sbdcsierra Chapter 455 Take advantage of his illness and kill him
Chapter 455 Take advantage of his illness and kill him
Ce Ling did want to be unruly, but after witnessing the powerful cannons of the Qing Dynasty, he no longer dared to be so arrogant. Upon hearing Yin Zuo's words, he stood up and bowed to Kangxi.
"Your Majesty, perhaps my words were not clear enough. I have come here on my father's orders to request your assistance, as the grasslands have been covered in heavy snow this winter..."
Although everyone knew each other's true intentions, they still had to play along on the surface. In order to appease the Dzungar Khanate and prevent them from taking desperate measures, Kangxi finally agreed to lend them 30,000 shi of grain.
Perhaps they were eager to return and share what they had seen and heard in the Qing Dynasty with Tsewang Arabtan, or perhaps they were truly anxious to transport the grain back to resolve the tribal crisis. Once they had the grain, Tsewang and his men didn't want to stay there for a moment. It was as if someone was chasing after them. After hurriedly packing their things and bidding farewell to Kangxi, they led their men to escort the grain back.
This matter seemed to have come to an end, but it was just the beginning. Just like in history, Emperor Kangxi was now indeed considering how to deal with the Dzungar Khanate.
"Yinzhen, what do you think about the Dzungar Khanate coming to borrow grain?"
Although he was suddenly called out, Yinzhen remained calm and stood up to bow to Kangxi.
"Your Majesty, I believe that now is the best time for our Great Qing to wage war against the Dzungars."
At this time, the Dzungar Khanate was suffering from a lack of food and clothing due to the continuous heavy snow. Many of their warhorses had likely frozen to death during the winter. It would take at least until the spring when everything was reviving to restore their fighting strength. This gave the Qing Dynasty ample time to prepare. They could use this time to transport grain, fodder, and troops over, and then launch a surprise attack when the weather warmed up the following year.
None of Kangxi's sons were easy to deal with. What Yinzhen could figure out, they could naturally figure out as well. After pondering for a while, Kangxi seemed to have finally made up his mind. He raised his eyes and glanced at his sons before speaking.
"Alright, then let's take advantage of his illness and kill him. Yinzhen, who do you think should be sent on this expedition?"
Yinzhi knows the answer to this question. Is there even a need to ask? Of course, it's his fourteenth son. You know, wasn't it around this time in history that the fourteenth son led troops into battle?
Yinzhen felt his arm being pulled, and when he turned his head, he saw Yinzuo beside him giving him a series of meaningful glances. In the direction he was looking, there stood his other troublesome younger brother.
"In response to your question, Father, I believe that if we were to choose someone from among our brothers to lead the expedition, then the eldest brother, the tenth brother, the thirteenth brother, and the fourteenth brother would all be good candidates. Firstly, they are all quite skilled, and secondly, they have experience fighting in Japan, so they should be able to handle things on the grasslands. As for how to choose, the final decision rests with you, Father."
Well, that was a watertight statement, not offending a single person. Upon hearing this, Yinzhuo curled his lip in disdain at his fourth brother, then plopped back down next to Kangxi, looking at his father and waiting for him to speak.
Yinti is now forty years old. Although he is in good health and can handle swords and spears without any problem, his age is still a factor. After considering the three of them, Kangxi finally decided to give his two younger sons a chance. After all, they are almost thirty years old, and it wouldn't look good for them to always have the title of Beile.
As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war. With the experience gained from the previous war against Japan, the imperial court was able to prepare supplies with great ease this time. Less than a month after the Emperor Kangxi issued his decree, everything was ready. In mid-November, on the 13th and 14th, the emperor led the army to the northern desert.
"Sigh, Thirteen and Fourteen are gone, and they probably won't be back for a year or two. It's so much better when we were kids. Although life in the Imperial Study was tough, we didn't have so many worries back then. We could play however we wanted during our holidays. Look at us now, it's hard for us brothers to even get together..."
Who can argue with that? Yinzhuo looked at the fluttering snowflakes outside the waterside pavilion through the glass, then turned to look at Yinxi, who was sprawled on the recliner beside him. He kicked him to make him lie down properly, and then sighed helplessly.
"Yes, that's why the ancients said, 'Don't waste your golden robes, cherish your youth.' So we should seize the day while we can. Xiao Shi, get up quickly. De Xi, go and get ready. We're going back to the capital now to have some fun..."
While the saying "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, for time is still a-flying" is true, Yinzhuo ultimately failed to lead Yin'e out of the Changchun Garden. There was no need to ask; just looking at the person braving the wind and snow to block the entrance of Shufeng Pavilion, it was clear that they wouldn't be able to leave today.
"Your Highness, please don't be angry. His Majesty's reason for not letting you go out is for your own good. Look how heavy the snow is today. The snow is so thick that it's not safe for either vehicles or people to walk on it. If you're really bored, how about I take you and the Prince to the greenhouse? The servants from the Imperial Household Department have been tending to a batch of flowers and plants, and they're blooming quite well lately..."
Yinzhuo wasn't ungrateful. Since Liang Jiugong had put it that way, they naturally had to give him face. Seeing Yinzhuo nod, Liang Jiugong quickly called over a eunuch behind him and told him to take some men to clear the road from Shufeng Pavilion to the greenhouse. He then led Yinzhuo, with Yinxi following slowly behind.
Indeed, as Liang Jiugong said, the flowers in the greenhouse have been blooming well lately, but the variety is inevitably too limited. After taking a look around, Yinzhuo lost interest in them.
“Eunuch Liang, let’s go back. What’s so interesting about this? It’s nice that roses can bloom in winter, but it’s just one variety, so it’s not very interesting.”
Arriving full of high spirits but leaving disappointed left Yinzhu somewhat sullen for the next few days. It just goes to show how good it is to have a wealthy and powerful family; this is where the benefits of being rich really come into play.
To please his son, Emperor Kangxi went to great lengths. He not only sent Liang Jiugong back to the Forbidden City to retrieve a large number of preserved flowers from his private treasury, but also instructed the Imperial Workshop to expedite the production of several pots of flowers that Yinzhuo liked. These flowers, along with those retrieved from his private treasury, were then sent to Yinzhuo's Shufeng Pavilion.
"Good heavens, Father is really generous! Look at this complete selection: magnolias, Buddha's hand citrons, plum blossoms, peach blossoms, hibiscus... and there's white jade, tourmaline, all sorts of gemstones, and amber. It's worth a fortune all together! Sixth Brother, I think this Buddha's hand citron is quite nice..."