Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Xia Shouzhong cleared his throat, his voice sharp: "Tonight, I received a secret report from the Flying Eagle Division of Changping Prefecture that Shanxi Province was instigated by the embezzlement of disaster relief funds and grain at the beginning of the year, which led to a popular uprising. On March 26, they captured Wuxiang County in Qin Prefecture, and the uprising subsequently spread to surrounding prefectures and states."

"Currently, the rebels number 70,000, covering three prefectures and three states. Four thousand-household units and three battalions of city garrison soldiers have already died in battle, and they are gradually heading towards Weihui and Huaiqing prefectures in Henan."

The surrounding civil and military officials had different expressions, and they all shouted angrily:

"What?"

"The scourge of woodworms."

"The civil official deserves to die."

"The Ministry of War and the Military Government are responsible for dereliction of duty for concealing this for so long."

Emperor Changwu slammed his hand on the map, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd before he shouted, "Enough! I summoned you here to resolve problems, not to shirk responsibility."

He then addressed the officials in charge of the Ministry of War and the Military Government, saying, "The Ministry and the Military Government have issued a document to the Henan Provincial Military Command, ordering the Ruzhou Guard to reinforce Huaiqing Prefecture and the Xuanwu Guard to reinforce Weihui Prefecture."

A further letter was sent to Shaanxi, instructing them to closely monitor the bandits in Jiezhou and Jizhou of Shanxi and prevent them from entering Shaanxi.

"only!"

"Do any of you recommend someone to quell the rebellion?"

Niu Jizong immediately replied, "I recommend Jia Tang, the Commander of the Capital Garrison and Earl of Wuying. He is highly skilled, brave, and fierce, and his soldiers are fearless. He will surely be able to conquer the city in one fell swoop."

"No."

"Wu Yingbo has just formed a new battalion and has many military affairs to attend to, so there's no need for him to worry about it."

"Why would we need Wu Yingbo to intervene with mere rioters?"

Before Emperor Changwu could react, the cabinet ministers all spoke out in rebuttal.

At such a young age, he has already broken through to the second level, and even broke through enemy lines and killed generals. He was awarded the title of Earl and commanded three battalions of soldiers for his military achievements. If he were to make another contribution, that would be truly remarkable.

Seeing this, Liu Fang spoke up: "I recommend Shi Nai, the former commander of Shanxi and Marquis of Baoling. He served in Shanxi for four years and is quite familiar with the area."

Grand Secretary Liang Pei said, "Marquis Baoling was dismissed from his post for wantonly killing scholars during his tenure."

Liu Fang sneered: "Whether it's intentional or not, you and I know in our hearts. There's no need for this veiled argument. National affairs come first."

Liang Pei's expression froze, and he pursed his lips, remaining silent.

Zhai Zhengge, standing to one side, also spoke up, recommending: "Xiao Eyuan, the third-class sergeant commander of the Beijing garrison, is capable of handling this important task."

Hou Xiaokang continued, "I recommend Xie Jing and Jiang Zining, both commanders of the Beijing Garrison. They are both exceptionally skilled in military strategy and adept at cavalry warfare."

Jia Tang also spoke up, saying, "I recommend Qi Jianhui, the Vice Commander of the Martial Virtue Guard and a Second-Class Baron. As an Outer Martial Cultivator, his combat prowess is unparalleled."

Upon seeing this, Ji Wenqing, the Marquis of Jing'an and Vice Commander of the Chongwu lineage's former military command, hurriedly said, "This humble general recommends Fang Weixun, the Commander of the Capital Garrison, a first-class male."

Liang Pei also said, "I recommend Xie Wenjin, the Imperial Inspector of Henan Circuit. He is both a scholar and a warrior, and his abilities are remarkable."

Sheng Yuxiao followed up, saying, "I recommend Zhu Huashu, the Vice Commissioner of the Shaanxi Provincial Surveillance Commission and Military Commissioner of Yan'an. He is a skilled calligrapher and capable of handling important responsibilities."

Grand Secretary Cen also remarked: "Sun Che, the Imperial Grain Commissioner of Henan Circuit, is a man of great wisdom and compassion for the people. He can be considered the logistics officer of the army that is suppressing the rebels."

Emperor Changwu, without revealing his true feelings, asked Zhao Enxi, the Minister of Revenue, "Based on past practices for peasant uprisings, how many soldiers should be prepared for this expedition?"

Zhao Enxi pondered for a moment: "It should be between 24,000 and 30,000. Although the laborers have become bandits, the proportion of cultivators among them should not be too high. They are still no match for well-trained and well-equipped soldiers. They often fight three against one or even more."

"If we deploy our elite troops, four battalions of soldiers will be able to defeat the enemy."

Niu Jizong chimed in, "Minister Zhao is right. They are just laborers. We should crush their evil intentions with swift and decisive action, and they will surely scatter like birds and beasts. In this regard, I recommend Xie Jing and Jiang Zining. They are truly capable of sweeping away all evil in Jiangnan."

The people around them had different expressions as they all looked at Jia Tang, who was expressionless, and Liang Pei, who had a gloomy face.

Emperor Changwu nodded to show his understanding, pondered for a moment, and then ordered: "Issue Marquis Baoling Shi Nai as General Who Punishes the Rebels, with the position of Commander-in-Chief, in charge of the three generals Xie, Jiang, and Xiao of the Beijing Garrison, and in control of the garrisons of Huaiqing and Weihui prefectures in Henan. The Ministry and government shall issue documents to coordinate, and the troops shall be dispatched tomorrow to quell the rebellion as quickly as possible."

"only!"

Emperor Changwu thought for a moment and then said, "Issue Prince Teng, the commander of the nine provinces, to take command of the four guards of Pingyang, Zhenxi, Taiyuan Left and Qian in Shanxi, to inspect the prefectures and states of Shanxi, and to join forces with the Henan region to suppress the rebels."

Upon hearing this, the cabinet ministers exchanged glances. At this moment, Emperor Changwu still thought of Prince Teng, which meant he truly regarded him as a confidant.

However, the Shanxi Military Commandery was under the jurisdiction of the Rear Army Commandery, and the head of the Rear Army Commandery was Liu Fang. Without Jia Tang's approval, Wang Ziteng could not easily command those arrogant and fierce soldiers.

But since they are related by marriage, how to arrange things is a matter for the Jia and Wang families to discuss.

Beside the map, Emperor Changwu added: "Order the Ministry of Revenue to escort 50,000 shi of grain to Henan first, with the Imperial Grain Inspector Sun Che supervising and overseeing the delivery."

"The Flying Eagle Division hereby orders the dismissal and confiscation of the property of Yang Xinqi, the Censor of Shanxi Circuit, Wang Shubian, the Right Provincial Administration Commissioner, and Liu Hong, the Grain Commissioner. Their heads shall be displayed and the decree issued. All corrupt officials in the prefectures, states, and counties under their jurisdiction shall be skinned alive, stuffed with straw, and their entire families exterminated."

Several senior officials shook their heads and smiled bitterly. Three high-ranking officials from Shanxi had been dismissed in an instant. This emperor was a decisive and ruthless ruler. Well, it seemed that the civil officials of this generation were not going to gain power.

Emperor Changwu looked at everyone and said, "Xia Shouzhong, read the secret report from Liaodong to all my beloved ministers."

Xia Shouzhong then took out a secret report from his long sleeves and began to read it aloud.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year this year, Nurhaci ascended the throne in Hetu Ala. The four great beile, Daishan, Amin, Mangguertai, and Huang Taiji, along with the beile ministers of the Eight Banners, led the court officials to gather in front of the palace, standing in order of the Eight Banners, and led the court officials to kneel in welcome.

The eight ministers stepped forward, knelt, and presented a memorial. The assembled officials honored Nurhaci as emperor, named the state Jin, and adopted the reign title Tianming.

After the establishment of the Later Jin, Lao Nu continued to reinforce Haicheng and launched small-scale attacks on the Liaodong defense line. Both sides suffered casualties, but the attacks were relatively restrained, just like the Huduntu attacks last year, which were constantly testing the bottom line of the Liaodong army.

In addition, since the beginning of spring, the Khorchin tribe has frequently invaded the south and attacked the pass. The new successor is Oba, the son of Onggodai, who is revered by his people as Tushetu Khan. After taking the throne, Oba vowed to avenge his father.

The Chahar tribe is currently actively communicating with other tribes in southern Mongolia, seeking allies.

It is clear that war is about to break out again on the Liaodong border.

Emperor Changwu's gaze swept coldly over the crowd, and he asked, "How is it?"

After a moment's thought, Liang Pei said, "Our Great Zhao is currently very powerful and has nothing to fear. Moreover, the tribes are only united and have not yet launched a full-scale attack on the pass. It is not advisable to go out and fight, as we would have no legitimate reason to do so."

Niu Jizong scoffed, "The fact that they've already formed an alliance proves their wolfish ambitions. What's the point of all this talk about who's famous or not? Your Majesty, I propose we just go out of the pass and strangle them."

Zhai Zhengge chimed in, "I agree."

Jia Tang seconded the motion: "This whole affair was caused by the establishment of the Jurchen state. Its leader, Lao Nu, is a wolf in sheep's clothing, ruthless and cunning. He has already unified the various Jurchen tribes. We should go out of the pass and wipe them out to quell the border troubles."