Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

When the news of Goryeo's complete surrender spread, the whole country celebrated, and countless writers and poets wrote about this grand event, which was even more exciting than the great victory in the Western Regions the previous year.

After all, the war in the Western Regions was to take back their inherent territory, which was natural. This was the first time since Taizu founded the country that the territory was expanded, and the first country was established, which shows the great prestige and prosperity of the Celestial Empire.

The Empress Dowager was also very happy. This was the first great achievement since she came to the throne. It was enough to be recorded in the history books and comparable to Empress Wu. She could definitely be called one of the most virtuous empresses in history.

The ministers were also generous with their praises, praising the Empress Dowager and Jia Cong to the skies. After all, Shannan Province would be governed by them, and they would get more official titles without spending a penny on the national treasury. Even those who were dissatisfied with Jia Cong could not say a word of complaint about such a good thing.

What is a loyal minister? A loyal minister is one who uses his own money to fight for the country and selflessly dedicates the conquered territory to the country.

Therefore, many ministers jointly wrote a letter requesting that Jia Cong be given additional rewards to reward his merits and to flatter him at the same time.

The Empress Dowager also accepted the advice with pleasure and issued an edict in the name of the young emperor, appointing Jia Cong as Grand Tutor and Grand Protector and granting him the power of the imperial seal and axe.

Jia Cong accepted the position after three refusal and became a super giant of the dynasty who held the positions of three highest officials.

On May 23, before Goryeo's joy had subsided and the Grand Council was in the process of jockeying among officials at all levels to be dispatched, good news came again from the Western Regions.

Liu Jiezhen, the Protector General of the Western Regions, reported that 50,000 troops were divided into two groups to attack. With the cooperation of the local people, the Ili River Valley was conquered in one battle, the Rakshasa people entrenched there were completely wiped out, and the entire Western Regions were completely recovered.

Double happiness! And it was also an achievement that would go down in history. The Empress Dowager was very pleased and promoted Liu Jiezheng to the first-class Marquis of Pingxi and granted him a royal flag.

Don’t think that it was so easy for Jia Cong to be promoted to a noble title, because he was born into a duke’s family and had a good foundation.

Liu Jiezhen was born in a poor family. Even though he had made great contributions in the Western Regions last time, it would have been enough to give him the title of earl. But he still had to thank God for this, as his descendants would benefit from it from now on.

At that time, Yang Xiong, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, was only a third-rank cavalry commander and not even a hereditary noble.

Jia Cong also took the opportunity to sign the appointment and appointed four generals in the Western Regions, namely General Zhao Lingkong of Yili, General Su Can of Dihua, General Yang Zhi of Aksu and General Han Qi of Kashgar, who were to garrison the key places in all directions and supervise the military and civilian affairs.

On this day, Jia Cong was studying the arrangements for the whereabouts of Yan Jie, the Nine-Gates Admiral, in his mansion. This important position must be in the hands of his own people, but it is not convenient to do too much and cause the morale of the generals of Wang Ning's lineage to fluctuate.

Pang Chao said: "We are about to pacify the Tusi, why not send him to Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and other provinces to be a general commander, which can be considered a promotion and reuse. No one can say anything, and he can also check and balance the generals of Li Meng's party."

Jia Cong nodded slightly. He didn't want to use this method of restraining others, but his head was determined by his butt, and he had no choice.

He said, "Sir, this is a very good idea. Let the Jinyiwei investigate and find out which provincial military commander is the most bastard. Punish him by military law and then let him take up the vacancy.

As for the Infantry Command Office, Qiu Liang, the commander of the Five Cities Army, was appointed to fill the vacancy. He has made a lot of efforts in the past few years, but his official position has not changed, which is unfair to him. "

"Yes. The Five Cities Military Department..." Pang Chao said. Although this government office has little power, low status and little presence, it always controls 10,000 to 20,000 troops in the capital and should not be underestimated.

Jia Cong pondered and said, "Chen Yejun has almost gained enough experience in the Beijing Camp. He should be transferred here to take over Qiu Liang's shift."

"good."

"By the way, place Niu Dabao, the prince of Zhenguo Mansion, in there to serve as a deputy commander to gain some experience. Old Niu also mentioned to me last time that he wanted to find a job for his kid, so it's a good opportunity to arrange it all at once this time." Jia Cong smiled as he thought of the young man with whom he had once "shared hardships".

Pang Chao said: "This is easy."

The chief clerk Yang Ling beside him was busy writing down Jia Cong's orders one by one.

"Well, the new military academy is about to be built. Please ask the nobles and nobles such as Wang, Shi, Xue, Niu, Liu, Hou, and Xie to send their ambitious children who are interested in joining the army to the academy for training. It will also be a good future for them."

"Tell Niu Jizong that when the first batch of firearms arrives, equip my direct troops first, and order Shuangying to send some veterans to assist in training."

Jia Cong made a clear distinction between his direct and collateral branches. Although this was the dregs of feudal warlord thinking, one had to sing the song that suited one's situation. This was the era, and Jia Cong was not childish enough to eat from the same pot.

If the direct line is not strong, can the collateral line not be disloyal? Just like writing an article, you must distinguish the main from the secondary.

As he was speaking, he heard a personal soldier come to report that His Royal Highness the Tenth Prince had arrived.

Jia Cong hurried out to greet him and saw Sun Chi striding in.

"Brother Chi, what's the matter with you coming here suddenly?" Jia Cong asked with a smile.

Sun Chi looked solemn and said, "Let's go in and talk."

Jia Cong hurriedly led him to the inner study and asked, "What happened?"

Sun Chi sighed and said, "Brother Cong, I'm here to ask for your help."

Jia Cong said, "We are brothers, why should we be polite? Just say whatever you want."

Sun Chi said: "I want to go to the Western Regions to fight, even if I am a captain or a captain, it doesn't matter."

Jia Cong was stunned, shook his head and laughed, "Chi'er, what's wrong with you? There is no precedent of a prince leading an army to war in the imperial court."

Sun Chi said: "Didn't Taizu personally fight on the battlefield back then? I, a prince, am nothing."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I can't make the decision on this. You should go to the palace and ask for the Queen Mother's grace. Besides, the emperor is young. Why do you, the royal uncle, go thousands of miles away instead of staying in the capital to support him?"

Sun Chi sneered: "I have no power and no soldiers, so I can't help you. With the Queen Mother and you here, who can rebel?

I am really tired of staying in the capital. Now that my second brother is gone, the rest of my brothers are not of the same kind. I should do my best to expand the territory for the country and resist foreign aggression.

The reason why we went to the Western Regions is that the Russians will never give up after losing the fertile land of Yili, and this is where our talents can be used."

Jia Cong sighed, "I have always known your lofty ambitions, but mother... Mother only has you and my second brother as her own sons. Since you know that your second brother is gone, why do you still want to leave?"

How could your mother bear to let you go to a place where there is danger and war?"

Sun Chi waved his hands and said, "Aren't the third and fourth sons the queen mother's sons? I can be one of them if they want to be filial.

Now that my mother is in charge of the government, she is busy with government affairs and has a lot of things to do every day, just like my father was in the past. It is not easy for me to meet her and pay my respects. I think my mother doesn't need me to be an eyesore in front of her. It's better for her to go to the battlefield and have fun."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Have you decided? On the battlefield, swords and guns are blind... If something goes wrong, how can I explain it to my mother?"

Sun Chi smiled proudly and said, "What is there to confess? It is a blessing for a man to die on the battlefield!

If I really die for my country, there are two boys and three girls at home who can only walk. I'd like to ask you, their uncle, to take care of them.

Also, don't forget to ask the officials of the Hanlin Academy to write about me as a hero, so that I can go down in history." Jia Cong knew that Sun Chi was a reckless person, and no one could stop him. Unlike himself, who was more or less concerned about his wife and children at home, he didn't care at all.

Yin sighed and said, "What if the Queen Mother doesn't allow it?"

"You are both the regent and the general. You have your own way."

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying: "What can I do? Am I going to overstep my authority and send you, the legitimate prince, to fight in person?"

Sun Chi laughed and said, "Why are you talking about going on an expedition? Why don't you just say you want me to patrol the border? It's not like I haven't patrolled before."

"Okay, I'll try." Jia Cong said helplessly: "A new batch of firearms will arrive in Beijing. You should at least learn the new army's tactics. Then I will give you a new army and you can lead it yourself. If you want to be a general, how can you do it without your own soldiers?"

Sun Chi was overjoyed and rubbed his hands, saying, "Great! Brother Cong, you are still reliable."

Jia Cong glared at him and said, "When have I ever been unreliable? It's just that you are a prince and you don't have a military position, how can you lead troops?

I will give you a title of general, let's call you General Dingbian, and let you inspect the Western Regions as an imperial envoy."

"Okay, as long as I can lead the troops to fight, the title doesn't matter." Sun Chi said hurriedly.

"Let's leave it at that. I'll go to the palace another day to report to my mother and see what she thinks."

Sun Chi said hurriedly: "This is my lifelong event, you should pay more attention to it."

Jia Cong smiled bitterly: "You are so carefree that you don't even want your wife and children at home?"

Sun Chi laughed and said, "How can a man share perfume and shoes and linger on his concubines? It's not decent. Besides, I will return to Beijing after I have satisfied my desire to fight. It's not like I will never come back."

Jia Cong could only say, "It's up to you. I can't guarantee that it will succeed."

Sun Chi raised his eyebrows at him and said, "If the Queen Mother really doesn't allow it, you can just pretend that you didn't see me, and I can just quietly lead the troops away, okay?"

Jia Cong said: "There are many passes on the way to the Western Regions. You can't pass without my order."

"You're going to pretend to let me steal a tiger talisman? It's also written in history books. In ancient times, Lord Xinling stole the talisman to save Zhao. Now, the Tenth Prince stole the talisman to march west. It's also a good story." Sun Chi said with a smile.

Jia Cong raised his middle finger at him and said, "You stole my tiger talisman so easily. You have become famous, but I have become a joke."

Sun Chi stood up and laughed: "Anyway, I will stay at your house every day, so you can do whatever you want."

"..."
-
On this day, Wang Ziteng and Niu Jizong came together to handle the matter.

After Jia Cong summoned them, he smiled and asked, "What's the matter, brothers?"

Niu Jizong smiled and said, "Your Highness, we have received the first batch of firearms from the barbarians. There are 30,000 muskets, 300 cannons of various types, a certain amount of ammunition, and more than a hundred Western barbarian firearms instructors. They have been transported back to the Beijing camp outside the city and have been properly placed."

Jia Cong said: "Order all firearms and gunpowder to be kept properly. If they are damaged without reason, military law will be enforced."

"Yes."

"Select three thousand elite soldiers from each camp of the Beijing Army, send them to the New Army Academy for training in firearms and tactics, and hand them over to the Tenth Prince for supervision. The remaining firearms will be distributed to the direct camps, and each will be trained in its own camp. The army must be formed within three months." Jia Cong said.

"I obey your command." Niu Jizong bowed.

Jia Cong hesitated for a moment. After this group of new troops were trained, the capital would be completely stable and no one could do anything to him. He said, "In the future, firearms produced in the Western Barbarians and the country will be continuously shipped in. In addition to the direct troops of the capital, they will be transported to the Western Regions, Gansu and other places as soon as possible.

As for the firearms needed to pacify the chieftains in the southwest, there was no need to transport them to the capital. Instead, they could be shipped directly via the Yangtze River by land and water to various provinces, and all the instructors would be stationed there.

After all, the coaches provided to us by the Western Barbarians are few and far between. Our own coaches must learn the skills of the Western Barbarians as quickly as possible in order to speed up the training of the new army."

"Yes. Don't worry, Your Highness. I have already selected hundreds of capable instructors from the Beijing Army to train with the army. It will only take a few days for them to fully learn the two tricks of the barbarians." Niu Jizong said.

Jia Cong believed that these coaches could practice profound Kung Fu to an extraordinary level, so learning to shoot guns and cannons should be a piece of cake for them, right?
"By the way, how is the construction of the new military academy going?" Jia Cong looked at Wang Ziteng.

Wang Ziteng said hurriedly, "Your Highness, I went to see it the other day. The wall, watchtower, parade ground, training ground, shooting range, artillery drill ground, living area, teaching area, officer training area and other areas have been basically completed and can be used. It's just that the minor renovations have not been completed yet, so it doesn't look very good yet."

Jia Cong waved his hand and said, "We are all uncouth people. What's the point of talking about whether it looks good or not? If it can be used, use it first.

Spread my words. This time, each family should send all the talented children to train. The results of all training subjects will be recorded in a book. In the future, who will be employed and who will not be employed will be determined by the book. Don't come to me to ask for mercy."

Wang and Niu hurriedly said, "We will definitely pass on the prince's words to other families and will never dare to show favoritism." They both made up their minds to go back and teach their children a lesson, so as to avoid embarrassing themselves in the academy.

Jia Cong said "hmm" and said, "Anything else?"

Wang Ziteng said, "There is one more thing. Early this morning, the Empress Dowager issued an edict to dismiss the commanders of the palace guards and promote others on the grounds that the palace guards failed to detect the palace coup, which led to the assassination of the late emperor and the murder of two princes." As he said this, he presented the list of names.

Jia Cong took it and looked at it. He found that the new commanders of the four imperial guards were all unknown viscounts and barons. They had been idle at home for many years because they had no money to smooth relations. Now they were suddenly re-employed, which obviously showed that they had surrendered to the Chen family.

"Do you know these people?"

Wang Ziteng said: "I know them. These four people served as frontier soldiers when they were young and had made great military achievements. They have just inherited the title of Lord. They are quite capable.

They just don’t have much contact with us and the Wuhou lineage, but they have some reputation among the middle and lower class nobles. The Empress Dowager has appointed them this time, obviously she doesn’t trust the original Imperial City generals.”

Jia Cong nodded and said, "The appointment and dismissal of the imperial guards is originally decided by the emperor, and has nothing to do with the general's mansion or the Ministry of War. Since the Empress Dowager wants to change people, then change them. Don't worry about it."

It is understandable that the Empress Dowager wants to seize the military power of the imperial city. If she intervenes, she will appear to be guilty and this will inevitably intensify the conflict.

However, if the imperial city is full of Chen's soldiers, it would be a threat to my entering the palace, so I must be on guard. The elite new army in Yan Shuangying's hands always have to go out to fight, and it is impossible for them to stay in the palace permanently.

Jia Cong thought for a moment and said, "Lao Niu, when this group of new soldiers is trained, select 3,000 men to form another army, called the Imperial Guards, to protect the safety of the imperial palace."

Niu Jizong said: "Yes. But how do we report this to the Grand Empress Dowager?"

Jia Cong sneered, "That's not easy. Just say that the Dragon Guards are incompetent and not capable of protecting the emperor. They will all be transferred out of the palace and dispersed into various camps. The General's Mansion will specially build another elite force to serve as the emperor's front guard, just to be on the safe side."

Niu Jizong said: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely true." (End of this chapter)