Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

As soon as Kangxi finished speaking, everyone in the hall had different expressions and were making their own calculations.

The Ninth Prince, Yin Tang, even whispered to the Tenth Prince, Yin E, who was beside him.

Rumors of this matter had been circulating for some time, and Kangxi's princes had each been secretly making their own plans.

They all believed that the imperial court's appointment of the Grand General and his participation in the Northwest campaign would be an extremely important opportunity for the princes.

Not to mention that the entire court attached great importance to this battle, the position of Grand General Wang alone was extremely important.

The person chosen for this position can not only wield military power and enhance their own influence, but also potentially determine who will eventually ascend to the throne.

Kangxi glanced at the expressions of the crowd below. In fact, he had already decided on the candidate to be appointed as the Grand General.

I just wanted to use this incident to test the reactions of the princes and see which of them was truly dedicated to serving the court.

As Emperor Kangxi grew older, he now had only two things on his mind.

One option was to enter the Central Plains and complete the great undertaking that Emperor Taizu had not yet accomplished; the other was to choose a suitable successor.

Therefore, in Kangxi's mind, the selection of the Grand General was not only related to the war situation in the Northwest, but also to the test of the successor to the throne.

Seeing the Ninth Prince Yinzhen whispering something to the Tenth Prince Yin'e, Kangxi asked them expressionlessly:

"Yin Tang, do you have something to say?"

Emperor Kangxi had previously favored Yinzhen, thanks to the illustrious reputation of his mother, Consort Yi, of the Guo Luoluo clan.

In addition, Yinzhen was studious and intelligent from a young age, and loved innovation. He even designed a war chariot himself.

They were the first to attempt to transcribe Manchu into Latin, setting a precedent for the Manchu people.

However, since the death of the eldest prince, Kangxi's attitude toward the ninth prince, Yinzhen, has taken a sharp turn for the worse.

The reason lies in the close relationship between Yin Tang and the Eighth Prince Yin Si. After the death of the First Prince, the Eighth Prince's faction became very active in the court.

Many Manchu officials praised the Eighth Prince for his virtue, especially the Ninth Prince Yintang and the Tenth Prince Yin'e, who even came up with tricks like "Eighth Prince is the Great," "Eighth Prince is the Great King," and "King with White on Top," which greatly displeased Emperor Kangxi.

Although after the death of the eldest prince, Kangxi was worried that the Crown Prince's faction would be left unchecked, he intended to support the Eighth Prince's faction to balance the Crown Prince's faction.

But he wasn't even dead yet, and these sons were already eager to seize the throne, even adding white to the title of king. They were utterly disrespectful and extremely presumptuous!

Yinzhen was quite shrewd; seeing the unfriendly look in Kangxi's eyes, he cautiously said:

"Your Majesty! Yinzhen is currently in charge of the Ministry of War. I think we should listen to his views first."

Previously, the Eighth Prince's faction had held an internal meeting in private.

The special discussion concluded with a final decision to jointly recommend the Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, as the primary candidate for "Grand General Prince".

If the emperor disagrees, then as a second choice, the fourteenth prince, Yinzhen, will be recommended to ascend the throne.

The reason why Yinzhen asked Kangxi to ask Yinti's opinion first was because Yinzhen wanted to know.

The reason is that Yinzhen is currently in charge of the Ministry of War and is originally a military commander, making him the most suitable candidate to serve as the Grand General.

If the Eighth Prince Yinzhi wanted to compete for this position, he had to get the support of Yinti.

During the internal meeting, Yinzhen had already agreed to recommend the Eighth Prince, Yinsi.

However, Yinzhen and other confidants of the Eighth Prince's faction were still worried that Yinzhen would go back on his word, or even recommend himself.

Yin Tang's demand at this moment was to corner Yin Ti, leaving him with no other choice.

If Yinzhen keeps his word, then he should recommend the Eighth Prince Yinsi now.

If Yinzhen did not recommend Yinsi, the Eighth Prince's faction would launch a coordinated attack, first bringing down Yinzhen, and then competing with the Crown Prince's faction for power.

Of course, the most crucial point is that since Yinzhi asked the question in this way, Yinti had no other choice. Even if he had other thoughts, he could only recommend Yinsi at this time.

When Yinzhen saw that Yintang asked him to make the recommendation first, his expression changed slightly.

Although he was outwardly a member of the Eighth Prince's faction, he secretly harbored ambitions to rise to power.

In addition, he believed that he was the most suitable candidate to serve as the Grand General, but he had to support the Eighth Prince due to the situation during the internal meeting.

At this moment, Yinzhen asked him to speak up and make recommendations first. He naturally understood Yinzhen's intention: this was to cut off his escape route.

Yinzhen was caught in a dilemma and remained silent for a moment.

But Kangxi seemed to have seen through Yinzhen's thoughts and did not grant his wish. Instead, he continued to press Yinzhen with further questions:

"Yes! Yinzhen is in charge of the Ministry of War, but I would like to hear your opinion now."

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it any longer, Ninth Prince Yin Tang had no choice but to bite the bullet and say:

"Your Majesty! I believe that the key to this campaign in the Northwest is to have a shrewd and resourceful prince to unite the Northern Yuan and the Hunye, so that they and the Han Dynasty can wear each other down."

"Moreover, the prince is merely a commander-in-chief who sits on the banner; what is important is to strategize and command the soldiers with their lives."

"Your Majesty just now mentioned the word 'virtuous,' which I think is absolutely right and appropriate. The Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, is known for his wisdom and benevolence throughout the court and the country."

"If the Eighth Prince can be appointed as the Grand General, he will surely be able to unite the three sides and achieve the great cause of conquering Han."

"Therefore, I recommend the Eighth Prince, Yinzhi, and request Your Majesty's consideration."

As soon as Yinzhen finished speaking, the Tenth Prince Yin'e eagerly followed up with his report:

"Ninth Brother is right! A commander-in-chief doesn't necessarily need to charge into battle. Those famous strategists and military geniuses in history had no martial arts skills whatsoever, yet they still won battles, didn't they?"

"Your Majesty, I also recommend the Eighth Prince as Grand General! Please consider this recommendation!"

The Tenth Prince's words caused everyone present to change their expressions.

Originally, Ninth Prince Yin Tang's recommendation was not problematic, and even sounded quite reasonable.

The text emphasizes the commander-in-chief's strategic planning, deliberately avoiding mentioning the Eighth Prince Yinzhi's lack of knowledge of military strategy.

However, the Tenth Prince Yin'e was impatient and followed suit in supporting the Eighth Prince, which made Emperor Kangxi and those present suspicious.

With Yin'e's words, Kangxi and everyone present knew that the result of the internal discussion within the Eighth Prince's faction was to recommend the Eighth Prince and compete for the power to lead troops.

When Kangxi saw the two men eloquently recommending the Eighth Prince, who had never led troops, for the position, he felt a chill in his heart.

This war in the Northwest was a matter of national destiny for the Qing Dynasty, yet these two princes did not consider how to win from the perspective of the country.

Instead, they form cliques for personal gain, are obsessed with power, lack a sense of the bigger picture, and are unfit for important tasks.

Emperor Kangxi never considered appointing Yinzhi as Grand General.

Firstly, this battle is of great importance, and it is essential to appoint a person knowledgeable in military affairs as the commander-in-chief.

Secondly, if the Eighth Prince were to gain control of the military, given his own prestige in the court, he would become even more powerful and difficult to control in the future.

This is extremely detrimental to his ability to maintain balance in the court and select his successor.

As for choosing the eighth prince as the heir to the throne, Kangxi never even considered it from beginning to end, not only because the eighth prince did not suit his taste, but also because of the eighth prince's status.

Born of a lowly servant, how dare she covet the throne?