The Red Chamber: Starting from Saving Xue Baochai

Chapter 144 Sir, something happened in the Beijing camp

In the next few days, Shen Yuan went out early and came back late, basically staying in the New Army Guard Camp in the southern suburbs, and did not return home until the hour of Xu.

"Husband, you're back." Baochai stood up to greet him when she saw Shen Yuan returning to the backyard.

She knew that her husband had been busy with work recently, so she took even better care of him and made black chicken soup and bird's nest porridge for him every night.

"Madam." Shen Yuan smiled and took his wife's soft hand, came to the table and sat down to chat.

After a while, Ying'er asked the maid to bring chicken soup and bird's nest.

Shen Yuan took a look and felt a little strange in his heart. He was in good health and didn't need to eat these every day, but he didn't want to refuse his wife's kindness.

This bird's nest is fine, but this black chicken soup... is a great tonic for blood and qi, eating it will inevitably make him...

"My husband, you are very busy these days, right?"

"It's okay. It's just that the military has added some new training subjects, which still require my personal supervision."

Shen Yuan did not tell Baochai about his worries about the Beijing camp. There was no point in saying more, as it would only make his family more worried.

Seeing that Baochai seemed to have something to say but hesitated, Shen Yuan smiled and said, "Madam, just say whatever you want to say. You and I have already merged into one, so why worry?"

Become one? Upon hearing this reckless remark, Baochai's face turned red and she glanced at her husband in shame and anger.

After a moment of silence, she continued, "After my husband is done with his work, I want to... go to Guning Temple to burn incense."

"Hmm?" Shen Yuan was slightly stunned when he heard this, and asked curiously: "Madam also believes in gods and Buddhas? Why did you suddenly think of coming to the temple to burn incense?"

Even in ancient times, not many people truly believed in these things. Perhaps they were just looking for a place to express their wishes.

Baochai lowered her eyes to glance at her belly, and said shyly, "I...I want to pray...I hope I can get pregnant with my husband's child soon."

She has been married to her husband for several months. Since the wedding, her husband has doted on her every day. Unfortunately, her belly is not doing well and there is no movement at all.

Her husband has lost both his parents and is the only son in the family. No matter what, as the daughter-in-law of the Shen family, continuing the family's bloodline is her top priority.

Shen Yuan reacted and found it a little funny. He took Baochai's hand and said softly, "How long have you been married? Are you anxious to have a child? Besides, Madam is still young. Having a child too early will not be good for Madam, and it may not be a good thing for the child. It won't be too late to wait another two years."

But in this era, giving birth to a child for a woman is no different from going through the gates of hell. Shen Yuan naturally hopes that Baochai can be smooth sailing.

As for the rest, Shen Yuan glanced at the front of Baochai's clothes. As long as he didn't fight for food too much, their children would not go hungry in the future.

After hearing what Shen Yuan said, Baochai felt both happy and worried.

She was naturally happy that her husband loved her so much, and she also hoped to grow old with her husband holding his hand.

But if she really hasn't had any children for a year or two, not to mention the rumors outside, even she herself should be worried. Is it because of the heat toxicity that she is unable to conceive?

Shen Yuan seemed to sense Baochai's thoughts and said in a gentle voice, "Madam, don't worry about anything else. I am worried that you might get pregnant too early and hurt your body, so I am avoiding you on purpose."

Baochai heard this and asked in confusion, "How did my husband avoid this matter?"

Shen Yuan thought of an excuse and said, "I once found a method in a medical book that can calculate the time based on a woman's menstrual cycle..."

As Baochai listened, she recalled that there were indeed a few days every month when her husband did not have direct sex..., and her snow-white cheeks suddenly turned red with shame.

Ying'er beside her also seemed to have understood, thinking about those few days every month, when it came to the last moment, she would swallow it whole...

While Baochai was in a daze, Shen Yuan had already reached into her clothes and grasped the softness.
He leaned over and whispered in her ear: "With Madam's granary, I'm sure they will give birth to two babies at the same time, and the little ones won't be hungry."

Baochai's face was rosy, and she felt her body burning hot. She leaned limply in her husband's arms, sniffing: "If my husband doesn't fight with the children for food..."

Before he finished speaking, Shen Yuan's anger was ignited. He carried his wife horizontally and walked into the inner room.
"Now that there are no children to fight over, let your husband eat as much as he wants. Ying'er, come over too."

The black chicken soup just now...is very nutritious.

"Oh." Ying'er followed him, her round and straight legs trembling a little.
A night of fierce fighting was inevitable.
----

The next day, at noon.
New Army Guard Battalion.

Shen Yuan had just arrived at the commander's tent and summoned generals Feng Ziying, Jiang Fan and others to discuss the situation in the Beijing camp when they heard the sound of horse hooves outside the tent.

Soon, a centurion's voice sounded outside the door curtain: "Sir, I have something important to report to you."

"Come in and talk."

After getting Shen Yuan's approval, the captain entered the commander's tent, bowed to the commander's desk, and said solemnly: "Sir, something happened in the Beijing camp!"

Shen Yuan heard this without showing much expression on his face, and said in a deep voice: "Speak."

"A guerrilla general who was laid off from the Fenyong Camp... died!" The centurion calmly explained what happened: "Yesterday at noon, more than ten officers who were laid off from the Fenyong Camp and the Liwei Camp went to the tent of the Central Army Commander to ask for an explanation. When Commander Wang Jie heard about it, he was furious and ordered his personal guards to arrest them without saying a word. After being severely punished with fifty military sticks, they were tied up and exposed to the sun outside the camp gate. Before dawn today, a guerrilla general and three centurions died suddenly, and the rest were seriously injured."

After this incident happened, Wang Ziteng actually wanted to use this as an example to scare the monkeys, and did not block the news, so it has now spread...

Feng Ziying, Jiang Fan and the other four were all shocked when they heard this. Since the establishment of the army, there has never been such a tragic incident. I am afraid...

"This is so cruel that it may inspire a mutiny." Feng Ziying was deeply worried.

The centurion continued, "Sir, I have also heard news that Marshal Wang Jie is summoning the governors, deputy governors, and deputy governors of the various regiments in the Beijing camp to the central army tent for a meeting."

"This..." Feng Ziying, Jiang Fan, Liu Xianglian and Zhao Huan looked at each other in bewilderment.

After a little thought, they could guess Wang Ziteng's intention.

On the one hand, the death of the guerrilla general and several thousand households served as a warning to the senior generals of the regiments and camps, so that they could actively cooperate in the subsequent reorganization and not take chances. The army should be reorganized in an overwhelming force and Shunchang would be destroyed.

Secondly, it is to gather together the commander-in-chief-level generals of the twelve regiments to prevent them from colluding and causing changes.

Little did they know that this move would lead to disaster...

At this time, everyone turned their eyes to Shen Yuan.

"You go down first." Shen Yuan waved away the captain who delivered the message.

"Yes."

After the centurion left the general's tent, Shen Yuan's expression became gloomy and he asked in a deep voice, "What do you think?"

Feng Ziying thought for a moment and said solemnly, "The situation in the Beijing camp is very turbulent right now. Someone might take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos." Zhao Huan also said, "I am also worried that this might lead to a mutiny."

Shen Yuan nodded and said, "Someone is indeed planning to cause trouble."

The four were shocked when they heard this. Unlike their suspicions and guesses, Shen Yuan's tone was clearly certain.

Jiang Fan asked doubtfully, "Have you received any accurate news, sir?"

"It is not convenient to explain in detail at this time." Shen Yuan looked at Feng Jiang, Liu Zhao and the other four and said in a deep voice: "Generals, listen to my orders!"

The four of them were slightly startled, but without much hesitation, they said in unison: "We will be here!"

Although several people had doubts in their hearts, they had enough trust in Shen Yuan and believed in Shen Yuan's decision.

"."

After Shen Yuan gave the order, Feng Ziying and three others left the tent and went to the parade ground to gather the new army guards.

Shen Yuan stood silently, staring ahead. He would not let the tragedy of 'yesterday' happen again...

----

Twenty miles away from the northern suburbs of Shenjing, there are four adjacent military camps, which are the garrison training grounds of four of the twelve regiments of the Beijing Camp, namely the Ganyong Camp, the Guoyong Camp, the Efficient Yong Camp, and the Guyong Camp.

At this time, in a large tent in a barracks of the Ganyong Camp, dozens of generals were sitting together. Their expressions were different, some angry, some resentful, some fearful, but all of them were in a panic.

These dozen people included not only the generals of the Ganyong Camp, but also one lieutenant general and two guerrilla generals from each of the Guoyong Camp, Xieyong Camp, and Guyong Camp, all gathered here.

Xu Kun, the lieutenant general of the Brave Camp, glanced at the generals and said indignantly, "Wang Ziteng, this bastard, is he not going to give us a chance to live? He actually openly tortured and killed the officers of the Fenyong Camp and Liwei Camp!"

When the generals heard this, they were all filled with anger and resentment, as if they were the victims of a rabbit's death.

These people are all worried about whether they will be the next.

To put it bluntly, no one in this account today has a clean ass. They have taken advantage of the empty quotas and sucked the blood of the soldiers over the years and made enough money. Now they are being chopped down by Wang Ziteng's sword, but they just feel that they are wronged.

Is it really unfair?

Obviously, it is not unfair at all. If the time comes to use the troops, and the troops are not fully staffed and the combat effectiveness is low, it will lead to defeat and danger of war, or even allow foreign races to invade. By then, who knows how many lives of the people will be lost. This is the consequence of their greed.

People are selfish. Although the ancients said, "I examine myself three times a day," how many people can actually reflect on their own problems? When their interests are damaged, they will only blame others.

At this time, a guerrilla general said angrily: "Why not rebel against him?"

"Yes, against his mother."

As soon as one person spoke, there was a tendency for the crowd to respond. A dozen or so generals all had indignant expressions on their faces, with a look of righteous sadness.

But how many people really feel sorry for those generals who died suddenly?
I was just worried about the sword hanging over my head. This feeling was more painful than being hit directly by the sword.

Currently, the rectification has only reached the Fenwu Camp and the Liwei Camp, and it will soon be their turn. By then, I'm afraid none of these people will be able to escape, and they will be purged for corruption or laid off.

In this case, it would be better to poke a hole in the sky and seek a glimmer of hope in the chaos.

Seeing that the atmosphere was almost created, Xu Kun, the lieutenant commander of the Ganyong Battalion, slowly stood up and said in a tone of solidarity, "Brothers, if Wang Ziteng doesn't leave you a chance to live, maybe tomorrow it will be you and me who will be tied up, whipped, and tortured to death."

Most of the generals were very excited and echoed: "General Xu is right!"

These people knew that they were facing a desperate situation and did not hesitate at all.

But some people had some concerns in their hearts. Their lips trembled and they said, "But if you rebel, your entire clan will be executed. We all have wives, concubines, and children at home..."

Whether Wang Ziteng was cracking down on corruption or laying off people, although his actions were brutal, he was only targeting the generals and soldiers in the army, and would not implicate their families. However, if the rebellion failed, they would die and their families would be destroyed, without leaving a single blade of grass.

As soon as these words were spoken, many people calmed down instantly.

Upon seeing this, Xu Kun gave a subtle wink to a guerrilla general standing next to him.

The guerrilla general understood and said loudly: "Old Liu, if I remember correctly, your parents are over 70 years old, and you have more than ten wives and concubines and young children. Once you are investigated, even if you barely save your life, do you think you and your family can survive? Will you go back to your hometown to farm, or go out to beg for food?"

General Liu, who had been hesitant before speaking, felt a chill in his heart when he heard this.

Considering how greedy he was before, he couldn't make up for it even if he lost everything now. Moreover, once the confiscation was carried out, the dozens of people in his family would be left without any means of survival. Would they really have to beg on the streets?

Seeing everyone lost in thought, Xu Kun's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a deep tone: "Who said we are going to rebel? Wang Ziteng deceived the emperor and committed crimes. Now he is even more careless about human lives. All the soldiers in the Beijing camp have suffered for a long time. We are just following the will of the people, clearing the emperor's side, and punishing the traitors!"

The general surnamed Liu wanted to say something but was interrupted by someone who said, "General Xu is right. We are here to purge the emperor's entourage and punish the treacherous. Old Liu, if you are timid and willing to be slaughtered, we will not force you. But don't regret it later." As the man spoke, his eyes gradually became colder and a dim light flashed in his eyes.

Seeing that General Liu said no more, Xu Kun looked around at the other generals, his expression softened, and he said loudly: "Brothers, we are only trying to clear the emperor's entourage. After we kill Wang Ziteng and his lackeys, we will take their heads and go into the city to petition His Majesty. We may even get a reward from the emperor."

The people here are not stupid, so they can naturally understand what Xu Kun meant.

It's not that they rebelled without leaving a way out. Otherwise, even if they gathered 80,000 people from the four brave camps to revolt, they might not succeed. Even if they captured the imperial city for a while, it wouldn't be long before hundreds of thousands of troops would come to quell the rebellion, and they would then have no way out.

The only chance of survival now was to lead the angry soldiers, attack the central army camp, kill Wang Ziteng and his cronies, and then, in the name of clearing the court, march into the city in a mighty force to ask for a title.

In this way, not only can we reverse the current desperate situation in one fell swoop, but we are also likely to make further progress.

In fact, there are many other risks involved, but things have come to this point and Xu Kun and others can no longer worry about so many things.

Everyone weighed the pros and cons in their hearts after hearing this. After a short silence, a general echoed loudly, "That's right, Wang Ziteng is indeed a traitor. We are loyal generals who serve the emperor and the country. How can we sit back and watch him do evil and deceive the emperor? I am willing to follow General Xu to do the right thing and eliminate this villain."

"I agree! Clear out the imperial court and kill Wang Ziteng." The Lieutenant General of the Guoyong Camp seconded the motion.

"I agree!" The Lieutenant General of the Xiaoyong Camp seconded the motion.

"I agree as well!" The lieutenant general of the Guyong Battalion seconded the motion.

All of a sudden, the commanders of all the regiments and camps in the barracks spoke in unison and echoed the sentiment. From then on, there was no longer a single dissenting voice.

Under the coercion and inducement of Xu Kun and others, even General Liu, who had previously had doubts, agreed and made up his mind to fight to the death.

Seeing that the army was full of morale, Xu Kun's eyes were stern, and he said in a deep voice: "While the commanders of each regiment have left the camp, please return to your respective camps and call on your officers and soldiers to start an uprising. In half an hour, we will use gongs and drums as a signal to assemble the army and go to besiege the central army camp and kill Wang Ziteng."

(End of this chapter)