The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 929 The sword points at Fusang
Outside the south gate of the capital, a long dragon slowly approached.

Officials and commoners who had been waiting patiently at the city gate suddenly became restless.

When the dozen or so riders at the head of the group approached, Prince Teng immediately led several officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War forward, bowed and said, "By order of His Majesty, we respectfully welcome the triumphant return of the army that conquered Liaodong."

Wearing a golden helmet and full armor, Jia Lian, with a dignified and imposing appearance, quickly dismounted and went forward to help Wang Ziteng and the others up.

"No need for such formalities, sirs."

Looking at the young man before him, Wang Ziteng was filled with emotion.

Indeed, the new generation surpasses the old, and new talents emerge in every generation.

He asked himself, if he were given the same number of troops, he might be able to resolve the crisis in Liaodong, but he would never be able to wipe out tens of thousands of Jurchen cavalry and force the Jurchens to withdraw from Jianzhou unconditionally.

However, with everyone in the spotlight now, this is not the place for such conversation.

Wang Ziteng simply nodded to Jia Lian and then received the imperial edict from the Ministry of Rites official.

"The army to conquer Liaodong receives the imperial decree."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian immediately knelt down on one knee.

Following them, generals such as Jiang Ji, Cheng Xian, and Su Keguang, and then all the soldiers, dismounted as required, their movements perfectly synchronized, like a wave, kneeling down in unison.

This is a necessary procedure; the Ministry of Rites had given prior notice.

Imperial Edict:
The entire army that led the expedition to Liaodong traveled thousands of miles and fought fiercely for several months, finally saving the country from peril.

They plowed the court and swept away the strongholds, eliminating the threat of the Jurchen invaders.

Their achievements are remarkable, and their ambitions are lofty.

Soldiers were granted special permission to remain in their armor and generals to remain on their horses, and all officers and soldiers were permitted to enter the imperial city to await their rewards.

Admire this. "

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

A long, exhilarating roar, like a tsunami, echoed from the dragon's head to its tail, stretching for over ten miles.

As the howling sound gradually faded into the distance, yet lingered for a long time, even the well-prepared Prince Teng couldn't help but ask Jia Lian, who had risen to receive the imperial edict:
"Did you really use all one thousand vehicles?"

Jia Lian chuckled softly in response, "We've seized quite a lot."

Wang Ziteng was speechless, thinking to himself, "Could this kid have brought back the entire foundation that the Jurchens built up over hundreds of years?"
But it doesn't matter. The longer the line, the more impressive it will be. There are only advantages and no disadvantages.

Without giving the other officials a chance to exchange pleasantries, Prince Teng said directly, "Let's go into the city. His Majesty has prepared a celebratory feast for you."

Therefore, the civil and military officials dispersed to both sides to make way for the army entering the city.

As the mighty army marched in orderly ranks and slowly surged toward the imperial city, it naturally attracted the attention of the entire city's residents.

All the onlookers looked at this victorious army returning home with awe and reverence.

This undoubtedly filled every soldier in the expeditionary force with pride and honor, causing them to unconsciously stand tall and proud.

At this moment, the hardships of months of fighting seemed insignificant.

The army that followed Jia Lian from Tianjin to conquer Liaodong numbered over 17,000.

Besides those who died in battle, there were more than 13,000 people remaining, including those who were seriously wounded.

It was unrealistic for all 13,000-plus naval officers and soldiers to go to Beijing to receive their rewards, so almost all of them remained in Tianjin.

Therefore, those who followed Jia Lian into the city at this moment were mainly the officers and soldiers of the firearms battalion, the surviving Chang'an army, and some representatives of the naval officers and soldiers.

More than 5,000 soldiers in bright armor carried their seriously wounded comrades or urns containing ashes, and escorted a thousand carts of spoils of war, forming a long line that stretched for ten miles.

Such power and grandeur were not limited to ordinary people.

Even scholars and intellectuals couldn't help but come to witness the grand occasion upon hearing the news.

In no time, all the teahouses and taverns along the streets from the South Gate to the city center were packed to capacity.

On the second floor of a teahouse, by the window, the Zhang brothers, Zhang Su and Zhang Tao, were waiting to watch the ceremony.

Beside them were Zhang Su's classmates and friends, Gu Min and Gu Danfeng, who had finally passed the imperial examinations this year.

They also heard the discussions among the scholars and literati around them.

"Are these the soldiers of the army that conquered Liaodong? They truly deserve to be called a victorious army. Their spirit and demeanor are different from ordinary troops."

"This procession is too long! When will it end? And those carts, are they all spoils from the Liaodong expedition? There's so much! And carts full of cattle and sheep too?"

"Hey, what are cattle and sheep? Didn't you see them? In the middle, those are helmets, armor, knives, swords, and crossbows, all black and stained with blood, piled up haphazardly on the wagons."

"Tsk tsk, I heard those are all genuine, taken directly from the Jurchens."

"Really? I hadn't noticed until you told me, it's true."

This is far too many; there's no way to count them all. It's impossible that they were all taken from the Jurchens; how many Jurchens would have to have been killed?

"Hehe, you didn't even know that?"

It is said that the Jurchens had tens of thousands of main cavalry, who were extremely ferocious.

Otherwise, why would even General Huo of the Nan'an Prince's Mansion have died at the hands of the Jurchens?
However, even with such a strong and well-equipped army, the Jurchens were utterly defeated in less than half a year under the rule of the Duke of Rong, and they didn't even dare to reclaim their homeland.

Left with no other choice, they had to take the initiative to sign the Nine-Three Alliance with our Great Wei, surrendering unconditionally to our Great Wei in exchange for a chance to escape Jianzhou.

Those Jurchens were such ferocious barbarians. How many Jurchens do you think the Duke of Rong should have killed in this battle to make them submit like that?

"Tsk tsk, I naturally know the name of the Duke of Rong, but I didn't expect him to be so good at leading troops into battle."

Could he really be a god descended from heaven?

"Who knows? Anyway, he's different from us."

Hearing the whispers around him, Zhang Tao felt a pang of unease.

He found it hard to believe that Jia Lian, who was shameless and always liked to bully others, could actually accomplish such a great feat.

This undoubtedly proved to him that his grandfather's favoritism and his father's praise were both correct.

Although it was a bitter pill to swallow, it did not change the fact that he had already been conquered by Jia Lian.

In his last few meetings with Jia Lian, he actually obediently called him "cousin".

After this incident, he is even less likely to change his way of addressing people by saying "Hey".

Regardless, he was an ambitious young man determined to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions.

What Jia Lian is doing now can be said to have set an example for him.

Zhang Su felt the same sense of alienation as Zhang Tao.

Is this Jia Lian, who is now receiving the attention and admiration of thousands, really the same Jia Lian who shamelessly came to their house to try and get close to them?
Shaking his head, Zhang Su felt the pressure while secretly encouraging himself.

I must achieve a good ranking in next year's imperial examination and officially enter the officialdom.

Otherwise, I would have been left in the dust by this cousin.

Zhang Su did not participate in the last imperial examination.

Because he heeded his father's advice, he was still young enough to continue to mature and didn't need to rush these three years.

Either don't take the exam, or if you do, you must get a good ranking. If you don't want to be number one, you should at least be in the top two.

Only in this way will there be an opportunity to enter the cabinet in the future.

Gu Danfeng did not have Zhang Su's family background or ambition.

Zhang Su not only passed the imperial examination earlier than him, but he also became the fourth prince's study companion much earlier.

It is conceivable that once Zhang Su passes the imperial examination with flying colors, his future career will be smooth sailing thanks to this connection.

And he...

He felt he had given his all in passing the provincial examination, and he wasn't very confident about the imperial examination next spring.

Thinking back to the time when Jia Lian recruited him to work as a "secretary" in the military headquarters, he couldn't help but start to ponder.

Perhaps becoming a retainer of such a person is not a bad way out.

……

A parade arranged by the imperial court to showcase the might of the army that was conquering Liaodong did not end until the entire army entered the imperial city at noon.

The officers and soldiers of the three armies were received by officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue, and gathered in the huge Imperial Guard training ground to enjoy a celebratory feast.

Jia Lian, on the other hand, was summoned to the Southern Study to report on his duties.

"Your subject Jia Lian kowtows to wish Your Majesty good health."

"I am at peace. You may rise."

Nearly half a year later, the emperor and his minister met again in the Southern Study, feeling as if they had been separated by a lifetime.

Emperor Ningkang, unusually, did not adopt a casual attitude. Instead, he sat on the dragon throne and looked intently at the valiant and extraordinary Jia Lian. After a long while, he solemnly said, "This battle was fought very well."

Upon hearing Emperor Ningkang's praise, Jia Lian's originally serious face immediately broke into a smile, and he chuckled rather than act like a general, saying, "I have not failed in my mission."

"Humph."

Emperor Ningkang snorted lightly, not bothering to argue with Jia Lian.

After a moment's thought, he asked, "Are those new warships and cannons really that powerful, crippling the Jurchen main force in a single battle?"

Outsiders, even ordinary officials, may not be aware of the specific details of this battle.

However, Emperor Ningkang, who was extremely concerned about the war situation in Liaodong, naturally read all of Jia Lian's battle reports repeatedly and compared and verified them with the reports of Shui Rong and others.

So he knew it very well.

The reason Jia Lian was able to achieve such a great victory in this battle was not only because his strategy was just right, but also mainly because the warships and cannons that made their first appearance on the battlefield dealt a heavy blow to the Jurchens.

To be honest, I was initially influenced by Jia Lian to support his construction of a naval port, the creation of new warships, and the mounting of a large number of cannons on the ships.

He hadn't expected that building it to Jia Lian's standards would cost so much money.

So, halfway through, he had some regrets.

This is also why he stopped providing substantial financial support and instead allowed Jia Lian to raise the funds himself.

The court's difficulties were one reason, and his fear of not being able to recoup his losses was another.

Unexpectedly, these new warships fought such a brilliant battle on their first actual combat mission.

He was overjoyed.

Jia Lian was not lying to him.

Jia Lian, being a cunning and shrewd man, immediately realized that this was an opportunity to persuade the big boss to increase his investment.

So he nodded quite naturally and said, "Your Majesty did not see how arrogant and angry the Jurchens were at the beginning, besieging our army in the bay, looking like they were going to take us down."

Even when they saw a large number of our warships appear, they did not retreat an inch.

Because deep down they didn't think those warships posed much of a threat to them.

They might only feel regret when they are completely covered by the range of our naval guns, when countless shells fall on their ranks, blasting them to pieces and forcing them to flee in panic.

Perhaps our ships and cannons cannot achieve such great results in every future battle, because once our enemies know we possess such powerful weapons, they will inevitably try every means to research and defend against them. However, I still wish to say this.

As long as our army has such powerful weapons, it will surely have a place on the vast seas in the future.

For example, if our army wanted to conquer Korea or Japan.

With these powerful ships and cannons, we can at least be assured that we can land anywhere on their territory without fear of being driven back into the sea.

With tangible results to show for it, Emperor Ningkang did not doubt Jia Lian's words.

He even subconsciously followed Jia Lian's words and began to consider the feasibility of conquering Korea and Japan.

As for Korea, well, the current King of Korea is quite sensible; it's his vassal state, so it's inconvenient to launch a campaign against it.

But then Fusang should die.

The calamity caused by the Japanese pirates was even worse than that caused by the Jurchens.

Moreover, as a tangible and visible barbarian country at sea, many monarchs throughout history have wanted to send troops to conquer it.

But in the end, they had the will but not the power.

If we could truly annihilate the Japanese pirates under his command, and even bring the land of Japan into the territory of the Great Wei...

This merit can be proclaimed to Heaven and the gods.

If that were truly the case, he could not only fully confront his father and those stubborn old men who criticized him, but he might even dare to perform the Fengshan ceremony directly.

How much do you know about Japan?

Emperor Ningkang asked the question subconsciously, then immediately regretted it.

He knew that these words would definitely cause Jia Lian to misunderstand.

As expected, Jia Lian's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he immediately said, "Your Majesty, although Fusang is just an island nation, it is actually not small and has a large population."

More importantly, I know that there is a huge silver mine in Japan, and its reserves are said to be astonishing!

"Oh, how astonishing!"

Emperor Ningkang sat up straight.

The imperial court is short of money right now...

Jia Lian said very solemnly, "It is said that its reserves are tens of millions of taels, enough to cover ten years of the annual revenue of our Great Wei."

"really?"

A fierce light flashed in Emperor Ningkang's eyes.

He was somewhat skeptical; how could a silver mine possibly have such large reserves?

However, Jia Lian said with great confidence: "Not only that, it is said that this silver mine is an open-pit silver mine, which is very cheap to mine."

This is a treasure bestowed upon Your Majesty by Heaven; surely Your Majesty has no interest in it?

Emperor Ningkang stood up and paced back and forth.

Don't assume that emperors didn't love money.

The only difference is the amount that makes them eager to hunt.

No ambitious emperor would ever complain about having too much silver in his treasury.

Not to mention, it was a huge fortune equivalent to ten years of the national treasury's annual revenue, which immediately tempted even Emperor Ningkang.

He wasn't entirely without doubt about Jia Lian's words, but over the years, he knew that Jia Lian had done extensive research on foreign countries, and most of what he said could be verified.

He suddenly looked at Dai Quan: "Bring me the map of the Orient!"

"Yes."

Dai Quan accepted the order and left, glancing at Jia Lian furtively before departing.

Hey, this guy never stops causing trouble.

They've only just returned, and they're already trying to persuade the Emperor to send troops to Japan?
A short while later, Dai Quan returned breathlessly with the map. Emperor Ningkang beckoned Jia Lian over and asked, "Approximately where is this silver mine located?"

Jia Lian glanced down at the four Japanese islands in the northern part of the map and nodded secretly.

It seems that people at that time were not entirely ignorant about overseas lands.

Based on his memory, Jia Lian roughly pointed out the location of the Ishimi Silver Mountain.

Emperor Ningkang's eyes flashed with a sharp light upon seeing this.

The location Jia Lian pointed to was, of course, very far from the mainland of Wei, and the entire Fusang islands were also very far from Wei.

Unfortunately, this silver mine is located on the western coast of the main island of Fusang.

If you travel south by boat from Jianzhou, you can reach it in a straight line.

Was this a coincidence, or was it intentional on Jia Lian's part?
Emperor Ningkang couldn't help but glance at Jia Lian.

Jia Lian, of course, understood the meaning behind Emperor Ningkang's glance. He said speechlessly, "Your Majesty, if we take over Korea first, then conquering this place will be just a stone's throw away!"

Indeed, crossing eastward from the Korean Peninsula was much faster and more feasible than heading south from Jianzhou.

Only those who have been to Jianzhou know how cold it is there and how difficult the march is.

Emperor Ningkang remained noncommittal.

He wasn't the kind of emperor who would impulsively launch a war to destroy other countries.

He was simply intrigued by Jia Lian and wanted to find out more.

Seeing Jia Lian's unusually enthusiastic expression, he sneered, "Even a large country is in danger if it is fond of war."

Alright, we'll discuss this later.

Let me first tell you the specifics of this trip to Jianzhou.

Jia Lian said, "Didn't I already tell Your Majesty everything in the battle report?"

Your Majesty, do you really not want to take this silver mine?

This is a fortune equivalent to ten years' worth of our Great Wei's annual revenue. Does Your Majesty truly wish to watch such wealth be seized by those Japanese devils, who might even use it as a base to grow stronger and then turn against our Great Wei?

Although Emperor Ningkang was a little annoyed, Jia Lian's emphasis made him realize that Jia Lian was not just talking nonsense.

Therefore, he said, "The current state of the court is insufficient to support a long voyage across the ocean to fight the Japanese pirates."

Jia Lian said nonchalantly, "I am naturally aware of the situation in the court, but I also know that the court's predicament is only temporary."

Now that Your Majesty is making decisive decisions, governing the country diligently and loving the people, it is only a matter of time before our Great Wei Kingdom becomes prosperous and strong.

However, Your Majesty, we must prepare for the threat of the Japanese invaders as soon as possible.

Your Majesty, think about it. Even I know about this silver mine, so how could the Japanese not know?

This wealth will surely breed wolfish ambitions in them.

If they grow stronger by then, they could cause considerable harm.

"Of course, I am not asking Your Majesty to send troops immediately."

It's not just because our Great Wei has only recently stabilized its political situation and it's not advisable to send troops.

However, the ships that your subjects have built so far are still far from enough to conquer Fusang.

We can certainly develop a long-term plan.

Three years to build ships, five years to send troops.

Even if we cannot wipe out Japan in one battle, we must first occupy this silver mine.

At that time, we will use this silver mine to enrich the finances of our Great Wei, strengthen the country and the army, and conquer Fusang in one fell swoop.

"Furthermore, by using the resources of Fusang to nourish our Great Wei, Your Majesty will surely create another golden age that rivals, or even surpasses, the Han and Tang dynasties."

Jia Lian's reverse PUA left the big boss, Ning Kangdi, completely bewildered.

It must be said that although Jia Lian's words were extremely persuasive, upon careful consideration, they were not entirely unfounded.

If that silver mine is real, if it can truly conquer Japan.

Indeed, his achievements were unparalleled, surpassing even those of the Han and Tang dynasties, and were extraordinary feats that made him famous throughout history.

Moreover, Jia Lian is right. Now that he holds great power and can make decisions on his own, how can he be a mediocre ruler?
The Tatars were all bandits; they would fight if they could win, and run away if they couldn't.

In that vast desert, it was indeed difficult to annihilate them.

But Japan is clearly different.

With sufficient strength, we can surely sweep them all away in one fell swoop.

Perhaps, this Fusang Kingdom can truly be designated as the testing ground for his eternal sage-kingship.

"Alright, I said we'll discuss this matter later."

Today is the day your army returns in triumph. Tell me the details of your battle against the Jurchens.

The battle reports may not be entirely detailed.

Emperor Ningkang felt that his temper had really improved, and he actually repeated his request a second time in front of his ministers.

Seeing this, Jia Lian dared not interrupt anymore, otherwise the other party would really get angry.

He then recounted some important details one by one in front of Emperor Ningkang.

Just like his battle reports, he did not deliberately highlight his ability to anticipate the enemy's moves or his brilliant military strategy.

After all, even he himself felt that he had fought so well in this battle that there was no need for him to praise himself.

He only needs to say it exactly as it is, and that's enough to make people think he's awesome.

Sure enough, after Emperor Ningkang inquired about some of the key details of the victory that he wanted to know, his gaze toward Jia Lian changed completely.

This, perhaps, is truly a gift from heaven to Huo Qubing...

Perhaps, only he could help him conquer Fusang and achieve his great cause of becoming a sage king.

"His Majesty?"

"Oh, you say."

"Your Majesty, I have prepared three gifts for you. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to take a look?"

"tell me the story."

Jia Lian chuckled and gestured to Dai Quan.

Dai Quan went out with a smile.

Emperor Ningkang glanced sideways at Jia Lian.

These two are no longer hiding their relationship, are they?

Emperor Ningkang found it strange that Dai Quan, an old eunuch in his fifties, was getting involved with Jia Lian, a young man in his twenties.

(End of this chapter)