The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 688 Taking advantage of each other
As the saying goes, conquering a country is easy, but maintaining it is difficult. Indeed, as long as one has strong military power, taking over a city or a territory is not difficult, but governing the land well and winning the people's loyalty is by no means easy, especially since the ethnic groups, languages, customs and traditions of the Western Regions are very different from those of the rest of China.

Take Hami Kingdom for example. Although it had a population of only over 20,000, it was more than 1,000 miles away from Jiayuguan, and the route was all Gobi Desert, making supplies extremely difficult. Without the support of the local people, the Jin army would not have been able to occupy the area for long. This is probably the main reason why the Jin Dynasty never incorporated Hami Kingdom into its territory, because the cost of governing it was simply too high.

The Hami area is mainly inhabited by four ethnic groups: Hui, Uyghur, Hara Hui, and Uyghur. Although there are Han Chinese, they make up only a very small portion. Therefore, if the people here do not submit to the government, the rule of a foreign regime is destined to be short-lived. Once the military strength declines, it will inevitably lead to the overthrow of the regime.

Jia Huan was having a headache about how to maintain control after taking Hami City. The appearance of Amulang and Ayina was undoubtedly a good opportunity. As long as these two were brought to the forefront, they would easily gain the recognition of the locals, and the pressure on the Jin army stationed there would be greatly reduced. At that time, all that was needed was to control Ayina and Amulang.

Now, Jia Huan brought Ayina back to the camp. Soon after, a soldier brought up a wooden box and presented it to Ayina. She looked at Jia Huan warily and asked, "What is this?"

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Didn't Princess Ayina want to see Baiwa's head?"

Ayina then realized that the box contained Baiwa's head. She reached out and opened the wooden box, her eyes filled with hatred. She spat out, "Traitorous scoundrel, he deserves to die!"

Because of the hot weather, Baiwa's head was preserved with lime to prevent it from rotting, but Ayina still recognized the man who had wiped out her family at a glance.

Jia Huan waved his hand, and the soldier withdrew from the tent carrying the wooden box. Ayina hurriedly said, "Wait, this princess must chop up Baiwa's dog head to vent my hatred."

Tsk tsk, this little girl is quite ruthless!

Jia Huan shook his head and said, "I cannot grant you this request."

Ayina frowned and asked, "Why?"

"Because Baiwa's head was to be presented to the Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty."

Ayina thought for a moment, then said with a hint of sarcasm, "Yes, this is a great achievement for Lord Jia, so naturally he should ask the Emperor for credit."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Killing the enemy to serve the country and rewarding merit, what's wrong with that?"

"No, not at all!" Ayina turned her pretty face away and answered stiffly.

Although the guy in front of her was very handsome and his smile was as warm as the spring sunshine, she still couldn't stand him. Perhaps it was because of what happened with the golden seal earlier, so she instinctively felt that Jia Huan was a treacherous guy who was all smiles and no action.

Jia Huan didn't care; why bother arguing with a mere maid? He ordered tea to be served and then quietly waited for Amulang to return. This Ayina seemed to be quite stubborn as well. Seeing that Jia Huan didn't speak, she didn't say anything either, and the two just sat there staring at each other.

After a long while, Jia Huan suddenly chuckled softly. Ayina frowned and asked, "What are you laughing at, Lord Jia?"

Jia Huan smiled and asked, "Are there many beautiful women like Princess Ayina in Hami?"

Ayina was taken aback, a slightly embarrassed expression on her face, before asking warily, "Why are you asking this?"

"I was just asking out of curiosity." Jia Huan smiled faintly, picked up his teacup and silently sipped his tea. This Ayina was indeed a beauty, but compared to Daiyu and Baochai, she was obviously not up to par. At most, she was on the same level as Mandarin, Qingwen and Xiangling.

About an hour and a half later, Amulang arrived at the oasis with more than a hundred riders. He was relieved to see that Ayina was safe and sound, and then asked to pay his respects to Princess Kangle.

Next, Amulang and Ayina would be of great use, so Jia Huan treated them with great courtesy and readily agreed to Amulang's request, taking the two of them to visit Lin Daiyu.

Unexpectedly, the ladies of the Chai family and Daiyu took a great liking to Ayina and kept her in their tent for a chat. Ayina had always admired the culture of the Central Plains, and when she met Chai and Daiyu, who were all outstanding young ladies from wealthy families in terms of appearance, temperament, and knowledge, she was overjoyed. She called them "sister" repeatedly and was incredibly sweet-talking, which made her even more popular with Chai and Daiyu. They quickly became very familiar with each other.

After leaving Lin Daiyu's tent, Jia Huan was even a little dazed. To borrow a classic line from Da Lianbao, "Women are made of water." Now it seems that women are not only made of water, but also of tap water, because they are naturally outgoing.

Amu Lang glanced back at Lin Daiyu's tent with some worry. Jia Huan smiled and said, "Your Excellency, there is no need to worry. Princess Kangle is gentle, virtuous, well-educated, and courteous. She will not make things difficult for Princess Ayina."

Amu Lang quickly smiled apologetically, "Your Excellency misunderstands. I was just worried that Princess Ayina is young and doesn't know her place. What if she accidentally offends the princess of the superior country?"

"That's not the case. I observed Princess Ayina closely, and she answered Princess Kangle with propriety and thoughtfulness. She is clearly a well-educated and courteous person."

"Hehe, Lord Jia, you flatter me!" The two chatted as they walked, and Amu Lang tentatively asked, "Lord Jia, it seems that your troops have decreased in number. I wonder where they are stationed now?"

Jia Huan smiled mysteriously and said, "Why don't you take a guess, Chief Secretary?"

Amu Lang's eyes flashed, and he shook his head, saying, "I am too dull to guess."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Your Excellency is too modest. But it's alright to guess; consider it just a game."

Amu Lang hesitated, "Could it be... that they're going to attack Hami City?"

Jia Huan clapped his hands and laughed, "Your Excellency is indeed wise; you guessed it right away."

Amulang's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "This kid is indeed no pushover. He acts decisively and swiftly. He dares to attack Hami City with only a thousand or so soldiers. No wonder Baiwa and Amahei both fell into his hands."

Jia Huan glanced at Amulang and said coldly, "Our Great Jin Emperor is benevolent and kind-hearted, and originally did not wish to easily start a war and plunge the people of both countries into misery. Therefore, he agreed to Baiwa's request for a marriage alliance. Who would have thought that this man would be so ambitious and treacherous, colluding with Turpan to commit treason, betraying his suzerain, and being ungrateful? How can such a traitor be let off lightly? As a subject of Great Jin, Jia Huan has received the Emperor's favor and should naturally raise troops to punish him. Does Your Excellency agree?"

Amulang nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right. I wrote to the country many times before, begging them to send troops to kill the traitor Baiwa, but unfortunately, my petitions have been ignored."

Jia Huan sighed, "Due to the long distance, perhaps Your Excellency's memorial did not reach the Emperor's ears. Otherwise, the Emperor of Great Jin would certainly not have stood idly by."

Amu Lang, sensing the situation, nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, that must be it!"

Jia Huan said solemnly, "Now that the traitor Baiwa has been beheaded, if we can take Hami City this time, it will be a way to get justice for King Shanba of Hami. By the way, besides Princess Ayina, does the King of Hami have any other descendants?"

With tears in his eyes, Amu Lang shook his head and said, "From the prince down, regardless of whether they are brothers, uncles or nephews, they have all suffered at the hands of Baiwa. Only Princess Ayina remains of the royal family."

Jia Huan pretended to be troubled and said, "Then it will be difficult. Since the King of Hami has no heir, even if we take Hami City and successfully quell the rebellion, who will inherit the throne in the future?"

A surge of emotion welled up in Amurang's heart, and he blurted out, "Ayina is capable of serving as the ruler."

Jia Huan frowned and said, "But there is no precedent for a queen in Hami."

Amu Lang hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, have you forgotten? The mighty Tang Dynasty once had a female emperor. Why can't Hami have a queen? If the Great Jin Dynasty appoints Ayina as the Queen of Hami, I guarantee that the Kingdom of Hami will forever be loyal to the Great Jin Dynasty and forever serve as the western border defense of the Great Jin Dynasty."

Jia Huan was waiting for this very sentence; otherwise, how could he persuade Ayina and Amulang to wholeheartedly assist him in governing Hami? So he pretended to ponder and said, "This matter is not something I can decide, but I can inform His Excellency the Chief Secretary of the Emperor's intentions."

Upon hearing that there was hope, Amu Lang was overjoyed and quickly said, "Then we will have to trouble you, Lord Jia. We and Princess Ayina will be deeply grateful for your great kindness and will repay you handsomely in the future."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Your Excellency is too kind. We don't know yet whether we can take Hami City. However, if we are fortunate enough to succeed, we hope that Princess Ayina and Your Excellency will step forward to appease the people."

Amu Lang quickly replied, "It is my duty to do so. Although I have been in exile for many years, I still have some influence among the tribal leaders, and there are quite a few people who support the late king. As long as Ayina appears, people from all directions will surely be won over."

Jia Huan clapped his hands and said, "Very well, then I will be grateful for your great help, Chief Secretary. When the time is right, I will write to the Emperor to request a title for Princess Ayina."

Amu Lang naturally wouldn't completely trust Jia Huan, but having a glimmer of hope was always good. Moreover, as long as he returned to Hami City, with his connections and prestige, plus Princess Ayina's royal bloodline, regaining power was only a matter of time. So he was secretly pleased. Heh heh, Jia Huan was using him, and he was using him too. It was a case of each getting what they needed. As for who would prevail in the future, that would depend on their own abilities.

On the morning of the following day, Duan Yong sent a fast horse with news of victory, saying that Hami City had been successfully captured, more easily than expected.

After reading Duan Yong's report of victory, Jia Huan pondered it carefully and roughly understood why Hami City was unprepared. He guessed that the Hami cavalry who had fled that night had all been captured by Amulang and his men, so no one had escaped back to Hami City to report the news. As a result, when Man Gui arrived at the city gate, the Hami City garrison did not even have time to react.

Wow, I have to say, sometimes when luck comes, there's no stopping it!

Without further hesitation, Jia Huan immediately broke camp and led his troops toward Hami City. Three days later, they finally arrived outside Hami City.

(End of this chapter)