50. Chapter 50
"none"
Under the twinkling stars, the sound of reading can be heard faintly, accompanied by the chirping of insects, harmonious and peaceful.
Kangxi walked forward slowly in silence without answering Qi You's question.
Qi Youyi followed quietly beside him without saying a word.
During the long and lonely time he was trapped, the only things that kept him company were the globe and the world map.
He always caressed every place on the globe, every country and city on the world map, imagining that he was there.
Every time he saw a place, he would play the sounds of that place. Later, he could understand 80 to 90 percent of Russian. Because he struggled with pronunciation and never had the chance to speak it, his pronunciation probably wasn't very standard.
Now, when he closed his eyes, he could think of those mountains and rivers. Perhaps the passage of time had changed the course of the rivers and the appearance of the mountains.
But the bitter cold of Siberia and the Lake Baikal basin has remained largely unchanged. Even Nerchinsk, after a century of vicissitudes, remains dilapidated and desolate.
Of course he knew about the treaty, but he just couldn't remember the specific time.
At that time, he was just standing in the perspective of God, and all he saw were some cold written records and data, such as the background of the peace talks between the two sides.
The battle of Gangyasak between Luosha Kingdom and Qing Dynasty had just ended. Luosha Kingdom and Khalkha were fighting fiercely, and the battle between Dzungar and Khalkha's Tushetu Khan was also fierce.
The war between the Qing Dynasty and Galdan was about to break out, but Galdan and the Rakshasa Kingdom had been flirting with each other and had already reached an alliance in private.
When the two were fighting for power, the Qing Dynasty tacitly allowed Tushetu Khan to gain a lot of benefits. Zasaktu Khan had long been dissatisfied with the Qing Dynasty.
The Dzungar Khanate, the Rakshasa Khanate, and the Jasaktu Khanate were not a monolithic entity. However, if the three joined forces to divide up the Khalkha tribe and threaten the capital, the Qing Dynasty would be in danger.
After returning to the farm, Kangxi called Qi You into the house, sat down and had a sip of tea, and asked Liang Jiugong to guard the door.
Kangxi described the current situation in detail, which was roughly the same as what Qi You saw later.
The conditions proposed by the Rakshasa Kingdom are still unknown, and Kangxi stated his bottom line.
Of course, before the negotiations, they made sky-high demands. For example, the Lena River was used as the boundary, the two sides had some trade exchanges, they were not allowed to take in refugees from both sides, and the Russian Kingdom had to return the defected Qing official Gentemur.
As for the final bottom line, the border was to be demarcated based on the actual occupied and controlled areas of both sides. The priority was to sign the treaty as soon as possible, freeing up Kangxi's hands to deal with Galdan.
In fact, Qi You could understand Kangxi's thoughts and difficulties.
As for Sakhalin Island and Lake Baikal, he had the will but not the resources. The climate there was too harsh for the Qing to control.
The battle of Yasak was won, and as soon as the Qing Dynasty withdrew, the Russian soldiers returned to Yasak.
When faced with two evils, Kangxi had to choose the lesser one. He had no choice but to quickly appease one side so that he could start dealing with the other.
Kangxi's expression was solemn. He said, "The current situation is extremely complicated, and a major war is imminent. While Zasaktu Khan is not a threat, Galdan must not be taken lightly. His alliance with the Rakshasa Kingdom must be severed, otherwise the Qing Dynasty will be in danger."
Qi You lowered his eyes in thought. Kangxi looked at his gentle features with a complicated expression, unable to tell what he was feeling.
He also didn't know why he could discuss such an important matter with such a young child, and why he could change his mind and take the risk of letting him join the negotiation team.
Kangxi sighed slightly and spoke softly, "The Rakshasa Kingdom requires an equal number of envoys from both sides. I intend to have Soetu lead the negotiations this time, along with Tong Guogang, interpreters Xu Risheng and Zhang Cheng, and soldiers as escorts to Selengesk. You are too young, and for your safety, it is not appropriate for you to go in person. You will go as Soetu's entourage. This is a good idea; the Rakshasa Kingdom won't be wary of you. I will instruct Soetu that if a difficult decision is encountered, the peace talks will be suspended and a decision will be made after private consultation with you."
Qi You was really surprised when he heard that Kangxi entrusted him with such an important task.
Yes, considering my age, if I were to sit at the negotiation table, with the temperament of the Russian people, they would probably think that the Qing Dynasty was looking down on them and would directly overturn the negotiation table.
However, if what we saw in our previous life is anything to go by, I'm afraid the treaty won't be signed this time, because the Treaty of Nerchinsk was signed in Nerchinsk, not Selensk.
Qi You paused for a moment before asking, "Khan Ama, are you aware of the current situation within the Luosha Kingdom? Since they have been secretly communicating with the Dzungars, why are they negotiating with the Qing?"
Kangxi was stunned for a moment, sighed, shook his head and said, "I only know that the Queen of Luosha Kingdom is ambitious and difficult to deal with."
Qi You had a clue in his mind and said, "Khan Ama, you see, each time the Rakshasa Kingdom sends troops, there are only a few hundred people. Even when fighting against Khalkha, there were only about two thousand soldiers. They have to come all the way from Rakshasa Kingdom. Which places do they have to pass through, and where do they get food and supplies? Khan Mafa defeated their invaders in the past, annihilating more than a thousand people."
Kangxi thought of his predecessor Shunzhi, who had a very tough attitude. When he went to war with the Rakshasa Kingdom for the first time, his commander Hai Se was ambitious and suffered a defeat.
Shunzhi was furious and executed Hai Se on the spot. He issued a death order and fought the Luosha Kingdom to the end. In the end, he defeated the Luosha Kingdom.
But the Rakshasa Kingdom refused to give up and made a comeback within a few years.
Kangxi felt an indescribable emotion surging in his chest. Compared with Shunzhi's harsh approach, he seemed too indecisive.
He couldn't help but wonder how Shunzhi would deal with the current situation if he were still alive.
Qi You said, "They must have learned a lesson from their defeat that year and built cities in Yeniseysk, Bratsk, and Yakutsk. These places should be their important transportation routes. Although they burn, kill, and loot wherever they go, fighting to support the war. However, this area is too poor, and it is difficult for them to rob enough food. The rear must have food and weapons supplies, and this route cannot be cut off."
Kangxi watched Qi You dip his finger in tea and mark three places on the table, connecting them into a line. He was stunned at first, then delighted: "If we cut off any of these places, it will be equivalent to cutting off their rear supply."
Qi You nodded. He couldn't say that the Rakshasa Kingdom was in chaos and was fighting for power.
The regent Queen Sophia and the soon-to-be-ruled Peter I were locked in a fierce struggle for power. It was unclear who the Russian envoys were.
In Europe, Russia fought with many countries for access to the Baltic Sea. The wars continued for many years and it just lost to Sweden, Poland and others a few years ago.
Once other nations learned of the war between Luocha and the Qing, they would certainly not miss such a good opportunity. They simply did not have the ability to fight on multiple fronts, and when choosing between the Qing and the impoverished Dzungar, they would definitely choose to negotiate with the Qing in exchange for trade benefits.
Luosha State is now facing internal and external troubles and is unable to take care of itself. It is just that the lack of transportation and information has given them some advantages.
Qi You analyzed carefully and said, "We can judge that Luosha Kingdom does not have the ability to send more troops. As for Galdan, he is indeed a genius in war. But Khan Ama, do you know how many troops he has in total? What is the strength of the area controlled by Galdan? How long can the barley butter in Tibet feed his soldiers? Before fighting, food and fodder must be prepared first. As I said before, even if they have to rob, they must seize it. We can't fight at a loss."
Kangxi stared intently at the water-stained desk. After a moment, his eyes darkened and he said, "I can destroy the Three Feudatories of Taiwan. I doubt I can't kill Galdan!"
In fact, Qi You also relied on knowledge from later generations to know that the Tibetan region has always been sparsely populated, with conditions similar to those in Baikal and Sakhalin Island today.
Even if Galdan had the support of the Rakshasa Kingdom, and they came with the Fire Command and mobilized all their troops, they would not be able to compete with the current strength of the Qing Dynasty.
However, Qi You thought about it, dipped his tea, and started drawing on the table again: "Khan Ama, look here, Western Xinjiang."
Kangxi was stunned. Galdan's power had expanded to the western Xinjiang over the years.
Qinghai, Tibet and other places are vast and rich in resources. Even if tens of thousands of troops were deployed there, they would not be able to find anyone. If they retreated here, they would come back again in a few years.
Qi You pondered the matter over and over again, then said, "The Qing army can advance here and station troops there. We must fight the battle with Galdan, but we can't give them the opportunity to retreat. They are tough by nature and very poor. In ten or twenty years, they will definitely come out to plunder again. If we have to fight, we must completely eliminate them and put an end to future troubles."
Kangxi felt a pang of anxiety when he thought of Xinjiang, Qinghai, Tibet and other places. This was his concern for the unification of the world, and he thought about bringing these places under his rule every day.
However, Kangxi hesitated and said, "In places like Xinjiang, the Dzungars have long controlled the areas north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. If the Qing Dynasty goes there now, we will have to fight them again."
Qi You said, "Western Xinjiang is vast, and the Junggar tribe doesn't have the ability to control all of it. Besides, the local leaders will definitely not be happy about their arrival. We're only going there to help them and teach them farming techniques and other things. Galdan will definitely not give up when he sees that the Qing has gone. We must send troops to help, and take this opportunity to station troops in Western Xinjiang."
Kangxi's eyes lit up. Compared to going there rashly and facing two waves of enemies, helping the local tribes in Western Xinjiang to deal with Galdan and taking the opportunity to station troops there was the best way to reduce damage and maximize benefits.
Despite this, Kangxi remained hesitant and said, "This person must not only be smart but also loyal. Who should I send?"
Of course Qi You wouldn't say he was going, mainly because he was too busy and couldn't leave.
When it comes to loyalty, no one is more loyal than these princes. They will never rebel against the Qing Dynasty and turn against themselves.
Among the princes, we cannot send the crown prince.
When Qi You saw that Soetu was reused this time and went to sign the treaty in Selengesk, he knew why the prince failed to come to Shunyi, but he was not too angry.
Soetu was not the only one capable of taking on this important task. For example, Mingzhu and Li Guangdi, who had returned to the court, were no less talented than Soetu.
Employing Soetu was another way for Kangxi to balance the power in the court and appease the prince.
Qi You's proposal to settle in the Western Frontier was just an attempt to break this balance.
Kangxi would not have been at a loss as to who would be the most suitable person to send, given the rebellious Gentemur and Zasaktu Khan. Intelligence and talent were secondary; the most important thing was that the person must be absolutely loyal to the Qing Dynasty.
In the end, this person must be the eldest prince.
Qi You only laid a fuse and did not care about Kangxi's arrangements. When Fuquan came to take over the school, he explained some things to him in detail, packed up and returned to the capital, and went to Selengesk before leaving.
Needless to say, the journey was very difficult. When they reached Khalkha, their team was blocked and could not move forward.
When Galdan learned that the Qing Dynasty was negotiating with the Rakshasa Kingdom, he led his troops across the Hangai Mountains and launched a large-scale attack on Khalkha.
This was the first time Qi You faced war head-on.
The scene before my eyes was so devastated that it was hard to describe. It was almost like a complete destruction of all lives.
Suo Etu looked at the old and young women and children of Khalkha who had barely escaped, fleeing in all directions like frightened birds. He sighed and said to Qi You, "Seventh Prince, let's turn back to the capital. This road is blocked."
Qi You was silent for a moment and said, "No, send someone back to inform Khan Ama. We will stay here and help appease the Khalkha people."
Suo Etu was shocked and tried to persuade him: "Seventh Prince, you absolutely cannot do this! When we were leaving, the Emperor repeatedly reminded us to prioritize your safety. This place is not safe. If Galdan finds out..."
Qi You knew Soetu's worries. It was not just him. If this group of princes and nobles fell into Galdan's hands, not only would Kangxi lose face, but even if a war broke out, he would be in a passive position.
Qi You said: "These Khalkha people are also citizens of the Qing Dynasty. We cannot bear witness to their plight and ignore their lives."
Soetu glanced at Tong Guogang, wanting him to join in the persuasion, but Tong Guogang lowered his eyes and pretended not to see it.
Galdan's soldiers were also human beings. After a long raid and crossing the Hangai Mountains, it is unknown how many of the 30,000 troops were lost.
In addition, the army was already exhausted from the battle with Khalkha. There was no time to resupply weapons and food. If we didn't attack him now, when would we?
Qi You said calmly, "Since Galdan was able to lead 30,000 soldiers across the Hangai Mountains, we cannot allow him to take the spoils and then swagger back!"
The author has something to say:
I wrote this book in great detail, trying my best to make it logical and well-founded, rather than being out of touch with reality.
I guess it's a bit boring. Thank you for your continued companionship. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2022-10-20 18:50:35 and 2022-10-21 20:18:38~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 20 bottles of Futeng Kebei; 1 bottle of Pudding;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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