Chapter 75.
The news that all five imperial princes had been vaccinated against smallpox without any ill effects caused a sensation.
Smallpox vaccination, a substitute for human variolation, was being conducted on the imperial princes themselves – these precious children dared to undergo such a procedure.
Once Kangxi loosened restrictions, the imperial physician in charge of smallpox vaccination became highly sought after, and Kangxi arranged for his services. With smallpox eradicated, how could future generations not praise his virtuous reputation?
Not just in the future, but even now…
throughout the capital, his wisdom was lauded! Kangxi had just finished confiscating another batch of property and was in a good mood, thinking of Galdan, who had caused trouble again in the winter.
He couldn't let him get away with it again.
Kangxi had already prepared provisions before the Emperor's birthday celebrations. As for the weddings of the ninth and tenth princes? He'd deal with that after his triumphant return.
Meanwhile, the princes selected to join the campaign included the eldest prince Yinqi, the third prince Yinzhi, the fourth prince Yinzhen, the fifth prince Yinqi, the seventh prince Yinyou, and the eighth prince Yinsi, but notably absent was Crown Prince Yinreng. Yinreng,
left to oversee the capital, was displeased. "Father, why am I not worthy to fight alongside you?"
While his martial prowess couldn't match his eldest son's, he was far superior to his younger brothers.
Hmm? Was that the wrong word? Never mind the detail; Yinreng simply didn't want to guard the capital. What good was that? Who knew how many more years he'd have to guard the capital! "
I want to go too! "
However, Kangxi did not accept Yinreng's request.
"Nonsense." Did Bao Cheng know what it meant to prioritize the greater good? What was the purpose of his campaign? It was for the safety and stability of the northern frontier.
What if they all went and were wiped out? "A wise
man does not stand under a crumbling wall!
" "Father," Yinreng tried to resist, wanting to discuss the matter properly with his father, but... he wasn't given a chance to speak, and the order was given directly.
Did he intend to disobey the imperial decree?
Finally, Yinreng came to his senses. "Fine," he thought, "it's just war, not a trip. What's so fun about that? I'd rather stay home with the Crown Princess and the children."
Kangxi didn't care about that. With a wave of his hand, he led his army out!
Yinreng, left behind in the capital, wanted to take his wife and children out, but his five-month-old infant was definitely not suitable for going out.
At this moment, Suo'etu hurriedly sent a message to the palace. He had finally uncovered the Western conspiracy that His Highness the Crown Prince had asked him to investigate, and it was a particularly serious one.
It turned out that the Westerners were so despicable and ruthless.
Soetu wanted to personally go to the palace to discuss this matter with His Highness the Crown Prince, but unfortunately, the Emperor wasn't in the palace… Oh, I forgot, he had already been dismissed from his post and couldn't go to the palace to see the Emperor either.
Yinreng's strategy for using Soetu was: to make him useful, but not idle, yet not too high-ranking, lest he become arrogant.
However, Yinreng knew he couldn't reveal his own thoughts to Soetu; he needed to let him know that he still valued him highly as his maternal uncle.
Anyway, Father Emperor forbade you to return to court, and I, the Crown Prince, couldn't do anything about it.
But don't worry, Uncle, I will definitely help you, making you increasingly influential in Father Emperor's eyes.
Soetu, holding the results of his investigation, was shocked, angry, and joyful all at once.
He was shocked and angry that the Westerners' conspiracy was so viciously aimed at the Qing Dynasty; he was joyful that he had finally found crucial information, and the Emperor would surely understand how important he was to the Qing Dynasty.
In the study of Yuqing Palace, Yinreng sat listening to Suo'etu's report. The Westerners first used opium to devour people's bodies and willpower, then used artillery to force open the gates of the Qing Dynasty. Perhaps then, the Qing Dynasty would become their prey.
Artillery?
Right, the Crown Princess had mentioned it before, seemingly saying that the enemy's artillery fire was extremely fierce.
"Uncle, did you manage to get any artillery? Show it to me?" Yinreng was busy with other matters at the time, remembering what he heard, but then forgot about it.
"Your Highness, this is the palace. How could I possibly bring artillery into the palace? But I did indeed exhaust my efforts and spend a lot of money to obtain two cannons..."
Suo'etu chuckled awkwardly at first, then mentioned his hard work and effort; finding this out was already quite remarkable.
"This servant also discovered that the Dutch established some kind of Indian Ocean Company, which is basically just maritime piracy. They've invaded many places with their fierce cannon fire."
Songgotu recalled the Ming Dynasty, where Nurhaci relied on cannons; otherwise, how could the small Manchu population have possibly defeated so many Ming soldiers?
However, the court, including the late emperor and the imperial relatives, considered the Ming Dynasty's cannons and the fact that the Qing army had invaded the interior of China to be nothing special.
Few people paid attention to this, and besides, the Ming Dynasty's cannons at that time weren't very powerful, unable to exert any truly terrifying force. Therefore, princes, imperial relatives, and ministers were all learning horsemanship and archery.
"Is that so? Then come, show me." Yinreng began to show some interest. Were these so-called cannons really that powerful?
Yinreng was led out of the palace by Suo'etu. Within the Forbidden City, only the Crown Prince held the highest position. Even the Imperial Princes… oh, the Ninth and Tenth Princes, as they were about to leave, happened to encounter the Crown Prince and Suo'etu.
"Second Brother Crown Prince."
"Second Brother."
Their greetings caused Yinreng to stop in his tracks. Remembering the time he had taken them to see the opium that Westerners had brought into the Qing Dynasty, Yinreng smiled. "Suo'etu said he has something mysterious to show us. Ninth and Tenth Brothers, let's go together."
Suo'etu: I never said that. When did His Highness the Crown Prince become so close to the Ninth and Tenth Princes? Oh, right, the Ninth Prince and the Crown Princess are doing business together. They even conducted an experiment on opium together last time. Upon hearing "
something mysterious?", the Ninth and Tenth Princes looked at Suo'etu with surprise and delight. They hadn't expected Suo'etu to be so generous! Was he going to give them a share too?
Thinking that it would be foolish not to take advantage of such a good deal, Yinzhen and Yin'e immediately followed after them.
Having just left the palace, they boarded a carriage. "Huh? Why are grown men riding in carriages? Can't I ride a horse?
" The Tenth Prince, finding the carriage ride somewhat effeminate, puffed out his cheeks. "I wanted to ride a horse."
"Alright, Tenth Prince, I wonder what Suo'etu is going to give the Crown Prince?" The Ninth Prince had recently made a fortune, but he could never have too much of the good stuff.
"I don't know, but anything Suo'etu gives to the Crown Prince must be something good." Yin'e wasn't as business-minded as Yin'tang, and he spent money extravagantly; the dividends he received weren't enough to cover his expenses.
Amidst the anticipation of the Ninth and Tenth Princes, they arrived at a manor in the suburbs.
Could it be… some mysterious…treasure? Or perhaps a woman? That's too…low-class! This is it?
And they were so full of anticipation.
When they disembarked from the carriage, Suo'etu walked ahead, while the Ninth and Tenth Princes whispered behind him, "Should we leave? We
're already here, let's just bear with it a little longer.
He's the Crown Prince, after all, let's give him some face."
Then, they came to an open space and saw two cannons...
Hmm? ??
Wasn't it said that a woman was given to the Crown Prince? How did it turn into cannons? Tsk, the key question is, why did Suo'etu give cannons to the Crown Prince? Could it be that he wanted to incite the Crown Prince to rebel?
No, Suo'etu incited the Crown Prince to rebel, and he and the Tenth Prince came together. Isn't this obviously dragging them both onto the boat?
Waaah... If we reveal our stance to Father Emperor now, will he believe us?
"Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, these are Western cannons. Let's see how powerful Western cannons really are." Yinreng listened to the thoughts of the Ninth and Tenth Princes, speechless.
Turning his head, with a hint of helplessness, he prompted, "Song'etu said that the Westerners are treacherous and cunning. First, they sent opium to the wealthy merchants and officials of the Qing Dynasty, corrupting their bodies and minds, and then they used cannons to wake us up."
Yinreng's tone was sinister as he spoke; it seemed these Westerners truly wanted to destroy the Qing Dynasty.
"What?"
"What?"
Yintang and Yin'e stared wide-eyed in shock, looking at Yinreng in disbelief, then at the cannons, their eyes blazing with anger after the thought.
They still remembered how those who had taken opium, when they were in withdrawal, would become unrecognizable, kneeling and begging for a taste, doing whatever they were told like dogs, then convulsing like they were having epilepsy…
If the entire Qing Dynasty had taken this stuff, let alone cannons, anyone could have killed them…
At Songgotu's command, the cannons fired, and with a 'boom,' two trees were blown to smithereens, leaving a large hole.
It looked ordinary, but the power of five or six cannon shots in succession was unimaginable. The key was that they could fire continuously without misfiring or missing their targets… far superior to the cannons that had existed for so long. Misfires were one thing, but misfiring was
another, and there was even the possibility of them hitting their own people (self-destruction).
"These cannonballs can be fired indefinitely as long as there are enough. They're even engraved with angles, so you can fire wherever you want. This is just the most basic version; I can't even buy the more powerful ones."
Speaking of this, Songgotu felt somewhat ashamed. After all, finding a way to buy these two cannons had already taken considerable effort and thought.
Most of the Westerners entering the Qing coast were merchants, and securing two cannons had cost a significant amount of money.
However, Songgotu didn't mention this; serving His Highness the Crown Prince was his honor.
Failing to buy the best cannons was already a dereliction of duty.
"Uncle has already worked very hard. If it weren't for Uncle, I wouldn't have known that the Westerners had developed to this extent." As
soon as Yinreng finished speaking, the Ninth Prince nodded. "Yes, whether it's a Western mirror or a Western clock, no one in our Qing Dynasty had invented them before."
"Doesn't that mean our Qing Dynasty is even more backward and inferior than the West?" The Tenth Prince exclaimed, his eyes wide.
Upon hearing this, both Yinreng and Yintang turned their gazes to him.
Yinreng remembered the Crown Princess mentioning the Industrial Revolution? Because of the Qing Dynasty's closed-door policy, it fell behind the West, eventually leading to its demise. (In Yinreng's understanding, that was roughly the gist.) The
Industrial Revolution… was that what it referred to?
"It's time to have a serious talk with Father Emperor. Stop thinking that our Qing Dynasty is the most powerful. Like a frog in a well, you'll never see how vast the sky is."
Yinreng now knew that his father would live to around sixty-eight, and he, the Crown Prince for nearly fifty years, might not even outlive him.
Being deposed was fine, but the crucial point was… the demise of the Aisin Gioro dynasty, the end of the Qing Dynasty—this was something Yinreng, who was proud of the 'Aisin Gioro' surname, found hard to accept.
"Second Brother, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to speak of Father Emperor like that?" Yin'e was astonished by the Crown Prince's bold and audacious words. The Crown Prince was indeed the Crown Prince; he dared to call Father Emperor a "frog in a well."
"Isn't that so? The maritime ban was to prevent Japanese pirates, but since ancient times, what elder would keep their child locked up at home for fear of being bullied, instead of teaching them to defeat bad people?" Yinreng felt this matter had to be told to Father Emperor, and that he needed to make him take it seriously.
Otherwise, it would be too late once they suffered a loss.
He instructed Suo'etu to have men guard the manor, and when Father Emperor returned from his campaign, he would have Father Emperor use the cannons from the stockpile to have a contest with Western cannons.
Suo'etu was excited upon hearing the Crown Prince's order. Although what the Crown Prince said might… displease the Emperor, if he could prove the power of the Western cannons, prove the Westerners' covetousness and treacherous schemes against the Qing Dynasty, wouldn't that prove his own ability?
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured, this servant will definitely send people to guard this manor well." How could Suo'etu not guard it well? He was hoping for a comeback.
The Ninth and Tenth Princes, listening nearby, exchanged glances. Had their second brother, the Crown Prince, been provoked? He dared to defy their father? They'd heard their father didn't want him to accompany them on the personal campaign?
However, if what the Crown Prince said was true, then the Qing Dynasty was in grave danger!
(End of Chapter)
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