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

"Take control of the Zhenbeitai platform, prohibit the setting off of beacon fires, and replace all the lookouts with loyal and trustworthy men."

"At the same time, a roadblock was set up at Changlebao to intercept the retreating Northern Yuan troops and prevent them from detouring eastward."

"Feng Tang, immediately select five hundred elite cavalry from the city's garrison, each with two horses, and head straight for the Yellow River ferry. Before the fleeing Northern Yuan soldiers, seize control of the ferry, set up checkpoints, and prevent any of them from passing through."

"Let's rest here for now and wait for me to arrive with my men."

"Han Wu, you lead the men to clean up the battlefield, and make sure to bury the corpses to prevent disease."

"At the same time, we collected supplies such as armor, arrows, weapons, and warhorses from the Northern Yuan army."

"Niu Jizong, immediately arrange for the two thousand soldiers who rushed from Ba Shang to enter the barracks to rest, let the brothers eat and sleep well, and let the warhorses have a good meal as soon as possible."

"Ma Guocheng, send a message to the garrison commander of Ganzhou!"

"Order them to hold the city firmly and hold off the combined forces of the Hunxie and the puppet Qing for at least half a month. If they fail, they will bring back their heads!"

Jia Jing issued a series of orders.

The generals bowed to Jia Jing, then, filled with anticipation, went to carry out their orders!

Only Zhuque and You Shiyong remained in the same spot.

Jia Jing looked at You Shiyong, and seeing that he seemed about to speak but hesitated, he frowned and said:

"What is it? Why are you hesitating?"

You Shiyong lowered his voice and said:

"My lord, I suspect there are spies from the Northern Yuan in Yulin City."

"What's going on?" Jia Jing frowned and asked.

You Shiyong said:

"During these days of siege warfare, I've noticed that the Northern Yuan seem to know that my city is short of food. Even though cavalry has no advantage in attacking the city and has suffered heavy losses."

"But they've been stalling us and refusing to withdraw, and on several occasions the Northern Yuan have been able to pinpoint the weaknesses in our defenses, as if they knew the city's defensive map..."

"Therefore, I suspect there must be spies within the city who are tipping them off."

You Shiyong recounted to Jia Jing all the unusual events that had occurred during the defense of the city these past few days.

After listening, Jia Jing's gaze darkened, and he glanced at You Shiyong with some surprise.

I thought he was a rough and tough military general, but I didn't expect him to be so meticulous and thoughtful.

Jia Jing slowly said:

Do you have anyone you suspect?

He had some guesses about this, but wanted to hear what You Shiyong had to say first.

You Shiyong pondered for a moment and said:

"This humble general suspects it is Fan Quan, the deputy commander of the South Gate. He has been acting suspiciously lately, and has repeatedly sent people to secretly inquire about the city's defenses."

"Moreover, he came from the Fan family, a Shanxi merchant family, and the grain in the city's granaries was sold to his family by the Marquis of Ji'an."

"The fall of the South Gate this time was also related to him. He opened the gate and let Marquis Ji'an escape, and then he transferred the brothers guarding the gate away..."

Before You Shiyong could finish speaking, Jia Jing already had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

He asked with a gloomy expression:

Where is Fan Quanren?

"He disappeared after the fall of the south gate. However, he came from the Fan family of Datong, which was one of the eight famous Shanxi merchants in the Northwest."

"The Shanxi merchants wielded immense power in the Northwest, with many of their members serving as officials in the imperial court, and numerous powerful military officers emerging from the eight major Shanxi merchant families in the border towns of the Northwest."

"I've heard that the Shanxi merchants have cultivated relationships with many powerful figures in the court, and they've bribed people in the cabinet and among the princes. If Your Excellency wishes to deal with them, you'll have to be cautious..."

You Shiyong's expression clearly showed apprehension.

Having spent many years in the Northwest, he was well aware of the treacherous nature of these Shanxi merchants who colluded with the enemy.

Not only did they secretly supply military supplies that were explicitly prohibited by the imperial court to the grasslands and Liaodong, but they also frequently sold intelligence from within the Great Wall, treating national interests as a family business.

However, the extent of the influence and deep-rooted connections of Shanxi merchants, which allowed them to exist for so many years, is unimaginable to outsiders.

There have been officials in the Northwest who tried to deal with the Shanxi merchants, but they all met with bad ends, either being imprisoned by the imperial court or assassinated.

You Shiyong heard that the Shanxi merchants had powerful connections, possibly related to the current emperor.

But since it involved imperial power, he dared not speak recklessly.

"Alright! I understand. You may leave now! The war is the priority!" Jia Jing waved his hand.

After You Shiyong left, Jia Jing also began to consider the matter of the Shanxi merchants.

He had already conducted research on Shanxi merchants, and his understanding of them was even deeper than that of You Shiyong.

The Shanxi merchants of this era are even larger than those of the late Ming Dynasty!

As far as he knew, the Shanxi merchants in the Northwest were not only front men for the Emperor Emeritus.

It also has connections with the gentry and powerful families in Jiangnan and Guangdong.

When the north lacked supplies such as grain, salt, and iron, Shanxi merchants would purchase them from the Jiangnan region and Guangdong and Guangxi.

They share close interests and are closely connected; although they compete with each other, they also support one another.

This is a vast network of interests spanning the entire Han Dynasty, something that even Emperor Jingsheng, who had not yet secured his throne, would not dare to easily touch.

The testimonies of the Duke of Cheng, the Marquis of Linchuan, and others who were involved in the resale of military supplies and weapons actually implicated Shanxi merchants.

However, after a joint trial by the three judicial departments of the imperial court, the Shanxi merchants found someone to take the blame and ultimately did not receive any substantial punishment.

Jia Jing's purpose in coming to the Northwest was to eliminate the group of traitorous merchants from Shanxi who were colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. However, he still needed to think carefully about the specifics of how to do it.

If you're going to do it, do it thoroughly, wipe them all out, and eliminate them completely.

Otherwise, if we alert them and they escape, it will be twice as difficult to catch them again!

Of course, at this time, the war should be the priority. There are priorities and urgency, and we must not be impatient.

Just as Jia Jing was pondering, Zhuque had already sent over a large amount of food. Jia Jing turned to look at Zhuque, who was setting out the bowls and plates, and said:

"Let's eat something together!"

Zhuque didn't stand on ceremony and sat down with Jia Jing.

As Jia Jing ate, he looked at Zhuque and said:

"I'll tell you a few things, please write them down!"

"First, have the Crown Prince of Beiyuan personally write several letters reporting the victory and send them by fast horse to the Beiyuan royal court to appease Beiyuan."

"They said the war was progressing smoothly and Yulin would fall soon. They had Bayar's handwritten letter and we were keeping the news under wraps."

"Even if a small number of stragglers escape, as long as we ensure that we arrive at Wolf Mountain quickly before the news spreads, we can catch them off guard."

Seeing that Jia Jing had finished his rice in just a few bites, Zhuque refilled his bowl with rice and nodded, saying:

"I'll have someone take care of it right away, I guarantee there won't be any problems!"

Jia Jing continued while eating:

"The second group of Imperial Guards closely monitored the movements of the eight major Shanxi merchants, keeping a close watch on their important family members."

"Find out every warehouse and location of their stored supplies and wealth, and gather evidence of their collusion with the enemy."

"At the same time, send people to investigate where Marquis Ji'an and the others have fled to. If they can be found, arrest them directly."

Zhuque put down the food she had barely eaten, and while adding another bowl of rice to Jia Jing's bowl, she asked in a question:

"Is the Marquis preparing to take action against the Shanxi merchants? Their connections are intricate and complex; many civil and military officials in the court have received their bribes."

"If this is done, the Marquis will likely offend a large number of officials in the court!"