Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 175 Promoted to Defense 3
  "Excuse me, Lord Defender, when should we set off?" You Jiaxi asked.

"Soldiers are very valuable, so naturally the faster the better." Jia Cong thought for a while and said, "I also want to buy some things in the city. Which of you is familiar with the market?"

Yu Hong smiled and said: "You Fatty is the most familiar with it. He has always been in charge of the procurement matters of the General Military Mansion."

You Jiaxi smiled and cupped his hands.

Jia Cong nodded and said: "Please ask Mr. Yu Qian to mobilize the troops of our headquarters, 500 prisoners, and escort the food, grass and baggage to reorganize the city and rebuild the defense. I will arrive soon."

"I humbly obey my order." Yu Hong accepted the order and left.

"I wonder what you are planning to buy?" You Jia said happily.

Jia Cong asked: "How much food, grass and weapons have been allocated to me by the General Military Office?"

"In addition to the soldiers' personal equipment, they also have 2000 dan of grain, 5 arrows, kerosene, pickles, fodder, cloth, livestock, vehicles, etc." You Jia said happily.

Jia Cong nodded. It was good for a small fort to be able to provide so much. There were only more than 2,000 people. How many days would this amount of food be enough to last?
  Immediately he said: "Mr. You Qian, I want to purchase a large amount of grain, meat, fruits and vegetables, is there any way?"

You Jia nodded happily and said: "This is easy. I am familiar with several grain and meat warehouses in the city. I wonder how much you want to buy?"

"Buy enough to feed two thousand people."

"This...what do you mean, sir?" You Jiaxi took a breath, a little unbelievable.

Jia Cong smiled and said: "Of course I bought it to eat. Are you so naughty?"

"My lord's righteousness is so great that I admire you for your humble position." Youjia sighed happily, cupping his hands.

I have only seen officers who drink the blood of their soldiers and take empty pay, but I have never heard of officers who support their soldiers out of their own pockets. After all, soldiers are not soldiers.

"Also, I want to buy a lot of military equipment, such as arrows, crossbows, swords and guns, kerosene, and war horses. Anything that can be used can be arranged for me. Is there any way to do it?"

You Jia smiled and said: "There is the largest ordnance and craftsmanship bureau in Liaodong in the city. As long as you spend money, you can buy anything."

"By the way, are there any muskets?" Jia Cong asked.

"Sir, are you talking about fire blunderbuss? There are some in the army, but these things are afraid of rain and snow, and are troublesome to reload. They are not as easy to use as bows and crossbows, so there are not many of them. The soldiers don't like this naughty thing."

"Besides this, what kind of firearms can the army buy?" Jia Cong thought for a while and refused to give up.

"Artillery is not enough to defend a big city. Small things like gunpowder cannons can be bought."

"What is a gunpowder cannon?"

"Gunpowder cannons, also known as explosive cannons, are made of pig iron. On an empty stomach, the powder is put into a pestle, put into a small bamboo tube, with a fire wire inside, and a long wire through a fire trough on the outside.

The only way to select the bandits is to bury dozens of them in the pit. The medicine trough is connected to the steel wheel and flint, and the soil is covered to prevent the thieves from knowing. When the engine is started, the gunpowder explodes, the iron pieces fly, and the flames reach the sky. "

Jia Cong's eyes lit up, "Landmines?"

"Uh, what are the landmines that your Excellency is talking about? I don't know what I am doing."

"It's just an iron lump buried in the ground. If people walk over it, it will explode if they step on it."

"It's this thing that we all call gunpowder cannon." You Jia said happily.

"Okay, okay, just buy this thing, as much as you want."

"Yes, I estimate that I can buy two to three thousand. After all, other cities also need them."

"Okay, you take people to buy goods quickly. We must leave tomorrow at the latest." Jia Cong ordered Yan Shuangying to go with him to pay the bill.

"I humbly obey my orders." You Jia said happily.

The next day, Jia Cong and others led a thousand infantry, dozens of carts of goods bought with more than 5 taels of silver, and more than horses, and slowly passed through the city toward the north gate.

Thinking of the uncertainty of life and death here, Baochai, Daiyu and the others would be worried day and night. Jia Cong couldn't help but sigh softly: "The poor bones by the Wuding River are just like those in a spring boudoir's dream."

You Jia smiled and said, "Sir, are you feeling homesick?"

Jia Cong nodded.

"What's so difficult about this? Just write a letter back to say you're safe." You Jia said happily.

"The ancients said that if the war continues for three months, a letter from home is worth ten thousand gold. We are thousands of miles away and the war is urgent. When will the letter from home arrive?" Zhao Lingkong sighed.

You Jia laughed happily and said: "You have never been to Liaodong and don't know the things here. If ordinary people want to send letters, it will naturally be extremely slow and easy to lose.

If the third master wants to deliver a message, it can take two or three days to reach Shenjing from here, and the round trip can take five or six days. "

"So fast?" Everyone was shocked.

"Is this true?" Jia Cong asked happily.

You Jia said happily: "How dare you deceive the Lord in your humble position? Ordinary people send letters by courier or water horse post. People and goods are not distinguished, and materials and letters are not separated, so it is naturally slow.

If the third master has a letter, he can send it to the express delivery shop. The soldiers can run in relay and cover 300 miles a day. On weekdays, they only send military and political documents.

If it's still too slow, you can use expedited delivery by military courier, which can travel 800 miles per day at the fastest. The trip to Shenjing is only less than 2000 miles, doesn't it take two or three days? "

"Is there such a good thing?" Everyone didn't believe it.

"That's natural. As long as you are willing to spend money, there is nothing you can't do." You Jia said with a smile.

Jia Cong said: "Money is not a problem, take me there quickly."

You Jiaxi immediately ordered the two commanders to lead the team out of the city first. He took everyone to the largest military post in the city. "Hey, Mr. You Qian is rare. I see you have a lot of fat in your belly." The postmaster of the military post station greeted him with a smile.

"Old man Gao, please stop making jokes. Come and meet You's superior officer, the newly appointed Shifang Sibao defense officer by the Commander-in-Chief, Mr. Cong from Shenjing Rongguo Mansion." You Jia said with a smile.

Gao Shuhua hurriedly stepped forward to greet me and said, "In this humble position, I see you, Lord Defense, and all the generals."

Jia Cong said: "I heard that it only takes two or three days at the fastest for you to send a letter to Shenjing?"

Gao Shuhua said with a smile: "That's natural. Qian'er's eight-hundred-mile urgent battle report was sent out here. It only took two and a half days to reach Shenjing, which is not much slower than Fenghuo."

Zhao Lingkong couldn't help but sigh: "It turns out that I was smiling like the concubine riding a horse in the mortal world, as the ancients said, and no one knew it was a lychee. It was an exaggeration, but I didn't want it to be true."

Gao Shuhua cupped his hands and said with a smile: "This gentleman is talking about the military post of the Tang Dynasty. Our dynasty is no worse than the prosperous Tang Dynasty. We also have two slogans, June shad brings snow and cold, three thousand miles to Chang'an!"

The lychees that Yang Guifei ate were just dead things, how could they be compared with fresh and living things like anchovies? "

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Okay, okay, I'll try this military post to see how much money I can give you."

Gao Shuhua smiled and said: "With the status of Third Master Cong, how can I accept your money?"

Jia Cong waved his hand and said: "It's public or private, how can I take advantage of the public? Spread the word and make others laugh."

You Jiaxi's eyes widened and he said, "Old Man Gao, you have always been desperate for money. Why are you pretending to be in front of me today?"

Gao Shuhua chuckled, cupped his hands and said, "I admire Mr. Cong's integrity for his humble position. If you want to deliver a letter, it will be 40 taels for express delivery over 600 miles, 60 taels for express delivery over 100 miles, and taels for express delivery over miles away."

"Then let's expedite it for eight hundred miles. Can it only be delivered to Shenjing, or can it be delivered to all parts of the country?" Jia Cong said.

"Currently we can only send goods from various places in Liaodong to Shenjing."

Jia Cong nodded and asked everyone to write a letter home. All the envelopes were put in a wooden box and handed to Yi Cheng, saying: "Send it to Rongguo Mansion and give it to Mr. Jia Huan. He will forward it to you."

Gao Shuhua hurriedly wrote a sign and stuck it on the front of the box, and ordered the postman to seal it with wax oil and fire paint. Then he wrapped and tied the box in layers of waterproof tarpaulin and put it into a leather bag.

"Don't worry, sir. We will arrive within three days, and the post soldiers will bring back the letter when we return."

Jia Cong nodded and smiled, very satisfied with this express delivery service. After all, it is equivalent to sending a letter worth 100,000 yuan in future generations. Isn't the service good?
  After leaving the military post, Jia Cong asked in confusion: "Why does the military post allow such a profit? What should we do if there is an urgent report from the army and the post horse is not there?"

You Jia said with a smile: "Your Excellency, you are overly concerned. Without such a means of profit, it would be difficult to maintain the military post.

There are hundreds of places such as Liaodong military post and express delivery shop, all of which are piled with money. The daily maintenance will cause a lot of losses, so it is better to use them for business.

It not only facilitates a wealthy family like your Excellency, but also makes up for the expenses, and also increases the income of the post soldiers. Wouldn't it kill three birds with one stone?
  Besides, not everyone is as wealthy as you are. Ordinary wealthy people just use the 400-mile expedited service, and it’s not just a letter or a horse. They just wait a few days to collect the number before sending it once, and it won’t affect the inn. use. "

Jia Cong nodded. The people at the post station were not stubborn and knew how to make money.

Silently all the way, everyone rode out of the city, caught up with the large army, and headed towards the Shifang Temple Fort.

Travel thirty miles to Pu River.

The army passed over a stone bridge, and at the end of the bridge was Fengtian City's last line of defense, a veritable bridgehead - Pinglu Fort.

You Jiaxi was acquainted with the defense officer Li Ke, so he said hello and passed through the city.

Defense officer Li Ke was twenty-seven or eighty years old, with a strong body and a fierce appearance. When he heard about Jia Cong's identity, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him and said, "I have met Master Cong."

Jia Cong dismounted and returned the courtesy, saying, "Since we are Pao Ze, Brother Li doesn't need to be too polite. Leave a cart of meat to give to the brothers in Pinglu Fort as a tooth sacrifice."

He had a good impression of the general who defended the city during the Tatar raid and was the first to light the beacon fire.

Immediately, several soldiers went to the back and lifted the hood of the vehicle, leaving behind a cart full of pickled pork.

Li Ke was stunned, looking at a line of dozens of large cars, and stammered: "These are all..."

Commander-in-Chief, this is too biased. After so many years in the military, I have never heard of anyone in the army being able to eat meat. Thank God for being able to eat enough.

Jia Cong smiled and said: "Don't misunderstand, I bought these with my own money."

Li Ke was even more speechless. He was so rich that he had to pay for wars for the imperial court out of his own pocket.

"Farewell!" Jia Cong got on his horse and led everyone away.

Li Ke was left messy in the wind. When he saw Jia Cong walking away, he shouted: "Third Master, if you have a chance, I can help my brother."

Jia Cong laughed: "No problem!"

Everyone laughed, it was a blessing to follow such a wealthy official as Jia Cong.

Traveling more than thirty miles north, we arrived at Shangyulin Fort, which had been captured by the Tatars. The city gate collapsed and corpses lay on the ground, with broken limbs and arms scattered around.

The newly arrived defenders were busy digging holes to bury the corpses of their comrades, and they all looked miserable.

Jia Cong was on the battlefield for the first time. He felt the same way. He led everyone to dismount and walk slowly. He greeted the defense officer Ming Yao. He also left a cart of pork behind and headed towards his base, Shifang Temple Fort, under the grateful eyes of everyone. And go.

The road was vast and flat, with no ravines or dangerous passes. After walking for more than thirty miles, the two mountain ranges in front tightened left and right, revealing a narrow passage four to five miles wide in the middle.

A fort with a length of more than 200 feet and a width of more than 200 feet lies in the middle of the road. It has the courage to guard the main road with a sword and a horse.

Because the mountains on both sides of the road were gentle and extended diagonally, it was impossible to build a pass based on the terrain, so only a castle was built to monitor the border.

At this time, on the side of Shifang Temple Castle, more than a thousand people were digging deep pits with shovels and hoes. Next to them were thousands of corpses lying neatly on the ground, including men, women, and children.

Jia Cong couldn't help but feel his heart sink. This is war.

(End of this chapter)