Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

"Furthermore, training at the Bashang camp cannot be stopped; from today onwards, all days off are cancelled."

"Let Ma Guocheng lead the cavalry and firearms battalions to immediately suppress the bandits in the Sanfu region. While there is still time, let them see blood."

"Also, send invitations to Lord Niu, General Feng Tang, Marquis Zhongjing, and others, inviting them to come to the mansion for a chat tomorrow."

"In this battle, I will not only strive for a swift victory, but also seize this opportunity to unite the founding lineage into one, making it once again the strongest sword of my Han Dynasty."

"From now on, all other matters can be put on hold, and the Northwest campaign should be the top priority."

Zhuque solemnly cupped his hands and said:

"Yes, my lord! I understand."

Jia Jing said:

"Hmm, you're an expert in intelligence work, so I won't go into too much detail!"

Afterwards, Jia Jing inquired about the situation in Shenjing City, Liaodong, and Jiangnan in recent months, gaining an understanding of the movements in the various provinces of the Han Dynasty.

Nothing major happened in the court during this period. The only exceptions were the return of Xu Qianxue, the Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion and Minister of Justice, and Xu Sanli, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, who had been on an inspection tour. Meanwhile, the new and old factions in the court were secretly fighting fiercely over the new policies.

During this period, Wu Xun of the Jingnan Campaign has been behaving himself and hasn't caused any trouble.

After a short while, Jia Jing ended his conversation with Zhuque.

After Zhuque left, Jia Jing returned to his desk and sat down, pondering once again the upcoming war in the Northwest that would take place in the spring.

After thinking for a moment, he picked up a map from the table next to him. With the sound of his palm rubbing against the pale yellow paper, the map of the Northwest came into view.

"The puppet Qing dynasty occupied Liaodong, and relied on the Khalkha Mongols and Khorchin tribes on the grasslands as its wings. The Northern Yuan was entrenched in the Hetao and southern Mongolia regions, while the Hunye controlled the Western Regions and western Mongolia."

"If the three parties launch a joint invasion, all the towns in the Northwest could be invaded at any time... and we'll be constantly on the run."

Jia Jing looked at the map, his face ashen, his gaze deep, and a sense of solemnity welled up in his heart.

It wouldn't be difficult for him to win this battle. Although the newly trained army in the Ba Shang camp had only just achieved some results and was not enough to rely on, his personal martial prowess was improving day by day, and now even he himself didn't know how strong he was.

After more than three months of adaptation, he has integrated the martial prowess of Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, and Xiang Yu into one, and the changes in his physique are basically complete.

He is now more than ten times stronger than when he only had Zhao Yun's martial prowess.

With his extraordinary military prowess, no matter how many troops the puppet Qing and Northern Yuan countries mobilized this time, or how many schemes they secretly plotted, he was confident that he could sweep them all away.

Let the pseudo-Qing, Northern Yuan, and Hunxie nations see what the might of the Great Han truly means! Let them know what it means to punish those who offend our mighty Han, no matter how far away they are!

But now his concern is not how to win, but how to win quickly!

This battle cannot drag on; it cannot become a protracted war of attrition, which the Han Dynasty cannot afford.

Therefore, he had to figure out how to win this battle in the shortest amount of time.

Ideally, the first battle should be the decisive one, deciding the fate of the world in a single victory!

Jia Jing considered several options in his mind, but whether they were feasible or not could only be determined on the battlefield.

"This battle is crucial! It will be the key battle for me to truly establish myself as the number one warrior in the Han Dynasty."

"The more strategic planning one has, the better; we need to make more preparations in advance. At most, we have one or two months to prepare. The puppet Qing will not delay; they will send troops out in the spring, either in February or March."

Jia Jing remained silent, deep in thought.

Although nomadic peoples often choose to migrate south when the horses are fat and the autumn is in season, it is not uncommon in history for them to wage war in the spring.

In early spring, the ice and snow on the grassland melt, and although there is still a chill in the air, it is no longer as difficult to walk as it was in the depths of winter.

At this time, the grasslands began to turn green again, and the warhorses could graze on the new grass along the way, without having to rely entirely on the fodder they carried. The availability of provisions was a prerequisite for the Hunye Khanate and the Northern Yuan Dynasty to send troops.

Moreover, after a winter of depletion, the Mongol tribes had exhausted their own food reserves, and their livestock were emaciated.

At this time, the southward raids were for "food," and the motive for raiding in early spring was very strong.

Furthermore, the puppet Qing regime must have fully grasped the current situation in the Han Dynasty and will not give them any more time.

In early spring, they would gather and march south. Once they captured a few border cities, they could replenish their supplies, seize the oxen, farming tools, and stored grain of the Han people, and enslave the able-bodied men to prepare for the summer offensive.

They could hold out until autumn when the horses were fat and strong, and then engage the main force of the Han army in a decisive battle. This would maximize the depletion of the Han's national strength, forcing the Han to invest its military and financial resources in the northwest, thus wearing down the Han.

"The Qing dynasty wanted to drag our Han people into the quagmire of the Northwest War, while I wanted a quick victory. But a quick victory does not mean being impatient."

"If one is too eager to win, one will easily fall into a passive position in military deployment, and the result will probably be that the more one wants to win, the less likely one is to win, and one may even suffer defeats on the battlefield and at home."

"As the art of war says, 'To win hearts and minds is the best strategy, to conquer cities is the worst.' Kangxi is playing mind games with me!"

Jia Jing looked at the military map on the wall, pondering the intentions of the puppet Qing dynasty, his face cold.

Just as he was pondering this, a guard came to report that Xiao Hong was requesting an audience.

After gathering his thoughts, Jia Jing had someone call her in.

A moment later, footsteps sounded, and Xiao Hong entered the hall, saying sweetly:

"My lord, Zijuan and Ying'er have come to the backyard and say they wish to see you!"

Jia Jing's eyes flickered, and he asked:

"What are they doing here so late?"

Xiao Hong said:

"I don't know either. It seems that Miss Lin and Miss Xue had something they wanted them to send over."

Jia Jing picked up the teacup, lowered his head, took a sip, and said:

"I have some official business to attend to here, and I'll be busy until very late tonight. Why don't you have them come over here?"

Xiao Hong agreed, and soon led Ying'er and Zijuan back in.

Ying'er and Zijuan entered the hall and, upon seeing Jia Jing sitting behind the table, quickly bowed and said:

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Jia Jing glanced at Zijuan and Ying'er, and asked:

"Why are you here so late?"

Upon hearing this, Zijuan's face lit up with a smile, and her voice, as melodious as a nightingale's song, rang out:

"The young lady asked me to bring this to the Marquis, saying it's to thank him for going to so much trouble to find a doctor for her today."

As he spoke, he handed over a small box with both hands.

Ying'er glanced at Zijuan, then handed her something in return, and said softly:

"This is what my daughter asked me to deliver to the Marquis. She said it was a return gift for the Marquis who had given her a foal."