The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

He worried that he hadn't thought things through properly, and that Jia Huan would end up getting a huge advantage!

If that were to happen, not only would it be embarrassing, but I would also be quite unwilling.

In fact, the Prince of Nan'an is unlucky. Although he looks rather embarrassed and awkward because he is the mastermind behind the scenes, he has actually won this time.

Putting aside everything else, the southwestern region, which had been controlled and managed by the Prince of Nan'an for over a century, was about to fall into the hands of the imperial court.

This alone makes me incredibly happy!

Since the Ming Dynasty, the governance of the southwest region has been entrusted to the regional military governors. All the imperial court needed was peace and a small amount of tax revenue.

In addition, the policy of replacing local chieftains with centrally appointed officials gradually strengthened control over the southwestern region.

During the early Ming Dynasty, the Mu family was responsible for controlling the southwest. By the time of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Mu family had become the successive Princes of Nan'an, which proved quite effective.

Especially in the late Ming Dynasty, a female general named Qin Liangyu, who became famous for generations, emerged in the southwest, and her formidable "White Spear Soldiers" received great attention from the imperial court.

As time went by, the imperial court gradually acquired the ability to directly rule the southwestern region.

The main reason is that the southwest region has been developed for thousands of years, and its grain output and other mineral resources are quite abundant.

What the imperial court particularly valued were the copper mines in the southwest region, which even the court coveted.

It should be known that the central courts of all dynasties in history were severely lacking in copper!

In the eyes of the Central Plains court, a copper mine was just as important as a gold and silver mine!

Originally, the southwest region was the territory of the Prince of Nan'an. Not only did they have abundant money and grain, but they also had 100,000 soldiers. Even the imperial court could not easily interfere with them.

But now things have turned out differently. The current Prince of Nan'an has squandered all the military force he once had to intimidate the imperial court.

At this point, it was only natural for the imperial court to take control of the southwest.

Of course, the prerequisite is to quickly quell the war in the southwestern border region and demonstrate the power of the imperial court; otherwise, the chieftains in the southwest will not obediently follow the imperial court's orders.

This is also the main reason why they suddenly had the idea to target Jia Huan!

The Daqian army is not without veteran generals, but it is indeed lacking in reassuring and famous generals!

If we rashly arrange an unreliable past and end up losing like the Prince of Nan'an, then things will get really messy, and the originally stable situation in the southwest will collapse.

Looking at the entire Daqian army, there are quite a few who can fight, but those who can fight and also inspire complete confidence are quite rare, which is quite frustrating for the current leader.

In fact, this is the result of the military and nobles being bound together!

With the decline of the nobility, the army naturally faced a shortage of capable leaders.

Truly capable generals have no way to display their talents, and even those with real skills find it difficult to rise quickly. As a result, despite the Great Qian Dynasty's prosperity, there are no outstanding talents in the military.

After much thought, I realized that Jia Huan was the most suitable!

This guy is only fifteen years old, but he has already made great achievements in battle!

Without much thought, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Jia Huan will undoubtedly be a pillar of the Daqian army for decades to come, the kind of figure that even today cannot help but rely on.

There's no way around it; people nowadays are thinking about their reputation after death and have a great need for martial arts skills.

Unexpectedly, Jia Huan was quite agreeable, which made the current emperor somewhat hesitant and afraid to make a decision easily.

Thus, when Jia Huan left the palace, he did not receive a definite appointment from the emperor.

He was already convinced that he didn't have many other options at the moment!

Unless, of course, the generals stationed in the northeastern and northwestern border regions are risked, the situation could easily capsize.

There's no other reason than that the combat styles in the North and the South are very different!

The mere issue of not being accustomed to the local environment was enough to make most of the northern generals very uneasy about going to the southwest.

In addition, we must also consider the possibility of defeat!

If there is no way to guarantee the safety of the troops, many veteran generals would not dare to take the risk.

Jia Huan agreed so readily because he was truly confident.

This is something that everyone knows in their hearts; isn't it just the petty squabbles of the founding nobles?

Jia Huan was born into the Rong family, a typical son of a founding noble family, and was definitely in cahoots with the Prince of Nan'an.

Sending him to the southwest to clean up the mess would be acceptable to both the Prince of Nan'an's faction and the imperial court; this is where Jia Huan's advantage lies.

After all, the Southwest had been managed by the Prince of Nan'an's faction for over a century, and it could be said to be deeply entrenched.

It's not something the imperial court can easily take over!

If not handled properly, it could really escalate into fierce conflicts, and even cause unrest.

Don't forget, there are still many local chieftain forces in the southwest region, which are not easy to deal with.

By this time, the news that Jia Huan had been granted the title of Third-Class Viscount had already spread.

In short, it caused quite a stir within the elite elite group.

This was the first time the court had conferred titles since Emperor Taizong established his meritorious service group!

Don't underestimate the title of Third Class Marquis; in the current circle of noble families, it is definitely among the top ranks.

Even the most powerful grandson of the Duke of Zhenguo, Niu Jizong, was only a first-class earl at this time.

The title of First-Class General, like that of Lord She, is considered to be of a relatively high rank.

It can only be said that the system of demoting one's rank and granting titles, set up by the imperial court, was far too unfriendly to members of the nobility.

Unfortunately, the battle to depose the crown prince almost wiped out the elite of the founding noble group.

The current group of founding nobles is facing a serious shortage of capable successors.

These things have nothing to do with Jia Huan!

As a son of a concubine in the Rong family, even if all the legitimate sons of the Rong family were to die out, he would not be entitled to inherit the title!

To ensure the continuation of the title, a legitimate son must be adopted from the clan.

This is governed by both imperial regulations and clan laws, which is quite a test of human nature and could easily lead to internal strife. If such a situation were to occur in the Rong Mansion, Jia Huan would certainly not agree to it easily.

His ennoblement for his merits at this time made him a role model for other ambitious noble sons, at least giving them a goal to strive for.

Therefore, the sensation it caused was not something Jia Huan could simply keep a low profile for if he wanted to.

Putting everything else aside, one can glean certain clues simply from the Rong family's reaction.

Chapter 347 Times Have Changed (Please Subscribe)

The main gate of the Rong Mansion was wide open, and Master Zheng, Jia Baoyu, and Jia Lan personally greeted them!

All four stewards appeared, their faces beaming with joy!

It can be said that the Rong family gave them a lot of face!

This was also the most glorious moment for Jia Huan in the mansion since he was reborn after time travel.

"Master, Brother Bao and Brother Lan are too kind!"

Jia Huan stepped forward with a light laugh and addressed the three male members of the second branch of the family.

"this is necessary!"

The Second Master Zheng's face lit up, and he chuckled, "Your ability to be granted a title for your merits makes you a prodigy of the Rong family!"

He laughed heartily, patted Jia Huan on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Come in, you're qualified!"

Jia Huan nodded and chuckled, ignoring Jia Baoyu's slightly impatient expression and Jia Lan's admiring gaze, and walked through the central gate toward Rongxi Hall.

For such a big event, Rongxi Hall rarely opened its main entrance.

The old lady and Madam Wang were already waiting inside, and Madam Xing and Wang Xifeng were also there, which was quite rare.

Jia Huan wasn't surprised by the absence of Master She, nor did he feel any dissatisfaction.

This man has become completely useless after moving to the village outside the city.

I heard that apart from her private savings, she has gradually given all her connections and resources to Jia Lian and no longer pays much attention to the affairs of the main branch of the family. She has completely withdrawn from the core members of the Rong Mansion.

Rumor has it that the old lady was quite dissatisfied with this, and privately she often scolded the eldest son for being unreliable, making such a big decision without informing him in advance!

Upon hearing this, Jia Huan could only chuckle.

Master She was clearly wary of the old lady, probably worried that she would interfere.

If the connections and resources of the eldest son's family cannot be handed over smoothly, won't Jia Lian be the one who suffers in the end?

Ever since Jia Lian had a son, Master She would occasionally send someone to pick up his grandson and take him to the estate to raise him himself. It was probably because he felt relieved that he was not in a position to do anything, and because he was being suppressed by Master Jing, he decided to let go of the child.

Jia Huan naturally had no interest in the power struggles within the Rong Mansion.

He's already considered a member of a collateral branch of the clan, so he's even less likely to get involved; it wouldn't make any sense for him.

There's really not much the Rong family can do to help him right now.

In official circles, his rank was the same as that of the Second Master Zheng, but his real power far surpassed that of the Second Master Zheng.

Moreover, the Rong family's connections in the Beijing garrison had long been handed over to Prince Teng, so they couldn't be of any help.

This involves the careers of high-ranking officials and generals. Given the Rong family's current resources, they genuinely have no way to intervene. That's the truth!

On the contrary, the Rong family has been enjoying great success recently because of him.