Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

After going to court, Niu Jizong, Zhongxin, Feng Yuan and other noble clan officials gathered around Jia Cong to congratulate him. Those who knew that they were of low rank and could not talk to Jia Cong went to congratulate Jia Zheng and clamored for a glass of wine.

Because of Jia Cong's reputation, Jia Zheng was now promoted one level from the Ministry of Industry to a doctor of the fifth rank. He was regarded as the backbone of the imperial court and qualified to participate in this expanded court meeting.

Jia Zheng was praised by everyone, and he kept smiling and being humble. Fortunately, he still had some self-knowledge in his heart and did not dare to express his position on Jia Cong's behalf.

He only said: "My family is grateful for your kindness, and I will choose a day to express my gratitude. I hope you will appreciate it at that time."

Everyone laughed and said, "Don't worry Cunzhou, I'll definitely come and bother you."

On the other side, Jia Cong was also being pestered by others, and Liu Fang smiled and said: "Huan Hou Jin appointed the Duke of the country is really a happy event, comparable to the time when Duke Shangong attacked the Duke of the country.

From now on, my waist is getting stronger, and it’s time to celebrate. "

Hou Xiaokang laughed and said: "Old Liu's words are wrong. I think Duke Ding is better than the good Duke of Dai at that time.

Although Dai Shangong was wise and powerful, he finally took advantage of the old Duke Rong. Unlike Duke Ding, he earned the title of Duke of the Kingdom by his own means. He can be said to be directly following the ancestor of entrepreneurship. "

"That's very true." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Jia Cong waved his hands and said with a smile: "Don't praise me so much. It's just a coincidence. Thanks to the grace of the Holy God, I have a little merit. Your Majesty, for the sake of the ancestors, shows mercy outside the law. How can Cong dare to be arrogant and frivolous."

"No, the title of Lord of the Kingdom cannot be obtained without military merit, not to mention the title of Duke of the Eight Great Kingdoms. Even if the Holy Emperor wants to show mercy, he may not be able to convince everyone." Everyone said.

Niu Jizong said with a smile: "I don't think there's any gossip. I must go to the Duke's Mansion and get drunk before I stop talking."

"Yes, go to the Duke's Mansion and have a good meal to show your appreciation for our hard work in killing the enemy." Everyone laughed in unison.

Feng Yuan and Zhongxin rolled their eyes and said, "Can't we just drink wine if we haven't killed the enemy?"

Everyone laughed: "Your Majesty, Brother Feng is willing to condescend to have a drink with us roughnecks. Naturally, they are welcome."

Jia Cong shook his head and said: "Everyone, the case of Tu Fei's rebellion has not yet been resolved. Everything in the army is complicated, and in the midst of national filial piety, the celebrations will be postponed for another day.

What's more, you are all selfless in countering the rebellion this time, and everyone in your family has suffered harm. How can Cong bear to let all the uncles and uncles smile and congratulate me on my promotion to the title? "

Everyone nodded silently, and this time they made up their mind to abandon their family and sons to follow Jia Cong. It would only mean that their family would be ruined and their wealth would be ruined. All their close relatives, the master, the young master, the wife, and the girl would also suffer some casualties. Thinking of this, they really couldn't be happy.

Niu Jizong said: "My lord, please don't mention the title of Shi Bo or Shi Shu again in the future. It will really disgrace us. If you think highly of us, calling us Brother Shi is enough."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and even Wang Ziteng felt that there was nothing wrong with it. Where the title was, it would be inappropriate to call it the same as before. As for family ties, can family law be greater than national law?

Jia Cong said hurriedly: "How can this be done? Wouldn't it mess up the hierarchy? For example, Ziying, Yejun, and Qi Geer and I are brothers. If we call you brothers, how should we call each other?"

Everyone laughed and said, "It doesn't matter, let's discuss it ourselves. I'm sorry that these guys don't dare to call us brothers."

Jia Cong thought for a while, as a Duke of the country now, he must have some dignity, and it is not suitable to have so many elders, so he held his hands and said: "Thank you for your love, Cong, it is better to be respectful than to obey."

"I am a noble person, so this is the right thing to do." Everyone said.

"Forget it, in my opinion, each of you brothers should go back to sort out your affairs and take care of your family affairs. When all the dust settles, Cong will come back to you to discuss military affairs." Jia Cong said.

Everyone was overjoyed. They were discussing military affairs and wanted to divide the pie. Eleven battalions of the Beijing army participated in the rebellion this time, and there were two guards in the imperial city who rebelled. There must be someone to take the many empty seats, right?
Now that Jia Cong is the governor-general of the left and the governor of the capital camp, he should be sure of the affairs of the twelve regiments and camps of the capital.

"I will wait to come and go from water to fire, and I will obey the Duke's orders."

"When the Duke gives the order, we will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"If you can follow the Duke and serve the imperial court, I would like to return him wrapped in horse leather."

Everyone was busy expressing their opinions.

Jia Cong thanked him with his hand, glanced at Zhongxin and Feng Yuan, and was about to speak when he suddenly heard someone next to him saying: "Ding Guogong has made a wonderful contribution this time, and we are honored to do so. Xiao Wang congratulates me here." ”

A man wearing a silver-winged king's hat with a pure white hairpin, and a white python robe with five claws and a sitting dragon in the Jiangya seawater. His face was like jade, and his eyes were like stars. He walked up from behind with a smile and cupped hands. It was Wang Shuirong of Beijing.

"I've met the prince." Everyone was busy greeting each other and separated on both sides.

"Brothers, you don't need to be polite." King Beijing said with a smile, his demeanor was gentle and gentle, like the spring breeze blowing on his face, which made people secretly feel sad.

Jia Cong turned around and returned the courtesy: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I hope you will give me more guidance and guidance in the future."

King Beijing stepped forward, took Jia Cong's hand, and said with a smile: "Your family and I have been friends for generations, why do we need such red tape.

The little king is not familiar with military affairs and can only talk about war on paper. He is far less proficient in military strategy and has great military exploits than my elder brother. I will rely on my elder brother in many ways in the future. I hope you will give me some advice. "

Everyone hurriedly bowed their hands in humility, wondering in their hearts what King Beijing meant by these words. Was he trying to win over Jia Cong, or was he trying to divide everyone.

Jia Cong said with a smile: "Your Majesty is a man of great talent, knowledgeable, knowledgeable, and outstanding. He also has the trust of His Majesty. As Counselor for Military Affairs, all I have to do is strategize and deploy troops and generals.

If our rudimentary skills of going into battle to kill the enemy were presented to the prince, it would be ridiculous. "

Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement. Although Jia Cong's words were polite, the subtext was:

Don't interfere in my territory, and my people won't listen to you. Just be a staff general. We have to handle the war.

Shui Rong hurriedly waved his hands and said with a smile: "Brother Shi, you are joking, Xiao Wang has not read two volumes of the book on war, and cannot understand several chapters of war strategies.

Thanks to the grace of the emperor, mostly for the sake of our ancestors, I was allowed to join the military aircraft department and learn how to run errands from a few bachelors. How dare I talk about strategizing and dispatching troops?

According to me, the most important matters in the army, the Governor's Mansion of the Fifth Army and the Military Aircraft Department, are all decided by the central hall. How can the little king say anything about it?
I'm just worried that when the Holy One asks, Xiao Wang will be clueless and find it difficult to answer the question, which will disgrace his ancestors and let the Holy One down.

Therefore, I sincerely ask all of you, for the sake of friendship in this world, to spare no expense and don't let the little king make a fool of himself in front of the emperor. The little king is very grateful. "

After listening to this soft yet strong words, everyone did not dare to express their opinions rashly. They secretly speculated whether Shui Rong represented himself or the four princes. Could it be that the four princes in the southeast and northwest also wanted to take this opportunity to regain military power?
Jia Cong smiled lightly and said: "Your Majesty is as open-minded as a grain of salt, and I admire you so much. If you have any insights in the future, I will ask your Majesty for advice from now on."

This obviously means that I don’t want to talk anymore, and also implies that we will wait and see.

Seeing Jia Cong's statement, everyone hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, you are too polite. How dare we take it for granted?"

Shui Rong knew what was going on, smiled and thanked them one by one, before saying goodbye and leaving.

"My lord..." Niu Jizong pondered for a moment and wanted to speak, but was interrupted by Jia Cong raising his hand.

"Brothers, it's inconvenient to talk here. Let's talk some other time." Jia Cong said.

Everyone nodded and went off in twos and threes.

Only Zhongxin and Feng Yuan caught Jia Cong's eyes and walked together on the left and right.

"You two, what do you mean by King Beijing?" Jia Cong asked casually.

Zhongxin thought for a while and said: "I think it's just to test you. After all, you are from the royal family lineage and have always been close to each other. Now that they have joined the cabinet as military counselors, without your support, I am afraid they are just empty-headed generals."

Jia Cong nodded, King Beijing had this intention, but if you want to make me obey orders with a few princely hats, you are thinking too much, what kind of friendship from the world, haha, nonsense.

Feng Yuan said with a smile: "Brother, please don't underestimate the King of Beijing. This generation of King Beijing has extraordinary grace, deep breasts, and profound holy aspirations. He is unmatched by ordinary people. If you offend him, you may not get any good fruits." "

Jia Cong muttered: "Brother Zhengfang, does he want me to obey his orders?"

Feng Yuan shook his head and said: "Since we are family friends, we each get what we need and it is mutually beneficial. There is no need to make enemies everywhere."

Jia Cong said slowly: "I'm afraid their appetite is too big and I won't be able to satisfy it."

Feng Yuan smiled and said: "What's so difficult about this? Has Zilong's appetite been reduced? Everyone is asking for high prices, so just pay back on the ground."

Jia Cong smiled and said: "If I want to bargain, I will definitely ask Brother Zhengfang to help me."

Zhongxin's eyes widened, the flesh on his face trembled, and he said with a tigerish face: "Boy, do you look down on me?"

Jia Cong and Feng Yuan laughed: "It would be great if Your Majesty is willing to condescend."

Zhongxin said proudly: "That's pretty much it."
-
Jia Cong left the palace and went to command the Yamen to arrange for the arrest and interrogation of traitors. Then he came home to discuss with Pang Chao. Pang Chao had already received the report from the court today. After listening to Jia Cong's narration, he pondered for a moment and said, "The first thing is that Li Meng, you and Wang Ning are now in charge of the five-army governor's palace and the Beijing army. Obviously, It means to reorganize military affairs.

Li Meng represents the remaining Wuhou lineage, you represent the Guogong lineage, and Wang Ning represents the rising generals from the humble family. They form a tripod to check and balance each other.

In addition, the four princes have joined the Military Aircraft Department as counselors in military affairs, which is like putting a tight spell on you, ensuring that Your Majesty can act like an arm in the army. "

Jia Cong nodded and said, "What you said is true."

Pang Chao said: "I speculate that in a few days, you will be asked to decide on the candidates for the vacancies in the army, so as to observe which of your three military leaders is strong and weak, and then make a balance."

Jia Cong said with a smile: "I didn't expect that in just a few years, I would go from being a concubine to becoming a military leader in the eyes of my husband. I'm so lucky."

Pang Chao said with a smile: "Aspirations don't depend on your age. Qin Ganluo went to Zhao as an envoy when he was twelve years old. Without spending a single soldier, he won more than a dozen cities while talking and laughing, and he was named a high minister. He is equivalent to our current military aircraft university. Sir, how does it compare to you?"

Jia Cong sighed and said: "The genius of Heaven can attack with troops and plan, and the troops that can subdue others without fighting are far superior to Cong."

Pang Chao said: "Although Gan Luo was a genius, he died young. Brother Cong can take this as a warning."

Jia Cong asked curiously: "It is said that Gan Luo died early and died late. He had made great contributions to the country and was a high minister. How could he die early?"

Pang Chao said: "After Gan Luo became the minister, there was no record in the history books. What does it mean? Even if such prodigies and great heroes in high positions were demoted or died of illness, there should be records, with a beginning and an end.

Sometimes the lack of records also means that this person was probably involved in Lu Buwei's unspeakable affairs and was executed early, so it is inconvenient to record.

Otherwise, with his intelligence, if he survives, will his achievements be more than twelve years old? As the saying goes, deep love will not last long, but extreme wisdom will be damaged.

Since ancient times, there have been countless people who were gifted with talents but died young, including not only Gan Luo, but also Huo Qubing, Yang Ziwu, Cao Chong, Wang Bo, etc. "

Jia Cong felt deeply and said, "Without Sir's remonstrance during this rebellion, Cong would have almost lost something because of a small thing. If he followed Lu Bu's actions, he would have followed Gan Luo's footsteps. With Sir here, Cong can rest easy."

Pang Chao waved his hand and said: "The court is dangerous, so don't be careless. It's easy to hide from open guns, but hard to guard against hidden arrows. For example, this time I unexpectedly promoted you to the title of Duke of the country, and entrusted you with a heavy responsibility. It is both a reward and a test."

"Sir, please clarify." Jia Cong said hurriedly.

"Now that Tu Fei has been destroyed, you are the only prince in the dynasty, and you are also in charge of the military power. You are also the admiral of the royal guards. You are summoned by all the nobles around you. You can be said to be a strong master than an ancestor.

Even when the Ningrong Palace was at its peak, it did not have such great authority. Could it be that His Majesty really trusts you so much? Or is it that there is no one available in the court and you have to do it? Pang Chao said calmly.

Jia Cong took a breath and said, "Sir, what you mean is..."

Pang Chao said with a smile: "What I am doing today shows that I am generous, generous and benevolent, and I do not hesitate to reward you;
Secondly, it is also to see the aftereffects, to see if your ambition will be inflated and difficult to control.

If you really fulfill your duties, work diligently on the king's affairs, rectify the military affairs, and install your cronies, you should never find a mistake casually, beat you to the end, and make you an empty-headed prince, so as not to turn you into the second Tu Fei.

In this way, you can also satisfy your love as son-in-law. "

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and said: "Sir, don't make fun of me. If Cong doesn't interfere with his own people and the corpses are left alone, what's the point of being the governor of the left and the governor of the capital? Do you want me to give up my power as a general?"

Pang Chao said: "Things that go to extremes must be reversed, and going too far is not enough. Sometimes power is like sand in the hand. The harder you try to hold it, the faster it will slip away. Only take what is yours to keep safe."

"It's hard to grasp the right balance. If you ask me, since I am the military governor of the capital, all the twelve regiments and camps of the capital should be in my pocket." Jia Cong said with a smile.

Pang Chao muttered: "If you really take charge of the capital camp, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep with one eye open today.

In my opinion, one day you will go to court and resign from the post of Admiral in Imperial Clothes on the grounds that you lack talent and virtue and cannot be distracted. "

"Ah? Jin Yiwei... doesn't want it anymore?" Jia Cong said in shock.

If he had a choice, he would rather resign from the Beijing camp. There are tens of thousands of Jinyi guards in the world, and they have great authority. How can he let go easily.

Pang Chao glared at him and said: "You all know the power of the Jinyi Guards, but you don't know it now? Do you still want to arrest the big ones and let go of the small ones? If you don't resign as the Jinyi Admiral, how can you show that you have no ambitions?"

"Without Jin Yiwei, I don't have much strength." Jia Cong frowned.

Pang Chao pointed at him and shook his head with a smile: "Surely a child has a heart, do you think your resignation will be approved by your superiors?

Nowadays, the new law has not been widely adopted in the world, and the national treasury is far from enough. What's more, today's talented people have great plans, and there are so many important things for you to do. How can you be allowed to give up? "

Jia Cong said: "Sir, he also said that there are many talents in the DPRK. Wouldn't it be the same if someone else would do the same?"

"No, you brought out the proud soldiers of Jin Yiwei now. Another person may not be able to control them.

Even if someone changes, how can you, who knows everything and has the ability to rescue the driver, be reliable?

Of course, Jin Yiwei will be taken away sooner or later, but not now. Pang Chao said.

Jia Cong thought about it and said, "What next?"

"Then, the 12th battalion of infantry from the Beijing camp and the 8th battalion of the cavalry from Xishan, totaling 20 elite battalions, you can take one-third.

Give the rest to Li Meng and Wang Ning. In the future, you can maintain your prestige in the Beijing camp through Niu Jizong and others.

As for the envoys of the Zuo Dudu and the Jingying Jiedushi, they should just respond to their duties and pretend to be young people who have achieved their ambitions, are high-spirited and neglected military affairs. Only in this way can I rest assured. Pang Chao said.

Jia Cong's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. You are really the Guo Jia and Kong Ming of Cong."

Pang Chao gently shook his folding fan and said with a smile: "If you are not super talented, how can you dare to compare with the sages. Has Brother Cong developed the ambition of Meng De and Xuande today?"

Jia Cong said: "To be fair to you sir, Cong does have the ambition to be a hero now."

"But is it because I was promoted to a higher rank today?"

"No, I just don't want to make the same mistake as Tu Fei." Jia Cong said.

Pang Chao frowned slightly and said: "Times make heroes. These are not troubled times. Even if there are talents like Meng De, it is difficult to make a difference."

"Sir, you misunderstood Cong. I didn't want to rebel and sit on that chair. I just wanted to protect myself, but I never wanted to put my life and property in the hands of others." Jia Cong said.

Pang Chao nodded and said: "Brother Cong, do you want to use Xiyi's skills to compete with the current court?"

Jia Cong nodded slowly.

Pang Chao shook his head and said: "The strange and obscene skills are ultimately of no use."

Jia Cong smiled and said: "Sir, you will know by then. It is always good to have an extra chip in your hand. Do you have any good ideas, sir?" Although Pang Chao was resourceful, he could not escape the limitations of the times.

Pang Chao said: "If you want to be on an equal footing with today's people, you can either have a tree with big roots and deep roots so that it can throw a rat-proof weapon; or you can seal off the territory and split the land, and claim the king and hegemony yourself.

However, both of these have major drawbacks. He is not a fatuous king now, and it is difficult to last long. "

"What are the drawbacks?"

"The former is bound by the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers. Even Dong Zhuo's people have to think twice about being reckless. The latter risks the disapproval of the world, which is tantamount to rebellion and is unpopular." Pang Chao sighed.

"What you said makes sense. It's too early to say anything now, but when you do good things, don't worry about the future." Jia Cong said.

Pang Chao nodded.

Suddenly I heard footsteps at the door, and Du Dapeng, the general of the private army, said loudly: "Master, the old lady sent someone to invite you."

Jia Cong called in and said, "What's the matter?"

Du Dapeng smiled and said, "It's about congratulating me on my promotion."

Jia Cong laughed dumbly: "The old lady is more worried than I am. Speaking of this, the Duke's personal army quota is 1500 people. You go to Zhuangzi to select and fill up."

"The order is given!"

Nowadays, the business of the wine shop is much slower, and the village does not need so much labor force. (End of chapter)