Most of the famous ministers of the Qing Dynasty are thunderous names, such as Dolgon, Long Keduo, Nian Qianyao, He Shen, etc., but there is one person who is often forgotten, and he is Ah Gui.
Ah Gui is a rare important minister who has both entered the court and led the army to fight, and finally died a good death. What's even more special is that during the Qianlong period, Ah Gui served as the prime minister for a long time, and his power even surpassed that of He Shen, and even He Shen had to be jealous of him.
Unlike He Shen, Ah Gui is a real pillar of the country, and his power is due to his outstanding exploits and ability to govern the world.
A Gui, the word Guangting, was born in a famous family, went through the four dynasties of Kang, Yong, Qian, and Jia in the Qing Dynasty, witnessed the prosperity of the times, and suffered the pain of decay. His family background is prominent, his grandfather Asha was a third-class guard, and his father Acton was an official to the criminal department, a scholar, and a scholar, and won the emperor's trust and respect.
Gui is proud of his family's glory, but he also deeply feels the ups and downs of power and the rise and fall of his family.
Ah Gui, from a famous family, should have a worry-free life, but he is not a person who is content with pleasure. His father, who had a profound influence on him, received a systematic education since he was a child, unlike those children of the Eight Banners who relied on the blood of the nobility.
Ah Gui knew that in the peaceful world, the position of civil officials was more stable, so he devoted more energy to studying. Acton is a very special existence among the children of the Eight Banners.
He gained fame through the imperial examinations, rather than relying on the blessings of his ancestors. His success is due to his talent and hard work, and it is also inseparable from the guidance and support of his father.
His family environment was full of bookishness, which laid a solid foundation for Gui's studies. However, Gui's career has not been all smooth sailing. Although he has a strong family background, he is not a mature and steady person.
His bookish spirit made him look a little childish, which made him suffer in his youth and almost lost his life. Overall, Gui's success is due to his talent, hard work, family background, and his father's guidance and support.
His story tells us that even if we come from a famous family, we can't be satisfied with pleasure, and only through our own efforts can we achieve our goals.
2. In the winter of the thirteenth year of Qianlong, there was turmoil in Jinchuan, and the Qing army sent troops to conscript. Ah Gui followed the military to participate in the war as a staff member. However, Zhang Guangsi, the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, the general of the Qing army on the front, could not capture the battle of Jinchuan for a long time, and the Qianlong Emperor sent a scholar to supervise the battle.
As soon as he arrived, he ordered the Jinchuan bandits to be conquered within three days, but he failed to achieve his goal, and instead caused his own army to suffer heavy losses and demoralize. At this time, contradictions arose within the Qing army at the front.
The contradiction between Zhang Guangsi and Neqin is deepening day by day, and they both want to put each other to death. After learning of this situation, Emperor Qianlong deeply felt that it was taboo to discord, so he decisively recalled the two by thunderous means, and executed them separately for the crime of delaying the military plane.
In the intricate officialdom struggle, Ah Gui was not spared and was accused of"colluded with Zhang Guangsi and deceived his relatives", and was finally escorted back to the capital to be imprisoned. If no miracle happens, Ah Gui may die in this officialdom struggle.
Fortunately, his father, Acton, was still alive, and his diligence was greatly appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor, so in June of the following year, the Qianlong Emperor issued an order pardoning Gui's death and releasing him to return home.
When Acton learned of the news, he was grateful, especially when he saw in Emperor Qianlong's edict of pardon that Emperor Qianlong emphasized that Acton was old, diligent, and meritorious to the imperial court, and that he had only one son, Ah Gui.
Gui was able to escape death thanks to his father's protection. In general, Ah Gui's first expedition with the army did not bring good luck, but left him deeply hurt.
In the 20th year of Qianlong, Agui's career ushered in a turning point. Prior to this, although he held some positions in the imperial court and localities, he was not reused because he was always in the apprenticeship stage.
Although Xinjiang has a vast territory and fertile water and grass, it has not become a stable oasis because the rebels in the Junggar Department have repeatedly provoked incidents.
However, with the civil strife in the Mongolian Dzungar Department in the 20th year of Qianlong, the Qianlong Emperor decided to use troops to quell the troubles in the west, and Ah Gui was truly activated, and his career was revitalized again.
Ah Gui came to the Sutai Governor Station of Uriya as a cabinet scholar, and he was determined to devote himself to the battle of the western expedition to pacify the Dzungar Tribe, and together with the Mongol prince Chenggon Zabu to conquer Ayan, he practiced and was extremely brave.
After the war, the Mongolian prince wrote to Emperor Qianlong, praising Gui for "working hard in times of trouble" and spoke highly of his performance. However, what the Qianlong Emperor appreciated more was Gui's ability to govern Xinjiang.
After pacifying the western region, Emperor Qianlong decided to continue to garrison troops in Xinjiang to maintain stability in Xinjiang. Although the war had just been quelled and the garrison in Xinjiang faced many difficulties, Ah Gui successfully solved the food problem in the border areas and solved a big problem for the garrison with his excellent governance ability.
Ah Gui had a unique vision, and he noticed the importance of agricultural production as early as the process of pacifying the quasi-department. After the war ended, he proposed that Uyghur farmers and soldiers from all over southern Xinjiang be sent to Ili to resume agricultural production.
However, the other ministers believed that Ili was short of soldiers and horses and suggested retreating, but Agui firmly believed in the importance of the Ili tuntian. His proposal coincided with Qianlong's idea, and Qianlong approved his proposal and assigned Ah Gui to conduct the affairs of Tuntian in Yili.
Since then, Agui has ushered in a new era in Yili Tuntian. Ah Gui's maturity and sophistication in the affairs of Tuntian made Tuntian remarkable, solved the problem of transporting military grain to Xinjiang on long distances, and improved the stability of the Xinjiang garrison.
By the 26th year of Qianlong, Yili's tuntian had achieved a thriving scene, and Ah Gui proposed to further expand the scale of farmland, send troops to tuntian, and govern the local area, and these measures achieved remarkable results.
Ah Gui's ability to govern the tuntian in Ili was highly praised by the Qianlong Emperor, so he was awarded the positions of Minister of the Interior, Shangshu of the Ministry of Industry, and Commander of the Han Army with the Blue Banner, and was left in Ili to garrison.
Emperor Qianlong's trust in Gui grew, and he regarded him as an important figure like Acton. This is no accident, because governing Xinjiang was a task that the Kangxi and Yongzheng dynasties failed to complete, but during the Qianlong period, Ah Gui not only succeeded in suppressing the rebellion, but also successfully governed the region.
In Qianlong's view, this is a great achievement that has made him famous in history, and Ah Gui is his indispensable right-hand man. It can be seen from the "Ten Complete Martial Arts" summarized by Kangxi in his later years that many of them were established by A Gui.
It is no wonder that Emperor Qianlong attached so much importance to him. In the 28th year of Qianlong, after years of hard work, Ah Gui achieved great success in Yili, was recalled to Beijing, and was awarded the posts of Minister of Military Aircraft, Zhenghongqi Manchurian Commander, Ministry of Industry Shangshu and Prince Taibao.
The following year, Emperor Qianlong also raised Ah Gui's clan from the Zhenglan Banner to the Zhengbai Banner, one of the three upper banners, which further proved the importance he attached to Ah Gui.
In the second battle to pacify the Great and Small Jinchuan, Ah Gui was once again ordered to take on the heavy task of suppressing bandits at a critical moment when the defeated army was defeated. He went deep into the front line, judged the situation, and took advantage of the traitor's fatigue to launch a surprise attack.
This small victory won him the trust and evaluation of Emperor Qianlong: "It is really worthy of the task of managing the affairs of the deposit." When Ah Gui successfully pacified the Jinchuan area and returned to Beijing, Emperor Qianlong was so excited that he directly untied the black fox leg yellow coat he used and rewarded him, and praised him as a hero for pacifying Jinchuan.
Emperor Qianlong also personally led the crowd to the south of Beijing to greet Ah Gui, and gave him fine wine, and ordered a portrait of him to be painted in the Ziguang Pavilion. This portrait signified that Gui had become the chief minister of the Qing court, responsible for the overall management of various affairs and assisting the emperor in handling state affairs.
During the Qianlong period, He Shen was a minister with power in the government and the opposition, and he was deeply loved by Emperor Qianlong, but he also felt pressured because of this. Because he knew that there was a minister named Ah Gui, who was not only deeply appreciated by the emperor, but also because of his ability and courage, He Shen had to be afraid.
In the 46th year of Qianlong, a serious rebellion broke out in Gansu, and Emperor Qianlong ordered Ah Gui to go to the superintendent and go with Shen as the minister of the Qin Mission. However, when He Shen arrived in Gansu, he found that the generals in the army had ignored his orders.
So, he decided to file a complaint with Gui. However, after Ah Gui arrived in Gansu, he only raised his tent and sent troops, and all the generals obeyed his orders, and none of them showed disrespect.
Upon learning of this, Emperor Qianlong immediately ordered He Shen to return to the capital first and severely criticized him. Since then, He Shen has really understood the power of this "iron general".
In the imperial court, Ah Gui and He Shen have almost no personal interactions, and even if they discuss politics together, Ah Gui will keep his distance and not let He Shen get close. Gui's attitude made He Shen feel uneasy.
In the forty-ninth year of Qianlong, He Shen became a cabinet scholar, ranking last, while A Gui was the chief minister of military aircraft, ranking first. Although He Shen was deeply favored by Qianlong, he was jealous of Ah Gui's status but helpless.
On the other hand, He Shen secretly used means to find Ah Gui's handle, intending to monopolize power. Although Ah Gui has a lot of power, he often goes out to inspect the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Haitang Project and the Hubei Jingzhou Dike Project, which also gives He Shen an opportunity.
Despite this, Gui's presence still made He Shen feel like a man's back.
He Shen couldn't find Ah Gui's handle, so he began to look for problems from the people Ah Gui had promoted. In April of the 50th year of Qianlong, the wife of Haisheng, a member of the Military Aircraft Department, was killed by him, and He Shen immediately saw an opportunity to bring down Ah Gui.
Haisheng was personally promoted by Ah Gui, who accidentally beat his wife Wu Yashi to death in this quarrel. Afterwards, he disguised himself as his wife and hanged himself, but soon aroused the suspicion of his wife's brother and denounced him to the court.
When He Shen learned of this, he immediately submitted the complaint to Qianlong, and added oil and vinegar to Qianlong, so that Qianlong ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. He Shen's purpose is not to focus on this murder case, but to pour some dirty water on Ah Gui.
Qianlong ordered a thorough investigation of the matter, and the person in charge of investigating the case was Cao Wenyun, the head of the household department. After Cao Wenyun's detailed investigation, he confirmed that Haisheng had indeed killed his wife, but it was an unintentional mistake.
In this way, although it was confirmed that Haisheng had killed someone, He Shen did not find enough evidence to splash dirty water on Ah Gui. Just when He Shen was at a loss, Ah Gui took the initiative to jump out and intercede for Haisheng.
In the main hall, Ah Gui wrote to Qianlong, asking for leniency for Haisheng, because he had a loyal personality, and his wife had a strong and unvirtuous personality, and this unintentional mistake caused a catastrophe.
He Shen saw this opportunity, and he slandered Qianlong that because Haisheng was a protégé personally promoted by Ah Gui, Ah Gui would favor him. If Ah Gui is not severely punished, then the following ** will inevitably criticize him.
He Shen's accusation of Ah Gui has actually labeled him as a party and selfish business, and he should be severely punished. However, He Shen originally thought that Qianlong would punish Ah Gui heavily, but Qianlong only deducted part of his salary and did it hastily.
After this incident, the conflict between He Shen and Ah Gui surfaced, but he dispelled the idea of destroying Ah Gui through slander, because Qianlong's trust in Ah Gui made him unable to do it.
In addition, Ah Gui has always adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards Heshen politically, and he does not serve as the first assistant in the capital most of the time, which also makes Heshen a little more at ease.
In the 60th year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong was located in Jiaqing and proclaimed himself Emperor Taishang. Ah Gui is over eighty years old and seriously ill, but he can't rest assured about one thing. Although Ah Gui knew that He Shen was a disaster for the government and the opposition, he was helpless because Qianlong favored him.
He once wanted to play Qianlong's illicit deeds with Heshen, but he was worried that Qianlong was too old to withstand the stimulation, so he could only hide his worries in his heart. He pinned his hopes on Jiaqing to punish He Shen severely after he became in power, so that he could pass away with peace of mind.
In the second year of Jiaqing, Ah Gui was seriously ill in bed, and Emperor Qianlong went to visit him in person. The two are of the same age and cherish each other. Qianlong even gave his own Weaving Jindra Sutra to Ah Gui.
However, Gui eventually passed away. His death hit Qianlong hard, but He Shen, as a favored minister, was very happy, because he finally had nothing to be afraid of in the court.
However, Heshen's good days didn't last long. In the fourth year of Jiaqing, the eighty-nine-year-old Emperor Qianlong died of serious illness, and Emperor Jiaqing officially took power. On the day of Emperor Qianlong's death, Emperor Jiaqing appointed He Shen to be in charge of the funeral.
However, the next day, Emperor Jiaqing ordered his ministers to report and expose the traitorous ministers, and on the fifth day, He Shen's house was raided.
Ah Gui was deeply valued by Emperor Qianlong for his practical style, and was given the Taibao after his death, nicknamed "Wencheng". In the nearly 300-year history of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, only A Gui can be called a "civil and military minister", and the nickname "Wencheng" is even rarer.
A Gui's life proves that only by really doing practical things can you gain the trust and respect of the emperor, avoid being assassinated by villains, and start and finish well.