The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 696 The Emperor's Demeanor
On the 18th day of the eighth month of the eleventh year of the Qiansheng reign, two thousand reinforcements marched into Hami City amidst the dust of their journey. In addition to supplies such as grain, medicine, arrows, and ammunition, they also brought eight breech-loading cannons. Although they were only medium and small cannons weighing about a hundred pounds each, they were quite effective for defending the city. It is evident that General Hong Chengtao of Ganzhou was indeed very generous.

Without hesitation, Jia Huan ordered his men to mount the eight breech-loading cannons on the city wall. Since Amahei had escaped, he believed that Turpan would soon send troops to attack, and they had to be prepared to meet the enemy at any time.

The autumn wind was fierce on the city wall. Lu Xiangjin stroked a newly set-up breech-loading cannon with great affection and exclaimed, "This iron lump looks impressive. The border army is really well-off. They brought us eight cannons all at once."

Man Gui curled his lip and said, "What is this? It's just an old-fashioned Portuguese cannon. Apart from its faster rate of fire, its power is far inferior to that of the Hongyi cannon. Back then, the twenty Hongyi cannons that Huan Sanye set up on the walls of Ningyuan were truly formidable. They could fire several miles away, and the two heaviest main cannons could even fire ten miles away, easily piercing through the stone city walls and shattering the men and horses within. Nurhaci underestimated the power of the Hongyi cannons and set up camp only five miles away from the city. As a result, in the middle of the night, he was brutally beaten by our artillery fire, suffering heavy casualties and retreating in a sorry state. Hehe, it is said that Nurhaci was also injured by cannon fire and died from his injuries several months later."

Lu Xiangjin clicked his tongue and said, "That's amazing! It's practically a divine weapon for defending the city. If there were twenty Hongyi cannons here, no matter how many troops Turpan sent, they would all be sent to their deaths."

Man Gui sneered, "Do we need Hongyi cannons to deal with the Turpan people? In terms of combat strength, they can't even compare to the Jurchens. The Jurchens are no more than ten thousand strong, and over ten thousand are invincible. Although this saying is a bit boastful, the Jurchen cavalry under Nurhaci was truly formidable. Of course, our Guan Ning Iron Cavalry was also unparalleled in the world. It's a pity that it has now benefited that brat Wu Sangui. That was built by Huan Sanye himself, but the person above him was blind and dismissed Huan Sanye from his post as governor of Liaodong with just one sentence. It's truly damning!"

Lu Xiangjin broke out in a cold sweat and quickly whispered a reminder: "Be careful what you say, or you'll get yourself into trouble!"

"What's there to be afraid of!" Man Gui curled his lip dismissively. This kid was originally from a humble background, and it was Jia Huan who promoted him from the grassroots. So in his eyes, Jia Huan was the boss. As for the one on the throne, he didn't care much about him. He would speak his mind directly if he had any complaints.

Lu Xiangjin said with a wry smile, "You're a lone wolf, you can just pack your bags and go anywhere if something happens to you, but Third Master Huan's family is so big and powerful, don't bring trouble upon him!"

Man Gui scratched his head: "That's true!"

"Just be more careful next time." Lu Xiangjin patted Man Gui on the shoulder.

As the two were talking, they suddenly saw dust billowing in the distance, and more than a dozen angry horses galloping toward the city gate, with a black and yellow dragon banner fluttering in the wind at the head of the procession!

"What is this...?" Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin exchanged a surprised glance. Before they could even react, the dozen or so angry horses had already galloped to the city walls. The riders on horseback were all dressed in flying fish robes, wearing red-tasseled bamboo hats, with embroidered spring knives hanging at their waists. They were dressed in fine clothes and rode spirited horses, looking extremely dashing!
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin blurted out.

At this moment, the Imperial Guards had already reached the moat in front of the city gate. They all reined in their horses, and the leader carefully examined the flag on the city wall. After confirming that it was indeed the flag of the Great Jin Dynasty, he shouted loudly to the city wall: "By imperial decree, the Great Jin general guarding the city wall must open the city gate immediately."

Man Gui and Lu Xiangjin looked at each other with joy. The emperor's decree had finally arrived. They hurriedly sent someone to inform Jia Huan and Duan Yong, and ordered the drawbridge to be lowered and the city gates to be opened to let the Imperial Guards into the city.

"Imperial decree has arrived! Jia Huan and Duan Yong, receive the decree!" The Imperial Guards, holding the imperial decree high in one hand, rode into the city. Upon hearing the news, Jia Huan and Duan Yong rushed over and immediately knelt down in the dust.

The head of the Imperial Guards slowly opened the imperial edict and loudly read it aloud to the crowd: "By the grace of the Emperor, the rebel Baiwa has colluded with Turpan to plot treason and deserves death. The marriage alliance is hereby cancelled. From this day forward, Princess Kangle's title is revoked, her original residence is restored, and she is rewarded with ten taels of gold, five hundred taels of silver, and one hundred bolts of silk and satin. She may return to the capital on a chosen day."

The envoy Jia Huan, known for his wisdom and courage, promptly uncovered the enemy's plot, annihilating them before they could act, turning the tide of battle, beheading Baiwa, capturing Amahei, pacifying Hami, and enhancing the prestige of our Great Jin Dynasty. I am greatly pleased. Therefore, I hereby appoint you as Governor of Gansu, Commander-in-Chief of Military Affairs, and grant you the additional title of Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, to oversee the campaign in Guanzhong. Furthermore, I appoint Duan Yong as his military supervisor, granting him the additional title of Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial… This is my decree!

"Your Majesty, we obey your decree and express our gratitude. Long live the Emperor!" Jia Huan and Duan Yong bowed to the north in thanks.

At this moment, the soldiers of the three armies were in an uproar, all beaming with joy, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times. Except for Jia Huan and Duan Yong, all the soldiers who participated in the pacification of Hami were rewarded. Although the reward for ordinary soldiers was not much, receiving the emperor's commendation was undoubtedly a great honor, and they would have something to brag about among their colleagues in the future.

At this moment, the head of the Imperial Guards handed the imperial edict to Jia Huan, his face beaming with a fawning smile, and said, "Congratulations, Lord Jia! Congratulations, Lord Jia! You have made outstanding contributions in expanding our territory, and you are truly the number one civil and military official in our dynasty!"

Jia Huan said modestly, "No, no, you flatter me. You've all had a long journey..." After exchanging pleasantries, Jia Huan ordered Chu Sheng to lead the group of Imperial Guards away and settle them in, treating them to good wine and meat.

If the soldiers were willing to obey Jia Huan's orders before because they admired his talent, it was ultimately not legitimate. Now that Jia Huan has been appointed as the Governor of Gansu, in charge of military affairs, and ordered to manage Guanzhong, it means that Jia Huan has become the "boss" who holds all the military and political power in the region, and can now rightfully command the three armies.

Meanwhile, Chu Sheng led his group of brocade-clad officials to rest as ordered. Duan Yong then congratulated Jia Huan with a beaming smile, saying, "Congratulations, Lord Jia, on being appointed Governor of Gansu."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Congratulations! From now on, we are colleagues, and I will rely on Eunuch Duan a lot in the future."

Duan Yong chuckled and said, "Lord Jia is too modest. It should be that we are relying on Lord Jia. To be honest, we have benefited from Lord Jia's influence this time!"

Although Eunuch Duan was ambitious but incompetent, he was still quite clear-headed. At least he was honest in his words. He knew that if it weren't for Jia Huan, Duan Yong would not only have failed to achieve merit, but he would probably have lost his life in the Gobi Desert.

"You're too kind, Eunuch Duan. From today onwards, we must work together to manage the Guanzhong region well, so as not to fail His Majesty's great favor and trust!" Jia Huan said, bowing to the north to show his respect for the emperor.

Duan Yong nodded quickly and said, "What Lord Jia said is absolutely right, that is the way it should be."

To be honest, although Jia Huan had expected that Emperor Qiansheng would reward him, it was still a bit unexpected that he would be directly appointed as the Governor of Gansu and given the military and political power to manage the Western Regions.

Moreover, Emperor Qiansheng also revoked Lin Daiyu's princess title and restored her to commoner status. This was clearly a gesture of goodwill towards Jia Huan. This move was unusually generous and a bit abnormal!

It should be noted that Emperor Qiansheng's original intention in bestowing the title of princess upon Lin Daiyu and sending her to marry into Hami was to punish Jia Huan. Now, not only has Jia Huan been appointed as the governor of Gansu, but Daiyu's title of princess has also been revoked. It's as if he's saying: "Jia Huan, not only have I given you an official position, but I've also returned your woman to you. Be smart and work hard."

In fact, if Jia Huan knew the current situation in the country, he probably wouldn't be so confused. Since Zhang Cunmeng, the Unyielding Mud Guard, first raised the banner of rebellion in Mianchi County, hundreds of uprisings have occurred throughout the Great Jin Dynasty in just six months. The flames of rebellion have spread across the country like wildfire, leaving the local garrison troops exhausted and the imperial court in a state of utter chaos.

As the saying goes: "When a family is poor, one thinks of a virtuous wife; when a country is in ruins, one thinks of a good general." Jia Huan's ability to lead troops into battle is obvious to all, and he is a rare talent. Although Emperor Qiansheng did not like Jia Huan, he had to put aside his imperial status and extend an olive branch to Jia Huan when he needed talent.

Getting back to the main point, the contents of the imperial edict quickly reached the Hami royal palace and the ears of Daiyu and Baochai. Daiyu and Baochai embraced each other with joy, and the maids were overjoyed.

For Lin Daiyu, the title of princess was not an honor, but a shackle that imprisoned her. Now that the title of princess has been taken back, she has finally regained her freedom. How could she not be overjoyed and weep? At this moment, Lin Daiyu's face was covered with tears - Huan Di did it!

"Congratulations, Daiyu!" Baochai smiled as she wiped away Lin Daiyu's tears, her heart filled with envy.

Lin Daiyu laughed and cried at the same time, and held Baochai's hand, saying, "Sister Bao, don't worry. Huan will definitely help you get rid of your status as a courtesan and regain your freedom in the future. At that time... we will be good sisters for a lifetime!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai's cheeks flushed slightly, and she nodded gently. The two women looked at each other, both shy and bashful, a sight to behold.

(End of this chapter)