Preface
In the history of the Qing Dynasty, the heirs of Emperor Kangxi have always been the focus of attention, and the fourteenth son of Kangxi, Yinyu, is a high-profile existence.
As a prince with a large army, he wielded great power and influence, however, in the face of the rule of Emperor Yongzheng, he chose to remain silent and obedient.
So, why did a prince with more than 200,000 troops dare not challenge the authority of Emperor Yongzheng and rebel to overthrow his rule?
First, the nine sons take the heir
In Kangxi's later years, the crown prince Yinren was deposed, triggering a terrifying "nine sons seizing the heirs" incident. In this battle for succession, the fourth son of the emperor Yinzhen and the eighth son of the emperor Yinzhen became the leaders of the two camps respectively.
Yinzhen is shrewd and capable, and he has good means. He knew that the key to seizing the throne was to win the hearts and minds of the army, so in the process of seizing the throne, he spared no effort to win over his cronies and consolidate his power. He is adept at using all kinds of means to achieve his goals, whether it is suppressing dissidents or winning over supporters, he is at ease.
He clearly realized that only by mastering military power could he truly consolidate his position. Therefore, in the process of seizing the throne, he always took the control of military power as the first task. In contrast, Yinxi is mild-mannered, humble and polite. It is this humble character that has won the appreciation of many princes, including the old fourteenth Yinyu of the year.
Although Yinzhen also has ambitions to win the heir, he relies more on his own talent and prestige than on Yinzhen's power calculations. He believes that as long as he can show enough ability and morality, he will definitely be able to win the support of more people.
In this fierce struggle for succession, Yinzhen finally defeated the other sons with his outstanding political means and military strength, ascended the throne, and became the Yongzheng Emperor. And Yinxi can only watch his dreams shatter and become a frustrated.
Second, Yinyu stepped forward
In the "Nine Sons Seize the Inheritance", there is an impressive little thing. At that time, Yinxi was accused by Kangxi of "having great ambitions" and was almost imprisoned. At the critical moment, the old fourteenth Yinyu stepped forward and said to Kangxi on the spot, "Eighth elder brother has no such heart, and the ministers are willing to protect it!"
This move not only made Kangxi recognize Yinyu's loyalty to his brother, but also made him take a fancy to Yinyu's character. Since then, Yinyu's weight in Kangxi's eyes has become heavier. The reason why Yinyu came forward so much was not entirely out of support for Yinyu, but more out of his own sense of justice and responsibility.
As a prince, he knew that the unity of his brothers was essential to the stability of the entire dynasty. Therefore, when he saw that his brother was treated so unfairly, he resolutely stood up, regardless of his own safety, and directly expressed his appeal to Kangxi.
This kind of courage and sense of justice made Kangxi look down on Yinyu. In Kangxi's view, Yinyu is not only a capable general, but also a loyal and reliable prince. Since then, Kangxi's respect and trust in Yinyu have become deeper and deeper. This has laid a solid foundation for Yinyu's future development.
III. Pacification Rebellion
In the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi's reign, the Dzungar tribe's conspirator Alabutan led a large army to invade Tibet. After careful consideration, Kangxi finally decided to appoint Yinyu as the general of Fuyuan and personally presided over the departure ceremony.
This is enough to see how much Kangxi attached importance to Yinyu at that time. And Yinyu did not live up to Kangxi's expectations, in just over a year, he quickly put down the rebellion and showed outstanding military command skills.
The reason why Yinyu was able to achieve such an outstanding record was not only due to his own military quality, but also related to his deep roots in the northwest region. As a prince born in the northwest, Yinyu has an in-depth understanding of the local geographical environment and ethnic conditions. This enabled him to adapt measures to local conditions and give full play to his own advantages when formulating strategies and mobilizing troops.
At the same time, Yinyu is also good at communicating and coordinating with local Tibetan Buddhist forces. He knew that in order to achieve stability in the northwest, he had to win the support of local Tibetan Buddhist leaders. Therefore, while quelling the rebellion, he also actively established good relations with the Dalai Lama and others, laying the foundation for his future rule.
It was with his excellent military command ability and excellent political skills that Yinyu completed the important task assigned to him by Kangxi in a short period of time and won the emperor's high praise. This also laid a solid foundation for his future development.
Fourth, the dispute over wills
In the sixty-first year of Kangxi, Emperor Kangxi died of illness in Changchun Garden. After his death, Yinzhen was in Kangxi's will, that is, the emperor was located in the Taihe Hall and changed to Yongzheng.
There have always been many speculations about how Yongzheng ascended the throne. One of the most widely circulated theories is that Kangxi originally intended to pass on the throne to Yinzhen, but Yinzhen made a move in the will and changed a word, which led to the throne.
However, the credibility of this claim is debatable. After all, the will is written in Manchu, Mongolian, and Chinese, and it is indeed not easy to change it without revealing traces. What's more, Kangxi has always been cautious and cautious about the inheritance of the throne, and it is unlikely that he will leave a loophole in such an important matter.
But even so, the reason why this statement can be widely spread also shows how much people valued Yinyu at that time. In the eyes of many people, Yinyu is the most likely candidate for Kangxi. After all, his outstanding performance in the northwest and Kangxi's respect for him make people feel that he is the most qualified person to inherit the throne.
Therefore, even if Yinzhen ascended the throne in the end, people are still haunted by what happened to Yinzhen. This kind of regret and incomprehension has also become an important perspective for later generations to comment on this period of history.
Fifth, Yongzheng's prevention
In any case, after Yongzheng ascended the throne, he first attacked Yinyu, who had a heavy army. He not only sent someone to the northwest to take over Yinyu's position, but also sent someone to stop him on the way back to Beijing for the funeral, and conducted a thorough search of the belongings he was carrying.
The intention of all this is nothing more than to prevent Yinyu from giving evidence that he may hold Kangxi's will, thereby shaking his rule. It can be seen how important Yongzheng's vigilance against Yinyu is.
The reason why Yongzheng is so precautionary against Yinyu is that in addition to worrying that he may hold Kangxi's will, there is another important reason, that is, he is deeply jealous of Yinyu's military strength. As a general who controls a large army, Yinyu is a potential threat. If he really rebelled, it would undoubtedly bring great turmoil to Yongzheng's rule.
Therefore, Yongzheng must take decisive measures to curb Yinyu's power. Not only did he have to change his position, but his whereabouts were closely monitored. This kind of precautionary measure reflects Yongzheng's high vigilance against his dominant position.
It can be said that the reason why Yongzheng is so guarded against Yinyu is rooted in his sense of uncertainty about his dominance. As a newly enthroned emperor, he must always be on the lookout for possible threats to ensure that his dominance is not shaken.
Sixth, there is a big fuss in front of the spirit
Sure enough, after arriving in the capital, Yinyu made a big fuss in front of Kangxi's coffin. Not only did he refuse to kneel down to Yongzheng, but he also demanded that Yongzheng punish one of the guards who pulled him for "committing the following crimes".
In the end, it was Yinyu who came forward to persuade him, and Yinyu "knelt silently". But this scene has made Yongzheng even more wary of Yinyu. This big trouble is also a public provocation by Yinyu to Yongzheng. As a prince, he was supposed to show respect and submission to the new emperor. But he openly refused to kneel, which was undoubtedly challenging Yongzheng's authority.
To some extent, this also reflects Yinyu's inner unwillingness and anger. As a prince who was once highly regarded by Kangxi, he couldn't accept that he was now the object of captivity. In front of Kangxi's spirit, he finally couldn't help but burst out, trying to express his dissatisfaction in this way.
As the new emperor, how could Yongzheng tolerate a prince who so openly challenged his authority? Therefore, this scene deepened Yongzheng's wariness of Yinyu and laid the groundwork for the subsequent ban.
7. The pain of captivity
Since then, Yinyu has started a long career of captivity. In the first year of Yongzheng, he was placed near the Kangxi Cemetery and placed under house arrest there. In the fourth year of Yongzheng, he was escorted back to Beijing and imprisoned in the palace of Jingshan Shouhuang until Yongzheng died and Qianlong ascended the throne before he was released.
In the past ten years, Yinyu has suffered a lot. Not only was he deprived of his freedom, but he was also left with no whereabouts and lived in extreme poverty. For a once-favored prince, this encounter was even worse.
As a military elite, he could have built up merit on the battlefield, received higher status and honors. But now, he is a prisoner under house arrest, denied even the most basic living guarantees.
This huge gap will also cause huge trauma to Yinyu's heart. The power and position he once had were now in vain, replaced by endless loneliness and despair. In this case, he will definitely have a deep hatred and anger towards Yongzheng.
But even so, Yinyu couldn't do anything to change his situation. As a prisoner under house arrest, he did not even have the most basic freedoms, let alone any plans to rebel. He could only watch his life fall from the peak to the bottom, and there was nothing he could do.
This kind of helplessness and despair will undoubtedly fill Yinyu's heart with pain and anger. But he could only bury these emotions deep in his heart, unable to tell anyone. This kind of mental torture is probably even more unbearable than physical pain.
8. Unable to resist
So, why did Yinyu choose to lead hundreds of thousands of troops to overthrow Yongzheng directly after learning the news of Kangxi's death? In fact, this is not that Yinyu didn't dare, but that he couldn't do anything. First of all, the army under his command did not belong to him personally, but the army of the Qing Dynasty, and it was a fool's dream to call on them to rebel.
As a general, Yinyu certainly has an elite army. But the loyalty of this army does not lie in him personally, but in the Qing Dynasty. They received the rewards and rewards of the imperial court, and their allegiance was also to the emperor, the supreme ruler. It is a fantasy to let such an army betray the emperor and support a prince who is under house arrest.
Secondly, Yinyu was in the northwest at the time, and the logistics supply was completely controlled by Yongzheng's people. Once he chooses to rebel, then these critical logistical support will be cut off. At that time, his army will be in a predicament of having no food to eat, and internal turmoil and mutiny will inevitably occur. In this way, his plan of resistance would have failed completely.
In the end, Yinyu lacked a reasonable reason to rebel. He can neither use the testamentary dispute as an excuse, nor can he follow Zhu Di's "Qingjun side" move, otherwise he will become the target of public criticism. In the political environment of the time, it was too difficult to find a reason to justify his actions.
epilogue
It seems that in that era of the supremacy of imperial power, even a general with a heavy army, if he lacked reasonable political demands and logistical support, it would be difficult to shake the consolidated imperial rule in the end. Yinyu's encounter is a vivid footnote.