The yellow dragon flag representing the emperor finally appeared on the horizon. With the strong wind on the Saibei grassland, it fluttered, and then there was a piece of jumping red tassels. After a while, more than ten thousand armored cavalry were seen, surrounded by Emperor Kangxi, who was wearing Western-style half-plate armor and appeared in sight.
These tens of thousands of cavalrymen are all grown-up banner men. Everyone is neatly dressed and the horses on their crotches are all tall and magnificent. They are not Mongolian short-legged horses at all, but long-legged Persian horses from Central Asia. . Moreover, these cavalrymen all have one person and two horses, and the deputy horse is also a tall and magnificent Ocean horse. More than 10,000 knights on powerful horses gathered in one place. This surging scene and the thunderous sound of hooves seemed to go straight into people's hearts. They had just achieved the great victory of destroying the country in Central Asia, marched thousands of miles westward, and created a victorious army in the Taiping Valley in the heart of Central Asia. The man is strong, the horse is fierce, and he has an intimidating spirit. As soon as he appears, he is shocking!
Empress Yang Xiaomi of the Qing Dynasty was also stunned by the scene of thousands of horses galloping in front of her. Her mouth was open and she couldn't say a word. The men following her also held their breath and just looked at the scene in front of them. They are all knowledgeable about military affairs, and many of them have led troops themselves. In the past two or three years, due to the oppression of the Ming Dynasty in the south, the Qing Dynasty that stayed behind did not relax its armaments. But compared with the more than 10,000 fine cavalry that Kangxi brought back from Central Asia, the new army they trained and prepared in the east was as good as heaven and earth!
No wonder Emperor Kangxi still wanted to rebel against the Ming Dynasty. It turned out that he still had some capital!
Just when Empress Yang and others were calculating the probability of Kangxi's rebellion succeeding with such an elite force, these tens of thousands of elite cavalry had already arrived in front of them, followed by a long bugle sound. The knights guarding Kangxi in front reined in their reins one after another. The strong horses from the west neighed loudly and sent clods of earth flying. They could only keep their pace. The large groups of armored knights behind also stopped one after another. More than ten thousand cavalry were like this. Stop for a moment. Anyone who knows anything knows how difficult this is?
When the more than 10,000 cavalrymen stopped, they saw Emperor Kangxi swaggering towards here surrounded by more than a dozen imperial guards.
Empress Yang quickly led a group of ministers to kneel down to welcome Kangxi who returned in triumph.
Kangxi saw Empress Yang from afar - she maintained a good figure, but she should be fatter and thinner. Immediately, he quickly turned over and dismounted, and laughed loudly at Yang Xiaomi: "Queen, get up quickly and let me have a good look! I have been away from home for the past few years, but when I have free time, I can't help but miss you! You It must be difficult for one person to support the situation here in Beijing and Shangjing, right? Tell me, what kind of reward do you want? "
When Yang Xiaomi heard what Kangxi said, he stood up and said to Kangxi with a smile: "The emperor's ability to pay tribute to the emperor is the greatest reward for me. I just want to stay by the emperor's side day and night. That's all." I am satisfied.”
Kangxi walked up to Yang Xiaomi, looked at her and narrowed his eyes with laughter: "You are still the best!"
Yang Xiaomi's cheeks turned slightly red when he said this, but she whispered back: "How am I doing?"
"Anywhere is good," Kangxi stared at Yang Xiaomi's tall chest and smiled, "but the best thing is over there."
Yang Xiaomi's pretty face turned red again, and she whispered: "Your Majesty, you have worked so hard coming from afar, so you should have a good rest for a few days. I have asked someone to prepare a palace at the Silver Buddha Temple in the city."
Kangxi laughed and said: "The empress knows how painful it is for me to leave. Look at how comfortable the palace you, the empress of the Qing Dynasty, prepared for me is."
"Yes." Queen Yang lowered her head and responded softly.
As he spoke, he took Queen Yang's little hand and walked to his horse together. He helped Queen Yang up first, then climbed onto the horse himself, and the two rode together towards Guihua City.
The Han ministers who followed Queen Yang were relieved when they saw this scene.
In the past few years, Empress Yang has been acting as a regent behind the curtain, and she has done many things to abuse power and disrupt government. She transferred four Manchu ministers who were assisting the government out of Beijing and went to Beijing to serve as governors. Prince Gong Chang Ning also colluded with this sister-in-law, and the relationship between the two seemed a bit ambiguous. Although Kangxi was in Central Asia, he still had many eyes and ears in Beijing and Shangjing.
In addition, Empress Yang's brother Yang Qilong is also an ambitious master. He invaded Japan without authorization a while ago, and recently he is planning to usurp the throne - not for the Qing Dynasty, but for North Korea. Prepare to usurp the throne and become the king of North Korea!
Kangxi must have known all these things! This time, he came back with more than 10,000 cavalry in a very aggressive manner. Did he want to destroy Queen Yang?
But now looking at Kangxi's attitude towards Empress Yang, I have to admit that this empress is really good at coaxing men!
Guihua City was now under martial law, and people on both sides of the street were kneeling to welcome the Emperor. Soldiers wearing blue coats and warm hats, carrying flintlock rifles, were there to maintain order at five steps and one post, ten steps and one post.
When Kangxi and Empress Yang rode together and appeared in Guihua City, cheers with Shanxi accents started: "Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!"
Kangxi held the reins with one hand and hugged Queen Yang's waist, which was neither thick nor too thin, and felt very good. She didn't look like she had given birth to four children at all. He heard the cheers of a group of Shanxi laokeng, so he whispered in Queen Yang's ear: "Queen, it seems that you have managed the country well in the past two or three years, and you are better than me!"
Empress Yang responded with a smile: "Your Majesty, these people are all Shanxi merchants. I regard them as one of their own, and they also regard me as their own. They are all their own, so what else can't be discussed?" Ouch, Your Majesty, please don’t pinch me!”
It turned out that Kangxi was not happy after hearing what Queen Yang said and pinched her waist: "Yang Xiaomi, do you mean that I don't regard them as one of my own?"
"Your Majesty." Yang Xiaomi's voice was sweet, but he didn't mean to admit his mistake at all. "It's impossible to pretend that they and you are not one and the same! And they and I are one and the same. I am the same." Most of the imperial merchants of the Qing Dynasty came from official merchants and imperial merchants. My brother’s Ruixin Tang has close ties with Shanxi merchants’ banks. I also have shares in Ruixin Tang. Can you not take care of them? Your Majesty, are you here? Most of the muskets, artillery, armor, and gunpowder received by the Northwest Army were made by them! Except for the contribution of Aurangzeb of Hindustan, the military expenses you spent in the Northwest were all paid to these Shanxi merchants Borrowed!"
When Kangxi heard what Yang Xiaomi said, a smile appeared on his pockmarked face: "Queen, you are indeed my good wife. It doesn't matter if they are not my own, as long as you are my own!"
Yang Xiaomi smiled: "Then, can the emperor tell me about your rebellion plan?"
"Rebellion?" Kangxi frowned, "I am the emperor!"
"You are still the second minister!" Yang Xiaomi said with a smile, "My first minister was Wu Sangui, and my second minister was the third prince Zhu. Now you want to rebel against the third prince Zhu, right?"
"This is not the place to talk. Let's go to the palace and discuss it in detail." Yang Xiaomi's words didn't sound nice, but Kangxi didn't mean to be angry at all. He just pinched Yang Xiaomi again. Then the two of them started to move. , and walked slowly towards the Yinfo Temple Palace.
In the darkness of the night, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, who had just fought a fierce battle, was sitting on a recliner in the palace of Yinfo Temple, squinting his eyes, looking at Empress Yang who was getting dressed with a smile, looking like she was still unfinished.
Yang Xiaomi gave her a flirtatious look, and then asked softly: "Your Majesty, how do I compare to those beauties from the Western Regions and Mongolian beauties?"
Kangxi laughed: "Queen, it turns out that you are jealous sometimes! But having said that, those orchids are quite beautiful, especially the orchids who are mixed with Mongolia. As long as they are not old, they are all rare and beautiful. As for those golden retrievers, they are worse. They smell too much, have too much hair, and become rough with age. They are incomparable to you."
Yang Xiaomi smiled and said: "It seems that the Emperor still thinks that the Central Plains is good!"
Kangxi nodded: "Of course the Central Plains is better, but Jiangnan is even better. The sun rises and the river flowers are as red as the fire. When spring comes, the river is as green as blue. Can you not remember Jiangnan?"
"There are many Chinese people in the south of the Yangtze River who are brave in national wars. The south of the Yangtze River is also rich in flintlock guns and smooth-bore cannons, which are military weapons that are lacking in the north! Your Majesty, I have recently been reading two history books translated by Jiangnan Book Company, one of which is "Western History". Only after reading the historian Appian's "The Roman Envoy" and Zosimus's work "New History of Rome" did we know that there are ancient civilizations in the West, and we also know that the Western Roman state has a capital city called Combo Constantinople that is comparable to the two capitals in the north and south! I also heard that Constantinople was occupied by the Western Turks more than 300 years ago, and is now the capital of the Ottoman-Turkish Empire! Historically, Constantinople was almost occupied by us Mongols! Your Majesty, you His reign name is Kangxi, is he related to Constantinople?"
After listening to Yang Xiaomi's words, Kangxi nodded slightly and said: "Now I and the Ottoman-Turkish Empire are only separated by the Caspian Sea. If you want to go west, it is not impossible. What the Western Turks could do back then, they can do today!" But after losing their foundation in the East, the Western Turks continued to move westward, and finally established this foundation on the western Mediterranean. And I still have the ancestral foundation that cannot be abandoned, and now I have joined forces with the ten countries in the East and West to form the Eleven The great alliance between China and Ming Dynasty is not without confidence!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty." Yang Xiaomi already understood Kangxi's thoughts.
His idea is to make a final bet in the east, and if he wins, he will be Emperor Kangxi. If he loses, he will consider moving west to become a Kangxi Emperor!
"Your Majesty," Yang Xiaomi asked, "Wu Zhou also had the same idea, right? I heard that Wu Shicong was planning to attack Persia. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Kangxi nodded: "Wu Shicong is plotting against Persia, while Wu Yingqi is eyeing the Central Plains. Who can be willing to abandon the great mountains and rivers in vain?"
Yang Xiaomi completely understood, "Your Majesty, the East India Company's mission has been in Beijing for a month. Should we call them in for naturalization?"
Kangxi waved his hand: "No need. I will get up tomorrow and let's go to Beijing together! I have traveled tens of thousands of miles in the past two years, and this little journey is nothing!"
Beijing, Dutch East India Company Trading Hall.
This business store is located in the famous Pipiao Hutong outside Zhengyangmen in Beijing. It is rented from Yang Qilong's prime industrial location!
Although they rented such a nice house, the Dutch East India Company's business in Beijing was not big - the Dutch had nothing to sell to the Qing Dynasty, a big country with everything! Even if there is something missing, aren't there the Ruixintang Trading House and the Mongolian East India Company of the North Korean supervisor Yang Qilong who can help import from the Ming Dynasty?
Moreover, in recent years, stimulated by Yang Xiaomi's policy of reemploying Shanxi merchants and encouraging industry, the military industry in Beijing and Shanghai has made great progress. The East India Company no longer has any advanced foreign guns and cannons that can be resold to the Qing Dynasty. .
And the Qing Dynasty had nothing good to give to the Dutch East India Company. The porcelain and silk of the Qing Dynasty were not enough for itself. They had to exchange wood, leather goods, Chinese medicine, Dongzhu, and large livestock with the Ming Dynasty. Where? Is there still room for export to Europe?
However, the Dutch East India Company does not have any business to do in Beijing. They can also export technology!
It’s better to buy than to make!
Yang Xiaomi is not a "comprador". She knows very well that most of the foreign guns and cannons bought from the Dutch are "made in Amherst, the Netherlands." This thing cannot fool her!
Since A Guang from Foshan can imitate real foreign guns and cannons, why can’t people from Shanxi and Zhili do the same? Zhili is rich in coal and iron. If all is developed, the output may exceed that of the entire Europe!
Therefore, in the past two years, the Dutch East India Company's business office in Beijing has taken orders from manufacturing plants and iron smelting plants. It is now helping the Qing Dynasty repair shipyards in Tianjin Wei, and is helping the Qing Dynasty repair blast furnaces at the Longyan Iron Mine outside Zhangjiakou.
In addition, Yang Xiaomi also found that Europa's woolen fabrics were good and looked particularly straight when worn. So I am also planning to import a woolen textile workshop - there is no other in Qing Dynasty, but there are plenty of grasslands for raising sheep!
However, exporting technology to the Qing Dynasty was not the purpose of the Dutch to open a business store in Beijing. Exporting technology was profitable, but it also cultivated competitors! Moreover, the three countries of the Qing Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, and Zhou Dynasty belong to "one world", similar to the European Christian civilization circle. If they are exported to one country, other countries will soon learn from it.
Therefore, the Dutch were not willing to do this. Just to win over the Qing Dynasty to attack the Ming Dynasty, they had to show some real skills. Otherwise, how could the Qing Dynasty defeat the Ming Dynasty?
And this time, Spielman, the Batavia Governor of the Dutch East India Company, traveled thousands of miles to come to Beijing in order to finalize a plan to siege the Ming Dynasty!
But when he arrived in Beijing, Queen Yang had already gone to Guihua City to greet Emperor Kangxi, so he could only wait here. While waiting, he also made an old friend in Beijing - a friend who had some connections with the Dutch East India Company, named Zheng Xi!
This Zheng Xi is extraordinary. He is Zheng Chenggong's youngest brother, Zheng Zhilong's youngest son, and Zheng Jing's uncle. When Zheng Chenggong died, he once left an order to make his successor King Yanping. It's a pity that he is not as "skilled" as Zheng Jing. He was defeated by Zheng Jing and had no choice but to join the Qing Dynasty. Being a first-class honorary official and a cabinet minister sounds like a big deal, but in fact he has no real power and no oil. Being a starving apartment house in Beijing.
Just like this, 40 years passed in confusion. Suddenly one day, because of a good friend Yang Qilong he met when he was an apartment in Beijing, he became the confidant of Empress Yang of the Qing Dynasty who was the regent behind the curtain!
This is really amazing!
Of course, the errand that Empress Yang sent to Zheng Xi was for "foreign affairs", and she gave him the title of official minister of the vassal academy - originally only Manchurians and Mongolians could do this job. Yang Xiaomi said in a daze, " "Originally, only Manchus and Mongols can be the queen." She blocked all objections.
But having said that, only Zheng Xi can be a good "foreigner minister". Because Zheng Xi was originally born as a merchant in Dahai, and Zheng Zhilong was still ambitious when he was a child. He once wanted to expand the Zheng family's industry to the whole world, so he hired a foreign language teacher for Zheng Xi to teach him Dutch. He knew foreign language. Tonglan learned it!
With this ability, communication between him and Governor Spearman was of course no problem, so he became a frequent visitor to the East India Company's merchant house.
So after he got Yang Xiaomi's decree, he happily came to the East India Company store in Pipiaoying Alley. The gatekeeper was familiar with him and let him in directly after saying hello. As soon as he walked outside the living room door, he heard the sound of things being smashed, accompanied by Spearman's roar: "Bastard! The French are all big bastards, they are all devils, and they have all sold their souls to the devil. , only the devil can do such a thing."
(End of chapter)
