The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 196 Qianlong's Decision

In the capital, Emperor Qianlong sat in silence for a long time in the imperial study of the Qianqing Palace.

He read Fu Heng's secret memorial in his hand once, and then he dared not look at it again. But when he closed his eyes, every word and sentence kept turning over in his mind.

"This year's malaria epidemic was severe and continued unabated even into winter. Many soldiers contracted the disease, and I was not immune."

"There were 31,000 soldiers on the front line, but only 13,000 are left. They are unable to fight any more."

In order to withdraw his troops, Fuheng was quite bold and broke the Manchu tradition of concealing its own war losses and made a reverse modification.

He did send more than 30,000 troops to invade Burma this time, but due to road and supply restrictions, only 24,000 to 25,000 left the country, and only about 19,000 arrived at Xinjie and Laoguantun.

When he submitted the memorial, the Qing army still had 15,000 men, but Fuheng said that the number was only 13,000.

However, this was not much different from the final number. After Mozibu conquered Ava and the Burmese army in Laoguantun was defeated, there were indeed only about 10,000 Qing troops left.

Qianlong knew his brother-in-law, whom he had almost grown up with. He would never issue such a secret report unless he was at his wit's end.

Thinking of the defeat in this battle and the loss of 18,000 soldiers, most of whom were elite soldiers of the Eight Banners, Qianlong, who had had a smooth life, felt powerless for the first time.

In particular, Fu Heng's secret memorial ended with the following words: "At the beginning of the military campaign, everyone thought it was difficult. I insisted on going ahead and failed to fulfill my mission. I request that I be severely punished."

The meaning is very clear. Fuheng is saying that the Fourth War should not have been fought. It was the emperor who insisted on fighting, and he was reluctantly helping his brother-in-law to resist. However, his ability was limited, and he really could not defeat Myanmar.

Your Majesty can put all the blame on him, punish him, and thus get a chance to get off the hook.

Qianlong sighed deeply. As a minister, Fuheng could achieve this much. What else could he say?

So he began to write his own reply on the secret memorial, "I had no choice but to use military force. If you think it is wrong, I will be the first to take the blame."

Well, Shiquan does have some responsibility in this regard.

If I were Chongzhen, not only would the ministers not take the responsibility voluntarily, but even if the ministers did not take the responsibility, I would pass the buck. If he had not been so diligent, the Ming Dynasty might have survived.

At the end of March, just when Emperor Qianlong asked the Grand Council to draft an edict to allow the infected Fuheng to return to Beijing and the army to be led by Agui, Agui's 800-mile victory message arrived.

As for why Fuheng's secret report was sent almost a month earlier than Agui's letter of victory, but arrived only more than ten days earlier, it was because Fuheng's secret report did not dare to go through the normal post station transportation.

To put it bluntly, this thing is very hurtful to my reputation as Emperor Qianlong. If I use the post station for transportation, it might be known to the whole world. So I can only choose to let my confidants deliver the secret letter, which is much slower in terms of timeliness.

When Qianlong heard this, he was overjoyed.

You should know that it was he who strongly advocated the Fourth Qing-Myanmar War. All the officials in the court, even Fu Heng who came out to resist him, did not support him.

If he fails to win, it would prove that he is wrong and is acting on his own will.

Now that he has won, it can certainly be proved that his autocratic decision-making is correct.

Therefore, Qianlong immediately summoned all the bannermen, meritorious officials, civil officials and military officials above the third rank in Beijing to attend a small court meeting in the Qianqing Palace, with the intention of letting these officials who did not support him see it.

You guys, your vision is far inferior to that of an emperor like me!

Qianlong drove all the officials from their homes to the Qianqing Palace at around four or five in the afternoon, but no one complained at all.

The entire court cheered and the Manchu nobles breathed a sigh of relief.

If Fuheng and Agui cannot win, and if the emperor wants to fight again, who knows who will end up like Mingrui and Aligun, dying in the malaria-stricken area in the southwest.

The Han ministers also breathed a sigh of relief. The Manchus were only concerned with fighting, and they were responsible for allocating military supplies and food.

Because of the war against Burma, the Manchu governors and governors-general in various places tortured the Han Chinese county officials under them, making them miserable. Now they can finally stop fighting, which is a good thing.

When the officials arrived, Qianlong calmed down. He glanced at Agui's letter of victory after a journey of 800 miles, and immediately ordered the eunuch to pass it to the Manchu and Han officials in the court for circulation.

He also said with great joy that he would hold a grand court meeting tomorrow and invite all officials above the seventh rank in Beijing to celebrate.

Afterwards, Qianlong quickly left on the pretext of reporting the good news to the Empress Dowager.

Empress Dowager Niohuru didn't care about this. There was only one reason why Qianlong wanted to avoid the ministers, and that was that the victory report sent back by Agui came in two copies, one open and one hidden.

The official version was the one that Emperor Qianlong asked Manchu and Han ministers to circulate.

The content is of course due to the wise and brave guidance of Emperor Nai. All officers and soldiers of the army overcame the epidemic with unity and finally conquered Laoguantun and killed more than 10,000 Burmese troops.

Afterwards, he sent a small army down the river to attack from the north and south together with the army of the vassal state of Siam, broke the city of Ava, and captured and killed the Burmese bandit chief Mengbo (Mengbo).

The other one was a report of victory that told the truth. Qianlong's heart broke when he saw the long list of names.

Historically, Fuheng, who had survived until returning to Beijing and died of illness in July, died of illness in mid-March because he took the initiative to isolate himself with the infected army and continued to be cross-infected.

Among the Manchu officials, more than 30 people died of illness, including Deputy General Aligun, Governor of the Grand Canal Fu Xian, Deputy Governor-General Mingliang, General Yongrui of Jingzhou, and Admiral Wufu of Yunnan.

Among them, Aligun and Fengsheng'e, father and son, died of illness on the front line.

The Han generals included the Navy Admiral Ye Xiangde, the General Wu Shisheng and more than ten other officers.

Of the 19,000 troops on the front line, only less than 11,000 were left, with only more than 500 killed in battle and as many as 8,000 killed by the plague.

Nineteen of the four thousand Eight Banners stationed in Beijing were gone, and this was something that Emperor Qianlong was very concerned about!
Among them, at least four or five hundred were either Qianlong’s blood relatives or close relatives like Fuheng. They were all descendants of those whose ancestors followed the old slaves in the uprising.

But when he saw that Fuheng was willing to stay in the camp where the epidemic was rampant and the officers and soldiers cruelly divided the camp for victory, Qianlong could not help but shed tears on the spot.

I am a very emotional person. I am willing to give to my own people and I am very humane.

It's a pity that his head follows his butt, and his background determines that he can only be a shrewd villain who protects the interests of a small number of slave owners.

After wiping away his tears and calming down, Qianlong summoned Grand Secretary Liu Tongxun, Minister of Works and son-in-law Fu Longan, Associate Grand Secretary Yu Minzhong, and Minister of War and son of veteran minister Yin Jishan Qinggui into the palace.

After they arrived, they learned the truth. The army was indeed blocked in Laoguantun and could not move forward. Fortunately, the army of Siam, no, the army of the Ha Tien Mo family was powerful. While the main force of the Burmese army was in the north, they quickly captured Ava.

Several people looked at each other. No wonder the emperor had a strange expression. Who could have thought that the Qing Dynasty would one day need to rely on the remnants of the Ming Dynasty to resolve border troubles.

Liu Tongxun gave Yu Minzhong a look, "You are the emperor's trusted Han minister and poet friend, you must appease him and don't let this matter cause the emperor to cause any more trouble."

Yu Minzhong thought for a moment and said slowly, "I congratulate the emperor. Whether it is Siam or Ha Tien, they are all vassal states of the Qing Dynasty.

At this stage, as long as we can capture the daring and rebellious Burmese thief Meng Bo and intimidate the southwestern barbarians, it will be a great joy."

Qianlong nodded without comment and did not express his opinion.

Having just learned of his father's death, Fu Longan, who had already collapsed on the ground in tears, said to Qianlong:
"Without our Eight Banners brigades defeating the elite Burmese soldiers so many times, and without our suppression in Laoguantun, the Hexian soldiers would certainly not have been able to enter Ava so easily.

The River Immortal Mo family has certainly made great contributions, but the key lies in our Great Qing Heavenly Soldiers."

Hearing Fulongan's crying, Qianlong couldn't help but started crying too.

"To punish this traitor Meng, the First Duke, Mingrui, Mingliang, and Fuling'an all died one after another. They passed away the next day. How can I explain this to Empress Xiaoxian?"

The Fucha family, represented by Fuheng, was really miserable. Four male pillars of the family died one after another. Now, in this family of the first meritorious official of the Qianlong Dynasty, there was only one adult male, Fulongan.

Oh, Fukang'an is almost sixteen years old, and at this time, he can barely be considered an adult.

Qianlong was crying when Fukang'an, a guard in the palace, got the news and ran over.

This gentleman is no ordinary person. He enters and leaves the palace as if it were his own home. He has a very close relationship with Emperor Qianlong.

Anyway, he ran into the military headquarters without waiting for the announcement, and in front of all the ministers, he rushed over, hugged Qianlong's thighs and started crying.

Not only did Qianlong not blame him, he touched Fu Kang'an's head and cried even more sadly.

Liu Tongxun and Yu Minzhong looked at each other again. They had just learned that Fuheng had died of illness in the army, while Fukangan had obviously known about it for a long time.

This means that the emperor first notified Fu Kang'an and then notified these military ministers.

This favor far exceeds the treatment given to ministers.

Afterwards, the two old foxes prepared for a moment, their eyes immediately began to turn red, and tears fell like they were free.

There is no way. The emperor is crying like this, do you dare not accompany him?

After crying for a while, Fukangan took the initiative to persuade Qianlong.

This person is almost sixty years old, which is quite old at this time. What if he gets hurt from crying?
"Your Majesty, it is my duty and honor to serve my father loyally to my country. Please accept my condolences and take care of yourself.

As members of the bannermen and noble families, the Fucha family died for their country, which is the true spirit of a true man. Fu Kang'an will follow his father and brother's example in the future, relieve His Majesty's worries, and be loyal to the country. "

After hearing Fu Kang'an's advice and heroic words, Qianlong finally stopped crying. Thinking of the tragic death of Fuheng on the battlefield, he opened his mouth to compose a poem.

However, the idea was there, but the literary talent was not. Yu Minzhong understood it immediately. He pondered for a moment, thinking of Ji Yun's miserable plight, who had been exiled to Yili to raise horses because he could not continue the quatrain presented by the River Fairy Mo. Then, his inspiration immediately flowed like a spring.

With a light cough, Yu Minzhong deliberately wrote a poem that was 50% real skill and 50% deliberate flaws.

Sure enough, Qianlong's interest was immediately attracted, and he asked Liang Yaofeng, the military secretary standing by, to present the copied poems of Yu Minzhong.

Ah, you ask why people from the Grand Council are in charge of this?
I'm sorry, but I, Emperor Qianlong, am so willful. Later, when Liang Yaofeng became the Minister of Military Affairs, Emperor Qianlong still only let him be responsible for recording poems.

After the poem was presented, Qianlong began to give Yu Minzhong's poem some "constructive" suggestions as if he was familiar with it.

There were some things that Qianlong couldn't understand, and Yu Minzhong and Liu Tongxun guided him subtly. When the poem was finished, all the Manchu and Han officials in the room congratulated Qianlong in unison for writing another top-notch poem.

And it is indeed not bad. The whole poem says:
'I was happy to die of illness at the beginning of the miasma epidemic, and my sorrow deepened at the end of the next day. I have devoted my life to this cause, and now I write with such sorrow.

A thousand years of unwavering hatred for the south, half of the road is taken away from the Jichuan talent. Lifelong loyalty and bravery family reputation continues, your son and my son will definitely teach and train.

This level is still better than doggerel. The lines "Thousands of years of unwearied sorrow for the south, half of the material is taken away from Jichuan" are quite catchy.

But the last sentence, 'Your son and my son will definitely cultivate each other', seems a bit inappropriate. There are rumors everywhere, and it's hard not to make associations.

After the poem was finished, Qianlong finally felt in the mood to discuss important matters. He said in a deep voice: "Agui reported that he had obtained the traitor Meng Bo's robes, golden seal, scepter, sword, and several of his concubines and children.

But there's no trace of the rebel's head. They say it was burned by the River Immortal King. Could you please consider this? Is there a reason for this?"

Fu Longan quickly knelt down and replied, "In my opinion, this may be a necessary measure.

Think about that thief Meng, he was also a hero in southern China. He destroyed big countries like Baigu and Siam, dealt a heavy blow to the Kingdom of Myeong-wu, and conquered Nanzhang. He must still be respected by the Burmese.

The army of Hexian was said to have 80,000 soldiers, but in reality there were only 20,000 or 30,000. They did not defeat Burma with a grand battle, but relied on a surprise attack to capture Ava.

A Jinglie also mentioned it, and I think the situation must have been extremely dangerous at that time.

If Meng Bo were beheaded and sent to the main army camp, it would surely infuriate the Burmese and cause them to rebel. Therefore, in a desperate situation, it seemed reasonable to deal with him according to Burmese customs.

The specific situation will become clear once Vice Governor Mingde submits his report."

Mingde is Fulongan's cousin, and the two have always had a very good relationship. In fact, Fulongan had received Mingde's secret news a long time ago and knew that the River Immortal King Mo Zibu wanted to cooperate with their family to do big business, so naturally he had to help defend him.

Fu Longan was the only one among these people who had led troops, and his analysis was reasonable, so Qianlong had no choice but to believe it.

I thought about it for a moment and thought that if it was really as Fulongan said, it would be understandable.

However, Qianlong immediately thought of another thing. An unfathomable look appeared on his face and his tone became a little erratic.

"The Hexian Mo family was only a student at the time of the Ming Dynasty's fall, and they didn't receive much favor from the Zhu family. Why do they care so much about the former Ming Dynasty?

He even went so far as to hold a memorial ceremony for the former Ming princes and ministers who were responsible for the cursed water in Ava, and kill hundreds of Mangbai's descendants in revenge.

Tell me, since I ascended the throne, I have treated Manchus and Han people equally. Many Han officials around me have been able to serve as key ministers, and their favors are far greater than most bannermen.

My talent and virtue are far superior to those of the previous Ming emperors, and are only inferior to those of my second ancestor.

Today, the people of our Qing Dynasty live and work in peace and contentment, the world is peaceful and prosperous, and the population has grown to 200 million. How could the former Ming Dynasty have ever experienced such a prosperous era!
Why do remnants like the Mo family still cling to the former Ming Dynasty?

When Qianlong said this, he was looking at Han ministers Liu Tongxun, Yu Minzhong, and Liang Ruifeng.

Of course, this kind of question could not be answered by the Manchus, so it was naturally asked by the Han officials.

Why?

Why else!

Liu Tongxun curled his lips in his heart. If you really want to treat Manchus and Han people equally, then just abolish the position of Manchu Shangshu.

You let my son Liu Yong enter the officialdom when he was a teenager, just like Fuheng, and start as the second-rank Minister in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

If you make all Han scholars in the world like the Manchus, so that they can read and write, they won't have to go through so many hardships to take the imperial examinations, and they can get official positions.

You still ask why? Not to mention shaving your heads and changing your clothes, you Manchus, totaling more than one million, account for 70% of the official hats in the world, and the 200 million Han people account for 30%. You still ask why?
Of course, Liu Tongxun only dared to mutter a few words in his heart, but he absolutely didn't dare to say it out loud.

He looked up and saw the invisible sword hanging over his head. He wisely chose to continue to be timid.

Anyway, they have made it out of this family, so why should they care about other people?

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful, comparable to ancient sages like Yao and Shun.

The former Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty seized the throne from his nephew. Although he had the ability to govern the country, his moral character was lacking and he was not worthy of being compared with the emperor.

The only ones who can be compared with the emperor are Emperor Wen of the early Han Dynasty, Emperor Guangwu of the later Han Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of Li Tang, Emperor Taizu of the former Ming Dynasty, Emperor Shengzu Ren of our dynasty, and Emperor Shizu Xian of our dynasty.

Among those who were not founders of a nation, even Emperor Zhongzong of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty could not compare to Your Majesty. Your Majesty is unique throughout the ages!"

Without answering the question, Liu Tongxun started with a lot of flattery, and it was not an awkward flattery. There was an expression of certainty and pride on Liu Tongxun's old face.

This was so annoying that I, Qianlong, felt a little embarrassed. He took the hot towel handed to him by the palace maid, wiped the tears from his face, and waved his hands repeatedly, saying:

"It's too much, it's too much.

Although Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty was known to be a usurper, he was a wise ruler as he unified the country, made all nations come to pay tribute, and recovered Annan, which had been lost for a thousand years.

Emperor Xuan of Han inherited Huo Guang's strategy and stabilized the devastated country. He also had the reputation of being a man of deep affection for his old sword and a man of lingering love for his father. He was perfect in both public and private life. Although I am slightly better than him, I am not far behind."

Well, I, Qianlong, did not mention Li Zhi. It seems that I do not think highly of this emperor who needs a hen to wake up at dawn to suppress the meritorious faction.
Seeing that Qianlong's mood had stabilized and improved, Liu Tongxun continued, "Your Majesty is humble and truly a model emperor.

As for the Ava incident, in my opinion, when the Hexian Mo family's son held a memorial service for the former Ming ministers and Emperor Yongli who were responsible for the curse water disaster, it did not seem like he was reminiscing about the former Ming Dynasty, but rather was fulfilling his filial piety.

His grandfather Mo Shaoyuan regarded himself as a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, and his father Mo Tianci also called himself a remnant of the Ming Dynasty. When Mo Zibu arrived in Ava, he did not go to offer sacrifices. So how could he, as a descendant, live up to the reputation of his ancestors as loyal ministers?
Even if he does not miss the former Ming Dynasty, he still has to offer sacrifices, as this is filial piety.

This time, when punishing the Burmese bandits, Ha Tien took the initiative to send troops thousands of miles away to cooperate, and when receiving the Qing officials who came south, he also regarded himself as a vassal, and showed no signs of missing the former Ming.

Good guy, Liu Tongxun quickly and cleverly shifted Mo Zibu's behavior from missing the loyalty of the Ming Dynasty to filial piety, which is the highest moral standard.

It seems that when Lin Tong returned to Jiangnan to make purchases, two of the three large ships of cargo were arranged by Liu Yong, the prefect of Jiangning, and two British-made eight-treasure glazed and phoenix-roosting-in-wutong red gold pocket watches were presented to Liu Yong, which were still effective.

Yu Minzhong also came out and said, "From what I have seen in Mr. Mo's previous memorial and this military deployment, I can see that he still has a loyal and cautious heart.

However, their family has regarded themselves as loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty for more than a hundred years, so it is normal for them to feel a little bit uncomfortable.

It's like a child who lost his father at a young age, and after his mother remarried, a stepfather suddenly appeared. It was always a bit awkward for him to accept it immediately."

Qianlong finally laughed out loud after hearing this. Seeing him like this, even Fulongan and Fukangan stopped sobbing even though they couldn't laugh with him because their father had just died.

After laughing, Qianlong himself said: "Don't I know that even the tyrannical Qin and Sui dynasties, which perished in the second generation, had a few loyal ministers and filial sons.

The Ming Dynasty nurtured scholars for more than 200 years, so it was impossible for it to have less loyal ministers and filial sons than the Qin and Sui dynasties.

If the Hexian Mo family wants to be loyal ministers, then I will help them do so, just like the loyal ministers and righteous men who followed Zhu Youlang in the previous Ming Dynasty. Although they were ignorant of the time and resisted the new dynasty, we should not despise them. We should not recognize their actions, but admire their integrity.

Qianlong said with a stern look in his eyes, "The Burmese are just barbarians from the southwest. They dared to kill the suzerain ministers, abduct the emperor's concubines, and force the concubines and princes to death when cursing water. This is a great rebellion.

The fact that the evil villain Meng Bo committed such a crime today might not be due to his contempt for his superiors when he cursed the water.

Send an order to Agui, asking him to inform the new Burmese king that a temple should be built at the former residence of the Yongli Emperor and his ministers, and incense should be kept burning. If the temple is damaged, the imperial army will come again to punish it.

Liu Tongxun and others quickly offered flattery, but then felt a little embarrassed because the new Burmese king had not yet been decided.

Qianlong just remembered that such an important matter had not been discussed yet, so he coughed lightly, pretending that he had not forgotten, but had not talked about it yet, and began to ask for the opinions of the various military ministers.

Do you think the peak of feudal centralization is just talk? No matter how big the matter is, the only one who has the say is the emperor himself, and the rest can only be yes-men.

No matter how big the matter is, if the emperor doesn't say to discuss it, you shouldn't discuss it. In such a big country, with so many major affairs, the handling and preferences all depend on the emperor.

. . . .

At night, after the discussion was over, Emperor Qianlong was alone with a gloomy face. He secretly summoned Wen Fu, the former governor of Fujian, a member of the Grand Council, and a Manchu of the Bordered Red Banner.

"You have been in the southeast for a long time and are familiar with the customs. Although there is nothing suspicious about the son of the Hexian Mo family, I have observed that he is bold and cautious in his actions, experienced and ruthless in his use of troops, and has the appearance of a hero. He has now been able to gather tens of thousands of troops and capture the great country of Tiannan.

These people are far away from us, and they are the remnants of the former Ming Dynasty. We must keep an eye on them. If they harbor evil intentions, they will be a disaster for us, the bannermen.

I intend to order you to take up the post of Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang in a few months. You will dispatch and train capable personnel to blend in with the bad people going to Southeast Asia.

You must get to the bottom of it, and within twenty days, submit a secret report on its movements to me for my reference."

(End of this chapter)