noffsinger Chapter 454 I loved your rebellious side before.
Chapter 454 I loved your rebellious side before.
You don't have to be particularly capable to serve Yinzhuo, but there's one thing you absolutely must abide by: you must obey Yinzhuo's orders. After hearing Yinzhuo's words, Hatu immediately picked up Ce Ling from the ground without saying a word, twisted his arm, and led him out.
After dealing with the troublemakers, Ce Ling and his gang, Yinzhu finally had time to deal with his two huskies.
“Akshang, go and clear out all the people surrounding this place. Dexi, go and bring me a chair. Thirteen, Fourteen, I'll give you two the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to think things through. Then choose one of you to come out and explain to me what's going on.”
Akshan's intimidating presence was beyond doubt. The tall, imposing man stood there with a knife in hand, and without even needing to shout, the onlookers were immediately terrified and scattered by his imposing aura.
Yinzhuo sat on the chair that Dexi had brought over, resting his chin on his hand and looking at his two troubled younger brothers who were exchanging secret signals not far away. He suddenly understood why his fourth brother had looked at him like that before. Sure enough, none of the brothers in the world were easy to deal with, especially those from the Aisin Gioro family.
"Sixth Brother, this really isn't our fault. If that kid hadn't been so arrogant, we wouldn't have been able to fight him in public. Sixth Brother, do you know what that kid said? He actually dared to say that if we didn't agree to give them 100,000 shi of grain, they would bring their own people to our territory to rob us..."
He dared to dream of 100,000 shi of grain. You have to know that 100,000 shi of grain is equivalent to 15 million jin in modern terms. It can feed an army of 100,000 for almost a year. Even if you take into account the losses during transportation, it is enough for them to eat until the spring when everything comes back to life.
"Hmph, I think starving him for a few days would be too lenient for him. Akshan, send someone to the Ministry of Justice later and tell the guards watching over Ce Ling and his men that for the next five days, they are not allowed to give these bastards anything except water. I want to see if they can still be arrogant when they are dizzy and weak from hunger."
Since his mood had already been spoiled, Yinzhuo naturally didn't want to watch the little tune and dance anymore. He ordered Dexi to send someone to bring their carriage over, and then he pulled Thirteen and Fourteen into the carriage and headed towards Changchun Garden.
Emperor Kangxi favored Yinzhi and was naturally concerned about his safety. Therefore, when Yinzhi went out, he would always bring guards arranged by Emperor Kangxi. The fact that they caused such a commotion at Tianxiang Tower was something Emperor Kangxi was well aware of.
"Hmph, I've been so busy dealing with the Japanese these past few years that I've forgotten about the Dzungar Khanate. They're asking for 100,000 shi of grain right off the bat. I'd like to know who gave them the audacity?"
As soon as Yinzhuo, holding the thirteenth and fourteenth sons' hands, entered the room, he heard his father's words and almost instinctively replied.
"Of course it's Fish Leong! Father, let me tell you, we can't agree to this. Why should our people work so hard to grow the grain, and they just want to take it away with a few words? If they want grain, let them bring their troops to fight us!"
Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Thirteen, and Emperor Fourteen all deeply agreed with Yinzhuo's words. Yes, if they wanted grain, they should bring their troops to fight. The court was not short of money, weapons, or manpower. Even if they went to war with the Dzungars, they were not afraid.
There's a saying that goes, "Even the best kung fu master is afraid of a kitchen knife." No matter how arrogant a person is, they can't withstand hunger. After being starved for four or five days, not only Ce Ling, a teenager, but even his strong guards couldn't take it anymore. It was at this time that Kangxi summoned them.
When Galdan Tsering was led into the Qingxi Study's council hall by Liang Jiugong, he immediately saw Yinzhuo sitting next to Kangxi. Well, now there was no need to guess; the person they had offended that day was indeed a powerful figure they couldn't afford to offend.
After Ce Ling properly paid his respects to Kangxi and was given a seat, Yin Zuo didn't give him a chance to react at all and immediately launched into a tirade.
“Prince Ce Ling, we already know the purpose of your trip to the capital. We are truly sorry, but we cannot grant your request. Your Highness has come from afar. I wonder if you have ever heard the saying, ‘Dignity is always on the edge of a blade, and truth is only within the range of cannons.’ If you want grain, you can go back and tell your father that if he is truly capable, let him bring his troops to take it. We will be waiting for you at any time.”
Yinzhuo's straightforward and unpretentious approach caught Ce Ling and the others off guard. "Wait, is everything this direct now? Should we talk again? At least give me a chance to negotiate."
"Your Majesty, you should know the strength of our Khan's cavalry. Although our grasslands are in a bad situation now, it is still not a problem for us to take over your border cities."
Ce Ling's words were not wrong. After all, even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. Upon hearing this, Yin Zuo glanced at Kangxi and saw that he was just smiling at him without saying anything. He knew that Kangxi did not blame him for speaking first. With Kangxi's indulgence, Yin Zuo became even bolder.
“Father, look at how arrogant he is. If we don’t teach him a lesson, he might think we’re really afraid of him. Brother, what are you still sitting here for? Hurry up and send someone to the Fengtai camp to bring over a few of our newly developed cannons. Also, go to the Shenji Camp and get a team of men to show them off. Let Prince Ce Ling see if his iron cavalry can withstand our cannons and muskets.”
Neither Yinzhi, who was being ordered to do the work, nor Yinzhen, the crown prince, reacted much to Yinzhi's blatant overstepping of his bounds. Only Kangxi raised his hand and poked Yinzhi's forehead, signaling him to be quiet.
"Yinti, you personally lead men to the Fengtai camp to retrieve a few of Dai Zixin's newly developed cannons. Yinzhi, you lead men to find an open area outside Changchun Garden and clear it out for future use. Yinyi, don't just sit idle either, take men to the Shenji Camp..."
To be fair, Yinzhuo's method was truly effective. The sound of the cannons, even if it meant losing tens of thousands of taels of gold, had a significant deterrent effect on Ce Ling and the others. Look, they all became obedient immediately. When they spoke, they no longer had the arrogant and domineering attitude they had before. Even their initial demand for grain, which they had so confidently asserted, had now turned into a request for a loan.
“Father, you see, I was right, wasn’t I? This truth is only within the range of cannons. Prince Tsering, do you still think your Dzungar cavalry can take our city? Don’t worry, speak freely. I just love your unruly attitude from before…”