preface
Uncle Zhu Di ascended the throne and established the Ming Dynasty Emperor Yongle Nian. After that, the three Yangs and Hu Weiyong of the DPRK took power, and the power fell to the opposition. After Emperor Longqing came to the throne, the dynasty was greatly reformed, and Sima Zhao's heart was known to everyone. On the day of Hu Weiyong's downfall, everyone cheered. Those who are in power for a while are thrown into dust after a flash in the pan. Dynasties change, officialdom rises and falls, confidants abandon me, power clouds dissipate, and there is no longer any news. The world is like the clouds in the mountains, and when a gust of wind blows, it is no longer seen.
The mention of such a scene can't help but remind people of Nian Xinyao, a great general who called for wind and rain in the last years of the Kangxi Dynasty and the early years of the Yongzheng Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty.
Nian Xianyao, character Yuanxi. Born in the eleventh year of the Shunzhi reign of the Holy Ancestor of the Qing Dynasty (1654 AD), he was a native of Jinkui, Jiangsu (now part of Wuxi City). His life, like a white horse passing through the gap, was short-lived. At a young age, he was known for his diligence and studiousness. During the Kangxi Dynasty, he successively served as the Tongzhi of Haiphong in Zhejiang, the prefect of Dengzhou Prefecture in Shandong, and the inspector in Sichuan. Nian Xinyao had outstanding achievements in government and was deeply appreciated by the Kangxi Emperor. Soon, he was promoted one after another and became the governor of Sichuan.
However, it was at this time that the peaks and falls of Nian Xinyao Shitu also began.
A great hero who helped Yongzheng seize power
In the sixty-first year of the Kangxi reign (1722), Kangxi died. His son Yin Yu succeeded him as the Yongzheng Emperor. Yin Yu was originally the fourth son of Kangxi and was not the crown prince. He was able to ascend the throne only after the early deaths of several of his brothers.
At this time, Nian Xinyao had become the governor of Sichuan and held the military and political power in the southwestern major town. In the process of Yongzheng's accession to the throne, Nian Xinyao played a key role. Together with Kodo, he contained the power of Kangxi's original crown prince Huang Bai and Ba'a Ge Yinyu, enabling Yongzheng to successfully seize the throne.
Nian Xinyao pre-ascended the throne process, and was as heavy as a mountain to the Yongzheng Emperor. In order to repay Nian Xinyao, after Yongzheng ascended the throne, he specially promoted him to the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, along with the title of general. As a result, Nian Xinyao tilted his power to one side and became the first popular person in the DPRK.
It can be said that Nian Xinyao's contribution to helping Yongzheng ascend the throne is the most crucial step on his journey. Without this step, there would be no later high-ranking officials and glory. When Xian Yao was promoted from the governor of Sichuan to the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, everyone in the government and the public applauded him, envious of his fame and wealth. At that time, Nian Xianyao was the time of infinite scenery and peak height.
The Western Expedition suppressed the rebellion and became famous in World War I
After Yongzheng ascended the throne, the situation in the northwest region was turbulent. Qinghai Mongolian Turk Special Department Taijila Zangqin seized military and political power, supported the army and self-respect, and intended to rebel. In order to resolve this hidden danger, Yongzheng decided to launch a western expedition to suppress the Lazanchin rebellion.
During this western expedition, the Yongzheng Emperor sent Nian Xinyao as a general to lead the western expeditionary army. Nian Xinyao led 20,000 Qing troops to the west and fought a decisive battle with Lazangqin on the north shore of Qinghai Lake.
On the battlefield, Nian Xinyao was disciplined and well-trained. He mobilized elite divisions, set up the art of war, defeated the rebels in one fell swoop, and captured Lazangchin alive. In this battle, Nian Xianyao's prestige shook the northwest. The Turkut tribesmen were terrified and came to surrender. At this point, the Northwest Rebellion was quelled, and Nian Xinyao became famous and became a famous general with outstanding achievements.
"In ten years, this miracle has never been achieved! In short, it's all your benefit!" After quelling the rebellion in the northwest, the Yongzheng Emperor greatly appreciated Nian Xinyao's achievements. He was also awarded the title of "Great General of the Northwest", together with the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Engineering, and appointed him as the Minister of Military Affairs of the Northwest, with power on one side.
The great victory of the western expedition allowed Nian Xinyao to reach an unprecedented peak of power in the dynasty. He is high and unmatched. It was at this peak moment that Nian Xinyao gradually exposed his untamable arrogance and impulsivity, which eventually led to disaster.
Arrogant and domineering, do not put the emperor in his eyes
After quelling the rebellion in the northwest, Nian Xinyao rose through the ranks and strengthened his power. Later, the military and political power in the entire northwest region was all controlled by Nian Xinyao. Even the emperor could not intervene.
Such a prosperous business made Nian Xinyao more and more arrogant and extravagant. He looted his wealth and bought nearly 1,000 acres of land and houses in various places. Greedy to the extreme.
Nian Xianyao was not only greedy, but also extremely arrogant, and even the emperor did not pay attention to it. Once, the Yongzheng Emperor personally inscribed a few ink treasures and gave them to Nian Xinyao. Nian Xinyao not only did not cherish it, but privately annotated on Mobao: "The emperor is worthless!" The contempt of the words is outrageous.
Once again, when Nian Xinyao entered Beijing, he demanded that everyone except Wang Ye must kneel to greet him. Beijing officials were too numerous to assemble and had to huddle together. As a result, people were squeezed into the water and drowned. Nian Xinyao regarded human life as grass and mustard, just to satisfy his vanity.
Not only that, Nian Xinyao also openly said in front of his subordinates: "I have the right to Sichuan and Shaanxi, and I am unbreakable." It means that even the emperor cannot control him. He also said that he has "royal qi in his body", and if the world changes, he will stand on his own according to Sichuan and Shaanxi, which makes people shudder.
Such rebellious words have clearly exceeded the scope of courtiers. Nian Xinyao obviously intended to rebel and plot evil. This made the Yongzheng Emperor very angry, believing that Nian Xinyao was ungrateful and had the intention of destroying the rivers and mountains. For a time, the evaluation of Nian Xinyao in the government and the public also took a sharp turn.
Lost power under impeachment
Nian Xianyao's domineering and arrogant attitude finally aroused strong dissatisfaction among the government and the public. Among them, several princes led by Prince Yunxiang even hated Nian Xianyao, a former power-leaning general.
Therefore, in the second year of Yongzheng (1724), Yunxiang and others jointly impeached Nian Xinyao, saying that he was "arrogant and domineering" and "faint". Since then, the government and the public have followed suit, and various impeachments have poured into Nian Xinyao, impeaching him on more than 90 charges.
Among them, the most deadly is that Nian Xinyao also scorned Prince Yi Yunxiang, saying that his mansion was "pretentious." Yunxiang is Yongzheng's confidant beloved son, and Nian Xinyao is so rude, it is already a blatant provocation to the imperial power. This became the last straw that crushed Nian Xianyao.
Under pressure from all sides, the Yongzheng Emperor was forced to desperately order the strongest disposition against Nian Xinyao - directly removing him from his posts as a general and Shangshu of the Ministry of Engineering, leaving only a fictitious title of governor of Sichuan, and sending him to Hangzhou to "confess and reflect".
Since then, the power that Nian Xinyao had accumulated in the DPRK for many years has disappeared, and he has become a dangerous element waiting for crime.
Secretly possessed the reverse book, and was brutally beheaded
After being demoted to Hangzhou, Nian Xinyao remained unrepentant and tried to rebel with Exodus' army. In order to prevent Nian Xianyao from plotting a rebellion, the Yongzheng Emperor sent people to thoroughly investigate him. In Nian Xinyao's residence in Hangzhou, a large number of belongings and documents were confiscated.
The most crucial of these was the discovery of an arrogant text in Nian Xinyao's private collection, in which he criticized the emperor's own ink treasure that "the emperor is worthless."
This text completely ignited the anger of the Yongzheng Emperor. The former red man Nian Xianyao was finally corrected.
In the winter of the third year of the Yongzheng Dynasty (1725), Nian Xinyao was released to Beijing for trial on charges of treason. After repeated interrogation, Nian Xinyao still pleaded not guilty. So the Yongzheng Emperor personally tortured Nian Xinyao and forced him to ask him about the details of his rebellion. Finally, Nian Xinyao confessed under torture.
In the first month of the following year, Nian Xinyao was taken to the execution site and tortured. Because he was a meritorious official, his son Nian Fu was finally beheaded as a sign of benevolence.
At this point, Nian Xinyao, a famous general who was once a powerful and extremely powerful minister, disappeared on the cusp of the limelight, and he was only 70 years old. His brilliant and fleeting life, which was as dazzling as fireworks, became a profound lesson for later generations of powerful and oppositional leaders.
epilogue
Nian Xianyao's death is a reminder to maintain reason and humility at all times.
Power makes it difficult to control itself, but it requires self-discipline. Those who have been in power in history have often set themselves on fire because of pride and arrogance.
But we should not judge Nian Xianyao either. Under that feudal dynastic system, the road to complying with the emperor and consolidating power was difficult. Nian Xinyao is just a flat boat in the torrent of history, and it is difficult to escape the limitations of the times.
Those who are proud will fail, and those who are humble will succeed. This is not only Nian Xianyao's life lesson, but also all of us.