The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 104 Promotion to Garrison Commander

Ye Fandong's transfer to the position of garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort meant that General Chen Tai ultimately prevailed.

Regarding this, the others were not too surprised.

After He Liding was killed last time, there was a clash between the candidates for Zhenqiang Fort.

At that time, Chen Tai backed down and gave Liu Tianwang face, letting Wei Ya take the lead.

It's going too far for Liu Tianwang to want to send his own people into battle again.

Moreover, the person Liu Tianwang recommended was not qualified or prestigious enough in everyone's eyes.

Chen Tai was able to agree to appoint Wei Ya as the garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort last time because Wei Ya's conditions were acceptable; otherwise, he would not have agreed.

Although they are all garrisons, there are significant differences between the same garrison units depending on the size and importance of the fortress they are stationed in.

Zhenqiang Fort was definitely the most important fortress in the Northeast Route, besides Lucheng Desheng Fort.

There was a fortified village next to Zhenqiang Fortress that traded horses with the Tumet tribe, which shows that Zhenqiang Fortress played a very important role and its status is self-evident.

Although Ye Fandong's transfer is still to the position of garrison commander and seems to have not changed much, he has a good chance to use this as a springboard to be promoted to the rank of adjutant general.

In short, Ye Fandong has made a real half-step forward, and now has a greater advantage in defense compared to the other fortified cities.

The fact that Ye Fandong was transferred to another post did not surprise anyone; it was considered to be a matter of course.

However, the next appointment caused a huge uproar in Datong Town, especially on the North East Road.

That was the position Jia Chen took over from Ye Fandong after his transfer, and was officially promoted to the position of garrison commander of the Fortress.

You have to understand that Jia Chen is only a commander of a thousand men. Many people are dissatisfied with a commander of a thousand men being appointed as a garrison commander.

Many people felt they were more qualified than Jia Chen to serve as the garrison commander, especially those in command and other positions.

Even though Jia Chen had made many contributions, no matter what, Jia Chen was still just a commander of a thousand men.

It's not uncommon for a thousand-household commander to be responsible for the defense of a city, but such a position is extremely rare.

There have been very few such people in history.

What makes Jia Chen so special?

They disagreed.

Unfortunately, this was an order personally issued by the General, and even Liu Tianwang, the Assistant Commander of the Northeast Route, eventually compromised. No matter how much the others were dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do.

After all, this is a matter concerning the North East Road, and Liu Tianwang, as the adjutant, is the most qualified to raise objections to the selection.

Since he compromised, it was a foregone conclusion that Jia Chen would serve as the garrison commander of the Fortress.

"Bastards~~~ This is too much~~" Desheng Fort Garrison.

Angri curses and the sound of things breaking came from Liu Tianwang's study.

The people outside looked worried and terrified, fearing that the military commander and others would vent their anger on them.

They still didn't know why the adjutant was so angry.

When the adjutant returned from the general's residence, his face was terribly gloomy, and anyone could see the anger he was suppressing.

After venting for a while, Liu Tianwang slumped into a chair, his chest heaving and his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Liu Tianwang had already given up much hope for the position of garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fortress, as Chen Tai would likely intervene.

After all, Ye Fandong had competed with him before.

However, Liu Tianwang still recommended one of his trusted confidants, and Hu Youcai did not object, which meant he acquiesced.

As expected, the outcome was still Ye Fandong.

Although he was upset about this, he was mentally prepared and wouldn't fly into a rage.

It was the selection of the next defender of the fortress that allowed him to breach its defenses.

I thought that since I had already given up the position of garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort, Chen Tai would not interfere with the selection of the garrison commander of Juqiang Fort, right?

As the local military commander, he should have a lot of say in this selection, right?

Unfortunately, he was wrong, terribly wrong.

When choosing the candidates for the Fortress of Resistance, he had a conflict with Hu Youcai on North East Road alone.

He didn't expect Hu Youcai to jump out and oppose the person he had chosen.

It should be noted that when it came to selecting the garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort, Hu Youcai supported the candidate he had chosen.

Therefore, he naturally assumed that Hu Youcai would agree again this time.

Who would have thought that he wouldn't even get past Hu Youcai?

What's even more infuriating is that not only did Hu Youcai object, but he also proposed a candidate.

This person is none other than Jia Chen.

Liu Tianwang now has a strong aversion to Jia Chen.

I used to think so highly of Jia Chen, but now that things have turned around, it feels even more disgusting.

Because he discovered that Jia Chen had basically sided with Chen Tai, which he saw as a betrayal.

Such blatant betrayal made Liu Tianwang want to tear Jia Chen to pieces.

Unfortunately, Jia Chen has just made a great contribution, and there's nothing I can do about it.

I was originally planning to transfer him away from Qianshanbao to eliminate his influence first, and then deal with him slowly in the future depending on the situation.

And now, Jia Chen is being valued so highly by Hu Youcai.

How dare a mere commander of a thousand households covet the position of garrison commander?

He couldn't help but argue with Hu Youcai, and in the end, neither of them could convince the other. So, they each reported their chosen people to the General's Office.

In fact, Liu Tianwang thought that he was not good enough to be the garrison commander of Zhenqiang Fort, but he was good enough to be the garrison commander of Juqiang Fort.

Therefore, even though he knew that Chen Tai valued Jia Chen more, Jia Chen was still only a commander of a thousand men, which was a clear disadvantage.

But who would have thought that Chen Tai would be so disgusting to him, showing him absolutely no respect?

They actually appointed Jia Chen as the garrison commander of the fortress.

Sitting in the chair, Liu Tianwang thought about many things, and felt somewhat gloomy.

Hu Youcai definitely contributed to this.

I wonder how much Jia Chen gave this eunuch to speak up for him like this.

I lost completely this time; you could say I suffered a crushing defeat.

"That damned eunuch, he should just die in the capital," Liu Tianwang cursed.

This wasn't an insult to Hu Youcai; it was an insult to Feng Shan.

In Liu Tianwang's view, if Feng Shan were in Datong, then Chen Tai would not be able to act so recklessly.

After all, he knew very well that the relationship between Feng Shan and Chen Tai was not so harmonious.

Chen Taicai had only recently taken office and didn't have much of a relationship with Feng Shan before.

Unfortunately, Feng Shan was delayed by negotiations with the Chahar tribe and was unable to return to Datong Town in time.

Now, military affairs are practically dominated by Chen Tai's absolute authority.

By the time Feng Shan returned, even if he disagreed, it would be too late; the die was cast.

Chen Tai appointed these two people too quickly, giving everyone little time to react.

The goal was probably to confirm the matter before Feng Shan returned.

Although Liu Tianwang knew Chen Tai's thoughts and intentions, he was powerless to do anything about it, as the higher-ranking officials held absolute power.

In particular, Hu Youcai, the eunuch in charge of the duties, was not on his side.

"Hmph, just you wait, this North East Road is mine after all." Liu Tianwang composed himself and snorted coldly.

After all, he was a brigade commander, the direct superior of Jia Chen and Ye Fandong, and they would still be under his control in the future.

It's easy for me to cause them trouble if I want to.

The simplest thing is food and supplies. As long as these are in our hands, no matter how much the two of them try to cause trouble, they can't turn the tide.

As for the defenses of other fortified cities, I'm afraid I'll have to work hard to win them over.

Although Chen Tai had served as the deputy commander of the Beidong Road, his background was ordinary, so among these garrison commanders, only Ye Fandong was truly his confidant.

At worst, I can offer those guards some benefits and still have a chance to win them over to my side.

Don't be fooled by Chen Tai's current position as the garrison commander of Datong; it won't be easy for him to truly establish himself.

In Datong Town, there weren't many people who truly respected Chen Tai.

What Chen Tai is facing is far more complicated than what he has experienced on Beidong Road.

In Liu Tianwang's view, Chen Tai was getting a little too arrogant.

Perhaps because of his title, he no longer cares about himself.

Previously, the two were considered allies who supported each other.

But this is how Chen Tai treats himself now.

Since Chen Taixian is unrighteous, then don't blame yourself for being unrighteous in the future.

Thinking of this, Liu Tianwang felt much better.

At this moment, a personal guard came to report that Sun Shaozu was requesting an audience.

Upon hearing this, Liu Tianwang couldn't help but sneer, thinking to himself, "This guy finally couldn't hold back anymore."

The case of Wei Ya's murder is still being widely circulated in Datong Town.

This was naturally due to Liu Tianwang's covert efforts to create momentum.

He wanted to make a big deal out of this.

Once things escalate, the Sun family will definitely be the ones who can't sit still.

Because the Sun family is connected to Beifeng Village, quite a few people in Datong Town know about it.

It's just that no one said it before.

Moreover, those who know these things are not exactly innocent themselves; they usually remain silent and keep each other's secrets.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Sun family will definitely face pressure after this matter blows up.

This was exactly the effect Liu Tianwang wanted; Sun Shaozu indeed came over.

Chen Tai's decision regarding the two garrison commanders left Liu Tianwang heartbroken and utterly disappointed.

Therefore, he needs to find other outlets for his frustration.

Sun Shaozu is a very good example.

The Sun family was a powerful and influential family in the area, with a large and prosperous business.

The Sun family will have to pay for Wei Ya's death and the humiliation I've recently suffered.

If Beifeng Village hadn't killed Wei Ya, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Therefore, the Sun family must pay a heavy price this time, otherwise he will not be able to get rid of this anger.

Liu Tianwang has decided to squeeze a good sum of money out of Sun Shaozu.

If Sun Shaozu is sensible, he should pay the money to avoid trouble.

Of course, Liu Tianwang did not intend to go to extremes.

He could take this opportunity to win over the Sun family.

The Sun family was, after all, a prominent local clan, and these clans didn't think much of Chen Tai.

Therefore, in order to counter Chen Tai in the future, the Sun family's power can still be utilized.

Of course, the Sun family will still have to pay a price this time; some things, whether done or not, come at a cost.

"Let him wait," Liu Tianwang said coldly.

Since Sun Shaozu was asking for his help, Liu Tianwang naturally had to put on airs and give Sun Shaozu the cold shoulder.

Sun Shaozu could only come to me for this matter because I was the one who went to the scene to investigate when Wei Ya died.

Therefore, we should rely on his statement to determine who the murderer is.

Actually, he didn't say it was definitely Beifeng Village, but after he said that to the outside world, everyone naturally assumed it was Beifeng Village's doing.

Who is the murderer? It could be someone from Beifeng Village, or other bandits from Liuling Mountain; it doesn't matter if they are bandits.