My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 331 The birth of Qianlong's eldest son, Yongzheng was overjoyed and bestowed upon Hongli even higher honors!
After Yongzheng said this, the thirteenth prince just smiled slightly and said, "But at least, it would be best to ask Hongli about who will be the next general."

Since the Mongol princes of Khalkha and other regions had requested troops, the Qing court was determined to send troops regardless.

Otherwise, the Qing court would be tantamount to voluntarily relinquishing its legal authority over the Khalkha region.

Emperor Yongzheng nodded.

"Did the Khalkha request reinforcements?"

Minister of War Erqi and Lu Zhenyang were extremely shocked when they learned of this.

"It seems that Fourth Master was right!"

After saying this, Erqi looked at Lu Zhenyang.

Lu Zhenyang gritted his teeth in frustration: "Damn Galdan Tsering, he actually dared to offend the Emperor's majesty!"

As he spoke, Lu Zhenyang strode over to the Bureau of Military Affairs, found the Northwest Map, and began to look at it.

Not long after Lu Zhenyang saw it, his face turned pale: "Oh no!"

Erqi, who had followed, asked, "How did it break?"

Lu Zhenyang pointed to the three characters "Keshetu" on the map: "Why didn't I think of requesting reinforcements here in advance!"

"Koshetu".

Erqi muttered to himself for a moment, then asked Lu Zhenyang, "You mean that if Galdan Tsering is going to invade, he will definitely invade this place?"

"nature!"

"This is where the imperial court's warhorses are concentrated."

"If I were Galdan Tsering, I would definitely launch a surprise attack here first!"

Lu Zhenyang replied.

Erqi nodded in agreement.

Then, Erqi couldn't help but sigh, "We were indeed too careless!"

"Fourth Master has arrived at the yamen!"

Just then, an announcement came from outside.

Erqi and Lu Zhenyang should have led the Ministry of War officials out of the yamen to greet them.

But now both of them hesitated.

Erqi looked at Lu Zhenyang and said, "Fourth Master is almost here."

Lu Zhenyang chuckled and said, "I really don't know how to face Fourth Master!"

Erqi pursed his lips after hearing this.

"Well, since things have come to this point, we can only let Fourth Master laugh at us or scold us!"

Lu Zhenyang continued speaking, and after gritting his teeth, he cupped his hands to Erqi, saying, "Please go first, sir!"

"Please go first, sir."

Erqi replied.

"You are Minister Man, so please come first."

"Since you are older and have made greater contributions, you should be invited first."

After some initial refusals, the two eventually had no choice but to come together.

When Hongli met these Ministry of War officials, he saw that the officials, led by Erqi and Lu Zhenyang, looked like wilted eggplants.

Hongli smiled slightly at this.

At the same time, I felt secretly pleased.

He knew that these Ministry of War officials, led by Erqi and Lu Zhenyang, were afraid of him mocking them.

Why do you all seem so listless?

While secretly pleased, Hongli also asked a question with a stern face.

Lu Zhenyang gritted his teeth and knelt down first: "Your Majesty, I am ashamed. I have delayed the important affairs of the court, and the court may have already lost many warhorses."

"I have also caused trouble for the important policies of the court."

"Fourth Master is still more wise!"

Erqi knelt down and replied.

The officials of the Ministry of War naturally knelt down and echoed their agreement.

"That's it!"

Hongli patted the snowflakes off his robe sleeves, said something, took off his cloak, and sat down to the side, saying, "The court has not lost any warhorses. Fu Peng, whom I sent to Koshetu, has already sent a letter saying that the Dzungars launched a surprise attack on Koshetu, but failed."

The two looked up in astonishment and exchanged bewildered glances.

"Fourth Master truly lives up to his reputation!"

"This time, I am truly impressed and completely admire you!"

Lu Zhenyang immediately kowtowed.

Erqi then kowtowed and said, "This servant is the same!"

Hongli simply smiled faintly.

Because Emperor Yongzheng suddenly wanted to convene the princes and ministers of the Council of State and the Nine Ministers to discuss the matter of conquering the Dzungars, Hongli entered the palace with Orchi and Lu Zhenyang not long after.

After entering the palace, Hongli met Grand Secretary Sun Zhu and Grand Secretary Zhang Tingyu.

When Grand Secretary Sun Zhu saw Hongli, he couldn't help but blush: "This servant greets Fourth Master!"

"That's it!"

Hongli didn't say much, but simply told Sun Zhu to get up.

At the same time, Zhang Tingyu also bowed deeply to Hongli.

Hongli smiled and nodded to Zhang Tingyu: "Rise!"

In any case, Zhang Tingyu was the only one who shared his views before.

Hongli naturally treated Zhang Tingyu with more kindness.

This is enough to show that Zhang Tingyu was very different from other ministers.

"Thank you, Fourth Master."

Sun Zhu couldn't afford to be dissatisfied, as he felt that Hongli treated Han officials better.

After all, facts have now proven that his claim was wrong.

When he arrived at the Qianqing Gate and saw the other princes and ministers, Sun Zhu's mood improved.

Because, like him, other ministers and councilors, including Prince Yi and the Emperor, were also wrong in their views.

This made Sun Zhu feel much better. "The Dzungars have still invaded the Khalkha. The Khalkha, Khorchin and other Mongol princes have all requested troops, and Galdan Tsering even personally led troops to launch a surprise attack on Koshetu."

"This shows that the previous council of princes and ministers' proposals were correct, as were those of Hongli and Zhang Tingyu."

"Of course, you don't need to be too self-deprecating because of this, or feel ashamed to stand in the court. Even the wisest person can make a mistake, it's inevitable."

"Moreover, neither I nor Prince Yi expected Galdan Tsering to be so arrogant and shameless this time!"

"Therefore, there's no need to dwell on the past now."

At this point, Yongzheng looked at Hongli and said, "Hongli, you must not become arrogant because of this and look down on the old ministers. You should still be humble."

"Your subject dares not, thank you for your teachings, Father!"

Hongli answered immediately.

Yongzheng nodded, and then said, "However, you did not give up on yourself because the court did not support you. Instead, you took precautions and eliminated potential dangers by sending Fu Peng to lead the left-wing firearms troops to Koshetu ahead of time. This is commendable."

"Even your thirteenth uncle praised you, saying you far surpass him in military command."

Yongzheng replied.

Hongli hurriedly replied, "Thirteenth Uncle, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise!"

But at this moment, because of Yongzheng's words, all the princes and ministers looked at Hongli.

This includes the Minister of Rites, Sertu, and Wei Tingzhen.

The eyes of everyone looking at Hongli shone with an unusual light.

Yongzheng then said with even greater solemnity, "Since the Dzungars have already invaded and the Mongol princes have requested troops, I intend to raise an army to punish them. What do you all think?"

"Your master is wise!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

These princes and ministers all agreed.

Of course, they wouldn't raise any objections.

After all, the emperor had made up his mind.

Furthermore, the Khalkha have already requested reinforcements, and unless someone dares to suggest abandoning large swathes of Khalkha territory at this time, no one would object.

Emperor Yongzheng summoned his senior officials to discuss politics, but the purpose was solely to appoint the generals to lead the expedition.

At this moment, Yongzheng said, "In that case, we agree to the Khalkha tribe's request and send troops to conquer the Dzungars!"

then.

Yongzheng then said, "As for the matter of sending troops, we have already discussed the strategy. We will send two armies, one in the north and one in the west. In your opinion, who should be the commander of these two armies?"

Many princes and ministers glanced at Hongli.

They certainly didn't think Hongli was suitable, but rather that he undoubtedly had better judgment in such matters.

After all, Hongli's current military prowess has successfully prevented the Qing Dynasty from suffering significant losses, and he possesses a deeper understanding of military affairs than most people.

Hongli then spoke first: "In my humble opinion, it would be appropriate to have my uncle as the chief general of the Northern Route Army and Yue Zhongqi as the chief general of the Western Route Army."

"This is because the Northern Route Army was mainly composed of Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners soldiers, and my uncle was the Khalkha League Chief, so he had more influence among the Mongols; while the Western Route Army was mainly composed of Green Standard Army soldiers, and Yue Zhongqi was well-versed in the Northwest War and had recently gained prestige for pacifying Tibet. Therefore, even if there were Eight Banner soldiers in the Western Route Army, they would not be disobedient to him."

After Hongli explained his reasons, Yongzheng nodded, then looked at the others: "And you?"

"This servant agrees with what Fourth Master has said, because the current facts have proven that in terms of military knowledge, this servant is no match for Fourth Master! And Fourth Master's analysis is indeed reasonable."

Sun Zhu spoke first.

"Your Majesty, I also believe that since Hongli advocates this, he must be right. After all, it was only he and Zhang Tingyu who saw through Galdan Tsering's wolfish ambitions this time."

Yunlu then spoke up.

Yongzheng's face darkened as he looked at Zhang Tingyu: "Hengchen, what do you think?"

"What Fourth Prince has chosen is certainly not a problem, but there has been no Manchu minister to serve as commander-in-chief for a long time, which may cause rumors and gossip."

Zhang Tingyu replied.

All the Manchu officials present gave Zhang Tingyu a gentle look.

Even Emperor Yongzheng nodded in agreement.

Hongli smiled to himself, thinking to himself, "Zhang Tingyu is truly different from others."

“There are capable ministers in Manchuria, such as my uncle Longkodo, and Fupeng, who recently distinguished himself in Koshetu, but Fupeng is not qualified enough.”

Yunxiang then spoke, looking at Yongzheng.

Yongzheng said, "My uncle is too old; it's not appropriate!"

"In that case, the two men recommended by Hongli are more suitable. Conquest is a major national affair and cannot be taken lightly! Hongli is insightful in military affairs and good at using people. Sending Fu Peng to lead the firearms battalion to Koshetu is an example. Therefore, at this time, it is not advisable to ruin the overall situation by insisting that a Manchu occupy the position of general."

"Moreover, the foundation of our Great Qing Dynasty is based on the people."

Yunli continued.

"We, your servants, second that opinion."

"I second the proposal!"

Because Hongli has demonstrated strong predictive abilities in military and political affairs, everyone is willing to trust him.

Seeing this, Yongzheng could only agree: "Then I will appoint Prince Tsering as the General of Pacification, and together with General Yue Zhongqi, the General of Ningyuan, lead the northern and western armies to attack the Dzungars!"

"According to the order!"

Hongli secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "Fortunately, this time I didn't use the Eight Trigrams to determine the general, but instead I chose Fu'erdan, who is said to be very handsome but has poor strategy and is afraid of death."

Although Celing lacked diplomatic skills, he was not weak militarily.

However, a large army cannot simply set off immediately upon issuing an imperial edict; there are many complicated administrative matters to be handled.

Hongli, who was in charge of the Ministry of War and the Eight Banners Commandery, naturally became even busier.

However, during his busy period, his primary consort, Empress Fucha, gave birth to a son in March of the seventh year of Yongzheng's reign.

This means that Hongli has a legitimate eldest son.

Therefore, when Hongli met Yongzheng, he specifically requested, "Since he is the eldest son of the legitimate wife, I dare not take a name without permission. Please, Father, bestow a name upon him."

In this era, the distinction between嫡子 (legitimate son) and 庶子 (illegitimate son) was highly valued. Therefore, Yongzheng was very pleased and took out a name he had already prepared from his sleeve, saying with a smile, "I have already thought of a name."

"Your subject, on behalf of the Emperor's grandson, thanks Khanmafa for bestowing this name."

When Hongli returned, he took the note, which read "Yonglian".

At that time, Yongzheng also said: "Now that you have a legitimate son, your weight in the hearts of the people will be even more extraordinary. Therefore, I cannot help but express my opinion. I grant you permission to hold a banquet in the Hall of Supreme Harmony to entertain the Mongol princes who come to the capital in the name of the birth of your legitimate son."

"You cannot refuse!"

"This is both to let the Mongol princes know that the Qing dynasty's descendants are prosperous and the nation's fortunes have not declined; and to take this opportunity to appease the Mongol princes so that they will cooperate with the Qing dynasty in its military campaign against the Dzungars."

"My son, I accept the order and thank you!"

(End of this chapter)