Admiral of the Nine Gates, the power is huge, and he can rebel by closing the city gates? The emperor is not stupid, and he has long been on guard
The power and crisis of the Admiral of the Nine Gates
In the court of the Qing Dynasty, the position of Admiral of the Nine Gates attracted much attention. As the supreme security officers of the imperial city, they held the security power of the capital and even had a profound impact on the fate of the entire dynasty. This unparalleled power naturally carries great risks. Whether it is an ambitious prince from within, or a hostile force from the outside, the Admiral of the Nine Gates is always in danger of being usurped and overthrown. However, the clever Qing emperors were early on aware of this hidden danger and took deliberate measures to curb it.
How much power does the Admiral of the Nine Gates have? Will they really be able to easily overthrow the emperor in a coup d'état? How did the Qing emperor guard against this potential threat from the Admirals of the Nine Gates? These are all questions that deserve to be discussed in detail.
First of all, we can see the importance of his position from the evolution of the position of Admiral of the Nine Gates. Originally, Admiral Jiumen was only a high-ranking military attache of Zheng Erpin, no different from the governors of various places. However, because it was directly in charge of the gates of the Forbidden City, this position was quickly promoted to the rank of a single rank, which was equivalent to the status of an important official of the imperial court such as the co-organizer of the university. This meant that the Admiral of the Nine Gates was given more power and responsibility.
In addition to directly controlling the power of entering and exiting the capital, the Admiral of the Nine Gates also has a huge number of subordinate forces. They can mobilize tens of thousands of troops to deal with some issues of public order and discipline internally, and externally they can act as a solid barrier for the imperial city. This kind of great strength can indeed give people the illusion that "as long as they want to rebel, this is a very simple and easy thing to do".
But the emperor of the Qing Dynasty was not a fuel-efficient lamp. They knew very well that once a position like the Admiral of the Nine Gates was in the hands of ambitious people, it would pose a serious hidden danger. Therefore, when selecting the admiral of Jiumen, the Qing court was extremely cautious. They will choose their most trusted henchmen, usually relatives within the imperial family, to build a strong relationship of trust with the emperor.
For example, in the succession battle of Emperor Yongzheng, Long Keduo, the governor of Jiumen, was Yinzhen's uncle and gave full play to the role of maintaining the security of the throne. But the emperor was well aware that even those closest to him were at risk of being corrupted by power. Therefore, while giving such great power to the Admiral of Jiumen, the Qing court skillfully checked and balanced its influence.
First of all, although the Admiral of the Nine Gates was a very popular minister, he was still placed under the supervision of the Six Shangshu, especially the Military Shangshu. This means that they are unable to make independent decisions on key matters such as the appointment of officials and the deployment of troops, and must coordinate with other senior officials. This undoubtedly greatly weakened the actual dominance of the Admiral of the Nine Gates.
Secondly, the Qing court also set up special security forces such as the Ouchi guards. Although the strength of this team is not as strong as that of the troops under the Admiral of Jiumen, its members are all the children of the upper echelons of the Manchu people, and they are highly tied to the interests of the imperial family. In this way, even if the Admiral of the Nine Gates has any misdeeds, the Ouchi guards can quickly punish them.
In general, the Qing emperors were very vigilant about the potential threat of the Nine Gate Admirals, and had careful countermeasures from the selection of people, checks and balances, to the separation of powers. This also fully illustrates their persistent pursuit of a stable regime. Even the security minister of the imperial city could not withstand the emperor's strict monitoring and careful layout.
However, the duties of the Admiral of the Nine Gates are far from being as simple as we think. In addition to defending the imperial city, they also undertook many other important tasks, such as managing the order of entry and exit to the capital, and enforcing various royal decrees. All of these tasks are closely related to the lives of the people in Beijing, and they can be described as heavy responsibilities.
Therefore, the Admirals of the Nine Gates cannot be simply equated with "security", they are more like a comprehensive administrator, with multiple functions such as military, public security, and management. This means that the slightest negligence on their part can lead to serious consequences. Therefore, the work pressure of the Admiral of the Nine Gates can be imagined.
Overall, Admiral Jiumen was undoubtedly one of the most special and important positions in the Qing Dynasty. They not only wield great power, but also bear the heavy responsibility of the safety of the entire dynasty. This unique position of both power and responsibility made them the object of the Qing court's greatest attention and vigilance.
The Qing emperor succeeded in curbing the ambitions of the Nine Gate Governors through various checks and balances. But at the same time, it also makes the work of this position more difficult and onerous. Admirals of the Nine Gates must not only maintain the security of the capital, but also be vigilant against threats from within to ensure that their loyalty is not shaken. This is certainly a heavy burden, but it also achieves their unique position in the history of the Qing Dynasty.
The special status and historical influence of the Admiral of the Nine Gates of the Qing Dynasty
As the highest security official in the capital of the Qing Dynasty, the Admiral of Jiumen was undoubtedly an extremely special existence. Not only do they hold the great power to protect the imperial city, but they are also directly related to the success or failure of the entire dynasty. This supremacy has long gone beyond mere security work and has become a key link in the political structure of the Qing court.
It is not difficult to imagine that the Admiral of the Nine Gates has such great power that it can easily trigger their desire to seek more power. After all, they are not only able to mobilize tens of thousands of heroes independently, but also control the entry and exit checkpoints of the capital at any time. Once ill-intentioned, it could easily constitute a direct threat to the emperor's rule.
However, history tells us that the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were alert to this and responded to it. They knew that if the position of Admiral of the Nine Gates fell into the hands of careerists, it would bring irreparable disaster to the dynasty. Therefore, the Qing court adopted a careful strategy in terms of selection, checks and balances, and even the distribution of work.
First of all, the emperor would be extremely careful in selecting the candidates for the Admirals of the Nine Gates, usually choosing his most trusted relatives or confidants. This not only ensured their loyalty, but also strengthened the emperor's prestige in the patriarchal system. For example, in the battle for the succession of Emperor Yongzheng, Long Keduo, the governor of Jiumen, was Yinzhen's uncle and fully supported his accession to the throne.
But the emperors also understood that kinship did not mean that they could always have a firm grip on the Admirals of the Nine Gates. The temptation of power often corrupts a person's original intentions, making him have the ambition to become emperor himself. Therefore, the Qing court also adopted a series of checks and balances.
The first is to put the Admiral of the Nine Gates under the supervision of the Six Shangshu, especially the Shangshu of the Military Department. This meant that they were unable to make decisions completely independently on many important matters, and had to coordinate with other important court officials. This greatly weakened the actual dominance of the Admirals of the Nine Gates and prevented them from abusing their powers.
Secondly, the Qing court also set up special security forces such as the Ouchi guards. Although the number of this team was less than the 10,000 troops under the Admiral of Jiumen, its members were all from the upper echelons of the Manchu people and were highly tied to the interests of the imperial family. If there is any change in the Admiral of the Nine Gates, the Ouchi guards will be able to quickly sanction him.
In general, the Qing emperors were always on high alert to the potential threat of the Nine Gate Admirals. From the selection of personnel to the division of powers, they have all taken careful countermeasures to ensure that the strength of the Nine Gate Admirals is always checked and controlled. This also fully reflects the great importance they attach to the stability of the regime.
However, the role of the Admiral of the Nine Gates in the Qing Dynasty was not limited to security and defense. They also have a lot of onerous administrative responsibilities, involving all aspects of the capital. For example, managing the order of entering and exiting the city gates, enforcing royal decrees, etc., all require them to go out in person. Although less dramatic than the war, these efforts were equally crucial to maintaining the stability of the capital.
It can be said that the Admiral of Jiumen was not only the highest security chief of the Qing Dynasty, but also a comprehensive administrator. They must not only be vigilant against political intrigues from within, but also handle various matters that are closely related to the lives of the people. This is undoubtedly a heavy burden, but it is precisely the particularity of this duty that has created the irreplaceable position of the Admiral of Jiumen in the history of the Qing Dynasty.
In general, as one of the most special and important official positions in the Qing Dynasty, the status and role of the Admiral of Jiumen have long gone far beyond simple security work. They not only wield great power, but also shoulder the heavy responsibility of the fate of the entire dynasty. The Qing emperors were highly vigilant about this, and devised a well-thought-out response strategy, which eventually succeeded in curbing the ambitions of the Nine Gate Admirals.
This careful control of power once again demonstrated the Qing court's persistent pursuit of political stability. Although the Admiral of the Nine Gates was a high-ranking and important minister, he still could not escape the emperor's strict surveillance and careful layout. This not only made their work more arduous and onerous, but also achieved their unique and irreplaceable position in the history of the Qing Dynasty.