Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

The next day, Jia Cong, who had not attended court for a long time, brought a memorial to the palace and reported the Western Expedition Army Command's ideas on the future governance of the Western Regions.

This memorial "Memorial for Long-term Peace and Tranquility in the Western Regions" jointly submitted by Qiu Zhixin, Jia Cong and Liu Jiezhen caused an uproar as soon as it was released and will surely go down in history.

"Your Majesty, most of the vast territory of the Western Regions has been conquered, the remaining bandits have been killed, and the people of all ethnic groups have returned. The people want peace, and it is time for the court to govern the country.

"I, Governor Qiu, and General Liu all believe that the Western Regions are vast and the people are complex, so there is absolutely no way to control them for long-term peace. We must use strong means, both kindness and power, to intimidate the various tribes internally and subdue the various countries externally." Jia Cong said.

There was a buzz in the hall, and all the ministers were whispering to each other, wondering what Jia Cong meant by this and whether he wanted to gather troops in the Western Regions to gain power.

"Well, play it." Emperor Xifeng said lightly.

Jia Cong said: "We can imitate the system of the previous dynasty and re-establish the Western Regions Protectorate to take charge of the military and civilian affairs of the Western Regions. The garrison troops can be recruited locally, and they can also be recruited from Shaanxi, Gansu and other places. The military strength should be maintained at more than 200,000 all year round.

Under him were four generals, namely, General Ili, General Dihua, General Aksu and General Kashgar, who were stationed in the key places in all directions and established military farms to guard them.

In terms of civil affairs, we will follow the example of the inland areas, set up prefectures, counties, set up schools to promote education, send temporary officials to garrison, and completely incorporate the Western Regions into the Celestial Empire’s territory.”

Emperor Xifeng asked, "Where will the money and food come from?"

Jia Cong said: "First, I have collected more than 20 million silver coins for military expenses. Because the army is advancing rapidly, there are still several million silver coins left. After taking Yili, if there is no major war, it will be enough to last for more than a year.

Second, the Western Regions are vast and have experienced repeated wars, so many fields and pastures have no owners. They can be taken over by the Protectorate and owned by the imperial court, and then leased to people of all ethnic groups at low prices for farming and grazing.

This sum of money will bring in at least 10 million acres, which is enough to serve as a source of money and food for the garrison in the Western Regions.

Third, after the Ili River Valley is conquered, the water and grass there will be even more abundant, and the total amount of high-quality farmland and grassland will be more than 80 million acres. Not to mention a mere 200,000 defenders, even twice as many can be supported.

Fourthly, after the chaos in the Western Regions was settled, the horse bandits were eliminated, the trade routes were protected and flourished, and the customs duties and commercial taxes paid by traveling merchants were another huge source of income.

In this way, although the Western Region is large and has many soldiers and horses, it does not cost the court a penny and can be self-sufficient. The court will not have the burden of maintaining troops, and will also expand the territory thousands of miles away. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"

"This is a very good idea." Feng Yuan and other ministers nodded in agreement. If what Jia Cong said was true, the Western Regions would be a treasure trove.

Emperor Xifeng looked at Jia Cong deeply and said, "Do you have any objections, my dear ministers?"

The members of the New Party looked at each other and wisely did not speak. After all, the war was won by Jia Cong and his men, and now the situation on the front has just been pacified, who would dare to jump out and reap the benefits?

Even if you want to pick it, you have to get someone's approval. The Western Regions are the Western Regions. It's useless to win the dispute in the court. The mountains in the Western Regions are high and the emperor is far away. Who will care about you?
Today, Jia Cong has made great achievements in battle and is in high spirits. No one would dare to challenge him based on empty talk.

"We second the motion." Niu Jizong, Feng Yuan and others spoke hurriedly, instantly winning over half of the court.

Jia Cong added: "Governor Qiu and I agree that Liu Jiezheng should be the first Protector General of the Western Regions.

General Liu is familiar with the geography and people's customs, has experienced many battles, and is proficient in military tactics. After retaking Yili, he can be ordered to garrison there, suppress bandits, comfort the people, and recuperate.

As for the position of Gansu General, I suggest that Yang Xiong, the governor and general of Liaodong, be transferred to take over, and Jiang Zining, the second-class earl of Pingyuan Marquisate and the current commander of the Training Camp, be promoted to Liaodong as the governor and general.

When it comes to important personnel appointments and dismissals in the military, Li Meng and Wang Ning are quite tacit and did not speak. This is the unspoken rule in the military.

Gansu and Liaodong are the inherent sphere of influence of the Jia and Niu families. Jia Cong has the final say on who goes and who does not. If the rules are broken, it will be difficult for everyone to place their own people there in the future.

Emperor Xifeng nodded slightly and remained silent for a moment without speaking.

Huo Peng suddenly stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, I think Yang Jiedu has been a soldier all his life and has a heart for soldiers. It is very appropriate for him to take charge of the defense of Gansu.

However, General Jiang has only been the commander of the Beijing Camp for a short time, and his qualifications are a little insufficient. It seems that it is not appropriate to move rashly. I recommend Anren Hou and Nine Gates Admiral Wu Lang to take over the post of Liaodong General. "

"I second the motion." Dong Yi and Gu Tao said.

"We second the motion." Dozens of New Party officials came out in unison.

Jia Cong was shocked. He thought the New Party was plotting against him. Although Wu Lang was now one of their own and did not break the military rules, the Infantry Commander's Office was such an important position that he could not let it go easily. Moreover, this position was chosen by the emperor, and the Five Military Commanders' Office had no right to recommend anyone, let alone recommend him rashly.

Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, Jiang Zining and others also frowned. Wu Lang, who was recommended by the New Party, was now one of their own and it was difficult to oppose him. Besides, Jiang Zining's qualifications were indeed too shallow to be in charge of a town. Niu Jizong, Wang Ziteng and others who had more qualifications had other important tasks to do.

As expected, Emperor Xifeng nodded and said, "This is a very good proposal. Draft an imperial decree to promote Liu Jiezheng to the post of Protector General of the Western Regions, order Yang Xiong to rush to Gansu Town immediately to take charge of military affairs, and transfer the commander of the infantry Wu Lang to serve as the governor and general commander of Liaodong."

"I obey your order. Thank you." Wu Lang did not want to give up the job of commander of the infantry, so he had no choice but to kowtow and accept the order.

Li Meng, Wang Ning and others watched with glee as a piece of Jia Cong's territory was forcibly cut off. Needless to say, the emperor would definitely hand over the Infantry Commander's Office to the two of them.

Jia Cong glanced at Huo Peng, feeling extremely angry. He was also secretly annoyed that he had risen too quickly, had a weak foundation, and could not bring many people with him.

As expected, Emperor Xifeng paused and said, "As for the position of the commander of the infantry, Yan Jie, the commander of the light cavalry battalion, will take over."

Yan Jie hurried out of the class and said, "I accept your order. Thank you."

Wang Ning was overjoyed. Yan Jie came from a humble family and rose to prominence through military examinations and suppressing rebellions. He was his confidant. Apparently, the emperor realized that the power of the nobles was too great, and he wanted to use his group of generals from humble families to balance it out.

With this transfer, the general from a humble family would have control over an additional 30,000 troops from the Infantry Commander's Office.

Li Meng watched coldly. Although he did not gain any advantage, it was enough for him to see Jia Cong suffer.

Just when he thought that there would be no more important events in today's court meeting, he suddenly heard Emperor Xifeng say: "The great victory in the Western Regions is all due to the strength of the generals and the cooperation of the civil and military officials. I am very pleased. I will specially promote Qiu Zhixin to Guanglu Dafu, grant him a red robe and a goldfish bag, grant Liu Jiezheng the first-class Pingxi Bo, and give him an imperial edict. I will also reward Jia Cong for not bowing when entering the court and riding a horse in the Forbidden City.

The victory of this battle was due to the good coordination and planning of the Five Military Commands Office. The Grand Commander Li Meng was awarded a great credit and was promoted to Duke of Anguo and granted a red seal and iron certificate. I decree this."

Emperor Xifeng finished speaking in one breath. The ministers were stunned for a while before they reacted and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is wise."

Li Meng didn't expect that he would get such a good deal. He was overjoyed and bowed down in a hurry to express his gratitude.

Jia Cong frowned slightly and bowed down as well.

All the ministers were smart people. Qiu Zhixin and Jia Cong made the greatest contributions in this reward, but they only got face. Liu Jiezhen deserved the title of Earl. As for Li Meng, it was just a blessing in disguise. He got the title of Duke of the Kingdom for free and became the big winner.

After the court session, Huo Peng, Dong Yi, Prince Beijing, Prince Xining and others surrounded Li Meng to congratulate him. Jia Cong forced a smile, bowed, and left quickly.

If the Western Regions were not still under his control, he would have suffered a great loss this time.

Even so, he lost the territory of the Infantry Commander's Office. Hey, he lost a lot of power after winning the battle. The current emperor's tricks are quite deep.

Jia Cong was angry and his face was a little ugly. Niu Jizong, Wang Ziteng and others hurriedly followed him away, all of them whispering about today's personnel arrangements. Wu Lang was a little embarrassed and said, "Young Master..."

Strictly speaking, he is not a direct descendant of the Duke, but belongs to the lineage of the Marquis of Wu. It was only because he saw the opportunity early and surrendered when the current emperor ascended the throne, and later joined Jia Cong's camp that he lasted for so long.

Now that he suddenly has to serve as an official in the old territory of the Jia family, he can't help but feel a little nervous, fearing that Jia Cong would misunderstand that he has the intention of betraying the family.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It doesn't matter whether you go or Lao Jiang goes. We are all brothers. Just go. I will say hello and no one will dare to bother you."

Wu Lang hurriedly said, "Thank you, Young Master. I will act with caution and live up to your trust."

"Well, just let it go. If there is any inconvenience, just let me know."

"Thank you, Young Guard."

Jia Cong nodded, turned to look at Jiang Zining, and said, "Cong is ashamed. This time, I was not well prepared and was tricked. Don't worry, brother. I will find a good opportunity next time."

Jiang Zining said hurriedly: "Young Master, you are too kind. We are from military families and we only know that military orders are as heavy as mountains and must be obeyed.

If you are in the capital, you will train your troops well; if you are at the border, you will be responsible for defending the land; wherever you are, you will serve the young guard and accept his orders. "

Jia Cong said, "Okay. I'm grateful for your trust, brother. We'll know the outcome in the future. I believe that the emperor is wise and will know how to appoint the right people to the right positions."

When they reached the outside of Xihua Gate, Jia Cong's anger had subsided a little. He turned around and said to everyone, "Don't worry, my brothers. The emperor's move has its own deep meaning. We just need to follow his orders. Duke Anguo... Hehe, have you forgotten about Duke Weiguo?"

"Young Master, what you said is absolutely right." Niu Jizong and others all nodded with a smile.

Li Meng is just a tool forcibly promoted by the current emperor to check and balance Jia Cong. His merits are not enough to convince the people. It is still unclear whether he can ensure safety. How can he still expect to maintain peace in the country?

Jia Cong smiled and said, "From now on, you don't have to walk to the palace, and you don't have to rush when walking."

Everyone laughed and said yes.

Jia Cong was awarded two honors: he did not have to rush when entering the court, that is, when he met the emperor, he did not have to rush like ordinary officials and walk in small steps, but could walk slowly and with a swagger.

Riding a horse in the Forbidden City means you can enter the palace on horseback and dismount at the Imperial Household Department outside Longzong Gate or the Arrow Pavilion outside Jingyun Gate, thus saving a long distance.

Usually, only senior and virtuous court officials would receive this honor, and most people would not actually ride horses into the palace to show their respect for the emperor and not to become arrogant due to his favor.

However, Jia Cong was not prepared to give up this right. He wanted to tell the emperor clearly that he was very angry and he'd better think twice.

After returning home, Jia Cong told Pang Chao what happened in the court today.

Pang Chao pondered for a moment and said slowly: "Brother Cong, the emperor not only has the intention to kill, but also has signs of killing."

Jia Cong asked hurriedly: "How do you see that?"

Pang Chao sneered, "The emperor's first step is to deprive you of the official seal of the Imperial Guard. The second step is to transfer Wu Lang away and reduce your control over the Infantry Office. The third step is to promote Li Meng and Shi En Wang Ning to control you.

In this case, how many people can you still control in the capital? With your prestige, you can let the Jinyiwei do things, but without the official seal, it will be difficult to let them do things like last time. "

Jia Cong nodded slowly. The official seal of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was in Fang Ji's hands. Even if the people below did not obey his control, it would be unlikely to force them to rebel.

After all, the Jinyiwei are the emperor's personal army. They have neither official seals nor the emperor's edict. It is almost impossible to let them attack the imperial city.

"How do you think we should deal with this, sir?"

Pang Chao said: "The emperor's intention is nothing more than to cut off the main trunk, so as to remove the branches and leaves first to avoid chaos. If you have no intention of repenting, the time when the axe will be put to your neck is not far away."

Jia Cong sneered, "How does the emperor want me to repent?"

"Of course I would cut my own sword and take the initiative to impeach Niu Jizong and others, strip them of their military power, offend all the family friends I could, and then resign respectfully.

With your merits as Duke Dingguo and your relationship with the Duke of Xianggong, you should be able to live in peace for the rest of your life." Pang Chao said with a smile.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Sir, is there a second way?"

"Yes. We should show weakness as a delaying tactic. We can use the excuse that the old lady and the eldest master are ill and need to be taken care of at home, take a long vacation, quit all jobs, avoid the coming storm, and bide our time." Pang Chao said.

"What storm will come next?" Jia Cong asked.

Pang Chao said: "Have you forgotten that the three princes who are supervising the army in the Western Regions are coming back?"

Jia Cong nodded slowly. With the return of these three people, the battle for the throne would probably officially begin. Even if they did not dare to fight openly, a secret fight was inevitable.

Suddenly he said, "Sir, if I just want to take care of him... the emperor may not allow it. He will not let me stay dormant until the day he dies."

Pang Chao's eyes flashed, he glanced at him and said, "You mean..."

"Sir, what do you think of the reason of mourning?"

Pang Chao took a deep breath. Whose worry was that? Of course, it was Jia She. He didn't expect Jia Cong to sacrifice Jia She so easily. Even if there were some disagreements between father and son, why would it be so?
Thinking of this, he faced Jia Cong's transformation for the first time. The person before him was no longer the young man who used to stay in his house with wine and food, but a giant in the court who was maturing and transforming.

For the sake of profit, they can be cold-blooded and ruthless, even killing their own father.

Jia Cong naturally saw what he was thinking. For people of this era, no matter what the reason, patricide was ultimately a heinous crime of treason and unforgivable crime, with no moral basis at all. The key point was that he had not yet been able to explain the true relationship between Jia She and himself.

Yin sighed and said, "Please forgive me, sir. It's not that Cong is cruel and ruthless. I really have no choice. For a family like ours, for the sake of the family's continued prosperity and the continuation of the incense, we can't care about the many fathers and sons. Every member of the family who enjoys the family's glory should be ready to sacrifice for the family at any time.

Besides, the master has been bedridden for many days and has not shown any improvement. I think his time is running out, so it would be a relief if he died early."

Pang Chao thought to himself that it was you who ruined him, but he said, "For a noble family, wealth and honor are not easy to come by, so it is not convenient to lose the big picture for the small one.

If it is because of mourning, I think the emperor has no reason to disapprove. Brother Cong, this is your family affair, I cannot interfere, you can do whatever you like."

Jia Cong smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, sir."

Pang Chao smiled bitterly in his heart, if I don't sympathize with you, will you not kill me? (End of this chapter)