Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 511 Li Yuan's Observation

Feeling Jia Lian's alienation, Li Yuan was not frustrated, because this guy has always been like this.

Seeing Li Yuan looking tired, Jia Lian didn't waste any words. He asked him to get in the car and take him to the prepared inn. He set up the incense table. After Li Yuan read out the order, Jia Lian accepted it, exchanged some polite words, and left, asking him to have a good rest first. This reason was very sufficient, and Jia Lian would not admit that it was to keep a distance.

As for whether Li Yuan is taken care of in daily life, there are at least twenty eunuchs and maids around him when he goes out, so it is not Jia Lian's turn to worry about it.

Although it was Li Yuan who was injured, the concubines were more injured.

Oh, Li Yuan's title is the Prince of Jin, and Li Heng is the Prince of Lu. They are also the only two princes among the current princes, and the others are all county princes.

Perhaps because of his strict upbringing, Jia Lian didn't have much impression of the other princes, as they were too low-key. The only thing he remembered was that the eldest prince was editing a book.

In terms of educating the princes, Emperor Chenghui was relatively successful as he did not raise any princes who behaved recklessly.

In comparison, the emperor emeritus was a complete failure. The princes fought each other to the point of using their brains to fight for the throne.

Perhaps because when he was the retired emperor, whoever became the crown prince would be targeted by his brothers, Emperor Chenghui was reluctant to appoint a crown prince.

Most people believed that Emperor Chenghui brought Li Yuan to Guangzhou and most likely took him to Southeast Asia, which meant he was giving up on him.

Jia Lian's understanding is different. Emperor Chenghui not only did not give up, but also had high hopes. What does coming to Guangzhou mean? Of course, it is to make achievements.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian felt a little bit of injustice for Li Heng. When he went back to report, he would just report his military achievements normally. After all, he was here to be an inspector.

In any case, Li Yuan was sent to Guangzhou. Since he was not in the capital, his path to the throne naturally suffered a big blow, or at least he lost the initiative.

After a day's rest, Li Yuan could not wait to exercise his rights as an inspector. He sent someone to inform Jia Lian and asked to learn about the preparations for the war in Southeast Asia.

Jia Lian was upset after receiving the report. Why? Why can't you come here in person? Why do you have to make me come here to report?

Jia Lian called the Chief of Staff and asked him to go and report to Li Yuan on the preparations before the war. As for Jia Lian, it was not that he could not go in person, but he did not want to give people a chance to talk about him.

Speaking of conspiracy theories, if he went to report in person, it would take a little longer. What would Li Yuan want to keep for dinner? The Acting Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi stayed in the residence of the Second Prince for half a day. What would others think?
Moreover, Jia Lian did have a lot of things to do. He also had to inspect the garrisons in various places to see how the final pre-war preparations were going.

If you don't fight a war, you won't know how the money is spent. In the past few years, nearly 30 million silver dollars have been invested, of which 70% was spent on the navy.

Why does the Navy spend money like water? It's simple. The naval guns need to be practiced, right? To fire a shell, not counting the depreciation of the barrel, just the shell, the solid projectile + propellant, starts at 20 yuan.

A third-level battleship, ninety-six guns, a drill, even if each gun fired one shot, how much money would it cost? Moreover, this kind of live-fire drill is not a one-time thing.

In comparison, how much does a sailor spend in a month? It is definitely less than 20 yuan.

To be honest, this is very cheap. In modern society, big two-ticket firecrackers are really expensive. Units are tens of thousands!
For the sake of combat effectiveness, Jia Lian gritted his teeth and accepted it, even though it cost a lot of money. After all, if he didn't practice much in normal times, he would be just a piece of cake on the battlefield.

Li Yuan was a little disappointed when he learned that Jia Lian did not come to report in person, but he still listened to the chief of staff's report very seriously.

Li Yuan had known about the existence of a General Staff Office in Jia Lian's army for a long time. He took this opportunity to inquire carefully about the functions of the General Staff Office.

Li Yuan was deeply shocked to learn that the General Staff Office had great power in the army, and that they formulated all combat plans, and were responsible for the army's logistics, personnel training, etc., in order to allow the commander to focus on combat. Although he did not know much about military affairs, a person's energy was limited. If the commander could not be disturbed by trivial matters and concentrate on commanding the battle, it would naturally be of great benefit.

"Go back and tell Lord Jia that this inspector hopes to visit the army and comfort the soldiers." Li Yuan was naturally unwilling to be lonely, and he tried different ways to get closer to Jia Lian.

Over the years, Li Yuan knew that although Jia Lian was away from home, the emperor's trust in him had not diminished at all. He was a future cabinet minister, and if nothing went wrong, he would basically be the prime minister. It would be a great benefit to take this opportunity to get closer to him. Of course, at this stage, Jia Lian was only willing to have contact with him on a business level, and keep his distance outside of business.

The Chief of Staff conveyed Li Yuan's request, which Jia Lian could not refuse, so he had to arrange to go to the First Town of Nanyang early tomorrow morning. Don't you want to see the army? Okay, I'll give you a taste.

Looking at her sleeping son, Baochai got up and left contentedly. Because of Jia Lian's insistence, she fed her son colostrum and continued breastfeeding intermittently afterwards. She also hired a wet nurse.

Aunt Xue saw her come out and said with a smile: "Now that you have a son, you will have to consider more in the Jia Mansion from now on."

Baochai knew what her mother meant and did not respond. How could she covet the title left by Duke Rong? It was determined when Jia Quan was born. As long as he was there, others would give up.

"The master was ordered to develop Nanyang, so he naturally made some contributions. Now he has only two sons. At his age, it is difficult to reward him for his great achievements, so naturally the rewards will go to his children. You can see this from the eldest daughter. As for the eldest son, he is the heir to the title." Baochai was quite satisfied with the current situation. Isn't she the only person of status around Jia Lian? As for the third sister, she cannot enter the Jia Mansion, so there is no need to worry about her.

Aunt Xue looked at the woman's satisfied expression and wanted to persuade her but couldn't. She was a daughter of the Wang family, how could she not know the background of the Wang family?

If you think about it carefully, your daughter is not a good person either!
If she had been a friendly person, she would not have been the only one to accompany Jia Lian to the south and give birth to a son.

Maybe I was worrying too much. Even if Wang Xifeng was jealous, she wouldn't go too far.

"Mother, please pay more attention to my brother and don't let the Xue family's bloodline be cut off." Baochai finally mentioned Xue Pan.

Since the Xue family's business center moved south, Xue Pan has let himself go. His followers, all handsome young men, number more than 20, are extremely unrestrained.

What woman? What do you want a woman for?
Aunt Xue was also very troubled. She bought many pretty maids for Xue Pan, but he refused to touch them.

"It's all the fault of that bitch Xia Jingui. You should go and ask Lian'er to say something. Only he can make Wenlong obey." Aunt Xue had a headache when she talked about Xue Pan. She had been in Guangzhou for almost a year, and she didn't see Xue Pan very often. She could only see him three or five days a month, and that was because Xue Pan didn't have much to do. The key point was that she couldn't say anything to him. He would run away as soon as she was told to, and would not come home for several days. Aunt Xue was also forced to no other way, so she went to Baochai for advice.

Baochai heard her mother say so, naturally it was not good to postpone, so she nodded and said, "I will talk to him when the master is off duty. By the way, what did Sister Baoqin say about letting her come and stay for a while?"

Aunt Xue couldn't help but frown when she heard this and said, "How can this be good? To Baoqin, Lian Ge'er is still a stranger. How can a lady from a wealthy family casually date a stranger?"

Baochai didn't want to tell her mother that men are fickle, so she just smiled and said, "Now the Xue family's property in the mainland is under my name, and it's still managed by my second uncle. It won't hurt for me to get closer to Baoqin."

Aunt Xue knew what her daughter was thinking when she heard this. Her second uncle only had one daughter. If she controlled Baoqin, it would be like controlling her second uncle's lifeblood. If one really wanted to calculate the assets under Baochai's name, it would be worth millions. If that were the case, even the closest relatives would not be able to rest assured.

As they were talking, a maid came in to announce that the master had returned home. Baochai got up quickly and walked out quickly. As soon as she arrived in the courtyard, Jia Lian had already slipped behind the screen.

"My mother-in-law is here?" Jia Lian greeted Aunt Xue first, and then asked Baochai, "How is the second son?"

"I'm asleep!" Baochai replied. Jia Lian laughed and said, "It's so hot in this damn weather. Go take a shower and change your clothes first."

Baochai called out to Ying'er and went to the back with Jia Lian, while she stayed behind to talk with her mother.

Aunt Xue saw Ying'er following him and asked in a low voice, "I see Ying'er is still unhappy. You have been the boss in the Governor's Mansion for a long time. You can't be without a helper." Baochai whispered, "Since I got married, I have never avoided Ying'er in anything. What else can I do? There are a few people in the next yard who are eyeing me covetously. What can I do as a concubine? Can I still be the master's boss?"

Aunt Xue hesitated to talk about it, and stopped talking about it. After all, the Xue family was originally in a low position among the four major families, not to mention that Jia Lian had reached a height where he could play without the Wang family. The Xue family was lucky to ensure that they would not fall behind. Don't talk about family marriage or something like that, the binding force of this thing is very limited, especially for the Wang family who have fiefdoms outside.

If short hair wasn't too unconventional in that era, Jia Lian wouldn't want to keep long hair. The weather in the south was too torturous, and it would be uncomfortable if he didn't wash his hair for a day.

Here, bathing is called "showering", and Jia Lian soon understood the meaning of this word. He sat on the bluestone slab and let Ying'er pour water on him with a ladle.

Well, Jia Lian knew exactly what Baochai and Ying'er were thinking, but he just never said anything.

It’s not that Jia Lian has a change of heart, but it’s true that once he enters the backyard, he can never have peace. There are always people hanging around, and Ying'er, Xiren, and Qingwen can never play together.

In the past, they helped Baochai to grab food, and they were on guard against each other, so naturally their relationship was not good.

The weather is hot, and it is still very comfortable to soak in the pool. If Ying'er can relax a little more and not just water it, it will be even more enjoyable. In this respect, she is not as good as Xiren and Qingwen, let alone the third sister.

It can only be said that in Jia Lian's eyes, Baochai and Ying'er are always a little pretentious.

There were guests at home, so Jia Lian didn't delay any longer. He got up after soaking for a few minutes, changed his clothes, and came out to greet Aunt Xue.

Baochai took the opportunity to talk about Xue Pan: "Brother has so many servants around him, taking them with him wherever he goes, and there are so many maids at home, but there is no news from any of them. Master, please talk about him."

Jia Lian had said this before, and he was going to politely refuse, but after seeing Aunt Xue's look, he had no choice but to nod: "I'll talk to him when I see him again. How shameless!"

Aunt Xue thanked him again and again but didn't mention it.

After having dinner with Aunt Xue, Jia Lian said goodbye early and went back to bed, saying that he had to get up early the next day.

Jia Lian got up early the next morning before dawn. It was not just talk, he really wanted to do it.

Li Yuan was also woken up by the eunuch in a daze. Seeing that it was pitch black outside, he couldn't help but complain: "You got up so early!"

The eunuch who had been with him for many years advised: "Your Highness, this is not like in the capital. I have asked around and found that the military camps get up early before dawn to train every day."

Li Yuan finally got up. He could only hold on even though he couldn't open his eyes. He was a little more awake after washing his face with cold water, but he was still yawning. He was not Jia Lian, who slept a little late last night. When he was on the boat, he was in low spirits. He finally recovered a little. The maidservant beside him kept pushing him into her arms. She was fragrant, smooth and greasy. How could he resist?
Before he could even have breakfast, someone outside reported that Acting Governor Jia had arrived and was waiting outside the door. Li Yuan warned the doorman, "Although Lord Jia is acting as the Governor, you cannot address him as acting. This is not the capital, and I have a lot to rely on from Governor Jia, so you must not neglect him."

Menzi was reprimanded and kept saying, "I'll remember that!"

They were all elderly people around him, and Li Yuan did not have the heart to criticize them too much. They followed him south, and it would take a while for them to change their habits in the capital. In the past, others were always polite and respectful to them.

Li Yuan came out with his entourage and saw a four-wheeled carriage parked at the door. This thing was gradually becoming popular in the capital. The iron body was much stronger than before, but the horse was not so good.

After getting in the car, Li Yuan felt better when he saw Jia Lian riding a horse. He sat in the car and talked to Jia Lian: "Master Jia, where are you going this time?"

Jia Lian informed Li Yuan that he was going to the First Infantry Regiment of Nanyang. Li Yuan took the opportunity to ask him a lot of questions, and Jia Lian answered them patiently one by one.

While on the way, Li Yuan had a concept in his mind. The first town of the newly organized infantry (army) of Nanyang was composed of three infantry regiments, one artillery regiment, and one mixed regiment (including a cavalry team, a baggage battalion, a communications team, a guard team, and medical and other affiliated organizations). The total strength was about 12,000 people. The highest commander of a town was the commander, who was led by Jia Lian, and the deputy commander was Lieutenant General Zhang San. There was also a town of garrison in the province, which was more complicated in organization, with two brigades. In addition to the garrison in the provincial capital, there were also garrisons in various guards, either one battalion or one team.

In short, Jia Lian adopted the new organization of Yue Qi, the Minister of War, in Guangdong, which was similar to the four regiments of the Beijing Camp. However, in terms of scale, the First Regiment of the Nanyang New Army was composed of three infantry regiments, while the four regiments of the Beijing Camp were composed of two regiments and four regiments, which was larger than the First Regiment of the Nanyang New Army. Obviously, the First Regiment was the main force going south, and Li Yuan couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Master Jia, why does the first town in Nanyang adopt the three-standard system?"

Jia Lian listened to his question and explained patiently: "It is too expensive to maintain an army. Moreover, the long-distance transport capacity is limited. Relying on the advantage of equipment, a combat unit with a flag as the main force can defeat an enemy several times its number in a field battle. In short, please rest assured, Your Highness. I dare not take the trust of Your Majesty lightly."

Li Yuan, fearing that Jia Lian would misunderstand him, quickly said, "I am just curious."

Jia Lian added: "In terms of command convenience, the three-standard system is more flexible."

After walking for a while, the carriage stopped at the city gate. Jia Lian opened the door personally, asked Li Yuan to get off, and introduced Qi Yun and others who were waiting there.

At this time, it was already dawn and some people were already entering the city through the city gate. They were stopped by the guards and forced to go around and enter through another gate.

Li Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Do you also stop the people during daily training?"

Jia Lian still patiently explained: "How dare I do this in daily training? Today, it concerns the safety of Your Highness, so I did this."

After hearing this, Li Yuan wanted to say that he didn't need to be special, but at this time, dense footsteps were heard in the distance, and a group of people, neatly lined up and well-equipped, ran out of the city gate under the command of "Quick Pass". Jia Lian introduced: "Your Highness, this is the first battalion and team. In war, they will be the vanguard. The terrain of Nanyang is not suitable for large-scale cavalry deployment. One battalion of cavalry is set up in each town as a pursuit force."

"I see. When I was in the capital, I learned about the organization of the four towns. Each town has a cavalry battalion, and Tongzhou Town is even a cavalry town. Everyone says that Lord Jia is a good leader. After seeing him today, I find that the rumors are true."

Li Yuan was not exaggerating. The marching troops in front of him were so quiet that only the sound of footsteps could be heard. Even when they saw Jia Lian and others, they kept walking and quickly passed through the city gate without any orders from their superiors.

After observing the army leaving the city at the city gate, Li Yuan, under Jia Lian's arrangement, rode on horseback and followed the team all the way.

Jia Lian patiently introduced what a fully armed twenty-mile march is all the way, and the purpose of doing so. The combat effectiveness of an army is often determined by its mobility. Jia Lian also gave an example. In the past, when facing the enemy in the north, our army, which was mainly cavalry and often mainly infantry, defeated the enemy but could not completely annihilate it. The enemy relied on mobility to escape, so each unit had a large number of cavalry formations to pursue and expand the results of the battle. The role of the cavalry in Nanyang was more to quickly pursue along the road and seize key points after winning the field battle.

In wartime, many battles are aimed at catching the enemy off guard before they have a firm foothold. This is the only way to reduce casualties. Otherwise, once the enemy hides behind fortifications, even if there is artillery fire, the casualties on one side will be greater.

Li Yuan followed the marching group on horseback and felt that the marching speed was very fast. He was quite amazed: "It only takes one hour to march twenty miles. What a strong army!"

Seeing him making a fuss, Jia Lian was pleased in his heart, but he still patiently explained: "This is a forced march. A normal march is about eight miles in an hour. There is also a forced march, which is to advance at a very fast speed within a specified time. This depends on the quality of the training of each unit."

Speaking of forced marches, Jia Lian couldn't help but think of the stunning performance of the peak human light infantry on a certain peninsula! The name of the Wansui Army is not in vain.

Sure enough, when returning, the troops' marching speed slowed down, but Li Yuan saw clearly that the back of each soldier was soaked with sweat. Looking at them carefully, everyone was energetic, walking steadily, and the formation was not disorderly. It can be seen that this team is already accustomed to this level of training.

"Are the other two or three targets' drills also at this level?" Li Yuan couldn't help but ask after being amazed.

Jia Lian nodded: "Of course, the exercises are all the same, no one is willing to admit defeat, and there will be a competition every month."

(End of this chapter)