The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 130 Something's bound to Happen Sooner or Later

The fortified city was crowded, but within Jia Chen's jurisdiction, there was still a severe shortage of people and labor.

Too many people had fled from the guardhouse below.

Without land, coupled with exploitation from above and arrears in wages and pay, what choice was there but to flee and wait for death?

Fortunately, Jia Chen has recently reclaimed a lot of the military farmland, and some of the soldiers who had fled have returned.

Jia Chen didn't pursue the matter further, as long as they farmed diligently.

At the same time, Jia Chen also sent some people to recruit people in other people's territories around the area.

The results were excellent; the land's appeal was unparalleled.

This is Jia Chen's future goal: to distribute land to all the soldiers under his command.

Only in this way can we better unite people's hearts.

Because of the current shortage of manpower, Wang Baisheng and his colleagues still need to work as laborers in their spare time.

Moreover, with so many people completely leaving their jobs, Jia Chen will also face a lot of pressure.

This kind of part-time work arrangement is a relatively reasonable solution at present.

Not long after Wang Baisheng left, Zhao Zheng came in looking travel-worn.

"How is it? Oh, have some tea first," Jia Chen asked.

"My lord, we've already reached an agreement with Omubu. He was thrilled to hear that you agreed to exchange cattle, sheep, and furs," Zhao Zheng said after drinking several cups of tea.

After Jia Chen and Lin Heqing reached an agreement, he sent Zhao Zheng to find Emubu.

Zhao Zheng returned from the Tumet tribe in the north without stopping along the way, and didn't even drink much water.

"He said he would prepare the cow and sheep hides immediately and send them to Juqiangbao in a few days," Zhao Zheng continued. "However, the quantity is quite large, so we probably need to make preparations early."

"That's right, that's right." Jia Chen nodded. "First, we'll fence off a piece of land outside the city, and then build some sheds."

These are used to hold cattle and sheep.

"Oh, right, I also need to tell Manager Lin to prepare the vehicles as soon as possible so that these things can be transported away quickly," Jia Chen said with a laugh.

Won't things get better then?

Transporting these cattle and sheep hides out of the country would yield even higher profits.

Jia Chen had thought it through; he could still make private deals with Emubu in the future.

It was actually smuggling, but Jia Chen had a bottom line and would only provide items permitted by the imperial court, such as daily necessities, tea, salt, and so on.

These were used to trade for cattle and sheep hides in Russia, and then resold through Lin Heqing.

There was no other way; without a continuous source of income, our method of raising an army would soon lead to a food shortage.

Even trading with Russian cloth alone cannot support their future expenses.

Jia Chen is not satisfied with the current number of soldiers; he needs more subordinates, which will require a massive amount of silver.

Therefore, he would try any way to make money.

We will need to expand our earning channels in the future.

Therefore, we should cooperate more with Lin Heqing, since he is in this line of work.

In addition, considering the relationship between Lin Heqing and Lin Ruhai, as well as the friendly attitude Lin Heqing showed from the beginning, and the fact that he was just a minor official at the time, Jia Chen trusted Lin Heqing quite a bit.

"Is there any movement from the Chahar tribe?" Jia Chen asked, calming himself down.

"Reporting to you, sir, there's been no movement for the time being," Zhao Zheng replied.

Jia Chen still let Zhao Zheng do his old job, in charge of the night watchman's intelligence gathering work.

The main focus of intelligence gathering is currently on the Chahar tribe.

If we could know what was happening over there earlier, we could prepare sooner and reduce losses.

Jia Chen let Zhao Zheng choose a group of people to disperse and go into the grasslands to gather intelligence.

Of course, Jia Chen now has a good relationship with the Tumed tribe and can get some information from them.

"Keep an eye on him, especially that Abunai. I don't think that guy will be content with being captured; he'll cause trouble sooner or later," Jia Chen said.

Spring is just around the corner. As the weather warms up, the ice and snow will melt, and the roads will be open again.

However, the melting snow makes the roads muddy and difficult to travel, so the Northern Barbarians generally do not choose to march south at this time very often.

Unless the winter is severe and too many cattle and sheep die, making it difficult to survive, the northern barbarians would not choose this time to raid southwards. Otherwise, it would usually be in the autumn.

Therefore, Jia Chen still needs to be on guard during this time of year.

"yes!"

Jia Chen went to visit Lin Heqing, and at the same time, he went to see him.

Lin Heqing fell ill a few days after arriving at Juqiangbao. At first, he only had a cough, but later he developed a fever. After seeing a doctor, he was diagnosed with a cold.

It seems to have gotten a bit serious lately; I can only stay in bed.

At this point, Jia Chen shouldn't bother the patient, but the matter of transporting and selling cattle and sheep hides was too important to him, and he urgently needed Lin Heqing's assistance through his channels.

"I'm getting old, I'm no longer useful." Lin Heqing lay on the bed, his face pale and his whole demeanor listless.

"I believe things will get better in a few days," Jia Chen said.

"Sir, what is it you need to say? I can have my men take care of it," Lin Heqing said.

He knew that Jia Chen must have something important to tell him.

Jia Chen did not hesitate and recounted the story.

"Then we really need to prepare well." Lin Heqing's spirits lifted; this was a big deal.

"I can only ask you for help in this regard," Jia Chen said.

"Let me think about how to arrange it; the amount of goods is quite large," Lin Heqing said.

Since he is currently ill and unable to appear in person, we need to find a trustworthy person to take charge of this matter, and someone who is also capable.

"Father, leave this matter to me." Just then, Lin Zhixue walked in and said.

She came to see her father and heard from the servants that Jia Chen was also there.

As she approached the door, she overheard the two talking, so she listened outside for a while.

When Jia Chen heard Lin Zhixue's voice, he remembered that she was Lin Heqing's son.

He turned his head and was stunned by what he saw.

This wasn't Lin Heqing's son at all, but a young girl walking gracefully towards them.

The girl's skin was like solidified cream, and her black hair was adorned with a pearl flower that swayed gently as she walked.

She was wearing a soft, padded winter coat; although the fabric was thick, it couldn't hide her shapely figure.

Her full, rounded breasts accentuated the graceful curve of the cross-collar.

Jia Chen hadn't realized Lin Zhixue was a woman before.

However, Jia Chen had only seen Lin Zhixue once at the city gate. At that time, Lin Zhixue was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, and since his mind was on Lin Heqing, he didn't notice anything unusual.

Later, Jia Chen met with Lin Heqing to discuss matters and did not see Lin Zhixue again.

I never expected that our second meeting would be so unexpected.

She turned out to be a delicate and beautiful woman.

"You... what are you doing here? This is none of your business!" Lin Heqing said hurriedly.

It would be one thing if he were dressed as a man, but it's not quite appropriate for him to come here dressed like a girl.

Lin Zhixue understood her father's concerns, but she ignored them. Instead, she stared directly at Jia Chen, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said, "Lord Jia, you wouldn't look down on women, would you?"

Jia Chen didn't expect her to ask him directly: "Of course not."

"That's what I think too," Lin Zhixue said with a smile. "My lord allowed Sister Xiu'er and the others to join the army and fight the northern barbarians just like the other soldiers. So, Father, it's the same with business. Men and women are the same. Why am I not involved? You're not feeling well right now, so isn't it only right that your daughter help you? Besides, I have experience with this kind of thing back in our hometown."

Jia Chen sighed inwardly, thinking how clever Lin Zhixue was to use his topic to shut Lin Heqing up.

He suddenly remembered something.

That is, the people below had mentioned to him that Huang Xiuer and Lin Zhixue had been getting closer these days.

Some people say that Huang Xiuer has taken a liking to the young master of the Lin family.

In Jia Chen's opinion, this was simply nonsense.

However, it is a fact that Huang Xiuer and Lin Zhixue are close, and Jia Chen was puzzled at the time, not knowing the reason.

He was too busy to pay much attention to the matter.

Looking back now, it's likely that Huang Xiuer recognized Lin Zhixue as a woman long ago, which is why she had something to say to her.

Otherwise, given Huang Xiuer's personality, it's impossible for her to be so close to a strange man.

Jia Chen couldn't help but compare Lin Zhixue and Qin Keqing.

In terms of looks alone, Qin Keqing was superior.

However, the two women are very different in terms of personality.

Lin Zhixue is clearly more outgoing, while Qin Keqing is the traditional and reserved type of woman.

This is likely related to the family environment in which the two girls grew up.

Lin Zhixue comes from a merchant family, so she is probably more eloquent.

Of course, Lin Zhixue's figure surprised Jia Chen a bit. At such a young age, her chest was so amazing. After all, you could see the outline even when she was wearing a winter coat. It was truly rare and a rare talent.

It can only be said that both women have their own merits and unique charm.

Lin Heqing found it difficult to refute his daughter's words for a moment.

"Father, don't worry. I don't need to get involved personally; I just need to give the orders. What's there to worry about?" Lin Zhixue added. "Besides, Lord Jia will also be accommodating, won't he, sir?"

"Of course, of course!" Jia Chen nodded.

Jia Chen was speechless; he seemed rather naive in front of her.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

Whether or not Lin Zhixue should be in charge of this matter is Lin Heqing's business, and it's not appropriate for me to interfere.

Lin Heqing pondered for a moment.

Deep down, he still felt that his daughter wasn't quite right for the job.

It's not that he thinks his daughter lacks the ability; his daughter is quite talented in business.

But she is, after all, a woman. If she were to take responsibility for this matter, she could delegate many things to her subordinates and not have to personally appear.

But what about Jia Chen?

You can't possibly call Jia Chen over to your bedside to explain things every time, can you?

They are the ones who truly defend the fortress.

Since I was bedridden, my daughter had to go to see me alone.

It would be inappropriate to let my daughter have too much contact with Jia Chen; there are differences between men and women.

Aside from these concerns, he didn't have any other thoughts; his daughter was indeed the most suitable candidate.

After thinking it over, he finally gave in; perhaps he had been overthinking it.

"Alright, I'll leave this matter to you." Lin Heqing sighed. "My lord, please forgive my daughter if she does anything wrong in the future!"

Before Jia Chen could answer, Lin Zhixue immediately said, "Father, you must have faith in your daughter."

"Alright, alright, but my lord is busy with military affairs. If there's nothing important, please don't bother him," Lin Heqing said.

"Understood." After saying that, Lin Zhixue bowed to Jia Chen and said, "I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

"Of course, of course," Jia Chen said with a slight smile. "Then I'll take my leave now."

Jia Chen understood that if he stayed any longer, it would make the atmosphere a bit awkward.

As for how to get in touch with Lin Zhixue later, we'll talk about that in the future.

He wasn't afraid of a mere woman.

"Little girl, please send me a message, sir!"

Lin Heqing wanted to speak up to stop him, but in the end he didn't say anything.