The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 222 Taking Preemptive Action
Daizhou does not belong to Datong; Daizhou belongs to Shanxi. Datong also does not belong to Shanxi; Datong belongs to the Shanxi Provincial Military Command. Later, it was separately divided into Datong Military Town, consisting of seven military units and three civilian units. After a century of development, it became seven civilian units and three military units.

Although Yanmen Pass is nominally under the jurisdiction of Shanxi, it is actually part of the military system of Datong Military Town.

According to geographical division, Yanmen Pass is located in the northern part of Daizhou.

Zheng Hao went to the capital and saw the world. He happily told his grandfather, "In the capital, I met Lu Hanlin, who is a student of Lord Lin." He then gave a detailed introduction to Lu Zhongheng.

Zheng Yonglian was overjoyed, just like someone in later generations who was happy to find out that their son, who was in school, had made friends with a top student. He couldn't stop smiling and said, "Not bad, it seems that General Wang's background is indeed quite impressive."

"Indeed, they are an indestructible family." Although young, Zheng Hao had a different perspective. He sighed, "The noble families have been suppressed by the retired emperor for many years and are in decline. An ordinary family would have fallen into ruin long ago, but these noble families are different. They can still be themselves after a transformation."

Since the noble families of the Jia family are no longer viable and the government needs to control the military with civil officials, a branch of the family should be set aside to pursue a civil career.

The eldest master of Ningguo Mansion also passed the imperial examination, but failed completely because he chose the wrong path. However, the second master of Rongguo Mansion soon filled the gap. If he was not qualified enough, he would arrange a marriage with a man named Lin.

This foundation, this substantial cost of trial and error.

Zheng Hao had always thought that only a family like the Zheng family, who were wealthy and powerful in Daizhou, had a strong foundation. But now, after seeing a truly noble and aristocratic family, he realized that there was an even greater mountain to climb.

Let alone Master Lin, even his disciples are people I need to curry favor with.

"That's good." Zheng Yonglian was not angry at all, but even happier. Wang Xin was making more and more demands on Daizhou. They had invested a lot, but what was it for? Wasn't it for a return?

The more you invest, the higher your expectations for returns become. Now that it's confirmed that Wang Xin's background is indeed extraordinary, Zheng Yonglian is naturally more at ease.

There was something he didn't know whether he should say or not, and Zheng Hao hesitated.

Seeing his grandson's attitude, Zheng Yonglian understood perfectly well and cursed, "How long have you been following Wang Xin? Do you think Wang Xin is more important than the family? You brain-dead dog!"

Zheng Hao, jolted awake by the scolding, disregarded whether it was a secret or not and revealed, "I heard that Grand Secretary Zhang, who also serves as Minister of War, has reached an agreement with General Wang that Datong will split off a branch, led by General Wang."

This was truly significant news. Cheng Wing-lim fell silent, calculating the potential benefits.

Datong is a border town, a unique place with unique advantages, namely border trade. Many wealthy families have become rich through border trade. If Datong can be separated from other areas, then a portion of the profits will naturally be shared.

Wang Xin will have a significant influence on this part of the benefits.

So this is a good thing for the Zheng family. Zheng Yonglian raised his head and said seriously, "Keep a close eye on this matter and don't let it leak out."

Zheng Hao nodded.

The Zheng family wants to gain the biggest share of the profits.

After staying at home for a few days, many people came to visit Zheng Hao. Zheng Hao said what he should say and kept quiet about what he shouldn't say. After his leave, he went back to Yanmen Pass to work as a clerk. Although he wasn't a proper official, he had a lot of official duties at Yanmen Pass.

Zheng Hao had just returned to Yanmen Pass and hadn't even gotten started when he was summoned away.

"General." Zheng Hao was somewhat surprised and uncertain. He had revealed a lot of information to his family and felt uneasy. Could it be that the general knew about it?

How can this be.

It's illogical. Just thinking about the general's abilities and his trust in him, Zheng Hao couldn't help but be suspicious. Sometimes, one can't judge a general by common sense.

"You should have told your grandfather and the others about my agreement with Zhang Jifu regarding my promotion to brigade commander and sole command of the Datong Route," Wang Xin asked in an unquestionable tone.

The Zheng family invested a lot in Yanmen Pass, not because they had the aura of a king, but for profit.

Unlike Tang Ping and the others, Zheng Hao has a family. Although his loyalty is growing, his family comes first, and he will inevitably prioritize his family. Whether through the panel or human nature, Wang Xin has no doubt that Zheng Hao has already told his family.

This news contains so much potential benefit that it could influence the Zheng family to make many decisions.

Zheng Hao felt a bitter taste in his mouth and subconsciously wanted to deny it, but he didn't dare to speak easily. Finally, he gritted his teeth and admitted, "General, this matter was not instructed to be kept secret, so I did tell my family. If you are not satisfied, please punish me. Moreover, my grandfather has instructed me not to reveal it to anyone."

Zheng Hao still wanted to salvage the situation, so he told Wang Xin that no one else knew about it except the Zheng family.

Wang Xin didn't take it seriously and wasn't angry.

In the future, not only Zheng Hao, but also many more Zheng Haos will appear after I am promoted to the rank of brigade commander and take sole command of Datong Road. If you don't even have this understanding, then you are just playing around and will not go far.

There's no need to hide it.

"what?"

"Spread the word as soon as possible, so that the whole of Datong knows, the sooner the better."

Wang Xin patted Zheng Hao on the shoulder.

Zheng Hao couldn't understand the general's thoughts. The general wasn't angry, and Zheng Hao was initially happy that he wouldn't face punishment. But his smile quickly faded. If only the Zheng family knew this news, then the Zheng family would undoubtedly have a monopoly.

Now that the general's instructions have been followed, the Zheng family has gone from having a monopoly to having the upper hand. Although they have gained some benefits, the two situations are not comparable.

Although somewhat reluctant, Zheng Hao could not refuse now that things had come to this, and he had to handle the matter well. The Zheng family was the local power in Daizhou. Although the wealthy families had their own conflicts, they were indeed very well-informed. What happened all over the country was unknown to ordinary people until their deaths, but the Zheng family could learn about it immediately. Hence the saying that a scholar could know everything under the heavens without leaving home.

When Zheng Yonglian saw his grandson return, he was puzzled. But when he heard his grandson bring back Wang Xin's request, his admiration grew even stronger. This warrior's mind was truly remarkable and unfathomable.

Since that was the case, Zheng Yonglian said no more and did as Wang Xin asked.

soon.

The news that Wang Xin was to be promoted to the rank of Assistant General and to lead a separate route spread like ripples across the entire Datong region, causing quite a stir.

Wu Hong, the prefect of Daizhou, personally came to Yanmen Pass to verify the matter. Since it was of great importance, Wu Hong dared not neglect it.

Wang Xin also truthfully stated, "This matter is true."

Wu Hong finally gave up hope, but he was still somewhat taken aback, looking at Wang Xin in disbelief. Shouldn't this kind of news be kept secret? Most people would wait until the dust settled down, afraid of leaking it out in advance and causing trouble.

As far as he knew, Wang Xin was not the kind of hothead.

Wang Xin did have his own ideas and needed the support of some people. Wu Hong was someone who could be won over, as he was also the prefect of Daizhou. The interests of the prefect of Daizhou and the censor of Datong were not the same.

Wang Xin revealed, "I plan to make a move ahead of time and take control of Datong West Road first."

The only possible route that split off from Datong is the Datong West Route, unless the court intends to transfer him away from Yanmen Pass. That would not be an agreement, but a betrayal. Wang Xin still trusted Zhang Jifu quite a bit.

This person values ​​rules highly. Since he values ​​rules, I can act according to his rules. For example, when I returned to the Southeast, I acted according to his rules, which displeased him, but he didn't overturn the table, which was quite good. This is also the reason why I was willing to return to the capital with him.

He had no personal grudge against Zhang Jifu. Since there was no personal grudge, Zhang Jifu would not betray him if there was no conflict of interest. Even if there was a conflict of interest, as long as he did not violate Zhang Jifu's rules, Zhang Jifu would not break his rules first.

Because he trusted Zhang Jifu, Wang Xin planned to do something underhanded.

Wu Hong was unclear about Wang Xin's thinking. After hearing his idea, he could only sigh at how bold the young man was, daring to gamble like this. If the court changed its mind, being put on the defensive would be a minor matter; he might even be punished and lose his future.

Wu Hong couldn't understand and couldn't help but ask, "Is it necessary?"

"Have."

Wang Xin explained, "Ou Yanhu is no small threat. We must make arrangements in advance and disrupt his plans. We cannot let him lead us by the nose, otherwise this man will become a major problem."

"So what if that's the case?" Wu Hong said calmly, unconvinced. "If Datong can't be solved, there's still the Beijing Garrison, the Japanese Pirate Defense Army, the other nine border regions, and we can even mobilize the troops of the feudal princes."

Wu Hong did not object to Wang Xin's actions, as they would benefit Daizhou. However, Wu Hong disagreed with Wang Xin's words, which is why he refuted them.

Wu Hong's attitude is the normal one.

What about the troubles caused by the barbarians?

The threat of foreign invasions was a huge problem for ordinary people, but for wealthy families, it could sometimes be a good thing. Take the Japanese pirates in the southeast, for example; many wealthy families didn't care and were happy to observe from the sidelines. Why? Because after the war, land consolidation would follow.

The wealthy look down on the possessions of the poor, who are already poor and worthless even when sold into servitude. But the wealthy look down on the possessions of the rich.

The wealthy families who were qualified to participate in maritime trade were worried about having too much money to spend. However, due to the war and man-made disasters, many families like Zhen Shiyin went bankrupt. Not only did they lose all their family property, but they also lost all their land. In peacetime, these families would not sell their land for any amount of money.

You can't buy them even with money, but after a war and man-made disaster, countless fields changed hands at extremely low prices.

Otherwise, where did those large landowners with tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of acres of land come from? Do they really think they can acquire so much land through fair trade?

The Great Zhou Dynasty was vast, economically prosperous, and rich in resources, with a massive population. The wealthy families lacked a sense of crisis about survival, so the lives of ordinary people were of little concern to anyone but themselves.

In reality, ordinary people don't really care; everyone just minds their own business.

So Wu Hong meant that even if Datong was destroyed, it wouldn't affect the Great Zhou Dynasty. At most, in twenty years, Datong would be restored to its original state.

Wang Xin shook his head, completely disagreeing with Wu Hong's words. A resolute glint flashed in his eyes as he said in an unquestionable tone, "I am a soldier. Wherever there is war, there I will be."

To expand territory and defend the country.

Wang Xin always had his own ideas about the Hetao region.

If the Shanyu tribe doesn't rebel, then there's nothing we can do. But since they have rebelled, they are the enemy, and the enemy can be resolutely eliminated. We've been raising an army for a thousand days, and now we have our chance.

Crisis can also be an opportunity.

With rivers flowing freely and seas calm, times peaceful and years bountiful, the nation prosperous and the people at peace, a golden age of tranquility, one can simply put away one's weapons and let one's horses graze freely in the southern mountains.

But if there is war everywhere, then the only option is to completely annihilate oneself.

Wu Hong had never seen anyone like Wang Xin before. Seeing Wang Xin's attitude, he couldn't help but be lost in thought. Was this kind of person good or bad? He couldn't quite tell. Wu Hong was stunned.

(End of this chapter)