The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 406 Ambition
Tongzhou.

The house on the east side of the alley.

Jia Huan knelt upright in the courtyard. The fourteen-year-old boy's face was flushed, clearly showing shame and anger, yet he stubbornly endured it. He looked at Captain Wang Ying without fear and threatened, "Captain, either promise me that I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life, or kill me today. Otherwise, I will definitely take revenge on your entire family!"

Wang Ying, who still had a smile on her face, froze, and the atmosphere became stiff.

He was unaware of what was happening in the palace.

It's all in complete chaos now.

How could something like this have happened during the morning court session?

Unexpectedly, Jia Huan suddenly came to my door at this time, asking me to send someone to escort him to Datong.

Jia Huan once served in the Right Route Army when he was only twelve years old. Wang Xin was the commander-in-chief of the Right Route Army, and everyone respected Commander-in-Chief Wang. Jia Huan was also very clever, so they had some goodwill towards him.

How could he dare to agree to Jia Huan's request?
Zhu Shenggong disappeared yesterday; he's been gone for almost half a month.

In the current situation, let alone having nothing to do with myself, even if something were to happen, I wouldn't dare to act rashly.

Moreover, Jia Huan was a member of the Jia family and was going to meet the military governor of Datong. Regardless of the reasons, Wang Ying was very clear that this was not something he could get involved in; the disadvantages would outweigh the advantages.

But after he refused, the man knelt down and begged him. Although this surprised him, he could still understand it, since he knew he wouldn't agree anyway.

But he never expected that he would dare to threaten him.

They even dared to threaten their entire family.

Wang Ying's face was cold, filled with murderous intent. "Are you looking for death?"

Jia Huan was quite remarkable; at this moment, he seemed like an outsider, calmly saying, "My half-brother harassed my maid. In front of his biological mother, I burned his face with scalding candle wax. His biological mother is a ruthless person; she could crush me like an ant. But I am not afraid of them. I secretly vowed that as long as I have the chance, I will definitely take revenge on them and make them suffer a terrible price."

Does this sound like something a human would say?

Wang Ying calmed down. Although the other party was an illegitimate son of the Jia family, he still couldn't kill him at will. He was having a headache about how to deal with the boy in front of him.

"Commander."

Jia Huan kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the blue bricks with a loud "thud," and blood immediately flowed from his head.

"My mother has gone mad."

He died after being locked up for several days.

"My sister cries all the time."

“I know how strong my sister has been since she was a child, and how much effort she has put in, but what can we do?”

Jia Huan raised his head, blood streaming down his face and pooling at his chin, dripping onto his clothes. Despite his ferocious appearance, he remained calm. "My sister told me to go find Wang Xin. I will definitely find him."

Wang Ying stared at Jia Huan.

Jia Huan did not change his attitude; his calmness was somewhat frightening.

Two years ago.

Although this kid is ruthless, he can get angry sometimes and throws tantrums occasionally. But today, he is so cold and indifferent that it's almost frightening. He's as silent as a venomous snake.

Wang Ying felt a headache.

They couldn't kill him, but offending him did make them uneasy.

Such ruthlessness at such a young age, what if he really gets ahead?

Because Wang Xin had once served as the Right Route Commander, Wang Ying had some understanding of the Jia family, which made him even more perplexed.

“Your Jia family and General Wang have already fallen out, so the marriage may not be possible. Why bother going all the way to find him? He can’t make the decision on this matter by himself; it’s up to your elders to decide.”

Wang Ying tried to persuade her.

Wang Xin's current status and fact that he is still unmarried is a strange thing since ancient times, and there is a lot of coincidence involved.

Now that things have come to this, Wang Xin's marriage is no longer something he can easily decide.

This must be carefully considered.

These two siblings were indeed unlucky and lacked that kind of luck, but if they pinned their hopes on Wang Xin, Wang Ying thought they would be disappointed most of the time, as they were ultimately too naive.

“My father has already agreed to the marriage with Wang Xin.”

Jia Huan remained kneeling on the ground. He had done it, and he felt no shame or anger. That was all he could do.

Wang Ying was stunned and asked in confusion, "If that's the case, why do you still want to go to Datong?"

"The Jia family is the Jia family."

"I am me."

Remembering his sister's words, Jia Huan's eyes flashed with a cold light, but he tried hard to suppress his hatred. As his sister had said, he would hide all his brilliance and make everyone forget his existence.

Waiting and enduring.

Unfortunately, that's not enough.

The only chance lies with Wang Xin.

The Jia family wanted to use Wang Xin, and so did the siblings. However, since the siblings were helpless and alone, they had to help Wang Xin.

But what help could they possibly offer Wang Xin?

Xue Baochai at least still has a family fortune she can access.

Although the Jia family mansion was large.

But is there a trace of something that belongs to them?

Wang Ying stepped forward and stretched out her hand, "Get up, why bleed like this for nothing."

"Has Qian Zong agreed?"

Jia Huan raised her head, filled with hope.

Wang Ying hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

The moment Jia Huan saw Wang Ying nod, her nose tingled, and tears streamed uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.

"You boy."

Wang Ying was both amused and exasperated.

The anger from the previous threat vanished instantly, replaced by admiration. As long as this young man didn't die prematurely, his future was promising. Wang Ying had high hopes for the boy before him.

Jia Huan stood up.

A surge of emotion welled up inside me; I had actually accomplished it.

original.

Is it like this.

With time of the essence, Wang Ying summoned several of his trusted confidants, all of whom were capable elites in the army. He arranged for more than a dozen horses and solemnly instructed them to escort Jia Huan to the Jia Mansion.

As for the reason why Jia Huan was going to Datong, and the cause and effect of family affairs in the Jia family, Wang Ying did not ask any questions.

He had already taken a liking to the young man before him.

"drive!"

After leaving the city, Jia Huan rode his horse, surrounded by several elite guards, feeling a freedom he had never experienced before, and the respect in everyone's eyes. Feeling this, Jia Huan greedily took a deep breath.

With a flick of the whip, he led the group westward.

Wutai County, located in the Wutai Mountains.

Wutai County is located in a corner of the lake, surrounded by water on three sides, and is also the flattest area in the Wutai Mountain area.

Wutai Mountain is not short of water.

The mountainous area has many rivers, but the terrain is rugged and most areas are not suitable for human cultivation.

The city walls of the county town are not high.

at this time.

More than 4,000 troops were stationed outside the city, and Wang Xin's command flag was flying.

"I never expected Ma Zheng to be such a scoundrel."

Zheng Ang, who was standing next to Wang Xin, cursed angrily as they followed behind him to the mountainside.

Everyone initially thought the general was going to look out over Wutai County, but it didn't seem like it.

Wang Xin looked left and right.

I'm very curious about Mount Wutai.

Wutai County was under the jurisdiction of Daizhou.

Daizhou also had another name in later generations.

Hometown of Chinese sweet potatoes.

Although Daizhou was only a prefecture, the amount of farmland in Daizhou was no less than that in Datong Prefecture.

Several county towns within the prefecture were occupied, except for Wutai County, the largest county in the southeast.

Wutai County is named after Mount Wutai.

Therefore, Wutai County is a mountain town.

The main sweet potato producing areas in the later generations of the state are mostly located in Wutai County.

In the past, farmland was always used to grow wheat, and only the remaining wasteland was used for cultivation. All it took was a hoe to cultivate land suitable for growing sweet potatoes, unlike the more conditions required for growing wheat and rice.

Xue Baochai's letters came one after another. Wang Xin was not surprised. With her intelligence, as long as she was given a tolerant environment, she would surely be able to keenly discover the importance of this matter.

The area beyond the Great Wall is still mainly engaged in grazing, with a small amount of sweet potato cultivation.

The main planting area remains within the Great Wall.

Wutai County probably won't be included this year, but that won't stop us from building roads first. To get rich, build roads first.

This is not just an empty slogan; it contains profound wisdom and the principles of economic operation and circulation.

Datong has no shortage of manpower, but it needs opportunities to work.

While promoting the use of sweet potatoes, roads were built in various prefectures and counties. When the sweet potatoes were widely available, everything fell into place naturally, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

After the roads were repaired in various prefectures and counties, previously unusable wasteland was reclaimed, increasing the total amount of grain and solving the problem of food and clothing. Naturally, market demand arose, and with the roads opened, trade routes also opened.

"If that doesn't work, then attack head-on."

"It's just that the militia in the county wouldn't dare to fight to the death."

Everyone was talking at once.

"Not urgent."

"Just wait."

Wang Xin interrupted everyone's thoughts.

A strong offensive is the last resort.

Apart from Yan Zhongzheng and a few others, no one else could understand it and thought they had missed a chance to fight. However, the fact that the general's idea had actually been agreed upon by Yan Zhongzheng and the others was something worth investigating.

Everyone's not stupid; they all know there's a deeper meaning behind this.

Not every place has someone as tough as Ma Zheng; most places are just soft-hearted.

Yijing Tunbao, Wuzhaibao, Sanchacheng, and Liminbao were successfully taken over.

Anyway, they were all under Zhou Jun's banner, and there was no burden of defending the territory.

Next, the Jiedushi's office stepped in.

These matters were personally supervised by Zeng Zhi. Because of Zheng Ang, who was the eldest grandson of the Zheng family, the families in Daizhou chose to back down and did not confront him forcefully, which made things easier.

The first step was to unify the grain storage facilities.

The grain and vegetable markets continued to be government-supervised and merchant-run, adopting the same system as Datong.

Let's start in the city.

The population was counted, and the fish-scale register and yellow register were revised. Grain coupons and vegetable coupons were distributed according to the number of people in the household. Whether buying grain or meat and vegetables at the grain and vegetable store, cash plus the corresponding grain and vegetable coupons were required, or cash could be converted into grain coupons issued by the Xue family bank based on the grain and vegetable coupons issued by the grain and vegetable store.

At the same time, many staff members from the inspection and audit teams arrived.

The people were familiar with these men dressed in black; many officials and wealthy families had died at their hands. These men were even more powerful than the officials and wealthy families, and the people dared not disobey them.

"The lines don't look right."

Several managers stared at the blueprints in their hands, glancing at the route every now and then.

They made no fewer than ten round trips between Ningwu Pass and Shenchikou.

"The feng shui master couldn't be wrong, could he?"

Their business contracted to repair the road, and no one dared to make a mistake.

"No, let's have a feng shui master measure it again."

Will this delay the construction period?

"Being fined for delaying the construction period is better than losing a fortune."

The men served as managers in the business, receiving not only generous compensation but also a respectable position, and none of them wanted to botch their jobs.

"Remeasure the parts that are wrong, and fix the parts that are correct first."

Finally, the shopkeeper made the final decision.

It's just that everyone has to work a little harder, and no one has any objections.

Shortly after.

First, thirty to fifty laborers pushed carts and small carts to this place to clear away the weeds and stones on the surface of the ground. Two days later, several oxen were brought over to plow and loosen the ground.

Slowly there are more and more people.

The number of people has increased tenfold from thirty to fifty.

The uneven ground was dug up and then leveled, using stone mills to press it flat.

"It's time to eat."

Three meals a day.

All the grain and vegetable coupons were handed over to the merchant bank. The merchant bank would pay for the grain and vegetable coupons of the laborers to buy back the grain and meat. Each person's food consumption was fixed, and the merchant bank would subsidize some of it.

A bullock cart was carrying three buckets of rice, a bowl of pickled radishes, and a bucket of mutton soup.

Two bowls of rice, ten pickled radishes, and five pieces of mutton per person.

The radish and mutton chunks were already cut.

They are about the same size.

No one has more or less.

What if there's not enough food?
You have to buy them with your own money. Having money isn't enough; you also need food coupons. Even merchants can't get extra food coupons, let alone ordinary people.

There wasn't much meat, but there was enough to eat.

There wasn't much pickled radish, but it was enough to eat.

Two bowls of rice is enough; it's enough to fill you up.

But I still feel like I could eat a little more.

Tang Niu finished eating all the rice in his bowl and drank the soup. He put away the two bowls and chopsticks cleanly. Everyone needs to prepare their own bowls and chopsticks. They don't need to exchange them, but they are allowed to use other people's.

There are strict rules in the business.

Tang Niu looked around. Most people were still eating, and only a very few had finished eating like Tang Niu. Although they were all wolfing down their food, these few people were obviously eating faster.

"Go to sleep."

People nearby joked.

Who would share their food with others, going hungry themselves to feed others?

Tang Niu doesn't have any expectations.

"Just sleep."

He put down his bowl and chopsticks and immediately fell asleep.

The group ate in twos and threes on the hilltop. After eating, they had an hour to rest. Most people, like Tang Niu, found a suitable place to lie down and sleep. Some people slept against the big trees, while others chatted.

Will the military governor become emperor?

"You mustn't say anything reckless, lest you get the General killed!" someone exclaimed in alarm.

"whispering sound."

“The Datong army has already captured Daizhou, and this place has also been taken. A few days ago, we passed through Ningwu Pass. Didn’t you see what that pass looked like? Such a large section has collapsed.” The man who spoke gestured and exclaimed, “Good heavens!”

The business is hiring.

Although everyone felt the wages were low, they still had a place to eat and received money. What more could they ask for in this day and age?

How many refugees are there outside?

People from all over the country and from all over the country gather together and chat about everything under the sun.

Life changed without us even realizing it.

Simple roads are being dug up, with more than 50,000 people mobilized across the area.

Meanwhile, Datong was still embroiled in war.

"That's incredible!"

In the midst of his busy schedule, Zeng Zhi had a moment to spare and thought about the recent changes in Datong, things he would never have dared to imagine before.

Even in a place with a population of one million, 50,000 people were mobilized to build roads, 20,000 to fight, and another 300,000 to 400,000 to reclaim wasteland in various places. Instead of complaints, it was full of vitality.

That's unbelievable.

What's the difference?

The commander also opposed self-sufficiency.

Men till the fields and women weave, living a self-sufficient life in the countryside. Isn't this the ideal prosperous age?

The general said that this was a path to death.

I just couldn't understand it.

But that's the reality; the changes in Datong left him with no room for argument.

"Lord Zhonglang."

"Lord Zhonglang."

"What is it?" Hearing the shouts outside, Zeng Zhi quickly stood up. He was personally overseeing the road construction in the Huihe area outside Shuozhou County. The General had personally explained the plan for sweet potatoes. Although he couldn't believe it, the General had never made a mistake.

The smoother the roads are now, the more solid the foundation of Datong will be.

“A man named Jia Huan came from the capital and told the commander all the important secrets.”

"Jia Huan?"

Zeng frowned; the name sounded familiar.

(End of this chapter)