Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

"I never expected Lord Sun to be such a truly filial and devoted person. I am so fortunate to have him."

Jia Tang clapped his hands in praise, then pondered for a moment before making arrangements: "Here's what we'll do. Tomorrow I'll have someone arrange for you to be appointed as the Imperial Inspector of Henan Province. After some time, we'll see if there's a vacancy and then you can be transferred back to the capital."

Sun Che was overjoyed upon hearing this, but then asked in confusion, "My lord is a military officer, how can you appoint officials of the Censorate and the Imperial Academy?"

"With a relative by marriage who is the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy and comes from a prominent and powerful family, it shouldn't be a problem for him to take the lead in finding some civil officials to recommend. Even if that doesn't work, the cabinet should still provide a vacancy for a Censor for our founding lineage, otherwise the Censors in various regions will face difficulties."

Sun Che was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly. Then Jia Tang pulled him aside for drinks and conversation. After chatting for a while, he took his leave.

As Sun Che stepped out of the Ningguo Mansion, looking at this grand and prestigious residence, he murmured with great pride, "One day, the hidden dragon will finally receive rain; today, the released crane will soar to the sky. After all this time of setbacks, I have finally received the support of a noble person. From now on, I must work diligently and not live in vain."

As he spoke, his heart pounded, and streams of pure literary energy began to emerge, eventually gathering slowly in his dantian.

Once this inner shackle is broken, the bottleneck that has plagued me for many years is also broken, and I directly enter the fifth realm of no confusion—understanding the principles.

Inside the hall, Jia Tang watched Sun Che's departing figure, thinking that he had already sent someone to Huai'an Prefecture yesterday to investigate. He was determined to dig up the family genealogy and find out the family's background. The Imperial Inspector was a good deal, as his power could be great or small. He would treat it as buying a horse's bones with a thousand pieces of gold, and then see if the family's background was clean or not.

As for the Tiger Tally roster? Only those who have fought together can have their names recorded on it.

···

Upon arriving at the front hall, one sees the eldest master of the Rongguo Mansion, Jia She, the first-class general of divine might, and the second master, Jia Zheng, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, sitting high on either side of him. On the high table between the two is a wooden tray containing waist tokens and documents.

To the left of his elder brother Jia Zhen, the three of them sat leisurely in huanghuali armchairs carved with auspicious beasts, sipping fragrant tea with smiles on their faces.

As Jia Tang stepped into the hall, a multicolored light enveloped the surroundings, sealing off the hall.

"Uncle, elder brother."

After bowing to the three men, Jia Tang sat down on the lower right, took a sip of the Lingyuan tea offered by Jia Zhen, and waited for the next part to be told.

Jia Zheng put down his teacup. He hadn't had a detailed conversation the night before due to other matters, so he inquired, "Yu Yin, did you truly advance a level this time when you went out to suppress the bandits in the capital?"

"It's in."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng became excited, his face flushed, and he stroked his beard repeatedly, exclaiming, "Excellent! Excellent! A twenty-year-old first-level cultivator! The pillar of my Jia family has been erected once again!"

Jia She sighed, ignoring the fact that his second son was unaware of the reason, and said in a low voice with a somewhat sorrowful expression, "Alas, it is a pity that my Jia family has suffered such a misfortune, reduced to having our youngest son carry the family name."

Eighteen years ago, in the secret realm of Dazhou Mountain in Mixian County, Kaifeng Prefecture, Henan Province, the former Crown Prince, along with his officials and guards from the Eastern Palace, was exploring the secret realm when they were ambushed and killed by a large number of unidentified people.

Jia She, then commander of the Crown Prince's personal guards, and Jia Jing, an official under the Crown Prince, led the Golden Fire Guards to force their way out of the secret realm.

Unfortunately, the crown prince was seriously injured and fell into a coma, Jia She and his companion had their dantian shattered, and of the remaining people, less than one in ten survived.

The common rule of the cultivation world of Da Zhao is that any battles in secret realms or fights between cultivators must not be brought into the imperial court. No matter who is killed in a secret realm, as long as one can escape the reckoning afterward, the imperial army will not intervene in such battles.

However, if one openly storms the imperial government offices or brazenly assassinates an official within the city, that's a different story.

On the way back to the capital, eight second-tier bandits led a large number of first-tier bandits in pursuit. Fortunately, the four generals of the second generation of the Jia family led troops to their aid, covering their retreat and blocking the enemy.

The family's Tiger Guards killed six second-tier cultivators and two first-tier cultivators in battle. A total of three second-tier and five late-stage first-tier cultivators from two generations of family guards died in battle outside the capital, and the entire Tiger Guards were wiped out.

After Jia She and his entourage entered the city and the palace, Emperor Chongwu, who had heard the news, was furious and imprisoned the two men for failing to provide adequate protection.

Subsequently, Jia Daihua and his brother entered the palace to nurture the crown prince, but they died before half a month had passed. Emperor Chongwu was filled with grief and anger and vomited three liters of blood.

As a result, Jia Daihua and Jia Daishan depleted their own essence and blood to nourish the Emperor Emeritus's body, leading to their deaths not long after Jia Tang began practicing martial arts.

Thus far, the Chen royal family has lost one crown prince, whom they had carefully nurtured for forty years, three second-tier cultivators, eight first-tier cultivators, and one Jiaolong Guard, for a total of [number missing].

The third generation of the Jia family's two mansions was deposed, the two generations of family retainers, the Tiger Guards, were all wiped out, and Jia Daihua and his brother also died young.

Although the royal family later offered symbolic compensation to the Jia family, in a world where force reigns supreme, all favors are of no use.

In the two or three years that followed, the royal family and cultivators of all ranks from the Founding and Martial lineages patrolled the surrounding areas like madmen. Regardless of the forces involved, anyone even remotely implicated was killed or their entire clan exterminated without exception.

Throughout the central and northern parts of the Great Zhao Dynasty, there was a pervasive atmosphere of fear and unease, with everyone on edge.

When Jia Tang was seven years old, his second grandfather passed away one after another. Jia Jing suffered a mental breakdown and became a Taoist monk. Jia She was also heartbroken and spent his days indulging in debauchery and extravagance. The entire Jia family could only live in fear and anxiety while guarding the formation.

This is why Jia Tang practiced martial arts like crazy after merging with the memories, and dared not leave the capital region until he reached the first level.

The water was too dark and too deep.

Jia Tang pursed his lips, tapped his teacup lightly, and comforted the three men, saying, "Uncle, elder brother, there will always be a day when we can rise again. There's no need to wallow in self-pity."

"Second brother, this transfer order was issued so suddenly; it must be the work of those bastards in the Ministry of War. Shall we refuse it?"

"No need, I'll accept the order, but you can't just send me away for nothing."

Jia Tang narrowed his eyes slightly and said coldly, "Uncle She, who started this?"

"The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War took the lead, and the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of War, the Reader of the Hanlin Academy, and others jointly signed the document."

Are there any Tier 2 beings among these humans?

Jia She thought for a moment and said, "No."

"Then slaughter them."

If I can't kill you ringleaders, I'll kill your entire household and your entire clan!

Jia She had no objection: "Old Niu and the others are waiting for our answer; we can resolve this tonight."

Jia Tang nodded slightly and then asked, "What is the position?"

"A sixth-rank captain, commanding five hundred iron cavalry."

"It's acceptable."

The border army of the Great Zhao Dynasty implemented a garrison system, which was divided into garrison, road, battalion, command, general, sentry, and flag.

Ten people form a team, with one team leader added;

Five teams form a banner, each banner is headed by a banner commander, and the entire banner has fifty-six officers and soldiers.

Three banners form one sentry, each sentry is headed by one sentry officer, and there are a total of 169 officers and soldiers;

Three outposts form a general, each general is headed by a captain, and there are a total of 508 officers and soldiers.

Two generals are combined into one division, and each division is headed by one commander of a thousand, with a total of one thousand seventeen officers and soldiers;

The three headquarters are formed into one battalion, with a guerrilla general, a central army assistant general, a signal officer, and a messenger officer, plus a sentry and a command soldier;

The second to fifth battalions form one route, and the second to fifth routes form one town.

After the great changes in the world, generals with military power became extremely valuable. Some positions could not be held without reaching the corresponding cultivation level; merit alone was not enough.

This person's entry into the military directly into the ranks of mid-level military officers was a good start.

"When do we depart?"

"Tomorrow."

"So urgent? Why the rush?"

"The world is changing rapidly, and time waits for no one."

Jia She lowered his eyes, remained silent for a long while, and then murmured, "How hateful!"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Jia Zhen looked at the two with envy. After waiting for a while and seeing that neither of them spoke, he began to persuade them again: "Why does Second Brother insist on going to Liaodong? That is not a good place. It borders continuous mountains, is ravaged by Yuan beasts, and has been fighting with foreign tribes for years. The Tartars and Jurchens are cruel and bloodthirsty. Why not transfer to the Beijing Garrison?"

Jia Tang knew that in recent years, the border regions had been in turmoil, with foreign tribes frequently raiding the borders and causing endless wars.

But how can we quickly break through and cultivate our core if we don't absorb the power of qi and blood?

Seeing that Jia Tang ignored his brother's words, Jia Zheng also spoke up and admonished him: "Yu Yin, you must remember that war is a disaster. When guarding the border, you must first preserve your own life and not be greedy for merit or act rashly."

Jia Zhen muttered to himself, "If you ask me, you're doing just fine in the Five Cities Garrison. If all else fails, you could be transferred to the Imperial Guard or the Feathered Guard, or even better... "

Jia She looked impatient and shouted, "The Jia family's east and west mansions have already been handed over to Yu Yin. Besides, Yu Yin is a man of great wisdom. You two don't understand military affairs, so what are you babbling about?"

Jia Tang shrugged and said to the two smirking men, "With my cultivation level, the clan's Yuan soldiers, the Tiger Fiend Demon-Slaying Banner, and the Tiger Guards led by my family retainers, I can't say I can roam freely on the battlefield, but I can certainly protect myself."

Seeing that the three of them remained silent, Jia Tang pointed to the door and said, "Uncle, elder brother, I'll arrange for the Tiger Guards first, then I'll go and pay my respects to the master."

···

At 1:15 PM, Ningguo Prefecture.

From the treasury to the training ground, strong servants carried boxes of armor and weapons to the training ground, the iron rings on the boxes clanging from time to time.

Jia Tang stood in the center of the training ground, surrounded by the four generals of "Peace and Prosperity," and in front of him stood four squads of tiger guards dressed in black robes with colorful tiger patterns embroidered on the backs of their robes.

Because we are going to the border tomorrow, the treasury was opened this afternoon to distribute weapons and armor, and all the previous armor was taken back.

According to the Great Zhao Law: Nobles of this dynasty may station personal guards in their residences, and after being registered, they may wear helmets and armor and carry weapons to protect their homes and residences.

Those who are ennobled for their military achievements shall have the following personal guard quotas: 600 for a prince, 400 for a duke, 300 for a marquis, 200 for an earl, 100 for a viscount, and 50 for a baron. Exceeding these quotas shall be considered treason.

Regardless of rank, the hereditary title was always twenty; any unauthorized addition of a title would be considered treason. Later, those who were promoted due to military merits were restored to the corresponding rank.

The elite soldiers did not wear armor and were not considered personal guards, but rather retainers.

When Jia Tang went north to Liao, apart from Jia Kang, one of the four generals, who stayed behind with a team, he could take the remaining thirty Tiger Guards.

The group stood silently in the armor and sword transport area.

A moment later, after all the iron boxes were in place, Jia He stepped forward and opened them one by one. The Tiger Guards took turns carrying armor, swords, bows, and arrows.

The armor was a black iron armor forged from tigers a hundred times, the sword was a sword forged from tiger heads and fused with gold a hundred times, the bow was a fire-fiery thunder bow, and the arrows were armor-piercing and energy-breaking arrows—all were precious weapons.

As Jia Tang watched the group of people leading their weapons and armor in an orderly fashion, he couldn't help but marvel at the good fortune of the Jia family's first ancestor two hundred years ago.

When the two explored the secret realm, they obtained the Jia family's foundational secret technique, "The Western Saint's Heavenly Chapter for Crossing Calamities," the clan's Yuan weapons, and two military training manuals, "Geng Metal" and "Ding Fire," as well as matching sets of hundred-forged swords, armor, bows, and arrows, forty sets of each.

After more than two hundred years of development, the arts of literature and martial arts have also flourished in this world.

Weapons can be categorized into ordinary weapons, sharp weapons, precious weapons, and rare weapons.

Currently, weapons of all ranks can only be obtained through secret realms, while the rest can be forged. However, due to the lack of materials, treasured weapons that can withstand the enhancement of blood energy are still extremely rare and are not available in the cultivation world market.

After the soldiers were distributed, Jia Tang said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow we will be heading to the border. It is time for us men to make our mark. A true man should die on the battlefield."

"only!"

Jia Tang's gaze swept across the calm faces of the crowd, his eyes resolute and fierce. Then, his expression turned stern, and he demanded, "How is this trip?"

The crowd chanted, "Victory! Victory! Victory!"

"What is the situation?"

"Tiger, tiger, tiger!"

The lingering sound echoed in my ears.