Qing Yao

Chapter 452 Sanfu Should Be Conferred the Title of King

Since the Jinghai Marquis case, the old master has been in much better spirits and mind than before the Lunar New Year. Yesterday, he even met with Lobsang Danba, the half-brother of the late Sixth Pan Master.

This move was the old master's way of showing his concern for the plateau system and the Qing Dynasty's determination to protect the Yellow Sect. He also hoped that through Lobsang Danba, he could mobilize local forces on the plateau to fully support the Qing army's military operations.

The old master had high hopes for Sanfu'er's expedition. After meeting Lobsang Danba, he issued an edict to transfer Shulin, the governor of Shanxi, to the position of governor-general of Liangjiang. The current governor-general of Liangjiang, Sun Shiyi, was then transferred to the position of governor-general of Sichuan.

Sun Shiyi had served as acting governor of Sichuan for a year and had also cooperated with Fukang'an in the campaign against Annam and the suppression of the Tiandihui uprising in Taiwan during his tenure as governor of Guangdong and Guangxi. He was good at prioritizing important matters and understood the big picture. Therefore, the old master was most at ease with him taking over from the elderly and ailing Li Shijie to support Fukang'an from the rear.

At the same time, he ordered Le Bao, the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, Kui Shu, the Minister in Charge of Qinghai Affairs, Cheng De, the Minister of Assistance, and Fu Ning, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Gansu, to ensure that food and supplies were provided and that military equipment was continuously transported to the plateau.

But what worried the old man even more was where "Sanfu'er" had led the army.

The last report Fukang'an sent to the court before the New Year stated that he had arrived in Xining and marched towards Lasha without rest, but no further reports have been sent to him since.

To gain a better understanding of the situation on the plateau, the old master got up early and had someone summon the Tibetan Buddhist master Zhangjia Hutuktu in Beijing to the palace. He also summoned the Grand Councilors Fu Chang'an and Dong Gao, as well as Peng Yuanrui, the Han Minister of Works, to the palace.

Summoned by the emperor, Master Zhangjia dared not delay and hurriedly entered the palace to perform a grand ceremony.

"Master, there's no need for such formalities,"

The old master raised his hand to indicate that Zhangjia Guoshi did not need to bow. "I summoned you here to hear your opinion on whether traveling on the plateau at this time of year is difficult or not."

"Your Majesty,"

The Grand Preceptor Zhangjia clasped his hands together, saying, “At this time, the high-altitude wind is as cold as a knife; walking on flat ground feels like carrying a thousand pounds, making it difficult to breathe. Furthermore, the roads are covered with ice and snow, and in steep sections, the ice is as slippery as a mirror; a misstep by man or horse could plunge into a bottomless abyss. In addition, the area is desolate and uninhabited, making resupply extremely difficult.”
Based on my numerous experiences traveling this route, even with familiarity and light travel, it would take at least 120 days to reach Lhasa from Xining.

One hundred and twenty days?

The old man frowned, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the imperial desk.

"It takes this long?"

Even though Fu Chang'an knew nothing about military affairs, he was still frightened by what the Grand Preceptor Zhangjia said. He subconsciously looked up as if he wanted to say something to the old master, but in the end he swallowed his words back.

“Your Majesty, what Master Zhangjia said is indeed true. However, General Fukang’an’s troops are all battle-hardened elites, and their will is far superior to that of ordinary merchant caravans. Moreover, according to reports from Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai, all stations, horses and provisions along the way have been prepared to the best of their ability. Everything is ready. I believe that the General will be able to overcome the obstacles and arrive on schedule.”

The speaker was Dong Gao, a Grand Councilor who also served as the Minister of Revenue. His words were both meant to comfort the Emperor and were based on an analysis of the logistical support situation.

Peng Yuanrui chimed in at the opportune moment: "Your Majesty, although the plateau is treacherous, nature's work can also be advantageous at times. At this time of severe cold, the roads, though treacherous, are also sturdy, thus avoiding the suffering of being trapped in muddy swamps in the summer. General, your choice to advance in the dead of winter is in line with the principle of military strategy of catching the enemy off guard."

The old man nodded slightly after hearing this, knowing that his subject was trying to comfort him.

The imperial court spent more than a year planning this expedition, and countless resources, supplies, and equipment were lost.

Previously, Lebao was ordered to gather horses in Gansu, and Kuishu procured livestock through Mongolian princes, all to ensure that the army could enter Tibet smoothly.

The old man provided everything he could in terms of logistics, but the plateau was indeed extremely dangerous, and it was a real possibility that Sanfu might perish on the way.
Compared to repelling foreign enemies, the old man was more concerned about Fukang'an's safety, not only because Fukang'an was his blood relative, but also because Fukang'an was the old man's handpicked number one military officer.

This first person is destined to play a significant role in the future; if he were to perish on the plateau, it would disrupt the old man's overall plans.

Sanfu'er had already led his troops into the plateau, and the situation at the front was impossible to report to the capital. What could the old master do even if he was worried? Just as he was worrying, he heard hurried footsteps outside the palace.

Immediately, the head eunuch, Li Yu, strode to the front of the hall: "Your Majesty, an urgent dispatch from General Fu!"

"Bring it here, bring it here quickly!" Looking at the urgent report in Li Yu's hand, the old man didn't know whether it was good or bad, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"Whoo!"

Li Yu practically ran to present the urgent report to the Emperor. The old master snatched it, forcefully unscrewed the sealed lid, took out the memorial inside, and quickly unfolded it to read.

Everyone saw that the old man's gaze first froze and his brows were furrowed, but soon his furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, and then a huge smile of surprise bloomed on the old man's face covered with age spots.

"Good! Good! Well done, Fukang'an!"

The old man said "good" three times in a row, and the gloom in his heart was instantly swept away. He turned to the Zhangjia National Preceptor and laughed heartily: "Master, you said that the ordinary journey on the plateau takes one hundred and twenty days? Guess how long it took my Sanfu'er to reach Lhasa?"

Before the master could speak, the old man excitedly raised the report in his hand high, and said with great pride, "Fifty days! My Sanfu'er has successfully arrived in Lasha in just fifty days!"

"Fifty days?!"

The National Preceptor Zhangjia's face instantly filled with astonishment. His prayer beads involuntarily stopped, and he murmured in disbelief, "This...this is simply a miracle!"

"Third Brother didn't disgrace his master!"

Fu Chang'an, the younger brother, was already too excited to contain himself. Before the battle, the court had analyzed that the key to this battle lay in whether the army could successfully reach Lasha. If not, the battle was likely to drag on for a long time, and it might even become another defeat for the Qing Dynasty, just like Burma and Annam.

Conversely, if the army can successfully reach Lasha, the tiny Gurkha nation will surely be defeated!

This means that the Third Brother will make another great contribution, and after returning to Beijing, he will most likely replace Agui as the Prime Minister of the Qing Dynasty.

In this way, the Fu family's power would probably be unmatched even by Heshen, and Heshen would not dare to underestimate them then.

Dong Gao was also shocked and bowed deeply, a sincere smile on his face: "Your Majesty, I congratulate you! General Fu's speed will surely boost the morale of our army, and the Gurkhas will tremble with fear!"

Peng Yuanrui, equally beaming, exclaimed with admiration, "This is all thanks to His Majesty's boundless divine might and the General's unparalleled loyalty and bravery, which enabled him to create this unprecedented feat!"

"I knew Sanfu'er could do it! He trekked through the harsh winter, traveling at full speed, covering five thousand miles under the clouds and moon, and arrived at Sun City in fifty days! Heaven blesses the Great Qing, with Sanfu'er by my side, what worries do I have about the Gurkha not being destroyed!"

The old man's eyes shone brightly, as if he could already see Sanfu leading his army to a great victory over the enemy.

In his excitement, he raised his right hand and exclaimed, "By imperial decree, if Fukang'an achieves a triumphant victory this time, I will not hesitate to bestow upon him the title of a prince!"

These words sent a jolt through everyone in the hall.

Your Highness!

Since the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, no prince of a different surname has been granted a title in the Qing Dynasty. This shows how much the old master favored Fukang'an.

The Fucha family truly enjoyed unparalleled favor during the Qianlong era!

However, he did not notice that the smile on Heshen's face froze instantly as he stepped into the palace gate, as if an invisible ice spike had suddenly pierced his body, causing his right foot, which had just been raised to perform the salutation, to stop uncontrollably.

Is the master going to bestow the title of king upon Fukang'an?
Surprised, Heshen felt a chill creep down his spine for no apparent reason.

(End of this chapter)