The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

Madam Jia felt uneasy because she saw two 50-tael silver ingots inside, along with several 10-tael coins and some loose silver, which probably added up to no less than 200 taels.

She knew quite a bit about the character of soldiers.

Extortion is commonplace for them, and in some cases, they even commit murder and robbery.

Where did Jia Chen get so much money?

She couldn't help but think in that direction.

Did his own son become like those people?

"Mother, don't overthink it. Didn't I say before that the military commander values ​​me highly? That's because I've done good deeds, and this silver is a reward," Jia Chen said with a smile.

"Ah, right, right, you said it, you said it." Jia Shenshi suddenly realized.

Jia Chen just mentioned that the matter in Datong was mentioned.

"What kind of great achievement must it be to deserve such a large reward?" Madam Jia was still somewhat puzzled.

Two hundred taels of silver is enough to support an ordinary family of four or five for more than ten years.

When Jia Gan was still in power, the salary of a general was 1.5 taels of silver per month, but in reality, a lot of it was deducted, so he only received about one tael. In theory, he would receive about 12 taels a year.

In reality, it wasn't even 12 taels; it was only about 10 taels.

Jia Gan was kind-hearted. Unlike other commanders who exploited their subordinates, he would often subsidize and help his brothers in need, giving away a few taels of silver every year.

Soldiers in the Beijing garrison were often ordered by their superiors to do private chores, all for free, with the most they were given a meal at most.

Jia Gan had dozens of soldiers under his command, so he was naturally also being watched.

He's a member of the Jia family, so how could the Jia household not have designs on him?

Doesn't the Jia family own an estate outside the city?

Whenever it was planting or harvest season and manpower was needed for farming, the steward of the Jia family would approach Jia Gan and ask him to bring people to help.

The Jia family would basically not give Jia Gan any compensation.

Although food is provided, it's not very good, and Jia Gan usually has to pay out of his own pocket.

Jia Shenshi worked in Li Wan's courtyard, earning about half a tael of silver a month. She might receive some rewards during festivals, so she could earn seven or eight taels a year.

Fortunately, she lived in the Jia family mansion, where most of her food and clothing were provided by the Jia family, which saved her a lot of money.

Therefore, Jia Chen's family used to be able to save more than ten taels of silver a year.

This would be absolutely excellent for an ordinary family.

Unfortunately, Jia Gan died in battle. Although the imperial court provided some compensation, it was not much in hand.

Jia Shen felt that Jia Gan's funeral should not be a grand affair, but it also could not be too shabby, so it cost most of her savings.

Now that Jia Gan's income has been cut back, Jia Shenshi naturally has to be even more frugal.

Especially now that his son is grown up and of marriageable age, how can he get married without money?

Sending her daughter to the Jia family would save on expenses for food, clothing, and other necessities, and in a couple of years, she could even earn some money for the family. In Jia Shenshi's eyes, it was a win-win situation.

"That's quite a contribution." Jia Chen thought he needed to reassure his mother so she wouldn't have to worry about money anymore.

Jia Chen did not take out those gold and jade jewelry, for fear of frightening his mother.

The mother could hardly believe that the two hundred taels of silver were so large.

It's not too late to explain later.

Jia Chen didn't want to liquidate these jewelry pieces for the time being, even after arriving in the capital, it would be very awkward for him to take them out to pawn.

If not handled carefully, it could be mistaken for stolen goods.

After all, it's hard to say where these things came from.

We need to monetize it gradually and find a safe channel.

Moreover, Jia Chen had a preliminary idea about the jewelry: to use it as backup funds.

Qianshanbao is neither particularly large nor small.

If we allocate soldiers according to the full quota of the centurion, it would only be one hundred men.

It would be difficult for a hundred men to defend a fortified city with a circumference of one mile; there simply aren't enough men.

Such a fortified village, according to standard, should have 300 garrison troops.

If it were a centurion, there wouldn't be that many soldiers.

Therefore, appointing him as a garrison commander was, in effect, a way of increasing his own power.

A garrison commander can lead a hundred-man squadron; the number of hundred-man squadrons depends on the number of soldiers under them.

If he had three hundred men, Jia Chen felt that his position as a garrison commander was equivalent to that of a battalion commander, and even had more men than most battalion commanders.

Take Gao Gou for example; he only had about 200 soldiers under his command.

The officials of this size of garrison are usually deputy commanders.

He was indeed able to take up this post as the commander of the fortress because of his previous military achievements.

Another point is that Qianshanbao is ultimately outside the Great Wall, and apart from myself, probably no one else would be willing to come.

The initial construction funds for Qianshan Fort, as well as the provisions and pay for the troops, should be guaranteed.

But Jia Chen couldn't believe that Liu Tianwang would continue to support him.

In the future, if we want to maintain the food, drink, training, and other necessities for the troops at Qianshan Fort, we'll probably have to find our own solutions to the problem of provisions and pay.

Qianshanbao will be his foundation, and he must manage it well.

If we really need money later, we can always cash in our gold and jade jewelry.

Two hundred taels of silver should be enough for now.

If there were more, and someone were to target them, it could cause a lot of trouble, and even endanger my mother's life.

Even in the capital, public security is a concern, and theft is common.

Jia Chen didn't think too much about it. He wanted to tell his mother about his meritorious service in the border town. He could still find some excuses to cover up the origin of the 200 taels of silver.

"We'll talk about Datong later." Madam Jia Shen had already seen the incense burning in front of her husband's memorial tablet, which meant that her son had already offered sacrifices.

She lit incense, clasped her hands together, and murmured, "My dear father, Chen'er has made something of himself, achieved great merit, and received a reward. May you protect Chen'er from heaven and keep him safe and sound..."

After saying that, she turned to Jia Chen and said, "Are you hungry? I'll make you a bowl of noodles with eggs and scallions. Oh dear, I forgot, we're out of eggs. Chen'er, wait a moment, I'll go borrow two eggs from Sister Wu next door. She has several hens, they might have laid some."

"Mom, I'm not hungry."

"How could I not be hungry? You wait here. Oh, take this silver first, but don't let anyone see it." Madam Jia Shen stuffed the silver back into Jia Chen's hand before carefully leaving.

Jia Chen was deeply moved; this must be what motherly love is.

No matter what, I always want to give my children the best.

In this era, eggs are not something that ordinary families can eat anytime.

Generally speaking, chickens are raised for their eggs, which are then collected and exchanged for money or for rice, oil, and salt.

Normally, eggs are served with noodles when guests come, or eggs are added on birthdays and important holidays.

Jia Shenshi usually works for Li Wan and doesn't have time to raise chickens. Moreover, she mostly eats at the Jia family mansion, and since Jia Chen is not around, there are naturally no eggs kept at home.

"Why is it taking so long?" Jia Chen waited for a while but his mother did not return.

He was a little puzzled. Of course he knew Wu's sister-in-law's house. Although it was said to be next door, it was actually a few rooms away. Even so, it was only a ten-meter walk away and wouldn't take that long.

What caused the delay?

Jia Chen couldn't help but leave the house. When he walked into the yard, he could faintly hear some noise coming from Wu's sister-in-law's house.

Something must have happened.

He quickly walked out of the courtyard and saw a large crowd gathered there.

Surrounded by the crowd was a thin man who looked to be around thirty years old, with two other people following behind him.

Judging from their attire, they were clearly working for the Jia family.

"The rent has gone up again. Didn't they just raise it last year?"

"That means, how can this be? Two side rooms cost four taels a year? Last year it was only two taels."