Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 347 Amazement
Jia Lian did what he said, and after that he really didn't say a word and just watched.

Probably because he was hurt internally by the criticism, no one took the initiative to ask how Jia Lian was doing, as if they didn't exist.

Li Heng also pretended not to notice that Jia Lian was ignored, but he kept sneering in his heart: [A bunch of termites, do you really think you can play the leading role today? ]

These people have no idea what the purpose of coming to the Nine Gates Garrison in the first place is. You don't allow criticism to the emperor's face, but you criticize him in front of the emperor. How can you end up like this?

The review took about an hour, and the process looked quite lively. Zheng Shilang of the Ministry of War stood beside Li Heng, nodding his head in approval: "This nine-in-ten chain formation is exactly in line with the meaning of the formation diagram recorded in the book."

Li Heng smiled but said nothing. Deputy Commander Li smiled rather proudly and said, "Mr. Zheng, you are too kind. It is just my duty as a leader."

After saying this, he glanced at the silent Jia Lian, and Deputy Commander Li felt secretly pleased. It was understandable that he was hostile to Jia Lian. He was the actual person in power, but he had a nominal boss above him. Anyone would be uncomfortable and would want to replace him and make the deputy the chief.

"Let's stop here. We still have to go to Xishan Camp and Nanyuan Camp." Li Heng continued his journey with a smile, and Deputy Commander Li led his troops to see him off.

Before leaving, Deputy Commander Li said, "Your Highness the Third Prince is only taking so few troops with him on his tour. I am really worried. Please lead a team of troops to escort him."

Li Heng looked at him meaningfully, smiled and shook his head: "No need, it's the best place under the emperor's feet, why should I worry?"

Deputy Commander Li was not embarrassed after being rejected, and continued to walk out with a smile. Li Heng didn't say anything, but he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart: [I just wanted to be low-key and bring fewer people with me. Are you trying to harm me by making such a big show? ]

You see, this is how people are in society. If you are not careful, you may say the wrong thing with good intentions and offend others.

After leaving the parade ground, Li Heng continued to walk ahead. The soldiers from the Ministry of War also changed their horses and didn't care about the bumps on their buttocks and rubbing against their thighs, but they could barely keep up.

On the way, Li Heng took the initiative to talk to Jia Lian: "The horse that Lord Jia rides is only average. I have a Western Region horse in my stable. I will take one away when I go back."

Jia Lian's reaction to this was not enthusiastic, but he reminded Li Heng: "Your Highness dares to send it, I dare not accept it! If I accept it, I will harm Your Highness."

Li Heng was stunned for a long time and then smiled bitterly!
"I heard that Western horses are taller and more majestic, but I don't know if that's true." Li Heng changed the subject expertly. Jia Lian didn't know much about this, so he continued based on some historical knowledge: "I haven't seen one either, but from the history books, Genghis Khan fought as far as eastern Europe during his western expedition, so I guess he didn't suffer much from his war horses. From a tactical point of view, Mongolian horses have better endurance."

"What do you mean?" Li Heng became interested.

Jia Lian patiently explained based on his own understanding: "Europe also has war horses. If they can't win, they can always run away, right? Judging from the result, they didn't run away. It can only be that the horse's endurance can't win. Well, this is just my guess!"

Li Heng said with great interest: "I heard from D'Artagnan that European war horses are taller and charge faster. In wars between European countries, the cavalry lance charge tactics were not put to an end until the emergence of the Spanish phalanx. Now, the cavalry of Western countries protect the wings of their own army during war and pursue to expand the victory when they win."

This statement revealed Li Heng's interest in military affairs, and also his ambition for military power. It was not a smart idea to want to seize military power.

Jia Lian looked back and saw no one followed up, so he quickly whispered: "It doesn't matter if Your Highness likes military affairs. It's okay to talk about macro strategies in public, but you must never talk about specific tactics."

Li Heng was stunned again. He didn't understand, and Jia Lian didn't continue to explain.

Men all like to talk about strategy. Others will at most say "what a boast!" and won't have too many thoughts.
Talking about specific tactics, such as how to deploy a battalion of troops, how to attack, how to defend, etc., then there will be problems.

Because if you were really given 500 well-equipped troops and you were really able to command them to fight, then is there a possibility that you would lead the soldiers to attack the palace?
Li Heng is now mature and not as reckless as before. When facing Jia Lian, he prefers to listen to advice.

[My father ordered me to review the armies on behalf of the emperor. I am too impetuous. I should change my ways! Jia Lian is a good friend! ]

Li Heng, who had made up his mind silently, was not so anxious anymore. He slowed down and waited leisurely for the people from the Ministry of War to catch up.

General Sun of the Xishan Camp was waiting outside with more than a dozen officers to greet them. After going through a set of procedures, they entered the camp and Li Heng continued to inspect the troops stationed in the Xishan Camp.

The difference between the West Mountain Camp and the Nine Gates Garrison was that there were more cavalry. Li Heng looked at it very carefully based on what Jia Lian had said before.

There was no nine-in-ten chain formation here, just some simple exercises, constantly changing from a square formation to a horizontal row and a vertical row, while the cavalry was on both wings, constantly attacking in small groups.

In terms of tactics, there are also chariot formations, rapid-fire artillery formations, and musketeer formations. Because the musketeers are also equipped with matchlock guns, there are still sword, shield and spearmen in the rear to support the formation.

During the exercise, blank ammunition was also fired, making loud noises of "boom, boom, bang, bang".

Jia Lian said nothing, but in his heart he was secretly sure that Old Sun had his own way of leading troops. His review was more focused on actual combat, and murderous intent was evident as the various formations advanced and retreated.

The people from the Ministry of War looked on with frowns, mainly because they couldn't understand and the books didn't say such things. However, their ears were really buzzing from the huge noise.

After the review, it was already past noon.

Li Heng did not ask Jia Lian, but asked Minister Zheng: "What do you think of this, Lord Zheng?"

Minister Zheng hesitated for a moment and said, "It's okay, but not as good as the previous Nine Gates garrison." Perhaps knowing that he was an amateur, he glanced at Jia Lian guiltily.

When Minister Zheng found Jia Lian standing there with his eyes closed, he felt relieved, knowing that he would not be scolded in the face this time.

Seeing that it was getting late, Jia Lian simply suggested: "Your Highness, it is past noon, it is too late today, how about getting up early tomorrow, going to Nanyuan first, and then to Tongzhou?"

Li Heng still listened to the advice and said, "Then I will do as Lord Jia said!"

Minister Zheng and other people from the Ministry of War didn't want to continue to struggle. Even though they only went to two places today, it took an hour to get from the city to the Xishan camp. All in all, three hours had passed, and they hadn't eaten anything yet. They were hungry, thirsty, and tired. There was no row of chairs on the reviewing stand. They really couldn't struggle any more!

The people from the Ministry of War did not object, and Jia Lian's suggestion was passed smoothly.

Sun Tongzhi came out and said that he had arranged a simple meal. Li Heng did not refuse and agreed very straightforwardly. The people from the Ministry of War could not refuse and followed him to eat.

When I arrived at the place, I found that the food prepared in the army was quite good, but the cooking method of the big pot was rather rough.

The officials were used to eating stir-fried dishes, so when they saw the big pieces of meat in the big bowl, their appetites immediately decreased. In other words, they were really hungry and didn't have the energy to be particular, so they just had a decent meal.

In fact, Li Heng was not used to it either, so he forced himself to eat a bowl of rice. He only ate some vegetables and didn't touch the meat much.

Jia Lian really didn't care. He had eaten coarser food in the army, and this was still considered fine grain. The staple food was big steamed buns and steamed rice. The dishes were just a little salty, but there was nothing else wrong with them.

There was no wine, so everyone ate in silence. When everyone else had finished eating, Jia Lian also put down his chopsticks. In terms of quantity, Jia Lian definitely ate the most. He ate three big steamed buns, gnawed on a bunch of bones, and drank a bowl of pickled vegetable soup.

When they returned to the capital, it was around four o'clock in the afternoon. Li Heng signaled everyone to disperse and called Jia Lian to go to the palace to report.

I met Emperor Chenghui in the Qianqing Palace! He started with a taunt: "Li Shisan came to me to complain, saying that someone couldn't even understand the Nine-into-Ten Linked Formation, and said that others didn't know how to fight."

Li Heng lowered his head and laughed secretly, unable to hold back his shoulders from shaking. Jia Lian, however, walked forward without changing his expression and said, "Your Majesty, Deputy Commander Li is talking about this humble servant."

Emperor Chenghui also asked with a smile on his face: "Don't you want to explain?"

"The formations used for performances are just for show, no matter how good they look. I have observed the Nine Gates garrison drills, and the formations are loose and have many flaws. If they fight in the city, they can be broken in an instant by bombarding them head-on with artillery or volleys. If they fight in the wild, they can suppress them head-on with artillery, and suppress them by deploying formations forward, and cavalry can move forward on both wings, and it is not difficult to gather and annihilate them. In summary, the fancy formations are all loose, and going to the battlefield is just sending the soldiers to their deaths. On the contrary, the drills of the West Mountain Camp are solid, and the advance and retreat are well-founded. The artillery and volleys are operated skillfully, and the cavalry can stabilize the formations on both wings. With equal forces and equipment, I have no confidence in defeating them."

"What does Li Heng think?" Emperor Chenghui's turn was so sudden that Li Heng was a little unprepared. He instinctively replied, "Your son doesn't understand. I am ashamed!"

This answer was very quick, obviously unprepared. Emperor Chenghui laughed in silence and pointed at Jia Lian, saying, "Don't you understand? I specially asked Jia Lian to go with you so that you can ask."

Li Heng quickly explained: "Father, this is what happened... In this case, Jia Lian said nothing and I will not answer your questions."

Emperor Chenghui frowned, stared at Jia Lian and asked, "Is this true?"

Jia Lian replied calmly: "Your Highness is right, it is indeed so."

Emperor Chenghui was silent for a while before he said, "In your opinion, what are the tips for training soldiers that you can pass on to Li Heng?"

Jia Lian answered without hesitation: "Warfare is all about courage! Everyone will be afraid when two armies are in front of each other. Because courage cannot be trained, it can only be cultivated slowly by going to the battlefield more often. So, the first thing to train soldiers is perseverance and obedience. I train soldiers by combining military posture, formation, internal hygiene and other means. The soldiers trained by Qi Jiguang in the former Ming Dynasty were as still as a mountain even in heavy rain without military orders. The Jixiao New Book is a ready-made manual for training soldiers. With a little improvement, it can be of great use."

"What? You are more powerful than Qi Jiguang?" Emperor Chenghui really did not forget to seize any opportunity to attack Jia Lian.

"Your Majesty, what I mean is that the weapons and the enemies we are targeting have changed, and the tactics also need to be adjusted accordingly. If we are facing the enemy in the northern grasslands, then Qi Shaobao's tactics are naturally the best. If we are facing Western countries, they use flintlock rifles as their main equipment, supplemented by cuirassiers and carbine cavalry, so we naturally need to adjust our tactics." Jia Lian actually happened to watch some related videos and really understood some related tactics, especially during the Napoleonic Wars. (PS: I recommend Gustav's videos on Bilibili.)
"You also understand Western tactics?" Emperor Chenghui was surprised this time and couldn't help but lean forward.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. The military manuals of Western countries are not secret, and Westerners are only interested in profit, so if you pay them enough money, they will naturally understand most of it."

Emperor Chenghui leaned back slightly after hearing this: "I see. Tell me about the current situation in western Sichuan. How would you fight if you were leading the troops?"

Jia Lian had been prepared: "If it were me, I would use steady tactics in the early stage, relying on the advantage of weapons to compress the rebels' space, and choose to destroy their farming as the main tactic. In the middle stage, blockade is the main tactic. Western Sichuan does not produce tea and salt. As long as we control the key points, we can cut off their access to tea and salt, and block the smuggling of grain. Western Sichuan is poor in products and it is difficult for it to be self-sufficient. In two years at most, the rebels will fall into chaos without fighting."

Emperor Chenghui listened to the silence for a while before speaking in a low voice: "Yue Qi also fought in Yimeng in this way, and the effect was quite good. It is difficult for a large number of rebels to get sufficient food and grass in the mountainous areas, so it is better to defeat the enemy without fighting!"

Jia Lian listened silently, his face was calm, showing no emotion. Emperor Chenghui turned to Li Heng and asked, "Third brother, aren't you a little hasty in the plan to change the natives of western Sichuan into officials and register the people as equals?"

Li Heng had been thinking about this question for a long time, and this time he gave a very methodical answer: "Father, I think the policy is a good one, but there were problems in the implementation process. Take the previous Ming Bozhou Rebellion as an example. The chieftains were used to being local emperors in the local area. How could they not rebel if they were asked to hand over power? Sichuan was not well prepared before the implementation of the policy, so the local people were caught off guard. After suffering a great loss, they were anxious to lead troops to retaliate. They were not well prepared before the war, so it is not surprising that they were defeated. Father is a benevolent monarch, and he gave them a chance to make up for their mistakes, but they were defeated again. Their sin is unforgivable."

Because there had been no prior communication on this matter, Li Heng's words made Jia Lian look at him with new eyes.

Even though Li Heng had secretly recruited talents to help with analysis, it can be seen that the talents he recruited were of up to standard.

Anyone who is familiar with the rules of officialdom can probably make a general analysis of the war in western Sichuan.

This view is really not an exaggeration at all.

The key point lies in the emperor's approach to employing people. He does not look at ability first, but loyalty!
The emperor played a centralized role, and this idea was extended downwards. Even though there were checks and balances among the officials at all levels, the idea was still centralized.

This centralization is aimed at the lower-class people!
The way officials get along with each other can be called "harmony among the common people" if you put it nicely, or "bureaucracy" if you put it bluntly.

It is the officials who supervise the officials. So under this system, how can the officials treat the common people as human beings?

The people under his rule are no longer considered human beings. What else can the people under the chieftain’s rule say?
If the court officials had not exploited the chieftains excessively during the process of converting them to officials, it would have been difficult for the chieftains to lead the people under their rule even if they rebelled.

After all, the chieftains exploited the people under their rule to the point of sucking their blood out of them.

Therefore, when the chieftains were reformed, they could say that they could not survive because of the court's exploitation, thus diverting their hatred.

In short, the root cause of the chaos in western Sichuan is essentially no different from the chaos in other places, all of which are caused by problems with the administration of officials.

Under the current system, there will always be problems with the administration of officials!

(End of this chapter)