Preface
In the long river of history, the Qing Dynasty's powerful minister Nian Qianyao was like a dazzling meteor, crossing the sky, leaving a breathtaking brilliance, but it was also destined for his rise and fall legend. The astonishing story from glory to decline is like a magnificent historical picture, showing us a grand epic of power struggle and shattered dreams of glory.
Nian Qianyao, with an extraordinary background, entered the pinnacle of power in the Qing Dynasty, but in his life, countless glory and setbacks were intertwined in the loom of fate. From his glory days to the brink of decline, his fate is like an unpredictable storm that has led him into a dizzying whirlpool of power schemes.
This powerful minister has left a deep imprint in the long river of history, and his story of rise and fall is full of the bitterness of power schemes, the brilliance of glory, and the vicissitudes of the times. Through this thrilling historical saga, we may be able to get a glimpse of the human weakness behind the conspiracy, and feel the loneliness and pain under power.
Let's embark on this journey of the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty's powerful ministers, explore that changing era, and understand the deep meaning of history.
Visitors from the DPRK and China, regardless of their origins
The story takes place in the late Kangxi and early years of the Qing Dynasty, when the Qing Empire was vast and at the height of its national strength. And Nian Qianyao was born in an unknown family of Han Army bannermen.
Nian Qianyao has been clever and intelligent since he was a child, diligent and studious, and at the age of 16, he entered the county school to study, and stood out in the county examination. He understood that the only way to change his destiny was to enter the official career through the imperial examination. Since then, Nian Qianyao has been aiming for Jinshi and the first, and has been immersed in reading day and night. He is eager to enter the court that only values talent through his own efforts, so that he can also display his ambitions even if he is born poor.
After years of hard study, Nian Qianyao finally shined in the imperial examination, entered the high school jinshi, and entered the bright court. His talent and efforts were soon recognized, and he gradually assumed official positions. In the handling of government affairs, Nian Qianyao is confident and well versed in the laws of the country; In foreign-related affairs, he is resolute and resolute, and he responds quickly.
Soon, Nian Qianyao used his talent to stabilize his position in the court. In Kangxi's later years, he was already one of the high-profile ministers, and he was appreciated and trusted by the emperor. Far away, however, in the northwest, new unrest is already brewing.
Pacify the northwest and break the enemy
In 1720, the Mongol leader Lobzang Tenzin launched a large-scale rebellion in the northwest, which took two years for the Qing court to repel. And just three years later, Lobzang Tenzin once again raised the banner against the Qing Dynasty, and the situation was on the verge of breaking out.
At this time, Kangxi died and Yongzheng ascended the throne. At the beginning of the new emperor's accession to the throne, the situation in the northwest was turbulent and wars broke out again, which was a good time to achieve great causes and stabilize the territory. So Yongzheng appointed Nian Qianyao as the general and led the army to suppress the rebels of Luobzang Danjin.
In this battle, Nian Qianyao was well versed in the complex terrain of the northwest mountains, and adopted the strategy of "dividing the way and going deep and smashing its lair", and annihilated and dispersed the main rebel force with lightning speed. In just half a year, the battle ended in a complete victory for the Qing army. Nian Qianyao also rose to fame for his efforts to pacify the northwest, and was awarded the title of first-class duke, and was appointed governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, the important task of controlling the northwest stronghold.
But behind this seemingly brilliant thing, what is hidden is the arrogance and ambition that are gradually expanding in the depths of Nian Qianyao's heart.
Arrogant and complacent
In the victory of this battle, Nian Qianyao made great contributions and was highly praised by the emperor. However, it is common for the Lord to be high-spirited. Nian Qianyao also leaned to one side because of this, and there was no one in his eyes more and more.
He is no longer as modest and polite as before, but crosses his eyebrows coldly, and he has begun to look at the monarch in the court, and even in front of Yongzheng, he has no scruples to look at him, which is terrifying. Yongzheng was also quite dissatisfied with his rude behavior.
In addition to his arrogant and domineering demeanor, Nian Qianyao also became more and more ambiguous in his correspondence with Yongzheng, and did not shy away from pointing fingers at the emperor's decision-making. This made Yongzheng faintly resentful.
The power leans towards the government and the opposition, and the ambition is exposed
In addition to his disrespectful attitude, Nian Qianyao also secretly formed a party in the court to exclude dissidents. He incorporated protégés, old people and others for his own use, intrigued with them, formed a small group in the court, and even wanted to split the court and seize greater real power.
Among them, Nian Qianyao's two henchmen are particularly eye-catching. One is his nephew Nian Xikun, who made meritorious contributions on the battlefield and later served as a commander and a general; One was a protégé Zhang Tingyu, who later became a powerful minister during the Yongzheng period. It is conceivable that the network power formed by such a small group is enough to influence the government and pose a threat to the imperial power.
During his tenure as governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Nian Qianyao also used his power to loot wealth on a large scale, and his corruption has long been exposed. Yongzheng once sent his confidant Qi Biaojia to the northwest to inspect and try to spy on the signs of Nian Qianyao. And Nian Qianyao also held a grudge against Qi Biaojia from then on, and the two formed a bond. This also laid the groundwork for Qi Biaojia's participation in the fight against Nian Qianyao in the future.
At this point, Nian Qianyao's power in the court has reached its peak, but the exposure of his ambition has also made him gradually wary of the emperor. The peak of power leads to destruction in a single thought.
Set yourself on fire and bring about your own destruction
At the beginning of Yongzheng's succession, in order to stabilize the imperial power, he tried to win over Nian Qianyao and give him a prominent position, but Nian Qianyao's deep-rooted arrogance and ambition were difficult to reinin. When the new monarch ascended the throne, he still went his own way and was lawless, which finally made Yongzheng completely lose trust in him.
So after consolidating the regime for a few years, Yongzheng set out to attack Nian Qianyao. He first took back Nian Qianyao's military power in one fell swoop, making him lose his grip in the army; then instructed the ministers to write a letter of impeachment, listing Nian Qianyao's various crimes in the court; In the end, 92 counts were convicted, and Nian Qianyao was ordered to die. The process is crisp and neat, and there is no trace of Kangxi's trust and grace to Nian Qianyao back then.
And Nian Qianyao's henchmen were not spared, and all of them were purged. Nian Xikun was given death, and Zhang Tingyu was relegated to the distance. The empire of power established by Nian Qianyao was wiped out. He also ushered in his own end at the peak of power.
epilogue
As the old saying goes: Those who are unrighteous and rich will be defeated. Nian Qianyao leaned towards the government and the opposition for a while, and took power autocraticly, but in the end, he was planted on the vanity and greedy desire for power.
We should not covet the fame that comes with power, let alone abuse the power in our hands. Only by being humble and restraining selfish desires can we not lose ourselves on the road to success, thus setting ourselves on fire and destroying ourselves.
Nian Qianyao's life is full of legends, but the final ending is a tragic ending. This is the negative lesson of power, and there is also a profound warning to awaken us not to forget our original intention and self-respect.