Admiral is a well-known military official name in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It first appeared in Ming Dynasty . During the Jiajing period, , Jingying had the position of "Admiral General Military Officer", which was later changed to " Governor Jingying Rongzheng". However, during the Ming Dynasty, most admirals held informal official positions, serving as general military officers in various places. Sometimes due to military needs, admirals were often given titles such as admiral of military affairs and admiral. In the Qing Dynasty , the post of admiral was permanent. Each province had a total of nineteen admirals, with official rank starting from the first rank. They commanded the officers and soldiers of the green battalion to which they belonged, and were the highest-ranking officers of the green battalion in a province.
Admirals can be divided into land admirals and naval admirals. They are in charge of one or two provinces. Although they are controlled by the governor and governor, they have great power. However, among these admirals, " Nine Admirals " is a very special existence. Just looking at the name, it is easy to have two opinions: one is to focus on "Nine" and "Admiral", which makes people feel that this official must have great power. Another focus is on the word "door". Does it control the door? Even if the "admiral" has 90 gates, isn't he still a gatekeeper? How big can the rights be?
The "Nine Gate Admirals" are indeed gatekeepers, but this "gatekeeper admiral" is a bit powerful. In the 16th year of Shunzhi (1660), the Qing government established an additional patrol camp, which was controlled by the chief officer of the infantry commander's office. It was called the "Admiral Commander of the Third Patrol Battalion of the Nine Gate Infantry Army". This was the predecessor of the "Nine Gate Admiral". The official establishment of the post of Jiumen Admiral was in the thirteenth year of Kangxi (1674) after Emperor Shunzhi's son Xuan Ye ascended the throne.
Emperor Kangxi asked him to be mainly responsible for the guards and access control inside and outside the nine gates of the capital. He was also responsible for night patrols, fire fighting, compilation and inspection of security guards, bans, arrests, and prison breaks. Which nine gates were there? Chaoyangmen for transporting grain into the palace, Chongwenmen for transporting wine into the palace, Fuchengmen for transporting coal into the palace, Dongzhimen for transporting bricks, tiles and wood into the palace, Xizhimen for transporting water into the palace. , Zhengyang Gate , which was used exclusively by the emperor when he left the palace and returned to the palace, Xuanwu Gate, where he passed the prison carriage, Desheng Gate, which was used by the generals when they left the palace to fight, , and Anding Gate, which was used when returning from a victorious battle. There are nine gates in total.
Why does this sound like a gatekeeper? Don't be busy, the Nine Admirals naturally have other jobs besides "looking after the gates". Admiral Jiumen also commanded the Eight Banners infantry of the Manchu, Mongolian and Han armies in the capital and the horse infantry of the Green Battalion in the capital. The troops under his command have been maintained at about 30,000 for a long time. They include the Eight Banners Infantry Camp, the patrol and the fifth battalion , and the inner and outer cities. The Sixteenth Gate Management Agency and the Baita Mountain Signal and Artillery Management Department are well-staffed and well-equipped.
Don't underestimate these 30,000 people. This is a very important 30,000 people. They are beside the emperor and at the foot of the imperial city. These 30,000 people are regarded as the last barrier to protect the emperor. Similarly, if this barrier is used by others, the emperor's life will be in danger, so this official position is very important. The person who serves as the nine-door admiral is, in a sense, roughly equivalent to the current capital garrison commander and capital police sergeant, like the emperor's house guard.
The Nine Admirals can walk sideways in the capital. In the capital's territory, high-ranking officials gather together and throw a stone at random, saying that they may not be able to hit someone wearing a red hat. However, these people have to listen to the nine admirals. In "Kangxi Dynasty", the nine admirals caught a few people fighting as soon as they appeared. One said he was a subordinate of Obai , and the other was Kangxi 's hairy Wei Dongting . The nine-door admiral Wu Liuyi said that no matter whose subordinates he was, he would be arrested. This shows that this official position really has real power and no one is afraid of him!
The importance of the nine-door admirals is comparable to that of the frontier generals. The frontier generals protect the country, while the nine-door admirals protect the emperor's home. In the later years of Emperor Kangxi's reign, in addition to several princes, there was also an important figure among them, namely Longkodo, the Admiral of the Nine Gates. After the death of Kangxi, the fourth elder brother succeeded to the throne. Longkoduo was worried about something happening and ordered the nine gates to be closed. No one could come in without the emperor's summons. It was not until the new emperor's enthronement ceremony was completed and the Manchu ministers paid homage to the emperor that the nine gates were reopened.
The nature of the Nine-Sect Admiral's army determines that it is the best weapon for mobilizing (political) change. Empress Dowager Cixi launched two coups in her life, the first was the "Xinyou Coup" and the second was the "1898 Coup". Both of these coups relied on the Imperial Army commanded by the Nine Admirals. In a sense, the nine admirals can directly influence the emperor's dethronement and establishment. The emperor has put his wealth and life on the nine admirals.
The selection of the nine admirals of the Qing Dynasty was also a top priority. Only Manchus could serve. No matter how great their merits and abilities were, the Han people had no chance. This rule was not broken until the fall of the Qing Dynasty. Those who have served as admirals of the Nine Gates are also historical celebrities, such as Longkodo, Fukang'an, Heshen, Ronglu, etc. Later, the Qing Dynasty came to the edge of destruction, and many official positions lost their role, but the Nine Admirals were always there because his role was so great.
If there are no nine admirals, it means that the emperor is "finished". It was not until Puyi was driven out of the palace that this official position finally disappeared.
(Reference materials: " Qing History Draft ", " Ming History ", etc.)
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