Chapter 735: A hundred years of waiting is a message from the clouds
On June 23, the fifty-ninth year of Qianlong's reign, that is, July 26, 1794, the ancient city of Beijing was covered with dark clouds from early in the morning, weighing heavily on people's heads. Occasionally, dull clouds would roll over the sky. Hidden thunder, but not a drop of rain falls.
Two brown sparrows carried insects in their mouths, spread their wings across the Tongzi River, flew up to the branches of the weeping willows on the bank, chirped a few times, and then climbed over the tall palace wall. When they landed on the golden patch of the Yangxin Hall of the Qianqing Palace, On the yellow glazed roof, a few sparrows were chirping uneasily. In the courtyard below the roof, the messy footsteps and the faint sobbing of the eunuchs and maids all indicated that something big was about to happen in this ancient palace.
The eighty-three-year-old Aixinjueluo Hongli was lying on his imperial couch, breathing slowly from his nostrils. Several concubines stood aside, with red and swollen faces and unstoppable tears flowing. Some were young and young, but some were old and wan. Prince Yongyan of Jiaqing, Prince Ding Mian'en, Minister of Military Affairs Wang Jie, Qing Gui, Dong Gao and others all stood in front of the couch, paying close attention to the old emperor's movements.
Speaking of which, Qianlong has been in good health since he was a child. When he was in the feudal residence, he practiced archery, horseback riding, and archery, which made him well-trained. Before the emergence of Beihai Town, he had never been seriously ill. However, since Fukang'an was in Fuldan In the winter after the defeat of the city, he began to be invaded by the wind and cold, and sometimes he groaned unconsciously at night. Although many of his ministers, including He Shen, tried their best to persuade him to work less and rest, he was so self-centered that he could not This thought.
The idea of pacifying Zhao Xin always affects his heart. The Manchu Qing's successive retreats outside the Pass, Khalkha, Shandong, and Xinjiang have made him physically and mentally exhausted, and He Shen's betrayal has dealt him the heaviest blow. .
Since returning to the Forbidden City, he has been holding on, waiting for Yongyan and Fukangan to come back. Although it is difficult to speak and write, because Wang Jie, Qinggui and others are accompanying him, he can more or less communicate with his eyes and nods. To communicate. But when nothing happened, what Qianlong thought about most was why He Shen betrayed him.
Heshen ran away without a trace, taking with him his family and wealth, as well as Qianlong's most beloved Princess Hexiao. Because this was so embarrassing, the Ministry of Punishment did not dare to issue an arrest warrant. The Ministry of Punishment and the Inspectorate He and the people from the infantry commander's yamen chased them all the way to Tianjin but found no trace. However, "people leave their names when they pass by, and geese leave their voices when they pass by." As time passed, several veterans from the Punishment Department finally found clues at Zhigu Pass. , after Qinggui learned about it, he immediately judged that He Shen was most likely to go to sea by boat.
Don't tell me, he must have gone to join the Beihai Pirates! As for whether he went to Anping Port or Jiaodong, he could only send a detective to check. But Shang Yu's backup office was always under the control of He Shen, and Qianlong was speechless. For a while, , the Manchu Qing Dynasty completely cut off contact with those undercover spies in Beihai Town.
But here in the capital, as He's Mansion was raided, He Shen's defection finally got out of hand, causing civil and military officials to talk a lot. When Prince Cheng Yongxuan, Prince Li Yongen and others who were in charge of the raid saw it, Nanmu Hall, Fuzi Monument and many other shocking forbidden objects were all shocked. They had all heard in the past that Hefu was as wealthy as a prince, but no one had ever seen how wealthy it really was. This time it was a knife in the butt-- Eyes opened!
At this time, He Lin, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, also became a factor of instability and had to find a way to solve it. However, the whole court had become a mess, people were panicked, and no one made the decision for a while. Wang Jie and Qinggui
We had no choice but to fly 600 miles away to report to Yongyan and ask him to make up his mind.
Prince Yongyan of Jia was shocked when he received the emergency in the capital. Three souls and seven souls were lost, and two souls and five souls were lost. If Dong Gao hadn't begged so hard, he was so angry that he almost sent people to Yungui to capture He Lin. Because among the civil and military officials in the world,
There were too many people relying on Heshen, and if the prison was not established, they might all have to rebel. To prevent changes, he and Dong Gao discussed behind closed doors for a long time, and finally decided to keep it secret; at the same time, he sent a secret to Fukang'an, the acting governor of Sichuan.
He wrote a letter and asked him to rush to Chengdu from Xining immediately and first shock the Sichuan Green Camp.
After everything was arranged, Yong Yan hurried back and finally arrived in the capital last night. Then he entered the palace without stopping to meet the emperor. After the father and son talked for more than half an hour, Qianlong's condition deteriorated sharply. Any
None of the decoctions helped. At seven o'clock in the morning, Qianlong, who had been in charge of the world for 59 years, fell into a coma again. Although his heart was still beating tenaciously and his life was not over yet, for the Manchu Qing court, it was impossible to exercise the Nine Five-Year Plan.
There is no point in being a monarch who respects power. As the saying goes, "throw everything away".
Amidst the low sobbing of everyone, Qianlong, who was on the edge of life and death, suddenly moved his fingers slightly, as if he was aware of the noise in the outside world.
"The Emperor has taken action!"
"Amma! Amma!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Unexpectedly, Qianlong heard a "guru" sound coming from his throat, and then he slowly exhaled a breath, and his originally rising and falling chest came to a standstill. When the imperial doctor came forward to check, he knelt on the ground in frustration and said the four words "Long Yu Bintian"
As soon as he said this, there was a burst of crying inside and outside the palace.
At this time, in the dark sky outside the house, a thick bolt of lightning suddenly cut through the sky, shaking the huge city of Beijing. Not long after, a huge thunder roar shook the sky, and the long-standing downpour was accompanied by strong winds.
And arrived.
Wang Jie cried for a while, then calmed down, and said to Yong Yan, who was holding Qianlong's arm and crying bitterly: "Your Majesty, please express your condolences. The most important thing now is to summon all the kings and Baylor to gather at Qianqing Palace to listen to Emperor Daxing's last edict.
A country cannot live without a king for a day!"
Yongyan thought that he would take over a hot coal that was hotter than a hot potato, and that he might very well be the king of a subjugated country. His heart became increasingly miserable, and he hugged Qianlong's arm and burst into tears. Facing the Northern Navy, they started fighting inside and outside the pass.
And with Shengjing in danger, Yongyan really doesn’t want to be the emperor in his heart!
After that, all the royal ministers in Beijing came to the Qianqing Palace. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the red sandalwood box fixed with iron hoops under the "Upright and Bright" plaque was removed. When opened, there was a small gold box as big as a Go box.
Then open it, and you will find the edict covered with yellow silk and edged with gold thread.
Wang Jie held the edict in his palms, raised it up with both hands for everyone present to see, and then said in a deep voice: "Now the edict of Emperor Daxing will be read out, and all the ministers will kneel down to listen!"
This edict was written in both Manchu and Chinese. First, Qinggui read it in Manchu, and Wang Jie read it in Chinese. However, none of the royal ministers present knew Manchu. When Qinggui chatted there, they all had expressions on their faces.
At a loss, Wei Yongyan kowtowed repeatedly and said words of thanks in Manchu. After Wang Jie finished reading the content in Chinese, all the ministers in the palace kowtowed in unison and said, "I respectfully abide by the legacy of the late emperor."
Life!"
After that, it was time to assign a temple name to Qianlong and an era name to Yongyan himself. The temple name was "Emperor Gaozongchun". Needless to say, the era name was Prince Dujia. Naturally, "Jiaqing" was used just like in other time and space. With that,
When the new emperor succeeded to the throne, a Qianlong edict prepared by Wang Jie, Dong Gao and Qinggui and approved by Jiaqing was also drafted late at night and promulgated to the world the next day.
"I only believe that emperors who are born with destiny and enjoy a long life must be sincere in their actions and be consistent with heaven and earth. Then they will never return to their virtues and will be blessed forever. Therefore, they must work diligently, without slacking off, and fulfill their duties as emperors day by day.
That is to say, if you think about enjoying the heaven for a day, you sincerely know how difficult it is to maintain a profit and maintain peace, and be careful to end as hard as the beginning.
I admire God's blessings, and the saints have made plans. I have been in love since I was young. I am loved by the emperor very much. The emperor carefully selected Yuanliang and handed it over to the world. Since I came to the throne, I have been cautious every day, meditating on the virtues of the Lord. Only in
Respect God, Dharma Patriarch, be diligent in government, and love the people. These are not difficult things to know, but difficult to practice. For decades, they have been strict, respectful, and fearless, and they have become more pious without slacking off. Whenever there is a big sacrifice in the suburbs, they show their dedication and prepare themselves with all their heart.
, don’t let your age get better and take some time off...
My body is strong and I have never had any disease. In the last year, I was cold and occasionally caught wind and cold. After conditioning, I recovered and my energy was a little less than before. On the first day of the new year, I was congratulated by the Emperor Qianqing Palace. My diet has been decreasing day by day, and I can't see and hear as usual. I am getting old.
Zeng. The emperor is devoted to filial piety and sincerity, and takes care of himself in every possible way, in the hope of recovery. I am already very old, and I am afraid that medicine cannot be effective..."
The news of Qianlong's funeral reached the Northern Navy Intelligence Bureau the next morning. Not long after, Zhao Xin, who was in Kaiyuan, also knew about it. He felt a pity that he hadn't met Qianlong yet! If it hadn't been for another
The security surveillance of the Forbidden City of Time and Space is so mind-numbing that I have already taken a night trip to the Forbidden City and swept away all the treasures in the "Sanxi Hall".
Huh? Wait! It seems that Qianlong in another time and space buried many treasures with him. Where did they come from? I have to check it out quickly when I have time.
Zhao Xin was rolling his eyes and wondering about what was there when Deng Fei opened the door and walked in. He waved the telegram in his hand at him and said with a smile: "The East India Company has signed an agreement!"
"oh?"
Zhao Xin took the telegram and read it, and saw that it read: "Northern Naval Staff, I have taken charge of the Governor's Palace locally today, and signed a preliminary armistice agreement with French India, Mysore, and the plenipotentiary representatives of the East India Company.
.The text of the treaty has not been changed. Ding Guofeng, July 26th."
It is said that since the South Asian continent entered the rainy season in May, although Mysore, Maratha, and Hyderabad have ceased their activities, Ding Guofeng has not been idle. After Dundas, the colonial affairs officer of the East India Company, left, he once again ordered Guo Xuexian's South Asia branch to
The fleet moved north, imposed a naval blockade on Madras and Calcutta, and forcibly inspected all merchant ships entering and leaving the Bay of Bengal, which made Cornwallis' brain explode.
After nearly a year of war, the British East India Company not only failed to take advantage, but also suffered huge military expenditures. In addition, the Northern Navy fleet's regular sea blockades resulted in a large backlog of goods and plummeting prices.
, causing heavy losses to the merchants.
Correspondingly, French India caught a ride on the East Asian trade because it closely followed the Bourbon royal family and Beihai Town. In the past six months, they had replaced the Dutch and happily transported Borneo diamonds and Guangzhou tea back to local management.
, he sold it to those port merchants and made a huge profit. With huge profits and the military support of the Northern Navy, the merchants in French India became staunch royalists in an instant. They even
Proposal to Leclerc to build a gorgeous palace locally and invite Crown Prince Louis Charles back.
After many discussions, the Bengal Senate finally reached an overwhelming opinion that this damn war must be ended, otherwise the company would have no choice but to go bankrupt. So under the detailed instructions of Governor Cornwallis, Dundas founded the company in 1794.
He came to local governance again in early June, accompanied by some members of the Senate and military representatives, and representatives from Beihai Town, French India, and the Kingdom of Mysore - Prince Ali, the son of Tipu Sultan, launched a four-way campaign
negotiation.
It was said to be one against three, but the East India Company mission knew very well who was the boss at the negotiating table, and the other two companies were just trying to hold each other's backs. If they hadn't suddenly appeared in Beihai Town, the French would have been ravaged by them thousands of times.
, Mysore can only continue to survive.
In early July, the difficult written negotiations finally made progress, and all parties jointly drafted a preliminary agreement. Afterwards, with the approval of the Bangladesh Senate and Cornwallis, representatives of the four parties signed it at the Governor's House of local governance on July 26.
A preliminary agreement was reached and decided to be announced the next day. As for the formal agreement, it will not be signed until Cornwallis, who has resigned as governor, returns to the UK to report on his duties and is approved by King George III. It is expected to be completed within 15 months.
Since a large number of international agreements signed by European countries in these years were written in French, French was the only agreement text in many cases, and English was not available at all. Therefore, the treaty texts were written in French and Chinese respectively. The main provisions include:
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! 1. The British East India Company recognizes the existence of Beihai Town in India and respects its legal rule over its territory. It recognizes the power of Beihai Town east of the Strait of Malacca
Scope, the above-mentioned areas include but are not limited to all of Java, southern Sumatra, Kalimantan, the Malay Peninsula, the Thousand Islands and other areas.
Second, as the legal regime to rule China in the future, Beihai Town will vigorously develop cotton trade with the British East India Company. From 1794 onwards, the annual quantity of cotton landed will not be less than 150,000 bales. British merchant ships are allowed to sail in Malacca and Bacheng.
Stopped for supplies and allowed British merchant ships to trade at Anping Port.
3. After the formal agreement is signed, the British East India Company will withdraw from the Negapatan region of India and Penang in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula. The above two territories belong to Beihai Town. The company is not allowed to sell opium to the area east of the Malacca Strait.
The customs in Beihai Town has the right to detain British merchant ships smuggling opium on the basis of obtaining sufficient evidence, and to try and punish ship owners and cargo owners in accordance with the laws of Beihai Town. The British government and companies have no right to interfere.
4. No later than the end of 1794, the British East India Company will return part of the Mysore territory it ceded after the "Third Anglo-Mysore War" in 1792, that is, the Mysore territory between the Kingdom of Travancore and the Kali River.
Sol Malabar Coast Region, Salem Region.
5. On behalf of the British government, the company recognizes and supports the French Bourbon royal family represented by Louis Charles, maintains its rule over the French colonies, and does its best to support Louis Charles' return to the French throne.
In general, Beihai Town and Mysore are the biggest beneficiaries of this agreement. The French, who are like cowards, have obviously not benefited from the British. However, Ding Guofeng privately told Leclerc that they would work with Lady Elizabeth
Signed a secret agreement to transfer the locally governed southern Negapatin region to the Bourbon royal family. This move also told the French that Beihai Town had no intention of expanding its rule in India.
Then there is the issue of Tranquiba. After the agreement was signed, Ding Guofeng and Dundas went outside to get some fresh air. When he intentionally or unintentionally mentioned what he thought of the Danish territory, Dundas's pupils sharpened.
He flinched and was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly returned to normal, with a calm expression saying that the company had no intention of intervening in any affairs in South India, except for Ceylon.
"General, the weather is nice today. I propose a toast to our bright trade prospects!"
"No problem." Ding Guofeng raised his hand and made a gesture of invitation. Dundas also smiled and asked Ding Guofeng to go ahead.