More than 200 years ago, when the Forbidden City was still sleeping in darkness, the low bungalow outside the Qianqing Palace and under the north wall of the Longzong Gate was already brightly lit. The ministers in the room either lit up the lights to read at night, or lay on their desks and read quickly. There were also officials walking back and forth, distributing memorials, or pacing back and forth. In the midst of a busy scene, no one dared to make a loud noise. Only when the sky was bright did the ministers put down their pens and go to the imperial palace to see the emperor. They were seen by the emperor as left and right hands, and by their colleagues as authorities and role models. In the eyes of the people, they were the same. The prime minister of the Qing Dynasty. The daily workplaces of these ministers, although rudimentary, were the core of the Qing Dynasty’s bureaucratic administrative system and represented the pinnacle of China’s feudal monarchy. In historical records, this place has a very special name, the Military Affairs Department. As one of the ten wonders of the former prime minister city, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, known for its silk weaving skills, has always been known as the king of silk weaving. For the handicraft artist Wang Jialiang, silk weaving is a skill that can promote the continuation of the family and is also the history of the family. The first three generations of Suzhou Wang’s Kesi were all craftsmen used by the Qing court, specializing in making dragon robes for the emperor and also weaving patches on official uniforms for court officials. In the Qing Dynasty’s official system of nine grades and eighteen levels, there was originally no position for military aircraft ministers. They were all selected by the emperor from the Manchu and Han Grand Academicians, Shangshu, Shilang, and the imperial court as trusted and important officials. The appointment or removal of military aircraft ministers was not managed by the Ministry of Rites, but was directly determined by the emperor. This selection method did not result in any hierarchical difference between military aircraft ministers, only due to individual qualifications, age, and time of entry, especially the degree of favor from the emperor, the ranking was divided before and after, as well as the military aircraft ministers and their positions. The Military Aviation Department learns to walk, and the Military Aviation Minister learns to walk and other names. Among them, the most experienced are the Chief Military Aviation Minister, the Chief Military Aviation Minister, or the leader, also known as the head or leader, Starting from the tenth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign, the leading military aircraft ministers were all held by the grand scholars in charge of the cabinet. All kinds of documents and memorials could only be read by the leading military aircraft ministers first. As for newcomers, they not only had no right to speak, but also had to approach and roll up the door curtains when entering and exiting the palace. Therefore, they were jokingly known as military aircraft with hanging curtains. According to the records of Wu Zhenyu, a Qing Dynasty official, the Minister of Military Affairs was a trusted confidant of Ren, regardless of their background. Their level of closeness to the emperor was fully reflected in the location of the Military Affairs Office. According to the Qing Dynasty regulations, the square in front of the Qianqing Gate, known as the Tianjie Square, divided the inner and outer dynasties. The three main halls of Taihe, Zhonghe, and Baohe south of Tianjie were the main places where the emperor exercised power and held grand ceremonies. In this area known as the Outer Court, there were also major government offices such as the Cabinet and Six Ministries that maintained the daily operation of the government. The Inner Court north of Tianjie was what we usually refer to as the Great Inner Court. It is the place where the emperor and his concubines lived and lived. The Military Affairs Office is located at the northwest corner of Tianjie, and from there, heading north is the closest Yangxin Hall to the Outer Court in the imperial palace. Starting from Emperor Yongzheng, the Palace Museum in Beijing has been known as the place where most emperors reside and work, known as the Yangxin Hall. According to the historian Zhao Yi of the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong woke up every day at the hour of Mao. According to the current time, between 5am and 7am, after breakfast, he began working, and the first group of courtiers to receive him were the Military Aircraft Ministers. Historical Archives – Li Guorong: Since Emperor Yongzheng’s reign, when there were major military and state affairs, the emperor had to find a military machinery minister separated by a wall to meet at the Yangxin Hall. It should be said that if there were any issues, they would be summoned, and if there were no issues, they would be exempted. As for the military machinery minister, they should remember their instructions and return to this military machinery office to draft a decree. Once it is completed, it will be sent to the Yangxin Hall for Emperor’s review, preview, and approval. The walking distance from the Military Machinery Department to the Heart Nourishing Hall is less than fifty meters. This setting is obviously convenient for the emperor, allowing him to summon the Military Machinery Minister at any time, convey orders, and handle government affairs. According to the system established by Zhang Tingyu during the Yongzheng period, the memorials of that day must be processed on the same day. This allowed the military aircraft ministers to meet with the emperor every day, and sometimes had to travel back and forth multiple times between the Military Aircraft Department and the Hall of Mental Cultivation. The convenience of their positions brought more power to the military aircraft ministers, but at the time of the establishment of the Military Aircraft Department, such power was very limited. In the fourth year of Yongzheng, 1726, in order to completely solve the rebellion in the northwest region, Yongzheng began actively planning to conquer the Erute Mongols and the Junggar tribes. In order to maintain confidentiality, Yongzheng only secretly discussed with a few people such as Prince Yi Yunxiang, Grand Secretary Zhang Tingyu, and Minister of Revenue Jiang Tingxi. After formulating a thorough plan, he began to secretly gather troops and supplies from the northwest. As the matter was classified, it was handled for several years, and both internal and external subjects were not aware of the country’s military plan. It was not until the seventh year of Yongzheng that the army was about to deploy, and the secret preparations had to be made due to the need to mobilize civilian resources that surfaced. Yongzheng also officially Announce the establishment of a temporary military affairs agency and a military supply room in the Ministry of Revenue. With the changing situation of the war, the frontline warfare became tight, and the office location of the military supply room was moved to its current position. The name of the organization was also changed to the Military Aircraft Affairs Office, abbreviated as the Military Aircraft Office. Historical Archives – Li Guorong: When the Military Aircraft Department was first established, there was no official seal from the yamen. It was not until the third day of March in the tenth year of Emperor Yongzheng’s reign that college students discussed and finally decided to officially issue a large seal to the Military Aircraft Department. The seal was for the purpose of handling military aircraft seals. At that time, the Ministry of Rites was ordered to cast a silver turtle button. Therefore, in the early years of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, a new seal for the Military Aircraft Department was created, and the seal was changed to a seal for handling military aircraft affairs. The Military Aircraft Department that we see now at the Beijing Palace Museum is not what it used to be. When the Military Aircraft Department was first established, there were only a few narrow wooden houses here, and the nearby tall Longzong Gate caused serious lack of lighting and poor office conditions. In the early years of the Qianlong reign, the emperor took the opportunity to repair the palace and ordered the original wooden houses to be converted into tiled houses, which gave it its current appearance. Although the office conditions improved, the nature of the Military Aircraft Department as a temporary office structure did not change. For a long time, the Military Aircraft Department was not included in the country’s political organization, nor was it granted the name of the official highest government agency. In the official historical book “Qing Huidian” revised by the Library of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods, which recorded the Qing Dynasty’s system of laws and regulations, there was even no name for the Military Machinery Department, because for Emperor Yongzheng, establishing the Military Machinery Department was a helpless choice. In September 1620, after two unsuccessful attempts to establish a crown prince, Nurhaci, the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty, launched a major initiative. He selected eight Heshuo Beile from his own sons and nephews to discuss national policies, formulate military and political policies, reward and punish officials, and even dismiss the emperor at a five day gathering. This was later known as the Eight Kings’ Policy Proposal, which made Nurhaci’s grassland tribes increasingly powerful and ultimately became a powerful Later Jin regime capable of fighting against the Ming Dynasty. However, it also brought infinite benefits to the successors of the throne. The troubles of. The first person to feel this kind of trouble was Nurhaci’s son, Huang Taiji. In 1626, Huang Taiji inherited Nurhaci’s throne, but the other several Heshuo Beile had almost the same rights as him. In order to establish his own monarchy and monopolize power, Huang Taiji first established the Eight Ministers of Prime Minister for all affairs, depriving Zhubeile of the privilege of direct military control, financial management, and imprisonment. Later, he ordered the middle king of the royal family, the Eight Banners Gushan Ezhen, and each Banner to select three political ministers to jointly handle national affairs. This new form was named the Council of Political Ministers. Wu Boya, Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: The Council of State Councillors was a distinctive system of the Qing Dynasty. In addition to military and state affairs, they also formulated regulations and dealt with princes and ministers. After entering the country, the Council of State Councillors still had great power. There were historical records and even revelations, and its resolutions were immediately made, leaving the emperor helpless. In order to further weaken the influence of the royal family on the emperor’s power, the Library of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences established six documents. On the sixth day of March 1636, Huang Taiji imitated the system of the Ming Dynasty and established the Inner Three Academies and Six Departments, respectively responsible for drafting imperial edicts, issuing orders, and handling daily government affairs. However, such reforms did not change the ethnic characteristics of the Later Jin regime. The literati who were familiar with Confucian classics could not participate in meetings related to national affairs, did not have the right to participate in national governance, and could not prevent the power struggles of the monarchs and ministers. In the eighth year of the Chongde reign of the Qing Dynasty, on the ninth day of the eighth month in 1643, Huang Taiji suddenly passed away without any warning. With all the princes of the Eight Banners qualified as candidates, Prince Dorgon of Heshuo Rui, who held significant power in the court, subdued Fulin, who was only six years old, to the throne of the Qing Emperor. For the first time in the history of the Qing Dynasty, there was a situation of few lords and heavy ministers. Dorgon, who held great power, and the Council of State Councillors he held, made great contributions to the establishment of the Manchu Eight Banners as the orthodox ruler of the Central Plains. However, for the young Shunzhi Emperor, Dorgon became the actual highest decision-maker of the Qing court. In December of the fourth year of the Shunzhi reign, at the request of the Manchu and Han ministers, Dorgon was allowed not to kneel before the emperor. In November of the following year, Shunzhi promoted Dorgon to the position of regent of the imperial father. Wu Boya, Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Dorgon was actually a true creator and figure of the Qing Dynasty’s establishment of national rule, because at that time, Emperor Shunzhi was only a few years old. During the Qing Dynasty, Dorgon commanded the Qing army to enter the border, sent troops to fight against the peasant uprising, and then went to Jiangnan to eliminate the Southern Ming regime. At that time, Dorgon was in command there, so Dorgon played a very important role in the establishment of the Qing Dynasty. On the ninth day of the twelfth month in the seventh year of the Shunzhi reign, 38 year old Dorgon passed away in Luanping, Hebei. Due to the sudden death of a powerful minister who was above the monarch, it was an unexpected opportunity for 14-year-old Fulin to take power. He made a series of charges against Dorgon public, cleared his confidants, and appointed a minister who was dismissed by Dorgon. The Shunzhi Emperor, who had just taken over the imperial power, urgently needed to break the constraints of the ancestral system and reduce his reliance on the Council of Councillors and Ministers in decision-making. However, in the face of the increasingly perfect Council of Councillors system, young emperors did not have many effective methods, and the mature Ming Dynasty autocratic system naturally became an example that Shunzhi emperors had to learn from. In 1658, Shunzhi ordered the establishment of a cabinet on the basis of the Inner Three Houses, attempting to reorganize a country established on horseback into a stable Wenzhi government. However, only three years later, he passed away. With Xuanye, who was only eight years old, ascending to the throne, Shunzhi’s reform attempts came to an end. According to the imperial edict of Shunzhi, Sony, Yabilong, Suksaha, and Aobai, four non royal councilors, were appointed as auxiliary councilors. Nankai University – Chang Jianhua: Emperor Shunzhi suddenly passed away, and the newly established Kangxi was a young emperor who did not yet have the ability to handle government affairs. It was very practical to need some elderly ministers to assist him. Due to the severe sinicization of Emperor Shunzhi, the princes and ministers of Manchuria were very dissatisfied with this. They would take advantage of the opportunity of the new emperor’s accession to the throne to strengthen and highlight the power of the Manchu princes and ministers. At the beginning of the four auxiliary ministers taking office, they immediately ordered the abolition of the cabinet, abolishing the sinicization reforms made by Emperor Shunzhi one by one. Among the four ministers who were originally ranked lower, Naibai gradually concentrated the power of the Council of Ministers and the cabinet in his own hands. Editor of the Palace Museum Publishing House – Chen Lianying: These four people were all appointed by the emperor. During the Shunzhi period, they had made great contributions and he served as a trusted minister. He restricted the power of this political king and minister by four people, not just one, but all of them were authoritarian. Later, Aobai became domineering and became his sole authoritarian authority, which was harmful to imperial power. When the emperor grew older, he would definitely be extinguished. In May of the eighth year of Kangxi’s reign in 1669, the reform that was forced to be interrupted was continued in the hands of Kangxi, who was fifteen years old. In August of the following year, Kangxi ordered the restart of the cabinet and refined and improved the system according to the system of the Ming dynasty cabinet, making the Qing dynasty cabinet truly the center of the national administrative system. Before submitting memorials from officials at all levels of the country to the emperor for approval, they were first reviewed by the cabinet scholars, and then their review suggestions and handling opinions, along with the original petition documents, were submitted to the emperor for approval. This system, known as the vote drafting system, was once the most important responsibility of the Ming dynasty cabinet and was also a cabinet university. The core power of scholars. However, given the lesson of the power of the first and second officials in the Ming Dynasty cabinet, the power granted by Kangxi to the Grand Secretary was extremely limited. Chen Lianying, Editor of the Palace Museum and Palace Publishing House in Beijing: This is the former site of the Wenyuan Pavilion. The Wenyuan Pavilion of the Ming Dynasty was about to be burned down, and I don’t know which specific location it was. It’s probably this location. In the past, this duty room, this office worker, there was this archive room, and the Red Book Library. The cabinet was basically in the Ming Dynasty, but in the Qing Dynasty, the cabinet was not very important. In the political framework established by Kangxi, the cabinet without real power became the nominal highest authority responsible for handling daily affairs of the country. However, under the established national policy of Shouchong Manchuria, the Council of Ministers still retained the privilege of discussing military and national affairs. In order to further strengthen his imperial power, Kangxi began to seek breakthroughs from the political system inherited by the Ming Dynasty. The row of houses on the south side of Qianqing Palace Square is the only place in the Forbidden City that is closer to the interior than the Military Aircraft Department. In 1677 AD, Emperor Kangxi selected young Han officials who were knowledgeable and good at writing from the Hanlin Academy, and formed a new office here, the Southern Study. The South Study Room of the Beijing Palace Museum was originally the place where Emperor Kangxi studied. The officials in charge of the South Study Room were responsible for accompanying the emperor to talk about modern history, sing poetry and literature, and edit and proofread books every day. Although Kangxi had repeatedly warned that officials who joined the South Study Room should not interfere with the affairs of foreign dynasties, they were sometimes allowed to participate in the drafting and writing of special edicts. From the south study to the north, passing through the spacious square here, is the Qianqing Palace where Kangxi usually lived and handled government affairs. Wu Boya: Among the people selected for the Southern Study, many were Han Chinese with a high literary level. They initially said they would discuss knowledge with him, but gradually developed to involve them in confidential matters. Therefore, since the middle of the Kangxi reign, those who participated in central decision-making included the Council of Political Ministers, the Cabinet, the Southern Study, and the Cabinet, which were closely related to important matters. When drafting edicts, the Southern Study was closed. These three had their own division of labor and constrained each other, and ultimately their power was concentrated on the emperor. The closer the relationship between the Palace Museum in Beijing and the emperor, the greater the power they hold. This has been an unchanging rule in the history of Chinese dynasties for thousands of years. For the emperor, the increase in power in the hands of ministers is a weakening of the imperial power in the hands of the emperor. Only by governing the world with one person can we not worship one person for the world. From this couplet handwritten by Emperor Yongzheng, we can feel his desire for centralization. In 1722, when Emperor Yongzheng, who was 45 years old, ascended to the throne, it was already the 78th year since the Qing army entered the country. After 61 years of governance by Emperor Kangxi, the Qing Dynasty had initially shown a prosperous situation. However, more than 20 years of practical experience in government affairs also made the emperor, who was in his prime, 100000 clear headed. In the late Kangxi period, government affairs were lax and accumulated drawbacks. After two rounds of deposing the crown prince, the struggle for the throne also affected the stability of the political situation. The political pattern of few lords and heavy ministers that had been staged twice in the history of the Qing Dynasty made Emperor Yongzheng even more fearful of the cabinet and the meetings of the king and ministers of the government. Finally, at a time when the military situation in the northwest was urgent, the Military Affairs Department, which could help the emperor oversee military power, became the breakthrough point for the reform of the Yongzheng system. After establishing military aircraft and firmly controlling military power in his own hands, Emperor Yongzheng found a tool to concentrate more power in his own hands. Historical Archives – Li Guorong: Memorials were only used during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, and their biggest feature was their fast and confidential nature. In the past, when ministers presented speeches to the emperor, the notebooks they used were all handed over through multiple layers of institutions, and there were also stages such as writing summaries and signing tickets. Therefore, this was easy to leak information, and the speed was slow. Memorials were personally written by the ministers themselves and sent to the imperial palace by a dedicated person. The eunuchs in the internal memorial office directly sent the memorial to the emperor’s desk and desk, without any links in between. The time was fast and very confidential. The earliest memorial that we can see now was submitted by Li Xu, who came from the background of the Imperial Household Bureau in the 32nd year of the Kangxi reign. In the Eight Banners system, the Imperial Household Bureau’s coat belonged to the emperor’s private servant, and the communication between the servant and the master could also be regarded as the emperor’s family letter. In fact, in Li Xu’s first ten years of secret stories, they were all about local trivial matters such as rainwater, harvest, and prices, and had no density to speak of. However, above the secret stories, Emperor Kangxi still used a cinnabar pen to make comments, reminding Li Xu not to disclose anything to anyone. Chang Jianhua: Emperor Kangxi was not very confident with local officials and some Han officials. One important aspect of implementing a memorial system was that he had some of his trusted ministers come up to monitor local movements, monitor the activities of local scholars, and monitor other officials. In 1722 AD, after Emperor Yongzheng ascended to the throne, he immediately ordered that the ranks of officials who had the right to submit memorials be expanded to fifth grade. Officials both inside and outside the capital, regardless of their official positions, could submit memorials and make speeches as long as they received the emperor’s favor and permission, even those who were at the end of their lives, and even the abbots and monks of temples. In the Forbidden City, the Military Machinery Department is one of the few exhibition halls open to the public. Among the exhibited items is a special box specially made by skilled craftsmen ordered by Emperor Yongzheng to place memorials in the palace. In order to ensure that memorials are not leaked during transmission, the small locks on the box only have two keys. One is distributed to officials authorized by the emperor to submit memorials, and the other is under the emperor’s own management. The widespread promotion of the memorial box in the Beijing Palace Museum has made the emperor’s ears and eyes spread throughout the country. For officials at all levels, using memorials to speak in secret is more like a power bestowed by the emperor, because without the emperor’s permission, no one can know the content written by the petitioner in the memorial. As a result, the emperor can directly understand the public and private events and interpersonal relationships between the central and local officials from the memorial box. At the same time, in addition to the normal relationship between leaders and those being led, there is also a relationship of mutual supervision and restraint between the provincial governors and officials, the local and central governments, and the internal and external courts. Such a flattened supervisory system may not necessarily be possible in today’s increasingly developed democratic system, and during the Qing Dynasty, when the monarchy reached its peak, However, it has become an effective tool for refreshing the governance of officials and punishing corruption. However, this has also resulted in a drawback, where ministers can report to each other and lower level officials can report to their superiors. Among the surviving memorials, there are more than 3000 memorials from the Kangxi period, while the Yongzheng dynasty, which only had thirteen years of history, had 41000 memorials. In this way, during his more than 4000 days and nights in power, Yongzheng had to review ten memorials every day. Most of these memorials had comments written by Yongzheng himself, ranging from a few digits to nearly a thousand words, and even tens of thousands of words. According to later statistics, during Yongzheng’s thirteen years in power, the number of memorials he reviewed was about 17 million words, which is beyond the reach of modern prolific writers. In addition to memorials, during the Yongzheng period, There are still over 190000 notebooks and memorials, with an average of over 40 notebooks being reviewed daily. Such a huge workload left Yongzheng with little time to leave his desk. According to the “Yongzheng Qiju Zhu”, at 5:00 am every day, Yongzheng began his day’s work, engaging with his subordinates during the day, making decisions and implementing political affairs, and reviewing memorials at night. His busy work often lasted until midnight, even when eating and resting, he was diligent and cautious, not daring to seek ease and comfort. For Yongzheng, the only cost of governing the world with one person was not patrolling, not hunting, managing countless opportunities every day, and never stopping all year round. The diligent governance of Emperor Yongzheng was an invisible pressure on his successors. In the 13th year of the Qianlong reign, there were as many as thirteen officially appointed military machinery ministers, and assisting the emperor in handling memorials had become the main task of military machinery ministers. Among the memorials preserved during the Qianlong reign, the most common one, Zhu Pi, only knew three words. Editor of the Palace Museum Publishing House – Chen Lianying: He criticized that he knew more about it, but relatively speaking, it was less important. It was a matter of understanding. The emperor has read it, has read it, has read it, has an edict, and there are other edicts. Among these, if there is an edict, there are also handling opinions. You have other specific opinions to follow, or I have already dealt with them. You should pay attention to other intentions. The Qing Dynasty emperor has always emphasized that Qian Gang was arbitrary and not devoting power to others. The establishment of the Military Affairs Department was originally to improve efficiency and maintain confidentiality. The emperor’s intentions are easy to implement, and this is a goal set up. The former site of Jiming Post Station is located in Huailai County, Hebei Province. Jiming Post Station is the only well preserved post station in China. In ancient times, where transportation and communication were not well-developed, the main function of the post station was to provide food, accommodation, and horses for those who passed on official documents and military intelligence, or to exchange official documents and military intelligence. Depending on the urgency of the situation, the speed of transmission of official documents and military intelligence was divided into three hundred miles per day for horse delivery, or four hundred miles per day, five hundred miles per day, six hundred miles per day, and six hundred miles per day for acceleration. In special circumstances, only horses and no people were changed, and the court’s order was to… The large and small post stations set up throughout the country, directly delivered to local officials, although the situation seemed outdated, maintained effective and close contact between the emperor and his vast empire. Most of the orders transmitted through the relay stations were sent by the imperial court, which were quickly and secretly processed by the military ministers without the hands of the cabinet. The orders issued by the emperor, which were then transferred to the cabinet for processing by the military ministers, were called Ming Dynasty imperial edicts. However, regardless of the method used to issue the orders, the military department became a true central hub in the political system of the Qing Dynasty. In this power structure, the cabinet evolved into a daily administrative department, and the Council of Political Ministers completely lost its significance. In this situation, Emperor Qianlong, who had already gathered all power in his own hands, ordered the abolition of the title of Political Minister in the 58th year of Qianlong. The system of the Wang ministerial council also disappeared, and for the emperor, military ministers became an indispensable tool for managing national affairs, In such a close relationship, the role of military aircraft ministers is no longer just as simple as drafting edicts. They need to be summoned by the emperor at any time for consultation, participate in the selection of senior and important officials, discuss major policies with relevant department officials, and even hear important cases. They are not only administrative leaders, but also have the opportunity to participate in confidentiality and supervise ministerial affairs. They can be said to hold high power and fame, but apart from their status and reputation, they no longer have any power of their own. These elite members of the Qing Dynasty, who have gone through layers of selection and years of training, and ultimately entered the core of power, can only serve as secretaries and think tanks to assist the emperor in managing the country. Gongwang Mansion, located in the Xicheng District of Beijing on Qianhai West Street, is the most well preserved royal garden in the city of Beijing. Its scale, style, and exquisite construction far exceed the imperial garden of the Forbidden City, attracting countless tourists from all over the world. What is even more interesting to tourists is the first owner of this garden, the corrupt official He Shen. In the 40th year of the Qianlong reign, the emperor discovered the dignified He Shen while inspecting the guards. In less than a year, the 27 year old He Shen was promoted by the emperor to the position of Right Assistant Minister of Household, Minister of Military Affairs, and inlaid with yellow. The Deputy Commander of the Banner and Minister of Internal Affairs, although Emperor Qianlong stipulated that non commissioned military and aviation ministers could neither read memorials nor discuss national affairs, after gaining the favor of the highest ruler of the country, Officials will be able to wield more power. History Archives – Li Guorong: Qianlong was a person who excelled greatly in martial arts, and the expenses were quite astonishing. His personal expenses were also quite high, and Heshen perfectly met Qianlong’s needs in this regard. This was also an important reason why Qianlong trusted and liked him. There were ministers who impeached and reported to Heshen, but everything was suppressed by Qianlong. It can be said that Qianlong valued and trusted him, and some couldn’t do without him, so he also protected him. In 1795, Emperor Qianlong, who had been emperor for sixty years, abdicated the throne to his son Yongyan and became the Emperor himself, still in charge of national affairs. Heshen’s power also reached its peak. While serving as the Chief Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Minister of Military Affairs, Heshen also managed the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, and the Imperial Academy, gaining the unique highest power and prestige under the emperor. Heshen, who was quite threatening the Emperor and commanding the emperor, made the Emperor Jiaqing, who had no real power, also have to be cautious. In private meetings, he even allowed Xu Heshen not to kneel down three times. The Nine Knocking Ceremony led many people to privately refer to Heshen as the Second Emperor. On the third day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of the Jiaqing reign, Emperor Qianlong passed away. Only ten days later, Emperor Jiaqing declared Heshen’s twenty major crimes and issued an order to plagiarize his family, He Shen, who once had power over the court and the opposition, was given to commit suicide. In order to prevent the emergence of the military machinery minister’s authoritarian power again, Emperor Jiaqing began a major rectification of the military machinery department. It was strictly prohibited for internal and external officials to notify the military machinery department of their actions, courtiers to flatter the military machinery minister, princes were not allowed to serve in the military machinery department, and military machinery ministers and former ministers were not allowed to coexist. In order to prevent the military machinery department from leaking secrets, Emperor Jiaqing specially ordered the Imperial Censorate to send a supervisory censor to serve in the internal affairs office north of the Longzong Gate, rotating duty monitoring. The Library of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences underwent a series of regulations and systems in the imperial edict of the Qing Dynasty, and the Military Machinery Department underwent significant changes. In the Jiaqing edict, which was revised in the 23rd year of the reign of Emperor Jiaqing, the name for handling the Military Machinery Department officially appeared, making it a legitimate central authority. Later, Emperor Daoguang promulgated nine articles of association for the Military Machinery Department in the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Daoguang. The rules and regulations of the Military Machinery Department were further improved, and the authority of the Military Machinery Minister was strictly controlled. Not only was it difficult to compare with the previous relative power, but even the situation during the Yongzheng and Qianlong periods was not comparable. A complete and highly centralized government framework has become increasingly perfect, and the people of the world are under greater control. The overall affairs were handled by one person, which brought the feudal imperial power to an unparalleled peak. In the territory of power distribution in the Qing Dynasty, There is no position that can threaten the supreme imperial power. In a political landscape without opponents, the most likely breeding ground is the blind confidence and complacency of rulers. However, outside the perspective of rulers, change has become a global theme. During the 60 years of Emperor Jiaqing, Emperor Daoguang, and Emperor Xianfeng’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, the success of the Industrial Revolution led Britain to become a huge empire occupying a quarter of the world’s total land area. Through a series of wars, purchases, mergers, and other means, the newly established United States also expanded its territory from the west coast of the Atlantic to the east coast of the Pacific. The European powers that had already divided the world began to shift their focus to the last complete continent in eastern Asia. The Qing rulers, who were about to face unprecedented challenges, did not… Their ancestors had the vision and courage to adjust national policies at any time through reform, Following the ancestral system became the most basic attitude of the Qing Dynasty’s rulers in responding to changes. However, in the direct conflict between Eastern and Western civilizations, in order to maintain vested interests, they had to name it the New Policy, which did not touch the foundation of feudal rule. This closed and conservative attitude would inevitably represent the military machinery of imperial autocracy on the brink of collapse. In the third year of Xuantong, which was April 1911, with the establishment of the responsible cabinet, the Military Machinery Department was once again abolished. As a result, the Military Machinery Department, which had existed for more than 180 years, officially withdrew from the historical stage. 90 Seconds of History: The system of reconsideration for the allocation of land to farmers was a traditional financial management system in China, which was based on agriculture. The vast majority of people living under the rule of feudal dynasties have always been responsible for paying taxes and providing labor and rest. However, before Emperor Yongzheng, the head tax of various dynasties was a natural and inevitable burden that the people had to pay. The system of allocation of land to farmers implemented by Emperor Yongzheng abolished the head tax that had been in China for thousands of years, which was not only a prominent event in the history of Chinese taxation, but also had a profound impact on the rule of the Qing Dynasty and the lives of the people. This reform of the taxation system, which was once known as the “good law, beautiful certificate, and government” policy, promoted the growth of population, arable land, and national wealth, laying the foundation for the Qing Dynasty to enter a prosperous period. While the population grew significantly, it also brought certain negative effects. The rise in grain prices caused more farmers to lose their land and leave their homes, thus becoming a factor of social instability.
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