Qing Yao

Chapter 329 The Grand Secretary, a rising star has arrived!
Back in Chengde, the old master had been grumbling about returning to Beijing since yesterday, and had the Grand Councilors, Imperial Ministers, and Ministers of the Imperial Household Department who were accompanying him make preparations. This morning, he took his two grandsons hunting again.

With the old man being over eighty years old, let alone drawing a bow and mounting a horse, he even had difficulty walking, so he sat in a sedan chair to accompany his two grandsons on their journey.

Grandparents and grandchildren are so affectionate; the older they get, the more fun they become.

Prince Cheng, Yongxing, and Prince Yi, Yongxuan, also went along. In addition to the concubines and members of the imperial clan who accompanied the emperor, Grand Secretary Ji Yun also went. If the old master was in the mood to compose a poem at a crucial moment, Grand Secretary Ji Yun would help him continue.

Heshen did not go; he stayed at the Sizhi Study to handle memorials and official documents from various places. Another Grand Councilor, Songyun, was also in the room.

Wang Jie, the top scholar, was still sulking with Heshen because of what happened a few days ago. So he simply stopped working at the Sizhi Study and moved his office to Songxiang Courtyard, which was more than 100 meters away from the Sizhi Study. He rarely came to the Sizhi Study except when necessary, and all related documents were handled by the clerks and scribes.

Heshen was too lazy to pay attention to this. The Military Affairs Bureau wouldn't make a difference whether Wang Jie was there or not. As for Wang Jie's behavior of constantly snagging at Heshen like a shrew, there was no need to try to win him over and make a fool of himself.

Just as Heshen finished processing a few official documents, a clerk quietly approached and whispered a message. Heshen listened without making a sound and went to another room.

Ming An, the Director of the Department of Military Affairs of the Ministry of War who was waiting inside, quickly flicked his sleeves, stepped forward, knelt down, and said respectfully, "This humble servant, Ming An, greets Your Excellency!"

"Get up."

Heshen smiled and gestured for Ming'an to stand up, appearing quite friendly, the reason being that this physician Ming was someone Heshen employed.

The Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Military Selection were both key departments of the Ministry of War. One was in charge of the documents for troop deployment, and the other was in charge of the promotion of generals.

How could Heshen not place his own people in such an important position?
Fu Chang'an was merely a minister in name only; the real decision-makers for the Ministry of War were him and the Grand Secretary.

This includes the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works.

The four ministers followed Heshen's lead without question.

After sitting down, a clerk served tea to the Grand Master, then tactfully withdrew, making sure to close the door behind him.

Heshen glanced at Ming'an and smiled, "What brings you all the way from the capital to Chengde?"

Ming'an quickly said, "Your Excellency, the General has not followed the route planned by the Ministry of War, but insisted on going through the Qinghai Pass. Minister Liu is deeply troubled and has sent me here to ask Your Excellency for your opinion!"

"what?"

Heshen frowned. After Qinggui, the former Minister of War, took office as the Governor-General of Gansu, he wrote to the court that winter was approaching outside Qinghai Pass. If they entered Tibet from there, they would inevitably encounter many dangers. Therefore, he suggested that Fukang'an take another route with post stations along the way to enter the plateau. Although changing the route would delay the time to reach the plateau, the logistical pressure would be much less, and it would be relatively safer.

After receiving Qinggui's memorial, the Grand Council immediately convened relevant personnel from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to discuss the matter. After the meeting, everyone agreed that changing the route was the right thing to do.

Heshen then reported the research results to the old master, who also approved the rerouting plan. The Grand Council then drafted an imperial edict in blue ink and sent it to the Ministry of War, instructing the Ministry of War to urge Fukang'an to implement the rerouting plan.

Unexpectedly, Fukang'an disregarded the Ministry of War and ignored the advice of Gansu Governor-General Qinggui, insisting on entering Tibet from Xining and demanding that the Northwest provide the army with provisions at all costs.

Fu Chang'an, the nominal Minister of War, knew nothing about military affairs. He only knew that he had to cooperate unconditionally with his brother's affairs. Therefore, he demanded that the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue under his jurisdiction provide full support, and anyone who messed it up would be held accountable.

This threw all parties involved in formulating logistics and supply routes according to the new plan into disarray. As the saying goes, "pulling one thread affects the whole body," if the old marching route is still followed, much of the grain and supplies that have already been transported halfway will have to be turned back. This back and forth will not only delay things but also increase consumption.

The national treasury is currently in dire need of funds, and such waste is unacceptable; besides, there's no time to spare.

Liu E, the Minister of War, felt that this matter was thorny, but he could not make a decision on his own, so he sent Ming'an to Chengde to consult Heshen.

After all, Heshen was the de facto prime minister of the empire and also the de facto "second emperor" of the empire.

Heshen pondered for a moment, then asked Ming'an, "What does Minister Liu mean?"

Ming An said, "It is good that Minister Liu said that the general is brave, but if we march from outside Qinghai Pass, we may encounter heavy snow along the way. At that time, there will be no grass, no food for men and horses, and the supply line cannot be guaranteed. We may fail due to the lack of food."

After speaking, Ming An hesitated for a moment, as if he had something else to say.

Heshen raised his right hand slightly: "Speak."

Ming An then cautiously said, "Your Excellency, the people the Ministry of War sent to the army said that the General said to his face that Your Excellency was nothing more than an accountant promoted by the Emperor."

"Oh?"

Heshen's expression changed, then he snorted and sneered, "Are all the Fucha clan noble people? Without the Emperor, what are they? Even the lowly clerks collecting money at Chongwen Gate are better than them."

He couldn't help but feel disgusted with Fukang'an again. Last year, in order to allow his younger brother Helin to go out and take control of the military, and given his relationship with Fuchang'an, Heshen tried to ease his relationship with Fukang'an in the hope that the two families could become long-term allies.

Prior to this, Heshen and Fukang'an were at odds and had clashed many times. It wasn't that Heshen was intolerant, but rather that Fukang'an, relying on his family background, looked down on Heshen in every way.

Yuan Mei, Heshen's teacher at Xian'an Academy in his early years, once told Heshen that Fukang'an was utterly incompetent, a "spoiled brat, a useless child," and that his so-called glorious military achievements over the years were either won by his subordinates or stolen. For example, the victory at Pingtai was seized from his subordinates Hailancha and Chai Daji, the general of Taiwan.

When the war was being fought, Hailancha should have been credited with the greatest merit, but Fukang'an took the top spot for him on the grounds of "the overall situation of the president." Did the old man know this?
of course I know!

Therefore, Zhu Zizhi reminded Fukang'an: "Hailancha's bravery is commendable; do not let him fail."

Just don't always steal other people's credit.

Because the credit for the victory was stolen, Hailancha angrily denounced in a drunken state: "General Fu's reports of victory have always been half fabricated by his staff."

What does this mean? It means that all of Fukang'an's military achievements since joining the army—I dare not say all of them, but at least half of them—were fabricated by his group of writers.

This led to Hailancha becoming increasingly estranged from Fukang'an. Fukang'an probably knew he was in the wrong and that his own abilities were limited, so he continued to tolerate Hailancha.

After all, he was counting on Hailancha to risk his life for him.

The Taiwanese General Chai Daji was pitiful; he was framed by Fukang'an, beheaded, and his body displayed in the marketplace.

This time, Fukang'an is going to the plateau as a general. If he is allowed to return to the capital with great merit, the position of "Second Emperor" Heshen will definitely be shaken.

However, as the old master grew older, he was to abdicate in three years. Regardless of whether the heir apparent was Prince Cheng Yongxing or Prince Jia Yongyan, it forced Heshen to win over Fukang'an, the top military commander.

Because Yongxing's wife was Fukang'an's sister, if Yongxing ascended the throne, Fukang'an would be the emperor's brother-in-law who held great military power, and he and Heshen would have no choice but to win him over.

If Yongyan ascends the throne, he will also need to win over Fukang'an, who holds significant military power, in order to protect himself. Heshen will have no choice but to accept the throne unless Yongxing and Yongyan both fail to be chosen. In this case, the seventeenth prince Yonglin will emerge as the biggest "dark horse" in the succession struggle during the Qianlong era.

But that was almost impossible. Yonglin was like a child without a father's love, and the old master didn't like him at all.

Thus, all Heshen could do, besides currying favor with Fukang'an, was to allow his younger brother Helin to gain military merits under Fukang'an's guidance, thereby gaining some military power and buying "insurance" for the future.

It seems that Heshen was still being somewhat wishful thinking. Fukang'an still looked down on him, otherwise he wouldn't have publicly said that Heshen was an accountant promoted by the emperor.

Would an ordinary person dare to say such a thing?

If they weren't spoiled brats and idiots, how could they be so unscrupulous?

As the saying goes, if he is unrighteous, then don't blame me for being unjust!

After a moment of brilliance, Heshen looked at Ming'an and said indifferently, "Tell Fu Ning that Fu Kang'an did not request orders from the Grand Council. If he has to withdraw his troops due to the lack of supplies, it is because of his incompetence."

Who is Fu Ning?

He was the Gansu Provincial Governor in charge of transporting provisions for Fukang'an's army and a confidant of Heshen.

Heshen had no choice. Since Fukang'an didn't take him seriously and was eager to seize the credit for the high plateau, he could only let Fukang'an's efforts come to nothing as a precaution.

It's good to curb Fukang'an's arrogance, so he won't be too domineering after returning to court and repeat the mistakes of Nian Gengyao.

As for the plateau, although the old master valued it, it was not a major concern. After all, that snowy region was not part of the Qing Dynasty's territory, and the Qing Dynasty had no effective rule over it. It did not even collect the tea and horse taxes that the Ming Dynasty had collected. At most, it was a vassal state like Mongolia.

The true territory of the Qing Dynasty was still the Han Chinese lands within the Great Wall, Liaodong, and the Western Regions. The rest of the lands were not fundamental and were not worth waging war over unless absolutely necessary.

Ming An readily agreed in a low voice. As a member of the He Party, he did not want to see the arrogant and domineering General Fu return to the court and act arrogantly.

Heshen's thinking went further: how to get his younger brother, Helin, to succeed Li Shijie, the governor of Sichuan who had repeatedly requested to retire, and how to get Helin to replace Fukang'an in the expedition if the old master insisted on conquering the plateau again.

After much thought, it was difficult to implement because He Lin had only transitioned from a civilian to a military position last year. Firstly, she had no connections in the military, and secondly, she lacked military experience. If we rashly suggested to the old master that He Lin be given an important position, it might backfire.

It's a pity he had no capable generals under his command; otherwise, why would he have tried to curry favor with Fukang'an, or worry about the situation three years from now?

Throughout history, powerful ministers without the assistance of great generals or the support of strong troops have always faced certain fates, a fate that Heshen understood better than anyone else.

His expression was complicated for a moment, and he seemed somewhat lost in thought.

Ming'an watched from the side, not daring to make a sound, and carefully picked up the teacup on the table and placed it in front of Heshen: "Your Excellency?"

Heshen took the teacup, gently blew away the tea foam, and was still thinking about military affairs. Just as he was about to drink the tea, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside, followed by someone excitedly saying, "Reporting to Your Excellency, an urgent report from the capital has arrived from Anhui. Acting Governor Zhao Youlu has defeated 100,000 White Lotus rebels with 800 troops!"

(End of this chapter)