Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 291 Aftermath
The consensus reached by the emperor, his ministers, the government and the people at this meeting can be summed up very simply in two words: stability.

Stability means a state of equilibrium, which does not mean that contradictions no longer exist.

In most cases, conflicts cannot be resolved. They can only be resolved after they escalate, because no one will give up on their interests until the conflict intensifies and the consequences are not seen.

Even if an individual foresees the consequences, the group he or she belongs to will not give in, and the foresighted individual can only be coerced or jump out and watch the show from the sidelines.

People who are in the game often have their IQ drop by several levels! Even if it doesn't drop, they are often powerless to do anything.

Jia Lian did not go directly to the Shenjiying, but to the Ministry of War. The left assistant minister of the Ministry of War, who was ready to meet him, came out to receive him, but the elder who was temporarily in charge of the Ministry of War did not show up. He was afraid of being defeated!
This shows how important a person's good reputation is.

Jia Lian didn't care about reputation, especially reputation in official circles. It was usually not a good thing for a person to have a good reputation in official circles.

Jia Lian's reputation is very strange. He has a very bad reputation in official circles, but a very good reputation among the common people in the capital.

"Your Majesty has ordered me to lead the Shenji Camp to garrison Zhangjiakou. I have come here specially to handle the relevant procedures." After Jia Lian explained his purpose, the Left Vice Minister fell into a daze.

Fortunately, he quickly regained his normal composure. After all, it was a good thing for Jia Lian to follow the normal procedures. Given the situation last night, it would have been too late.

The Ministry of War's documents were processed as quickly as possible, submitted to the Cabinet, and then sent to the Emperor after approval, which required a process.

Jia Lian said the matter was urgent and rushed to the cabinet with a written document. Li Chi was confused after reading the document. Is this Jia Lian's style?
"Please hurry up, Lord Li. I still have to go to His Majesty." Jia Lian urged, looking very impatient.

Li Chi felt comfortable instantly. This was just what he wanted. Without saying anything, he signed and circled it, and handed it to Jia Lian.

Looking at Jia Lian's back as he trotted away, Li Chi said that he was emotionally stable.

When Emperor Chenghui learned that Jia Lian wanted to see him, he was also confused. After letting him in, he asked directly: "Why are you here?"

Jia Lian handed the documents to Emperor Chenghui and said, "Your Majesty, follow the procedures. Otherwise, it would be unauthorized mobilization of troops, which is a capital crime!"

Emperor Chenghui was stunned. Is my oral order not enough? After a few seconds, Emperor Chenghui silently took it and signed it with his seal.

Jia Lian took it and bowed to leave. Emperor Chenghui waved his hand with a sullen face. After everyone was far away, Emperor Chenghui turned around and asked Qiu Shian, who had been pretending not to exist, "He doesn't believe me?"

Qiu Shian answered without hesitation: "The words of a sage are important. This is the way of a loyal minister."

That's right, as a loyal minister, this is how you should act. If you do whatever you want just by relying on the emperor's favor, you are called a favorite minister. For example, Jiang Chong!

It is difficult for a favorite to have a good ending!

Emperor Chenghui was silent for a moment, then continued to review the memorials with an expressionless face.

Qiu Shian secretly breathed a sigh of relief!

The reason is actually very simple. After Jia Lian returned the gold medal, he no longer had the right to mobilize troops at will. This is military power, not a joke.

You can mobilize the army at will today, but you can’t even imagine what you can do tomorrow.

This is the normal thinking of the imperial power. Jia Lian, who has always been cautious, would never fall into this trap.

With the military document from the Ministry of War, Jia Lian came to the Shenji Camp. Deputy General Yang, who had just completed the handover of the city defense, was surprised to see the document from the Ministry of War: "You are also using this?"

Jia Lian spread his hands helplessly: "Look, if you think so, what about others?"

After Deputy General Yang expressed his understanding, he immediately arranged for the army to set out.

The emperor meant to rush to Zhangjiakou as quickly as possible, but in fact, it was not even a way to make up for the loss. God knows where the little loyal prince had run off to, and it was probably too late.

Jia Lian had no time to go home, so he could only write a letter and have someone take it back, and then set off with three thousand troops in the afternoon.

Why was it the Shenjiying instead of the cavalry? Jia Lian did not think it was the emperor's ignorance, so it could only be that he was not suitable to stay in the capital for the time being.

The fate of the situation was sealed from the moment Ning Yuanhou declined the offer to take over the Shenji Camp on the grounds of lack of ability.

"Your Majesty has no sympathy for Lord Jia!" Deputy General Yang was very outspoken, mainly because he was surrounded by Jia Lian's family generals. If these people spread the word, Jia Lian would deserve it.

"Watch your mouth and stop complaining!" Jia Lian simply scolded without saying anything more. The emperor trusted Jia Lian now, but he trusted the eunuchs around him more. The emperor felt very insecure at this time. Don't touch his fragile nerves, otherwise it might be an unmanageable situation.

The Shenji Camp was divided into two, Jia Lian was sent to Zhangjiakou, and the remaining part was naturally harmless and could be deployed to the battlefield when needed.

The next day, when Jia Lian was still on the road, the Prince of Nan'an entered the palace to meet the emperor. It was unknown what he said, and then the imperial edict came down that the Prince would inherit the title of the king.

A few days later, the Prince of Nan'an passed away and was buried with great ceremony.

After arriving in Zhangjiakou, Jia Lian soon learned that the Nine Frontiers had made a series of adjustments to the military commanders, some of whom were dismissed, some were promoted, some were transferred, and some were convicted and imprisoned.

Later, we learned more news that the court had carried out a major rectification, more than ten officials above the third rank were affected, and many governors or provincial governors were dismissed. At the same time, Liang Daoyuan, the deputy assistant minister, took sick leave and stayed at home for a month before recovering. The prince of Xining in Beijing received permission from the emperor to return to the northwest.

In contrast, the two princes from the east and the west who were away seemed to have no problems on the surface, while the two princes from the north and the south were severely weakened.

This is the emperor. If he suspects you are going to rebel, you'd better have the strength to rebel.

Everyone in the capital city knew that Jia Lian led the 3,000 Shenji Battalion to defeat the elite Zhili Jianrui Battalion, one of the three major battalions.

This news has two effects. First, although Jia Lian is not a civil servant, he has a family background and is good at fighting. This is the view of an outsider. Second, Jia Lian defeated the mixed-arms Jianrui Battalion head-on with a small number of troops without the support of auxiliary arms, which fully demonstrates that the new weapons have improved the combat effectiveness of the Shenji Battalion, at least in the urban environment. This is the view of an insider.

The memorials from various departments on the need for new weapons were sent to the capital one after another, but Emperor Chenghui did not respond. He still maintained a unit of the Shenjiying equipped with new muskets. In Zhangjiakou, the most unbearable thing during the winter and spring is the sandstorm.

Jia Lian had bad luck. After arriving here, he encountered continuous windy and sandy weather. It took half a month for the situation to completely improve.

Finally, the weather was good, and Jia Lian, who had been hiding in the camp to avoid the wind and sand for the past few days, finally had a chance to relax. But then some bad news came: Jia Lian was impeached.

The specific situation is this: the previous Chief Censor of the Inspectorate wrote a letter to retire, and Emperor Chenghui agreed after three requests. The Chief Censor retired in a dignified manner, and the vacant position was coveted.

In terms of popularity, the person with the highest popularity is naturally Lin Ruhai. From Liangjiang to Shaanxi and Gansu, Lin Ruhai, who has rich experience, can be said to be the most popular choice.

But things are unpredictable. At this critical moment, several imperial censors from the Inspectorate impeached Jia Lian on the charge of "nurturing the enemy to benefit oneself."

The reason can't be said to be forced, it's basically slander. The general meaning is that during the turmoil on the eve of the Chinese New Year, Jia Lian had the opportunity to capture the young Prince Zhongyi, but he let him escape. The Shenjiying was obviously powerful, but they defended Dongzhimen. It's almost as if Jia Lian had a tacit understanding with the Prince of Dongping, which was tantamount to rebellion.

Being impeached was not a big deal, but Emperor Chenghui did not reprimand those memorials impeaching Jia Lian, but chose to keep them without sending them out.

How to understand the specific meaning is a matter of opinion.

You can understand it as nonsense and not worth refuting, or you can understand it as I know about it and am investigating it. You can also understand it as, everyone should work harder, this is what I hope to see.

Considering the incident that Jia Lian was thrown to Zhangjiakou despite having made great contributions, the last explanation is widely circulated.

Don’t say that Jia Lian has rarely interacted with nobles. The Four Kings and Eight Dukes are a community of interests. Do you admit this, as everyone knows?
This cannot be explained clearly, and the more you explain, the worse you lose.

Jia Lian, who was impeached, was not worried at all. He took his family members out for an outing in the rare good weather.

There is really nothing to do on the grassland in this season. It is just a vast expanse of white snow. In the distance, sheep are digging through the snow to eat the grass underneath. The Yanshan Mountains in the east are guarding Hebei, and there are black mountains on the horizon.

A lone caravan slowly approaching on the muddy official road forms a picture with a perfect combination of movement and stillness.

Jia Lian, who was on horseback, signaled to stop and looked at the horse galloping towards him.

"Who are you, hero? Could you please give Feilong Escort Agency a favor?" The rider stopped when he was thirty steps away.

Without waiting for Jia Lian to reply, Zhuzi rode forward and said, "Don't panic. We are not horse thieves, but soldiers!"

After hearing the answer, Lai Qi's face turned even uglier, and he even took a few steps back before he could steady the horse under him.

After a while, Zhuzi came back and brought relevant news. The caravan ahead was attacked by a group of horsemen who looked like soldiers five days ago. After a desperate resistance, they repelled the horse bandits who pretended to be soldiers.

Jia Lian motioned the visitor to come forward and explain in detail. In order to avoid making the visitor worried, Jia Lian ordered everyone to dismount. The visitor then came closer and found that his arm was bandaged, which meant he was injured.

After asking, we learned that the caravan originally had more than 300 people. After being robbed by fake soldiers, more than half of them were lost, and half of their property was also lost. Fortunately, the enemy had fewer than 100 riders, otherwise the caravan would have been left on the grassland. As for why they returned after the New Year, it was because they encountered a snowstorm on the way back after going deep into the grassland, and were forced to stop and wait for the snowstorm to stop before returning. Fortunately, the snowstorm was not heavy, but unfortunately, they encountered horse bandits, and more than half of them were killed or injured before they could save most of their property.

"The bandits were well-equipped and did not announce their names. They attacked suddenly and robbed more than a dozen carriages and horses that were left behind before running away."

Regarding this phenomenon, Jia Lian asked Zhang San: "Do you think it is them?"

"It should be them. They were delayed by the snow and have nothing with them. If they have no food, they can rob the herdsmen. If they have no money or goods, they can only rob the caravans returning home." Zhang San's answer was very logical.

Jia Lian said nothing more, and led his troops back to Zhangjiakou. After arriving at the station, he wrote a letter and asked someone to send it back to the capital. As expected, this group of horse bandits was the remnant of the Little Loyal Prince.

At that time, he was busy dealing with the Jianrui Battalion and didn't pay attention to them. He ran away with his confidants overnight. There is no clear evidence, but there is no other possibility.

The urgent news arrived in the capital city by express horse in three days. When it was delivered to Emperor Chenghui, Qiu Shian was reporting the gains from the recent house searches.

"According to the interrogation, a large amount of property is hidden in the imperial manor in the Western Hills. I dare not take over the property for fear of alarming the emperor."

Emperor Chenghui was very satisfied when he looked at the account book in front of him. His recent mood could be described as follows: it feels good to confiscate property, and it would be more enjoyable to confiscate property all the time.

The biggest characteristic of the Xiao Zhongyi Prince's family is that they are rich. Really rich. After a series of house searches, the property collected into the inner treasury is worth tens of millions of yuan, which has greatly enriched the inner treasury.

"Don't worry, just watch it." Emperor Chenghui really wasn't in a hurry. After all, the retired emperor probably didn't have many years to live after what happened. No matter how much property was hidden in the Xishan Royal Manor, it would all belong to Emperor Chenghui. You say, is there any need for him to be in a hurry?

Seeing the eunuch coming in, Qiu Shian hurried forward. There was no urgent matter at this time, so the eunuch did not dare to disturb him.

Qiu Shian came back and presented a document: "Your Majesty, Lord Jia has an urgent report that he has found traces of Li Ni."

Emperor Chenghui stood up instantly, and the chair under him was overturned with a clanging sound. Qiu Shian hurried to lift the chair, and the out-of-control Emperor Chenghui picked up the letter and opened it to read it carefully.

Jia Lian wrote in great detail in the letter, but it was only an inference, without clear evidence. In any case, the person had not been caught, so precautions must be taken in advance.

In retrospect, Emperor Chenghui also felt that his operation had a big problem, such as the nearby passes, which could have been arranged in advance. But how can we say it? Judging from the content of the letter, the rebels did not escape by the official road, but perhaps escaped by taking a small path over the mountains and ridges. Jia Lian's judgment was the same, and he pointed out that the passes in the nine borders of Yanshan were not strictly guarded.

After reading the letter, Emperor Chenghui called Xia Shouzhong and asked him to send people to investigate the various passes of the Great Wall to see if there were any problems.

Although Jia Lian did not say it explicitly, Emperor Chenghui understood what he meant. Because of the long-term slackness in military preparations, the passes of the Great Wall were likely to be useless. It would be fine if no problems were found, but if problems were found but not reported or dealt with, then that was the problem of the generals. It can be said that Emperor Chenghui had another excuse to adjust the military and further weaken the military leaders related to the nobles. As long as the garrisons in the Beijing camp and along the Yanshan line were thoroughly rectified, after a period of rectification, they could focus on facing the Shanhaiguan line.

Emperor Chenghui had never made up his mind on how to deal with the matter of the Prince of Dongping. The main reason was naturally that the pass was steep and difficult to conquer. The greater worry was the series of potential turmoil caused by it.

For example, there are huge hidden dangers in the grassland. The vassal system makes it difficult to obtain detailed information about the grassland. The grassland is currently divided into two parts: the southern and northern parts of the desert. The tribes in the southern part of the desert have close contacts with Liaodong, and many of them have intermarriage and trade. If the court is eager to attack Liaodong, it is likely to cause a large-scale rebellion.

(End of this chapter)