53. Chapter 53
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Palace of Heavenly Purity in the Forbidden City.
Qi You's urgent letter, delivered via the "eight hundred li post," quickly reached Kangxi. Almost immediately, the latest news on Khalkha's situation arrived in the capital.
The urgent letter from Khalkha reported Galdan's attack and the dire situation in Khalkha. Local people and refugees were fleeing, and officials were hesitant to act on their own, requesting an imperial decree.
Qi You's letter, due to the urgency of the situation, was not as detailed as the previous ones, but was more like a military manifesto to fight against Galdan and Luosha.
As Kangxi read Qi You's letter, the situation in Khalkha seemed to come alive on the paper, with iron horses and golden swords, and a magnificent scene.
In the letter, in addition to lamenting the duplicity of the Rakshasa Kingdom and the evil ambitions of Galdan, Qi You also put forward his views.
That is to fight. It is suggested that Kangxi quickly mobilize the surrounding troops and fight back without hesitation.
In addition to passion for war, one also needs to know how to fight and analyze the chances of winning, otherwise it is just empty talk.
Qi You's analysis was simple, but every detail of his description of Galdan and the Luosha soldiers made it impossible for Kangxi to refuse.
Galdan was a great threat to Kangxi, who always wanted to capture him and have him executed by slow slicing.
If we can capture him alive this time, even if we can't, we can just let him die in Khalkha.
A war cannot be started just by saying so. Kangxi quickly asked Liang Jiugong to summon important officials to the imperial study for discussion, and also called the crown prince and the eldest prince.
As before, after hearing about the situation in Khalkha, they expressed their opinions and mainly divided into three factions.
The first was the pro-war faction, led by Li Guangdi, who had returned to the court, and Mingzhu, who knew Kangxi very well.
Li Guangdi said, "Your Majesty, Lords Suo and Tong have gone to negotiate peace with the Rakshasa Kingdom, but Galdan is disgruntled and vows to disrupt the relationship between the two nations. If the Qing Dynasty intervenes, how will the Rakshasa Kingdom view the Qing? This may only embolden them."
The eldest prince was young and full of vigor. When he heard that Galdan had dared to directly attack Khalkha, he excitedly followed Li Guangdi and said, "Khan Ama, Galdan is truly abominable. This time we must beat them hard and beat them to a pulp. They will never dare to provoke the Qing Dynasty again!"
The other faction was the neutral and cautious faction, mainly composed of old ministers of the two dynasties, such as Wang Xi, the Grand Secretary of Baohe Hall, and Ma Qi, the Left Censor-in-Chief.
Several people insisted on being cautious and needed to understand the local situation before making any plans.
When engaging in a direct battle with Galdan for the first time, the allocation of food and fodder, as well as who to send as the leader of the troops, had to be carefully considered.
The other faction was anti-war, led by Yisan'a, who believed that the situation in Khalkha was unclear and that a hasty military action would only anger the Rakshasa Kingdom, which had finally agreed to peace talks.
If we hastily start a war, we will only be ridiculed by them after we are defeated. Not only will the negotiations be put in a passive position, but the Rakshasa Kingdom may become angry and terminate the negotiations.
The eldest prince was still furious and demanded loudly, "Are we going to allow Galdan to come here so brazenly and leave in such a swagger? I don't know for sure, but if there's no Rakshasa State behind this, I won't believe anything you say."
Yisan'a glanced at the impulsive young prince, then glanced at Mingzhu, who was sitting quietly, and said slowly, "Big brother, the Mongolian Plateau is vast and sparsely populated. I don't think anyone knows where Galdan's troops are right now. By the time the imperial army arrives, Galdan might have already returned to the northwest."
The eldest prince was stunned, and subconsciously glanced at Kangxi, the crown prince, Mingzhu and others. He hesitated for a moment, snorted indignantly, and finally said nothing.
The prince remained silent from beginning to end, except for a slight curl of his lips after the eldest prince left.
The imperial study was filled with Kangxi's trusted ministers. He sat behind the imperial desk, listening to everyone's opinions with an expressionless face.
Everyone's words sounded reasonable, but for some reason, Kangxi couldn't hide his disappointment.
No matter which side, they are only concerned with insisting on their own opinions and making impassioned speeches, but no one proposes how to fight. If they just wait and see or simply do not fight, what should they do next?
After all, apart from their lack of responsibility, what they lack most is practical action measures.
Kangxi was stunned. Unconsciously, he had become accustomed to Qi You's way of doing things.
Qi You never just expresses opposition or approval. No matter what kind of suggestion it is, he will attach his own action plan.
Although Kangxi made the final decision, he deeply discovered the difference between the two.
Qi You's way of doing things made his job as emperor very easy. Detailed data, detailed work plans, and clear analysis of the pros and cons made it easy for him to see clearly and make decisions with confidence.
Kangxi's thoughts were full of twists and turns.
At first, when he finished reading Qi You's letter, he seemed to be back to the passion of the Three Feudatories. Just like the eldest prince, his blood was boiling.
After gradually calming down, Kangxi actually leaned towards the opinions of Wang Xi and others, and made a decision after cautiously observing the situation.
After all, the Qing Dynasty had been at war for many years, and Galdan would definitely have to fight. He would rather wait until the Rakshasa Kingdom stabilized before he could free up his hands to deal with Galdan.
After seeing everyone's performance, Kangxi chose Qi You's opinion without hesitation.
Because his son never let him down in anything he did.
What's more, Qi You is still at the front line of the battle. He can definitely see the situation a hundred times more clearly than the people in the capital.
The eldest prince had been sitting there in a sullen mood, but then he remembered something and his expression suddenly brightened. He asked, "Khan Ama, my seventh brother is also over there. Has he written back?"
Only a few trusted ministers knew that Qi You was going with the envoy this time. Everyone was stunned and looked at Kangxi.
Kangxi glanced around the room and said, "Seventh Brother's letter arrived before Khalkha's."
The eldest prince immediately laughed, clapped his hands, and said happily, "I knew it. With Seventh Brother's ability, how could he not react? Khan Ama, what do you say, Seventh Brother?"
Kangxi was silent for a moment, then read the last few words of Qi You's letter in a calm voice, word by word: "Every inch of our national territory must be fought for. Those who dare to invade will be met with a head-on blow. We vow to make sure they are gone and never return, thus enhancing the prestige of our great Qing dynasty."
When the eldest prince heard this, his blood boiled again, and he said with great passion: "Seventh brother is right. If Galdan dares to come, we will strike him head-on and make him go without return! Khan Ama, fight, we must fight!"
The prince could no longer bear it and said, "Brother, fighting is no child's play. You say to fight and we'll fight. What are we going to use? Who's going to fight?"
The eldest prince glanced at the crown prince with a look of disdain, almost raising his arms and shouting, "Does the Qing Dynasty still lack capable generals? Khan, why don't you let me lead the troops myself? I will definitely kill Galdan!"
Seeing that the Crown Prince and the eldest prince were about to argue, Kangxi's face turned bad and he threw the tea bowl lid he was playing with onto the imperial table.
The tea bowl lid rolled a few times, making a clinking sound.
Everyone lowered their heads and eyes, and the Crown Prince and the eldest prince also sat up straight. They barely suppressed their anger, turned their heads away, and ignored each other.
Li Guangdi had just returned to the capital and had only heard some rumors about Qi You, so he didn't know much about him.
At that time, Kangxi proposed that Qi You accompany him. Li Guangdi thought that Qi You was only proficient in Latin. Kangxi was not confident in Westerners, so he sent him to accompany and supervise.
Others shared Li Guangdi's thoughts. No matter how capable Qi You was, he was still too young. Taking his advice on such a serious matter would be frivolous.
Li Guangdi considered carefully and began by praising Qi You: "Seventh Prince is truly courageous. Not only is he not afraid of the battle, he was also able to quickly report the news to the emperor."
Seeing the slight smile on Kangxi's face, Li Guangdi felt relieved and continued, "What the eldest prince said earlier is absolutely true. The seventh prince is in Khalkha. He knows the situation there better than anyone here. I wonder if the seventh prince's letter clearly explains the specific situation in Khalkha?"
Kangxi said, "The matter was urgent, and the Seventh Elder didn't have time to elaborate. He said frankly that this was a prime opportunity to teach Galdan a lesson and seize the initiative in negotiating peace with the Rakshasa Kingdom. I had also thought before that negotiating peace with the Rakshasa Kingdom was an opportunity that had been fought for many years and must not be missed. We will wait until the border is stabilized before attacking Galdan."
His eyes darkened, and he thought of the Hangai Mountains mentioned in Qi You's letter. He said sternly, "Do you know the Hangai Mountains? They are covered with snow all year round. Crossing them is not easy. Even for men and horses, crossing the mountains is difficult, let alone weapons and supplies. Galdan would never dare to come empty-handed. Where did he get his weapons? Do you know what the Luosha Kingdom is doing now, and where their peace envoy Golovin is doing?"
Everyone fell silent, with different expressions on their faces, unable to speak.
The imperial court had post stations everywhere, and although express mail could be delivered quickly, the court's control over places thousands of miles away was abysmal.
Local officials, driven by their desire for political success, reported only good news and not bad news, unless they couldn't hide it. Official correspondence contained more flattery than substance.
The court probably knew less about the real situation in places like Khalkha than the merchants who came and went to do business.
Although Mongolia submitted to the Qing Dynasty, each tribe was still autonomous. Their annual tribute was a symbolic sword or a horse.
As for those forces that were a little further away, such as the Mongolian forces in the northern desert, the Qing Dynasty was unable to reach them. Chahar even rebelled a few years ago.
Kangxi went north to Weichang for the autumn hunt almost every year in order to contact and appease the Mongolian princes and nobles who threatened him. He not only frequently arranged marriages with them but also gave them countless rewards and benefits.
In addition to these, the court also secretly supported an obedient force, but this tactic seemed to be of little use.
For example, there was an imbalance between the two tribes of Zasaktu Khan and Tushetu Khan, so Zasaktu Khan sided with Galdan and the Rakshasa Kingdom.
Although Galdan did not let him go and even robbed his tent without any hesitation, this incident shows that secretly supporting one side to stabilize the other is not a safe approach.
In fact, Kangxi was also worried. To him, the Mongolian tribes were like hot potatoes that he could neither throw away nor eat.
Kangxi's expression was solemn. He said in a deep voice, "We must fight this time. We can't let ourselves be controlled at every turn. If we miss such a good opportunity, we will only fatten up Galdan and fuel his arrogance. Even if we face him head-on next time, he will be fully prepared and it will be difficult to fight. The northern desert is connected to the Tianshan region. If we let him retreat to his lair, we probably won't even be able to find him. Moreover, Galdan came here only to explore the way. They have their own internal strife. Tsewang Arabtan fought with him and they fell out. Galdan must find territory to expand eastward. If he succeeds this time, the northern desert and Mongolia will be in danger."
Qi You's letter clearly stated that the Qinghai-Tibet region, where Galdan's main forces were located, was a region with difficult terrain and thin air. If the Qing army arrived there, they would have difficulty even breathing, let alone fighting.
Galdan's arrival in the flatlands was the Qing's best opportunity. If he had never left the plateau, the Qing would have been powerless to deal with him.
Kangxi had read descriptions of Tibet and other places. The record of Princess Wencheng's journey to Tibet showed that it took her more than two years to arrive, which was enough to show how difficult and dangerous the journey was.
Kangxi insisted on fighting and went back and forth with his court officials to discuss where to mobilize troops, mobilize food and supplies, and who to appoint as commander-in-chief. It took several days to reach a conclusion.
While the court was arguing, Qi You sat on his horse with a calm expression, staring at the battlefield in the distance where flames of war were raging.
As the sun sets, the sky looks blood-red, as if on fire. Even though it's only August, the evening breeze brings a chill.
The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and smoke mixed with the thick stench of blood, and the shouts of people and horses resounded through the sky.
Tong Guogang's face, originally dark red, was now filled with anger. His temples were tense, and his veins were throbbing, as if they were about to break apart at any moment.
Soetu's expression was extremely complicated. After a moment, he lowered his eyes, as if he was thinking about something.
Li Rongbao looked anxious, and he couldn't help but tighten the reins. The horse raised its head and neighed, turning several circles on the ground. He hurriedly reined in the horse and urged it again, "Seventh Prince, you must make a decision quickly. What should we do now?"
The artillery fire flew into Galdan's personal guards, blowing their flesh and blood everywhere and forcing them to flee in all directions.
Galdan was lucky. He reacted quickly and ran fast, so he was not hit by the explosion.
He spurred his horse forward, a true hero. Even with his ears ringing from the shock, he shouted orders at the top of his voice, "Retreat, retreat quickly! Send the slaves to cover the rear!"
After a few bombardments, the Khalkha people, who were tied together with ropes, were whipped and driven by Galdan's soldiers, and crawled over like ants.
The cries were heart-wrenching. The Qing Dynasty's cannons were now facing the faces of the terrified and desperate Khalkha people.
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