The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 115 Entering the Palace

As the Later Jin rose to power and grew stronger, the imperial court considered joining forces with the Chahar tribe to suppress it.

In response, the imperial court provided the Chahar tribe with numerous benefits and support.

The Chahar tribe had basically taken all the benefits, but when asked to do anything, they either gave perfunctory responses or remained inactive, while also extorting and threatening the Great Hong Dynasty in an attempt to demand more.

Even if the imperial court acknowledged it and gave it more, the Chahar tribe still didn't make any move in the end.

After several such incidents, the Great Hong Dynasty lost patience with and trust in the Chahar tribe.

When the Chahar tribe saw that the Great Hong Dynasty was no longer offering them any benefits, they turned south to plunder.

Besides seizing wealth and people, they also wanted to put pressure on the Great Hong Dynasty, hoping to force it to submit by force and continue to provide benefits.

This further worsened the relationship between the two sides.

On the contrary, the Tumed tribe became much more docile after accepting the investiture.

The imperial court also wanted to use the Tumed tribe to restrain the Chahar tribe.

Although the Tumed tribe often just went through the motions, they were at least not as excessive as the Chahar tribe, so the imperial court could tolerate them.

"Your strength determines your status," Jia Chen said. "To be a sword in the hands of the strong is an honor for the weak."

It would be truly tragic if one didn't even qualify to be a sword.

Upon hearing this, Abunai burst into laughter.

He laughed for a long time before stopping: "Jia Chen, isn't your statement ridiculous? Does the Great Hong Army even deserve to be called strong? Upon seeing the warriors of my Chahar tribe, they wish they could dig a hole and hide. The warriors of my Chahar tribe are the true strong ones!"

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Jia Chen shook his head: "The Great Hong Army may have its problems, but how can the Great Hong Dynasty's national strength compare to that of your Chahar tribe? My Great Hong Dynasty has millions of people, while how many people does your Chahar tribe have? Hundreds of thousands? In front of the Great Hong Dynasty, you are like ants."

Abnai fell silent.

The size of the Chahar tribe was obviously no match for that of the Great Hong Dynasty; the disparity was too great.

"Currently, the court does not consider you the primary threat; the Later Jin poses a greater threat to the Great Hong Dynasty," Jia Chen said. "If you sincerely cooperate with the Great Hong Dynasty, I believe the Great Hong Dynasty will not treat you unfairly."

Abunai's expression changed, and he took a deep breath, saying, "That sounds nice, but what if my Chahar tribe really cooperates in attacking the Later Jin, and the Great Hong Dynasty doesn't recognize us? What about the casualties of my Chahar tribe?"

"Haha, so you still want benefits first before making a move, don't you?" Jia Chen laughed. "Unfortunately, your repeated betrayals have made it impossible for the Great Hong Dynasty to trust you. Therefore, the only way to regain trust is to show the Great Hong Dynasty your sincerity. Isn't it only right to pay a price for what you want? Now it's you who need the Great Hong Dynasty, not the other way around. So what if the Great Hong Dynasty watches you be destroyed by the Later Jin?"

"Hmph, don't underestimate us and belittle us so much," Abunai sneered. "If we join forces with the Later Jin, how will the Great Hong Dynasty face us?"

"What difference does it make if there's one more Chahar tribe? How does the Great Hong Dynasty differ from the Great Hong Dynasty in dealing with the two of you?" Jia Chen asked.

Jia Chen knew very well that things were getting increasingly difficult for the Chahar tribe.

The Later Jin dynasty exerted tremendous pressure on the Great Hong Dynasty, as did the Chahar tribe.

Even the Chahar tribe was wary of the Later Jin.

Some tribes to the east of the Chahar tribe, such as the Khorchin tribe, had already submitted to the Later Jin.

If this continues, the Chahar tribe will become a lone force, and all the vassal tribes will be taken over by the Later Jin.

The more frequently the Chahar tribe raids southwards in recent years, the more it proves that there are serious problems within the tribe.

"How do you know what your emperor is thinking?" Abunai asked, frowning.

"Do we even need to think about these things? Anyone in the Great Hong Dynasty who pays a little attention will know. The Great Hong Dynasty will not trust you again until it sees your sincerity," Jia Chen said with a slight smile.

This is something that not everyone can know.

Jia Chen was able to analyze it because he paid close attention.

Of course, it's because the Great Hong Dynasty and the late Ming Dynasty of the previous life were too similar, almost identical in these matters.

Abunai remained silent; he was unaware of some of the internal affairs of the Great Hong Dynasty.

However, what Jia Chen said were indeed the dangers that their Chahar tribe was currently facing.

The Later Jin dynasty continued to encroach on their territory.

Especially the tribes in the east, many of them have developed disloyal intentions.

He was barely managing to stay afloat, but he had to admit that the Chahar tribe was far weaker than the Later Jin.

Under the various forms of coercion and enticement from the Later Jin, more tribes will break away from the Chahar tribe's rule, just like the Khorchin tribe.

"I didn't expect that someone as lowly as you would have such insight. I don't believe that everyone in the Great Hong Dynasty has such knowledge. As expected of a member of the Jia family, I admire you," Abunai said.

In his view, Jia Chen's ability to defeat him twice and his insight were all due to the influence of the Jia family.

He couldn't believe that a lowly soldier with no background could have such insight.

Back then, the Jia family's two dukes were renowned throughout the northern grasslands, so it's not unacceptable that some outstanding talents would emerge from their descendants.

The people of the grasslands admire the strong, even if they are enemies or rivals.

"I'm just sharing my humble opinion," Jia Chen said with a faint smile. "Taiji, you don't need to take it to heart."

Jia Chen hadn't expected to talk to Abunai for so long.

Logically speaking, these are major national affairs that the high-ranking officials in the court should be concerned with.

I am just a small garrison commander, and all I need to do is guard my small territory.

But having said all that, Jia Chen still hoped that the Chahar tribe could make some changes.

If they truly cooperated with the Great Hong Dynasty, they might be able to better curb the growth of the Later Jin.

In the future, the Great Hong Dynasty may not necessarily perish.

The fall of a dynasty and the invasion of foreign tribes brought immense suffering to the common people.

Jia Chen didn't want to see such a tragedy.

There had already been a tragedy in his previous life, and if possible, he hoped that this tragedy could be avoided here.

Regardless of whether Abunai listened to him or whether what he said could change anything, he still said it anyway, to do his part.

"Haha~~ What a shallow view." Abunai laughed. "Jia Chen, if I catch you next time, I've changed my mind. Before, I wanted to skin you alive and tear you to pieces, but now I can spare your life."

"Thank you for your kindness, Taiji, but I'm afraid you won't have the chance," Jia Chen said with a smile. "Maybe I'll catch you again in the future, or you might need my help."

"Ridiculous!" Abnae scoffed.

He was resentful of being caught by Jia Chen this time.

Because he was injured, if he hadn't been seriously injured and unable to move, how could he have fallen into Jia Chen's hands?

Even if all else fails, I can definitely escape on horseback.

Next time, Jia Chen won't be so lucky, and he'll be more careful.

After being released from Abunai's place of confinement, Jia Chen couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

He was deeply moved.

People with status and position can be so capricious.

Abuna wanted to see him, and also wanted to tell him that he would catch him next time.

These words were almost exactly what Hu Youcai had told him back then.

Just making threats.

Although the tone softened somewhat, the meaning remained the same.

Abuna was dissatisfied and wanted to say these harsh words to his face before going back.

Relying on his status as the son of Ligdan Khan of the Chahar tribe, he was quite arrogant even within the Great Hong Dynasty.

However, he does have some reason to be arrogant now, and the Great Hong Dynasty does not want to completely break with the Chahar tribe.

So if Abunai wants to see me, even if it's just for some trivial matter, let alone if I'm in Datong Town, the imperial court will probably send me back no matter how far away I am.

As for the later mention of the relationship between the Chahar tribe and the Great Hong Dynasty, Jia Chen only mentioned it casually and hadn't prepared for it beforehand.

"Lord Jia, Eunuch Hu is ahead. Please come over." A guard approached Jia Chen and bowed.

Hu Youcai?

Jia Chen dared not delay and immediately asked him to lead the way.

After walking for a short while, Jia Chen saw a group of people ahead, with a sedan chair in the middle.

Jia Chen knew that Hu Youcai was not living in the palace, but in his own house in the city.

"Jia Chen is here." Hu Youcai's voice came from inside the sedan chair, and a servant lifted the curtain.

"Father-in-law, what are your instructions?" Jia Chen asked, bowing.

"Jia Chen, an imperial decree has arrived, ordering you and me to go to the palace together to meet the Emperor," Hu Youcai said.

Jia Chen's eyes widened in surprise.

"My lord, this humble general..."

This happened so suddenly that Jia Chen was completely unprepared.

Hu Youcai wasn't surprised at all by Jia Chen's shocked expression.

This is pretty much how it is for anyone who hears about being summoned by the emperor for the first time.

Especially for a lowly garrison commander like Jia Chen, under normal circumstances, he would never be summoned by the emperor.

Let alone being summoned, there's probably little chance of even meeting them from afar.

Hu Youcai could roughly guess what was going on when the emperor summoned Jia Chen.

It was probably Jia Chen's merits that piqued the emperor's curiosity and made him want to see him in person.

This is a good thing for Jia Chen, and it's also a good thing for him.

He was partly responsible for all the achievements Jia Chen made.

Jia Chen's two great achievements played a crucial role in his appointment as the garrison eunuch of Datong Town.

Without these two great achievements, even with his adoptive father's help, it would have been very difficult to take down this garrison eunuch.

It was precisely because of these two great achievements that even though he was less experienced, his shortcomings were compensated.

"The Emperor has summoned us, so we can't delay," Hu Youcai said. "I had already sent someone to your house to tell you that you had come to Abunai, so we rushed over. Let's go there now."

Jia Chen dared not hesitate any longer and followed Hu Youcai to the palace.

Hu Youcai alighted from his sedan chair far from the palace gate and walked to the gate with Jia Chen.

After confirming that the two were not carrying any knives or weapons, they entered the palace gates under the guidance of a eunuch.

"Do not look at things carelessly, do not listen to things carelessly, and do not speak carelessly," Hu Youcai whispered to Jia Chen.

Along the way, Hu Youcai actually gave Jia Chen some pointers on things to be careful about when entering the palace, fearing that he might not understand them on his first visit and offend the emperor, which could be fatal.

There are too many rules in the palace, so one must be very careful.

Jia Chen never expected that he would experience a situation similar to that of his mother and Qin Keqing when they paid their respects today.

This was his first time entering the palace. Even though it wasn't as complicated as the court ceremony with its many formalities, entering the palace still meant facing various restrictions.

This doesn't feel good.

In a past life, I visited places like the Forbidden City and felt a sense of grandeur, amazement, and a pleasant, relaxed mood, free from any pressure.

The feeling here is completely different. There is a real emperor present, guards with swords and spears everywhere, the atmosphere is oppressive, and you could be captured on the spot if you make a mistake.

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