Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

"Among them, the Chahar troops entered the pass through the weak border trench southwest of Weijialing Pass, captured the two forts of Daqing and Dajing, and all the comrades guarding the forts died in battle."

"The Miaohua Camp entered the pass via the Linghe River, captured Daning Fort, and less than two hundred comrades from the surrounding forts retreated to Yizhou City after receiving reinforcements. This time, the Tartars plundered more than six thousand women of our Great Zhao, and countless cattle and sheep."

"The General is currently stationed in Guangning City, guarding the east and west sides of Yizhou City, and overseeing the battle at the front."

"Currently, the western part of Wazi Valley and the northern part of Dakangbao have almost completely fallen. The General said: Our Liaodong Army is in a difficult position to fight against the two Mongol tribes because most of our troops are needed to defend against the Jurchen tribes. However, our Liaodong Army is dedicated to serving the country and will not let the Tartars advance even half a step."

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials were shocked. In the next instant, the civil officials submitted memorials impeaching Zhao Mingshan, the Marquis of Pingliao and General of Liaodong, for his ineffective defense of the border. The military generals, on the other hand, were furious and volunteered to go to the border to join the battle.

The cries of "Your Majesty, this humble general requests permission to fight!" were heard one after another.

"Shut up, all of you!"

Emperor Changwu was furious and shouted: "Niu Jizong, Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Left Army and First-Class Earl."

"Your subject is here," replied Niu Jizong, grandson of Zhenguo Gong Niu Qing and now the First-Class Earl, who stepped forward and knelt down.

"General Chen Ruiwen, the Mighty General".

"Your subordinate is here." Chen Ruiwen, grandson of Duke Qi, Chen Yi, and hereditary third-rank Weizhen General, bowed and knelt to the left of Niu Jizong and replied.

"Niu Jizong is appointed Minister of War, in charge of the left and right detachments of the five armies of the capital garrison and the left and right detachments of the three thousand battalions, and is given the seal of General of the Vanguard of the Expedition; Chen Ruiwen is appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief and Deputy General of the Expedition to assist Niu Jizong; Wang Zhong of the Imperial Horse Administration is appointed Military Supervisor."

"Generals, this is the first time since I ascended the throne that the Tartars have launched a major offensive against the border. Back then, the Oirat tribes in the northwest were driven to the grasslands by the Great Ancestor, and the northeastern barbarians suffered heavy losses during my father's reign. Now they think they can invade our Great Zhao after a decade or two of recuperation?"

"You are so wrong. Although Liaodong has been caught off guard, once our Great Zhao army arrives, we will surely be invincible."

"The General Who Conquers the Barbarians shall immediately prepare his troops and order his subordinate generals to depart to aid Liaodong without fail."

Although Emperor Changwu was extremely angry, he still dispatched troops in an orderly manner.

"We, your humble servants, are ready to fight to the death for our country. We are certain to win this battle!" Niu Jizong and his two companions, along with the officers from the Fifth Army Camp and the Three Thousand Camp who were called upon to respond, loudly accepted the order and quickly departed.

"A resounding victory!"

All the officials and civil and military officials echoed and offered their blessings.

After Niu Jizong and the others left, Emperor Changwu pointed to the map and then ordered: "Order the Five Military Commands and the Ministry of War to send documents to the Northern Zhili and Shandong Military Commands, ordering them to allocate the Tongzhou Left and Right Guards, Tianjin Guards and their Left and Right Guards, Dezhou and its Left Guard, Xingzhou Left Garrison Guard, and Kaiping Central Garrison Guard to the Beijing Garrison for assembly and drills."

The order was further issued: "The Ministry of Public Security shall issue a document to the three garrisons of Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong to strengthen border patrols. The document shall also be issued to the garrisons of Shanxi, Yulin (Yansui), and Ningxia, instructing them to be vigilant and not to be careless."

The emperor then ordered: "The Ministry of Revenue shall be ordered to select laborers from Zhili and Shandong to form a supply battalion and transport 800,000 shi of grain to Liaodong."

After giving the order, Emperor Changwu looked around at the assembled officials and found that most of them were not afraid, only a few were somewhat frightened, especially the Assistant Minister of Works. He shook his head and said, "The Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, along with Second-Class Earl Liu Fang, Third-Class Earl Hou Xiaokang, Earl of Le'an Lu Chongshan, Earl of Ding'an Lin Feng, and others, will accompany me to the Wenwu Pavilion. The rest of you may leave the court."

···

Ningrong Street, Rongguo Mansion.

At this moment, in Grandmother Jia's room, the old lady was playing cards with the three ladies, Wang, Xing, and You. Yuanyang had a lot of loose silver in a wooden drawer in her arms. Li Wan and Wang Xifeng, along with their newlywed niece-in-law Qin Keqing, and maids and servants such as Zhou Rui's wife, Wang Shanbao's wife, Ping'er, and Yindie Baozhu, were serving her.

"Hahaha, another win! Yuanyang, hurry up and collect your winnings!" The radiant old lady finished playing her cards and happily called to Yuanyang.

Seeing this, Wang Xifeng joked, "Oh, the old matriarch must have won quite a bit today! Shouldn't she reward her granddaughter-in-law with some celebratory money?"

"Alright, alright, how could I forget you, you wretched old woman? I'll take it all."

"Thank you, Ancestor. Your granddaughter-in-law shares in this joy."

The good times didn't last long. Jia She and his two companions, who had just returned from the morning court session, had barely entered the room when Jia Zheng cried out in a panic, "Mother, disaster has struck! Disaster has struck!"

"Cun Zhou? What nonsense are you spouting? What trouble have you caused?"

Grandmother Jia scolded her with a displeased expression, then turned to urge Lady Wang, "Second daughter-in-law, it's your turn to pay. Hurry up."

"Mother, the Tartar army of 100,000 has invaded Liaodong, and nearly four garrison soldiers have already died in battle. Yu Yin is probably in danger." Jia Zheng said anxiously, pacing back and forth.

"Ah?" The ladies and maids around her exclaimed in surprise. Yindie's face turned pale with fright, and she ran out in a panic.

"Shut up, all of you! Second son, shut your stinking mouth! You're so flustered and indecisive, your words don't match your thoughts. Are you planning to curse your own nephew to death?" Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia suddenly stood up and shouted, interrupting Jia Zheng's words. Her eyes were filled with nothing but panic and disappointment.

They had always doted on their youngest son, hoping that some guidance would change things, but unfortunately...

"Boss, you tell us."

Jia She said with a gloomy face, "The new dynasty has just begun today when the Red Feathered Messenger from Liaodong arrived, saying that the Tartars have a 100,000-strong army that is encircling the border and has entered Liaodong through the weak points of the border trenches. Currently, some garrison forts in the northwest have been breached. The court has ordered Niu Jizong to lead troops north. There should be no major incident."

"Alright, there are plenty of elite soldiers and generals in the Liaodong border army, and they are protected by formations. Now that my father is leading troops to provide reinforcements, and my grandson has reached the first level of martial arts, there will be no danger. You may all leave." Grandmother Jia pretended to be calm and spoke in a high-spirited tone.

As soon as he finished speaking, the women around him gasped in unison:

"Oh dear, a great battle is about to begin."

"What's there to be afraid of? Master Yu is a peerless martial artist... Wait, Master Yu has broken through to the Immortal Ascension Path?"

"What? Tang-ge'er has advanced a level? How come I didn't know?" Madam Wang was incredulous and stood up in shock, repeatedly asking Jia Zheng.

Grandmother Jia raised her hand to stop Jia Zheng, who was about to explain, and glared coldly at her second daughter-in-law, questioning, "The fact that Hu'er broke through to a higher realm is known to the enemies outside the manor, but within the manor, only the men and I know about it. What, do you intend to bypass me?"

Madam Wang suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly knelt down to admit her mistake, saying, "Your daughter-in-law dares not, I was just so overjoyed that I forgot myself and overstepped my bounds."

After observing for a while with a cold face, Grandmother Jia waved her hand to send Jia She and the other two away: "Eldest son, keep an eye on the second son and make sure he calms down. If he doesn't, knock him out and throw him into the mansion. Now get out."

Jia She and the other two retreated, and Jia Zheng's voice could still be heard from afar: "Brother, are you really going to take action? That's truly an insult to civility."

"You damned Zhen'er, what are you doing staring at the back of your uncle's head? That's outrageous!"

Grandmother Jia turned around and sat back down on the soft couch, quietly watching Lady Wang kneeling on the ground without saying a word. The ladies, daughters-in-law, maids and servants around her dared not breathe.

After a cup of tea, the old lady stared at Madam Wang and said indifferently, "Get up. If there's a next time, go to the Buddhist hall and serve Buddha."

Turning to Madam Xing, he said, "Eldest daughter, pass on the message that we will go to Qingxu Temple tomorrow to perform a ritual and pray for my grandson's safety for ten days."

"Yes! Your daughter-in-law will prepare it right away," Madam Xing replied.

···

On the other side, in the Sanchun Courtyard located to the west of Li Wan and Wang Xifeng, Yingchun accompanied Xichun to paint, while Tanchun was composing poetry. Last year, she could still pull Lin Daiyu along, but after Lin Daiyu returned home from the south, she could only take her personal maid with her.

Outside, Qingwen was playing shuttlecock with a group of maids, her fair face slightly flushed, and her forehead and nose were covered with a little sweat.

"Oh no! Oh no!"

The girls, who were having a great time, were suddenly interrupted by a series of exclamations. They turned around and saw Silver Butterfly running over in a panic.

"You brat, are you out of your mind? What are you yelling about in broad daylight?" Siqi, who was playing happily in the courtyard, shouted.

"Trouble has broken out in Liaodong... Liaodong! The Tartars have raised an army of 100,000... 100,000 and killed the soldiers of three or four garrison forts!" Silver Butterfly said breathlessly, supporting herself on her legs.

"what?"

In an instant, the women were horrified.