The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 124 Soft and Hard Power: A Devastating Strike

To be honest, Jia Chen was quite satisfied with his subordinates, such as Wang Baisheng.

They were all brave and skilled in battle, and fearless of death.

Especially after these several great victories against the Northern Barbarians, everyone gained confidence and did not exhibit the cowardly behavior of other Great Hong armies who feared the Northern Barbarians like tigers.

People were even clamoring to fight the Northern barbarians.

Because of their meritorious service, everyone received rewards and promotions.

With these incentives, everyone became even more dedicated to killing the northern barbarians.

There was no doubt about Wang Baisheng and his men's martial prowess, but Jia Chen still had some concerns.

That is, Wang Baisheng and his group were basically illiterate and couldn't even write their own names.

Just like the guards around Jia Chen now, only Wei Dao can read a few words, the others are completely illiterate.

This is because Wei Dao is a martial arts practitioner, and he needs to recognize the characters in some martial arts manuals.

Of course, my knowledge of it is also very limited.

According to Wei Dao, many cultivation techniques and secret manuals are passed down orally by masters and elders, and some are taught by hand-in-hand methods of circulating qi.

Therefore, his literacy level was not actually that high; he was only familiar with some specialized terms used in martial arts techniques.

Even so, Wei Dao was definitely one of the best literate people in the army.

An army that is illiterate has a fatal flaw.

What if I issue military orders to Wang Baisheng and his men, but they can't read?

It's not feasible to rely on messengers to deliver orders all the time, or to have them accompanied by literate people.

This will definitely not work.

The soldiers below were illiterate and could only blindly obey orders, unable to comprehend complex tactical intentions.

If the soldiers below were literate, they could understand the illustrated military books, battle formations, and written military orders.

When soldiers can understand the tactical logic behind formations like the Mandarin Duck Formation, while their opponents are just a bunch of illiterate people who can only listen to the sound of drums, the advantage on the battlefield will be overwhelming.

To achieve a decisive victory over the enemy, utilizing advanced weapons such as firearms is one approach. In addition, enabling soldiers to learn to read and write will allow them to better learn military discipline, battle formations, commands, and so on.

This is also a form of dimensional reduction.

The former can be considered a reduction in the dimensionality of hard power, while the latter is a reduction in the dimensionality of soft power.

Jia Chen had actually had this idea for a while, but he was too busy to deal with it.

And there were no suitable teachers.

Given the environment of the Fortress, hardly any scholars were willing to come; you couldn't even persuade them to come.

Scholars naturally look down on soldiers, considering them just a bunch of brutes, and are especially unwilling to teach these soldiers.

Jia Chen even considered personally teaching Wang Baisheng and the others, starting with generals and then moving on to soldiers.

Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to put it into practice yet; he's been too busy.

Now that he's met Xu Changshan, Jia Chen is smitten.

Doesn't teaching matter where you are teaching?

Moreover, he was once the Vice Minister of Revenue, so his knowledge is naturally quite good.

But Jia Chen was unsure how to get the person back.

Juqiangbao was the front line directly facing the northern barbarians, which was much more dangerous than Datong Prefecture City, and the conditions were also far inferior to those in Datong Prefecture City.

If the person doesn't want to go, you can't just kidnap them and take them back.

"Sir?" Wei Dao was taken aback. He saw Jia Chen stand up and walk towards the door, so he hurriedly tried to follow.

"No need to come over," Jia Chen said.

The guards stopped in their tracks, but they kept a close eye on Jia Chen; their duty was to protect Jia Chen's safety.

"Shopkeeper, Mr. Xu's bill today is on me," Jia Chen said.

The innkeeper, who was trying to stop the persistent Xu Changshan, suddenly heard Jia Chen's words and hurriedly turned around: "Sir, are you telling the truth?"

"Of course." Jia Chen took out five taels of silver and handed it to the shopkeeper. "We can add more later if it's not enough."

This restaurant is only so-so; if one person wants a decent meal, two or three ounces is enough.

"Good, good," the shopkeeper said with a broad smile.

For him, all he needs is someone to pay him.

Those people simply said they could no longer accept Xu Changshan's calligraphy and paintings.

"May I go in now?" Xu Changshan snorted coldly.

"Mr. Xu, please, please." The shopkeeper hurriedly said with a smile.

Xu Changshan snorted, glanced at Jia Chen, and walked inside.

"I'll sit here," Xu Changshan said without any hesitation, taking a seat at Jia Chen's table.

Originally, four people sat at the table, but Xu Changshan is now sitting in Jia Chen's original spot.

Upon seeing Jia Chen arrive, Wei Dao and the others hurriedly stood up and sat at another table to the side. This table was naturally reserved for Jia Chen and Xu Changshan.

There were seven guards who came out with Jia Chen. They originally sat at two tables, but now they sat at three. Fortunately, there weren't many customers in the restaurant.

"Manager, hurry up and serve the dishes!" Wei Dao hurriedly called out to the manager after seeing Jia Chen sit down opposite Xu Changshan.

Jia Chen could now clearly see Xu Changshan's face and clothing. Although his clothes had many patches, they were still clean and neat.

His hair was graying, and his face looked somewhat weathered.

Of course, most of them were sallow-skinned and malnourished because they didn't have enough to eat.

"Master Xu, have some tea first!" Jia Chen personally poured Xu Changshan a cup of tea and handed it to him with both hands.

Xu Changshan didn't move, but coldly asked, "What tricks are you trying to pull this time?"

Jia Chen was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was going on.

He realized that Xu Changshan had mistaken him for someone else, thinking he was a lackey of the powerful and wealthy families in the city.

Jia Chen smiled somewhat speechlessly, gently placed the teacup in front of Xu Changshan, and said, "Master Xu, you must have mistaken us for someone else. We are from out of town and only arrived yesterday. This is my first time in Datong Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, Xu Changshan's expression shifted slightly, realizing that he might have indeed mistaken the person for someone else.

However, you can't completely trust what the other person says.

After taking a sip of tea, he said casually, "You're soldiers?"

Jia Chen and his companions carried swords and knives, giving them an aura unlike that of ordinary people.

Upon hearing this, Jia Chen smiled slightly and said, "Could it be that Master Xu has a prejudice against soldiers?"

He could tell that Xu Changshan wasn't very enthusiastic about joining the army.

Jia Chen's words startled Xu Changshan slightly. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "It's not that I have a prejudice against soldiers, but the current Great Hong Army is utterly incompetent. They're useless at killing the enemy, and when facing the Northern Barbarians, they can only cower in the city, watching helplessly as the civilians outside are slaughtered and plundered. Some of them are practically bandits themselves, robbing the people..."

Xu Changshan shook his head at this point, sighed, and didn't continue.

Since this meal was being paid for by these soldiers, I couldn't really say too much.

Jia Chen understood Xu Changshan's meaning. Indeed, the saying that soldiers are like bandits these days is not just a figure of speech.

Unfortunately, the Great Hong Army was plagued by rampant corruption and mismanagement of rations and pay, leaving many soldiers with no choice but to prey on civilians.

They burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of atrocities, no different from bandits and robbers.

"Master Xu, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on the soldiers," Jia Chen said.

Xu Changshan nodded and said, "What you said is true, sigh..."

How could he not know what the situation was?

Unfortunately, the current imperial court is clearly in a difficult position to solve these problems.

"Let's not talk about these unpleasant things. You said you're from out of town, so where are you soldiers from?" Xu Changshan looked Jia Chen up and down and asked.

He's just an ordinary citizen now, struggling to even put food on the table, so he can't think about anything else.

Besides, thinking about it is pointless.

"We're from Juqiangbao," Jia Chen said with a smile. "We're here in Datong Prefecture on official business."

"Oh? Juqiang Fortress?" Upon hearing this, Xu Changshan's eyes lit up, and he asked, "I heard that the garrison commander of Juqiang Fortress is Jia Chen, that young hero from the Northeast Route. Are you his subordinates?"

"Lord Xu, my master is the garrison commander of Juqiang Fortress," Wei Dao said with a hearty laugh.

The other guards nearby also laughed.

They are still very proud of it.

Now, not only in Beidong Road, but throughout the entire Datong Town, everyone knows the name of their adults.

Xu Changshan narrowed his eyes and looked Jia Chen up and down: "Tsk tsk tsk, you are that Jia Chen. You don't look like the rumored Jia Chen who can lift a thousand pounds and easily tear the Northern barbarians apart with his bare hands."

Jia Chen was speechless for a moment. Who spread these rumors?

Are they making a ridiculous drama?

They even tore the northern barbarians apart with their bare hands.

However, as the story spreads, it gets exaggerated, which is normal, but some parts are not quite in line with the facts.

And you know what? People actually like listening to this kind of thing nowadays.

He described himself as a god descended from heaven, invincible in every battle.

Of course, Jia Chen knew something in his heart: the widespread rumors about his affairs in Datong Town were related to Chen Tai.

In particular, the second time he even captured Abunai, which led to Chen Tai being granted a title.

Therefore, Chen Tai took this matter very seriously.

He needed a typical hero, and he fit the bill perfectly.

Jia Chen didn't have much to say about these things.

Although such a heroic aura and the name of a hero can bring some pressure.

But the benefits are also obvious.

With a good reputation, even if some people want to harm you, you need to consider the consequences.

If you think your own situation isn't very obvious, then Xu Changshan is the best example.

He had been dismissed from his post and was all alone in Datong Prefecture, powerless to even kill a chicken. It would have been too easy for those guys to kill him.

But do they dare?

dare not.

Because Xu Changshan was well-known.

He was fearless of powerful and influential people when he was in office, and was upright and incorruptible.

Even powerful officials and nobles would try to avoid such a person, not wanting to provoke him.

At most, they'll use some underhanded methods like they do now.

"Does Master Xu also believe in these things?" Jia Chen asked.

Xu Changshan chuckled twice and said, "I wouldn't believe you completely, but it's true that you killed the Northern barbarians. It's just that you look younger than I imagined, completely different from those burly men... I was judging by appearances, I'm ashamed."

Jia Chen sighed inwardly, realizing that even someone like Xu Changshan still held soldiers in contempt deep down.

In his memory, most of those generals were burly and rough, and were uncouth people.

However, it's understandable; the prevailing social norms value civil officials more than military ones.

"Lord Jia, I didn't eat this meal for nothing, did I?" Xu Changshan smiled again, staring at Jia Chen.

"Mr. Xu, what are you saying? It's just a simple meal." Jia Chen smiled.

"Young man, dishonest," Xu Changshan shook his head.

"Your insight is sharp; you saw right through me." Jia Chen didn't try to argue anymore.

After all, he really did have an ulterior motive.

The thought that suddenly flashed through my mind after I learned Xu Changshan's identity.

Denying it at this point would seem hypocritical.

"Young man, you're still too green. I've lived most of my life, what kind of people haven't I seen?" Xu Changshan laughed heartily. "Everyone dislikes this old man. Aren't you afraid of getting yourself into trouble?"

"Master Xu, actually I wanted to invite you to Juqiang Fortress," Jia Chen said with a smile. "I think many people would be happy if you left Datong Prefecture, and perhaps they would even thank me."

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