Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

The fresh rain on the eaves slid slowly down the gullies and dripped onto the bluestone ground, a sight that was beautiful to behold. But the maid who was still bringing tea and snacks into the house couldn't help but curse the heavens for being blind and wasting the poor.

As the Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and a member of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner, Tongjia Qingfu, who was also the younger brother of Longkodo, held his teacup and remained motionless, as if he were about to die.

Actually, this is a habit of his. When he thinks too much, he will space out, which is also a way for him to relieve stress.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency—"

Qingfu's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly as he vaguely tidied up the tea that had fallen onto his sleeve:

"It's Brother Zhanshi! You arrived in the time it took me to doze off! You're here so fast!!"

"Your Excellency is extremely busy. If I were to delay any longer, wouldn't I be heartless?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Qingfu invited Zhang Kai, the governor of Shaanxi, to sit down. The seat was to his right, no more than a meter away, which shows the close relationship between the two.

After taking his seat, a maid immediately brought tea and dried fruit. Looking at the longan on the table, Zhang Kai's mind raced, and he found an excuse:

"A few days ago, a friend from Lingnan sent me some local delicacies, as well as two cans of shark fin. Guanzhong is located in the Qinling Mountains, and such seafood is extremely precious. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is worth a thousand pieces of gold. I will have someone send a can to the Governor-General tomorrow so that he can taste this peaceful delicacy."

Qingfu swallowed a mouthful of warm tea and spoke slowly:

"Brother Zhanshi is older than me, so you should keep these tonics for yourself."

Despite Zhang Kai's constant use of the title "Governor-General," he was actually born in the ninth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign and is now seventy years old. As the saying goes, seventy is a rare age, and under normal circumstances, one would either have already retired to their hometown or been granted a grace of retirement long ago. However, in the Qing Dynasty, it seemed that the older one got, the more experienced one became. People like Zhang Kai, as long as they were not old and their eyesight was not failing, would basically be granted permission to remain in office for a few more years, as a sign of the Emperor's boundless grace.

Qingfu, who was in his prime and had the most experience in his forties or fifties, was now even less energetic than Zhang Kai, a seventy-year-old man, because of a recent imperial decree from the Forbidden City. He felt tired after only a few conversations.

Witnessing this scene, Zhang Kai stroked his beard and looked gravely at Qingfu, who seemed to be half-asleep.

"But the matter of supervising grain and provisions is troublesome?"

"Once the war begins, let alone provisions and pay, even trivial matters like sending messages and money will be enough to give people a headache. Not to mention, His Majesty has appointed me as the commander-in-chief to oversee all military supplies in the rear."

"Don't even mention the trouble I'll face later. Brother Zhanshi, as the Governor of Shaanxi, can you really escape this?"

Zhang Kai sighed inwardly and couldn't help but shake his head:

"I only wish to be an official, a county magistrate in Jiangnan who doesn't care about anything, without any worries or troubles. Being the governor of the Northwest is fine in ordinary years, but border affairs are a bit more troublesome. If things go smoothly, it's hard work; if things go wrong, it's all about getting involved."

The two exchanged a wry smile, and only spoke again after the tea had gone cold:

"Has the military funds from the national treasury arrived yet?"

"The first batch of silver has arrived, totaling 2.17 million taels, which is enough to support the army for the first few months. If we include the subsequent silver, it will likely amount to tens of millions of taels!"

Qingfu's words made Zhang Kai secretly click his tongue in amazement. After all, this was tens of millions of taels of silver. His own wealth accumulated over the years was only a million taels. To lose ten of his own in a single battle, the Qing Dynasty was truly wealthy!

Qingfu saw through Zhang Kai's thoughts and immediately followed with a smile:

"It is said that the land tax this year is as high as 30 million taels, not to mention the salt tax and other miscellaneous taxes, which are estimated to be more than 40 million taels. 10 million taels of silver is only a quarter of that. For our Great Qing, it is nothing. It is only about the same as the banner tax."

The land tax that Qingfu mentioned is actually agricultural tax. As the largest agricultural country on the planet, even if each household only pays one tael of silver in agricultural tax every year, it would still amount to tens of millions of taels. Not to mention that this amount does not include other taxes levied by local governments.

The advantages of a large population and abundant arable land are clearly evident at this moment.

As a bannerman from the Han Banner Army and also a governor, Zhang Kai naturally gave his full support to the issue of bannermen's stipends. Therefore, he completely ignored this problematic issue and instead focused on how to "clear his name" (i.e., exonerate himself from the problem).

"This battle is of utmost importance. If anything goes wrong, we will all be punished. Therefore, in my opinion, the only way is to get rid of the supply of provisions as soon as possible. If we keep it in our hands, those soldiers will take all the good stuff, and if we suffer a defeat, it will all be our fault."

"What Brother Zhanshi says is true, but can we change or refuse an order issued by the Emperor?!"

"You can't refuse, but you have to be careful."

Zhang Kai's eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and above the bags under his aged eyes were a pair of murky, abyssal gazes.

"I may submit a memorial stating that I am too old and unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of guarding the grain and provisions. Your Excellency may also say that the affairs of the nation cannot be accomplished without the support of capable individuals."

Qingfu's beard trembled slightly as he gripped the teacup tightly in his hand.

"We should invite princes and nobles to oversee the battle, so as to enhance the prestige of the Aisin Gioro imperial family. We can also use this opportunity to let those young talents in the capital who are eager to show themselves in. If we win, they will naturally achieve fame and fortune at a young age and have a smooth career. If we lose, hehe, what does it have to do with me, or with Brother Zhanshi?"

"I'm just helping out and coordinating. Now that I've reached the level of governor, I don't want to be promoted anymore. I just want to take off this official robe in peace and enjoy my old age."

Zhang Kai and Qingfu, without prior consultation, discussed the matter and each wrote a report at the Governor-General's Office. After reviewing each other's reports, they exchanged a knowing smile, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Outside Xi'an, the countryside is peaceful, but inside the city, it's like a deep, bottomless lake, with only a few dark figures appearing and disappearing from time to time.

---------

In late summer, Jinshan has long since lost its heat. Although it is still warm during the day, a cool breeze blows in the evening, and even summer blankets are not enough to keep warm.

In a courtyard of the Li residence, Li Yuanheng, wrapped in a thin fleece coat, and his father, Li Yanxing, dressed in slightly thicker clothes, were taking a walk.

When they passed the pond, Li Yanxing finally brought up the real business:

"Yesterday, the Dzungar Khanate sent an imperial edict, ordering me to send 3,000 troops from Jinshan, with my own provisions and pay, to enter the pass and hunt for supplies. The troops and goods obtained can be kept by me. If I achieve merit, there will be other rewards."

"To send out three thousand soldiers, how laughable."

Li Yanxing stroked his beard, treating Zhungeer's request as a joke. After all, three thousand meant more than two thousand, a thousand more than the previous highest amount. It was simply incredibly stupid.

In the grasslands, there is no loyalty between ruler and subject, nor any sense of morality. Today they can send troops, and tomorrow they can turn against them.

"Are you trying to use us as a shield by attacking our grass and grain?!"

Having just finished his sarcastic remarks, Li Yuanheng immediately changed his attitude, cupping his hands in a gesture of supplication:

"I am willing to lead three thousand soldiers to your aid."

"Yuan Heng, you----"

Li Yanxing's eyebrows furrowed, his gaze towards his son filled with disbelief. After all, his son was clever and cunning; how could he say such foolish things? It was precisely for this reason that he suppressed his thoughts and asked in return:

"What is the reason?"

"Has Father forgotten what his son has been doing lately?"

You mean—

Thinking of the recent "Policy for the Common People" that spanned several generations, Li Yuanheng immediately understood the intention behind it and then said:

"The journey is long, so we must not be careless, and we must not put ourselves in danger."

"Son understands. Our primary objective is to gather supplies, and killing the Qing traitors is secondary. We'll send 3,000 troops; we must at least recoup our losses!"

As soon as Li Yuanheng finished speaking, Li Yanxing followed up with instructions:

"If anything changes, we should return immediately, as the Qing dogs won't be able to take this mountain of gold anytime soon."

"The survival of the Dzungar Khanate has nothing to do with us!!"

Li Yuanheng frowned, pointing to the fish swimming in the pond illuminated by the lights:

"How similar humans and fish are! If Jinshan wants to stand on its own, it has to go through this ordeal!!"

"The Dzungar Khanate should perish, but not now."

"Da Lang-----"

Li Yanxing's voice was a little hoarse, and tears seemed to be welling up in his eyes. He wanted to grab his son's hand, but he didn't reach out. It wasn't until his palm felt an unprecedented familiarity that he held back his tears, trying his best to maintain his dignity as a father in front of his son.

"After this battle, Jinshan will stand tall, the people will be prosperous, and all the surrounding pastures and farmland will belong to the Li family!!"

"Be careful, be careful----"

Father and son stood silently by the pond, while inside, a school of goldfish moved in groups, led by a king fish.