Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

"Duke, what are you doing... uh..." Concubine Nan'an was unable to finish her sentence and stopped abruptly at the second half.

Jia Cong stretched out his arms, grabbed her neck and lifted her up, sneering: "Old pig-dog, you are blind, you don't even see where you are. Who gave you the courage to touch the tiger's butt?"

Everyone in the hall was shocked. The dignified royal concubine was actually being held in someone's hands like a chick. It would be a terrible thing if this got out.

"Brother Cong!" Grandmother Jia was also frightened. She was afraid that Jia Cong would get angry and crush her to death, which would be a big disaster, so she shouted hurriedly.

Jia Cong resisted the urge to crush her neck and slowly loosened his hands. Several maids came up to support her.

"You! How dare you!" The Nan'an Concubine, who had just recovered from her shock, angrily shouted, "How dare you be rude to me! I will definitely report you to the palace! Let's go!"

"Wait a minute!" Jia Cong shouted coldly, "Old whore, you want to leave so easily after farting?"

"You! What do you want?" The concubine was so angry that her three corpse gods jumped up and down. No one had ever called her like this in her life.

"What do I want? Haha, from this moment on, my Jia family and your Nan'an Palace will fight to the death!

Go back and wash yourself and wait for me, I will reserve a good position for you in the Music Bureau! I promise that more people will patronize you than you have ever seen in your life." Jia Cong approached, stared into the concubine's eyes, and said word by word.

"You...I..." The concubine's heart trembled. She was frightened by the murderous intent, hatred and anger in Jia Cong's eyes that were so strong that they were almost tangible. She was speechless for a while.

Thinking of the consequences, he was horrified and secretly regretted listening to the slander. He wanted to beg for mercy but didn't know how to start.

Jia Cong snorted coldly and shouted, "Leave the imperial edict here and get out of here!"

"Yes." Several maids hurried forward and said, "Please come in, Princess Dowager."

Concubine Nan'an didn't dare to say anything more and fled in panic.

"Brother Cong...you..." Grandmother Jia was also frightened by the furious Jia Cong. She never dreamed that one day she would go to war with the palace.

Jia Cong raised his hand to interrupt her and said in a deep voice: "Old lady, today Jia Cong is not just angry and impulsive, it is actually related to the fate of our family and country.

You don't have to worry. The Nan'an Palace is no longer what it used to be. It will be destroyed in a snap. This time, I will let all those who want to be enemies with the Jia family in the capital know that the Nan'an Palace is their role model!"

After saying that, he glanced at Tanchun in Aunt Zhao's arms and said, "Don't panic, Third sister. Third brother is not dead yet. No one can touch you."

Seeing Xiangyun and Baoqin smiling, Jia Cong secretly gave them a thumbs up, nodded, turned and left.
-
"Old enemy, I have made up my mind, to fight!" Jia Cong hurried back to Shenshi Hall and threw a word at him.

It is not surprising that Pang and Chou have already known about the affairs of the West Mansion. If Jia Cong could endure this, he would not be Jia Cong anymore.

Qiu Zhixin pretended to be surprised and asked, "What does Shao Bao mean? Didn't the court negotiate peace?"

Jia Cong glared at him and said, "Western Regions, fight! Fight to the death! Fight to the death! No matter how big the flood is, attack the Western Regions first!"

Qiu Zhixin was overjoyed and clapped his hands, saying, "Great, great! With the words of the Grand Protector, the Western Regions will be settled. I, on behalf of the millions of people in the Western Regions, thank the Grand Protector for his grace."

Jia Cong waved his hands and said, "Stop talking nonsense. The Concubine Nan'an dared to plot against me. Her family suffered a defeat, lost troops and territory, and she even planned to ask my daughter of the Jia family to marry on her behalf! How can this be tolerated?
So, first I want to attack the Western Regions, and second I want to destroy the Nan'an Palace. Do you have any advice?"

Qiu Zhixin had already been thinking about this in his mind, so he smiled and said, "These two things can be done together.

The King of Nan'an underestimated the enemy and was defeated, losing power and humiliating the country. This is his first crime.

The Nan'an Concubine did not repent, deceived the emperor, and wanted to take someone else's place. This is her second crime.

After being captured, King Nan'an defected to the enemy and colluded with the vassal states to sell out the country. This is the third crime.

With these three serious crimes, the red seal and iron certificate from the Nan'an Palace is useless, right?"

Jia Cong was surprised and said, "The first two are fine, but I didn't even know about Di Yan's betrayal. How did you know about it?"

Qiu Zhixin twirled his beard and laughed, "The commander-in-chief is so angry that he is talking nonsense."

Jia Cong suddenly understood and laughed, "Good! Di Yan, this bastard, has been favored by the emperor for generations. Instead of dying for his country, he actually betrayed his country and surrendered to the enemy. He really deserves to die!"

"In this case, the government and the public will surely be outraged, and the people of the world will surely be outraged. It will not be easy to negotiate peace. If Shao Bao continues to advocate war with all his strength, he will naturally be able to reverse the situation. Moreover, I have studied this battle for a long time, and I should be 70% to 80% confident of winning." Qiu Zhixin said.

Jia Cong glanced at him and asked, "What's the good plan?"

Qiu Zhixin hurriedly took out a memorial from his bosom and said, "This is the 'Comprehensive Plan for the Western Regions' I drafted. All the measures have been detailed. Please have a look."

Jia Cong felt a bit overwhelmed when he received the thick letter. How could he read such a long article? He quickly handed it to Pang Chao to read first.

Fatini accidentally glanced at Qiu Zhixin's subordinate and couldn't help asking, "Girl, does what you just said still count?"

Fatini was inexplicably excited to see that her people had been saved and that their lives had turned around. Suddenly, she heard Jia Cong's question. Even though she was a passionate and unrestrained child of the grassland, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. She quickly stood up, crossed her arms across her chest, and bowed, saying, "As you wish."

Qiu Zhixin smiled slightly and said, I thought you, the cat, would stop stealing fish.

Jia Cong had already seen his smug look, glared at him and said, "I was just joking, did you take it seriously? Is Cong the kind of person who would take advantage of others' misfortune and seek repayment for a favor?"

Qiu Zhixin waved his hand and smiled, "Young Master is upright and honest, and I have always admired him. I have absolutely no intention of disrespecting him."

Pang Chao read the memorial quickly, pondered for a while, and said, "The governor's plan is well thought out and well laid out. It is quite feasible, but it still needs the help of capable people in the court."

Qiu Zhixin said: "I have been at the border for a long time, and there is no one in the court. I have to rely on the young guard."

Jia Cong said resolutely: "Since Mr. Pang said it is feasible, let's go to the study and study it carefully, please."

"please."

Jia Cong stood up and was about to leave. Seeing that Fatini was a little reserved, he didn't know whether to leave or stay. He was just thinking about finding someone to accommodate her when Qingwen suddenly came out with a sly smile in her eyes and said, "The princess and the two ladies heard that a girl from the Western Regions had arrived. They liked her very much and asked me to invite the girl in for a while."

"Ah?" Fatini was a little flustered. How could she understand the rules of the inner houses of the wealthy families in the Central Plains? No matter how naive she was, she knew that Jia Cong's wives and concubines would not be nice to her, a competitor who came to their house on their own initiative. She thought they were going to call her in to humiliate her, so she stood there not knowing what to do.

Jia Cong hurriedly asked in a low voice: "Little demon, what's going on? How did they know?"

Qingwen chuckled in his ear and said, "The princesses and the others heard that you had firmly refused to send troops to the Western Regions, but you were deceived by the offer of a beauty from the Western Regions. So they want to see who is so powerful that you can change your mind overnight."

Jia Cong glanced at everyone, chuckled, and quickly pulled Qingwen back and asked, "Don't they know what happened in the West Mansion?"

"I know. But the princess and the others believe that you changed your mind because of the beauty from the Western Regions, not because of the third lady." Qingwen chuckled with her hands covering her mouth.

"Nonsense! You silly girl, you don't even know how to say a few good words for me. I'm wasting my love for you." Jia Cong said angrily.

Qingwen said coquettishly, "People say it, but the princesses don't believe it. They say I'm always covering up for them. What can I do?" After saying this, she pouted her cherry lips in grievance.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Forget it. I am upright and I am not afraid of my own shadow. You are sensible."

Then he turned around and said with a smile, "Miss Fatini, my wife and the others have never seen a girl from the Western Regions, and they are curious to meet you. Don't be afraid, they are all easy to get along with. Qingwen, tell the ladies that Miss Fatini is a guest from afar and is not familiar with the etiquette of our Central Plains. Don't restrict her."

"Yes, sir. Miss, please follow me." Qingwen agreed with a sweet smile and pulled Fatini away.

In the inner study, Jia Cong listened to Pang Chao's detailed explanation of Qiu Zhixin's strategy to pacify the West, and slowly nodded in agreement. Although he had never been to the Western Regions, he had led troops in battles and could tell the difference between a good and a bad military plan.

I only heard Qiu Zhixin say: "This time, the King of Nan'an went west and was stubborn and didn't listen to me. Even if the food and grass were not burned, with his three major flaws, it would be unlikely for him to recover the Western Regions."

"Appreciate further details."

"First, the soldiers don't know their generals, and the generals don't know their soldiers. The generals they have placed are all old friends in the capital, and the soldiers come from the personal guards of the princes. They are not under each other's command on weekdays. How can they work if they are suddenly put together?"

"That makes sense. I like to use familiar soldiers in battle. If I were asked to command tens of thousands of soldiers whom I have never seen before, I would also be overwhelmed." Jia Cong said.

"Secondly, the troops had traveled a long distance and were not used to the local climate and soil. Most of the soldiers were born and raised in the east and were suddenly transferred to the west. They were not used to the local climate and soil. After entering Turpan, many soldiers suffered from vomiting and diarrhea. The army was short of doctors and medicine, which led to the death of many soldiers. The morale of the army was very low."

"Well, I heard that the Western Regions are extremely hot and cold. It seems that the Huoyan Mountain that Tang Sanzang passed by when he was seeking Buddhist scriptures is in Turpan. The climate is harsh, so it is common for soldiers from other provinces to be unable to bear it."

"Third, he is too ambitious and too far-fetched. The tribes in the Western Regions have not yet been settled, and he went to Yili to provoke the Russians. Isn't this giving up the easy way and pursuing the difficult, and missing the point? It simply facilitated the Russians and Abulai and others to join forces, adding many variables to the war situation."

Jia Cong nodded slowly and said, "We should attack the easy ones first and then the difficult ones, defeating them one by one and preventing the enemy troops from joining us."

"Yes! Shao Bao hit the nail on the head. Prince Nan'an is unworthy of being called a famous general. His mind is full of petty calculations of using public duties to seek personal gain. Otherwise, how could he have been defeated so miserably!

Two hundred thousand troops were completely wiped out! If this man is not killed, how can the army be regulated by the French law? "Qiu Zhixin blew his beard and glared, and became more and more angry as he spoke, wishing he could catch the King of Nan'an and behead him immediately.

Jia Cong said: "Naturally, the Prince of Nan'an must die. If he doesn't die, we will have no reason to be a disciple. By the way, how much will it cost this time?"

Qiu Zhixin hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, "At least 10 million in cash is required, otherwise it will be difficult to win."

Jia Cong took a breath and asked again: "Where should the troops be mobilized?"

"Recruit locally! Recruit soldiers and civilians from Gansu, the Western Regions, and warriors from various tribes. They are locals who are familiar with the geography and climate, are brave by nature, and are dedicated to defending their homeland and expelling the evil bandits. They are united in purpose and have high morale!"

Jia Cong nodded and asked, "How many soldiers are needed?"

"Seventy to eighty thousand are enough. Too many troops will be a burden and the supply pressure will be too great." Qiu Zhixin said.

Jia Cong thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid ten million silver coins are far from enough. If we just want to fight a war, it may be enough, but how can we defend and govern the country after the war?
If we don't spend a huge amount of money, it will be very easy for rebellion to reoccur, and our efforts will be in vain."

Qiu Zhixin sighed, "The young master has great foresight, and I admire him. But the court is in financial difficulty, and we don't have the money to pay for it. I'm afraid even this 10 million won't be enough..."

Jia Cong waved his hand and said, "I will solve the problem of money and food. But who will lead the army? Don't count on me. It is not convenient for me to leave the capital easily now, let alone command this large army. You know the reason."

Qiu Zhixin hurriedly said: "The Grand Protector's status is precious, how can he go to a dangerous place? I understand. There is a great general right now. If we want to recover the Western Regions, he must be the one!"

"Who?"

"Gansu Town General Liu Jiezheng!"

Jia Cong was slightly stunned and asked, "Who is currently detained in the Ministry of Justice's prison?"

"That's right. When he was young, Lao Liu had been in the Western Regions army for a long time and was promoted to the rank of general. He is very familiar with the customs and folkways of the Western Regions, as well as the geography and weather. He is also well versed in military tactics and has a calm and steady personality. Sending him to lead the army will be a sure thing.

I am willing to use my head as a guarantee." Qiu Zhixin said.

Pang Chao interrupted and said, "I also know General Liu. He is a talented person and it is not difficult to rescue him. However, he is not important enough to command the army on the Western Expedition." After saying this, he looked at Qiu Zhixin meaningfully.

Qiu Zhixin nodded slowly and said, "Brother Pang means..."

"Your Excellency, the Governor is highly respected and well-informed about the military situation, and you are qualified to command the army; General Liu can be the general of the front army. The Junior Guard should not move rashly, and should only supervise the transportation of food and wages in the capital.

If we win, everyone will be happy; if we lose, the governor and General Liu will bear full responsibility." Pang Chao said calmly, without a trace of emotion in his tone.

Jia Cong came to his senses and said, "Well, Mr. Pang is right. Lao Qiu, I can contribute my efforts, money and manpower to this matter, but I will only take the credit and not the blame. If we win, you will take the credit and I will just take the credit. If we lose, you know the consequences.

Do you accept this condition? "Now he has learned to be smart, and he does less impulsive things and puts his own interests first.

Qiu Zhixin had expected this, and he said, "The young master is willing to help me, and I will remember it in my heart. If we lose this battle, I will return the black hat and the head to the court.

If by chance we succeed, the young master will be credited with planning and defending the frontier effectively, so he should be credited with the greatest merit.”

Jia Cong and Pang Chao looked at each other and said with a smile: "Lao Qiu, you really know how to behave. I like you a little bit. I hope this is a good result. You and I will work together for the country in the future."

Qiu Zhixin smiled and said, "It is my honor to be able to receive instructions from the Shao Bao in the future."

Jia Cong nodded, put away his smile, and said seriously: "Master Qiu, you are the kind-hearted man that Mr. Pang said. Although Cong cannot do it, he deeply respects you. You can go all out in this battle. If anything unexpected happens, I will take care of your whole family."

Qiu Zhixin stood up happily, bowed to the ground, and said, "With your words, I have nothing to worry about. I will go back and fix the memorial, and I will accompany you to the court to see the emperor tomorrow. How do you think?"

"Okay! I will also hurry up and contact the important officials in the court, and fight hard for the destiny of the country!"

"I'll take my leave and please stay." Qiu Zhixin bowed and said goodbye.

Jia Cong sat back in his chair and said, "Mr. Pang, what do you think of what happened today?"

Pang Chaowei groaned for a moment and said, "The Nan'an Concubine's coming is strange. I'm afraid someone is behind this and is deliberately trying to provoke you to take action."

Jia Cong sneered, "Since you don't want me to keep a low profile, then I will take action. Not only will I take action, but I will do it in a grand manner! Destroy the Nan'an Palace and conquer the vast land of the Western Regions!"

Pang Chao nodded and said, "Wealth and honor are sought in danger. Since you have decided to take action, there is no need to hide it. Now not only the emperor, but many people in the court have regarded you as a giant.

Just like an elephant can never hide behind a mule or a horse, why not use this battle to achieve your own momentum and make the enemy afraid to act rashly? It is always better than hoping that the enemy will forget about you. "

"You are right, sir. It is inconvenient for me to go out now. Please take my letter and visit the nobles in Beijing on my behalf. I will send someone to say hello to the nobles."

Pang Chao bowed and smiled, "I will serve you. Don't forget that there are some people who can be used even though they are not high-ranking officials in the court."

"Who?" Jia Cong asked curiously.

"For example, the headmaster of Mingde Academy, Mr. Sui Han." Pang Chao said with a smile, "Since the defeat, he has repeatedly lectured in the academy and strongly advocated fighting again. With his reputation in the scholar community, the court cannot but pay attention to him."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Very good, sir, you have thought it through."

Pang Chao smiled and said, "I will send someone to take your letter to these people and ask them to report the matter of peace talks in the Western Regions. You can present it on their behalf. I think the scholars will surely be full of vigor and determination."

"Jia Cong feels like a fish in water when he gets to know you, Master." Jia Cong cupped his hands and sighed. (End of this chapter)