyelids down yet. I went out to meet someone in the morning, so I just came back."

Lan'er wondered: "Leaving the palace? Who did you see? Such a big show. Let Master Xiao go out in person?"

Xiao Ran chuckled and said, "Zuo Zongtang!"

This name surprised Mei and Laner somewhat.But think about it.But it was also expected.This relocation of the capital.Not only Li Hongzhang, but also governors like Zuo Zongtang are counted.Who can sit still?Immediately, Xiao Ran recounted the meeting in the morning.The most important thing here is disarmament.

In fact, Lan Er came up with this idea, and it is also an indispensable link in the whole liquidation plan.At this time, when the disarmament is proposed, the real target is not the Han army, but the Manchurian Eight Banners army!

Since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the Eight Banners were considered to be the main pillars for the maintenance of imperial power, so they were regarded as the "foundation of the country" and enjoyed various special treatment.The Qing government formulated a series of preferential policies to support the bannermen, announcing that the bannermen would be permanently exempted from the corvee, food, and cloth, and would only undertake military service from now on.This kind of policy is to give the officers and soldiers of the Eight Banners economically favorable treatment so that they can maintain their brave spirit for a long time and serve the Qing Dynasty.These Eight Banners children were born with the treatment of "money and food given by the moon, food without farming, and clothes without weaving". In addition to receiving regular food and salaries, the Qing court also allocated them land.

The Eight Banners garrison system began in the Shunzhi Dynasty and continued throughout the history of the Qing Dynasty.During the Shunzhi period, there were only more than [-] people stationed in the Eight Banners Army in various places. By the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the number had surged to more than [-]. This situation continued until the end of the Qing Dynasty.In all provinces, the number ranges from [-] to [-] to [-].After the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, the system of "Manchu and Han separation" was implemented. In addition to moving the people of the Beijing Banners to the inner city and the Han people to the outer city, Manchuria was built successively in various garrisons, and the Eight Banners soldiers and their families lived in it. Separated from the local Han people.Whether it is Xi'an, Hangzhou, or Chengdu, there is a Mancheng, and the banner people living in it do not need to engage in any production. All the supplies of food and daily necessities are paid by the Han people in nearby counties.

Taking Chengdu as an example, sixteen prefectures and counties in the vicinity pay 92 shi to Mancheng every year for grain alone!It is conceivable what a heavy burden this is for the local Han people.

Throughout the country, the expenditures of officers and soldiers of the Eight Banners actually accounted for the total expenditure of the Qing government!

At the same time that the Qing government implemented the "preferential care policy", it also formulated a set of strict management systems for the bannermen. Adopting the sons of the people is a case of repeated prohibition.As a result, the children of the Eight Banners could neither engage in agricultural production nor do business, and could only rely on salaries, food and salaries as their main source of income. Serving as soldiers became the only way out for banner people.The salary of Eight Banners soldiers is much higher than that of Green Banner Han soldiers. During the Kangxi period, Eight Banners cavalry soldiers paid 3 silver per month and 46 rice (23 shi) per year, which was more than the salaries of officials of the seventh and eighth ranks (the Qing government stipulated that Manchu Only hold official positions above the sixth rank), and it is beyond the reach of ordinary Han people.

Because of the above-mentioned factors, once the Bannerman disarms, it means that the Bannermen will lose the food and wages they depend on for survival, which is undoubtedly bad news.

At the beginning of entering the customs, the 200 hectares of Han people's land within a radius of more than 18 kilometers around Beijing was allotted to the bannermen. It was even sold to the Han Chinese.Although the imperial court carried out several "official redemption" later, it was a common practice to treat the symptoms but not the root cause.If these people go back to Beijing, what will they live on?

Therefore, the abolition of the Eight Banners Army this time will inevitably encounter resistance from the banner people.The result of the conflict can only be the further intensification of the conflict between Manchu and Han.In Beijing, no matter what, but now it is in the south of the Yangtze River, on the territory of the Han people. It is self-evident what kind of result this kind of conflict will lead to.

This is a trick to hide Chen Cang. The most critical issue at present is Li Hongzhang's attitude.With Li Hongzhang's shrewdness, he could not fail to see the interests of disarmament, but this is a scheming guy, and no one dares to guarantee how he will deal with it.

The only thing Xiao Ran could bet on was Li Hongzhang's ambition.As long as he still wants to be the emperor, overthrowing the Manchu Qing Dynasty is an inevitable step. Such a temptation can force Li Hongzhang to stand on the same front as himself.

Ten days later, a memorial was urgently sent from Sibaili, Hangzhou, which was Zuo Zongtang's "Zou Prayer for Disarmament".The memorial stated that after the long-haired Nian bandits were destroyed, the current situation in the south of the Yangtze River was peaceful, but the large armies of the provinces consumed huge military expenditures of the imperial court and were not conducive to the stability of the country.Therefore, please start with the Zhejiang Chu Army and formally disarm.

As soon as this fold came out, it was like dropping a blockbuster out of thin air, causing an uproar inside and outside.The provinces in the south of the Yangtze River have heavy troops stationed in the provinces. For the imperial court, the pressure is beyond doubt.But while dismantling local armaments, it is tantamount to placing the Eight Banners Army on an extremely embarrassing level.The Eight Banners Army will not be dismissed, and the local governors are watching. Who dares to easily give up the family property acquired through years of fighting and let go of the powerful authority in their hands?Once the balance between forces is in danger of being broken, in order to protect themselves, even if the imperial court issues an edict, it will obviously become a dead letter when it reaches the locality.And if the local governor does not disarm the army for a day, the court will suffer for a day.

In such a dilemma, everyone is guessing the court's intentions.For a while, the rain was about to come, starting from Jiangning, an unprecedented dull atmosphere quickly spread across the provinces.On October [-], Ci'an and Cixi held an emergency meeting of the Military Aircraft Department, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of War and the Infantry Yamen.But this is an extremely sensitive issue. It is a time bomb that may explode at any time, and it is neither forward nor backward.Including Wang Yi, who is discussing politics, making random decisions.

For two days in a row, the meeting was carried on in a deadpan manner, and it was still an empty phrase that "needs to be discussed further, and should not be rushed".Prince Su Huafeng has always been tough, and proposed that Jiangnan provinces should disarm first, and the green battalion, local army and regiment training should all be reduced by half;In this way, the contradictions in Jiangnan should be alleviated in a short time.However, according to Wen Xiang, Minister of Military Affairs, and Jing Shou, Commander of the Infantry Army, the sudden northward transfer of nearly 10 Eight Banners troops will inevitably put enormous pressure on the north.The most critical issue is that the situation in the north is inherently unstable. Once there is chaos, I am afraid that even the short-term peace in the south of the Yangtze River will be out of control!

This method of tearing down the east wall to make up for the west wall is not a long-term solution after all, and it is not even as safe as re-dividing the land in Jiangning and building a full city.But in this way, can Li Hongzhang agree?

And when he was at a loss, Li Hongzhang finally handed a memorial to the desk of the two palaces: Please disarm!

♂ Volume 8 in the harem ♀

→Chapter 182 - A Spark Starts a Prairie (Part [-])←

Hongzhang's Huai army is the most powerful in the south of the Yangtze River.After Jiangning was established as the capital, Jiangji is an important place, and his attitude is very important to Jiangnan and even the whole country.

The memorial is written in a simple and clear way, asking for disarmament, and saying that "the major plan of disarmament should be taken care of early, and changes will occur later."

A Chu army and a Huai army have expressed their attitudes one after another, and the group of old and important officials in the court can't sit still.Some were in favor and some were against, and Yi said: "Can you appease first, and the specific matters will be dealt with later." But the Empress Dowager Cixi said coldly: "I lost the opportunity now, and I can't get rid of the heavy troops of the Han army in all provinces. , what can the Sixth Prince do?" He was frightened.

The queen mother issued a decree that all troops, whether it is the Eight Banners Army, the Han Army Green Battalion, or the local village valor regiments, should be reduced as appropriate.

During the more than ten years of suppressing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Eight Banners Army in the southern provinces has surged to more than 13 people. Even if such a huge army were to be cut in half, it would still be an army of 7 people!How to arrange such a large number of people was immediately put on the agenda.Not only Li Hongzhang could not agree to building a full city in the enclosure of Jiangsu, but even the local Han people could not agree.Banner people are not engaged in production, but they have to occupy the already stretched land, and they have to point to the people of the whole province to support them. How can there be such a reason?

After considering the coming and going, it is still in the name of going north to suppress the rebellion according to Prince Su Huafeng's intention.Half of the Eight Banners garrisoned in the provinces was transferred, and they went north to recover Xi'an.The local Green Camp Han army, in addition to retaining the basic organizational system, laid off about half of its personnel, and the imperial court paid the travel expenses and sent them back to their hometowns. Those who could not return to their hometowns were resettled by the local authorities.The Xiangyong and militia groups were dismantled in two steps.The retrenched personnel will still be resettled on the spot by the local government.

Such a disarmament approach should be said to have balanced the interests of all parties as much as possible.At the end of October, the imperial court formally promulgated the edict.The military aircraft department, the Ministry of War, and the infantry command yamen jointly forwarded to the provinces.The placement of the Han army, although there are a large number of people, is not a big problem, at least everyone has two hands.You can earn a living.At present, Jiangnan is at the beginning of its industry, and there are many factories employing workers, and the businesses it drives are also developing, or doing small businesses.Or go to the factory to work, which just makes up for the shortage of labor.But the banner people are different, no matter where these free-eating groups go.They have to rely on others to support them.With the pace of disarmament approaching day by day.Antagonism between Man and Han.It also gradually became prominent.

As a privileged class, the Bannermen lived in the land of the Han people with clothes to eat and mouths to eat.Life is so nourishing, and now that a piece of imperial edict is transferred to the north, it is impossible to come back.Therefore, all the bannermen expressed their dissatisfaction with the disarmament decree, among which the Huguang area was the most serious.Because the governor of Huguang, Guanwen, is a bannerman himself, there are a total of 3000 Eight Banners in the Huguang area, which is also the province with the largest number of people.Seeing that more than 2 of my compatriots are about to leave their hometowns, and their future livelihood will inevitably become a problem, the depression in my heart is nothing to mention.

There are policies above, and there will be countermeasures below.The date set by the imperial court for the transfer to the north is until December, that is, at the end of the second year of Tongzhi.But until mid-December, the Huguang Eight Banners Army was still reluctant to mobilize. From the officers to the soldiers, everyone held an attitude: delay as long as you can. Anyway, there are official documents to support you. It would be better if it was dragged on.

In this regard, the imperial court seems to be deliberately partial.The Han Army Xiangyong in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan and other provinces, including the Green Battalion, have been dismantled, and there is only the Eight Banners Army, and there is no movement.The local Han people became anxious when they came here, what's the matter, this is the posture that we want to eat and drink for free in Hei Shang, if we don't leave for a day, will we continue to support them?

The local government has always been more cautious in the management of the whole city, especially the Han officials, neither can offend.Offending the Bannermen means offending one's own master, who is obviously eager to lose his job; while offending the Han people, he is afraid of stirring up conflicts between the Manchus and the Han, leading to civil uprisings.Therefore, for the Eight Banners Mancheng, I had to turn a blind eye and close my eyes. At most, it was a report to the province. How the governor made decisions was none of my business.

However, the Han people in the prefectures and counties around the city have been exploited by the bannermen for many lifetimes. Yuan Yuan eagerly pointed to this disarmament, which can at least reduce half of the burden, but now this good wish has suddenly become soap. Pao, how can you tolerate it?Therefore, the Han people in all states and counties spontaneously united, and this year's supply to Mancheng will be directly deducted in half according to the apportionment of the imperial court!

At the end of December, it is time for all localities to pay food and daily necessities to Mancheng.Han people

The method is in accordance with the imperial edict, and the government has nothing to do, but it feels uncomfortable. For these uncles who spend a lot of time, wine, and food on weekdays, it means that the supply of the Han people is alive. If it is reduced by half, wouldn’t it be Choked?The other provinces are fine, and everyone is waiting to see how the court will solve it, but Huguang has a large number of bannermen, and the supply has been halved, and it immediately becomes chaotic.On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, with the acquiescence of the local leaders, some bannermen gathered and rushed into the surrounding counties of Mochun and Ludong to loot wantonly. Some businesses and cloth shops in the county were looted and burned to cover up the crime.When the news came out, the people were outraged, and people from nearby states and counties spontaneously gathered and went to the city to discuss the explanation.But the garrison all over the city refused to admit it, and arrested some leading people on the grounds of gathering crowds to make trouble.

Things escalated rapidly.The Han people in more than ten surrounding states and counties were extremely angry. They took wooden forks and sticks and rushed to the city one after another, besieging the bannermen, demanding the release of the arrested Han people and severely punishing the murderer.On the eighteenth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, a pair of bannerman cavalry protruded all over the city in an attempt to disperse the people, but a large-scale fighting broke out immediately.Then the Manchus shot at the unarmed Han people, killing and injuring hundreds of people!

When facing the Taiping Army, the Eight Banners Army collapsed at the touch of a finger, and it was no different from waste, but it was so cruel and brutal to the Han people, so blatantly vicious, even the officers and soldiers of the Green Battalion were angry, including the previously demobilized Xiangyong and the militia. Come and hit the city.Facing the influx of Han soldiers and civilians, the Eight Banners Army was frightened and fired back.The situation continued to deteriorate. The hostility between the Manchus and Hans quickly spread in various states and counties. The Manchus stationed in Yunchang, Qingyi and other places were also besieged by the Hans. In less than half a month, the entire Huguang area had It was a mess.

Governor Guan Wen finally panicked at this time, seeing that the green battalion was not well dispatched, he rushed to report to the imperial court [-] miles away, and at the same time asked for help from neighboring provinces to suppress the mob.Unexpectedly, however, this dispute between Manchu and Han was like a fuse, which suddenly broke out the national sentiment of the Han people that had been suppressed for hundreds of years.Due to the refusal of the Eight Banners Army to transfer to the north, the conflict between the Manchu and the Han continued to escalate throughout the first month. From one province to another, the tide was already unstoppable!

The outbreak of the Han people this time was based on the imperial decree. In a sense, they did not violate the imperial court's policy, but the many irreconcilable contradictions caused by the southward relocation of the capital city caused the conflict between the Manchu and Han The ethnic hostilities among them rapidly intensified.With the umbrella of the policy, the Han people have no scruples at all. The humiliation, enslavement, and oppression suffered by so many generations have completely exploded through this opportunity!

At the same time, many contradictions exposed due to the rapid development of industry have also been disturbed.The gentry class under the feudal rule, by virtue of the privileges in their hands, squeezed the common people and severely restricted capital operations.Represented by the emerging merchants and capitalists, they began to fantasize about breaking away from the old feudal royal system, so they continued to agitate the people, fan the flames, and pointed the finger at the ruling gentry and nobles.As for the gentry class, they are also afraid that the rise of emerging capitalists will threaten their dominance, and they can't wait to suppress them.The hostile position determines the irreconcilability of the contradiction. In the end, the dispute between Manchu and Han continued to expand, and finally formed a confrontation between the emerging capitalists and the conservative gentry class!

Some gentry and landowners organized militia groups, took advantage of the situation, and began to attack and destroy factories and shops.For the huge group of employees, this is undoubtedly equivalent to smashing their jobs. Soon these people united, and a battle to defend the factory and their homeland started vigorously!As a result, the hostility between Manchu and Han eventually led to a struggle between old and new forces, which was unexpected by both the local governor and the imperial court.

No matter from which point of view, this is the first revolution in the true sense under China's thousands of years of feudal rule, and it is the first outbreak of ideas imprisoned, enslaved and oppressed by feudal ideology!This is not only due to the prosperity and development of the emerging industry and commerce, which has given the people a taste of the sweetness and met the basic material needs, but also because of the establishment of Western schools in various places, the advanced ideas of the West have flowed into China rapidly, and cannot be stopped in the Chinese nation. Hikes spread across the land.When freedom and equality first appeared in the minds of these people who were accustomed to worshiping the king, and began to take root, it was doomed that no one or anything could stop this historical change

In the third year of Tongzhi, for the Qing court, the new year was really a leak. From the clan princes to the civil and military officials, everyone spent it in anxiety.In fact, Jiangsu Province is relatively peaceful, because after all, it is under the foot of the Son of Heaven, and it is an important place in the capital, and Li Hongzhang manages the army well. No matter whether it is the Green Camp of the Han Army or the Eight Banners Army, there is no trouble.But if there is no disturbance, it doesn't mean that there is nothing wrong. Although the imperial court tried every means to block the news of the disturbance in the provinces, after all, such a big incident cannot be hidden from the eyes and ears of the world.Soon, rumors began to spread among the people in Jiangsu, and there were all kinds of rumors. In the final analysis, one sentence: The Qing Dynasty is exhausted, and the country is about to perish!

Since the first month, Jiangning has been under martial law.Inside and outside the imperial city, the streets and alleys were lifeless, and even the traditional festival of lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was cancelled.In this unprecedentedly dull atmosphere, officials of all sizes in the Qing Dynasty were a little out of breath.Especially Yi Zong's relatives and nobles are even more like sitting on pins and needles.When the capital was moved back then, I thought it was not a good thing, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly!

When the court came down that day, the old fifth grandpa Mianyu took the lead and urged Huafeng, Yilan and a group of people to come to Yi's mansion, wanting to discuss with him and ask him to come out and come up with an idea.Yi is holding his breath and adding fire, Jiangning is no better than Beijing, and his wings are gone. The so-called political kings, prime ministers, and military ministers are all just a colorful shell, which has become a veritable empty shelf.

Therefore, when the aging Prince Hui expressed his intentions on behalf of everyone, Yi said: "I make up my mind? Look at me now, what else can I make up my mind? Now I really don't have the hairy ground. The phoenix is ​​not as good as the chicken! There is no power, there is no one who wants people, and the civil and military of the Manchu Dynasty counts as one. Who still pays attention to me, the king of politics? Let me say, you guys, don’t waste your time with me. Serious eat more Order and drink more, choose the ones with good looks, and then accept the two Fujins. While the blessings of the ancestors are still there, be happy. It's better than anything else!"

It's just for fun to say these words in other people's mouths; but Yi Ping is always mature and prudent no matter what the occasion is.Even people who are very familiar with him are never willing to joke easily.It was the first time that such a thing was said today!The hearts of everyone suddenly became cold and cold, and they looked at each other in blank dismay.I don't know how to take over.Mian Yu was both sad and frightened, and couldn't hold the emerald and gold-encrusted snuff bottle in her hand, and it fell to the ground with a bang, breaking into several petals.

Yilan was beside him and heard that his panting sound was not right.He also said that he was getting old, if he accidentally smoked it, he would strangle others in a hurry.Mian Yu pushes Yi Ling away.Stand up tremblingly.Said: "Liu'er. You can't think so! Anyway, you are also the king of politics, and the uncle of the current emperor. All the banner people regard you as the backbone! Just look at it in Aixinjue. For the sake of the ancestors, you can't let it go!"

Yi doesn't want to deal with the problem, how to deal with it, and what to take care of it?Well, anyway, there are no outsiders today, so I will open up and say: You were all there when the court was up, so you should be able to see clearly, right?Aren't all government affairs controlled by the two palaces, tightly controlled by the two palaces, can I speak?In the past, it was difficult to deal with only Ci'an in the East Palace, but now there is another Cixi, alas!As the King of Political Affairs, I only have a false name left, and I'm so empty-handed, so what the hell! "

After hearing this, Mian Yu stared straight ahead, and it took her a long time to hold back a sentence: "Ancestor's foundation!..." Ah, ah, he straightened his voice a few times, and then fell back straight. It was really drawn back.Yixuan and Huafeng went up to rescue him in a hurry, but Yi Weier, let alone!

After being stunned for a while, he stomped his feet and said: "The rabbit bites people even in a hurry. If you want me to die, then everyone will have a hard time!" Turning around and looking out.Bao Jun, Minister of Military Aircraft, was startled when he saw that his face was not right, and hurriedly pulled him away, but he pushed him away with one hand, and ordered the concierge to prepare a car and sedan chair, and went out.

Yi couldn't help gnashing his teeth, wishing he could crush him to death.At the beginning of the Xinyou coup, he fell into his tricks. He deliberately brought down Sushun, but let such a double-faced and double-faced guy get a ready-made advantage.Now Yitou can't stand the mercy of Wangyousan, that's why he forced himself into a dead end step by step!If he had taken advantage of his unstable foundation back then, if it really happened that the fish was killed and the net was broken, how could it be possible?

The extent of the sky?It's a pity that there is no medicine for regret in this world!But let's just say, this guy's Wangyousan is too sinister and domineering. The person who tortured himself, a dignified political king, is neither a ghost nor a ghost. All his will and courage have long been destroyed by that unbearable His pain was completely wiped away, so he could only willingly work his life for him!