Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 254: Bastard Bastard Bastard (Seeking votes at the beginning of the month)
[The birthday celebration of the Emperor was grand and luxurious, and the one million silver dollars was not wasted.]

[Leaving the city and heading west, there is a guard post every three steps and a sentry post every five steps along the way. All the elite troops in the capital are out.]

The initiator of the report in Minsheng Daily was naturally Jia Lian. And there was a strong contrast. In the corner of the front page, there was a piece of news the size of dried tofu, with the title "Suppression of banditry is rampant, rebellion in many places".

That’s right, during the three days of the Emperor’s birthday, an urgent report was received from Shandong that the White Lotus Sect had rebelled.

Over the past three years, due to excessive oppression by the imperial court, the White Lotus Sect has developed rapidly in Shandong. Compared with the past, the location of this rebellion is not the kind of remote areas, but the prosperous areas along the canal.

On the tenth day of the eighth month, the religious bandits took advantage of the local market, disguised themselves, entered the urban area of ​​Jining, and suddenly launched an attack, quickly occupying the docks, city gates, government offices and other important places. The local prefect was caught off guard and died in the chaos. On the eleventh day, Liaocheng and Heze reported urgently that the religious bandits were rioting. On the twelfth day, the religious bandits in Shangqiu and Linqu rioted.

Within a few days, religious bandits caused chaos in Shandong and Henan. Local officials were caught off guard and not even the prefect or county magistrate was spared.

Because of the urgent reports from various places, the birthday celebration of the retired emperor was held in a very abstract manner. On the one hand, it was a big show, but on the other hand, the important officials of the court only showed up for half a day and left in a hurry under the leadership of Emperor Chenghui. As for the nobles, the Prince of Nan'an was bedridden, and the Prince of Dongping had a foot disease. The other two princes did go, but they only stayed for half a day and left. As a result, the whole birthday celebration was naturally anticlimactic, and the heat was soon overshadowed by the news of the civil unrest in various places.

The martial law, which had been lifted for the emperor's birthday, was restored due to an emergency report.

Because the urgent report was delivered at night, Jia Lian, who was claiming to be sick at home, was also pulled out by Emperor Chenghui at night and brought to the palace to await orders.

It’s really not that Emperor Chenghui wants to embarrass the cabinet. As I said before, the emperor is not wrong, it’s the cabinet that is wrong.

The former governor of the Grand Canal, Li Sanjiang, was very embarrassed because the starting point of the uprising was Jining, a major canal town. There were garrisons there, 3,000 soldiers, but they did not play any role and were instead one of the main forces of the rebellion.

People who know the business know that the treatment of the canal trough workers is not bad, even better than that of the Beijing Garrison. So why would the canal trough workers join the rebel team?
Jia Lian spent the Mid-Autumn Festival in the palace. He was truly like a brick in the majesty's army, ready to be moved wherever he was needed.

As another urgent report arrived in Beijing, Wang Ziteng was also dragged out of his home.

"Lieutenant Long Jin reported urgently that the pirate Zhao Laohei gathered tens of thousands of pirates and besieged Guangzhou and many places in Macau. The officers and soldiers were defeated and retreated to the camp. Although they have stabilized their foothold, Guangzhou has been robbed from time to time. However, in the coastal counties such as Xiangshan, the pirates are waiting for us. The chief officials of various places abandoned the city and fled, and countless people were killed and injured. The governor of Guangdong reported that the pirates were disturbing the border, and the situation is under control."

After reading the contents of the paper with an expressionless face, Jia Lian sat back silently.

Wang Ziteng looked helpless and said, "I really want to take a three-month break. The vacation has just begun."

As urgent reports from Guangdong reached Beijing, the presence of the emperor was reduced to the minimum.

Emperor Chenghui held cabinet meetings for five consecutive days. The five cabinet elders did not go home for five consecutive days, and the same went for Jia Lian.

"Wang Qing, you are an expert, tell me how to deal with it."

The five cabinet ministers had complicated expressions. Li Sanjiang and Li Chi adopted the attitude of speaking less or even not speaking at all, just to avoid saying too much and making more mistakes.

Guo Yan, on the other hand, advocated that since Wang Ziteng was in Beijing, he should be ordered to mobilize the Beijing troops and immediately march south to suppress the rebellion and restore the grain transport.

Kong Zhao did not express his opinion, Liang Daoyuan stood up and argued with Guo Yan. He argued that there were many nobles in the capital who could lead troops, so why should Wang Ziteng be sent?

As for Jia Lian, I am just a tool. When not called upon, my responsibility is to shiver in the corner.

Emperor Chenghui was quite kind and did not let Jia Lian speak. Instead, he asked him to summarize the reports from various places and contact the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to prepare all kinds of military supplies for the army's march south.

Wang Ziteng, who was named, stood up and asked, "The three armies have not yet moved, but the food and grass have gone first. I want to know how the logistics are prepared?"

Emperor Chenghui asked directly: "Jia Lian, tell me."

Jia Lian stood up and said, "Tongzhou has guaranteed that the 100,000 troops will have no problem with food for three months. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue said that fodder is insufficient and is being raised. As for the Beijing camp, the Fengtai camp has 10,000 elite troops, the Shenji camp has 5,000 infantry and artillery, and the Sharp Camp and the Brave Camp each have 1,000 soldiers and horses, ready to set off at any time." The work done during this period was not in vain.

Wang Ziteng said directly, "Forget about the Jianrui Battalion. It still uses the same old tactics, long-haired shields, and close combat assault tactics. It's fine for public security. The Xiaoyong Battalion has 3,000 cavalry, and we can't do without any more. The Fengtai Battalion doesn't need to send out infantry, but mobilize 2,000 fire gunners and 3,000 artillerymen. Shandong is not the northwest, so the Xiaoyong Battalion should go first to block the rebels from entering the Yimeng Mountains from the east. At the same time, we should strictly order all prefectures to guard the cities and not fight recklessly. The Beijing Battalion's army should press forward step by step, and we should advance steadily. In three months at most, the grain transport can be restored."

Emperor Chenghui nodded with satisfaction. When he was about to speak, Liang Daoyuan stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Guangdong should not be taken lightly. It is related to the income from maritime trade and should be the top priority. I think that Wang Taiwei should go south immediately and take the sea route from Tianjin to take up his post. It is Mid-Autumn Festival now. If the pirate chaos cannot be resolved as soon as possible, the income from maritime trade in the next two years will be affected. Once it is cut off, the finances will be out of control. This is the overall situation."

Emperor Chenghui was silent. He certainly knew the importance of maritime trade. Silk, porcelain, and tea were all worthless things, but they were exchanged for a huge amount of silver. Without this silver, not only the inner treasury, but also the Ministry of Revenue would be poor again.

He glanced at Jia Lian who was dozing off, and looked at that young face. However, Emperor Chenghui had no intention of letting him go, but asked directly: "Jia Lian, tell me, which is more important, Guangdong or Shandong."

Jia Lian was called, and he stood up again to look at the expressionless face of Emperor Chenghui, then at the five ministers, and then he spoke slowly: "Your Majesty, I am not good at fighting, and I am not good at governing the country. If you must ask me what I think, I dare not deceive you. I think that the grain transport is related to the livelihoods of millions of people, and the maritime trade is related to the income of the court. Both are very important. Therefore, we must grasp both hands and do both well."

"We have to prioritize." Kong Zhao said in a leisurely tone. Jia Lian didn't know what he was thinking at this time. But Jia Lian knew that after this incident, Emperor Chenghui would definitely settle the score, and Li Chi and Li Sanjiang would both be in trouble.

Wang Ziteng took over Kong Zhao's words and said, "Your Majesty, I think what Jia Lian said is very true. The affairs of Shandong are now handed over to you. I will go back immediately and prepare to go south to Guangdong."

At this time, Kong Zhao spoke again: "Your Majesty, it would be better to call all the ministers together for discussion."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian could not help but be rude and said, "Have small meetings for big matters and big meetings for small matters. When it comes to military intelligence, there is no time to listen to the opinions of the ministers. Your Majesty, please make the decision. It has to be quick, it must be quick." "You brat, how can you have a say in this cabinet meeting?" Liang Daoyuan seized the opportunity and sprayed him again.

Jia Lian glared at him fiercely, his eyes full of murderous intent: "What is the root cause of the civil unrest? Doesn't Lord Liang know? Or are you pretending to be confused? Apart from increasing the land tax, has Lord Liang given any constructive suggestions to the court? Don't you feel guilty sitting in this position? Do you know how serious the consequences will be if the civil unrest is delayed for one more day? All you think about is how to keep your position. You are afraid of being impeached by the ministers, so you suggest discussing it at the court meeting. What are you thinking about? Do you dare to speak out? Not only you, but everyone here thinks first about how to quell the civil unrest and how to avoid it in the future? Answer me, Lord Liang!"

The barrage of questions made Liang Daoyuan blush. He was hit in a sore spot, but he couldn't find the words to refute. He suddenly became furious, his eyes went dark, and he passed out.

There was a real commotion. Liang Daoyuan was carried away. Emperor Chenghui rubbed his eyebrows hard and looked at Jia Lian, not knowing whether he should beat him or scold him. Everyone knew that you were telling the truth, but can you tell the truth?
Now is not the time to pursue responsibility, Emperor Chenghui made a decisive decision.

"In these troubled times, stop the meaningless arguments. Wang Ziteng, go back and prepare, and head south as soon as possible. I allow you to intercept the maritime trade tax silver after you take office. No matter what method you use, get rid of the pirate Zhao Laohei as soon as possible."

Emperor Chenghui's decisiveness accelerated the process. Wang Ziteng stood up and folded his hands: "I accept your order."

"Draft an imperial decree. Sun Huazhen will lead the garrison troops of Jiangnan, Jiangbei, Henan, and Shandong provinces to prevent the spread of religious bandits to the south. He will lead the autumn grain to the north by sea and land in Tianjin to prevent the grain prices in the north from getting out of control. Yue Qi will lead the elite troops of the Beijing camp to the south to eliminate the religious bandits as quickly as possible and restore the grain transport."

Kong Zhao suddenly raised his head and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, the grain cannot be transported by sea."

Jia Lian grabbed the inkstone in front of him and threw it at Kong Zhao: "A treacherous minister is ruining the country!"

Well, Jia Lian didn't aim, so he didn't hit anyone. The inkstone fell to the ground with a thud, which scared everyone.

Emperor Chenghui was so angry that he jumped up and down, pointing at Jia Lian with a trembling hand: "Asshole, asshole, asshole, get out, get out of here, go to Fengtai and wait for Yue Qi's orders." Jia Lian knew what Emperor Chenghui meant, not only did he not back down, but he puffed out his chest and said: "I will go to the Shenji Camp and ask for a thousand cavalry to assist us. We will be ready within one day, and I will lead my troops south the day after tomorrow to lead the army."

"Go away, go to your Shenjiying." Emperor Chenghui roared. After Jia Lian left the hall, he waited patiently for a while. Qiu Shian chased him out with a copy of the Imperial Edict in his hand. He handed it to him and said, "Young Master, you are not a child anymore. Even if you have something to say, even if it is the truth, don't speak it without considering the occasion. Besides, Prime Minister Kong is also in a difficult situation. Let's understand each other."

Jia Lian looked at Qiu Shian silently for a while before saying, "Tell your Majesty that I will go directly south without saying goodbye."

When they reached the palace gate, Wang Ziteng chased out and called out to Jia Lian, saying, "The Thunder Camp is transferring a thousand cavalrymen to you for command. This is the transfer order written by His Majesty himself, and this is my handwriting. You'd better have less contact with the elite troops of the Brave Camp. I'm worried that you can no longer command them."

Jia Lian let the horse move slowly forward, turned his head and asked: "Prince Zhongshun is really a loyal dog."

Wang Ziteng smiled and said, "The one thousand cavalrymen I gave you are all former members of the Valiant Battalion. The four major families cannot rely on me alone."

Jia Lian didn't reply, so Wang Ziteng continued: "Does Guangdong have any good suggestions?"

Jia Lian said, "I don't understand what's going on at sea, but Westerners do. They need our goods to make money, so we can use this as a condition to hire Western warships to help fight pirates. Of course, the premise is to find out whether the pirates are cooperating with Westerners. After all, the recent ban on smoking by the imperial court is very strict, and foreigners are not good people. There is a question that the Taiwei must treat with caution. Western countries attach great importance to trade, and the long-term trade deficit has led to a large amount of valuables flowing into Da Zhou. Everyone in the West is troubled by this. The Taiwei can use trade as a means to ease trade disputes, order warships from Westerners, hire instructors, and speed up the formation of the Nanyang Navy. And this cooperation with the bandits can be regarded as a rehearsal for military purchases. In addition, all military purchases need to be accompanied by technical input. How to build ships and cannons is the key. Da Zhou has been invincible in the surrounding areas for a long time, and the future enemies can only come from the sea and from the West."

"It's a pity that you can't be transferred south." Wang Ziteng's words were from the bottom of his heart. He really didn't have any talents who understood the West.

"I can't help you, uncle, with how to suppress the bandits."

"We don't need you in the war, you are good at keeping the people safe."

The two men immediately waved goodbye on the street. Jia Lian asked someone to go home to report the news, prepare his luggage, and ride to the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to handle the formalities.

These days, Jia Lian understood what Emperor Chenghui meant by his words. It was difficult to achieve satisfactory results by simply replacing the border troops in a hurry to reorganize the Beijing camp. As a noble, Jia Lian's participation in leading the troops to reorganize the troops would help alleviate the backlash of the nobles. In this regard, Jia Lian judged that Emperor Chenghui would definitely let him lead the troops to the south, so he might as well take the initiative to volunteer.

As for hitting Kong Zhao with the inkstone, it was nothing more than interrupting the pre-casting of his spell. Otherwise, in order to maintain his image as the chief civil servant and the prime minister, Kong Zhao would have kept talking nonsense for a long time.

The cabinet meeting was still going on, but no one mentioned the incident of Jia Lian smashing Kong Zhao. No one mentioned it, and everyone pretended that nothing had happened.

They are all smart people, how could they not know each other's background?
Who would do something that offends others? Only a fool would do it.

Is Jia Lian a fool?

It depends on your personal understanding.

After leaving the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, Jia Lian headed straight out of the city and rushed to the Fengtai camp. Yue Qi, who had been maintaining the overall situation of the garrison recently, was very friendly when he saw Jia Lian and invited him to sit down and have tea.

Jia Lian chatted with him for less than an hour before Qiu Shi'an came to announce the imperial edict.

Yue Qi was granted the title of Earl of Loyalty and Bravery, and was appointed Commander of the Beijing Camp and General of Cavalry. He led his troops south to quell the rebellion of religious bandits and restore the grain transport.

Some things cannot be concealed, such as the fact that Kong Zhao was almost hit by Jia Lian. This fermented overnight and became Jia Lian almost hit Kong Zhao to death. Of course, this is just a rumor, and the official said it was not true.

After discussing with Yue Qi overnight, Jia Lian was appointed as the general of the front army, leading 1,000 elite soldiers of the Thunder Camp and 5,000 of the Divine Machine Camp. The next day, the army arrived in Tongzhou, bringing all the equipment and food, and started the journey south to quell the rebellion.

(End of this chapter)