I'm in the Red Mansion

In that case, give them a chance.

Next, Jia Cong simply sent a declaration of war to the 30,000 Manchus, and scheduled a decisive battle with them three days later on the green grassland ten miles away.

The green grassland is a pastoral area covering dozens of miles in radius.

It is early spring now, and the tender green grass on the green grassland has just turned green and is only about an inch high.

At a glance, the whole grassland was in sight, leaving no room for an ambush.

Jia Cong chose this place as the battlefield, which showed his sincerity.

It is said that after the Manchu-Qing coalition forces received the declaration of war from Daxia, they were still afraid that Jia Cong would play tricks.

After all, they suffered a great loss last year.

However, they were very familiar with the terrain of the Green Grassland, and there was no place for an ambush.

After discussion, the three great generals of the Qing Dynasty found nothing wrong.

In addition, they have absolute confidence in their cavalry.

And they still remember Princess Gulun's evaluation of Jia Cong.

Jia Cong was good at using strange strategies, but was not good at commanding large-scale battles.

And now, the combined strength of both sides is 100,000 generals.

This can be described as a large-scale battle, which is exactly what Jia Cong is not good at.

Therefore, this time, they have the advantage of time, place and people, and there is no reason to solve the problem.

Therefore, after some discussion, the Qing Dynasty readily agreed to the request for a decisive battle.

After receiving the declaration of war from the Qing Dynasty, Jia Cong showed a look of anticipation on his face.

His command ability has been perfected for a long time.

After three days, I can show off my skills!

……

Three days later, both sides deployed their battle formations, ready for a fight to the death.

On the Daxia side, the center is composed of infantry.

Eighteen thousand cavalrymen were divided into two teams, protecting the infantry phalanxes on both wings.

When the three great generals of the Qing Dynasty saw the military formation of Daxia, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I laughed at that Jia Cong boy for being so foolish. Princess Gulun was right. He really does not have the ability to command a large-scale battle."

"We have 30,000 cavalrymen. Does he think we will use cavalry to charge the infantry phalanx without thinking?"

"Next, please ask the two generals to lead away the cavalry on both wings of Daxia. I will lead 10,000 cavalrymen to go around the Daxia infantry formation, find their flaws, and tear their formation apart."

"In this battle, I will definitely disrupt their infantry formation, defeat them in one fell swoop, and capture the young general Jia Cong of Daxia alive!"

"good!"

"good!"

On the Qing side, three cavalry units marched separately.

Two of them went straight to the cavalry on both wings and led them away.

The last cavalry of 10,000 people launched a surprise attack on the Daxia infantry phalanx.

……

An hour later, 18,000 Daxia cavalrymen followed and chased the defeated Qing cavalry.

However, at this time, hundreds of Manchu cavalrymen in the rear threw grenades backwards to cover their retreat and stop the Daxia cavalry from pursuing them.

The Daxia cavalry had no choice but to give up in disappointment.

Well, actually, Daxia had no intention of pursuing the matter any further.

As the saying goes, don't pursue a desperate enemy. Moreover, although Daxia won a great victory this time.

In this battle, more than 3,000 Qing cavalry were killed.

The remaining 20,000-odd Manchu cavalry still had the strength to fight.

If the pursuit continues, Daxia may not be able to gain the advantage.

Now that they have won a great victory, there is no need to pursue them relentlessly.

And the reason why we were able to win this battle.

All thanks to the 1,000 musketeers, the miraculous effect was achieved.

Jia Cong's command and military tactics have reached perfection.

Therefore, he easily led the 10,000 Qing cavalry to attack the gaps in the infantry formation.

However, this flaw was exactly the trap set by Jia Cong.

The thousand musketeers were already prepared, and with three-stage bursts of fire, they defeated the Qing's ten thousand cavalry in one fell swoop.

In the end, they were forced to flee in a panic, leaving behind more than 3,000 horses and corpses.

On the battlefield, a single move can affect the entire body.

This cavalry unit was defeated, and the remaining two units had to rush over to support and then retreat.

In this battle, Daxia suffered no more than a hundred casualties, which can be regarded as a great victory.

Next, Jia Cong left behind a thousand soldiers to clean up the battlefield.

Then he led the remaining soldiers and continued to advance. Jia Cong planned to capture the remaining five cities today.

Now that the Qing Dynasty's coalition forces have been defeated, there is naturally no need to continue to advance steadily.

It would be better to just make a concerted effort and take over the entire Jizhou.

What happened next was not beyond Jia Cong's expectations. The army was divided into five groups and captured the remaining five cities in just half a day.

At this point, the entire territory of Jizhou had been recovered.

That evening, the battlefield was completely cleaned up.

In this battle, 3,521 Manchus were killed, 3,216 war horses and a number of weapons and armor were seized.

They also found a dud bomb and two unlit grenades on the ground.

These three grenades still have the name of the Firearms Battalion on them, and they were all made by the Daxia Firearms Battalion.

Looking at these three grenades, Jia Cong was speechless.

These certainly did not come from their army, but from the court's firearms camp.

Jia Cong handed the grenade drawings to the court, and then the court ordered the Firearms Battalion to produce it.

Then, these grenades were not used on the Qing Dynasty, but were used on their own people first.

Next, Jia Cong ordered people to remove the gunpowder from the grenade.

Ask someone to send these grenades and the report to the capital.

Jia Cong, the Jiedushi of Jizhou, finally lived up to his title.

And then, Jia Cong also fell into busyness.

After the war, the first thing to do is to count the military achievements and report them.

Then officials and troops were dispatched to the newly captured cities.

At the same time, Jia Cong also wanted to open schools and reopen trade routes throughout Jizhou.

I'm afraid it's too late this year, so we must resume the imperial examination next year.

There were so many complicated things to deal with that Jia Cong was extremely busy.

Soon, the military merits were counted and submitted to Jia Cong.

Jia Cong saw that this time, Jia Huan had achieved another remarkable feat.

This time, as a squad leader, he actually led his team and was the first to capture the county government office in the siege. The entire team killed 23 Qing soldiers.

According to his accumulated military merits, he was promoted to centurion, and the soldiers under his command also had military merits.

Seeing this, Jia Cong couldn't help but frown.

Jia Huan is a bit clever. If he doesn't go too far, he will be promoted slowly in the army.

But now, he has gone too far.

In the same war, he relied on his status and even brought his own team members to make contributions together.

In this way, he and his small team will be promoted quickly.

But what do you make the other soldiers in the army think?
Wouldn't this undermine military discipline and make you a black sheep in the army?

In this case, this guy must be expelled from the army.

Let's arrange for him to go somewhere else.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong called Jia Cang over and asked, "Jia Cang, let me ask you, what happened to Jia Huan?"

Hearing Jia Cong's question, Jia Cang couldn't help but show a strange look on his face.

He couldn't help but say: "General, this time, Jia Huan still achieved the credit with his own ability."

Jia Cong couldn't help but sneer, "His achievements were based on his own abilities? Bullshit! Don't I know how capable he is?"

"If he continues like this, the morale of the army will be ruined by him. Go and tell him to get out of the army."

Jia Cang couldn't help but say, "General, I dare not lie. This time, Jia Huan really didn't take any shortcuts."

"Although his martial arts skills are mediocre, the soldiers under his command are all desperate and brave."

"Moreover, he commanded properly and was very good at seizing opportunities. He did not take advantage of his status to cut corners."

Jia Cang was the commander of Jia Cong's personal soldiers, and Jia Cong had instructed him to keep a secret eye on Jia Huan.

Therefore, Jia Cang had spies in the army who were closely watching Jia Huan's every move.

Jia Cang was loyal to him, and Jia Cong also trusted him quite a bit.

But this time, Jia Cong no longer trusted him.

Jia Huan’s matter is no trivial matter.

This kind of thing would be fine if it happened once or twice.

But if this trend is formed, the atmosphere in the army will be completely corrupted.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong decided to go to the army in person to find out the situation.

Next, Jia Cong went straight to the military camp and first found Jia Huan’s boss’s boss, the vanguard officer Wu Shan.

Jia Cong first asked Wu Shan, and Wu Shan's statement was almost the same as Jia Cang's, almost exactly the same.

Next, Jia Cong asked Wu Shan to call the soldiers and officers who were adjacent to Jia Cong during the battle and question them one by one.

After some questioning, the answers I got were all exactly the same.

This result made Jia Cong shocked.

He didn't expect that Jia Huan, although his martial arts skills were mediocre.

However, he actually has some talent in commanding battles and finding opportunities to fight.

Perhaps, this has something to do with the fact that he has been greedy for small gains since he was a child?

This is somewhat interesting.

In that case, why not give him a chance?
Suddenly, Jia Cong had an idea.

This matter may be hyped up a bit more.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong deliberately put on a stern face and called Wu Shan over in front of a group of officers and soldiers.

Then he said, "Jia Huan only relied on his status as my cousin, and everyone gave in to him, so he was able to achieve such a great achievement!"

"In our army, we only judge by our ability, not by our background. His achievements are not counted, so he should just serve as a squad leader." "In the future, if he makes such inexplicable and messy achievements again, I will hold you accountable."

"Also, he cannot be promoted within three years. He should just serve as a squad leader for three years. He hasn't even learned to walk yet, but he wants to run."

Wu Shan was shocked when he heard Jia Cong's words.

I thought to myself, oh no, did I end up flattering the wrong person this time?
Logically speaking, it shouldn't be possible. This time he really didn't lie. Jia Huan's military achievements were real and there was not the slightest bit of water in them.

The general didn’t say anything last time about the exaggerated military achievements, so why was he so harsh this time?

Suddenly, Wu Shan thought of something and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

The next moment, Wu Shan said angrily: "General, I don't accept it! You shouldn't deliberately suppress Jia Huan just because he is your cousin!"

"Of course, the military doesn't care about one's background, it's all about ability. But if a person is really capable, how can the general suppress him just because of his military achievements?"

Seeing Wu Shan like this, the soldiers and officers called by Jia Cong also pleaded for Jia Huan's life.

The commotion here also alarmed the soldiers outside.

After they learned the reason, they all stood up and pleaded for Jia Huan.

Seeing this scene, Jia Cong couldn't help but nod secretly.

It seems that Jia Huan is quite popular.

He does not act arrogantly because of his status, but is good at winning people's hearts.

At this moment, the kid Jia Huan also rushed over.

He stiffened his neck and shouted at Jia Cong angrily: "General, I don't accept it!"

"With my military merits, I could have been promoted to centurion last time, but the general forced me to do it!"

"I have made another contribution this time, and the general has suppressed my contribution again!"

"Is it because of my identity as a member of the Jia family? If so, I'd rather not be a member of the Jia family!"

Jia Cong said in a deep voice: "How outrageous!"

Jia Huan stiffened his neck, snorted angrily, and simply ignored Jia Cong and looked up at the sky.

After this commotion, all the soldiers in the vanguard camp came together to plead for Jia Huan.

Jia Cong took a deep breath and said, "Forget it. This time, let him be promoted to centurion temporarily."

"If I find out that he has done anything wrong in the future, I will kick him out of the army, and you will also be held responsible!"

After saying this, Jia Cong walked away with a sullen face.

After Jia Cong left, the soldiers in the vanguard camp couldn't help but cheer loudly.

After the soldiers dispersed, Wu Shan found Jia Huan and said with a smile: "Boy, the general loves you deeply and blames you severely. Don't blame the general."

"What you just said must have chilled the general's heart. Why don't you go and apologize to the general?"

Jia Huan snorted and ignored it.

After Wu Shan persuaded him several times, Jia Huan reluctantly agreed. He left the military camp, strolled, and went straight to the governor's mansion.

Soon, Jia Huan was invited into the study.

After entering the study, Jia Huan hurriedly greeted Jia Cong.

Jia Cong glanced at him and asked, "Weren't you very ambitious just now? What do you mean by this Jia family kid? It's better not to do it."

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "Third Brother Cong, I was just acting with you just now, how can you take it seriously?"

"If I'm not your cousin, who would know who I am? How could I be promoted so quickly?"

"But this time, I really didn't cheat to gain this military achievement. It was a real achievement!"

"Now that I am a centurion, I will definitely be able to achieve more military merits in the future. Brother Cong will only see how I perform in the future."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Actually, I didn't expect you to really make much contribution. I brought you out, so I will naturally bring you back safely."

"But now you have grown up and have your own pursuits, so just go with it."

"Oh, right, do the whole act. Later, you will kneel outside my house for a night. When someone passes by and sees you tomorrow, you can get up and leave."

After hearing this, Jia Huan couldn't help but say with a bitter face: "Third Brother Cong, you don't have to be so cruel, right?"

Jia Cong said calmly: "It's up to you whether to kneel or not. Kneeling naturally has its benefits."

"If you really have confidence in yourself, then go and kneel. This kneeling will surely attract many people's attention to you."

"If you make more contributions in the future, it will be easier to get promoted. Of course, if you don't have the ability and are being watched by so many people, it won't take long for you to be exposed."

"Whether to kneel or not is entirely up to you."

Hearing this, Jia Huan gritted his teeth and said, "I'll kneel!"

Jia Huan knelt there until dawn the next day, until many people saw him kneeling there and he had put on a show, and then Jia Huan stood up.

He was carried back.

Naturally, this scene spread in the army and the city.

After hearing this story, everyone admired the governor very much.

Your Excellency the Jiedushi is truly a saint!

Not only did he not help his cousin at all, he even deliberately suppressed him.

He is indeed the great judge!

At the same time, everyone began to sympathize with Jia Huan.

Many people's eyes were also focused on Jia Huan.

They wanted to see how far this young man from the Jia family, who was suppressed by the general, could go in the end.

……

A few days later, the Qing court received the report from Jizhou.

When they learned that Daxia had actually sent troops from Jizhou City and began to recapture Jizhou.

The emperor and his subjects were all furious.

But at the same time, they felt fear in their hearts.

The truth is, this young general from Great Xia in Jizhou City is really too amazing.

Last year alone, more than 170,000 of their soldiers were killed.

Such a loss would take them several years to recover from.

Now that Jizhou City has sent out troops, how can they resist?
What would they do if Daxia took the opportunity to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?

Next, the Qing emperor and his ministers began to discuss whether to send troops and, if so, how many troops to send.

Finally, Princess Gulun said, "If we wait for us to gather the troops and send them to the front, it will take at least a month."

"And within a month, I'm afraid the war in Jizhou would have ended long ago."

"There are only 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers in Jizhou City now, and he must have left at least 20,000 troops to defend the city."

"In this case, the army that Jizhou City can send out is only 40,000 to 50,000."

"An army of 40,000 to 50,000 people is not enough for him to retake the other 15 states. Therefore, I guess their goal is only to retake Jizhou."

"Moreover, the three generals from Danzhou, Shunzhou, and Youzhou will definitely send troops."

"Even if they only send out 30,000 soldiers, a field battle will surely tie up Daxia's forces."

"Therefore, I think we can wait for news from these three cities before making a decision."

"If these three cities can hold back the Great Xia army, or even defeat it, we naturally won't need to send out any more troops."

"And if you can't stop it, then we can figure it out later."

"It is the Daxia army that has suddenly come up with a new type of firearm this time. This type of firearm can be activated without ignition."

"And the range is far greater than that of a bow and arrow, and it can fire continuously and densely."

"This firearm is so powerful that it is almost impossible to defeat it. We must get the blueprints and develop it as soon as possible."

"Otherwise, if all the Daxia troops are equipped with this kind of weapons, we will have no chance of winning against Daxia."

After hearing this, Kang Mazi nodded and said, "Good."

"Royal sister, I'll leave this matter to you."

Princess Gulun nodded and said, "Since we were able to get the blueprints for the hand grenade before, it shouldn't be difficult to get the blueprints for this new musket."

……

A few days later, Jia Cong's victory news also reached the capital.

When the ministers saw this, they all congratulated Emperor Yonglong.

This champion marquis is indeed a tough guy.

This time, without relying on the solidity of the city walls or the power of grenades, they actually defeated the Eight Banners Cavalry head-on in a field battle.

This battle once again broke the myth of the Eight Banner Army's invincibility.

It also breaks the myth that if the Eight Banners have less than 10,000 soldiers, they are invincible.

Of course, the reason why this battle was easily won was actually due to the flintlock rifle.

If the flintlock rifle had not suddenly shown its power, even if the battle could have been won, it would have been a narrow victory.

Therefore, the reason for victory this time was entirely due to the power of the flintlock rifle.

At this time, Emperor Yonglong couldn't help but recall what Jia Cong said when he met him at the beginning of the year.

He said at the time that Western muskets and cannons were very powerful, and it would be best to introduce them and study and manufacture them.

Otherwise, if we encounter them in future wars, we will definitely suffer great losses.

Today I know that what Jia Cong said was true!
At this time, Prime Minister Qin couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, the new flintlock rifles used by the Champion Marquis and the cannons used for siege are incredibly powerful."

"If we can promote this throughout the army, it won't be long before we can retake the other fifteen states!"

"Therefore, I think we should still let the Champion Marquis provide the blueprints, hand them over to the Firearms Battalion for manufacturing, and then promote them throughout the army."

"This move is also to protect the Champion Marquis. After all, such a powerful weapon is in the hands of one person."

"Over time, the people around him may become disloyal."

Prime Minister Qin's last two sentences were extremely vicious.

It would be fine if Jia Cong would hand over the drawings obediently.

If he refuses to hand over the drawings, such a powerful weapon will be in his hands alone. Who knows if he will have any other thoughts?
Moreover, Prime Minister Qin did not say that Jia Cong would definitely have ulterior motives, but rather that the people around him might have ulterior motives.

Just like Zhao Kuangyin who was crowned with the yellow robe, he himself may not want to make progress, but the people around him will help him make progress.

After these words were spoken, even if Jia Cong really handed over the blueprints, Emperor Yonglong would probably be wary of him.

After Qin Xiang, Prince Zhongshun also followed suit.

Afterwards, Qin Xiang and his faction, and a large number of officials followed suit.

When Prime Minister Kou heard that Prime Minister Qin's faction was throwing dirty water on his disciple, he became furious.

Just as he was about to speak, he heard Emperor Yonglong say:
"Just now, the Champion Marquis mentioned something in the victory report, but I forgot to mention it just now."

"Marquis Guanjun said that the Qing cavalry was defeated. When our Great Xia cavalry was chasing them, the Qing soldiers who were left behind threw hundreds of grenades back."

"Three of them had their fuses unlit and were picked up. It turned out that these grenades were made by my Great Xia Firearms Battalion."

"Hahahaha! My dear ministers, tell me, is this funny or not?"

"Last time, it was you who asked the Champion Marquis to hand over the blueprints, and then the Firearms Battalion started making grenades."

"The first batch was just manufactured and has not yet been used in the army. It has not exploded in the Qing camp."

"The first time it was used, it was actually used on my Great Xia soldiers. Tell me, is this ridiculous?" (End of this chapter)