Zhu Jinsong’s impression of my Great Qing had always been one of appeasement and cession, where even winning wars would result in territorial concessions and reparations. Never had he imagined that my Great Qing would suddenly rise.
This was more exaggerated than a long-term erectile dysfunction patient being able to last half an hour without an old military doctor’s help – it was akin to a eunuch’s male organ suddenly regenerating, a legendary anomaly.
Of course, for my Great Qing, this was quite normal.
As is widely known, the operational mode of this world has always been a competition of who is worse. As long as everyone else is worse than me, I am the ultimate winner.
After losing Solun Camp and the Green Standard Army, although my Great Qing could not defeat Zhu Jinsong’s Great Ming dynasty, nor could it defeat other rebels, big or small, there were still some weaklings in this world who were weaker than my Great Qing.
This was similar to the situation with Ryukyu.
In the eyes of the Rabbit, it was a pseudo-regime of utter trash, with a trash military, trash equipment, and even more trashier officials. It was even once used as a unit of measurement.
However, this trash could still crush the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, and a host of other countries, and even fight evenly with Jiaozhi.
If we exclude the five benevolent ones and the minor monsters of Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Turkey, India, and the two Babas, this trash in the Rabbit’s eyes could practically walk sideways on the small broken Earth. The vast majority of countries would have to kneel and call this trash "Father."
Isn’t that incredible? Yet, reality is like this, more fantastical than any novel.
The same applied to my Great Qing.
In Zhu Jinsong’s eyes, the Qing was a piece of trash that would cede territory and pay reparations regardless of the distance, capable only of shrinking back to Zhili and barely surviving with the support of the Us-Tsang Pacification Commission, Mongolia, and Liaodong, a prime example of utter disgrace.
However, in the eyes of many other countries, my Great Qing was still a great power whose "heavenly might could not be offended."
At the very least, this was true compared to Gurkha and Joseon, who were even worse than my Great Qing.
After losing the sixteen provinces of the Central Plains, the lives of my Great Qing’s Banner lords became worse year by year, like Wang Xiaoer celebrating the New Year. To live a good life, they had to risk their lives on the battlefield.
For my Great Qing’s Banner formations, it was normal to be unable to defeat Zhu Jinsong, the emperor of the Great Ming. After all, every time they attacked Zhu Jinsong, they suffered losses, and my Great Qing’s Banner lords had long since developed a psychological shadow. But could my Great Qing still not defeat a Gurkha that appeared out of nowhere?
Especially when the old dog Qianlong had specifically instructed the fifteenth prince Yongyan that the Gurkhas were my Great Qing’s last retreat – if the Gurkhas were not eliminated, my Great Qing might be completely finished.
Based on this premise, Aisin Gioro Yongyan directly unleashed his ancestral primal force, successfully evolving into a little wild boar. Eletembur and the Banner lords they led also picked up the bravery of my Great Qing’s ancestors at the brink of death.
In short, the little wild boar, Eletembur, and the Banner lords suddenly exploded and directly eliminated the even more useless Gurkha army.
After eliminating the Gurkhas, the Banner lords suddenly discovered that it wasn’t that they were too useless, but that the traitor Zhu Jinsong was too formidable. There were many weaker individuals in the world who could be bullied.
Then, the little wild boar, following my Great Qing’s glorious tradition, incorporated some surrendered soldiers from Gurkha and properly established the Banner Gurkha.
As is well known, Chinese collaborators are often worse than the original devils. The Eight Banners Han Army was more enthusiastic and ruthless in fighting the Ming army than the Manchu Eight Banners. The Banner Gurkhas were also like the Eight Banners Han Army of the past, killing Gurkhas more fiercely and enthusiastically than the Manchu Eight Banners led by the little wild boar Yongyan and Eletembur.
And the little wild boar Yongyan was truly worthy of being the son of the old dog Qianlong. When he was ruthless, he was truly ruthless. To allow my Great Qing’s Eight Banners to restore the "bravery of their ancestors," practices like massacring villages and cities were considered routine operations. The little wild boar Yongyan even directly emulated his ancestors by carrying out a "keep your hair, lose your head; keep your head, lose your hair" operation in Gurkha.
Unfortunately, the people of Gurkha did not pay much attention to hairstyles – except for those in the Central Plains, other regions seemed not to care much. Therefore, the little wild boar’s ingenious operation did not encounter much resistance, and Gurkha successfully became my Great Qing’s newest territory.
Then, the little wild boar felt that his troops had been trained sufficiently, and Gurkha had also stabilized. So, the little wild boar directly waved his hand and transferred some Banner Gurkha and Gurkha Green Standard Army from Gurkha, along with a portion of my Great Qing’s Manchu Eight Banners and Banner Mongols, and sent them all as a package to the old dog Qianlong.
The old dog Qianlong was shocked – Damn it, I merely said that if one has a son, he should be like Zhu Jinsong, and Yongyan exhibited an atavistic phenomenon. If I say more to my other sons, will I have many formidable sons?
Of course, whether sons are formidable is secondary. The main point is that the troops Yongyan sent back were indeed more formidable than the Banner lords remaining in Zhili.
This gave the old dog Qianlong sufficient confidence.
After gathering his trusted ministers like Heshen, the old dog Qianlong decided to advance into Joseon and carry out a hairstyle reform of "keep your hair, lose your head; keep your head, lose your hair" in Joseon.
The most important thing was to extort some wealth from Joseon to fill the emptiness of my Great Qing’s national treasury.
After all, Joseon had never been pleasing to my Great Qing. When it served the Ming, Joseon was an extremely filial son. When it came to serving my Great Qing, Joseon acted like an unfilial son, even secretly using the Chongzhen era name instead of my Great Qing emperor’s year name.
Then, the old dog Qianlong directly dispatched troops.
With the Banner Gurkha and Gurkha Green Standard Army as the vanguard, with a portion of the Manchu Eight Banners remaining in Zhili and the Banner Mongols on the grasslands as the main force, and supplemented by the Manchu Eight Banners and Banner Mongols and some outer-frontier Eight Banners sent back by the little wild boar Aisin Gioro Yongyan, my Great Qing’s forces marched directly towards Joseon.
This time, my Great Qing’s army finally found the feeling of fighting a normal war.
The Banner Gurkha, like the Eight Banners Han Army of the past, fought desperately against the Joseon army for the rewards from my Great Qing’s court.
The Manchu Eight Banners remaining in Zhili and the Banner Mongols on the grasslands, in order to regain their good old days, also risked their lives and launched fierce attacks on Joseon – if they couldn’t defeat the Ming army, couldn’t they defeat the Koreans?
The then King of Joseon, Yi San, was completely taken aback.
Although Joseon was undoubtedly unfilial to my Great Qing, the other kings of Joseon who harbored resentment towards the Great Ming and were always prepared for anti-Qing restoration were irrelevant to me, Yi San.
I, King Jeongjo of Joseon, was truly sincere towards my Great Qing. Although on the surface I still emphasized respecting Joseon and upholding spring and autumn righteousness, my evaluation of Emperor Qianlong was not low.
"Truly a hero of his generation," "even more prosperous than Kangxi," I even sent "Yeon-haengsa" to my Great Qing’s capital to absorb and learn my Great Qing’s culture and institutions, thereby establishing "Northern Learning" in my Joseon.
I, Yi San, had gone this far, yet you, Emperor Qianlong, sent troops to attack my Joseon?
Crucially, Joseon was truly even more dilapidated than my Great Qing.
Even though my Great Qing was considered trash that couldn’t even compare to Ryukyu in Zhu Jinsong’s eyes, my Great Qing at least had the record of entering the Central Plains, and its ancestors were once glorious. But had Joseon’s ancestors ever been glorious?
No.
Goguryeo, which was once powerful, had no connection whatsoever with Joseon. Joseon’s ancestors not only had never been glorious, but they were often beaten like dogs. The fourteenth monarch of Joseon, King Seonjo of Joseon, Yi Ho, even fled to the banks of the Yalu River, intending to live in the Great Ming.
Even after the Great Ming fell, the successive kings of Joseon "vowed to restore the Ming," but it remained at the stage of preparing troops and supplies and never put into action.
Zhu Jinsong even suspected that Joseon’s so-called "vow to restore the Ming" was entirely to attract talent that leaned towards the Great Ming.
Of course, Joseon had messed up this time because my Great Qing dispatched troops to Joseon on the grounds of "harboring resentment" and "plotting rebellion."
The 4484th year of the Yellow Emperor’s Era, the fourth year of Zhu Jinsong’s enthronement, the 54th year of Qianlong.
Just as Pierre and a host of French nobles arrived in Jinan, my Great Qing’s army successfully rose and, with high spirits, attacked Joseon, which was even more dilapidated than my Great Qing. In just over a month, my Great Qing’s army pushed the front line to Pyongyang.
Only then did Yi San, the fence-sitter, remember that there was a Great Ming Emperor to rely on, and he hastily sent envoys to the Great Ming to seek aid.
However, Zhu Jinsong did not care much about Joseon’s survival.
Was Joseon your Great Ming’s subject?
No, right?
Not only was Joseon not your Great Ming’s subject, but like Annan, it was enfeoffed by my Great Qing and was my Great Qing’s filial son and grandson. Theoretically, you were my Great Ming’s enemy.
Don’t talk about Joseon always “vowing to restore the Ming.” If it truly vowed to restore the Ming, where was Joseon when I ascended the throne? Did it send a congratulatory memorial?
Therefore, after receiving the envoy sent by Yi San, Zhu Jinsong directly retorted: "Your Joseon is not a subject of my Great Ming, and I am not your Joseon’s ruler. Your envoy should please return."
He treated Yi San’s envoy the same way he had treated the envoy sent by Ruan Fuying.
The difference was that for Jiaozhi, since they were temporarily unable to look south, Zhu Jinsong also sent someone to contact Bai Ziqi, letting Bai Ziqi first support Li Wei Qi of the Later Lê dynasty as the King of Annan, preparing to let Li Wei Qi die suddenly when the time was right. As for Joseon, Zhu Jinsong did not give them even the slightest opportunity.
Why have a vassal system when direct rule is more enjoyable?
For Jiaozhi, the Great Ming had direct rule in the past. As for Joseon, it had been a vassal of the Great Ming from the beginning and had always secretly clamored for anti-Qing restoration. If they did not seize this opportunity to directly reclaim Joseon, it would be difficult to justify military action against Joseon in the future.
Therefore, let alone Yi San merely sending envoys with memorials to seek aid, even if Yi San himself came to the Great Ming and hugged Zhu Jinsong’s thigh and called him father, Zhu Jinsong would not send troops to Joseon to confront my Great Qing.
My Great Qing still had great use for it.
This put King Jeongjo of Joseon in a difficult position.
Just as he wanted to sincerely recognize my Great Qing as his father, his father attacked him.
When he remembered that he had a former father to rely on, the former father no longer cared about him.
Joseon was directly reduced to the situation of Pigsy looking in the mirror, neither inside nor out.
Fight? They couldn’t win.
Surrender? Keep your hair, lose your head; keep your head, lose your hair.
Of course, Joseon’s troublesome affairs with my Great Qing had nothing to do with Zhu Jinsong, the Emperor of the Great Ming. Zhu Jinsong could not bother with the mess there for the time being.
What Zhu Jinsong valued more was France. Compared to the entire European continent, Joseon had no advantage in terms of land area, wealth, or labor force.
If you can eat abalone, why would you eat oysters?