The 47th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign was a memorable year, as he personally led an expedition, beginning his expansion of the empire.
It is rare in history for someone of Kangxi's age to expand the territory. When the news of Kangxi's personal expedition came out, there was a lot of opposition in the court.
The Qing Dynasty was now politically efficient and the people lived in peace and prosperity. Many people were so immersed in the pride of receiving tribute from neighboring countries that they could not extricate themselves from it. However, Emperor Kangxi was very clear that this was not enough.
Over the years, Kangxi's fleet has traveled to various countries around the world and learned a lot. He discovered that the people on the European continent are a group of people who only care about their own interests.
The East India Company, India's colony, the increasingly sophisticated naval technology of Western countries, and their ever-growing ambitions.
In the eyes of Western countries, this land in the East, especially the land of the Qing Dynasty, was incredibly valuable and held limitless potential.
Under Kangxi's rule, no one dares to do anything to the Qing Dynasty now, but what about in the future?
Who can guarantee that?
Emperor Kangxi's decision to personally lead the expedition was simply to tell those people to behave themselves, to acknowledge the strength of the Qing Dynasty, and not to act recklessly.
Of course, this was also due to Youqing's instigation. Kangxi didn't know about the future history, so how could Youqing not know?
If an opportunity arises, it's best to act first.
When Emperor Kangxi personally led the expedition, the affairs of the court should have been overseen by the Crown Prince. However, Kangxi brought the Crown Prince and other princes with him, and the person in charge of overseeing the country was Youqing.
It's not impossible for the crown prince to oversee the country, but this personal expedition is no small matter; it cannot fail, and there absolutely cannot be any problems in the rear.
With Youqing around, at least the problem of food supplies can be eliminated.
Emperor Kangxi was heading north on this personal expedition. Meanwhile, Tsarist Russia had been developing in recent years and occasionally made small moves to try to sow discord between Mongolia and the Qing Dynasty. However, due to trade between the two regions, Tsarist Russia's wishes had not been fulfilled.
Because of the Qing Dynasty's increasingly strong military power in recent years, no large-scale wars have occurred. In the past, Kangxi was busy with reforms, but now that the reforms have reached a certain level, Kangxi has freed up his hands and naturally wants to deal with Tsarist Russia.
The war against Tsarist Russia lasted for a month. Tsarist Russia had a strong and well-equipped army, but it couldn't withstand the Qing Dynasty's soldiers, each armed with a musket. So the war ended quickly.
When it came time to reward those who had contributed to the cause, Kangxi not only bestowed titles upon his sons, but also granted his daughter the official title of General Who Guards the Nation.
This move led everyone astray. What does that mean?
Anle hadn't expected it, but she thought it was pretty good. A female general—she was the first female general in the Qing Dynasty to be granted such a title.
"Brother, what is Father Emperor doing bringing this up? Anle does have some talent, but she's just a woman. How can she be given an official title, such as Grand General of the State and Princess of the First Rank? That's more powerful than you, brother! She's not inferior to the Crown Prince or Second Brother. Father Emperor, you don't really intend to let Anle attend court, do you?"
The eldest prince had a stern face. His eldest daughter was even older than Anle, yet he was now being overshadowed by his younger sister Anle, which naturally made him feel uncomfortable.
"Others naturally wouldn't attend court, but the princess born to the Empress is different from others. It's not impossible that Father Emperor treats Anle better than the Crown Prince."
The Third Prince then said, "If Father Emperor really agrees to let Anle attend court, will Father Emperor also give her the throne if she wants it in the future?"
The Third Prince said this in anger, but he was stunned as soon as he finished speaking, as was the First Prince.
Neither of them spoke.
Because they suddenly thought of a possibility: if Anle really had that intention, and with the Empress as her favored mother, it wasn't impossible that the Emperor might impulsively give the throne to Anle.
The two found the idea absurd at first glance, but the more they thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
The Crown Prince also had objections to Anle being appointed as the Grand General of the State, but his opinion was not important.
Emperor Kangxi had his own considerations in appointing Anle as Grand General. His daughter was indeed talented in military affairs. During his personal campaign, Anle's women's army played an irreplaceable role, which pleased Kangxi. In addition, he also hoped that his daughter would give his sons a boost.
They're all in their fifties or sixties, and even comfort can't compare to that.
Emperor Kangxi also observed this.
In the following year or two, although Emperor Kangxi no longer personally led military campaigns, the Qing Dynasty's musketeer army and navy were not idle.
They traveled by ship and directly attacked Japan; the commander-in-chief was Anle.
Anle knew that Japan was not honest, and that Japanese people often acted as pirates to burn, kill, and plunder fishermen along the coast with cruel methods.
She had a bad impression of Japan, and before coming here, Youqing had told her to hit as hard as she could. Although she didn't know why her mother hated Japan so much, Anle only knew that her mother was not wrong, so she really did hit her hard.
It turned out that the attack was the right thing to do. They infiltrated Anraku, Japan, and uncovered a great deal of their secrets. They discovered that this tiny country had harbored ambitions towards their vast and powerful nation, which was utterly unforgivable.
With this in mind, Anle signed a series of treaties that were extremely humiliating to Japan during the subsequent negotiations.
Youqing was satisfied with this.
In the 48th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Anle returned from a campaign abroad. Compared to a few years earlier, she looked much more resolute, and her eyes no longer held the tenderness of a young woman, but rather a ruthless decisiveness.
The reason Anle returned was actually because Emperor Kangxi planned to choose a consort for her.
Anle is already nineteen years old this year, which should be calculated according to her age in Western calendar. Although the Qing Dynasty has been advocating late marriage in recent years, at her age, even if she is not married, she has already found a suitable partner.
Come and take a look! See if there's anything you like.
Youqing was holding a portrait of a young man from the capital.
Anle was not yet enlightened about love and affection, and she did not have the shyness of a typical young woman; in fact, she was somewhat resistant to it.
"Mother, I have no plans to get married anytime soon."
Nineteen years old is indeed not old in Youqing's eyes, but this is the Great Qing. Youqing does not want her daughter to get married too early, but if she does not choose a consort soon, in a few years, he will be the one that others have left over. Even if there are good ones, they will be the tallest among the short.
"Mother knows you have no feelings for love, but we still need to choose a husband. It's okay to choose one and get married a few years later. If you don't choose now, you'll really have no choice later."
Anle pouted and reluctantly began to flip through the pages.
Suddenly, Anle stopped.
Youqing looked over and couldn't help but laugh.
"This is Lian Yu from the Suochuoluo family. He is a year older than you and has already passed the imperial examination. It is rare for a Manchu to be able to read. If you like him, you may wish to have him."
The families that Youqing chose were not of high social standing. She knew her daughter well; men from high-ranking families were too arrogant. Anle held military power and was a strong-willed person, so the men she chose were all gentle in nature.
Lian Yu is quite good at studying, but he's not just a bookworm. He's also very handsome and is known in the capital as the "Jade-Faced Young Master." However, his family situation is somewhat troublesome.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com