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

Jia Jing will lead these two thousand light cavalry, traveling day and night, to head first to Yulin Town.

The remaining cavalry will depart early tomorrow morning, while the infantry will have to wait a few days for the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to gather supplies and provisions before heading to the Northwest.

Two thousand elite cavalrymen were arranged in formation according to their flags, their light armor clanging, their military bearing impeccable, and their swords and spears gleaming as they were raised high.

After leaving the camp, the cavalry began to gallop, speeding along the original route of Shenjing-Juyongguan-Xuanfu.

As Ba Shang launched its attack, the hearts of countless people in the capital city were immediately stirred.

Lin Daiyu's courtyard.

It was already evening, and the spring temperature was still a bit chilly.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the sickly girl wearing a moon-white silk jacket, a blue satin vest with quilted teeth, and a light green skirt tied below.

The color scheme is cool and the texture is light, giving off a sense of loneliness and aloofness.

Lin Daiyu sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the room, gently flipping through the pages of "Lu Xuangong's Memorials".

The book contained many slips of paper, all of which were Jia Jing's annotations in vermilion ink.

At this moment, Lin Daiyu was reading the annotations to "On the Dangers of the Two Rivers and Huaihe River Regions": "In the art of war, winning hearts and minds is of paramount importance, and this applies to border affairs as well."

He then looked at the annotations to the "Six Articles on Equalizing Taxes and Relieving the People": "The difficulty of new policies has remained the same for thousands of years, but we should not refrain from doing them because of their difficulty."

After reading for a while, she hugged the book to her chest, looked out the window towards the Ba Shang camp, and remained silent for a long time.

Zijuan walked in from outside and said softly:

"Miss, the servant who came back from the manor said that the Marquis has already set off with his troops."

Lin Daiyu was taken aback upon hearing this. She put down the book in her arms, and a trace of melancholy appeared on her beautiful, elfin face. She sighed softly.

Before they could even say goodbye, they left in a hurry.

Since that visit, the two have not had any contact in private.

Even though Jia Jing returned on New Year's Eve, he didn't stay overnight at the mansion and went back to the military camp.

Because of the infrequent meetings and the constant separations, Daiyu felt a pang of melancholy.

Since her deep conversation with Zijuan, Daiyu's feelings for Jia Jing have changed day by day.

She longed to spend more time with Jia Jing, even if it was just sitting quietly together without saying a word, but it was always difficult to fulfill her wish.

All she could do was read the copy of "Lu Xuan Gong's Memorials" that he had given her repeatedly from beginning to end.

I only hope that I will have the opportunity to discuss with him the principles of governance, finance, personnel management, and border defense in the future!

Zijuan filled Daiyu's teacup with warm water and handed it to her, saying:

"The Marquis is too busy. He only came back today to change into his armor and say a few words to Xiangling and the others."

"Then I went to the old lady and the master's courtyard to say goodbye and left."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said softly:

"Third Brother has been busy with military affairs in the Northwest lately. Even when the Marquis's sister came to visit the other day, Third Brother didn't come back to see her!"

Zijuan looked at Daiyu and lowered her voice, saying:

"Yes! I heard that the Marquis was even bestowed a courtesy name by the Emperor this time! It's said to be something like Zijie!"

"Now that Your Excellency is a year older, will you soon be considering marriage after receiving this title?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu's face showed a thoughtful expression. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Xueyan's voice from outside the room:

"Miss, Miss Xue has arrived!"

Daiyu turned her head and saw Xue Baochai walking in slowly, accompanied by Ying'er.

"Sister Lin, how have you been feeling lately?"

Xue Baochai wore a rose-purple, gold, and silver-gray vest with a gold cloak adorned with sparse leaf patterns.

Her skin appeared as white as snow, her makeup as delicate as jade, and her eyes, brimming with tears, asked Lin Daiyu with a hint of concern.

Lin Daiyu stood up, a smile playing on her lips, and replied with a touch of coquettishness:

"Thank you for going to so much trouble! My third brother hired a renowned doctor recently, and with acupuncture and medicine, I really feel quite different than before; I feel much lighter!"

Xue Baochai paused for a moment, ever since she learned from Ying'er that Jia Jing had given her and Lin Daiyu two different books.

She comes to visit Daiyu whenever she has free time, and the two have gotten to know each other better.

Baochai took Daiyu's hand and sat down on the kang (heated brick bed), smiling as she said:

"That's good! It's clear that the doctor has treated the illness correctly. If my sister can fully recover, I think my third brother can be more at ease while he's away fighting."

Daiyu's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if to say that she had caused her third brother worry.

Before Daiyu could say anything, Baochai chuckled and said:

"These days, there have been urgent reports from the northwest coming from the capital. I guessed that my third brother might be going to war, and I was thinking of asking him to get a good luck charm to take with him."

"I didn't expect you to leave so suddenly, without even having a chance to say goodbye."

Daiyu pursed her pink lips, her delicate eyebrows relaxed slightly, and said:

"The military situation is dire. I've heard that this time it's a joint expedition by the Northern Yuan, Hunye, and the puppet Qing. The situation must be serious, and we can't afford to delay."

I didn't have time to give you the amulet, but I've definitely put on my safety buckle.

Baochai's almond-shaped eyes flickered, and she said with a hint of seriousness:

"This war will probably be even more dangerous than the one my third brother fought against the puppet Qing regime. I heard from my brother that many people outside are saying we should negotiate peace!"

"They say this battle will be difficult, with multiple fronts to fight, so the chances of victory are probably not high!"

Daiyu gently shook her head and said softly:

"Looking at the three parties' joint invasion, they have amassed a large army and are coming on strong. But in my opinion, this battle will be easier than the battle my third brother fought against the 150,000-strong army of the puppet Qing dynasty."

"The three kingdoms of the pseudo-Qing, Hunxie, and Northern Yuan each had their own schemes and were not of one mind."

"With Third Brother's martial prowess and strategic acumen, as long as we can break through one of their armies, the other two countries will not dare to act rashly!"

"I saw in my third brother's annotation on Lu Xuangong's memorials that it said, 'The best strategy in warfare is to win hearts and minds.' It seems my third brother must have had this planned in mind all along!"

Daiyu has also been studying the official gazette and various books on current affairs to improve her theoretical knowledge, and she speaks about it in a very eloquent manner.

"Hehe... There's no use in us worrying at home. We just hope our third brother will have a successful campaign and return home victorious soon!"

Upon hearing Daiyu mention "Lu Xuangong's Memorials," Xue Baochai's smile faded slightly, and she spoke softly.

The third brother gave Lin Daiyu "Lu Xuan Gong's Memorials", but gave himself "Yan Family Instructions".

She had been thinking about the deeper meaning behind this for days, and she felt that she might be at a disadvantage compared to Daiyu.

I don't know what my third brother meant.

Does she mean she is the head wife who is in charge of the household, or does she mean Lin Daiyu is the head wife who can discuss politics with her third brother?

Although Baochai did not understand the deeper meaning for the time being, she knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Lin Daiyu in front of her was likely to be her greatest enemy.

Daiyu: "..."

She didn't mean anything by it; she was just saying it casually!