King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 415 Jia Yun’s methods

November [-]th was the third day the emperor and empress left.

On a snowy day, Cheng Ying personally came to Shanglinyuan to announce the decree, which made Zhu Jinghong full of expectations.

However, the content of the decree is that Zhu Jinghong can move around in Shanglin Garden, which only expands his activity area, but has no intention of letting him return to the mansion.

This disappointed Zhu Jinghong, but he still accepted the imperial edict at Baochai's urging.

"Master Thirteen, do you have any orders?"

"Excuse me, father-in-law, please give my father a message. As long as he is happy, my son will be worth it no matter how much grievance he suffers!"

Cheng Ying originally had a smile on her face, but when she heard this, she was immediately embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

"Master Thirteen, I'm leaving this servant..."

Of course, Cheng Ying would not convey those words to the emperor. To cause trouble for the emperor was actually to cause trouble for himself.

Although Cheng Ying left, the twenty palace maids and eunuchs who came with him stayed behind. These people were specially sent to serve Zhu Jinghong and others.

Now that it's freezing cold and his son and daughter-in-law are still doing hard work, Zhu Xianming really can't stand it, so he sent these people.

Zhu Jingchun and the two were extremely happy about this. The following days were at least much easier, which showed that they were really worn out.

When Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Jingchun were in high spirits, Zhu Jinghong said to Baochai beside him: "You can make arrangements for these people while I go out for a walk!"

"Ok!"

Since he could walk around Shanglin Garden, Zhu Jinghong naturally wanted to visit Beisiwei.

Although people often come over to discuss matters and let Zhu Jinghong have an understanding of the training situation, he still has to go and see for himself what is going on.

But not far from his working place, he turned around and headed towards the gun-making workshop.

Although the old man allowed him to work in Shanglinyuan with the intention of letting him watch over the training, Zhu Jinghong felt that he could not be too enthusiastic about it.

It is undoubtedly a wiser choice to go to the workshop first and wait for a day or two before going to Beisiwei.

The place where he farmed was not too far from the gun workshop, and it only took about two minutes to walk.

Although he was dressed in civilian clothes, there were very few people in the imperial city who didn't recognize him.

"See Your Majesty!"

At the entrance of the workshop, the guard bowed and bowed, his eyes filled with admiration. After all, this man was a man who dared to do anything.

"Well, get up!"

He walked into the gate with his hands behind his back. The eunuchs inside all knew him, and they knew that he should be plowing the fields now and should not be here.

"Kowtow to the prince!"

"Kowtow to the prince!"

Fortunately, these people had bright minds. Although they had 1 confusions in their hearts, they still bowed and bowed one after another.

"Let Jia Yun come see me!"

"Yes!"

Jia Yun is the steward he arranged here. Although Zhu Jinghong has been in trouble recently, it has not affected Jia Yun's duties.

After giving this order, Zhu Jinghong came to the workshop meeting hall. As soon as he sat down, the eunuch brought him tea.

After only waiting for a few minutes, Jia Yun ran into the hall.

"See Thirteenth Master!" Jia Yun saluted. The experience of more than a year had also changed his whole temperament.

"Get up!"

"Thank you, Lord!"

After getting up, Jia Yun raised her waist and said, "Congratulations to the prince on regaining his freedom. Then..."

Before Jia Yun could finish what she said, Zhu Jinghong interrupted: "Okay, I'm not here to listen to your flattery. Let's talk about what you have cooked up so far..."

"Thirteenth Master, when it comes to guns and cannons... there has been some progress recently, and I am planning to report to you!" Jia Yunpei said with a smile.

I just came here to take a look, but Zhu Jinghong didn't expect that there would be a breakthrough, so he immediately became interested.

"Tell me..."

"Thirteenth Master, according to your previous guidance, our craftsmen are all..."

After Jia Yun's explanation, Zhu Jinghong finally understood the situation, and now he was smiling happily.

To put it simply, after nearly a year of trial and error research, both muskets and artillery have achieved breakthroughs.

In terms of muskets, the barrel material is stronger, the anti-explosion chamber and the aiming head have been improved a lot, and after the improvement of the gunpowder ratio, its range is also much longer.

As for the artillery, the main thing is that the gun body has been strengthened and can accommodate more charges, so that the range and power have been improved.

"Is there any reward from the Holy Spirit for these achievements?" Zhu Jinghong asked immediately.

This is his biggest concern. Only by ensuring the treatment of craftsmen can they be more motivated to work.

Looking around, Jia Yun was not in a hurry to speak, but her meaning was already very obvious.

"You guys all get out!" Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice.

After his words, several servants in the hall went out. The place was empty and simple, and the wind and snow were loud, so it was impossible for outsiders to hear the conversation in the hall.

Facing Zhu Jinghong's questioning gaze, Jia Yun replied bravely: "Report to the Thirteenth Master, the villain suppressed this matter!"

Although he was dissatisfied, Zhu Jinghong knew that Jia Yun had always done things carefully and would not do such a stupid thing without reason.

So he asked: "Why?"

"The Thirteenth Master is stuck in the field where he is working. The villain wants to run the errand more carefully and let the Thirteenth Master take advantage of this to present a gift to the Holy One in the New Year..."

"If the Holy Spirit is so happy, maybe he will let the Thirteenth Master out!"

At this point, Jia Yun knelt down on the ground and said, "These are all delusions of a villain. Please punish me severely!"

Severe punishment... How could Zhu Jinghong be willing to punish someone who was so loyal to protect his master and only thought about himself.

"Forget it...you also have good intentions, but you must not make your own decisions in the future!"

"This matter can be big or small, if you are not careful... you will be in a state of eternal damnation!"

At the end of the day, Zhu Jinghong was already thinking about Jia Yun's future, and he was ready to win people's hearts.

"Thirteenth Master's teachings, I should remember them carefully!" Jia Yun kowtowed again.

"Get up!"

"Yes!"

After getting up, Jia Yun asked carefully: "May I ask the Thirteenth Master if the situation here is reported to the Holy One?"

"We've kept it a secret, so let's go as planned, and we'll play together again before the end of the year!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

If you come here yourself, you will get results here. Anyone with a discerning eye will know that there is something fishy at a glance. How can you hide it from the emperor?

Therefore, we can only pretend to do it for real, showing that we are striving for excellence and only submitted the report before the New Year.

"Yes!"

After standing up, Zhu Jinghong walked out of the hall, and Jia Yun followed him immediately.

After walking a few steps, Zhu Jinghong suddenly stopped and asked, "You were born in Rongguo Mansion, but you don't have an official status yet...right?"

Hearing Zhu Jinghong mention this matter, Jia Yun was extremely excited, but he still suppressed his joy and replied: "I am just a member of the distant branch of Rongguo Mansion, how can I dare to expect an official position!"

"I will be satisfied if I can find a home under Master Thirteen!"

Of course Zhu Jinghong didn't believe these words. He just heard him say: "Since you are doing things for me, how can I treat you badly? I wrote to the emperor before the year ago. If the Holy Emperor is happy... I will ask you for an official position. This is not considered a injustice." about you!"

Zhu Jinghong didn't say too much. The emperor must be happy before he can ask Jia Yun for an official position.

"Thank you Thirteenth Master for your support!" Jia Yun paid homage again, the smile on her face could no longer be concealed.

If he had stayed in the Jia family peacefully, he would still be an unemployed refugee, and it would be difficult for him to find a job in the Jia family.

"Let's go... walk around here with me and see what's going on now!" After saying that, Zhu Jinghong walked out again.

"Please, Thirteenth Master, we have added several more furnaces here, among which..." Jia Yun is really strong in business, and she introduced the situation in a clear and logical manner, allowing Zhu Jinghong to quickly understand the situation.

…………

Prince Xiang's Mansion, Jiangyunzhai.

In the window of the east wing, there is a stunning woman holding a book and staring at the roof of the west wing, where several birds are singing.

This woman is Keqing. Baochai asked her to move out of the garden. She has been living here for two months now.

But Keqing was extra cautious, knowing that he didn't even have a status now, so he moved into the wing of Jiangyunzhai.

"Sister Qin, are you up yet?"

Yinglian's voice came from outside, awakening Keqing from her deep thoughts, and then she saw Yinglian who had entered the door.

"What time has it been, how could I still be asleep!" Keqing said with a smile, and then greeted Yinglian from the window to come into the house.

Entering the room, a maid served tea, and Yinglian took it and sat on the chair.

Although she is also a maid, due to her special status with Zhu Jinghong, Yinglian's status in the palace is very transcendent.

Let alone an ordinary maid, she is Deng An, the most senior eunuch in the palace, so she must be given some face.

"Seeing how happy you are, is there any good news?" Ke Qing asked with a smile.

"Our prince is coming back!"

Yinglian's words were beyond Keqing's expectation, and the latter immediately asked: "How did you know? Is it just the prince coming back or the princess coming back together?"

Compared to Zhu Jinghong returning alone, Ke Qing hopes Baochai will come back together, so that she can solve the status issue as soon as possible.

That's right, Zhu Jinghong's return is of no use, because the most basic concubine in the palace must be appointed with the signature of the princess in order to be appointed according to the rules.

Yinglian did not reply directly, but said: "I heard the eunuch below saying that Miss Yang is coming back!"

"Miss Yang?"

"She is our prince's concubine and the queen's niece!"

After hearing what Yinglian said, Keqing finally understood the situation, so she asked again: "What does the return of Miss Yang have to do with the prince's whereabouts?"

"Miss Yang is a concubine of the prince's palace. She must be canonized by the queen before she can enter the palace. How can she be canonized if there is no prince?"

Hearing Yinglian's reason, Keqing only thought she was innocent and cute.

Now that the princess has not even been officially registered, can a concubine bring the prince back?But Qing expressed doubts about this.

While the two women were having different thoughts, Zhu Jinghong, dressed in civilian clothes, rode a horse and rushed to the school grounds surrounded by Hou Jing and others.

"Master Thirteen, I haven't seen you in the past two months, but we all miss you!"

After looking at Hou Jing, Zhu Jinghong asked: "Miss me? How can you miss me? Put up a sign at home and worship me every day?"

Hearing this, everyone present laughed, and suddenly everyone found a familiar feeling again, secretly thinking that Master Thirteen has really never changed.

"okay……"

With his words, everyone suppressed their smiles and waited for Zhu Jinghong's instructions.

"When I'm not here these days, are you doing things seriously? Are you thinking carefully about things?"

At this time, Zhang Lin replied: "Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, I have done my best to carry out my errands. How dare we forget your instructions!"

"Really? Then let me ask you... how to arrange the spear soldiers and fire gun soldiers? What are the requirements?" Zhu Jinghong asked casually.

The guards present here are the focus of his support, which requires them to have sufficient ability, otherwise they will be nothing but mud that cannot hold up the wall.

"Report to the Thirteenth Master, spears and firecrackers..."

Zhang Lin answered one by one, and the content of his answers was very standard, which shows that he usually puts his heart into it.

Nodding, Zhu Jinghong glanced around and his eyes fell on Hou Jing, who was squeezing behind.

"Hou Jing, why are you hiding?"

"Master Thirteen is joking, how could I hide it?"

Hou Jing smiled awkwardly. Although he was sure of his military theory, he still didn't want to be drawn.

"I ask you……"

Although he didn't want to be asked, Zhu Jinghong refused to let him go. Fortunately, this guy also answered clearly.

Zhu Jinghong then asked a few more people, and they all answered in a standard and comprehensive manner, which made him truly satisfied.

While everyone was asking questions, they arrived outside the Habayashi Zuowei School. They heard the sound of war drums and shouts of death in the distance, and even the sound of artillery and muskets.

When Zhu Jinghong came to the school grounds, the commander Jiang Qingsheng led people to greet him, and the entire "military exercise" was also suspended.

"See Lord Thirteen!"

Jumping off his horse, Zhu Jinghong walked up to Jiang Qingsheng, helped him up personally and said, "I just stopped by to have a look, why do you have to mobilize so many troops!"

"Let them carry on!"

"Yes!"

After agreeing, Jiang Qingsheng winked at several deputies, and they all returned to their respective positions to command.

"Master Thirteen, please come this way. We can see more clearly from the sentry tower in front!"

"Ok!"

"It's nothing, just go back to your place and tell the others... I'll go and see it later!"

The thirty or so guards he asked to come were evenly divided among the four northern guards. There were only eight people including Hou Jing and others on the left guard of Yulin.

"Yes!"

After everyone left, Zhu Jinghong went to the sentry tower with Jiang Qingsheng, accompanied only by Hou Jing and a few others.

Once on the sentry tower, you can indeed get a glimpse of the entire military formation. The combination of firecrackers and artillery formed a strike net, and it was like a thunderous force at every turn.

Looking at the changes in the military formation with a telescope, Zhu Jinghong's smile became brighter and brighter.

After a few breaths, he put away the telescope, turned around and said to Jiang Qingsheng: "Commander Jiang... this year's training has really been very effective. The Yulin left guard has been completely transformed!"

Jiang Qingsheng smiled and replied: "Thanks to the Lord Hongfu and the guidance of the Thirteenth Master, our military is where it is today..."

"With such great military power, I plan to invite the Holy Emperor to come over for review, and you four guards will train together... What do you think of this proposal?"

"I think it's feasible!" Jiang Qingsheng replied immediately.

At this moment, Jiang Qingsheng's thoughts were the same as Zhu Jinghong's. If he did not let the emperor see his achievements, it would be in vain.

"The battle in the northwest will definitely break out next year... If the four northern guards are brought up, do you think we can fight a good battle!" Zhu Jinghong asked solemnly.

Faced with this question, Jiang Qingsheng did not reply immediately. After thinking for a while, he replied: "I...don't dare to speak nonsense!"

Although the new tactics were more lethal, they had not been tested in actual combat, so Jiang Qingsheng did not dare to express his stance easily.

His withdrawal really disappointed Zhu Jinghong, but he also understood Jiang Qingsheng's worries.

Without further dwelling on the matter, Zhu Jinghong said in a deep voice: "Pass the flag, the enemy is attacking from the east, change your formation!"

This is a temporary "examination question" set by Zhu Jinghong, but in essence he is exercising the power to mobilize troops. Through this subtle behavior, the army can get used to obeying his orders.

In fact, Jiang Qingsheng didn't care about the reason at this moment. He immediately winked at the ordering officer behind him, and the latter went down to the sentry tower to convey the order.

As soon as the order was given, the troops on the east side of the military formation began to move. The infantry formed a defensive line horizontally, and the artillery also adjusted its position to form a new fire coverage network.

"Good, very good..." Zhu Jinghong, who was holding a telescope, praised without hesitation.

At this moment, not far from the sentry tower, there were two people observing the changes in the military formation, with the same approval in their expressions.

As the so-called expert knows, Wu Changhui, as the commander of the army, is also an expert in deploying troops and generals. At this moment, he naturally knows how powerful Yulin Left Guard is.

On the fourth day of December, the day before yesterday, Wu Changhui, who had resigned as the commander-in-chief of Anxi Province, returned to Beijing.

On the sixth day of the lunar month, he was summoned by the emperor, scolded bloody in the Qianqing Palace, and then dismissed from all positions, leaving only his title and rank.

(End of this chapter)