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

Outside Zhengyang Gate.

The sound of horses' hooves was fast and rapid, rolling in from afar.

It was like a muffled thunderclap in summer, rolling across the ground and causing pedestrians on the street to scramble to avoid it.

A short, burly man selling steamed buns frantically pulled his stall to the side of the road, shouting in alarm:

"That sound... it must be a urgent report of victory from the Northwest, it's here again..."

Amidst the surprised and expectant gazes of passersby, a chestnut horse emerged from the street corner.

Sweat poured down the horse's body, its mane soaked and clinging to its neck.

On horseback was a burly man with a face like a red date and a long beard, his helmet askew and armor askew.

His face was covered in dust, revealing only a pair of phoenix eyes with silkworm-shaped eyebrows.

He gripped the reins tightly with his left hand, and held aloft an urgent report with a yellow silk cover and three chicken feathers stuck in it.

The courier spurred his horse and galloped away, shouting all the way:

"Make way! Make way! Make way now! Urgent news from the northwest, six hundred li away!"

The burly men and ordinary people on the street skillfully made way for them, their faces showing expressions of delight that they had expected this.

A passerby, resembling a scholar with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks, held a folding fan and exclaimed in loud surprise as he waved it:

"This must be the ninth victory in the Northwest this year! This Champion Marquis is simply too formidable! He's practically an invincible war god, unmatched by anyone!"

Another man, who looked like a wealthy man with a fat head and big ears, said:

"Nine battles, nine victories! Unstoppable! The Champion Marquis's valor is unparalleled throughout history!"

Other passersby chimed in:

"I wonder which grassland tribe the champion has defeated this time?"

"I wonder when the Champion Marquis will sweep across the grasslands and return in triumph!"

"If the Han Dynasty had not produced a champion marquis, the borderlands would have been plunged into a long, dark night for a century!"

……

All the passersby stared intently at the urgent report in the courier's hand.

The courier dared not delay for a moment and rode his horse straight from the street to the location of the Ministry of Justice.

Shortly after, a bombshell announcement came from an insider at the Office of Transmission:

"Good news from the Northwest! Champion Marquis has decisively defeated the left flank of the Qinghai forces, beheading tens of thousands and capturing Mailigan Huang Taiji!"

"We will build an altar at Langjuxu Mountain to worship Heaven, and set up an altar at Guyan Mountain to worship Earth! We will seal the Langjuxu Mountain, inscribe the inscription on Yanran Mountain, and our military might will reach the shores of the vast sea!"

"The century-long border troubles of the Great Han grasslands have been completely quelled. From now on, the Tartars have fled far away, and there is no royal court in the south or north of the Gobi Desert!"

As the news spread, the capital city was once again in an uproar.

The man selling steamed buns slammed the buns he was holding onto his stall and exclaimed in surprise:

"Have they sealed the wolf's lair and drunk their horses' water from the vast sea?"

Even though he was illiterate, he had recently heard those two words quite often from storytellers and other learned people.

Huo Qubing had once accomplished such a feat, and he knew that these two words symbolized the highest honor for a military general.

On a mountain called Langjuxu, an altar was built to worship the heavens, and the Han army fought all the way to the Han Sea, where their warhorses drank water from the Han Sea.

This indicates that the Marquis of Champion's army has penetrated deep into the far north of the grasslands, completely eliminating the threat that the grasslands had posed to the Han Dynasty for more than a hundred years. This is an unparalleled achievement in stabilizing the borders and securing the frontier!

The scholar with the pointed mouth and monkey-like face was standing under a tea stall when his folding fan fell to the ground with a "thud".

He suddenly plopped down on the ground, slapping his thigh and crying:

"No royal court exists south or north of the desert; the century-long border troubles of our Great Han have been quelled in a single battle! The unfinished work of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Chengzu has been accomplished today by the Marquis of Champion!"

"Our great Han Dynasty has once again triumphed over the world and its virtue has spread to all corners of the earth. I never imagined that I, Sun, would live to see the Han Dynasty's revival again. Truly, Heaven has eyes!!"

The fat, big-eared man, who looked like a wealthy landowner, loudly recited:

"The wind rises, the clouds fly high; his might extends across the land, he returns to his homeland… When the Champion Marquis returns to the capital in triumph, I, Zhu, will be the first to greet him outside the city!"

An elderly, limping soldier with graying hair clenched his fists and placed them on his chest, his eyes gleaming, muttering to himself:

"The old Duke has a worthy successor, and our great Han Dynasty has a worthy successor..."

A Mongol dressed in grassland attire stood before the gate of the Han Dynasty's Court of State Ceremonial, muttering in a daze:

"The loss of Langshan has caused our Great Khan to never return! The loss of Juxushan has caused our people to be scattered!"

No one knows who set off the firecrackers first, but a long string of red firecrackers hung from the tree branches by the street, crackling and popping throughout the entire street.

Immediately afterwards, countless firecrackers went off, and amidst the billowing smoke, someone started beating a drum.

Someone else somehow got hold of a suona and blew it loudly.

The soldiers of the Five City Garrison, who were patrolling the city, stood at the street corner, watching the bustling and noisy scene, but did not pay any attention to it.

Instead, he went to a nearby tavern and shouted:

"Bring a bowl of wine to celebrate the champion!"

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the largest restaurant in the capital city, in a private room facing the street.

Three people sat by the window watching the jubilant scene unfold in the city.

Seated in the main seat was Zhu Zhu, the seventeen-year-old eldest son of the current retired emperor, who wore a dark blue four-clawed python robe.

He was originally the crown prince, but when the retired emperor went to the north, he was too young to be entrusted with the heavy responsibility of the country.

Later, Emperor Jingsheng ascended the throne and renamed him Prince of Yi.

Although Zhu Hui was only seventeen years old, he had already established his own government and been granted the title of prince. He was known in the court and among the people for his respect for scholars and his refined and wise character. He was a recognized virtuous prince.

Sitting to the left and right of the Prince of Yi were Li Long, the Duke of Cao, and Xu Ding, the Duke of Zhao.

At this moment, neither of them looked too good, but Prince Yi, Zhu Hui, remained calm and composed.

Duke Li Long of Cao leaned back in his chair, a wine cup in his hand, his gaze fixed on the bustling street outside the window.

He said with a hint of shock in his expression:

"Having pacified the grasslands, annihilated the Northern Yuan, sealed the Wolf-Dwelling Mountain, and drunk from the vast sea, this brat Jia Jing is now truly renowned throughout the world!"

"Some time ago, even my old friends from the Jiangnan region wrote to me to inquire about his deeds and praise his military achievements!"

The Duke of Cao's life has not been easy lately. He was seriously injured in the attack by the White Lotus Sect last year, and his entire household was robbed.

However, he fared better than Jia She, and recovered gradually after a few months of bed rest.

Later, in the matter of Ba Shang Daying, he was implicated again by the fact that the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Linchuan had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country.

Emperor Jingsheng and several ministers of the court believed that he must have secretly colluded with the puppet Qing dynasty, which was why he suffered such a terrible defeat.

After several interrogations by the three departments, it was discovered that Duke Cao had not participated in the sale of intelligence and had deliberately lost to the puppet Qing dynasty.

Rather, he was simply ambitious but incompetent, lacking both brains and ability. There might be other suspicious circumstances, but none of them had anything to do with Duke Cao, Li Long.

Therefore, after confiscating his family's imperial edict, they released him.

After experiencing these repeated setbacks, Duke Cao looked noticeably older.

At this moment, watching the people of the city cheering for Jia Jing's achievements, he looked shocked and gloomy.