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

Zhang Tingyu, Li Guangdi, Chen Tingjing, and others in the hall were also filled with surprise and anger. This was the very foundation of the Han Dynasty!

However, Zhang Tingyu and others quickly recalled that Emperor Jingsheng's military campaigns at the beginning of his reign were indeed defeated under suspicious circumstances!

That makes sense!

The motive was simple: either they saw the decline of the Han Dynasty and wanted to make peace with the Manchus in advance to leave themselves a way out.

Either it's related to the Dragon Head Palace, after all, Emperor Jingsheng suffered many defeats in his foreign military campaigns, which greatly shook his prestige, making the Emperor Emeritus's great defeat less conspicuous, and some people even suggested that the Emperor Emeritus be restored to the throne!

Could this be related to the Dragon Head Palace as well?

Thinking of Wu Xun's loyalty to the retired emperor during the Jingnan Campaign, Zhang Tingyu and others couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat!

The retired emperor betrayed the country? That's absurd...

Emperor Jingsheng stared coldly at the Duke of Cheng and said in a chilling voice:

"Now that the letters of treason and the testimonies of Lu Ju, Huang Bin, and others have been delivered, with both witnesses and physical evidence, the proof is irrefutable. Do you still dare to defend him!"

"They even said they wanted Marquis Jingwu to pay with his life! And they demanded an explanation from me!"

"No wonder Duke Cao and his men suffered such a ridiculous defeat back then; they were all spies for the Qing dynasty! Traitors! Utterly shameless!"

"Clang!" Another crisp sound rang out as Emperor Jingsheng slammed the teacup on the imperial desk in front of Duke Cheng, soaking Duke Cheng's court robes with tea.

Duke Cheng slowly knelt down and kowtowed, saying:

"As the former military governor of Baling, I am also guilty of the crimes committed by the Marquis of Linchuan and others! But my lineage of Jingnan is loyal to the country. I beg Your Majesty to consider this!"

Emperor Jingsheng sneered:

"Hmph! So devoted to the country! Heaven knows which country they're really doing it for!"

"And you think you can get forgiveness by pleading guilty? No matter who it is, anyone who dares to collude with the enemy and betray the country will not be spared by me!"

After Emperor Jingsheng finished speaking, he glanced towards the direction of the Dragon Head Palace, then asked Zhang Yi, the prince:

"How is the situation at the Ba Shang camp, where Marquis Jingwu is currently stationed? Is there any concern about unrest within the Ba Shang camp?"

Zhang Yi bowed respectfully and replied loudly:

"Your Majesty! The Marquis has captured most of the high-ranking military officers in the camp and is now beating drums to assemble the troops and begin to enforce military discipline!"

"He instructed me to tell Your Majesty that as long as he is present, there will be absolutely no disturbance in the Balang camp. Your Majesty, please proceed with your plans with confidence!"

"Excellent! Minister Jia has lived up to my expectations! He truly deserves to be called my loyal, virtuous, and good minister!"

This time, Emperor Jingsheng did not ask for the opinions of the Grand Secretaries present, but directly addressed Xia Shouzhong:

"Daban, immediately issue an imperial edict to strip the Marquis of Linchuan and the Marquis of Zhongqin of their titles, confiscate their property, and have their corpses mutilated and their heads displayed throughout the nine border regions as a warning to all the generals!"

"All male members of their families will be executed, and the female members will be sent to the brothel and registered as lowly. Anyone in the clan who knew about it but failed to report it or participated in sharing the spoils will be severely punished according to the law!"

"As for those key henchmen such as the Lieutenant Generals and Colonels, they should all be handed over to the Three Judicial Offices for rigorous investigation and punished swiftly, severely, and strictly!"

After Emperor Jingsheng finished speaking, he glanced coldly at the Duke of Cheng kneeling on the ground and said in a chilling voice:

"And this scoundrel, take him away and interrogate him thoroughly."

"Furthermore, Jia Jing has performed meritorious service and is hereby promoted to the rank of Vice Minister of War, with full authority over the reorganization of the Ba Shang camp. The Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions must fully cooperate and must not slacken their efforts!"

Upon seeing this, the ministers' faces turned solemn, each with their own thoughts.

After this battle, Wu Xun's lineage of Jingnan was severely weakened and he may never be able to compare with the founding lineage again!

Jia Jing, you little brat, you're something else!

…………

Night falls, a gentle breeze blows, and the bright moon shines.

They seized control of the main camp.

Inside the central command tent, Jia Jing sat upright behind his desk, looking down at Zhu Que and Ma Guocheng.

He had already learned from Zhuque about Emperor Jingsheng's punishment of Wu Xun during the Jingnan Rebellion, and that Emperor Jingsheng had given him the title of Vice Minister of War.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of War is a civil official position of the third rank.

The combination of military officer and Vice Minister of War was an extremely subtle combination of authority.

This was generally a way for the emperor to express his trust and favor, and also to give military officers the nominal right to participate in the affairs of the Ministry of War, in addition to their military authority!

Jia Jing guessed that Emperor Jingsheng's move was to enable him to better coordinate with the Ministry of War on matters concerning the food, supplies, weapons, and personnel of the Ba Shang camp.

"My lord, most of the soldiers who left the camp have returned. After a troop count, there are a total of 49,312 men. There are still more than 200 who have not returned to camp."

Ma Guocheng reported to Jia Jingbing.

Jia Jing remained calm, writing something on the table as he replied:

"Yes, all those who do not return to camp today will be removed from the troop deployment list. Some of those who are nominally registered as relatives will also be removed. The formal reorganization of the army will begin tomorrow. You will cooperate well with General Zhang and do a good job in the relevant work."

Since Jia Jing killed the Marquis of Linchuan, Ma Guocheng has been actively trying to get closer to Jia Jing.

Jia Jing happened to need an experienced advisor who was familiar with the situation at Ba Shang Camp, so he accepted his offer of service.

Of course, whether it is worth reusing remains to be seen as it is used.

"You two take note, I'm making the following arrangements!"

Jia Jing put down his pen and began to assign tasks.

Zhuque and Ma Guocheng stood at attention, awaiting Jia Jing's instructions.

Jia Jing said:

"Now that the vacancies have been identified, the first thing to do starting tomorrow is to reduce the number of elderly and weak people in the camp."

"I propose that about 20% of the current main camp soldiers be laid off, which is about 10,000 men, and converted into auxiliary troops."

"This matter needs to be handled quickly, without delay. You have three days. Tomorrow, you can gather the troops for physical training. The first 10,000 soldiers who cannot persevere will be discharged!"

Jia Jing's tone was resolute, revealing an unquestionable will.

He couldn't possibly take in all 40,000 troops. Among them were not only relatives, but also the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and seasoned soldiers. Keeping them would only corrupt the military atmosphere and lead the newly recruited soldiers astray.

Therefore, it is essential to first weed out the bad and select the truly capable and courageous soldiers.

"My lord, the military selection and reorganization is certainly a good thing, but cutting 10,000 men at once will inevitably cause resentment among the soldiers. Could this lead to discontent and a mutiny?"

Ma Guocheng carefully considered his words and asked cautiously.

Jia Jing replied in a deep voice:

"Those who are dismissed are not expelled from the army. Those who wish to stay will be converted into auxiliary soldiers and will receive a monthly stipend of five bushels of grain. Furthermore, those who perform exceptionally well will have the opportunity to become combat soldiers again."

"The main purpose of the downsizing is to weed out some hard-working soldiers and those who can't endure hardship, so as to prevent them from corrupting military discipline."

"Moreover, this elimination process is not a one-time event. During the later stages of training, those who do not meet the standards or do not work hard will be gradually eliminated."

"Auxiliary soldiers are mainly responsible for logistics, city defense, and repairing training grounds, equipment, and barracks."

"The Ba Shang camp will only need elite troops; there will be no empty pay and not a penny less in pay. But we must train a mighty army of 100,000 who are fearless, hard-working, and capable of winning!"

"We need to recruit soldiers while we train. There are disasters all over the country right now, and there are many people who don't have enough to eat. We need to recruit more soldiers with clean backgrounds to fill the gaps."