Chapter 47 Sejong Chapter 48 The eighteenth year of Jianlong
Chapter 2172 Sejong Chapter 48 The eighteenth year of Jianlong
In the winter of the fifteenth year of Jianlong's reign, Empress Dowager Xiao died of illness in Yuehua Palace, Luoyang, at the age of eighty. Emperor Liu Wenji was on his way home from a Zen ceremony in Mount Tai. When the bad news spread eastward, he cried bitterly, even convulsed, and the camp was shaken.
Regarding the death of Empress Dowager Xiao, Liu Wenji was not only deeply saddened, but also felt unspeakable guilt. The problem still lay in the matter of conferring Zen status. Empress Dowager Xiao had previously clearly opposed his holding such a ceremony.
Based on this, it is difficult for Liu Wenji not to think about whether the Queen Mother was mad at him. Even if there is only a 100% possibility, it is enough to make Liu Wenji regret it.
At the same time, returning to Mount Tai forty years later, with the dignity of the emperor, using literary virtues and martial arts, to offer sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth, and the heroic spirits of the ancestors, should have been full of ambition and pride, but in fact, the experience was not very good.
For Liu Wenji, the Monument of Merit and Deeds of the Ancestors standing on the top of Mount Tai is more majestic and solemn than Mount Tai itself, and makes people feel humbler. Liu Wenji is still proud in his heart. When standing under the monument, he can't help but feel ashamed of himself.
Therefore, although the ceremony of consecration was successfully carried out and ended as scheduled, Liu Wenji felt more or less regretful at the moment he climbed to the top of Mount Tai. The death of Empress Dowager Xiao intensified this guilt, and even gave birth to "Wanfang" The mentality of "please punish me with all your sins".
Returning to Luoyang, Liu Wenji held a sensational state funeral for Empress Dowager Xiao. The scale was far greater than when Empress Dowager Murong passed away. He asked Zhu Qi, a cabinet scholar, to write a biography for her, describing her wisdom, perseverance and integrity. Chong, wise, and also given the honorific title of Queen Xiao Zhangming.
Empress Dowager Xiao had many contributions to Liu Wenji's growth and achievements throughout her life, especially her key suggestions on some key matters. Her death was also the last reminder to Liu Wenji, and it was of great significance.
At least since Liu Wenji became a Buddhist monk in the 15th year of Jianlong's reign, he put away his uncontrollable complacency and selfish behavior until his death.
In April of the 16th year of Jianlong's reign, the privy envoy Cao Wei passed away due to illness. The old Duke and privy envoy Yang Yanlang passed away in the government in the 13th year of Jianlong's reign. Cao Wei took advantage of his achievements in defeating the southwest and returned to the dynasty. Promoted to Privy Council.
After Cao Wei's death, the emperor succeeded him with Yuhou Zhe Weichang, the former sidu of the palace, and promoted Dong Congyan and Xiao Hui, two generals who destroyed gold, as deputy privy envoys, and re-established the military order management system of the Han Empire.
However, this arrangement also led to the deepening of conflicts within the military order system. Cao Wei could only make up for it with Southwest's contribution. No one could challenge him as Privy Councilor in any aspect. But Zhe Weichang's words, although the same Although he was a famous person, Dong Congyan was not convinced. Just one point, which one is more important, the merit of Southwest or the merit of Mobei?
Beginning with Cao Wei, another round of high-level changes in the empire seemed to have been opened. In the autumn of 16, the prime minister and the Minister of War, Cao Li, dismissed the prime minister. He only served as prime minister for less than a year.
The reason why Cao used to dismiss the prime minister can be summed up in four words: relying on favor to make him coquettish. As Liu Wenji's confidant and Conglong Chongchen, he also has the capital to be arrogant. This is the performance throughout his central career, but in various situations It’s just that the degree of performance varies in each period.
Once the sense of proportion is lost and the boundaries are lost, it is easy to turn "favor" into "anger" and cause trouble. Long before he became prime minister, Cao Li often boasted about his close relationship with the emperor and liked to drink some wine.
Let me share the "little story" from when I was hiding in the mansion.
When Taishan was granted the title of Zen successfully, he boasted that he had accomplished another meritorious deed for the emperor, and became even more arrogant and forgetful about it. When he became interested, it was nothing more than disobeying the emperor, but he liked to be proud of his own merits, especially when "the title of Zen was granted"
"Gong" made Liu Wenji even more fed up.
Cao Cao was lucky. If it were Liu Wenji who was in the period before Feng Chan, with his mental state, facing this situation, there would be a question mark as to whether he could survive. Fortunately, Liu Wenji finally cared about the relationship between the emperor and his subjects for decades.
It left him some dignity.
Because of the instability in the Qingtang (Xining) area, Cao Cao was sent to serve as governor of the Qingtang Dynasty and to suppress public security. In the Qingtang area, it was during the Shizu Dynasty that General Yang Tingzhang pursued and suppressed the remaining Uighurs in Ganzhou and expanded the territory.
Recovered.
In terms of administrative divisions and military defense, Hexi and Longyou are responsible respectively. The Qingtang area east of Qinghai Lake is under the rule of Longyou Dao. However, after more than 60 years, the focus of Longxi Daosi's operations has only been in Hehuang.
, as for the further west, it is actually in a relatively weak state.
However, due to the imperial court's emphasis on the northwest and the guarding of elite troops, there has been no major chaos. However, in the past twenty years, several Tibetan forces have slowly emerged in the Qingtang area, either deceiving people with their beliefs or gathering troops based on their ethnic origins.
For example, the demon monk Li Lizun and the leader of the Miaochuan tribe Wen Buqi.
Of course, while the two were growing their power and expanding their influence, they also did not forget to show their respect to the Longyou government, pay tribute every year, and actively communicate in the name of the tea-horse trade, so they maintained stability.
However, in the past few years, both forces have become restless. The battles between the Tubo tribes in the Hehuang area have become more frequent and fierce, and they have annexed each other. The old order has begun to become disordered. The officials of Longyou Road have not failed to do something, but also
Troops were sent to suppress it, but it only had a temporary effect. Gradually, the situation in Hehuang and Qingtang was heard by Heaven.
Before Cao Li left for the west, Liu Wenji specially summoned him, treated him to a meal of wine, and recalled the past with him with rare emotion. Finally, he revealed that I intend to have a long-lasting friendship between my monarch and my subjects, but your past performance has been disappointing.
Although you are over sixty years old, you are an old man, the Qing and Tang Dynasties are not a good place, and the Rong and Di should not be settled lightly. If you can wake up, pursue your old ambitions, make new achievements, conquer Hehuang, Zhaolie Temple in Tokyo, and Gongchen Pavilion in Xijing, you still can't do it.
Lost a place.
When he resigned and left the palace, Cao Lili's eyes were still rosy. The emperor's heart-to-heart words were deeply touching to him. Cao Lili had great ambitions at a young age and wanted to serve the king of the country. Although he was arrogant and rampant, he did not care about Liu Wenji.
However, his loyalty is unswerving, his passion is fierce, and even when he was demoted, he was determined to die.
Liu Wenji's words not only canceled his original "plan", but also made him seriously reflect on his mistakes, keep in mind his original intention, and vowed to pacify the Qing and Tang Dynasties and restore peace to Hehuangguan Mountain in order to repay the emperor's kindness.
From Cao Lili, we can fully embody the principle of "one's faults can be corrected" and "one's ambition should not be high". From the west to the Qing and Tang Dynasties, Cao Liang devoted himself to the recruitment and pacification of the local tribes, and politically divided
To win over, carry out severe military strikes, and spend the rest of their lives on the plateau.
During his several years of patrolling the Qing and Tang Dynasties, he successively subdued Li Lizun and Wen Buqi, dispersed their tribes, further accelerated the sinicization of the Qing and Tang areas, and also laid the groundwork for the more prosperous and active Qing Tang tea horses.
The economy has laid a solid foundation.
Cao Lili finally died of a stroke while inspecting the Haixi area. Just as Liu Wenji had agreed with him when he left the capital, he left with his head lowered and returned to the court with his head held high. The heroes of Zhao Lie were among them and enjoyed the incense forever.
After Cao Cao took advantage of him, Liu Wenji appointed Xiao Gong, the eunuch of the palace, as the Minister of the Ministry of War and the prime minister. For this talented minister who was born in Khitan, Liu Wenji carefully spent twenty years before generously supporting him in political affairs.
He is given a high position in the church and allowed to display his talents.
From Zhang Jian, Cao Yongli, and then Xiao Gong, the habit of civil servants in charge of the military department was also completely formed. Of course, these three were not simple civil servants, they were all civil servants who were familiar with military strategies.
In the summer of the seventeenth year of Jianlong's reign, Ding Wei resigned as prime minister. In name, he was retiring from his post due to illness, but in fact, someone anonymously reported Ding Wei's crimes in his early years, including the party's partisanship, persecution of loyalists, and treachery and harm to the country. In addition, the imperial city
Liu Wenji no longer tolerated this old minister because of the combination of the two that he had kept in his office.
Of course, the deepest reason is that Ding Wei also committed the same taboo as Wang Qinruo back then and made friends with eunuchs. However, Ding Wei was really smart and knew how to figure out the Sacred Heart, so he was summoned to the palace by the emperor.
After asking "Special", he fell ill again the next day and went to the hospital to beg for his body.
At this time, Ding Wei no longer cared about the position of Shangshu Ling, even though he was so unwilling to accept it in his heart. However, he also knew very well that if he did not retreat bravely, he would not even be able to preserve the wealth and splendor of his brothers, nephews and family members.
On the other hand, he was neither able nor willing to go to the northwest to endure hardships like Cao Lili. In contrast, he left the court with a little regret, quit the front line of historical trends, and pinned his hopes on future generations.
It's not necessarily a bad thing.
In the autumn of the 17th year, as Wang Zeng, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was appointed as the chief envoy to the two Zhejiang provinces, the three ministers who had advocated for Zen all resigned from the imperial center. This could be regarded as an expression of Emperor Liu Wenji.
In the 18th year, with the promotion of Salt and Iron Envoy Lu Yijian to the position of Finance Envoy, and the promotion of Hedong Province Chief Envoy Li Zhaoxian to the Governor's Envoy, the political pattern in the later years of Liu Wenji's reign was formally formed.
Liu Wenji, the emperor in the 18th year of Jianlong's reign, is already sixty years old. Whether as an emperor or simply as a person, he will inevitably face his last days.
Attached: Prime Ministers of the Han Empire in the 18th year of Jianlong - Zhongshu Ling, King Liu Yao of Xuchang, Shangshu Ling (Prime Minister) Chen Yaozuo, Shangshu Pushe Zhang Jian, Ministry of Civil Affairs Shangshu Zhang Shixun, Privy Councilor Zhe Weichang, Finance Minister Lv Yijian, Ducha Envoy
Li Zhaoxian, Xiao Gong, the Minister of War, and Zhu Qi, the Minister of Rites.