I'm in the Red Mansion

At this point, Jia Cong couldn't help but sigh, saying that it was easy to defeat the thieves on the mountain, but difficult to defeat the thieves in the heart.

Jia Cong simply stopped trying to persuade her and let her see it slowly and figure it out on her own.

Since Xue Baochai objected, Jia Cong simply excluded her and did not ask her to help Lin Daiyu with anything.

Xue Baochai was very distressed about this, but she could do nothing about it.

Soon, girls' schools sprang up like mushrooms in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

In order to attract students, Jia Cong played a little trick.

Jia Cong's external propaganda only said that these female students would be sent to the palace in the future, or sent to serve as concubines to princesses and county ladies.

Moreover, students who attended the girls' school not only did not have to pay tuition fees, but they were also provided with food, clothing, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone, and even received a subsidy of 100 coins per month.

This was also the result of Jia Cong's helplessness.

Without such publicity, I am afraid that girls' schools in various places would not be able to recruit students at all.

Then the first step is wasted right from the start, so how can we talk about the future?
Sure enough, after this kind of publicity, girls' schools soon became a sensation in various states.

If you enter a girls' school, you may be sent to the palace in the future!

Even if one could become a tutor or a concubine to a princess or a county lady, it would be an unexpected surprise that one could reach the top in one step!
Therefore, many girls were sent to girls' schools at one time.

For a time, the girls' school was overcrowded.

And Lin Daiyu became the principal of all girls' schools.

Many specific affairs are in charge of her.

During this period, Lin Daiyu encountered many problems.

However, with the help of Jia Cong, these problems were solved one by one.

In the following period of time, the development of Yanyun area further accelerated.

With the conquest of the Qing Dynasty, Youzhou had more funds thanks to the large amount of gold and silver sent by the Qing Dynasty.

The main road in Yanyun area is now gradually taking shape.

Steam cars also began to increase in number.

The steam engine was even further applied to the public.

For example, a rotary plow driven by a steam engine, etc.

And because of the promotion of the three crops, not only did the Yanyun area achieve self-sufficiency in crops, but there was even a surplus.

The gradual popularization of steam engines also released labor.

The release of labor further drives the development of handicraft industry.

The Chamber of Commerce in Yanyun is also becoming more and more prosperous.

Such prosperity gradually began to stimulate the emergence of capital.

The rapid development of Yanyun made Jia Cong increasingly busy.

Jia Cong began to promote the Yanyun Monthly in the Yanyun area.

Yanyun Monthly News is mainly popular in the Yanyun area.

The Yanyun Monthly also guides the development of the Yanyun area through public opinion.

……

In the capital of Daxia, Jia Baoyu's second son was born and named Ermao.

Jia Baoyu's second book, A Dream of Red Mansions, was also completed.

After reading it, the owner of the bookstore couldn't help but clapping his hands in amazement.

He directly offered a price of one hundred and fifty taels of silver to buy it out.

He also liked Zhi Yanzhai's comments in the book very much, and when he was preparing to publish it, he included Zhi Yanzhai's comments.

He also made an agreement with Jia Baoyu about a new book.

Naturally, Jia Baoyu had no choice but to respond.

This time, the owner of the bookstore directly printed 20,000 copies of Feng Yue Bao Jian.

The Lord of the Crimson Flower Cave also gained some popularity because of the first book, Stealing Jade and Stealing Fragrance.

After the second book was published, it triggered another wave of buying sprees.

Six thousand copies were sold in the capital alone.

As for the remaining books, there will be no problem selling them outside the capital.

The second book written by Lord Crimson Flower Cave, Fengyue Baojian, is much more delicate and profound than the first one.

It is becoming more and more popular among readers.

At this time, readers of Feng Yue Bao Jian also began to speculate about the identity of Zhi Yanzhai in the book.

Some people speculate that Zhi Yanzhai must be the confidante of the owner of Jianghua Cave.

Some people speculate that Zhi Yanzhai was the maid of the owner of Jianghua Cave.

Some people also speculate that Zhi Yanzhai is a man and a good friend of the master of Jianghua Cave.

Some people even speculate that Zhi Yanzhai is the elder of the master of Jianghua Cave, because his comments inadvertently reveal the tone of an elder.

Well, I have to say, the last guess was actually correct.

The popularity of the second book also made Jia Baoyu excited.

This was the first time in his life that he found the meaning of life.

He began to work hard on his third book.

Even Jia Zheng began to love writing comments.

It is said that this book, The Mirror of Love and Lust, had unknowingly become popular in Youzhou.

I don't know where Jia Huan got this book from, but after reading it, he thought it was very well written.

So he couldn't help but present it to Jia Cong like a treasure.

When Jia Cong opened the Mirror of Love and Lust, he actually saw some shadows of Dream of the Red Chamber in it.

This book is of course far from Dream of the Red Chamber, but it does contain some shadows of Dream of the Red Chamber to a certain extent.

After all, how similar is Jia Baoyu's experience to Cao Xueqin's?

How could there be no similarities between two authors who have similar experiences and whose books both show signs of being based on their own experiences?

Moreover, Jia Cong found the comments by Zhi Yanzhai in the book quite interesting.

When Jia Cong saw the author, Master of the Crimson Flower Cave, he couldn't help but come up with a bold guess?

Remember that when Jia Baoyu was a child, he was nicknamed the Lord of the Crimson Flower Cave?
Could this book be written by Jia Baoyu?
However, it is hard to guess who Zhi Yanzhai is in the story.

However, Jia Cong felt that he might have been overthinking. He felt it was unlikely that it was written by Jia Baoyu.

Now that this guy is poor and destitute, he still has the mind to write a book?

But Lin Daiyu really wrote a letter home, and Jia Cong also wrote a letter, urging Prime Minister Kou to come to Youzhou.

In the end, the two men were moved, and with the help of Jia Cong, they moved their family to Youzhou.

After arriving in Youzhou, Jia Cong settled the two people down and asked them to help him govern Youzhou.

One of these two people is the prime minister of the current dynasty, and the other is also a senior official at the ministerial level.

Isn't it easy to manage the Yanyun area?
However, neither Prime Minister Kou nor Lin Ruhai agreed to Jia Cong's request immediately.

The two of them went together and took a personal tour around the Yanyun area.

After traveling throughout the Yanyun area, the two couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions.

How many years did it take to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?

They had never expected that things would develop to this point.

The development of Yanyun was far beyond the expectations of the two.

I have to say that the development of Yanyun is really too fast.

They both felt that even if they were asked to do it, they would never be able to achieve this level in just a few years.

Through the experience during this period, the two of them also saw some of Jia Cong's governance concepts.

Some of these ideas made Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai marvel at them.

And there are some things that the two of them find difficult to agree on.

After all, the education received by both parties, and their world views and values ​​are completely different.

After returning, the two found Jia Cong.

After the host and the guest sat down, Kou Xiang first asked himself: "My Lord, I want to ask you a question. Do you have the intention to compete for the throne of the Central Plains?"

Hearing this question, Jia Cong's heart skipped a beat.

Of course he has this intention.

However, I don’t know whether I should say it.

He was naturally not afraid that Prime Minister Kou would expose him to the court. The court was currently in a difficult situation, and as long as he was not a blatant cavalry rebellion, the court would just pretend not to know about it.

What Jia Cong was worried about was whether Prime Minister Kou was blindly loyal to the court and the Li royal family.

If so, as long as I reveal my ambitions, how could Prime Minister Kou possibly help me?

Not only Prime Minister Kou, but even his father-in-law Lin Ruhai and Jia Cong had such concerns.

After all, Lin Ruhai was a lone minister before, and he did not care about his own life in order to maintain the friendship between the emperor and his subjects.

But think about it the other way around. You can hide it for a while, but not forever.

They will find out eventually, so there is no point in hiding it.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong said, "Prime Minister Kou, what if there is, what if there is not?"

Although this sentence did not give a direct answer, the rebellious intention was already obvious.

After hearing this, Kou Xiang nodded and said, "If that's the case, I have a second question for you."

Hearing these words, Jia Cong felt relieved.

He hurriedly said, "Prime Minister Kou, please ask."

Kou Xiang asked himself: "My second question is, will the Marquis take back the land in the future and redistribute it to the people?"

"Will the equal-field system and the single-whip tax system be implemented throughout the country in the future?"

"Will the Marquis reform the content of the imperial examination in the future and change the examination content to new learning?"

After hearing these questions, Jia Cong couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Is this a question you are asking, old man?

This is clearly a series of questions!

However, the answers to these questions probably also mean the question of whether or not they will be loyal to themselves in the future.

Thinking of this, Jia Cong could not help but say: "Prime Minister Kou, that's true. In the future, I will indeed implement the equal-field system and the land tax system throughout the country."

"As for the content of the future imperial examinations, I will also make changes. From now on, the new learning will be the main focus, supplemented by the Four Books and Five Classics."

It is not even a question of supporting the main text. Jia Cong plans to significantly reduce the proportion of the Four Books and Five Classics in the future.

After hearing this, Kou Xiang couldn't help but frown and asked, "My Lord, do you know that your actions have affected the interests of scholars?"

"And governing the world depends on scholars. Without the help of scholars, how can you govern the world in the future?"

"The content of the imperial examination has remained the same throughout the dynasties. How can it be easily changed?"

Hearing what Prime Minister Kou said, Jia Cong smiled and asked, "May I ask Prime Minister Kou, the biggest reason why Daxia is so weak is that it treats scholars too well?"

"So much so that most of the land was in the hands of the gentry, and they didn't have to pay taxes."

"The people have less and less land, but the taxes they pay are getting heavier?"

"There are many scholars in the world, and there are also many people who want to be officials. There is no need to worry about no one coming up to be an official."

"As for the content of the imperial examination, I would also like to ask Prime Minister Kou, how many people who passed the examination and became officials still read the Four Books and Five Classics?"

"How many people use the Four Books and Five Classics to govern the country?"

"How many of those scholars who have spent their whole lives studying classics are inflexible and ignorant of government affairs once they pass the imperial examination and become officials?"

"The Four Books and Five Classics are just a stepping stone to the imperial examination. In fact, the imperial examination is not about what is tested, but about providing a channel for poor children to advance."

After Jia Cong finished speaking, not only Prime Minister Kou, but even Lin Ruhai fell into deep thought.

In the eyes of the literati, Jia Cong's words were too heretical and treasonous.

However, both Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai were pragmatic officials. Thinking about it carefully, what Jia Cong said actually made a lot of sense.

After thinking for a long time, Lin Ruhai couldn't help but ask: "Brother Cong, is it possible that learning new knowledge will be useful?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Of course there are. I believe that Prime Minister Kou and my father-in-law have seen the development of my Yanyun area."

"I wonder what you think of the development of my Yanyun area?"

Lin Ruhai nodded and said, "It is developing very fast. Although it is not as fast as Jiangnan, it is not much worse than any other place in Daxia."

Jia Cong said: "And this is all the power of new learning!"

"Today, the new learning in the West is far ahead of our Great Xia."

"In their country, steam engines have become widely used, and their development is changing with each passing day."

"If we don't catch up, we will undoubtedly be bullied by them in the future."

"Because if you fall behind you will be beaten!"

After hearing this, Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai looked at each other and exchanged glances.

Then Kou Xiang said: "What the Marquis said today really overturned our previous understanding."

"Let us go back and think about it carefully, and then give the Marquis an answer."

Hearing this, Jia Cong nodded.

Jia Cong was not too worried. He felt that they would figure it out.

I am afraid that only I can provide them with a platform to realize their ambitions.

I'm afraid I've given them too much of a shock today, so it would be better to let them go back and calm down.

Two days later, Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai found Jia Cong again and expressed their willingness to serve as officials in Youzhou.

Jia Cong was overjoyed when he heard this.

Although it was not stated explicitly, the fact that they were willing to serve as officials in Youzhou showed that they were willing to assist him.

These two people are both trustworthy pillars of society.

With the assistance of these two people, Jia Cong’s confidence increased greatly.

Jia Cong quickly handed over the affairs of the entire Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun to the two of them.

Jia Cong's ruling is only needed on major issues.

Next, Jia Cong turned all his attention to the Qing Dynasty.

Because Jia Cong also received information that the three feudatories led by Wu Sangui were currently building ships and preparing to cross the river after the beginning of next spring.

And Jia Cong will also launch an attack on the Qing Dynasty after the spring.

It was hoped that the Qing Dynasty would be completely destroyed just after Wu Sangui conquered the capital.

In this way, we can gather the army earlier and prepare to march south.

Jia Cong ordered Fu Chachusheng's troops to start the action.

In fact, Fu Cha Chusheng had already been acting secretly before Jia Cong gave him the order.

He contacted many generals of the Qing Dynasty.

And because the Qing Dynasty was already crumbling, these generals began to flirt with Fu Cha Chu Sheng.

Now that he had received Jia Cong's order, Fu Cha was promoted and began to increase his efforts in an open and aboveboard manner.

Time flies by like a fleeting moment.

Before we knew it, it is already the end of the year.

This time, Jia Cong brought his entire family to Youzhou.

The whole family gathered together, and with the addition of a group of little ones, it became even more lively.

After the Chinese New Year, officials of all ranks in Youzhou came to pay New Year's greetings one after another.

All of these officials had smiles on their faces, full of anticipation.

They all see the current situation.

If the general is interested, he may be able to sit in that position in the future.

These people were the first group of people to follow the Jiedushi, and they may be given important positions in the future.

From the end of the Chinese New Year until the fifteenth day of the lunar month, Jia Cong became increasingly busy.

Shortly after the fifteenth day, Wu Sangui led the rebel army, boarded a large ship and marched northward.

The imperial army also deployed its troops and engaged in a fierce battle with the rebels.

However, it was obvious that the imperial army was no match for the rebels, either in terms of numbers or bravery.

After a series of defeats, many cities fell in a short period of time.

At this time, Emperor Tianci and his ministers became more and more frightened.

In a panic, Emperor Tianci issued another imperial decree.

Jia Cong was named King of Zhenbei, and was to rule the land of Yanyun forever, sharing the country's prosperity and security.

At the same time, Jia Cong was dispatched to lead his troops south to suppress the traitors.

Well, King Zhenbei was originally an official position promised to him by King Pingxi.

I didn't expect that before the King of Zhenbei had the chance to confer the title on him, the imperial court had already conferred the title on him.

Moreover, this king is an iron-hat king, whose title will be inherited from generation to generation and who will rule Yanyun forever.

This reward is indeed generous.

However, Jia Cong remained unmoved and once again refused to lead his troops south, citing the Qing threat as too great and he was unable to get away.

However, Jia Cong also took action and launched a full-scale attack on the Qing Dynasty.

I'm afraid the imperial court won't be able to hold on for much longer.

Therefore, Jia Cong was also prepared to go all out to destroy the Qing Dynasty first and then make other plans.

At this time, the Qing Dynasty no longer cared to scold the Youzhou Army for being dishonest and tore up the contract again.

They defended as hard as they could.

It’s a pity that the disparity in firepower between the two sides is too great.

The Youzhou army's artillery is unstoppable.

Their strongest city walls would not last more than a morning before being blown down.

The long range and dense firepower of the Youzhou army's rifles made it impossible for them to resist.

Therefore, after the Youzhou army launched the attack, they were unstoppable and had no problems.

The Qing Dynasty suffered a series of defeats and not only lost cities.

And in this process, the best performance was actually the newly promoted Fu Cha Department.

It’s not that the Fucha Army’s combat effectiveness is already the best among the three armies.

But Fu Cha Chusheng had already secretly contacted countless Qing generals.

At this time, the Qing Dynasty was losing ground and was on the verge of destruction.

Many Manchu generals had no desire to continue fighting and began to make plans for themselves.

Look at Fucha when he was first promoted. He was just a dandy young man.

A real brave general of the Qing Dynasty, who would take him seriously?
But what now?

Since he surrendered to Daxia, he has been conferred the title of Marquis.

Until now, no one among them has been able to receive this honor.

Are we going to sink along with this broken ship of the Qing Dynasty?

Or surrender to Daxia and make great achievements?

Although he may not be able to be granted a title of nobility like Fu Cha Chusheng, he can at least be granted a noble title, right?
Isn't this better than dying in vain?
Therefore, along Fuchachusheng's attack route, many generals surrendered without fighting.

Therefore, along the way, Fucha Chusheng's attack speed was far ahead.

And his military strength increased as the battles went on.

From the original 50,000 troops, they have been advancing rapidly and now have 80,000 troops.

Along the way, we were almost reaching Shengjing.

However, Jia Cong felt that the progress was too fast and that there would inevitably be risks.

Then he ordered Fu Cha Chu Sheng to temporarily stop advancing, make some rest and then proceed.

When Fuchachu rose, they stopped moving forward.

In Shengjing, the capital of the Qing Dynasty, there was a lot of sadness.

The young Qing emperor Kangxi once again sent envoys to seek peace.

Not only was he willing to pay compensation, but he also expressed his willingness to marry the princess to Jia Cong.

When Jia Cong heard the news, he couldn't help but laugh.

This Kang Mazi is probably only a few years older than me.

His princess? About six or seven years old?
Is this just a desperate attempt to find a cure?

How could I stop attacking if it was just me?
Therefore, Jia Cong continued to order the army to advance together after a short rest.

They began to gradually semi-encircle Shengjing.

Kang Mazi and other Qing ministers became increasingly panicked.

They also sent envoys to express their willingness to submit to Daxia.

He was even willing to give up the title of emperor and voluntarily become king.

Hearing this, Jia Cong sneered again.

What does your submission to Daxia have to do with me?

Today, Daxia itself is in turmoil and in pieces, unable to protect itself.

So Jia Cong still ignored it and continued to order the army to advance.

However, at this time, Daxia was indeed in a precarious situation.

The rebel army had already approached the capital, causing Emperor Tianci to be greatly alarmed.

While sending troops to garrison the capital, he led civil and military officials and hurried north.

I hope the capital can withstand the rebels' advance.

However, if he had remained in the capital, he might have been able to inspire the soldiers to unite against the common enemy.

If he were the emperor, he would have already abandoned the city and fled.

How much morale can the remaining defenders have?

However, the walls of the capital were high and thick, so the one who stayed behind to guard it was Niu Jizong.

And Niu Jizong was good at defending the city.

Therefore, for a moment, they were able to briefly resist the rebels' attack.

For half a month, the rebels were unable to capture the capital.

The rebels suffered heavy casualties during the siege.

Niu Jizong was on the side defending the city, so although he suffered heavy casualties, his situation was much better than that of the rebels.

After a long period of siege, Wu Sangui became anxious.

Even the rebels under his command were restless.

If we are blocked again, when the troops coming to support the king arrive, something unexpected might happen.

While Wu Sangui was trying to persuade Niu Jizong to surrender, he was also racking his brains for a strategy to break the city.

At this time, Wu Sangui's military advisor suggested: "Your Majesty, the state guardian Niu Jizong is very good at defending the city, but he is also very good at field battles."

"He has the advantage of time and place. If he wants to take over the capital, it will take a long time and there will be heavy casualties."

"In that case, why don't we abandon the capital and continue northward?"

"As long as we kill the emperor, Niu Jizong will lose his loyalty. Then we can recruit him to surrender. It will be easy to do so."

After listening to this, Wu Sangui thought about it for a while and felt that it made a lot of sense.

Therefore, Wu Sangui decisively abandoned the capital and began to march north. (End of this chapter)