55. Chapter 55
"none"
I dare not claim to be worthy of heaven and earth, but I only hope to be worthy of my conscience.
Qi You's voice was calm and methodical as he gave the order: "Hold the artillery fire. The □□ Battalion and the Cavalry Battalion, follow up and capture as many prisoners as possible."
Tong Guogang was stunned for a moment, his expression as if relieved, and his hands that were tightly holding the reins couldn't help but loosen.
Soetu looked at Qi You in astonishment, then lowered his eyes, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Li Rongbao was also stunned for a moment, then he said anxiously: "Seventh Prince, how can you do this..."
Qi You looked at him with a sharp gaze and said indifferently, "Do you want to make a decision or just follow orders?"
Li Rongbao opened his mouth, his face turned red and white, not daring to speak anymore. He ran forward and issued a series of military orders.
Qi You had no intention of staying any longer, so he left a message asking Soetu and Tong Guogang to help resettle the people, then rode his horse and walked aimlessly forward into the sunset.
The battle ended quickly.
Li Rongbao was busy counting the wounded and the enemy prisoners, and had no time to calculate the battle losses, so he hurried to Qi You's tent.
Qi You sat on a felt mat, leaning over the kang table to write. The candlelight flickered as he looked up. His expressionless face and deep eyes made Li Rongbao subconsciously straighten his body and become more respectful. He stepped forward to greet him, "Seventh Prince, are you busy? Why don't I come back later?"
"It's okay. I'm doing my homework. Please sit down." Qi You pointed to the low stool opposite the table on the kang and continued to write with his head down: "You talk, I'm listening."
Li Rongbao sighed, sat down with his hands on his knees, glanced at Qi You, hesitated, and finally spoke: "Seventh Prince, this time we lost seven people and injured thirty-eight. We captured over a thousand enemy soldiers and a lot of food and supplies. The Khalkha people also suffered some casualties. Lord Suo and Lord Tong are handling it. I don't know the specific situation yet."
"Well, thank you for your hard work." Qi You paused his brush for a moment, then continued writing furiously, saying, "Comfort the wounded and dead soldiers, and make sure all the compensation is paid in full."
Having said that, Qi You looked up at Li Rongbao, his eyes as unfathomable as the lake on Haizi. Li Rongbao couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart and hurriedly agreed.
"If there are wounded soldiers who can no longer stay in the barracks after recovering from their injuries, please send me a message and send them here. I will take care of them." Qi You retracted his gaze, dipped his brush into the inkstone, and said, "The prisoners must be kept under close watch. Do not torture them."
Li Rongbao agreed, scratched his head, looked at Qi You's expression, and said with courage: "Seventh Prince, this battle, even if we say we won, it's not really a win. What a pity, what a pity! We missed such a good opportunity and didn't capture Galdan. Sigh!"
"Really?" Qi You asked back, putting down his brush and slowly starting to clean up the table. "Where are the imperial troops?"
Li Rongbao laughed dryly, not knowing how to answer.
By the time the imperial army arrived, Galdan had already crossed the Hangai Mountains. This time they relied heavily on firearms, but Galdan lacked firearms, which was why they captured so many prisoners.
After the battle, Li Rongbao had to admit that Galdan was a rare hero, and his soldiers were invincible. He couldn't say that crossing mountains and rivers was as easy as walking on flat ground, but at least he didn't dare to chase him anymore.
If they forced their way up the mountain, even if Galdan had run out of ammunition, they would have lost the battle because they lacked experience in fighting in mountain jungles.
Of course, Li Rongbao secretly admires Qi You the most.
It was not that he decided to fight immediately. If Galdan had been more prepared, or had operated in the Khalkha region for a long time, the Qing Dynasty would have had to pay ten or a hundred times the price to win.
Thinking of the reactions of the court and Kangxi, Li Rongbao was still a little worried. He wanted to help but was stopped by Qi You.
Li Rongbao left his hands in the air and retracted them awkwardly.
Qi You smiled and said, "Thank you, I always do it myself."
Li Rongbao smiled awkwardly and said, "Seventh Prince, I will write a letter back to the capital to report the truth to the Emperor. Do you have any instructions?"
Qi You said calmly: "No, just write it down as it is."
Li Rongbao paused, sighed helplessly, and stood up to take his leave: "I will not disturb the Seventh Prince any longer."
Qi You nodded, packed up his books and homework, and Soetu and Tong Guogang also came back and came to his tent together.
Suo Etu's face was filled with annoyance. He sat down and drank a whole cup of hot tea in one gulp, complaining, "This damn weather is really cold at night."
Tong Guogang sipped his tea, glanced at him sideways, and ignored him, saying, "Seventh Prince, the people of Khalkha have all been temporarily resettled. Alas, how pitiful! Many of them have lost their cattle, sheep, and tents. Now, not only are they homeless, they don't even have anything to keep warm in the winter."
Suo Etu said irritably, "It's lucky they're still alive. They were kidnapped by Galdan and taken to the bitter cold of the northwest, where they're nothing but slaves."
Qi You listened quietly and said, "Put them in a good place. I have plans for the future."
Suo Etu couldn't help but look at Qi You, but in the end he didn't ask any more questions. He took out the letter and handed it to Qi You, saying, "The court has sent an urgent letter. Lord Li Guangdi has transferred troops, horses, and food from Zhangjiakou. The eldest prince is also accompanying him. The army should be here soon."
Qi You took the letter and read it. It was written by Kangxi himself, ordering them to capture Galdan and make him never return.
Suo Etu hesitated for a moment and said, "The emperor attaches great importance to this expedition. Now that Galdan has escaped, I am afraid that it will make the emperor unhappy."
Tong Guogang's face immediately turned grim, and he said coldly, "I remember Lord Suo didn't say that at the time, and you even said to leave it alone. Besides, why didn't Lord Suo step in and order the artillery to continue firing? Galdan was right in front of the army, and Lord Suo was so powerful, why didn't you just charge forward, capture him alive, chop off his head, and bring it back to the capital for the reward!"
Suo Etu was embarrassed by Tong Guogang's blunt retort and sarcastically retorted, "I dare not compare myself to Master Tong! Master Tong may say it lightly, but if Galdan escapes, do you know what the consequences will be? I'm afraid that when the time comes, the impeachment memorials from the court officials will bury Master Tong!"
Tong Guogang was short-tempered, but he wasn't stupid. After pondering Suo'etu's words for a moment, he understood the deeper meaning behind them. His face turned pale, and he looked at Qi You worriedly and said, "Seventh Prince, what should we do next?"
Qi You remained silent, ignoring the quarrel between Suo Etu and Tong Guowei. He looked up and said, "No big deal. Let's continue cleaning up and wait for Lord Li to arrive. However, this year's negotiations with the Rakshasa Kingdom will probably have to be rescheduled."
Li Rongbao came and Qi You understood the implicit meaning of his words.
Qi You still understood what Soetu and Tong Guogang meant.
As expected, when Li Guangdi and the eldest prince came, they would repeat these words.
What they all said meant the same thing.
Qi You let Galdan go because of the lives of the Khalkha people.
He has the means to deal with the consequences of this incident and can bear them.
Li Rongbao, Soetu, and even Tong Guogang, have another deeper meaning.
This matter is too complex and they are afraid of being implicated.
They all rely on Qi You. If he is well, they will be safe.
If he is not a good person, they will definitely suffer as a result, and Kangxi will vent his anger on them.
Qi You is not a person who regrets what he has done. Regret is useless, and he will not regret this matter.
He understands the so-called overall view, foresight, and pattern.
But he just wanted to be human.
A few days later, Li Guangdi and the eldest prince arrived in Khalkha with 5,000 soldiers and food.
Li Guangdi received news of the situation in Khalkha while on the road. After completing most of the journey, he considered it and decided to continue on to Khalkha.
The army set up camp. Li Guangdi ignored Li Rongbao, Soetu and others who came to meet him, and went to see Qi You with the eldest prince.
It was the first time that Li Guangdi met Qi You. He looked at his young but gentle face, his indifferent expression, and the calm demeanor in his every move, and his mood was indescribably complicated.
He is so young and so wise, but the most rare thing about him is his true compassion.
But this time, it was such a pity, not only for Qi You himself, but also for the battle that could have been won.
Like Li Rongbao and others, Li Guangdi also believed that this was the best time for the Qing Dynasty to kill Galdan.
The Khalkha people were settled around the tent by Soetu and his men. As the weather turned cold, they always unconsciously hunched over when they walked.
There was a roaring fire on the stove set up outside the simple tent, and food was bubbling in the coarse earthenware pot.
The women were busy making whole-grain cakes, some children were playing, and some were helping their parents move firewood. The scene was lively and vibrant.
Li Guangdi sighed. If it were him...
He didn't dare to think about it anymore. It was a dilemma.
This time, the eldest prince was able to ride with the army. He was very excited and rode at the front.
By the time they arrived at Galkha, the battle was over. The eldest prince, unable to even see the enemy, was disappointed. After sitting down, he couldn't wait to ask, "Seventh Brother, you're so stupid! How could you let Galdan escape when our army hadn't even arrived yet?"
Li Guangdi paused, frowning slightly. Suo'etu and Li Rongbao looked at each other in silence.
Tong Guogang couldn't stand it any longer and said in a deep voice, "Big Brother, what you said is wrong. How can we wait for people when a war breaks out? Galdan has his own legs. If he wanted to run, we would have already chased him. The Hangai Mountains are so high, how could we have caught up with him?"
The eldest prince snorted and said, "Even if you can't wait, you shouldn't let him get away with it! And those captives, Seventh Brother, you are so soft-hearted that you actually ordered them not to be tortured and even fed them for free. Add to that the Khalkha people, so many mouths to feed, how much food will we need to feed them."
Li Guangdi could no longer bear to hear this and said, "Big Brother, please stop talking and listen to what Seventh Brother has to say first."
The eldest prince thought of Kangxi's instructions before leaving, and reluctantly held back his anger, saying, "Yes, Seventh Prince, tell me, how did you miss such a good opportunity, and why did you make these arrangements?"
Qi You glanced at everyone and finally stopped at the eldest prince. He uttered an "oh" and said, "Then tell me, eldest brother, if it were you, what would you do?"
The eldest prince immediately said without hesitation: "Of course, at all costs, capture Galdan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room seemed not to have heard him. Some were drinking tea, some were counting tea leaves.
The eldest prince quickly sensed something was wrong and opened his mouth, repeating angrily, "But we can't let him get away with it like this, can we?"
Qi You sighed and said, "I'm afraid Khan Ama has already received the letter and is summoning us back to the capital. Let's talk about it after we get back. Lord Li, please hand over the food and military supplies to General Li."
The eldest prince glared at Qi You and muttered in dissatisfaction: "When you go back, Khan Ama will definitely not forgive you."
Li Rongbao was secretly delighted. Qi You really kept his word and actually compensated his losses on the spot.
Li Guangdi considered it for a moment and immediately agreed.
Anyway, Kangxi asked him to come and provide food and supplies to Qi You. Now Kangxi has not issued an order yet, so it is none of Qi You's business how to arrange things after taking over.
Qi You continued to instruct: "General Manager Li, you will have to work hard these days. The garrison is here to protect the Khalkha people and help them overcome the difficulties they are facing."
Li Rongbao was stunned for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Seventh Prince, are you still worried that Galdan will strike back? I think you're worrying too much. They just ran away with their tails between their legs. How could they dare to come back in such a short time?"
Suo Etu also said: "Since Galdan has fled, and the other Khalkha tribes have surrendered to the imperial court, it would be better to let them return to their original tribes."
Tong Guogang also agreed. "So many people need a lot of food. The weather is not too cold now, so they can go hunting for some prey. But the food alone is not enough to last through the winter. If we let them go on their own, we won't have to worry about the Qing Dynasty."
Qi You understood their intention to get rid of the Khalkha people and insisted, "Return some of the livestock and food that Galdan took. They graze everywhere and have no fixed place to live, so it doesn't matter where they live. Under the protection of General Li's soldiers, they are much safer than in their previous tribe."
He didn't explain much, mainly because his future was uncertain, so he could only do his best to make arrangements. He said, "General Manager Li will be patrolling here, and he'll also be deterring the Luosha soldiers. When the two countries' envoys negotiate peace again, the number of accompanying personnel will probably need to be adjusted, and they'll need escorts. It would be convenient for you to station here early."
Li Rongbao thought about it but couldn't figure it out, so he agreed immediately.
Sure enough, two days later, Kangxi's edict reached Khalkha, urgently summoning Qi You back to Beijing.
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Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solution between 2022-10-25 20:59:33 and 2022-10-26 21:14:17~
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