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

Wang Ziteng was hostile to Jia Jing's rise to power.

Firstly, Jia Jing's rise to power weakened Lady Wang's influence in the Jia family, which was not a good thing for the Wang family!

Because among the four great families of Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue, the Jia family was originally the head, and the Wang family ranked third.

Later, the order changed to Wang, Shi, Jia, and Xue, with the Wang family ranking first and the Jia family ranking third.

The Wang family climbed to the top by constantly forging marriage alliances with the Jia family and seizing their political resources.

For example, the position of Military Governor of the Capital Garrison was originally held by a member of the Jia family. So why was Prince Teng able to become Military Governor as a civil official? And then, as a civil official, was he able to inspect the nine border regions and become a general who held military power?

That's why the Jia family was behind it and helped.

Of course, that was because the Jia family had no one else, so they had no choice but to invest their political resources in their in-law, Prince Teng.

But now that Jia Jing has emerged from the Jia family, the connections and influence that the former Dukes Rong and Ning had in the army will naturally transfer to Jia Jing, the grandson of the Duke of Rong, and will no longer transfer to Wang Ziteng, a member of the Wang family.

Therefore, Jia Jing's rise to power damaged Wang Ziteng's political interests!

Secondly, Wang Ziteng was appointed as the Vice Minister of War, and Jia Jing was also given the title of Vice Minister of War by Emperor Jingsheng. In recent days, the two had argued a lot in the Ministry of War about issues such as the military pay and equipment of Bashang Camp.

Although Emperor Jingsheng ordered the Ministry of War to fully support Jia Jingba's reorganization of the army at the main camp, the Ministry of War had long been entrenched in the unspoken rule that at least 30% of military pay was embezzled. This involved the interests of countless people, so how could it be changed by a single word from Emperor Jingsheng?

Therefore, the Ministry of War still wanted to continue to deliver the military pay, food and other supplies to the camp as usual, but how could Jia Jing agree to that? The two sides argued several times as a result. In the end, although the Ministry of War bowed its head, it secretly cursed Jia Jing for not knowing the rules.

As the Vice Minister of War, Wang Ziteng was one of the most vocal opponents of Jia Jing in order to secure his position within the ministry.

In addition, Wang Ziteng was also planning to take the position of military governor of Bashang, but Jia Jing took it from him in the end, which made him quite dissatisfied.

For these reasons combined, Wang Ziteng's attitude towards Jia Jing was not friendly.

Seeing that the Ba Shang camp had been completely renovated by Jia Jing, Emperor Jingsheng was in high spirits. He didn't want to target them, but now that he had a chance to speak up, he finally did.

Jia Jing was well aware of this. When he hosted a banquet for the four great families, Wang Ziteng was absent and only sent his son Wang Yi to the banquet. Jia Jing noticed the perfunctory attitude of the Wang family.

Later, various signs indicated that Wang Ziteng was quite hostile towards him.

But now that he had commanded 100,000 troops in the Ba Shang camp, how could he be afraid of Wang Ziteng? He immediately replied coldly:

"I never expected that Lord Wang, who once served as the military governor of the capital and even patrolled the border, would say such a laughable thing."

"Marching with heavy loads not only improves soldiers' physical fitness, but also strengthens their willpower and battlefield resilience."

"Especially in actual combat, it can achieve the ultimate battlefield mobility and tactical surprise."

"Does running mean you can only flee? Can't you also outflank and infiltrate the enemy's weak flanks or rear, seizing key terrain such as high ground, bridges, and passes?"

"Not to mention, not every battle requires a head-on confrontation; that's the act of a reckless brute who doesn't understand military strategy, and it's irresponsible towards the lives of soldiers!"

"My consistent strategy is to fight if you can win, and retreat if you can't. When encountering a strong enemy, you can quickly withdraw from the battlefield to avoid being entangled or surrounded and annihilated by the enemy."

"To give a simple example, in the southwest, the terrain is mostly mountainous and forested, which is not suitable for large-scale military operations. In this case, small-scale troops are needed to carry out mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare, which means our soldiers need to be better at running and surviving than the enemy."

"As the saying goes, when the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy retreats, we pursue; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy is exhausted, we attack!"

"Lord Wang doesn't even understand this basic military strategy and tactics. I think he needs to gain more experience on the battlefield for a few more years. Otherwise, sitting high in the court and talking nonsense, it's unlikely he'll be able to do a good job as the Vice Minister of War!"

Upon hearing Jia Jing's words, Niu Jizong and Xia Shouzhong exchanged bewildered glances. Weren't the Jia and Wang families long-time in-laws with a close relationship?

Emperor Jingsheng looked at the two of them with a deep, meaningful gaze, without saying a word.

Wang Ziteng's face turned ashen from Jia Jing's scolding, his body trembled slightly, and he stared coldly at Jia Jing without offering any further rebuttal.

Jia Jing's words were logical and clear. To refute him at this point would be a pale and meaningless argument. Instead, ignoring him would demonstrate the composure of a civil official, remaining unmoved by worldly affairs.

Just as the field fell silent, a powerful song drifted across the training ground:

"With everyone united as one, even mountains can be shaken!"

"Loyalty and righteousness alone soar to the heavens!"

"My lord loves me more than my parents!"

"Having violated military law, you are no longer free!"

"With clear commands and swift rewards and punishments, we dare not hesitate to face fire and water!"

"Wearing armor, I am the emperor's personal guard!"

"The beacon fires illuminate the palace; we, the defenders of the city, stand guard!"

"Wherever our flag points, our enemies are utterly routed!"

"When swords and spears clash, there is only death, no chance of survival!"

"To report to the Emperor above, and to bring peace to the common people below!"

"Sweep away the dust of the barbarians, defend our divine land!"

"Is this the military song you composed?" Emperor Jingsheng asked Jia Jing in surprise after listening to it several times.

"That's right, this is the newly composed military song 'Loyal and Courageous Soul,' which we sing together during training and when receiving our pay."

"Firstly, it will boost our military morale, and secondly, it will remind the soldiers that they are His Majesty's personal army, and that they must be loyal to the country and fight the enemy. This will subtly cultivate their loyalty to the Emperor. What does Your Majesty think?" Jia Jing asked.

This is an adaptation by Jia Jing of the "Triumphant Song" of Qi Jiguang's army from his previous life. It mainly emphasizes unity, loyalty, tragedy, honor, military discipline, and patriotism.

They even specially invited musicians from the Ministry of Rites to compose a melody that was rhythmic, easy to learn, and suitable for choral singing.

Jia Jing used it as a fixed ceremony for training, going on expeditions, receiving pay, and returning in triumph at the Ba Shang camp, in order to boost morale.

Emperor Jingsheng did not answer Jia Jing's question, but instead repeatedly muttered a few lines:

"Loyalty and righteousness alone soar to the heavens!"

"Wearing armor, I am the emperor's personal guard!"

"To report to the Emperor above, and to bring peace to the common people below!"

"Excellent! Well written! What a loyal and courageous spirit! What a fine example of the Emperor's personal guard! As the garrison of the capital, the Ba Shang camp is indeed worthy of being called the Emperor's personal guard!" Emperor Jingsheng was quite excited. Jia Jing always managed to give him some new surprises, something that others couldn't come up with.

"I also quite like the poem that Jia Qing wrote before: 'Feeling the loss of Jinzhou and reminiscing about the past,' it's just that the title is a bit unusual!"

Emperor Jingsheng smiled as if it were nothing.

"Haha! I also think it's good. It sounds like it would boost morale, and it can be promoted in the Beijing garrison as well."

"If this continues, we can cultivate the loyalty and righteousness of our soldiers. When the army is filled with unwavering loyalty, that will be the time when the might of our great Han army will be at its peak."

Niu Jizong then smiled and echoed.

Today, the Beijing garrison has seriously lost favor with Emperor Jingsheng, and Niu Jizong hurriedly followed suit to express his loyalty.

Wang Ziteng cursed the two men inwardly for their shamelessness, then smiled and said:

"I also think it's excellent! Ideally, all the soldiers of our great Han Dynasty's nine border regions should sing this song when they receive their pay, so that they will never forget the kindness of their sovereign and father!"