Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 736

On June 59, the 23th year of Qianlong, that is, July 1794, 7, the ancient Beijing city was covered with dark clouds from early in the morning, and it weighed heavily on people's heads.Occasionally, dull hidden thunder rolls across the sky, but it doesn't rain.

Two brown sparrows carried worms in their mouths, spread their wings across the Tongzi River, flew up to the branches of weeping willows on the bank, uttered a few chirps, and then climbed over the tall palace wall.When they landed on the golden glazed roof of the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Qianqing Palace, several little sparrows chirped uncomfortably.In the courtyard under the roof, the sound of messy footsteps and the faint sobs of eunuchs and maids all foreshadowed that something big was going to happen in this ancient palace.

83-year-old Aixinjueluo Hongli was lying on his imperial couch, breathing slowly through his nostrils.Several concubines stood aside, their faces were red and swollen, and their tears couldn't stop flowing. Among them, there were both young and youthful, and some were old and fading.Wang Yongyan of Jiaqing, Prince Ding Mian'en, Minister of Military Aircraft Wang Jie, Qing Gui, Dong Gao and others all stood in front of the bed, closely following the old emperor's movements.

Speaking of which, Qianlong has been in good health since he was a child. When he was in the mansion, he was proficient in bowing, horseback riding and archery, and he exercised a good pair of muscles and bones.Before Beihai Town appeared, he had never been seriously ill.However, since the winter after Fukang'an's defeat in Fuldan City, he has been attacked by the wind and cold, and sometimes he groans unconsciously at night.Although all the close officials, including He Shen, tried their best to persuade him to work hard and rest, but he, who is the only one who respects me, has such thoughts.

The idea of ​​pacifying Zhao Xin is always affecting his heart. The successive defeats of the Manchus outside the customs, Khalkha, Shandong, and Xinjiang have made him exhausted, and He Shen's betrayal has dealt him the heaviest blow. .

Since returning to the Forbidden City, he has been holding on, waiting for Yongyan and Fukang'an to come back.Although speaking was strenuous and writing was difficult, but because Wang Jie, Qing Gui and others were with him, he was able to communicate more or less through eyes, nodding and shaking his head.But when nothing happened, what Qianlong thought most about was why He Shen would betray him.

He Shen ran away without a trace, along with his family and wealth, as well as Qianlong's most beloved Princess Hexiao.Because this fact was too embarrassing, the Ministry of Criminal Justice did not dare to publish the arrest notice, and the people from the Ministry of Criminal Justice, the Procuratorate, and the Yamen of the Infantry Commander chased him all the way to Tianjin and found no trace.However, "People leave their names when they pass, and geese leave their voices." As time passed day by day, several veterans of the Ministry of Criminal Justice finally found clues at Zhigukou. the sea.

Needless to say, he must have gone to seek refuge with the North Sea Pirates!As for whether he went to Anping Port or Jiaodong, we can only send detectives to investigate.But Shangyu's spare place has always been managed by He Shen, and Qianlong couldn't speak anymore. For a while, Man Qing completely cut off contact with those spies who were undercover in Beihai Town.

On the capital side, with the confiscation of the He Mansion, the matter of He Shen's defection finally became unstoppable, which caused a lot of discussion among civil and military officials.When Prince Yongxuan of Cheng and Prince Yongen of Li, who were in charge of the inspection, saw many shocking prohibited objects such as Nanmutang and the stele of blessing, they were all shocked.In the past, they all heard that the Hefu's wealth was comparable to that of a prince, but no one had ever seen how rich it really was. This time, it was a knife piercing their ass--opened their eyes!
At this time, He Lin, who is the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, has also become an unstable factor, and he must find a way to solve it.However, the court has become a mess, people are in panic, and no one is in charge for a while.Wang Jie and Qing Gui had no choice but to report to Yongyan urgently, asking him for advice.

Prince Jia Yongyan was shocked when he received an emergency from the capital, and lost two of his souls and five souls.If it wasn't for Dong Gao's begging, he would almost send people to Yungui to capture He Lin in anger.Because there are too many people attached to Heshen among the civil and military officials in the world, if it is not possible to make a big prison, all of them will have to raise the flag to rebel.In order to prevent any changes, he and Dong Gao closed the door to discuss for a long time, and finally decided to keep it secret; at the same time, he sent a secret letter to Fu Kang'an, the acting governor of Sichuan, asking him to rush to Chengdu from Xining immediately, so as to deter the green camp in Sichuan first.

After everything was arranged properly, Yongyan rushed back in a hurry, and finally arrived in the capital last night, and then went to the palace non-stop to face the saint. After the father and son talked for more than half an hour, Qianlong's condition deteriorated sharply. Decoctions are of no avail.At seven o'clock in the morning, Qianlong, who had been in charge of the world for 59 years, fell into a coma again.Although his heart was still beating unwillingly and tenaciously, and his life had not yet come to an end, for the Manchu and Qing courts, a monarch who could not exercise the power of the Ninth Five-Year King was meaningless, as the saying goes, "throw everything away."

Amid the low sobs of the crowd, Qianlong, who was on the verge of life and death, suddenly moved his fingers slightly, as if he had sensed the external noise.

"The emperor has moved!"

"Ama! Ama!"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

Unexpectedly, Qianlong heard a "grunt" sound from his throat, and then slowly exhaled in one breath, and his heaving chest stagnated.When the imperial physician went up to check and knelt down in frustration, and said the words "Dragon Yu Bintian", there was a burst of crying inside and outside the hall.

At this time, in the dark sky outside the house, a thick bolt of lightning suddenly pierced the sky, shaking the big city of Beijing brightly.Not long after, a huge thunder and roar pierced the sky, and the long-preserved downpour accompanied by strong winds came instantly.

Wang Jie cried for a while, then calmed down, and said to Yong Yan who was crying bitterly while hugging Qianlong's arm: "Your Majesty, I would like to express my condolences. The most important thing now is to call all the kings of Qi and Baylor to the Qianqing Palace to listen to Emperor Daxing's last edict. A country cannot live without a king for a day!"

Yong Yan thought that he would take over a charcoal that was hotter than a hot potato, and that he might be a subjugated king, his heart became more and more sad, and he hugged Qianlong's arm and cried loudly.Faced with the situation where the Northern Navy is fighting inside and outside the pass, and Shengjing is not guaranteed, Yongyan really doesn't want to be the emperor in his heart!

Afterwards, all the kings and ministers in Beijing came to Qianqing Palace. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the red sandalwood box fixed with iron hoops under the "Fair and Bright" plaque was taken down, and when it was opened, there was a small gold box as big as a Go box. Open it again, it is the imperial edict with a yellow silk cover and a gold thread border.

Wang Jie held the imperial edict in his palm, raised his hands for everyone present to see, and then said in a deep voice: "Now read out the imperial edict of Daxing Emperor, all ministers kneel and listen!"

The imperial edict was written in both Manchu and Chinese. Qinggui read the Manchu script first, and Wang Jie read the Chinese script.However, none of the Wang ministers present knew Manchu. Hearing Qinggui babbling there, all of them looked dazed, but Yongyan kowtowed and said thank you in Manchu.After Wang Jie finished reading the content in Chinese, all the ministers in the hall bowed down and kowtowed in unison, saying, "I will obey the last emperor's will!"

After that, it is necessary to give Qianlong a temple name and Yongyan himself a year name.The temple name is "Emperor Gaozongchun", needless to say, the year name is Prince Dujia, so naturally "Jiaqing" is used like in another time and space.With the succession of the new king, a posthumous photo of Qianlong concocted by Wang Jie, Dong Gao and Qing Gui and approved by Jiaqing was also drafted in the middle of the night and announced to the world the next day.

"I am the only emperor who is born with the mandate of heaven and enjoys the throne for a long time. He must have the sincerity to act carefully and be inseparable from the heaven and the earth. Then his virtue will not return, and he will be blessed forever. Therefore, he is conscientious and diligent, and he will be on the throne for a day. That is to say, to enjoy the heart of heaven for a day, to know the difficulty of maintaining surplus and maintaining prosperity, and to be as cautious as the beginning is not easy.

I admire the blessings of the heavens, I am listed as a holy man, and I am proud of my age, that is, the emperor loves me very much.Since ascension to the throne, he has been prudent every day, meditating on the virtues of the ruler, and the only ones are respect for heaven, the ancestors of the law, diligence in government, and love for the people.And these few people are not difficult to know, but difficult to do.For decades, Yan Gongyin has been in fear, and he has been slack and pious.Every time there is a big sacrifice in the suburban altar, I will personally display it, prepare it with great care, and don't spend a little time in leisure time because of my growing age.
My physique is strong, and I have never had any illnesses. Last year, I was sluggish, and occasionally caught a cold. After recuperation, my energy is not as good as before. I will be congratulated at the Palace of Qianqing on New Year's Eve.Over the past few days, my diet has decreased day by day, my hearing and hearing have not been as usual, and my old age has suddenly increased.The emperor was sincere in his filial piety, and took care of him with all kinds of methods, so as to hope for a full recovery.Thirdly, my lifespan is already high, and I am afraid that it cannot be cured by medicine."

The news of Qianlong's funeral reached the Beihai Navy Intelligence Bureau the next morning, and it didn't take long for Zhao Xin, who was in Kaiyuan, to know about it.He felt a little pity, he hadn't seen Qianlong yet!If it weren't for the scalp-numbing security surveillance of the Forbidden City in another time and space, I would have taken a night tour of the Forbidden City long ago, and swept away all the treasures of "Sanxitang" by the way.

Why?wait!It seems that Qianlong in another time and space buried many treasures with him. Where did they come from?Take the time to check it out.

Zhao Xin was rolling his eyes to think about what was there. Deng Fei pushed the door and walked in. He waved the telegram in his hand and said with a smile: "The East India Company has signed the agreement!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Xin took a look at the telegram, and saw that it read: "Northern Navy Staff, I have managed the Governor's Mansion locally today, signed a preliminary armistice agreement with French India, Mysore, and the plenipotentiary representative of the East India Company." .The text of the treaty has not been changed. Ding Guofeng, July 7.”

It is said that since the South Asian continent entered the rainy season in May, although Mysore, Maratha, and Hyderabad have all died down, Ding Guofeng has not been idle.After Dundas, the Colonial Affairs Officer of the East India Company, left, he ordered Guo Xuexian's South Asia Squadron to go north again, impose a maritime military blockade on Madras and Calcutta, and forcibly inspect all merchant ships entering and leaving the Bay of Bengal. It's going to explode.

After nearly a year of war, the British East India Company not only failed to take advantage, but also incurred huge military expenditures.In addition, the frequent sea blockade of the North Navy Fleet has led to a backlog of large quantities of goods, and the price has fallen over and over again, causing heavy losses to merchants.

Correspondingly, French India got a free ride in East Asian trade because it closely followed the Bourbon royal family and Beihai Town.In the past six months, they replaced the Dutch, happily transporting Borneo diamonds and Guangzhou tea back to the local area for management, and then sold them to those Hong Kong businessmen, making a fortune.With huge interests and the military guarantee of the Northern Navy, those businessmen in French India became staunch royalists in an instant.They even proposed to Leclerc to build a magnificent palace in the local governance and invite Crown Prince Louis Charles back.

After many discussions in the Bangladesh Council, an overwhelming consensus was reached that this damn war must end, otherwise the company will have no choice but to go bankrupt.So under the detailed instructions of Governor Cornwallis, Dundas came to the local government again in early June 1794, accompanied by some members of the Senate and military representatives, as well as Beihai Town, French India, and Mysore. The representative sent by the Kingdom of Er - Prince Ali, the son of Tipu Sultan, launched a four-party negotiation.

It is said to be one-to-three, but the East India Company mission is very clear who is the boss at the negotiating table, and the other two are purely hugging thighs.If Beihai Town hadn't been smashed out of nowhere, the French would have been ravaged thousands of times by them, and Mysore could only continue to linger on.

By early July, the difficult written negotiations finally progressed, and the parties worked together to draft a preliminary agreement.After approval by the Bengal Senate and Cornwallis, representatives of the quartet signed a preliminary agreement at the local government's Governor's Palace on July 7, and decided to announce it the next day.As for the formal agreement, Cornwallis, who has stepped down as governor, will return to the UK to report on his duties. It can only be signed after the approval of King George III. It is expected to be completed within 7 months.

Since a large number of international agreements signed by European countries in this year are written in French, in many cases French is the only agreement text, and English cannot be on the table at all, so the text of the treaty is written in French and Chinese respectively. The main clauses include:
[-]. The British East India Company recognizes the existence of Beihai Town in India and respects its legal rule over the territory to which it belongs.Recognize Beihai Town’s sphere of influence east of the Strait of Malacca, including but not limited to the entire Java Island, southern Sumatra Island, Kalimantan Island, the Malay Peninsula, and the Thousand Islands.

1794. As the legal regime to rule China in the future, Beihai Town will vigorously develop cotton trade with the British East India Company. From 15 onwards, the annual amount of cotton arriving on the shore is no less than [-] bales.British merchant ships are allowed to stop at Malacca and Bacheng for supplies, and British merchant ships are allowed to trade at Anping Port.

[-]. After the signing of the formal agreement, the British East India Company will withdraw from the Negapatan area of ​​India and Penang Island in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula. The above two territories belong to Beihai Township.The company is not allowed to sell opium to the area east of the Strait of Malacca. The customs of Beihai Town has the right to detain the British merchant ships who smuggle opium on the basis of sufficient evidence, and to judge and punish the owners and cargo owners according to the laws of Beihai Town. The UK government and companies have no right to interfere.

1794. No later than the end of 1792, the British East India Company shall return part of the territory of Mysore that it had ceded since the "Third Anglo-Myanmar War" in [-], that is, the Mysore territory between the Kingdom of Travancore and the Kali River. Sol Malabar Coast Area, Salem Area.

[-]. On behalf of the British government, the company recognizes and supports the French Bourbon royal family represented by Louis-Charles, maintains its rule over the French colonies, and does its best to support Louis-Charles' return to the French throne.

In general, Beihai Town and Mysore are the biggest beneficiaries of this agreement, and the wimpy French did not benefit from the British on the surface.However, Ding Guofeng told Leclerc privately that they would sign a secret agreement with Mrs. Elizabeth to transfer the Negapatan region in the south of the local administration to the Bourbon royal family.This move is also telling the French that Beihai Town has no intention of expanding its rule in India.

Then there is the problem of Tranqueba.After Ding Guofeng signed the agreement, he and Dundas went outside to breathe. When he intentionally or unintentionally mentioned what he thought of the Danish territory, Dundas' pupils shrank suddenly, and he was stunned for a few seconds. Then he quickly returned to normal, and said with a calm expression that the company had no intention of interfering in any affairs in South India, except Ceylon.

"General, today's weather is good, I propose to drink to our bright trade prospects!"

"No problem." Ding Guofeng raised his hand as a gesture of invitation, and Dundas also smiled and asked Ding Guofeng to go first.

At this time, it was pouring rain in the sky.

(End of this chapter)