Chapter 208: Qi Buchen was so happy that he could see the problem...
If Qi Buchen could see the problem, Kangxi certainly could see it, but he was standing at a different height and had a different perspective on the matter.
Therefore, when faced with the apology letters from several generals, he only reprimanded them with his own handwriting and did not impose any punishment. He only asked them to be prepared and to eliminate Tsewang Arabtan and his followers as soon as the imperial army arrived.
As for the actions in secret, not everyone can know about them.
Seeing that they could not persuade Kangxi to send troops again, the officials in the court had to stop arguing and started arguing about the selection of the commander-in-chief for this expedition.
Kangxi allowed them to argue. After all, mobilizing troops would not be done in a short period of time. It would take at least a month for the army to set out.
There is no rush to choose the main general.
He is not in a hurry, but some people are.
In a secret house somewhere, Fourteenth waited anxiously for the person of his dreams.
"Uncle." Every part of Fourteen's body expressed his affection for the visitor.
Longkodo frowned slightly and said unceremoniously, "Fourteenth Master summoned me here so urgently. I wonder what's the important matter?"
Although the two had a tacit understanding long ago, in view of the fate of the previous Nine Gates Admiral and the deposed Crown Prince, Longkodo has always been very cautious and would not easily contact or meet with the Fourteenth Emperor, let alone now that the Emperor's mind is becoming increasingly unpredictable.
But Fourteen sent someone to tell him urgently the day before, so he had to make this trip.
Fourteenth didn't care about his attitude at all. He politely asked him to sit down and asked in a roundabout way, "Uncle, are you tired from working in the palace these days?"
Longkodo knew clearly that this person was not asking him, but was clearly inquiring about the emperor's health.
He didn't reveal his inner feelings, his face didn't show a single bit, and he said, "Thank you for your concern, Fourteenth Master. I'm not really tired, but I'm really old. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable all over. I asked the imperial physician to see me, but he couldn't find the problem. I can only take nourishing medicine all the time."
Fourteenth knew it. This meant that although the emperor seemed to be fine on the surface, the imperial physician was always with him in private. He just pretended to be recuperating.
After a few more pleasantries, Fourteenth finally brought up the real business of the trip, under Longkodo's slightly impatient gaze: "What do you think of the selection of the commander for this expedition, uncle?"
Longkodo, who had already guessed this, curled his lips and asked, "What do you think of this, Fourteenth Master?"
Fourteen thought about it. Since the two of them were already tacitly aware of each other, there was no need to hide it. So he said frankly, "My nephew thinks Arsong'a is not bad. He inherited the title of Second-Class Duke and has inherited his ancestors' noble style. He also serves as the Minister of the Imperial Guard and is in charge of the Firearms Battalion. In terms of both ability and status, he is more than qualified for the position."
After saying this, he sighed with a hint of regret: "Actually, I think that given the current situation, there's really no need to specifically transfer a large army from the capital. It would be too costly. Simply transferring troops from Sichuan, Shaanxi, and other places wouldn't make much of a difference."
Longkodo sneered in his heart. He was familiar with Arsong'a, the son of Aling'a and grandson of Xiebilun. But if his mother was not the concubine sister of Concubine De, Longkodo dared to guarantee that the Fourteenth Prince in front of him would never mention him.
However, both Alinga and his son were once staunch supporters of the Eighth Prince. Now that the Fourteenth Prince has been able to win over Alsonga, he is quite capable.
As for transferring troops from Sichuan, the Fourteenth Prince has not yet given up on plotting to gain military power for his "brother-in-law" Nian Gengyao.
Longkodo was too lazy to talk about all these things. The Fourteenth Prince regarded the Nian family as treasures, but to him, they were just bannermen slaves and were not worthy of his attention.
However, regarding the chief commander, he had a different opinion: "I think that the position of chief commander is suitable for the Fourteenth Master."
"Ah?" Fourteen was surprised and then happy when he heard this. He was surprised because he had never thought of competing for this position, but he was happy because Longkodo, who always looked down on others, actually thought that he was capable of being the chief general. Doesn't this mean that he has high hopes and respect for him?
But after the joy, Fourteenth became hesitant. Although he was very tempted by the position, there was a bigger carrot hanging in front of him. The emperor's father had been ill for a year since the death of the empress dowager. This time, he was furious because of the defeat on the front line and had the imperial physician with him. If he left the capital at this time, he was afraid... he would pick up sesame seeds and lose watermelons.
Longkodo saw the Fourteenth Prince in front of him hesitate and stammer, "Thank you so much, uncle, for your consideration. However, given the current situation, I cannot travel far away while my parents are still here."
Although it was said vaguely, Longkodo still understood the implication of the person in front of him at the first time. He was just afraid that when he went out, the emperor would suddenly die and the throne would be taken away by someone else.
"Fourteenth Prince is filial, but compared to serving medicine by his side, I believe that as his father, the Emperor would rather see Fourteenth Prince shining on the battlefield and relieving His Majesty's worries." Longkodo spoke with rare patience. "Just look at the eldest prince. He went to the border and made outstanding military achievements. The Emperor was so happy."
Why was Yinzhi able to rival the Crown Prince in power? Wasn't it because of his military achievements? Although he met a bad end later, it was because of his lack of political skills. Even so, he was able to stay in power for so long, in addition to the help of Mingzhu and others who provided advice, it was all because of his merits.
According to Longkodo, the main reason for the eldest prince's failure was that he gave up the territory he was good at and personally went to the court to compete with the deposed crown prince.
The same goes for the Fourteenth Prince in front of him. After such a long time of contact, Longkodo has studied him almost thoroughly. He has some abilities, but when it comes to court affairs, he is no match for his older brothers. It would be better for him to find another way and win merits on the battlefield.
Unfortunately, Fourteen could not understand Longkodo's thoughts after all.
Especially since he mentioned Yinzhi, Fourteenth Prince frowned slightly, feeling a little awkward and unlucky.
It is known that Lao Ba's team was inherited from the eldest brother, and he is now gathering Lao Ba's team, um...
Tsk.
Besides, the boss had made outstanding military achievements, but has he gotten a good ending now?
It can be seen that this road is blocked.
But Longkodo thought so highly of him, wouldn't it be bad for him to refuse directly? Fourteen was embarrassed, not knowing what to say.
Longkodo was a shrewd man, and his attitude was obvious. He sighed in his heart that the one in front of him was still unstable and too eager for quick success. However, after counting all the royal princes, there were not many who could catch his eye, so he could only pick the tallest one among the short ones.
Well, actually, he had his eyes on the Fourth Prince more at first, but he had tried twice, but the other party didn't respond, so he was too lazy to try to please him again.
Later I chose the one in front of me.
"Fourteenth Master, go back and think about it carefully. What I mean is that it's best for Arsong'a not to move. The Firearm Camp is a place where it's easier to get out than to get in."
Although the Qing Dynasty did not promote firearms on a large scale at present, as a military general, he could not fail to see the importance and prospects of firearms. He had a hunch that this thing would definitely play a significant role on the battlefield in the future.
Longkodo stood up and said, "It's getting late. I'll go home first."
Fourteen hurriedly stood up and said, "Are you leaving now? I've prepared a feast, so why don't you enjoy some before returning?"
"No need." Longkodo said meaningfully, without any intention of lingering, "Fourteenth Master, please leave as soon as possible, so as not to cause gossip among those who have ulterior motives."
After seeing Longkodo off, Fourteen returned to his own residence by another route. He immediately called his confidants over, told them about Longkodo's suggestion tonight, and asked, "What do you think?"
The confidants exchanged glances, weighing their understanding of Fourteen for a moment. Then one stood up and said, "I think Third Master Tong has a point. However, Third Master Tong has been a martial artist for many years, so his views are a bit biased." He lowered his voice and said, "As the saying goes, it's always been true that doing is not as good as talking, and talking is not as good as being favored."
Fourteenth thought so. Looking at all the brothers, who was proud of something other than the Emperor's favor? Even Eighth, who had seemed so powerful over the years, did he really have any confidence? No! Whenever he received a compliment from the Emperor, Eighth would be overjoyed. So he hadn't been optimistic about Eighth from the beginning, and in the end, it was just as he expected.
Nodding slightly with satisfaction, Fourteen continued, "However, what Longkodo said about the matter of Arsong'a also makes sense. We can't give up the Firearm Camp so easily. What do you think we should do?"
The confidants discussed in low voices.
While Fourteen was busy, Yinzhen returned to the main courtyard from the outer study. Qi Buchen asked him sleepily, "Is it done?"
The two were just about to go to bed when a message came in an emergency from outside, so Yinzhen went to the front.
"Yeah." Yinzhen took off his coat by himself and just got into bed when a big baby rolled into his arms. He couldn't help laughing.
He wiped away the tears from the yawning eyes of the person in his arms and said, "Just go to sleep if you're tired. Why are you trying so hard?"
Qi Buchen yawned again in his arms and murmured, "The posture is wrong, I can't sleep."
"What happened?" He was so anxious late at night.
Yinzhen found a comfortable position for both of them and closed his eyes: "What I told them to pay attention to before is not a big deal."
"Oh..." Before the words fell, the speaker fell into a sweet dream.
Yinzhen closed his eyes, kissed the forehead of the person in his arms, and fell into a deep sleep.
Who cares about Longkodo and Fourteenth? Nothing is more important than a beautiful dream.
When Qi Buchen woke up, he found, as expected, that there was no one beside him. He stretched himself and got out of bed, then asked Sui He who came in to wait on him, "What time is it?"
"Replying to the Lady, it's just past noon."
Logically speaking, she didn't get up too late, as it was only seven o'clock in the morning. However, since Yinzhen started attending court, she had never seen anyone in the morning.
Alas, I can only say that this time of attending court is too abnormal.
After washing up and preparing to have breakfast, Fan Zhengya arrived.
"Good morning, mother."
Because Qi Buchen couldn't get up in the morning, there was no such thing as getting up early to pay respects in Prince Yong's mansion. It was just that since Yinzhen and Honghui both went to work, Fan Zhengya was afraid that Qi Buchen would be lonely having dinner alone, so she listened to her husband and ran to accompany her mother-in-law for dinner.
"Sit down." Qi Buchen asked casually, "Did you sleep well last night?"
It was just a casual chat, but Fan Zhengya blushed and said, "Okay."
Qi Buchen understood what was going on. It seemed his son had been a bit rough yesterday, so he said considerately, "After dinner, you can stay by yourself. You don't have to accompany me."
Fan Zhengya said somewhat embarrassedly, "My daughter-in-law is fine... Calculating the time, my sister-in-law is already three months pregnant. My daughter-in-law wants to go back to her parents' home to visit in the next few days." She abruptly changed the subject.
"What's the big deal? You don't need to ask me. Just go back if you want. But tell Honghui in advance and ask him to pick you up after he gets off work." Qi Buchen waved his hand and said indifferently.
But after saying that, he realized belatedly that Fan Zhengya had been married for almost two years. Although he had never mentioned the matter of having children and had not put any pressure on her, he could not stand other people's gossip. When Fan Zhengya went back this time, did she also want to learn from her sister-in-law?
Qi Buchen glanced at her daughter-in-law, wanted to say something, opened her mouth and closed it again. Never mind, these were just her guesses. She should go back and talk to Honghui, asking him to pay attention to her daughter-in-law's mental health, not to believe in those folk remedies, let alone drink any soup or medicine.
But before she could talk to her son, Honghui was so happy that he was stunned.
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