Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 264 Self-rescue
The second wave of thousands of [rebels] who fled turned south, perhaps intending to cross Weishan Lake and flee westward.

Jia Lian was silent for a long time after reading the news brought back by the scouts. Did he learn how to divide his troops? Learning war in war?
No, it should be the result of internal strife between the two groups. Otherwise, they could have met up in Yanzhou and there was no need to split their forces and march south to meet Sun Huazhen.

Unfortunately, the intelligence was too sketchy and we couldn't find out where the thief's leader was.

"Inform Lord Sun and tell him to be alert to the rebellion heading south." Without accurate information for a while, this was the only arrangement. Even if Jia Lian knew that the Reverend Donghai was heading south, he would not pursue him. One reason was that he hoped that he could hold out for a while longer and cut off the canal transportation, and the other was that he did not want to take all the credit by himself.

After explaining the matter, Jia Lian sent someone to inform Jinan, explaining the situation and informing them that they could not continue the pursuit for the time being due to insufficient troops. He hoped that Jinan would mobilize local troops as soon as possible to assist in the battle.

Jia Lian gave a more detailed battle report to the accompanying leader of the Longjinwei Army and asked him to deliver it to the capital.

The next day, after calming down the riots in the city, they began to clean up the city. Jia Lian, who had taken out military rations, quickly recruited a group of people.

Jia Lian, who walked around the city with his family soldiers, was in a very bad mood.

The prosperous city of Jining experienced a catastrophe, and hundreds of truckloads of corpses were transported out. The men were relatively okay, as they were all old and weak, but the women were miserable, as many of them just covered themselves with a piece of clothing.

Women in war are like duckweed in the water, completely powerless to resist external forces and can only be manipulated by others.

Right and wrong no longer exist in the beastly catastrophe.

Smoke rose from the ashes, and the survivors, including many children, were searching for useful items in the ruins.

After witnessing all this, Jia Lian closed his eyes in pain. What was the cause of all these consequences?
Simply put, order collapsed. Essentially, it was a disaster caused by the lack of livelihood for the lower-class people under the guidance of some people with ulterior motives. The number of deaths in battles was not the largest, but the famine and disease caused by the war.

Only after returning to the government office which had been cleaned up did Jia Lian have time to fully understand the current situation in Jining City.

We received preliminary statistical results in the evening. Jining, which once had a population of 100,000, now has a city population of less than 10,000.

The next afternoon, people came from Jinan, headed by the governor and the provincial judge.

Qin Ling was nice to Jia Lian, but Zhao Qian, the provincial governor, was not. He started by blaming him: "Why are you so slow to act? The ancestral temple of the saint is in danger of being overthrown. You should send troops to Yanzhou as soon as possible."

This attitude made Jia Lian extremely surprised. Is this guy out of his mind?
Qin Ling quickly tried to smooth things over, "When I was in Jinan, I received more than a dozen letters asking for help, so I was quite anxious."

Jia Lian looked at Qin Ling with a half-smile, then looked at Zhao Qian and said, "Those who know, of course, know that you are worried. What about those who don't know? Maybe you will think that the rebellion in Jining was caused by me, and that it was because my troops failed to suppress it that the situation spread."

Qin Ling smiled awkwardly. Jia Lian raised his hand and nodded at him: "Lord Qin is of high rank, I accept it. If it happens again, you two will be impeached. Don't forget that I still have the title of Imperial Censor."

Qin Ling could still laugh, but Zhao Qian's face turned purple.

Do you really think I'm a child who doesn't know any better? You want to find someone to share the blame, right?
The meeting ended in a bad mood and I thought they would be more restrained, but the next morning, when Jia Lian had just woken up and was having breakfast, the two of them came again.

"Yesterday, I was worried about the safety of the ancestral temple of the saint and had a bad attitude. Zhao admits his mistake. Now the rebels are fleeing eastward to Yanzhou, and Lord Jia's troops have not suffered much loss. We should advance eastward as soon as possible to pursue the rebels." Zhao Qian apologized as soon as he came up, and then explained his purpose.

Jia Lian was of course being impartial: "Lord Zhao, didn't you read the battle report? The bandits have divided their forces, one heading east and the other heading south. I only have 5,000 soldiers, and because our firearms were not properly reloaded and we were too far from the canal, our gunpowder would be used up in two battles. The gunpowder sent by Jinan is of poor quality, most of it has clumped and cannot be used at all. I have to have it refurbished and redone. Because of this, it is difficult for my troops to move south quickly. Jinan should have 3,000 Fubiao and 5,000 soldiers under the command of the general. I wonder how they are recovering? If they have recovered, they should take over Jining as soon as possible so that my troops can continue to fight. Even if the reinforcements from Jinan arrive, my troops can only pursue them from the east and south."

"Lord Jia's prestige has caused the rebels to flee. There are three to five hundred people guarding Jining, so there shouldn't be any rebellion."

Qin Ling's words made Jia Lian laugh: "Sir Qin has no experience in leading troops in battle, so I won't bother with you."

Zhao Qian immediately said, "Then please tell me, Lord Jia, what should we do?"

Seeing the two men's relentless attitude, Jia Lian knew that they had no good intentions. Seeing that the rebellion had faded, they were trying every possible way to save themselves. It's not that all the responsibilities cannot be pushed onto the dead man, Governor Nie, but how can we say it? The higher-ups have to believe it. There is a check-and-balance structure between the three departments and the governor. After the Jining Rebellion, the governor and the three departments have no chance to escape.

These two people wanted to use Jia Lian's army to gain merit and save themselves.

"It's clearly written in the battle report. With the assistance of you gentlemen, our army successfully recovered Jining. I think this is good enough, right? You can't say that this battle was commanded by you gentlemen, right? Where does that put General Yue? To be honest, do we have such a good relationship? Yanzhou is a strong city. If our army fails to attack the city, the food and grass we carry will only be enough for half a month. If we can't take it down in half a month, who will be responsible for the defeat? I think I understand that you two gentlemen are here to win military merit. Why not, you two gentlemen wait for the troops of Jinan headquarters to arrive, lead the troops to the east to pursue the main force of the rebels, and I will stay to defend Jining."

Qin Ling's face turned green. Didn't he know whether Shandong's troops could fight? He had been trying to restore the organization of the local army, but the local gentry refused to cooperate. Not to mention sending people, they were unwilling to pay for food and money. The troops were previously dispersed in Feicheng and Pingyin, and the remnants were only two thousand. Without money and food, we can't let them pay for it themselves, right? Apart from anything else, after the grain transport was cut off, the grain price in Jinan doubled, and now it is difficult to barely get enough food and grass for Jia Lian's troops. This time, the two came in a hurry and brought only five hundred people. They didn't have a grain of food, and they had to eat Jia Lian's military rations.

Zhao Qian was annoyed by Jia Lian's retort and said, "I saw Lord Jia set up a porridge shop to distribute porridge. Why didn't he use the food to attack Yanzhou? I think Lord Jia is just delaying and deliberately trying to save Qufu."

As soon as these words came out, Jia Lian laughed, a very creepy laugh. Qin Ling saw that the situation was not good, and immediately stepped forward to block the two of them: "Master Jia, no, Master Zhao is also anxious and speaks without thinking."

Jia Lian smiled, stretched out his hand and grabbed Qin Ling's collar, pulling him to the side. Qin Ling, who was fifty years old and still a civil servant, could not withstand Jia Lian's strength. He was thrown five steps away, staggering and hitting his head against the wall to avoid falling, but he was also confused. Of course, the possibility that he was acting could not be ruled out.

Zhao Qian took a few steps back, looked at Jia Lian and shouted, "What are you doing? Someone, help me, someone is killing someone."

Zhao Qian was stumbling as he retreated continuously. Jia Lian pounced on him, pressed his knee against his chest, grabbed his collar with one hand and slapped him with the other.

Pa, pa, pa, a dozen slaps were given in a row before Jia Lian stood up with a feeling of unsatisfied feeling. He patted his lips, looked at his rapidly swollen face, and said calmly: "Your mother must have taught you that the mouth can cause trouble, but it's a pity that Lord Zhao didn't remember it. Isn't this a disadvantage for you?"

After being beaten, Zhao Qian struggled to get up, pointed at Jia Lian, and shouted vaguely: "Just wait to be impeached!"

Jia Lian looked at him with his eyes slanted, his eyes like a bloodthirsty beast hiding in the dark. Zhao Qian was so frightened that his butt fell down. The attendants around him helped him up, but he didn't dare to be stubborn anymore and turned around and ran away. Qin Ling came over and sighed, "Master Jia, why bother?"

Jia Lian smiled, as if nothing had happened, and said, "Lord Zhao is very clever. What a pity, his cleverness backfired. I shouldn't have told you that I have the power to make secret reports, right?"

Qin Ling's face suddenly became long as if he had lost his parents. Jia Lian came closer and stabbed him again; "And, I have the Dragon Guard with me."

After hearing this, Qin Ling's face darkened, he folded his hands and left without saying a word.

After the two came out, they immediately took their men back to Jinan. When Deputy General Yang arrived upon hearing the news, he saw Jia Lian alone in the hall, leaning against the back of a chair, humming an unintelligible tune, with a steaming teacup in front of him, looking very leisurely.

"Sir, it's not good to offend the two masters of the three divisions too much." Deputy General Yang said in a low voice. He knew very well that these officials were closely connected, and if one was touched, a whole chain of things would be implicated.

Jia Lian looked at the roof and said, "Shandong is so rotten, and they are still trying to scheme against others to get themselves out of trouble. I don't have the energy to waste words with them. Using fists will not only solve the problem quickly, but there will also be less gossip in the capital."

Jia Lian’s character is that of a young man with a bad temper, and this character cannot collapse.

It was three days later when the capital received the urgent report. After reading the urgent report, Emperor Chenghui and the cabinet ministers all breathed a sigh of relief. Jining was restored, and the canal transportation would soon be restored.

Emperor Chenghui said to the ministers in the cabinet, "I thought that half a year would be fast, but I never thought that Jia Lian's actions were much faster than I expected." When the ministers were congratulating Emperor Chenghui, Qiu Shian came in and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Sun has an urgent report."

Emperor Chenghui nodded, and Qiu Shian handed over the urgent report. After opening it, Emperor Chenghui's expression gradually became solemn. After reading it, he threw it to Kong Zhao: "Prime Minister Kong, take a look." Kong Zhao immediately realized the change in the address. After taking it, he took a look at it and passed it to Liang Daoyuan with an expressionless face.

When it was handed over to Li Sanjiang, he trembled all over after reading it, and stood up tremblingly and said, "Your Majesty, I will go home and wait for investigation."

This means giving up self-defense and letting the emperor send someone to investigate. At the same time, it also reveals a signal: Your Majesty, I am a loyal minister, please save me.

After being impeached by Sun Huazhen, Li Sanjiang knew very well that it was meaningless to defend himself.

Emperor Chenghui said unexpectedly decisively: "It's better to go back and investigate. Pan Jixun will join the cabinet as a substitute to help with government affairs. We will make a decision after the results of the investigation come out." Li Sanjiang stood up tremblingly, folded his hands and bowed, then stepped back tremblingly and left the Qianqing Palace.

Before dark, Qiu Shi'an came to report that Jia Lian's secret report had arrived.

Well, Long Jinwei's communication channels are more awesome.

Jia Lian's secret report contained all the facts, and only at the end did he express his subjective opinion.

【Shandong is the place that should not lack good families. If there is trouble in Shandong, the capital will be shaken. This has been the case for three hundred years. The governor of Zhili has always been a must-have for the princes. I think it is time to end it. It is difficult for the governor of Zhili without real power to effectively control Shandong. Shandong should not lack money and food. If both are lacking, I don’t know where to start.】

The Zhili Governor's Office was in Baoding. In the Zhou Dynasty, this position was very sensitive. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the eldest son was the Governor of Zhili, governing the two provinces of Hebei and Shandong. During the reign of Emperor Taishang, the Governor of Zhili was held by the old Prince Zhongyi in name only. After Emperor Chenghui ascended the throne, the position remained vacant.

This position is too sensitive, and Emperor Chenghui wants to change this rule. After all, the two emperors were not the most popular at the beginning.

So the question is, where did all the good families in Shandong go? Where did Shandong's money and grain go?
The so-called good family children are the so-called middle-class children, whose families are at least self-employed farmers who own more than ten acres of land.

Jia Lian's investigation along the way revealed that the proportion of self-cultivating farmers along the canal was very low. In other words, land annexation was extremely serious. This led to a lack of good families in Shandong, and naturally a lack of money and food.

Jia Lian just said this one subjective judgment, which was equivalent to making everything clear.

If there is a lack of good families, you can find an excuse, such as land annexation. If there is a lack of money and food, then the officials in Shandong Province should die. The Grand Canal runs through Shandong Province, and the various prefectures have collected a lot of money, so how can there be a lack of money and food?
The conclusion is that corruption and land annexation were serious. This was the root cause of the White Lotus Rebellion in Shandong.

The fact that the Caobiao collapsed is another matter. After reading the secret memorial, Emperor Chenghui immediately invited Kong Zhao to come and read it. Then he said, "The memorial is still on the way. It should arrive in Jinan. I want to issue another decree and send it to the battlefield 800 miles away. All three officials in Shandong should be dismissed and investigated. The Ministry of Personnel should fill the vacancy as soon as possible. As for Jia Lian, he cannot be absent from the battlefield. We will decide after the war is over."

Kong Zhao sighed and said, "This old minister is incompetent!"

Emperor Chenghui said, "What does it have to do with you? Just make changes bit by bit. I will have to trouble you at the cabinet meeting tomorrow."

Jining, three days later, General Qi arrived with his troops, bringing a batch of food and fodder, enough for Jia Lian to fight for half a month.

After Jia Lian handed over the defense, he reorganized his troops and prepared to go on the expedition the next day.

The eunuch who announced the decree arrived in Jinan and asked where Yue Qi's camp was. He learned that it was not in Jinan but to the southeast, so he immediately went to Yue Qi's place without stopping. He missed Jia Lian perfectly.

It was three days later that Yue Qi received the imperial edict. It was not that the road was difficult to travel, but that the road was too uneasy recently. Even the angel team did not dare to walk too fast along the way. There was no such thing as hurrying on the road.

Not only did he not wait for the food and grass from Xuzhou, he also did not wait for Sun Huazhen's reply. This made Jia Lian a little worried. Could it be that Sun Huazhen was defeated?

In fact, Jia Lian thought too much. Old Sun was not defeated, but he had no confidence in his army and could only defend the city with difficulty. Knowing that a group of rebels were heading south, Sun Huazhen kept watching them and found that the rebels had entered Weishan Lake, and then led his men to circle around and block them. After receiving Jia Lian's news, the Jiangbei governor of Xuzhou sent someone to inform Sun Huazhen and guard the city carefully, and he could not take care of the grain.

Don’t even think about sending reinforcements to Jia Lian.

(End of this chapter)