The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 134 Each Has Its Own Rules
Yangzhou Guild Hall.

In February and March, the imperial examinations were held in Beijing. Lu Zhongheng passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. The Yangzhou Guild Hall was very lively for a while. It was only recently that it became quieter. Xue Yan came to visit and learned about the cooperation.

Talking about this Wang Xin, Lawrence Lu was moved, so he sent someone to invite him and set a date for a reunion.

He has been too glorious recently and has really attracted a lot of attention. In order to keep a low profile, Lawrence Lu did not invite anyone else. He just wanted to talk to Wang Xin and his mentor Lin Ruhai.

Day two.

Wang Xin arrived as promised. Lawrence Lu did not go out to greet him in person, but waited inside. When he saw Wang Xin, he took the initiative to apologize.

Wang Xin didn't blame him and understood Lawrence Lu's dilemma.

A newly-minted Jinshi is only a newly-minted Jinshi. He has a bright future ahead of him, but he must keep a low profile at the moment to avoid causing trouble.

However, Lawrence Lu entered the Hanlin Academy, which was different from Hanlin Mei.

Wang Xin knew Mei Hanlin.

Mei Hanlin is old, which does not mean that Mei Hanlin is not important. But compared with a younger Hanlin like Lawrence Lu, who will be qualified to enter the cabinet in the future, Lawrence Lu's status has become important.

For a certain force, having such a rising star is like having a stabilizing force.

One is an important weapon and the other is a nuclear weapon.

You can do without it, but you can’t live without it.

Forces of the same size, one side has Lu Zhongheng, while the other side doesn't. The side without him won't even have the confidence to speak.

Lu Zhongheng's transcendent status in the Yangzhou Guild Hall explains everything.

Wang Xin followed Lawrence Lu, and the two of them were in a separate room, and the dishes began to be served on the table.

Lawrence Lu personally poured wine for Wang Xin. Since the two of them came from the same family, there was no need to be too polite.

Unlike what others thought, Lu Zhongheng had a special respect for Wang Xin not only because they were from the same school, but also because he was from a different school.

Officials from other places were originally provided with housing when they came to Beijing. Later, because the houses were occupied, the court expanded the houses several times. When the court had no money, everyone had to find their own way to solve the problem.

The imperial court was well aware of the disadvantages and consequences of such irresponsible practices.

It's just like a general keeping servants, who are actually his private soldiers. In essence, the court has no money and can only pretend not to see it.

It is difficult to find a house in Beijing and the housing prices are expensive.

Small officials with low salaries could not even afford the rent, and officials with high salaries had many people to support. In addition, the Zhou Dynasty was extravagant and the social connections were smooth, which resulted in none of the officials being able to make a living on their salaries.

"Your salary is high, and you don't have many people to support. Why don't you take the opportunity to buy a house in the capital?" Lu Zhongheng asked.

Wang Xin gave a wry smile.

What he did in the Hexi camp was no different from what others did in raising servants, except that others raised one or two hundred, or even several hundred servants, while he raised two thousand.

Also because of the housing issue, many non-local officers in the camp found it difficult to settle down in the capital.

For example, Zhao Yong and Liu Tong were both like this.

Including Zhang Can.

Even a group of newly promoted officers can only regard the camp as their home for now. Zhao Yong has a family, and his family is not around, and there are others who have families. In short, he does not stay in the camp most of the time, which makes many people feel relieved.

Otherwise, everyone in the camp would be tense, which would be detrimental to the morale of the troops over time.

In short, he was already a guerrilla general, no longer the former commander, nor the former assistant commander.

Wang Xin said truthfully, "I would like to rent a house, but the rent is high, which will affect my ability to save enough to buy a house. It would take me three years to save, but if I rent a house, it will take me five or six years. As for buying a house, I don't have enough money."

Lawrence Lu was shocked and asked quickly, “You are doing a lot of business. I have learned about it from Xue Yandong. Why are you so embarrassed?”

"Cooperation with a business is a public matter. How can I take it myself? If I take it, can my subordinates also take it?" Wang Xin explained.

“Not to that extent.” Lawrence Lu shook his head. In his opinion, they were two different things. He smiled and said, “You are too harsh on yourself.”

Wang Xin disagreed and said bluntly, "Because I am a general, I can take it, but others are not generals, so they cannot take it. But if I get promoted in the future and my subordinates are promoted to guerrilla generals, they will also be generals. Can they take it and use their power to do business?"

Lu Zhongheng was approachable because he respected Wang Xin.

Having been a famous child prodigy since childhood, he was very arrogant. He couldn't understand Wang Xin's thoughts and wondered, "If it weren't for you, how could your subordinates get ahead? It would be fine if they weren't grateful to you, but why are they still not listening to you?"

Wang Xin understood Lawrence Lu’s thoughts.

It’s not that Lawrence Lu is not smart, but that the circle he has lived in since he was a child is too high and he cannot understand the people below him.

Some things cannot be explained in a few words, and Lawrence Lu may not understand even if he explains them, so Wang Xin simply smiled.

"You have to be honest and upright in your conduct, leaving no room for criticism. The military engages in business out of necessity, in order to support the soldiers. Only if you are honest and upright can your subordinates strictly follow your rules. You cannot destroy the rules you set yourself."

If it was Zhang Jifu, he might understand me. I heard that this person is very disciplined.

Lawrence Lu was a smart man. He didn't argue about irreconcilable issues, but instead talked about Lin Ruhai. "Mr. Lin will soon be promoted to the Minister of Revenue of Yingtian. What a pity. If Zhang Jifu hadn't intervened, Mr. Lin should have returned to Beijing to truly take charge of the ministry."

Although both are Ministers of Revenue, the Minister of Revenue in the capital is completely different from the Minister of Revenue in Yingtian.

The person who suffered the greatest loss due to Lin Ruhai's failure to enter the capital should be Lu Zhongheng. Wang Xin knew in his heart that it was easier to be an official if you had someone in the court. Lu Zhongheng was already a big shot in the eyes of many people, but he was not really a big shot yet.

Lin Ruhai became the minister, and with Lin Ruhai's care, Lu Zhongheng's career in the Hanlin Academy was stable.

On their path, what matters is not who walks faster, but who walks more steadily.

As long as you are steady, you can keep going. At the end of the road, you will become a high-ranking official with unparalleled achievements.

"The capital is a whirlpool, but a blessing in disguise." Wang Xin consoled him, "Maybe it's a good thing that Lord Lin isn't coming."

Lawrence Lu actually laughed, and Wang Xin was confused, not knowing what Lawrence Lu was laughing at.

It turned out that Lu Zhongheng was in the core of the imperial court, was well-informed, and knew a lot about what was happening in the world.

For example, there was a civil unrest in Sichuan. Thousands of people from Wushan County gathered together to collect years of arrears, destroyed government offices and robbed treasuries. The bandit leader Wang and others pretended to be remnants of the White Lotus Sect, inciting the ignorant people in the countryside. They had already occupied strategic locations and raised the flag of rebellion.

Although 500 Zhenxiang soldiers were dispatched to suppress the rebellion, the bandits were located in the dangerous pass of Daba Mountain, and the suppression was not successful.

There were also soldiers in northern Shaanxi clamoring for pay, and the national treasury was in deficit, etc.

Lu Zhongheng laughed and said, "Let's not talk about anything else. It's actually a good thing that Mr. Lin left the Salt Road. Everyone thinks the Salt Road is a bottomless pit, but they don't know that last year, 21 salt merchants in Lianghuai went bankrupt."

"Why is this so?"

Not long after Wang Xin returned from Jiangnan, although the Japanese invasion had a great impact on the people's economy, it was not to the point of causing serious damage.

"Just look at Zhang Jifu. His hometown has at least two hundred thousand acres of land." Lu Zhongheng sighed, "The Japanese invasion has enriched so many families. Of course, the court can't collect the money."

Wang Xin had nothing to say.

The poor want to get richer, and the rich want to get richer. This is human nature. Who can stop it? It's just the trend of the times. We have to see if anyone comes out to reform. Even Lu Zhongheng knows it, so how can the court not know it?

Reform is not an easy task. Wang Xin thought he did not have the ability to do so, so he decided to lead his troops well and fulfill his duties.

Had a conversation with Lawrence Lu.

Shi Ping and his companions lay by the pool, counting the monkeys on the rockery. Each monkey was as small as a grain of rice. Last time, they didn't have time to look closely, nor did they dare to look too much. Now, they were confident enough, with some pride on their faces, and took their companions to watch carefully.

"General."

"I've seen enough, let's go."

Wang Xin still liked these young men more, so Shi Ping and others immediately put aside the matter of the monkeys and left with their general.

Five hundred bird guns and twenty Portuguese cannons.

Xue Yan also came to the camp in person.

The weapons were placed one by one in the training ground, not only by soldiers, but also by the shopkeepers and stewards of the Xue family.

"Gunpowder was invented by our ancestors very early on, as were the earliest firearms, including the fire lance invented in the Song Dynasty, which is the ancestor of this type of tubular projectile."

Wang Xin introduced these weapons to his men with a smile.

The firearms were not loaded with gunpowder. People were holding one in their hands, or stroking the Portuguese arquebus. After hearing the general's introduction, Zhang Can laughed and said, "It's strange. If it's ours, how did it end up in the hands of foreigners?"

"Didn't the Song Dynasty get defeated? The Yuan Dynasty centralized the Song Dynasty's craftsmen and took them with them on their westward expedition. Some of their technology was lost along the way, and various technologies continued to flow into the West. This included the Song Dynasty's invention of the musket, which flowed to Arabia. The Arabs then invaded several Western countries, including the Portuguese Empire."

Wang Xin pointed at the Portuguese and laughed, "These countries eventually drove the Arabs away, but they also learned some of the technologies the Arabs brought with them, including the musket."

"It's just as the general said, the apprentice has surpassed the master." Zhao Yong was incredulous.

"That's why the ancients said, 'When three people walk together, there must be one who can teach me.' We shouldn't be blindly arrogant, but should be willing to learn. Just like these firearms, don't look at their current appearance. I dare say that in a few years, these weapons will dominate the world."

Everyone was skeptical and unable to see it with their own eyes.

They were in Hexi, less than forty miles from the capital, and they dared not fire firearms at will.

Xue Yan heard Wang Xin's words from a distance and was truly impressed. He was even more certain that the young general in front of him was no ordinary warrior. With such knowledge and vision, he would definitely have a promising future.

"First, learn what I'm going to teach you these days. Ten questions a day." Wang Xin instructed the generals, "I'll go to the Ministry of War and ask for the entire battalion to go to Xianghe to test the firearms."

Xianghe to Tongzhou is about 100 miles away, and it can also train the army to march with firearms and increase marching experience.

Make a little progress today, a little progress tomorrow, and that’s how we build a strong army.

(End of this chapter)