Yongzheng made many contributions during his reign, why did the "Kangqian Prosperous Era" not mention Yongzheng?

During the reign of Emperor Yongzheng, a number of reforms were drastically implemented, which had a profound impact on the development of the Qing Dynasty at that time. From agricultural taxation, official management to frontier military, Yongzheng has hardly missed a single link. Looking at the entire history of China, Emperor Yongzheng's transformation of the national management system is indeed remarkable. However, why did later generations praise the "prosperous era of Kangqian" and basically ignore this important period of the Yongzheng Dynasty? Could it be that Emperor Yongzheng's political achievements are indeed too much worse than those of the latter two emperors? What kind of historical connotation is hidden in this?

1. Yongzheng reform from the source of the governance system

At the beginning of Emperor Yongzheng's accession to the throne, he began to promote a nationwide household census and cadastral survey. This project was brewed by Emperor Kangxi of the previous dynasty and was finally completed in the Yongzheng Dynasty after decades. After several years of hard work, officials have carried out detailed registration of every household in the country, and mapped the location and actual area of each acre of land one by one. The accomplishment of this arduous task has laid the foundation for the reform of the tax system.

There were many irregularities in the old tax system. In the past, officials at all levels were responsible for estimating the taxable silver taels, which left a lot of room for corruption. In some areas, the old practice of "total payment" is followed, and the full amount is collected regardless of the number of acres of land or per person, resulting in a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. In view of this, Emperor Yongzheng ordered the full implementation of the new policy of "apportioning the ding into the mu", stipulating that the number of ding and mu after the government announced the actual measurement, and the tax was levied according to the proportion of population and land area, so as to put an end to unreasonable high taxation in the past.

Although it is a good policy to benefit the people, it is also full of twists and turns to implement. There are many officials who are afraid of reducing their own income and interests and obstruct them in every way, and they urgently need to be severely reprimanded by Emperor Yongzheng. On the other hand, the unified taxation system also caused the problem of imbalance of fiscal revenue between regions, and Emperor Yongzheng had to make flexible adjustments according to different population and land conditions. Overall, this reform provides a good opportunity to improve the transparency of government tax revenue and curb corruption and profligacy.

In terms of improving the management system, Emperor Yongzheng also made a difference. For a long time, although the imperial court had the practice of sending personnel from the capital to inspect the provincial inspectors, the actual effect was not ideal due to the excessive centralization of authorization. Therefore, Emperor Yongzheng set up different levels of "salt and wine division" and "grain and salary division" in various provinces across the country to be responsible for specific management work. These newly established institutions not only strengthened the centralization of power, but also opened up communication channels between the upper and lower levels, and better realized the effective implementation of the central government's decrees in various localities. At that time, the social atmosphere was turbulent, and local officials were strictly supervised.

2. The impact of social and livelihood policies in the Yongzheng period

While reforming the tax system, Emperor Yongzheng also attached great importance to people's livelihood issues. At that time, China was in the later years of Kangxi's war, and the aftermath of the war had not yet subsided, coupled with the frequent natural and man-made disasters, ordinary people had a difficult life. In order to reduce the burden on the people, Emperor Yongzheng reduced taxes nationwide for five consecutive years. According to the records of the official cultivation of that year, in the first five years, Emperor Yongzheng reduced a total of 32.53 million taels of money, grain and silver. This was indeed a huge amount of money at the time, equivalent to the total revenue of the central government in three years at that time.

However, tax breaks are important, but they are not enough. Emperor Yongzheng knew that in order to fundamentally improve people's livelihood, it was necessary to pay attention to the development of education. It is because of him that he recruited talents and talents, and vigorously promoted scholars with real talents and learning from the central to the localities. At that time, the most capable intellectuals in the country were almost without exception conscripted into the ranks. Emperor Yongzheng repeatedly encouraged all localities to pay attention to cultivating talents, so that poor children also have the opportunity to receive a good education.

The education of the Yongzheng Dynasty can be described as unprecedented. Various provinces have successively introduced specific measures to set up voluntary learning to cultivate pillars. At the same time, the imperial court also vigorously established government-run academies to provide a broader channel for the selection of talents at the grassroots level. It is worth mentioning that Emperor Yongzheng's unique literary attainments deeply influenced the cultural fashion of the time, from which we can also see how much he attached importance to education.

In addition to education, Emperor Yongzheng also made great efforts to strengthen centralized power and maintain social stability. At that time, the Qing Dynasty had a vast territory, and the "feudal system" implemented by the imperial court to weaken the power of the vassal kings led to the expansion of imperial power. In order to curb this dangerous trend, Emperor Yongzheng personally presided over a plan to eliminate the old tribes of many vassal kings and reduce their power to prevent the emergence of a situation that would hinder the central government. It can be said that the contribution of Emperor Yongzheng in strengthening the centralization of power is beyond doubt.

At the same time, in order to maintain social order, the Yongzheng Dynasty also focused on rectifying the rule of officials. Through large-scale investigation and punishment of corruption cases, the Yongzheng Dynasty left a deep impression on the previous dynasties. From the central government to the local government, no matter how high or low the officials are, as long as it is verified that there is indeed corruption, Emperor Yongzheng will never be soft. It is true that some people suspect that Emperor Yongzheng is a little too paranoid, but his outstanding prestige in the fight against corruption is well deserved. In general, Emperor Yongzheng's achievements in social management and people's livelihood security are obvious to all.

3. The performance of Emperor Yongzheng in the diplomatic and military fields

In addition to the construction of internal affairs, Emperor Yongzheng also made a lot of efforts in foreign relations and military defense. When he succeeded him, he was faced with the dilemma of whether the peoples of the Northwest Frontier should be submissive or not. On the one hand, if it is too tough, it may exacerbate the contradictions and lead to war. On the other hand, if you have illusions and want to subjugate all the nomads in the way of Earth Cliff City, it is also a fate to seek fish.

In this case, Emperor Yongzheng chose to adopt a pragmatic approach. He treated the converts openly, and preemptively punished those who insisted on resisting. Through this strategy of "soft and hard", the Yongzheng Dynasty not only succeeded in avoiding the outbreak of large-scale war, but also finally consolidated its rule in the northwest frontier. Of course, there were some costs in the process, but in terms of the overall situation, Emperor Yongzheng's approach was indeed the best choice after weighing the pros and cons.

At the same time, Emperor Yongzheng also paid close attention to the growing Russian threat at the time. Ever since Peter I reformed the Navy, the Tsarist has always regarded the expansion of power as a top priority. The Treaty of Nebuchu, signed by the Qing court, became an opportunity for Russia's eastward expansion. Seeing that the crisis was approaching, Emperor Yongzheng learned from the pain and made efforts to strengthen border defense facilities and army training, so as to comprehensively improve the combat effectiveness of the Qing army.

It is worth mentioning that Emperor Yongzheng attached great importance to the army's logistical support and management construction. Due to the continuous wars, the military salary system in the past has become increasingly overstretched, and it is difficult to meet the needs of actual combat. To this end, Emperor Yongzheng deliberately rectified the military salary, strictly reviewed the establishment, and ensured that the limited funds were used on the cutting edge. At the same time, he also personally supervised the living supplies of the soldiers, and ordered the proper arrangement of food and grass for every officer and soldier, which shows his good intentions.

The implementation of this series of military defense measures has greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the Qing army. In the later years of Yongzheng, the imperial court not only successfully quelled the civil strife in Yunnan and other places, but also took the initiative to extend its military power to Xinjiang and other border areas, effectively defending the country's territorial sovereignty. It can be said that Emperor Yongzheng's performance in the field of diplomacy and defense is also remarkable. Although later generations received mixed reviews of him, his military and diplomatic contributions are irrefutable facts.

4. The controversy over the choice of the prince of the Yongzheng Dynasty

In the life of Emperor Yongzheng, the most controversial thing was his practice of making a will and making a prince. According to common sense, Yinxiang, the eldest son of Emperor Yongzheng, should be the most reasonable candidate for succession. However, this is not the case, and when Emperor Yongzheng was dying, he suddenly removed the crown prince Yinxiang from the throne and designated the fourth son Yinzhen as the heir. This caused an uproar at the time and remains a mystery to this day.

What caused Emperor Yongzheng to do this? Later people put forward their own speculations. Some people believe that Emperor Yongzheng was bewitched by villains and misheard some gossip; Some people also suspect that Yongzheng was already manic in his later years and his mind was not very clear. But the most weighty statement is that Emperor Yongzheng made such a decision out of his own selfishness and hoped to preserve his authority.

It is said that before Emperor Yongzheng died, he privately told his confidant ministers to put an end to the recurrence of the situation of "Huan Hai making tides". The subtext of this sentence is that he does not want to see the new prince quickly assert his authority after ascending the throne, and all autocratic power will be held by the empress dowager or ministers again. Therefore, he chose his son Yinzhen instead of his eldest son Yinxiang, because Yinxiang has a more docile personality and is difficult to control power, but Yinzhen has more determination and skill to control the overall situation.

This statement seems to be well-founded, but there are many doubts in it. Even if Emperor Yongzheng did think so, how could he be sure that the new prince would do what he wanted when he ascended the throne? Moreover, Emperor Yongzheng's practice of setting up another prince is tantamount to laying the root of the future dispute over the rank of the prince. All these measures are also incompatible with his always cautious style of conduct.

What's even more interesting is that at the same time as Emperor Yongzheng's sudden decision to change the storage position, there was also a bizarre incident in which the power of the dynasty suddenly increased. Whether this is a coincidence or a strange one, no one can give a definite answer. In short, Emperor Yongzheng's move to establish a prince was a shocking event at the time, and even today, hundreds of years later, it is still an ignorant mystery in Chinese history.

5. The evaluation of his political achievements by the government and the opposition during the Yongzheng period

Emperor Yongzheng's actions during his reign also caused a lot of controversy and comments at the time. Those supporters believe that although Emperor Yongzheng was strict in his work, he was effective in governing and made a significant contribution to China's development. Others, however, complained about his harsh and arbitrary style.

In the early period of Emperor Yongzheng's reign, due to natural disasters and huge military expenditures, the imperial court's finances were very stretched. In order to make up for the deficit, Emperor Yongzheng had to levy taxes on a large scale throughout the country, which was far more stringent than in previous dynasties. According to the records of some local literati at that time, the torture suffered by the peasants at that time was simply "unable to survey the family, and the population was all served". Therefore, the government and the opposition people also criticized Emperor Yongzheng.

In the later period of the Yongzheng Dynasty, due to the gradual abundance of imperial court income, the attitude of officials towards Emperor Yongzheng also began to change slightly. However, Emperor Yongzheng's style of iron-fisted rule has always been consistent, which makes his popularity in officialdom not very good. Ministers privately polarized his evaluation, with some praising him as "uncharacterist"; But others accused him of being "too obsessed."

In general, the literati and scholars had mixed reviews of Emperor Yongzheng's political achievements. Some people believe that although Emperor Yongzheng was strict, it was his determination and courage that put the government back on track. Others, however, believe that Emperor Yongzheng has gone mad with too much authoritarianism, and his wrists have almost deviated from the golden mean. As the saying goes, "the proponents chisel, the opponents chatter".

However, no matter how it is evaluated, a series of reform measures implemented during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng are obvious to all. Even those who criticize him have to admit that he has made outstanding contributions in many fields, such as taxation, political achievements, and the military. It's just that it is unknown whether such a contribution will be enough to compensate for the negative effects of his tough hand.