There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 309 Heshen Falls Down, Jiaqing Gets His Fill
When Heshen fell from grace, Emperor Jiaqing was well-fed.

However, in reality, Emperor Jiaqing not only didn't get enough to eat, but actually became even hungrier.

Heshen, as a lackey raised by Emperor Qianlong, truly deserves the title of the greatest corrupt official in history, but this also...
The servants were indeed able to find ways to obtain money for Qianlong, allowing him to squander it to satisfy his ambitions of achieving great military exploits.

Emperor Jiaqing hastily executed Heshen, claiming it was to clean up officialdom and promote reform, but in reality, the punishment of Heshen's cronies and corrupt officials was all superficial and lenient.

Historically, the reforms during the twenty years of the Jiaqing reign were almost childish, with high-ranking officials frequently being exiled and then recalled to their posts.

The same minister could be exiled and reinstated multiple times.

During the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, all the officials, both Manchu and Han, treated him as if he didn't exist. In any case, Jiaqing was indecisive. Even if he really issued an edict to dismiss or exile someone, he would feel uneasy if someone pleaded for him the moment before the exile was announced, or if no one did.

To put it more vividly, Jiaqing was a plus version of Chongzhen, perfectly inheriting all of Chongzhen's shortcomings.

Otherwise, how could he have the temple name of Emperor Renzong of Qing?

The only benefit Emperor Jiaqing gained from executing Heshen was the confiscation of Heshen's property, which yielded a total of ten million taels of gold and silver, as well as various shops, properties, medicinal herbs, antiques, and so on, all of which were valued at a total of thirty million taels of silver.

This is just an estimate; it's hard to say whether the actual purchasing power can reach 30 million taels.

As for the widely circulated rumor online that Heshen's family fortune was 800 million taels of silver, equivalent to fifteen years of the Qing Dynasty's national treasury revenue, this is not entirely unfounded, but it's not much better.

The original source of this news was a notebook written by Xue Fucheng, a staff member of Zeng Guofan. It clearly stated that Heshen's family fortune was confiscated, with 200 million taels of silver and various shops and antiques, estimated to be as much as 800 million taels.

Regardless of where this information came from, just consider the era when Xue Fucheng wrote his notes. Let alone Heshen, even Emperor Daoguang, Jiaqing's son, had been dead for many years. How could this guy know how much money Heshen had been confiscated? Even the Draft History of the Qing Dynasty doesn't record this.

Moreover, Xue Fucheng's note was soon regarded as unofficial history and included in his book "A Grand View of Unofficial History of the Qing Dynasty".

Another point, which is also the most basic logic, is that during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods, at the peak of the Qing Dynasty, the national treasury's annual tax revenue was only 70 million taels.

Where would Heshen have gotten 800 million taels of assets? That's more than ten times the total wealth of the entire country. In comparison, the 30 million taels of silver confiscated by Jiaqing was already enough to make him richer than a country.

Qianqing Palace.

In the fourth year of Jiaqing's reign, he officially moved here.

Previously, the Qianqing Palace had been firmly controlled by Emperor Qianlong under the pretext of retiring and assuming power, while Emperor Jiaqing, the legitimate emperor of the Qing Dynasty, could only live in the Yuqing Palace, which was reserved for his sons.

Even the chronological documents in the Qianqing Palace still use the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd years of Qianlong's reign as examples, making Jiaqing a complete fake emperor.

Fortunately, after three years of hardship, the good things finally came.

With the death of the retired emperor and the execution of Heshen, Jiaqing finally achieved his wish and truly secured his throne.

"Your Majesty, Prince Cheng Yongxing, along with Dong Gao, Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall, Wang Jie, Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, Liu Yong, Grand Secretary of the Tiren Pavilion, Na Yancheng, Minister of Works, Fu Sen, Minister of War, and Wu Xiongguang, Provincial Governor of Zhili, are all waiting outside the hall."

The Grand Eunuch Zhang Jinzhong stepped forward to report.

"Yes, let them in."

"Whoo!"

After a short while, seven high-ranking Manchu officials, dressed in official robes and wearing hats with peacock feathers, entered the Qianqing Palace in turn according to their official rank.

Prince Yongxing, dressed in a python robe and wearing a pearl necklace, was the first to kowtow and kneel in worship.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects! Long live the Emperor!"

Yongxing knelt and kowtowed, followed by Dong Gao, Wang Jie, Liu Yong, Na Yancheng, and Fu Sen, who knelt behind him.

Wu Xiong Guang was at the very end. He held the lowest official rank and did not have Manchu banner affiliation, making him the lowest in status and position present. He was only summoned because he had always been at odds with Heshen.

As long as someone is at odds with Heshen, they are seen as an upright and capable minister by Emperor Jiaqing.

"Your subject (this humble servant) kowtows to Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"

The six men then bowed and kowtowed to Emperor Jiaqing.

Emperor Jiaqing waited until everyone had finished kneeling before raising his hand and saying, "My lords, you may rise. Someone, bring a seat!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the crowd exclaimed in unison.

Zhang Jinzhong quickly arranged for a young eunuch to bring stools for the group.

Everyone took their seats one after another, feeling flattered and overwhelmed.

After all, this was the Qing Dynasty. Whether ministers or servants, they would kneel before the emperor if they could, and stand if they couldn't. Being able to sit was a great honor. Only true confidants would receive such treatment.

Seeing that all seven had taken their seats, Jiaqing said, "I have summoned you all here today for no other important matter than to discuss with you how to eliminate these treacherous Han rebels who are entrenched in the south."

Upon hearing this, the crowd exchanged glances. They had only just chosen to kill Heshen, and the political turmoil had not yet completely subsided, yet they were already so eager to attack the Han traitor in the south.

However, everyone could understand this. Anyone who had been a puppet emperor for three years and did not act recklessly and extravagantly after suddenly seizing power could be considered a wise ruler.

Prince Yongxing did not speak first. As someone who had once competed with Jiaqing for the throne, he knew how to protect himself and would try not to speak when it came to matters involving military merit in suppressing rebellions.

After a moment of silence, Dong Gao spoke first: "By now, the traitors who falsely claim to be Han have gained considerable power and can no longer be treated as ordinary rebels. Therefore, if we are to march south to quell the rebellion, we must deploy all the elite troops of the court, using overwhelming force to overwhelm the traitors and achieve victory in one fell swoop!" These few simple words were wise and insightful advice on governing the country, or you could say they were correct but ultimately meaningless.

Dong Gao was a veteran official during the Qianlong era. He was adept at navigating social situations and was able to get along well with people like Heshen and Wang Jie.

Emperor Jiaqing also praised Dong Gao, saying, "He was able to eliminate the great villain and prevent the court from collapsing."

There should have been another senior official, Shen Chu, but after Emperor Qianlong passed away, Shen Chu fell seriously ill and was bedridden. Emperor Jiaqing sent an imperial physician to examine him, who only reported back that the illness was incurable.

Jiaqing said, "What Elder Dong said is very true. Do any of you ministers have any other opinions?"

Liu Yong suddenly stood up and prostrated himself, saying, "This humble servant dares to request Your Majesty to abolish the Green Standard Army, train a new army, and quell the rebellion!"

Emperor Jiaqing was taken aback by these words and quickly asked, "Why do you say that, my dear minister?"

Liu Yong said, “Your Majesty, if the Green Standard Army is not abolished and a new army is trained instead, then our Great Qing may be able to slowly quell the White Lotus Rebellion over the years. However, there is absolutely no possibility of eradicating the pseudo-Han rebels. On the contrary, they will sit idly by and watch the pseudo-Han grow stronger until they completely overthrow our Great Qing Dynasty.”

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyelids twitched. Before Jiaqing could say anything, Yancheng couldn't help but rebuke him: "Liu Yong, with His Majesty in front of you, who allowed you to speak so recklessly? The Green Standard Army is an ancestral system established by our ancestors, and even changes to it must be made with utmost caution. How dare you presume to abolish it?"

Liu Yong's gaze was deep: "The traitors who falsely claim Han rank have won one great victory after another. The Green Standard Army in the south is probably already terrified of the Han people. If this continues, the court will have no more troops to fight. At that time, will you, Minister, personally lead the army to suppress the traitors who falsely claim Han rank?"

“You…” Na Yancheng didn’t know how to respond.

Emperor Jiaqing quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, both of you are important ministers and pillars of our Great Qing Dynasty, so please say less."

Having gained a way out, Na Yancheng waved his hand and said no more.

Liu Yong, however, seemed not to have heard at all, and continued to say to Jiaqing, "Your Majesty, what I just said was not an exaggeration. I was once ordered to go with Lord Ji Xiaolan to Hubei, the capital of the puppet Han regime, to try to pacify them. There, I saw that under the rule of the puppet Han, officials and people were truly united and worked together. Although I did not see the training of the puppet Han soldiers, even the guards of the puppet Han governor's office were as spirited as battle-hardened elites. They were comparable to the most elite warriors of our Great Qing. Moreover, as far as I know, there are nearly tens of thousands of such formidable soldiers under the rule of the puppet Han!"

Liu Yong is truly a man who never fails to make outrageous statements. Yan Cheng, who had just been appeased by Jiaqing, finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Not only he couldn't stand it, but even Fu Sen, Wang Jie, and the others who hadn't spoken up felt that this was really inappropriate.

Prince Yongxing, a Qing dynasty prince skilled in self-preservation, also frowned slightly at this moment.

"That's nonsense!"

"Liu Yong, His Majesty has already stopped arguing with you, yet you continue to spout nonsense. What are your true intentions?"

"Your Majesty, I impeach Liu Yong for his rebellion and deceit towards the Emperor; his crime is unforgivable!"

"..."

Seeing that a perfectly good imperial meeting had been ruined by Liu Yong, Jiaqing was helpless and could only reprimand Liu Yong slightly: "Liu Yong, your words are really a bit too much."

However, Liu Yong disregarded all this and bowed deeply, saying, "This servant is doing all this for the sake of the Qing Dynasty. Now, half of the Qing territory is plagued by the White Lotus Rebellion, and a puppet Han has seized control of Huguang, eyeing the southeast with predatory intent. Their wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious. Furthermore, the Green Standard Army throughout the Qing Dynasty, after sixty years under the previous emperor, is already corrupt and incapable of fighting. Even the Eight Banners of Zhili and the Mongol Eight Banners are similarly preoccupied with internal affairs and have virtually no fighting power. If we do not train a new army and eliminate the increasingly corrupt Green Standard Army and Eight Banners, then the puppet Han rebels will inevitably wreak havoc on the world, and by then it will be too late to regret!"

Emperor Jiaqing had already given Liu Yong a way out, but when he saw that this lackey was so ungrateful and even brought up the Eight Banners, he was surprised.

If it weren't for the fact that Liu Yong was also a member of the Han Eight Banners, Jiaqing would have almost turned against him. He was indeed kind and good-tempered, but you can't take advantage of someone's kindness and even threaten the very foundation of the Qing Dynasty. Even during Jiaqing's later reforms, he never considered abolishing the Eight Banners.

"Zhang Jinzhong!"

"The slave is here!"

"Minister Liu is getting on in years and is bound to be tired. Here is a bowl of ginseng soup. He may return to his residence to rest."

"Whoo!"

"Lord Liu, let's go!"

"..."

"Slave, please resign!"

Liu Yong looked utterly dejected. He had risked his career and reputation by offering bold advice, only to receive a bowl of ginseng soup and be sent back to his residence to recuperate.

Enough, enough, this Qing Dynasty...this Qing Dynasty...

After Liu Yong left, Jiaqing lost interest in continuing the discussion and simply issued the official appointments he had already decided on.

Emperor Jiaqing first promoted Wu Xiong Guang to the position of Governor of Henan, ordering him to go to Henan to be in charge of suppressing the White Lotus Rebellion and to ensure that Henan would be restored to peace.

Subsequently, the position of Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi was re-established, and Na Yancheng was sent to replace Yi Mian, who concurrently served as Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu. The White Lotus Rebellion in Sichuan and Shaanxi had been suppressed for several years, but the problem had not been resolved. Jiaqing could no longer tolerate it.

He not only replaced Governor-General Yi Mian, but also stripped Chengdu General Qingcheng and Shaanxi Governor Yongbao of their positions and investigated them for delaying the war effort.

As for whether Na Yancheng could withstand it, well, his grandfather was Agui, the first pillar of the Qing Dynasty. As the saying goes, dragons beget dragons, and tigers beget tigers. Jiaqing believed that Na Yancheng would definitely be able to inherit General Agui's legacy.

Moreover, he did not only send Na Yancheng, but also Fang Weidian, a scholar of the Grand Secretariat, who was also a trusted confidant of Jiaqing, to assist Na Yancheng in training troops in Guanzhong and pacifying Sichuan and Shaanxi.

Having made external military appointments, Jiaqing then appointed Fu Sen and Wang Jie to the Grand Council, where they were responsible for regular consultations on confidential matters.

As a veteran official, Dong Gao was naturally promoted to the position of chief Grand Councilor and the chief tutor of the Imperial Study, and was granted the privilege of riding a horse in the Forbidden City.

(End of this chapter)