The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

"The promotion hasn't been finalized yet, so no one can guarantee anything," Jia Chen said with a smile. "But your junior officer rank should be fine. Also, don't call me centurion yet; it's still far from certain."

"Master Dun, that can't be wrong, both the two adults and the eunuch have said so," someone shouted.

"that is."

"Lord Baihu!"

"Lord Baihu!"

Everyone joined in the shouting.

They all saw that Eunuch Hu and Commander Chen were very welcoming to Jia Chen, and given Jia Chen's status as a member of the Jia family, there was no need to worry about the matter of becoming a centurion.

Everyone was beaming with joy, and even Liu Cheng, who was usually stern and rarely smiled, had a rare smile on his face.

He had been a lowly soldier in the Beijing garrison for decades, but unexpectedly, he made a name for himself in this town.

Jia Chen felt a pang of emotion. His father, Jia Gan, had been promoted to a general in the Beijing garrison, but had not been promoted since.

I never expected to make such a great contribution so soon after entering the Beijing Garrison. I dare not say I'm a centurion, but I should at least be given a trial centurion position.

In short, his official rank will soon surpass that of Jia Gan.

Jia Chen was well aware that Jia Gan had not been promoted for so many years.

The original owner had some idea in his mind, but Jia Chen now understood it perfectly.

This is clearly related to Wang Ziteng.

Back then, Jia Yan and Jia Yuan served as military governors of Xuanfu Town and Datong Town respectively. Later, the two brothers were transferred back to the capital to serve as military governors of the Beijing Garrison.

It was clear that the emperor at that time was consolidating power.

Having pacified the land and secured the throne, how could the emperor be at ease with the two brothers holding significant military power?

In Jia Chen's view, the power of the military governors in the Dream of the Red Chamber is vastly different from that of the military governors in the Tang Dynasty, especially in the late Tang Dynasty.

In the Tang Dynasty, the military governors were essentially local emperors.

The military governor in Dream of the Red Chamber is a military governor whose power has been stripped away, at most equivalent to a governor-general in the Ming Dynasty.

For example, the three major camps of the Beijing Garrison each had a general, and above the general was Prince Teng, the military governor.

Currently, there are no military governors in Datong and Xuanfu towns. The highest-ranking military officer is the General, while the highest-ranking civil officer is the Governor. There is also the garrison eunuch, and the three check and balance each other.

If a large force of northern barbarians were to invade, creating a critical situation, the imperial court might send someone to serve as a military governor to coordinate the operations.

Other border towns or some important prefectures still had military governors.

For example, both Liaodong Town and Jizhou Town had military governors.

That's because the Later Jin dynasty was becoming increasingly powerful, and the imperial court had to pay more attention to the defense of that region.

Because it was located in the capital, the Beijing Garrison held a special position and was also assigned a military governor.

After Jia Yan and Jia Yuan returned to the capital, they gradually withdrew from the army as a measure of self-preservation.

Otherwise, the emperor would not be able to sleep peacefully, and then he would be in danger of being killed.

Although the core members of the Jia family gradually withdrew from the military, their influence within the military remained.

In order to maintain its influence, it later supported Wang Ziteng to rise to power.

Wang Ziteng's appointment as the military governor of the capital was naturally the result of the Jia family and other related interest groups recommending him behind the scenes.

However, as Wang Ziteng gradually gained a foothold and consolidated his power, the conflict slowly emerged because the Jia family's descendants were not very successful and did not hold any powerful official positions.

Wang Ziteng secretly supported his own Wang family members within the army.

In recent years, many members of the Wang family have joined the Beijing Garrison and risen through the ranks rapidly.

Those associated with the Jia family were suppressed, and very few were promoted; even the lowest-ranking officers were rare.

Jia Gan performed exceptionally well in the Beijing garrison and was promoted to General Flag Officer, but after that, he found it difficult to get promoted. Jia Chen did not believe that this was not due to Wang Ziteng's influence.

Perhaps Wang Ziteng didn't say anything, but those below him naturally knew how to guess what their superiors were thinking.

The next day, Jia Chen led everyone to get busy.

Although the Chahar tribe is unlikely to move south again this year after returning, Jia Chen still dares not let his guard down.

These days, the threat to the beacon towers is not just the Chahar tribe, but also other tribes on the grasslands, and even various bandits and robbers from beyond the Great Wall.

The trenches and other defensive fortifications still need to be dug.

Now, Wang Baisheng and his group had no objections whatsoever.

They knew that Jia Chen would soon be going to Deshengbao and returning to Beijing in two months, while they would be stationed at Qianshandun for an extended period.

These past few days of resisting the northern barbarians' attacks have made them realize the importance of defensive fortifications.

Although the thunderous mines and wine jar mines that Jia Chen created played a significant role, without the trenches, horse traps, and other auxiliary measures, the front hill mound would have been flattened long ago.

"At the top of the mound, people are coming from the south!" Sun Tiechong shouted loudly from the top of the mound.

Jia Chen and the others put down their digging tools and climbed out of the trenches and pits.

A group of more than a dozen people were seen driving five donkey carts towards them from the direction of the Great Wall.

"Brothers, get ready to receive the General's reward!" Jia Chen laughed loudly.

Before leaving yesterday, Chen Tai asked Jia Chen if there was anything else he needed. Jia Chen mentioned that he hoped to send some food, especially fruits and vegetables, to Qianshandun.

Rice and meat are not lacking in Qianshandun now.

At the same time, Jia Chen also suggested that more gunpowder and thunderclap bombs be provided to Qianshandun.

Chen Tai agreed without hesitation.

Jia Chen hadn't expected Chen Tai to act so quickly.

Even if Chen Tai agrees to such a thing, it's common for the people handling the matter to delay for several days.

Even if they simply refuse to process it for you, there's not much Jia Chen can do.

It was probably the number of people killed and the credit earned that pleased Chen Tai, which is why he gave him special instructions.

Those below also knew that Jia Chen and his men had made a great contribution, and now they were remembered by the General. They dared not cause any trouble.

Sure enough, there were fruits and vegetables, as well as wine, in the car.

There were over 300 pounds of gunpowder, dozens of thunderclaps, and some swords, armor, and so on.

These swords were clearly of much better quality than those the soldiers had used before. As for the armor, although it was cloth armor, it was something that the soldiers could hardly obtain.

With these, the casualty rate can be reduced significantly if we face the Northern Barbarians again.

Ding Heihu and his group are still staying at Qianshandun for the time being.

Needless to say, all of their watchtowers were destroyed by the Chahar tribe.

Whether the beacon tower will be rebuilt or abandoned depends on orders from above.

For Ding Heihu and his men, staying at Qianshandun was the best option.

I don't know what the future holds, but at least for now, I have no worries about food and drink.

While Jia Chen and his team were perfecting their defensive fortifications, many people in Datong Town were having trouble sleeping.

From the governor, the general, the garrison eunuchs to the garrison commanders of the fortresses below, everyone was trying to accumulate military merits. When reporting to the court, they had to paint a rosy picture, minimize the losses, and exaggerate the military achievements as much as possible.

These are all methods that have proven effective time and again.

Of course, if they wanted the court to not hold them accountable, they would need to send people to the capital to lobby for someone to speak on their behalf.

In short, the officialdom in Datong Town was in a complete mess.

Compared to the other streets, Chen Tai on Beidong Road was much quieter.

He received these Northern Barbarian heads, and since the merits of Jia Chen and his men in killing Northern Barbarians also belonged to their Northeast Route, he was under the least pressure and naturally the most relaxed.

"You mean these are the numbers of Northern Barbarian heads they reported to the General?" At the Desheng Fort Military Commander's Office, Chen Tai put down a piece of paper in his hand and stared at his advisor in front of him, asking.

"Yes, sir, it is absolutely true."

Chen Tai chuckled coldly twice and read aloud from the paper: "More than 500 enemies were killed on the eastern route, and 355 heads were obtained; more than 700 enemies were killed on the western route, and 543 heads were obtained..."

Chen Tai read aloud the reports of enemy kills and heads taken from the other routes in Datong Town.

Each of them obtained the heads of hundreds of northern barbarians.