Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 54 The Central Army Hall distributes the spoils, and all parties are satisfied and beam with joy!
Just as the capital city was abuzz with the news of the Jia family's Ningguo Mansion being granted the title of Wu'an Jun, the town of Datong was filled with joy.

Inside the General's Mansion in Datong, everyone was already seated. To the lower left were founding nobles such as Niu Jizong, Hou Xiaokang, and Liu Fang, while to the lower right were generals such as General Nian Gengyao of Datong and Deputy General Yue Zhongqi of Xuanfu.

"The Tiger-like Captains have arrived!"

A loud shout came from outside, and everyone stood up and looked out of the hall.

“Tap tap.”

The figure of Jia Yan that came into view was tall and straight, with sword-like eyebrows and cold eyes. His face was as sharp as if it had been carved by a knife. He wore a black outfit with gold trim that fit him very well. Every move he made exuded a chilling aura of power, a domineering and murderous aura from a hundred battles.

"Tiger-like Captain".

Niu Jizong and the others stared at him, their eyes filled with reverence.

"Ah."

With a slight nod, Jia Yan naturally walked up to the main seat in the hall and sat down.

The twelve guards took their seats in the second row on the left at the bottom, while the younger generation, including Niu Meng, could only sit in the second row on the right at the bottom.

Although Jia Yan was only a sixth-rank Tiger Guard Captain in terms of military rank and title, his actions had won everyone's approval.

He traversed over 5,000 li in the northern desert, marched south to recapture Ping'an Prefecture, and killed the Mongol Khan amidst hundreds of thousands of troops. Any one of these deeds would be worthy of great national merit, let alone all of them combined.

Almost everyone understood that once the army returned in triumph, this fifteen-year-old boy would instantly become the most powerful nobleman in the Great Qian Dynasty, the uncrowned king of the army. No one would question his seat, because the main seat was specially reserved for him by Niu Jizong and his men.

"Everyone."

Looking down at the crowd, Jia Yan said, "On the 26th day of the second month of the seventh year of the Yongping reign of the Great Qianlong reign, I was ordered by the Emperor to lead an expedition to the northern desert."

"After three days and three nights, they arrived at the Xilin Gol Grassland in eastern Inner Mongolia and subdued the Bairin tribe."

"On the eighth day of the third month, the entire army crossed the Onon River and defeated the Chariot Khan's forces, achieving a great victory."

"On the 21st of the third month, the Tushetu Khanate was conquered, and on the 23rd, a sacrifice to Heaven was offered at Langjuxu Mountain."

"On the third day of the fourth month, the Zasaktu Khanate was pacified, and a stone tablet was erected at Yanran Mountain before heading south."

"On April 15th, we recaptured Huihua City, re-established Ping'an Prefecture, and now we have achieved a great victory. It has taken nearly two months."

"Thanks to the mercy of Heaven and the protection of Earth, the task was accomplished."

boom! ! !
The resounding words echoed in the hall, each and every one of them astonishing.

"The Tiger Warriors are mighty!"

Niu Jizong, the General Who Conquers the North and the First-Class Earl of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, was filled with respect and was the first to stand up and praise him.

"The Tiger Warriors are mighty!"

Hou Xiaokang, Liu Fang, Nian Gengyao and others echoed in unison, each of them filled with awe.

In less than two months, they nearly swept across the entire grassland, a feat unprecedented in China's thousands of years of history.

The dashing young man before us is only fifteen years old; no one can imagine how far he will go in the future!
"Someone is coming."

Niu Jizong shouted loudly.

"Yes."

Two clerks appeared on either side and handed the book forward.

"This is."

Jia Yan, not understanding his meaning, looked at Niu Jizong, who was sitting to the lower left.

"This is a summary list of all the spoils captured in Guihua City and the gains from this battle, as well as the number of our casualties and prisoners."

Niu Jizong explained, "You are the greatest contributor to this battle, so the decision on how to arrange things is up to you." "That's exactly right."

Everyone present shared this view; only Jia Yan's arrangement could truly convince them.

After all, the people present here were not only the founding nobles, but also the border troops and the Beijing garrison.

"it is good."

Under the gaze of the crowd, Jia Yan opened two booklets and began to examine them carefully.

In the Battle of Datong, more than half of the 100,000 troops sent to the north were lost, only one-third of the 100,000 troops of the Beijing garrison remained, and more than two-thirds of the 50,000 troops of Datong garrison, the 50,000 troops of Xuanfu and Shanxi garrison who came to the rescue were lost. The three major border towns suffered heavy losses.

More than 300,000 Mongols were captured. Apart from nearly 100,000 Mongol cavalrymen, the remaining 200,000 were mainly Chahar tribesmen. They originally planned to migrate to the Tumochuan Plain, make Guihua City the capital of the Great Mongol Empire, and graze their cattle and sheep. Now they have become prisoners of others.

The main spoils came from the Ping'an Prefecture Treasury: 500,000 taels of gold, 6 million taels of silver, 4 million strings of copper coins, 1 million cattle and sheep, nearly 100,000 donkeys and mules, 60,000 pack horses, nearly 10,000 breeding horses, and 150,000 usable warhorses.

This does not include the Ordos and Jarud tribes, which are being conquered by Zhang Guangsi, the deputy commander of Shanxi Town. The two tribes are stationed in Xitao and Juyanze respectively, and their population is at least 100,000. The number of cattle, sheep and horses is not yet counted. Tribes such as Bairin and the three northern tribes are not recorded.

On paper, this was an unprecedented victory, not just bringing peace to the northern frontier for decades, but also uprooting the Mongols.

"If I make the allocations, will you all trust me?"

Jia Yan closed the two booklets and said calmly.

"I will follow the Tiger General's orders!"

Without thinking, the generals blurted out the answer.

"In this battle, Datong Town was the main force, with Xuanfu Town and Shanxi Town as the auxiliary forces. If it weren't for the soldiers of these three towns risking their lives, the northern frontier would probably have been destroyed long ago."

"Although the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Beijing Garrison arrived later, their losses were no less significant."

"I believe that all the spoils should be divided into five parts, with one part each for the border troops of the three towns, the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the Beijing Garrison."

"how?"

"Great!"

Upon hearing this, generals such as Niu Jizong, Nian Gengyao, and Wang Ziteng all showed expressions of satisfaction.

“I intend to report to the court that all the 200,000 taels of gold and 3 million taels of silver seized should be handed over.”

“Datong Town, Xuanfu Town, the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the Beijing Garrison each received one million strings of copper coins, five hundred thousand taels of silver, fifty thousand taels of gold, and two hundred thousand cattle and sheep. Shanxi Town received five hundred thousand taels of silver and fifty thousand taels of gold, and my unit also received fifty thousand taels of gold.”

"I don't care how you divide this silver and gold, but the four million strings of cash must be distributed entirely to the soldiers."

With a sharp gaze, Jia Yan spoke in a deep voice.

"Yes."

Niu Jizong and the others felt a chill run down their spines and immediately responded.

Four million strings of cash is equivalent to about 320 million taels of silver. If divided into four parts, the Datong Town, Xuanfu Town, the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the Beijing Garrison will each receive 80 taels. It seems like a lot, but if it is distributed, ordinary soldiers (including those who died in battle) in the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Beijing Garrison will receive at most ten strings of cash.

One coin can buy half a pound of rice. For ordinary people, 10 strings of cash is equivalent to 4000 pounds of rice, enough for a family to live on for a year.

For over 70 years since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, it had become common practice for everyone, from top to bottom, to exploit the soldiers. If Jia Yan hadn't said that, the ordinary soldiers might not have even received those 10 strings of cash.

Shanxi Town did not receive any copper coins, cattle, or sheep because they monopolized the spoils from conquering the Ordos and Jarud tribes, so naturally no one was dissatisfied.

As for the hundreds of thousands of pack horses, donkeys, and mules, they completely ignored them. These were destined to be handed over to the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Capital Garrison for use in their return to the capital. Not to mention the breeding horses and warhorses, which were the most scarce resources in the country.

PS: In the Qian system (a system of monetary calculations), one tael of gold equals ten taels of silver, one tael of silver equals 1000 wen (cash), one string of cash equals 800 wen, one jin (500 grams) equals 16 taels, and half a jin equals 8 taels.

(End of this chapter)