serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 292 News from the North

The sun has gone down.

Lanterns have also been lit in the dining room of Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Jianwu, Song Chengliang, Wang Hetang and Jia Hu sat around a round table.

Dozens of bowls of various dishes, large and small, were placed on the table.

Jia Hu lowered his head slightly. The emperor had many eating rules, which would not be easily changed. Now that the long dining table has been replaced by a round table, there must be something wrong with lowering his posture.

Emperor Jianwu said: "Let's all go out."

All the maids and eunuchs: "Yes." Bowed and retreated.

Dai Quan first picked up the bowl in front of Emperor Jianwu, filled more than half of the bowl of rice, put it on the table in front of him, and then went to get Song Chengliang's bowl.

Song Chengliang stood up immediately: "Don't dare to bear it, let me do it myself."

Jia Hu and Wang Hetang also stood up: "I'm young, I'll take care of the old Shoufu and Wangge."

"Sit down and sit down."

Emperor Jianwu glanced at Jia Hu appreciatively, and said with a smile: "Don't look at so many people calling him Nei Xiang, he is a servant who serves others. Let him flourish."

Song Chengliang, Wang Hetang and Jia Hu sat down now.

Dai Quan filled half a bowl of rice for both Song Chengliang and Wang Hetang, picked up Jia Hu's bowl and filled a large bowl, and put his hands in front of him.

Jia Hu's eyes widened.

Emperor Jianwu: "What? You can't finish this meal?"

Jia Hu opened his mouth and could only pick up his chopsticks. He couldn't tell them that he had to go back to eat with Lin Daiyu with his stomach full.

At this time, you must not lose face.

Song Chengliang smiled: "Hurry up and give it to me."

Jia Hu: "Alas!" He picked up the chopsticks and gave some of the rice in the bowl to Song Chengliang, and then asked Wang Hetang, "Mr. Wang Ge?"

Wang Hetang didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You," he said, pushing his job bowl forward.

Jia Hu gave him some rice in the bowl again, it was still full, and looked at Dai Quan angrily, this old thing definitely did it on purpose.

Emperor Jianwu said jokingly: "Why, the food in the palace is so bad? Or is it because someone has prepared delicious food for you to go back to?"

The corners of Jia Hu's eyes twitched, and then he said with a smile: "I have eaten in Daying, so I am not too hungry."

Emperor Jianwu sat there smiling and looked at him.

Song Chengliang and Wang Hetang also turned their attention to Jia Hu.

After a long time, Emperor Jianwu said, "Oh! Who would have thought that the food in the imperial dining room could not compare to the white rice porridge and vegetarian stuffed buns in Ningguo Mansion." He said to Dai Quan, "Give me some."

Jia Hu smiled, but was secretly shocked. Was he beating himself up?
Song Chengliang glanced at Jia Hu, then turned to Dai Quan: "Mr. Dai sent someone to the imperial hospital to see how my medicine is doing?"

Emperor Jianwu understood and said with a smile, "Come on, let's eat."

Dai Quan walked out quickly.

Everyone stopped talking and ate in silence.After a while, the bowls of rice in front of Emperor Jianwu, Song Chengliang, and Wang Hetang all bottomed out, and Jia Hu's was almost finished, and all the dishes on the table were eaten, but they were all tasted.

At this time, Dai Quan came in again, and while scooping half a bowl of soup into Emperor Jianwu's bowl, he said to Song Chengliang, "The miscellaneous family went there in person, and it will take half an hour."

Song Chengliang smiled and nodded.

Emperor Jianwu drank the half bowl of clear soup again, and then spoke: "Now that Li Chengyang is commanding an army to surround Shengjing City, it's time for the Yongwei Battalion to go north and leave the customs."

Jia Hu quickly stood up: "Yes."

Emperor Jianwu waved his hand: "Sit down, sit down. The Zhenfu Division has received accurate news from North Korea. The main force of the Tartar Emperor's personal command cut off the retreat of the Liaodong Tartars. Now they are attacking the Liaodong Tartars with the North Korean Tartars in Shangjing. Son. It’s just that the defense of the capital is empty, the main force of the Beijing camp has been dragged to Shandong, and the main force of the Yongwei battalion must stay in the capital. Therefore, I plan to order Liu Kun to lead [-] cavalry northward to cooperate with the Liaodong army. What do you think?” After finishing speaking , looked at Jia Hu.

Jia Hu felt relieved when he heard the words, no wonder he was helping to cheat again today, and was inviting dinner again. It turned out that this matter should be on this matter. After thinking about it for a while, he replied: "Thirty thousand. Horqin will definitely send troops, the strength of which is estimated at [-] to [-]."

Emperor Jianwu's eyes lit up, he nodded, and then asked: "How about the rear-loading gun?"

Jia Hu stood up again, and replied: "The Yongwei Battalion lacks craftsmen, so they can only cast cannons first, and only more than a thousand cannons have been made for the rear-loading guns."

Emperor Jianwu: "I heard that you have recruited a group of children from good families from Jiangsu to join the old camp?"

Jia Hu: "Yes."

Emperor Jianwu remained silent and asked: "I also heard that all the recruits in the artillery battalion are from Jiangsu. Is this true?"

Jia Hu: "With large-caliber field artillery, artillery battalions will become more and more important in warfare. Unlike infantry and cavalry, artillery is a highly technical arm. The effect of artillery on the battlefield is largely It depends on the technology and experience of gun position setting and aiming. If the gunner wants to master these skills as soon as possible, he must have certain knowledge. The group of young men I recruited from Jiangnan are all literate."

Emperor Jianwu looked at him for a long time, as if he wanted to see his thoughts from Jia Hu's eyes. After a long time, he turned to Song Chengliang and Wang Hetang, and said with a smile: "It seems that Zhili's free schools are not as good as those in Jiangnan. Duke Ning is stunned." It’s the one who didn’t like it. Ask Li Mingbo what’s going on? Where does the money allocated by the court go every year!”

Wang Hetang quickly stood up: "Observe the order!"

Jia Hu's heart tightened. It seemed that he could no longer recruit young men from Jiangsu.

At this time, Song Chengliang said: "Mr. Ning, don't just stare at Jiangsu. Other provinces in the Great Zhou Dynasty also produced good sons. For example, in my hometown, the Lishui mountain people are tough, good at fighting and brave, and the coastal people are sensitive, intelligent, and hardworking. Bitterness is all very good. Mr. Ning Guo might as well consider it."

Jia Hu replied with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Ge. It's best to be able to read and write."

Song Chengliang also laughed: "Then it's settled!"

Jia Hu: "It's settled."

Emperor Jianwu said to Wang Hetang again: "There is also the matter of Jinshi in the new department. Tell Zhao Zixun and the others to review the papers quickly and publish the list early."

Wang Hetang replied: "Yes."

Emperor Jianwu nodded, then turned his gaze to Dai Quan.

Dai Quan understood, stepped forward to help Song Chengliang, and looked at Wang Hetang again, and the three of them walked out.

Looking at the backs of the three walking out, Emperor Jianwu looked at Jia Hu again: "The Ordnance Bureau produced less than [-] rear-loading guns, and I allocated [-] to your old battalion."

Jia Hu was startled and looked at Emperor Jianwu in surprise.

Emperor Jianwu: "How about it, don't you feel wronged now?"

Jia Hu scratched his head: "No way! It's because I didn't think carefully and made the emperor difficult."

With a snort, Emperor Jianwu said, "You know it too! Forget about the old battalion, the 5000 people in this Paoying battalion are all from Jiangsu, what do you make others think?! Will someone say that you, Duke Ning, have evil intentions?"

Jia Hu's expression suddenly changed: "In the past two years, the Yongwei Battalion fought north and south, and made great contributions to the court. The Jia family even killed five children in a row. Who is so heartless?! If Your Majesty doubts Minister, minister, you can hand over the military talisman and seal now!"

Emperor Jianwu looked at Jia Hu for a while and said, "If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't agree with you to forge cannons and firecrackers by yourself, and I wouldn't hand over the Imperial Army to you for reorganization."

Speaking of this, he raised his voice: "You should also pay attention to your own behavior, don't always act like I am a warrior and I am afraid of someone! The sword I gave you is for killing enemies, not for intimidating courtiers. Yes, don’t think that I don’t know about your little tricks behind your back. No matter how you say it, Uncle Wu Qing is my real uncle.”

Jia Hu lowered his head.

Emperor Jianwu: "I trust you, so I can calmly analyze and judge. What if I become suspicious of you one day?"

Jia Hu knelt down: "I was wrong, please punish me!"

Seeing that he had admitted his mistake, Emperor Jianwu immediately softened his tone: "You are not only my minister, but also my brother-in-law. You have to fight for me and your sister!"

Jia Hu: "Yes."

Emperor Jianwu waved his hand: "Forget it this time, get up."

Jia Hu kowtowed obediently and stood up.

Emperor Jianwu: "You should pay more attention to the affairs of the forbidden army, and don't always think about running home. Children love each other, and you have no ambitions"

Jia Hu nodded.

Emperor Jianwu went on to say: "What about that horse? Yes, aren't Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying born as merchants? Let them go to the Ministry of Households to practice."

Jia Hu rolled his eyes: "High! Your Majesty is wise!"

Emperor Jianwu rolled his eyes at him: "Go back and eat your white rice porridge and vegetarian stuffed buns." After speaking, he got up and walked out.

"."

Jia Hu was taken aback for a moment, it seems that there are still people from the palace in Ningguo Mansion!
Early in the morning, red lanterns were hung in the Ma family's new house in Dongcheng, and red satin was also hung on the street in front of the door.

Ma Yong was wearing a brand-new bright red robe, dressed like a Chinese New Year, and walked out excitedly, followed by a group of young men carrying firecrackers.

Ma Zerui, Cheng Ying and several other children walked out and looked towards the street.

Today is the day of the palace examination.

Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying looked at each other. After today, they will usher in a new starting point.

At this time, there was a rush of horseshoes, and everyone paid attention.

The boy who went to look at the list came back and shouted loudly: "I won! I won! The two young masters are on the list!"

Although he knew it a long time ago, Ma Yong was still taken aback, and then shouted loudly: "Set off firecrackers! Set off firecrackers!"

In front of the door, the servants lit and set off the firecrackers that had been prepared.

Cheng Ying: "The imperial list is out, let's kowtow to the Duke."

Mazzeri nodded in agreement.

Only then did Ma Yong come to his senses, and said repeatedly: "Bring out the gift, bring out the gift!" Then he turned and ran in.

At this time, the outside of the imperial city was crowded with people looking at the list, and they all stretched their necks to look at the yellow list hanging high on the red wall.

Among the crowd, the servant from the Mei Mansion squeezed out, sighed and said, "Master really guessed it right, No. 2."

Teams of teams who announced the good news shuttled through the streets and alleys of Dongcheng, and the whole Dongcheng became lively.

The West City is still the same as before. The last time a team with good news entered the West City was Jia Jing High School Yimao Division Scholars, and decades have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the study outside Ning Guo Mansion

Jia Hu was sitting in front of the desk, lost in thought, with a letter in front of him.

This is a private letter from Cao Yi, Jia Hu's old boss. In the letter, he briefly talked about the war in Shengjing, and the most important thing was to apologize to Jia Hu on Li Chengyang's behalf. Li Chengyang expressed his apology for being able to get this military merit, and promised that the Liaodong Army owed the Yongweiying a favor.

In addition, I also talked about Sun Shaozu's matter. This dog is amazing now. He has become a member of the vanguard battalion. Xinmin is the first city he rushed to. The Liaodong Han people on both sides of the strait also died in his hands. In order to collect wood to make siege equipment, this kid led people into the imperial tomb of Kang Laosan and his son Yongzheng, pushed all the buildings on the tomb, and took away All wood.

I heard that there are many treasures buried in the mausoleum of Kang Laosan, all of which were brought out from the customs back then. Unfortunately, I didn't have this opportunity to look at the door that opened the treasure house.

The emperor is going to get rich again!
Thinking of this, Jia Hu sighed. No one thought that the battle in Liaodong would be so dramatic, and there was no decent resistance at all. The fifth elder brother actually brought all the elites to fight with his Huang Ama. Four desperate efforts!
Taking a piece of blank letterhead, Jia Hu began to write quickly.

At this time Lin San came in and said, "Second Lord, Ma Yong led Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying to kowtow."

Jia Hu put down his pen with a smile, folded the letter paper and stuffed it into an envelope to seal, "Let them in. Order someone to send this letter to General Cao Yi immediately."

Lin San replied: "Yes." He took the letter, turned around and walked out.

After a while, Lin San led Ma Yong, Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying in.

Ma Yong knelt down, kowtowed, and said in a trembling voice: "Second Master's kindness is so great. We can't finish it in this life. In the next life, we will continue to repay your great kindness!" He banged his head on the ground.

Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying kowtowed.

Jia Hu waved his hand: "Get up, everyone get up."

The three are still kowtowing.

Jia Hu smiled: "I have to attend the Qionglin Banquet tomorrow. It would be bad if I broke my head."

The three of them stood up.

Jia Hu stood up, walked in front of Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying, and said with a smile: "I begged His Majesty for you to directly enter the household department to practice. When you arrive at the household department, work hard and make some political achievements. Fortunately, I will speak for you in front of the emperor, right?"

Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying were overjoyed, they plopped down on their knees: "Thank you, Lord Guo, for your kindness!"

Ma Yong also knelt down, hugged Jia Hu's leg, and burst into tears: "Second Master, you are really a living Bodhisattva. I will offer you a longevity tablet when I get back, and pray for you every day!"

"Get up. Get up and say something."

Jia Hu was confused by him, and looked at Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying.

The two knew each other and helped Ma Yong up.

Jia Hu then said: "Someone will definitely come to congratulate you soon. I won't keep you here. Remember, when you get to the Ministry of Revenue, do your job well, and at least you can defend me in front of the emperor!"

Ma Zerui and Cheng Ying answered in unison: "Yes."

Ma Yong still wanted to talk, but Jia Hu quickly said, "Go back."

Ma Yong nodded with tears in his eyes, gave Jia Hu a deep bow, then turned and walked out.

Jia Hu personally sent them out, watched the carriage go away before turning and walking back.

"Hey!" The boy's heck suddenly came from behind.

Immediately afterwards, four soldiers standing in front of the door ran to Jia Hu's side to protect him, and pulled out their knives together.

Jia Hu was slightly startled and turned to look.

Two servants stopped a man wearing a worn sheepskin jacket and a worn felt hat on his head.

Seeing Jia Hu turn around, the man knelt down with a plop, and then shouted excitedly: "Marshal, I am a soldier of King Zasaktu Khan! I even roasted a leg of lamb for you! Don't you remember?" Am I?!" He took off his felt hat, revealing the unique Mongolian braids.

Jia Hu frowned slightly, there was such a person, but he couldn't remember what he looked like at the moment.

Lin San stepped forward and looked at it carefully for a while, then turned around and walked to Jia Hu's side, and said in a low voice, "That's right, it's him."

Jia Hu nodded, and waved his hands at the two servants.

The man got up and walked over, Lin San skillfully touched him around, then nodded to Jia Hu.

Looking at the dusty man, Jia Hu asked, "Why did your King Khan ask you to come to me?"

The man burst into tears in two lines: "Our King Khan was killed by the Raksha people! King Tuxietu Khan also died under the sword of the Raksha people! All the Mongols in Mobei became slaves of the Raksha people. East Siberia The governor himself has come"

Jia Hu was startled, and hurriedly asked, "When did it happen?"

That Mobei Mongolian: "Just when the Spring Festival is celebrated in the Central Plains."

How can it be?The imperial court did not get any news!
The Mobei Mongolian went on to say: "The Raksha people did not go south, but went east into Heilongjiang and into the land of the Manchus."

Jia Hu understood that at that time, it happened that the fifth elder brother trapped and killed the Heilongjiang general in Shengjing, and transferred back the Eight Banners soldiers stationed in Heilongjiang.

The Raksha people not only do good intelligence, but also do better abacus. This is not to be a fisherman, but to devour the entire Liaodong region!

Don't be afraid to die!
Thinking of this, Jia Hu said to Lin San: "Take him to take a bath, I'll wait for him in the study outside." After speaking, he went straight in.

(End of this chapter)