Qing Dynasty Yamen shopping list reveals the cause of its demise

Mondo History Updated on 2024-02-20

Qing Dynasty Yamen shopping list reveals the cause of its demise

From the establishment of the Later Jin regime to the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the existence of the Qing Dynasty lasted 296 years, of which Huang Taiji changed the name of the country to the Qing Dynasty, and the actual reign lasted for 276 years.

After the Qing army entered the customs, it began to rule the Central Plains, during which time the national power existed for 268 years. "

The Qing Dynasty, which lasted for nearly 300 years, came to an end with the emperor voluntarily announcing his abdication. There is no conspiracy to usurp the throne, but it also has to face the decline of the country.

Generally speaking, behind the change of dynasties, there is often a hidden mediocrity of the emperor, which makes it difficult for the people to make a living, and they have to choose to resist. At the end of each dynasty, there are always various uprisings among the people.

Even without foreign invasion, internal worries were the last straw that crushed the dynasty.

When the people of a dynasty are united and work together in the face of external threats, then there is no problem that cannot be solved. However, if there are many internal contradictions and distractions, then this dynasty is tantamount to becoming the ** of external enemies.

The fall of the Ming Dynasty, fueled by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, was undoubtedly his helper in his victory. Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen said that it was not his fault that he could not keep the country.

What he inherited was the mess accumulated by his ancestors for several generations, how can a person clean it up? It will take generations to restore the strength and prosperity of the country.

What lies before us is a loophole in history. Huang Taiji knew that his father, Nurhachi, had been preparing for this day for many years, and he would also have to put in great efforts to build a solid foundation for his son.

The previous generations of emperors of the Qing Dynasty kept in mind that it was not easy for their ancestors to fight the world, and knew that it was even more difficult to defend the country. They want to manage the Manchus and the Han people together in the land of the Han people.

They followed the old Han system, and basically treated the Manchu and Han equally. They intermarried with the Han people, let the Han people enter the flag, and let the Han people enter the court as officials. These were all their means of appeasing the Han people and preventing them from revolting against the rule of the Manchus.

They understand that the stability of the country requires the stability of the people's will. Only by respecting the traditions and culture of the Han people can we gain the support of the Han people. This is the reason why they insisted on sinicization, and it was also the solid foundation they laid for the Qing Dynasty.

Although the world has been peaceful for many years, the successive emperors are just content with the status quo and have lost their sense of crisis. The aristocracy lived in luxury, while the hardships of the common people were gradually neglected.

The Qing Dynasty's tax revenues had always been considerable, and even during the period when the Shunzhi and Kangxi Emperors vigorously reduced taxes, fiscal revenues continued to grow. At the height of the prosperity of the Kangqian Dynasty, the fiscal revenue of the Qing Dynasty did not exceed 50 million taels, but in the Guangxu period, the fiscal revenue reached 100 million taels at its peak.

Qing Dynasty dignitaries were well-known fashionistas, both men and women paid attention to dressing up. The harem ladies are even more full of pearls, and any ornament reward can be enjoyed by eunuchs or palace maids for a long time.

So much money is spent on these gorgeous ornaments.

Although men are not allowed to wear jewelry, they have their own unique ornaments, such as the feather tube on the hat, the pearl hanging around the neck, the jade pendant tied around the waist, rings, wrenches, etc.

These ornaments are precious objects that are as valuable as walking snowflakes of silver. The Empress Dowager Cixi's luxurious life is even more amazing. Her food and clothing are top-notch, and she is extremely extravagant and wasteful, and will never be reused.

If she can't finish the food, she just throws it away. Cixi had a minister named Rong Lu by her side, and his collar was worth thirteen thousand taels; There are more than 300 pearls in the family of Hubu Shangshu Lishan, and he will change them every day and never repeat them.

The pearls in his hands were worth nearly 400,000 taels of silver, and the leather clothes of the nobles were even more precious. Imperial expenses, salaries, military salaries, armament materials, transportation, water conservancy construction, post station funds, sacrifices, palaces, temples, imperial mausoleum maintenance, etc., are inseparable from the silver of white flowers.

And how much benefit do you get from this?

The Qing Dynasty falsely reported expenses and filled their pockets. Take a look at their shopping list: a kid of Eight Flags spent 30 million to buy a dog; The Ministry of War spent 15 million yuan to buy a discarded artillery shell abroad; The Weaving Bureau spent 1 million dollars to buy a textile machine; The Ministry of Industry bought a lamp pole for 150,000 yuan; A bag of flood control sediment is worth 10,000 yuan; The unit price of an office paper is 1,000 yuan, according to the ratio of one tael of silver for 1,000 yuan, the ** of this paper is close to one tael of silver, and at that time, one tael of silver can buy about 100 catties of rice.

During the Qianlong period, a courtyard house in Xicheng District of Beijing was sold for only 600 taels of silver, and a dog of a nobleman was worth 30,000 taels of silver.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, prices fluctuated greatly and inflation was serious, resulting in the instability of commodities. Although the Empress Dowager Cixi spent more than 6 million taels for her 60th birthday and embezzled the military salary of the Beiyang Navy Division, this is also one of the manifestations of her extravagance.

During Li Hongzhang's visit abroad, he showed great interest in the Makqin machine gun, but in the end he did not purchase it in large quantities because he believed that the Qing Dynasty could not afford it. The essence of war is not just to spend money, but if it is squandered at will, like the Qing Dynasty, then the country will definitely be dragged down.

Therefore, the demise of the Qing Dynasty was inevitable.

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