Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 402: The Trick

It was already dusk when Pan Jixun discovered that the pragmatic faction had lost more than a dozen key members.

He quickly called the housekeeper to ask, "Why did Wang Dongning and the others leave?"

The housekeeper did not expect that Pan Jixun's tone would be so harsh. He had served the Pan family for decades and this was the first time he had encountered such a thing.

"I was busy welcoming guests at the time and didn't know the details!" The housekeeper did not dare to speak nonsense and told the truth.

"Why don't you go and figure it out!" Pan Jixun was very annoyed. You know, technocrats were the talents he valued the most and the basic base he had prepared.

The butler went out to question the servants, which took about an hour. When he came back, he explained everything he had learned.

Pan Jixun was stunned after hearing this. Just because of a dispute over Jia's practical learning, a group of technical bureaucrats were driven away?
Pan Jixu, who was able to enter the cabinet, was more tactful in dealing with people. He could not approve of the behavior of technical officials who left in anger because of different opinions. But he had to hold on to these people because they could really get things done. If there were no people who could get things done, what was the Pragmatism?

Pan Jixun signaled the housekeeper to go down. He didn't even have the appetite to eat dinner. He was thinking about how to get closer to those people. After the day off, he would call them to talk to them alone.

At this time, Pan Jixun also realized that if the relationship between the two factions was not handled well, it would be bad. The scoundrels were certainly speculating, but they might not be able to do things. It also takes people to wave the flag and shout.

After the festival, Pan Jixun sent people to summon Wang Dongning and others, but all came to nothing. The answer they got was that they had gone out and were not in the government office?
This... It's fine if a few people are not here, but why are they not in the government office? Just when Pan Jixun was wondering, a group of technical officials were gathering at the shooting range of the R&D Department.

Jia Lian was very generous. He prepared rifles and revolvers so that the group could have a good time shooting at the shooting range.

Facts speak louder than words!

After personally testing the accurate shooting of the new rifle and experiencing the high firing rate of the revolver, they all recognized that Jia Lian was one of their own.

There are no professional talents in this era. These technical officials basically know a little bit about everything, but they are not proficient in anything.

A group of people went to watch how to rifle a gun barrel, how to make Minié bullets, and how to make a rotary mechanism also attracted them.

We practiced shooting in the morning and watched the production process in the afternoon. It was just a quick tour. I couldn't get enough of it. I haven't seen the production of transparent glass yet.

The group returned home with great satisfaction, and when they left they also received the abridged versions of the textbooks compiled by Jia Lian, "Basic Chemistry" and "New Mathematical Book".

When he returned home in the evening, Wang Dongning opened the title page of the New Mathematical Classic and saw a sentence by Jia Lian: Any natural phenomenon can be expressed in mathematics, and mathematics is the foundation of all disciplines.

The difficulty of this textbook is about that of a modern junior high school textbook, but Wang Dongning read it with great interest, especially the geometry, which made him feel the beauty of its application.

The key is to have a certain foundation. With the help of simple text explanations, Wang Dongning found that he could learn by himself.

When Jia Lian returned home in the evening, Jia Rong was waiting there. He had come specially to invite Jia Lian to a banquet to thank Jia Lian for helping him secure his position as clan leader.

In order to deepen their relationship, Jia Lian accepted his invitation, changed his clothes and went to the appointment.

The banquet was set up in the East Palace, but Jia Lian was a little disappointed that Qin Keqing was not there. After sitting down and drinking three cups, Jia Rong said, "Qin has something to ask of my second uncle, can you let her speak?"

Jia Lian had no objection: "We are family, no need to be so formal!"

Qin Keqing appeared from behind the curtain. Her pretty face looked particularly charming under the light. Judging from her attire and makeup, she had obviously prepared carefully.

She stepped forward gracefully to greet him, and Qin said in a low voice: "Niece-in-law Qin, meet your second uncle."

Jia Lian bowed slightly in return and sat down. Qin said, "Thanks to your uncle's discipline, my brother has become much more sensible and is willing to read books at home."

Jia Lian smiled with satisfaction: "That's his own effort!"

Jia Rong curled his lips and said, "Second Uncle, there is no need to be so modest. If Qin Zhong is unwilling to study hard and cannot attend classes in the clan school, he will not be able to see Xianglian and Yuai, let alone Second Uncle Bao."

Jia Lian had a black question mark on his face after hearing this. Jia Rong understood this expression and explained: "Second Uncle Bao has a close relationship with Qin Zhong. He invited Qin Zhong to sleep with him for several nights. Classmates in the clan school, who have a good relationship, get together to have fun, so naturally they don't want to be separated."

Jia Lian suddenly thought of the incident in the original novel where Qiaojie had an affair. Jia Lian was a handsome servant, and he was also involved with many girls. He immediately realized what was going on.

In this era, having a man on top of another is a refined thing. Even if the women at home don't like it, they can still accept it. At most, they can just wash it when they use it!

The explanation for this phenomenon is very simple. The shit stirrer will not affect the division of family property, nor will it affect the status of women in the backyard.

It's much better to be a troublemaker outside than to raise a few bastards.

Jia Lian is not discriminating. In Jia Lian's opinion, you just need to do your own thing and not affect others. It's not a church. If you find out, you will be burned to death. It's the same treatment as the witch and the black cat.

I didn't expect that a troublemaker could also become Qin Zhong's motivation to study hard, it's simply...

This was the first time Jia Lian accepted the call, and his ability to express himself in words was too poor.

Well, similar things are recorded in history books, and no one thinks it is a big deal. Two words: male favorite. The only person who was criticized as a typical example was Li Chengqian.

Qin came forward to pour wine for Jia Lian, who quickly bowed to thank her. The woman held up the wine glass and said, "I toast to my second uncle!"

Jia Lian raised his glass to accept the toast, and Qin sat down gracefully. The two of them kept an arm's length apart, which was considered a safe distance.

After drinking, Qin put on light makeup, her eyebrows were lightly drawn, and her cheeks turned slightly red. Under the light, her skin looked as delicate as a baby's.

Jia Lian couldn't help but take one more look and quickly looked away to avoid being rude.

Seeing this, Jia Rong raised his cup to toast Jia Lian. The couple took turns toasting. After a while, Jia Lian felt full and a little dizzy. His stomach was hot and his body was burning.

Feeling something was wrong, Jia Lian got up and went behind the screen, using the excuse of going to the toilet. After he was done, he still felt a little dizzy when someone came in from behind him. Turning back, he saw that it was Qin, who came forward with a hot towel in her hands, lowered her head and offered it with both hands. Jia Lian was a little confused. What happened today was strange. He quickly took the towel and wiped it randomly. He was still a little dizzy and said unconsciously, "I drank too much!"

When his body was shaking for a while, Qin and Baozhu came up to support him. Jia Lian was a little confused, but he heard Qin whispering softly: "Second uncle has drunk too much, go and rest for a while." Jia Lian still had a little bit of consciousness and knew that he was being helped into a boudoir.... In a daze, he sweated a lot and gradually woke up.

When Jia Lian used the lantern on the bedside to see the surrounding situation clearly, he realized that he was in trouble. His head was resting on the white jade wall, and his body was close to the soft jade body.

Jia Lian looked carefully and found that the woman with her eyes closed and pretending to be asleep was Qin.

There were cigarettes ready at the bedside. When Jia Lian reached out to take them, the curtain at the door was lifted, and Baozhu came in with a red face. She lit a cigarette for Jia Lian and then left.

After taking a deep breath, Jia Lian looked up at the sky and seemed to be talking to himself: "What are you doing?"

Qin knew she was seen through, so she whispered, "He can't get up when he's near me! He used several concubines privately but couldn't get pregnant. The doctor said that his body was damaged. The East Palace cannot be without an heir, otherwise the incense will be cut off."

After figuring out the reality, Jia Lian felt a little cheated, but he was completely unconscious at the time and suddenly became interested again.

"Come on, turn over!"

Despite studying the family's secret picture album, Qin still felt great shame and strong stimulation.

The next day, when Jia Lian was leaving, Baozhu saw him off to the door and whispered, "Second Master Lian, these few days are all good days."

Jia Lian knew what she meant, so he walked away without saying anything.

As soon as he arrived at the Research and Development Department, Jia Lian was blocked by eunuchs at the door, and Emperor Chenghui summoned him to the palace.

Taking a shortcut through Xihua Gate to the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chenghui greeted him and said straight to the point: "I summoned Xuanli to the capital, but he claimed to be ill and refused to come. Instead, he submitted a petition requesting a new type of musket. What can Lord Jia teach me?"

The new rifles played a huge role in the battle against the grassland tribes. The cavalry had no power to fight back against the chariot formation + accurate shooting. The cavalry equipped with short rifles chased the grassland cavalry and fought. After the battle, Emperor Chenghui found from the battle report that the threat from the north was not that great. It can even be said that there will be no great threat in the future.

The Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple worked together to negotiate with the Chahar tribe, and the progress was unexpectedly smooth because the other party was very humble.

In the words of the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the other party almost knelt down to negotiate with the court, and the King of Chahar was also willing to come to Beijing to kneel down and pay homage to His Majesty and submit to His Majesty.

The Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple believed that they had made great contributions, but Emperor Chenghui knew very well that the credit was won by Jia Lian and his Shenjiying.

Against this background, Emperor Chenghui had the idea of ​​taking over Shanhaiguan, which led to what he said just now.

After hearing this, Jia Lian said without hesitation: "He obeys orders but not announcements. How bold! If time passes, I'm afraid he will establish his own regime."

Emperor Chenghui was very satisfied with Jia Lian's reaction. He nodded and said, "I think so too, but one of the ministers said that the Dongping Iron Cavalry's salary has not stopped yet, so how can we be too demanding of Xuanli?"

Jia Lian was furious when he heard this: "Your Majesty, please execute the person who said this. This is really nonsense. I wonder how much benefit he received from Xuanli in private, and he actually spoke for the rebels."

Emperor Chenghui was silent for a while before he said, "This is what Li Gelao said in his memorial."

Jia Lian said, "I don't know what Li Ge Lao was busy with in Shanhaiguan! Aren't the soldiers of Tongzhou Camp in Luanzhou? Why didn't they put pressure on them?"

Emperor Chenghui was surprised. Seeing that Jia Lian's expression was not fake, he patiently explained, "Shanhai Pass has a geographical advantage. There are fifty red-coated cannons on the pass, and the garrison has as many as thirty thousand troops, of which Xuanli's troops account for half. The Tongzhou camp has only fifteen thousand infantry and cavalry, twenty general cannons, and fifty French cannons. They are not afraid of opponents in the field, but they are not strong enough to attack the city. My idea is that you take the Shenji Camp to Luanzhou, make some noise, and force Xuanli to come to Beijing."

Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Jia Lian, fearing that he might be trapped, naturally refused to accept the task. Instead, he asked curiously, "There are many great generals in the court. General Yue holds the title of Minister of War. He can lead the Shenji Battalion to the battle."

Emperor Chenghui's expression became even more strange. He looked at Jia Lian carefully and asked, "Don't you know the relationship between Xuanli and the Jia family?"

Jia Lian was stunned for a moment, and looked up at the emperor in a very rude manner and asked, "Should I know?"

Seeing his reaction, Emperor Chenghui nodded and said, "It's not your fault, the elders in the family... Forget it, I'm here to tell you, Xuanli was the most powerful general under Daishan Gong. After Daishan Gong left, Xuanli was sent out and stationed in Shenyang. It's not that Yue Qi can't go, but if he goes, things will easily escalate. In addition, I intend to let Yue Qi officially take over the position of Minister of War, and I can't let a civilian official who doesn't know anything about military affairs control the Ministry of War!"

Jia Lian suddenly realized that Xuanli was actually the asset left by Jia Daishan. Counting Wang Ziteng, who was supported by the resources of the Jia family, it is no wonder that in the original novel, although the Jia family declined, their living standards refused to lower. They still held their airs and refused to let go, which shows that Jia Daishan did not leave nothing behind, but his descendants managed it too badly.

In the original novel, Wang Ziteng did nothing wrong by not giving up his military power, but the novel did not explain how he was defeated.

If Wang Ziteng continued to exist, with all the old ties left by Jia Daishan, the Jia family really couldn't just confiscate his property.

In the current situation, Wang Ziteng was persuaded to give up the military power of the Beijing Camp and go to the south to do business. Why did he smuggle opium? Of course, it was to build a combat-capable army.

After thinking it over again and again, Jia Lian still hesitated and asked, "Your Majesty, must I go in this matter?"

Emperor Chenghui nodded seriously: "I won't force you, but it's best if you go."

"Your Majesty understands. Your Majesty obeys your command!" After hearing the words "no coercion", Jia Lian still didn't know how to make the right choice. That would be really stupid.

Emperor Chenghui smiled with satisfaction: "Okay, there happens to be a cabinet meeting this morning. I have appointed Yue Qi as the Minister of War. He will have full authority to cooperate with you in resolving this matter."

After Jia Lian received the order to leave the palace, he went directly to the Shenji Camp, where General Yang led his troops to meet him. After the Battle of Zhangjiakou, General Yang was given the title of General, but his position was not adjusted. In name, he was a second-rank military officer, and his promotion speed was like a rocket. General Yang knew very well that the emperor had a deeper meaning in promoting him.

But after spending so much time with Jia Lian, Yang Tongzhi really didn't dare to overstep his authority. He was really afraid that if he was disrespectful to Jia Lian in front of everyone, someone would really shoot him in the back when he went into battle one day.

In particular, news from Sichuan kept coming back. Of the 3,000 soldiers who went south of the Yangtze River, only 1,000 were left. Not many died in battle, only a few dozen. Most were injured and disabled, or died of illness in the smoky and humid land. Many people wrote back, telling about the local situation. Many soldiers had scabies and were in great pain. Not adapting to the climate was a small matter. The soldiers had very poor food and only ate once or twice a month.

In contrast, the soldiers of the Shenjiying in the capital followed Jia Lian in fighting, were invincible, and could earn money. If they made meritorious services, they could be promoted. It was a truly clear distinction between rewards and punishments and unity of purpose.

After Jia Lian read out His Majesty's oral order, he asked about the situation in the army.

General Yang answered every question seriously. Currently, there were 18,000 regular soldiers. After returning to Beijing victoriously, some reinforcements were made, including 1,000 cavalry, 2,000 artillery, and corresponding horses and carriages.

The training of the troops has been proceeding normally. With few new recruits, the combat effectiveness has hardly been affected, but has been enhanced.

(End of this chapter)