The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 624: Liaodong Governor
Nurhaci moved his troops to about ten miles southeast of Ningyuan City, waiting for an opportunity to launch another attack. A war was about to break out, but at this moment in the Ningyuan City Military Preparation Office, the atmosphere was not very harmonious.

Ma Shilong, the general of the former garrison who came to support, glared at Jia Huan and asked loudly, "I was ordered to lead my troops to help Ningyuan. I marched day and night without any slackness. But when we arrived at the city, Lord Jia refused to let us enter the city, leaving my men to sleep in the open outside the city, starving and freezing. What kind of logic is this?"

Jiang Yingzhao, the general of Shanhaiguan, and Yan Mingtai, the military supervisor of Shanhaiguan, did not say anything, but just watched the show silently. They each led 20,000 troops to support Ningyuan, and now they are also stationed outside the city and are not allowed to enter the city, so they are very dissatisfied. Today they came together to find Jia Huan to ask for an explanation, but both of them are rather cunning, and only let the hot-tempered Ma Shilong come forward, while they hide behind.

Zu Tianshou, the general of Ningyuan, tried to smooth things over, saying, "Old Ma, please be patient. It's not that Jia Bingbei doesn't allow you to enter the city. It's just that Ningyuan City is small. There are already more than 80,000 soldiers and civilians in the city. There is no room for more. Please bear with me!"

Ma Shilong sneered, "General Zu, that's easy for you to say. You are hiding in the safe high walls, eating well and sleeping peacefully, while we are outside in the sun and rain, living in fear. How about you station yourself outside the city and let our people guard the city? Old Jiang, Old Yan, what do you think?"

Jiang Yingzhao and Yan Mingtai stroked their beards and said nothing, their meaning was self-evident.

Shitou Xingwei couldn't help but laugh at him, "You guys are here to fight and fight, not to enjoy a comfortable life. Besides, Ningyuan City is where we manage and guard. Why should we give it to you?"

Ma Shilong slammed the table and shouted, "Who are you? When is it your turn as a little guerrilla general to interrupt me when I am speaking? Come on, capture me!"

As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. This General Ma is also confused. Relying on his high official position and the fact that he is not under the jurisdiction of Jia Huan, he probably bullies Jia Huan because he is young and actually shows off his power in the Military Preparation Office.

At Ma Shilong's command, the two soldiers behind him stepped forward to arrest the men. However, Xing Wei showed no mercy and knocked one of them down with a heavy punch. Tiehu grabbed the other soldier by the neck and lifted him up, then threw him heavily to the ground. He choked on the spot and couldn't get up for a long time.

Ma Shilong was shocked and angry, and shouted: "Rebellion, Zu Tianshou, is this how you treat guests in Ningyuan?"

Zu Tianshou was in a dilemma and looked at Jia Huan, because although Tiehu and Xing Wei were his subordinates in name, they were actually Jia Huan's direct descendants.

At this time, Jia Huan finally spoke up, and said calmly: "If the guest knows etiquette, we will naturally treat him with courtesy, but if the guest has no rules, we will definitely set rules for him!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Ma Shilong's face suddenly darkened, and Jiang Yingzhao and Yan Mingtai's faces also changed slightly. They obviously did not expect that Jia Huan, who looked gentle and refined on the surface, would be so tough and even protect his own son!
Jia Huan continued, "What Xing Youji said is correct. You are here to fight and fight, not to travel. It is normal to march and fight and sleep outdoors. Is this General Ma's first time to march and fight?"

Ma Shilong was speechless and his face flushed red. After a long while, he sneered and said sarcastically, "It seems that Jia Bingbei is really a man of both civil and military talents. With Jia Bingbei in charge, Ningyuan City is as stable as a rock. Why should we fear this old man Nurhaci? Well, I will return to report to the general. Old Jiang, Old Yan, let's go!"

Jiang Yingzhao and Yan Mingtai could not help but look at each other. Although they were dissatisfied with Jia Huan's order not to enter the city, fighting was no joke. If they withdrew their troops because of a little dispute, they would be in big trouble if they were investigated by their superiors. So the two of them did not stand up, but advised: "Old Ma, be patient!"

Ma Shilong was too embarrassed to save face, so he could only snort coldly: "Bah, you are afraid of Jia Huan, but I am not. If you don't leave, I will leave!"

Ma Shilong flicked his sleeves and was about to leave. Jia Huan said calmly, "Goodbye, I won't see you off. When you see Xiong Tingbai and Wang Huazhen in the underworld, please say hello to them on my behalf."

Ma Shilong's heart trembled, his steps suddenly froze, his expression changed, and he said coldly: "Are you threatening me?"

Jia Huan said calmly, "It's not a threat, it's just a warning. If you dare to return today, it will be desertion, and you should be executed according to military law. As long as I submit a memorial, you, Ma Shilong, will probably lose your head."

Ma Shilong said angrily, "You, Jia Huan, are allowed to write a letter to impeach me, but I am not allowed to write a letter to defend myself? I will also impeach you for being tyrannical and bullying my colleagues and allies!"

Jia Huan sneered and said, "Is it tyrannical and bullying your colleagues if I ask you to stay outside the city?"

"Isn't it? You hid in the safety of the city, but let the friendly troops who came to support you be cannon fodder and face the front of the Jurchen army!"

Tiehu snorted and said, "It seems that General Ma has been frightened by the Jurchens. Since he is afraid of death, why don't he resign and go home to farm? Don't just sit there and do nothing. It doesn't matter if you don't want to be the general of the front garrison. There are plenty of people who can do it!"

"You...you farted!" Ma Shilong's face flushed and he was speechless.

Man Gui said disdainfully: "What is there to be afraid of the Jurchens? Nurhaci was no better than them. We slaughtered him to pieces a few days ago, killing and injuring thousands of people."

Ma Shilong's face turned red and white, and he sneered, "Your Ningyuan Army is well-equipped, and the annual military expenditure is over one million taels. Our Qiantun Army is naturally not comparable. Give me three thousand armored cavalry to try!"

Jia Huan said calmly: "You have a weak soldier and a weak general. Even if I give you three thousand cavalry, what good will it do? You don't even have the courage to face the Jurchen army, so how can you win the battle?
I will make it clear that if you want to defend Ningyuan City, my 20,000 brothers are enough, so you don't have to worry about it. However, this battle is related to the fate of our Great Jin Dynasty. It is a turnaround battle. Not only must we defend Shouyuan City, but we must also give Nurchi a head-on blow and even recover the entire Liaoxi. To achieve this strategic goal, it is definitely not enough to just defend, we must also take the initiative to attack. If you don't even have the courage to face the enemy head-on, you might as well take off your armor and return to the fields immediately."

This time, not only Ma Shilong blushed, but even Jiang Yingzhao and Yan Mingtai lowered their heads in shame.

Jia Huan stood up and clasped his fists, saying, "Forgive me for being blunt, but these are my true feelings. If you three can take my advice, then stay and fight alongside me. If you don't want to stay, you can leave immediately. The court will make its own judgment later.

However, I, Jia Huan, have to say this first. If you three choose to stay and fight alongside me, you must obey my unified orders. If you disobey my orders, or escape during the battle and shake the morale of the army, don't blame me for being rude."

When Jia Huan finished speaking, his eyes turned cold. The murderous aura that seemed tangible made Ma Shilong and the other two feel a chill in their hearts. In an instant, the hall became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Just as the atmosphere was heavy and desolate, there was a sudden sound of hurried horse hooves from outside, and then the servant Mu Ye ran in and said, "Mr. Wang, who is beside the governor, is here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zegu, Sun Chengzong's trusted aide, came in, looking dusty. He bowed to Jia Huan and said, "I am here to see Master Jia."

Jia Huan hurriedly returned the greeting and said, "Mr. Wang, please excuse me. Does the governor have any instructions?"

Wang Zegu took out a handwritten letter from Sun Chengzong and handed it to Jia Huan, smiling, "Lord General is worried about the inconsistency of orders, so he ordered me to bring the imperial sword to support Lord Jia. Lord General said that everything should be based on Lord Jia's orders. All generals must obey Lord Jia's orders. If anyone disobeys military orders, those below the rank of lieutenant general can be executed first and then reported to the emperor."

After these words were spoken, Ma Shilong, Jiang Yingzhao and Yan Mingtai all lowered their heads.

Jia Huan opened Sun Chengzong's letter and read it quickly. He thought to himself that his teacher was very thoughtful. He was worried about the lack of unified orders and had to work hard on his words. Now he doesn't have to worry about that anymore.

Wang Zegu glanced at Ma Shilong who was standing, and smiled, "Everyone is sitting, why is General Ma standing? Is there a lack of a chair in Lord Jia's military mansion?"

Ma Shilong quickly apologized and sat down, while Jia Huan ordered someone to serve tea to Wang Zegu, and they discussed how to fight the next battle.

As a result, just after chatting for a while, there was another hurried sound of horse hooves outside, and someone shouted loudly: "The imperial edict has arrived, Ningqian Bingbei Dao Jia Huan receives the edict!"

Everyone was stunned for a moment. Jia Huan quickly stood up and ordered someone to set up the incense table. Soon, a team of Jinyiwei came in. The leader held the imperial edict in his hand and asked loudly, "Where is Jia Huan, the former military governor of Ning?"

"I'm here!" Jia Huan stepped forward and said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

The Jinyiwei who delivered the imperial edict looked unfamiliar. He glanced at Jia Huan and said calmly, "Jia Bingbei, please accept the imperial edict!"

Jia Huan then knelt down in front of the incense table. The Jinyiwei slowly unfolded the imperial edict and read aloud: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor Chengyun decrees: Jia Huan, the military governor of Ningyuan..."

Anyway, it was a long paragraph praising Jia Huan's achievements in guarding the border for the past two years, and his merit in repelling Nurhaci's army and killing thousands of people a few days ago. Then he changed the subject and said that they were now facing a powerful enemy. He warned Jia Huan to guard against arrogance and impatience, and to keep up the good work. He also promoted Jia Huan to the position of Governor of Liaodong, and appointed him as the Chief Censor of the Censorate, putting him in charge of all affairs on the front line. He also gave him an imperial sword, allowing him to do as he saw fit.

It is obvious that Emperor Qiansheng was worried that Jia Huan's position was too low and he could not control the situation, so he urgently appointed Jia Huan as the Governor of Liaodong to take charge of front-line affairs.

"Your servant Jia Huan accepts the order and thanks you!" Jia Huan received the imperial edict with mixed feelings. It was really unexpected that Emperor Qiansheng directly promoted him to the governor of Liaodong.

Ma Shilong, Yan Mingqin and Jiang Yingzhao felt even more awkward. They had just been competing with Jia Huan, but now with the imperial decree, Jia Bingbei became Governor Jia, a real frontier official, and they had no choice but to obey his orders.

Therefore, Emperor Qiansheng was still quite wise and decisive. Although he disliked Jia Huan, he did not bother with him. He knew the importance of this battle, so he simply promoted Jia Huan to the governor of Liaodong and handed all the power into his hands.

A sixteen-year-old governor, let alone the Jin Dynasty, it is probably rare to see one in previous dynasties!

(End of this chapter)