The Red Mansions

Chapter 1602: Jia Heng: As the saying goes, when a general is away from home, the emperor may not gr

Chapter 1602 Jia Heng: As the saying goes, when a general is away from home, he may not obey the orders of the emperor...

Hamiwi

The Dzungar troops withdrew from the Hami Fortress, and this scene was naturally captured keenly by Pang Shili and Jin Xuan.

The deputy general next to Pang Shili said, "General Pang, shall I send troops to pursue him later?"

Pang Shili shook his head and said loudly: "The enemy has no worries about food or water shortages, but they still mobilize their troops to withdraw. This is probably a trick to lure them out."

Jin Xuan nodded and said, "General Pang is right."

Pang Shili sighed, "It's a pity that the Red Cannon had just been transported here and had not yet been able to exert its power when the enemy fled."

As the Jurchens were pacified, the fame of the Red Cannon gradually spread far and wide. It was no longer possible to suddenly deploy the Red Cannon as before and create great results.

As the defenders, the Han army of Hami Wei was unlikely to leave the city to pursue the enemy, so as to avoid being taken advantage of by the enemy.

Jin Xuan's brows were furrowed into the shape of a "川" character, and his eyes showed a thoughtful look. He said, "Since the Junggar tribe has been rejected, they may choose to attack somewhere else. We have to be on guard."

It was impossible for the Hami Guards to move the Red Cannon to other places, so it was reasonable for the Junggar tribe to choose another breakthrough point.

Pang Shili suddenly asked, "General Jin, are you talking about Qu Xianwei and Handongwei?"

Jin Xuan nodded and said, "It is precisely these two guards. Our Han army is weak there and I am afraid we cannot stop the attack of the Junggar cavalry."

There is no secret about this, as it was determined by the defensive strategy that Jia Heng tailored for the Northwest.

Hami Guard, Shazhou Guard and Chijin Mongolian Guard are each other's support and strategic center, while Quxian Guard, Handong Left Guard and Handong Right Guard are in a state of virtual defense and welcoming the enemy.

Pang Shili frowned, a thoughtful look on his face, and said loudly: "The Junggar tribe is using the method of dividing its troops and advancing."

If the siege fails, change the direction of the siege, mobilize the troops defending the city, and seek opportunities for battle.

Pang Shili thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, my Xining cavalry will rush to support Qu Xianwei first."

Jin Xuan said, "It is totally unnecessary. Blindly mobilizing troops will easily give the enemy an advantage."

At this time, the difference in strategic vision between Jin Xuan and Pang Shili was revealed.

In other words, Jin Hyun, who has been in charge of the northwest for many years, is undoubtedly more experienced.

"General Jin means that we should allow Qu Xianwei to be attacked by the enemy?" Pang Shili's face changed slightly and he said in confusion.

Jin Xuan shook his head and said, "We will not rescue Quxianwei for now. Our army can rescue Andingwei."

Pang Shili asked, "Andingwei, what do you mean?"

At this time, the deputy general took a map and came closer. He saw that the complete seven cities of Guanxi, city defense passes, mountains, and rivers were all marked on it.

Master Pang said: "Quxian and Handong Zuowei are where the Junggar tribe will turn its attack."

"We can now withdraw the troops from the two places, and the Junggar troops will stay behind. Then we can lure the enemy deep into our territory, and then we can recapture the two places."

In fact, the cities of Quxianwei and Handongwei were not big, and there were not many Han troops stationed inside.

Pang Shili frowned and said thoughtfully, "We have the responsibility to defend our territory. If we lose both cities, it will be difficult for the court to explain."

Jin Xuan shook his head and said, "King Wei is an experienced military man. He knows that if you want to take something, you must give it first. Once General Pang sends a letter to King Wei, he will definitely understand our intention."

"To put it another way, the two guards are not strong enough to defend the city." Jin Xuan looked solemn, and then he advised: "It is better to save the troops. Even if we lose the land, we can still make a comeback."

When Pang Shili heard this, his eyes lit up and he said, "General Jin, what you said is quite insightful."

Jin Xuan nodded and said, "In a few days, we will send troops to attack Quxianwei and Handongwei and besiege the Junggar troops."

Pang Shili said firmly: "Just follow General Jin's wishes."

On the other hand, the Junggar troops withdrew from Hami Wei and retreated towards the southwest. The entire desert was filled with smoke and dust.

Baturhui, the Khan of Dzungar Khanate, was riding on a horse at this moment, holding the reins in his hands. The yellow sand in the sky blew on his rough face, leaving cracks on it.

Sitting upright on the reins of a horse beside him was Galdan, wearing a black cloak. In the rolling yellow sand, Galdan rode at the fastest speed, his face full of weathered looks.

"Galdan, can the Han people be fooled?" Baturhui asked.

Galdan said: "No matter whether the Han people will be fooled or send out pursuers, we must not stay under the city wall. Otherwise, we will use the enemy's weakness to attack our strength. We have no choice but to withdraw first and then make plans."

It was impossible for the Junggar troops to expose themselves to the artillery fire of the Han army and allow themselves to be bombarded by the Han army.

Baturhui looked at Galdan, nodded, and said, "Yes."

Afterwards, the Junggar army of 50,000 to 60,000 troops chased after Quxianwei and Handongwei in a cloud of dust.

Time passed quickly. Five days later, the cavalry of the Junggar tribe marched towards the Quxianwei Citadel in a mighty force. However, they were stunned for a moment when they saw the empty Citadel.

At this moment, a Junggar officer came on horseback and said loudly, "Khan, the Han army has withdrawn from the Acropolis."

Baturhui's majestic face suddenly showed surprise. He turned to look at Galdan and said, "What on earth is going on? Have the Han army already fled?"

But the problem is that their march was a sudden attack, so how could the Han army possibly know about it?

Galdan's eyes were cold under his thick eyebrows, and he said in a low voice: "This fact is suspicious."

Baturhui had a blank expression on his face and shouted, "Never mind this, Altay!"

On the accompanying red horse, a man with a majestic figure and wearing black armor responded and whispered, "Khan, I'm here."

Baturhui had an extremely majestic look on his face and ordered, "You lead our troops to capture the city!"

Altay responded, then led his personal guards towards the Acropolis ahead.

Baturhui was watching Altay go away.

After a while, Altay returned, and the soldiers who accompanied him had already climbed to the top of the city wall. They planted a black wolf flag of the Junggar tribe on the side of the battlements of the city wall, and the flag fluttered in the wind.

Baturhui whispered: "It seems that the Han army knew that we were going to attack Quxianwei, so they are vacating the city wall for us."

As he spoke, he glanced at Galdan thoughtfully.

Galdan nodded and said loudly: "Father Khan, no matter what, Quxianwei has fallen into our hands, and the stalemate has been eased."

Baturhui said coldly: "They came prepared, there might be some traps waiting for us to jump into."

Galdan's expression changed and he remained silent for a while.

Baturhui said: "We must enter the city first. No matter what, we must occupy Quxian City. The army will rest for two days to replenish food and water. We can think of the rest later."

Galdan nodded, silently led a group of troops and marched into Quxian City in a mighty manner.

……

……

Godly City, Ningguo Mansion

Jia Heng was wearing a navy blue robe at the moment, and was sitting beside the window. Rays of sunlight shone through the carved windows, falling on the apricot-yellow chessboard and making mottled patterns on the chess pieces.

There was nothing else to do in the capital today, and he had some rare leisure time to chat with his wives and concubines.

On the other side, Gu Ruoqing sat down on the chessboard, and a look of surprise appeared on her pretty and bright face.

Chen Xiao was holding a book under her beautiful black eyebrows.

At this moment, Qingwen entered the wing room, walked around the screen embroidered with landscape patterns, stared at Jia Heng, and said loudly: "Your Highness, someone from the Jinyi Mansion came outside and said they have something urgent to report to Your Highness."

Jia Heng put down the round white chess piece in his hand, turned his eyes to Gu Ruoqing, and said, "I'll go over and take a look."

As he spoke, he put down a white chess piece in his hand and walked out.

At this moment, a centurion came from the Jinyi Mansion and was anxiously waiting for Jia Heng to come. When he saw Jia Heng coming, he quickly stood up, bowed to Jia Heng, and said, "I am honored to meet the governor."

Jia Heng nodded and asked loudly, "What's the emergency?"

The Jinyifu centurion said, "This is an urgent report from Xining. General Pang sent it to the governor via the Jinyifu express horse."

Upon hearing this, Jia Heng straightened his face, reached out to take the military newspaper, and read it.

What was recorded above was what Jin Xuan had said to Pang Shili before, that is, to abandon Handong Wei and Quxian Wei and to withdraw all the troops to Anding Wei and Chijin Mongolian Wei.

Jia Heng thought for a moment, looked at the officer from the Jinyifu, and said in a deep voice: "Go to the Jinyifu and send a pigeon to inform Xining that it is approved in principle."

If we send an urgent military report over 600 miles, it would be too late as the situation on the front lines changes rapidly. But if we send a letter by carrier pigeon, maybe we can still catch up.

As the saying goes, when a general is away from the court, he is not allowed to give orders from the king.

The Jinyifu captain bowed to Jia Heng and turned to leave.

After Jia Heng finished speaking, he took a copy of the intelligence book and walked down the corridor outside.

Entering the study, Jia Heng looked calm and stared at Chen Xiao.

Chen Xiao stared at the young man in the python costume and asked, "What do you mean?"

Jia Heng nodded and said gently, "In Xining, Pang Shili and Jin Xuan plan to abandon Qu Xianwei and Handongwei, so they came to ask for my opinion."

Chen Xiao raised his eyebrows, his cold eyes were as bright as water, and he whispered: "What are you going to do?"

Jia Heng said, "When the defense strategy was originally formulated for the seven guards in Guanxi, Hami, Shazhou, and Chijin Mongolian guards were given priority. The other guards, firstly, were in remote areas with sparse populations, and secondly, they were not the main thoroughfares to the Western Regions. Even if they were abandoned, they would not be important to the overall situation in the future."

Chen Xiao's eyes were as bright as water under his willow eyebrows. He said, "This can also weaken the strength of the Junggar tribe, which may not be a bad thing."

Jia Heng nodded and said in a gentle voice, "That's exactly what I meant."

Chen Xiao said: "But if the two guards are lost, I am afraid that the civil servants in the court will have objections in the court."

Jia Heng said: "There is still some time before the military report is delivered to the capital. During this time, if the strategy of Pang Shili and Jin Xuan can be successful, then we can act."

Chen Xiao looked thoughtful and replied softly, "Yes."

Then the beautiful lady, with her emerald eyebrows and crystal clear eyes, fell asleep and asked, "What about Bashu?"

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then asked, "There is no news from Bashu yet. With Xie Zaiyi's ability, he should be able to lead the troops in the next few days and achieve unstoppable success."

While the two were talking, Qingwen entered the study and said softly, "Miss Zhen San sent a maid over here, saying that she wanted the young master to go to Qichiyuan."

Chen Xiao raised his eyebrows, his eyes flickered, and he asked in surprise: "Why did she call you at this time?"

Jia Heng explained, "I'm going to the Zhen Mansion today to meet Zhen Xuan."

Chen Xiao nodded and said, "Go ahead."

After Jia Heng finished speaking, he left the hall and headed towards the back house without saying anything else.

Grand View Garden, Qichiyuan

Sisters Zhenlan and Zhenxi have packed up and are ready to leave.

While Jia Heng was talking, he walked into the hall from outside, looked at Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi, and asked loudly, "Is everything packed?"

Zhen Lan responded softly.

Jia Heng didn't say anything else and went to the outside.

Everyone got on the carriage and, surrounded by their entourage, headed towards the Zhen family's residence in Shenjing.

Shenjing, Zhen's House

Zhen Xuan knew that Jia Heng was coming with his daughter to visit his parents today, so he had people clean up the front of the door, sprinkle water to clean the road, and open the middle door.

"Master, I'm coming, I'm coming." A servant came running over from the alley, with a look of joy on his face.

Zhen Xuan's elegant, fair face could not hide the joy at this moment. He stood on the eaves of the corridor, looking at the carriage with its shafts erected high that was slowly approaching from a distance.

Afterwards, the curtain hanging from the carriage was lifted by several maids, and Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi got off the carriage, both with beautiful buns and gorgeous dresses, and stepped on the ground.

Zhen Xuan nodded, his eyes warm as the sun, and said, "Lan'er, Xi'er is here."

A sweet smile appeared on Zhen Lan's soft and charming face, and she said, "Daddy."

Xi'er also came forward, her voice soft and gentle, calling out: "Third Uncle."

Jia Heng got off the horse, looked at Zhen Xuan intently, and said with a bow, "Father-in-law."

Zhen Xuan quickly stretched out his arms and supported Jia Heng. His fair and elegant face was covered with a prosperous smile. He said, "The Prince of Wei is here. Come on, come in."

Zhen Xuan was extremely satisfied with Jia Heng, his son-in-law.

Jia Heng nodded, and accompanied by Zhen Xuan, Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi, they went to the hall together, and both sides sat down as host and guest.

Zhen Xuan said, "Prince Wei, Lan'er told you about this before."

Jia Heng said, "It has been mentioned before that my father-in-law wants to start a business of repairing official roads?"

Zhen Xuan nodded and whispered, "Maritime trade has been booming recently, but there are also many people sailing abroad. Under the bidding, the profit is gradually decreasing. I have a large group of people under my command who need to be supported. Now I have to find another source of income."

Jia Heng said in a clear voice: "I mentioned this to Lan'er before. The Ministry of Works is going to repair the national roads for a period of fifteen years. The amount of work required is huge. But in order to ensure the quality of the project, it is better for father-in-law to bid to the Ministry of Works."

Zhen Xuan nodded and said, "Regarding the bidding, I heard Lan'er mentioned it before. The King of Wei wants to choose the ones with good quality and low price."

Jia Heng nodded, which was considered as his agreement.

Zhen Xuan said loudly: "If that's the case, it's not a bad idea."

Jia Heng's eyes were as bright as water. He looked at Zhen Xuan intently and said loudly, "How is the progress of the recent maritime trade?"

"Since the establishment of the banknotes, many merchants along the coast of Jiangsu and Zhejiang have given up their jobs to transport goods, which has led to the prosperity of maritime trade and the supply of tax silver to the country." Zhen Xuan picked up a teacup, took a sip, and said, "Zi Yu is in the central government, he should know about this."

Jia Heng nodded and said loudly: "The country has been at war frequently in recent years. Most of the military expenses are paid from customs duties and silver. The prosperity of maritime trade is endless."

Zhen Xuan nodded slightly, sighed, and said, "There are many people doing this business, but it's not as good as the beginning when the money was flowing in and the money was coming in every day."

Jia Heng said: "This is also normal. The court only levies taxes based on the amount of ships used. It does not limit the number of merchant ships, nor does it engage in monopoly."

It is said that monopoly will inevitably compress competition, which in turn will lead to the shrinkage of private capital and hinder the prosperity of commerce.

Zhen Xuan twisted a few strands of beard under his chin and said, "That's right. Like the case of the eight major salt merchants in Jiangnan, it's not a good idea to use public interests for personal gain."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "That's right. You and I, the Zhen and Jia families, are all ministers of the court and the country. We are public officials, and we will never tolerate anything that harms the public and enriches oneself."

At this moment, Zhen Xuan nodded and understood something in his heart.

The present Han empire has a part of his Zhen family's bloodline. For example, when he was in Nanjing Province, it was indeed inappropriate for him to embezzle the treasury silver of the Weaving Bureau.

Zhen Lan said, "Dad, Prince, it's getting late, let the kitchen prepare the wine and food."

Zhen Xuan nodded and said gently, "Prince Wei, let's talk while we eat."

Jia Heng and Zhen Xuan sat down together, drinking and chatting.