Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Xia Shouzhong received the military report. His eyes were immediately drawn to the large character "题" (title/submission). After briefly glancing at the person who submitted the report, he loudly read the text aloud:

"On November 9th, I discussed military matters with the General of the Expedition. Lindan Khan came to attack the defense of Guangning. The Earl of Andong went out to meet the enemy. Unexpectedly, the leader of the Inner Khalkha, Miaohua, a late-stage first-level martial artist, ambushed us from the side. Fortunately, the centurion Jia Tang, who had entered the mid-stage of the first level, resisted Miaohua's fierce attack and came to the rescue in time, saving the Earl of Andong from disaster."

"On November 13th, we set out at dawn. My general led the eastern route to attack the Chahar Tartar positions at Dazhao and Daqing forts. The two flanks attacked fiercely for nearly five hours until we recaptured the forts at noon. The western route took six hours to recapture the forts, and the Tartars were forced to retreat to the Liaodong border trenches."

"From November 14th to 23rd, our army fought fiercely on two fronts, east and west, for nineteen days, successfully forcing the Chahar and Miaohua Tartar tribes to retreat to the banks of the Xihe and Linghe rivers outside the pass and set up camp. In this battle, our army beheaded more than 23,000, while suffering more than 20,000 casualties."

"On November 24th, this humble general and the General of the Vanguard fought a decisive battle with the Tartars outside the pass, focusing on attacking the Inner Khalkha Miaohua tribe, and dispatching his generals Fang She and Jia Tang to carry out a surprise attack from both open and covert routes."

Among them, Qianzong Jia Tang led the three divisions of iron cavalry from Dakangbao in the northwest, crossed the Ling River, bypassed the territory of various Tatar tribes, and successfully attacked the enemy camp from the rear, breaking through their main camp's defenses. This allowed our main army to successfully break through the enemy's lines at 4:45 PM and wreak havoc.

The enemy suffered a crushing defeat, fleeing in disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons. Over 31,000 were beheaded, 2,000 were captured, and our army suffered over 10,000 dead.

"Furthermore, Jia Tang's troops were surrounded by two major Tartar battalions in the enemy camp. Using his personal guards and Tiger Guards as weapons, he beheaded more than 5,400. Of the three cavalrymen, only 371 survived, with nearly 90% of his troops lost."

After breaking through the formation, Jia Tang was surrounded and hunted by three late-stage first-tier martial artists. He first killed two mid-stage first-tier martial artists and delayed until our reinforcements arrived. Finally, he killed them on the spot. When the general led his troops to rejoin the battle, he was covered in blood, exhausted and about to collapse, but he stood up, leaning on his sword. He was truly majestic.

"On the 29th of November, I sent Cao Zhao, the Earl of Andong, with 30,000 soldiers and Chen Ruiwen, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief, with 20,000 soldiers. We split into two routes, north and south, across the Ling River and went northwest to search for the remaining Khalkha troops."

Three days later, Cao Zhao's army in the north encountered the remnants of the Inner Khalkha-Subahai forces when they were 800 li away, and a battle broke out.

During the war, our army was ambushed on the north flank by 6,000 cavalry from the Khorchin tribe. Amidst the chaos, the feigned guerrilla commander Jia Tang led his troops in a charge, decisively beheading Weng Guodai, a late-stage leader of the Khorchin, using the superior strength and formation of the Yuan soldiers. The Tatars subsequently fled in disarray, and we pursued them for over 200 li, beheading more than 2,000.

"The battle lasted over thirty days. A total of 37,179 Inner Khalkha Tartars and 25,638 Chahar Tartars were beheaded. The Tartars suffered a crushing defeat and fled. Our army achieved a great victory!"

"Jia Tang has achieved great merit in slaying generals and launching surprise attacks. His martial prowess is unparalleled and his bravery surpasses that of the entire army. This humble general requests that Jia Tang be the first in this battle, followed by General Niu Jizong, the vanguard general, and then Chen Ruiwen..."

"On the third day of the twelfth month of the third year of Changwu, Zhao Mingshan, the General of Liaodong, respectfully submitted this memorial to Your Majesty."

After reading the battle report presented by the Marquis of Pingliao, Xia Shouzhong began to read the memorial written by Niu Jizong and the supervising eunuch. At this moment, all the officials in the Hall of Supreme Harmony were silent, except for the echoing of Xia Shouzhong's high-pitched voice.

Niu Jizong's reports were largely the same, except that in the end, all the local officials who requested credit were replaced by border troops, except for Jia Tang.

"This victory is a great triumph, showcasing the might of our Great Zhao Dynasty. Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing this, Xia Shouzhong knelt down with a thud and shouted his congratulations.

The civil and military officials immediately realized what was happening and prostrated themselves, shouting, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Wherever Your Majesty's might extends, you will be invincible in every battle!"

When Emperor Changwu heard the congratulations from his officials, his face flushed with joy, and he laughed loudly, "Hahaha, this time, the glory of my name is all thanks to the soldiers who have given their lives for the country."

"My esteemed ministers, how should we reward the meritorious soldiers of this battle? Especially Jia Tang and Jia Yuyin, who carried out the surprise attack and killed the enemy general."

The battle broke out suddenly and ended quickly, mainly due to Jia Tang.

He revealed his true strength, his inner energy surging and the drumbeats shaking the heavens and the earth. Only in this way could he fight against two peak outer energy martial artists and Miao Hua Wei Lie, whose inner energy was perfect, not long after he entered the outer energy realm, and even kill his opponents!

The elite cavalry of his three divisions, totaling a battalion, dismounted and became cavalrymen. Under the leadership of his personal guards, they could even outnumber two other battalions by a one-to-two ratio. What a variable!

As soon as Emperor Changwu finished speaking, a burly man jumped out from the ranks of military officers and shouted, "This humble general congratulates Your Majesty! According to the laws of our Great Zhao, mid-stage first-order cultivators who join the army can be promoted to noble titles and generalships based on their military merits. Jia Yuyin has penetrated deep behind enemy lines, raided the enemy camp, and killed the enemy commander twice. The Tartars are terrified. Our Great Zhao has produced another fierce general and warrior, worthy of being ennobled."

This burly man is Xie Jing, the current commander of the Beijing Garrison. He is a descendant of the twelve founding marquises and a close relative of the Jia family.

"No, no, Commander Xie, you are mistaken. He has already been promoted several times before, and now he has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel for his merits, and given command of a battalion of troops. If Your Majesty does not wish to make this a formal promotion, then you may bestow upon him the title of Cavalry Commandant."

Wang Mo, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, stepped forward to refute.

···

Northeast of the Imperial Palace is the Tianshou Palace.

This place is where the retired emperor rests in peace. It is a forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace, and even the imperial guards on duty have to patrol more than 30 feet away from the Tianshou Palace.

The palace doors were tightly shut, and even the wooden windows around the perimeter were covered by thick curtains inside. Through the pale yellow curtains with dragon patterns, one could see two rows of candles glowing with orange-red light inside the palace, and tall sandalwood incense sticks burning all around.

Wearing a dragon robe, with a ruddy complexion and vigorous spirit, the retired Emperor Chongwu sat cross-legged on the dragon couch. In front of him, on a table decorated with dragons and phoenixes, was an incense burner, from which wisps of smoke drifted, making the dimly lit hall appear somewhat hazy.

"Squeak~"

Dai Quan, the chief steward of Tianshou Palace, carefully pushed open the palace door, bowed his body, and walked quickly through the ankle-deep mist until he reached Emperor Chongwu. He softly called out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty."

Emperor Chongwu made a soft "hmm" sound as a response.

Upon seeing this, Dai Quan hurriedly said, "A messenger from Liaodong has reported a victory. The court is currently reviewing the military report of the Marquis of Pingliao, and Jia Tang of Ningguo Prefecture has made significant contributions."

Emperor Chongwu slightly raised his eyelids and said expressionlessly, "Oh? The Jia brothers have raised a good seedling."

He paused, then continued, "Transfer Zhao Mingshan to the Jiangnan Grand Camp, Cao Zhao to Datong, Niu Jizong to the Ministry of War, and Jia Tang to a viscountship. Go and draft the decree. Also, tell the prince that he can receive two rewards."

His voice was cold and hollow, devoid of any emotion.

Dai Quan kowtowed, accepted the order, and left. As the palace doors closed, Tianshou Palace fell into darkness again, with only the orange glow of candlelight illuminating a small part of the space.

Suddenly, a figure flashed by and asked Emperor Chongwu, "Your Majesty, shall we deal with it?"

"No rush, he can't die yet, or it will cause a huge mess."

···

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, civil and military officials were arguing incessantly.

"According to your words, Imperial Censor Wang, such a great achievement is merely being made real after being exposed as a fraud, and being granted the title of Cavalry Commandant? This would chill the hearts of millions of soldiers and tens of millions of warriors in the Great Zhao. I think granting him a marquisate is a bit too much; granting him a hereditary earl would be more appropriate," said Ma Shang, the Commander of the Capital Guard, calmly.

"This is going too far, General Ma, you are praising a child to death. Jia Tang is just a child and cannot grasp the big picture. Your Majesty, according to this old minister's suggestion..." Fang Qilin, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, said.

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Jiang Zining, the commander of the Beijing garrison, who shouted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting, you old codger? Even I know that since ancient times, countless people in our Han lands have been brilliant military strategists who were ennobled at a young age. You've wasted all those years of studying, you old codger."

Fang Qilin's face flushed red from the slurred remark, and he couldn't help but retort, "Shut up! You ignorant and vulgar scoundrel, your words are as arrogant as a bull's. You are truly an insult to our culture. I disdain to speak with you."

"I insulted your mother, so I'm considered uncivilized? You two lumps of flesh, my foot!"

"Hehe..."

Upon hearing the insults directed at his mother, Fang Qilin was so agitated that he could barely breathe and swayed uncontrollably, unable to speak.

Seeing this, the civil officials, acting as mouthpieces for the imperial court, stepped forward one by one and started arguing with the founding lineage, making the entire Imperial Palace as noisy as a marketplace.

"That's enough!"

At the head of the right-hand queue, a pale-skinned Prince Zhongshun, dressed in a five-clawed dragon robe, was speechless as he watched some of the officials being scolded tremble with fear.

They insult someone by using the name "Wenjue" repeatedly, using the same few phrases over and over again. But Wu Xun and his gang of scoundrels insult their parents and ancestors with every word they utter, so you can't win the argument at all.

He had no choice but to shout loudly, interrupting everyone.

"As the son of the disgraced official Jia Jing, Jia Tang's merits on this trip can offset his crimes, thus showing the Emperor's grace by pardoning his father. He should not be rewarded too much."

At the front of the left flank, Liu Fang, the Vice Commander of the Rear Army and a Second-Class Earl, scoffed upon hearing this, mocking, "A criminal? The Jia family's two mansions have rendered meritorious service that can be said to be unparalleled throughout history, yet in the Prince's mouth they are criminals? Who decided that? You did?"

A flash of anger crossed Prince Zhongshun's face as he said in a cold voice, "The blame for the trouble caused by the late Crown Prince lies with Jia She and Jia Jing; this is common knowledge throughout the land."

Emperor Changwu on the dragon throne blinked slightly, smiling but saying nothing.

Liu Fang continued, "Oh? The Emperor himself decreed that there was no fault, but Prince Zhongshun is guilty? Then we Wu Xun must all go to Tianshou Palace to question the Emperor."

Behind Liu Fang, Marquis Xiaokang, the Vice Commander of the Central Army and a Third-Class Earl, also mocked, "May I ask, Prince Zhongshun, where were you when the Jia family's second-rank official died in battle in the capital region in the thirty-seventh year of Chongwu? Where were you then, when the imperial family and military officials inspected the realm from the thirty-eighth to the fortieth year of Chongwu?"