Qing Yao

Chapter 430 Bestowing Ruyi

Zhao An knelt on the ground but his back was straight, his gaze firm. If necessary, he could give He Zhongtang a 45-degree salute and shout "Long live Niu Hulu!"

What is the heart of a child?

Just like Zhao An.

He Shen knew the immense value and significance of an elite army that obeyed only one person, yet his gaze, fixed on the resolute Zhao An, shifted between sharpness and malice, and occasionally a barely perceptible hint of fear.

The fear did not stem from Zhao An in front of him, but from the moment the mountain collapsed.

After a long while, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, Heshen let out a long breath and looked at Zhao An slowly, saying, "What you said today was really bold. No one has ever said this to me before, and no one has ever dared to say it to me. I never expected that a young man like you would be so bold. Is it really the fearlessness of a newborn calf, or is it just that you are ignorant and fearless? However, your words have enlightened me, like the clouds parting to reveal the blue sky. I have thought about many things and understood many things."

After saying that, he casually picked up the jade ruyi and went to the "Fu" character hanging on the wall.

This "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character was specially written and bestowed upon Heshen by the late Emperor Qianlong on New Year's Eve in the fortieth year of his reign.

That year was the year Heshen rose to prominence.

Based on the statement "Those in charge cannot shirk their responsibilities," he was promoted from a third-class errand boy to a first-class guard of the Qianqing Gate by the old master, and seven days later he was promoted to deputy commander of the Manchu Plain Blue Banner.

In the first month, his entire family was moved to the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner, and he was concurrently appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; in the third month, he was promoted to Grand Councilor; in the fourth month, he was concurrently appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Household Department; in the fifth month, he was concurrently appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner; in the sixth month, he became the Director of the National History Museum; in the twelfth month, he was put in charge of the affairs of the officers and soldiers of the three banners of the Imperial Household Department and was awarded the honor of riding a horse in the Forbidden City.

That year, Heshen was only twenty-five years old!
In just one year, he went from a Qi Refining cultivator to a late-stage Nascent Soul expert, all thanks to the "Fu" character hanging on the wall—a blessing given by the old master!

Winning or losing does not matter.

Heshen, who was standing before the character "福" (fortune), thought of this allusion. He was not Han Xin, nor did he want to be Han Xin, nor could he be Han Xin. Therefore, he needed to have a real weapon of his own.

The military power of the Eight Banners is now completely controlled by Fu San. His younger brother and Lin are too inexperienced. Even if he can speak up for his younger brother in front of the old master, it will be difficult to shake Fu San's position.

As long as Fu San is alive, the soldiers of the Eight Banners will only recognize General Fu, not him or the Grand Secretary.

Thus, as Zhao An said, He Shen needs to make other arrangements, otherwise it is hard to say whether someone will take away his vast fortune in the future.

It was impossible to take away the Eight Banners military power from Fu San, because the old master's favor towards Fu San was no less than that towards He Shen, but the "masterless" Green Standard Army could be taken away.

Although the hundreds of thousands of Green Standard Army soldiers scattered throughout the country have varying combat capabilities, their advantage lies in their sheer number and the fact that they are stationed in various places. If one could secretly control a portion of them, especially if one could control the Green Standard Army in key areas such as Zhili, Liangjiang, Henan, and Shandong, one could summon them to Beijing in the future and use them to contend with Fu San.

At the very least, it would make Fu San and those courtiers who secretly harbored hostility towards him think twice about the consequences of overturning the table.

Among the many cronies of the local governors and viceroys, very few were knowledgeable in military affairs. Zhao An's appearance undoubtedly filled the void left by Heshen's lack of capable generals. Thinking of Zhao An's two great victories in Anhui and the fact that even the old master acknowledged Zhao An's expertise in military matters, Heshen turned around with a resolute look in his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Zhao Youlu, you must remember what I said today. After returning to Anhui in a few days, manage things well and perform your duties diligently. Don't hesitate to ask for money or grain, but remember, you must keep the Anhui Green Standard Army firmly in your hands."

"Whoo!"

Zhao An had been waiting for these words, so he kowtowed without hesitation and then offered his solution without any politeness: "Your Excellency's trust in me is something I could never repay even with my life. I humbly request Your Excellency's permission to train a new army in Anhui!"

"Training a new army?"

A look of doubt flashed in Heshen's eyes.

Zhao An quickly explained, "Your Excellency is unaware that the Green Standard Army in Anhui is deeply entrenched in problems, its military preparedness is lax, and it is filled with the old and weak, making it unusable. If we were to suddenly request the court to allocate a large sum of money and grain for reorganization and training, I fear it would arouse suspicion, and it would only be a temporary solution."

After analyzing the current situation of the Green Standard Army in Anhui, Zhao An put forward his opinion, namely, to take advantage of the precedent set by the militia organized by his predecessor Zhu Gui during his tenure, and use its regulations and rules as a blueprint to legitimately eliminate the weak and retain the strong in Anhui, and then use the militia to select elite and courageous soldiers to be incorporated into the Anhui Green Standard Army, thereby achieving the goal of "replacing the old with the new".

Heshen knew that Zhu Gui was organizing local militias in Anhui, and the old master had agreed to it. Zhu Gui's reasons for organizing the militias were similar to Zhao An's; both believed that the Green Standard Army was in disarray and unfit for important tasks.

The old man should have a good understanding of the actual situation of the Green Camp, so he wanted Zhu Gui to pilot the militia training in Anhui to see if the militia training could solve the practical problem of the Green Camp being unusable.

If group training proves effective, it will likely be promoted nationwide.

The local militia did indeed play a significant role in suppressing the White Lotus Rebellion a few years later; otherwise, figures like Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang would not have risen to prominence through the militia.

Zhao An is now secretly training a new army under the guise of local militia, which is completely legal in terms of procedure. There is no need to report to the old master again, and it is also in accordance with the law and regulations of the Ministry of War.

As long as Heshen acquiesced, there would be no problem with the training of a new army in Anhui.

"When I quelled the White Lotus Rebellion in Anhui, I selected some capable officers and personally chose many trusted men. These men are all capable of great things. If Your Excellency can provide them with the full support of provisions and weapons, I will surely be able to train a fighting force that obeys only Your Excellency's orders!"

To persuade Heshen to willingly spend money to train his new army, Zhao An dropped a bombshell, declaring emphatically, "In the future, if Your Excellency needs me, I will lead my troops northward from Anhui along the Grand Canal, either heading straight for the capital, aiming for the Central Plains, or guarding the grain transport, to stabilize the overall situation for Your Excellency, making those petty villains bow down and obey Your Excellency's orders, and ensuring the stability of our Great Qing Dynasty for ten thousand years!"

"allow!"

Heshen was not an indecisive person. Since he had decided to support his cronies to control the Green Standard Army and seize military power, he spared no expense in terms of money and supplies. He then stepped forward and handed the jade ruyi in his hand to Zhao An, nodding slightly and saying, "You should take some time in the next few days to draft the specific regulations for training the new army and how much money, supplies and weapons are needed, and submit them directly to me. As for what the court is obligated to give you, you should submit a memorial to claim it yourself; as for what is not enough, I will arrange it here."

"Slave understands!"

Zhao An dared not accept the jade ruyi, but Heshen, seeing this, directly stuffed the jade ruyi into his hand and said with a sigh, "I have loved this ruyi ever since I got it. Today I give it to you, hoping that I will be satisfied and you will be satisfied."

(End of this chapter)