60. Chapter 60
"none"
According to custom, court officials would doubt or raise objections to any decision or opinion.
Qi You has never been a person who wants to have his say. He insists on gathering ideas from all sides and fully listening to suggestions from all sides.
Even if it's nonsense, it doesn't mean he wants to listen to stupid things.
For example, some court officials believed that after these captives returned, they would go back to the battlefield and become knives to chop down the people of the Qing Dynasty.
The court should deal with them all as it did before.
Even if they are not all beheaded, they should be exiled to Ningguta to do hard labor and should not be pardoned even if they are granted amnesty.
After hearing this, Qi You was not angry at all, but only sighed with regret.
Humanity is constantly improving, but it's not really improving at all.
For example, some people bring up the story of the God of War Bai Qi who buried and killed tens of thousands of prisoners of war. Regardless of whether this is true or not, it shows that they have not made much progress in terms of concepts or human nature, at least from the Warring States Period to the present.
As for the idea of exiling Ningguta, Qi You smiled and asked seriously, "Do you know how many troops are stationed in Ningguta?"
The man's face turned red and he stopped talking.
These prisoners of war were not criminals, scholars or literati who were exiled to Ningguta with their families.
They are strong soldiers, and with Ningguta's limited military strength and combat effectiveness, I'm afraid they will rebel.
If I knew, I would just think he was stupid, or subconsciously want to refute him without thinking too much about it.
Those who don’t know him would think he is Galdan’s spy.
Kangxi's feelings had never been as complicated as they were today.
Qi You had never participated in court meetings before, and although Kangxi knew how he did things, it was still not as shocking as the real comparison this time.
Qi You accepted the doubts and objections of others, and remained gentle from beginning to end. He asked sincerely: "Do you have any good and feasible solutions?"
"Can you be more specific and detailed? For example, how exactly will you do it? What difficulties and obstacles will you face? How do you plan to solve them?"
"If you fail, what will be the consequences? Do you have any measures to deal with it?"
"Do you have a specific timeline? For example, by when will you complete what percentage? How long do you expect it to be completed?"
"How much silver and manpower are needed?"
......
Kangxi thought he understood it, but Qi You felt that he did not.
For example, if you only look at the officials of various departments of the imperial court, their resumes and backgrounds are very funny.
It is understandable that people are selfish and have nepotism.
There are two channels for the Qing Dynasty's rise.
One type is the Banner nobles themselves. Banner people also study and take the imperial examinations, but they are different from the Han nobles.
There was a good opportunity for the children of the Banner nobles, that is, to serve as guards in the palace. As close associates of the emperor, they would generally be given important positions.
Not to mention other departments, such as the Ministry of Justice, which requires professionalism, up to now, almost all of the ministers are bannermen.
The Shangshu must be a confidant recognized by Kangxi, and it is not that Qi You looks down on them. For example, the current Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice, Fu Lata, is one of the most important officials in the court.
Fu Lata's resume is particularly typical.
He was born in the imperial court, then served as a tutor to Emperor Kangxi. He was promoted from censor to governor of Shaanxi, and then transferred back to the central government to serve as assistant minister of the Ministry of Works and then as minister of the Ministry of Justice.
This promotion was like riding a roller coaster. Not to mention his professional background, it was mainly due to his experience as a tutor.
Of course, Fulata’s surname is Irgen Jueluo, and he is Mingzhu’s nephew. This is another major reason why he was able to ascend to heaven.
Another way is to take the imperial examination.
The imperial examination was difficult to pass, mainly because one had to write an excellent essay within the limitations of the eight-legged essay.
This kind of pattern is just a pile of shit carving, and it’s still a pile of shit after all.
The result is that the more professional departments such as the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of Works lack specialized talents.
Really talented people in the community, including talents in science, will not have the opportunity to be reused if they fail to pass the imperial examination.
This is also the reason why Qi You wanted to establish a school in Shunyi. He wanted to cultivate a group of professional talents and find ways to improve the imperial examination system in the future.
Or open up a channel for them to join various departments and let professionals do professional things.
In addition to these, the court employed people based on Kangxi's preferences.
Mingzhu, like Suo'etu, was impeached for forming a clique for personal gain, among other things. Kangxi demoted him, then brought him back up again. His rise and fall were all due to Kangxi's balancing act in the court.
When it comes to forming cliques for personal gain, Kangxi is second to none in the world, and no one dares to claim to be first.
For example, the weaving families such as the Cao family and the Li family in Jiangnan were all the most trusted confidants of Kangxi.
Kangxi was a very complicated person and cannot be generalized.
For the sake of the world, he almost doesn't care about his relatives, but sometimes he can be too soft.
Mingzhu's ending was not very good, but it was much better than Soetu's. This was largely due to his unwavering support for Kangxi's decision to abolish the feudal system when he was young, despite opposition from others.
Kangxi was nostalgic for the past. For example, when he went to the south of the Yangtze River and saw the Cao family's display of power, he was not stupid and must have known that the Cao family was greedy. But he pretended not to know and secretly condoned the Cao family's greed.
He had the affection for his wet nurse, Sun, and the Cao family was a chess piece he placed in Jiangnan, so he didn't trust anyone else.
This is the emperor, suspicious yet affectionate, it is really hard to understand.
Whether it is corruption, forming cliques for personal gain, or excluding dissidents, whether you will suffer misfortune or not depends on how much relationship you have with the emperor. You have to weigh how big a bad thing you have done.
Rule by man is more important than rule by law. Kangxi's so-called tactics were tantamount to a devastating blow to the administration of officials and the government.
Kangxi refused to admit it, and Qi You would not point it out.
If it is pointed out clearly, it will not only be a slap in the face of Kangxi, but also tear off his skin, which will make him completely angry and humiliated, and truly turn against him without mercy.
Kangxi dismissed the other officials and kept Li Guangdi, Soetu, the prince and others to discuss the specific details together.
At this time, the prince could not wait to speak, saying: "Khan Ama, if Tsewang Arabtan is to come and redeem the captives, I think it would be better to return the captives directly to show the magnanimity of the Qing Dynasty."
Kangxi hummed and said, "You do have some truth in what you say. Li Guangdi, what do you think?"
Li Guangdi pondered for a moment and said, "I think what the Crown Prince said is correct. The Qing Dynasty's magnanimity does not need to be demonstrated against Cewang Arabtan, nor does it need to be demonstrated against the people under their rule. He still needs to pay a price."
Suo Etu's eyes dimmed slightly, and he said, "Master Li, what price do you think we should ask them to pay?"
Li Guangdi wanted to answer, but subconsciously looked at Qi You, who was sitting quietly, and said frankly, "Seventh Prince, I plan to charge ten taels of silver for each prisoner. Tsewang Arabtan will hand over the money and the prisoners to him. Do you think this is appropriate?"
The prince's face darkened upon seeing this. He immediately denied it and said, "We have captured Galdan's men this time. If we give the money back to Tsewang Arabtan, they will surely see through our plot to sow discord. If Galdan follows our example next time, sneaking in to raid the valley, abducting Qing civilians, and asking us to pay ransom them, will we redeem them?"
Li Guangdi replied calmly, "Galdan had just suffered a defeat and would not dare to come so soon. From now on, we must intensify our defenses. Even if they capture Qing civilians, we will redeem them. The Qing has no shortage of silver."
Suo Etu said coldly, "Lord Li is really arrogant. Even if the Qing Dynasty is not short of money, it cannot be disregarded. The two sides are wasting their time paying ransoms back and forth. No one has time to work."
Kangxi saw several people arguing and frowned, saying, "Enough!"
Several people hurriedly bowed their heads and apologized, but Kangxi ignored them and looked directly at Qi You and asked, "Seventh Brother, tell me."
Qi You smiled and said, "Your ideas all make sense. This is what I think, so just listen to me. The uncle and nephew will definitely be able to see that the Qing Dynasty is deliberately trying to sow discord, but ours is an open conspiracy, open and aboveboard, and we are not afraid of them finding out."
Kangxi hummed, remaining silent. Seeing that he didn't object, the others remained silent.
Qi You continued, "First, since we can get Tsewang Arabtan to redeem us, we can certainly get Galdan to do the same. Tsewang Arabtan doesn't want money when he comes to redeem us. We want the land in Western Xinjiang. Also, we must clearly tell Tsewang Arabtan that we want to go to the Ili River Valley, station troops, plant cotton and rice, and establish a school where their people can come and study for free."
Kangxi was stunned. Qi You had said long ago that he would station troops in the western border to block the development of Junggar.
Seeing him bring it up again this time, Kangxi thought for a moment and said, "Will he agree? Wouldn't that be too easy for them?"
Several people quickly responded, and the prince said, "Teach the apprentice and starve the master to death. Let them learn the skills of our Qing Dynasty and then turn around to deal with us."
Qi You said calmly, "The Qing Dynasty's power isn't that great. Different places have different climates, and different land and water nurture different people. We are here to learn. What we want is land, but the main thing is to build schools and cities. Let them learn our writing and civilization. We can teach them medicine and medicine for free. Let them settle down. Once they settle down, they will miss the peaceful days and no one will want to fight anymore."
The western border is vast, and now almost all of it is occupied by the various Junggar tribes.
It's like moistening things silently. In just ten or twenty years, the people there will be willing to accept the Qing rule and the people will assimilate. Kangxi was so excited at the thought that he couldn't help but smile and said, "Great! This is a good idea! Since Tsewang Arabtan is at odds with Galdan, he will definitely seek cooperation with the Qing. There's no way he can refuse."
The prince had a complicated expression. He glanced at Qi You, forced a smile at him, and said, "Seventh brother, you are really smart."
Qi You smiled back at the prince and said, "Brother Prince is smart, but sometimes he thinks too much and gets trapped. I'm just bold and dare to say anything."
The prince was stunned and fell into deep thought.
Qi You ignored him and said, "Galdan can come to redeem people. Since he was the one who caused his soldiers to be captured, he is the culprit. He can come to redeem his sins in person, or send any one of his wives Anu, Ahai, his son Sebutengbalzhuer, or his daughter Zhongqihai to the Qing Dynasty in exchange.
This move is even more amazing.
Galdan and Anu were not an ordinary couple.
Anu was from the Oirat Mongol tribe. She was one of the wives of Tsewang Arabtan's biological father Sengge and his stepmother.
After Sengge's death, Galdan inherited Anu according to the Mongolian custom of levirate marriage.
When Galdan raised his army, he received support from Anu's family.
After Galdan became powerful, he turned against his father-in-law's family, and a rift appeared in the relationship between the couple.
The Oirats then formed an alliance with Tsewang Arabtan and arranged for Anu's sister Ahai to marry him.
Galdan certainly could not tolerate this, so he snatched Ahai away and destroyed the marriage between the two parties.
In addition to the conflict of power and interests, the uncle and nephew also have the hatred of having their wives taken away.
Both sisters, Anuahai, became Galdan's wives, one of whom was captured by abduction. Perhaps for the sake of the greater good, the sisters avoided direct conflict.
Qi You believed that as long as they were human beings, no matter if they were fathers, sons, sisters or brothers, they might appear to be harmonious on the surface, but only they themselves knew the feeling and the real situation.
Anyway, judging from Kangxi's harem and his brothers, this harmony couldn't be more watery.
Anu had military power, was good at fighting, and held a very high position in Galdan's army. Both her son and daughter were hers.
It is very interesting to see who Galdan chooses and who he does not choose.
The soldiers under Galdan usually farmed and herded, and became soldiers in battle. Regardless of their identities, they were all human beings, and if one lost the other, the other would be in danger. If Galdan wanted to appease the people, he would have to be willing to sacrifice himself.
Qi You expected that he would ignore it. With just this one incident, the existing conflicts between the couple would definitely be intensified, and internal chaos would occur.
Qi You said, "Master Li is right. We must immediately deploy more troops to defend the Mongolian Plateau. We believe Galdan will attack again in a rage. We cannot let him run rampant this time."
Kangxi looked at Li Guangdi and said, "Send more troops from Zhangjiakou to join Li Rongbao's troops and station them in Khalkha Mongolia. It's time to give those people in Mobei a break."
Li Guangdi agreed to all of them and said, "I will make arrangements immediately."
Qi You didn't bother with what happened next. If the court officials couldn't just follow the rules, the court could be dissolved.
Qi You was worried about Shunyi and hurried back.
Fuquan is doing a pretty solid job. The school has basically been built, and the teachers have gradually arrived. We can start recruiting students and classes after the new year.
The examination questions that Qi You gave to the teacher at that time were mainly to test the teacher's tolerance.
Fuquan wasn't so thorough about this and said confidently, "You're really asking for too much, kid. It's hard to find a husband, so let's settle down first. You still have that trial period, so if it doesn't work out, just don't use it."
Qi You is really short of manpower, so this is the only arrangement for now.
The inns and restaurants that Lin Yicheng wanted to build were built one after another. Merchants who smelled business opportunities from all over the place came here, and the scene was bustling everywhere.
Fuquan was enjoying himself so much in Shunyi that he had no desire to return to Beijing. He took the opportunity to say to Qi You, "I see your school is still in need of a principal. You're usually very busy, so how can you find the time to take care of it? What do you think of me?"
Qi You laughed and said, "Second uncle, you are a prince, do you want to do this?"
Fuquan said with a smile: "It's a good thing to do this. Don't worry, I'm just acting on your behalf. You are the one who makes the decisions behind the scenes. I will do whatever you ask me to do."
Qi You couldn't find anyone now. Since Fuquan offered to stay here, he thought for a moment and said, "Second Uncle, although we are uncle and nephew, it's better to say some things in advance."
Fuquan nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "I think so too. Let's make three rules before anything else so that we can get things done when the time comes. Go ahead and tell me."
Qi You said: "I can't make the decision on this matter. You have to get Khan Ama's consent first."
Fuquan said, "Don't worry, I will go and tell the emperor. If the emperor doesn't agree, I can't come."
Qi You agreed. "The school has a shareholders' meeting. Those who contribute money are shareholders. They have voting rights based on how much money they contribute. Those who manage the school cannot have selfish motives, and they cannot abuse their power for personal gain. No matter who is in charge, they are employed on a five-year contract. If someone does not perform well, like the principal, the shareholders will discuss and vote on whether to keep them or fire them."
Fuquan's eyes widened immediately and he said, "How come I didn't know about this shareholders' meeting? When did you organize it?"
Qi You smiled and said, "I've prepared it a long time ago, but I just haven't had time to tell you. But don't worry, as long as you do a good job, the shareholders' meeting will continue to retain you and extend your contract for five years."
Fuquan was relieved and said calmly, "Whether I can do it well or not depends on whether you can come up with good ideas."
Qi You laughed heartily and said, "Second uncle, you really can't blame me. You should use your brain too."
Fuquan flatly refused, "Don't move. I'll listen to you anyway. My brain isn't as good as yours, so don't move. By the way, will you go to the negotiations with Luosha Kingdom again?"
Qi You said: "We should go again. I must go too."
Fuquan's expression turned serious, and he said, "The Qing Dynasty's territory was hard-earned, you have to watch over it carefully!"
Qi You also solemnly promised: "Don't worry, Second Uncle, we will fight for every inch of our land!"
At the imperial court, negotiations with the Rakshasa Kingdom were restarted and settled in Nerchinsk.
Both sides increased their forces, but the number of people remained the same. On the Qing side, Soetu was still the leader, and Tong Guogang and other members of the original delegation were still the representatives.
In the spring of the following year, Qi You, like last time, disguised himself as Soetu's follower and arrived at the opposite side of Nerchinsk and set up camp at the end of July and the beginning of August.
While the Qing soldiers were still busy, Qi You had already experienced Golovin's arrogance.
It had been agreed that both delegations would have the same number of personnel and military strength. The Qing, in compliance with Luosha Nation's request, dispatched 1,500 escorts.
Golovin brought two thousand guards with him. Not only that, he didn't hide it at all. Instead, he sent someone to come and deliver a message in a high-handed manner: "Our governor is getting impatient. Whoever is in charge here, tell him to go and see our governor immediately!"
Soetu was so angry that his face turned blue, but he finally suppressed his anger and looked at Qi You calmly.
Qi You smiled and turned away.
When Suo Etu received the order, his expression changed instantly. He raised his chin and said proudly, "Go tell your governor that I'm also very busy. I still have thousands of soldiers from the firearms battalion to be arranged. I don't have time now. Let him wait!"
As soon as the interpreter translated it, the man's face changed drastically. He didn't dare to stay any longer and ran back in shame to answer.
When Golovin received the news, he immediately felt something was wrong.
Last time they fought Galdan, this time Golovin deliberately recruited more soldiers to give the Qing Dynasty a warning.
The Qing Dynasty has always been weak and easy to deceive. Could it be that after winning a battle, it really became powerful?
Golovin was skeptical and rode over on horseback. When he saw the endless tents and soldiers in the opposite camp, and more soldiers were arriving, he was so angry that his nose was crooked.
Frightened by the Qing army's strength, Golovin didn't even dare to fart. He hurried back to the city and recruited people to discuss countermeasures urgently.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-10-30 21:14:33 and 2022-10-31 21:30:46~
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of Ding Ding;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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