The Red Mansions

Chapter 1392 Jia Heng: Thank you, Prince Wei, for taking care of everything

Chapter 1392 Jia Heng: Your Highness the Prince of Wei will take care of everything...

Grand View Garden, Xiaoxiang Pavilion

The next day, it was the March season when the warm spring breeze was blowing, and the willow trees with lush branches and leaves were gently swaying, and the willow branches were waving back and forth.

A blazing golden-red morning sun was hanging in the eastern sky, and under its shining light, it fell into the room, casting tiny strands of bright light on the glass screen.

On the bed with curtains all around, Jia Heng was entangled between two warm and soft white bodies. At this moment, he heard Daiyu beside him let out a moan and opened her sparkling starry eyes, which seemed to reflect the harsh and sharp face. The beautiful woman's heart was filled with shame and anger.

The fishy smell in this room is really infuriating, Brother Heng.

When she thought of how that man had tossed her around yesterday, Daiyu's fair face turned red and she spat secretly in her heart.

Jia Heng had a sword-like brow, but his cold eyes were filled with a warm smile. He asked softly, "Sister Lin, are you awake?"

Daiyu snorted and said softly, "Isn't it? I'm sleepy right now. I had a lot of trouble last night."

Jia Heng stretched out his hand and pinched the beautiful lady's rosy face, saying, "Then your sister Bao and I will get up first, you can sleep for a while."

"I need to take a bath. I'm not feeling well with all this mess on my body." Daiyu's beautiful eyebrows were curved, and she snorted. A look of shame and anger gradually appeared on her bright, jade-like, flawless face.

Jia Heng nodded and was about to push away the soft, white arm that was draped over his body when he heard a moaning sound in his ear.

At this moment, Baochai's watery almond-shaped eyes slowly opened under her emerald eyebrows, and her fair face was also rosy and had a hint of baby fat.

Jia Heng looked at Baochai with a sharp frown and asked, "Sister Xue is awake now too?"

Baochai's voice was a little lazy, but also seemed to be soft and charming as she said, "Brother Heng, what time is it?"

The beautiful lady with a plump face had a look of shame on her face.

She made a fool of herself in front of Xi'er last night. Xi'er, who lay on top of her yesterday, said that she was as soft as a cotton ball. No wonder her husband liked her.

Her body was so weak at the moment that she couldn't exert any strength at all.

Daiyu's bright eyes sparkled under her frowning brows. She smiled and said, "Brother Heng, please get up first. Sister Bao and I will need a while."

"Then put on your clothes." Jia Heng nodded, and then stood up without saying anything more.

While Jia Heng was talking, he also stood up. Zijuan, with a rosy face, walked up to him and said, "Master, breakfast is ready."

Jia Heng followed Zijuan to the side hall where Daiyu usually had her meals.

Then, pick up a pair of bamboo chopsticks and start having breakfast.

Breakfast was a simple meal of steamed buns and porridge. Jia Heng held the steamed bun between his legs and scooped up the porridge with a spoon.

On the other side, Xiren and Zijuan came into the side room, and when they smelled that indescribable odor, they quickly covered their mouths with their hands.

After finishing his meal, Jia Heng did not linger in the room for long, but walked out of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, where there was a rustling bamboo forest, and went to the study.

At this moment, Xiaoxiao was wearing a Feiyu dress and a mountain-shaped wingless crown on her head. She was sitting in the hall. She had a clear and refreshing temperament and gave people an overall handsome and elegant impression.

Chen Xiao took a look at the young man in the python costume, with a look of scrutiny in his bright eyes, and asked, "Are you here?"

She wouldn't find it strange if this man died in a woman's belly one day.

Chen Xiao thought about this and couldn't help but say, "How can you not have self-control be a problem?"

Jia Heng nodded and said, "It's only been these two days. As the saying goes, it takes a thousand days to raise an army and only a day to deploy it. We have been fighting in Korea the whole time and have not been reunited with them."

He seems to have been working at a high intensity these days, but he is still restrained most of the time.

Chen Xiao rolled his eyes at the young man and asked, "When are we going to meet the officers of the Beijing Camp? We will select the soldiers who are going to the expedition this time and prepare them for the future expeditions."

Jia Heng walked to Chen Xiao's side, sat down and said, "After taking a bath and changing clothes, I will go later."

Chen Xiao said softly, "You asked me to send Jinyifu to monitor the movements in the northwest and Tibet. I have already given the order."

Jia Heng's eyes flickered dimly under his sword-like brows, and he said with certainty: "If I'm not mistaken, there should be movement in the next few days."

The Jurchens would certainly not sit still and wait for death. Faced with the danger of national destruction, they would certainly find ways to form alliances and save the nation from extinction.

Just then, Qingwen entered the study and said, "Sir, the hot water is ready."

Jia Heng put down the teacup in his hand and said softly, "Xiaoxiao, I'm going to take a bath and change clothes first."

Chen Xiao frowned and glared at the young man, saying, "Take a bath these few days and stop messing around in the future."

If she continued to not take care of herself like this and really broke down, what would she do? After three or five years, wouldn't she be a widow forever?

Jia Heng looked strange for a moment, but ignored Chen Xiao.

Qingwen, on the other hand, curled her lips, and felt inexplicably ashamed and angry in her heart.

Is this Princess Le'an talking about herself?

She no longer abuses the young master's body like that, but at her age, she must have a child, right?

Then I won’t bother you anymore later.

After Jia Heng finished bathing, he returned to the study and went to the Beijing camp with Chen Xiao.

京营

This large camp, which houses more than 200,000 soldiers, is located at the foot of the mountain. Barracks made of blue bricks and black tiles can be seen, and soldiers outside are coming in and out with weapons in hand.

The whole camp exuded an air of order.

At this moment, Wei Qi, Marquis of Runan, Chen Ran, King of Wei, Xie Zaiyi, Marquis of Zhongqin, Cai Quan, Pang Shili and others came out to greet them.

King Chen Qin of Chu was not in the Beijing camp at the moment, but was in charge of the Military Equipment Bureau.

"Greetings, Duke Weiguo." Everyone bowed and saluted to the dignified young man in the python robe and said.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "No need to bow, officers."

As he was speaking, he entered the military tent of the central army camp, greeted by a group of generals.

Jia Heng sat down behind a square table, his eyes fell on the officers, and he said in a dignified and awe-inspiring voice: "Everyone, I think you all know the emperor's will. He ordered me to select the best and brave soldiers in the Beijing camp and send troops to pacify Liaodong."

The officers and soldiers below showed a look of great joy on their faces.

Jia Heng took in the joy on the faces of the generals and nodded secretly.

I thought to myself, this is the temperament of a strong army that has experienced many battles.

Hearing about war makes one happy, while hearing about no war makes one afraid.

Generally speaking, this temperament of brave soldiers who have survived hundreds of battles can only be seen in some founding armies.

Jia Heng nodded and said in a clear voice: "For this expedition, we will select the four prestige camps, such as the Liwei Camp and the Yangwei Camp, as well as the eight camps, such as the Guoyong Camp and the Guyong Camp, as the main force, and then allocate the elite soldiers and horses of the Twelve Battalions of the Beijing Camp to form a large army to fight against the rebellion and send troops to Liaodong. In the next few days, I will review the soldiers of the twelve battalions and select the brave and elite ones to assist the king."

Upon hearing this, all the generals immediately bowed and agreed.

At this time, Xie Zaiyi, the Marquis of Zhongqin, bowed and said, "Duke Weiguo, in pacifying Liaodong, I was the vanguard and rushed to be the first."

Jia Heng said in a gentle voice: "General Xie, you should be responsible for the deployment of this battle, command the troops and support the army."

Upon hearing this, Xie Zaiyi's expression paused slightly and he clasped his fists in response.

Jia Heng said softly, "Wait a minute, General Xie can stay in the military tent to discuss military affairs together."

As the saying goes, one person's shortcomings are better than two people's strengths, so it is time to pool the wisdom of both parties.

As he spoke, he instructed the guard beside him, saying in a gentle voice, "Go and hang up the map."

Immediately, two officers came with a slightly yellowed map and hung it on a brocade screen.

The map showed crisscrossing rivers and towering cities, and several officers and generals around all cast their bright eyes towards the young man in the python robe.

Jia Heng nodded and said in a clear voice: "Our army can march from Shanhaiguan to Gaotaibao, Tashan, and Songshan. There are not many Jurchen troops to stop us along the way. After the Jurchens get the news, they will most likely send troops to Jinzhou."

There was no Battle of Songshan at this time, but the Jurchen troops were stationed in Jinzhou and defended it heavily as the first line of defense for Shengjing.

Jia Heng nodded, and looked at the officers below, saying: "Officers, please feel free to speak up, don't be restrained."

At this time, Wei Qi, the Marquis of Runan, who was below, looked up at the young man in the python robe and said, "Duke Weiguo, if the enemy's allies, the Khorchin and Inner Khalkha tribes, send troops from the Mongolian grasslands, how will we respond?"

Jia Heng said: "There are generals from Xuanda and Dazhou along this route, and they will send troops to resist."

At this moment, the general of the Beijing Camp, Pang Shili, who was standing below, had a pair of round, tiger-like eyes flashing under his thick eyebrows. He asked, "General, can we bring the Red Barbarian Cannon with us when we attack the city?"

Jia Heng nodded and said softly, "Of course we have to bring all the red cannons. This time, the Military Equipment Bureau has built about thirty more red cannons, all of which will be transported by mules and horses and will accompany the army all the way to attack cities and capture strongholds."

An indescribable look of joy appeared on Pang Shili's bearded face, and he said, "Duke Weiguo, with the red cannon, we will be able to attack the city and capture the stronghold with half the effort."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "According to the spies, the Dzungar and Khoshut people in the northwest will send troops to support the Jurchens in Liaodong, but the Beijing camp will not send troops. Instead, it will entrust the war to the border troops in the northwest and the Mongol king of Chahar."

Xie Zaiyi asked, "Duke Weiguo, I wonder how many routes will be divided when the troops march into Liaodong this time?"

As he spoke, Jia Heng looked up at Xie Zaiyi, nodded slightly, and said, "General Xie, in the past during the Longzhi period of the Han Dynasty, we led troops to attack Liaodong. We divided our troops into several routes, but they were defeated by Liaodong's various routes. Therefore, this time, our army will only be divided into one route on land. If the whole army attacks, with the great strength of the Han Dynasty, it will be enough to crush them."

This means advancing step by step, steadily and cautiously, building a strong stronghold, fighting a stupid battle, and never engaging in a head-on confrontation.

Xie Zaiyi cupped his hands and said, "Duke Wei is right."

Jia Heng said in a clear voice: "It is said that the troops were not divided into several routes, but in fact they were divided into several routes. For example, if the troops from Korea and Liaodong were to advance to Shengjing in several routes, the Jurchens would lose sight of one while focusing on another. If we take the risk of dividing the troops on the way, they would only be defeated one by one by the Jurchen Tartar bandits."

This is dividing the troops into several routes at the strategic level so that the enemy cannot take care of the left and right sides. However, at the specific battle level, dividing the troops into several routes tactically is actually a risky move.

Xie Zaiyi looked thoughtful, his eyes sparkling, and whispered, "General Jie's words are indeed insightful."

Jia Heng smiled and said, "But even if there is only one route, the vanguard and the rear army should also be taken care of. This time the army is dispatched, involving a large number of soldiers and servants, and the transportation of military supplies and fodder requires a lot of civilians and strong men to escort the transportation of fodder and grain."

At this moment, Wei Wang Chen Ran came out from the army and said in a loud voice: "Zi Yu, please rest assured. The army's food and fodder are being transported. I am in the Ministry of Revenue and will work hard to ensure that the army has no worries about food shortages."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Your Highness the Prince of Wei will take care of everything."

In fact, this is all the Wei and Chu clans could do. Otherwise, they couldn't let the Wei and Chu clans serve as military supervisors of the army?

The practices of the Sui and Tang dynasties actually left some traces behind.

If the two princes controlled the military equipment and food supplies, they could better control the life and death of a large army, and it would also be more secretive.

Wei Wang Chen Ran nodded and said loudly: "Zi Yu, this is my responsibility."

Jia Heng paused for a moment, then he looked around at the generals below and said thoughtfully, "Generals, this time, Marquis Xie will be in charge of selecting soldiers to fight against Liao."

Because he had been leading troops in battles outside for nearly half a year, he had no idea about the military situation of the Beijing camp.

Xie Zaiyi bowed in response.

Jia Heng said, "Generals, please go and do your work first. Song Zhubu and Fan Canjun will accompany me to inspect the military affairs of the various regiments and camps."

Song Yuan and Fan Yi both bowed and said "yes", then followed Jia Heng out of the central army tent.

Jia Heng pondered for a moment and asked, "How is the training of the Beijing Army going recently? Is everything going well?"

Song Yuan's face was slightly solemn, and he said, "In reply to the commander, the soldiers' training is as usual. After the battle in the northwest, the camps were short of soldiers, but after the replenishment, almost all the soldiers have returned to the army."

Jia Heng looked all the way, and a hint of admiration gradually appeared in his cold eyes beneath his sword-like brows. He said, "At first glance, the army is very neat. I see that you and General Fan usually lead the troops and train them. You really put in a lot of effort."

Song Yuan said: "They are all the subjects in the previous training outline of the commander-in-chief, and they are better."

Jia Heng waved his hand and said, "We have known each other for many years, so stop flattering me. The new soldiers of the Beijing Camp and the old soldiers are mixed together for training. We should make some distinctions this time and try to use the old soldiers so that we can compete with the Liaodong Nuzhen."

Song Yuan nodded in agreement.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "I haven't seen you for a while, but there are some new faces in the camp."

Just now, some new faces of officers were seen beside the King of Wei.

Fan Yi said in an inexplicable tone, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei has recently promoted some officers in the merit record."

It can be seen that they are guarding against the general. Once Liaodong is pacified, I am afraid that the general and these old generals of the Beijing camp will be left out in the cold.

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Highness the Prince of Wei is a descendant of the royal family, so it would be best if he knows military skills."

Fan Yi's eyes flickered under his thin pine-like eyebrows, and his lips moved constantly. He swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Jia Heng nodded and said in a clear voice, "Who are these officers? Mr. Fan, please give me a list when you return."

When Fan Yi heard this, he was startled, then inexplicably delighted, and clasped his fists and said, "Yes, Marshal Jie."

Sure enough, the commander-in-chief was quite dissatisfied with King Wei's move, which showed that he was wary of the royal family.

As Song Yuan listened to what Jia Heng and Fan Yi said, a hint of melancholy appeared on his face.

When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked; when the birds are all gone, the good bows are hidden. Is this really what he meant?

But Marshal Jie is obviously the emperor's son-in-law, and is favored by him even more than his own sons and nephews. I hope he is just overthinking it.

……

……

After reviewing all the soldiers, Jia Heng did not say much. He left the Beijing camp and rode a maroon horse towards the Beijing camp.

Chen Xiao nodded and said, "How is it? After this review, are the soldiers of the Beijing Camp still useful?"

Jia Heng said in a deep voice: "In recent years, the combat power of the Beijing Camp has improved by leaps and bounds. It is no different from the Gaizhou Guard and Haizhou Guard we encountered in Liaodong?"

Chen Xiao said: "In the past few years, we have experienced many wars, both large and small, and the combat effectiveness of the soldiers in the Beijing camp has been tempered."

Jia Heng then said nothing else and rode side by side with Chen Xiao back to Ningguo Mansion.

At this moment, it was already evening, and the sky was full of sunset glow, as if covering the blue brick and black tile houses with a layer of golden red gauze.

Ningguo Mansion——

Jia Heng entered the mansion and sat down in the study. Chen Xiao picked up the teapot beside him and filled a cup of tea for Jia Heng.

Jia Heng picked up the teacup and took a sip of the fragrant tea. He could smell the fragrance on his cheeks and said with emotion: "King Wei, you have won over some officers in the Beijing camp."

It can only be said that Queen Yuanzi, like the Prince of Wei, carries with her the aura of "followers" wherever she goes, and as time goes by, she becomes more powerful.

"Then what are you going to do?" Chen Xiao nodded and said softly.

"Just be cautious and alert to the officers they use." Jia Heng said with a gloomy look in his eyes.

I'm afraid the emperor also acquiesced to this matter. After all, compared to his son-in-law, the King of Wei is his own son. If he needs to be on guard against, it should be against an outsider like him.

Chen Xiao said: "This time the two princes escorted the grain and military equipment, and their intention to inspect was quite obvious."

Jia Heng nodded and said softly, "However, the two of them also know the meaning, and they are more likely to work hard to perform."

After talking with Chen Xiao for a while, Jia Heng did not stay in the study for long, but took advantage of the dusk and went towards Daoxiang Village.

After all, Li Wan was pregnant with his child, so he would go and see her when he came back this time.

Daoxiang Village, in the wing room——

At this moment, Li Wan was sitting under a carved window with her big belly bulging out like a ball. Her elegant and gentle face seemed to be covered with a layer of rouge-like blush.

As time passed, Li Wan's belly gradually grew bigger, and her face became plump and rosy because of pregnancy.

Cao's expression paused for a moment, and she said with concern, "You should eat more."

Li Wan raised her eyes to glance at Cao and said softly, "You vomited a lot earlier, so I'd better not eat it."

As he said this, he vomited again and quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief.

Cao patted Li Wan's back with a concerned look and said softly, "Have some tea to calm you down."

As he spoke, he instructed Bi Yue and said, "Why are you still standing there?"

At this moment, the maid Suyun outside the house said with excitement on her face: "Grandma, Master Heng is here."

While Jia Heng was talking, he walked into the hall and asked, "Sister Wan, what's going on?"

Li Wan's gentle and graceful face seemed to be blushing like clouds and burning like fire. She said in a clear voice, "I have some morning sickness."

Cao said softly, "Help her hold it down from the side."

Jia Heng showed concern on his face. He quickly stepped forward, looked at Li Wan, and said, "I'll come and take a look."

As he spoke, he walked closer to Li Wan.

(End of this chapter)