The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

"Is that really true?" Hu Youcai was astonished after hearing this.

Even Chen Tai was moved upon hearing this: "Like father, like son! You say his name is Jia Gan? From the Jia family?"

"Lord Chen, isn't that a rather strange question? Don't you know that Jia Chen is a member of the Jia family?" Hu Youcai said with a smile.

He noticed that Chen Tai was talking nonsense.

I just told him Jia Chen's identity, how could he still ask such a question?

"Jia Chen, did your father ever come to Datong Town for rotational training and border defense?" Chen Tai did not answer Hu Youcai's question, but stared at Jia Chen and asked.

"Yes, but that was more than ten or twenty years ago. I wasn't even born then. I only heard bits and pieces from my father later," Jia Chen said.

"That's right." Chen Tai clapped his hands and said, "Tsk tsk tsk, back then I was just a battalion commander. That year, during the rotation training of the Beijing garrison, we encountered the Chahar tribe marching south. Your father fought bravely and killed five northern barbarians. Now, your achievements are even greater than your father's. You have truly surpassed your father."

Five heads?

Jia Chen remembered that Jia Gan said he was promoted to a junior officer after killing a northern enemy in Datong Town.

Now it seems that Chen Tai was telling the truth; the other four heads were probably divided among others.

Back then, the military merit for taking a head from the Northern Barbarians was much higher than it is now. A single head could easily promote a soldier to a rank of sergeant.

Hu Youcai glanced at Jia Chen in surprise. Just as Chen Tai had said, Jia Chen's bravery was indeed inherited from his father, which made it no surprise.

And coincidentally, they both encountered the Chahar tribe raiding southwards during their rotation of military training and border defense.

Many military officers from Datong Town and the Beijing Garrison nearby were filled with envy when they saw that Jia Chen, a mere junior officer, could strike up a conversation with a lieutenant general and a guerrilla commander, and even chat and laugh with them.

However, those of higher rank generally knew what the situation was.

The military achievements that Jia Chen led these soldiers to make were truly remarkable, and we all benefited from Jia Chen's success.

No wonder the brigade commander and the guerrilla general valued Jia Chen so much.

After the celebration, Chen Tai and his army returned, while Hu Youcai went back with Liu Tianwang.

Hu Youcai originally wanted Jia Chen to return to Deshengbao with him.

However, Jia Chen said he would have to stay for a while longer.

He meant that the defensive fortifications at Qianshandun were not yet complete, and there was damage from the battle that needed to be repaired. Since they were going to do it, they should see it through to the end, which would probably take about ten days.

Ten days later, Jia Chen and his group returned.

Hu Youcai readily agreed, saying that Jia Chen and the others would come to Deshengbao to find him in ten days.

In his view, the Northern barbarians have returned this time and probably won't be heading south this year.

In other words, Jia Chen and the others should be safe.

Let Jia Chen stay here for about ten days, no problem.

After all, Jia Chen and his men had gone through several fierce battles here and developed a deep bond with the local soldiers. It's understandable that they would help improve the defensive fortifications.

Now that he has his own connections, he believes no one will scheme against Jia Chen anymore.

Hu Youcai had already made up his mind to keep Jia Chen and the other two by his side; only with them around would he feel at ease.

Those so-called elite troops of the Beijing Garrison were utterly disgraceful; he no longer trusted them.

Unlike Jia Chen and his two companions, who had fought against the Northern barbarians and won a great victory.

With them around, Hu Youcai felt that he was no longer afraid of the northern barbarians.

After confirming that the Chahar tribe had returned north, Omubu and Jiachen bid farewell and returned with two guards.

He said he would prepare the money immediately upon returning home, and the transaction could be completed within three days.

Actually, this was the main reason why Jia Chen stayed for ten days.

He hasn't received the money from Omubu yet.

That's a full two thousand taels of silver. Even if I don't take half, I can still give out five or six hundred taels.

Even 500 taels is a huge sum of money.

If we calculate based on his current monthly salary of 1 tael of silver in the Beijing garrison, he would actually receive far less, probably less than 1 tael, and no more than 10 taels a year. This is only because he is a member of the Jia family, and the deductions from his superiors are less.

For these ordinary soldiers with no connections or background, deducting half is normal.

Even if it's ten taels a year, it would take 50 years to accumulate 500 taels.

This harvest could save Jia Chen a lifetime of hard work.

After his father died in battle, the funeral expenses nearly emptied the family's savings.

Although the family wasn't starving, they were still struggling to make ends meet.

Prices in the capital are high and expenses are high. Over the years, she has only been able to barely make ends meet thanks to her mother's work in Li Wan's courtyard.

He used to work odd jobs at the Jia family's suburban estate, but he didn't earn much.

Therefore, Jia Chen was unwilling to let go of such a money-making opportunity.

Such an opportunity is gone if you miss it.

If we go to Deshengbao, we won't be able to control this shipment.

Another point is that I now have absolute authority in Qianshandun. Although I am still a minor leader, I still manage a dozen or twenty people.

Going back to Victory Castle would probably feel stifling.

Promotions, in particular, don't come so quickly.

It could take as little as one or two months, or as long as three to five months.

Basically, you need to return to the capital to be promoted.

It would be better to stay in Qianshandun for a few more days; it's more comfortable there.

There is now plenty of grain in Qianshandun, and there are also many cattle and sheep.

Hu Youcai and his group left some of the cattle and sheep donated by Emubu to Qianshandun as a reward.

These supplies will ensure that Qianshandun will not have to worry about not having meat for several months.

The Chahar tribe has just returned from their raids and should not be heading south this year, so the current Qianshandun is still safe, and Jia Chen has nothing to worry about.

The rescued women went back with the army.

They will be allowed to go home, or their families will come to pick them up.

However, Jia Chen was not too optimistic about their future situation.

For a large portion of them, their families had been killed, and they could not go back.

Even if they went back, women like them simply couldn't survive.

Furthermore, these women have all been violated by the Northern barbarians, which will likely draw criticism.

Jia Chen was powerless to do anything about these matters and could only hope that Beidong Road could properly accommodate them.

"Duntou, I never thought we'd actually survived," Wang Baisheng said with a sigh as he walked to Jia Chen's side.

Hearing his words, the soldier standing nearby showed a look of emotion.

This time, he not only survived, but also made a contribution.

Although it's impossible for everyone to get promoted, there are still some rewards.

"Dun Tou, do you think I can really be a flag bearer?" Wang Baisheng couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"We should call him 'Baihu' instead of 'Duan Tou'!" Sun Tiechong said.

"You old fool, do you need to remind me? Do you think I don't know?" Wang Baisheng turned around and cursed at Sun Tiechong.

Everyone burst into laughter.

The original Qian Shan Dun made the greatest contribution. Although Ding Hei Hu and his men later fought bravely against the enemy, they ultimately lost the beacon tower, which was a mistake.

Therefore, he was meritorious, but not as great as Wang Baisheng and others.

Jia Chen has already reported the battle achievements of Liu Cheng, Jia Mao, Wang Baisheng, Zhao Zheng, Ding Heihu, and others. As for how the higher-ups will arrange things, that's hard to say.

However, one thing is certain: Liu Cheng, Jia Mao, Wang Baisheng, and Zhao Zheng will be promoted to junior flag without any problem, and with Chen Tai and Liu Tianwang's intentions, becoming a general flag officer is not out of the question.

Although Wang Baisheng was brave and combative, his temper made him offend people everywhere, and he thought he would be a lowly soldier for the rest of his life.

But I never expected that I would be promoted one day.

He dared not even think about the main flag, but the small flag made him itch with desire, and he became anxious and uneasy.