The Qing Dynasty's legal system was extremely strict, stipulating that only the second grade or above ** was eligible to obtain the name after death, and this way of giving the name was respectfully called the "Book of Name Change".
For the ** who were given a nickname by the imperial court, they generally no longer use their original names after their deaths, but use their nicknames, such as in official documents, Zeng Guofan is called "Zeng Wenzheng", and Li Hongzhang is called "Li Wenzhong".
Although the second grade and below** are rarely given a nickname, there are certain conditions that can be exceptional. For example, if they have outstanding achievements in allegiance and hard work, sacrifice on the battlefield, literature or martial prowess, they may receive an honor that goes beyond the norm.
Under normal circumstances, it is already a gift from the emperor that Sipin** can obtain a nickname, and it is not surprising that even local governors and governors do not have nicknames after their deaths. However, there was a special case in the Jiaqing Dynasty, a seven-grade prefect was specially given the title of "loyal martyr", and after his death, he was posthumously presented as a prefect and passed on in the National History Museum.
Why is this magistrate so favored? This is thanks to his name - Qiang Kejie. He was one of the more famous counties in the Qing Dynasty.
Qiang Kejie, born in a medium-sized family in Hancheng, Shaanxi, has produced several talents in his ancestors, so he has been determined to take the road of the imperial examination since he was a child. Although the road to the imperial examination was full of hardships and unknowns, Qiang Kejie was very smooth, and both Xiucai and Juren passed at one time.
In the thirteenth year of Jiaqing, he finally ascended the throne of Jinshi. However, in the palace examination, his performance was not ideal, and he was only ranked 41st in the top three. Normally, the top three jinshi did not have a chance to enter the Hanlin Academy, and if they were lucky, they might stay in the capital as a small Beijing official, and most of them would be exiled as magistrates.
During the Jiaqing period, it took several years to wait for the Jinshi to be selected, but Qiang Kejie left a deep impression on Emperor Jiaqing with his burly figure, delicate appearance and outstanding temperament.
Therefore, while the other new science and technology scholars were still waiting for the alternate, he had already been specially sent to Henan to serve as the county magistrate.
In the official system of the Qing Dynasty, the Jinshi selected the county magistrate was divided into two categories: alternate and ready-to-use. Alternate governors are required to compete with others after the vacancy is made, while immediate governors take office as soon as the magistrate becomes vacant.
However, whether it is a standby or ready-to-use, the premise must be that there is a vacancy in the county. After Qiang Kejie went to Henan, he was forced to wait for more than a year because there was no vacancy in the county.
It was not until the fifteenth year of Jiaqing that the magistrate of Huaxian County became vacant, and he was able to hold this position. Although Qiang Kejie's imperial examination and his path to the official position were very smooth, he may not have foreseen that Huaxian County would become the end of his career and would make him forever in history.
According to the Qing people's notebook "Lang Qian Chronicles", in the eighteenth year of the Lin Qing Rebellion in Jiaqing, the county commander of Huaxian County made outstanding achievements in Qiang Zhong Kejie, and the imperial court also gave him a very generous pension.
In the eighteenth year of Jiaqing, the rebellion of Lin Qing shocked the government and the opposition, and the leaders of the Tianli Sect, Li Wencheng and Lin Qing, under the guidance of the eunuchs of the inner court, led the crowd to break into the Forbidden City, crazy**, this incident became a major ** in the Qing Dynasty.
Why is Qiang Kejie related to the Lin Qing incident? It turned out that Huaxian was Li Wencheng's base, and before attacking the Forbidden City, they made a big ** here. During the period when Qiang Kejie was in charge of Huaxian County, he made remarkable political achievements, was good at local governance, and was able to unite his colleagues, which won praise.
However, during the Jiaqing period, the social contradictions were acute, especially the serious land annexation, and many peasants had no land to cultivate and were exploited by the landlord class, which also became the reason for the repeated rebellions of the White Lotus Sect and the Tianli Sect.
Henan Province, with a large population and frequent natural disasters, has always been an accident-prone place. Since the late Qianlong period, the peasant uprisings have never stopped. In this context, even the county magistrate Qiang Kejie could not stay out of the matter.
In August of the 18th year of Jiaqing, a retired official told Qiang Kejie that the local Li Wencheng planned to launch an uprising against the government, and many peasants participated, and the county was already in danger.
After learning the news, Qiang Kejie did not dare to take it lightly, and immediately asked his superiors to transfer troops for reinforcements. However, several requests for military calls were rejected by the prefect on various grounds.
At the beginning of September, Li Wencheng led more than 200 people into Huaxian County, and although he did not launch an attack on the government, the situation was already quite tense. Qiang Kejie led the local officials and arresters to adopt a preemptive strategy, taking advantage of Li Wencheng's unpreparedness, successfully captured him, and arrested 24 of his comrades.
Qiang Kejie, Fengqiu Zhixian, adhered to his duties, failed to protect the county, and felt ashamed of the imperial court. Before the city was broken, he completed the handover of the work, expressed his gratitude to Fengqiu Zhixian, and hoped that he could urgently deploy troops to suppress it.
When he went out of the city, he didn't have time to wear court clothes, and Fengqiu Zhixian generously gave him a set of court clothes. After getting fully dressed, he looked north and kowtowed, and then chose to hang himself.
Qiang Kejie's bravery and loyalty deserve our memory and admiration.
The responsibility for the loss of Huaxian County cannot be fully blamed on Qiang Kejie, and the prefect of Weihui needs to bear the main responsibility. Emperor Jiaqing was deeply saddened by the death of Qiang Kejie, and he issued an order to posthumously present Qiang Kejie as a "loyal martyr", and Liu Bin, the inspector of Huaxian County, was also given the nickname of "loyalty" because of his death in the line of duty.