In 1869, Ding Baozhen, the governor of Shandong, did a very beautiful thing: he killed An Dehai, a big red man in front of Empress Dowager Cixi.
Anderhay was murdered, and naturally blamed himself. Ding Baozhen dared to kill him, but he was not hot-headed and impulsive. After Ding Baozhen entered the army in 1853, he had been in the official arena for 16 years, and he could be regarded as an "old oiler", how could he not know the huge risks involved in killing Andehai? This matter is slightly difficult, his own life is difficult to protect, and if he is not good, he will set off a bloody storm.
The reason why Ding Baozhen dared to kill Andehai was because of the support of three big people.
The first was Empress Dowager Ci'an.
Empress Dowager Ci'an and Empress Dowager Cixi jointly bowed to the government and were the helmsmen of the country. Empress Dowager Ci'an did not hold power tightly in her hands due to her personality, insight, and other reasons, so the real power was in the hands of Empress Dowager Cixi. However, Empress Dowager Ci'an was by no means a dispensable, honest and useless empress dowager, and on many important issues, Empress Dowager Cixi had to consult Empress Dowager Ci'an and could not make any claims.
After Receiving Empress Dowager Cixi's favor, An Dehai acted recklessly in the inner court, bullied others, and even added oil and vinegar between Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Dowager Ci'an to manipulate right and wrong. All this, Empress Dowager Ci'an saw in her eyes, endured without sending it, and waited for An Dehai to seek her own death.
The second was the Tongzhi Emperor.
When the Tongzhi Emperor grew up, he was more playful, and sometimes even sneaked out of the palace. In order to curry favor with Empress Dowager Cixi, An Dehai made a small report in front of Empress Dowager Cixi, causing the Tongzhi Emperor to be punished and disgraced. The Tongzhi Emperor hated An Dehai to the bone and had long wanted to kill him, but An Dehai was too overwhelmed to notice.
The third was Prince Gong Yixuan.
Prince Gong was the biological son of the Daoguang Emperor and the half-brother of the Xianfeng Emperor, and had great prestige both inside and outside the imperial court. However, An Dehai was fighting for Empress Dowager Cixi's re-election and did not take Prince Gong seriously.
On one occasion, An Dehai even provoked Hanlin Cai Shouqi to impeach Prince Gong. Empress Dowager Cixi took advantage of the problem to play a role, except for maintaining the title of prince, all other posts were abolished, and once they were swept to the end, "there is no need to discuss politics at the military plane, remove all messengers, and are not allowed to interfere in public affairs." Although Prince Gong was soon reinstated as an official, the blow was unforgettable for him.
Ding Baozhen's killing of An Dehai was also the result of the combined efforts of Empress Dowager Ci'an, Emperor Tongzhi, Prince Gong, and others.
After An Dehai left the capital, Empress Dowager Ci'an immediately made the first arrangement. She knew that after Ding Baozhen captured Andehai, she would definitely report to the imperial court. Ding Baozhen's performance must not be seen by Empress Dowager Cixi, otherwise she will abandon her previous achievements. To this end, she took advantage of empress dowager Cixi's frequent illness during that time and proposed that the Tongzhi Emperor watch the recital at Yikun Palace and study political affairs. Empress Dowager Cixi agreed.
When An Dehai came to Ding Baozhen's territory, Ding Baozhen immediately sent someone to capture him and immediately reported it to the imperial court. The song was quickly sent to the capital and entered the military plane. Prince Gong, the minister of the foreman of the military plane, sent it to the Tongzhi Emperor overnight, and the Tongzhi Emperor understood the spirit and issued an edict:
"The eunuch went away without permission, and there were all kinds of illegal things, and if he did not punish them severely, why did he follow the example by forbidding the palace?" Ding Baozhen quickly dispatched a commissioner to the local area where he belonged, and the eunuch surnamed Liupin Lan Ling'an was strictly investigated, so that the retinue and other witnesses pointed out that the evidence was true, and that they could correct the law on the spot without interrogation, and were not allowed to let them be cunning. If the eunuch heard the wind and turned back to the straight realm, that is, Zeng Guofan was one and strictly took the Fa. If there is any negligence, but the overseer is to ask, and his followers and other traces of bandits, and severely punish them separately, there is no need to do any more requests. ”
The four words of "Fa-rectification on the spot" made Anderhai die.
On August 7, 1869, Ding Baozhen personally verified the body and executed An Dehai in Jinan, Shandong. At this time, it had only been 5 days since Anderhay was arrested.
After Empress Dowager Cixi heard the news, An Dehai had already been executed, and even if she had the heart to rescue, she could not do anything. Of course, the wise Empress Dowager Cixi would not tear her face off with Empress Dowager Ci'an, Emperor Tongzhi, Prince Gong, Ding Baozhen, and others for the sake of a eunuch. Therefore, Ding Baozhen was not punished. Many years later, he was promoted to governor of Sichuan.
A sensational "murder of Anderhai" incident came to an end.
[References: Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Jade Bead Curtain, etc.]