The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Chapter 138 Wang Yuan: Boundless Heavenly Grace

Just as Aguda was training his troops, Qi Yanzhao, dressed in a red round-necked robe, rode up on horseback. (The last sentence appears to be a fragment and doesn't translate directly.)

Compared to the armor of a military general, Qi Yanzhao felt more like a civil official. However, despite being 1.85 meters tall and having muscles that rivaled Aguda's, he didn't look like a civil official at all.

When Aguda saw Qi Yanzhao arrive, he was not as arrogant as he was in front of others. Instead, he was as docile as a kitten and bowed respectfully.

"This humble general, Aguda, greets Your Excellency the Governor!"

Qi Yanzhao nodded and then looked at the 10,000 soldiers standing in neat rows on the training ground.

"Aguda, the imperial edict has arrived, stating that there is no longer any threat in Jilin, and ordering me to select servants without families to join the army, to be led by you south to Liaodong!"

Upon hearing this, Aguda immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, transforming from a tough guy into a listless figure.

As his most capable assistant in Jilin, who could lead a small army to wipe out tribes in the mountains even when the temperature was freezing cold, Qi Yanzhao naturally knew what he was thinking, so he patted Aguda on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, your wife, Jin Ge, will also accompany you on the expedition as your deputy general. This is a special exception granted to you by His Majesty the Emperor. However, it would be best to send your newborn child to the capital, where it is much more prosperous!"

"Your military post has already been assigned, and I will also arrange servants and a steward for you when I go to Beijing this time!"

After inquiring about the matter, Agu's expression changed instantly, and he immediately bowed!

"Your Excellency, we will obey your orders!"

"However, of these ten thousand soldiers, only three thousand had no families; they were all newly captured savages, but these men fought even more fiercely!"

After Aguda finished speaking, he called out the names of the army, and immediately three strong men came out from the army.

Each of the three men was between 1.8 and 1.9 meters tall, and their military overcoats made of animal hides were stretched taut.

Aguda thought Qi Yanzhao would be very satisfied, but Qi Yanzhao suddenly drew his sword and shouted at the three of them.

"Manchu Tartars!"

The three burly men, sweating from their drills, had taken off their hats. They had braids hanging down the back of their heads, and their eyes, like those of the Aisin Gioro family, were naturally squinted into slits.

Aguda wasn't stupid; he immediately realized where the problem lay, so he leaned closer to Qi Yanzhao and whispered:

"Your Excellency, these three thousand strong and capable servants were all captured around Beihai. They are not Manchu bannermen. If Your Excellency does not like them, then you may disband them?"

After saying that, Aguda made a throat-slitting gesture again.

For Aguda now, he already has at least 50,000 lives of blood from the Siberian Plateau savages on his hands, so he doesn't care about adding another 3,000!

"No need, no need. It would be a waste to kill them as cannon fodder on this trip south!"

Qi Yanzhao waved his hand, saying it was just a stress reaction and he didn't think much of it now.

The temperature near Beihai is so low that it can kill you. Perhaps Nurhaci's ancestors migrated from here to Liaodong. It's not impossible.

"Aguda, are there many people like this?"

Finally, Qi Yanzhao asked the question he cared about most. If there were many questions, he would need to clean them up properly. He was about to leave Jilin and needed to eliminate any unstable factors in advance. He believed that if the emperor knew, he would definitely support him.

Upon hearing this, Aguda scratched his forehead, looking completely certain. "Governor, these people all live near the North Sea, and their livelihood mainly consists of fishing and hunting."

At that time, I was merely leading troops in a charge; some were bound to escape, but there would be far too many!

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"Perhaps we could instruct them to conduct another thorough search of the area surrounding Beihai?"

Qi Yanzhao nodded upon hearing this, and then left the military camp immediately, since besides Aguda, there were many others who needed to leave Nerchinsk.

This was also Liu Mu's arrangement. If generals were to stay in such a harsh place as Nerchinsk for many years, even normal people would become abnormal. Therefore, it was necessary to rotate the troops every year.

Meanwhile, the streets of Nerchinsk were filled with shops selling grains, cloth, salt, and various beautiful Hanfu (traditional Han clothing). However, the only thing missing was anything related to iron, not even needles.

This is also a means to prevent wild men from causing trouble.

When Qi Yanzhao arrived at a grain store, a middle-aged, fat man wearing a mink coat greeted him with a big smile, shouting even when blocked by his personal guards.

"Governor Qi, it's me, Wang Yuan!"

"The first person to contract land!"

As Qi Yanzhao walked, he was lost in thought. When he heard someone shouting, he turned around and immediately smiled.

"Let him come over!"

Upon receiving the order, the guards retreated to the sides, but remained surrounding Qi Yanzhao to prevent him from being assassinated by the savages.

Because of Qi Yanzhao's attitude towards the mountain hermits, there have been three assassination attempts in the past year.

Of course, they did not expect that a civil official who had passed the imperial examinations would be more capable of fighting than a military general, so the first two attempts ended in failure.

The third time, these savages somehow acquired a matchlock gun. If it weren't for his personal guards risking their lives to protect him, Qi Yanzhao would likely have met his end in Nerchinsk.

After Wang Yuan approached Qi Yanzhao, he stood up and bowed in salute.

"Governor Qi, have you told His Majesty about my plight?"

Qi Yanzhao smiled upon hearing this. When he first arrived in Nerchinsk, the city had just begun construction and was inhabited by Han soldiers and slaves. The prisoners who had been exiled there were only moved when called upon.

After some deliberation, Qi Yanzhao began to take drastic measures, forcibly allocating land to these people and forcibly distributing slaves, which caused quite a bit of trouble at the time.

Because these lands were to be sold to them at the price of wasteland, at the price of cabbage—one tael per acre—and the slaves only received no money for the first year.

These people who came to Nerchinsk were all prisoners and ruffians; how could we expect them to spend money?

While Qi Yanzhao was having a headache, only Wang Yuan was the first to buy land, and he bought 1,200 acres of land in one go.

At the same time, it was suggested that the soldiers stationed in Nerchinsk be allowed to purchase the land, since they were Han soldiers and could sell it before leaving.

Wang Yuan's solution was simply a stroke of genius, immediately resolving Qi Yanzhao's problem. Large amounts of wasteland were sold, and a large number of slaves were needed at the same time.

Under such circumstances, Qi Yanzhao had the motivation to conquer the savages, and in just over a year, he completed his conquest of the Siberian Plateau.

The influx of slaves into Nerchinsk not only increased the labor force but also led to a surge in consumption. This virtuous cycle made the city of Nerchinsk increasingly prosperous.

Qi Yanzhao highly valued Wang Yuan's intelligence and even mentioned him in the military report, requesting the emperor to release him from his post of awaiting punishment.

"Rest assured, His Majesty is benevolent!"

"Your free citizen status has been restored!"

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