The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 102 Entrusted with an Important Responsibility

Gao Gou arrived quickly, knowing that Lord Liu was looking for him because of Wei Ya's death.

Regarding Wei Ya's death, he wasn't actually that saddened.

With Wei Ya dead, I believe my standing with Lord Liu will improve.

We dare not hope to replace Weiya's position now, such as the garrison of Zhenqiang Fort.

After all, he was only a commander of a thousand households.

That doesn't mean he can't become the garrison commander of some fortress in a few years.

"I'm asking you, what was Jia Chen doing at the time? Where was he?" Liu Tianwang asked.

"My lord?" Gao Gou didn't immediately understand what Liu Tianwang meant. Why was he suddenly asking about Jia Chen?

"When Wei Ya was killed," Liu Tianwang added.

"Huh?" Gao Gou's eyes widened, his face full of surprise. "Sir, you suspect Jia Chenqian did it? Impossible, he was at the garrison headquarters at the time, drinking with everyone."

"Hmph." Liu Tianwang snorted coldly, "Jia Chen isn't alone; he has so many subordinates."

Gao Gou's expression changed, and he thought about it and realized it made sense.

Those men from Qianshan Fort are the kind who dare to fight the Northern barbarians.

Just because Jia Chen couldn't get away doesn't mean his men couldn't kill Wei Ya.

"Um..." Gao Gou hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, this matter doesn't make sense. It's unlikely that it was done by Jia Chen's men."

Why?

"It's hard to say about the others, but there's one thing that can rule out Qianshan Fort as a suspect," Gao Gou replied. "Qianshan Fort only has ten warhorses, while the group that killed Lord Wei had forty or fifty people. Qianshan Fort simply doesn't have that many horses."

Liu Tianwang frowned.

He was somewhat negligent; he only thought Jia Chen had a motive to kill, but he didn't consider this point.

At that time, Jia Chen did indeed keep a few warhorses, and the rest were divided up between himself and Chen Tai.

"Can't Jia Chen secretly get some horses?" Liu Tianwang asked.

"My lord, Lord Wei and I have been keeping a close eye on the situation at Qianshan Fort. If Jia Chen really wants to get a horse, we will definitely find out," Gao Gou said.

Gao Gou dared not lie to Liu Tianwang; what he said was the truth.

Liu Tianwang sighed inwardly, realizing he had misunderstood.

Wei Ya had designs on Qianshan Fortress, so it was natural for him to pay attention to it.

More than forty horses is no small matter for a fortified village; the commotion must have been significant, and it was indeed unlikely to be kept secret from Zhenqiang Fort.

"Sir, could we pin the blame on Jia Chen?" Gao Gou asked with a hint of anticipation.

He just told the truth, saying that Jia Chen couldn't possibly have committed the crime.

But if it meant making Jia Chen take the blame, he would wholeheartedly agree.

He eliminated Jia Chen, and Qianshan Fortress became his.

From the adult's words, it's clear that the adult suspects Jia Chen. So why not go all the way and, regardless of whether Jia Chen did it or not, confirm Jia Chen's guilt.

"Nonsense!" Liu Tianwang shouted.

If there is evidence, I can take down Jia Chen.

But now there's nothing, and Chen Tai now values ​​Jia Chen.

Gao Gou dared not utter a sound.

"North Wind Village!" Liu Tianwang gritted his teeth.

Having ruled out other possibilities, it can only be them.

"My lord, Beifeng Village is located in Liuleng Mountain, so it's impossible to pinpoint its true location. Lord Wei's grudge is probably..." Gao Gou dared not continue.

These bandits and robbers have been entrenched in Liuleng Mountain for too long, and the fact that they have not been completely eradicated suggests that they possess extraordinary abilities.

Putting aside the fact that it was the territory of the Eastern Route Commander, it was difficult for them in the Northern East Route to cross their jurisdiction to suppress bandits. Even if they could get there, the complex terrain of Liuleng Mountain made it impossible to suppress bandits.

This means that the matter of Wei Ya's murder will ultimately be left unresolved.

"No way to get revenge?" Liu Tianwang's face was filled with rage. "Outrageous! They can run away, but they can't hide! Isn't the Sun family colluding with Beifeng Village?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Gou's eyes lit up, and he said, "Sir, perhaps we can take this opportunity to make some money off the Sun family?"

The Sun family wields considerable power in Datong Town, but this matter involves killing officials and rebelling. As long as we exaggerate the situation as much as possible, we can resolve this issue.

Even the Sun family would have to pay a fine to avoid disaster.

"Hmph, you don't need to concern yourself with this matter," Liu Tianwang sneered.

Wei Ya's death was a huge loss for him.

The most important thing now is to figure out how to make up for this loss.

Liu Tianwang already had an idea in mind: regardless of whether the Sun family and Beifeng Village were related, this matter had to be pinned on them.

Previously, he had taken the initiative to show goodwill to the Sun family, such as buying grain from them and facilitating contact between Wei Ya and the Sun family.

Although he was a high-ranking officer, he was still somewhat passive in this matter, since he had to ask for a favor and had to lower his stance.

Things are different now. By using this incident to launch an attack on the Sun family, I can take the initiative.

If the Sun family is willing to cooperate with me, then I will be able to gain a better foothold here.

Of course, to escalate this matter, we need the support of General Chen Tai.

Besides that, there was another thing that gave Liu Tianwang a big headache.

With Wei Ya's death, he found that there was no suitable person by his side to replace Wei Ya as the garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort.

Gao Gou was one of his confidants, but he was only a commander of a thousand households.

Jia Chen followed Liu Tianwang and the others to Desheng Fort, but he was in no hurry to leave.

Actually, it wouldn't be good for him to leave alone, since everyone is at Deshengbao now.

The matter of Wei Ya's murder will need some more time to develop.

While everyone was there, Jia Chen approached Ye Fandong.

"Brother, with Lord Wei gone, the position of garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort will be vacant again," Jia Chen suddenly said after the two chatted for a while.

Ye Fandong's expression changed slightly.

"Brother, don't you have any ideas?" Before Ye Fandong could speak, Jia Chen asked in a low voice.

"To be honest, brother, I've already made up my mind. After everyone leaves, I won't go back to Juqiang Fort. I'll go directly to Datong Prefecture to find the General." Ye Fandong didn't hide anything.

"Then there's no problem," Jia Chen said with a smile. "Last time you were a little short, but this time no one can compete with you."

Ye Fandong smiled as well.

He was still somewhat resentful about his defeat at Wei Ya's hands last time.

Afterwards, the General-in-Chief also specifically sought him out.

In fact, he understood the General's predicament, and could only bury his resentment in his heart.

This time, no matter who killed Wei Ya, it will definitely be a great thing for him.

Wei Ya is dead, but Zhenqiang Fort cannot be left undefended.

"Brother, if I become the garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort, don't worry, I will definitely take care of your Qianshan Fort," Ye Fandong said with a smile.

This time, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he is determined to take the position of garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort.

"Thank you, brother. Actually, I have a favor to ask," Jia Chen said.

"Tell me, what's there to hide between us?" Ye Fandong laughed.

He's in a good mood right now.

Of course, with Wei Ya just dead, he could only suppress his good mood for the time being and couldn't show it in front of Liu Tianwang and the others.

In private, I don't have as many concerns.

"Brother, if you become the garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort, wouldn't the position of garrison commander of Juqiang Fort be vacant?" Jia Chen said.

"That's right." Ye Fandong nodded. At first, he didn't realize anything, but after speaking, he suddenly thought of something. He stared at Jia Chen with some surprise and hurriedly asked, "Brother, you wouldn't be eyeing this position, would you?"

"Brother, I do have this idea. When you go to Datong Prefecture this time, I wonder if you could mention it to the General?"

If Ye Fandong wanted the position of garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort, then Jia Chen was still obsessed with the position of garrison commander of Juqiang Fort.

He had thought it over; it might not be appropriate for him to go directly to Chen Tai.

There was still a gap between him and Chen Tai; their relationship wasn't actually as close as that between Ye Fandong and Chen Tai.

If Ye Fandong were to put in a good word for him and mention it, Chen Tai would likely have a high chance of success, considering his two previous contributions.

"Brother, it's no big deal to mention it," Ye Fandong nodded, "but I can't guarantee anything. It's quite rare for a commander of a thousand to be appointed as the garrison commander of Dabao City. Whether it will work out or not depends on the General's decision."

"However, don't be too discouraged. Based on the great achievements you've made, I believe the General will give it serious consideration," Ye Fandong added. "In fact, the General still thinks highly of you and values ​​you greatly."

"Brother, whether it works out or not, I, Jia Chen, will always remember your kindness and the General's mentorship," Jia Chen said immediately.

His statement was actually meant to convey a message to Chen Tai through Ye Fandong.

Ye Fandong smiled slightly.

He now has some understanding of Jia Chen's situation.

Liu Tianwang had clearly become somewhat distant from Jia Chen.

Liu Tianwang deserved it. He was originally a capable subordinate, but in order to protect himself, he actually caused such a scene in front of Qianshan Fort. How could he expect his subordinates to trust him?

This is essentially pushing Jia Chen out.

The General cherishes talent, unlike Liu Tianwang who is too self-serving.

Ye Fandong is on Chen Tai's side, so of course he hopes to bring Jia Chen over.

He had seen Jia Chen's abilities.

If I were to serve as the garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort in the future, and if Jia Chen were stationed at Qianshan Fort, I believe we would be even more confident in resisting the northern barbarians' southward advance.

If Jia Chen really does take on the role of garrison commander at the Fortress, it might actually be a good thing for him.

With the Juqiang Fort and Zhenqiang Fort supporting each other, the two fortified cities will be even more secure.

Moreover, Ye Fandong believed that as long as Jia Chen was given a chance, this kid could still make a difference.

He was well aware of his own abilities; he was good at defending the city, but it was practically impossible for him to fight the Northern barbarians.

So if you get along well with Jia Chen, why worry about not getting credit?

Now, the deputy commander of the North East Road is Liu Tianwang. I am not one of his people, so I will naturally be rejected by Liu Tianwang.

This was only because he had the General-in-Chief behind him; otherwise, his life would have been much harder.

Once Jia Chen becomes the garrison commander of Juqiang Fortress, even without the General's orders, I believe that by joining forces with Jia Chen, I can make Liu Tianwang wary.

He could naturally calculate the pros and cons.

He took Jia Chen's request for help to heart.

Moreover, Ye Fandong felt that the chances of success were extremely high. The General had been granted a title because of Jia Chen, and now he valued Jia Chen even more.

Previously, there weren't many suitable positions available, so Jia Chen's position was difficult to change.

But now a good spot has become available.

Wouldn't it be only natural to entrust Jia Chen with important responsibilities next?