vrcanaries Chapter 457 Epidemic
Chapter 457 Epidemic
As April began, the situation in the former dynasty suddenly became tense.
Galdan Tseren, the new leader of the Junggar tribe, personally led a vast army of 400,000 men, advancing towards Yanming Pass. The cavalry surged like a tide, the drums of war roared, and the frontiers were once again ablaze. When the news reached the capital, the government and the people were shaken, and panic ensued.
In recent years, Yongzheng has focused on the "reform of chieftains" policy in southwestern minority areas. Territories previously ruled by hereditary chieftains were gradually reorganized into prefectures and counties, with central officials assigned to directly manage them, in an effort to strengthen central power and ensure stability in the border areas.
However, this policy touched upon the fundamental interests of the Tusi forces and triggered strong resistance. The situation in the southwestern border became complicated and turbulent, with frequent rebellions. Yongzheng had to devote most of his energy to mobilizing troops and appeasing the people.
However, the Junggar tribe, which he had neglected, was quietly expanding. Galdan Tseren inherited the ambition of his father, Tsewang Arabtan, and took advantage of the weakness of the Qing Dynasty's border defenses to quickly gather troops and march directly towards Yanming Pass, the gateway to the Central Plains.
At the same time, Yongzheng was also under great pressure from the tight treasury. Years of war and internal reforms had consumed a large amount of financial resources, and military expenses on the border were like a bottomless pit that was difficult to fill, but he was unwilling to increase taxes on the people.
He stayed in the Yangxin Palace every day, summoning ministers and reviewing memorials.
After Zhen Huan came out of the Yangxin Palace, she went straight to the Yonghe Palace without stopping.
When he saw Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong, he said directly, "I am accompanying the emperor today. I heard that the emperor intends to send a prince from the royal family to supervise the battle at Yanming Pass."
Upon hearing this, Shen Meizhuang frowned slightly. After a moment of contemplation, she said, "The Emperor doesn't have many relatives available. The situation in the court is complicated right now, and I'm afraid there are only a few who can take on this important task."
Zhen Huan nodded: "After much thought, I think the Emperor will most likely send Prince Guo."
"Prince Guo?" Shen Meizhuang was slightly taken aback, then said thoughtfully, "Prince Guo has no foundation in the court, nor does he have any influence in the army. The emperor will be relieved if he is in charge of the military power."
An Lingrong listened and nodded: "Prince Guo is indeed a suitable candidate. But..."
Seeing that she seemed to be hesitant to speak, Zhen Huan looked over.
What An Lingrong didn’t say was: He is just too stupid!
Whether he was asked to do things or sent to the border to supervise the war, it was simply because Prince Guo only loved romance and had no interest in power.
It was precisely because of this that Yongzheng felt comfortable handing over military power to him. After all, a prince who had no desire to fight for power was obviously more reassuring than those clan members who were deeply entrenched and ambitious within the court.
But Prince Guo was, after all, a prince personally raised by the Emperor, nurtured by the ways of the emperor from a young age. He possessed extraordinary skill in both civil and military matters. Could he not harbor lofty ambitions? If he had viewed this battle as an opportunity to showcase his prowess within the army, win over the people, and cultivate his own power, the situation would have been completely different.
Yongzheng was always suspicious, and his control over power was almost harsh. He would never allow anyone to threaten his imperial power, especially his brothers. If Prince Guo really had his own power, even if he had no intention of rebelling, he would become a thorn in Yongzheng's side.
We must remind him well and let him be a fool prince so that everyone can worry less.
An Lingrong raised her head: "Sister Zhen, let Yuyin come into the palace."
"She is not in the capital now. She went to Luoyang Prefecture with Su Ye and opened another clinic."
An Lingrong was stunned for a moment, then patted her forehead and said with a smile, "Right, right, right! Look at my memory. Su Ye wrote to me about this a few days ago, and I forgot about it for a moment."
Since Yu Yin couldn't come, An Lingrong turned her attention to other people: "I miss Yu Rao. Let's ask her to come to the palace and talk to us."
After hearing this, Zhen Huan immediately understood what she meant. She summoned Xiao Yunzi and ordered him to go out of the palace to invite Yu Rao.
Taking advantage of this time, An Lingrong picked up a pen and wrote a letter and handed it to Zhen Huan: "Copy it."
Zhen Huan was confused.
"My words don't carry as much weight as yours."
……
An hour later, Yu Rao hurried over.
An Lingrong looked her up and down. She saw that she had been married for more than a year and had become a little plump, but her eyes still had that familiar playful and lively look. It was obvious that she was living a comfortable and happy life.
After talking for a while, they handed the letter to Yu Rao and asked her to deliver it to Prince Guo personally.
A few days later, Prince Guo was ordered to depart for Yanming Pass. Before his departure, Yongzheng carefully selected a 200-man elite detachment from the imperial guards. While nominally tasked with protecting Prince Guo, they were secretly charged with surveillance, ensuring his every move was under control.
Yongzheng also mobilized a group of new imperial guards from other places and added them to the palace, specifically to protect the safety of the concubines.
The weather was getting hotter, and the Forbidden City was filled with so much heat that even the bronze cranes in front of the palace had lost their luster due to the sun.
Yongzheng was busy with state affairs and had completely forgotten about going to the Old Summer Palace to escape the summer heat.
More than a month later, news came that a plague had broken out in the Junggar army and was spreading at lightning speed.
An Lingrong was a little confused. This plague came at too timely a time.
Zhen Huan saw her confusion and took out a letter and handed it to her.
He took it and opened it, and saw the handwriting of Prince Guo.
"The Emperor ordered Prince Guo to send someone to release the remaining poison from the epidemic in the palace a few years ago into the Junggar military camp."
"So simple?"
"Of course not!" Zhen Huan sighed. "Although the two armies are facing each other, they haven't fought yet. Some brave merchants are traveling between the two places, selling daily necessities. Prince Guo infected them with the plague and brought them to the Dzungar camp."
An Lingrong keenly spotted a loophole in this matter: "Traveling between the two places? Does that mean the people of Yanming Pass will also come into contact with these people?"
Zhen Huan understood her implication and sighed, "Yes! The plague has now spread to Yanming Pass as well."
An Lingrong's blood boiled and she stood up angrily, but she didn't know what to say!
She had no choice but to vent her emotions on Prince Guo: "How does Prince Guo do things? Doesn't he know who is infected with the virus? Detain them when they return to the city!"
"He had already done so, but those people also came into contact with many people along the way. He was afraid that the people of Dzungar would find out, so he didn't dare send people to follow them. By the time he came to his senses, many people in the city had already contracted the disease."
Seeing her emotional, Zhen Huan continued, "They're so poor there, with a shortage of food, water, doctors, and medicine. The plague is spreading quickly. The Emperor has already sent Wen Shichu to deal with this matter."
Long before Yongzheng made this decision, he had anticipated this outcome, but was he wrong?
No, if a war breaks out on the border, more people will die.
Besides, compared with the stability of the country and the stability of the regime, the people of a city are nothing!
An Lingrong sat down dejectedly, lowered her head and stopped talking, a deep feeling of powerlessness spreading in her heart.
After an unknown amount of time, she looked up at Shen Meizhuang and said, "Sister, how much silver do we have left in our private vault?"
Shen Meizhuang immediately understood what she meant and said, "It's a lot. If it's not enough, I can make up for it."
For them, money is the easiest problem to solve.
An Lingrong waved her hand: "Whatever you have, we'll take it. Find Wei Lin and ask him to change it into medicine and send it to Doctor Wen!"
"it is good!"
Zhen Huan thought for a moment and said, "Now that this involves national affairs and the people living on the border, I can't just let you pay for it. I'll find a way!"