Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

He Guozong, who had just arrived from the Imperial Observatory, was running towards Leshan Hall, covered in sweat. Leshan Hall was actually a study, which was Hongli's favorite place to read before he ascended the throne. After he became emperor, he also spent most of his time working there.

As a Han Chinese technical official in the Imperial Observatory who was knowledgeable about celestial phenomena, He Guozong was also completely bewildered. Before being summoned by the palace staff, he had gone to the observation platform to take a look at the night sky and calculate the celestial phenomena. It did not seem like any sign of a major event or a shift in the stars. Why was the emperor summoning him so late at night? Perhaps he had misread the sky, or perhaps the emperor had something else to do.

"Lord He, please walk quietly and don't disturb the masters' rest."

"Yes, thank you for reminding me, Father-in-law."

As He Guozong spoke, he took out a silver note from his sleeve and handed it to the head eunuch who was leading the way. After taking the silver note, the head eunuch whispered a reminder:

"His Majesty was just found in his bedchamber with disheveled hair, looking flustered and incoherent. It is said that he was disturbed by a dream. Lord He, please be careful."

"I know, I know!!"

He Guozong thought the money was well spent, so he slowed his pace and made his footsteps much quieter, which pleased the head eunuch in front of him, who then said something more:

"Your Majesty also mentioned something about a white wolf, which I, as a servant, don't quite understand. Lord He should be able to guess."

"Thank you, sir."

As he spoke, he took out another silver note and, taking advantage of a moment when they were walking side by side, slipped it into the other person's sleeve. The latter took it and whispered:

"Try to say the nice things; if you say something wrong—"

He Guozong nodded in agreement, and then traveled through several palaces and walked through five or six alleys before finally arriving at the Leshan Hall. Looking at the plaque above, He Guozong lowered his head and remained silent, while the head eunuch in front of him went into the room alone. Not long after, he was called in.

As soon as he entered, He Guozong immediately knelt down to pay his respects. Just as he finished, Hongli told him to rise. Before he could even stand properly, a somewhat hoarse voice came from the other side asking:

"I dream of conquering the frontier and destroying the Dzungar barbarians day and night. It should have been a good thing for the country and the people, but in the end, my mood was ruined by a white wolf that leaped down from the Golden Mountain."

"The white wolf spat out white blades and was surrounded by starlight. Before I could see its full form, I woke up for some reason."

Hongli deleted all the embarrassing things he had done, and only told He Guozong the superficial things.

He Guozong was a clever man. After learning about the white wolf from the eunuch, he had already come up with a plan:

"Your Majesty, do not worry, this is an auspicious omen! It foretells a great victory for our army; Your Majesty is the chosen one!"

"Oh, this is actually an auspicious sign? How so?"

Hongli was taken aback at first, then turned to He Guozong for an explanation.

"Gold is a precious thing, and a mountain of gold is the most precious of all, a sign of destiny! The starlight signifies that this is a celestial phenomenon, and the white wolf with a scimitar in its mouth corresponds to the 'Killing Wolf' constellation among the countless stars in the sky."

"Now the Dzungars are on the defensive, while our Great Qing is on the offensive; the balance of power is just like the dream."

"This is a divine decree, intending to use the hands of our Great Qing to annihilate the perverse and rebellious Dzungar barbarians. It is truly an auspicious sign of our army's triumphant return!!"

It's unclear whether He Guozong's explanation fooled or deceived Hongli, but after hearing it, Hongli's mood improved considerably, and he immediately responded:

"I truly am blessed by Heaven. To have received a divine decree after the destruction of the Dzungar Khanate, and to have such extraordinary events as the white wolf of Jinshan appearing in my dream—it is truly wondrous, truly wondrous—"

"Heaven truly has its spirit, and our ancestors truly protected us!!"

He Guozong smiled and chimed in:

"This is precisely because the emperor admires and treats the people well, and works diligently in the fields every day. Heaven is grateful for this and has sent forth this auspicious dream, intending to use the dream to show the world the emperor's great achievements."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Hongli smiled with satisfaction and then issued an imperial edict:

"Minister He has long been concerned about the country, observing celestial phenomena day and night, and planning for the well-being of the people and the nation of our Great Qing. Now, he has interpreted the dream of the Golden Mountain and the White Wolf for me. He shall be promoted to Director of the Imperial Observatory, rewarded with one hundred taels of gold and one thousand taels of silver, granted a yellow riding jacket, and allowed to ride a horse and sedan chair in the Forbidden City."

"Long live Saint Anne!!"

When He Guozong knelt on the ground to receive the imperial decree, he appeared to be overjoyed, but in reality, he was extremely flustered. After all, he knew exactly what He Guozong had just done. He had gained so many benefits from just a few flattering remarks about celestial phenomena. It was impossible for him not to be terrified.

Especially the last one, the right to ride a horse or a sedan chair, that's a privilege that only elderly officials or those who have made great contributions can obtain. He's in his prime, isn't he afraid of attracting criticism by wanting that?

With a heavy heart, He Guozong left Leshan Hall. As he walked along the road, the chief eunuch beside him kept announcing good news to him. He could only pretend to be happy and give rewards to the eunuchs who accompanied him, spending all the salary he had brought with him over the years.

Meanwhile, Hongli, still at the Lok Sin Tong, had tea in his mouth, and his gloomy expression replaced his previous joy, giving people the illusion of being capricious.

He didn't believe any of the "Killing, Breaking, and Wolf" astrological signs or the "divine pronouncements." Hongli wasn't a three-year-old child; why would he believe He Guozong's nonsense?

However, as the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, he had no choice but to believe it. He couldn't tell the world that the white wolf had come to eat him. He feared that as soon as the news got out, countless ambitious villains would use the dream of "the white wolf descending to earth" to cause trouble.

Therefore, no matter what, this dream of a gold mine and a white wolf can only be a good thing, not a bad thing.

Therefore, He Guozong should reward this matter, and reward it handsomely. Otherwise, would those shrewd court officials believe it, would the people of the world believe it?

Throughout history, how many dynasties have been brought to ruin by prophecies? At this moment, Hongli had only one choice: to truly accept this dream as the will of Heaven to destroy the Dzungar Khanate. At least for the most part, this dream was quite memorable!

"White Wolf, Golden Mountain, are they just a dream, or is it real?"

The gloom in Hongli's eyes did not dissipate, but instead became even heavier. He kept recalling the situation around him. A place called Altai came to mind, but he quickly eliminated it himself. After all, a group of barbarian bandits who relied on the remnants of the Han dynasty and depended on the Dzungar Khanate could not be compared with the Golden Mountain White Wolf in his dream.

Thus, only one goal remains:

"Zhungar!!"

Whether there was a gold mine in Jungar was something Emperor Hongli might not have known, but there was definitely a white wolf there.

"In my dream, there was the Jungar, and later there was a white wolf spitting out a knife. This is my ancestor using this dream to urge me to destroy the Jungar as soon as possible, otherwise there will be great disaster in the future."

"Just like the Liao and Jin dynasties, and the Jin and Mongol dynasties—"

Hongli didn't believe the words of the newly appointed Director of the Imperial Observatory, but he now firmly believed in the dream interpretation he had figured out himself. Ignoring his sleepiness, he returned to his desk, picked up the book "Pacifying the Northwest" and continued to examine it for any possible loopholes.

The next day, news that the emperor had summoned He Guozong, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory official, at night to investigate the secret dream of Bailang Jinshan, and that He Guozong had been greatly rewarded for it, quickly spread throughout the capital. Some even said:

"The omen of the golden wolf is a blessing for the Celestial Empire."