Agui was utterly bewildered.
Just as the ancient Han Xin used the stratagem of "four sides of Chu songs" at Gaixia to shatter the morale of a hundred thousand Chu troops, Zhu Ni now used inexplicable firearms to shatter the morale of my Great Qing's fifty thousand strong army.
By the time Zhu Xiaosong left with a large amount of equipment, all that remained by the side of Agui, the imperial envoy, were a mere few thousand Green Standard soldiers.
Agui did not know how to describe the feeling in his heart.
What had happened to this world?
The rebels, who should have been chased all over the mountains by my Great Qing army, dared to openly ambush the officers and soldiers.
The Green Standard soldiers, who should have protected my Great Qing's territory, had expertly and skillfully knelt down to surrender and strip equipment, their proficiency so practiced it was heartbreaking.
This was too damn surreal!
Especially when he thought of the traitorous Zhu Xiaosong, Agui felt like spitting blood.
"Release our imperial envoy as well. We said we would make him our chief transport officer, and we must keep our word."
Did anyone utter these words?
Just as Agui was on the verge of spitting, a Green Standard soldier, clad only in winter clothes and carrying a paring knife, shuffled over, helped Agui up, and asked, "Imperial Envoy, now, what should we do now?"
Being asked by this soldier, Agui felt an even greater tightness in his chest, countless stars flashing before his eyes, and even the ground beneath him seemed to sway.
What to do?
Of the eighteen thousand Manchu soldiers, all those who were not lying on the ground unable to breathe had been taken by the traitorous Zhu Xiaosong to be miners. Of the forty thousand Green Standard soldiers, from generals to guards, officials, generals, and colonels, all had been taken by the traitorous Zhu Xiaosong to be miners. All that remained were these few thousand Green Standard soldiers without equipment, the rest having scattered. And now you ask this imperial envoy what to do?
Forcibly suppressing the urge to spit blood and die, Agui ordered, "Now, I appoint you as the Green Standard Colonel. You are to gather the troops!"
The Green Standard soldier's face immediately turned green. After careful consideration, he replied, "This humble one thanks the Imperial Envoy for his favor, but this humble one cannot even recognize a single character. How can I possibly serve as a Green Standard Colonel? I implore the Imperial Envoy to withdraw this order. This humble one is willing to serve at your side and exert himself for the Imperial Envoy!"
Agui knew why this Green Standard soldier was unwilling to be promoted to Colonel, and this made his anger grow, but due to the current situation, Agui could only sigh and say, "Fine, this matter ends here. You shall gather the troops for this imperial envoy. We shall first return to Tai... first return to Jinan."
The impact of Chen Tai's previous rebellion on my Great Qing's officialdom was finally manifesting at this moment.
Even though Agui had accepted silver from Zeng Cheng, the Prefect of Tai'an, before setting out, and even though Agui did not yet know that Zeng Cheng had made preparations for either rebellion or submission, Agui dared not lead his troops back to Tai'an Prefecture!
Mutual suspicion and jealousy between Manchu and Han officials!
As the Green Standard soldier followed Agui's orders to round up the straggling soldiers, Agui lowered his head and began to calculate again.
It didn't matter that over a hundred Green Standard officers and soldiers had been taken away by Zhu Xiaosong. It didn't matter that over a thousand injured or surrendered Jurchen soldiers had been taken away by Zhu Xiaosong. The crucial point was that the fifty thousand strong army had suffered heavy casualties, and it was unknown how many of the over forty thousand scattered soldiers would return. All the equipment carried by the fifty thousand strong army had also been taken away by Zhu Xiaosong's men.
This meant that not only was the strength under his command suddenly strained, but even the equipment had become a critical issue.
What to do?
At this moment, he wondered how many pairs of eyes in the Shandong officialdom were watching him, and how many people were waiting for him to fall into misfortune.
...
When Agui returned to Jinan with a group of scattered soldiers, the old dog Qianlong was visiting Bailong Temple accompanied by Heshen, Mingxing, and Ji Xiaolan.
Having inspected the river conservancy project last night and feeling that his vigor was still intact, the old dog Qianlong was in high spirits. He not only personally swung the bell hammer and struck the golden bell in Bailong Temple but also personally wrote a line: "Striking the golden bell in Bailong Temple."
As everyone knows, the old dog Qianlong wrote tens of thousands of poems in his lifetime, but not a single one was included in the list of required ancient poems for primary and secondary school students, which indicates the level of the old dog Qianlong's poetic skill.
"Striking the golden bell in Bailong poetry," wasn't this just a doggerel verse?
What was even more infuriating was that after the old dog Qianlong wrote this line, he couldn't write any further!
Fortunately, Ji Xiaolan, known for his many concubines and sharp tongue, was by his side. He immediately sidled up to the old dog Qianlong and flattered him, "Your Majesty's literary talent is truly remarkable! This line, 'Striking the golden bell in Bailong poetry,' echoes Li Bai's line, 'Playing the jade flute in Yellow Crane Tower,' which is truly rare, rare indeed. If it were Heshen, he likely could not write such poetry."
Heshen immediately rolled his eyes and snorted, "I know my own level, Heshen. I don't need you, Ji Great Tobacco Pouch, to tell me. Besides, if I can't write it, can you, Ji Great Tobacco Pouch?"
Ji Xiaolan took two puffs from his large tobacco pouch and said, "This line, 'Striking the golden bell in Bailong poetry,' was a serendipitous creation by His Majesty. Even if I rack my brains and come up with a few lines, they would inevitably carry a sense of craftsmanship and thus be inferior."
The old dog Qianlong was now very pleased.
Look, look, they say Ji Xiaolan is learned for a reason. Like that dog Heshen, who only said His Majesty wrote very well. But Ji Xiaolan, upon opening his mouth, immediately mentioned "Playing the jade flute in Yellow Crane Tower," instantly grasping the Emperor's intention in writing this line!
And that phrase, "serendipitous creation," was also stated clearly and wonderfully!
Thinking of this, Qianlong's spirits rose even higher. However, after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure out how to complete the poem. So, he simply posed the question to Ji Xiaolan and Heshen: "Ji Great Tobacco Pouch, and He Second, whoever of you can complete this poem for me, His Majesty will reward you handsomely!"
Heshen chuckled obsequiously and said, "Your Majesty's masterful and serendipitous lines, your humble servant does not have the skill to complete them. This matter, ah, still depends on Ji Great Tobacco Pouch."
Ji Xiaolan snorted and took two more puffs from his tobacco pouch, pondering how to complete this poem for the old dog Qianlong, when he heard hurried footsteps from a distance. A guard came before the old dog Qianlong, knelt, and reported, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Imperial Envoy Agui was ordered to suppress the rebels, and now, now..."
He hesitated, then the guard, bracing himself, continued, "Now, he has returned in great defeat and is currently kneeling outside the temporary palace awaiting your summons!"
The old dog Qianlong suddenly froze and asked Heshen, "Heshen! Did I hear that Agui returned defeated? Did I hear incorrectly?"
Heshen immediately knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your Master did not hear incorrectly. It is indeed true that Agui has returned defeated and is currently awaiting your summons outside the temporary palace!"
The old dog Qianlong lost all interest in visiting Bailong Temple. Ideas of completing poems were tossed to the back of his mind.
Angrily leading Heshen and Ji Xiaolan back to the temporary palace, the old dog Qianlong quickly sent someone to summon Agui and Mingxing, who had come to confess their guilt along with Agui.
If one were to ask who most wished to see Agui suffer misfortune, let alone Zhu Xiaosong not being at the forefront, even Chen Tai and Zeng Cheng were not at the forefront.
Although Chen Tai had raised the banner of rebellion and was Agui's primary target for suppression, and although Zeng Cheng, Prefect Zeng, was observing and preparing to rebel against the Qing, both had sufficient reason to hope for Agui's misfortune. However, the one who most wished for Agui's misfortune was the Governor of Shandong, Mingxing, who had come to confess his guilt with Agui.
If Agui had led his troops to suppress Chen Tai or Zhu Xiaosong, then Mingxing's repeated failures would have served as proof of Mingxing's incompetence.
Now that Agui, the imperial envoy, had personally led his troops on an expedition, only to have tens of thousands of his troops scattered by gunfire, it proved that Mingxing, the Governor of Shandong, was not incompetent, but that the rebels were simply too formidable.
Therefore, Mingxing, while suppressing the urge to laugh out loud, knelt before the old dog Qianlong and continuously spoke favorably of Agui: "My Master, the firearms in the hands of that traitor Zhu are indeed powerful, and extremely difficult to deal with at any range. Moreover, that traitor Zhu acts without honor, ambushing the Imperial Envoy when he was unprepared. This humble one believes that this matter is truly not the fault of the Imperial Envoy. May my Master reconsider?"
Agui looked gratefully at Mingxing and also bowed his head, saying, "These are all the humble one's opinions. I beg my Master to punish me!"
The old dog Qianlong seemed to not have taken Agui's defeat to heart. He simply uttered a noncommittal "hmm" and asked, "Since you have met that traitor Zhu, tell me, what kind of person is that traitor Zhu?"
Agui responded with a "yes" and replied, "Replying to my Master, that traitor Zhu appears to be around eighteen or nineteen years old. Besides being somewhat fair-skinned, his appearance is rather ordinary. Let alone comparing him to my Master, even Lord Fu is a hundred times more handsome than that traitor Zhu."
The old dog Qianlong's anger subsided slightly.
If Agui had said that the traitor Zhu's appearance could not compare to the old dog Qianlong, the old dog Qianlong might not have been pleased, but as soon as Agui praised Fuk'anggan, the old dog Qianlong's heart felt much more at ease.
Agui continued, "Furthermore, that traitor Zhu is extremely patient and extremely ruthless. Yet, he possesses an incredibly arrogant nature. Such a person is truly the first I have encountered in my life."
The old dog Qianlong's interest was piqued, and he asked, "How so?"
Agui honestly replied, "Replying to my Master, the reason I say he is extremely patient is because of Zhu's prior ambush of this humble one."
"It is not that this humble one is boasting or making excuses for his defeat, but rather that before I reached Anjiazhuang, I had already dispatched several waves of scouts. From morning until I was ambushed by Zhu, there were at least five waves of scouts in total, yet none of these five waves of scouts discovered Zhu's movements."
"This shows that Zhu must have known my advance route early on and made preparations for the ambush the night before, which is why he was not discovered by the scouts I dispatched."
"Given the current weather, it must be extremely cold at night. Zhu's willingness to personally lead the rebels in ambush in the wilderness overnight demonstrates his patience."
"The reason I say he is ruthless is because after my army was defeated, that traitor Zhu unhesitatingly ordered his rebel soldiers to finish off the severely wounded officers and soldiers, and also said that he would take all our Eight Banners sons back to be miners, which demonstrates his ruthlessness."
"And the reason I say he is outrageously arrogant..."
At this point, Agui couldn't help but tremble and replied, "It is because that traitor Zhu personally said he wanted me to be his chief transport officer, and that is why he captured me but did not kill me."
"This is a profound humiliation that this humble one has suffered. I wished to end my life to prove my loyalty, but at that time, tens of thousands of troops had completely scattered. As a last resort, this humble one chose to survive and return. Now that my wish has been fulfilled, I only beg my Master to grant this humble one death, so that I may apologize with my life!"
The old dog Qianlong let out a cold snort and cursed, "You dog, even if you die a thousand times, ten thousand times, it will not be enough to wash away your crimes!"
Agui secretly rejoiced that he had saved his life and knelt even lower and more properly. The old dog Qianlong then turned his gaze to Heshen and asked, "Heshen, what do you think should be done about this matter? And how should this dog Agui be dealt with?"
Heshen immediately bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this humble servant believes that although Agui deserves to die, Agui's defeat was entirely due to the traitor Zhu ambushing Agui when he was unprepared. If Agui had been more vigilant, that traitor Zhu would have likely been executed long ago."
"Furthermore, Agui also brought back intelligence regarding the firearms possessed by Zhu's army, which counts as some merit. This humble servant feels it would be better to let Agui atone for his crimes through meritorious service."