The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 326 Return to Beijing
Xue Yan came from the capital, carrying the burden of many people's demands, all of which pointed to Wang Xin.

Wang Xin told Xue Yan to rest first, without discussing the matter immediately. Instead, he asked Xue Yan to take care of his own affairs first, and then they could discuss the situation in the capital.

Upon learning that his father and sister had arrived, Xue Ke had already prepared a room for them.

Guihua City is an earthen city, not very large, but there are many semi-permanent tents set up outside the city. Xue Yan and his daughter must live in the city, along with a nanny and two maids who are with Xue Baoqin.

Xue Ke was busy running around, and everyone gave him face.

Not only did they vacate a courtyard, but the manager of Juzhongchang in Guihua City, fearing that Miss Xue would be without anyone to serve her, also took the initiative to arrange for several of his sisters-in-law to do rough work such as washing clothes and cooking.

With the establishment of earthen cities in the desert, stable markets also emerged.

Many merchants settled in several cities outside the Great Wall, inevitably leaving behind many managers and employees. They remained rooted in the area from beginning to end every year. Some hadn't been home for several years, so they simply brought their families over.

With the addition of trade from surrounding herders, the number of women in Tucheng is not large, but it's not like before when you couldn't see one out of ten.

"It's been over a year since I last saw it. I didn't expect that by the end of the year, this place outside the pass would be even more lively, no less so than the inland areas."

Xue Yan watched his capable and experienced son instructing people to do their work, his old face filled with satisfaction. Only after his son calmed down did Xue Yan sigh.

After everything was settled inside and outside the house, Xue Ke went inside.

My sister's room was in the west wing, the side rooms were for the nannies and maids, and my father lived in the main room.

Xue Ke picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for his father, speaking with considerable pride, "It already has the reputation of being the Jiangnan region beyond the Great Wall."

Compared to the Jiangnan region, it is certainly inferior.

However, this is the northern frontier.

Although the entire population of the Qiantao region is only about 100,000, which is less than the population of Datong, all of these 100,000 people, including more than 20,000 herding households, participate in trade.

Including mainland Chinese businesses.

The three earthen cities are equivalent to three large markets. They are usually fine, but during the peak season, which lasts for ten days to half a month, they are indeed very lively.

"The threat from the Hu people has decreased significantly now, and the area will only become more prosperous next year. General Wang is indeed remarkable."

Xue Yan sighed, thinking of Jiangnan, and laughed, "Back when he was just a junior officer, he developed a deserted island like Yangzhong Island and settled several thousand people. Now that he has become a deputy general, he has settled another 100,000 people. It is truly remarkable."

Xue Ke's expression turned serious.

He greatly admired the general, and the longer Xue Ke followed the general, the more he felt that the general was a god.

"The brothers in the army are all saying that the imperial court is going to transfer the general. Is this true?"

"You are not qualified to participate in this matter."

Xue Yan shook his head.

Xue Ke knew his low status; even his father was only qualified to relay messages about such an important matter.

When my uncle was still alive, the Xue family was qualified to be a small business. After my uncle passed away, the Xue family declined year by year. Fortunately, my father has made great profits in business in recent years thanks to the general.

Although it's not a boom, it has stopped the downward trend.

Xue Ke's eyes remained resolute, knowing full well that he couldn't help the general with his affairs. "Will the general stay?"

Xue Yan hesitated for a moment, but decided not to tell his son, lest it cause trouble.

Xue Ke was helpless.

He left dejectedly.

Watching his son's departing figure, Xue Yan's expression was complicated.

Originally, he planned to have his son work for Wang Xin, hoping that in addition to learning some skills, he would also gain some seniority, but he never expected it to turn out like this.

until night.

Wang Xin sent someone to invite Xue Yan over, and Xue Baoqin also wanted to go with him, but Xue Yan did not agree.

At night, most shops in Guihua City are closed, but lights still shine through the windows and cracks in the doors.

With these lights and the bright moonlight, Xue Yan and his group walked in the dark. The leader didn't even bring a lantern. The group arrived at Wang Xin's residence in the dark.

Wang Xin's residence was not large, but it was surrounded by military barracks and was the quietest area in Guihua City.

Guihua City was built with funds raised by merchants.

Although Wang Xin often broke his promises to outsiders, he always kept his word in the Great Zhou Dynasty and did not take advantage of his army to treat the cities as his own property and take them at will.

Coupled with the discipline of the Datong Western Army, this is why merchants were willing to invest.

Because internal risks are controllable.

Xue Yan sighed inwardly, realizing that Wang Xin was the key figure in bringing the area beyond the Great Wall to its current state from nothing.

It wasn't just Wang Xin who was good at fighting.

Furthermore, Wang Xin followed the rules strictly and never overstepped them in the slightest.

Therefore, Xue Yan hesitated, "I wonder if General Wang is willing to give up this excellent situation outside the pass."

"Has the imperial court decided to recall me to the capital?"

Wang Xin keenly sensed this.

Xue Yan did not answer directly, but instead mentioned someone: "Half a year ago, when I passed through Jinling, I met Master Lin and talked to him about General Wang."

Six months ago, just before I was about to return to Beijing, I was working hard to promote Datong's northern expedition.

"I wonder how Mr. Lin has been these past few years?"

Wang Xin was somewhat concerned.

Lin Ruhai was in poor health. If I hadn't known in advance and consulted a famous doctor from the Dream of the Red Chamber, the grass on Lin Ruhai's grave would have grown several times over.

Wang Xin has seen things clearly in the past few years.

Indeed, there was no one left in the Jia family.

Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion and Jia She of Rongguo Mansion cooperated well in their division of labor: one maintained the relationships with the sons of noble families in the capital, and the other won over military generals. Their approach was not wrong, but the key was that they chose the wrong side.

And they even betrayed the emperor.

They went to the emperor to negotiate the price first, but in the end, it was to get an even better price from the retired emperor.

Jia Zheng is a decent person among civil officials, but asking him to carry the flag is indeed a difficult task.

There's also Wu Wenhua.

He had already been appointed Governor of Guangdong, becoming a high-ranking official in the region, but his prestige was insufficient, far inferior to that of Lin Ruhai.

This is a small circle within a group of civil servants.

Lin Ruhai was from a noble family, as was Jia Zheng, and Jia Zheng was also an official whose position was granted through hereditary privilege.

Wu Wenhua was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) but had no background. Therefore, he valued Lin Ruhai's circle, and Lin Ruhai also needed someone like Wu Wenhua to expand his circle. The two hit it off immediately.

This is also the main source of people in Lin Ruhai's circle.

For example, Jia Yucun.

As an official who had been dismissed and had no connections, how could Jia Yucun have been reinstated and was still teaching if it weren't for the intervention of Lin Ruhai and Jia Zheng? And Jia Yucun certainly needed such a circle.

This also illustrates that Lin Ruhai and his circle were a niche group and not the mainstream within the imperial court.

The real big circles that attract talent are like the Donglin Party, which controlled several subjects of the imperial examinations, not people like Lin Ruhai.

Therefore, whether it is Lin Ruhai, Jia Zheng, or Wu Wenhua, etc.

They couldn't get the important positions.

Lin Ruhai relied on his own talent and ability to balance things out to stay in the position of Salt Inspector for many years.

Jia Zheng could only serve as a junior official in the Ministry of Works.

After all these years of hard work, even if Wu Wenhua managed to secure the position of governor of a province, it would only be in a remote area of ​​Guangdong. The Guangdong of today is not the Guangdong of tomorrow.

Knowing his own limitations, Jia Yucun knew he would be stuck at the level of Prefect of Jinling and would find it difficult to climb higher. Therefore, he chose an unconventional path, becoming a Sima in the army, thus entering the imperial court from a different angle.

That's why it's said that the Jia family has no one to rely on; in reality, Lin Ruhai is the pillar of strength.

Prestige, ability, qualifications, status, etc. are all sufficient.

Unfortunately, he died suddenly.

of course.

The statement that the Jia family had no powerful figures and that this circle was a small circle refers to the mainstream circle in the imperial court, which was not something that any random nobody could afford to offend.

For example, a sixth-rank garrison commander could be dismissed with a single sentence by Wang Xifeng, a mere wife in the household.

Wang Xin knew this clearly in his heart.

Although it's a small circle, it wields considerable power. It's like wearing the skin of a civil official while actually operating from the bottom of a noble family, trying to whitewash the noble background and present it as the way of a civil official.

Lin Ruhai has always done this.

For example, if Lu Zhongheng is cultivated, and the next generation of Lu Zhongheng takes up the mantle, then Lin Ruhai's plan will be successful. This kind of great wisdom, which calculates for a generation, is why Lin Ruhai is the pillar of stability.

Wang Xin knew this even better.

Lin Ruhai's choice was correct, because in the end the emperor did indeed win.

So why bother getting involved with Jia Zhen and Jia She? Besides, Wang Xin really disliked Jia Zhen and Jia She's character and didn't want to change his own way of doing things. Wouldn't someone as gentle and mild-mannered as Jia Zheng be the most suitable?

Wang Xin is a smart man.

Know what you need to do.

Xue Yan understood what kind of person Wang Xin was; although young, he should not be underestimated.

He knew that Wang Xin could understand Lin Ruhai's meaning.

"Master Lin believes that General Wang and Grand Secretary Zhang are getting too close and it's time for them to separate."

Some people might think that Lin Ruhai was unhappy with Wang Xin's closeness to Zhang Jifu, and wonder if Lin Ruhai was suspicious of Wang Xin.

Xue Yan disagrees.

Wang Xin nodded; Lin Ruhai's meaning was not difficult to understand.

If he continues to associate with Zhang Jifu, even if Lin Ruhai helps him explain later, he won't be able to get past the emperor.

What are Mr. Lin's plans for me?

"We should prioritize stability. As things stand, General Wang has already made significant inroads into this matter, so we can't rashly provoke Zhang Jifu, even if he doesn't hold it against us." Xue Yan lowered his voice as he said this.

"I fear that once that lord discovers General Wang's intentions, there will be no room for maneuver."

Wang Xin frowned.

This is why it is said that there can only be one sun in the sky.

Back in Jiangnan, when I was determined to resist the Japanese pirates, Lin Ruhai was able to protect me.

Now that I am determined to quell the Hu, although I have not sided with Zhang Jifu, we have indeed exchanged benefits. So, I am doing this under the Emperor Emeritus's nose. Once I have achieved my goal, I can distance myself from him whenever I want.

The retired emperor is not the kind of person who can simply renege on his promises after the fact.

This is a really difficult problem to solve.

Otherwise, I might as well completely surrender to Zhang Jifu. With my own support, if all else fails, I can help the retired emperor completely subdue the emperor.

It doesn't seem to work.

The retired emperor had no intention of deposing the emperor.

So what was Zhang Jifu thinking? With his intelligence, he must have seen the crisis.

Thinking about Zhang Jifu's behavior over the past few years, Wang Xin had a vague idea. If that was the case, no wonder Zhang Jifu was so eager to seize military power. What was the Emperor Emeritus's attitude?

Does he know or not?

This was really troublesome, and Wang Xin hesitated.

"Master Lin said that if General Wang successfully quells the Hu, and with the agreement made with Grand Secretary Zhang, Grand Secretary Zhang will definitely recall General Wang to the capital. Grand Secretary Zhang needs more people to help him stabilize the capital garrison and will not miss out on General Wang."

If General Wang follows Grand Secretary Zhang's lead, he will become increasingly entangled, ultimately leaving no room for maneuver. Therefore, General, you can agree to return to the capital first, and then find someone there.

Lin Ruhai did not mention the failure to quell the rebellion.

Either Lin Ruhai believed he wouldn't fail, or if he failed, what future was there to talk about?

"Who?"

"Zhu Wei, Left Commander-in-Chief".

"he?"

Wang Xin was stunned.

At this moment, Xue Yan also sighed, "Only him."

Wang Xin realized what was going on and had already guessed Lin Ruhai's thoughts.

If I were to rashly distance myself from Zhang Jifu, given Zhang Jifu's temperament, he would probably ignore me, because he wouldn't go out of his way to ask me to submit to him. However, the retired emperor would certainly be dissatisfied.

This is an elderly man who is over eighty years old.

His inner unease has even allowed the court to drag things out to the present state. It seems that he will never relinquish power to the emperor until he dies, regardless of the instability of the country in the future.

Luo Ming serves as a cautionary tale.

What to do.

They took advantage of the discord between the civil and military officials on the side of the retired emperor.

Zhu Wei would certainly be willing to accept him, and with Zhu Wei's support, he would easily gain a foothold in the Beijing Garrison after returning to Beijing.

"Master Lin said that with the credit for pacifying the Hu, they will go all out, and with Zhu Wei's help, they will be able to create a general in the Eastern Army for the general. With the general's ability, he can completely control the Beijing Garrison within three years and wait for the right time."

No wonder Lin Ruhai wanted him to return to the capital.

Everyone has their own interests. It's not that Lin Ruhai's plan is bad; it is indeed for his own good. However, Lin Ruhai's interests are also involved.

Wang Xin didn't pay attention.

This is human nature.

Giving up the position of Assistant General leading a single route of the Western Army in Datong in exchange for the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Garrison is indeed a rather bitter trade.

But for myself.

Actually, there would be more benefits in returning to the Beijing garrison and being promoted to general.

According to Lin Ruhai, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Army, who controlled the Beijing Garrison, had a force of 9,000 men, no more and no less, according to the military register.

If I can settle the Western Army in Datong properly.

With his prestige in the Western Army of Datong, his position would remain secure for at least ten years.

Ten years have passed, and the outcome in the capital has long been decided.

Therefore, the prerequisite is to settle the Western Army in Datong. If that is the case, I will have made a great profit. If I fail to settle the Western Army in Datong and it gets out of my control, then I will have wasted my time.

Most people would worry, so why should I?

Wang Xin shook his head.

No need to hesitate.

Xue Yan misunderstood, thinking that Wang Xin disagreed, and quickly said, "Master Lin said that General Wang must return to the capital. In the current situation, the capital garrison must have our strength."

"Returning to Beijing is fine, but I need to receive some benefits first."

Wang Xin smiled.

So many people are eyeing their positions, so many want to carve up their own power.

Let's see who the real fisherman is.

Xue Yan disagreed.

Although Wang Xin was composed, he was still young and genuinely believed that his subordinates' loyalty to him would last a lifetime.

Besides, you can know a person's face but not their heart.

He was loyal to the emperor, but once Wang Xin left Datong, it wouldn't be long before he was won over by local tycoons or his superiors. This was only natural, and no one could stop him.

Unless all the generals under Wang Xin's command are loyal and righteous.

how is this possible.

One in a hundred would be considered good.

Even with Wang Xin's prestige, it would be outrageous if one or two out of ten people were worthy of such a thing.

Back then, his elder brother and Mei Hanlin were so close, and his elder brother had given Mei Hanlin his whole heart. But only a few years after his elder brother passed away, Mei Hanlin had already completely forgotten his elder brother's kindness.

Mei Hanlin's approach is what the general public does.

Although he admired Wang Xin, Xue Yan felt that Wang Xin was a bit too confident.

As soon as the news of Wang Xin's return to the capital spreads, the generals of the Western Army in Datong will inevitably scramble to find their own patrons and scheme for their future, instead of obediently waiting for Wang Xin to sell them for a good price.

(End of this chapter)