What was the situation of the Eight Banners soldiers in the late Qing Dynasty?

after the Qing army entered the customs, the phenomenon of lax military discipline and corrupt atmosphere began to appear. The officers and men of the Eight Banners, who ate in the government all the year round, abandoned the simple and simple social fashion in the past, flaunted idleness, fancy clothes and delicious food, and pursued a comfortable and comfortable life. On weekdays, few people patrol the city on time for exercises, but "in groups of three or five, carrying bird cages and racks, wandering around all day or even gambling with each other" and "having no scruples about stealing, prostitution and gambling". All day long, the generals "play kites at home, embroider clothes and make fat, and drink from the children of guests every day"; Soldiers compete for silks and satins in their clothes, and they must be drunk and full. They even squander their newly paid salaries. The newly received grain and rice are sold to shops at a low price in exchange for money to eat and drink, and the wind of fighting chickens and running dogs, singing operas in classes and smoking opium is spreading everywhere. Some people rely on their own identity as banners, thinking that the government will give them help when they can't live any longer. Therefore, "many people sell their houses because of their mouths, that is, if they want to eat meat every meal, they will spend all their money and food in January, but they will eat meat several times more, that is, they will run out. In addition, every season, rice and stones are not stored for future use, which violates the ban and sells them at a low price. They sell meat in the wine market and use it indiscriminately, so that the whole family is scarce and cold, and they are still exaggerating, saying that I used to eat beautiful things and wear fresh clothes. " The salary in January is less than a few days, and the rice will be sold after it is paid. In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the political corruption of the ruling class also seriously affected the Eight Banners. In life, some officers order their flag soldiers to do various errands and errands for private purposes, and choose elite soldiers from the team to protect themselves during the war. Some officers used various official duties as an excuse to embezzle money and food from soldiers. For example, when a flag bearer does things, he needs an assistant to issue a guarantee, and the assistant often has to accept money to issue the formalities, so that the soldier's salary, which is difficult for the flag bearer to support his family, is deducted layer by layer. There are also some officers who use their power to give money to their soldiers (usury). Some people even colluded with businessmen to let the soldiers borrow money from the rice shop first. When the rice was distributed, the officers colluded with the rice shop to collect the money and deducted the money. When the soldiers were short of food and rice, they could only buy it from the rice shop at a high price. Officers and rice shop merchants rely on this despicable means to obtain heavy profits, but many ordinary soldiers are increasingly poor and heavily in debt. In terms of employing people, the Eight Banners generals often promoted their children to officers on the grounds that they have made meritorious military service and excellent riding and shooting skills on pommel horses. Or regardless of the age limit, choose the children and the elderly in the confidant and family to serve as soldiers to eat food. A junior officer position such as the Defence and Cavalry School can be bought openly with money. During the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom War, Bobby Chen, a Guangzhou Eight Banners vest, was promoted to defense because he donated 2,5 boxes of gunpowder. The prevalence of corruption in the Eight Banners Army has accelerated the process of polarization between the rich and the poor, worsened the relationship between officers and soldiers, and has an inestimable impact on the weakening of the army's combat effectiveness.

according to the regulations of the system, officers and men of the Eight Banners should bring their own weapons and provisions when they go out to fight, and organizations at all levels of the Qing army should regularly check the damage of their own weapons. However, since the Qianlong period, a considerable number of self-provided weapons of officers and men of the Eight Banners have existed in name only. Some soldiers of the Eight Banners refused to buy military equipment according to the regulations on the pretext of economic difficulties, while others pawned existing military equipment for money, and even secretly smashed the sharp weapon of the army-artillery and sold scrap iron. The Qing court repeated orders and applications, but it was still forbidden. In the end, it had to implement a care policy when the weapons were inspected, and it was no longer necessary to inspect the flag guards' internal military schools, pen stickers and even the six products of Wu Zhi's weapons. By the end of Qianlong, most of the weapons and armor owned by those officials who had not been inspected were rotten. The weapons prepared by the palace doors have also become furnishings, and they do not have the minimum killing function.

Of course, the basic sign of the Eight Banners' decline is the loss of their fighting capacity, which means that they have lost their basic ability to perform their own functions as an armed group. The most rigorous and comprehensive test of this should be on the battlefield of life and death. In 1659, Zheng Chenggong attacked Nanjing, but the Eight Banners Army, the commander in charge of Nanjing, did not dare to fight, so he had to attack with green camp, showing signs of weakness. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the rebellion in San Francisco was put down. The general Doro Shuncheng and the county king Lerjin were stationed in Jingzhou. They worked hard for several years and dared not enter the army. Hearing of the arrival of Wu Sangui's army, they hastily buried the cannon in the soil and retreated in panic. Baylor Shangshan, Chani, E 'e and others led the troops to attack Yuezhou. On the pretext that the boat was not available and the wind was unpredictable, they stationed troops in the city for the next year and did not dare to fight. When they heard the order to retreat, they were "the three armies cheered like thunder." In the middle and late Qing Dynasty, the fact that the Eight Banners Army had no courage to fight and the soldiers could not bind chickens was well known throughout the country, and even the Qing court dared not send them to the battlefield easily.