You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 375 Lack of enthusiasm for ascending the throne indicates a flawed mindset.

Sharhuda immediately rose from his seat, knelt on one knee, and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble official is willing!"

"Good~"

Jiang Qingyun was overjoyed. Since they were sensible, the axemen who had been lying in wait no longer needed to appear.

"Come on, bring me pen and ink."

In high spirits, he immediately wrote a letter of appointment—Hereby appointing Sharhuda as the Military Governor of Heilongjiang!

The Warlord is a new official position in the United Empire.

On horseback, they command the army; on foot, they govern the people. They defend the borders on behalf of Heaven, suppress internal bandits, and resist foreign enemies. Not an inch of land may be lost; otherwise, they will face severe punishment from the central government.

Under the watchful eyes of several high shamans, Sharhuda and his son cut off their braids on the spot, held the black and red dragon banner in their hands, and swore on the spot that they would never betray him, otherwise a great calamity would befall them, and they would die and their clan would be wiped out.

This seemingly ethereal method had no binding force on the intelligent Han people, but it had a considerable binding force on the less civilized and barbaric tribes.

Civilization does not always bring us progress!

……

Given that the temperature outside the Great Wall was getting colder day by day, Sharhuda and his son were only allowed to stay in Shengjing for two days before being granted permission to return north with 2 Shengjing prisoners.

These 10,000 prisoners were the truly old, weak, sick, and disabled, including only 500 bannermen and 350 bannerwomen.

But for Sharhuda, whose population was extremely small, this was a godsend.

The day of departure!
Jiang Qingyun personally saw them off.
"Prime Minister, farewell."

"Wait a minute."

Under Sharhuda's watchful eye, a group of soldiers escorted Bashkov and his guards out.

"Do you know him? He is an envoy sent by the Tsar. His name is Bashkov."

Sharhuda gripped the hilt of his knife tightly in an instant.

Although I don't know the person, I'm very familiar with the name.

"The Tsar wants to persuade me to join forces to wipe you out. Tell me, how is that possible? How could I possibly cooperate with a bunch of filthy, ugly cannibalistic barbarians?"

"The Grand Secretary!!"

These words truly moved Sharhuda, and even his Soren guards were stirred up.

Lu Xun once said: The best way for adults to strengthen their friendship is to find a common enemy!
Jiang Qingyun, nicknamed Zhou Shuren.

……

In full view of everyone, Bashkov was subjected to castration!
With a swift twist of the gleaming blade, a bloodied object fell to the ground. Amidst a piercing scream, the first eunuch of the Rakshasa Kingdom was born!

"Cut your ears!"

The next second, Bashkov's guards had both ears cut off!

The Sharhuda father and son, along with the Soren guards, silently offered their most devout prayers.

Loyalty, needless to say!

The Prime Minister is incredibly charismatic!
Jiang Qingyun gradually suppressed his smile and gestured for Sharhuda to come closer.

"Chief assistant?"

"I've prepared 300 matchlock muskets for you. Go back and prepare well for the war against the Russians. Border affairs are complicated, and the central government has no intention of interfering. I hope you can handle the armed invasion of the Russians independently, but if you can't, then the central government will have to send troops to Heilongjiang!"

"I understand."

……

Five miles away, Sharhuda's son, Bahai, looked back and saw the chief minister still standing on the city wall, unwilling to leave for a long time.

"Father, what do you think of this Chief Minister Chiang?"

"These past few days, I haven't been able to stop thinking about an old friend."

"Who?"

"Emperor Taizong".

"What about the future?"

"Defending the border, paying taxes, and fighting against the Russians are our only way out and our only way to survive."

"Yes."

Ba Hai glanced back at the long queue.

"Father, with so many mouths to feed all of us suddenly, we definitely won't have enough food next year."

"I've thought it through. We'll surround the Russian vanguard stronghold of Huma City in the spring, besiege it, and attack. No matter the cost, we must take this stronghold; otherwise, the central army will seize Heilongjiang."

The father and son said no more.

Attacking the Russian stronghold at all costs—Huma City, located along the Heilongjiang River—would serve two purposes: firstly, to effectively deplete the excess old and weak, and secondly, to demonstrate strength.

A frontier military governor who cannot win battles cannot gain the respect of the central government.

When Ba Hai looked back, Shengjing had vanished. The road ahead was shrouded in white desolation, the road behind was also shrouded in white desolation.
...Shengjing Imperial Palace.

The atmosphere was peaceful and joyous, warm as springtime.

Her long sleeves flowed gracefully, and her slender waist swayed gently.

A maidservant hurriedly approached and whispered, "Prime Minister, the old master requests an audience."

"Who?"

Jiang Qingyun was probably drunk and didn't react for a moment.

"The Governor-General of Zhili requests an audience."

"He's my father, please come in."

"Yes."

Before long, Jiang Zhongcheng strode into the hall.

"Father, sit down."

Seeing his father's uncomfortable expression, Jiang Qingyun waved his hand, and the dancers and musicians immediately left the stage.

"Dad, what's wrong with you?"

“My son, how can you indulge in wine and women all day long? This cannot go on.”

"Father, you've been indulging in this for half a month."

"Oh dear, how can I be the same as you? You're going to be the emperor someday, so you have to be moderate. Your health and your offspring are important. Besides, what's so great about staying in this godforsaken place like Shengjing? Let's hurry home."

"Father, you don't understand. I'm busy with national affairs all day long, and the pressure is too great. I need to relax."

"Really?"

"Both Dean Wu and Celestial Master Zhang said so, it can't be wrong."

“Alright. Let’s go back to the capital. You can live in the Forbidden City, with three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines. We can also set up a Leopard House so you can relax however you want.”

……

Jiang Qingyun waved his hand.

"The time is not yet ripe!"

“My son, you are mature, exceptionally mature. With just one order from you, the entire Green Standard Army of Zhili will drape a dragon robe over you, and anyone who dares to disobey will be killed.”

"What about the rest?"

“The governors and viceroys of the provinces dared not disobey, except for Zheng Sen.”

“Father, I am now only the nominal ruler. The submission that is changed is not the submission that is won through conquest. The loyalty involved is limited.”

"Then expand the army, add 20 new soldiers!"

"The central army will definitely need to be expanded, but at present I am dealing with the local governors and viceroys in a slow and steady manner."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you considered my intention in publicly humiliating the Rakshasa delegation?"

"To win over that old Tartar, Sharhuda."

Jiang Qingyun smiled.

"My goal is to ensure that there is no possibility of any private reconciliation or compromise between the Eight Banners of Heilongjiang and the Russian army. Their war must continue until one side falls."

Jiang Zhongcheng pondered for a moment, his eyes shining: "Wonderful, wonderful! My son is a great talent, he should be the emperor."

Looking at his father, who always seemed to bring up the topic of ascending the throne, Jiang Qingyun lowered his voice.

"Father, don't you understand yet?"

"What?"

"The purpose of launching a strong attack on Shanhaiguan, settling the wounded, and humiliating the Russian delegation is to wear down the enemy. It is also to rationally deplete the armies of local warlords such as Sharhuda, Zheng Sen, Li Dingguo, Li Guoying, and Shang Kexi."

Jiang Zhongcheng's eyes widened.

After a while~
"Can we take them down?"

Jiang Qingyun took a deep breath: "Father, please don't say such things that are detrimental to unity in the future."

……

Jiang Zhongcheng left the palace in a huff, and his trusted confidants waiting outside quickly shook off the snowflakes.

"What did our young master say?"

He said that the time was not yet ripe for him to ascend the throne and become emperor.

Everyone looked at each other.

He is not proactive in ascending the throne; his thinking is flawed.

I can't figure it out~
(End of this chapter)