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

Zhuque had already read the note, and seeing Jia Jing's displeased expression, she asked in a low voice:

"My lord! They harbor malicious intentions. Should we send men to confiscate their property?"

Jia Jing pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"No rush! I said I'd give you half a month, and I will. Arresting people now would only alert them. Those petty scoundrels are nothing to fear. Let the arrows fly a little longer!"

With Jia Jing's current power, he could easily order someone to be arrested!

He was the Minister of Military Affairs and a General of the Cavalry, a second-rank official. In terms of official rank, all the military generals of the court were below him!

Even if the other party is the Prince's Mansion of Nan'an or Dongping, as long as there is solid evidence, it is not impossible to arrest them first and report later!

After all, he was acting on the emperor's orders. While he was in the palace, Emperor Jingsheng had clearly instructed him that the reorganization of the army should not be lenient; those who should be arrested should be arrested, and those who should be killed should be killed!

Not to mention, he also possesses the Emperor's Sword and the "As If the Emperor Were Here" token, and the power to control the Imperial City Guard has not yet been revoked by Emperor Jingsheng.

In case of emergency, apart from the palace where he needs to be somewhat cautious, there is basically no one else or place that he cannot command or control!

Of course, he wouldn't resort to force unless absolutely necessary!

It has to be said that the higher his position, the more he understands that many things need to be justified and done within the bounds of national law and personal principles, rather than simply arresting or killing people, and certainly not leading the way in breaking the rules!

For example, in this current matter, what he wants is to rectify the military achievements of Shenjing and eliminate the long-standing problems of the garrisons; he wants to set the tone and establish a benchmark for the military reorganization.

Since this is intended for all the civil and military officials and generals across the country, we cannot act too roughly, and we must not disregard methods and means!

"Have someone make preparations in advance. When they burn the fish-scale register and spread rumors, catch them red-handed, then imprison them and interrogate them severely to put pressure on the Prince of Nan'an and his group!"

"Furthermore, let Xie Jing's side encourage them and offer suggestions, so that those who are going to jump out will do so. When the time is right, we'll strike with lightning speed and wipe them all out!"

Something Jia Jing hadn't anticipated was that Xie Jing of the Marquis of Dingcheng's household, after being dismissed from his post,

Not only did he not harbor any resentment, but he secretly surrendered and voluntarily became an undercover agent in the faction of the Prince of Nan'an, frequently passing on information from that side.

However, upon closer examination, this is not surprising, because as his power grew, not only Xie Jing, but also many civil and military officials who wanted to advance or seek personal gain were actively trying to curry favor with him.

However, not many of them were actually accepted by Jia Jing!

"Understood!" Zhuque bowed and accepted the order.

Jia Jing's gaze deepened, and after a moment of silence, he said again:

"Once the military reorganization begins, undercurrents and hidden currents will inevitably emerge throughout the land, making the role of the Embroidered Uniform Guard even more crucial. Intelligence control has always been of paramount importance!"

The reason we were able to prepare for the last assassination attempt was because of the intelligence provided by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!

Zhuque's face showed a hint of joy, as if she understood the meaning behind Jia Jing's words, and she tentatively asked:

"What does Your Excellency mean?"

Jia Jing didn't keep them in suspense and said in a deep voice:

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard needs your personal supervision, and you must continue to expand it vigorously. Last year we said we would expand it to 5,000 people within a year, and we have now achieved that goal."

"In the coming year, you must expand this force to 30,000 people, not only densely covering the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty, but also beginning a widespread deployment in other countries surrounding the Han Dynasty!"

"You don't need to worry about the military affairs of the 12th Regiment for the time being. Hand over the reins to General Lan, and he will be in charge of the 12th Regiment from now on."

"You will be assigned to the General Affairs Office to establish the Military Intelligence Bureau. From now on, you will focus your main efforts on the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Military Intelligence Bureau."

Compared to leading troops into battle, Suzaku's intelligence gathering ability is undoubtedly far superior!

Now that we have generals like Lan Yu, there is no longer a need for Zhu Que to command troops!

The most basic requirement for a leader is to know people well and assign them appropriate roles!

"This subordinate obeys!" Suzaku's face showed a hint of excitement at returning to his old profession!

Jia Jing then said to Lan Yu, who was standing to the side:

"You'll coordinate with Zhuque, then go to the 12th Regiment and assume the role of acting battalion commander. Once you've grasped the situation and earned merit, I'll appoint you to take charge of the battalion's affairs!"

For official titles like battalion commander, Jia Jing could directly appoint and use the seal of office.

Lan Yu stood up, his face flushed with anger, and bowed, saying loudly:

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Over here, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and the others saw that Lan Yu had already been assigned a task and would be in charge of the 180,000-strong army in the future, and their expressions changed.

What's going on here? Lan Yu... my little brother has been given such an important position first?

Fortunately, Jia Jing didn't keep them waiting any longer, and then said to Qi Jiguang:

"Yuan Jing, I will issue a document later to appoint you to a position in the Ministry of Military Affairs, and then send you to the Northwest Three Borders and Four Garrisons to oversee military training."

"Go over there and train your troops well. Once you have achieved military merit, I will petition the Emperor to appoint you as the supreme commander of the 300,000-strong army in the Northwest!"

Now that we have four generals who are absolutely trustworthy and outstanding, we will definitely send one of them to the Northwest to take command of an army of 300,000.

As for why Qi Jiguang was chosen, it is naturally because he himself had managed military training affairs in the northwestern border towns in history, and did a very good job!

Moreover, the Northern Yuan in the northwest has been destroyed, and there will be no major battles in the short term. The focus is mainly on training troops. Relatively speaking, Qi Jiguang would undoubtedly be able to make better use of his strengths there!

If he could train his 300,000 troops to be as elite as Qi Jiguang's army, then pacifying the puppet Qing dynasty in Liaodong would be a piece of cake!

"This humble general will obey Your Excellency's orders!" Qi Jiguang responded, his demeanor even more composed than Lan Yu's.

Jia Jing's face was ashen, then he looked at Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, and said in a deep voice:

"Tiande and Boren, you two bear the heaviest burden!"

Xu Da and Chang Yuchun's expressions brightened, and they stood up, saying:

"Please give your orders, my lord!"

After pondering for a moment, Jia Jing slowly said:

"Looking across the entire Han Dynasty, I control the military power in Liaodong, the Northwest, and Shenjing. However, I have no one of my own in the southern armies. I must make arrangements in advance."

"I intend to appoint the two of you to command the land and naval forces in the south, and to oversee provisions, supplies, and agricultural settlements!"

"Besides making progress in the military affairs in the south, you have another important task, which is... to capture Luzon Island and provide me with... a way out."

At this point, Jia Jing paused, his expression darkening, before continuing:

"Civil officials often say that one must think thrice before taking office: think of danger, think of retreat, think of change! But don't we military men also need to think thrice?"

"Even when things are going well, when we're at our peak, we must be mindful of potential dangers!"

"The Central Plains are in turmoil. Although His Majesty and I are of one mind and trust me implicitly, as the reforms deepen, I will inevitably offend more and more people. Who knows what the future holds!"

"So... from now on, I need to make some preparations for myself and everyone else in case of unforeseen circumstances!"

This was an idea Jia Jing had long held. Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, let alone a lone minister and powerful official like him who was destined to offend everyone in the world!

Although he seems to be in an invincible position right now, it's best to have no way out, but it's not good to have no way out when needed!