What is destined to happen will happen eventually

"Master, Madam? This..." Zhao Guoshi asked cautiously, "Should I go there myself?"

"You go ahead."

“Yeah.”

Shi Wensheng had died, marking the passing of another member of the older generation of the Shi family. Shujia had been through many funerals: Huashan, Shi Lin, Kangxi, Shi Wenbing, Xiaohui, Shi Wensheng, and each one felt different. Initially, she'd felt the inevitable death of all life, and felt a pity for it. But now, the weight had slowly grown heavy. Perhaps it was her own age, but she'd become overly sentimental when faced with such a situation.

Therefore, we have more respect for the deceased and more awe for life.

Life is a wonderful thing!

Not knowing what the situation was at this uncle's family, she sent Hongxiu to her natal family: "When he leaves, his descendants will have to observe mourning. Those who can take care of him should do their best." Shi Wensheng and Shi Wenbing were cousins. Now that both of them were dead, the relationship between their descendants was even more distant. The empress's natal family didn't have to worry about mourning, but Shi Wensheng's branch might be delayed.

Hongxiu repeated the order to confirm that it was correct, and then took Huamei and Dujuan out of the palace.

After this unpleasant incident, Shujia lost interest in asking her daughter-in-law to bring her grandchildren to play with. There were now five imperial grandchildren: Yongbi, Yongyan, and Yongpei from the Hongxi family, Yonglian from the Hongdan family, and Yongjue (Su Risong) from the Hongtong family. However, there was only one granddaughter, Hongdan's concubine's daughter, who had yet to be named.

Among the six children, Yongbi is the oldest and is already in school. Yongyan, Yongpei and Yongjue are about two years older and are about to reach school age. Yonglian is the youngest and cannot speak fluently.

Su Risong and his eighth uncle, Yong Bing, were the same age and got along very well, visiting Kunning Palace the most frequently. Borjigit was delighted, as it was ideal for her son to be around more often. Shujia was also quite fond of the child, but she also had to be careful not to show excessive favoritism, so she would occasionally invite others over. Kunning Palace was plenty spacious enough, anyway.

Rubbing her forehead, Shujia felt a sense of bewilderment. With children and grandchildren all around her, she was getting older, and the people she knew were dying one by one. A mixture of emotions filled her heart.

Sometimes those who feel sad about the passing of time are just those who have nothing better to do than work!

Even though a person had died, Yinreng's reaction was much more normal. He ordered the Ministry of Rites to write an epitaph for Shi Wensheng, gave him two horses, and some silver for funeral arrangements, and sent condolences. Then, without further delay, battle reports arrived from the front lines, and he had to deal with military and national affairs immediately.

It should be said that the policy of cannibalization has achieved good results. The Junggar tribe has gradually gathered into several larger groups, the harassment by the cavalry has become less frequent, and the army's food supply has become safer. King Jian requested that more food, fodder and ammunition be issued and that the troops be replenished so that a decisive battle can be fought at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

A major advantage of the Qing army was their supply. Compared to the more nomadic Junggar, the Qing army, relying on agriculture for supplies, was undoubtedly less restricted by the seasons. They had ample reserves, ensuring the health of their troops and horses remained consistent. Winter and spring were the most difficult times for nomadic peoples, and Yarjiang'a's choice of this time for the decisive battle was a carefully considered decision.

He did not make any firm promises and did not set a specific date. He only said: "The day of the decisive battle will depend on the supplies of our army." He made the date of the decisive battle quite flexible.

Although this was a debt collection letter, Yinreng was relieved. How many years had the army been here? Finally, there would be a result! Yinreng did not agree outright, but wrote back: "...As you said, there is no need to worry about food and fodder, and no need to worry about soldiers. Can we really fight a decisive battle this winter or next spring?"

He would not release the eagle until he saw the rabbit. Yarjiang Abu further promised to fight when he got the thing, but he was unwilling to be an ATM too comfortably.

Yarjiang'a read the few lines of vermilion words, his face changing from gloomy to happy. He hardened his heart and said, "Come here!" He summoned the generals to hold a battle meeting.

"We've been here for two years now, fighting only small battles, yet we've spent a lot of money on food and supplies. If we don't make any progress, we won't be able to report to the Emperor!" He paused. "For the past two years, we've confined the Junggar to a few limited areas. It's time for a fight. What do you think?"

Everyone in the camp was growing impatient. While this current strategy was a sure thing, it also made them drowsy. In every encounter, the number of beheadings never exceeded a hundred. This was an embarrassing and embarrassing result. The commander set the tone again, and naturally, everyone agreed.

Yarjiang'a looked coldly into the tent: "Everyone go back and intensify your training. You must also keep the secret strictly. No one is allowed to leak a single word. If anyone talks too much, I will recognize you, but my military law will not recognize you!"

Everyone was startled and said yes in unison.

Yarjiang'a left behind the unfortunate minister stationed in Tibet. This minister was truly unlucky. Just two days after enjoying his glory in Tibet, the Celing brothers arrived! The troops he was supposed to have were not even fully deployed. How could he resist? He ran away quickly, leaving the Living Buddha to the Celing brothers.

When he returned, the court was about to behead him, but Yinreng sent him to the front of the army to make meritorious service while serving his sentence. Yarjiang'a kept him here because he was more familiar with the situation in Lhasa and could serve as an advisor.

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In the capital, Yinreng received Yarjiang'a's letter of guarantee and summoned his fourth brother, who had just recovered from a serious illness, and his fourth son to inquire about the family's food reserves. Prince Yong, impatient, heard of such a plan to end the war immediately and eagerly endorsed it: "Just as Prince Jian said, the Ministry of Revenue must provide food and fodder for the army, no matter how hard it is."

Hong Tong hesitated for a moment, then agreed, "Even if things are a little tight right now, it's nothing. As long as we quell this rebellion, we won't have to spend so much money anymore. We'll be able to recover in less than two years."

Yinreng also summoned Hongchen and others from the Ministry of War to discuss the troop deployment.

At the same time as the troops, food and wages were sent to the front line, a team of fast horses also arrived at Yarjiang'a's camp with the reply order.

Victory or defeat depends on this one move!

Although the operation was to be kept secret, many things could not be hidden. Especially for someone like Qingde, who had just returned from the front lines, some clues had already appeared when he arrived. According to his estimation, the war was just around the corner. He couldn't help but lament, "It's all fate!" He had spent two years on the front lines without encountering a major battle, and only a few months after Guanyinbao's return, war was about to break out.

Forget it! What is destined to happen will happen eventually, and what is not destined to happen should not be forced!

Guanyinbao sneezed a few times, and Hongxi said with concern, "It's freezing outside the Great Wall. Please take care of yourself, uncle. If you feel unwell, see a doctor as soon as possible and get plenty of rest." He lowered his voice, "The war is imminent, and getting sick will be more trouble than good."

Guanyinbao smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Second Prince. I can still handle it."

The two stood together, looking at the connected camps, both very excited. Hongxi thought that he was the only prince accompanying the army, which gave him enough political capital to gain a firm foothold and gain the trust of his father. Guanyinbao thought of his second brother Qingde. That time, Qingde had also made great achievements on the battlefield!

The two men were so excited that they couldn't wait to put on their armor and go into battle to kill Ce Ling.

However, none of them were able to shine, and the one who really caught the eye was a young player who was not particularly outstanding - Yue Zhongqi.

Although he is called a young general, he is actually not young at all. It’s just that his official position seems too low in front of these royal family members and relatives.

Yue Zhongqi was a military prodigy. His father, Yue Shenglong, rose to the rank of Governor of Sichuan, fought against the Three Feudatories, and later suppressed various bandit rebellions in Sichuan. This father, a murderer, had a son who, upon entering officialdom, became a civil servant, a close-knit official at that, Tongzhi.

However, if it is destined to happen, it will happen; if it is not destined to happen, it should not be forced. Yue Zhongqi seemed to be destined to join the army. By chance, he went from being a civilian to a military officer, and immediately became a guerrilla. He is currently serving as the deputy general of the Yongning Association in Sichuan.

Sichuan is close to Tibet, and as a member of a mobilized troop, Yue Zhongqi gloriously participated in the war!

Because of this battle, I didn’t have a good year, because this battle lasted from the end of the year to the beginning of the year.

It wasn't a decisive battle, like in the stories, where you send a letter with the time and place, and the enemy arrives armed to fight you. Da Ce Ling was no fool. He knew his strength was mobility, and he had no desire to line up against the Qing army and get caught in a few artillery shells.

Yarjiang'a had no choice but to adopt Yunxiang's suggestion and eliminate Da Celing's troops piece by piece. The army was divided into two parts: one to fight and the other to observe. The fighting part was to encircle and destroy the Zhun army, while the observing part was to raid the enemy's positions to prevent reinforcements from the Zhun army from counter-encircling.

At the same time, he ordered the surrounding reinforcements to harass the troops.

Da Ce Ling responded quickly. He sent troops to attack the army's grain storage again and ordered people to strengthen control over the various tribes, hoping to start a fire in the Qing army's rear yard.

I accidentally met Yue Zhongqi.

This guy was born to do this. He wasn't the main commander, just the vanguard, but he was surprisingly courageous and didn't shy away from suspicion (he was Han Chinese, not in the banner, and was still a subordinate, so he dared to act accordingly). On the one hand, he killed the Diba who refused to surrender, and on the other hand, he pacified the barbarians. By the time Shangfa Ka arrived, he had already taken care of everything.

Later, when the army was engaged in a fierce battle with Da Ce Ling, Yue Zhongqi was ordered to assist. This time, he was even more ruthless. He selected dozens of soldiers who knew Tibetan and went to the tribe to chop down the Dzungar envoys, which was quite similar to Ban Chao.

He played the trick of giving a slap and then a date very smoothly, and asked his superiors to come out to appease them, and quickly eliminated the peripheral forces of the Junggar. Then, he led his army across the river and headed straight for Lhasa.

There was a fire in Da Ce Ling's backyard!

Little Celing wanted to give it one more try: "Let's not worry about Lhasa for now. As long as we defeat this group of Qing troops or kill Prince Jian, they will be defeated. Then we can turn back and Lhasa will still be ours!"

Da Ce Ling said calmly, "It's too late. We can't fight any longer! We've suffered heavy casualties over the past few days. We can't afford any more."

"They're dying too!"

"They can afford to die, but we can't," he sneered and whipped up the horse. "Look at their army, divided into several parts, each of which has more people than the few we have left! Our food and grass are running out." He sighed. He was not defeated in strategy, nor in courage, but was completely defeated by the situation!

Even with the wisdom of Big Ce Ling and the formidable bravery of Little Ce Ling, they would have been defeated and fled in such a situation. As the saying goes, strength can defeat skill, and this holds true even in wars between nations.

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"What a great Yue Zhongqi!" Yinreng sighed. Even before the Ministry of War's meritorious service was complete, Yinreng had already determined in his heart that he was a talented general. Furthermore, he had "quite the qualities of a general from the past!"

Hongchen smiled and said, "Congratulations, Khan, on finding such a good general." He was in charge of the Ministry of War, and had come to announce the good news and, by the way, to inquire about the rules for discussing meritorious service. Seeing Yinreng say this, he knew that Yue Zhongqi would not be buried. Yue Zhongqi came from a good family. Although he was not from the Eight Banners, his father, Yue Shenglong, had made great contributions to the country. Both father and son had never made any mistakes in their official careers and were truly capable. It would be strange if such a person did not rise to prominence.

In this way, Yue Zhongqi inherited his father's career and was promoted to the governor of Sichuan.

Yinreng said, "Prince Jian's memorial requesting merit for his subordinates will arrive soon. You will inevitably have to engage in a verbal battle with him then."

"Son, save it."

"In addition to the soldiers accompanying the army, don't forget the others who are in charge of food and pay."

Hongchen smiled and said, "I'm afraid some of these people aren't under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Personnel and others must make a decision. I ask the Khan to either appoint a Grand Secretary, or have the Crown Prince handle it, or you can take charge of it yourself, so that I don't have to argue with the Ministry of Personnel."

"Well, let the prince do it."

“Yeah.”

The first thing that came up was not military merit, but the hard work of the logistics staff. Those in Beijing didn't know the exact situation at the front, and they had to wait until the army returned to investigate. But the hard work of the logistics staff was visible to everyone. The front line never ran out of food, and the manpower was always sufficient.

Among them, the two fourth masters in charge of the Ministry of Revenue were commended, and all officials in the Ministry received a rank increase in their rank. This rank increase was sometimes just an honorific title, such as the deceased Shi Wensheng, who had a rank increase of seven after his death. He had already served as a first or second rank official, so adding a rank of seven... was simply an honorific title.

The more striking figure was Nian Gengyao, the Sichuan governor. He was dedicated to his duties as a grain supervisor and was admired by Yinreng, who felt that he was capable and proud, worthy of promotion. Most importantly, Nian was a Jinshi (Jinshi) who had been selected as a Shujishi (Shujishi).

Furthermore, Prince Jian had already given no more rewards. Apart from giving his second-born son the title of Beizi, he also gave his relative Nian Gengyao a promotion, which was not much. Nian Gengyao was capable and courageous. If he was made the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, it would surely not harm the country, right?

Nian Gengyao was originally a civil servant, so it was natural for him to follow the path of a civil servant. Given his personality, his arrival in Guangzhou was a perfect opportunity to suppress Orondai. Having to use Orondai as a political monument, Yinreng still felt uncomfortable.

When the vanguard of the army arrived in Beijing, the royal family had not yet moved to Changchun Garden. Judging from the situation this year, they probably finished their military training and went straight to the frontier to escape the summer heat.

As expected, officers at all levels were rewarded, and the minister stationed in Tibet was spared from punishment and escaped safely, only losing his job.

At the same time, Yinreng bestowed numerous titles upon members of the imperial clan. Hongxi, despite already holding a title, was granted an additional farm. Hongtong, Honggui, and Hongchen all benefited from this privilege, receiving their first titles. While Hongxi had endured a more difficult life, he shared the same fate with his younger brothers. Hongtong and the others still benefited from being legitimate children. Those younger brothers who hadn't yet received titles were all granted the title of Beizi.

The generals were rewarded according to their merits, and the soldiers of the three armies also received bonuses. Everyone was happy.

Of course, there were those who frowned, including Yunxiang, who had been promoted to Prince Yi for his military achievements. As a man of foresight, he had to remind Yinreng, "I'm afraid the Jun tribe has wolfish ambitions. This time, if we give him a good beating, it might calm him down for a while. I'm afraid he'll forget the pain once the wound heals and start anew."

Yinreng said contemptuously: "It will take at least three to five years for his scar to heal! Even if it heals, huh, why do you think I sent Yue Zhongqi to Sichuan?" Sichuan was not peaceful to begin with, and they could always use bandit suppression as training. Once there was any movement in Tibet, with the talent shown by Yue Zhongqi, if it was a small group of people, he could directly suppress them. Even if it was a large-scale invasion, he would be able to check and balance the situation and force the court to react.

The author has something to say: It belongs to whoever it is, hehe.