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

At the north gate of Jizhou.

Surrounded by three or five people, Qi Jianhui of the Marquis of Xiangyang's residence ascended the city gate tower. Looking down at the city gate and walls, a hint of disdain flickered in his eyes beneath his thick eyebrows. He turned to Chen Ruiwen of the Duke of Qi's residence and smiled:

"Your Highness is far too cautious! Since arriving in Jizhou, everything else has become secondary; instead, he's been ordering the city gates and walls to be reinforced three times a day, making the entire city's inhabitants think that the puppet Qing army is about to attack again!"

Chen Ruiwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking solemnly at the laborers who had just been driven to move stones below the city walls. He shook his head and said:

"You can't entirely blame the prince. Have you forgotten? Last year, before that brat Jia Jing was even granted a marquisate, he single-handedly blasted open the city gate of Jizhou with just a hammer."

"Half of the city gate tower collapsed due to the earthquake. This time, the prince is going to start a rebellion to purge the court of corrupt officials and use Jizhou as his base camp. This place concerns the lives and fortunes of all of us, so we must be extremely careful!"

He pointed down to the city walls and said:

"Look, the Heavenly King ordered people to build bricks and stones around the three city gates in the east, south and north. They also erected barricades a ten feet in front of the gates, and put more than forty iron bolts on the inside of each gate. There are also countless sandbags piled up behind the gates."

"The north gate was covered with three layers of iron sheets, with a new stone foundation built at the base of the wall, and an additional five feet of rammed earth added on top."

"The prince also ordered that pits be dug on all the main streets in the city that lead directly to the city gates, and that sharp wooden stakes be planted at the bottom of the pits."

"This kind of setup is specifically designed to deal with that brat Jia Jing. In my opinion, Your Highness truly lives up to his reputation for employing experienced soldiers; he considers defeat before victory, showing remarkable thoroughness!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Jianhui curled his lip and said dismissively:

"I know all that you're saying. But do you believe those rumors? The ones about breaking through a city gate with a single hammer, or one person charging into an army of 100,000—they're all made up by storytellers to fool fools."

"It's only in those unsophisticated places like the Northwest and Liaodong that he can boast like this."

"In the end, no matter how powerful Jia Jing is, he's just a brute with two arms and one head. We've seen it all before, do you really think he's a god?"

"If he could really smash open the city gates, which are several feet thick, with a single blow, then we wouldn't need to raise an army to purge the court of corrupt officials; we could just tie our own hands, kneel down, and beg for mercy!"

Since he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Qi Jianhui didn't believe such an outrageous thing!

Chen Ruiwen shook his head and smiled, saying:

"Some things are better believed than false. Even if it's fake, Jia Jing's martial prowess is certainly extraordinary, and Your Highness's concerns are not entirely unfounded."

"But you're right. The city gates are now so fortified, they're practically impregnable. Even if ten Jia Jings came, we wouldn't be afraid!"

"In addition, the prince has already sent people to contact officers and soldiers in Xuanfu and Shanhaiguan with whom he has connections, and to win over more wavering military officers in the garrisons."

"We also sent people to Baoding and Tianjin to unite the local gentry. The gentry in these two places were the most vehement in their resistance to the military reforms. If they could be used by us, they would be a considerable force."

"Then, when the time is right, we'll issue a proclamation, emulating Emperor Chengzu's 'Suppressing the Rebellion by Heaven' to purge the court of corrupt officials!"

The founding lineage, including the Prince of Nan'an, were not entirely fools. Although they fled the capital and took a desperate gamble, they were not without strategy or action, as they risked the lives of their entire families.

In the ten days or so they made various arrangements, launching simultaneous attacks on multiple fronts, including politics, military affairs, and the economy.

Firstly, politically, they widely sent people to contact allies, explaining their helplessness: they were "repeatedly persecuted and had almost no way out," they "witnessed their colleagues dying one after another," and they "had no choice but to prepare for war in order to protect their ancestral heritage and redress the grievances of the people."

He offered substantial rewards to win over military officers in garrisons, gentry in the capital region, officers and soldiers in border towns, civil and military officials in the capital, officials and gentry in Jiangnan, and former subordinates in the southeast who had grudges against the court or Jia Jing, or who had connections with his family.

Secondly, economically, they plundered and forcibly seized treasuries and granaries in various parts of the capital region, transporting all the money and grain to the Jizhou headquarters. Only with money and grain could they sustain their army in the long run.

Finally, in terms of military affairs, on the one hand, they fortified their city by clearing the fields and accumulating wealth and grain, turning Jizhou into a fortified city with thick walls and deep moats, which served as their main base.

On the one hand, they gathered 50,000 elite guards from more than 100 garrisons in the capital region and organized them into an "elite battalion," which was placed under the unified command of Jizhou City.

Most importantly, they devised a strategy to learn from Emperor Chengzu's experience in suppressing the rebellion, gathering elite troops, utilizing swift attacks and inside help, and marching straight to the capital, surrounding the palace with lightning speed to achieve their political goals.

As for what their political demands are?

The natural course of action was to abolish the Zongli Yamen (Office of Military Affairs) and restore the old system of the Five Military Commands.

The Prince of Nan'an was appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Army or the Prime Minister of the State, effectively becoming the "Nine Bestowments and Regent of the World";

They purged all of Jia Jing's faction and replaced them with people from the founding line, such as the Prince of Nan'an.

All military reforms, land clearing, and inspections in Beijing should be halted.

In short, the goal was to eliminate Jia Jing, sideline Emperor Jingsheng, restore the old system, and redistribute power.

"The capital city is well-fortified and heavily guarded. If we cannot take it in a short time, we will be isolated and doomed to defeat. I have always felt that this method is a bit risky."

"We have resources, manpower, soldiers, and food, and we also have the southeast as a retreat route. Why not rely on Jizhou City and turn this battle into a protracted war of attrition?"

"After all, time is on our side. The longer it drags on, the more chaotic things will become in the rear of the court, and the greater the pressure will be on the emperor and that brat Jia Jing."

"If cracks appear within the capital, or if any faction—the border troops, the civil officials, or the imperial family—turns to our side, or if unrest breaks out in Jiangnan or Sichuan and Shaanxi, we can win without a fight. Wouldn't that be safer?"

Qi Jianhui's face showed a thoughtful expression as he pondered and spoke.

Chen Ruiwen smiled and said:

"But even if we win, the court will at most not hold us accountable for our crimes and stop military reforms, but we won't gain anything more."

"What Your Highness needs is a resounding victory to boost morale, unite the people, gain widespread prestige, and reach the pinnacle, not to rebel and be offered amnesty!"

"Otherwise, what would we be doing risking so much to follow the Prince? What are we hoping to gain?"

Having already embarked on the path of raising an army to purge the court of corrupt officials, they naturally had no choice but to continue down this path to the bitter end.

The demands of the Prince of Nan'an and others are no longer simply to halt military reforms, but to advance further in the power arena and seize control of the entire country!

Upon hearing this, Qi Jianhui said:

"Victory would be even better! But I fear a protracted battle..."

Chen Ruiwen smiled mysteriously and said:

"Don't worry! We have people in the capital. You've forgotten, Duke Cao is a close family friend and in-law of the Prince. He has already agreed to act as an inside agent and open the city gates for us..."

"When the time comes, with the army at the gates of the capital, it wouldn't be impossible to change the world! After all, the Han Dynasty has been established for over a hundred years, and it is indeed showing signs of its end."

"Perhaps we can fulfill the will of Heaven and the will of the people, achieving feats surpassing those of our ancestors. At that time, being enfeoffed as kings or dukes, and reaching the highest ranks of officialdom, will be within our grasp!"

Qi Jianhui exclaimed in surprise:

"It's the Duke of Cao again..."

Last time, when Emperor Chengzu launched the Jingnan Campaign, it was the ancestor of the Duke of Cao who opened the door. Now it's their family again. Are they addicted to doing this?