Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 332: Reward for Merit

Emperor Jiazhao was diligent in government affairs and not overly interested in women, so he did not have many offspring in his harem.

The emperor had only four sons who grew up: the eldest son, Prince of Zhao Li Chongmao, the second son, Prince of Ning Li Chongrui, and the other two sons were under ten years old and had not yet been given titles.

The eldest prince, Li Chongmao, was a man of noble character, both civil and military, brilliant and dazzling, and was highly valued by Emperor Jiazhao.

Last year, the remnant of the Yuan Dynasty's Chahan tribe, with 60,000 strong soldiers, roamed the grasslands, invaded Tubo, suppressed local nobles, stationed troops and accumulated strength, repeatedly violated the border, and intended to advance eastward into the Great Zhou.

Emperor Jiazhao ordered his eldest son Li Chongmao to lead an army of 100,000 to attack the rebellion. He killed the King of Chahan tribe in Hezhou, beheaded 2,000 people, captured 15 noblemen of Chahan tribe, and more than 10,000 soldiers and generals.

His victory was even more glorious than Jia Cong's victory at Qingyuanji. After this battle, Prince Zhao Li Chongmao's reputation reached its peak and he was even more favored and respected by Emperor Jiazhao.

And Jia Cong thought that Prince Zhao's bearing and demeanor were indeed better than Prince Ning Li Chongrui's.

According to rumors in the market, Prince Ning Li Chongrui was of steady temperament, diligent in his work, gentle and polite to others, but his talent was somewhat ordinary.

However, the eldest prince, Li Chongmao, was extremely talented and was known as a child prodigy. He made outstanding achievements in both literature and martial arts since childhood.

Especially in military affairs, he inherited the style of his imperial ancestors and was called a natural-born general by civil and military officials. Otherwise, he would not have been able to achieve great feat in pacifying the remnant Yuan Chahan tribe at the age of 20.

In fact, although Ning Wang Li Chongrui was not an outstanding talent, he was at least above average. However, compared with his elder brother, he seemed a little mediocre.

This is how things are in this world. If you compare yourself with others, you will die. If you compare goods with others, you will be thrown away.

Moreover, the eldest prince Li Chongmao was not only talented in both civil and military affairs, but also had a good sense for political affairs. At a young age, he could see the gap and estrangement between his father and grandfather.

Originally, the retired emperor felt quite close to this grandson who had a talent for military affairs. However, Prince Zhao Li Chongmao was concerned about his father's opinion and was very respectful to his own grandfather, but kept his distance from him.

Emperor Yong'an, who had experienced many vicissitudes of life, could see the secret. The royal family has always been weak in affection, which made him more disheartened.

Perhaps this is why, when Emperor Yong'an heard about Jia Cong, who also had outstanding literary and military talents, he suddenly became interested and unconsciously paid attention to him.

Perhaps in the heart of this former emperor, there is always such an outstanding shadow that is difficult to erase over the years, and he will always seek some psychological compensation among his equally outstanding juniors...

……

According to the ancestral system of the Zhou Dynasty, in order to prevent the princes from fighting for the throne, no crown prince would be appointed during the reign of the previous emperor. The position of crown prince would only be announced upon abdication or death.

However, people inside and outside the court privately said that Prince of Zhao Li Chongmao was the only candidate for the crown prince, and this had almost become a consensus among court officials.

Such a person naturally attracted Jia Cong to look at him a few more times.

……

Led by Jia Cong, a group of people entered the firearms workshop. After the emperor visited the construction workshop of the workshop, he was taken to the artillery test firing field by Jia Cong.

A thirty-step-high observation platform was built on the edge of the parade ground, which could accommodate dozens of people. Three cannons of different styles had already been placed there.

On top of the platform, one can clearly overlook the entire artillery firing process.

Next to the three cannons stood the Portuguese artillery instructor Madeline, and more than a dozen artillerymen from the Fifth Army Firearms Battalion.

After Jia Zhaodi and other officials were seated, Jia Cong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, there are three cannons being tested today. The left one is an ordinary Portuguese cannon, which once demonstrated its power at Yafu Pass.

The second from the left is the newly-made red cannon, and the third from the left is the improved red cannon. The three cannons were tested separately to let His Majesty know the advantages and disadvantages of the new cannons. "

Emperor Jia Zhao nodded slightly after hearing this. He was quite satisfied with Jia Cong's pragmatism and low-key attitude.

Now he is making great achievements in Liaodong and has been granted the title of Earl of Weiyuan. The youth's glory and pride have attracted the attention of the whole city. If it were an ordinary person, he would probably be a little willful and arrogant.

However, according to intelligence from the Imperial Chariot Department, after returning to the capital, Jia Cong either stayed at home quietly or was busy in the firearms workshop all day long, and he even rarely attended ordinary social events with officials.

Moreover, Prince Beijing Shui Rong had invited him to his house to meet friends many times, but he declined every time. Such a simple and restrained demeanor is rare at his age.

Moreover, when he talked about the test firing of the three cannons just now, the excitement on his face could not be faked at all.

Emperor Jia Zhao had seen a lot of worldly wisdom among his ministers, and he could tell from their sharp eyes that they were devoted to practical work, and that they were genuinely happy after having achieved something.

A minister who excels in both civil and military affairs and is also interested in and delighted with the practical methods of craftsmanship is a person with a sincere heart, and those unnecessary thoughts and distractions that a minister should not have will naturally disappear.

Emperor Jia Zhao did not say anything else, but smiled and said, "Let's start now." Jia Cong replied, "Your Majesty, I obey your order."

Jia Cong signaled to the bugler standing behind him, and the bugler waved the flag towards the bottom of the platform.

When the artillery instructor Madelen under the platform saw the signal, he commanded the artillery of the Fifth Army Firearms Battalion to start firing.

At the firearms workshop's test firing range, the rumbling sound of cannons echoed throughout the world.

Madelen's artillery firing skills were superb, which greatly improved the accuracy of the artillery firing. He fired three shots in succession, hitting the target far away in the parade ground.

Flames shot up into the sky and smoke filled the air. After the first round of firing was completed, the artillery did not stop operating at all. The three cannons fired another round before stopping.

Emperor Jiazhao and others sitting on the high platform watched the entire process of the artillery firing very clearly, and also saw the results of the three cannon firings.

Jia Cong stepped forward and explained: "Your Majesty has just seen it with your own eyes. Among the three cannons, the second red cannon on the left has the greatest range and power, but its firing mode is front-loading, and the interval between two consecutive shots is the longest.

The falconet on the left has a fast firing rate, but its range and power are far inferior to the red cannon.

Only Zuo San's improved red cannon had a range of 120 steps longer than the falconet, its power was also significantly improved, and its rate of fire was much faster than that of the ordinary red cannon.

This combines the strengths of both and avoids their weaknesses. I have personally experienced this on the Liaodong battlefield. The power of artillery lies in the balanced combination of firing rate and range.

I suggest that this improved red cannon be mass-cast and deployed in the army of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This will surely provide Your Majesty with a powerful weapon to protect the country!"

Just now, the three iron cannons fired two rounds. Emperor Jiazhao and others saw that the firing speed and range of the three cannons were different.

After listening to Jia Cong's explanation, I understood more clearly.

Gu Yankui, Shi Ding and others had already seen that Jia Cong had amazing talent in firearms.

However, the Yafu Pass artillery battle took place only a few months ago. Less than a month after Jia Cong returned to Beijing, the Firearms Bureau, which he led, had already produced a new type of artillery with more powerful power.

The efficiency is so high that it is really astonishing. If every government office does things in this way, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished.

Emperor Jiazhao only read the details of the victory at Yafu Pass carefully in the memorial. With the help of eight Portuguese cannons and porcelain torpedoes, six thousand Jurchens were defeated in one battle.

Although he had not seen it with his own eyes, he could imagine how powerful the cannon was. Now, in just a few months, Jia Cong had actually created a more powerful cannon.

Doesn't that mean that when faced with another frontier-expanding war like the one to annihilate the Jurchens, the might of the Great Zhou's artillery will be even more invincible!
Victory, expansion of territory, expansion of territory, and domination of the world!
Emperor Jia Zhao felt his blood boiling, as the retired emperor had been a man of unrivalled military strategy, and these had been his most commendable achievements.

When he was young, although he was not outstanding among the princes, he always admired his father's military prowess and glory.

Now that he is promoting the use of firearms to strengthen the army, it may not be impossible for him to restore the glory of the former emperor. I will never lose to anyone in my life!

Emperor Jia Zhao looked at Jia Cong with satisfaction and said, "Lord Jia, you have been loyal to your work and have been able to forge another sharp weapon in just a few months. I commend you from the bottom of my heart.

I will give you five hundred gold coins, ten bottles of imperial wine, ten rolls of tribute satin, and a dragon robe!"

Everyone present was surprised when they heard about the reward. Gold, imperial wine, and tribute silk were fine, as they were all commonly given gifts.

The bestowal of a dragon robe was somewhat precious. According to the system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, meritorious officials were given the robe to show honor and grace and to add luster to the official's career.

However, there are strict regulations on bestowing clothing according to the rank of the recipient.

The first-grade is fighting bull, the second-grade is flying fish, the third-grade is python, the fourth and fifth-grade is unicorn, the sixth and seventh-grade is tiger and leopard.

Bullfighting suit and flying fish suit are only given to high-ranking officials of the third rank. Those who can receive them are either the highest officials in the country or have great power.

The dragon robe was a gift for the third rank officials, and was given to meritorious officials below the fourth rank. Jia Cong was only a fifth rank official, the Director of the Firearms Bureau, and to be given the dragon robe was considered a great honor.

Although Gu Yankui, Shi Ding and others were awarded the second-rank flying fish, their official positions and qualifications were far higher than Jia Cong, so it was not too strange.

However, at Jia Cong's age, they were far from achieving such outstanding honors as being conferred the title of earl or being granted a dragon robe.

　According to the Records of Vehicles and Clothing in the History of Ming Dynasty, in the 13th year of the Zhengde reign, "each of the ministers was given a scarlet silk gauze. The colors of their clothing were: bullfighting for the first rank, flying fish for the second rank, python for the third rank, unicorn for the fourth and fifth rank, tiger and leopard for the sixth and seventh rank;

　　
　
(End of this chapter)