I'm in the Red Mansion

Fortunately, Jia Cong had great internal strength and physical skills. He dodged forward and reached out to catch Xue Baochai in time, preventing her from falling to the ground.

After catching Xue Baochai, Jia Cong couldn't help but look at Xue Baochai.

Xue Baochai, who was originally very plump and had been compared to Yang Yuhuan by Jia Baoyu, was now so thin that she almost looked unrecognizable.

His eye sockets were deep, making his almond-shaped eyes look particularly large.

His hair was dry, yellow and tangled, and he hadn't taken care of it in who knows how many days.

Even his body gave off a musty smell.

Xue Baochai was originally a pure and innocent daughter of a wealthy family. She had probably never been so slovenly in her life.

However, in Jia Cong's eyes, not only was there no disdain towards her, but he felt even more pity and love for her.

Just because everything she did was for herself.

In order to deliver the food as early as possible, she probably risked her life and suffered a lot along the way.

The servants of the Xue family were all as poor as beggars.

However, they are old people who are used to traveling on the business road, and they are not as thin as Xue Baochai.

Let’s talk about Xue Baochai. Being hugged by Jia Cong like this, she felt sweet and shy at the same time.

At the same time, she realized that since leaving Ping'an Prefecture, the roads had become increasingly difficult to travel on, and she had not washed her body along the way, for fear that she would smell bad.

She was afraid that Third Brother Cong would dislike her, so she tried to break free and stay away from him.

Jia Cong frowned and said, "Don't move. I'll help you get in the car. Let's go into the city and have a good rest."

Xue Baochai lowered her head and nodded slightly.

Jia Cong helped her get into the car, and ordered his personal soldiers to take over the Xue family caravan, and had them take the servants down and settle them down.

He himself took Xue Baochai and her servant into the city lord's mansion.

When they arrived at the gate of the inner house, the carriage stopped and Xue Baochai got off with the help of Ying'er.

After getting out of the car and taking two steps, her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground again.

She was holding her breath, hoping that the food would be delivered as soon as possible.

With this energy supporting me, I can still hold on.

But now that the breath is out, it is hard to hold on any longer.

Jia Cong sighed, walked forward and picked her up by the waist.

Xue Baochai couldn't help feeling embarrassed and anxious, and hurriedly said, "Third Brother Cong, there are so many people watching, what are you doing?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I saw that you couldn't walk, so I carried you into the house. What else can I do?"

"Besides, this is the inner house, who dares to look around? What are you gossiping about?"

Xue Baochai glanced at him and lowered her head shyly.

I thought: Is this what I'm talking about? Men and women should not touch each other. I am not related to you, and I have no name or status. How can you be so frivolous to me?

Jia Cong glanced at her and couldn't help but say, "Sister Bao, I deeply appreciate your friendship. I am not a heartless person, so how can I remain indifferent?"

"When I get back, I will send a matchmaker to your house to marry you. How about that? But I can only give you the status of a co-wife."

Hearing this, Xue Baochai felt very embarrassed.

In my heart, I blamed Third Brother Cong for being too reckless. Could such a thing be said to his face?

However, although Third Brother Cong was reckless, he was exactly what she wanted.

She traveled thousands of miles and risked half her life to deliver food, wasn't it just for this?
Now that her wish had come true, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue Baochai buried her head in Jia Cong's arms and did not dare to look at him.

When Jia Cong carried her into the house and was about to put her down, he discovered that she had fallen asleep in just a few steps and was even snoring slightly.

Jia Cong felt more and more distressed. She must have been very tired these days.

Jia Cong carried her into his room, asked Ying'er to make the bed, and then put her on it.

He also took off her shoes and socks and covered her with a quilt.

He called Ying'er out and said, "Miss Ying'er, you must have worked hard on the journey. Would you like to eat first? Or wash up and take a rest?"

Ying'er said hurriedly, "Third Master, I am here to serve my young lady, how can I have time to rest?"

Jia Cong said, "It's irrelevant. If you don't take a rest, how can you serve your young lady?"

After hearing this, Ying'er said, "If that's the case, I'll go wash up first and then go to rest."

Jia Cong nodded, called two personal soldiers and asked them to prepare hot water and take Ying'er to wash.

Ying'er went out again and personally brought the clothes and private belongings of both the master and the servant.

After washing, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

And Jia Cong did not leave either.

Instead, he stayed in the backyard, picked up paper and pen, and began to plan for subsequent development.

I believe that after this siege, the Qing Dynasty will not attack the city again in the short term.

Next, we need to develop Jizhou well.

Yes, we need to develop Jizhou, not just Jizhou City.

Jizhou's dangerous terrain cut off the connection between the other fifteen states and the Qing Dynasty.

But at the same time, Jizhou was also surrounded by the other fifteen states and the Qing Dynasty.

Over the years, Jizhou has also suffered severe damage, and it is not easy to develop.

It would be great if we could take over Youzhou, Zhuozhou, Mozhou, Yingzhou and Sizhou.

In this way, we can become one with the territory of Daxia and no longer fear the Qing Dynasty.

However, it is not easy to take over these four continents.

Now Jizhou has 60,000 soldiers and horses, which are more than enough for self-preservation but not enough for advancement.

It is impossible for 60,000 soldiers to attack cities and villages in a short period of time.

Attacking a city is not the same as defending it.

However, his 60,000 soldiers and horses still need to be trained before they can be of great use.

And the number is a little too small, and we need to recruit more soldiers.

Next, we will vigorously develop agriculture in Jizhou.

At least achieve self-sufficiency.

As for business, Jia Cong planned to let the Xue family get involved.

You may not make any money in the early stages, or even lose money.

However, after we gradually recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in the future, many business opportunities will emerge.

To develop Jizhou, we need a large number of talents in all aspects.

Not only in management, but also in other aspects such as skilled craftsmen.

Jia Cong kept sorting out the ideas in his mind and writing them down bit by bit.

It was not until the evening that Xue Baochai woke up slowly.

This awakening startled Jia Cong.

After Xue Baochai woke up, she felt more and more unbearable pain all over her body.

Just as she struggled to get up, Jia Cong rushed in.

He asked with a smile: "Sister Bao, I think you are hungry? I'll ask someone to bring you some food."

Xue Baochai said shyly, "Brother Cong, there's no rush to eat. I want to wash up first."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Okay."

Next, Jia Cong asked his personal soldiers to prepare the bath water, and Xue Baochai slowly went into the bathroom.

At this time, Ying'er had not woken up yet. Xue Baochai felt sorry for this girl and did not wake her up to help her take a bath.

Jia Cong ordered his personal soldiers to bring food.

Soon, the food was brought in.

Jia Cong waited for a long time, and the food was almost cold, but Xue Baochai still didn't come out.

It’s really troublesome for women to take a bath. It takes so long.

If it was Jia Cong taking a bath, it would only take a cup of tea.

Jia Cong was also worried that she was unwell or something had happened to her.

Then he went outside the bathroom and asked, "Sister Bao, are you done washing yet? Is anything wrong with you?"

Xue Baochai said shyly, "Third Brother Cong, could you ask Ying'er to come over?"

After hearing this, Jia Cong smiled and asked, "Ying'er hasn't woken up yet. I saw that she was sleeping soundly and thought she must be very tired. I didn't have the heart to wake her up. If you have anything to say, just tell me."

After hesitating for a while, Xue Baochai said, "Third Brother Cong, it is inconvenient for you to do this."

"I didn't bring any clean clothes with me. When Ying'er wakes up, you can ask her to bring them in."

It turned out that when Xue Baochai washed and dressed at home, the maid had naturally prepared various items long ago, so she didn't have to worry about anything.

Now that she has arrived in Jizhou, she has overlooked this point again.

After she finished washing, she realized that she didn't bring any clean clothes with her.

She was too embarrassed to call Jia Cong, so she didn't come out for a long time, just hoping that Ying'er would wake up in time so that she could go and get her spare clothes.

After hearing this, Jia Cong also felt that it was not a good thing for him to do.

However, she will be his woman sooner or later, so it’s not a big problem.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong couldn't help but go into the house and get a set of Xue Baochai's clothes.

Then he pushed the door open and walked in.

At this time, Xue Baochai had already dried herself and was just waiting for Ying'er to bring in clothes.

I never expected that he would deliver it in person.

She was so frightened that she screamed and quickly lowered her head and squatted down.

In fact, Jia Cong was also frightened.

He originally thought that Xue Baochai was still soaking in the bathtub. After all, she was his woman, so it didn't matter if he played a little ambiguous game with her.

He was even quite eager to try.

After abstaining from sex for two or three months, even old sows have double eyelids, not to mention the beautiful Bao sister.

But he didn't expect that Xue Baochai would get out of the bathtub.

This made him feel a little embarrassed.

Next, Jia Cong put down his clothes and said, "Sister Bao, I have brought you clothes. Hurry up and put on your clothes and come out to eat. The food is getting cold."

After saying this, Jia Cong gave him a few more deadly looks before he left calmly.

In the bathroom, Xue Baochai was so ashamed and angry that she wanted to die.

After a while, she got up, put on her clothes, and walked out as if she was walking on clouds.

After entering the room, Xue Baochai blushed and did not dare to look at Jia Cong.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Sister Bao, please sit down and eat. I just had someone heat up the food. It's just right now."

Xue Baochai blinked a few times and thought: Brother Cong, do you think that what happened just now never happened? Is it so natural?
Xue Baochai sat down and ate a meal with Jia Cong in a daze.

It was not until after dinner, when Jia Cong chatted with her about family matters and asked about the situation at home, that Xue Baochai gradually came to her senses.

After a while, Ying'er woke up slowly.

He hurried over to serve Xue Baochai.

Jia Cong stood up, asked them to have a good rest, and then said goodbye and left.

Xue Baochai originally thought that Third Brother Cong would become even more aggressive and would not know how to flirt with her.

Now there is none, and she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, for some reason, she felt somewhat disappointed. In fact, Jia Cong was not a gentleman of morals.

Especially since he already knew Xue Baochai's thoughts, she would be his woman sooner or later, so why should he be polite?
But Xue Baochai had been traveling all the way and was extremely tired.

No matter how hungry and thirsty he was, he would not bully others at this time.

……

As for the Qing Dynasty, Gesste led an army of 150,000 to attack Jizhou City, but ended up losing their weapons and armor, losing more than 70,000 soldiers and horses, and suffered a miserable defeat.

Geste, the most powerful general of the Qing Dynasty, was so depressed that he vomited three liters of blood.

They sent out a total of 300,000 troops, and lost more than 70,000 soldiers in Jizhou City.

And they are still unable to crack Daxia's secret weapon.

There is no way to continue fighting this war.

So Geste had to pass the message to the other two troops.

The other two groups of Qing troops were shocked when they heard the news.

Before sending troops, they all laughed at Tu Hai.

They believed that Tu Hai underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, which led to the death of 100,000 soldiers in two fires. He was a complete fool and brought shame to the Qing Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, when the Qing Dynasty's most powerful general, Geste, went to attack Jizhou City, he also suffered a crushing defeat.

This is enough to prove that it is not that Tu Hai is incompetent, but that the young general of Da Xia is too evil.

The purpose of their expedition this time was to capture Jizhou first, and then take over Liangcheng and three other cities.

Next, the three armies advanced simultaneously and invaded the area north of the Yangtze River in Daxia.

But now, we haven’t even been able to capture the city of Jizhou, so there is no way to carry out the subsequent wars.

We can't just leave the 60,000 troops in Jizhou City alone and continue marching southward, right?

If they dared to do so, the 60,000 Xia troops in Jizhou City could cut off their supplies at any time and trap them in the territory of Daxia.

Now they did not dare to retreat, so they had to pass the news of defeat back to the Qing emperor and wait for the next military order.

I’m afraid that this time, Geste, the most powerful general of the Qing Dynasty, will be in trouble.

……

The city of Jizhou was becoming very busy.

This war destroyed a large number of houses.

This civilian house was not destroyed by the Qing soldiers, nor by the Xia army.

Instead, it was demolished spontaneously by the people in Jizhou city.

Because of the continuous battles to defend the city for many days, the defense supplies in Jizhou City began to run short.

The people in Jizhou city spontaneously demolished their own houses and cut the roof beams to make rolling logs.

The stones were directly carried to the city walls to be used as rolling stones, and even the thatch on the roof was used as firewood to boil water.

Now that the war was over, Jia Cong led his soldiers to rebuild houses for the people whose houses had been demolished.

We can't let the people shed blood and tears.

After resting for two days, Xue Baochai's health gradually improved.

Out of curiosity, she took Ying'er for a tour around Jizhou City.

On the streets, what one hears most is the people of Jizhou City praising General Jia Cong from the bottom of their hearts.

After hearing this, Xue Baochai couldn't help but feel a sense of honor.

Jizhou City is far less prosperous than the capital, but the people here are simple and honest.

Xue Baochai actually fell in love with this place.

In the evening, after dinner, Jia Cong came to visit Xue Baochai again.

Jia Cong couldn't help but ask with concern: "Sister Bao, how have you rested these past two days?"

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Third Brother Cong. I have already rested."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "This is best."

After saying this, Jia Cong turned to Ying'er and said, "By the way, Ying'er, please go down first. You don't have to come in unless I ask you to. I have something important to say to your young lady."

Ying'er smiled and said, "Yes, Third Master."

After saying that, Ying'er turned and walked out, gently closing the door for them.

Xue Baochai suddenly had a bad feeling, and she couldn't help but asked nervously, "Third Brother Cong, what do you want to say to me?"

Jia Cong walked towards Xue Baochai and said with a smile, "Sister Bao, what do you think?"

Xue Baochai twisted the corner of her clothes nervously and said in panic, "How can I know if you don't tell me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Jia Cong hugged her tightly in his arms.

It would be fine if the young man had never tasted Ai.

Having already tasted the sweetness and not been able to get rid of it for two or three months, now that beauty is delivered to his doorstep, how can Jia Cong resist?
Xue Baochai was shocked and said in panic: "Third Brother Cong, please don't do this. It's against etiquette..."

Jia Cong couldn't help but ask: "A woman should follow the three obediences and four virtues. Before marriage, she should obey her father. After marriage, she should obey her husband. After her husband dies, she should obey her son."

"Since you are my woman, isn't it polite for you to obey me?"

It is natural for a married woman to obey her husband, but now they are not even engaged, right?

Even if one is engaged, one must not overstep the line, otherwise one would be shameless and lose one's virtue as a woman.

However, when the words came to her lips, Xue Baochai did not say them out loud.

If I really said it out loud, would Third Brother Cong be angry with me?

Considering the character of Third Brother Cong, would he abandon me and betray me?
I have missed Cong Ge'er several times, so this time, I will not make any more trouble and just obey him...

Jia Cong originally wanted to wait for Xue Baochai to refute before teasing her a little.

Unexpectedly, Xue Baochai closed her eyes and acquiesced, which made Jia Cong feel even more pity for her.

Xue Baochai's personality is exactly the opposite of Lin Daiyu's.

Xue Baochai's every move and every word was in accordance with etiquette. She seemed like a moralist and was extremely conservative.

Lin Daiyu, on the other hand, was quite rebellious and did not really take etiquette to heart.

Now the conservative Xue Baochai actually condoned her own rudeness, which shows her true feelings.

Jia Cong picked her up, walked a few steps to the bed, and then put her on the bed.

The stamens of the flowers are first seen before the rain, but after the rain, there are no flowers under the leaves.

I don’t know when the clouds and rain in the house disappeared.

Xue Baochai hugged Jia Cong, two crystal tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, she closed her eyes and said softly: "I hope you are no better than Sima Xiangru."

The love story of Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun was once regarded as a legend.

When Sima Xiangru was a guest at Zhuo's house, he met Zhuo Wenjun, a widow living at home, and was immediately struck by her beauty.

He captured the heart of the talented girl with a song of "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix", and then the two eloped quietly.

Zhuo Wenjun sold wine to support Sima Xiangru in his studies. Later, when Sima Xiangru became a high-ranking official, he began to dislike Zhuo Wenjun and wanted to abandon her.

So Zhuo Wenjun wrote a famous poem that has been passed down through the ages, two lines of which are: I wish to find a person who is as devoted as I am, and that we will never change until we are old.

Finally Sima Xiangru came to his senses and took Zhuo Wenjun away.

In fact, Sima Xiangru had already taken a beautiful concubine. After taking Zhuo Wenjun away, he did not keep her with him, but placed her in his hometown and put her aside.

What Xue Baochai meant by this sentence was that she hoped Jia Cong would not let her down like Sima Xiangru in the future.

Jia Cong raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Xue Baochai's eyes, then said: "Don't worry, sister Bao, I will never let you down in this life!"

The two fell asleep hugging each other.

Before he knew it, it was already daybreak and Jia Cong had a rare chance to sleep in.

When they woke up, they couldn't help but be affectionate again.

Xue Baochai shyly helped Jia Cong to dress.

After getting up, Jia Cong felt refreshed.

……

A few days later, Geste's report was sent back to the Qing court.

When the Qing emperor and his ministers saw this, they were all shocked and angry.

They were sure to get the raw materials, but unexpectedly something went wrong at the first step and they failed to even capture Jizhou City.

Not only did they fail to capture the city, but they also lost more than 70,000 soldiers.

This loss is really too heavy.

If we add the hundreds of thousands of soldiers lost last time, the total loss is almost 200,000.

Although among these 200,000 people, the vast majority were Mongolians and other affiliated soldiers.

The number of Eight Banners soldiers they actually lost was only a few tens of thousands.

But even so, it is still an unbearable burden for them.

Moreover, after these two major defeats, even the Mongols and Jurchens (the Wanyan Jurchens were not the same clan as Nurhaci's Jurchens) who were dependent on them might begin to disloyalty.

For a time, the Qing emperor and his subjects were all outraged.

Many warmongers declared that they must send troops again to capture Jizhou City and launch a large-scale attack on the Song Dynasty until it was terrified.

At this time, Princess Gulun asked: "How do you resist the mysterious weapon used by Daxia?"

In one sentence, all the people who were asked remained silent.

In fact, they knew very well that without the mysterious weapon, the war could not be continued.

The losses they suffered in these two wars were so heavy that they could no longer continue fighting.

They just feel unwilling to do so.

After some discussion, they finally decided to withdraw the army.

And we must send people to investigate what secret weapon Daxia is using.

And try to steal back the drawings and production methods of secret weapons as much as possible.

And this task was given to Princess Gulun.

Princess Gulun is in charge of intelligence and rebellion. Many high-ranking officials in the court of Daxia have close ties with her.

The plan was decided, and Kang Mazi quickly issued an order to order all troops to withdraw.

However, at this time, Jia Cong's report was also delivered to the court via carrier pigeons.

After Emperor Yonglong and his ministers received the report, they were all ecstatic.

This is great news!
This young man Jia Cong is so brave!
Just when the king and his ministers were worried about whether Jizhou City would fall and whether Jia Cong would die for his country.

Without making a sound, he came up with a new weapon.

And with this weapon, more than 70,000 Qing troops were wiped out in one fell swoop.

The two attacks combined wiped out nearly 200,000 of their troops.

This time, it can be said that the Qing Dynasty was thoroughly hurt.

For at least a few years, the Qing Dynasty would no longer have the power to invade Daxia.

They have also completely occupied Jizhou City, one of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

In this case, how could they not be ecstatic?
Next, of course, we have to announce this news to the world.

And we must also reward the meritorious officials according to their contributions.

Another point is whether to continue sending prefects and other civil servants to Jizhou City.

It is not difficult to reward people according to their merits.

There are precedents on both sides, but it is a little difficult to reward Jia Cong.

After all, he had just been awarded the title of Champion Marquis last time, so how should he be awarded this time? (End of this chapter)