The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

These things are not secrets, and there's no concern about them being investigated in detail these days.

"Has General Jia Huan said how many soldiers he plans to recruit in the two southwestern prefectures?"

These days, it's not so easy to fool people; they'll directly ask you the questions that concern them most.

"We still need at least 10,000 men!"

Jia Cong didn't hide anything and said directly, "Those two prefectures are quite large; we can't go any smaller!"

"With General Jia Huan's command abilities, even with 10,000 troops, the fighting power he can unleash is quite formidable!"

He jokingly asked, "Can the two southwestern states support ten thousand men?"

"Extremely difficult!"

Jia Cong smiled wryly, "Fortunately, we can do border trade. Although the neighboring southwestern countries are barren, they still have a lot of good things. Once they are transported to the prosperous areas of the Central Plains, they can be sold for high prices!"

He nodded in understanding, but deep down he felt quite uncomfortable!

Jia Cong doesn't care about his current mood. He won't hide what he can say, but as for what he can't say, there are many things he himself doesn't know, so what can he say?

The current attitude towards him is quite satisfactory, and there is no obvious arrogance.

For a young man like Jia Cong, this is already quite remarkable.

There is no intention to invite Jia Cong to dine in the palace, so as not to arouse unhealthy speculation from outsiders.

He transferred Jia Cong back to the capital to give him a break, not to make this young general too popular, which would have gone against his original intention.

Jia Cong soon came out of the palace and was invited by a group of nobles and powerful figures to speak at the Five Military Commands' Mansion.

As for what it is, everyone knows the answer; it's time to have a proper discussion.

Chapter 375 Trouble (Please Subscribe)

"Gentlemen, I understand the trouble you're facing, but I don't have any good solutions either!"

"Everyone's situation is similar. The family members are unwilling to go to the southwest to suffer, the capable subordinates are not very willing, and we don't trust the others!"

"There's no other way but to stabilize the territory as much as possible first, and then gradually increase our control!"

"As for how you maintain your territory, that's none of my business, is it?"

"Right now, everyone is short-handed, so it all comes down to who has the best methods!"

"Of course, it's fine to offer some suggestions; I think the soldiers in the army are quite reliable!"

"As for the servants born into the family, sending them out has both advantages and disadvantages; it depends on what you all think!"

In the main study of the Niu family's front courtyard, Jia Cong sat in the guest seat, speaking eloquently.

The expressions on the faces of the surrounding nobles and powerful figures were quite unpleasant.

For no other reason than that Jia Cong's words made them quite unhappy.

"So, according to General Jia, the territory we finally managed to acquire from the Prince of Nan'an's residence is completely useless?"

A powerful nobleman spoke up, his tone quite unfriendly.

"how is this possible?"

Jia Cong retorted, "That's territory completely under our control, how could it not be of any use?"

"But simply investing money won't yield any returns and can't be sustained!"

Niu Jizong, the current head of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, said with a wry smile, "At least 100,000 taels of silver have to be spent every year, which is no small amount!"

"Yes, if you only take in and don't give out, it's hard to keep going!"

"We can barely manage in our respective residences for now, but what about after ten years?"

"We still need to think of other solutions, otherwise having territory will only make things worse!"

"..."

The group of nobles and powerful figures discussed amongst themselves, all of them looking worried and distressed.

Jia Cong sneered inwardly, thinking to himself, "These guys are really greedy."

Before they had no territory, they weren't this worried, were they?

If you really can't hold on, then just give up the territory. Why bother with all this fuss?

He just wanted more!

"So, what are your thoughts?"

Without wasting any words, he went straight to the point and asked, "That's the gist of the matter. I've covered all the solutions I can think of, and I don't want to get involved in anything else!"

Make it clear beforehand, otherwise these guys have absolutely no bottom line when it comes to doing things.

It's as if they didn't get a great deal this time?

It's just that the southwest region is remote and difficult to manage.

But this is always a happy problem; there's always a solution, isn't there?

The Nan'an Prince's Mansion was managed in the same way as Xiao He's previous rule!

It's nothing more than feeling that the management costs are too high and not getting much real benefit, which is why they are showing their current worries. Are you trying to fool them?

Jia Cong has already been tempered and trained!

When suppressing bandits in Zhili and the Central Plains, it was not just a simple matter of suppressing bandits.

They also need to deal with local bullies and all sorts of inexplicable things happening at the local government offices.

Seriously, you won't know how many bizarre things happen in a place until you've spent some time there.

In comparison, the noble tycoons in front of us are naturally much more normal.

At least, reasoning with them and presenting the facts is effective; it's not like talking to a brick wall.

There's no need for armed conflict; it's just a private exchange and redistribution of interests, which is acceptable. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting here at all.

Now he understood why the nobles and powerful figures before him had seemed distracted and uninterested in making a fuss at the small court meeting; their minds were clearly focused on the newly acquired territories.

Judging from their current performance, they clearly have a lot of ideas!

The meeting was only held because they were preoccupied with the situation in the newly acquired territory.

Otherwise, it would be too conspicuous for so many nobles and bigwigs to gather together.

Especially since this is the capital city, the current emperor will definitely know immediately. Who knows if it will arouse suspicion or cause an irrational and strong backlash?

On second thought, there are no major wars within the Great Qian Empire at the moment, and these nobles and powerful figures don't have much room to maneuver. Rather than focusing their attention on the court and getting bogged down in arguments with those quick-witted civil officials, it would be better to carefully consider the development plans for their own territories and future construction matters.

Having understood the intentions of these powerful nobles, Jia Cong naturally didn't mind having a small gathering with them.

It's a pity that these officials themselves were not very capable; otherwise, the noble group would not have been suppressed to the point of almost being unable to breathe by the civil service group in just twenty years.

Whether in court intrigues or in managing family power, their abilities can only be described as mediocre and unremarkable.

Given their capabilities, it's impossible for them to come up with any good solutions.

"The Prince of Nan'an's mansion has been operating in the southwest for a century; they must have some connections and channels!"

It was unclear which noble lord suddenly spoke up and said, "Besides, with our help, the Prince's Mansion has retained the two most valuable prefectures in the southwest!"

Jia Cong looked up at the guy who said that and couldn't help but find it amusing.

Judging from this, they're going to continue exploiting the Prince of Nan'an's mansion?

"No, absolutely not!"

"The power of the Prince of Nan'an's mansion has already been weakened enough. If it continues to weaken, I'm afraid they won't even be able to maintain their foothold in the southwest!"

"What we should do is not kick someone when they're down, but unite to grow stronger!"

The person who spoke shouted in a very loud tone, but it was all for naught.

"General Jia, what are your plans for the newly acquired territory?"

At this moment, another nobleman looked at Jia Huan.

Actually, these nobles and powerful figures were never quite at ease when facing Jia Cong.

Although heroes are said to come from all walks of life, in reality, in a peaceful and stable environment, those who truly do not come from any particular background are extremely rare.

As an illegitimate child, Jia Cong stood out quite a bit among the powerful nobles.

It wasn't just because of his age; his feelings were even more complicated when he was surrounded by a group of nobles and powerful figures, almost all of whom were direct descendants of their families.

This is human nature, something that's hard to avoid!

Jia Cong was already used to it and didn't think it was a big deal.

If we accept Jia Huan's statement, the fact that he is able to sit in the main study in the front courtyard of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and communicate on equal terms with a group of nobles and bigwigs speaks volumes.

If you have real skills, you'll earn respect anywhere!

Jia Cong gained a deeper understanding and awareness of this.

"Please don't be impatient, everyone. In fact, the current emperor is quite interested in this matter as well!"

He said with a smile, "In fact, that's exactly what the emperor asked me when he kept me here earlier!"