Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Fengtian Hall.

In the spacious and solemn grand hall, the caisson ceiling is painted with endless splendor, dragon and phoenix patterns are circling on the beams and pillars, and the ministers are lined up in a solemn and orderly manner, looking grand and upright.

This was not the first time Jia Cong had attended the morning court, but every time he witnessed this scene, he still felt an inexplicable sense of solemnity.

Those in power build palaces, pile up gold and jade, and indulge in extreme luxury to embellish their authority so that people will feel awe and respect when they are in them.

The luxurious Fengtian Palace displayed the king's mind to the fullest. Even though Jia Cong knew what he meant, he was still distracted for a moment.

Thousands of scholars work hard to strive for fame and success, but they are just the new voices of the phoenix.

Only by entering the hall, sitting in the court, and listening to government affairs, can one truly appreciate the ups and downs of the vast country.

Since Jia Cong took office, he listened to reports on state affairs from various ministers every day. Emperor Jia Zhao would either consult on government affairs in the court or make decisions by edict.

The discussions between the emperor and his ministers included both confrontation and consultation, which was very informative. It broadened his horizons and deepened his understanding of court affairs.

When he first entered the morning court, the major cheating case in the Spring Examination had just come to an end, and the court had returned to peace.

For a long time, the political affairs reported to the court in the morning were all ordinary affairs, stable and uneventful.

It was not until the beginning of autumn that the morning court affairs began to become turbulent, and the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commandery often reported on the affairs of the nine border armies.

As winter approaches, the remaining elite cavalry of the Mongolian and barbarian tribes outside the Great Wall appear frequently, although they dare not attack the heavily guarded cities such as Datong, Xuanfu and Jizhou.

However, the remote and sparsely populated gorges along the thousand-mile border connecting the three towns were repeatedly harassed by small groups of elite Mongolian cavalry.

The remaining Mongol cavalry often sneaked in through these narrow passes at night, making it impossible to defend against them. Some non-important cities and villages were burned, killed, looted, and their populations were lost or robbed.

The swift scouts of the surrounding armies and the small group of elite cavalry of the remaining Mongols never stopped their fight to seize these remote border passes, and each side had its share of victories and defeats.

As winter approaches, supplies are scarce in the grasslands outside the Great Wall, and the battles between the surrounding troops and the remaining Mongolian cavalry will become more frequent and even intensify.

Therefore, the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commanderies have recently submitted memorials to the court several times in the morning, requesting the court to close the tea-horse trade at all border checkpoints and cut off material trade with areas outside the checkpoints.

Taking advantage of the severe winter weather, we can deprive the enemy of their resources and weaken the Tuman tribe's military strength, so as to achieve victory without fighting.

……

The former emperor, Emperor Yong'an, was a man of extraordinary military strategy. He once led a large army deep into the northern desert and dealt a heavy blow to the remnants of the Mongols, making them unable to invade the south for more than a decade.

Emperor Yong'an adopted a strategy of combining war with appeasement. He not only weakened the remaining Mongolian military strength by pursuing the enemy to the north, but also established tea-horse trade in the nine border areas.

They exchanged large weekly rations of rice, cloth, tea, porcelain and other items for war horses, furs, medicinal herbs, animal tendons and other items from the remaining Mongols outside the Great Wall.

It not only allowed the remaining Mongols outside the Great Wall to survive and prevent them from easily moving south to take risks, but also allowed us to obtain a large number of war horses from outside the Great Wall, killing two birds with one stone.

However, strategic materials such as ironware and salt have always been prohibited from being traded outside the Great Wall. Any smuggling of them will be treated as treason.

The Great Zhou and the remaining Mongols outside the Great Wall also had a chance to recuperate for nearly twenty years.

This long-standing balance was not broken until the rise of Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe.

Anda Khan was a rare grassland hero. He inherited the power of his ancestors, the Golden Family. For more than ten years, he swept across the northern desert, annexed the remaining Mongolian tribes, and his power continued to grow.

The limited supplies obtained from the tea-horse trade could no longer satisfy their expansionist ambitions, so conflicts between the two armies at the border were inevitable.

In view of the current situation in the Nine Borders, the conflict between the Great Zhou and the Tuman tribe is becoming increasingly acute and intensified, and the tea-horse trade is no longer appropriate.

But the tea-horse trade was, after all, the old policy of the previous emperor. Now that Emperor Yong'an is old and strong, he still lives in seclusion in Chonghua Palace to retire.

Therefore, Emperor Jiazhao never made a clear statement on whether to abolish the old policies and seemed somewhat hesitant.

However, in the past six months, the trade in grain, cloth, timber, etc. between civilians and merchants in Datong, Xuanfu and other places and those outside the Great Wall has been severely suppressed by border troops.

The amount of goods flowing into the tea-horse trade in various places is very limited, but it is just a superficial show.

Such a situation and measures have left many border traders wandering around the northern desert with nothing to do and no idea what to do, so they have to change their careers and look for other ways out...

Just as the emperor asked about the Ministry of Revenue's grain and fodder collection, the Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue's Granary Department reported back about the granary affairs.

As soon as the doctor finished speaking, Chen Yi, the commander-in-chief of the left army of the Five Military Commandery, came out to report and re-initiated the issue of abolishing the tea-horse trade in the nine border areas.

During the past two months, Jia Cong watched this matter coldly at the morning court every day. He had already seen through Emperor Jia Zhao's true intentions.

The Ministry of War and the Five Military Governors' Office exaggerated the war situation in the nine borders and repeatedly proposed to ban the tea-horse trade in the nine borders.

It was just that between the emperor's filial piety and the abolition of the old policies, he kept adding weight in favor of the latter.

……

As the commander-in-chief of the Left Army, Chen Yi, had just finished speaking, Jia Cong saw a man walking out from the ranks of the Censorate. Judging from his official uniform, he was a Censor-in-Chief.

This man is about forty years old, with a short beard under his chin, gray hair on his temples, and a weather-beaten face, as if he has experienced many ups and downs.

The man stepped forward, bowed to the Dragon Throne and said, "Your Majesty, I am Luo Shoulun, the Censor of Shanxi Province. I think the proposal to abolish the tea-horse trade is inappropriate.

The remaining Mongols outside the Great Wall have always been in short supply of food, cloth and other items, and have always exchanged related materials through the tea-horse trade, and our dynasty has also obtained good horses from outside the Great Wall. "

Right now, the nine borders are shrouded in war clouds, and various forces are ready to make a move, and it is also the height of winter, approaching.

If the tea-horse trade is cut off now, the nomadic tribes outside the Great Wall will be cut off from food, cloth and other winter supplies. I am worried that this will force the tiger to jump over the wall.

Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe has always been ambitious. If we take this opportunity to cause trouble and provoke a war, it will lead to turmoil in the nine borders. If we respond hastily, there may be many unexpected events.

I believe that the abolition of the tea-horse trade should not be done hastily. We must wait until the nine borders are fully prepared and the strong generals and elite troops of the three towns are properly deployed.

At that time, the nine frontiers had to strengthen their ability to deal with the enemy, and the tea-horse trade was a matter of observing the situation and taking it slow, which was the best strategy. "

After Luo Shoulun made his report, Emperor Jiazhao was still pondering when several officials from the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commandery came out to refute it.

They are nothing more than the likes of the Censors, who know nothing about military affairs and speak carelessly. They are suspected of being cowardly and afraid of fighting, and of misleading the soldiers' morale and desire to fight. It is hard to be a fair comment.

……

Jia Cong had seen this man several times when he attended court every day, but he had never made any memorials to the emperor, so he did not know his name.

When he heard him introduce himself today, he was somewhat surprised, because he had heard the name Luo Shoulun from Daiyu before.

Daiyu said that this man was an acquaintance of her father Lin Ruhai. He had a rough career and was demoted to a low-level official. He was recently transferred to the Censorate to serve as the Censor of Shanxi Province.

Although Naropa Shoulun was refuted by many officials, he did not make any further excuses. Instead, he quietly returned to the Censorate to attend his duty, and his words and actions appeared unusually calm.

As for the proposal to abolish the tea-horse trade, he seemed to just raise his objections and did not expect that one person's words could influence the emperor's mind.

In fact, based on Jia Cong's understanding of the matter, he probably agreed with Luo Shoulun's views.

Now that the war in the Nine Frontiers is gradually escalating, the Great Zhou and the remnant Mongolian and barbarian tribes are on the verge of a war. Abolishing the tea-horse trade at this time will surely intensify the conflict and will be tantamount to declaring war.

The Tuman tribe's Anda Khan would definitely use this as an excuse to stir up trouble, or even start a war...

Since Jia Cong opened a branch of Xinchunhao in Liaodong and had familiar military comrades in Datong, he was well-informed about affairs in the Nine Frontiers.

He has always paid much attention to the affairs of the remnant Mongolian and barbarian tribes, so he naturally has some inferences in his mind.

The Tuman tribe's Anda Khan has always been ambitious, with more than 100,000 soldiers under his command. It is difficult to influence his intention to move south just by the tea-horse trade...

Although what Luo Shoulun said was mature and reasonable, even if the matter was handled according to his advice, I am afraid it would be difficult to reverse the situation in the end.

Not to mention the thoughts surging in Jia Cong's mind, although Luo Shoulun ignored the officials' rebuttal, the turmoil he caused did not subside.

Because there were quite a few officials in the court who opposed the abolition of the tea-horse trade, they all came out to submit memorials to refute and agree with Luo Shoulun's words.

These people either opposed the abolition of the old policies of the previous emperor out of filial piety and etiquette, or held the same view as Luo Shoulun, believing that this matter should not be rushed.

In short, no matter what the reason is, it is all legitimate and there is nothing wrong with it. It’s just that everyone has different political views.

There was a lot of noise in the court, with both sides attacking each other, but in the end no conclusion was reached.

Emperor Jiazhao, sitting high on the dragon-step throne, did not make any statement on this, but simply put the matter aside for later discussion.

However, Jia Cong knew clearly that the price of grain in the market had been rising for several months, and a large amount of military rations had been transported to the nine borders.

The imperial court has been tightening its control over material trade outside the Great Wall, almost to the point of banning it. This has become an established fact. Whether the tea-horse trade is banned or not is just a cover.

The emperor considered the Tuman tribe a great threat, and the will to fight was born. The situation was set. …

In the north of Shenjing City, on Yongxuan Street, there is Duan’s grain shop.

When Mr. Duan heard that the visitor's surname was Sun and that he was from the same hometown as him, he was startled and said, "Please invite him into the inner hall."

After a while, a man came in. He was of medium build, walked steadily, had a round face, a wide nose, and narrow eyes. His expression was shrewd and cautious.

Duan Dongjia was surprised and said, "It turns out to be Brother Dacheng. Why did I ask you to come here this time?"

The man smiled and said, "I grew up in the north and have never been to the south. I am a stranger in the capital, so it is only right for me to come here.

After receiving the letter from Manager Duan, my family sent me here. It took me nearly a month to reach the capital, thanks to the long and winding roads and the high mountains.

I have heard that Shenjing is a prosperous place under the feet of the emperor. I have broadened my horizons after entering the city today. Shopkeeper Duan, please take me around for a stroll."

The two men seemed to be old acquaintances. After a few pleasantries, they got down to business.

The man asked, "You wrote to me last time saying that you had successfully opened a grain store with the help of our connections in the capital. I wonder what you have gained in the past two months?"

Shopkeeper Duan said, "Although the shop has just opened, the business is surprisingly booming. This is also because by chance, I met an acquaintance in Shenjing."

The man asked in surprise, "But we originally had a relationship in the government. If we were officials, not businessmen, how could we make the shop prosperous?"

Shopkeeper Duan smiled and said, "Brother Dacheng, you are overthinking. This person has nothing to do with our original relationship.

This man is the eldest son of the Xue family, a royal merchant family in Jinling. His name is Xue Pan. He has now moved his family to the capital and is staying at the Rongguo Mansion of the Jia family, his local relatives."

……

The man's eyes lit up and he asked, "Could it be the Rongguo Mansion of Weiyuan Earl Jia Cong?"

Shopkeeper Duan said: "It is the residence of Weiyuan Marquis Jia Cong, and this Aunt Xue Pan is the second wife of Rongguo Mansion.

After I arrived in Shenjing, Jia Cong had become very famous in Shenjing, and many anecdotes and legends about him were circulated in the market.

It is said that he had a strange childhood and was neglected by his biological father and stepmother since childhood. Later, he was fostered in the second wife of Rongguo Mansion, and had a father-son relationship with the second wife's master Jia Cunzhou.

From this we can see that Xue Pan and Weiyuan Bo must have a very close relationship. Needless to say, you know how important Jia Cong is.

Xue Pan went to Datong to do business a few years ago, and I occasionally got to know him at social banquets.

I knew that he came from a noble family, settled in the capital, and had a good background. Thinking that he might be useful in the future, I made a deliberate effort to make friends with him.

This person has a rough temperament and little scheming, but he is a rich and dissolute young man and is very easy to manipulate.

I just treated him to a few drinks and went to brothels with him a few times, but he already regarded me as his close friend.

This time when I came to the capital, I tried to send a letter to the Rongguo Mansion to ask for an audience, and I actually met someone there, and he treated me like a distinguished guest.

When he heard that I came from Datong to do rice business, he seemed quite interested, so I took the opportunity to persuade him to invest in the shop.

Although Xue Pan was a dissolute person by nature, he had a wide circle of friends and was acquainted and on good terms with many of the sons of noble families in the capital.

The price of grain in Shenjing has been rising in the past few months. It is a common practice for wealthy families with large populations to stockpile grain.

Through Xue Pan's relationship, our shop has received a lot of business. In the past two months, many nobles and wealthy families in Shenjing have purchased rice from our shop.

Several of the owners of the mansions were employed in the Five Military Commandery. I took advantage of the opportunity of escorting grain to collude with the servants in charge of the mansion.

He usually gave some food, wine and money as benefits, and through indirect inquiries, he managed to find out a lot of useful information.

It is said that in the past two or three months, the Ministry of Revenue has mobilized military rations from all over the country, with hundreds of grain trucks being shipped every few days.

The grain route to the north was endless and continued all night long, with military cavalry escorting it.

Although it is impossible to find out the exact amount of food and fodder, based on the number of transport vehicles and the number of days, approximately 80,000 shi of military rations were transported to the nine borders in nearly two months.

At present, it is still unknown to which military town in the nine borders the supplies will be transported to. If they are all transported to Datong Town, the imperial court must have some serious intentions.

There are more than 20,000 cavalry and infantry stationed in Datong Town. 80,000 dan of grain is enough for them to have military rations for four months, which can last until the beginning of next spring.

Moreover, the transportation of military rations to the north has never stopped, and the stockpiles of military rations in the nine borders must be far more than 80,000 shi.

In the past, at the end of autumn every year, the Great Zhou would routinely reorganize the nine border armaments, but there has never been such a big commotion as this one. I am afraid that something big will happen in the north."

……

The man was surprised and said, "My family knows nothing about this matter. The court is making such a big fuss, could it be that the emperor wants to use troops outside the Great Wall?
Since the Mongols were driven out of the interior, the tribes under their command have been divided into pieces, and most of them are unable to protect themselves and have difficulty in achieving anything significant.

Only Anda Khan of the Tuman tribe has been conquering the scattered tribes of the remnants of Mongolia in recent years, and his strength is growing day by day.

In recent years, the Tuman cavalry have often attacked Datong, Xuanfu and other places, and their military pressure is growing day by day. Could it be that the emperor wants to take action against the Tuman tribe?
However, Anda Khan had accumulated strength over the years and his military power had surpassed that of the remaining Mongolian tribes in the southern part of the desert, the Hoqit tribe, and other large tribes.

He now controls more than 100,000 households and 200,000 elite troops, and the royal court has penetrated deep into the grassland.

The land of Mobei is vast and boundless, and the local barbarians are brave on horseback and can move as fast as the wind. The surrounding armies do not stand much chance of winning if they confront them.

With the grain transportation so frequent, the imperial court must have taken major actions. I didn’t expect the current emperor to have such courage.”

……

Shopkeeper Duan heard the disdain in the man's words and said, "It's hard to say, the current emperor is not an ordinary person.

At first he was the most inconspicuous prince, of low descent, unknown, and without any potential, but he ascended to the throne by chance.

His wisdom and strategy were not inferior to those of the previous kings of the Zhou Dynasty.

Weren’t the three Jurchen guards brave and good at fighting? They roamed northern Liaoning and were invincible.

Wasn't it that the emperor wiped out the area in one battle, allowing the Great Zhou to expand its territory thousands of miles beyond the Great Wall? If he had one, he would have two. If he got Long, he would want Shu. It was not surprising that he had such ambitions.

You must not forget that the court's firearms are now very powerful. In the past, Jia Cong relied on a thousand musketeers and a dozen new cannons to confront the Jurchens and was invincible.

Although neither you nor I have witnessed it with our own eyes, I think its power cannot be underestimated."

The man laughed and said, "Manager Duan has never been in the army and doesn't know how to charge and kill in a battle formation. He thinks these firearms are too powerful.

Although the three Jurchen guards are brave, their military strength is only one tenth of that of the Tuman tribe. How can they be compared with them? "

Shopkeeper Duan smiled slightly after hearing this and did not argue with the man.

The man said: "No matter what, this matter is of great importance and should not be taken lightly. I know that when the court mobilizes military rations to the nine borders, they will first transfer and store them in one place.

Then, according to the importance of each military town’s defense, the number of soldiers, the amount of grain stored, and other key points, we will make overall arrangements and distribution. Do you know where the grain storage and transfer sites are?”

Shopkeeper Duan smiled bitterly and said, “I have only been in Shenjing for two months. Our relationship in the officialdom is sensitive, and we have no real job, so it is difficult for us to see the secrets of the army.

Although I had dealings with wealthy families in Beijing because of grain sales, the people I dealt with were all housekeepers and stewards. These people could only find out some minor details and were of no use to me otherwise.

Of the people I know now, only Xue Pan has some background, but he is just a playboy, how could he know such important military secrets."

The man said: "Xue Pan is not a relative of Weiyuan Earl Jia Cong. Jia Cong defeated the Jurchens in one battle and enjoyed great prestige in the Liaodong army.

He is not only a famous general of the time, but also the head of a military family. He is likely to know the secrets of the court's military affairs. Why don't you try this route?"

……

Shopkeeper Duan shook his head and said, "Brother Dacheng has always been in the north, and he has just arrived in the capital and doesn't know what's going on.

Although Weiyuan Bo became famous in one battle, he did not hold a military position and did not join the army. Now he is a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works.

This spring, he won the second place in the palace examination. The emperor promoted him to be a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. Everyone in Kyoto knew about this and spread the news by word of mouth.

At present, he is a serious civil servant. Under normal circumstances, he will never get involved in such important military affairs. There is no need to waste his thoughts on this."

The man was also a little surprised when he heard this. Jia Cong was a natural general and was invincible in Liaodong, but he became a Hanlin scholar. It was inexplicable.

He said: "Even so, this person is highly regarded by the current emperor. If we can establish a relationship with him, it will definitely be very beneficial."

Shopkeeper Duan said: "You are right. This matter is most likely Xue Pan's fault. I will put more effort into it..." (End of this chapter)