Qing Yao

Chapter 405 Zhao Youlu's Auspicious Sign
While Zhao An was wiping out the remnants of the White Lotus sect in Anhui, the north was experiencing a snow disaster unseen in a century.

The heavy snow fell intermittently for five or six days. In Shandong and Zhili provinces, a large number of houses collapsed under the weight of the snow. The ruins were mixed with ice and snow, making it impossible to distinguish between bricks and stones and frozen soil.

The snow, several feet thick, weighed down even tree branches as thick as bowls, and trees on both sides of the official road were broken by the heavy snow. The temperature was also extremely low!

The ice was so thick that even the Grand Canal, which runs through the north and south, was frozen over. In the coldest places, the ice was several feet thick and as hard as iron. Countless grain and goods transported to the capital were forced to stop at the Linqing section of the Grand Canal in Shandong.

Over the course of several days, the number of stranded cargo ships reached tens of thousands, forming a fleet that stretched for dozens of miles.

In order to open up the Grand Canal, this vital artery of the empire, the canal transport authorities and local officials had no choice but to send troops to break through the ice. However, the ice that the soldiers had just broken through would gradually close up again within a dozen breaths.

Human strength becomes utterly ridiculous in the face of extreme cold.

The scene in Kyoto was even more shocking. The ice in the lake was so thick that horses could run across it. Some daring drivers tried to drive their carriages across, but the ice surface did not budge under the pressure of thousands of pounds, and not even a crack could be seen.

Haizi was a playground for princes and nobles. The Imperial Household Department specially organized people to break the ice. However, the bondservants who wielded picks to break the ice worked so hard that their hands cracked, and they could only leave countless white spots and countless ice shards on the ice surface.

It's impossible to chisel it out! It's simply impossible to chisel it out!
Even if you manage to break through the ice, what you pull out aren't fresh fish and shrimp, but rather pieces of frozen, hard fish carcasses.

The water in the lake looks as if it has been artificially drained away; there is a thick layer of ice on top and a vacuum below.

After the snow stopped, the rising sun during the day could melt some of the surface snow, but when the night wind picked up, the melted snow would freeze again, covering the roads, city walls, and roof tiles of the capital with a hard ice shell. Some old and dilapidated houses were even frozen and collapsed.

The entire capital was in chaos, and the area under the emperor's nose quickly turned into a hellish scene.

The streets were littered with the frozen corpses of beggars and refugees, huddled in corners. At first, the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture would hastily collect these bodies with tattered mats and drag them to the mass graves outside the city.

However, as the number of people freezing to death increased day by day, tens of thousands of people froze to death in the city in just a few days. The yamen runners were exhausted and eventually simply turned a blind eye to the problem.

There was nothing they could do; they had no way to dispose of the bodies because the ground outside the city was frozen harder than stone, and a pickaxe could only leave a white dot when it struck.

It was impossible to dig up graves and bury people, and the corpses could not be left lying in various corners of the capital. So they were haphazardly pulled together and piled up at the foot of the city walls, layer upon layer, forming mountains of corpses made of human bodies.

Flocks of black crows circled above, pecking at the frozen flesh.

Due to the compression and slight melting, the corpses refreezed, twisting and sticking together, presenting a bizarre and terrifying sight.

Some people have two or three heads, some have five or six arms, and some have several feet attached to their legs.
However, the Qing court was not concerned about the tragic situation in Beijing or the lives of the people in the north. What the Qing court cared about was the grain transport that had been interrupted by heavy snow and severe cold.

The consequences of the disruption of the canal transport became apparent within just a few days. Grain prices in the capital rose three times a day. At first, they were just incredibly expensive, but later they became so expensive that there was no market for them.

The price of charcoal for heating has also skyrocketed, making it a luxury for many poor people to even boil water.

Given the urgency of the situation, Shuntian Prefecture submitted a special report to the imperial court, stating that this snow disaster was another major natural disaster following the snow disasters of the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign and the third year of the Kangxi reign in the Ming Dynasty.

The snow disaster in the sixteenth year of Chongzhen's reign froze hundreds of thousands of people to death. After that, a large-scale plague broke out in the north, especially in the vicinity of the capital. The plague reduced the population of the capital to less than one-tenth, and the death toll exceeded one million.

The plague not only allowed Li Zicheng's Shun army to enter Beijing without any resistance, but also instantly rendered this elite Shun army, which had fought in the north and south, ineffective.

Five or six out of ten soldiers died from the epidemic, indirectly causing the Shun army's disastrous defeat at Shanhaiguan.

Although the great snow disaster in the third year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign did not trigger a plague, it still froze over a million people to death, including tens of thousands of bondservants who were considered a higher social class than the Han Chinese.

Bondservants were considered private property by the Manchu nobility. To make up for the losses, Aobai, the then-regent, once again implemented land enclosure and converted the Han people on the land into bondservants.

Starting from the third year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, this year's snow disaster truly is a once-in-a-century event. However, despite the flood of reports about the snow disaster from all over the country pouring into the Forbidden City like snowflakes, the 81-year-old patriarch remained completely unaware of the situation outside.

The snow disaster was effectively contained by Heshen.

The reason given was that they were afraid their elderly grandfather would worry.

After all, the old master was the lifeblood of the Qing Dynasty. If something were to happen to him, it wouldn't just be a loss for Heshen, but a loss for all the subjects of the Qing Dynasty.

What's the fear of freezing to death or starving to death? The important thing is that nothing happens to the old man!
This was not only the tone set by Heshen, but also the guiding principle that the Grand Council and even the entire court had to follow.

Of course, Heshen did not do nothing. He not only carefully guided various regions in their self-rescue efforts, but also mobilized all resources to provide relief to the severely affected areas.

The Guangchu Division of the Imperial Household Department, at Heshen's behest, set aside 400,000 taels of silver for disaster relief in Zhili Province, earmarked for this purpose.

However, although Liang Kentang, the 77-year-old Governor-General of Zhili, was a relatively honest official and a capable minister in flood control and disaster relief, only 130,000 taels of the 400,000 taels of disaster relief funds were actually used.

The remaining 270,000 taels passed through layers of dealers and were gone.

How could Heshen not know that the special funds allocated by the Imperial Household Department had been squandered by officials in Zhili?
Inside the Military Affairs Office, Heshen was discussing this matter with Fu Chang'an.

Fu Chang'an, who was only thirty-one years old after the New Year, thought he could use this incident to bring down Liang Kentang, the Governor-General of Zhili, because Liang was not only very senior, but also did not "like" Heshen's faction.

Due to his advanced age and declining energy, Liang Kentang has made many mistakes in his political affairs in the past two years, and has been reprimanded by the old master four times.

Therefore, Fu Chang'an believed that as long as the misappropriation of disaster relief funds was truthfully reported, the old master would definitely dismiss Liang Kentang from his post as governor, and then they could put one of their own in charge of this important position. However, Heshen disagreed with using this as an excuse. He gently blew away the foam from his warm teacup, took a sip, and then shook his head with a smile, saying, "Fourth Master, if 130,000 taels of silver are actually used for disaster relief, I think that's already quite remarkable. In officialdom, it's all about 'too much purity leaves no room for opportunity.' If those people below aren't fed, who will sincerely work for the court? Do you expect us to personally go to the counties and prefectures to distribute money and porridge?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Chang'an frowned slightly, clearly disagreeing with Heshen's opinion: "Prime Minister He, that is true, but 270,000 taels is a bit too much. Besides, that old fellow Liang Kentang has always been outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant towards us, so this is a perfect opportunity."

"Chance?"

Heshen put down his teacup and gave Fu Chang'an a meaningful look. "Removing Liang Kentang is easy, but then what? Who should we promote? How many people in the court are qualified to be the Governor-General of Zhili? We can't expect you, Fourth Master Fu, to take on the role yourself, can we?"

As he spoke, he stood up and walked slowly to the window. Looking at the Forbidden City outside the window, which was covered in ice and snow and looked particularly quiet, he said slowly, "Liang Kentang is almost eighty years old. It is true that he is not energetic and is old and senile. The master has reprimanded him several times before. But that's why we should keep him."

He glanced sideways at Fu Chang'an, who seemed unconcerned, and said, "Fourth Master, think about it. The position of Governor-General of Zhili may seem powerful, but it's actually a volcano. Right now, the snow disaster is devastating several northern provinces, and the Grand Canal has been disrupted. You know the situation in the capital; how many eyes are watching us from top to bottom?"

Doing a good job is our duty. But the slightest mistake, or any other mishap, and I reckon all the blame will immediately fall on us; the impeachment petitions will practically wear down the threshold of our Grand Council!

"Ah."

Fu Chang'an nodded, also feeling that replacing Liang Kentang with one of their own people was not a good thing.

"Keep Liang Kentang around. If the sky falls, he'll be there to hold it up. Even if something terrible happens, the master will only dismiss him and force him to retire, considering his old age and frail health, and that he has at least worked hard even if he hasn't made any great contributions. He won't investigate too deeply."

But if we replace them with someone young and energetic, and something goes wrong, it will be considered a crime of forming cliques for personal gain and making poor personnel decisions, and neither of us will be able to escape responsibility.”

Like a teacher instructing a student, Heshen spoke earnestly, "Although the Emperor is advanced in years, he is still as clear-headed as a mirror. We are already conspicuous enough in the court. If we also take control of Zhili, this important region of the capital, what will the Emperor think? What will the court and the public say? Fourth Prince, you must know that sometimes in this world, taking a step back is not a sign of weakness, but a way to put your mind at ease."

Fu Chang'an pondered the matter carefully, then said with admiration, "Prime Minister He's considerations are thorough. I was too simplistic in my thinking. Not only can we not touch Liang Kentang, but we also need to protect him in public and not let the snow disaster crush him."

"Exactly that."

Heshen nodded in satisfaction, "Let the disaster relief funds disappear if they're gone. As long as we can still hear some noise and barely maintain the situation to prevent chaos in the capital, then Liang Kentang has done a good job."

"You have the Ministry of Revenue under your jurisdiction. Draft a note to them, asking them to allocate another 100,000 taels to Zhili, under the guise of showing compassion to veteran officials and providing additional relief. Remember, this 100,000 taels must personally pass through Liang Kentang's hands. Make him understand that without us, he might not even receive this 100,000 taels, and his position as Governor-General of Zhili will be unstable."

"Okay, I'll do it right away."

Fu Chang'an understood immediately and was about to write a note when Heshen remembered something else and said to Fu Chang'an, "Guo Shixun, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, submitted a memorial to the court, saying that the King of England, knowing that my Emperor Qianlong is celebrating his 80th birthday, has specially sent an envoy to our Great Qing to celebrate the Emperor's birthday. It is estimated that the envoy may come next year, and you will be in charge of this matter at that time."

Fu Chang'an was puzzled: "The Emperor's birthday was last year, what is this English delegation doing here again?"

"It's just a case of feigning an attack on one side while secretly advancing on another."

Heshen chuckled lightly, "If I'm not mistaken, the King of England wants to do business with our Great Qing and sell their goods to our country."

"Let the people in Guangdong handle the business; why bother having these foreign devils come all the way to the capital?"

Fu Chang'an had little interest in doing business with Westerners because he felt that no business was as profitable as lending money at exorbitant interest rates. Besides, England was just a tiny country; how much money could the Qing Dynasty possibly make from it?

Heshen smiled without saying a word, not discussing the British delegation's visit to China with Fu Chang'an. However, he already had a plan in mind: when the British delegation arrived, he would definitely try to mediate and expand trade between the two countries.

There was no other reason than that Heshen had his own representatives in the Thirteen Factories of Guangdong and was well aware of the enormous profits from overseas trade.

The British delegation wouldn't arrive until next year, so Heshen wasn't in a hurry. Because the room was too hot, he loosened his collar. Fukang'an went to his desk to write a request for funds for the Ministry of Revenue. He had only written half of it when the door to his office was pushed open.

A chill suddenly swept into the room. Heshen was about to reprimand the clumsy Man Zhangjing, Sa Rong'an, who had just entered, when Sa Rong'an, with a delighted expression, handed over a memorial: "Your Excellency, the acting governor of Anhui, Zhao Youlu, has reported to the court that the White Lotus sect in Anhui has been completely eradicated!"

"Oh?"

Heshen reached out and took the report of victory handed to him by Sa Rong'an. He knew that Zhao An had mobilized troops to suppress the remnants of the White Lotus Rebellion, because Zhao An had reported this matter to the emperor more than two months ago.

However, the report was somewhat exaggerated, saying that the White Lotus Sect had resurfaced, gathered crowds to rebel, and threatened prefectures and counties, with "thirty to forty thousand bandits and no fewer than several thousand core members."

More than two months later, Anhui sent good news. It was a bit late, but Heshen could understand. After all, the situation in northern Anhui was quite complicated, and the fighting strength of the Anhui Green Standard Army was much weaker than that of the Green Standard Army in other provinces.

It's quite remarkable to be able to uproot and completely eradicate such a problem.

After reading the memorial, Heshen handed it to Fu Chang'an, who had come closer, and nodded happily, saying, "This Zhao Youlu has indeed not disappointed me. He not only successfully saved the disaster, but also completely quelled the White Lotus bandits. Anhui Province is now completely peaceful. I wonder if anyone in the court will still say that I, Heshen, am bad at judging people, or that Zhao Youlu is just a dog of mine."

Fu Chang'an took the report and quickly scanned it. A smile appeared on his face as he followed Heshen's words and said, "When has Prime Minister He ever misjudged anyone? Zhao Youlu was just a mere academic official back then. If it weren't for Prime Minister He's appreciation and the master's exceptional promotion, would he be where he is today?"
Now it seems that Zhao Youlu is indeed a man of both literary and military talent. The mess in Anhui, with its drought and the White Lotus Rebellion, had Zhu Gui in a state of utter chaos, but Zhao Youlu cleaned it up perfectly without asking the court for money or causing any trouble for me. He is truly remarkable!

He Shen nodded repeatedly, feeling truly honored. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Outside, in this freezing weather, there's nothing but bad news. It's rare to have good news to ease the Emperor's mind. Let's go and tell him the good news so he won't be bored in the palace."

"Hey, Prime Minister, you have to admit, this Zhao Youlu is really an auspicious omen. He always surprises us and makes us look good in front of the Emperor."

"Sifu'er," who was eager to take Zhao An under his wing, immediately ordered Sa Rong'an to have a sedan chair prepared. He was unwilling to ride a horse with Heshen to the old master's place in the freezing cold outside, even though the journey was not far, it would still freeze a person to the bone.

(End of this chapter)