Dream of the Red Chamber: After being exiled, I went on a killing spree in Liaodong.

Sure enough, as long as Baoyu was involved, even the most difficult matters would be agreed upon. Wang Ziteng's lips curled up almost imperceptibly—his plan was already in his grasp. As long as he could exploit Grandmother Jia's favoritism towards Baoyu and gradually undermine the Jia family's foundation, resources would eventually flow to him, Wang Ziteng!

The group hurried to Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

Just as Yuanyang was about to blow out the lamp and go to bed, she suddenly saw Madam Wang rushing over with Wang Ziteng. She frowned and said, "Second Madam, what brings you here at this hour? The old lady has just fallen asleep."

"It was inappropriate of me to disturb the old lady."

Madam Wang's face showed three parts anxiety and seven parts solemnity. "But now a matter of utmost importance has occurred, and there's no time to lose! Go quickly and wake the old lady; tell her... the military situation is urgent!"

Yuanyang's heart tightened, and she dared not persuade him any further. She turned around and went into the inner room.

A moment later, the curtain was lifted, and a soft voice came from inside:

"Let them in."

The room was dimly lit by candlelight. Grandmother Jia leaned against the couch, not even lifting her eyelids: "Speak, what's all this commotion in the middle of the night?"

She already knew what was going on—Wang Ziteng was the kind of person who wouldn't act without a reason. His flustered state tonight couldn't be anything good.

"Your Excellency is wise," Wang Ziteng said, bowing deeply and speaking in a heavy tone, "The war in Liaodong has begun, and the Beijing garrison will be dispatched immediately. I would like to ask you to write a letter to Yi-ge'er, asking him... to take good care of my elder brother."

Madam Wang stood to one side, her eyes darting around, but she spoke fluently.

If it were daytime, Grandmother Jia, with her clear eyesight, would have noticed something amiss in her expression. But in the dim light of night, the old woman's eyesight was failing, and she didn't notice anything.

These words startled Grandmother Jia: "What did you say? That the younger generation should take care of the elders?"

The air froze instantly.

Wang Ziteng nearly choked on his own breath, wishing he could strangle his stupid sister on the spot! How could she say such a thing? If word got out, how could he ever face anyone in the capital again?

But for the military merits and connections that were about to be obtained, he gritted his teeth, swallowed the humiliation, and remained silent with his head down.

"Alright, we're family after all."

Grandmother Jia finally spoke, her tone as indifferent as if she were dismissing a beggar, "I'll write you a letter."

In his heart, however, he sneered: What a piece of trash! Trying to climb the social ladder without even knowing his own worth? From now on, don't expect the Rongguo Mansion to spend a single penny on you!

She picked up her pen and wrote rapidly, each word like a knife. When she finished, she tossed it aside and said, "Take it. Go now, everyone. I need to rest."

"Thank you, Madam!"

Wang Ziteng accepted the letter with both hands, his face beaming with joy, as if it were not a letter, but a talisman to the pinnacle of power.

By leveraging Jia Yi's reputation and using this letter as a shield, a trip to Liaodong would not only allow him to escape danger but also gain military merit, build connections, and advance his career...

It has to be said, this plan was incredibly shrewd.

The problem is that Jia Yi is no longer the naive and easily manipulated man he once was.

Now, he has no Buddha in his eyes, no Bodhisattva in his heart; he only cares about his own life and his knife.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Amidst the gnashing, helpless gazes of a group of nobles, Niu Jizong led 120,000 elite troops of the Beijing Garrison—no, to be precise, 90,000—on a grand march northward.

The remaining 30,000? They were all swallowed up by those greedy Beijing garrison generals, leaving not even a bone fragment.

Niu Jizong's face was ashen the whole way, and he looked at Wang Ziteng as if he were a piece of rotten meat.

He was already feeling apprehensive about facing the Jin army, relying entirely on overwhelming their numbers. But to make matters worse, he was now 30,000 men short on the battlefield! If it weren't for the slight favor shown to the Jia family, he would have drawn his sword on the spot and beheaded Prince Teng to vent his anger!

But Wang Ziteng was also frustrated!

How could he not want to intervene? But those generals who were drawing salaries without working, weren't they all relatives of the emperor or protégés of powerful officials? As a relative of the emperor, who could he possibly touch?

Jin County, Military Council Tent.

The news had already spread – the Later Jin army of 100,000 had assembled and was speeding toward Liaodong.

The garrison commanders, including Xiong Ke, sat there with their heads hanging low, looking ashen-faced as if their parents had died.

Only Jia Yi had a smile on his lips and a light shining in his eyes.

Because he had just received a secret edict from Emperor Yuankang: Retreat! Retreat immediately! Retreat to Shanhaiguan and wait for the main force of the capital garrison to arrive before launching a counterattack!

Of course he wanted to stay.

But the enemy is a hundred thousand iron cavalry. This isn't a vegetable market; how could they possibly cut them all down? He himself would lose his life!

Now that the imperial edict has arrived, it's exactly what I wanted—running away is now perfectly justified!

"Fellow colleagues," Jia Yi stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and spoke in a lighthearted tone, as if he were going on a spring outing, "I'll be going first."

"I wish you all... to hold on until the day the imperial army arrives."

Before he could finish speaking, the entire tent erupted in fury.

"coward!"

"Cowardly wretch!"

"A despicable person who betrayed his duty!"

Xiong Ke's eyes were bloodshot, and he almost pounced on him and tore him apart.

But no one knew how much they envied Jia Yi—they wished they could immediately put on his boots and run with him.

Just as Jia Yi stepped out of the tent, he suddenly turned around, a chilling smile playing on his lips.

"I'll do you a favor, since we've worked together before."

"As for the families, I've made arrangements—they've all been sent to Shanhaiguan for 'refuge'."

He paused, his voice as cold as ice:

"Swords and spears have no eyes. If someone in a family were to betray us, I wouldn't mind killing their entire family as a sacrifice to the flag."

The air froze instantly.

"You—!!!" Xiong Ke suddenly stood up, trembling all over.

This isn't helping them; it's cutting off their escape route! Forcing them to fight to the death!

"No need to thank me." Jia Yi waved his hand, grinning like a sly fox. "We're all family, no need to be so polite."

At a moment's notice, the Tang Dynasty's Mo Dao (陌刀) team was dispatched—not to arrest people, but to "invite" them.

The entire family, young and old, were all taken away and put on a vehicle overnight, then sent to Shanhaiguan.

"Jia Yi!" Xiong Ke gritted his teeth. "Aren't you afraid I'll report your misdeeds to the Emperor?"

He was over fifty years old and had no children. If he were to surrender to the Later Jin, he would be all alone and would be quite carefree.

"Oh?" Jia Yi raised an eyebrow and smiled. "His Majesty himself sent someone to deliver a message to Wu Sheng. Do you think... he'll believe you or me?"

One sentence shattered all illusions.

Xiong Ke looked as if struck by lightning, his face ashen.

It turns out that all of this was tacitly approved by the emperor!

He finally understood—that he and his ilk were nothing more than abandoned pawns.

But Jia Yi is the one who truly wields the chess pieces.

Jia Yi turned and left, his heart already bursting with joy.

He wasn't afraid of these messy things getting leaked.

Nurhaci came with great force, but these "generals" who spent their days in a drunken stupor either died on the battlefield or surrendered on their knees.

Who would believe a traitor?

three days later.

The Later Jin army stormed into Liaodong, their iron hooves shattering the morning mist.

But as they rushed into the villages, the scene before them sent a chill down their spines—

Empty villages, empty towns, empty fields.

The smoke from the chimneys has died down, and there is no sound of chickens or dogs; only cold ash drifts among the ruins.

"Father, something's wrong." Nurhaci's sons frowned and looked around. "Why... is there no one here?"

In the past, when raiding the borders of the Great Qian Dynasty, some civilians were always caught off guard and hid in cellars or hidden in walls. But this time—the entire Liaodong region seemed to have been emptied out beforehand!

Could it be... an ambush ahead?