The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 285 Let Fatty Feng Make a Fool of Us

"Tell Zhang Wenjin that not a single tael of the 100,000 taels of silver sent by the Ministry of War can be short, or I will impeach him."

Wang Xin said without any politeness.

Zhai Wen was stunned.

This was the first time he had seen Wang Xin with such an expression.

As far as I can remember, Wang Xin was always quite calm and composed, no matter the situation.

Fearing that Wang Xin would take his anger out on him, Zhai Wensheng quickly explained, "General Wang, please don't be angry. I only meant well."

I never imagined that Wang Xin would be so terrifying when he was angry.

Zhai Wen suddenly understood why the Hu people outside the pass were afraid of Wang Xin; it turned out that he had never seen Wang Xin get angry.

"none of your business."

Wang Xin shook his head.

Zhai Wen breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Wang Xin was not faking it, he couldn't help but ask, "General, you're not in a hurry to get those 100,000 taels of silver. Besides, this has always been the rule. The governor isn't targeting you specifically."

Things are different now than they used to be.

Wang Xin said calmly.

Before, I only had a few hundred men. I could easily support them by setting up some trade routes and collecting spoils of war, and I still had plenty of money.

One or two thousand men and more than ten thousand men.

It is completely two concepts.

More importantly, once the operation is established, it's not their concern to what's happening outside, but no one can interfere with their internal rules. Otherwise, the atmosphere will be ruined, and negative influences from the outside world will flood in, and the Datong Western Army will be finished in a few days.

The phenomenon of bad money driving out good money is a natural development process.

No one can turn it around.

Because everyone is in it.

As long as human desires persist, the phenomenon of bad money driving out good money is inevitable.

The only thing I can do, and the only thing I have to do, is to guard against it strictly.

It's not just about ensuring the army can win battles.

This also laid a solid foundation, prolonged the time before the power decayed, and left a deep foundation for its resurgence.

This is the reason why Chinese civilization has stood for thousands of years.

Thick health bar.

As for other civilizations that have perished, there is only one reason for their demise—they didn't have enough health points.

There are various reasons for the boxing champion's victory.

But they must have one thing in common: strong resilience.

Everyone gets punched a few times.

Zhai Wen didn't understand Wang Xin's thinking, so he didn't really support Wang Xin's approach. However, thinking of his past friendship with Wang Xin, he reminded him again.

"Leaving aside whether the Governor will back down or not, if the General impeaches the Governor because of this matter, even if things fall apart, the court will support the General, but the General's actions will also offend the court."

The imperial court gave Wang Xin 150,000 taels of silver for military expenses.

They'll give 50,000 before the New Year and 100,000 in the Spring Festival.

Did the imperial court actually give that much? The accounts show that it was given, but when the money was transferred out of the treasury, the amount didn't match up.

There are thousands of mouths to feed in the capital, both civil and military.

Even if you only fill that mouth a little, it would still cost several hundred or several thousand taels.
This is a bottomless pit.

No amount of silver could fill the gaps, but it had to be filled because without these ill-gotten gains, the officials couldn't make a living.

An ordinary house in the capital costs several hundred taels of silver.

A fourth-rank official's salary for three years without eating or drinking.

servant boy, pageboy, woman, maid, laundry maid, coachman.
Birthday, birthday banquet, childbirth, full moon celebration, first birthday, promotion, transfer, farewell, buying an official position, gift-giving
If one were to rely on a salary of less than two hundred taels of silver a year, the whole family would probably starve.

If even officials of the fourth rank have such a difficult time, what about the many officials below the fourth rank?

Zhai Wen did not believe Wang Xin and did not understand.

How could someone as intelligent as Wang Xin not understand the underlying principles?

Wang Xin sneered twice.

Following Zhai Wen's words, he continued, "After embezzling money and buying houses, their lives have improved, and they still think about the next generation, wanting to make more money for their descendants. Even if they are only seventh or eighth-rank officials, their appetite is no less than that of first-rank officials. They wish they could make enough money to last eight generations in just a few years in office."

Zhai Wen stopped talking.

Everyone does it, and I do it too.

Wang Xin's attitude shows that he is not greedy for money. He has the ability to turn stones into gold, which is impressive and he admits it. But what about those who don't have such abilities? Are they just supposed to starve to death?

Anyway.

That's how the court operates. Whether Wang Xin listens to his advice or not, he's already been loyal enough.

Wang Xin sighed.

Zhai Wen is considered relatively good.

Those who follow the crowd and become greedy are actually considered good people.

What I fear most are those who are greedy with their own ideas, that is, greed without any bottom line, for which no amount of money is enough.

This is human nature.

Wang Xin didn't think he could change anything, so he tried his best to unite those he could.

"Do you really think Zhang Wenjin doesn't know? He's testing me."

Wang Xin said earnestly.

The anger I felt just now wasn't directed at Zhai Wen, but rather I wanted to convey it through Zhai Wen, letting Zhang Wenjin know my stance. I didn't expect Zhai Wen to get carried away because he cared about me.

Zhai Wen was now completely confused.

Is Wang Xin's face like a dog's? He was furious just a moment ago, and then he was calm the next moment?
Wang Xin shook his head, seeing Zhai Wen's dazed expression. He remembered the first time they met on the grasslands; back then, when he and Feng Yong had a falling out and bandits attacked, Zhai Wen was terrified.

"Zhang Wenjin knows I won't be staying in Datong for long."

"No matter how much dissatisfaction he has with me, he won't show it now; instead, he'll give in to me."

"Why?"

Zhai Wen stared at Wang Xin with his mouth agape in disbelief.

I suspect I heard it wrong.

Wang Xin nodded.

“Zhang Jifu needs me to quell the Hu as soon as possible, so he supports me in the court. Zhang Wenjin has many grievances against me, but he never stops me. It’s not that he’s afraid to offend Zhang Jifu, so he’s just being accommodating to me.”

Zhai Wen knew Zhang Jifu.

The future prime minister, now the one in charge of real power.

Which scholar wouldn't envy that?

Zhai Wen knew his own identity and that he probably would never be qualified, let alone have the chance, to speak to Zhang Jifu in this lifetime, yet the person in front of him kept mentioning his name.

This is the difference.

Although Wang Xin was only a member of a collateral branch of the Wang family, he was able to rise to prominence quickly by leveraging the connections of the four major families.

True.

Zhai Wen acknowledged that Wang Xin was very talented.

No matter how talented he is, if he has no opportunity to use his talents, he is nothing more than an orphan and a poor man.

Although he didn't understand what Wang Xin was trying to say, Zhai Wen felt an invisible gap between himself and Wang Xin.

"The sooner I quell the rebellion and transfer away from Datong, the sooner Zhang Wenjin can get a share of my 'inheritance'," Wang Xin couldn't help but laugh.

Zhai Wen finally understood.

It turned out to be the case.

Seeing that Zhai Wen understood, Wang Xin sighed, "There are no permanent friends, only permanent interests."

Zhai Wen understood, but he understood Wang Xin even less.

"You don't have any objections at all?"

Wang Xin shook his head.

Whether you have any opinions or not doesn't really matter.

The human heart is a scale.

He had done his job well, but the hearts of the people were with the Great Zhou. One by one, the subordinates he had cultivated betrayed him, which showed that the Great Zhou's approach was more appealing than his own.
-
soon.

An army marches on its stomach.

Goods were being transported to Yunchuan City in batches, so much so that the original warehouses could not hold them all. Beans were piled up like mountains on the open ground, and many caravans risked arriving early to make arrangements in order to seize profits.

March 15th.

Wang Xin convened a grand meeting in Yunchuan City.

They invited the various chieftains to jointly attack Ouyanhu.

Incense was burned and wine was offered.

Wang Xin read out the proclamation from the high platform, listing Ou Yanhu's seven major crimes.

"Our dynasty, out of compassion for the hardships of the Hu people and for their livelihood, opened up border trade. Ou Yanhu's sneak attack on Wocao is his first crime."

"Despicable and vile, poisoning others without equal, causing widespread cholera outbreaks—this is the second crime." "Disrespecting the rites of Zhou—this is the seventh crime."

"Now we will jointly subdue their tribe and restore peace to the Hetao region."

The various chieftains below the stage were completely bewildered, their heads spinning.

"is it necessary?"

Erdun remained silent.

"Who dares not to come?"

"Yes, how many people does our tribe need to send?"

Everyone whispered.

If Uen had succeeded with his underhanded sneak attack, everyone would have helped him. But he failed, and failed miserably, leaving everyone helpless.

No one dared to refuse Wang Xin.

This person was born in the Year of the Dog; they can turn on you in an instant.

If you offend them, you might lose your head on the spot, and your entire tribe might be wiped out.

This person is truly hateful.

But this person grew stronger and stronger, and no one could do anything to him. On the contrary, people had to be on his side to survive. They tried all sorts of methods, but only to be met with more cruel retaliation.

Many Taijis died at this man's hands.

There are countless of them.

The remaining Taijis looked fearful.

After Wang Xin finished reciting the oath of punitive expedition, he called out the names of each tribe.

There are hardly any tribes left in the Tu Mao Chuan area.

Many Hu people were recruited by the merchants to teach the disaster victims how to herd livestock and how to live on the grasslands.

However, once they reached the Shanyu region, the merchants had recruited enough Hu people, so there was no need to recruit more. As a result, more tribes remained in the Shanyu region.

The Hu people did not understand the Zhou language, and the management costs of the trading company were high. Unless absolutely necessary, no one was willing to hire Hu people to work.

If we're talking about cheapness, the disaster victims of the Great Zhou Dynasty are just as cheap.

Moreover, they are more obedient, with their whole family together, allowing the business to exploit their weaknesses, and communication between the two parties is also easier.

So what to do about the large number of non-Han people left in the Shanyu region, the inability to absorb them in time, and the many hidden dangers?

The Western Army of Datong cannot win battles forever.

Kill the poor first.

The Qing Dynasty's approach was good.

In this battle, Wang Xin decided to force all the troops to send out their soldiers, and to use all the able-bodied men.

Anyone who dares to refuse or conceal information will suffer the most severe punishment.

When the Taiji of each tribe heard Wang Xin's request, they were stunned.

They had anticipated how demanding it would be, but they hadn't expected it to be this demanding.

"General, our tribe cannot provide that many men."

A Taiji stood up and said.

Everyone looked at him.

"This is a military order, there is no room for negotiation. Anyone who disobeys this order will be punished." Wang Xin drew his sword and slashed it down sharply, making a beheading motion.

The Taijis remained completely silent.

Zhai Wen swallowed hard, never expecting Wang Xin to have this side to him.

Is this what he meant by "inner sage and outer king"?

Zhai Wen had occasionally overheard Wang Xin's words, but he usually just laughed them off, taking them as mere expressions of indignation.

Now I've suddenly discovered it.

Wang Xin seems to have always done this.

When he was in the imperial court, he was never assertive. Even when he spoke fiercely about Prefect Zhang yesterday, it was just a means, not an end. Unlike today, he acted like a great demon.

All of a sudden.

Zhai Wen felt a sense of pride.

Being a Zhou person, I have such advantages.

Indeed, different people, different endings.

Zhai Wen thought of the situation in Liaodong described in his classmate's letter. Many people in Liaodong were fleeing to the barbarian side. In their hearts, who would consider themselves a Zhou person? They would only feel hatred.

This time, an army of 14,000 gathered in Yunchuan City.

Three thousand soldiers were left in Zhenlu City, with Zhao Yong stationed at the rear of the army.

Liu Tong was in charge of the central army.

Zhang Can plays on the right wing.

Tang Ping is on the left flank.

Product shape.

In addition to 3,000 battalion soldiers, there were 9,000 militiamen, 800 Hu cavalry, 2,000 mercenary cavalry, and more than 7,000 Hu cavalry from various Taiji allied forces, totaling more than 20,000 troops, who marched in a mighty force to pacify the Shanyu tribe.

Wang Xin chose to pacify the internal situation first.

Those tribes that disobeyed or outwardly complied were first used as sacrifices to their flags.

The captured cattle and sheep were just enough to fill the grain supply.

The various departments of Osaka had already received the news.

We were prepared from the moment of defeat.

Uen led his tribe to migrate upstream along the Black River.

However, the tribes of Dabansheng were not a strictly structured organization, but rather an alliance. Each tribe had a great deal of autonomy, and many tribes were unwilling to go north, as going north not only meant suffering, but also death.

Since they were going to die anyway, they might as well stay and live as nomads, outlasting the Zhou army until they returned. Maybe they could even survive that way.

Many tribes did not have official names and were not on the Ming Dynasty's register. They could easily get away with making up a tribe name.

"You will regret it."

Un had lost his authority and tried everything he could, but many Taijis did not listen to him.

After Darong returned, he vomited blood and was ill for a month. Instead of recovering, his condition worsened, and he became bedridden. All the burdens fell on Wu En.

Young Uen was in a terrible predicament, but he couldn't just ignore it.

Such harsh words won't scare anyone.

Wu En stopped worrying about it. Upon learning that Zhou Jun had begun to assemble, he immediately led the tribes he could still command, about 15,000 to 16,000 Hu people, to migrate.

The migration process was painful.

To survive, Un had no other choice.

April.

Zhang Can led nearly four thousand cavalrymen to the Hui River, marking their official entry into the Dabansheng area.

Upon learning that Wu En had migrated north with only a little over 10,000 men, including the elderly, women, and children, with less than 3,000 able-bodied men, he immediately decided to personally pursue him.

Wang Xin did not interfere.

The generals below will eventually become capable of leading independently; it's impossible to hold them in one's own hands forever.

It is both an opportunity and a risk.

Zhang Can succeeded; that means a resounding victory.

Zhang Can's failure will place a huge burden on the army.

This is war.

Everyone is important on the battlefield, and things can change anywhere. No one dares to claim victory until the enemy is completely annihilated.

From camp to road.

Wang Xin knew it was time for him to let go.

Wang Xin set up camp in the pastureland of Ou Yanhu's main territory, personally overseeing the operation, while Liu Tong and Tang Ping's two tribes began to pacify the surrounding tribes.

Ou Yanhu led the main force away.

It is also a situation where risks and opportunities coexist.

Unfortunately.

He encountered himself.

I won't give him a chance. I'll make him so anxious that he'll vomit blood. He has a lot of strength but can't use it. I'll cut him down piece by piece and watch him get weaker and weaker.

The Western Army of Datong.

The Hetao region outside the pass.

Once they defeat Ou Yanhu, their family fortune will be divided among Zhang Wenjin and the others.

It all depends on whether they can break up.

They succeeded.

He went back to Beijing on his own, letting Fatty Feng laugh at him.

(End of this chapter)