Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 104 Sharpening the swords and preparing for battle, aiming at the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan!
“Sooner rather than later.”

With piercing eyes, Jia Yan said in a deep voice, "The Jizhou Garrison is related to the safety of Liaodong Garrison and the capital region."

"This is my waist token as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. With it, I can mobilize the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed in the area."

"By imperial permission, one can act first and report later."

"This"

Yue Zhongqi stared blankly at the palm-sized, rectangular bronze waist plaque before him. The front was engraved with the character "令" (command) in large characters, while the back featured a lifelike flying fish.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Once the Ministry of War issues the order, the entire Jizhou garrison will unite as one to fight against you."

"Are you going to take over Jizhou again?"

Jia Yan's words were cold and sharp, hitting people where it hurt.

"My lord, I am not."

"I know what you're worried about."

Before Yue Zhongqi could explain, Jia Yan interrupted him: "It's simply that without the emperor's order, they dare not touch this border town."

"This matter is a tacit understanding between His Majesty and me. I will request the imperial decree from the Qianqing Palace later."

"You should lead your personal guards first, summon the Jinyi Army stationed in Jizhou to capture Zu Chong. Without a leader, Jizhou will be at your mercy."

"Unless they are united in their rebellion, no one dares to oppose the Embroidered Uniform Army."

"This way, you'll have enough time to pry open Zu Chong's mouth and get evidence that the entire Jizhou garrison is exploiting soldiers."

"By then, the imperial edict from the palace will have arrived, and these parasites will be taken down, restoring a clear and bright sky to Jizhou."

"Yes."

Hearing this, Yue Zhongqi's eyes shone brighter and brighter, and he was already confident in his ability to bring order to Jizhou.

“The Nine Garrisons originally had the responsibility of overseeing local garrisons, especially the Ji and Liao Garrisons.”

"The Jizhou Garrison governed the Yanshan Three Guards, Yongqing Left and Right Guards, Miyun Three Guards, Yongping Three Guards, Zunhua Guard, Longqing Guard, Yingzhou Three Guards, Yanqing Left and Right Guards, and Xingzhou Three Guards, with a total of 117600 soldiers in total."

"If Jizhou needs to recover its strength in the shortest time, these garrison soldiers are the best source of manpower. Select the able-bodied men, train them, and deploy them in preparation for war."

"The corruption of the military system in this dynasty is not limited to the border towns; it is even worse in the garrisons. Do you understand?"

Gazing intently at Yue Zhongqi, Jia Yan offered his instructions.

"I see."

Yue Zhongqi understood immediately; it was nothing more than confiscating the Jizhou Garrison and its twenty-one subordinate guard posts—what was so difficult about that?

"Someone, escort the Earl of Lintao."

"please!!!"

The maidservant tactfully ushered Yue Zhongqi out of the backyard of Ningguo Mansion.

Suddenly, only six people remained in the main hall. Nian Gengyao and Zhang Guangsi looked at Jia Yan with expectant expressions.

"In the first battle of the Yuan Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty reclaimed the Liaoxi Corridor from the Jurchen Tartars. It was a narrow strip of land that stretched from Shanhaiguan in the north to the north bank of the Daling River, bordered the Bohai Sea in the east and Songling Mountain in the west. It was 400 li long and no more than 30 li wide. Liaozhen was re-established here, with its capital in Jinzhou."

"Liaozhen was mainly built to defend against the invasion of the Later Jin. It was based on the Jinzhou and Ningyuan defense line and had many military forts. Backed by mountains and facing the sea, with rolling hills, it was a strategic location. From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Ming dynasty, it was a must-pass place for military strategists and an important passage connecting the inside and outside of Shanhaiguan."

"Among the nine border regions, the Liaodong soldiers were originally the most valiant. During the Ming Dynasty, there was the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, which roamed the world. However, after the Yuan Dynasty's conquest of China, large-scale battles rarely occurred in Liaodong. The only ones were small-scale skirmishes around the Daling River."

"After decades, it's hard to say how much strength the Liao army still has."

"I dare say that the battle that will determine the fate of the dynasty will come from Liaodong."

Jia Yan slapped the location marked Liaozhen on the map.

"My Lord".

"I want to go to Liaodong."

Nian Gengyao acted decisively and volunteered himself.

Looking at the nine border generals, no one knew how to scheme better than him. Otherwise, he could not have risen from a junior scholar to the position of general of Datong. First-class earl was not his final goal. He wanted to climb higher, to become a marquis or even a duke.

Liaozhen is indeed the most dangerous place, but precisely because of this, there is an opportunity to snatch chestnuts from the fire.

"Hahaha!"

Jia Yan burst out laughing first, followed by Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, and Hou Xiaokang, all with smiles on their faces.

Ambitious people often go the distance. They are not afraid of ambitious subordinates, but they are afraid of those who are not ambitious. If they are not ambitious, it often means that they have lost their drive to make progress, which is not a good thing in the military.

"Please grant my request, my lord!"

Nian Gengyao grew anxious and spoke up again.

"Have you thought about it?"

Looking at Nian Gengyao, Jia Yan said, word by word, "Liaozhen is different from Jizhen. General Ha Yuansheng of Liaozhen was promoted by the Emperor Emeritus."

"Originally a Hui, born in Hejian, Beizhili, he served as the garrison commander of Huanghua Road, the military commander of Jianchang Road, and the guerrilla commander of Weining, Guizhou."

"He has repeatedly suppressed uprisings by Miao people and people in the southwestern border regions, and has achieved numerous military exploits."

"If you want to be appointed as the General of Liaozhen, you'll have to wait a while."

"My lord, I am willing to wait."

Nian Gengyao knew that trouble was bound to break out in Liaodong, and that would be his opportunity. Why not wait a little longer?

"can."

Nodding slightly, Jia Yan agreed to his request.

"Thank you, Lord Xie."

Nian Gengyao was overjoyed and quickly bowed.

Immediately, Jia Yan turned his gaze to Zhang Guangsi: "The Earl of Qingjiang is more like a civil official than the Earl of Huaiyuan."

"If I remember correctly, you were a student of the Imperial Academy who donated money to enter officialdom. In the fifty-fourth year of the Shunzhi reign, you were selected to serve as the prefect of Sizhou Prefecture in Guizhou."

"In the early years of the Yongping reign, he was promoted to Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Guizhou. Due to his meritorious service in suppressing the Miao people's uprising, he was promoted to Governor of Guizhou."

"In the fourth year of the Yongping reign, the Khoshut Mongols invaded Xining Prefecture and other places. He was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of Guyuan Garrison and later transferred to deputy commander-in-chief of Shanxi Garrison."

"Your Excellency is wise and insightful."

Lord Qingjiang, Zhang Guangsi, bowed respectfully with his hands clasped. 'Wow!'

Even Nian Gengyao couldn't help but glance at him, never expecting that this usually honest and straightforward colleague was actually a proper civil official.

"In the first year of Yongping, the imperial court conferred the title of Dajinchuan Pacification Commissioner on Shaluoben and the title of Xiaojinchuan Tusi on Zewang. Dajinchuan and Xiaojinchuan thus became the largest Tusi power in the Kham region, and their influence grew day by day."

"The Greater and Lesser Jinchuan regions are home to numerous tribes with a martial culture, led by chieftains. They frequently engage in feuds, fight for territory, and threaten local order."

“Starting from the fourth year of Yongping, the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan tribes constantly invaded Sichuan, expanding their territory and plundering people, and their arrogance grew day by day.”

"You have governed Miao areas for many years and know the local situation well. The Miao people are just as fierce as the Tibetans and Qiang people."

"I hereby recommend you to be appointed General Who Pacifies the West, and to recruit 50,000 soldiers in the Miao region to conquer the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan."

"The day the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan are pacified will be the day you return to the court to be enfeoffed as a marquis."

"Thank you, my lord."

Zhang Guangsi immediately bowed.

"My Lord".

"I"

Seeing that Nian Gengyao and the other two, who were also members of the Yongping nobility, had all made arrangements, Wang Ziteng became restless.

"The dynasty has three major naval forces: the Nanjing Navy, the Fujian Navy, and the Guangdong Navy, all located in the south."

"During the early Ming Dynasty, Liaodong was under the jurisdiction of Shandong Military Command, mainly because of the convenience of maritime travel."

"The dynasty must rebuild a navy, dedicated to patrolling the Bohai Sea and the East China Sea, not only to deal with the Later Jin, but also to deal with Goryeo and Japan in the future. Would you be willing to take the lead in building such a navy?"

Meeting Wang Ziteng's expectant gaze, Jia Yan spoke.

"Navy?"

"I?"

Wang Ziteng quickly shook his head: "My lord, I haven't even figured out how to fight on land yet, and I'm already going to the water."

"It doesn't matter."

Jia Yan smiled and casually said, "I've found three helpers for you."

"Yu Zigao's grandson Yu Yue, Deng Zilong's great-grandson Deng Guozhen, and Chen Lin's great-grandson Chen Kun."

'Whoosh!'

These three names gave Wang Ziteng a jolt: Yu Zigao, Deng Zilong, and Chen Lin. These were all naval commanders from the Ming Dynasty, and they were skilled in naval warfare.

"Let me tell you, these three men are among the most outstanding naval generals in our nation."

"Yu Yue was the adjutant of the Guangdong Navy, Deng Guozhen was the adjutant of the Fujian Navy, and Chen Kun was the adjutant of the Nanjing Navy."

'All done!'

Wang Ziteng was overjoyed. With his family's academic background and his own abilities, what more could he ask for?
"I'll ask you one more time: are you willing to become the Admiral of the Tianjin Navy?"

"I am willing."

Wang Ziteng eagerly agreed.

"Hahaha!"

Upon seeing this, everyone burst into laughter.

"Don't be so happy yet."

"There are some things I still need to tell you."

Jia Yan said solemnly.

"Please speak, my lord."

Wang Ziteng stood solemnly upright, listening attentively.

"It takes ten years to grow a tree, but a hundred years to cultivate a person."

“The navy is different from the land army; everything from officers and soldiers to warships requires careful planning.”

"The title of Tianjin Navy is easy to obtain. I will personally go to the Qianqing Palace to establish it, in the same manner as the Nanjing Navy, Fujian Navy, and Guangdong Navy, with a total of 30,000 troops."

"But where will the funds for purchasing ships come from?"

"Furthermore, to build ships, especially those used for maritime combat and navigation, we need aged wood, such as cedar, pine, cypress, oak, teak, nanmu, beech, and elm."

“These timbers may be usable deep in the Yanshan and Taihang Mountains, but they won’t be available for a while. It takes 1-3 years just to air-dry the keelwood. If we use it to build ships, it will take at least a year and a half to launch a single ship.”

"This"

For a moment, Wang Ziteng stood there, stunned and somewhat at a loss.

As Jia Yan said, building a navy is no simple task, costing far more than a million, and even if the entire Wang family's fortune were poured in, it would be of no use.

"Nephew, stop teasing him."

"Wait a moment, and Zhong Shanbo will probably be jumping up and down with anxiety."

Niu Jizong knew that Jia Yan was not one to speak without reason; he would never bring this up unless he was absolutely certain.

"You should tell him, my lord."

Liu Fang and Hou Xiaokang spoke up.

'? ? ? '

Wang Ziteng looked at Jia Yan with anticipation, hoping to get good news from him.

"Uncle Niu, Uncle Liu, Uncle Hou."

"You guys."

Shaking his head slightly, Jia Yan's face showed a helpless expression.

PS: Miaojiang was a general term used during the Ming and Qing dynasties to refer to the Miao ethnic minority areas in Hunan and Guizhou, including western Hunan and southeastern Guizhou.

Dajinchuan and Xiaojinchuan are located in Aba Prefecture and are named after the Dajinchuan River and Xiaojinchuan River, tributaries of the Dadu River, and the gold mines along the mountains.

The snowy region has a saying: the Dharma domain is Ü-Tsang, the horse domain is Amdo, and the human domain is Kham. Ü-Tsang is the same as Ü-Tsang, which includes the entire snowy plateau province in later times. Amdo mainly includes the entire territory of Qinghai. Kham covers western Sichuan, northwestern Yunnan and other places.

(End of this chapter)