The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 379 The General's Might
Li Yuan brought a map.

Zhang Jifu clearly saw the places containing information about the Datong Army by circling them, demonstrating his painstaking efforts.

"How many soldiers does the Datong Army actually have?" Zhang Jifu asked in alarm, staring at the circles on the map. He hadn't expected Wang Xin's reach to be so far. Was this really the Wang Xin he remembered?

Zhang Jifu suspected that Wang Xin had changed.

"Datong has nearly 60,000 soldiers, but Wang Xin has always disregarded the lives of his soldiers and trained them harshly. Although it is inhumane, the soldiers he trained were indeed capable of fighting. The Beijing garrison now has less than 80,000 soldiers, and most of them are new recruits."

Li Yuan was heartbroken, and as the Minister of War, his words were all the more credible.

The original strength of the Beijing Garrison was 120,000, but the retired emperor requested that it be expanded to 180,000. After much deliberation, Zhang Jifu concluded that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. Although the Beijing Garrison has not yet reached the size of 180,000, it still has more than 130,000.

Of these, 50,000 troops quelled the rebellion in Shandong, while 80,000 remained in the capital.

Last year, when the accounts from various regions were submitted, only 13 million taels of tax revenue were collected. Local expenses were rising steadily, with less revenue than in previous years but more than 1 million taels spent, totaling more than 6.3 million taels.

Then, the suppression of the rebellion in Shandong cost more than a million taels of silver. Four million taels went to the Beijing garrison's military pay, the royal family's expenses, and the salaries of officials, leaving only a little over 1.4 million taels of silver.

One was the Prince of Dongping, and the other was Wang Xin.

One in the east and one in the west of the capital.

To appease these two places, he misappropriated military funds from other places, giving 600,000 taels to the Liaodong Commandery, 500,000 taels to the Prince of Dongping, and then 980,000 taels to Wang Xin. These three places alone cost him more than 2 million taels.

With such a huge deficit, he could only embezzle from the officials in the capital, causing widespread resentment and leading to numerous officials in various government offices cursing him.

If I can receive 17 million taels of silver as usual, an extra 4 million taels, then I can breathe a sigh of relief.

They allocated over two million taels of silver to the remaining nine border garrisons, at least enough to ensure the soldiers had something to eat.

Then, 500,000 taels were used to pay salaries, 1 million taels were used for disaster relief in Shandong, and hundreds of thousands of taels were used to reward the army upon its return. If we can get through this year, next year will be much better.

Zhang Jifu was suddenly stunned.

As long as I get through this year, next year will be much better. This thought has been in my mind every year.

We've managed to get through each year, but the following year doesn't get any easier; instead, each year gets harder than the last. Before, we could still maneuver around, but now there's no room for maneuver at all.

Officials in the capital have not received their salaries for more than half a year.

Soldiers in various military towns along the nine borders were owed not only their military pay but also their food rations for more than a dozen months.

"We can't fight anymore."

Zhang Jifu murmured.

"Could all our previous efforts have been in vain?" Li Yuan thought incredulously. The army had already wiped out most of the rebels, leaving only a few roaming the countryside. If they continued to sweep through for several months, they were confident they could be completely wiped out.

Zhang Jifu shook his head. "Tell the Shandong governor to offer amnesty."

The military expenses of one million taels for Datong Garrison and more than one million taels for Liaodong, totaling more than two million taels of silver, will not be given this year no matter what. Zhang Jifu only plans to give 500,000 taels.

The remaining 1.7 to 1.8 million taels of silver must be distributed to the other nine border regions this year.

In order to keep the two towns under control, the Beijing garrison must return to Beijing to take command.

With 130,000 troops stationed in Beijing, Zhang Jifu wanted to see who dared to cause trouble.

As for the prefectures of Qingzhou in Shandong, these places are already in ruins. Even if the rebels are quelled, don't expect to collect taxes for more than ten years. It won't even be enough to cover military expenses. So let the Shandong governor go and appease the rebels, give them a piece of land, and let them fend for themselves.

Although it was a pity, Li Yuan could understand the Prime Minister's feelings.

Now, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. It's better to abandon those places in Qingzhou Prefecture and let them rot. After a generation passes, new flesh will eventually grow.

Not only can you get rid of the burden, but you can also wait until there are benefits before you start to manage it.

With the Ministry of War in his hands, and once the Beijing Garrison returns to the capital, he will have complete control of the garrison. In addition, with the Censorate and the Six Ministries, there won't be many forces opposing him, but he cannot let his guard down.

After Li Yuan returned to the Ministry of War to arrange the return of the Beijing garrison, Zhang Jifu instructed, "Go and invite Lin Ruhai."

Lin Ruhai knows how to make money.

Nanjing is the stronghold of the four great families, and Jiangnan is the richest region in the country. Zhang Jifu wants to talk to Lin Ruhai. He can offer Lin Ruhai more benefits, as long as Lin Ruhai supports him.

Zhang Jifu couldn't help but regret that he should have made the decision sooner; his thinking in previous years had been wrong. Indeed, the old saying was true: a prime minister's belly can hold a boat—a prime minister who is willing to share benefits is always successful.

Despite numerous setbacks over the past year, Zhang Jifu is increasingly turning to him, and he is very confident.

If I give myself another three years, everything will settle down, and I can get back on the right track.

Lin Ruhai returned to the mansion very late.

"Is Miss asleep?"

After returning home, Lin Ruhai showed no interest in drinking tea and, as was his habit, asked with concern.

"The Jia family sent someone to pick you up and asked when you would be going to the Jia family. The old matriarch of the Jia family misses you very much. You said you would go in a few days. The Jia family said they would come to pick you up then. I heard from the maid Zijuan that you are reading in your room."

"Why are you still reading so late?"

Looking at the sky, which appeared to be around 1 AM, Lin Ruhai said with dissatisfaction.

The butler did not reply.

The master dotes on the young lady. If I don't know what's good for me and say the wrong thing, it will only make the master unhappy. I don't even have this much sense. What kind of housekeeper am I?

Although Lin Ruhai complained, he couldn't bear to do anything about it.

The next day, I went to the Jia family mansion.

Jia Zheng personally greeted them.

Seeing that Jia Zheng's eyes were slightly red, Lin Ruhai looked at him with concern.

Jia Zheng had always regarded Lin Ruhai as his confidant and admired his brother-in-law, which is why he showed his sorrow, saying, "One of my concubines has passed away due to illness. I am sorry to have made you laugh at me today."

Jia Zheng cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, deeply saddened.

It turned out to be the case.

Upright officials can hardly break housework.

In wealthy families throughout history, the death of a concubine has always been a topic of much discussion and gossip.

Marry a virtuous wife, and take a beautiful concubine.

The concubines were mostly young, and their supposed deaths from illness were mostly pretexts. Lin Ruhai wouldn't press them for details, but he also didn't bring up the real issue, leaving Jia Zheng some room for grief.

Lin Ruhai asked him the question, and Jia Zheng would subconsciously try to hide it.

Lin Ruhai, however, remained silent, and always regarded his brother-in-law as his pillar of support. Jia Zheng, on the other hand, couldn't help but say resentfully, "Now that Zhang Jifu is gaining more and more power, not only does my elder brother dislike me, but even Wang Ziteng is starting to feel the pinch. Sigh."

In his later words, Jia Zheng ultimately showed some restraint.

But having gone this far, Lin Ruhai had already figured out the whole story.

How could the first wife and the second wife not fight over it?

Wasn't the eldest and second branches of the Xue family vying for power? Back then, the eldest branch of the Xue family was worried about being taken over by the second branch, so they took the initiative to hide in the capital and seek refuge with the Jia family.

As for Wang Ziteng...

Lin Ruhai had heard a bit about the character of the Wang family women, after all, he was half a member of the Jia family.

Madam Wang is no pushover.

Cruel and ruthless.

When his wife was alive, she often berated her second sister-in-law, who had caused her a lot of mistreatment when she was still unmarried.

"Being arrogant after gaining power is too hasty," Lin Ruhai said calmly.

The more power Zhang Jifu gained, the more shaky the emperor's position became.

With the main force of the Beijing Garrison suppressing the rebellion in Shandong, and Zhang Jifu joining forces with the Ministry of War to expand the Beijing Garrison with new recruits, the military power of the Beijing Garrison, if not entirely, fell into the hands of Zhang Jifu.

Especially after he reconciled with Zhu Wei.

Zhu Wei and his son personally helped him stabilize his position in the Beijing garrison.

Therefore, Jia Zheng's predicament lies in the fact that the emperor's position is becoming increasingly unstable.

including yourself.

"Is there going to be a relapse?" Jia Zheng couldn't tell.

Originally, the Beijing Garrison was divided into several parts, and no one could get their hands on the entire garrison. Later, the Beijing Garrison was reorganized into four armies. Now, Zhang Jifu has reformed it again, and 130,000 troops have come into his hands. Whether the emperor can successfully ascend the throne is still a question.

The emperor wasn't without sons, and even if we take a step back, plenty of members of the imperial clan wanted to cooperate with Zhang Jifu.

“Zhang Jifu secretly invited me to see him yesterday,” Lin Ruhai said with a smile.

Jia Zheng was surprised and quickly asked, "What benefits did Zhang Jifu offer? Did you agree?"

Zhang Jifu received many favors from people over the past year.

However, this faction has supported the emperor for many years. Although they are not the emperor's most trusted faction, if they had not kept their distance, how could they have been active under the emperor emeritus's nose until today?

Just as Lin Ruhai requested.

You must unequivocally support the emperor, but you cannot get too close to him.

How many people in the court weren't Zhang Jifu's men? The rest of them were no longer of much value, so when Jia Zheng learned that Zhang Jifu had met Lin Ruhai, he forgot his grief and focused all his attention on this matter.

“Zhang Jifu is getting anxious,” Lin Ruhai said calmly. “Let’s keep dragging this out.”

"Still dragging it out?" Jia Zheng asked worriedly, "What if..."

“Zhang Jifu and his disciples are all over the world. If they were military men or nobles, that would be fine, but for people like us, there is no place for us on his side.” Lin Ruhai laughed. “He is not as powerful as he appears, otherwise he would not have given up so many.”

Sometimes, my brother-in-law is also a big gambler.

Thinking back to how he had risked everything to pledge allegiance to the emperor, who would dare to do the same? Yet he actually succeeded, holding the position of Salt Commissioner for many years, accumulating ample benefits and seniority. Jia Zheng felt both worried and excited.

"Unfortunately, you were too hasty in your dealings with Wang Xin."

"Don't mention him."

Jia Zheng was displeased and angrily said, "He's a big liar." Lin Ruhai smiled bitterly.

Jia Zheng felt that he had trusted Wang Xin so much, but Wang Xin changed his mind so easily. Every time Wang Xin was mentioned, Jia Zheng would get very angry. Lin Ruhai didn't say much. He didn't expect that after so long, Jia Zheng still couldn't let it go.

Military Governor of Datong.

Lin Ruhai had also considered that with such a huge benefit, who could easily refuse it?

Since he agreed to Zhang Jifu's conditions, it didn't mean that he was no longer one of their own. They could still try to win him over and continue negotiating. Lin Ruhai didn't think Wang Xin would gamble everything on Zhang Jifu.

in fact.

Wouldn't it be perfect if Wang Xin took control of the Datong Army and then returned?
Lin Ruhai felt a sliver of joy deep down.

After returning, he met with his student Lu Zhongheng, who also talked a lot with Zhang Yuncheng. The two met for several days in a row before Zhang Yuncheng finally took his leave and returned to Datong.

To the north of the capital is Miyun, which is located in the Yanshan Mountains. The Jizhen Great Wall was built along the mountains. Beyond the Great Wall is the vast Daning, also known as Duoyan. During the Ming Dynasty, the Ning Prince's fiefdom was abolished and given to the Duoyan Three Guards.

The Mongols were nomadic and had no fixed abode.

The Doyan Three Guards remain constant, while the Tatars come and go. This place has seen one tribe after another claiming the name of the Doyan Three Guards, including the Ligdan Khanate from the original timeline, which for a long time also impersonated the Doyan Three Guards.

Later, the Great Zhou rose to power, destroyed the Tatars, and re-established the kingship in Daming. However, it ultimately failed again and became a barbarian.

The Great Zhou Dynasty, not wanting to continue its turmoil, adopted the method of the Ming Dynasty and enfeoffed the six tribes of Harle.

Then, more than a hundred years later, we met again.

The six tribes of Harle remain unchanged, while the Donghu people come and go.

Everyone who comes to this land eventually trades with the Great Zhou under the name of the Six Tribes of Halle.

With trade, they acquired the necessary resources, and their lives began to stabilize. But after six or seven years, or even ten or twenty years, they were defeated or driven out and annexed by other tribes, day after day, year after year.

this time.

The merchants have arrived.

From Datong to Daning, a journey of over two thousand li, many discerning merchants set their sights on Daning.

As long as we can acquire land in Daning, any investment is worthwhile.

"Sukh?"

Someone recognized the leader of the attacking bandits.

The leader was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and asked, "Why are you working for the Zhou people?"

"I thought you were dead, or that you had gone back to the Khangai Mountains. I never expected you to be a bandit here!" the man said incredulously.

Sukhe's face flushed red as he demanded, "How did you join the Great Zhou's caravan?"

"I couldn't go back, so I was taken in by a caravan. They saw that I knew how to take care of horses, so they gave me a job," the man confessed honestly.

"I'll spare your life for the sake of our past relationship. Tell the Zhou people behind you not to come back, or I'll kill them all." Suhe sheathed his sword and threatened, "Including you."

After making the threats, they stole the goods and left with their group.

"Sukh, you'd better run, or it'll be too late!" The man stood up and shouted a well-intentioned reminder in the direction the bandits had gone, though it was unclear whether they heard him.

The businessmen have gone mad.

Despite the fact that many businessmen have gone bankrupt, it hasn't dampened their enthusiasm.

This business owner suffered losses, but instead of backing down, he persisted. Only by persevering to the end could he have a chance to recover his losses. He would rather die than leave the table, even though there were plenty of other businessmen waiting to be seated there.

So what if Sukhoi wins ten times?

This Hu man was used to working in caravans and was unwilling to wander the grasslands any longer. He also saw clearly the future path: the future masters of the grasslands would be the merchants.

More and more merchant firms are hiring mercenaries.

With over 10,000 people already employed, the company can save more than 300,000 taels of military expenditure annually, and even make a profit.

The main source of income came from renting military equipment and horses.

These were assets belonging to the imperial court and the military governor's office, distributed to the soldiers. The soldiers, carrying weapons, equipment, and horses, escorted the merchants. The soldiers received half of the converted rent, and the military governor's office received the other half.

At the end of the year, the military governor's mansion could receive more than 20,000 taels of silver.

As for horses that are completely destroyed or die, the merchant firm needs to compensate according to the market price. This saves the General's Mansion a lot of money, because horses also suffer a considerable number of injuries during daily training.

Of course, many people also have doubts and concerns.

Wang Xin remained steadfast. He did not intend to keep the extra hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, but instead used it to purchase oxen for plowing.

As more and more migrants from the mainland become unable to afford to raise their oxen, they have to slaughter them.

Once the oxen are killed, they are gone.

Therefore, Datong is reverse-acquiring cattle.

Those who sold cattle became buyers, and those who bought cattle became sellers. For a time, the whole of Datong was abuzz with discussion, and everyone found it unbelievable.

The purchase price of a cow outside the Great Wall is two taels of silver, because the cost of raising cattle outside the Great Wall is low, and only manpower is required. Now, the Marshal's Mansion is also buying cattle from the interior for three taels of silver, which is not attractive at all.

Grain prices change daily in different regions.

In some places, a shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain sold for two or three taels of silver. It would take three taels of silver to buy a little over a shi of grain. Who would be willing to do that?

However, the Jieshuai Mansion, in conjunction with the Xue family and their business, adopted a pawnshop model.

You can pawn a cow for three taels of silver. If the disaster passes, you can get it back for four taels of silver within five years, and five taels of silver within seven years. After seven years, who knows if the cow is alive or dead?

Many disaster victims were reluctant to slaughter their cattle and hoped to redeem them for use in the future, so quite a few people were willing to pawn them.

However, this deal resulted in a complete loss.

Within a year, Datong acquired nearly 30,000 oxen, spending 90,000 taels of silver on the acquisition alone. They also used the Xue family's manpower and shops for free. Including transportation costs along the way and the cost of injured or sick oxen, the final bill came to 170,000 taels of silver. If the Xue family's expenses were included, the total cost would be at least 200,000 taels of silver.

Once the oxen arrived in Datong, they were quickly sent to the area beyond the Great Wall.

Some of the cattle herds headed towards the Xiaohuang River area, some towards Daning, and some even towards the Lingji Spring area.

The drought is severe. Even in the areas outside the Great Wall and in the Hetao region, it's a struggle to keep their livestock alive. As a result, cattle herds have to be driven further away and migrate to places closer to water sources.

Although the area outside the Great Wall is vast, the land suitable for grazing is limited, and there are only a few fertile plots of land.

In response to the current situation, Wang Xin also made military reforms.

With the adjustment of the military governor's office.

The Datong Army was quickly reorganized into a personal guard battalion of 1,000 men, consisting of eight first-class battalions and ten second-class battalions.

The commander-in-chief's headquarters was located in Datong, which had three first-class battalions, two second-class battalions, and one personal guard battalion. The commander-in-chief's headquarters also included General Zhao Yong, Tang Ping, Zhou Wen, and Assistant General Liu Tong.

Lieutenant General Wei Yi was in charge of three Class B battalions on the southwestern defense line of Datong.

Lieutenant General Zhang Zhen was in charge of three Class B battalions in eastern Datong.

Zhang Cancan was in charge of two Class A battalions and one Class B battalion in the Qiantao area.

The Xiaohuanghe area has a total of one Class A battalion and one Class B battalion.

The Daning area comprises one Class A battalion.

Lingjiquan consists of one Class A battalion and one Class B battalion.

The battalion commanders of the Class A battalions are: Ma Fan, Li Wu, Qi Shannian, Liu Ying, Zhao He, Gui Yong, Shi Ping, and Shi Gandang.

The battalion commanders of the Class B battalions are: Zhuo Zhi, Zhao Sheng, and Liu Zhong.
Shi Ping and Shi Gandang were the youngest battalion commanders, both around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. However, they had long military service and had participated in many battles. In particular, Shi Ping personally led his troops to suppress bandits after arriving in Daning.

The cavalrymen lined up in a circle, surrounding the bandit leader and a few remaining bandits in the center, their gazes cold and indifferent.

Sukhe gritted his teeth, looking at Zhou Jun's commander with resentment.

The young general had shot down more than twenty of his brothers along the way; if it weren't for the man's superb archery skills, he wouldn't have been defeated so easily.

Shi Ping dismounted.

He took out his long sword, performed a beautiful sword flourish, and then walked forward with a swaying gait.

A general should not take risks.

Shi Ping understood this principle and had witnessed many unexpected events on the battlefield. But water has no constant form, and soldiers have no constant shape. Is warfare like studying, where there is a right or wrong answer?
Victory is the right thing to do.

Failure is wrong.

"Come."

Shi Ping's knife tip hit the ground, and he extended his left index finger forward, beckoning it to the bandits with disdain.

Those who could escape at this point were all Sukh's old comrades.

They were ruthless killers with a vicious streak. Although being killed was terrifying, being insulted like this was unbearable. Upon seeing this, the men did not hesitate to draw their scimitars and step forward.

Shi Ping killed them all with a single slash.

He shrugged as if cutting melons and vegetables, then looked at the stunned Sukh with a cold smile.

"You come."

Shi Ping leveled the tip of his knife, his face still filled with contempt.

Without further hesitation, Sukh stepped forward with his knife, just like his brothers, and then the body was decapitated and fell to the ground with a thud.

"The general is mighty!"

A soldier shouted fervently.

"General!"

"mighty!"

The hundred-plus cavalrymen were in high spirits and were completely won over by the new battalion commander. No one dared to disagree.

(End of this chapter)