Chapter 164 Military Exercises in Progress

The sky was clear and the breeze was gentle.

Wearing a dragon robe and sitting upright on the high platform, Yinzhen nodded in satisfaction. The Imperial Observatory was still somewhat useful; at least the date for this military exercise was well chosen.

While entertaining the various Mongol tribes with his fifth and twelfth sons, Yinreng inadvertently caught a glimpse of the idle Yinzhen and was filled with resentment. Yinzhen was truly living an easy life as emperor, letting them do all the dirty and tiring work while he remained carefree, seemingly unafraid of any military issues.

Su Peisheng, who was standing respectfully to the side, felt like he was being killed by Prince Li's gaze. Seeing the Emperor's calm and composed demeanor, he was both envious and flustered. His back hunched even more, and he wished he could disappear on the spot.

Fortunately, this anxiety and embarrassment did not last long. Seeing Prince Lian walk up, Su Peisheng breathed a sigh of relief. The exercise was finally about to begin.

"What exactly does the Qing court mean?" Batur was very anxious as one prince, nobleman and Mongol Taiji after another moved in around him.

"Just wait and see what kind of grand event the emperor has asked us to enjoy."

Galdan Tsering sat beside Batur with a dark expression, a bad feeling creeping into his heart. Ever since his identity was casually exposed this morning and he was invited to watch this so-called exercise, Galdan Tsering had been uneasy, but he could only force himself to remain calm.

The Qing court's nonchalant attitude and complete disregard for his disguise must indicate they have something to rely on. If Galdan Tsering still can't understand that he'd been tricked, he'd truly be a complete fool.

Since the Qing court chose to expose his identity today, they must be certain that he would be powerless to resist after this event. So, what trump card is Emperor Yongzheng going to reveal about the Qing Dynasty today?

Everyone had arrived. Below the platform, soldiers carrying bright yellow flags waved them vigorously, the wind whistling through the air. All the onlookers on the platform fell silent as the flag bearers moved in perfect unison.

Soon, the banner soldiers lined up on both sides, and Yinzhen, on the high platform, rose up. Through some means, his clear voice spread everywhere: "Gentlemen, you have come from afar. Today, I invite you to enjoy this grand military exercise and witness the splendor of the Qing army and people!"

Without giving everyone much time to react, Yinzhen waved his hand and announced the start.

Banners fluttered and war drums thundered.

The military exercise officially began. As the commander-in-chief, Prince Lian, Yunsi, gave the order, and a group of soldiers in armor, with steady steps, marched out in an orderly fashion. Their eyes were firm, their posture was upright, and their slogans were loud and clear, like a well-trained steel army.

"We will surely win! We will surely conquer! We will surely win! We will surely conquer!"

The infantrymen, each carrying a large sword, walked around the empty drill ground.

"Tch, all show and no substance." Galdan Tsering, having figured out that this was just a military exercise, didn't care much. Although the soldiers who came out looked to be in good spirits, they were still no match for his own cavalry.

Since his identity had already been revealed, Galdan Tsering made no attempt to hide his sneer, and everyone around him heard it.

Yun Si, who was directing from the front, seemed to have heard it as well. He waved the small flag in his hand, and countless straw dummies were instantly pushed out from all around the stage.

As if a kill button had been pressed, the advancing soldiers instantly changed formation, drew their broadswords in unison, and with a flash of snow-white silver light, all the dummies were swiftly and decisively beheaded at the same time.

Immediately, the people in the stands sat up slightly. Even if they weren't amazed by the soldiers' disciplined teamwork, it was hard not to notice the sharpness of the blades.

But the military exercise didn't stop there. Under the waving of Yun Si's banner, the infantry retreated in an orderly fashion, followed by a group of archers. In front were three rows of soldiers carrying bows and arrows, in the middle were three small ballistae, and finally, a giant siege crossbow followed. Everyone's attention was drawn to the imposing and sharp-looking siege crossbow.

Until the first three rows of archers were ready, the first row fired and crouched down, the second row fired, the second row crouched down and the third row fired. In just a few seconds, three arrows swiftly hit the target, a true aesthetic of speed.

A Mongolian warrior suddenly stood up in surprise: "Range! The range is over a hundred meters!"

Everyone was startled and instinctively glanced at the distance to the target. Although not as perceptive as the Mongol warrior, they could clearly see that this distance far exceeded the range of their usual arrows.

In the past, only a few brave warriors could achieve perfect accuracy, and even then, they used high-quality, specially made bows and arrows. But the people below were clearly ordinary soldiers, carrying the same standard-issue bows and arrows. Everyone once again witnessed the progress the Qing Dynasty had made in weaponry.

While they were pondering, new targets were set up, three crossbows were moved to the front, and one crossbow was aimed at the three targets, with two soldiers assigned to it. Soon, under Yun Si's command, the soldiers manipulated the crossbow and fired three arrows in quick succession, each arrow deeply embedded in the target.

"The repeating crossbow is powerful, has a long range, and is easy to operate..."

Someone exclaimed, and everyone sat up straighter. Who wouldn't want such a powerful weapon?

Immediately afterwards, the massive siege crossbows came into play, and instead of a target, a huge rock that had been brought in earlier and placed at the edge of the training ground was erected.

With a loud "bang," a heavy arrow from the siege crossbow shot out, instantly shattering the boulder into pieces.

Looking at the scattered rubble, the spectators on the platform no longer coveted it, but were deeply wary. Could their city walls withstand such a powerful siege weapon?

Galdan Tsering, seated, couldn't help but frown, admitting he had initially underestimated the Qing court. But the Dzungars wouldn't give the Qing a chance to reach the capital; the most agile cavalry on the steppe wouldn't allow their siege crossbows to be used.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

After all the archers had left, a series of menacing shouts and the powerful clatter of hooves filled the air. Even before the cavalry entered, experienced Mongols could tell from the sound alone that they were all fine horses.

As expected, the cavalry entered the arena led by Prince Zhi, Yunzhi, and these were not just the prince's mounts. So, judging from their appearance alone, the soldiers' horses were all top-quality steeds, selected from the best of the best.

After the cavalry, led by Prince Zhi, performed a series of charges, obstacle jumps, and thrusts, everyone knew that not only were the horses excellent, but the riders were also exceptionally skilled. The rider and horse were perfectly in sync; there were no cavalrymen who seemed to coordinate better.

Both the Mongols and the Dzungars, who relied on their cavalry, looked grim. Regardless of their relationship with the Qing Dynasty, it was always difficult to feel at ease when their livelihood had been taken over by another.

Galdan Tsering felt this wasn't the first time he'd been proven wrong. Seeing the Qing cavalry appear, he knew he needed to reassess the strength of both sides. But thinking of the powerful firearms secretly sponsored by Tsarist Russia, he breathed a sigh of relief; at least the Dzungars still had a trump card to fight against the Qing.

At this moment, the cavalry withdrew, and a squad of infantry stepped forward. But they carried long-barreled muskets, causing Galdan Tsering's pupils to shrink; he felt as if he was about to be humiliated again…