Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

Jianning was about to speak when he heard Shuangshuang happily say, "Candy, I want candy!"

Everyone was stunned, and then they all laughed. Kangxi couldn't help laughing, and touched Shuangshuang's head lovingly, saying: "Okay, uncle will ask someone to bring you lots of candy."

Princess Jianning shook her head helplessly and sighed inwardly, this little girl is such a foodie.

"Okay, give our Shuangshuang the most delicious candy as a reward." Kangxi said happily.

The emperor's words were firm and could not be changed, so Princess Jianning had no choice but to give up.

"Xuan'er, it was rumored in the palace that this child was born with supernatural powers, but I didn't quite believe it. Where did this child get so much strength?" the Queen Mother asked in surprise.

"I can't really say, but he will definitely be the protector of the Qing Dynasty when he grows up!" Kangxi said proudly.

At this time, a eunuch rushed over and said, "Your Majesty, there is urgent military information from Songjiang Prefecture, and the military ministers are waiting outside the palace gate."

"There's not so much to do on New Year's Day. Let them wait. I have to have dinner with my mother." Kangxi said unhappily.

"Xuan'er, state affairs are of the utmost importance and must not be taken lightly. I am also tired and you all should leave." The Queen Mother ordered them to leave.

Kangxi, Empress Tong, and Jianning's mother and daughter left the Cining Palace.

……

The atmosphere in the imperial study was solemn. Emperor Kangxi sat on the dragon throne with a gloomy face. He had just listened to He Yu's report on the Liangjiang Governor-General Fu Lata's report that the multinational coalition forces had occupied Wusongkou, invaded Shanghai County, and massacred local people.

The cabinet ministers below were also shocked. They were Suo Etu, Nalan Mingzhu, Yu Chenglong, Chen Yanyu, Li Guangdi and Gao Shiqi. These ministers were responsible for handling state affairs on weekdays, but faced with such a serious situation, they were also caught off guard.

Emperor Kangxi could not help but complain: "Things in the south are endless! First, the rebellion of the Jinxia rebels has not been quelled, and now there is an invasion by the multinational coalition forces. How can I feel at ease?"

Suo Etu frowned and said seriously, "Your Majesty is right. Songjiang Prefecture is the source of wealth for the court, and Shanghai Port is one of the four major foreign ports. Wusongkou is the estuary of the Yangtze River. These places are strategic locations and are of vital importance to the Qing Dynasty. There must be no mistakes. Therefore, I suggest sending heavy troops to Shanghai County and Wusongkou to drive those Western invaders out of our Chinese territory."

Hearing this, Kangxi nodded slightly to show his agreement.

However, at this moment, Nalan Mingzhu, who had always disagreed with Suo Etu, suddenly said, "Prime Minister Suo, you don't know that the Westerners' strong ships and powerful guns are exactly the shortcomings of our Qing Dynasty. The Huangpu River runs through Shanghai County, and the Western fleet is rampant on the river. It may be difficult to recover Shanghai County, let alone Wusongkou."

Kangxi's heart sank when he heard this. He knew very well that what Nalan Mingzhu said was true. The current Qing navy was indeed not as strong as the Westerners. If they attacked forcefully, they would probably have no chance of winning the naval battle.

But facing such a situation, Kangxi could not help but fall into deep thought. However, if Shanghai County and Wusongkou were not recovered, the Yangtze River estuary would be controlled by others, and the rich tea, silk and other materials on both sides of the Yangtze River would not be able to be sold overseas, which would be a huge loss to the Qing Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Kangxi could not help but frown and fell into deep thought. At this moment, he suddenly remembered the matter of moving the border and banning the sea. At that time, it was precisely because the Qing navy was so weak that it could not even defeat the remnants of the Ming Dynasty that it had to take the measure of moving the border and banning the sea to prevent these people from fooling the people along the coast to rebel.

However, the situation today seems to be worse than it was then, because the enemies now are not only the remnants of the Ming Dynasty, but also the Jinxia rebels and Westerners.

Kangxi sighed deeply, his heart full of helplessness and worry. He realized that in order to solve this problem, he must have a strong Qing navy.

However, the most pressing issue now is how to resolve the current crisis. Kangxi said anxiously: "It is not right to fight, and it is not right not to fight. Can't you explain it more clearly?"

"Your Majesty, I think we should send someone to negotiate peace!" Mingzhu said.

"Negotiation? When has our Qing Dynasty ever suffered such humiliation?" Kangxi said angrily.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. I also do not want to negotiate peace, but we have to make concessions due to the current situation. Although our Qing Dynasty is brave in land battles, our navy has no warships. Facing the powerful ships and guns of the West, we have no way to compete with them. Negotiating peace is only a short-term strategy. When our Qing Dynasty navy becomes strong, it will be no problem to deal with some Western clowns." Mingzhu explained carefully.

Kangxi fell into deep thought after hearing this. He knew Mingzhu was right, but he was still unwilling and helpless. He turned to look at the other ministers and asked, "What do you think?"

Everyone lowered their heads in silence. They all knew that this issue was extremely tricky and that no matter which side they chose they would face enormous pressure and risks.

The Minister of War He Yu stood up and said, "I agree with what the Prime Minister said. Previously, the Jinxia Navy rebelled, and now the Jiangnan Navy has died for their country. At present, the Qing Dynasty only has one navy camp each in Guangdong and Beijing and Tianjin. We lack large sailing ships like those in the West, and our combat effectiveness cannot match them. If we can build ironclad ships like the Tiandi Federation, why should we be afraid of the Western devils."

"Yes, we also build ironclad ships. China is a great country with no shortage of skilled craftsmen. We can definitely build ironclad ships." Yu Chenglong, who rarely speaks, said. Yu Chenglong was the governor-general of Liangjiang and had suffered a lot from the Western red-haired devils. He had a strong desire for giant ships.

"Chen Yanyu, you are the Minister of Works. What do you think?" Kangxi asked by name.

Chen Yanyu stepped out. He was tall and had a fair complexion. He looked like a man who had lived a life of luxury. But at this moment, he had a worried look on his face. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I also agree with the Ming Xiang's proposal for peace. As for building ironclad ships, I know nothing about them. I would like to ask Shi Lang to cooperate because he is the only one who has been on an ironclad ship. Moreover, he is the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Admiral of the Beijing-Tianjin Navy, and is familiar with the navy's warships. I beg Your Majesty to agree to let Shi Lang be the supervisor of the ironclad ships."

"I second the motion!" Several other ministers also echoed.

"Soetu, what do you think?" Kangxi called out again.

"Your Majesty, I agree to negotiate peace, but the key is what conditions the other side will put forward. If the conditions are too high, the peace talks will fail and we will have to return to the battlefield. So I beg Your Majesty to make preparations for both situations. If the peace talks fail, we can start fighting." Suo Etu paused for a moment and then said, "As for whether the ironclad warship can be built, we need to listen to Shi Lang's opinion."