Emperor Kangxi Was a Wise Ruler and a Paragon of Benevolence (2 of 3)
2016-12-12


Emperor Kangxi Was a Wise Ruler and a Paragon of Benevolence (2 of 3)
 
2) Emperor Kangxi appointed officials according to their virtues
 
People were Kangxi's first priority. He loved the people. He observed them and was mindful of their hardships. During his political career, he constantly developed principles and policies that benefited the people. Kangxi was intent on restoring and expanding productivity based on people's abilities, life cycles and reproduction cycles. He forbid the seizure and occupation of people's lands. He eliminated grain taxes 545 times at a cost of 1.5 billion yin liang (silver, the ancient Chinese monetary unit). Kangxi announced the policy of "no extra taxes on additional children," and froze the "population tax" to lessen the financial burden on farmers. He studied and investigated river management for more than ten years, and placed importance on managing and controlling the Yellow River. He was mindful of people's distress and so reduced damage and suffering brought by flooding.
 
At one time, a part of the Great Wall in the area of Gubeikou collapsed. The ministry of public works discussed the reconstruction project. Kangxi told the senior engineers, "When an emperor rules a nation, he relies on internal sources and does not solely depend on barricades. The Great Wall was built during the Qin Dynasty and constantly repaired during the Han, Tang, and Song Dynasties. Yet, this did not prevent foreign invasions. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, my ancestor led his army through it, destroying any obstruction. No one could stop them! Therefore, to defend a nation is to cultivate one's virtue and treat the people respectfully. When people are happy, the nation is in harmony and the frontier is fortified. My thoughts concerning this are clearly represented by the proverb 'Unity of the people with the same purpose is a formidable force.'"
 
Kangxi, when inspecting an area north of the Great Wall, found a man lying on the road. He approached the man and found that his name was Wang Sihai and that he was a servant. On his way home, he laid down from hunger and could not get up again. Kangxi immediately ordered his aides to feed him warm porridge. After Wang Sihai was well again, they took him with them to the place where the Emperor stayed while on this inspection tour. Then, they gave him travel expenses and send him with an escort back home.
 
Kangxi put in practice a "lenient punishment" policy. During 22 years of his reign, less than forty prisoners received the death penalty.
 
Emperor Kangxi was a benevolent emperor. He directed that all officials treat people as if they were their children. When selecting people for government positions, he held to very strict standards. He used the following principle when selecting an official, "When a nation chooses its official, a person's morality, fairness, and generosity of spirit come first, his talents and skills come last. It would be ideal if the person possessed virtue and talent. However, it is more important that he possesses virtue instead of talent. A person's talent must be based on his virtues. Therefore, when he possesses more virtue than talent, he is a true gentleman. If he possesses more talent than virtue, he is a spiteful man."
 
In order to reassure Han officials, Kangxi told them repeatedly, "The Manchus and the Hans are both my ministers. The Manchus and the Hans are one body. All officials, regardless of position, are my trusted aides. Every official must submit admonishments, submit written reports, and must not avoid responsibilities." Therefore, many scholars who had lived in seclusion came to serve the government. The barrier between the Manchus, Hans, and other ethnic groups gradually disintegrated and they all lived in harmony.
 
To foster an honest and upright environment among government officials, Kangxi issued imperial orders soliciting advice from honest officials from throughout the government. He personally honored some of them. During his reign, there were many well-known, honest, and upright officials, such as Tang Bin, Li Guangdi, and Zhang Boxing. When they governed a county, its residents' lives improved, and when they governed a province, people's lives in the province improved.
 
For example, Yu Chenglong, the governor of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces, was loyal, responsible, and an honest public servant. Although he was the governor of several provinces, he did not seek personal gain. He had two meals a day, and they consisted of unpolished rice and vegetable dishes. His habit earned him the nickname of "Vegetable Yu." He set a personal example and prohibited officials from offering or accepting bribes. Thus, he won the deep support of the people. After he died, his subordinate generals and officials went to his house to offer their condolences. They saw that he only had one gown in his bamboo chest and several containers for salt and grain by the head of his bed. They were deeply touched by his honesty and virtue. People hung his portrait in their homes to commemorate him, and Kangxi praised him as "the number one honest official."
 
Kangxi paid particular attention to punishing corrupt officials. He said, "The crime of a corrupt official is unlike any other crimes, so I must not be lenient. Otherwise, it would not serve as a deterrent." One autumn he held a court hearing and selected and judged a handful of corrupt criminals. This was to serve as a warning to others. He was even stricter with provincial governors. For example, Mu Ersai, the governor of Shanxi Province, took bribes and was therefore executed. Kangxi explained that if severe punishment was not used when such crimes were committed, then how could officials be disciplined. Between 1681 and 1706 AD, Kangxi punished twenty-six corrupt provincial viceroys and governors. Kangxi's severe treatment of corrupt officials established an effective deterrent.
 
康熙皇帝: 一代明君 仁者风范 ()
 
二、民为邦本、任人唯贤
 
康熙以民为本,在其政治生涯中,爱民,恤民,察民,施惠于民的思想和政策比比皆是。康熙注重恢复和发展生产,与民休养生息。屡次申令停止圈占土地,又蠲免钱粮达五百四十五次之多,计银十五亿两。宣布「滋生人丁,永不加赋」,将全国人丁税固定下来,减轻农民负担。重视治理黄河,自己系心于治河历数十年,以解除百姓水患之苦。
 
当时古北口长城一带倾塌很多,工部等衙门议请修筑。康熙对大学士等人说:「帝王治天下,自有本原,不专恃险阻。秦筑长城以来,汉、唐、宋亦常修理,其时岂无边患?明末,我太祖大兵长驱直入,诸路瓦解,皆莫敢当,可见守国之道,惟在修德安民,民心悦,则邦本得,而边境自固,所谓众志成城是也。」
 
一次,康熙在塞外视察时,发现一个人僵卧在路旁。他亲自询问,知道这个人叫王四海,是个佣工,在回家路上因为饥饿躺下起不来,康熙立即下令给他喂热粥。等王四海苏醒后,将他带到行宫。后给王四海盘缠,派人送他回家。
 
康熙实行宽刑政策。康熙二十二年,全国秋决(判死刑)的犯人「尚不及四十人」。
 
康熙不仅自己体恤百姓,还要求官吏要爱民如子。他虽然不拘一格遴选人才,但对于人才的标准却要求的非常严格。他用人始终一贯的标准是:「国家用人,当以德器为本,才艺为末」,「才德兼优为佳,若有才无德,不如有德无才也」,还说:「论才则必以德为本,故德胜才谓之君子,才胜德谓之小人」。
 
为了安抚汉族官员,康熙一再重申「满汉皆朕之臣子」,「满汉一体」,「在朝大小官员,皆是朕心中信任之人,各官都要进谏、奏本,切勿推脱责任」,一些遁迹山林的读书人纷纷出仕,满族与汉族及其他各族的隔阂逐渐瓦解,直至彼此融合。
 
为了形成官吏廉洁的良好风气,康熙一再下诏让在朝各官推举清官,他自己也亲口表彰了一批清官。康熙朝以清官辈出著称,如汤斌、李光地、张伯行等人均以清廉闻名一时,他们任职一县,即使一县之民受惠,任职一省,即使一省之民沾惠。
 
两江总督的于成龙,奉公职守,两袖清风,虽贵为封疆大吏,从不谋任何私利,一日两餐只吃糙米饭和青菜,绰号「于青菜」。他以身作则,明令禁止官员行贿受贿,深受百姓拥戴。他去世时,到其居室吊唁的其属下将军、官员看到他家中的竹箧里只有一领绨袍,床头只有几个装盐、装豉的器皿,莫不为其清廉感动落泪,百姓们家家挂其画像纪念他,康熙称赞他为「今时清官第一」。
 
康熙非常注意严惩贪官。他说,贪官必加严惩,贪官之罪不比其它,绝不能宽恕。否则,不能起到儆戒作用。一次秋审,他就亲自勾决了一批贪污要犯,以儆效尤。对朝廷,他要求更严。如山西巡抚穆尔赛贪赃枉法,康熙说,对这样秽迹显著的要犯,不用重典,何以示惩,应立即处死。
    来源: 看中国 责编: Kitt

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