Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 306 Uncrowned Military Power

May 15th, the 14th year of Jiazhao.

Liaodong, Yafu Pass.

Hundreds of musketeers from the Fifth Army Battalion who were on duty were packing up their tents, checking their gunpowder, and collecting their firearms.

These musketeers were packing their war gear and were about to follow Jia Cong back to the five military camps in Shenjing for routine rotation of guard.

Firearms proved their effectiveness in the Liaodong War, and Emperor Jiazhao placed greater reliance on the firearms industry.

The Shenjing Five Army's Musket Battalion was expanded and renamed the Shenji Battalion, and the number of musketeers has been expanded to 3,000.

According to Jia Cong's suggestion, these musketeers will be rotated regularly to border towns such as Datong, Xuanfu, and Liaodong to train in actual combat and forge a strong army of firearms that are proficient in actual combat.

Before leaving the capital, Jia Cong left Liu Shizhen a sketch of the red cannon of later generations. It was said that a breakthrough had been made in the modification of the falconet cannon in the firearms workshop.

In the near future, based on the valuable experience in artillery strategies gained in the Battle of Yafu Pass, a special artillery battalion will be formed in the Shenji Camp.

Therefore, at Jia Cong's invitation, artillery instructor Madelen changed his plan to return home and would follow Jia Cong into the Shenjing Firearms Bureau.

At present, Japanese pirates are rampant in several states along the southeastern coast, and there are frequent frictions among the countries along the western sea of ​​Guangdong.

Emperor Jia Zhao was already planning to set up a firearms bureau in Jiangnan and build a firearms workshop in Jiangnan to prepare for the defense of the Jiangnan coastal areas.

By that time, Madelon, who likes a mild climate, will probably be able to live in a warm place as she wishes.

Also returning to Beijing were dozens of wounded soldiers whose conditions were stable, and some soldiers who were unable to continue serving in the army due to their injuries.

The ashes of the soldiers of the Firearm Battalion who died in the Liaodong Campaign were also transported back to their respective hometowns.

……

Emperor Jiazhao had issued an edict that allowed imperial merchants from the Imperial Household Department to enter Liaodong to set up shops and workshops, promoting the prosperity of people's livelihood inside and outside the Great Wall.

After receiving a letter from Jia Cong, Qu Hongxiu and Keqing sent Zhou Guangcheng with some of the people recruited in Jinling to start the opening of Xinchunhao's branch and workshop in Liaodong.

Before returning to the capital, Jia Cong and Zhou Guangcheng carefully considered the details of promoting trade and setting up workshops inside and outside the Great Wall.

Now, the entire Liaodong has been left with a huge temporary space due to the elimination of the Jurchen forces.

This is a golden opportunity for Xinchunhao to expand. Jia Cong believes that in two years, Xinchunhao will be able to establish a firm foundation inside and outside Liaodong.

……

This battle between the Liaodong and the Jurchens will surely be recorded in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Many years later, some people will realize that a new force began to emerge from that time.

Jia Cong became the most dazzling general in this war, and he was not the only one who came to prominence through this war.

Liu Yongzheng, the lieutenant general of Yafuguan, led thousands of cavalry to charge several times in the great victory of Yafu Pass, showing his extremely high ability as a general and making the second highest contribution after Jia Cong.

When he led the left army to pursue the remaining Jurchen enemies for thousands of miles, although he did not have as brilliant a record as Jia Cong, he was steady and cautious, and he made no mistakes. He was brave but calm.

After the great victory of Qingyuanji, someone from the Ministry of War recommended Jia Cong as the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong, and mentioned this in the documents between the Ministry of War and Liaodong.

When Jia Cong learned about this, he quickly wrote a letter to the Ministry of War to firmly resign.

Now that he has performed outstandingly in the Liaodong war and achieved amazing results, there is no need to do anything more drastic to avoid overdoing it.

He was only a fifth-rank civil official, a casual military officer, not even twenty years old, and had been in the army for only half a year when he climbed to the position of deputy commander-in-chief of the nine important border towns. Once the halo of the Qingyuanji victory faded.

It is foreseeable that he will become the target of public criticism.

There are so many veterans in the army who have spent half their lives in the military and fallen into low-ranking positions. He became famous in one battle, and not only did he gain prestige and benefits, but he also occupied a high position in the spotlight. It would be strange if he did not arouse jealousy.

Besides, the war in Liaodong has subsided and there is not much room for maneuver, so there is really no need for him to take this opportunity.

In his memorial, he strongly praised Lieutenant General Liu Yongzheng for his loyalty, bravery, and martial prowess, as he was a popular general and had made many achievements, and was considered to be of great use.

This made Emperor Jia Zhao highly appreciate his ability to know when to advance and when to retreat, his decision not to seize military power, and his decision to retreat at the right time when he had made great achievements.

After consulting with the commander-in-chief Liang Chengzong, the Ministry of War recommended Liu Yongzheng as the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town.

When Liu Yongzheng learned that it was Jia Cong who gave up his position and pushed him to the position, he was even more respectful and grateful to Jia Cong. This time, Liu Yongzheng wanted to go to Beijing to meet the emperor together with Jia Cong.

Deng Hui, the guerrilla general at Yonglan Pass who commanded the central army this time, had enough energy to break through the Jurchen castles along the way and kill more than 200 enemies because Jia Cong was leading his troops to contain the Jurchen brigade.

Deng Hui was also promoted by Liang Chengzong to the position of Lieutenant General of Yonglan Pass because of his merits. He became the general who commanded Yonglan Pass alone, taking an important step in his military career.

On the premise that Jia Cong led the Firearm Battalion to consecutive victories, General Wei Yongzhou was promoted to the rank of Qianzong and took command of the Liaodong Firearm Battalion.

Guo Zhigui was promoted from team leader to captain, and Jiang Xiaoliu succeeded Guo Zhigui as team leader. They will both become the core of the Liaodong Firearms Army.

All of these people emerged and were promoted because of the Liaodong Jurchen War, and they were all closely related to Jia Cong. Jia Cong also became the centripetal point of these people's vague entanglements.

Once Jia Cong returns to the capital and is awarded an honor and given an important position, this vague centripetal force will slowly solidify into a fixed pattern.

Not to mention that after this battle, Jia Cong's outstanding reputation in the Liaodong army will surely continue to have an impact for a long time.

There is a reason why every dynasty has used civil power to control military power.

The civil servants who entered politics had to take a three-year examination and rarely stayed in one place for more than three years.

Military generals serve in the army all their lives and guard the border for ten years. It is common for them to serve in one place for ten years because they need to know the soldiers well.

Therefore, using the civil officials with influence and the military generals with control has become a common method of checks and balances used by those in power.

Fortunately, although Jia Cong has made great achievements in leading the army, he has the halo of having passed the imperial examination twice, and his reputation as a calligrapher and writer, so his official position is still restricted to that of a civil official.

Although he has entered the game and created a hidden force that cannot be ignored, he can also stay out of it to some extent...

……

In a small courtyard east of Yafuguan Town, there are three bungalows.

Today, Liaodong is desolate and cold, without the flourishing flowers and branches like those in the south of the Yangtze River. Some grass and leaf plants are planted around Zhou's yard. They don't have colorful and fragrant flowers, but they are full of vitality.

A pergola was built against the wall to block the sun in summer and the wind and snow in winter.

There were three wooden cages under the arbor, filled with thick hay.

Every corner of the yard is exceptionally clean and tidy. The owner must be a careful and self-disciplined person. This is not a common sight in this small town filled with the atmosphere of a military camp.

As Jia Cong followed Ai Li to the gate of the yard, the eagle slave perched on Ai Li's shoulder flapped its wings and flew up, then suddenly flew into one of the cages.

There were two boxes in the yard, which contained what looked like packed luggage.

A pretty woman with straight features walked out of the room. She looked to be in her thirties, but her temples were already gray, and her features were weathered.

After Jia Cong and Ai Li returned to Junyafu Pass, they spent a relatively leisurely time.

This small courtyard is Ellie's home. He often accompanies Ellie back during this period, and this place is very familiar to him.

Today is the day he sets out to return to the capital, and Ai Li will bring her mother and Jia Cong with her.

Not only does Ellie want to take her mother back to her hometown, she also wants to see the magnificent scenery of the country that Jia Cong has described.

She is still young and full of curiosity and yearning for the world.

The woman said to Jia Cong, "Master Jia, I'm sorry to trouble you to take care of me on my way back to the south."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Aunt Xu is too polite. This time I came to Liaodong, if it weren't for Ai Li's help, I wouldn't be able to accomplish many important things. In comparison, sending you back to the south is just a piece of cake."

Ellie on the side blinked her shining eyes and looked at Jia Cong with satisfaction. She was always happy to receive his praise.

In fact, since the first time Jia Cong met Ai Li's mother, he felt that she was not an ordinary border woman.

From Xu's eyes and behavior, it can be seen that she must have received a good education and influence when she was young.

At the beginning, Ai Li and Jia Cong said that her mother was from Jiangnan and married her father many years ago, a Cossack falconer who was captured by the wild Jurchens.

At that time, Jia Cong guessed that Ai Li's mother might be the wife of a criminal official. Otherwise, how could a woman from the south of the Yangtze River go to the remote north and marry a man of a different race?

When he saw the extraordinary appearance and demeanor of Ellie's mother, he was more certain of his guess.

However, he had been with Ellie for a long time, and from what he heard from her daily conversation, it seemed that she was not very clear about her mother's origins.

Jia Cong naturally didn't dare to ask, as these were questions about privacy and had nothing to do with him.

A prepared carriage was parked outside the yard. Jia Cong asked Guo Zhigui and Jiang Xiaoliu to help move Ai Li's mother's luggage onto the carriage.

He and Ellie each picked up the two wooden cages containing the Saker Falcons and tied them securely to the top of the carriage.

Jia Cong had already planned that when he returned to Shenjing, he would let Ellie use her skills in training birds to set up signal stations to transmit messages where needed.

In this era, even at the fastest speed, there is still a great delay in the transmission of information, and the speed of information can gain a valuable advantage.

When Jia Cong saw Ai Li's mother leaving, he stood in the yard for a moment, as if reminiscing about something. When he walked out of the yard, he did not forget to lock the gate.

For everyone, every ending in this world is accompanied by a new beginning.

Whether it is Jia Cong, Ai Li, or even the somewhat unusual Xu, since the end of the Liaodong Jurchen war, their future paths have been changed and they have deviated permanently from their original trajectory.

(End of this chapter)