Yijing 奕經

I-ching 奕經 (T. 潤峯), d. Nov. 12, 1853, official and Imperial Clansman, was a great-grandson of Emperor Kao-tsung (see under Hung-li) and a grandson of the famous calligrapher, Yung-hsing. His father, Mien-i 綿懿 (d. 1809), was the second son of Yung-hsing but became the adopted son of his deceased uncle, Yung-chang 永璋 (1735–1760). Yung-chang was the third son of Emperor Kao-tsung and was given posthumously the rank of a prince of the second degree with the designation, Hsün (循郡王). As Yung-chang's adopted son, Mien-i inherited in 1787 the rank of a prince of the third degree and was transferred to the Manchu Bordered Red Banner. After Mien-i died the hereditary rank went to Mien-i's eldest son, I-hsü 奕緒.

I-ching was the second son of Mien-i. In 1816 he passed the examination for the sons of princes, was given the rank of a Noble of Imperial Lineage of the tenth degree, and was made an Imperial Bodyguard. In 1817, owing to a minor offense, the hereditary rank was taken from him, but he was promoted in official rank to be a director of the Imperial Gardens and Hunting Parks. In 1818 he became a sub-chancellor of the Grand Secretariat and held various concurrent posts in the administration of the Banner forces. In 1825, under Emperor Hsüan-tsung, he was made junior vice-president of the Board of War. During the next ten years he served as a vice-president in various Boards. In 1835 he was made military governor of Shêng-ching with headquarters at Mukden. Recalled in 1836, he was made president of the Board of Civil Appointments and was given concurrently the important office of commandant of the Peking Gendarmerie. In March 1841 he was made concurrently an Associate Grand Secretary, an office vacated by I-li-pu [q.v.] who was degraded for failing to attack the British at Tinghai during the First Anglo-Chinese War.

At this time the war with England was spreading, for a second time, from Canton to the coast of Chekiang (see under Yü-ch'ien). Tinghai was lost to the British on October 1, 1841 and Chinhai, on October 10th. When the news reached Peking on October 18 Emperor Hsuan-tsung made up his mind to resist in Chekiang, and immediately appointed I-ching commander of the forces in that province. I-ching was given the rank of General Yang-wei (揚威將軍), and Wên-wei 文蔚 (T. 豹人, H. 露軒, d. 1855), a Manchu of the Plain Blue Banner, and a chin-shih of 1820, was made assistant commander.

I-ching was a favorite of the Emperor, and a talented official who had studied the Manchu written language. But these were not the qualifications required in a general, and certainly not in one who would fight the British. I-ching and Wên-wei went to Soochow and stayed there for two months awaiting the arrival of recruits from inland provinces. But before these troops could arrive the English had taken Ningpo and neighboring towns. In the hope of finding a plan to conduct the war I-ching invited the people to submit suggestions. Hundreds of these came in, but most of them were valueless. Early in 1842 I-ching reluctantly proceeded to Hangchow and a day was set to attack Ningpo. The attack took place in the middle of March and resulted in the complete defeat of I-ching's forces.

Thereafter I-ching stayed for several months at Hangchow. He escaped severe punishment for his defeat only because the Emperor blamed himself for sending such an inexperienced commander. When I-ching reported that in April some of his men had gained a victory at sea, he was rewarded, but the report was based on false claims of his subordinates. In May Cha-p'u was lost to the British and the peace party, headed by Mu-chang-a in Peking, and by Ch'i-ying in Hangchow, gained the emperor's consent to negotiate a settlement. As the invaders took Shanghai and sailed up the Yangtze, I-ching was ordered to proceed to Kiangsu to hold them off. But he stayed far from the scene until the Treaty of Nanking was signed (see under Ch'i-ying). In October he was ordered to return to Peking. While on the way, he was condemned together with I-shan and Wên-wei, to imprisonment awaiting execution. Late in 1842 he was escorted to Peking in chains and consigned to imprisonment in the Imperial Clan Court. In April 1843 he was pardoned and, after being made a fourth-class Imperial Bodyguard, was appointed commissioner at Yarkand. By this time Ch'i-shan had been pardoned and given a minor post. However, the censor, Ch'ên Ch'ing-yung (see under Huang P'êng-nien), memorialized Emperor Hsüan-tsung that it was wrong to release these and other officials who were responsible for the military reverses of the War. In May the emperor meekly replied that it was he who should be held responsible for the ignominious defeats. Nevertheless he cancelled the appointments and ordered Ch'i-shan and I-ching to meditate on their misdemeanors at home.

In November 1843, six months after his humiliation, I-ching was reappointed commissioner at Yarkand. In 1844 he was made commandant of the forces at Ili, but was discharged two years later for a mistrial and was exiled to Heilungkiang. Released in 1850, he was again made (1851) commandant of the forces at Ili. In the same year (1851) he was transferred to Yinggishar. He was recalled in 1852 and made vice-president of the Board of Punishments with the concurrent post of commandant of the Peking Gendarmerie. In 1853, when the Taiping forces took Nanking and threatened to advance northward, I-ching was sent with a detachment to defend Hsü-chou where he died of malaria late in that year.

His younger brother, I-chi (see Ying-ho), was made a noble of Imperial Lineage in 1816, but was deprived of his rank in 1840. A son of I-chi, named Tsai-chih 載治 (original name 載中, d. 1880, posthumous name 恭勤), became in 1854 the adopted son of a distant uncle, I-wei 奕緯 (1808–1831, posthumous name 隱志). I-wei was the eldest son of Emperor Hsüan-tsung and a prince of the third degree. His princedom was in 1850 posthumously raised one degree by his half-brother, Emperor Wên-tsung. Thus Tsai-chih inherited the rank of a prince of the third degree. His eldest son, P'u-lun 溥倫, was in 1875, and again in 1908, suggested as heir to the throne but was both times rejected by Empress Hsiao-ch'in. Tsai-chih's second son, P'u-t'ung 溥侗 (T. 西園, H. 紅豆館主), is a famous authority on the Chinese drama, a subject he once taught in Tsinghua University.

[1/171/8b, 21b; 1/379/3a; 2/41/17b; 4/19/7a; Ch'ing Huang-shih ssŭ-p'u (see under Fu-lung-an) 3/27a; I-hsin [q.v.], Chiao-p'ing Yüeh-fei fang-lüeh, 65/16a; Hsüeh-ch'iao shih-hua (see under Shêng-yü) 11/40b; see also bibliography under Ch'i-ying.]

Fang Chao-ying

Aixinjueluo Yijing 愛新覺羅奕經 《清代人物生卒年表》定其生卒年為乾隆56年~咸豐3年。 【參考《清代人物生卒年表》#17163.】

字潤峰 鑲紅旗滿洲 協辦大學士 吏部尚書

《清史稿》卷373

宗室奕經，成親王永瑆孫，貝勒緜懿子，承繼循郡王允璋後，隸鑲紅旗。授乾清門侍衞，歷奉宸院卿、內閣學士，兼副都統、護軍統領。道光三年，坐失察惇親王肩輿擅入神武中門，褫兼職，留內閣學士任。五年，遷兵部侍郎。十年，從征喀什噶爾回匪，事平回京，歷吏部、戶部侍郎。十四年，出為黑龍江將軍。十六年，召授吏部尚書，兼步軍統領。二十一年，協辦大學士。

英兵犯浙江，定海、鎮海及寧波府城相繼陷，裕謙死事，命為揚威將軍，督師往剿，都統哈哴阿、提督胡超為參贊，尋易侍郎文蔚、都統特依順副之。陛辭日，宣宗御勤政殿，訓示方略，特詔：「申明軍紀，凡失守各城逃將逃兵，軍法從事。」發交內庫花翎等件，有功者立予懋賞，勉以恩威並用，整飭戎行。大學士穆彰阿奏請釋琦善出獄，隨赴軍前效力，奕經卻之。

奕經分屬懿親，素謹厚，為上所倚重，奉命專征，頗欲有為而不更事，尤昧兵略。奏調陝甘、川、黔兵一萬人，請撥部餉一萬兩，倉猝未集，駐蘇州以待。上以諸將少可恃者，命凡文武員弁及士民商賈有奇材異能一藝可取者，許詣軍前投效。奕經渡江後，於營門設木匭，納名即延見，且許密陳得失。於是獻策者四百餘人，投效者一百四十餘人，而軍中所辟僚佐，多闒冗京員，投效者亦無異才。惟宿遷舉人臧紆青自負氣節，為言議撫徒損國威，始決主戰；又勸劾斬失律提督余步雲以立威望，疏具而旋寢。以浙兵屢潰，不堪臨陣，召募山東、河南、安徽義勇。

浙事日亟，巡撫劉韻珂促援，遲不至，遂相惡。久駐江蘇，以供應之累，官吏亦厭之，餉需文報，皆延擱不時應。十二月，始抵杭州。前泗州知州張應雲獻策規復寧波，奕經、文蔚皆然之，遂令總理前敵營務。應雲以重貲購寧波府吏陸心蘭為內應，日報機密多虛誑。奕經禱於西湖關廟，占得「虎頭」之兆，乃議於二十二年正月寅日寅時進兵，屢遣諜，為敵所獲，漏師期。初，英兵踞府城僅二三百人，艦泊定海。至是，濮鼎查率十九艘兵二千散泊江岸，早為之備矣。奕經由紹興進曹娥江，而慈谿敵兵退。應雲請急進，遂駐慈谿東關，文蔚分屯長谿嶺，令提督段永福、余步雲等趨寧波，游擊劉天保趨鎮海，副將朱貴駐大寶山，而應雲率所募義勇駐駱駝橋，為諸軍策應，約於正月晦數路並舉。而敵已勾結應雲部勇，勢且生變，不及待期，先二日輕軍分襲，不攜槍砲。永福等入寧波南門，中地雷，天保甫及鎮海城下，為敵砲擊退，皆大敗。越日，應雲所具火攻船為敵所焚，軍中自驚，奔大寶山。朱貴收集潰兵圖進攻，敵兵已至，力戰竟日，殺傷相當，無援，貴死之。文蔚聞敗亦退，軍資器械棄失殆盡。奕經留軍紹興，回駐杭州，自請嚴議，詔原之。英艦乘勝由海窺錢塘江，以尖山海口淺阻，尋退去。

鄭鼎臣者，殉難總兵國鴻子，曾從父軍。奕經予二十四萬金，令募水勇規復定海，聞寧鎮之敗，逡巡海上。奕經督之嚴，乃報三月三日敗敵於定海十六門洋面，燬船數十，殲斃數百。劉韻珂以為欺罔，奕經遣侍衛容照等出洋查勘，得焚燬船木及壞械回報，乃疏聞，賜 奕經雙眼花翎，鼎臣亦被獎。時寧波英兵忽退，留艦招寶山海口，改犯乍浦，陷之。奕經不能赴援，而以收復寧波奏，詔斥不先事預防，革職留任。既而英兵犯江南，陷鎮江，逼江寧，命奕經赴援，尋命駐王江涇防禦。 奕經自寧波、慈谿之敗，軍心渙散，不能復用，益為劉韻珂所揶揄，議守議撫，一不使聞。及和議成，撤師，詔布奕經等勞師糜餉、誤國殃民罪狀，逮京論大辟。

圈禁踰年，與琦善同起用，予四等侍衛，充葉爾羌幫辦大臣。為御史陳慶鏞論劾，仍褫職。未幾，復予二等侍衛，充葉爾羌參贊大臣，調伊犂領隊大臣。坐審鞫英吉沙爾領隊大臣齋清額誣捕良回獄不當，褫職發黑龍江。三十年，釋回。咸豐初，歷伊犂、英吉沙爾領隊大臣。二年，召授工部侍郎，調刑部，兼副都統。三年，命率密雲駐防赴山東防粵匪，卒於徐州軍次，依侍郎例賜卹。