My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 255 A Wise Ruler Rules the Country, and the Virtuous King Praises Him!
Yunli nodded.

At this moment, Tegut and other officials also stood up and bowed, saying, "Fourth Master is wise."

"Look at this, this is the benefit of reading more Han Chinese classics!"

"It's remarkable that you, Hongli, possess such wisdom."

Yunli laughed and reminded the Manchu and Mongol ministers in front of him to read more Han books, and instructed Tegut: "Draft a memorial according to Prince Bao's suggestion."

"Whoo!"

But then Tegut suddenly spoke up: "While this may have deterred the Russians from demanding a replacement, it ultimately did not help advance the negotiation process."

Yunli nodded and began to think seriously: "The Court of Colonial Affairs should give Longko more advice, lest he really think that our Court of Colonial Affairs is unwilling to support concessions."

After hearing this, Hongli looked at Yunli and said, "Seventeenth Uncle, why don't we suggest that when Longkodo is negotiating with the Russians, for areas that the Russians are determined not to concede, we should set aside the issue of sovereignty and first establish trade and cooperation?"

"That is, we retain our claim to sovereignty over the land, but we can set aside the question of sovereignty for now and allow the Russians to cooperate with our Great Qing in developing and trading the disputed land to benefit the local people. In turn, we can increase mutual understanding through cooperation and create conditions for sovereignty."

After Hongli said this, Yunli said, "Then they will definitely be willing. After all, they allow their subjects to plunder and exempt them from the tax on furs, only taking the profits from trade. Our Great Qing has strict restrictions on Mongols, so many Mongols are more willing to flee over to become their subjects and have the right to plunder and be exempt from paying the tax on furs. They even hope that in the future they can form the Eight Banners with Russia and go south to plunder the rich Han lands."

“What Prince Guo said is true. If this continues, these areas will eventually become the territory of the Rakshasa Kingdom in effect.”

Tegut continued.

"That makes sense, but what if we strictly prohibit private mining within the Great Wall, only allow mining outside the Great Wall, and exempt the mining tax in the northern desert region, even providing subsidies?"

“We Chinese govern the country with propriety, so we cannot give the Mongols the right to plunder, nor can we prohibit them from handing over furs to tribal leaders. But we can provide the Mongols with jobs and exempt them from other taxes.”

"Our Great Qing Dynasty is not truly incapable of bringing blessings to the Mongols!"

Hongli replied.

Yunli laughed: "In that case, the Han gentry in the south will suffer even greater losses."

"We can only make things difficult for them for now. Anyway, they are not of one mind with the Han people and will not rebel."

Hongli replied with a smile.

Yunli said, "But, Hongli! You should know that His Majesty has just issued an edict to open the erudite and eloquent scholar examination. I'm afraid that if we do this, His Majesty will worry and it will affect the future recruitment of great Han scholars for this examination!"

"It's alright!"

“We can propose to the Khan that for provinces with great scholars willing to take the exam, the number of provincial examination slots be increased accordingly, the number of prefectural students be increased accordingly, and the number of county students be increased accordingly.”

"The imperial court has stopped the donation of officials, and the Khan is working hard to govern. After the land tax was converted into a poll tax, the policy of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials was implemented in Yunnan and Guizhou. It is possible that in the future, not only Yunnan and Guizhou, but also more southern places will follow suit."

"Therefore, the Qing Dynasty is currently in dire need of officials."

"Perfect, let's recruit more first and train them through observation."

"As for the Han people, as long as they can study and become officials, even high-ranking officials, many of them will be very loyal, even more loyal than the Manchus!"

Hongli replied with a smile.

Yunli also laughed and looked at Tegut and other officials of the Court of Colonial Affairs: "What do you gentlemen think?"

Tegut and the others all looked shocked.

It is said that the officials of the Court of Colonial Affairs were all selected from the Manchu and Mongol ethnic groups, so the officials of the Court of Colonial Affairs were very familiar with the Manchu and Mongol nobles.

For example, Tegut clearly understood that the nobles of the Northern Mongolian Mongols were different from those of the Southern Mongolian Mongols. The former had a weak sense of belonging to the Qing Dynasty and were not well Sinicized. If it weren't for the military pressure from the Dzungars, they would not have submitted to the Qing Dynasty during the Kangxi era. The latter, on the other hand, not only had a strong sense of belonging, but many of them were also well-versed in Confucianism to the point that they could participate in the imperial examinations. They already considered themselves citizens of China and did not consider themselves barbarians.

Of course, this phenomenon also directly evolved into Inner and Outer Mongolia in history.

However, precisely because the officials of the Court of Colonial Affairs were all Manchu and Mongol bannermen, they did not know much about Han gentry.

Therefore, Tegut was quite surprised by Hongli's approach of sacrificing the mining profits of Han gentry within the Great Wall while using the imperial examination system to further divide and control them, thus achieving a balance between foreign and domestic affairs.

They never expected that Emperor Qianlong would know so much about Han Chinese gentry.

"Your Highness, this is a brilliant plan, and I am truly impressed!"

Tegut replied at this point.

Ban Di, the Extra Vice Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, echoed, "This servant feels the same way, I admire you to the extreme!"

Then, the Left Vice Minister of the Court of Colonial Affairs, Dase, and the Right Vice Minister, Changshou, also replied, "We, your servants, also admire Fourth Master to the utmost!"

Therefore, Yunli said, "Then let's follow Hongli's suggestion and issue a court order to Longkodo."

The central government departments could directly issue orders to officials.

For example, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue could directly issue imperial edicts to the Provincial Administration Commissioner and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, urging the collection of grain and fodder. "Yes, sir!"

At this moment, Hongli added to Yunli: "However, Seventeenth Uncle, the Beihai area absolutely cannot be left undiscussed. You and the others must be aware now that if that area is given to the Russian Kingdom, it will only give the Russian Kingdom the opportunity to station a large army next to the Khalkha Mongols!"

"I know that. It's thanks to the Jingshi Xinbao that articles have been published to popularize geography, so that many court officials and scholars who only know how to bury themselves in classical studies and ancient texts know how important Beihai is."

"Now who would dare to say they would abandon the Beihai area? They would only be criticized by the people of the world."

Yunli nodded in reply.

Then, Yunli said to Hongli, "Now that this matter has been settled, Hongli, I will take you to see the various offices so that you can also decide where to work."

Hongli nodded: "I'll listen to my seventeenth uncle."

"You don't have to listen to me. If I've done anything wrong, just point it out."

"Although the Court of Colonial Affairs is managed by your seventeenth uncle, and you assist in its management, we will still discuss things together. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Yunli waved his hand.

Hongli understood that Yunli had no intention of seizing power because of his special status, and that was why he said that all matters of the Court of Colonial Affairs should be discussed with him.

"By imperial decree, Prince Guo is summoned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for an audience!"

But at this moment, a eunuch of Emperor Yongzheng came to the Court of Colonial Affairs.

"this!"

Upon hearing this, Yunli had no choice but to have Tegut and others take Hongli to the various offices, while he himself went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Emperor Yongzheng's audience with Yunli was also for the purpose of negotiating with the Russian Empire.

"Has your Court of Colonial Affairs reached a conclusion?"

Emperor Yongzheng inquired about this after Yunli arrived.

Before Yunli could answer, Yongzheng continued, "The Ministry of War has sent intelligence that Russia has sent officials to the Dzungar Khanate to help train their artillery. As long as the negotiations remain unresolved, Russia will continue to brazenly help the Dzungar Khanate threaten our Great Qing!"

"It has been agreed upon and is estimated to have been sent to the Ministry of Justice."

Yunli replied.

After listening, Yongzheng nodded and asked, "How is Hongli doing as an assistant in the Court of Colonial Affairs?"

"I believe that he no longer needs to be an assistant; he can directly manage a department, or even manage several departments concurrently!"

"Regarding this negotiation with the Russian Empire, he actually thought of solving the diplomatic problem through domestic reforms, and taking into account the issues of Mongol princes and Han gentry. It can be said that he understands both groups very well, especially the Han gentry."

"A person of exceptional ability!"

Yunli replied.

Yongzheng couldn't help but glance at Yunli: "He actually linked this matter with Han gentry?"

"That's right!"

Yunli then relayed Hongli's words to Yongzheng.

Yongzheng glanced at the "Capital News" in front of him and said, "No wonder this kid dared to announce the border agreement to the world through the 'Capital News' without fear that I would let the world think that I was abandoning territory and that the negotiations would be deadlocked."

"You're right. Now that the *Beijing News* has spread the truth about the Russian Kingdom and the importance of the North Sea, even if we want to negotiate the border as soon as possible, we can no longer compromise!"

"And the reason why Hongli dared to do this is because he knew that you were a ruler who was diligent and hardworking!"

"That's why I said he doesn't need me to take him with me at all!"

Yunli replied with a smile.

"But the Court of Colonial Affairs is not just about being good at political maneuvering."

Yongzheng replied.

Hongli, along with Tegut and others, first arrived at the Banner Registration Office.

The Banner Registration Office was the most important office of the Court of Colonial Affairs, responsible for matters such as the division of territories, granting titles, genealogy, alliances, and post stations for the Mongol tribes. It was the core department of the Court of Colonial Affairs and undoubtedly the most lucrative position.

Nayantai, the secretary of the Banner Bureau, naturally dared not offend Hongli and lose such a lucrative post. So, when Hongli arrived, he led all the officials of the bureau to kneel outside the bureau gate: "This servant, Nayantai, the seventh Zuo Ling of the Plain Blue Banner of Mongolia, pays respects to Fourth Master!"

(End of this chapter)