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

Chapter 78 The Marquis of Wu meets the Emperor Emeritus, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Army!
"In the twentieth year of the Shunkang era, the Yellow River breached its banks, and tens of millions of people were affected by the disaster."

"I have appointed Jin Fu to oversee all matters related to river management, and the entire nation is now focusing its efforts on harnessing the Yellow River."

"The Jurchen chieftain Xuan Ye was ruthless and cunning. He sent his Later Jin officials, Songgotu and Nalan Mingzhu, to the Dzungar Khanate and Khalkha Mongols. Tong Guowei crossed the sea and colluded with the Dutch who were entrenched in Yizhou. In the twenty-fourth year of the Shunzhi reign, he stirred up a great upheaval that affected the northwest, southeast and northeast."

"The Later Jin led an army of 300,000 to invade Shanhaiguan, and was commanded by generals such as Aobai, Feiyanggu, Tuhai, and Yue Le."

"I personally took command at Shanhaiguan, appointed Daishan as the commander-in-chief of the entire army, and sent my elder brother Daihua to Datong to revive the Ming dynasty's northwestern military family and guard Yumen Pass. Minister of War Li Guangdi personally went to Fujian to take command. Fujian Governor Yao Qisheng and Fujian Naval Commander Shi Lang worked together to defeat the Dutch and recapture Penghu."

"Decades have passed, and the Later Jin will only be stronger than it was in the twenty-fourth year of the Shunzhi reign. I am old, and the dynasty has no capable generals."

"Only you, in the prime of your youth, I hope that you can uphold the will of the Jia family ancestors, pacify the Jurchen Tartars for the country, and recover the lost lands of Liaodong."

Emperor Shunkang's heavy words echoed throughout the hall as he gazed at Jia Yan.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail in your trust."

Jia Yan agreed without hesitation.

The threat from the Later Jin is indeed the top priority facing the Great Qian Dynasty. No matter what heights it aims to reach, destroying the Later Jin and reclaiming Liaodong are steps it cannot avoid.

"Dai Quan!"

Just then, Emperor Shunkang called out.

"The Great Emperor."

Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of Daming Palace, appeared in the hall respectfully carrying a tray. On the tray was a palm-sized, rectangular bronze waist token, with the character "令" (command) engraved in large characters on the front and a lifelike flying fish on the back.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, what is this?"

Upon seeing this, Jia Yan looked puzzled.

"You have been relieved of your post as Tiger General, and today I hereby appoint you as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"This is the waist token of the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Army. All members of the Embroidered Uniform Army shall obey your orders."

Emperor Shunkang said meaningfully.

"call!!!"

Jia Yan took a deep breath and looked at the Jinyi Army Commander's badge on the tray with a complicated expression.

The Embroidered Uniform Army (Jinyijun) was inherited from the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei). It was responsible for guarding the emperor, patrolling against illegal activities, and managing the imperial prison. In reality, it was the emperor's personal army. Its personnel were spread throughout the two capitals and thirteen provinces. It was divided into the Northern and Southern Garrison Offices. The officials of the Northern Garrison Office were in charge of the imperial prison, while the Southern Garrison Office was the daily organization of the Embroidered Uniform Army.

Normally, the North and South Garrison Commands were each headed by two Assistant Commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Army, both of the third rank. The position of Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Army had never been established. In the Qing Dynasty, even a first-rank official would probably have to show great respect to such a third-rank official.

"Why hasn't Your Excellency expressed your gratitude yet?"

Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of the Daming Palace, suddenly said something.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Jia Yan snapped out of his daze, bowed, and accepted the waist token of the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"The fourth brother is probably getting impatient. You may go now."

Emperor Shunkang said indifferently.

"Yes."

With heavy thoughts in her heart, Jia Yan walked slowly out of the Daming Palace, the starry sky dazzling her eyes.

"My Lord".

Just as Jia Yan was deep in thought, a voice rang in his ear, interrupting his thoughts. When he looked up, a helpless expression appeared on his face: "Grand Eunuch, you've come at just the right time."

"Cough cough."

Su Peisheng, the head eunuch of the Qianqing Palace, said somewhat embarrassedly, "His Majesty summons Lord Junhou to the Yangxin Hall for an audience."

"Let's go." Jia Yan shook his head, inwardly cursing. This father and son really knew how to play games, the father talking first and then the son talking.

At 9 PM, the night was deep. Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Yongping paced alone, looking rather lonely and desolate.

"His Majesty."

Accompanied by Su Peisheng, Jia Yan entered the hall and greeted him softly.

"coming?"

"Does Father have any plans?"

Emperor Yongping's gaze was filled with aggression as he stared at Jia Yan.

"The Emperor Emeritus bestowed upon me the Embroidered Uniform Guard's waist token and appointed me as the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, in charge of the Northern and Southern Garrison Offices."

Meeting Emperor Yongping's gaze, Jia Yan spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.

He was well aware of the mutual suspicion and distrust between Emperor Shunkang and Emperor Yongping, so he simply laid the matter bare and let Emperor Yongping guess and think about it. In short, he couldn't let him deal with this kind of trouble by himself.

'Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!'

Emperor Yongping's pupils dilated instantly, and his expression changed slightly. He barely suppressed the tremor in his heart and said, "The Jia family has produced two dukes, and for generations they have fought bloody battles for the country. I dare not forget them, nor can I forget them."

"My dear minister, you have accomplished such great feats before you even reached adulthood. To reward you with only the title of Marquis of Wu would seem rather stingy of me. Therefore, I hereby issue an edict to the governors' offices of Beizhili, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan, and Shandong provinces to guide the displaced people to Chengde and make them citizens of the Marquis of Wu'an's state."

"What do you think of opening a separate trade market to facilitate the three tribes of the northern desert, the Khorchin tribe, and the three guards of Bairin?"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Yan glanced at Emperor Yongping, a strange smile appearing on his lips, and said with a playful tone, "Your Majesty's great kindness will be forever remembered by your subject and the Jia family."

"I have a report to submit regarding the opening of border trade."

"Prelude!"

Emperor Yongping, whose gaze never left Jia Yan, spoke directly.

"In this battle, more than 300,000 Mongolians were subdued, more than 100,000 refugees from Ping'an Prefecture were captured, and the Ordos and Jarud tribes were wiped out in Shanxi. About 100,000 Mongolians from the two tribes were left to wander. In a few years, it is not impossible for them to be reunited."

"To prevent further trouble in southern Mongolia and to prevent the invasion of various grassland tribes to the south, I have boldly ordered people to drive refugees and Mongolians to the Former Mongolian Plain to cultivate land and build cities to live in. This has now been successful, and there is no longer any talk of Mongolia in southern Mongolia."

"I suggest abolishing Ping'an Prefecture and establishing prefectures and counties in Qiantao and Houtao, following the old system of the Qin and Han dynasties, and incorporating them into the territory of the Han dynasty."

"If we pacify the four barbarian tribes in the future, the Nine Borders, Xining Prefecture, and Kunlun Prefecture may follow this example."

Jia Yan recounted in detail the arrangements he had made south of Yinshan.

"The entire court has underestimated you, my dear minister. You are not only exceptional in military strategy, but also in governance."

Emperor Yongping gave Jia Yan a deep look, suppressing his shock, and said inexplicably.

"Your Majesty is overly complimentary."

"I merely parroted others' ideas; they are not worth mentioning."

Jia Yan said frankly.

"I will have the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Works handle this matter together, and dispatch officials and craftsmen to the site."

Emperor Yongping had no reason to reject Jia Yan's proposal, because it was precisely the best solution to the Mongolian problem.

Having lost the Hetao region south of the Yin Mountains, the three Mongol tribes in the northern desert would have to cross the vast Gobi Desert to move south. The only ones the dynasty needed to worry about were the Balin Three Guards on the Bashang Plateau and the Khorchin tribe in the eastern desert. However, for the time being, these two Mongol tribes would not clash with the Great Qian for at least several decades. What they needed to deal with were the ambitious Jurchens.

"Your Majesty is holy."

Jia Yan casually uttered four words, seemingly unconcerned about the matter.

(End of this chapter)