I'm in the Red Mansion

Jia Cong asked the Xue family to collect these seeds, so the collection was done very quickly and did not delay the spring planting.

Of these seeds, perhaps only sweet potatoes are the slowest to collect.

Because growing sweet potatoes does not involve planting them directly, but requires raising seedlings.

Plant the sweet potatoes in a warm depression, then water them daily to encourage the growth of sprouts.

In later generations, there is no need to look for depressions. People can just cover them with film to create artificial greenhouses.

However, this is not a problem for the Xue family. As long as they have money, they can just buy sweet potato seedlings directly. It's just a matter of spending a little more money.

The Xue family naturally has no shortage of this money.

While Jia Cong promoted these new crops in the four states, he did not plan to promote them among the people right from the start.

These crops are also grown on small areas in some parts of Daxia.

However, due to the lack of government promotion, it did not gain recognition from the people.

There will inevitably be troubles when promoting it for the first time, and it will be difficult to convince the people in a short period of time.

Except for Jizhou, Jia Cong actually left most of the land in the remaining three states undistributed.

At present, there are relatively few people from Daxia in these three states.

If all the land is distributed equally to them now, there will be no land to be distributed when the population increases in the future.

Therefore, Jia Cong left a group of people behind so that when the population increased, there would be more land to be distributed.

Therefore, Jia Cong could grow these new crops in the land he left behind.

And when the autumn harvest comes, people can be hired to come and harvest.

Once they see the per-acre yield of these new crops, he will believe that people will be willing to grow them without him having to promote and guide them deliberately.

At that time, just a little guidance will be enough.

And as long as several new types of crops can be promoted within a few years, the four states will not only be able to achieve self-sufficiency in food, but will definitely have a surplus.

……

The military generals of Daxia were originally divided into two factions, one of which was the Four Kings and Eight Dukes faction.

Another faction is the Yuanchu faction.

These two factions are fighting each other.

The faction of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes has actually declined.

For example, the post of Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp originally belonged to the Jia family.

However, the descendants of the Jia family were not good and there were also problems with taking sides, and they eventually lost this position.

The Jia family also supported Wang Ziteng to take this position.

But Wang Ziteng was a hopeless case and soon lost his position, and the Wang family was soon ransacked.

Even the Rongguo Mansion was stripped of its title and moved away.

Among the faction of four kings and eight dukes, only Prince Beijing and Niu Jizong can hold up the scene now.

Of course, now there is another Jia Cong.

Even Jia Cong, a latecomer, had surpassed Prince Beijing and Niu Jizong and became the leader of the new generation of four kings and eight dukes.

And because of Jia Cong's rise, the faction of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes showed signs of rising again.

This made the Yuanchu faction very uneasy.

In factional struggles, either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind.

Once the four kings and eight dukes faction gains the upper hand, they will be the ones in trouble.

The vast majority of their faction would probably suffer the same fate as the Rongguo Mansion, being stripped of their titles and expelled from the mansion.

This is naturally what they don't want to see.

But now, Jia Cong is a new noble in the court and is deeply trusted by the emperor.

Moreover, recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun would be an unprecedented achievement.

They really couldn't find any military achievements that could compare with Jia Cong.

The Yuanchu faction was naturally unwilling to be surpassed by the Four Kings and Eight Dukes faction.

So, after repeated internal consultations, they decided.

Since Jia Cong was able to recover four of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, they can do it too.

After the invention of the flintlock rifle, the Qing Dynasty was not as scary as they imagined.

Since Jia Cong's army was able to defeat the Qing army, why couldn't they?

Therefore, they could launch a siege on the remaining Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun from other places and then recapture them.

If they can recover the remaining twelve states, their contribution will surely far exceed that of Jia Cong.

In this way, they can firmly suppress the factions of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes and prevent them from rising again forever.

Of course, they had no intention of wiping out all the factions of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes.

They also understand the principle that when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked, and when the birds are all gone, the good bows are put away.

If the factions of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes were destroyed, then their Yuanchu faction would surely become a thorn in the emperor's side, and the emperor would then try every means to weaken them.

It is enough for them to prevent the four kings and eight dukes from turning over.

In order to achieve their goal, they even did not hesitate to show goodwill to Prime Minister Qin.

Because they need the help of Qin Xiang's faction.

The peace faction represented by Qin Xiang has been somewhat suppressed by the war faction in the past two years.

Because Jia Cong's performance in the past two years has been so amazing, he has always been suppressing the Qing Dynasty.

They also recovered four states. Since they could gain such rich rewards by fighting, why did they still want peace?

Those who advocate peace will gain nothing except loss.

Therefore, in the past two years, the ranks of the pro-war faction have grown increasingly stronger.

The peace faction, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly weaker.

If this continues, the peace faction will probably never recover.

Even the Prime Minister Qin felt uneasy.

Therefore, when the Yuanchu faction came knocking on the door, the two sides were like a perfect match and quickly hit it off.

Next, Wei Tao, Duke of Weiguo, who was the leader of the Yuanchu faction, took the initiative to write a letter requesting to mobilize from three directions to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

One of the routes launched an attack from Yanmen Pass and recaptured Shuozhou and Huanzhou.

The second route started from Yizhou and recaptured Zhuozhou.

The third route started from Hejian and recovered Yingzhou.

After the second and third routes have recaptured Zhuozhou and Yingzhou respectively, the two sides can merge and then take Zhuozhou.

At this point, the connection between the remaining states and the Qing Dynasty can be completely cut off, making it impossible for them to take care of each other.

And then, they can rely on these states to continuously increase their troops.

Five years later, the entire Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun will be recovered.

Wei Tao's request for war attracted the attention of the emperor and his ministers in the court.

It has to be said that Wei Tao's report is highly feasible.

If we can successfully recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, then the Great Xia Empire will be unbreakable.

The Third General will no longer be a threat, and the Manchus will never dare to look south again.

They could even send troops step by step to weaken or even destroy the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, none of Daxia's ministers were born peace advocates, and none of them were born wanting to surrender.

It was because they were really unable to win the battles before, and were defeated again and again until they lost the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

They were completely hurt and frightened by the Qing Dynasty, so they compromised step by step and became peace advocates.

Look at the heyday of the Han and Tang dynasties. Were there peace advocates and surrender factions in the court?

If one cannot defeat the opponent, who would be willing to submit to others?
Today, Daxia is becoming stronger and stronger, and it has won victory after victory in wars against the Qing Dynasty.

This also completely stimulated their spirit.

Jia Cong's victory also made them misjudge the strength of the Qing Dynasty.

I think the Qing Dynasty was no more than that.

Under the promotion of Prime Minister Qin, more and more ministers began to agree with Wei Tao's battle plan.

However, the pro-war leaders such as Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai fell silent.

They were not blinded by victory.

They were very clearly aware that it was not that the Qing Dynasty was too weak, but that the Marquis of Guanjun was too strong.

Nowadays, let alone a siege, even in a field battle, there is no one except the army of Marquis Guanjun.

I’m afraid that Xia’s army still cannot defeat the Qing Dynasty.

Not to mention siege warfare.

In a siege, the defending side will inevitably have an absolute advantage.

If we launch an attack rashly, we will surely end in failure.

However, it is difficult for them to say this.

After all, they are the war party.

Why was it possible for Guanjun Hou to recover four states in just a few years, but someone else couldn't do it?

Is it possible that Guanjun Hou is the only one in the entire Daxia who can defeat the Qing Dynasty?
Just because Marquis Guanjun is your disciple and your son-in-law, will you allow Marquis Guanjun to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?

But others cannot recover it? Can't defend their country?

You are forming a clique for personal gain! You are plotting something bad!
Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai knew very well that if they stood up to oppose, they would certainly be attacked by the peace faction.

Therefore, they chose to remain silent.

And since no one objected, Wei Tao's combat proposal was smoothly passed.

The generals in these three directions are all from the Yuanchu faction.

The imperial court decided to increase the number of troops in each direction by 50,000, for a total of 150,000 troops in the three directions.

Adding the 50,000 troops originally present in these three places, the total number of troops is 300,000.

The 300,000 soldiers and horses will be divided into three groups to launch a war to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

In everyone's opinion, an army of 100,000 in each direction was already a lot.

You have to know that when Guanjun Hou first came to Jizhou, he had only 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers and horses.

In just two years, they conquered three states.

Now they have 100,000 soldiers and horses coming up each way, and the total number is five times that of the Champion Marquis!
Is it possible not to take over a few states?

Soon, Jia Cong also heard about this battle plan.

When Jia Cong learned the news, he couldn't help but shook his head.

How could it be so easy to capture the Qing Dynasty’s cities?
Don't be fooled by the fact that he seems to be invincible.

But this was based on the absolute crushing power of his weapons and his high morale.

Moreover, the training of his army far surpassed that of other armies in the imperial court.

The food in his army is definitely the best in Daxia, the weapons are also the best in Daxia, and the military discipline is still the strictest in Daxia.

This time, if the imperial court rashly launches an attack, it will probably suffer defeat.

Because, when he learned the news, he was afraid that the Qing Dynasty had also learned the news.

Once the Qing Dynasty got wind of the news, they would certainly defend the cities with all their might. How could these cities be so easy to conquer?

However, can we take advantage of this opportunity to fish in troubled waters?
For a moment, Jia Cong fell into deep thought.

It seems that it is not impossible to try.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong couldn't help but pick up the map and think deeply.

Well, now they still have 40,000 Fucha troops and are not afraid of sacrifice, so it is not impossible to give it a try.

The Fucha Army was the surrendered Qing army, now led by Xiaoyao Bo Fucha Chusheng. This army was very brave when fighting against the Qing.

And even if more people died, Jia Cong didn't feel sad.

And if they changed into Qing Dynasty clothes, they could get away with it perfectly.

Jia Cong didn't ask them to cut their braids, and each of them still had a braid.

This is not something that cannot be utilized.

……

By the way, the Qing Dynasty naturally also learned of this news.

The Qing emperor and his subjects were all extremely angry.

They angrily scolded Daxia for having no martial ethics and no sense of contract.

We have just agreed to peace and non-aggression between the two countries.

In the blink of an eye, he went back on his word and was about to launch an attack on them.

Daxia is really too despicable and shameless.

They never considered that they were the first to be unreasonable and dishonest.

However, the complaints of the weak are destined to be useless.

The entire Qing Dynasty began to respond quickly.

Since Daxia is going to attack, they must defend themselves strictly and must not let Daxia recapture the remaining states so easily.

However, it was fraught with difficulties to send a large army from the imperial court to provide support.

Because there are three states separated by it: Jizhou, Shunzhou and Youzhou.

They can support Yingzhou and Zhuozhou, but they are unable to support the other two places.

Fortunately, for the other two places, we can actually mobilize troops from other surrounding states to help defend the city.

However, we still have to be on guard against that Champion Marquis to prevent him from taking the opportunity to send troops.

Therefore, the troops from Guizhou and Ruzhou, which bordered the territory of Marquis Guanjun, could not be mobilized at all.

Otherwise, Marquis Guanjun would certainly take the opportunity to send troops and seize these two states.

As for the other states, each state can provide support of 10,000 troops.

Moreover, they could also borrow 100,000 troops from Mongolia.

Provide support to two of them, with 50,000 troops in each place.

In the end, the emperor and his ministers worked together to make deployment plans in three places.

After the ministers left, Princess Gulun did not leave.

Kang Mazi couldn't help but ask, "I wonder what the emperor is thinking about?"

Princess Gulun could not help but say: "If the Grand Marquis of Daxia is not removed, he will be a disaster for the Qing Dynasty sooner or later."

"If this man is not removed, he will be the one to destroy the Qing Dynasty in the future!"

Kang Mazi sighed and said, "Now that this man has become powerful, how difficult is it to get rid of him?"

"Unless we mobilize the whole country and attack it from all directions, we can only eliminate it."

"However, even if we can use this strategy to get rid of him, it will certainly cause great damage to the vitality of the Qing Dynasty and will definitely shake the foundation of the country. It is really not worth the loss!"

Princess Gulun shook her head and said, "As the emperor said, this man has become powerful and it is difficult to get rid of him through war."

"However, we can try a counter-espionage strategy and use Daxia to get rid of this champion marquis."

"If we can get rid of this Champion Marquis, then the crisis of our Qing Dynasty will be easily resolved!"

"Even if we can seize the opportunity to use it for our own benefit, it would not be impossible for us to destroy Daxia and occupy the Central Plains."

Hearing this, Kang Mazi's heart couldn't help but be moved.

Indeed.

As long as they can kill Marquis Guanjun, the crisis of their Qing Dynasty will be resolved.

And if they could obtain the title of Champion Marquis, with this sharp sword, they would be almost unstoppable in conquering the Central Plains.

The court of Daxia loved internal fighting the most.

It is not impossible to let their own people kill the Champion Marquis.

Well, actually Daxia is not the only country that likes internal fighting.

Didn't the Qing Dynasty also like internal strife?
And their infighting is often more brutal and bloody.

Internal strife is good. With internal strife, there is a possibility of getting rid of the Champion Marquis at the lowest cost.

Thinking of this, Kang Mazi couldn't help but say: "Royal sister, you are the best at this matter, so naturally I will leave it to you to handle it."

Princess Gulun nodded and said, "I will personally take charge of this matter."

"I would like to personally see the elegance of this Champion Marquis! He is truly an extraordinary figure throughout the ages, not inferior to the ancient sages!"

……

Next, both the Qing Dynasty and the Daxia began to mobilize troops.

Both sides are preparing for battle and are ready to go.

Three months later, the three armies of Daxia were all ready, and they agreed on a date to act together.

The leader of the Yuanchu faction, Duke Wei Tao of Weiguo, led an army of 100,000 from Daizhou and headed directly for Shuozhou.

Shuozhou is the westernmost state among the Sixteen States of Yanyun, and is his best choice.

Because if you choose other states, you will easily be attacked from all sides by the Qing Dynasty.

Wei Tao is also a veteran and has made great military achievements.

They also fought against the Qing Dynasty many times. Although they won fewer battles than they lost, they were still able to escape unscathed.

This kind of record was already a very remarkable achievement in the past.

This time, his army was also equipped with 20,000 musketeers.

Wei Tao felt that he was fine again.

A mere teenager who has barely reached the age of twenty was able to recapture four states. Could it be that he, an old veteran, is not as good as a teenager?
This time, Wei Tao also prepared cannons.

A lot of siege equipment was prepared.

He planned to replicate Jia Cong's method, laying siege to the city, then sending troops to intercept the Qing reinforcements while using cannons to blast open the city gates, charging directly into the city and seizing the entire Shuozhou.

Soon, Wei Tao entered the territory of Shuozhou.

Ahead is the first city in Shuozhou.

Today is the first day of fighting, so let's take the first city of the Qing Dynasty first, so as to get off to a good start.

However, before his troops could reach the city, the Qing Dynasty took the initiative to leave the city and prepare to defend against the enemy outside the city.

The Qing Dynasty's choice was far beyond Wei Tao's expectations.

The defenders had already gained a great advantage, and he had never expected that the Qing Dynasty would choose to engage in hand-to-hand combat with them.

In the past, Wei Tao also had a lot of experience in fighting against the Qing Dynasty.

However, every time, he played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses, trying his best to avoid field battles with the Qing Dynasty.

After all, field battles were the strength of the Qing army and the weakness of the Xia army.

But now, he is the attacking party. He leads the army in the wild, and he has no choice to fight or not.

Next, Wei Tao quickly deployed his troops into battle formation, with 20,000 musketeers deployed in four directions, ready to fight a decisive battle with the Qing army.

Unexpectedly, upon seeing this, the Qing army did not attack, but slowly retreated.

And Wei Tao did not dare to pursue actively.

It seemed that the Qing army just came to meet them before the war.

However, this side left a huge shadow on Wei Tao.

It seems that this siege may not be as smooth as he imagined.

One day later, Wei Tao arrived at the first city and surrounded the city.

However, he was not in a hurry to attack the city. Instead, he planned to rest for a day and wait until tomorrow to blast open the city gate and destroy the city.

That night, just as Wei Tao had expected, the Qing army attacked the barracks at night.

Although Wei Tao had taken precautions, the Manchus did not choose a brutal charge during this attack on the camp.

Instead, he hid in the dark and kept throwing grenades, causing heavy casualties to Wei Tao's army.

On the second day, Wei Tao decided to quickly take over the city.

Then, relying on the city, they could deal with the Qing army.

Unexpectedly, the city gate could not be broken open for a long time.

He brought five cannons, but after a whole hour, he still couldn't blast open the city gate.

The Qing cavalry launched attacks on Xia's army from three directions.

Two of the routes were guarded by musketeers, so the Qing army retreated in time.

The other group failed to set up their musket formation in time, and as a result were charged by the Qing cavalry, resulting in heavy casualties.

And these Qing cavalrymen were wandering around like a pack of hunting wolves.

As long as Xia Jun showed a flaw, they would pounce on him and bite him.

After biting them, they would retreat decisively without any lingering fight.

As a result, the army led by Wei Tao was completely helpless against the Qing cavalry around them.

In one day, the Xia army suffered two to three thousand casualties, and they couldn't even blast open the city gate.

This day's battle finally made Wei Tao sober up completely.

The Qing Dynasty is still the same Qing Dynasty.

It’s not that the Qing army was no longer capable, but that Guanjun Hou was too powerful.

He led a mere 100,000 troops, but after a day's work, he suffered heavy casualties and failed to capture even a small city.

Wanting to take over the entire Shuozhou is completely wishful thinking.

But now, he has been trapped here.

The boasting has been spread, the three armies have been dispatched, and the army is already at the gates of the city.

At this point, he could no longer retreat.

If he withdrew his troops when he saw the situation was not good, he would be committing the crime of deceiving the emperor!

Therefore, for now, he can only lose but not retreat.

At this time, Wei Tao was worried about the other two armies.

His journey was so dangerous, I wonder how the other two routes are doing now?

The main generals of those two routes were both generals of their Yuanchu lineage.

Although those two were also veterans, their abilities were inferior to his.

Now that even I can hardly withstand the attack of the Qing army, I am afraid the situation for those two people will be even more dangerous.

And if they suffer a major defeat, I'm afraid their Yuanchu lineage will never recover!

Thinking of this, Wei Tao's face became even uglier.

What he didn't know was that at this time, the other two groups had also won a great victory.

They captured a city very easily along each route.

The Qing army did not dare to fight them head-on, and after they blasted open the city gates, they fled in all directions.

The two armies ordered their men to control the entire city while rushing eight hundred miles to report the good news.

Their confidence was completely aroused.

They were confident that they could recover the entire Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in a very short time.

They can also be promoted to higher positions based on their military achievements. (End of this chapter)