The Red Mansions

Chapter 1531 King of Chu: His Han Dynasty is full of outstanding generals and talents, and it does n

Chapter 1531 King of Chu: His Han Dynasty is full of outstanding generals and talents, and it does not lack a Jia Ziyu!

Time flies and years are like songs.

Before we knew it, it was early April of the first year of Jianxing. Late spring was fading away, the weather was gradually turning into summer, and the vast sky was becoming increasingly high and cloudless.

The imperial edict issued by the cabinet to the army that was responsible for pacifying Liao had already been delivered to Shengjing via an express route of 600 miles. Xie Zaiyi and others also reorganized their troops and quickly marched towards Guanzhong.

Finally, on the tenth day of April in the first year of Jianxing, the army arrived near the city of Shenjing.

On this day, the sky was clear and the air was blue. It was the late spring of the first year of Jianxing. The scorching sun shone on the earth, and the grass was green and the scenery was beautiful.

Willows stand in rows on both sides of the official road, and green trees provide shade, with emerald green branches and leaves swaying in the wind. Under the blue brick and stone Ba Bridge, the sparkling river water is so clear that you can see the bottom, and you can see a few fish swimming around, chasing the water plants and playing happily.

On both sides of the straight and spacious official road, one can see flags covering the field, swords and spears like a forest, and black-scale armor shining brightly under the sunlight, dazzling the eyes.

A large number of soldiers, with scarlet flags flying on their bodies and riding on red-maned horses, marched in neat military formations towards the capital city of Shenjing.

Shenjing City, East Gate

On the towering city gate tower, the King of Chu, wearing a dragon robe and a Liang crown on his head, stands under a light yellow umbrella, holding a monocular telescope in his hand, looking at the marching troops on the official road.

The Chief Minister of the Cabinet Li Zan and the Second Minister of the Cabinet Gao Zhongping were accompanying him. Their resolute and calm faces were filled with endless hope.

Several cabinet ministers including Lu Jiang, Qi Kun and Lin Ruhai, together with officials from the six ministries and nine departments, all stood on the towering city walls, looking eagerly at the army on the straight official road.

Jia Heng was wearing a golden silk, black and red satin dragon robe and a wingless crown with the word "山" on his head. He stood on the city wall with a fierce look as he looked at the well-organized and mighty army.

I can't help but feel a surge of emotion deep in my heart.

The King of Chu held the top of the city wall with one hand, and his resolute, fair face showed endless anticipation.

As soon as the army returns, some meritorious officers of the Beijing camp can be honored with high positions and generous salaries, and the military power of the Beijing camp can be gradually controlled.

The Beijing camp's army marched forward in a mighty procession to the front of Shenjing City. Under a large central army banner with the word "Xie" written on it, leading the army was an officer wearing maroon armor with the word "山" inscribed on it. It was none other than Xie Zaiyi, the first-class loyal and diligent marquis of the Han Dynasty. At this moment, he was riding on a saddle with a rein in his hand. His resolute and majestic face was covered with a dusty look, but his eyes were bright and sharp, as if containing a divine aura.

"Greetings to His Majesty, long live the emperor." Xie Zaiyi's face was solemn, his eyes were bright under his sword-like brows, and he spoke in a loud voice.

Behind him were an army of more than 100,000 soldiers, who were also saluting the King of Chu on the city wall on horseback.

For a moment, cheers of "Long live the emperor" rang out. At this moment, it was almost deafening, echoing throughout the wilderness.

Hearing the cheers of "Long live the king" from below, an abnormal blush appeared on the fair and sinister face of the King of Chu, and he said loudly: "All soldiers, stand up."

When listening to the cheers of "Long live the emperor", the new emperor felt so excited that he could hardly control himself.

Jia Heng stared at the soldiers below, and an inexplicable feeling surged in his mind.

Now that the soldiers have returned to the capital and the troops have gathered in the capital, the time is almost ripe.

As the King of Chu shouted "Stand Up", all the officers and soldiers below stood up one after another, moving in an orderly and uniform manner amid the sound of armor plates colliding.

An invisible murderous aura of a veteran soldier who had experienced many battles emanated from him, shocking all the Han civil and military officials on the city wall.

Li Zan's eyes were sparkling as he stared at the officers and soldiers below, thinking to himself, this is truly an army that has experienced a hundred battles, and is filled with murderous spirit.

If they are not used for the country's benefit, but only obey the orders of foreign officials, it may pose a threat to the country.

At this moment, an eunuch came down from the top of the city wall, straightened his neck, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, please invite the commander of the Liao army, the loyal and diligent Marquis Xie Zaiyi, to the city gate tower for a chat."

Upon hearing this, Xie Zaiyi dismounted, threw the reins in his hand to the attendant beside him, and trotted upwards.

As he spoke, he quickly walked up to the city gate tower, bowed to the young emperor in dragon robes, and said, "Your Majesty, I greet you. Long live your Majesty."

The King of Chu's resolute and sinister face showed an approachable smile. He extended his hand to support him and said loudly, "Thank you, Lord. Please get up. It's been a long time since we last met."

The person in front of him was also Jia Ziyu's confidant, but he was already a first-class marquis. After this battle, he could be conferred the title of a third-class duke, which could be considered as starting a new business.

"Since we parted in Liaodong and the military situation has been settled, Your Majesty is even more elegant than before." Feeling the King of Chu's kindness, Xie Zaiyi also said.

The King of Chu nodded, his eyes warm, and said, "Lord Xie, have all the troops from the Beijing camp been transferred here this time?"

Xie Zaiyi nodded and said, "Except for the 30,000 soldiers from the Beijing Camp who stayed in Shengjing City to jointly govern Liaodong with the border troops, all the elite soldiers from the Beijing Camp have returned to Shenjing and are stationed near the capital to protect the imperial palace."

The King of Chu looked determined and nodded, saying, "The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War will jointly plan the rewards and pensions for the officers who have made contributions and died in battle. Thank you, Marquis, please follow me to the palace. I have already arranged a banquet in Xihe Palace to welcome all the officers present."

Xie Zaiyi nodded, his eyes deep, and whispered: "Yes, Your Majesty."

There was no such thing as a situation where soldiers did not know the emperor's orders but only knew the orders of the military commander.

Just like that, accompanied by the desolate and distant sound of trumpets, the army heading out to conquer Liao marched towards the Jingying camp in a mighty manner.

Some meritorious officers went to Xihe Palace with Xie Zaiyi.

Jia Heng's eyes flickered as he quietly watched the King of Chu performing the drama of harmony between the monarch and his subjects not far away.

Here, the King of Chu took Xie Zaiyi's arm and walked towards the city. At this moment, if seen by outsiders, they would probably think that Xie Zaiyi was the primary contributor to the pacification of Liaodong.

Jia Heng, who was previously awarded the title of Prince for his merits, is just a supporting role.

Jia Heng had a blank expression on his face, with a hint of sarcasm in his cold eyes. He followed the civil and military officials of the Han Dynasty to the Xihe Palace.

At this moment, various kinds of dishes were already placed in Xihe Palace.

The King of Chu came to a table and sat down, his handsome, fair face showing a sense of prosperity.

Jia Heng sat down on an embroidered cushion covered with a mattress in the corner, picked up the blue and white porcelain teacup, took a sip of tea, and quietly observed the conversation between the King of Chu and Xie Zaiyi and others.

The King of Chu, with the help of the eunuch, poured a cup of wine into the wine cup and said to the civil and military officials present: "My lords, I would like to offer a toast to the officers who died in the Liaodong battlefield."

As he spoke, drops of wine from the blue and white porcelain wine glass fell onto the clear water floor with a "splashing" sound, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

The civil and military officials present had solemn expressions. They paused for a moment and looked fixedly at the King of Chu, their minds inexplicably confused.

Soon, the King of Chu signaled the eunuch beside him to pick up the wine cup and refill it. He glanced at the officers in the hall and said loudly: "This cup is for the meritorious officers such as the Marquis of Loyalty and Diligence."

Xie Zaiyi's face became solemn, and he cupped his hands and said, "I dare not."

After the King of Chu finished his wine cup, he caught a glimpse of Cao Bianjiao who was sitting on an embroidered cushion not far away. He saw that he had a handsome face and a heroic temperament. For a moment, he felt confused.

He is a very brave man, not inferior to Jia Ziyu.

The Han Dynasty has many outstanding generals and talents, and it does not lack a Jia Ziyu!

Jia Heng sat aside, holding a blue and white porcelain wine cup in his hand, looking quietly at the King of Chu.

At this moment, the King of Chu toasted several officers with a few glasses. He looked in a trance and his eyes seemed a little drunk.

At this moment, not far away, under a pillar with two pale yellow curtains hanging, Jinyifu commander Qiu Liang stood with a sword in his hand. Under his stern and thick eyebrows, his eyes flashed coldly as he looked at Jia Heng and the officers of the Beijing camp who had returned from the campaign and were "celebrating".

Sooner or later, he would eliminate all the followers of Jia's party one by one and restore order to the Han Dynasty's court!

Qiu Liang raised a blue and white porcelain wine cup and took a sip, but when his eyes flickered, a cold light could be seen flashing.

At this moment, after paying respect to all the officers, the King of Chu instructed Sang Yao and said in a loud voice: "General Manager Sang, pass on the order."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Sang Yao responded quickly, and spread out the light yellow silk in his hand, and recited in a shrill voice: "The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: First-class Loyalty and Diligence Marquis Xie Zaiyi, brave and resolute, led the army to conquer Liao, personally led the bears, captured the flag and killed the generals, waited for Liaodong to be pacified, sat in the border, and calmed the situation. He worked hard and made great contributions, so he is promoted to the Duke of Liao. This is decreed."

Jia Heng was listening to the imperial edict, and a strange look inevitably emerged on his fair face.

The King of Chu was clearly plotting to sow discord between him and Xie Zaiyi, otherwise he would never have been given the title of Duke of Liao.

He had not known about this title before, and it was obvious that it was deliberately concealed from him.

But what’s the point of such shabby means?

"Your Majesty, I thank you. Long live the king." Xie Zaiyi stood up, clasped his fists towards the King of Chu and responded with excitement in his voice.

From being an ordinary city gate captain to being a duke today, he has made great achievements that are recorded in history.

The King of Chu looked warm and said with a smile, "Duke Liao, please stand up quickly."

Sang Yao then began to read the imperial edict to Hebei Governor Kang Hong and Jiangnan Navy Governor Wei Che.

The two were successfully conferred the title of third-class earl, which is also a third-class title.

If it were normal, it might be worth being ecstatic, but if Qiu Liangfei was also awarded the third-class earl because of his military merits, it would seem a bit shabby.

Jia Heng's expression was extremely indifferent, his eyes flickered, and he listened quietly to Sang Yao reading out the decree of the King of Chu drafted by the cabinet.

The cabinet took a harsh attitude in rewarding the meritorious officers, or in other words, gradually downplayed the importance of the Liaodong War.

Perhaps one day in the future, with the burial of the late emperor, the impact of this war will gradually dissipate.

Jia Heng paused for a moment, looked at each officer, and accepted the imperial edict with a happy expression.

After Sang Yao finished reading the imperial edict, the King of Chu turned to look at the generals below and said loudly: "All meritorious officers, please take a seat and have a feast together."

All the officers and soldiers in the hall stood up and kowtowed to the King of Chu to thank him for his grace. Then, without saying much, they sat down behind the tables with a wide variety of dishes.

For a while, the atmosphere became more and more lively with cups being passed around.

Because, although the two had just finished the national mourning period, the late emperor was not buried immediately, and there was no sound of stringed instruments or singing girls dancing to accompany him.

In this way, a welcoming banquet for the army that was going to conquer Liao lasted until the whole afternoon, when all the officers and generals left the palace drunkenly.

At this moment, the King of Chu took a sip of tea, stared at Jia Heng who was sitting in the middle of the palace, holding a cup and sipping wine, and said, "Zi Yu, follow me to the inner study to talk."

Jia Heng put down the wine cup in his hand, his expression paused, and he stood up, thinking about something, and said with his hands clasped, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The King of Chu didn't say anything else. He left the table and went to the study room.

At this moment, supported by Sang Yao, the King of Chu quickly entered the study and sat down on a red lacquered pearwood chair.

Jia Heng nodded, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty."

Under the sword-like eyebrows, the King of Chu stared at the young man in the python robe with his sharp eyes. He seemed to be drunk and said, "Zi Yu, the Beijing camp needs to be reorganized. The previous twelve camps were too complicated and the personnel were not smooth. We need to reorganize the system."

Jia Heng secretly said that it had come, and the 12th Regiment had already begun to move, and the next step would probably be to kill the dog after the rabbit had died.

"Your Majesty, the twelve regiments have been established since the time of Emperor Taizong. If we act rashly, I'm afraid the morale of the army will be shaken and rumors will spread." Jia Heng was silent for a moment and advised.

The King of Chu said: "The current twelve regiments are not suitable for the expedition to Tibet and the Western Regions in the future. They should be adjusted together with the nine frontiers. I don't know what the rumors are."

As the King of Chu spoke, a dangerous light seemed to flash in his slightly sinister eyes.

Is this a threat to him?

For a moment, the study in Hanyuan Hall fell into a brief silence.

Jia Heng nodded and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, if you must adjust the organization of the 12 regiments, I think you can ask the Military Affairs Council to discuss it again and come up with a set of rules. You must not act rashly."

The King of Chu's expression eased a little, nodded, and said in a gentle voice: "Then we will slowly work out a set of rules. Zi Yu is right. The established rules of the Beijing camp cannot be changed rashly to prevent the soldiers from causing chaos."

Jia Heng's expression paused slightly, and he looked at the King of Chu quietly, with a chill surging in his heart.

The King of Chu had indeed begun to consider seizing military power.

In other words, this is the only way for an emperor to reach the pinnacle of supreme power - centralization!

Jia Heng's heart was filled with chills, but his stern face remained unchanged as he cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, please understand."

The King of Chu said, "Zi Yu, the matter of reducing the nine frontiers is complicated. I mean that you, the Minister of Military Affairs, should personally supervise it. Which troops can be replaced and which troops can be maintained? You should also come up with a strategy as soon as possible."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, the officials of the Military Affairs Council can go to the nine borders to carefully observe the situation and then decide how to dismiss them."

This is to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and then adjust the personnel of the Beijing camp.

The King of Chu was silent for a moment, and then said, "The ministers of the military council can plan for a region, but not for the whole situation. Ziyu is experienced in planning for the state, so I feel more at ease if Ziyu investigates."

Jia Heng thought about it, his face became serious, and he said with his hands clasped, "I obey your order."

The King of Chu nodded, looked at the young man in the python robe, and said, "Zi Yu, it's getting late, Zi Yu should go back and rest early."

Since Zi Yu likes women, after he is relieved of his power, he should just hang out with women in the backyard and not try to get involved in these military and political powers.

Recently, Xianning just gave birth to a son, so she could just go over and spend more time with her.

Jia Heng bowed and took his leave without saying anything more, then turned and left the inner study.

After crossing the threshold and standing on the eaves of the corridor, he stood there for a while. His face suddenly became gloomy and his eyes flashed coldly.

Chen Qin, you have already found a way to die!

Before he even thought of taking action, the new emperor had already sharpened his knife.

……

……

Jinyi Mansion, among the government offices——

It was early summer, the days were growing longer and warmer, and the quilt curtains outside the hall had long been removed.

Qiu Liang was wearing an exquisitely embroidered flying fish suit and sitting behind a lacquered wooden desk. His face was as gloomy as iron and a cold light was visible in his eyes.

At this moment, a tall officer in brocade uniforms walked into the hall and said loudly, "Commander, we have found out the truth."

"What do you mean?" Qiu Liang asked, his brows tightly furrowed, his eyes flashing fiercely, looking at the young officer in brocade uniforms.

The young officer in brocade uniforms looked a little mysterious and said, "Jia Zhu's wife gave birth to a child these days."

"The Jia family has given birth to many children. There's nothing strange about this." Qiu Liang said coldly.

"Commander, Jia Zhu has been dead for almost ten years." The young officer said hurriedly with a look of anxiety on his face.

Qiu Liang raised his eyebrows, his eyes like an eagle, sharp as a sword, and asked, "What do you mean? A child was born, what kind of child was born?"

The junior officer nodded and said, "It seems that the children are twins, a boy and a girl."

"Twins, a boy and a girl!" Qiu Liang's face froze when he heard this, as if he was struck by lightning, and his heart was immediately filled with turmoil.

Damn it, it’s twins, a boy and a girl!

Are all the twins, boy and girl, gathered together?

Then there is only one possibility, it must be Jia Ziyu's child!

This man has always been a playboy and lustful person, and he even did not let go of the nuns in the family temple. So it was normal for him to commit adultery with a widow and give birth to a son.

If Qiu Liang had a flash of inspiration in the past and thought that Queen Song and Zhen Qing, who both gave birth to twins, were the same person, he could now be almost 100% sure.

Qiu Liang's expression kept changing, and dark clouds were surging in his eyes under his thick brows. He should now go to the palace to meet the emperor and report the matter to him.

This gave His Majesty some clues that the former Queen Song and Li Wan from Daoxiang Village both gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.

Then the emperor would naturally become suspicious, and once he thought of Empress Zhen, he would be furious!

Thinking of this, Qiu Liang felt a flame burning in his heart.

This is the opportunity to overthrow Prince Wei!