After lunch, everyone sat down again and drank tea and talked.
Under Zhen Qing's beautiful eyebrows, her clear phoenix eyes flashed, she stared at the young man, smiled sweetly, and asked: "I heard a letter from my second uncle's clan brother that when Brother Heng was in Huai'an Mansion, my brother invited Brother Heng to visit Jinling. Why didn’t Brother Heng go?”
Zhen Xue was sitting aside, listening quietly. After hearing the words, she gently put down the tea cup held in her slender hands. Under Chunshan's dark eyebrows, a pair of soft and watery eyes gently looked at the boy in the python suit.
Because her expression is quite serious, there is a layer of gentleness like smoke between the beautiful eyebrows of the young woman Hua Xin, with a lingering bookish atmosphere lingering in it, and her bright black and white eyes are so clear that they seem to reflect the human figure.
Even though the young lady Hua Xin is peaceful and gentle in person, this kind of "Yamato Nadeshiko" feeling of déjà vu always has a sense of being a lady, and you don't want to... and then be trained to indulge in carnal desires, unable to extricate herself.
Jia Heng suppressed the weirdness in his heart, turned his eyes away, picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said in a clear voice: "The teacher was here at that time, and he was busy with matters at hand, so he didn't have time to go to Jinling. I mentioned it to Zhen Lin earlier. By the way, wait until you have time to return to Jinling before visiting the old lady."
Hearing this explanation, Zhen Qing smiled softly and said softly: "That's right, military matters cannot be ignored. However, my clan brother did not know what was going on and disturbed Brother Heng's business, which was a bit abrupt."
He thought to himself that it wouldn't take much effort to go to Jinling, but I'm afraid there is something hidden.
I think it was because my family had previously angered this person by selling high-priced grain in Huai'an Prefecture. Although he later helped to stabilize grain prices, he may have had some grudges in his heart.
An apology appeared on Zhen Xue's beautiful face, and she said softly and softly: "Zi Yu is busy with official duties, so I shouldn't bother him rashly."
Jia Heng glanced at Zhen Xue and said thoughtfully: "Two princesses, I will go to see the saint later and ask you by the way."
Remember https:// in one second. la
Hearing this, Zhen Qing chuckled and said, "Brother Heng will go to the palace to inquire. Thank you very much."
As he said that, he looked at Zhen Xue aside, with a hint of weirdness deep in his eyes, and said softly: "Sister, you must have seen it. I would say that Ziyu is an enthusiastic person. Our two families are also close relatives for decades, and my brother-in-law and Brother Heng, we work together in the Military Aircraft Department and will definitely not sit idly by."
Just now, I don't know if it was her misunderstanding, but the way Jia Ziyu looked at his sister was a little strange. Although it was fleeting, it was a bit unusual.
Surprise overflowed on Zhen Xue's beautiful face. Under her beautiful eyebrows, her shining eyes fixedly looked at Jia Heng and said softly, "Thank you so much, Ziyu."
The beauty is in her early twenties, with a green bun in the clouds, a greasy nose, and glossy lips. At this moment, she is uttering words. Wen Ning's eyebrows are elegant and intellectual, calling Ziyu, even though he is a relative of the Zhenjia family. The names between them make people's hearts flutter.
Jia Heng looked calm and said softly: "Princess, you're welcome."
It’s hard to say that this was the original intention, because when discussing border affairs with Emperor Chongping, he naturally mentioned Datong and the Second Army Town of Taiyuan, which were the gateways of the Han Dynasty in the northwest. It happened that King Beijing was trapped in Taiyuan with Datong’s army. Stagnation.
Daming Palace, side hall of Hanyuan Hall, in the study room——
In the afternoon, Emperor Chongping was sitting behind the case, reviewing memorials. This middle-aged emperor was in a good mood recently. The Beijing camp had just returned to the capital with strong military support. The floods in the Jianghuai area were also ending. There was no major incident for the Han Dynasty. .
"Your Majesty, Uncle Yongning passed the sign and came in." At this moment, Xiang Daiquan from the Daming Palace came quietly from outside the palace and whispered.
After hearing this, Emperor Chongping raised his head, with a hint of surprise on his calm face, and said, "Is Ziyu here? Send him in quickly."
Dai Quan responded in a low voice, then bowed and left the study.
Not long after, Jia Heng stepped into the hall, saluted Emperor Chongping, and said: "I have seen your Majesty, long live your Majesty."
"Ziyu, come to your senses quickly." Emperor Chongping looked gentle. He left the mahogany desk, stretched out his hand to support you, and asked, "I haven't given you a day off these past two days. Why don't you rest at home for a few more days?"
Jia Heng said: "When I returned to the Holy Land, I was staying at home. I had nothing to do, so I went to the Jinyi Mansion to inquire about side affairs. I listened to the detectives summarizing the situation of the assassins and enemies in recent months. I felt something in my heart, so I came over to talk to the Holy Spirit. Chen Fanglue is above."
"Oh? Strategy?" Emperor Chongping became interested when he heard this and said, "What can Ziyu gain?"
As the commander of the Beijing camp and the minister of military aircraft personally promoted by Emperor Chongping, his main responsibility was to propose national policies and military strategies for the Eastern captives in the north. Now that he had an idea, he had to discuss it with Emperor Chongping.
Jia Heng asked: "I do have some ideas. I will consult with the Holy One. I don't know if there is a nine-sided map beside the Holy One?"
Emperor Chongping winked at Dai Quan and said, "Go and get the map."
Dai Quan quickly led several inner prisoners there. After a while, a giant map was hung on the screen. The monarch and his ministers got close to the screen and took a closer look.
On the map, all the lands outside the pass were occupied by the Eastern invaders, and many of the Mongolian tribes to the west also surrendered to the Eastern invaders.
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, every time when the autumn is high and the horses are fat, the Eastern captives often invade and plunder my population and property. At first, it was once every two or three years, but now it is almost every one or two years. In the autumn and winter of this year, Or next spring, there is a possibility that the bandits will invade again, and the ministers have sent spies to Donglu to spy on the enemy. But instead of waiting for the bandits to attack, we, the Han Dynasty, have mobilized troops to support us. We are tired of dealing with it. We should better understand the enemy's reality and take action in advance. Be on guard against.”
"Be prepared in advance, how to be prepared?" Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and asked.
Jia Heng looked at the map and said: "Your Majesty, let us deduce the places where the enemy invaded. Now Mr. Li Ge is supervising the army in Jizhen and Beiping. If the Eastern invaders cannot break through Jizhen and Xuanfu, they will most likely use Mongolia to attack. Datong and Taiyuan military towns are waiting for an opportunity to threaten our Guanzhong area. Of course, Xuanhua and Ji Town are still the focus of surveillance."
In previous wars, because the Datong and Taiyuan military towns had high walls and strategic terrain, and were buffered by Chahar Mongolia, they rarely sent troops from these two towns.
Emperor Chongping looked at the map, thought about it, and said, "What Zi Yu said is not unreasonable. The enemy invaders are here."
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "Your Majesty, there is one more thing. Now the Jiubian is arranging its military equipment. I heard that good news has come from Ningxia, Guyuan, Yansui and other military towns. Only the two military towns of Datong and Taiyuan, King Beijing went to The whole army is still at a loss. Once the enemy invades, we need to take precautions as soon as possible."
Emperor Chongping looked solemn, his eyes fell on Datong on the map, and said: "Datong's army formation is not going well, and we need to take precautions as soon as possible."
I couldn't help but think of previous matters such as flood control. If I hadn't taken precautions, I'm afraid the floods in the Jianghuai area would have been even more serious.
At this time, Jia Heng pointed at the map and said: "The Donglu invaders have invaded in the past years from Jizhen, Xuanfu and other places. Now the civil and military sights of the Han Dynasty and the Manchu Dynasty are all here. The Donglu may not be aware of it. If they do the opposite, If we take the road by surprise and take advantage of Chahar Mongolia to attack Datong and Taiyuan in a detour, Guanzhong will inevitably be shaken, or the troops will be divided into two groups, making it difficult for us to focus on one and not the other, making it difficult to support each other."
The advantage of Chen Han over the late Ming Dynasty was that he had his capital in Guanzhong, and he could barely conquer the mountains and rivers, unlike the late Ming Dynasty when he had his capital in Peiping, where there were police in the capital, and there were three surprises in one night.
Emperor Chongping was silent for a moment and said, "From what Zi Yu said, the defense of Datong and Taiyuan is particularly important?"
Jia Heng said softly: "Your Majesty, that's about it. In addition, there is Ping'an Prefecture. In the next six months, the above places will be redeployed, troops will be deployed, and military equipment will be reorganized. However, King Beijing was unable to organize his army in Datong. I returned to the capital for the first time. It’s a bit careless, I don’t know the specific reason?”
When mentioning this matter, Emperor Chongping looked gloomy and said coldly: "Datong Commander-in-Chief Jiang Zining said that there is a book of military registrations that can be checked. King Beijing ordered the soldiers one by one and said that all the soldiers and horses were in the barracks and there were no vacancies. So he said The method of selecting the front eliminates the old and the weak, but the Datong Army will first use the defense relationship as an important factor, not to engage in large-scale war, and obstruct it in every possible way, and then finally verify it, but in the end only a few hundred old and weak troops were eliminated."
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said, "Is it possible that Jiang Zi, the commander-in-chief of Datong, is willing to stay out of the mire and has been carrying out actual troops all these years?"
"As far as I know, after many border checks and visits, Datong Military Town has a lot of vacancies, but I don't know what means Jiang Zining used to prevent King Beijing from seeing the truth at all." Emperor Chongping said in a cold voice with a gloomy look.
This King of Beijing is really ignorant and incompetent. He cannot even organize military affairs well, not even letting him lead troops on expeditions, which is a disgrace to the ancestors of the Shui family.
At the beginning of the founding of the Chen-Han Dynasty, among the four kings and eight princes, King Beijing was especially the most accomplished. However, when Shui Rong came to his generation, he could not even organize an army. With a gem like Jia Heng in front, Emperor Chongping naturally It was a huge disappointment.
Jia Heng thought for a while and suggested: "Your Majesty, we still need to select military personnel and go to the Second Army Town to inquire."
Emperor Chongping said solemnly: "The water is dissolved in the city of Datong. We don't even know the actual number of soldiers in Datong. The court doesn't know how many soldiers there are now. The court doesn't know how much there is. There is no name for further reprimand and rectification. The generals and generals of the border towns have no power." It is entangled, has no reputation as a teacher, and is difficult to move lightly, so the court has no choice but to tolerate it for the time being."
Of course, it was also because some time ago, Jia Heng did not sit in the center and dispatched 80,000 Beijing troops to the Central Plains to quell the chaos, so naturally he could not take care of the border towns.
Until Jia Heng quickly conquered the Central Plains with the capital camp, the border town generals were shocked. Ningxia, Guyuan and other military towns that were still somewhat resistant at first, under the coercion and inducement of Nan'an County Prince and Baolinghou, chose to cooperate with the imperial court to check the vacancies. The old and weak were eliminated, and at least 70% to 80% of the apparent number of soldiers was replenished.
However, the two towns of Datong and Taiyuan used the excuse that all the soldiers were paid in full to train the governor of King Beijing.
The King of Beijing believed that he had not completed the task of rectifying the military equipment, and was worried that after returning to Beijing, he would damage the dignity of the military minister and the prince of the county.
Jia Heng said: "Your Majesty, the generals of the border towns have gone their own way and been arrogant and domineering for more than a day. Your Majesty has no worries. I will put things in order soon when I lead the troops from the capital camp to Datong."
Emperor Chongping said: "What is Ziyu's advice?"
Jia Heng said: "Jizhen and Xuanfu, with Mr. Li Ge personally in charge, generally have no worries. As for the towns of Datong and Taiyuan, the low-ranking ministers cannot be allowed to be taken advantage of by the enemy. I believe that there should be advance warning of Donglu's movements." We should be on guard against the enemy and cannot passively meet the enemy. If the Hulu really attack us from Xuanhua and Datong, we can make mental calculations without any intention and seek victory."
Without waiting for Emperor Chongping to inquire, Jia Heng thought for a while and said: "Your Majesty, the Jinyi detective sent by me to the Haojing Land has sent news that he has established a line with the Hongyi people in the Haojing Land and is looking for Hong Yi. I think that I can hire relevant craftsmen to the capital with a lot of money and purchase a certain number of Hongyi cannons for the purpose of guarding the city."
Emperor Chongping paused for a moment, with a bit of hesitation in his eyes, and asked: "Zi Yu, are these Hongyi cannons and fire blunderbuss really so powerful?"
The middle-aged emperor once mentioned firearms and other military weapons to Jia Heng, believing that it is people who determine the outcome of a war.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said softly: "Your Majesty, using it to defend the city has the effect of killing the enemy and frightening the horse. I think it can be called a military weapon when used to defend the city. Of course, it cannot be separated from the general's life and the soldier's death."
Emperor Chongping pondered for a moment and said: "Then introduce the Hongyi cannon and related firecracker skills. Our Dahan Jingying camp originally had the Shenji camp. I think I can quickly master the firearms at night."
"Your Majesty, the introduction of artillery and gunfire still requires a lot of money, and artillery and artillery shells are mostly consumables. We should try our best to introduce craftsmen in the weapons inspection department to produce and use them ourselves," Jia Heng said.
When Emperor Chongping heard this, he was silent for a moment and said: "Ziyu also knows that the national treasury has not had much silver in recent years. More than half of the military pay for the Beijing camp is coordinated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If you want to purchase a large number of artillery and projectiles, you have to find other financial resources." .”
In the past period of time, although I have made a lot of money, I have also spent a lot of money.
Jia Heng said: "This is what I mean. Yangzhou can't delay it any longer."
Taxes cannot be imposed on ordinary people, then they can only be imposed on businessmen. As Mr. Yan Ge said, I have heard of farmers rebelling, but I have never heard of businessmen being able to rebel.
Emperor Chongping thought for a while and said: "I am looking for an opportunity during this period and order you to go south. Not only to correct the shortcomings of the Salt Law, but also to find out the balance of the transportation treasury over the years, track down the deficit, and provide military pay."
Emperor Chongping, who had been in power for many years, would not know anything about the shortage of vassal money in Yangzhou Yunku, and even the bad debts left by the Zhizao Mansion during the reign of the Supreme Emperor.
Even in the original book Red Mansions, after the death of the Supreme Emperor, a large-scale house raid was carried out.
Jia Heng said: "The Holy Ming, I have this intention. I am going to Yangzhou to organize the salt affairs, collect military expenses, and at the same time go south to introduce the craftsmen and artillery from Haojing Land to help the war against the captives."
Emperor Chongping nodded, looked at the young man whose face was thinner than before, and said in a gentle voice: "Ziyu, you just came back and you have to go south again. It's too hard to travel around."
Jia Heng said sternly: "I have the wise eyes of the Holy Lord. I commanded Hu Ben in the capital at a young age. He is responsible for the affairs of the country and is in charge of the privy council. Since I have the responsibility to fight against the captives, I must be loyal to the king. Behind Kuang Weichen is the Holy Lord. He is How dare the billions of people of the Han Dynasty dare to express their suffering?"
Although he loves Xuezi, he is happy and eager to learn, but his family affairs and state affairs concern the world. If his skin is gone, how will his hair be attached?
When Emperor Chongping heard what the young man said, his heart was slightly shaken. He looked at the young man with firm eyes and said: "Zi Yu is young and ambitious. Since he has this ambition, I can't force others to make things difficult for him."
He is worthy of being chosen as his son-in-law. Only such a young man is qualified to be a princess.
Jia Hengyuan is not the kind of person who talks nonsense. He has just made great achievements in fighting chaos in the Central Plains and fighting floods in the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, which naturally gave Emperor Chongping a strong degree of convincing power.
"Your Majesty, in the battle against the captives, I cannot lose, and neither can your Majesty. The Han Dynasty has been a country for a hundred years. After the defeat of Liaodong, it can no longer withstand another major defeat." Jia Heng said in a deep voice.
Listening to what Jia Heng said, Emperor Chongping's eyes were a bit complicated, and he sighed with emotion: "Zi Yu is right, neither I nor you can afford to lose."
As he said that, he took Jia Heng's hand. The middle-aged emperor seemed to be moved by real feelings and said in a low voice: "Since I took over the throne, what I have seen is that there are many bad policies and corrupt affairs. Although I have the power of ZTE and Kai The ambition of establishing a foundation for eternity, but the affairs of the world are complicated, and success or failure is easy. Until I meet your minister, you are like a fish in water, and you are always in trouble. Ziyu is a hero of the world, and he has the talent to serve as a king. He can work hard, build a career, and achieve glory and wealth. Leave your name in history... In short, if you don't let me down, I will definitely not let you down!"
This is an imperial promise.
It can be said that since Jia Heng became an official, he has single-handedly assisted Emperor Chongping in reorganizing the army and consolidating the imperial power. The performance of the Beijing camp in Henan and Jianghuai has also proved that the military strength of the Han Dynasty has recovered, which undoubtedly gave Emperor Chongping the hope of ZTE. .
Now it can be said that the only thing left is...a victory against the captives.
Emperor Chongping even vaguely felt that even if there were hundreds of Huns like Wei Qing, even if they were victorious and undefeated, a draw would be a psychological expectation, and Yuan did not think about any big victory all of a sudden.
No matter how eager for success, he also knows that military and national affairs cannot be rushed.
Jia Heng's face moved slightly and he said: "The words of the Holy Master are as heavy as a thousand stones, and I am terrified that I will not be able to defeat them."
Just now, he just took advantage of the situation to express his determination like "Give me the order!" Who knew that Emperor Chongping was really moved, but he just listened to the emperor's promise at that time.
However, it is a bit strange to say that he once said from the bottom of his heart that if the emperor failed him, he would not fail the emperor...
Emperor Chongping thought of the salt merchant, his eyes were slightly cold, and he felt a sense of urgency in his heart, and said: "In this case, the Yangzhou Salt Affairs Department cannot simmer slowly. It needs to be cut with a sharp knife."
War requires money and food, and now the imperial household department obviously cannot support a war.
Thinking of this, he said: "Ziyu, wait a few more days and you will go south."
Jia Heng said: "I will prepare in the near future."
Go to Yangzhou to rectify the salt affairs of the Lianghuai River and save money, food and weapons for the subsequent war against the captives. This will not lead to a bloodbath in the officialdom of the Liangjiang River.
"By the way, after Xianning returned to the palace, she was mentioned yesterday. If you have time, you can also go and see her." Emperor Chongping suddenly remembered something and said.
Jia Heng looked a little unnatural and whispered: "Weichen... I'll go take a look later."
It always feels a little weird to serve the juicy cabbage in front of my father.
Emperor Chongping looked at the slightly shy young man, chuckled, and said, "I can't say anything about you and Xianning. I'm waiting for the day when you will make great achievements and call me your father."
