The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 114 Breaking a Promise

Thinking about Jia Chen's affairs, Jia Zheng couldn't help but picture his eldest daughter.

He sent Yuan Chun to the palace to be a lady-in-waiting several years ago, but the emperor has not reacted at all.

This made him very uneasy, wondering what the Emperor's attitude was towards the Jia family, and whether he understood their intentions.

Unexpectedly, we have now gleaned some clues from Jia Chen.

Therefore, he still values ​​Jia Chen very much.

If it weren't for Jia Chen, he would never have paid attention to military affairs, let alone things as distant as the border towns.

When Jia Chen arrived, he was surprised to find that Jia Zheng was interested in his promotion to garrison commander.

However, he always felt that Jia Zheng's words seemed to have a hidden meaning.

He asked himself whether this was the emperor's or Chen Tai's intention.

Jia Chen was quite clear about this.

This was clearly Chen Tai's intention.

A mere garrison commander wouldn't be of much concern to the emperor.

Chen Tai appointed him as the garrison commander of Juqiang Fortress because he had now sided with Chen Tai.

It was only because of Ye Fandong's relationship with Hu Youcai that he got this position.

Upon hearing Jia Chen's explanation, Jia Zheng sighed inwardly.

He was a little disappointed.

However, he was actually prepared.

As Jia Chen said, the Emperor wouldn't personally issue any decree for such a trivial matter.

Regardless, the fact that the Emperor simultaneously bestowed titles upon them was something the Jia family could look forward to for the future.

This Jia Chen is now considered a treasure in the Jia family.

At least, the emperor knew of Jia Chen.

If Jia Chen can still achieve merit in the future, the emperor will likely pay more attention to the Jia family, which may change their situation.

"A firearms craftsman? Or someone who makes cannons and cannons?" Jia Zheng frowned after hearing Jia Chen's words.

He hadn't paid much attention to military affairs before, so he knew very little about firearms and the like.

Even so, they still knew that these were items that the imperial court valued and controlled, and that ordinary people could not access them.

"Alright, I'll ask around for you." Jia Zheng finally agreed to Jia Chen's request.

To be honest, Jia Zheng still had many concerns.

The court values ​​firearms highly. If I get involved in these matters and someone with ulterior motives reports it, how will the emperor view the Jia family?

The Jia family had been out of the military for too long, and with few members remaining in the army, their influence was waning day by day.

Even so, the Emperor was still not entirely at ease with these meritorious families.

Since they had devoted almost all their efforts to supporting Prince Teng's ascension to the throne, it was clear that the emperor was not very comfortable with them.

They dare not make any moves now, especially regarding military affairs, lest they incur the emperor's further displeasure, which would be disastrous.

Even members of the same clan like Jia Chen are extremely cautious and dare not openly offer assistance.

Of course, it's also because they don't trust the people in Datong Town very much anymore.

After all, the Jia family's influence has been declining. How many of the former subordinates can be trusted now?

The Jia family shouldn't take risks.

However, Jia Chen is very important to the Jia family now, so it is appropriate to give Jia Chen some other assistance. These craftsmen and the like are better than directly interfering in military affairs.

Jia Zheng's actions were also helping the Jia family.

At worst, it's just about firearms craftsmen. If anyone asks about it someday, I can just admit it openly, and I'll accept any punishment from above.

After weighing the options, Jia Zheng made this choice.

After leaving Jia Zheng's place, Jia Chen was thinking of going to find his father-in-law, Qin Ye.

But after thinking about it, I gave up in the end.

What he wanted was a firearms craftsman skilled in manufacturing cannons and other weapons, something Qin Ye probably couldn't decide for himself.

We need to wait for news from Jia Zheng. If even Jia Zheng can't help, Qin Ye will likely have even less of a chance.

Want to poach talent from the capital?

This is still too difficult.

However difficult it may be, Jia Chen has to try.

Hu Youcai said that someone would come to find him within three days, but in reality, Jia Chen didn't receive a report from the imperial court until the morning of the fifth day.

An agreement was reached to release Abuna.

So Abuna was no longer imprisoned, but instead placed under house arrest in a house in the city.

Jia Chen was quickly brought here.

"You've arrived!" Abunai said casually as Jia Chen stepped into the reception room.

Jia Chen did not answer immediately, but walked over and sat down opposite him.

He looked Abuna over and noticed that she had changed quite a bit since he last saw her.

The main difference was that they changed into the clothing of the Great Hong Dynasty, which made the contrast obvious.

Also, Jia Chen noticed that Abunai looked quite well. Although he wasn't very free here and couldn't go out, he didn't lack other supplies.

At this moment, someone brought Jia Chen a cup of tea.

After taking a sip, Jia Chen finally spoke, "I wonder what business the Taiji has with a nobody like me?"

"A nobody?" Abunai grinned upon hearing Jia Chen's words. "If all the nobodys in the Great Hong Dynasty were like you, what would become of us?"

Jia Chen was a little surprised; he hadn't expected Abunai to be so easy to talk to.

She looks completely different from how she was before the Lunar New Year.

After being captured by oneself, one would grit one's teeth, either cursing or remaining silent and coldly indifferent.

Abuna is much more peaceful now.

It seems you've been reflecting on your actions these past few days?

"Over the years, I have traveled south several times and seen many of the Great Hong Army, including officers much higher in rank than you. What are they called? Lieutenant General, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Commander-in-Chief? They are all cowards who fear death. Wherever my Chahar warriors go, they only dare to hide in the city. It's truly laughable," Abunai continued.

"What? Does Taiji intend to humiliate the soldiers of my Great Hong Dynasty?" Jia Chen said in a deep voice. "If that's the case, then I'm afraid I won't keep you company."

"Haha~~" Abunai laughed heartily, "What I said is true, can you deny it? Fine, let's not talk about those guys. You, Jia Chen, are one of the few people I, Abunai, actually respect. I heard you're a relative of the two dukes of the Jia family back then, no wonder!"

"What exactly do you want to say to me?" Jia Chen frowned slightly; he didn't want to hear Abunai's nonsense.

"Why the rush? Actually, I don't want to say anything. I just want to see you, my opponent, while I'm still here," Abunai said with a faint smile. "Today I am a prisoner, but tomorrow may be different. Perhaps our positions will be reversed."

Hearing this, Jia Chen couldn't help but laugh: "That's right, things are unpredictable. But I'd like to say, I can arrest you once, and I can arrest you twice."

Abunai was not angered by Jia Chen's words and calmly said, "Okay, I hope you can remain like this in the future."

Otherwise, it would be too boring to catch you.

"So you're going south after all? Looks like you haven't learned your lesson at all," Jia Chen said. "Aren't you afraid I'll report you? Then you won't be able to get back."

"Does your emperor dare not release me?" Abunai sneered. "Besides, does your emperor not know whether we will continue south or not? The warriors of my Chahar tribe can come and go as they please."

"Ridiculous," Jia Chen sneered.

"What's so funny?" Abna asked.

"It is precisely because you are untrustworthy and repeatedly break your promises that the imperial court will not trust you," Jia Chen said with some disdain. "Look at the Tumed tribe. When they come to the border town of Mashi, how does their life compare to yours? Aren't you envious?"

"Hmph, spineless coward, unworthy of being a descendant of the Golden Family," Abna sneered.

The Tumed tribe accepted the investiture from the Great Hong Dynasty, which improved relations and thus granted them the right to conduct horse markets with the Great Hong Dynasty.

They used the Da Hong Dynasty's resources obtained at the horse market to resell them to other tribes on the grasslands, making a fortune.

Because the Tumed tribe held a monopoly, other tribes could only obtain resources from him.

The Da Hong Dynasty lowered the purchase price of cattle and sheep hides, so the Tumed tribe could exchange them for cattle and sheep from other tribes at even lower prices. The Tumed tribe did not lose money; in fact, they made a huge profit.

"Spineless?" Jia Chen glanced at Abunai and said, "I remember your Chahar tribe requested the Great Hong Dynasty to open up the horse market several times, right? It's a pity." In the end, Jia Chen shook his head, looking very sorry for Abunai.

The imperial court rejected the Chahar tribe's request to open a market.

Abunai's expression changed.

That's certainly true.

"It's different. The Tumet tribe knelt down to beg for some rewards. We, the Chahar tribe, demand equality—" Abunai made some excuses for himself.

Jia Chen didn't answer, but stared intently at him.

Finally, Abuna snorted and didn't continue.

These are all excuses, and everyone knows that.

The reason why the Chahar tribe kept raiding southwards was not only because raiding could quickly obtain wealth and people, but also because they were economically blockaded by the Great Hong Dynasty.

Without the horse market, it's impossible to obtain various supplies from the Great Hong Dynasty; even tea and salt are prohibited.

They could only obtain them at high prices from smuggling caravans, which was not only costly but also very scarce, far from enough to sustain the entire tribe.

Compared to the Tumed tribe, the Chahar tribe actually had a harder time, despite being much stronger than the Tumed tribe.

"Do you know why the imperial court doesn't agree to open a horse market with you?" After a long silence, Jia Chen broke the silence.

Abunai's expression shifted, but he didn't speak; he just looked at Jia Chen.

"It's because you went back on your word and can't be trusted," Jia Chen said calmly. "You promised to join forces to deal with the Later Jin, but did you take any action? When the Later Jin raided Liaodong, the court ordered you to send troops to attack the Later Jin army's flanks or cut off their retreat. The court gave you the benefits you wanted, but you still didn't move. You even used this as leverage to extort more from the court."

Abunai's cheeks twitched, and he said in a deep voice, "That's right, what you said is true, but the so-called alliance sounds too nice. Everyone knows that your Great Hong Dynasty wants our Chahar tribe to go up and fight the Later Jin, to send us to the front lines and die, while your Great Hong Dynasty sits back and reaps the benefits. Hmph! Do you think we're fools?"