Compared with other prosperous times in ancient China, Kanggan prosperous time is a relatively poor prosperous time, and its prosperity benefits from its strong population advantage. Fifty-eight years after Qianlong, the population of the whole Qing Dynasty reached 290 million, which is the most populous country in the world even today, not to mention 250 years ago. The huge population has brought endless wealth to Qianlong. During the Qianlong period, the fiscal revenue even reached 70 million taels of silver. At the same time, the huge population also brought great population pressure to the Qing Dynasty.
During the Qianlong period, the national grain output reached 208.8 billion Jin, three times that of the Tang Dynasty and 2.5 times that of the Song Dynasty. However, due to the huge population of the Qing Dynasty, with an average of 780 Jin per person, only 70% of that of the Tang Dynasty, half of that of the Song Dynasty, and even less than that of the late Ming Dynasty in the turbulent period, the whole Qianlong heyday was a prosperous and hungry time. In addition to the low grain output, the people in the Qing Dynasty were exploited by landlords and had to pay a large amount of land rent to landlords, which undoubtedly made the already poor farmers worse.
In addition to living in poverty, ordinary people are exploited by landlords and bureaucrats and have no recourse. When Emperor Qianlong was in office, he always emphasized people-oriented, but he was arbitrary and didn't like people petitioning from beginning to end, and he hated suing the people in the court. Emperor Qianlong was quite conceited. Although he is strict with officials, he doesn't allow people to sue their parents, because this reflects his carelessness in employing people from another side and undermines his holiness. Therefore, although Gan Long has been severely punishing corrupt officials in the early and middle period, even more severely than his father Yong Zhengdi, he does not allow people to report corrupt officials.
In the twenty-second year of Ganlong's southern tour to the Sulu border, some victims sued him for concealing the disaster, such as Sun Mo, the magistrate of Xiayi County, and Tu Lebing, the governor of Henan Province, which led to the poverty of the people. Hearing this, Qianlong was furious. He handed all the petitioners to the Shandong Governor for punishment, and then secretly sent someone to investigate Sun Mo and Tu Lebing. Sure enough, these two officials concealed the disaster, which led to the two officials being sentenced to years. It can be seen that Emperor Qianlong hated and even severely cracked down on petitions, and even if it was true, it would repair "unruly people".
Since it is not feasible to complain, I should be able to complain at home! But in the prosperous time of Kanggan, this kind of behavior is not good, not only bad, but also may lose one's life. In the Qing Dynasty, especially during the Qianlong period, literary inquisition prevailed. The number of literary inquisitions exceeds 160, and the number ranges from several hundred to tens of thousands. And many of these literary prisons are the complaints of literati and poets. It can be seen that in the Qianlong period, even if you are full of complaints, you must endure internal injuries or your head will move.
People live in poverty and have no freedom. Officials should be able to live well! Being an official can really improve the economy and avoid hunger and cold. However, officials of the Qing Dynasty can be said to be the most insignificant officials in the history of China. Especially during the Qianlong period, officials were even more miserable. Qianlong reformed the Ministry of War on the basis of his father, excluded all royal families from the Ministry of War, and expanded imperial power to make the whole empire revolve around the will of the emperor, which was the peak of feudal autocracy.
In the 19th year of Qianlong, Emperor Qianlong prepared to attack Zhungeer. Unexpectedly, he was opposed by all ministers. There has been no war in the whole Qing Dynasty for more than 20 years. The fact that Emperor Qianlong actually underestimates the enemy and goes to war really makes ministers beg to differ. But in the end, Emperor Qianlong brought the Qing Dynasty into the track of war without the support of ministers, which was impossible in previous dynasties.
Emperor Qianlong's arbitrary character, coupled with his extraordinary intelligence, eventually made the whole Qing Dynasty revolve around him, and the emperor became the only decision-maker of the country, and the ministers became the slaves of the emperor. Those ambitious and wise officials became vassals of the emperor during the Qianlong period. In Qianlong's view, he doesn't need ministers, just slaves.
It can be seen that the so-called prosperous time of Kanggan, although it has gone through a hundred years, is only a prosperous time of population, and it cannot be compared with the previous prosperous times in economy, politics and culture.