My father is Yongzheng, and I am Qianlong?

Chapter 345: He simply abdicated the throne to Hongli; they were all indeed very loyal to Qianlong!
Hongli pushed his thirteenth uncle, who was already in a wooden wheelchair, for a walk in his bestowed garden, and at this moment they stopped under a pink crape myrtle flower.

"It is only because of this initial victory in the Northwest that my nephew dares to protect Yue Zhongqi, a Han general."

Hongli responded with a smile at this moment.

Yunxiang shook his folding fan and nodded: "Uncle Thirteen knows that you are not a reckless and impulsive person. Since Yue Zhongqi has not made any merits first, it is naturally not appropriate for him to protect a Han general without reason."

"You really don't believe that Shi Yunzhuo sued Yue Zhongqi for Minru?"

Yunxiang, remembering that Hongli had told him that Shi Yunzhuo had accused Yue Zhongqi of saying behind his back that a Confucian scholar should not be killed because of a military man, asked Hongli again with a smile.

"Yue Zhongqi is a great general; we should err on the side of caution and believe he is not!"

After Hongli answered, he added, "Not only do I not believe it, but I also intend to remind Yue Zhongqi not to trust Shi Yunzhuo too much and to be wary of him; but I cannot dismiss Shi Yunzhuo now based on a momentary assumption, after all, he is the deputy general appointed by the Khan."

"That's right. We can't rule out the possibility that he did it on purpose to reassure the court about their Han generals."

"After all, the entire Western Route Army is in the hands of these two Han generals, and they are probably still afraid that the court will be suspicious of them."

"With foreign enemies at hand, it's often best to remain oblivious to many things."

Yunxiang replied.

Hongli smiled and said, "Thirteenth Uncle is right. There's still Galdan Tsering waiting for his nephew to make a mistake!"

Meanwhile, at the end of May in the eighth year of Yongzheng's reign, when Xiao Celing Dunduobu was plotting against Hongli to attack Kobdo, Galdan Tsering learned from the capital that Yongzheng had given Hongli a direct army.

This almost made Galdan Tsering's jaw drop: "At this time, Emperor Yongzheng actually gave Hongli his own directly controlled troops? And this was while Hongli was regent!"

After this question was asked, Galdan Tsering shrugged and asked, "Why doesn't he just give the throne to Hongli directly?!"

"This is impossible!"

"This is absolutely impossible!"

"This is not something a normal human being would do!"

Galdan Tsering immediately waved his hand and paced back and forth in front of a table in the room that was filled with mare's milk wine and roasted lamb legs.

Da Ce Ling Dun Duo Bu stood up from behind another table, which was also filled with mare's milk wine and roasted lamb legs, and said, "However, Yongzheng was indeed not a normal ruler; many of the things he did were quite incomprehensible."

Galdan Tsering suddenly pointed at him and said, "But you said it yourself, no emperor would completely trust his prestigious son!"

"Emperor Yongzheng may still be even more eccentric than we imagine!"

Da Ce Ling Dun Duo Bu continued, "Furthermore, news has come from the capital that we have lost many spies, including Ba Duo Ming, who was discovered by the Qing court and beheaded!"

Galdan Tsering's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but turn to look at him: "How were you discovered?"

"It seems to be some kind of model household of the Eight Banners. Now, this Prince Regent has ordered the Infantry Commander's Office to select honest and upright banner families from the Eight Banners stationed in Beijing as model households, encouraging them to investigate traitors!"

"This is impossible to guard against. Who knows which Manchu man drinking tea and watching opera in Shuntian Prefecture is a spy for the Qing court?"

Da Ce Ling Dun Duo Bu Hui Dao.

Galdan Tsering was just picking up a cup of mare's milk wine when he heard this, so he threw the cup and wine on the ground: "Damn it, who told him to use the Eight Banners like this!"

Bang!
As the white mare's milk spread and soaked through the carpet, Galdan Tsering's breathing grew heavier and heavier.

"Report!"

"Your Majesty, the young Taiji's men have returned and reported that they suffered a crushing defeat at Kobdo, with heavy losses!"

At this moment, Zaisang Mamut, who was beside Galdan Tsering, suddenly walked outside the tent and reported new information.

Galdan Tsering was shocked upon hearing this and immediately looked at Mamut.

Da Ce Ling Dun Duo Bu immediately asked, "What happened?"

"It is said that the little Taiji heard rumors that he was going to surrender to the Qing even in Xi'an, and also learned that the Qing army's western route was not in Kobdo. So he decided to take advantage of Kobdo's unstable foothold, capture Kobdo, prove it to the Great Khan, and prevent the Qing army from building a city in Kobdo."

"As a result, Xiao Taiji fell into their trap. Yue Zhongqi's western army had been hiding in Kobdo City for a long time, and even the northern army's Celeng had a large number of troops lying in ambush in the valleys near the Kobdo River."

"Therefore, the young Taiji was captured, and tens of thousands of his men were unable to return."

After Mamut said this, Galdan Tsering and Da Tsering Dundob looked at each other in bewilderment.

Galdan Tsering then put his hands on his hips and sneered, "Good! Very good! We haven't even used our tricks on the Qing court yet, and they've already done it!"

"The original intention of not having my brother's troops withdraw immediately was to monitor the Kobdo direction, but I didn't expect him to act rashly because of this."

"With such heavy losses, we must be even more cautious going forward."

Da Tsering Dundobu looked at Galdan Tsering. Galdan Tsering nodded, then gritted his teeth and said, "Since the Qing court used trickery to lure and annihilate our troops, then our trickery should also be put to use as soon as possible. As planned, we should send a small force to Turpan! Lure the western army to Turpan, and then find a way to destroy their northern army!"

"As it should be!"

"I have already found someone to lure the Qing army from the north to Chahanhada! At that time, perhaps we can turn Bokto Ridge into the graveyard of the Qing army from the north!"

Da Tsering Dondrup replied.

Galdan Tsering said very seriously, "If Heaven still favors my Dzungar, it should let that fourth prince, who is in charge of the country, taste the bitterness of losing troops and generals!"

"The northern route is mainly composed of the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners, and its elite troops were transferred from the capital. It is an important foundation for the Aisin Gioro family to maintain its power!"

"If we really inflict heavy losses on them, I guarantee they won't be able to recover for twenty years! Because that would be the loss of a whole generation!"

At this moment, Da Ce Ling Dun Duo Bu also said with a cold smile.

Galdan Tsering seemed to have already seen that day, the day when Hongli would be forced to cede territory and pay reparations to him, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Because there was still hope, Galdan Tsering's expression calmed down considerably, and he continued, "Now it seems that Yongzheng's trust in Hongli and his lack of concern about him rebelling may be related to Hongli's own intelligence. He actually discovered many of our spies!"

"That's right!"

"I have to admire him."

Da Ce Ling Dun Duo Bu Hui Dao.

Galdan Tsering suddenly exclaimed, "I wish he were my son!"

Because Liu Tongxun was to be ordered to go south to investigate local customs, Hongli met him at Yuqing Palace as usual, along with several other candidates for the Hanlin Academy who were among the newly appointed Jinshi this year.

The so-called "test Hanlin" meant that if Liu Tongxun violated the law and failed to investigate the customs and traditions, these test Hanlin scholars would be appointed as Hanlin scholars after providing evidence and making meritorious contributions.

Although the power of the Hanlin Academy in the Qing Dynasty was not as great as in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, it was still much faster for them to be promoted than other Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).

Putting aside everything else, the fact that it is easier for them to win the emperor's favor is something that other Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) cannot match.

Therefore, becoming a Hanlin scholar remained highly attractive to civil officials.

"I am willing to believe that the customs and traditions of Jiangnan are very upright and simple, but in any case, uprightness and simplicity must have an upright and simple appearance."

"After all, at the beginning of the dynasty, the court also carried out a purge using three major cases."

"After you go there, find a few specific examples."

Hongli then implied to Liu Tongxun that he should advise the gentry in Jiangnan to actively make up for the arrears in taxes, and that there was no need to repeat the three major cases.

"Whoo!"

Liu Tongxun and the others responded and then boarded a boat to Jiangnan.

The news that Liu Tongxun and his entourage had come to Jiangnan to investigate local customs and traditions had already been known to the gentry of Jiangnan.

"If this were in the previous dynasty, we could have used some methods to make Liu Tongxun either choose to die or pretend to be sick, thus delaying the inevitable."

"Unfortunately, these methods are no longer applicable to the Qing Dynasty today."

"Yes, if we do that, it will only give the court a reason to investigate our direct implementation of the red and black register system by having its own Manchus collude with commoners!"

"Let's all call on the wealthy households to contribute some money and grain to help the villagers pay off their arrears."

"Not only should we make up for the shortfall, but we should also donate more grain to support the military campaign in the Northwest. As for whether the Red and Black Registers will be implemented in Jiangnan, the key point is not whether we owe taxes, but whether we are loyal enough to the Qing Dynasty!"

"The Fourth Prince is currently overseeing the country, and he will be the future emperor. If we want to have a better future, we should at least try to make a good impression!"

"Is this what Zhang Zhongtang and Jiang Zhongtang meant?"

“That’s right. They said that only by doing this can we speak well of the gentry from Jiangnan in front of the Fourth Prince and make him have a better impression of us! That way, we won’t end up like His Majesty, who, because he was tricked by the people of Zhejiang, has always thought that the people of Zhejiang are unreliable since he ascended the throne!”

"Then let's donate. After all, the Qing Dynasty isn't the Ming Dynasty anymore. Why are we fighting in the Northwest?"

Therefore, when Liu Tongxun arrived in Jiangnan, he saw many Jiangnan gentry carrying many boats of grain heading north. From Yangzhou to Jiangning, the grain boats were almost continuous, like a large flock of migratory birds returning north.

Moreover, Liu Tongxun knew without asking that the grain on these grain ships was donated by gentry from Jiangnan, because these grain ships all flew long flags that indicated how much grain was donated by so-and-so.

"They're all smart people, after all."

"We must hurry and send an express mail to the Fourth Master. The gentry of Jiangnan are so considerate of the court and so loyal to the Qing Dynasty!"

Liu Tongxun was overjoyed and immediately returned to his cabin to begin writing a secret memorial.

(End of this chapter)