Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 284: Doubts about the Pass

January 15th, the fourteenth year of Jiazhao.

Early in the morning, on the city wall of Yafu Pass.

The cold wind blew, and the breath turned into ice. Jia Cong, wearing a dark bearskin cloak, looked at the busy musketeers under the city.

Wei Yongzhou, commander of the Firearms Battalion, and Guo Zhigui, captain of the Firearms Battalion, were also looking at the movements under the city with curiosity.

Next to Jia Cong stood the graceful Ai Li, tall and graceful, with a long sword hanging from her waist, looking heroic and dashing.

She wore a warm black fox fur hat on her head, which made her fair skin and bright eyes look even more striking, making her look extraordinarily charming.

These days, people at the Yafu Pass Military Affairs Office often see such strange scenes.

Jia Cong, the firearms aide who came from Guangning City, actually hired a woman as his bodyguard at a large sum of money. The man and woman were inseparable as they went in and out of the military affairs office every day.

The young man from the capital is really careful about his life and he has money too.

Many soldiers and generals of Yafu Pass laughed at him behind his back. He didn't even hire a decent guard, but instead got a delicate witch as his guard. It was really laughable.

Even Liang Chengzong, who had always admired Jia Cong, shook his head with a bit of amusement when he saw the female guard beside Jia Cong.

Only those who were born locally or had stayed in Yafu Pass for several years and were familiar with the town's business knew that Jia Cong actually had quite a vision.

The guard he hired, named Ellie, is a woman, but she is the most famous swordsman in the town in the past two years. The strange long sword in her hand is not to be trifled with.

How can a young girl, who has to support an old mother, live without any taboos and never suffer any loss in this dangerous and complicated border town be an ordinary person?

……

Below the city wall, Jiang Xiaosi and five or six firearms soldiers were busy.

They used the bundle of rope that Jia Cong bought at Hongbei Restaurant, starting from the city gate and then measuring the distance outwards.

The bundle of rope that Jia Cong bought from Hongbei Restaurant was made into a 100-meter long rope using his sense and memory of one meter as a ruler.

He asked Jiang Xiaosi and his team to dig up the frozen soil every hundred meters, bury a round stone, and then paint the exposed part with eye-catching white paint.

It was not until they buried the eighth stone from the city gate outwards and painted it white that he sent a message to Jiang Xiaosi to stop.

Madelon, the Portuguese artillery instructor, was looking at eight round stones that were about an inch above the ground below the city. They were neatly arranged and extended into the distance, like a huge ruler on the earth.

These stones are only painted white on the side facing the city wall, while the other side is the original color of the stones. If the enemy comes from the opposite side, they will not pay attention to these stones.

Since the last scout's report, the Great Zhou has abandoned its military forts, fortified its walls and cleared the countryside, and the Jurchen tribes have been forced to make some unusual moves.

All the troops at Yafu Pass were on high alert and ready for battle.

Jia Cong also informed Liang Chengzong, the general of Liaodong, and Liu Yongzheng, the lieutenant general of Yafu Pass, of everything he could think of, and implemented them one by one.

He did these things to ensure that the various types of firearms he carried this time could exert their power with maximum efficiency.

……

Madelon, who was standing by, praised in a slightly stiff Chinese: "Master Jia is like what we Portuguese people call a wise man, who can come up with such a simple and clear method of measuring distance.

With these markings, the accuracy of our artillery fire will be greatly improved.”

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I also admire the wise men of your country, such as Ferdinand Magellan, a great navigator and explorer."

Madelen was very surprised and said, "Master Jia, I am really surprised by your knowledge. You actually know Mr. Ferdinand, when even many people in this country don't know him."

Jia Cong smiled slightly. What's so strange about this? It's common sense that is taught in elementary school textbooks in later generations.

“Mr. Madelon is a French artillery expert, and I admire him very much. We in the Great Zhou have set up a special firearms department to recruit famous people from the West.

If Mr. Madelen is willing to stay with the Firearms Department, I would be honored."

Madelen smiled and said, “Da Zhou is a magical ancient oriental country. I like it very much, but I have been to Shenjing once and it was too cold for me.

Of course, the winter in Liaodong is even harder for me, and I prefer warmer places.”

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Our Great Zhou covers a vast territory, and the states south of the Yangtze River are all places with mild climates. It is very easy for Madelen to go to a warm place."

Jia Cong naturally valued artillery experts like Madelon. If the Great Zhou's firearms industry wanted to be at the forefront overseas, it needed such specialized and leading talents.

However, he did not expect to recruit an artillery expert with just a few words, but it was still necessary to have more contact and communication on a daily basis to increase understanding and exchange knowledge and information.

Madelen also liked talking to Jia Cong because this young man formed a sharp contrast with those serious officials of the Great Zhou.

He was young, knowledgeable, smart, and talkative. Chatting with Jia Cong was a very pleasant thing for Madelen. Guo Zhigui, who had been standing behind Jia Cong, looked at Jia Cong with some admiration. The Third Master could actually chat with a foreigner. The foreigner seemed to admire the Third Master.

……

"This is Lord Jia, the Director of the Firearms Department."

Jia Cong was chatting harmoniously with Madelen when he suddenly heard someone talking next to him.

Looking back, I saw a rough and sturdy officer in armor, standing in front of me with a smile on his face and a hint of flattery in his words.

Judging from his official uniform and demeanor, he seems to be of a fairly high rank.

At present, Liang Chengzong, the general of Liaodong, is inspecting the three passes on the front line of Liaodong.

As Liang Chengzong's firearms aide, Jia Cong had come into contact with the chief officer of Yafu Pass, Lieutenant General Liu Yongzheng, and several important officers, but he had no impression of the man in front of him.

"Please forgive my poor eyesight, but this general is a little unfamiliar to me,"

After hearing what Jia Cong said, this man showed a trace of embarrassment and helplessness on his face.

"I am He Xiong, the guerrilla general of Yafu Pass. I once served in the right camp of the Five Military Camps in Shenjing. Lord Jia is well-known in Shenjing, and I have heard of his fame for a long time."

Jia Cong was surprised to hear this. This man was actually the guerrilla general of Yafu Pass. According to the official configuration, the chief officer of Yafu Pass was a military officer, and the second-in-command was the guerrilla general.

This He Xiong was actually the second-in-command of Yafu Pass, but Jia Cong had never seen him in his several military consultations at the Military Affairs Office.

As a guerrilla general, this man's presence is a little too low.

"In the letter from Prince Beijing, it was mentioned that Lord Jia would come to inspect the Nine Borders. The prince highly praised Lord Jia. I am honored to meet Lord Jia in the North today."

Because of his presumptuous poem, Prince Beijing was treated coldly by Emperor Jiazhao, and the power of Prince Beijing was also hit hard.

As a general supported by the Prince of Beijing's Palace, He Xiong was also implicated, kicked out of the Five Army Camp, and sent to a border town to serve as an official.

He was very upset about this matter, and after arriving at Yafu Pass, he still did not change the arrogance of a Beijing official, and had friction with the chief officer, Lieutenant General Liu Yongzheng, so he was usually ostracized by local officers.

He Xiong once wrote to Prince Beijing, hoping to be transferred out of Liaodong as soon as possible, but he received a very conciliatory letter from Prince Beijing. He knew that it was not feasible to be transferred out of Liaodong in a short time.

However, he did not give up. In his letter, Prince Beijing mentioned that Jia Cong came to Liaodong to patrol the border, so he thought that Jia Cong and Prince Beijing were related, and even had a special relationship.

In addition, Jia Cong came from a noble family and was said to be highly regarded by Gu Yankui, the governor of nine provinces. He Xiong was now on pins and needles in Yafu Pass and was anxious to get out of his predicament.

He Xiong naturally wanted to get to know Jia Cong, a person with important connections. Who knows, maybe he could get him to give him a hand.

Therefore, he specifically mentioned in his words that he had correspondence with Prince Beijing, hoping to use this to get closer to Jia Cong.

However, he didn't expect that when Jia Cong heard that he was related to Prince Beijing, he became defensive. How could he have a close relationship with such a person? He just said a few polite words and that was all he could say.

He Xiong saw that there was no clue in the conversation with Jia Cong, so he left feeling disappointed.

……

Wei Yongzhou, the captain standing by, said, "Sir Jia, as soon as I arrived in Liaodong, I heard a lot about this guerrilla general He.

This man is a close confidant of Prince Beijing's Palace, but he is mediocre in battle. A month ago, a Jurchen army of a thousand people invaded Yafu Pass.

He led the right cavalry, but was defeated by the Jurchen cavalry and retreated prematurely, causing the musket battalion to lose support and suffer heavy losses under the attack of the Jurchen cavalry.

Originally, Lieutenant General Liu wanted to punish him, but it was said that the commander-in-chief left him idle because he was related to Prince Beijing's Palace and had just been transferred to Liaodong, and was afraid of being criticized for excluding the imperial court's generals. "

Wei Yongzhou was quite indignant when he said this. As the commander of the Firearms Battalion, the Firearms Battalion lost more than a hundred people because of He Xiong's laziness in fighting. Naturally, he was very dissatisfied with He Xiong.

Jia Cong suddenly realized this time. No wonder He Xiong, as the deputy official of Yafu Pass, had no sense of existence. It turned out that he had offended everyone and was left out in the cold.

Jia Cong had always been disgusted with Prince Beijing's hypocritical and fame-seeking behavior, as well as his lofty ambitions but little talent. Naturally, he could not have a good impression of his confidant, not to mention that this person had caused the Musket Battalion to suffer heavy losses.

Looking at He Xiong's back, he said, "This man is a second-in-command at the Liaodong border. His behavior is not right, his heart is unstable, and his fighting spirit is decadent. There is always something wrong with him.

The war situation is unpredictable now. According to reports from scouts, the Jurchens have made some unusual movements.

Brother Wei, we can't interfere in other people's affairs, but we can't make any mistakes in our own affairs. Order the brothers in the Musket Battalion to reduce going out.

Brother Wei, please send more brothers to strictly guard the firearms warehouse, and no outsiders are allowed to approach! "

　Traditional compulsory education is harmful. I am embarrassed to brag that the protagonist can speak Portuguese.

　　I can only ask Madelen to speak in slightly awkward Chinese, that's all I can do...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)