Niu Hulu and Shen is a powerful minister in the middle and late Qianlong period is also the first corrupt official in the history of the Qing Dynasty, he was called the "second emperor" of the Qing Dynasty at the peak of his power, and there were many henchmen in the court.
He Shen has so much power and many henchmen, so was there anyone in the court who dared to oppose him at that time? Of course, the answer is yes, but it is not Ji Xiaolan and Liu Yong in the well-known modern TV series "Iron Tooth Bronze Tooth Ji Xiaolan" and "Prime Minister Liu Luoguo" who dare to oppose He Shen.
If you want to find out who dares to go against He Shen in real history, you can first exclude Ji Xiaolan and Liu Yong, in fact, there are really not many people in history who dare to blatantly fight against He Shen, although many people who are honest and dare to impeach He Shen, such as Yushi Qian Feng, were finally killed by He Shen due to the unequal power position. These people are not Heshen's opponents, and the people who can oppose Heshen must be people whose power position is equal to him, and he has nothing to do with others.
At that time, there were only two people who were equal to Heshen's power position and dared to oppose Heshen head-on, one of them was a Manchurian nobleman, and the other was a poor Hanchen scholar.
He Shen was favored by Qianlong, and it was destined that Ji Xiaolan and Liu Yong would not dare to go against him
He Shen was born in a declining Manchurian aristocratic family, and he lived relatively poor when he was a teenager, but when He Shen was 23 years old, he won the appreciation of the Qianlong Emperor with his status as a guard, and since then he has been on the rise.
From then until He Shen was given to die, in just 26 years, He Shen was promoted 47 times, and he went from a guard of honor to a powerful minister of the government and the opposition, which is a miracle in itself.
He Shen has served as a university scholar, a chief university scholar, the minister of military aircraft, the minister of foreman military aircraft, the secretary of the ministry, the secretary of the household department, the secretary of the criminal department, the head of the internal affairs office, the commander of the nine gates, the head of the Hanlin Academy, the president of the Siku Quanshu and other official positions, it can be said that he has been the number one in the important power departments of the entire Qing Dynasty. Just looking at He Shen's resume, it can be seen that Ji Xiaolan and Liu Yong are not at the same level as him at all.
Let's talk about Ji Xiaolan first, his official position at his peak was just a scholar of the Ministry of Rites, a co-organizer of the university, and the title of prince and prince, it seems that Ji Xiaolan's official position is not small, but in fact, Ji Xiaolan's highest official position is just a first-class official.
In the TV series, Ji Xiaolan is called a scholar, in fact, Ji Xiaolan has never been a scholar at all in the Qianlong Dynasty, he is the highest official in the Qianlong Dynasty to the Imperial History of the Left Capital of the Imperial Court and the Book of Rites, these official positions are just from the first grade, until he was dying in his old age, when Qianlong had died, it was Emperor Jiaqing who remembered his old age, so he was promoted to a co-organizer according to seniority, Ji Xiaolan has not officially entered the cabinet in his life
And Ji Xiaolan is not very popular with Qianlong, Qianlong himself has said that he treats Ji Xiaolan just like he cultivates and advocates excellence, "I think you are good at literature, so I lead the four libraries of the whole book, but I really don't want to advocate excellence and accumulate it, so why talk about state affairs in vain!"
Ji Xiaolan has never entered the cabinet or the military aircraft department, and the department he is in charge of can be said to have almost no power, and people like He Shen who have entered both the cabinet and the military aircraft department, the power status of the two can be described as a world of difference. Moreover, Ji Xiaolan once served as the chief official of Siku Quanshu, and as far as He Shen, the president of Siku Quanshu, is concerned, He Shen is his top boss.
Of course, in fact, Ji Xiaolan's official position is already very high, but it is still far worse than He Shen. However, Ji Xiaolan was also one of the very few important ministers of the court at that time who did not attach himself to He Shen, and the absence of attachment does not mean that he dared to go against He Shen, in fact, in history, Ji Xiaolan and He Shen had a very good relationship, and the two often wrote poems to each other.
Let's talk about Liu Yong, he is a second-generation official, his father Liu Tongxun's official position is very large, and many of Heshen's official positions are left over from Liu Tongxun's back then, Liu Tongxun is the most powerful minister in the early and middle period of Qianlong, if you compare Liu Tongxun with Shen, it's just that Liu Yong is not as powerful as his father Liu Tongxun.
Liu Yong's first 25 years as an official were basically in charge of the local government, and the official rank was not high, and he was not transferred to the capital until he was 57 years old to become a cabinet bachelor from the second rank, and then he entered the ranks of high-ranking officials.
Although Liu Yong was at his peak as a scholar of Tirenge, a scholar of the Ministry of Officials, and a prince and Taibao, he did not enter the military aircraft department. Since the establishment of the Military Aircraft Department in the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, there has always been a saying that university scholars who do not enter the Military Aircraft Department are not considered real prime ministers, so Liu Yong's official position and actual power are far worse than He Shen.
According to what Qianlong said when he appointed Liu Yong as a scholar: (Liu Yong) has always refused to do things honestly, and he is quite lazy to walk. I hereby promote this position to this position (Scholar of Tiren Pavilion).
Qianlong's meaning is that there is really no one left, so Liu Yong became a bachelor. It can be seen that Qianlong actually doesn't look down on Liu Yong, so in Qianlong's mind, it is estimated that more than a dozen Liu Yong are not as good as one He Shen.
In fact, Liu Yong in history is quite sleek, not as upright as in the TV series, after He Shen was arrested, it was Liu Yong who suggested that Jiaqing should not expand the scope of involvement, to stabilize the political situation, only kill the first evil and Shen, and the rest of the party will not be investigated, which can be seen that Liu Yong is very sleek as an official.
However, although Liu Yong in history was relatively tactful, he was also one of the very few important ministers who did not attach to He Shen at that time. Just because Jiaqing sent Liu Yong to be responsible for the trial and investigation of Heshen's criminal evidence in history, coupled with Liu Yong's father Liu Tongxun, who was honest and honest and able to make decisions for the people, Liu Yong himself was also fair and honest during his tenure as a magistrate, and was compared to a clean and honest official like Bao Qingtian who enforced the law fairly, so he was mistaken by the people for Liu Yong, who was a father and son and a clean official.
The first person of Heshen's real opponent is definitely Ah Gui, who is in the Qianlong Dynasty
In fact, to say that the strongest opponent of He Shen in the court in history has to be Zhang Jia A Gui, who was born in a Manchurian aristocratic family, whether it is ability, official position or even Qianlong's favor, he must be the head of He Shen, as long as A Gui is alive, then he must be the chief scholar and foreman of the military aircraft, only after the death of A Gui, Qianlong promoted He Shen to become the chief scholar and foreman of the military aircraft, which shows that in Qianlong's mind, A Gui ranks first, and He Shen can only be ranked behind.
Looking at the heyday of Heshen's power in history, there are roughly two stages, namely the forty-ninth year of Qianlong (1784) to the fifty-fourth year of Qianlong (1789) and the second year of Jiaqing (1797), and then look at these two stages, the first stage is that Ah Gui is outside, and the second stage is after Ah Gui's death, so it can be seen from the heyday of He Shen's power that as long as Ah Gui is in the court, He Shen has to be inferior to him.
The reason why Ah Gui's ability to beat He Shen is mainly because of his family background and outstanding military exploits, Ah Gui's family background is very high, much higher than He Shen, his father is the old minister of the Kang Yongqian Three Dynasties to the co-founder of the university scholar, the Zuodu Imperial History of Acton. And Ah Gui's official position is better than the blue, far exceeding his father Acton's original official position.
Not only is he from a high family background, Ah Gui is also very capable, originally Ah Gui could rely on his father Actun's Yin En to directly enter the official career as the Dali Temple, but in order to prove his strength to the outside world, Ah Gui refused to accept his father's Yin En as an official, but step by step by participating in the imperial examination to enter the official career.
Ah Gui entered the official career by participating in the imperial examination, which impressed Qianlong, and since then, Ah Gui has won Qianlong's attention, and his career has been smooth sailing.
And Qianlong valued Ah Gui not only because he had literary talent and was able to pass the imperial examination, but also because his ability was very comprehensive, both civil and military, he had commanded the army many times, and made great contributions to Qianlong's ten perfect martial arts.
A Gui turned into a military general as a civil minister, he successively helped Qianlong to quell the Jinchuan rebellion, pacify Xinjiang, pacify Taiwan, pacify the Muslim rebellion, pacify the Gurkha, and participate in the Qing Dynasty's crusade against Burma.
It can be said that Ah Gui made great military achievements in the Qianlong Dynasty, he consolidated national unity, and also maintained the territorial integrity of China's territory, not only made great contributions to the Qianlong Dynasty, but also made great contributions to later generations of China, and it is not an exaggeration to call him a national hero.
Therefore, the Agui family has a relatively high background, such excellent and comprehensive ability, and outstanding military exploits, how can Qianlong not respect him. Therefore, Qianlong crowned him as a first-class honest and heroic duke, you must know that in the Qing Dynasty, the duke with the title of four-character is very rare, as far as the duke title is concerned, He Shen is only a first-class loyal duke, and the gold content of this title is far worse than that of A Gui.
In contrast, He Shen is only good at dealing with economic issues and government affairs and cannot lead the army, so he is naturally inferior to Ah Gui, who is both civil and military, in Qianlong's mind. It was only because Ah Gui had been leading the army outside all the year round that he had the opportunity to become bigger and stronger in the imperial court.
After the fifty-fourth year of Qianlong, Ah Gui basically stopped commanding the army, but at that time He Shen was already full of wings and huge power, and Ah Gui was already old and frail at that time, even if he wanted to fight with He Shen, his body did not allow it, so he was not enough.
But even so, He Shen was always respectful and respectful in front of Ah Gui, and he didn't dare to be presumptuous, for no other reason, just because Ah Gui was still his boss in terms of his official position.
And Ah Gui looks down on He Shen very much, you must know that Ah Gui is a person with real talent and learning, but he is on the throne with his true ability, so he looks down on He Shen who is a person who relies on his whiskers and horses and figuring out Qianlong's thoughts to gain favor.
Every time in the morning court, Ah Gui should be next to He Shen when he stands in line, but he disdains to be with He Shen, so he deliberately keeps a distance from He Shen and stands far away every time he is in the morning court. Usually He Shen asked him to discuss official business, but he behaved very perfunctory, he disdained to be with He Shen in his heart, and even disdained to communicate with He Shen.
So Ah Gui is the opponent who really makes He Shen jealous and doesn't dare to provoke, after all, Ah Gui can enter the phase, his ability is too strong, so his position in Qianlong's mind is difficult to shake, and He Shen naturally has to be jealous of him, and he has to be restrained in front of him.
The only person in Hanchen who dared to confront He Shen head-on and made him afraid of three points was the champion Wang Jie
When He Shen was at the peak of his power, many ministers in the court were attached to him, even the literati who prided themselves on being clear were also attached to him, in fact, it was very rare for some Qingliu scholars to be like Ji Xiaolan and Liu Yong without being attached to He Shen, let alone directly confronting him.
In the Qianlong period, some honest literati like Qian Feng dared to confront He Shen head-on, and as a result, they were persecuted and died by He Shen. And the only Qingliu Wenchen of the Han nationality who really dared to confront He Shen head-on and made He Shen jealous was Wang Jie.
Wang Jie is a native of Hancheng, Shaanxi, he lost his father when he was eight years old, and his family was very poor, but he was still tireless in learning and did not drop out of school because of his family's poverty. Later, he was promoted in the examination, but he was not in a hurry to take the Jinshi examination, but threw himself into the Jiangsu Governor Chen Hongmou as a staff master, and earned a sum of money for his mother to retire in the township, so he went to Beijing to take the Jinshi examination.
When Chen Hongmou was under the door, Chen Hongmou appreciated Wang Jie very much, because his handwriting was very beautiful, so Chen Hongmou often asked him to draft the folds on his behalf, and over time Qianlong knew that Chen Hongmou's staff master Wang Jie wrote beautifully, and Qianlong also liked Wang Jie's words.
Later, Wang Jie went to Beijing to participate in the imperial examination and won the jinshi, when he ranked third in the written examination, when he met Qianlong in the imperial palace, Qianlong recognized his font, Qianlong saw that Wang Jie's article was about the same level as the first place in the written examination, and Wang Jie's handwriting was more beautiful, plus the Qing Dynasty since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Shaanxi Province has never produced the champion of the imperial examination, so Qianlong appointed Wang Jie as the champion of this year, and Wang Jie became the first Shaanxi champion since the founding of the Qing Dynasty.
Because Wang Jie is old, mature, and very literate, and is honest and fair, is a righteous and upright person, so he has been valued and appreciated by Qianlong after he won the top prize, and his career was smooth sailing, and at the age of 31, he became the right capital of the imperial history from a product, and later he went all the way to the East Pavilion University Scholar, the Minister of Military Aircraft, the Ministry of Rites, and the chief master of the study.
If Qianlong is favored by Heshen, then he respects Wang Jie, Wang Jie was responsible for teaching Emperor Jiaqing, who was still the prince, to read, when Wang Jie was the chief master of the study, Jiaqing had a book that he always couldn't understand, so Wang Jie got angry, taught Jiaqing a strict lesson, and punished Jiaqing to kneel.
It happened that Qianlong was passing by the study at that time and saw Wang Jie's corporal punishment of Jiaqing, so Qianlong became angry, Qianlong thought that my son I asked him to kneel, why did you Wang Jie let him kneel. Therefore, Qianlong immediately asked Jiaqing to stand up, and said to Wang Jie that Jiaqing is a nobleman of Tianhuang, whether you teach him or not, he will have a chance to become an emperor in the future, and you are now against the way of the monarch and minister.
Wang Jie directly replied to Qianlong: "The teacher is Yao Shun, and the person who does not teach is the way of the teacher." ”
Wang Jie's meaning is that if Jiaqing is educated well, he will be the same eternal monarch as Yao Shun in the future, if he does not educate Jiaqing well, then he is likely to be like the eternal monarch in the future, not recognizing his identity, only recognizing education, this is his way of being a teacher.
Qianlong thought it was true after hearing this, so he let Jiaqing kneel down again to be punished, and since then Qianlong admired Wang Jie's personality very much, and Jiaqing was also under the influence of Wang Jie, and hated Heshen as a corrupt official, which laid the foundation for Jiaqing's death after he was in power.
So it can be seen from these that Qianlong has more respect for Wang Jie in his heart, and what he respects is Wang Jie's integrity and backbone.
And Wang Jie also hates He Shen very much, he never takes He Shen in his eyes, and often ridicules and ridicules He Shen on some public occasions, and even makes He Shen unable to get off the stage. In fact, Ji Xiaolan in the TV series "Iron Tooth and Bronze Tooth Ji Xiaolan" ridiculed and ridiculed the image of He Shen is the most appropriate to use on Wang Jie.
Because of Qianlong's respect and trust for Wang Jie, it was difficult for He Shen to retaliate against Wang Jie, so He Shen, who was always ridiculed and ridiculed by Wang Jie, later changed his routine to curry favor with Wang Jie. Once after the dispersal of the dynasty, He Shen went to curry favor with Wang Jie in public, deliberately took Wang Jie's hand and said: "Zhuang Yuanlang's hand is different from others, this hand is delicate and smooth, it's really good." ”
Wang Jie directly replied to He Shen in public and said: "What's so good that I can't make money with this broken hand?"
After this conversation, Wang Jie directly put He Shen's gray face and couldn't get off the stage in public, but even if He Shen hated Wang Jie very much, he couldn't retaliate against Wang Jie, because Wang Jie was extremely upright, so he had no handle to be caught by He Shen.
Later, Qianlong died and Jiaqing was in power, and Jiaqing announced the twenty major crimes of Heshen, and the person responsible for investigating and trying Heshen was Wang Jie, when Jiaqing sent Wang Jie and Liu Yong together with Qianlong's eleventh son, Prince Cheng, Yongying, to investigate and try Heshen.
It can be said that Wang Jie is more of a headache for He Shen than Ah Gui, Ah Gui is old after all, although he looks down on He Shen, but he is powerless to deal with He Shen, and Wang Jie is upright, honest and honest for officials, and dares to let He Shen not come to the stage in person, and He Shen has no way to retaliate against him afterwards, this is the person who gives He Shen the most headache.
After all, Ah Gui never lived with Heshen, and Wang Jie had a long lifespan and had been fighting with Heshen to the end, and finally Wang Jie ushered in Jiaqing's pro-government, and in the end, it was Wang Jie who personally sent Bai Aya to Heshen and personally sent Heshen to Huangquan Road.
After He Shen was given death, Wang Jie continued to be reused by Jiaqing, Wang Jie took over the position of He Shen, and was honored by Jiaqing as the first auxiliary minister, until the ninth year of Jiaqing (1804), Wang Jie died at the age of 80, Jiaqing personally wrote a mourning poem to Wang Jie, calling it "two sleeves of the breeze, not afraid of the powerful; noble conduct, dare to rebuke evil".
Write at the end
In fact, during the Qianlong Dynasty, in addition to A Gui and Wang Jie, there were also some important ministers who did not attach to Heshen, such as Fukangan, the son of the famous general Fu Heng, Dong Huan, a university scholar and minister of military aircraft, and Zhu Qi, the teacher of Jiaqing, the governor of Liangguang, and so on.
However, like Fukangan, he only competed with He Shen for favor, and was not completely regarded as He Shen's opponent, and he was extravagant, and his official character and character were not very good; while Dong Huan secretly opposed He Shen, and did not dare to let He Shen not come to the stage in person like Wang Jie; Zhu Jue initially dared to confront He Shen head-on, but was framed by He Shen several times, first exiled as the governor of Liangguang, and then demoted by He Shen to the governor of Anhui, from then on Zhu Jue knew that He Shen was powerful, and did not dare to confront him head-on, he also taught Jiaqing not to have a conflict with He Shen head-on, and must endure until the death of Qianlong and then clean up Heshen。
Therefore, the only people who really dare to confront He Shen are Ah Gui and Wang Jie, Ah Gui is because of his highest official position, he is the head of the hundred officials, and he has military merits and prestige, so even if he looks down on He Shen very much, and He Shen has to be afraid of him.
In fact, the most headache for He Shen is Wang Jie, because Wang Jie is an upright official and has a noble character, even if he unscrupulously ridicules and ridicules He Shen, he can't catch his handle, and he has no way to take him.
Of course, in fact, if you want to talk about Heshen's most powerful opponent, it has to be Emperor Jiaqing himself, Jiaqing was influenced by Wang Jie and Zhu Jue and others before he ascended the throne, and hated Heshen as a corrupt official, and after Jiaqing ascended the throne, Qianlong overlooked Jiaqing by reusing Heshen during his reign, so Jiaqing's hatred for Heshen could not be resolved, so in the end, only half a month after Qianlong's death, Jiaqing couldn't wait to give Heshen to death.
References: "Qing Historical Manuscript", "Qing Shilu"
Text/Kojima Chifu
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