Chapter 167 Northwest War

Lobsang Danjin, the leader of the Khoshut Mongols of Qinghai, was deeply dissatisfied with the Qing court's regulations prohibiting him from interfering in Tibet and causing internal strife. He incited the various Taiji (princes) of the Qinghai Mongols, ordering them to "retain their old titles" and not to use the titles of king, beile, beizi, and duke conferred by the Qing court, thus instigating a rebellion.

The news reached everyone's ears on the day of the military exercise, and the memorials from the various Mongol tribes acknowledging their guilt and expressing their loyalty arrived on Yinzhen's desk that very evening.

Having witnessed the power of firearms, who wouldn't be terrified? The various Mongol tribes wished they could strip Lobsang Danjin of his Mongol identity on the spot, unwilling to acknowledge any connection between the Qinghai Mongols and themselves.

Upon hearing that the Emperor had dispatched Prince Xun to quell the rebellion, the Mongol Taijis wholeheartedly agreed. "Fight! Fight hard! Eliminate Lobsang Danjin as soon as possible to appease the Emperor's anger, then he won't be able to attack us!"

Lobsang Danjin's rebellion occurred in early May. By the end of May, the good news that Prince Xun, Yunzhen, had successfully quelled the rebellion and completely subjugated Qinghai reached the capital. At this time, Galdan Tsering was still testing the Qing court's intentions and had not yet returned to Dzungar.

Good news for the Mongol tribes: Prince Xun has subdued Qinghai, the Emperor has calmed down and doesn't intend to implicate them, so they can go home in peace.

Bad news for Galdan Tsering: Prince Xun was clearly capable of swiftly quelling the rebellion and restoring order to Qinghai, but he failed to capture Lobsang Danjin, who had been captured and brought into the Dzungar Khanate.

Galdan Tsering's face darkened; he knew that now he couldn't go back even if he wanted to.

In early June, Galdan Tsering received another piece of bad news. Prince Xun submitted a memorial stating that the Dzungar garrison had secretly invaded Tibet and requested permission to attack the Dzungar.

At this moment, Galdan Tsering, who was under house arrest, had already decided where his entire family would be buried. He sincerely prayed that his father, the Khan, wouldn't be too stubborn and would surrender when the time was right, so that he could at least have a proper burial.

On the seventh day of the sixth month, Yinzhen offered sacrifices at the temple and ordered troops to be sent to attack the Dzungars, citing the reason that "if we do not swiftly quell the attack, it will surely become a great scourge to the Mongols and cause hidden worries for China."

Prince Xun, Yunzhen, was appointed "Grand General" to lead the war effort; Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Nian Gengyao, was appointed General Changwei, to lead the Northern Route Army; and Sichuan Admiral, Yue Zhongqi, was appointed General Ningyuan, to lead the Western Route Army.

They launched a three-pronged attack to completely encircle and annihilate Jungar, leaving no room for retreat.

This was the first time since Yinzhen ascended the throne that he had used force on such a large scale. Countless eyes, both inside and outside the court, were watching the outcome of this war.

Meanwhile, on the distant border, unnoticed by anyone, Prince Zhi, Yunzhi, with ample troops and firearms, successfully set up camp near the Gerbichi River, in a no-man's-land where the Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia were at odds.

"The weather is fine today, perfect for a drill. Come on, bring out my cannon!"

Noticing the increasing number of peeping eyes from across the river, Yun Ti felt it was time for another grand rehearsal. The first rehearsal was to announce their arrival; the second, well, it was mainly for his own amusement.

The artillery fire aimed at the mountains kicked up clouds of dust, with sand and stones flying everywhere. The scouts hiding in the trees and grass were either wounded or covered in dust, and none of them were in good condition.

News of the Qing court conducting military exercises on the border reached Peter the Great's ears, and he was furious.

"What does the Qing government mean? Is it trying to demonstrate its power against Tsarist Russia?"

Peter I was furious. Who would conduct military exercises on the border between two countries? Wasn't this a deliberate provocation?

He even suspected that the Qing emperor knew that Tsarist Russia was currently preoccupied with the war for control of the Black Sea and had no time to fight him, which was why he dared to be so arrogant.

"Send another batch of weapons to the Dzungar Khanate and get Tsewang Arabtan moving." Although he couldn't send troops, it didn't mean Peter the Great had no other options.

"In addition, have Jungar cooperate with Lieutenant Colonel Buhgorets on his mission to find the gold mine in the northwest as soon as possible."

Several years earlier, Peter the Great had learned of the rich gold mines in Yarkand in northwestern China and had dispatched several teams to search for them. However, because these expeditions were conducted in secret, there was little progress.

Faced with provocations from the Qing Dynasty and years of war, Tsarist Russia was experiencing financial difficulties and urgently needed to raise military funds. Peter the Great was no longer willing to wait and directly ordered the Dzungar Khanate to cooperate in the search for gold.

The message, sent from the Tsarist government, traveled cautiously and at great speed before being intercepted by Yun Ti.

"A gold mine?!"

Yunzhi stood up abruptly, revealing his large teeth, and couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter. What an unexpected delight! Originally, he had only intended to intercept some evidence of collusion between Tsarist Russia and the Dzungar Khanate, to find a pretext for war, but he never expected such a pleasant surprise.

"Someone, an urgent military report, send it to the Emperor at top speed."

"yes."

"Tsk, I'm really in a good mood today. Come on, let's get to work and bring out my cannons!"

Upon receiving news that the Qing court had resumed its military exercises without any apparent reason, Peter I was furious, his eyes turning red. "Provocation! This is blatant provocation! Go and send another batch of weapons to the Dzungar Khanate, and tell Tsewang Arabtan to fight back!"

...

After paying her respects at Jingren Palace, Nian Shilan remained seated in her chair without rising, a rather unusual sight. Unfortunately, few in the palace dared to witness Consort Hua's antics.

After everyone had left, Yixiu looked at the motionless Nian Shilan, raised an eyebrow slightly, and asked curiously, "I wonder what brings Consort Hua here?"

Nian Shilan gestured to Songzhi, and soon Songzhi came out of the palace gate and came back in with a group of people, each carrying a tray of treasures.

"This is a small token of my appreciation, specially presented to His Highness the Crown Prince." Nian Shilan wasn't good at speaking softly, but her tone was already quite gentle at this moment.

Yixiu and Jianqiu exchanged a glance. Had the sun risen in the west? Nian Shilan had come to give Honghui a gift.

Unable to understand, Yixiu simply asked, "What does this mean, sister?"

Nian Shilan adjusted the earrings on her ears and lowered her head with Yixiu, feeling somewhat uneasy. "I've heard that the Crown Prince has been accompanying the Emperor to handle military affairs in the Northwest recently. I have no other intentions, but I hope that if the Crown Prince has any news about my brother, he can inform me so that I can be at ease."

These days, the imperial harem is not a place where anyone can just send messages in at will. In addition, with the war going on and Nian Gengyao constantly on the battlefield since he left the capital with Yunzhen in early May to quell the rebellion, there has been no news coming back. Naturally, Nian Shilan is worried.

Especially after hearing so many discussions in the palace about the scale and difficulty of the war, both true and false, she became increasingly uneasy. The Emperor hadn't been visiting the inner palace much lately, so Nian Shilan, having no other option, thought of Honghui.

"This... it's not that I'm unwilling to help my sister, it's just that Honghui doesn't tell me much about the affairs of the previous dynasty. He's studying under the Emperor. But whether he's involved in the military affairs of the Northwest, I don't know, so I can't give my sister a definite answer."

When Nian Shilan bowed her head to her, she was naturally pleased, but Yixiu felt that something was not right. She didn't know what Honghui was doing for the Emperor, so how could Consort Hua be so sure that it was about the Northwest military affairs?

"I don't know how my sister found out, but Honghui has been resting in the Yangxin Hall for three days and hasn't returned to Jingren Palace. As his mother, I'm not very clear about his current situation..."

If Yixiu's words initially sounded like a disguised excuse to Nian Shilan, causing her to look unpleasant, then as Yixiu became more and more direct, Nian Shilan finally understood.

Recalling the news that had been ringing in her ears these past few days, Nian Shilan's face grew even uglier. This was a deliberate scheme against her, a plan to use her against the Crown Prince!

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

"Go."

Yi Xiu watched as Nian Shilan stormed off, clearly heading back to settle scores. The smile on his face vanished instantly. "Jian Qiu, go investigate. I want to see who dares to lay a hand on Hong Hui!"