During the Qing Dynasty, Nian Qianyao and Zeng Guofan were two important Han courtiers who could not be bypassed. They were all born into the army, and they all led the army, but they all made outstanding military achievements.
Nian Qianyao successively quelled the rebellions in Tibet and Qinghai, threatened the northwestern frontier, and became the god of the Qing Dynasty; Zeng Guofan quelled the large-scale Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement and forcibly extended the life expectancy of the faltering Qing Dynasty for 50 years, like a mainstay of power to turn the tide.
Nian Tang Yao
Then, if you compare Nian Qianyao with Zeng Guofan, which of them has the highest official position, the largest title, and the heaviest power?
First, let's look at official positions.
At the age of 21, he successively served as a cabinet scholar, the governor of Sichuan, the governor of Sichuan, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, the general of Fuyuan, and the general of Hangzhou. The rank of the Hangzhou general is congyi pin.
Zeng Guofan was 27 years old and served as a cabinet scholar, a ceremonial attendant, and acting as a soldier, worker, criminal, and official waiter. After Zeng Guofan formed the Xiang Army, he successively served as the viceroy of Liangjiang and the viceroy of zhili, and the official was the scholar of Wuyingdian University. The rank of a wuyingdian university scholar is ZhengYipin .
Zeng Guofan
From the perspective of official positions, Zeng Guofan's rank was higher than that of Nian Qianyao. The Qing Dynasty did not establish a prime minister, and university scholars were regarded as prime ministers and extremely popular subjects. Zeng Guofan served as a scholar of Wuyingdian University and was revered as "Lord Zhongtang" - Zhongtang is the honorific title of the prime minister. Nian Qianyao had not been a university scholar and could not enjoy this honorific title.
Look at the knighthood again.
The Qing Dynasty had very strict control over titles, and the Han Chinese could only obtain titles by obtaining military merit. Nian Qianyao and Zeng Guofan both made military merits, and both received knighthoods.
In 1720, after Nian Qianyao led his troops to quell the Rebellion in Tibet, he was awarded the title of Duke of the Third Rank. In 1721, Nian Qianyao quelled the rebellion of Guo Luoke in Qinghai and was promoted to duke of the second rank. In 1724, Nian Qianyao quelled the Qinghai Rebellion and was awarded the title of Duke of the First Rank by the Yongzheng Emperor.
Yongzheng Emperor
The Yongzheng Emperor "Loved Wu and Wu", and made Nian Qianyao's father Nian Nian ling a first-class duke, plus the title of Taifu, and gave Nian Qianyao a viscount, which was inherited by his son Nian Bin.
In July 1864, after Zeng Guofan led the Xiang army to conquer Tianjing, the capital of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he was awarded the title of Marquis of Yiyong of the First Rank by the Qing court. In fact, with the merits of Zeng Guofan, he could be crowned king.
In that year, before the Xianfeng Emperor died of illness at the Chengde Summer Resort, he made a promise: to make the people who conquered Jinling (Tianjing) crowned as kings. Xue Fucheng recorded the following in the "Notes on Yong'an": "According to Jinlingye, Emperor Wenzongxian took care of his orders, and it was quite regrettable that those who could restore Jinling could be crowned king of the county. However, when Zeng Guofan really conquered Tianjing, Empress Dowager Ci'an, Empress Dowager Cixi, and Emperor Tongzhi entrusted the matter to the ministers for consultation, and the result of the discussion was that "on the grounds that the title of king of Wenchen seemed too abrupt and the old system did not exist", he refused to make Zeng Guofan a prince, but only made a first-class Marquis of Yiyong.
Xianfeng Emperor
The titles of different surnames of the Qing Dynasty include dukes, marquises, counts, viscounts, barons, etc. Obviously, the first-class duke of Nian Qianyao was far higher than the first-class marquis of Zeng Guofan.
Then there's power.
When Nian Qianyao served as the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi and the general of Fuyuan, he not only had military power, but also controlled local government affairs in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan and other places. In the area under Nian Qianyao's jurisdiction, the appointment and dismissal of all civil and military officials was carried out in accordance with Nian Qianyao's opinion. It is worth noting that the post of General Fuyuan was originally established for the children of the imperial family. Those who served as generals of Fuyuan before Nian Qianyao were Fuquan, the second son of the Shunzhi Emperor, and Yun Yu, the half-brother of the Yongzheng Emperor, and their status was very noble. Nian Qianyao succeeded Yun Yu and served as the General of Fuyuan.
Yun Yu
Under the trust of the Yongzheng Emperor, Nian Qianyao once entered the capital and was ordered to directly participate in the affairs of the dynasty, and together with Ma Qi and Long Keduo, he handled the major politics of the military state. That is to say, Nian Qianyao is not a cabinet university scholar or military aircraft minister, but a cabinet university scholar and a military aircraft minister.
Zeng Guofan had power before he pacified the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He had control over the Xiang army and was able to recommend civil and military officials within his jurisdiction to the imperial court. For example, it was on the recommendation of Zeng Guofan that Zuo Zongtang was able to serve as the inspector of Zhejiang and Li Hongzhang was able to serve as the inspector of Jiangsu. When the Qing court encountered more important problems, it would also seek his advice.
In 1862, Empress Dowager Cixi hesitated over how to deal with He Guiqing, the governor of Liangjiang, who had abandoned the city and fled, and consulted Zeng Guofan. Zeng Guofan replied that "the governor of Xinjiang regards the city guard as a major festival, and it is not appropriate to stop by the words of one of his subordinates; the minister convicts the crime with his heart, and does not have to weigh it against the existence or non-existence of public courtesy", so that the Qing court made up its mind to execute He Guiqing.
Empress Dowager Cixi
However, when the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was pacified, Zeng Guofan's power was taken back a lot, and even the Xiang army he had worked so hard to create was forced to abolish most of it.
At the same time, although Zeng Guofan was appointed as a scholar of Wuyingdian University, he never served in the imperial court. Wu Yingdian University Fellowship is equivalent to an honorary position. It can be seen that Zeng Guofan had little influence on the military and state affairs of the imperial court.
Nian Qianyao had more real power than Zeng Guofan.