Hua Ling was a kind of crown ornament for Qing Dynasty officials, used to show rank and reward military merit. Generally speaking, only civil and military officials who have made military merit can be rewarded with flowers.
There are 3 levels of flower plume: one-eyed flower plume, two-eyed flower plume, and three-eyed flower plume. The Three-Eyed Flower Plume was the most honorable, and in the early Qing Dynasty, only members of the imperial family such as Bei Zi and Gu Lun's Frontal Donkey were eligible to receive the Three-Eyed Flower Plume. Later, the conditions were slowly relaxed, and non-royals who made major military achievements for the country could also get the three eyes. The Three-Eyed Flower Ling gradually entered the family of the Minister of Culture and Military Affairs.
However, the reward of the three-eyed plume is still strictly controlled. In the entire Qing Dynasty for nearly 300 years, only 7 ministers of culture and military affairs had obtained the Three Eyes. They are Fu Heng, Fu Kang'an, He Lin, Chang Ling, Xi En, Li Hongzhang, and Xu Tong.
Why did Fu Heng get the Three-Eyed Flower Plume?
Fu Heng was the younger brother of Empress Fucha, who participated in major military operations such as quelling the Jinchuan Rebellion, the Dzungar Rebellion, and resisting the Burmese invasion, personally led troops to fight many times, went deep into the front line, was not afraid of life and death, and was the mainstay of the Qing Dynasty, deeply trusted by the Qianlong Emperor, and was rewarded with three eyes.
Why did Fukang an get the Three-Eyed Flower?
Fu Kang'an was the third son of Fu Heng, who participated in major military operations such as quelling the Jinchuan Rebellion, the Gansu Civil Rebellion, the Lin Shuangwen Rebellion in Taiwan, the Miaojiang Rebellion, and the resistance to the invasion of Gorkha (present-day Nepal).
Why did Helin get the Three-Eyed Flower Plume?
He Lin was the younger brother of He yan, who came from a pen-and-paper style, entered the career, followed Fu Kang'an to participate in two major military operations against the Gurkha invasion and the Peaceful MiaoJiang Rebellion, and became miasma during the expedition, died of death, and was posthumously awarded the first class duke and allowed to inherit hereditary descendants.
Why did the elderly get the Three-Eyed Flower Plume?
Changling was also born in the pen and paste style, led his troops on expeditions many times, and was famous for shaking the West, especially in quelling Zhang Ge's rebellion, performing exceptionally well, and it took only half a year to capture Zhang Ge, promote him to Taibao, be given the Three Eyes Flower Plume, and draw an image in the Purple Light Pavilion.
Why did Xi En get the Three-Eyed Plume?
Xi'en was the son of Chun Ying the Prince of Rui, and participated in major military operations such as the rebellion of Jianghuayao and Zhao Jinlong in Hunan, and the rebellion of Zhao Zaiqing in Guangdong.
Why did Li Hongzhang get the Three-Eyed Flower Plume?
Li Hongzhang's name is very familiar to everyone, he was one of the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, played a certain role in the Pacification taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement and the Twist Army, and promoted the foreign affairs movement, created the Beiyang Water Division, and was regarded by Empress Dowager Cixi as a person who "assisted ZTE and leveled the great difficulties".
Among the 7 ministers of culture and military affairs who had won the three-eyed plume, only Xu Tong had not made military merits, had no experience in leading troops, and had not held military positions—including not limited to garrison generals, capital commanders, admirals, general soldiers, etc., and even military ministers, governors, inspectors, and military secretaries.
Xu Tong (徐桐), courtesy name Yuru , YinXuan , was born in 1820 in the Han Dynasty. During the Daoguang years, Xu Tong passed the entrance examination and entered the career path. After that, Xu Tong successively served as a reviewer of the Hanlin Academy, an assistant of the Shiluguan, a secretary of the Taichang Temple, a left deputy of the Metropolitan Imperial Household, a cabinet scholar, a right attendant of the Rebbe, a Shangshu of the Rebbe, a Shangshu of the Official, a scholar of the Co-organizing University, and a scholar of the Tirenge University, and was a standard civilian official.
Under normal circumstances, a civilian official like Xu Tong, let alone a three-eyed flower plume, is not even qualified to obtain a single eye flower plume. Xu Tong can get the Three-Eyed Flower Plume, which must have something unique.
To put it simply, Xu Tong had a great appetite for Empress Dowager Cixi.
Xu Tong is a stubborn and conservative person who is jealous of Western learning. Xu Tong's family lived in Dongjiaomin Lane, and since the Second Opium War, Britain, France, the United States, Russia, Japan, Germany, Belgium and other countries have successively set up embassies in Dongjiaomin Lane. At this time, there were often foreigners passing by at xu tong's doorstep. In order to show his hatred for foreigners, Xu Tong posted a couplet at the gate: "Looking at the ocean and sighing; neighboring with ghosts." ”
After the Sino-Japanese War, the Restoration Movement was in full swing. Xu Tong stubbornly opposed the Restoration. Among his protégés were those who were in favor of the Restoration, and when they came to see him, they were all turned away by him.
When the law was changed, Xu Tong opposed the change of law, claiming that "it is better to destroy the country than to change the law." He made a secret confession, accusing the reformist official Zhang Yinhuan of being the culprit in the reform and reforming of the law, and demanded that he be severely punished. After the Guangxu Emperor issued the edict of changing the law, Xu Tong publicly preached that "the old man should be removed first, and Xu Yi would not be late."
When the Penghu Reformation failed, some of the restorationists were imprisoned, and Tan Si and six others were killed at the Caishikou Execution Ground. Xu Tong was very happy, invited the drama team to his home, and sang the drama for three days in a row.
The ministers in the imperial court, but all those who had a little knowledge, looked down on Xu Tong's jumping up and down. Reluctantly, Xu Tong was very trusted by Empress Dowager Cixi. Therefore, Xu Tong stood firm in the imperial court, repeatedly received preferential treatment, and was also rewarded with three-eyed flowers, becoming the only winner of the three-eyed flowers without military merit in the Qing Dynasty.