The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 338 Lin Daiyu Cried

The battalion was a recruitment system.

The soldiers in the Jingying garrison were undoubtedly treated the best in the Great Zhou Dynasty, with a monthly ration of one shi of rice, which is equivalent to five jin of rice per day.

Five catties of rice can feed a family of three or four. With the addition of miscellaneous subsidies and rewards, according to the initial design of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the families of the soldiers in the capital garrison were not in need of food and clothing, thus ensuring the combat effectiveness of the capital garrison.

As for the source of soldiers.

On the one hand, local troops were rotated into Beijing, and on the other hand, they were recruited from the civilian population.

With its military system, the Great Zhou Dynasty was in a very strong position at the beginning of its founding. It wiped out the Oirat and Tatar tribes in one fell swoop, recovered the entire former territory of the Ming Dynasty, and successfully inherited its greatest legacy—the tributary system.

Every advantage has its disadvantages.

The downside is that military spending has always been a headache for the Great Zhou.

As a result, the more the imperial court owed money, the worse the soldiers' treatment became. When they tried to recruit soldiers from the civilian population, no one wanted to come. They avoided the area as much as possible, and even the local people took turns coming to the capital as a miserable task.

Serving in the military in the local area is already tough enough, but having to go to the capital to suffer a second round of hardship is unbearable.

As for the five jin of rice, it was so scarce that even the soldiers themselves couldn't get enough to eat.

"You've gone too far in the Ministry of War."

Jia Zheng waited for Wang Xin at the mansion early in the morning. When he finally saw Wang Xin, Jia Zheng was displeased and not as polite as before. After all, the person in front of him was now his son-in-law.

Having a promising son-in-law not only gives me confidence, but also ensures that my children and grandchildren will have more support in the future.

Therefore, Jia Zheng was indeed very concerned about Wang Xin's affairs.

This has really blown up a lot this time.

“They’re taking too much.”

Wang Xin shook his head.

The right wing army was registered as having 9,000 soldiers, but actually numbered 7,000. The 2,000 soldiers were not just pocketed by the right wing army commanders; some people in the Ministry of War also received a share.

This is not enough.

Seven thousand men were supposed to eat five catties of rice a day, but they actually received less than one catty, which is just over four catties. That's seventy thousand shi of grain a year, which, at the current rice price, is equivalent to seventy thousand taels of silver. The four armies of the Beijing Garrison together would have received eight or nine hundred thousand taels of silver from this alone.

"The imperial court allocated more than two million taels of silver to the Beijing garrison this year, but the actual amount that reached the soldiers was only more than one million two hundred thousand taels of silver."

"It's gone by a full half."

“As usual, the capital garrison originally had three million taels and the border troops had seven million taels. Now the capital garrison is missing a full one million taels. If we continue with the usual practice, I’m afraid the soldiers will rebel.”

Jia Zheng hesitated for a moment, then rejected the idea, saying, "This is not your business."

“It’s really not my business, and I have no intention of doing so. I’m not in a position to interfere.”

"Since you understand this principle, why did you go to the Ministry of War to cause trouble?"

"I don't care about anything else, but I will fight for what I deserve on the right flank. It's my foundation, and I can't give it up." Before Jia Zheng could speak, Wang Xin said directly, "My confidence comes from the army's fighting ability."

Jia Zheng understood Wang Xin's actions, and his tone softened slightly, "But he should also be mindful of his actions."

"Actually, I've always been very sensible."

“I didn’t see it.” Jia Zheng said speechlessly, “When you were pressuring Vice Minister Li in public at the Ministry of War, I didn’t see you have any sense of propriety. I had to grovel and apologize, but the Vice Minister was unwilling to argue with you.”

“That’s not my sense of proportion,” Wang Xin shrugged.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng asked curiously, "What is that?"

"If the court is politically clean and honest, then of course there is nothing for me to do. As a military general, I gamble on the court facing difficulties. The more difficult the situation, the more the court will need me. Otherwise, if the world is at peace, I can only be an idle military general and will not have the opportunity to make merits."

Wang Xin revealed this to Jia Zheng for the first time.

Jia Zheng was completely dumbfounded.

"Can this still happen?"

Wang Xin's thinking is indeed astounding, always surprising everyone. This time, Jia Zheng was still a little dazed.

Wang Xin had a big smile on his face.

He didn't know much, but he was aware of many of the problems facing the Ming Dynasty.

Since the Great Zhou Dynasty inherited the legacy of the Great Ming Dynasty and was in the Little Ice Age, the external environment had not changed much, so Wang Xin had a reference point in mind for understanding the context of many things.

Without a reference point, no one can say for sure what it will look like or what changes will occur next.

But things are different when there is a reference point.

Even if things change, if you can keep track of the situation and make comparisons, it's easy to draw the conclusions you want to know.

For example, the issue of Datong (a unified society).

Referring to Altan Khan and the reasons for the decline of his descendants, and combining this with the problems of the Great Zhou Dynasty outside the Great Wall, Wang Xin could easily find a counter-strategy and exploit the weaknesses of the Hu people.

For example, he initially fought against the Japanese pirates himself.

Drawing on the methods used to resist Japanese pirates in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, and employing Qi Jiguang's military strategies, with each move targeting the pirates' weaknesses, how could they not be victorious?

The deep-seated problems of the Great Zhou Dynasty were indeed profound.

The more problems there are, the more we need to rely on military generals.

It is only during times of peace that military commanders have to live with their tails between their legs.

For example, during the Jiajing and Wanli periods.

During battles, military officers are released from prison, and after the battles are over, they are locked up again.

By the time of the Tianqi and Chongzhen reigns.

Military officers were neither imprisoned nor easily punished.

On the contrary, the civil officials who led troops were released from prison during battles, but were locked up again after the battles were over.

If it weren't for the problems with military spending, the lives of military officers in the late Ming Dynasty would actually have been better than usual.

Otherwise, why would many military generals harbor bandits to enhance their own power during times of peace?

In terms of intellect, I am no match for Lin Ruhai.

In terms of the imperial examinations, he is not as good as Lu Zhongheng.

In terms of how to be an official, I am far inferior to Zhang Jifu.

But the prerequisite is that they must do it well.

As long as they do a good job, the country is peaceful, prosperous, and glorious, the more useless and low-key they are.

on the contrary.

The better you are at fighting, the stronger you will be.

Wang Xin didn't tell anyone else, only Jia Zheng. Jia Zheng understood Wang Xin's way of doing things, and many things suddenly became clear. Many of Wang Xin's previous inexplicable actions now made sense.

"you"

Jia Zheng pointed at Wang Xin, unsure how to begin.

After thinking for a moment, he couldn't find any point in Wang Xin's idea that could be refuted.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zheng, I know what I'm doing."

Wang Xin offered a reassuring remark.

"As long as he knows his limits." A sense of relief rose in Jia Zheng's heart, replacing his previous anxiety, and he became more and more satisfied with his son-in-law.

"But there's something you need to be careful about."

"What's the matter?"

"You've gone to so much trouble to win over the soldiers below, don't let someone else benefit in the end. Now that you're back on the right flank, you don't have any trusted confidants of your own, and you need people around you, you must make sure you see the character of the people you're dealing with."

Jia Zheng sighed, "What I fear most is not the outside world, but rather misjudging people. Otherwise, everything will be for someone else's benefit."

The marriage of the second branch of the Xue family was called off by Hanlin Mei, an event that deeply affected Jia Zheng.

Speaking of relationships.

The eldest son of the Xue family was also his brother-in-law.

To help the man surnamed Mei, the eldest son of the Xue family spent money like water, and the Xue family personally pulled many strings, which eventually led to the man surnamed Mei being listed on the list and successfully entering the Hanlin Academy.

Is it so easy to get into the Hanlin Academy?
Many relationships are used once and then gone, requiring a new exchange of interests. After paying such a high price, in the end, it only benefits the person surnamed Mei.

Jia Zheng no longer objected to Wang Xin's efforts to secure benefits for his subordinates. What worried him more was that Wang Xin had misjudged him, and that all his hard work would end up in someone else's hands.

"I've always had a good eye for people."

"Besides, I do things uprightly and honestly, and the people I train will not be hypocritical or deceitful. Isn't that what happened in Datong?"

Wang Xin looked confident.

Well, Jia Zheng was persuaded again, and it seemed there was nothing to worry about.

"In Datong, Lu Zhongheng sent a message back. Your former subordinates were very respectful to Lu Zhongheng after receiving your message. On the contrary, the newly arrived General Zhou Wen tried several times but failed each time."

A smile appeared on Jia Zheng's face.

Wang Xin was not surprised.

The situation you've created is not one that can be easily reversed.

It would take me a year and a half to rebuild my prestige and establish my rule on the right flank, and I don't believe Zhou Wen can do it faster than me.

“The Ministry of War should stop now and not cause any more trouble, otherwise it will be difficult to resolve.” Jia Zheng returned to the original topic and said, “The Ministry of War is also in a difficult position. You don’t understand the court.”

Three million taels wasn't enough before, but now it's a million taels short.

The Ministry of War was also helpless.

The situation was even more difficult in the nine border regions, and each region lost a million taels of silver.

The Ministry of War also protested to the cabinet.

The cabinet was also helpless. Many localities submitted memorials requesting the court to allocate disaster relief funds. Localities were in debt, and if the court did not take action, even the post stations in the localities would not be able to be maintained.

"It's weird."

“Our household is constantly complaining about a lack of silver, the imperial court is saying the same thing, and the local governments are crying poverty. It’s as if the whole world is broke. Where has all the money gone?”

Jia Zheng, who was ignorant of economics, was expressing his feelings to himself.

Wang Xin did not say much.

According to the original text, the struggle between the retired emperor and the emperor probably lasted only one or two years.

Therefore, during this stage, it is essential to keep the Datong military town under control. In addition, with control of the right wing army and the likes of Lin Ruhai and Jia Zheng, such powerful figures would only be courted by the emperor even if he came to power.

Instead of as in the original text.

Jia Zheng was clearly the emperor's man, so the emperor had no reason to confiscate Jia Zheng's property.

However, because Jia Zheng's power was too weak, the emperor did not take him seriously. Originally, he only confiscated the property of Jia Zhen and Jia She, and also confiscated Jia Zheng's property. Only afterward did he let Jia Zheng go.

This shows that Jia Zheng had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Not only was he reinstated to his original position, but the confiscated items from his home were also returned.

In reality, they didn't take Jia Zheng seriously. If they cared even a little, they wouldn't have acted this way.

As for now.

With Lin Ruhai in the local area, Wu Wenhua, and their own military strength, they constitute a sound political force, worthy of the emperor's attention and worthy of the emperor's attention.

Wang Xin didn't care who won.

I'll help whoever wins.

What I care about is not getting involved.

If you have to get involved, you need to have the power to make the other party hesitate to act; otherwise, you're just meat on the chopping block.

Ping'er, accompanied by Qingwen, was invited by Zhou Rui's wife to Grandmother Jia's place.

Grandmother Jia asked Ping'er to sit next to her.

Ping'er dared not.

"I haven't seen Ping'er for a long time. Let me see how you've been doing," Grandmother Jia said with a smile.

Ping'er then stopped delaying.

Grandmother Jia took Ping'er's hand and asked her to sit down next to her.

After Ping'er sat down, Grandmother Jia carefully examined her.

Ping'er was dressed in a primrose-yellow hydrangea-patterned ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with light pink hydrangea patterns embroidered on it, and a colorful silk sash with long tassels tied at her waist.

A pearl necklace adorned her beautiful neck, highlighting its delicate pinkish-white hue, making one almost want to take a sniff.

Gold foil adorns her temples, and swallows are cut into her hair; her radiant face reflects her happiness.

Having lived a long life, how could Grandmother Jia not see through Ping'er's feelings? She couldn't help but smile and say, "You know how to dress up, and you're a lucky girl. It's not in vain that I've been thinking about you all this time. I feel a little better now."

"old lady."

Ping'er was moved and called out to Grandmother Jia.

at this time.

Yuanyang, standing behind Grandmother Jia, felt both envious and happy for her sister.

Although Qingwen felt a little disappointed being with the other maids, she didn't care too much.

The young ladies in the mansion also looked Ping'er up and down.

Instead of looking at Ping'er, Wang Xifeng pulled Qingwen aside to talk to her.

Qingwen wasn't stupid; she wasn't a child anymore. She sensed the complex emotions in her second grandmother's heart. She remembered that Master Xin had once taken her second grandmother hiking, and the two had talked a lot. She was afraid she would never see her again.

"Second Madam, Master Xin asked me to convey his regards."

"Does he still remember me?"

Wang Xifeng blurted out, but immediately realized her mistake and quickly covered it up with a smile, saying, "Fortunately, the house we found for him was quite large. The Third Miss of the manor can still live there after she marries in."

Qingwen did not refute.

Although she felt her home was not small, it was not comparable to the Jia family mansion.

Although the Third Miss was born out of wedlock, she lived in a place like the Grand View Garden, so what the Second Madam said was not wrong.

"Master Xin is a good person. Once the Third Miss marries into the family, with Master Xin around, she will definitely not feel wronged." Qingwen said with a carefree expression.

Wang Xifeng was somewhat surprised.

I don't know if Qingwen was genuinely uninterested or just pretending.

If it's an act that you almost couldn't tell from, then you're quite cunning.

It shouldn't be an act.

Those big, watery eyes, skin as smooth as cream, snow-white with a hint of pink, and a face that seemed to hold water—Wang Xifeng couldn't help but say, "You're so beautiful, has your master Xin said when he'll take you in?"

Qingwen blushed instantly and stamped her foot in a hurry, "Second Madam."

in the corner.

Lin Daiyu ate melon seeds, glancing at Ping'er, then at Wang Xifeng and Qingwen, and then at Jia Tanchun not far away. Her eyes held a half-smile, and it was hard to tell whether she was angry or amused.

"You should eat fewer sunflower seeds."

Xue Baochai, holding a silk handkerchief, turned to Lin Daiyu and said.

Aunt Xue and Lady Wang were talking to Ping'er next to Grandmother Jia. Yingchun was asking Tanchun something, but Tanchun shook her head.

Xue Baochai, upon seeing Lin Daiyu in this state, couldn't help but laugh.

"How strange! I drank your tea the other day and you bullied me so badly that I can't even eat my own melon seeds today." Lin Daiyu's voice was clear and pleasant.

"Your uncle is no longer in the manor, and you have no one to back you up, so I'll bully you."

Xue Baochai said this deliberately.

Lin Daiyu's father was still alive and frequently sent letters, so she was no longer sensitive to the situation. Xue Baochai and Lin Daiyu spoke without restraint and joked with each other.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

Lin Daiyu raised her finger and gently wiped away non-existent tears.

Although it was fake crying.

Baoyu, standing to the side, was stunned, as if his heart was breaking.

"Sister Lin, please stop crying."

Baoyu said dreamily.

Unable to keep up the act any longer, Lin Daiyu took out a handkerchief, twisted it around her head, and tossed it aside, laughing speechlessly, "You idiot."

Although he was scolded, Baoyu was not angry at all. Instead, he felt very happy. As long as he was with Lin Daiyu, he was willing to be scolded by her every day.

Xue Baochai found it somewhat amusing.

When Xue Baochai smiled, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but smile too.

Seeing them all smile, Jia Baoyu became even happier. He was just glad that Wang Xin had left, otherwise Lin Daiyu would only remember her uncle and almost forget about her brother.

(End of this chapter)