Two deadlocks and workarounds
"My uncle wants to join the army?" Hongdan looked at the man with white braided hair in front of him with surprise.
Counting from Empress Xiaokangzhang, Orondai was indeed his great-uncle, but since the Tong family fell from power, this honorific title has been forgotten by many. Hongdan still calls him that, and it's not that he doesn't hold a grudge against the Tong family, but he can't completely wipe out his great-grandmother's family, so Orondai is polite to him.
While Orondai's temper remained unchanged, his actions had become more measured. At least he was now selective with the targets of his anger. When he felt like sparring with someone, he would take them to the outskirts of the city or practice martial arts at home. As a result, the palace's hatred for the Tong family waned.
But this wasn't what Orondei wanted. He now shouldered the heavy responsibility of restoring his family's reputation. Tong Guowei was no longer reliable, and his family's hereditary leadership had been significantly reduced. If he didn't find a way out, his family fortune would be ruined. But now was a godsend opportunity.
Even though the treasury appears to be stretched, the current financial situation is still manageable thanks to the implementation of the salt law reform. Furthermore, the reduction in the percentage of fire consumption levied has significantly reduced the hidden taxes people must pay. This has resulted in more money available, making them more resilient to disasters, and has also helped to stimulate domestic demand, indirectly increasing tax revenue. The current situation isn't yet so dire that reform is necessary.
From the emperor down, the idea of a protracted war with the Dzungars was on the horizon, and with psychological preparation, they did not find life too difficult. Under such circumstances, more people worked hard to gain advantages and go to the front lines to gild their reputations.
It's obvious that the logistical support is quite strong, and the higher-ups aren't forcing us to sign a military order to take down Dzungar within a certain number of days. Given such a favorable situation, if we don't try to share the spoils, we're out of our minds! Even if we don't fight, having this on our resume will certainly help us get promoted in the future, right?
As a result, more and more people in the capital were eager to go and fight the enemy. This was not just the relatively simple-minded young and passionate people, but also quite a few middle-aged and elderly people who wanted to go. If they didn't want old soldiers, would they also want old generals? Among these people, Orondai was undoubtedly the most anxious.
Even if this battle was difficult and life-threatening, Orondai would accept it. Besides, it didn't seem so difficult now. It's always easier to add icing on the cake than to help someone in need. Those who used to come to curry favor with him have now disappeared. He had no choice but to seek another way, and the person Orondai found was Hongdan.
Even if he didn't have an official post, Orondai was still a duke, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to establish a relationship with the Crown Prince. Hongdan was too embarrassed to see him, and was shocked to learn that Orondai had such an idea. He had to remember that Orondai's father had died in the battle with Galdan.
Orondai actually nodded: "That's right. I don't have any other skills, but I have some strength among the troops."
Hongdan's once elegant smile began to turn bitter. Since the troops were dispatched, the Ministry of War had been busy with strategic deployment, personnel allocation, and consultations, while the Ministry of Revenue had been busy raising food, wages, and equipment, and expanding salt law reform. How could Hongdan stay out of it? Like his father, others only cared about their own immediate tasks, but he had to take care of the overall situation. It seemed that Orondai had squeezed out this little time.
What the hell, what's he doing here? Putting aside the good or bad impression of the Tong family, Orondai's personality alone makes it hard to trust him to go to the battlefield. What if he gets killed? How will they explain it? If the Tong family were still prosperous, this would be fine, but now they're in dire straits. If you continue like this, public opinion will always sympathize with the weak, even if the weak are at fault.
Report Orondai's request directly to Yinreng? No matter how stupid Hongdan was, he couldn't do that. After considering his words, Hongdan said cautiously: "Uncle, do you think there is anything missing in the deployment of troops in the northwest?"
Orondai was speechless. In this deployment, only those fighting for positions would fight for them; no one would be left without a position. He gritted his teeth and said, "Even if I can be a vanguard, it's enough!" He said this, convinced that there was no reason to let a duke serve as a soldier.
As expected, Hongdan smiled and said, "You are really anxious. You want to ask a Cheng'en Gong to be a vanguard? How can such a thing be possible? Either there is a vacancy, or if there is no vacancy, I am afraid he cannot go." Seeing that Orondai was anxious, Hongdan continued, "If it is just an external post, I can make a suggestion to Khan Ama."
Orondai was somewhat discouraged, and his temper flared up. He said in a harsh tone, "I am a straightforward person. I only enjoy fighting in battle. If I do some paperwork, I am afraid I will be a disgrace to His Majesty!"
Hong Dan was not annoyed, and said with a smile: "That may not be the case."
"Huh?"
"As long as it's for the Khan and the country, what mission wouldn't be acceptable? I can't guarantee anything, so you should just go back and wait for news. If there's news, be surprised; if not, just take it easy."
Orondai, without a single definite answer, grew restless and stiffly said his last goodbye. Hongdan pondered for a moment, feeling his words were sound, and straightened his clothes, saying, "Let's go to Danning Residence."
Inside Danning Residence, Yinreng was also working. For a country as vast as this, expeditions and salt taxes weren't the only things to deal with at any one time. While these two matters were important, there were other crucial matters to attend to. Furthermore, matters of even greater importance could lead to disaster if not handled properly.
Yinreng was contemplating the issue of land enclosure. When the Qing invaded the Fortress, they were penniless and pure robbers. Despite the current claims of nobility, at least within the Fortress, their property had been seized. Land, the most fundamental means of production in agricultural society, was absolutely seized, and the form of this was enclosure. They claimed various lands as "ownerless" and claimed them as their own. Not only did the Eight Banners plunder as a whole, but they also engaged in internal fighting over the division of the spoils. This was known as land exchange.
Bandits can make a living by robbing, but if they want to become good people, they can no longer do so. This is because the disadvantages are huge and it is very easy to provoke rebellion. To put it bluntly, if you shave their hair and change their ancestral records, they will tolerate it, but if you want to starve them to death... In history, all peasant uprisings were caused by people's inability to survive.
Thus, the practice of stopping the circle was implemented. This was considered a "benevolent policy" by the Qing court, but it wasn't a complete halt. Later, sporadic circles were gradually added, and this continued during the late Kangxi reign. Meanwhile, there were still subsequent problems, and the issue now was "refund."
The Manchus were nomadic and unskilled in farming. They seized land not for work but for enjoyment. Bannermen, enjoying various privileges and benefits, neglected their farmland, leaving much of it uncultivated and a significant waste of resources. Furthermore, those who hired tenant farmers or arranged for their own slaves to cultivate the land were exempt from taxes because the land was in the bannermen's name, a significant disadvantage for the state.
The situation was stronger than the people, so they had to return it. This time, the target was the farmland that Kangxi had already issued an edict to "permanently stop the enclosure". "Give up everything that has been enclosed, and pay taxes!" Forcing people to vomit out what they have already eaten was undoubtedly a wicked act. This involved the Eight Banners, the foundation of the rule, and required careful handling. Yinreng considered it again and again before making the first move.
After finishing the instruction and rubbing his wrist, he heard someone outside announce, "The Crown Prince is outside asking to see you."
"What does he want? Let him come in."
Hongdan was talking about Orondai, and his words were very euphemistic: "My son thinks that asking him to look for opportunities everywhere is not a good idea. He is a restless person, and if he wanders around in the capital, it will cause unrest among the people. It would be better to give him an external post and send him away, so that he can be out of sight and out of mind."
Yinreng snorted coldly, "Out of sight, out of mind? How could he not cause trouble wherever he went? He's done so many taboo things in the past, and it's all thanks to the late emperor's extra leniency that he's been safe until now. If he stays at home quietly, at most he'll just be competing against Fahai. But if he's released and causes trouble, I'll have to punish him. What's the point?"
"My son is mistaken, but..." Looking at his father's face, Hongdan continued, "He is already feeling uneasy. Those members of the Tong family have been spoiled for decades and have become so willful and arrogant. If they are treated coldly like this, they might develop some problems and really cause trouble. I hope my father will think twice."
"Hmm." This Tong family is really like tofu falling into the dust - you can't praise it or hit it. You have to consider some aspects! Yinreng felt that his life as an emperor was extremely aggrieved.
Gritting his teeth, he grinned, "I see. Let me think about it."
Within two days, Orondai received an imperial decree: to be appointed a general in Guangzhou. Back then, when Orondai and Tong Guogang were feuding, Kangxi intervened to mediate, sending him far away to Guangzhou, separating the fiery father and son. Only after the two calmed down was Orondai transferred back. Now, Yinreng had placed him in a place he was familiar with.
Orondai was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected the Crown Prince to be so naive and actually give him a posting. Even if he couldn't earn any military merit, it was still a real posting, a place to stay so he could plan for the future, right? Although... it was a little far away.
Yinreng met with Orondei, who was about to leave the capital, in Danningjuli and encouraged him repeatedly: "The country is in trouble, and I need someone to share my worries. The Guangzhou general was transferred to Sichuan last month, and that area cannot be left without someone to manage it. You are familiar with the area, so please pay more attention to it."
This time, Orondei did not resist and kowtowed to express his gratitude.
Yinreng said gently, "The Crown Prince has been talking about you these past few days. Go meet him."
Orondai naturally followed his orders. Yinreng watched Orondai's departing figure and smiled sinisterly: Guangzhou, that's a good place for Laojiu to make a fortune, but it's also a place where Laojiu stirs up trouble! Having someone who doesn't get along with Laojiu in charge will save Laojiu from causing trouble in a faraway place.
Yinreng was now focused on the salt law. The 12th Prince, terrified, had revealed all his secrets, accusing the Ninth Prince of meddling in the matter, hoping to recoup even more capital through foreign trade. He couldn't simply stop the Ninth Prince from selling salt. In fact, the Ninth Prince wasn't the one to do it himself, but rather had his followers intervene. Without a strong relationship, it would be difficult to force him to stop. Yinreng simply strangled him at the source—how could you do business without capital?
Given the trade dispute in Guangzhou and his understanding of this brother, Yinreng couldn't believe his ninth brother would conduct business properly. This ninth brother had never been fair and honest. You have a plan, but he has a way to get over the wall. It's useless to prohibit him openly, so he has to play dirty with him.
Lao Jiu had squeezed Orondai before, but Orondai was by no means a tolerant person. With the two of them holding each other back, and with the local governor and deputy general keeping an eye on them, no major problems would arise. This allowed Yinreng to free up his mind to deal with other matters.
After Orondei left, the emperor and his son breathed a sigh of relief, but the Ninth Prince was furious: "Why send him there! Haven't the Tong family members caused enough harm to the court? The late emperor was pissed off to death by them!" He went on to list all the illegal deeds of the Tong family from beginning to end.
The people and animals around fled away, and no one dared to bring bad luck upon themselves.
After enough scolding, Yunlu finally thought: What should I do next? Orondai was determined to oppose me. You know, Orondai had a stake in this lucrative business back then, and in the end, I took it away from him. Yunlu gritted his teeth: We'll see!
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At the same time, on the grassland which had become quite chilly, Yarjiang'a gritted his teeth and said, "We'll see!" The soldiers he brought with him became increasingly exhausted as they advanced, forcing the prince to slow down his journey and choose another place to stay, waiting for most people to adapt.
It's said that for a skilled military commander, everything in the universe can serve as a weapon. King Jian encountered an invisible enemy: acclimatization. Those in better physical condition recovered quickly and cautiously engaged in several battles with Daze Lingdun Duobu's smaller forces. Both sides suffered casualties, but the situation remained evenly balanced.
While Yaerjiang'a had Yun'e and others contact the Mongolian princes separately, he also maintained close contact with Lobsang Danjin stationed in Qinghai. Lobsang Danjin still had good intentions towards the Qing court at that time, and it was he who brought the news of Daze Lingdun's multi-lateral entry into Tibet to the capital.
Lobsang Danjin also had his own plans. Tsewang Abutan had occupied Tibet, and he would be the next to suffer. He had to think about his own interests. The best way was to use the Qing court to beat the Dzungar Khanate, so that the emperor in the capital could eliminate the threat for him.
Since these were small-scale trials, the Firearms Battalion had become quite quiet. Heavy equipment was currently useless, and for a nomadic people, bows and arrows were more effective when not in large formations. Qingde was so bored that he spent the entire day wandering around the camp.
Not only Qingde, but all the royal family members accompanying the army, except for two or three people who were engaged in diplomacy, were very idle. They also had some altitude sickness, but the living conditions were good, and they quickly adapted to the situation. Then they couldn't sit still and asked Yarjiang'a to go to the battle.
Hong Sheng's father was not around, and he was very active. "Uncle King, if we wait any longer, Da Ce Ling Dun Duo Bu will swallow up all of Tibet. Once he has recovered, his strength will be even greater. Then it will be difficult to easily defeat him."
Yarjiang A frowned: "Easy? There is no easy thing in marching and fighting! We must be absolutely sure of winning the first battle, and we must make a good start!" Then he took on the airs of an uncle and scolded his nephew. Hong Sheng didn't know that some guys who underestimated the enemy had died heroically before, and he couldn't help but criticize Yarjiang A in his heart.
Yarjiang'a was helpless, the burden on his shoulders was heavy. Seeing Hongsheng dismissed, Thirteen and Fourteen exchanged a glance and decided to sound out Yarjiang'a that evening before making any further comments. But how could Yarjiang'a reveal such news that would shake the army's morale? Without a victory, they couldn't claim to have suffered a setback.
Thirteen and Fourteen came together to visit, but Yarjiang'a dallyed and refused to rashly send troops. Furious, they each wrote a memorial to Yinreng to complain, and Yarjiang'a also buried his head in writing a memorial to complain. Yinreng's desk was piled with a pile of complaints, and he frowned at the sight.
He had to mediate this mess. His instructions to Yarjiang'a were to urge him to pay attention to his methods and approaches, while his instructions to his brothers were to urge them to remain calm and listen to Yarjiang'a. Yunxiang read the instructions, sighed, and continued writing: "...The climate on the frontier is different from that in the Central Plains. Tibet is even colder than the frontier. The ancients said that snow falls in August in the Hu land. Although there is no snow yet, it will surely arrive in more than a month. Our army is not acclimatized to the climate and water. If we do not advance in the clear and cool autumn weather, the journey will be even more difficult in winter... If we cannot conquer Tibet and the army cannot return, the court will have to spend an additional year on food and wages..."
The memorial reached Yinreng, who, after reading it, realized that he had even prepared winter clothing but had forgotten to calculate the time for the attack. The first instruction was to urge Yarjiang'a not to act rashly, but the second was to urge him to advance? Yinreng picked up his pen, then put it down again. After much deliberation, he clearly addressed several instructions: 1. Yarjiang'a to discuss the time for the attack with Yunxiang; 2. Yunxiang to submit his views in detail in the memorial; 3. Qingde to test the effectiveness of the Firearms Battalion under difficult conditions.
Even with the help of the post horses, and the 800-li express trips back and forth, the weather had turned cold, and the question of whether to send out the troops was no longer particularly urgent. How to prevent the troops from freezing while on the move became a more pressing issue. Yunxiang sighed: It seems that we really have to wait another year.
He picked up the pen and wrote another memorial: "... Previously, Da Ce Ling Dun Duobu's position was not stable, so I requested a quick battle. Now it has been delayed for a long time, and he is gradually gaining momentum. We cannot attack him in the middle of the river, so we should plan and then act..." Then let's fight safely, it will only cost the country a little more money.
Yinreng's military proficiency was only average, but his ideas were brilliant. Comparing his observations with those of the others, he felt Yunxiang's abilities were superior. He secretly instructed Yarjiang'a to consult with Yunxiang on any matters. He also instructed the Qinghai taijis, if they wished, to engage in battle with Daze Lingdun Duobu.
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He looked at Hesheli in surprise: "What did you say?"
As the situation on the front line remained stalemate, the days slowly passed until December.
The emperor's attention to the front lines prompted the empress to lend her support, often summoning members of the imperial family and the families of generals on the front lines to the palace to speak with him as a token of her favor. Among them, Hongxi's wives and concubines had given birth this year, and Gegentana also proved to be a success, bearing another son. Hongxi's concubine also won the lottery, also bearing a boy. After her confinement, Gegentana became a regular at Kunning Palace.
Hongsheng's wife, Xin'an, was the Empress's niece, so she had many opportunities to enter the palace. Xinping, who was also pregnant this year, was often brought along by Shuyi to talk. And when they met the pregnant Shuhui, they talked about everything motherhood.
The eyes of the sisters-in-law, Hesheli and Borjigi, were filled with envy. Hesheli had been married for a year, and still no sign of pregnancy. Even without others urging her, she was already anxious. She had prayed countless times, chanted countless sutras, and made countless aspirations. Even Mrs. Heyi was getting anxious, but the baby still hadn't come.
At her wit's end, Hesheli finally thought of using a surrogate mother to bear a child: rather than waiting for her mother-in-law to speak, or even directly appointing a concubine, it would be better for her to think of it in advance, so that her mother-in-law wouldn't express her displeasure. Her second brother already had three sons, so the crown prince wouldn't be without a child for long.
Taking advantage of her mother-in-law's good mood, Hesheli waited until Gegentana and the others had left, then knelt before her mother-in-law and proposed her own idea. She was also worried because she was optimistic about her own maid.
Shujia asked again, and Hesheli still insisted: "I am useless myself, and I have to think about the prince." Her voice was choked with sobs.
Shujia couldn't agree, nor could she refuse: "I don't care, I don't care, you go talk to Hongdan yourself!"
Hesheli achieved her wish, but she was still filled with sadness: "My wife will take her leave."
After she left, Shujia was stunned for a long time. In this day and age, the most important thing for a woman is to be able to give birth. Since Shujia knew about this, she couldn't hide it from Yinreng, so she mentioned it casually after dinner. Yinreng said with some depression: "If I had known this, I should have chosen someone with a prosperous family and who can give birth..." The unspoken part was that if I had known your niece could give birth to a son, I should have brought her over as my daughter-in-law. But this couldn't be said, otherwise Xinping and Xin'an would have a hard time.
The author has something to say: I originally wanted to send out lunch boxes today, but it seems I have to wait until the next chapter.
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