Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Gu Tao cupped his hands to send them off, then frowned in thought for a moment, and shouted: "Come here! Pass my military order to everyone in the Fubiao Camp to stay in the camp. Anyone who leaves the camp without orders will be killed! Send the Supervisor of the Biao Camp to monitor."

"Yes!" An official hurried away.

"Jia Hua, the prefect of Jinling, has mobilized all the government officials and people to patrol the city day and night. Anyone who commits crimes and causes trouble will be beheaded! From now on, a curfew will be enforced. Anyone who disobeys will be beheaded!"

"Yes!"

"Go to the government offices of all prefectures and counties, and immediately mobilize the people and village warriors to patrol the territory. If there are traces of thieves, they will be destroyed if possible. If they cannot be defeated, report them to the governor's office immediately. However, those who abandon the city and flee, or delay the military situation, will be killed. !”

"Yes!"

"The Chief Envoy is in charge of the Yamen. Since the Chief Envoy is in the Governor's Mansion to discuss military matters, all affairs in the Yamen will be temporarily handled by the left and right, and he is ordered to raise military provisions and pay immediately.

Raise one million taels of silver and one hundred thousand stones of food and grass within three days. Anyone who fails to do so will be killed by all those involved in politics! "

"Yes!"

"Stand guard at Jinling, strictly guard the four gates, and strictly check people who come in and out."

"Yes!"

As Gu Tao passed down military orders one after another, the Governor's Yamen was running at high speed. As long as this level was passed, no one would dare to block the new law.

Thinking of this, Gu Tao's eyes were full of murderous intent. If he found out who was colluding with the bandits to cause chaos, no matter what family or wealthy family he belonged to, he would be dismissed from his official position, and his family would be confiscated and exterminated to pave the way for future generations.
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Under Jia Cong's strict order, the garrison Yamen moved very quickly. Within an hour, the sergeants were organized and the warships were ready. On the bank of the river, thousands of soldiers were holding torches and getting ready to go.

Jia Cong left the Governor's Mansion and went straight to the dock.

On the way, Kongxing and Jiehui came to say goodbye.

Jia Cong reined in his horse and said: "This time you two will lead the army alone. Don't be careless. You will be more strategic than brave. Don't let me down."

"Please rest assured, sir, I will do my best in this humble position and will never let you down."

"Okay! Let's drink the celebratory wine while I'm waiting for my triumph!" Jia Cong said.

"Sir, take care!" The two said goodbye, and then said to Zhang Yuanba and Yan Shuangying: "Please protect me, sir."

Zhang and Yan clasped their hands and smiled: "Don't worry. You guys should also take care."

Kong Xing and Jie Hui got on their horses and said, "Brothers, take care, let me go!" Before they finished speaking, they had already turned their horses' heads and galloped away.

Jia Cong rushed to the riverside and saw the flags and the troops in good order. He was a little relieved.

"I will see you later, sir!" the two generals took the lead in shouting.

"See you, sir!" all the sergeants shouted in unison.

Jia Cong rode on the horse, nodded slightly, and said loudly: "I will lead the troops, and rewards and punishments will be clear! You must work together, and those who bravely kill the enemy will be rewarded! Those who fear the enemy and are timid will be killed! Do you know?"

"Under the mark, I understand!"

"set off!"

The warship sailed down the river and arrived at the dock of Yangzhou Prefecture at noon the next day. Pan Sang, a thousand households in Yangzhou, had already led people to wait there.

When Jia Cong got off the boat, Pan Sang rushed up to greet him.

"Talking as we walk." Jia Cong waved his hand, "What's the new news?"

Pan Sang said: "Sir, the Japanese pirates who landed in Huai'an and Yangzhou have gathered together after plundering everywhere, and went south along the rivers and waterways, looting as they went.

Yesterday afternoon, Xixi Town was looted and directed towards Rugao County.

After the Dahe Gang water bandits broke through Qingjiangpu, they continued southward along the canal. It seemed they did not dare to attack Huai'an Prefecture. They should have now left Huai'an and pointed directly at Baoying County, Yangzhou Prefecture. "

Jia Cong frowned: "I remember there is a big river guard in Huai'an Prefecture. The canal is narrow, why not block it?"

Pan Sang said: "The commander of the Great River Guard is afraid of the powerful force of the water bandits and hopes that they will leave the country as soon as possible. No one will intercept them. As long as the Huai'an Prefecture is not lost, everything will be fine.

What's more, the Dahe gang water bandits hang out on the canal all day long. There are many forks and waterways on the river, and they can hide in them, but they may not be able to stop them. "

Jia Cong sneered and arrived at the Yangzhou government office while talking.

The prefect had already received the official document from the Governor's Palace and hurriedly came out to greet him.

"Your Majesty, Cui Xiu, please see the Admiral."

"Ask all the officials and above from hundreds of households in Yangzhou City to come to the Yamen immediately to discuss matters."

"Yes." The prefect hurriedly sent someone to deliver the order.

In the lobby of the government office, Jia Cong ordered people to bring several tables, put together a big case, unfold the map, and carefully consider the military situation.

Now two groups of thieves, one from the east and one from the west, are advancing together. They will inevitably divide their forces to attack. You can lead one group, but who will lead the other group? While Jia Cong was thinking about it, the generals of the Yangzhou Guards had come to prostrate themselves outside the hall.

"The last general (humble position) meets the admiral."

"Come in."

Several generals from the guard office rushed in to listen to orders.

Jia Cong pointed at the map and said: "The commander of the River Guards avoided the enemy and fought cowardly, allowing the enemy to plunder. His crime is unpardonable. Pan Sang immediately sent someone to capture him and punish him!"

The commanding officer temporarily took over his duties, and led thousands of troops south along the canal to pursue the water bandits one after another! "

"Yes!" Pan Sang hurriedly ordered someone to deliver the order.

Everyone was shocked. This Admiral Jia was really ruthless. Commander Wei would kill a third-grade military attache at will without blinking an eye. It was easier than killing a chicken.

"How many troops are there in Yangzhou?" Jia Cong asked.

"Your Majesty, there are three guards in Yangzhou, namely Gaoyou Guards, Yangzhou Guards, and Taizhou Guards.

There should be more than 16000 troops, but the actual number of troops per guard ranges from two to three thousand, and the total number is less than 7000. Pan Sang said.

Everyone in Yangzhou Guard turned pale and trembled.

Jia Cong sighed. With this small amount of troops, except for the troops guarding important towns such as Yangzhou Prefecture, Gaoyou, Taizhou, and Tongzhou, there was almost nothing that could be spread out. No wonder the bandits feel like they are in a deserted place.

"The Japanese pirates are powerful. I want to raise troops to attack them eastward. Who is willing to raise troops to meet the Dahe Bandits?" Jia Cong first looked at the two generals.

The two men hurriedly bowed and said: "General, I am willing to follow you in front of the horse and behind the horse, and do the work of the dog and horse."

It doesn't matter if he follows Jia Cong and is defeated. If he leads the army alone and suffers a defeat, his head will probably be on the ground.

Jia Cong looked at the Yangzhou guards again. All the generals lowered their heads and no one dared to look at him.

A bunch of trash! Jia Cong had expected it, but he was still angry and shouted: "Everyone outside the door, come in!" More than a dozen households came in hurriedly.

"Now I give you an opportunity to make a great contribution. Whoever dares to join me in raising troops to fight against the Dahe Bandits will be promoted by this governor! If you can't win, kill him!" Jia Cong shouted.

All the households were excited when they heard the words "exceptional promotion", but when they thought of the next sentence, they suddenly became discouraged.

The bandits of the Dahe Gang have always been brave, but the soldiers of the guard station are weak. Even if they have the superior force, who dares to say that they will win?

Jia Cong frowned and shouted coldly: "Is it possible that the Yangzhou Guards are all trash?"

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then a young man came out of the queue with great enthusiasm, bowed and said: "Your Excellency, I am willing to take this humble position!"

Jia Cong was overjoyed. He looked up and down and saw that in his weak years, he was eight feet tall, tall and straight, with a strong physique and a fierce temperament. He asked, "Who are you?"

"Your Majesty, I am humbled by Peng Cheng, a guard of one hundred families in Yangzhou."

Jia Cong secretly thought that at this age, he could be an official in hundreds of households. If he didn't have real talents, he would be relying on his ancestors. If he was the latter, how could he dare to accept the order?

"What are you capable of?"

"Your Excellency, I am a local native of this humble position. He was born in a military family. He has practiced literature and martial arts since he was a child. He is proficient in the art of war. He is familiar with the nature of water and the terrain. He is willing to issue a military order. If he fails, he will be benevolent!" Peng Cheng said, holding his fists.

"Okay, okay! The governor will allocate 3000 people to you, and you will transfer 500 people from Yangzhou Guard, 500 people from Gaoyou Guard, and cooperate with the 1000 people from Dahe Guard going south to annihilate all the Dahe Bandits on the river!

On this trip, you can do it as cheaply as possible, don't worry about anything, just kill the enemy. "Jia Cong shouted.

"This is a humble job!" Peng Cheng said loudly.

"From now on, you will temporarily take command. If we win the battle, I will give you this 'temporary' word." Jia Cong said.

Everyone was envious of him. He had broken too many rules, leaping from the sixth level to the third level. However, thinking that they would be killed if they couldn't win, everyone was secretly glad that they were not impulsive.

Peng Xiaozi's appetite is too big. Although he has good abilities, fighting a war cannot just rely on the bravery of the general.

"You, go and assist him. If anyone refuses to obey orders, behead him!" Jia Cong pointed at a general.

The general was stunned and hurriedly bowed to accept the order: "I will obey the order." He cursed in his heart, asking his general from the military yamen to assist a hundred households, damn it.

Seeing Jia Cong's eyes glancing at him, he hurriedly squeezed out a smile and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will definitely help Commander Peng in the end."

"Go! If you don't win, both of you will die together."

The general's heart trembled and he took the order and left.

Jia Cong waved his hand and dismissed everyone. Just as he was about to set off, he suddenly heard from his own soldiers that Yangzhou salt merchants had come to work at the dock.

On the dock, the major salt merchants brought a lot of dry food, meat, wine, etc., and placed them all over the floor.

Seeing Jia Cong approaching, he hurriedly came up to greet him. The first person was short and fat, with a baby face and a big belly. He looked like a woman who was ten months pregnant. It was Xu Qing, who was temporarily patrolling the salt censor. After Lin Ruhai arrived in Beijing, he became a regular employee.

"I see you, Lord Admiral." Xu Qing cupped his hands and said with a smile.

Jia Cong was a little happy when he suddenly saw his old friend, and said with a smile: "We haven't seen each other for several years, but we have become estranged, brother. It is best to call him that day."

Xu Qing said with a smile: "Today is different from the past. My dear brother has soared into the sky and the clouds are soaring. How dare I be frivolous? I heard that my dear brother personally raised troops to suppress the bandits. All the salt merchants rushed to eat pots of salt to welcome the king's master."

The eight old salt merchants, including the Jiang family, the He family, the Lan family, and the Du family, as well as the seven or eight newly promoted salt merchants, all came up to greet Jia Cong.

Jia Cong cupped his hands and said, "Thank you all."

"It should be right. You don't avoid danger and go to danger yourself. We are all inexplicably grateful.

We have specially raised some money, and each of the soldiers who participated in the battle to suppress the bandits in Yangzhou will be given one hundred taels each. Please don't despise me for being humble. This is for the sake of me and others, and it is not worth anything. Jiang Biehe said with a smile.

Their salt merchants are most afraid of turmoil in the salt-producing areas, which will affect salt production, and they all hope to calm down the situation as soon as possible.

When all the officers and soldiers heard this, they burst into cheers.

Jia Cong smiled slightly. It was not without reason that the Yangzhou salt merchants could stand firm and that no matter how business gangs around him could be shaken, this heroic spirit was enough to make people feel good about him.

"Then Cong will thank you all on behalf of the entire army."

"Sir, please drink this cup to the full." Jiang Biehe picked up a glass of wine.

Jia Cong said: "The war is about to begin, so it is not advisable to drink. Cong will use water instead of wine and offer you a drink. When the battle is over, I will return to Yangzhou and have a drink with you all."

As he spoke, he took the water bag handed over by Yan Shuangying and took a big sip.

Jiang Biehe and others knew that he would not eat and drink outside easily, so they didn't take it seriously and drank with a smile.

"I have prepared a small gift to wish you success. Please accept it."

Jiang Biehe smiled and took the box presented by his son Jiang Chuan. He opened it and handed it over. It was a horse carved from mutton-fat white jade, which was almost exactly the same as Jia Cong's A Lamp for Thousand Miles. There were two black jade inlays in the horse's eyes. It shines brightly in the sun, like a living thing.

Everyone praised in unison: "Good horse, good horse."

Jia Cong saw Jiang Biehe's wink and knew that there was another mystery in the box. He took it with a smile and said, "Thank you for your kindness. Cong is ashamed to accept it."

Jiang Biehe smiled and said: "Knowing that you are a horse lover, I guessed that this thing might be good for your spleen and stomach.

To be honest with you, we have also prepared some top-quality thin horses. If you are free, please pass on a message and we will serve them immediately. Compared with the jade horses, they may have a different flavor. "

Everyone laughed.

Jia Cong smiled and said: "Thank you for your kindness. We will talk about this later. Cong is leaving." After saying that, he boarded the ship and left.

Everyone bowed to see each other off on the shore.

Jia Cong entered the room and ordered Yan Shuangying to bring the box, take out the jade horse and put it aside. He then uncovered the azure brocade underneath and saw a note.

It reads:

Admiral Junjian:

The old man accidentally learned that the banditry was not a coincidence. There was actually someone behind the scenes, and people from the salt merchants were also involved. It was not known who it was, and they were secretly investigating.

Moreover, the Dahe Gang is wreaking havoc this time, but the gang leader Duan Tianlei is not among them, and his whereabouts are unknown. We know for sure that he seems to have other plans, which may be detrimental to the adults, so we should take precautions early.

Jiangbeiehe paused

Jia Cong frowned slightly. Since Jiang Biehe dared to send him information in person, he thought it would not be false news.

The Dahe Gang dispatched thousands of people this time, which should be an elite force that can be mobilized quickly in the Jiangnan area. Why is the gang leader not there for such a big move?

Could it be that he wanted to ambush him? Or stay in your lair and command remotely? Jia Cong was puzzled.

Although the main force of the Dahe Gang has been determined, and a mere gang leader may not be able to stir up any trouble, Jia Cong still has some inexplicable uneasiness in his heart, and this feeling makes him very uncomfortable. (End of chapter)