The thought of Qianlong, the suddenly erratic old dog, brought a complex mix of emotions to Heshen.
In the past, Heshen considered Qianlong a wise and powerful emperor. However, as Zhu Jinsong's influence grew in Shandong, Qianlong seemed to transform into a different person, making one foolish decision after another, each more absurd than the last.
Of course, from Qianlong's perspective, or indeed from the Qing dynasty's viewpoint, Qianlong's responses weren't entirely without merit and could even be considered effective countermeasures.
The problem lay with Zhu, the rebel in Shandong.
Zhu was unlike any rebel from any previous dynasty, which made Qianlong's countermeasures appear particularly foolish.
In reality, anyone else in Qianlong's position would likely have struggled to find a better solution.
Take, for instance, the current situation: Qianlong considered supplying the rebel Zhu Zhongzhi in Shanxi with matchlock and flintlock firearms. Under normal circumstances, this strategy of "driving wolves to devour tigers" might have been sound.
But what about now?
If the rebel Zhu Zhongzhi in Shanxi couldn't withstand Zhu Jinsong's attack and surrendered in three to five days, wouldn't all the firearms the Qing dynasty supplied to Zhu Zhongzhi then fall into the hands of the rebel Zhu Jinsong?
And even if the rebel Zhu Zhongzhi managed to withstand the attack from the rebel Zhu Jinsong in Shandong, what if he turned his attention to attacking the Qing dynasty? Wouldn't that be aiding the enemy?
Was this not simply hastening the Qing dynasty's demise?
Therefore, Heshen genuinely wished Qianlong would stop his erratic behavior.
In Heshen's opinion, if the Qing dynasty could just hold onto its territories in Zhili, Mongolia, and Liaodong, it could sit back and watch as the Han rebels fought amongst themselves. Once they were mutually weakened, the Qing dynasty could emerge and clean up the mess at its leisure.
After some thought, Heshen bowed and advised, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, rather than supplying the rebel Zhu Zhongzhi with matchlock and flintlock firearms, it would be better to continue with our original plan of observing the conflict, allowing the rebel Zhu Jinsong in Shandong to attack Shanxi and Jiangsu. Once they have weakened each other, the Qing dynasty can then clean up the aftermath."
Fortunately, despite Qianlong's occasional bouts of irrationality, he did heed some of Heshen's advice and ceased his insistence on supplying Zhu Zhongzhi with matchlock and flintlock firearms.
However, Qianlong was no ordinary emperor.
Even though he abandoned the idea of supplying Zhu Zhongzhi with firearms, Qianlong still had new ideas brewing.
After all, Qianlong had seriously reflected on the matter. A significant reason for the widespread impact of the rebel Zhu Jinsong in Shandong was the existence of the "Menglianggu Report."
Previously, the servant Fucha Mingxing had stirred up some trouble with a "Shandong Report" in Shandong. However, after Mingxing met his unfortunate end, this so-called "Shandong Report" was also abandoned.
Qianlong felt it was necessary to create a "Great Qing Report." Not only could it inform the common people throughout the land of the Great Qing's benevolence, but it could also generate revenue for the Qing dynasty's strained treasury.
Heshen no longer felt the need to offer further advice on Qianlong's idea.
Heshen understood clearly that he and Qianlong were like two grasshoppers tied to the same rope; their fortunes were intertwined, rising and falling together.
While loyalty wasn't exactly the word to describe it, much like how he had previously tricked the foolish Prince Yu's son, Yufeng, into rebellion – Heshen's goal was to obtain sufficient funds from the Prince Yu's mansion, not to genuinely rebel against Qianlong.
In Heshen's view, it was merely a matter of a newspaper, and it wouldn't cost much money. It was better to let Qianlong have his way.
However, Heshen could never have imagined the sheer intensity with which Qianlong pursued his endeavors; it was truly extraordinary.
As a political machine lauded by some of his bondservants as self-disciplined, cruel, ruthless, meticulous, and highly intelligent, Qianlong, immediately after ordering the establishment of the so-called "Great Qing Report," issued its first imperial decree.
He fabricated a background for himself.
That's right, Qianlong personally ordered the creation of a Han Chinese origin story, similar to a novel written by a later bondservant, connecting him to the Chen family of Haining.
Qianlong reasoned that the Han rebels were rebelling because he, the emperor of the Great Qing, was not of Han Chinese descent.
Therefore, by giving himself a Han Chinese background, allowing these Han rebels to achieve a spiritual victory, would they still rebel with the same conviction as before?
Surely not.
Regarding this imperial decree from Qianlong, neither Heshen, nor the banner chiefs of the Inner Five Banners, nor even the princes of the Aisin Gioro clan, took it very seriously.
Compared to a mere so-called Han Chinese origin, Heshen was more concerned with the two memorials submitted by the Fifteenth Prince and Eldenbao.
"Scorched earth tactics... drive the Han rebels into the city and burn their homes and crops, thus depleting the rebel's provisions."
"Drive the populace to attack the city... maintain a significant distance, leaving the Han rebels with no retreat, and then have our Manchu infantry mix among them; their city walls will surely be in chaos."
The defeat suffered by the Fifteenth Prince and Eldenbao at Lingqiu was not entirely in vain; at the very least, some lessons were learned.
In Heshen's opinion, the lessons learned by the Fifteenth Prince and Eldenbao were extremely useful strategies, whether for dealing with the rebels in Shanxi or for confronting other Han rebels elsewhere.
If these methods could be widely implemented, the Great Qing might not need to spend money to hire the "red-haired barbarians" to fight their wars. They could, with their own strength, pacify the realm once more.
Qianlong naturally agreed with this sentiment.
As a political machine lauded by some of his bondservants as self-disciplined, cruel, ruthless, meticulous, and highly intelligent, Qianlong obviously did not care about the lives of the Han rebels. What truly mattered to him was only the Great Qing empire.
Therefore, Qianlong unhesitatingly approved these two memorials and pre-emptively enfeoffed the Fifteenth Prince, Yongyan, as Prince of the Second Rank.
Qianlong even renamed the Fifteenth Prince Yongyan to Yongyan.
On one hand, Qianlong's action was equivalent to publicly announcing the Fifteenth Prince Yongyan's status as crown prince. On the other hand, it was to project an image to the Han rebels throughout the land, similar to the Hongwu Emperor of the former Ming dynasty, who prioritized the royal family's convenience over the populace's avoidance.
Coupled with the pre-fabricated story of the Chen family of Haining, Qianlong felt he had surely secured his position.
To truly solidify his position, Qianlong even issued an imperial edict of self-reproach while the rebel Zhu Jinsong of Shandong was attacking the rebel Zhu Zhongzhi of Shanxi.
Qianlong first seriously reflected on the Great Qing's previous policy of forbidding intermarriage between Manchus and Han Chinese. He then sincerely contemplated the harm he had caused the populace during his six tours of the south. Therefore, Qianlong decided to abolish the policy of Manchu-Han non-marriage and henceforth vigorously promote the policy of Manchu-Han unity, while simultaneously exempting all accumulated taxes owed by the common people.
Yes, future taxes would be dealt with later, but any taxes owed from before the fiftieth year of Qianlong's reign, regardless of the amount, would not be collected by the Qing dynasty's imperial court or local officials for any reason.
However, as soon as Qianlong's "as steady as a rock" strategy was announced through the "Great Qing Report," Zhu Zhongru, who always enjoyed striking at the face, slapped Qianlong's dog face.
First, he dug up genealogical records of the Qing imperial family from an unknown source, proving that Qianlong could absolutely not be a child of the Chen family of Haining. He then asserted that Qianlong currently only occupied Zhili, Mongolia, and the lands beyond the passes, where there were few Han people to begin with. Therefore, the so-called Manchu-Han unity was utter nonsense.
Furthermore, Zhu Zhongru stated that the Qing dynasty currently lacked local government, making the so-called exemption of accumulated arrears pure rubbish. If not for him, the twenty-first emperor of the Great Ming, rising in rebellion, the Qing dynasty would have wanted to collect taxes from Qianlong's hundred and fiftieth year.
Therefore, the truth behind the exemption of accumulated arrears was because he rebelled, and there were no longer any Han Chinese civilians under the Qing dynasty's rule, not because Qianlong truly recognized his mistakes.
Otherwise, why did he not grant exemptions in the forty-seventh year of Qianlong, nor in the fortieth year, but only in the fiftieth year?
After being thoroughly mocked by the traitor Zhu Zhongru, Qianlong became enraged and promptly brought out many of his previous imperial edicts.
Qianlong declared that in the first year of his reign, he had exempted national taxes once, and simultaneously exempted all tax arrears from the Yongzheng era.
The exemption in the tenth year of Qianlong followed Kangxi's practice, with tax exemptions for the 18 provinces spread over three years, meaning six provinces each year, "completing the cycle in three years." This did not affect the state's operations while also benefiting the populace.
The exemption in the thirty-fifth year of Qianlong coincided with Qianlong's own sixtieth birthday, so the tax exemption was presented as a form of celebration.
In the forty-second year of Qianlong, a similar three-year cycle of tax exemptions was implemented.
Therefore, what did his exemption of accumulated arrears have to do with a rebel like Zhu Jinsong?
And did he treat the Han people poorly? He himself was of Han Chinese descent and not someone who forgot his roots. He granted various tax exemptions, so why did the people not remember his kindness?
He felt very wronged!
Upon seeing the latest issue of the "Great Qing Report," Zhu Zhongru, the paramount leader of the rebels, was astonished.
Could a person be so shameless?
In the first year of Qianlong, the exemption was of taxes, not levies! Who were taxes levied upon? And who were levies imposed upon? It was clearly intended to win the hearts of the people in Jiangnan, yet it was claimed to be for the people's benefit.
Even if Qianlong had indeed granted exemptions, the Qing dynasty's court still collected the money it was owed without fail. Where did the problem lie? Not to mention anything else, would Qianlong forget the names of Li Shiyao and Wang Danwang?
He had truly never seen such a shameless person as Qianlong!
...
The "Great Qing Report" and the Menglianggu Report, which was renamed the "Great Ming Report," engaged in a verbal jousting match. Qianlong was determined to prove how well he treated the Han rebels, while Zhu Zhongru repeatedly exposed Qianlong's misdeeds, allowing the common people throughout the land to enjoy a grand spectacle.
Of course, despite the verbal sparring and the public spectacle, the war between Zhu Zhongru and Zhu Zhongzhi, the "brothers," was not delayed in the slightest.
And the developments were indeed as Heshen had predicted.
Although the rebel Zhu Zhongzhi in Shanxi fought against the Fifteenth Prince and Eldenbao with the ease and joy of beating a dog, facing the large-scale offensive of Zhu Jinsong's army and the pincer attack from Zhu Sanshun in Yan'an Prefecture, Zhu Zhongzhi's army suffered one defeat after another and retreated relentlessly.
Zhu Zhongzhi found this world to be too surreal.
In terms of army structure, Zhu Zhongzhi's forces had the same organization as Zhu Jinsong's army; both recruited respectable individuals and emphasized military discipline and training.
In terms of equipment, Zhu Zhongzhi's forces were also comparable to Zhu Jinsong's army, equipped with a large number of flintlock and matchlock firearms. For a period at the beginning of the war, the firepower of Zhu Zhongzhi's army was not inferior to that of Zhu Jinsong's army.
In terms of finances, Zhu Zhongzhi was not short of money. After all, he had, under the guise of a Banners nobleman, eliminated all eight of the Qing dynasty's corrupt merchants, and their wealth all fell into Zhu Zhongzhi's hands. Zhu Zhongzhi was also willing to spend money, ensuring sufficient provisions for his army.
Yet, despite having armies that seemed comparable in every aspect, they suffered defeat after defeat and retreated relentlessly against Zhu Jinsong's army, quickly losing Zezhou Prefecture.
Of course, if Zhu Zhongzhi could not defeat Zhu Jinsong's army, he might have been able to accept it. After all, Zhu Jinsong's army had been in rebellion for a longer period and had fought more battles, so it was understandable that they were stronger.
The crucial point was that his own army could not even defeat the army stationed in Yan'an Prefecture under Zhu Sanshun. Today they lost Tieluo Pass, tomorrow they lost Madou Pass, and the day after, wouldn't they lose all of Xi Prefecture?
Why was Zhu Sanshun also so formidable?
Zhu Zhongzhi had heard the reports from his subordinates. Only a small portion of Zhu Sanshun's army was equipped with firearms such as cannons, matchlock firearms, and flintlock firearms; the majority still used large swords and long spears.
Compared to his own well-equipped and well-trained army, Zhu Sanshun's army could be described as a beggar army without exaggeration.
So, where did the problem lie?
Zhu Zhongzhi was lost in confusion.
However, as Zhu Zhongzhi meticulously compared the differences between himself and his "brother" Zhu Zhongru, he felt he had found the crux of the problem.
Could it be that the peasant associations established by Zhu Zhongru were truly that capable?