Kangxi, the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, was revered as the "Holy Ancestor" and ruled for 61 years. During his reign, he quelled the rebellion of the three feudatories, recovered Taiwan, resisted foreign invasions, and implemented a series of reforms...... Undoubtedly, he was a wise monarch with outstanding achievements. However, if you take a closer look at Kangxi's ruling methods, you will find what kind of dark and cruel side is hidden behind this "benevolent monarch"? Violent repression, wanton massacres, and literary prisons...... Is it really worthy of the reputation of "Emperor of the Ages"?
1. Bloody slaughter for the benefit of the tribe
During the Kangxi period, in order to suppress the rebels, the Qing court repeatedly carried out barbaric massacres against defenseless people, especially the "forbidden sea" policy after the pacification of the rebellion of the three feudatories and the recovery of Taiwan.
In 1673, anti-Qing peasant uprisings initiated by Wu Sangui and others broke out in Yunnan, Guizhou and other places. Kangxi personally supervised the division, and after eight years of bloody battles, he finally pacified the three feudatories in 1681. However, the war has brought untold suffering to the local population. According to historical records, Sichuan and other places were slaughtered by the Qing army after the "Dangping", and the originally densely populated areas were "inferior to those of a county in other provinces".
In addition, the Qing army also committed atrocities against Jiangxi and other regions in the process of quelling the turmoil, and Cao Dingxin, the magistrate of Liuyang, complained bitterly: "Wang Shihe was angry, the whole army was wiped out, the jade was inseparable, the old and the young died from the blade, the women and children were all prisoners, the bones were all over the field, and the people had no kinds." "The large-scale massacre turned the originally rich Jiangnan into a human purgatory.
After the recovery of Taiwan, in order to defend against the restoration of Zheng Jing, the Qing court implemented the notorious "forbidden sea" policy in the coastal areas, moved the coastal residents from their homes, and gave a three-day time trip to "raze the land and empty the people". Violators are resolutely "killed without mercy". Due to the short time limit and the atrocities of the Qing army, hundreds of thousands of people died in the eight counties of eastern Guangdong, and millions of people were forced to relocate. What kind of poisonous hands these singing and weeping creatures have suffered is really shocking!
Not only that, but Kangxi's methods were equally cruel when suppressing other resistance forces. Kangxi often cracked down dissidents and dissidents, whether it was physical or mental destruction. This is tantamount to imposing a kind of "white terror" rule on the people.
2. Greed and plunder give rise to new social contradictions
Although Kangxi implemented the wise policy of "never increasing taxes" during his reign, he secretly imposed miscellaneous taxes, which increased the burden of servitude on the peasants. At the same time, the phenomenon of the children of the Eight Banners staking land and land being plundered became increasingly serious during the Kangxi period, which intensified the ethnic antagonism that already existed between the Han and the Manchus.
At the beginning of the succession, in order to restore the national strength, Kangxi issued an edict to "never increase the endowment" to reduce the burden of servitude on the peasants. However, with the increase in war expenditures, the financial expenditures of the imperial court continued to rise. In order to make up for the deficit, Kangxi had to increase the burden on the peasants in disguise, secretly levy all kinds of miscellaneous taxes and exacting taxes. According to historical records, the peasants at that time had to pay taxes four or five times a year, such as "paying for the endowment, Datong noodles, water and fire donations, keeping the right money, and conscription money".
At the same time, with the acquiescence of Kangxi, the children of the Eight Banners frantically occupied the people's land, seriously damaging the productivity of the peasants. According to statistics, during the Kangxi period, there were eight banners covering an area of more than 20 million mu in Henan Province alone, and the counties of Jiyuan and Shangqiu that suffered from this disaster were almost plundered. The Qing court turned a blind eye to this, causing the local Han people to complain.
To make matters worse, the children of the Eight Banners did not really farm, but rented the land to the peasants, and had to collect high rents from the tenants every year, and the peasants were doubly oppressed. In some places, the landlords have even exploited it to the point of "one mu and six stones," with the result that the peasants cannot even maintain food and clothing.
In the face of such serious plunder, the court's inaction was tantamount to connivance, which exacerbated the contradictions and antagonism between the Han and the Manchus. In Henan, Shandong and other places, peasant uprisings caused by land issues occurred one after another, and the turbulent situation continued until the Yongzheng period.
In addition to plundering land, Kangxi also treated Han and Manchu differentiates in legal status, advocating "Manchu and Han partition". For example, when Han people were wronged and wanted to appeal to the imperial court, not only were the procedures complicated and unsustainable, but even if they were able to enter Beijing, they were often suppressed and attacked, resulting in nowhere to redress their grievances. In contrast, the Manchus were favored by the law. This unequal policy has undoubtedly deepened the rift between the two peoples.
3. Personal tyranny and tyranny undermine cultural and educational undertakings
In order to consolidate the autocratic rule of the individual, Kangxi severely suppressed intellectuals and dissident thoughts, launched literary prisons, banned private schools, and reformed the imperial examination system, which brought serious damage to the cultural and educational undertakings.
Although Kangxi formulated some cultural and educational policies during his reign, such as the rebuilding of the Siku Quanshu and the establishment of the Guozijian, he was deeply wary of intellectuals and dissident ideas out of the needs of personal autocratic rule. For the last 30 years of his reign, the literati of the ruling and opposition had to make a difficult choice between freedom of expression and personal safety.
At the beginning of Kangxi's ascension to the throne, he was influenced by the enlightened ideas of the time and was more tolerant of speech. But as his reign progressed, his tolerance for critical voices gradually diminished. In 1679, the famous thinker Huang Zongxi was severely investigated by Kangxi for his criticism of the Manchu rule in his book "Ming Yi to be Interviewed", thus opening the prelude to the Qing court's literary prison.
In 1698, the famous "Sanyu" literary prison case occurred. At that time, based on Confucianism, scholars questioned Kangxi's practice of "dominating the world", believing that it violated the principle of "Yixia's defense", and as a result, Kangxi was sentenced to death on the charge of "alarmism", and even beaten to death. This is undoubtedly a serious suppression of freedom of thought.
In the face of the shrinking of freedom of speech, some ideological emancipators are still privately fighting for the freedom of private school education, hoping to disseminate new ideas and new knowledge through non-governmental channels. However, in 1689, in order to prevent dissident ideas from taking root among the people, Kangxi promulgated a policy of banning private schools, and this kind of liberal education activities among the people were stifled.
In the field of education, Kangxi also reformed the imperial examination system, increased the examination of Sinology, and abolished the subjects of students, and directly participated in the Jinshi examination. On the surface, this move seemed to be aimed at attaching importance to Sinology, but in fact it exacerbated the contradictions and antagonism between Han and Manchu officials and affected the spread and development of cultural undertakings.
Fourth, crazy feathers cut the power of the feudal dynasty
In order to strengthen the centralization of power and consolidate the rule of individual autocracy, Kangxi frantically cut the power of the old feudal dynasty during his reign. On the one hand, he took the opportunity to cut down the feudal domain to sweep away dissident forces, and on the other hand, he strengthened his control over the local area, further suppressing the power of the aristocracy.
The rebellion of the three feudatories made Kangxi realize the threat of the vassal king. In order to avoid future troubles, he let out a vicious breath after quelling the chaos. In 1683, Kangxi ordered the abolition of the original princes, re-approved the titles and titles of the kings, and greatly reduced the sphere of influence of the royal family. Some vassal kings were reduced to dukes and marquises, and some were simply deprived of the qualifications of heirs. Even princes are no exception, such as the famous Kangxi uncle Lan Xien, who was demoted from prince to Baylor.
This drastic "cut" not only caused many vassal kings to lose their reign and greatly damaged their strength, but even some princes who made small mistakes were also reduced and canceled to varying degrees. According to statistics, as many as 46 people were revoked by Kangxi at that time, and the entire royal family basically collapsed.
After cutting the feudal domain, Kangxi pointed the finger at the local government. In the last 30 years of his reign, almost every important local official took office before the imperial court to show that the position of the monarch and the minister was different. Kangxi also issued several edicts, emphasizing the absolute obedience of local officials to the imperial court, "but obeying the orders of the emperor", in order to strengthen the central government's control over the localities.
In order to further consolidate the centralization of power, Kangxi also imposed strict control on the aristocracy to prevent them from dereliction of duty and corruption. At that time, a nobleman named Prince Zheng was found for corruption and bribery, and Kangxi not only did not show mercy, but dismissed him from his post and assigned him, which fully demonstrated his determination to "fight corruption with an iron fist" in the elite group.
Militarily, Kangxi also tried his best to suppress the power of the aristocratic group. The Manchurian nobles of the Eight Banners were originally the supreme military commanders of the Qing Dynasty, and in order to consolidate their military power, Kangxi concentrated all the military and political power of the Eight Banners Army into the hands of the emperor, and appointed Han people to lead the Manchurian bannermen. Although the Manchurian aristocracy was hit hard, they could only obey forcibly.
Fifth, the hideous face of Kangxi's tyranny is clearly revealed
From violent massacres to exorbitant taxes, suppression of dissent to suppression of culture and education, a series of measures implemented during Kangxi's reign all show his hideous face as a tyrannical dictator. Such a dark and cruel method of ruling is contrary to the good name of the "prosperous era of Kangqian".
The so-called "prosperous Kangqian era" was nothing more than a hypocritical show by the Qing court in order to whitewash its own rule. Historically, Kangxi has forged the illusion of "lenienity" many times, but secretly acted viciously. For example, he claimed that he "loved his people like sons", but in fact he wantonly slaughtered unarmed civilians; He claimed to have revitalized Han culture, but in fact he strictly guarded against dissident ideas and speeches, and severely suppressed cultural undertakings.
Even contemporary people of insight have seen through this kind of hypocritical showmanship. The famous thinker Huang Zongxi once criticized Kangxi in his writings for "enduring the name of thieves and committing crimes to the great discipline of the country"; Wang Fuzhi bluntly said that Kangxi "kills people like mowing grass", and he is by no means a "holy monarch". It can be seen that in the face of this "tyrannical politics" that divides the people, Kangxi's reputation has long been swept away among the people.
In the late reign of Kangxi, the Qing Dynasty had already experienced a decline from which it was difficult to return. The land grabbing of the children of the Eight Banners is serious, which leads to the increasing economic poverty of the peasants and the intensification of social contradictions. The antagonism between the Manchus and the Han deepened, and the ethnic hatred was difficult to solve; The cause of culture and education has been hit hard, and there is no way to talk about freedom of thought...... All these disasters can be said to be the fuse caused by Kangxi's brutal rule.
Although on the surface, Kangxi was a good manager and strict in discipline, the hidden dangers in society caused by his brutal style were profound, and they sowed the root cause for the decline of the Qing Dynasty. It is not difficult to imagine that if the successor does not turn things around in time, the accumulation of difficulties in the Qing Dynasty will be an inevitable end.