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

Jia Jing had been eating non-stop, and he was indeed quite hungry. He hadn't had a hot meal in days of traveling and sleeping outdoors.

In addition, the fight just now had consumed a lot of his energy, so he needed to replenish it properly.

Hearing Zhuque's words, Jia Jing remained calm and said in a deep voice:

"So what if I offended someone? There's no way to get things done without offending someone!"

"It's better to offend more people; that way, His Majesty might feel more at ease."

"Yes, I'll deal with this after I finish this battle and return from the grasslands! I also need to inform His Majesty first."

"Be careful over there, don't alert them and let them get wind of it and run away!"

Jia Jing's initial plan was to wait until he returned from the grasslands and then quickly surround Datong with his trusted troops.

This would prevent the news from leaking out, allowing the Shanxi merchants to be captured in one fell swoop and eradicated completely.

"Yes! I understand!" Zhuque kept serving Jia Jing rice and dishes.

Jia Jing's expression became more solemn, and he continued:

"Thirdly, didn't we bring a few carrier pigeons from the Imperial City Guard this time?"

"Immediately send a message to His Majesty by carrier pigeon to report the victory. His Majesty has been strongly advocating for this war, and he must have been under great pressure in the capital these past few days."

"The victory report should only mention the soldiers' bravery and not my merits. Be respectful in your wording and inquire about His Majesty's health."

The Han Dynasty did have carrier pigeons, but this was extremely rare and subject to strict restrictions:

Firstly, pigeons can only transmit messages in one direction; pigeons only recognize the way home and will not travel back and forth between two locations.

If you want to send a message from Yulin to Shenjing, you must bring a pigeon from Shenjing to Yulin.

Then the pigeons are released in Yulin so that they can fly back to Beijing and complete a one-way communication.

Secondly, using pigeons to deliver messages is highly unreliable. Pigeons may be preyed upon by birds of prey, shot by people, or even get lost along the way.

Finally, pigeon training is expensive and requires professional skills, and excellent homing pigeons are very rare and precious.

Therefore, important intelligence is usually sent by fast horse, and rarely by carrier pigeon.

Excellent carrier pigeons are very rare in the Han Dynasty. This time, Jia Jing brought a few because he thought that the Northwest was far from the capital.

Zhuque nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then stopped herself from speaking.

Seeing this, Jia Jing asked:

"What's wrong? Why are you stammering? Did you catch it from You Shiyong?"

Zhuque added a bowl of rice to Jia Jing's bowl and asked softly, puzzled:

"My lord, with your current martial prowess, is it really necessary to be so... cautious?"

Zhuque didn't quite understand Jia Jing's attitude towards Emperor Jingsheng; it was a bit too respectful, even bordering on excessive!

He thought that with Jia Jing's current military power and formidable strength, why should he have to compromise like this?

Not to mention being arrogant and domineering, there's absolutely no need to be so cautious.

Again, dealing with Shanxi merchants offends court officials in order to appease His Majesty!

He never forgot to be respectful. Even though he had just made a great contribution and turned the tide in the Northwest, he became even more cautious.

Jia Jing's expression remained unchanged, but he sighed inwardly.

After this battle, everyone from Niu Jizong and others to Zhuque became somewhat restless!

They all seemed to feel that with their strength, they should be able to accomplish something greater.

Jia Jing asked calmly:

"So, given my fighting prowess, what do you think I should do if I'm not careful?"

Zhuque observed Jia Jing's expression and whispered:

"I believe... the Marquis should not be subordinate to... anyone!"

"With the bow in hand, the mace in hand, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard at my command, who in this world can stand against us! Now that the Han Dynasty is in decline, why doesn't the Marquis follow the will of Heaven and the people and make preparations early..."

As Zhuque finished speaking, his expression became somewhat excited, as if he were encouraging Jia Jing:

A true man lives between heaven and earth; how can he remain subservient to others for long!

Only Zhuque, as Jia Jing's absolute confidant, would dare to utter such rebellious words in front of him.

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing's gaze darkened. He picked up a teacup from the side to moisten his throat, and after a long pause, he said in a clear voice:

"Look, you're getting impatient again! It's better to be calm and collected in your dealings with people and things! Impatience and restlessness rarely lead to good results!"

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard has not yet made any progress, the Ba Shang camp has only been in training for a few months, and they have not yet gained control of the military in the Northwest."

"Your foundation in the court is still weak, and you have neither the support of the army nor the people, yet you can't wait to dominate the world!"

"It's easy to become a powerful force, but not everything in the world can be solved by force!"

"Know that conquering the world is easy, but governing it is difficult; don't oversimplify things!"

After giving his solemn instructions, Jia Jing changed the subject and continued:

"Furthermore, I don't want to be an ambitious schemer driven by personal desires!"

It is still necessary to keep abreast of the thoughts of those below and to unify their thinking from time to time.

Otherwise, one day when I'm not paying attention, they might ask me to put on an extra layer of clothing because it's cold.

"If one is driven by selfishness, lust for power, and a desire for pleasure, then becoming an emperor is not a good choice."

"Look at His Majesty. To revitalize the Han Dynasty, he works tirelessly day and night, neglecting his meals and sleep. He is always reviewing memorials or discussing matters with his ministers. He has been doing this for ten years. He is truly worried sick."

"You must understand that ascending to the highest position does not mean you can rest easy and do whatever you want. On the contrary, it means you will bear heavy responsibilities and shoulder the great responsibility of hundreds of millions of people and the vast territory."

"Unless you become a tyrant, being an emperor isn't as comfortable as being a prince who doesn't have any power."

At this point, Jia Jing stood up, his expression calm, paced around the hall, and continued:

"Ambitious individuals will only plunge the world into chaos, ignite wars, allow foreign tribes to profit, and cause countless deaths and injuries among the people. This is absolutely not what I, the Marquis, desire!"

"What I want to do is to be a pragmatic reformer who can do something practical for the people of the world. All I ask for is to bring about some positive changes for the world while ensuring my own safety."

"The saying 'When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven' is a life motto that I have always believed in."

Jia Jing's goal has never changed. From the moment he came into this world, he only thought about surviving and avoiding being implicated by the Jia family.

As he rose higher and higher in power and strength, he was free from worries about his own survival and began to think about helping the world and bringing about some changes.

He is neither a selfless person nor a purely selfish person!

His original aspiration has never changed.

Especially after several years of border defense work, he witnessed the suffering of ordinary people who were as insignificant as weeds.

He felt a greater sense of empathy for the soldiers and civilians at the grassroots level, and was determined to save the world and revive the Han Dynasty!

As for whether or not he should become emperor, he didn't actually have a strong desire for it.

Because he knew all too well that being an emperor was no easy job! It was a tough and exhausting one!

Being a wise and benevolent ruler is no easy task!

Perhaps the only thing that motivated him to become emperor was to see what rewards the system would offer.