Chapter 168 Pacifying the Dzungar Khanate

The army that was conquering the Dzungar Khanate split into three routes, encircling and annihilating the several waves of soldiers sent by the Dzungar Khanate, and gradually approaching.

The Qing army won battle after battle, becoming more and more courageous with each fight. In contrast, the Dzungars suffered defeat after defeat, retreating as they were cut off from all their escape routes. They desperately defended their stronghold, but could not hold out for long.

In the imperial court, news of victories from the Northwest kept pouring in, and all the civil and military officials were beaming with pride, as if they had won the battle themselves.

In late August, Yinzhen, who was leading a large entourage to the Yuanmingyuan for summer retreat, received news that Yunzhen had captured the Dzungar Khanate and taken its leader, Tsewang Arabtan, prisoner.

In just three months, the Qing army captured Dzungar. Who can say that this is not a miracle, not a huge surprise?

The entire court and the public rejoiced, eagerly awaiting the army's return to the capital to begin the celebrations.

But things didn't go quite as they expected. Along with the news of victory in the Northwest, there was also evidence that "General Wang" had discovered that Tsarist Russia was secretly colluding with the Dzungars, intending to seize control of the Northwest, as well as an urgent military report from Prince Yinzhi of Tsarist Russia on the border, revealing that Tsarist Russia was spying on the Qing Dynasty's gold mines.

No one cared about when Prince Zhi had stationed troops on the Russian border. Seeing the naked evidence presented by the Emperor, who wouldn't be indignant at Russia's wolfish ambitions?

Looking at the Emperor's attitude in court, where he and several princes echoed each other, it was clear to everyone that he intended to take action against Tsarist Russia.

Well, His Majesty is full of martial virtue. Although he can only draw a bow four and a half li deep, with firearms at his disposal, even the most pedantic courtiers will not say much when he goes to war against foreign powers.

Just like the campaign against the Dzungar Khanate, we had a legitimate reason for the war and sufficient firepower to support it. So why not just fight? Pacifying the Northwest would benefit future generations.

However, faced with Yinzhen's obvious actions targeting Tsarist Russia, even though both sides had legitimate reasons, some court officials still had reservations. Tsarist Russia was different from the Dzungar Khanate, and this involved the relationship between the two countries. In addition, Tsarist Russia was also militarily strong, and the Qing Dynasty had just defeated the Dzungar Khanate.

In short, when all these concerns are put together, some stubborn people will grit their teeth and stand up to advise Yinzhen to think twice.

With improved domestic governance, improved livelihoods, and the subjugation of the Dzungar Khanate, the emperor, who had only been on the throne for four years, had already reached the pinnacle of his civil and military achievements. It was hard not to feel awe and fear from such an emperor.

Therefore, the officials who stood up to oppose it had already considered their own fate. But believing that the matter was in the best interests of the court, they gritted their teeth and persisted, and the moment they advised Yinzhen to reconsider, they had already disregarded their own lives.

Surprisingly, Yinzhen did not react with the fury that everyone had expected, not even anger. Instead, he praised the other party's courage and loyalty, believing that what he said was reasonable and well-founded, and that he would seriously consider it.

Ultimately, Yinzhen issued an edict ordering Yunzhen to escort Tsewang Arabtan back to Beijing. Nian Gengyao and Yue Zhongqi turned their attention to Prince Zhi, stationing him at the border and sending a letter to question Tsarist Russia.

Compared to his previous attitude, it was obviously much more conciliatory, which made the court officials breathe a sigh of relief and they were even more convinced of Yinzhen's ability to "listen to advice".

Although they didn't realize that Yinzhen had never actually intended to conquer Tsarist Russia from the beginning. After all, given the Qing Dynasty's current population and development, spending time and effort to conquer that vast but cold region of Tsarist Russia would be quite a loss.

His initial goal was simply to reclaim the land seized by Tsarist Russia and collect some interest; as for other matters, he could let Tsarist Russia fatten up first. His initial tough stance was merely a political maneuver. After all, sometimes when an emperor acted too forcefully, his officials would become more hesitant and cautious.

It would never have been like this, with a slight twist and turn, yet the goal was achieved, the court officials relaxed, and became more actively involved in government affairs—a win-win situation.

"Is this why you push all the government affairs onto the two of us while you sit in the garden watching the show?"

Caught red-handed by Yinreng and Yinsi, Yinzhen silently shut his mouth and waved the performers off the stage.

"With my elder brother away, my second brother and I spend all our time in the Hall of Diligent Governance. This is an overstepping of our bounds and may invite criticism."

Yun Si smiled on the surface, but the resentment behind his face was about to materialize.

"No, Honghui is still here." Yinzhen seemed completely unconcerned, speaking with self-assurance.

"Honghui is only 13!" Yinreng gritted his teeth. Although Yinzhen's delegation of power represented his trust in them, sometimes he also resented that Yinzhen had delegated too much power.

Sure enough, when a hobby becomes a job, even the most enthusiastic person will eventually grow tired of it. For example, when Yinreng was still the crown prince, he longed to be in charge of government affairs. But now, although he is not the emperor, he is so busy dealing with government affairs that he has no desire for it at all.

He shouldn't have listened to Yinzhen's sweet talk back then, saying that letting him live in the Yuanmingyuan would be more convenient for escaping the summer heat. It was all a lie, just to make him work as a laborer!

"13 years old is a good age for clear-headedness, and besides, Honghui is the crown prince. It's a good thing for him to get involved in politics early."

Yinzhen seemed completely oblivious to their dissatisfaction, and his words were full of genuine concern for Honghui.

Enraged, but unable to do anything about Yinzhen, Yinreng turned and left.

"Aren't you afraid that your second brother will really quit?"

Yinzhi didn't leave. He seemed much calmer and sat down next to Yinzhen, looking at him curiously and asking.

“Second Brother won’t,” Yinzhen smiled. “After so many years of education from Father, the sense of mission to uphold the rule of the Qing Dynasty is ingrained in his bones. Want to make a bet with me? I bet Second Brother will definitely go back to the Hall of Diligent Governance.”

The current Yinreng is not the deposed crown prince who went mad after being deposed and reinstated twice in the story. He can fully realize his ambitions and watch the Qing Dynasty prosper. No matter how much he complains, he will not allow anything that is detrimental to the development of the court to happen, whether it is him or anyone else.

"Second Brother's sense of mission..." Yinzhi lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the tea leaves floating up and down in the teacup, making it impossible to read his expression. His tone was ethereal: "And what about you? Fourth Brother, what is your attitude towards the Qing Dynasty, or rather, towards the throne?"

The air fell silent. The pavilion, now occupied by the two remaining people, was exceptionally quiet, and even the sound of the wind blowing through the fallen leaves was clearly audible.

Yinzhi turned his head and looked at Yinzhen's profile, which hadn't changed much, his eyes deep. "Fourth Brother, I can't quite see through you."

"What can't you see through?"

Yinzhen's gaze fell on the once bustling but now empty stage, refusing to meet Yinsi's eyes.

"You punish corrupt officials, improve people's livelihoods, maintain harmony in domestic affairs, expand territory abroad, and excel in both civil and military affairs. Who can say you are not a good emperor? And which brother dares to say that he could compare to you if he ascended the throne?"

Yinzhi turned his head, gazing at the clear blue sky, seemingly puzzled yet also talking to himself: "You still dare to delegate power, whether it's your brothers who fought for the throne in the past or the Crown Prince, you trust them completely. It's as if you don't care at all about the possibility of us seizing power and rebelling. Clearly, all your decisions are for the purpose of being a wise emperor, but you don't seem to care about this throne. Why is that? I don't understand, why?"