My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 441 Bloodshed: Those who cross the border will be killed without mercy!

The nationality system only began to appear in the Qing Dynasty at the end of the dynasty.

But Hongli now needs to bring him out ahead of time.

Otherwise, many places outside the Great Wall would be very difficult to manage.

Because, in fact, after the Qing Dynasty and Russia agreed on the border, many of the residents living near the border between the two countries belonged to the same ethnic group.

For example, in the northern desert region, within the territory of the Russian Kingdom recognized by the Qing Dynasty, the population was still mainly inhabited by Mongols.

For example, there was a historical story of Mongol tribes in Russia returning to the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, in order to strengthen border management, the concept of nationality is indispensable. Relying solely on ethnic identification is simply not enough to distinguish who is from which country.

Especially multi-ethnic empires like the Qing Dynasty and Russia.

Therefore, Hongli now wants to implement a nationality system in order to strengthen management.

Even the Evenki, Oroqen, Hezhe, Jurchen, and Han peoples, as long as they are unwilling to be Chinese and unwilling to be united into one large ethnic group, cannot be treated as our own.

Conversely, if ethnic minorities such as Russians and Koreans are willing to become Chinese and accept being part of the greater Chinese nation, then they can be treated as one of our own.

This is a change in the governing philosophy that a multi-ethnic empire must make in the new era.

That is, the concept of "all under heaven" should be transformed into the concept of "nation".

In this case.

Even if two groups living along the same border are of the same ethnicity, such as the Evenki, then the Evenki people of the Russian Kingdom should not easily cross the border to do bad things.

From small-scale theft across borders to large-scale murder and kidnapping, these activities are more easily detected and are considered a form of intrusion.

The management of identity cards and the entry of foreign nationals are extensions of this reform concept.

After Hongli said this, the Grand Councilors all widened their eyes.

"Just today, I received the head of Consort Zhe's brother, Fucha Ying. The Deputy Commander of the Three Families reported that the head was sent by a Korean, but the Korean placed the head in front of and behind the government office and then disappeared without a trace."

“My cousin was unjustly beheaded and his head displayed in public within his own country.”

"This is a disgrace to me, and a disgrace to the entire Qing Dynasty!"

Hongli then spoke very seriously.

The Grand Councilors then understood why Emperor Qianlong, Hongli, had suddenly done this.

Although they didn't yet have the idea of ​​a nationality system, they could tell that the emperor was trying to strengthen his control over the area outside the Great Wall.

All those who appear on the land outside the Great Wall must be subjects of the Great Qing!
If not, then relevant identification and tracking are required.

Ortai spoke first: "A subject who is disgraced by his sovereign shall die; we servants are guilty of a capital offense!"

"This servant deserves to die!"

"We deserve to die!"

The other Grand Councilors echoed this sentiment.

Hongli waved his hand: "This matter has not reached the point of punishing you with death!"

The Qing Dynasty was a non-modern multi-ethnic empire. Although it was a centralized dynasty, it was only more centralized than previous dynasties. Its local governance was still inferior to that of later dynasties.

Therefore, it is not surprising that such a thing happened in their hometown outside the Great Wall, and naturally, these Grand Councilors cannot be blamed.

These Grand Councilors, as bureaucrats of the era, were more familiar with the concept of "all under heaven" than with the concept of "nation."

"But if you discover a problem and fail to solve it, that is your crime deserving of death!"

Hongli then said something else.

"Your Majesty is right. If we simply implement a nationality system, then those who are unwilling to be Chinese citizens and unwilling to leave Chinese soil will have to be executed. In that case, bloodshed will be inevitable."

Zhang Tingyu then spoke up.

He seemed to have already foreseen what would happen on the border of the Northeast region in the future.

"Then let blood flow like rivers! Anyone who invades our territory will be killed without mercy!"

Hongli said it firmly.

Upon hearing Hongli's words, Zhang Tingyu's heart skipped a beat. He could tell that this emperor truly had no intention of choosing to endure and back down because of Fucha Ying's death; he was willing to commit mass killings to promote this nationality system.

Zhang Tingyu then continued, "As long as Your Majesty is resolute, such a great undertaking can naturally be accomplished!"

"However, in my humble opinion, to accomplish this task, we need to mobilize the armies within the pass. Although those who wear armor outside the pass have received Your Majesty's great favor, they are, after all, of the same ethnicity as many who are unwilling to be Chinese citizens. Therefore, when it comes to driving out and eliminating foreigners, I fear they will not be wholeheartedly committed."

Hongli nodded: "This is the order. Issue an edict to the Ministry of War, and the Miao Army Battalion, the Cloud Ladder Battalion, and the Northwest Green Standard Army will all be dispatched out of the pass to use the people of the various ethnic groups in the south to drive out and quell the foreign barbarians."

"Whoo!"

"But before the troops can move, the supplies must be ready; I recommend Liu Tongxun to go to Fengtian to oversee the transport of supplies."

Zhang Tingyu then continued in response. Hongli nodded: "Establish a governorship for Fengtian, appointing Liu Tongxun as governor; also appoint a governor-general to oversee the three northeastern provinces and other localities, concurrently managing the military affairs of Fengtian, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces, to be appointed by Yue Zhongqi, the Minister of War, to be in charge of overseeing the generals of the three provinces to drive out and suppress foreign invaders."

Upon hearing this, Ortai, Neqin, and other Manchu Grand Councilors looked up and echoed in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"

then.

Ortai added, “If the master appoints Han people to positions outside the pass and Manchus to positions inside the pass, then both sides can avoid being bothered by their relatives and fellow villagers.”

"But in my humble opinion, Han officials are mostly unfamiliar with the customs and traditions of the people outside the pass, just as Manchu officials are mostly unfamiliar with those inside the pass. Therefore, we cannot be completely rigid in our approach, and we should not use a single Manchu from outside the pass."

"The fact that the generals of the three provinces and their deputy commanders failed to prevent the killing of the emperor's relatives shows how much they have neglected their duties. They should be dealt with, and it would be appropriate to replace them with capable and energetic people. Furthermore, it would be appropriate to appoint Manchu and Mongol ministers as officials in the various commanders' offices and prefectures. Only in this way can a situation be formed in which Manchu and Mongol ministers do the actual work, while Han officials control the direction of the new policies."

"Therefore, I suggest that Zhao Hui, who has performed outstandingly in recent battles, be appointed as a general in the Northeast."

After Ortai said this, Hongli expressed his deep agreement: "What Lord Ortai said is very true."

"Hengchen, draft the imperial edict."

"The generals of the three provinces and their deputy commanders were all transferred to probationary positions and ordered to continue to assist the serving officers at the front. Zhao Hui was promoted to General of Heilongjiang."

"Whoo!"

Zhang Tingyu responded.

Ortai then said, "Since Yue Zhongqi has been appointed Governor-General of the Three Eastern Provinces, the position of Minister of War will be vacant. I suggest that Zhang Guangsi be appointed to the position."

"allow!"

Hongli knew that Ortai was using this opportunity to promote his own people to power.

Hongli thought that Xu Ben, who was close to Zhang Tingyu, had entered the Grand Council, and that making Zhang Guangsi the Minister of War was in line with his current principle of balancing personnel appointments.

Ortai was momentarily invigorated and spoke again:
"Your Majesty, the Grand Council has decided that the Emperor's brother-in-law, Fucha Fuqing, will be appointed Imperial Commissioner to tour Korea."

Korea was a tributary state of the Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, Ortai did not say that he would send Fucha Fuqing as an envoy to Korea, but instead said that he would make an inspection tour of Korea.

Fucha Fuqing is currently the Deputy Commander of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner.

Go to Korea now and make a contribution; when you return, you'll be promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner.

For Hongli, regardless of the circumstances, it was best to keep such an important position as the Commander of the Plain Yellow Banner in the hands of someone he could absolutely trust.

Hongli was naturally very satisfied with the outcome of the discussion.

He knew that this was the result of Ortai and Zhang Tingyu cooperating to ensure that he, as one of the emperor's men, was given important positions first.

Therefore, Hongli was even more aware that these two had always tried their best to avoid direct political conflict with him, the emperor.

However, the need for the bureaucratic group to rely on the two individuals to engage in factional struggles has always existed.

Therefore, the fundamental contradiction here will always exist.

If Hongli wants to prevent the bureaucratic group from relying on these two people in the future, he will have to bring these two senior figures down from their pedestals and negate them.

After all, the Qing Dynasty could not have truly virtuous ministers and capable advisors who could then become opinion leaders.

Of course, there shouldn't be any truly heinous and wicked officials who would be subjected to the most extreme punishments, like slow slicing.

The former always carries the potential to shake imperial power.

The latter would indirectly suggest that the emperor himself was not wise enough.

Therefore, even if Hongli were to reject Ortai and Zhang Tingyu in the future, he could not go too far.

Moreover, with the two cooperating so well, Hongli couldn't go too far.

Because of their cooperation, the trial implementation of the nationality system and other measures was quickly agreed upon at the decision-making level. With the initial personnel and troop deployment plans in place, everything else was left to time.

Unbeknownst to the outside world, their Emperor Qianlong had already swiftly responded, using this as a pretext to replace the three generals and deputy commanders of the Manchu forces outside the Great Wall, as well as to reform the region.

As a qualified emperor, when faced with problems, one should not only seek revenge and satisfy one's emotions, but also take the opportunity to expand one's own political interests.

What Hongli is doing now is considered a basic imperial practice.

of course!

Emperor Qianlong never passively waited for such opportunities for reform to arise.

He himself is also actively creating opportunities.

Prior to this, he had strictly ordered the generals of the three provinces outside the Great Wall to arrest all the Russians who had illegally entered the country and the natives outside the Great Wall who colluded with them, namely the Oroqen, Evenki, and other people who had lived in the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River region for generations.

Therefore, the Qing troops in armor outside the pass have been increasing their patrols and scouting around.

After meeting with the Grand Councilors, Hongli issued an imperial edict to the Generals of the Three Departments.

In the imperial edict, besides severely reprimanding the three for neglecting their duties, which led to the execution of Fucha Ying, Emperor Hongli also ordered them to continue to rigorously investigate the unauthorized entry of Russians into the country and the unauthorized harm inflicted on the local area by natives from beyond the Great Wall. He further instructed the three to inform the local authorities:
"Anyone who captures and kills Fucha Ying, regardless of whether they are his master or servant, will be granted a hereditary title!"

(End of this chapter)