Since the Shang Dynasty, the grassland peoples and the Central Plains peoples have begun a fateful duel, but in thousands of years of history, only the Yuan Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty did not invade the Central Plains from the south.
The Yuan Dynasty was a regime established by the Mongols, and after conquering the Central Plains, there was naturally no need to invade the south. But the Qing Dynasty was a regime established in Manchuria, so why didn't the Mongols invade the south during the Qing Dynasty?
Many historical books tell us that the Qing Dynasty tamed the Mongols by implementing policies such as the alliance flag system and marriage in the northern steppes. However, what is less known is that in addition to these policies, the Qing Dynasty also had a key measure, but it was hidden by many history books!
After Nurhaci's rebellion, the Manchurian nobles married the Mongol princes until the fall of the Qing Dynasty, when the Qing emperors had about 20 Mongolian princesses and more than 40 Qing Gege married to Mongolia. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty can be said to be a Manchu-Mongolian regime, with Manchuria in the dominant position and Mongolia in the second position.
However, there is a lot of history of allies turning faces, so Manchuria is not at ease with Mongolia, so in order to weaken Mongolia, the Qing Dynasty implemented the alliance flag system, the implementation of ethnic segregation (forbidden to contact between Mongolia and Han), and the worship of religion to control their livelihood.
First of all, always vigilant against the formation of a unified political power in Mongolia, so the implementation of the alliance flag system, the entire Mongolia is divided into 18 leagues, 32 parts, 201 flags, so that they do not belong to each other, do not allow the flag nomads, farming and exchanges, equivalent to dividing Mongolia, but also drawing the land as a prison;
Second, the Qing Dynasty forbade private exchanges between The Mongols and Han Dynasties, which not only eliminated the danger of the Mongol-Han alliance against Manchuria, but also prevented the Mongols from obtaining military supplies from the Central Plains;
Third, the Qing Dynasty vigorously promoted the Yellow Religion in Mongolia, and lamas enjoyed preferential treatment such as exemption from military service and military service, which attracted Mongolians to the temple, resulting in a significant decline in the Mongolian population in the Qing Dynasty for more than 200 years, and also consumed its spirit of resistance! Emperor Taiji once said: "With the Yellow Sect supple Mongolia, China is above the count." "In the heyday, the Mongolian Ministry had a temple, the league had a league temple, the flag had a flag call, and the family had a family temple, which can be said to be a temple everywhere in Mongolia!
These policies of the Qing Dynasty can indeed win over and restrain Mongolia, but people always have to eat, and Mongolia is by no means a "obedient" nation, so in special historical periods, such as when the climate becomes cold and the grasslands are unable to eat, when the Qing Dynasty becomes weak... If the Mongols had not invaded from the south, it would not have been in keeping with history. If this is the case, why has Mongolia always been more "obedient" during the Qing Dynasty?
In fact, during the Qing Dynasty, the Mongols have always been more "obedient", and there is another key reason, that is, the Qing Dynasty paid "wages" to the Mongolian nobles and gave them enough tangible benefits! During the Qing Dynasty, the Manchurian princes and nobles and the Eight Banners had "wages", of which the salaries of the Eight Banners were also called "iron crops", which is a well-known thing, but what is less known is that the Mongolian princes and nobles also had "iron crops" during the Qing Dynasty!
After the mongol ministries submitted, the Qing Dynasty was divided into 18 grades according to their degree of loyalty, size of contribution, status and influence within the ministry, such as the Khan King, the Prince of the County, the Belle, the Beizi, the Zhenguo Gong, the Taiji, and the Erzhu, etc., with a total of 18 grades. The Mongol princes and nobles who received hereditary titles enjoyed various privileges in politics and various preferential treatment in the economy, and these rights and interests were protected by Qing law.
Politically, in addition to not opposing the Qing Dynasty and having no dissenting intentions, the Mongol nobility could do whatever they wanted within the territory. At that time, the law stipulated that the Mongol princes who killed civilians by mistake or for the reason were to be punished with livestock; Whenever a commoner slandered or slandered a prince, he was punished with livestock.
Economically, each rank of knighthood has a corresponding title, the Mongol Khan King has 2500 taels, 40 silk horses, the prince 2000 two, the silk satin 25 horses, the county king 1200 two, the silk satin 15 horses, the baylor 800 two, the silk satin 13 horses, the shell 500 two, the satin 10 horses, the Zhenguo Gong 300 two, the silk satin 9 horses, the lowest level also has 42.5 two.
At the same time, among the Mongol princes and nobles, those who walked on duty at the Qianqing Gate had special silver; Mongol nobles who were also given the hereditary titles of son, male, light car lieutenant, riding lieutenant, and cloud knight lieutenant were given half of the eight banners according to the eight banners; Mongol officials, no matter where they were, were usually half of the eight flag military attachés.
In addition, some Mongol princes and nobles had to go to Beijing every year to meet the emperor, at which time the emperor would reward carved saddles, silver tea tubes, tea plates, tea leaves, cloth, satin clothes, hats, bags, waist knives and other items.
So, what is the level of the Qing Dynasty's fenglu to the Mongol princes and nobles?
Fan Wenlan's "General History of China" records that during the Qianlong Jiaqing period, peasant short-term workers were up to 10 yuan per day, and the minimum monthly was about 130 yuan, such as Qianlong Twenty-one Years (1756), Lu Kuiyuan of Tanghe County, Henan Province, did long work for the local Zheng Tianlu family, and the annual wage was 2500 yuan! Among them, short-term workers are unstable, daily wages are higher, and they usually make more money when they are busy farming; Long-term workers are stable and their daily wages are low. Therefore, at that time, the monthly salary of short-term workers in the agricultural busy season could reach 1 tael, but the annual income was not high, generally about 2 taels.
Dai Yi's "Eighteenth Century China and the World Peasant Volume" records that during the Qianlong period, the annual income of medium-sized peasant households was about 32 taels of silver.
The "Draft History of the Qing Dynasty" records that during the Kangxi Period, the number of Zhixian Nian Lu was 45 taels.
The U.S. Financial News Morning Post surveyed Chinese farmers in 1880: a self-employed farmer with 15 acres of land who earned about $25 a year. At that time, 1 pair of silver equaled 1.12 US dollars, and 25 US dollars equaled 22.3 two silver.
Through the comparison of chinese peasant incomes at that time, it can be seen that the Qing Dynasty gave to the Mongol princes and nobles, although only about one-third of the income given to the Manchurian princes and nobles, but far more than the income of most Central Plains peasants, even the lowest-ranking Mongolian nobles, the income was only 2.5 silver lower than that of Zhixian!
That is to say, the Qing Dynasty "transferred" some of the income of the Central Plains to the Mongolian region, gave the Mongolian nobles an absolute high salary to "bribe" them, and also gave them various privileges politically, which truly tied the interests of Mongolia and the Qing Dynasty, so the Qing Dynasty was also known as the "Manchu-Mongolian regime".
In history, the northern nomads invaded the south, the purpose was nothing more than to rob money and materials, the Qing Dynasty gave its nobles an absolutely high salary under the alliance flag system and other supporting measures, and ensured that their materials could be satisfied. Therefore, there is no need to over-brag about the Qing Dynasty's policy of ruling Mongolia, because behind it is far more than the price of the Song Dynasty's "old coins"!