Chapter 76: The Ruthless Strategy to Destroy the Qing in One Battle?
Qing Dynasty—Golden Throne Hall.
“Rebellion, absolute rebellion!” Qianlong shouted, blowing his beard and glaring as he slammed his palm down on the table. His face was filled with rage.
Nearby, Fu Cha, Fu Heng, and the others trembled in fear. Qianlong angrily pushed aside all the memorials in front of him.
“Is it just because we lost a few battles? These pedantic scholars act like the sky is falling. As long as I am here, the sky of the Qing Dynasty will not fall!”
His chest swelled with frustration. All these memorials were reminders from the censors, criticizing his inaction over the past six months. They even brought up the initial provocation against the Zhou Dynasty to scold him.
As an emperor who valued his reputation, he couldn’t stand the attitude of the censors. Under normal circumstances, he would have executed all those censors with a single stroke.
But the Qing Empire was indeed weakened now. No matter how many excuses Qianlong made, he couldn’t hide his mistakes. If he killed all those censors now, he would surely be condemned by historians.
After a while, Qianlong gritted his teeth and said, “A mere Zhou Dynasty? Nianqi was too careless and lost his life, and Agui was badly beaten by Zhou’s new weapons…”
“They are all useless, useless! This time, I will personally lead the expedition. No matter what, I must reclaim all the lost cities.”
Fu Cha and Fu Heng were deeply shocked to hear this. Qianlong wanted to personally lead the expedition?
Fu Cha quickly replied, “Your Majesty, the situation on the battlefield is dangerous. How can Your Majesty personally lead the expedition with your precious life?”
The other officials advised against it as well.
Qianlong waved his hand, his face cold. He understood Fu Cha’s words all too well. However, given the current situation of the Qing Dynasty, he had to take full responsibility.
As the ruler of the country, he had to turn the situation around no matter what. Otherwise, wouldn’t the Qing Dynasty tremble with fear whenever the Zhou Dynasty was mentioned in the future?
The best way to turn the situation around was to win a battle against the Zhou Dynasty. Only then could the Qing Dynasty regain their trust. But there were now too many skeptics in the court. Even the Empress Dowager had criticized him. The slander that Yang Yi had thrown at him was taking effect amidst his constant failures. Some even suggested that he abdicated in favor of the Crown Prince. This was intolerable.
He desperately needed a victory to intimidate those with rebellious thoughts and reclaim the lost cities.
Qianlong calmly said, “You need not persuade me anymore. I am determined to engage the Zhou Kingdom in a real battle.”
“But Your Majesty, the Zhou Dynasty’s explosives are very powerful. One small mistake could be fatal…” Fu Cha sighed.
Qianlong snorted coldly. “Although their explosives are powerful, they are not easy to use flexibly. Otherwise, Yang Yi wouldn’t have sent people carrying explosives as suicide bombers. As long as I keep my distance from them, I have a chance of defeating them. Apart from their explosives, they have no special skills.
“Didn’t you see that they didn’t perform well in our various wars with the Zhou Dynasty? I grew up on horseback, traveled the world, and excelled in riding and archery. I have seen many wars and have rarely been defeated. This time will be no exception!”
“Minister Yang, did you call me urgently just to show me your fields?” Wu Zhao looked at the farmland in front of her, somewhat confused. A hint of helplessness appeared on her cold and noble face.
Yang Yi, dressed in a purple official robe, looked even more handsome.
He smiled and said, “Your Majesty, this field is not ordinary. This farmland was leased by me and planted by my people.”
The Empress gave Yang Yi a strange look.
“When did you start to like farming? The chief strategist of the Great Zhou likes farming? This seems completely out of place.”
Yang Yi’s mouth twitched as he crouched down at the edge of the field.
“Your Majesty, this has little to do with whether I like farming or not. These fields are planted with sweet potatoes and maize.
“These two crops are cold-resistant, drought-resistant, high-yielding, and can be used as staple foods. Your Majesty, look, this one mu of land can produce nearly a thousand kilograms of sweet potatoes and corn…”
“A thousand kilograms?” Shangguan Wan’er, who was standing nearby, looked astonished.
Wu Zhao was also surprised, somewhat stunned. “Minister Yang, are you joking with me?”
Her heart raced. No one could claim to produce one thousand kilograms per mu! Even the most prosperous Qing dynasty couldn’t achieve such a yield.
Yang Yi chuckled. “Your Majesty, if you don’t believe me, these sweet potatoes and corn are already ripe. Have the tenants harvest and weigh them, and you’ll see.”
Wu Zhao’s eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly. If there was grain that could yield a thousand kilograms per mu, it would be a divine gift to her.
“Reporting to Minister Yang, the sweet potatoes weigh about 1060 kilograms, and the corn weighs 986 kilograms,” a tenant respectfully reported to Yang Yi.
Yang Yi raised an eyebrow. “I understand. You have done well. There will be a generous reward for you later. You may go now.”
“Yes, sir.” The tenant left happily.
Yang Yi then turned to the astonished Empress and smiled.
“Your Majesty, wasn’t I right? These sweet potatoes and maize are high-yielding crops. If used properly, they can produce a thousand kilograms per mu. If these crops are widely used, our Great Zhou will not suffer so much during droughts in the future.”
Wu Zhao suppressed her inner excitement, her phoenix eyes shining.
“I will have the Ministry of Finance take care of this matter immediately. These sweet potatoes and corn are extremely important.”
Yang Yi nodded with a smile. With these sweet potatoes and corn, fewer people would starve in times of famine.
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats echoed. A carriage appeared in front of them and slowly stopped beside them. Zhang Jianzhi lifted the curtain and jumped out. “Your Majesty, Qianlong is personally leading the expedition!”
Wu Zhao was taken aback, somewhat astonished.
“Personally leading the expedition?”
She thought for a moment.
“Let’s return to the palace.”