In the history of the Qing Dynasty, there is one place that was feared, and that is the Ninggu Pagoda. Located in the corner of the Great Northeast, the climate is extremely harsh, but it plays an important role in the land of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Its history is hundreds of years old, and its name often makes people feel changed.
In 1616, the Qing Dynasty Emperor Nur Hachi built the old city of Ningguta on the south bank of the Hailang River, a tributary of the left bank of the Songhua River, in the territory of present-day Hailin City. After the completion of Ninguta City, Nurhachi sent troops to garrison, and it became an important town in the northeastern frontier. However, its history is not limited to the city, it also carries more stories.
In the fifth year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1666), the then auxiliary minister Ao Bai was ordered by the Kangxi Emperor to rebuild Ningguta City, which is the new Ningguta City in the present-day Ning'an City, on the site of the former capital of the Bohai State in Shangjing Longquan Fu. The establishment of this new city marks another important stage in the historical process of Ninguta.
As early as the Nurhachi era, he established the governor of Ninguta and became the highest military and political governor in the region. However, over time, Ninguta became the focus of Russian harassment, and the Kangxi Emperor ordered the removal of Ninguta as the governor of Ninguta and replaced it with a general of Ninguta to strengthen military power. During the Kangxi Dynasty, the status of General Ningguta was elevated to the rank of military attaché of Zhengyipin.
General Ninguta's duties included maintaining the security of the border, especially against the aggression of Tsarist Russia. In order to facilitate the command of military operations in the rear, General Ninguta's station was moved from Ningguta New Town to today's Jilin City, Jilin Province. During the Qianlong period, General Ninguta's official name was changed to General of Jilin, and his rank was downgraded from Zhengyipin to Congnipin, and his authority covered the entire province of Jilin and the Ninguta region.
Ninguta is geographically remote and has a harsh climate. In an era when there were no modern heating and down jackets, living conditions in the Ninguta area were extremely difficult. Even after Kangxi successfully repelled the invasion of Tsarist Russia, border frictions still occurred frequently in the Ninguta area, which became the preferred place for exiled prisoners in the Qing Dynasty.
However, what scared Qing prisoners the most was not the harsh climate or remote location of Ninguta, but the difficult road to Ninguta and the fate of being enslaved there. Imagine prisoners walking thousands of kilometers, wearing shackles and enduring torture along the way. This road can almost be said to be a road of nine deaths.
And once they reach Ninguta, the prisoners become slaves of the armored people. The Armor-Wearing People are an identity in the Eight Flags system, and they are given the task of managing and reclaiming the Ninguta area. The prisoners will work for the armored people, with no dignity at all. Male prisoners are usually engaged in heavy physical labour, while female prisoners become maids in armor and some are even sexually assaulted.
However, after the Kangxi period, the armored people in the Ninguta area gradually improved the treatment of prisoners. Literate prisoners were assigned to teach teachers, intelligent prisoners assisted the armored men in commercial activities, and only prisoners with limited skills were engaged in heavy physical labor.
This change is mainly due to the Ninguta general Sabusu, a Jurchen born and raised in Ninguta. He actively developed the Ninguta region, advocated the development of culture, education, commerce and agriculture, and bravely resisted the invasion of Tsarist Russia on the battlefield, killed the governor of Tsarist Russia, Tolbuzin, won the Battle of Yaksa between China and Russia, and forced Russia to sign the Treaty of Nebuchu with the Qing Dynasty.
The history of the Ninguta region is a history full of legends and blood and tears. Its name is terrifying, its climate is daunting, and the road to it is full of hardships and dangers. To this day, its story still shines in our history.