Which of the nine governors of the Qing Dynasty was weaker? What could be the reason behind this relatively poor performance?
In the Ming and Qing dynasties, the position of governor was a senior local governor with full power over government affairs, military affairs and finance, and was known as a feudal official and enjoyed extremely high power. The Qing Dynasty established nine governorships, including the Governors of Zhili, Liangjiang, Sichuan, Fujian and Zhejiang, Yunnan and Guizhou, Huguang, Liangguang, the Three Eastern Provinces, and Shaanxi and Gansu, covering a wide area of the Qing Dynasty's territory. Not only did these governors nominally have the same rank, but in reality, for a variety of reasons, they were clearly strong and weak in strength and status.
Governors and governors were the two main local official positions in the Qing Dynasty, often referred to as "governors", in which the power and rank of the governor were significantly higher than that of the governor. A governor is usually in charge of the affairs of two or three provinces, and his official rank is officially set as the second rank, and if the title of the military department is added, it is promoted to the first rank, indicating the importance of his power.
Among the nine governors, the Governor of Zhili and the Governor of Liangjiang undoubtedly occupy the first echelon position. The area under the jurisdiction of the governor of Zhili included present-day Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei, which were close to the emperor's capital, so the position of the governor of Zhili was particularly important, and he was regarded as the emperor's "parent official". The area under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Liangjiang has always been the economic center of gravity of the country, and is known as the emperor's "money bag", so it naturally receives special attention. In particular, the governor of Zhili, because of the geographical location and political importance of his position, often became a springboard for promotion to high-ranking official positions, such as entering the cabinet to pay respects to the prime minister.
So, which of the nine governors is relatively weak, and what is the reason behind it? This question is based on personal love and analysis of history, and more history buffs are also welcome to join the discussion.
In the strength ranking, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu should belong to the second echelon. This is because the Shaanxi-Gansu region is located at the key point connecting the northwest and southwest, and is an important stronghold and base for the imperial court to suppress the rebellion. Looking back at the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong periods, most of the troops in the northwest and southwest were led by the governors of Shaanxi and Gansu, and famous and powerful generals such as Nian Qianyao and Yue Zhongqi all served here.
The third echelon had relatively many forces, including the Governors of Huguang, Fujian and Zhejiang, Sichuan, and Liangguang. The forces of these four regions are relatively balanced, and although they are not as important as the second echelon, they cannot be ignored. As one of the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, Zhang Zhidong served as the governor of Huguang, the minister of Nanyang, and eventually the minister of military aircraft, demonstrating the influence of these regions.
The situation of the governors of the three eastern provinces is more special, because they were set up relatively late, and they were just established in the Guangxu period. Although there is not much time in history, the governors of the three eastern provinces are an important ** in the land of Longxing in the Qing Dynasty, and have a deep-rooted status.
In contrast, the Governor of Yungui was the weakest. Due to the treacherous geographical environment and the limited development conditions at that time, the Yunnan-Guizhou region was relatively backward. The slow economic development and the lack of importance of frontier fortresses meant that the imperial court paid relatively little attention to them.
In summary, each viceroy region had its own unique status and influence, and each had its own important responsibilities for the imperial court.