The governor of Zhili has a high position, and people who are not the emperor’s cronies cannot serve. Also, because of the heavy responsibility and guarding the capital, there is a saying that the head of the Jiangchen minister. But there are always exceptions to everything. Although in general, the Governor of Zhili ranks first among the eight governors, but in extraordinary times, there are extraordinary things.
Obviously, only Governor Liangjiang can compete with the Governor of Zhili, and even in some periods, the power of the two Governors is even higher than that of the Governor of Zhili. For example, in the early years of Shunzhi, the cabinet scholar Hong Chengchou, governor of Liangjiang military affairs, recruited several provinces in the south of the Yangtze River. The emperor Shunzhi made it very clear in his letter that the governor of military affairs in Jiangnan, Yungui and other places did not need to request an order to kill civil and military officials below grade three.
Another example is that during Qianlong's 30th year as the governor of Liangjiang, Yin Jishan, a famous minister in Qianlong period, was crowned as a scholar of Wenhua Palace, ranking above Fang Guancheng, the governor of Zhili at that time. There is also Tao Shu in the Daoguang period. During his tenure as governor of Liangjiang, he was more favored than governor of Zhili. Whether it is the governor of Zhili or the governor of Liangjiang, the key is to see who will be the specific governor. Of course, this statement is quite a bit of an offensive taste, and it is not the norm. So, let's take the two most prominent officials of Xinjiang in the late Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, as examples, and look at the power comparison between the governors of Liangjiang and Zhili. Z1z
First of all, the full title of the Governor of Liangjiang Zeng Guofan
is "Governor of Liangjiang and other places, advising military affairs, food and payment, handling Jiang, and governing Nanhe affairs", governing the three provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi, and is stationed in Jiangning. In the first year of the Yongzheng period (1723), the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of War and the right capital of the inspectorate was added. In the eleventh year of the Daoguang Emperor (1831), he also managed the salt administration of the Lianghuai.
Zeng Guofan served as governor of Liangjiang for ten years with Xianfeng. His power at that time was the same as before, and there was no other prominent place. However, after Cixi came to power, he immediately promoted his powers and made him an imperial minister, governor of the military affairs of the four provinces, tempered the governor, and promoted civil and military affairs under the town. Z1z
During this period, Zeng Guofan had full powers granted by the court, so his governor of Liangjiang was the most powerful governor of Liangjiang since Shunzhi. This is because Zeng Guofan presided over the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom at that time. It was an extraordinary time and must be given the highest military and administrative power.
It is not difficult to imagine that in the period of the two rivers of Zeng's feudal governor, his power can be said to be in full swing, and even a little overwhelming. In the following years, Zeng Guofan's power expanded again, and his members of the Hunan Army Group continued to serve as territories. From the southwest to the coast, it can be said that they are the territory of the Hunan Army. Even when the imperial court appoints governors of various provinces, they have to send out the court mail to ask his opinions. This is unique in the history of the Qing Dynasty. After
conquered Jinling, Zeng Guofan was promoted to first-class marquis with his military merits, worshipped the Martial Arts Scholar, the Prince Taibao, and admired the flowers in his eyes, and his career path reached its peak. At the same time, the Zhili Governor Chonghou, although nominally the first of the ministers in Xinjiang, his reputation and influence were far less than Zeng Guofan. Z1z
Let's say Li Hongzhang, Governor of Zhili Province,
The full title of Governor of Zhili Province is "Governor Zhili and other places, advising military affairs, food and payment, managing rivers and governor affairs". In the third year of Xianfeng (1853), as the governor of Zhili and in charge of the Changlu salt administration, in the ninth year of Tongzhi (1870), he added three trade affairs and awarded the minister of Beiyang.
Li Hongzhang replaced Zeng Guofan as the governor of Zhili after the Tianjin religious case. In this year, the court set up the post of Minister of Beiyang, so Li Hongzhang became the first governor of Zhili and the minister of Beiyang. As mentioned above, Zhili is the gateway to Beijing because of its mission to defend the Gyeonggi, so it ranks first among the ministers of the border. Since the ninth year of Tongzhi and the minister of Beiyang, the position of the governor of Zhili has become more prominent. Because the Minister of Beiyang is not a local official in name, but belongs to the prime minister’s office. Calculated according to his position today, he is actually equivalent to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Li Hongzhang is also a strong person, but his teacher Zeng Guofan, Governor of Liangjiang, had to be shorter in terms of love and qualifications. However, since Zeng Guofan resigned, Li Hongzhang's potential has exploded. With the trust of Cixi, he has become the head of the local ministers. He is more influential than the governor of Liangjiang Liu Kunyi and the governor of Huguang during the same period.
Li Hongzhang has served as governor of Zhili and minister of Beiyang for 20 years, and he is also a bachelor of Wenhuadian. He also has a Beiyang navy built with great financial resources, integrating military, administration and diplomacy. Although he has never been in the Central Military Aircraft Department in his life, But in foreign affairs, it is definitely the head of the Qing court.
From the above analysis, Zeng Guofan was the strongest governor of Liangjiang in the Qing Dynasty, and Li Hongzhang was the strongest governor of Zhili. However, there are differences between the two in some details.
Zeng Guofan has extremely high military power, restrains the military affairs of the four provinces, and has great economic power; although Li Hongzhang also restrains military affairs, after all, the influence of Zhili province is limited, and his focus is on diplomacy.
However, for the Qing rulers, the military aspect is obviously more important, after all, it is related to the stability of the dominant position. Since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, no Hanchen has ever had military command power like Zeng Guofan. It can be said to be the only one. Foreign affairs are also relatively important, but they are not as important as military affairs. The Qing government also disdains foreign barbarian dealings, so the emphasis is not enough and the weight is less than military.
Therefore, comparing Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, we can see that the power of the two governors at that time was more prominent than that of Zhili governor. However, after Zeng Guofan, Liangjiang governor returned to normal and fell under the jurisdiction of Zhili governor.
