The twelfth year of Kangxi's reign, the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.
Emperor Kangxi, who had already celebrated the Lantern Festival and started to devote himself to work, had just finished his lunch and was sitting in the south study room, reading through a dozen very important memorials and title books that had been sent to him in recent days.
Part of it is an excerpt to plead guilty... There are many guilty ministers! Before the New Year, Tu Hai, Sun Sike, Shi Lang, Sun Yanling and others had already apologized.
After the New Year, the apology documents from Geng Jingzhong, Liu Jinzhong, and a bunch of Hunan officials are here again!
There is nothing much to say about those Hunan officials' pleas... It's normal that they couldn't defeat Wu Sangui.
Moreover, the speed at which they are losing territory is acceptable. The four important places of Changsha, Yuezhou, Hengyang, and Changde are still in the hands of the imperial court, and they are expected to be able to hold them for a while.
The tricks of Geng Jingzhong and Liu Jinzhong made Kangxi a little speechless. These two guys didn't know what medicine they took wrong before the New Year, and they actually had the courage to go to Chaozhou Prefecture!
It was a place like a dragon's pond and a tiger's den. How could they attack it? As expected, the result was a disastrous defeat...defeated by a rebel named Yang Xiuqing.
Kangxi had seen Yang Xiuqing's name in the "Collection of Poems by Renzi Ke Gongshi". He was a scholar from Guangxi, and he also wrote the famous line "loyal bones are buried everywhere in the mountains, why return them wrapped in horse leather".
At that time, Emperor Kangxi knew that this was not simple. He did not expect that he was not only brilliant in literature, but also extremely clever in military strategy. He was a talented man with both civil and military skills!
It's a pity that no matter how powerful a person is, he refuses to be used by the court, and instead becomes the rebel's right-hand deputy strategist.
Kangxi sighed and thought to himself: "My father and I are both wise and benevolent kings... Why are these talents unwilling to serve the court?"
In addition to pleas for apology, there were also several folds that brought good news to Emperor Kangxi.
For example, the resignation of Fujian Governor Fan Chengmo reported good news - Geng Jingzhong and Liu Jinzhong were really defeated!
Moreover, Geng Jingzhong personally went into battle to fight the thieves and returned with serious injuries... Fan Chengmo had already visited him, it was absolutely true!
Since it is true that Geng Jingzhong was injured, this is good news, indicating that both Geng Jingzhong and Liu Jinzhong are loyal! If they had colluded with Prince Zhu San, then the defeat of Chaozhou was a false defeat. How could it be possible that the damage was so great and that Geng Jingzhong almost died in the battle?
Fan Chengmo was a loyal and shrewd servant, and it was impossible for the silly Geng Jingzhong to be satisfied with him.
Therefore, Geng Jingzhong’s loyalty can be determined!
As for Liu Jinzhong... although many people said that he was unreliable, Kangxi felt that this guy was still loyal.
Otherwise, during the defeat of Chaozhou, he would switch sides and kill Geng Jingzhong in one fell swoop, and now the whole of Fujian would be in chaos.
In addition to these "two loyalties", Emperor Kangxi discovered another loyal minister, that is, Wang Fuchen, the admiral of Pingliang.
This Wang Fuchen originally worked under Wu Sangui and was said to have been favored. Therefore, many people gave Kangxi secret instructions and asked him to beware of Wang Fuchen.
And Wang Fuchen is now in trouble - because he heard that the rebels had a "bomb box" that could hurt people's lives, and he was very worried about the negligence of the concierge at Taihe Gate. Therefore, I would like to resign as the Admiral of Pingliang and join the imperial court as an imperial bodyguard to guard the Gate of Supreme Harmony for the Emperor and protect the Emperor's safety!
Look, what a good slave this is!
How could it be unfaithful?
Therefore, Emperor Kangxi did not reject Wang Dazhongnu's intention, and immediately ordered Wang Fuchen to join the court as the "minister of the concierge"... The important task of guarding the Gate of Supreme Harmony was given to him.
In addition to the "Three Loyalists" Geng Jingzhong, Liu Jinzhong, and Wang Fuchen, Tu Hai, who had done great service to Dai Zui, also gave Kangxi a discount by recommending Shi Dazhong, who had repeatedly fought in the north, as the admiral of the Yangtze River Navy!
This is really a promotion after losing a battle!
Although they are both admirals, the admiral of Yangtze River is much more important than the admiral of Xijiang!
But this official still has to be promoted!
Because Kangxi really didn’t have many talents to serve as naval officers... Most of the original navy chiefs in Guangdong and Fujian were landlubbers who came from Chen Hanjun. If they fell into the water, they would be loyal, and they could still be expected to be on the Yangtze River. Defeat the rebels?
However, the Yangtze River navy was handed over to Shi Lang, and Emperor Kangxi was a little worried!
We have to find a slave who is more loyal than Shi Lang!
Thinking of this, Emperor Kangxi immediately started looking in the South Study.
The ministers who are now on duty in the South Study Room are divided into two groups. One group is the ministers. A few bachelors must come if there is nothing important that they cannot leave. The Manchu ministers from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Husbandry also came. There is also a "consultant prince" Yue Le who also has the title of minister of political affairs and comes to the south study room every day.
The other part is the "little ministers", led by Xiong Cilu, a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, including Fu Honglie, Huang Zhisheng, Zhang Hongtian and so on.
Among them, Zhang Hongtian is the Qiling Master, and he is now also a Hanlin. He was worshiped as the "Magic Hanlin" and was specifically responsible for helping Emperor Kangxi conduct "magic experiments".
Emperor Kangxi was a scholarly emperor who excelled in arts and sciences. He was different from the later Jia, Dao, Xian, and Tong... Just look at those few strokes of characters!
Moreover, this Kangxi also liked to do math problems. He didn't need to be forced by Bu Mu Butai, it was just out of interest. Anyone who enjoys solving problems is a typical academic!
"Kang Xueba" has recently become obsessed with "spell experiments". He took a "spell bomb", the one Deng Zhong picked up and handed it to Shi Lang, and played with it with Zhang Hongtian. After taking it apart, I carefully smashed the sugar medicine in the hollow cylinder inside, and then conducted experiments in small pieces... Soak it in cold water, soak it in hot water, soak it in wine, and take it. Soak in vinegar, lard, and soy sauce.
Anyway, it’s all kinds of soaking. After soaking, heat it, cool it after heating...and then filter it with gauze.
After organizing a "Spring Festival", "Kang Xueba" actually discovered many "mysteries of magic".
He now knows that Zhu Heji's sugar medicine does not add charcoal powder and sulfur... these two things are not soluble in water!
You'll know when you put the sugar medicine in hot water and it blooms, then filter it.
In addition, Kangxi also knew that Zhu Heji's sugar medicine was made by boiling sugar and adding fire and salt!
Kangxi personally went to the dessert room of the imperial dining room to ask about this matter... The sugar is usually burned, hydrated, or made with vinegar. If you add water and turn it into sugar water, that will definitely not work. All that's left is to melt it with vinegar and heat.
Kangxi and Zhang Hongtian did experiments together. It seemed that vinegar would not work. It was still too wet and could not be burned. Melting with fire has the best effect, but it can catch fire accidentally!
While they were doing the experiment, they accidentally set the imperial kitchen on fire, and even surprised the Empress Dowager Bumubutai.
Afterwards, Emperor Kangxi felt that it was better to keep the "magic" away from the kitchen, so as not to burn down the imperial dining room. Moreover, we are researching new gunpowder now. What if we research new poisons in the future? It seems inappropriate to put it in the kitchen, right?
Therefore, Emperor Kangxi established a "Master Hanlin" organization under the Hanlin Academy, and allowed Zhang Zhenren to also become an Hanlin.
Although the compilation problem has been solved and a special laboratory has been established, the secret of the sugar medicine has not been completely solved - the sugar medicine created by Kangxi and Zhang Zhenren is very easy to break. It will break after cooling for a while, and it will become damp after breaking. It will easily fail.
In addition, it is very dangerous to boil sugar medicine by heating it over an open flame and may easily cause a fire.
The biggest headache for Kangxi was that the method of boiling sugar and medicine was too simple to keep secrets. If all the Han people in the world knew it... the Eight Banners Heavenly Soldiers would not have much deterrence!
However, compared with these troublesome things, there are still many things that make Emperor Kangxi happy these days - there are still many loyal ministers in the Qing Dynasty!
As long as these loyal ministers are made good use of, the Qing Dynasty will surely win!
Thinking of this, Kangxi turned his attention to the "foolish and loyal" slave Fu Honglie.
"Fu Honglie!"
"The slave is here!" Fu Honglie quickly knelt down to Kangxi.
Kangxi smiled and asked: "Fu Honglie, have you learned how to prepare Tianlei medicine?"
"As soon as you know it, you already know it. I study with Zhang Zhenren every day and I have already learned it."
Kangxi nodded and said, "Very good. Are you from Nanchang Prefecture?"
"Exactly," Fu Honglie said, "the slave is indeed from Jinxian County, Nanchang Prefecture."
"Okay," Kangxi nodded and said, "Then you will go to Jiangxi and serve as the superintendent of the Yangtze River Navy... in charge of two things. First, in charge of the supply of fire and thunder for the Navy and the entire Ningnan Jingkou General's camp. ! The two Fire Thunder Leaders who were originally under the control of Deng Zhong are now under your control. The missing positions will be filled by transferring people from the Cavalry Battalion of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Second, it is responsible for the recruitment of naval troops. The navy's troops need to be recruited from the people of the rivers and lakes. You are from Jiangxi, so you should know where to recruit. We must help Shi Lang recruit 20,000 men as soon as possible, preferably boat people and fishermen. "
