In the eighth year of the Qianlong reign, a "bird inspection in the Golden Hall" exposed a shocking case of concealing disasters and greed for wealth,[Expand All]
In the eighth year of the Qianlong reign, a "bird inspection in the Golden Hall" exposed a shocking case of concealing disasters and greed for wealth, revealing the crisis of shrinking grain fields and empty granaries in the Qing Dynasty. Liu Tongxun, who had returned to his hometown due to illness, was ordered to come out of seclusion. Leading the newly appointed young officials such as Gu Shan and Du Xiao, they broke through the encirclement and, taking their heads as a model, carried out the grand strategy of clearing land and increasing farmland proposed by Emperor Qianlong. After two years of hard work, the grain fields turned from danger to safety and the national economy gradually regained its vitality. However, the corrupt forces led by Tie Gong Nan and Song Wulou openly challenged the newly revised "Prohibition of Zhang" law. Under the guise of land reclamation, they elevated the imperial examination and levied taxes, brutally exploiting the settlers and causing Emperor Qianlong's land reclamation efforts to fall short. At this time, more than half of the 18 provinces across the country were hit by natural disasters unseen in a century. A national food crisis broke out again, shaking the foundation of the country and triggering intense unrest between the government and the people. Liu and Gu, the other ministers, were once again entrusted with a critical mission. Taking the severely affected areas in Zhejiang as a breakthrough point, they adhered to the principle of governing the land by law and engaged in a life-and-death struggle with the evil forces in both the court and the country. Eventually, they managed to safeguard the red line of farmland for the Qing Dynasty, and food security was established as the top priority of the nation. However, as soon as the new policies were introduced, they faced even more acute challenges. Ecological disasters caused by excessive land reclamation emerged, and the ministers of Liu and Gu once again plunged into the fray.[Collapse]
