The Kangxi Emperor Ai XinJue Luo Xuan Ye, known as the Emperor of the Ages, was one of the most well-known emperors in China. Historically, Kangxi has always been known for its generosity and wisdom. During his 61-year reign, Kangxi worked hard to save China from the chaos of war, thus opening the prelude to the prosperity of Kangqian.
On the Manchu issue, scholars have always believed that Kangxi was able to treat the Manchus and Han Chinese equally to a certain extent. Kangxi understood that the Manchus, who were in a disadvantaged population, wanted to rule the Han people, not only with the hegemony of bows and horses, but also with the royal way, especially to appease the Han scholars and masters, so that they would be satisfied.
Therefore, Kangxi implemented a set of Sinicization measures, such as honoring Kong, kneeling to pay homage to the Ming Tomb, repairing the Shi Kefa Ancestral Hall, reusing the Han Xiong Zhi Zhi Chen Tingjing Zhang Tingyu and others, and deliberately creating a "harmonious" atmosphere in the Qing Dynasty ruling clique that placed equal emphasis on Manchu and Han.
But was Kangxi's "respect" for the Han really out of his heart? Did Kangxi really be consistent on the surface? With the continuous interpretation of the qing palace secret files by scholars, the so-called "holy jun" side of Kangxi has gradually been peeled off.
In 1673, the three Great Han kings of the Qing Dynasty, Wu Sangui, Shang Kexi and Geng Jingzhong, suddenly launched a rebellion, known in history as the "Rebellion of the Three Domains". In the context of the past, Kangxi's suppression of the "San Francisco Rebellion" was described as a just act to safeguard national unity. But is this really the case?
According to the interpretation of historical data, we find that when the Qing army suppressed the San Francisco Rebellion, it did not hesitate to carry out cruel massacres of the people. And the list goes on and on. Jiangxi, for example, was one of the main battlefields where the Qing army fought against Wu Sangui's army. The people of Jiangxi, on the other hand, suffered a tragic massacre by the Qing army.
In the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Cao Dingxin of Liuyang County said:
"Since Jia Yin Wu rebelled against the rebellion,...... So that the king was angry, the whole army was washed, the jade was inseparable, the old and the young died in the fengdi, the women and children were all prisoners, the white bones were everywhere, and the people were all kinds."
Seeing this, the author was trembling with anger, and a "jade is inseparable" that he actually said that the murder of innocent people was so understated. In the Qing Palace secret file, Kangxi's reply was even more grim:
"Before the thieves arrived in Jiangxi, the local traitors advocated chaos, betrayed the place, and had no loyalty or righteousness. Gentlemen, soldiers, and people, etc., or echoed the gathering and resisted the officers and soldiers; or transported grain and rice, helped Zhang Thieves or spread false rumors to incite good people; or harbored treacherous spies and sneaked through news. Light negative national grace, phase rate from inverse. As a result, the atmosphere of Kou is fierce, the strength of the troops is too many, the period of pacification is delayed, the laborers are paid, and the reasons for the fight are good and hateful! That is, Imada's dissolution and family separation are all his own sins. ”
As can be seen from the above, in Kangxi's view, the Jiangxi people helped Wu Sangui transport grain and resist the official army during the San Francisco Rebellion, resulting in the Qing army being unable to quell the rebellion. Therefore, the massacre, enslavement, and plundering of Jiangxi people are all purely deserved, but they are "self-inflicted sins."
In addition to the Jiangxi people, Kangxi also particularly hated the Yunnan people who "rebelled first". After the Qing army invaded Kunming, the San Francisco Rebellion was put down. In the city of Kunming, the Eight Banners Army plundered and slaughtered the city everywhere, forcing Liang into slavery. In this regard, Zhao Liangdong, the inspector of Yunnan, suggested that Kangxi:
"Defectors, etc., shall not be enslaved, but shall be released from captivity in the army."
"Eradicate the first evil and do not correct the followers" is a practice since ancient times, and the people have almost surrendered, so they should not be sold into slavery. However, for Zhao Liangdong's reasonable suggestion, the Kangxi Emperor was furious, and he scolded in his reply:
"Zhao Liangdong is an arrogant and arrogant person, especially rebellious, and he can be said to be ignorant of etiquette!"
So why did Kangxi scold Zhao Liangdong so much? This is because the Qing army's plunder of Kunming was mainly done by the Eight Banner Army. The Eight Banner Army is the basic disk on which the Kangxi and Aixin Jueluo royal families depend for their survival. Therefore, if Kangxi wanted to sit firmly on the throne, he had to curry favor with the Eight Banner Army. And to condone the plundering of the people of Yunnan will surely be exchanged for the loyalty of the Eight Banner Army. Zhao Chengdong's demand for the release of the good people will damage the "livelihood" of the Eight Banner Army. Therefore, Kangxi would be furious.
In his eyes, the livelihood of the Eight Banners of Manchuria was far more important than the life freedom of the Han people. And this is what Kangxi called "Manchu-Han unity."
According to other Qing palace archives, some of Kangxi's methods were even more unacceptable in quelling the "San Francisco Rebellion". In the eighteenth year of the Kangxi Dynasty, Kangxi sent an edict to Daniel Zhang and other Northwest Han generals:
"Since the ancient Han people rebelled, only the Han people were able to suppress the peace, and at that time there were full of soldiers to help the battle."
At that time, due to the unfavorable situation in the war, Daniel Zhang and others hoped that Kangxi could send reinforcements from the Eight Banner Army, but kangxi prevaricated on the grounds that "the Han rebellion needs to be suppressed by the Han".
Apparently, Kangxi was distressed that his Eight Banners Forbidden Brigade had been damaged, so he let the Han army use it as cannon fodder. In Sichuan, Shaanxi, Huguang, Guangxi, and other roads, the Han Green Battalion was used as a forward charge, while the Manchurian army "advanced one after another to receive grain and pay." In this regard, Kangxi once confessed to the Manchurian general Tu hai that this war was a Han soldier who broke the thieves for the Manchus.
Later generations of historians often praised Kangxi for daring to let go of the use of the Han people, but in fact Kangxi was just a stepping stone for the Han people to be Manchus. Sure enough, after the San Francisco Rebellion was settled, Kangxi openly declared:
"Fortunately, thanks to the blessings of heaven, the ancestor Welling, and the strength of the Manchurian soldiers, the head of the reverse canal was granted, the traitorous party was eliminated, and the local area was peaceful."
Kangxi placed almost all the credit on the Manchurian soldiers. As for the Han soldiers who fought blood to suppress the rebellion, Kangxi did not mention a word. Obviously, in Kangxi's mind, the San Francisco Rebellion was an anti-separatist war to safeguard the reunification of the motherland, but a war between the Manchus and the Han Chinese. And the Manchu-Han unity he preached was nothing more than brazen nonsense.
Kangxi connived at the massacre and plunder of the people by the Eight Banners of Manchuria, and used Han and Han to slaughter each other, completely exposing its true face of hypocrisy and cruelty. It is not so much a benevolent monarch as a tyrant.