70. Chapter 70
"none"
Days go by, spring turns to summer, and in the north, it gets hot at noon when the sun is at its strongest, but then it cools down at night, becoming comfortable and pleasant.
Summer wasn't as hot as in Beijing, but it was also remarkably short. It felt like autumn had arrived overnight, and I had to wear thin jackets morning and night.
Autumn is the harvest season, but the wheat that Qi You planted had a poor harvest, and he almost couldn't even get the seeds back.
Qi You was not discouraged. He knew that the situation was similar to his when he opened the "Great Northern Wilderness" before.
The people, who had been full of hope, were also disappointed by the harvest. The armored men who had taught them how to cultivate the land did not take it seriously.
The land they had just opened up was in even worse condition than it is now, but the harvest improved the following year.
In addition, the radishes and cabbages in the fields are growing well. We have already harvested one crop, and the crops in the fields are still growing lushly. We will harvest another crop when winter comes.
When the time comes, store it in the cellar and use it to pickle sauerkraut, which can be eaten for a long time in the winter.
They saw Qi You sending people to Zhangjiakou to collect the food owed to him. They had enough food and were not worried.
Although the harvest was poor and we were tired, life was peaceful and we didn't suffer from the pain of war and displacement. Everyone was happy and full of energy.
Qi You didn't tell them that his trip to Zhangjiakou was empty-handed and that the grain in the warehouse was almost gone.
They were about to face the suffering of food shortage and hunger.
Previously, Li Guangdi went to Zhangjiakou for inspection, but he only investigated as far as Xuanhua Prefecture and sorted out the officials involved in the case.
Other places also began to check the Changping warehouse, confiscating the houses of those who should be confiscated and dismissing the officials who should be dismissed. The Qing Dynasty was able to barely rectify the civil service.
When the houses of corrupt officials were raided, the money would not be collected into the Ministry of Revenue’s treasury, but would be deposited into the Guangchusi of the Imperial Household Department, which was Emperor Kangxi’s private treasury.
The officials from the Imperial Household Department who went to demolish the houses naturally made a fortune, and the richest one was of course Kangxi.
The gap in the Changping Granary still existed. The autumn grain was collected, but it was stuck and not returned to Qi You.
Because Galdan was coming, the imperial court was preparing to fight him, so they sent food and fodder before the troops moved.
The grain transport was slow, and the Ministry of Revenue was poor, so it had to rack its brains to find money and grain. It needed to allocate grain from nearby areas to serve as military supplies. The grain in Zhangjiakou was naturally requisitioned as military supplies.
Another point is that because the entire investigation into the Changping Warehouse was caused by Qi You, memorials implicating him in the punishment flew to Kangxi like snowflakes.
For example, he was punished for privately mobilizing troops and digging the royal dragon veins outside the pass.
Kangxi knew the truth. The reason for impeaching Qi You was the investigation of the Changping Warehouse. He was the one who issued the order. These people did not dare to impeach him, so they pointed the finger at Qi You. Of course, he would ignore it.
However, seeing so many fools, Kangxi was still so angry that he almost vomited blood. Especially when it came to the matter of the dragon vein, only the members of the Jueluo clan could speak on it, no one else could.
The key point is that these memorials were actually written by a member of the imperial clan who was usually very far away. This idiot must have received a lot of benefits and wrote these memorials without thinking.
The willow wall is still there, and the people outside the pass cannot enter, so digging the dragon vein is a very mysterious thing.
Speaking of digging, how many years have these armored men outside the Great Wall been digging? This matter is very flexible and it is a bit embarrassing for Kangxi, so it must not be mentioned openly.
What made Kangxi most angry was that he saw clearly this time that from top to bottom, his officials were all corrupt and few of them had clean hands.
Due to several reasons, Qi You's grain was withheld. After receiving the money from the Ministry of Revenue, he just brushed it off and refused to pay the debt with a clear conscience. Anyway, Qi You was too far away and out of reach.
Qi You: “Haha”!
The north was short of food, and Qi You wanted to curse. In the capital, Kangxi was sometimes vomiting blood, and sometimes indescribably happy.
He vomited blood because he had uncovered many corrupt officials, and the deficit in the Changping Warehouse made him want to cry.
He was secretly happy that it was his Imperial Household Department, and his private purse was so bulging that it was about to burst.
That wasn’t all. Officials had been dismissed and their property confiscated, but the group of scholars still waiting for official positions finally didn’t have to wait any longer. When a vacant position opened up, they could take up the position immediately, solving a problem that had been troubling Kangxi for a long time.
In this mood of extremes, Galdan saw the court and Tsewang Arabtan flirting with each other, and in anger he sent troops to Mongolia again.
Of course, Kangxi would not allow Galdan to do whatever he wanted, so he made careful arrangements for this war.
He mobilized troops from all directions, including the Mongol tribes, and even led the army himself, but ultimately had to return due to illness.
However, Fuquan could not escape and was summoned by Kangxi to go to the battlefield as the General of Fuyuan. The Shunyi School was temporarily under the charge of Lin Yicheng.
After a series of complicated operations, Galdan finally ran away.
Fuquan made a misjudgment when he encountered Galdan head-on, allowing him to escape.
When they returned to the capital, the enraged Kangxi blocked their way outside the capital. Fuquan knelt down and wept bitterly, taking all the blame on himself.
The officials stopped beating Qi You and turned to attack Fu Quan.
After all, although the army claimed to have 100,000 troops, the actual number was about 50,000, fighting against Galdan's 20,000 cavalry.
In the end, he escaped. Compared with the last battle with Khalkha, no matter how thick their faces were, they would not be embarrassed to join in the fight against Qi You.
Officials naturally act according to the moods of their superiors. Since Kangxi did not give Fu face, the people below heard the emperor's intention and became completely impolite. The number of memorials implicating Fu was several times greater than those implicating Qi You.
Kangxi was full of anger, and there was always someone who had to come out to be the unlucky guy and become his punching bag.
It just so happened that Fuquan made a mistake, and he was pushed up without hesitation, and almost lost his title.
At this time, Kangxi wanted to show his deep brotherly love, and finally only fined Fuquan's salary, took away his position as a captain, and his right to participate in politics.
Compared to seizing the title, it really pleasing to Kangxi.
As soon as October began, the first snow fell to the ground.
Sabusu came into the house covered in snow, stepped forward to greet, took off his coat, and handed it to Degao to hold up.
Qi You was sitting cross-legged on the couch, with a pile of papers in front of him. He looked up at Sabusu at the sound, and seeing him covered in snow, he smiled and greeted him, "General, you're back. Sit down. It's already snowing!"
The snow had started falling in the morning and it was almost noon now. Qi You must have stayed indoors all morning and hadn't paid any attention to what was happening outside.
Sabusu couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, then quickly cheered himself up and became more cautious. He said, "It's been snowing outside since this morning. Has the Seventh Prince encountered any difficulties?"
Qi You shook his head, then nodded, his expression dimming a little: "It's not me, I'm watching this battle."
Sabusu also received information about the war situation from the court, and felt relieved. He wiped away the sweat that had appeared on his forehead.
The house was a newly built courtyard with three main rooms and two side rooms. It was no different from other people's houses, with mud walls and thatched roofs.
To keep the room warm, the house was built low, the windows were opened wider, and the window frames were covered with snow-white window paper, making the room look much brighter.
Qi You received an urgent letter from Kangxi, and in order to prevent the Rakshasa Kingdom from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos, he secretly helped Galdan fight against the Qing Dynasty. He urged Sabsu to strengthen border patrols and defend the border.
Sabusu received the order and had been busy patrolling the border. This was his first time visiting Qiyou's new house.
After relaxing at this time, Fang felt a faint warmth mixed with an indescribable freshness of grass and trees blowing towards him.
In the north, water freezes to ice in winter, and people stay indoors to keep warm, not daring to go out. Over time, the house becomes stuffy and filled with an indescribable odor.
It's okay after you get used to the smell, but when you first come in from outside, you always feel short of breath.
Smelling a different smell from the usual one, Sabsu's nostrils twitched, and he couldn't help but feel refreshed, and subconsciously turned his head to look around.
In the warm room, apart from the kang (kang), a large desk stood out, along with a few crude chairs and stools. Nothing else was there. The furnishings couldn't be described as simple, but rather crude.
Sabusu sat on the stool beside the couch, took the tea handed to him by Qi You with both hands, and thanked him respectfully. He took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea, and a hint of sweetness overflowed between his lips and teeth. It was sweet and refreshing, and he couldn't help but take a few more mouthfuls.
Sabusu was not well-read, and suddenly he recalled the article that Wu Zhaoqian had taught Changde before, the "Praise of the Humble House", which was very similar to the house where Qiyou lived now.
Looking at Qi You's gentle eyes and brows again, even in such an environment, he was as calm and at ease as ever, and he felt secretly moved.
Qi You put down the paper, sighed, and said, "General, you should have learned the outcome of the war between the imperial court and Galdan. I wonder what your opinion is?"
Sabusu was stunned and subconsciously looked at Qi You's white cloth shirt. He usually wore gray and black.
Qi You must be very sad that Tong Guogang died on the battlefield this time.
Qi You looked at Sabsu and said gently, "General, there's no need to worry. We're just reviewing the situation after the battle, even if it's hindsight. Even so, we should learn from it, identify our mistakes and inappropriateness, and avoid them in the future."
In Sabsu's opinion, the court's battle was not fought well, but not too tragically either.
After all, there was the Battle of Yasak there, and they also fought against the Rosha soldiers with several times the number of troops. It took a long time to besiege the city before they finally won.
Sabusu hesitated for a moment, not mentioning Kangxi's anger and reproach towards Fuquan. Instead, he recounted the hardships of the Battle of Yasak. "The court did its best to achieve this. Even though Galdan escaped, it can't be considered a defeat."
Qi You slowly collected the papers on the bed and said without looking up, "After the Battle of Yasak, the Luosha soldiers were released and allowed to leave with their weapons. This is like letting jackals return to the mountains. It is a huge mistake."
Sabsu couldn't help but blush.
He hadn't thought much about it at the time, but later he regretted it immensely. They shouldn't have let the Rakshasa soldiers go so easily and let them take their weapons.
Although the order was not issued by him personally, Peng Chun was a soldier from the imperial court, and he did not stop it, so he also has a certain responsibility.
Qi You knew what Sabusu was thinking. He was a border soldier, and Peng Chun was an official from the imperial court.
The two parties have no affiliation. One is a local tyrant and the other is a newcomer. They may even be competing secretly.
This is the biggest problem facing the court right now: no one is willing to step up and take responsibility. When something good happens, everyone rushes to take the credit, and when something goes wrong, everyone rushes to find someone to blame.
Being able to take the initiative to do something is not just about doing your job well, it is already a rare sign of being a proactive and motivated official.
Qi You felt that the imperial court's preparations were too complicated, deploying troops from all over the place, such as the Khorchin and other Mongol tribes, without thorough consideration. By the end of the battle, some distant tribes hadn't been able to arrive.
Kangxi divided his 50,000-strong army into two groups, hoping to attack Galdan from both sides to ensure success.
The paper Qi You had placed before was his review after the war, in which he believed that Kangxi's command had major mistakes.
If Qi You went to fight, he would gather all his forces together, with a force more than twice that of Galdan, and crush him directly.
Kangxi underestimated Galdan and overestimated him.
Qi You defended against the Rakshasa Kingdom, and they were unable to provide weapons to Galdan and send troops to help him.
Galdan was fighting all the way and his supplies could not keep up. Kangxi could have used the Qing Dynasty's weapon advantage to bombard him directly and confront him head-on.
It wasn't that Galdan didn't give them a chance to adjust; he superficially admitted his mistake. Given his character, he wouldn't give in easily. He simply couldn't resist, but the Qing didn't react.
Kangxi should bear the greatest responsibility, not Fuquan who rushed into battle.
Brotherhood, father-son love...Qi You couldn't think any further.
Fuquan was very smart and knew that brotherhood meant nothing in the face of the country and the people.
If it weren't for his eye disease, it's hard to say whether he would have lived to this day. For example, Prince Gong Changning had been sitting on the bench for so many years, almost never leaving his house, but Emperor Kangxi was still wary of him everywhere.
So he was willing to retreat to Shunyi, but who knew that he still couldn't escape, and all the real power was taken away by Kangxi.
At this point, Qi You had nothing to say, and was left with only deep fatigue.
Sabusu observed Qi You's expression and carefully reported the border patrol matters.
After listening to this, Qi You said, "General, thank you for your hard work. The war is over, and Luosha Kingdom's trade with the Qing Dynasty should be quiet for a long time. However, General, you still have to be vigilant, especially the ships under construction over there, be careful that they may sneak over and sabotage them."
Sabusu hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Seventh Prince. I have already ordered a heavy military presence around the dock. Anyone approaching without permission will be killed without mercy."
Qi You hummed and asked, "Has Shi Shilun arrived yet?"
Sabusu said, "I received news earlier that the journey was too long, and the Emperor allowed him to return home to visit his family before coming here."
Qi You pondered for a moment and said, "There's still time. Prepare a better room for him, especially better heating. He's from the south, and he might not be used to living in the north."
According to Shi Shilun's reputation as an official, a senior official who was doing well was suddenly transferred to a cold and harsh place.
Sabsu couldn't help but think that if he were in his place, he would also feel resentful.
With Qi You's mention, Sabsu quickly understood that the transfer of Shi Shilun must be related to him.
Sabsu wanted to ask what was going on, but swallowed the words back. It was better for him to know less about the higher-ups' decision, so he agreed without hesitation, "I'll personally oversee the cleanup of that room over there."
He turned around and said hesitantly, "Seventh Prince, are you here? Do you want me to find you some household items?"
Qi You smiled and said, "No, it's enough as long as it's enough." He sighed and said, "Money should be spent wisely. To be honest with you, General, we will soon run out of food."
Sabusu was stunned. Qi You had just sent people to collect the outstanding grain a few days ago. He had never paid any attention to how much was brought back or how the grain was replenished, nor did he dare to spy on it.
Qi You did not hide anything from him and told him about the grain transport. "They said they would make up for it after the grain arrives. General, you know all this, just listen to it. The Ministry of Revenue is always short of grain, and this war will make the gap even bigger. Those tribes that sent troops, regardless of whether they fought or not, and whether they arrived or not, must be rewarded. The Changping Granary must also be replenished with grain. Every year there are always places affected by disasters. In the spring, we have to prepare seeds and lend them to the people for farming. The Changping Granary dare not purchase grain in large quantities, otherwise it will cause the price of grain to rise and cause civil unrest."
Sabusu was stunned for a moment, then said in a daze, "I don't have much food here, just enough to last until next spring. We still have to wait for the imperial court to allocate food and fodder..."
At this point, Sabusu paused. True to the imperial court's nature, they kept delaying, saying they'd wait until spring, hoping the food and fodder would arrive by midsummer. Even when it did arrive, it was always short on weight.
Fortunately, the armored men had their own land, so they were able to delay the payment for a while, and then supply them later, so there was no trouble.
Sabusu made up his mind and said, "I can give you some of my money, but it's not much, just enough to last you for a while."
Qi You laughed and said, "That's not necessary. How can I embezzle military pay? Otherwise, I will be beaten again."
The imperial court was making a big fuss about beating Qi Youcan. Sabsu knew this and couldn't help but smile.
Qi You pondered for a moment and said, "The armored families should have food stored at home. I plan to buy food from them in my own name. However, I can't come up with cash, so I can only owe them money. I'm afraid I don't have enough face, so I'll have to trouble the general to come forward and guarantee it for me. When the silver arrives from the capital, I will pay them in full, not a single cent less."
When Sabusu heard that Qi You would pay for the food, his eyes lit up immediately, and he almost patted his chest to make a promise, saying, "I can't guarantee anything else, but this old face is still useful. You can use it as you like."
Qi You hurriedly thanked them and said, "I won't let them buy food on credit for nothing. The furs from the north, along with dried fruits like hazelnuts, are in great demand in the capital and have always been very popular. It's just that due to the long journey, we used to sell them to small vendors and made very little money. This time, I'm sending people to the capital to help everyone out. I'll just give them some hard-earned money for their travel expenses and ask them to help sell the food back in the capital. By eliminating the middlemen, I can earn some money to supplement my family's income, and it's also a way of thanking everyone for letting me buy food on credit."
Sabusu was immediately overjoyed and said, "This is a great blessing. Their family lacks everything except furs and dried fruits. If a family can't afford a few good hides, even they don't know how to make ends meet. The Seventh Prince is also kind enough to let them give him food for free. The income from selling goods in the capital for them this time far exceeds their food expenses."
My son is in debt, so I have to help him pay it back no matter what. The national treasury is poor, but Kangxi's private treasury has made a lot of money, and Qi You plans to take it from his pocket.
He couldn't tell Sabsu about this; family disgrace should not be made public.
Qi You said, "Let's put it this way. We can't calculate it this way. We can only pay them silver after the furs and nuts are shipped to the capital and sold. Plus, they have to bring in grain. It's like asking them to bring in grain, furs, and nuts all at once, but still not get a single coin. Anyone would hesitate."
Sabusu thought so too. It was mainly because everyone knew how tyrannical the officials were. If they took the grain for nothing, refused to pay, or withheld it, they would end up with nothing. They couldn't really rebel to demand it back.
However, Sabusu hesitated and asked, "Seventh Prince, the journey to the capital is long, and transporting so much goods will be a big problem. If something goes wrong on the way, or if the goods cannot be sold in the capital, it will be uneconomical to transport them back!"
Qi You said calmly: "General, you don't need to worry about these things. Just go and collect the goods."
When Sabusu heard Qi You say this, she knew that he had a lot of ideas, so she didn't ask any more questions.
Qi You discussed some details with Sabsu, emphasizing that the amount must be correct and there must be no mistakes.
Sabusu agreed to all of their requests, and after resting here for a night, he hurried back to make arrangements.
On Qi You's side, some of the people went hunting in the forest and tanned a lot of good leather. Together with the dried fruits they had picked up at home, he led Gao Guihe to collect them.
Sabusu also moved quickly. With the support of both Qi You and him, he was able to buy enough grain on credit to last until next autumn's harvest. He also collected a large amount of furs and dried fruits, waiting for Qi You to send someone to transport them to the capital.
Qi You told Sabusu not to worry, and did not tell him who was escorting the goods or who the goods were sold to, mainly because it was not easy to bring it up openly.
The people who escorted the goods were the Langtan Army sent by Kangxi to protect him. They were brave and skilled in fighting, and their equipment was so sophisticated that no other army camp could match them.
With them escorting them, not only bandits but also ordinary soldiers are no match for them.
As for who the goods were sold to, it had to be the Imperial Household Department.
As the New Year approaches in the capital, there is singing and dancing and endless banquets.
The few goods Kangxi bought from him, plus the money he used to repay his debts, were nothing more than a few tables of delicacies, a few ginseng roots, and a jade ruyi as a reward for his concubines.
But it is the life-saving food and silver for these thousands of people.
Qi You had thoughtfully prepared for Kangxi the rewards for officials and the favors for concubines this year.
The finest furs from the north, a large gift package of dried fruits, and the most solemn grace.
When Kangxi received Qi You's letter and saw that his personal guards, the Langtan Army, had become like traveling merchants, returning with piles of furs and dried fruits in a dusty manner, he didn't know whether to get angry or not.
Don't get angry. No one has ever been so bold as to assign him a task without even saying hello.
Not only did he assign the task, but he also said in the letter that all the money in the national treasury and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was his, and that the Ministry of Internal Affairs should also pay back what the Ministry of Revenue owed.
Get angry at him, because he forced people to do things for him and made him owe a lot of debts outside, but he is proud of his own son who is starving in the north!
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-11-09 22:08:22 and 2022-11-10 22:16:09~
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 121 bottles of white tofu; 10 bottles of Sophora japonica; 5 bottles of bamboo;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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