The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

"My lord, why are you doing this?" Jia Chen tried to stand up, but was held down firmly by the two people behind him.

Wang Baisheng and his group tried to fight back, but were hit several times.

Jia Chen quickly gestured to them with his eyes to stay still.

"Why?" Wei Ya coldly glanced at Jia Chen. "Qianshan Fortress was the vanguard fortress, yet it sat idly by as the northern barbarians pressed in, failing to issue timely warnings with fire signals, leading to the fall of Zhenqiang Fortress and the suffering of soldiers and civilians. This is a capital offense of colluding with the enemy and harming the country. According to the Great Hong Law, it should be executed and its head displayed to the public!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Chen couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

What a convenient way to shirk responsibility and label someone!

These guys are really using their own side as scapegoats.

If I hadn't already achieved something and wasn't afraid of these things, I really would have been killed by them.

However, Jia Chen felt that these guys were thinking too highly of themselves.

The fall of Zhenqiang Fortress carries such a heavy responsibility.

Did they think that by making a mere centurion like themselves take the blame, the imperial court would let them off the hook?

Jia Chen doesn't know whether this is Liu Tianwang's idea or Wei Ya's own.

The differences are quite significant.

"My lord, we did not detect the Northern barbarians moving south from Qianshan Fort. They must have bypassed Qianshan Fort..." Jia Chen wanted to explain.

But before he could finish speaking, another voice rang out: "Jia Chen, you dare to argue even when you're about to die? If Qianshan Fort hadn't failed to issue a timely warning, how could Zhenqiang Fort have been attacked by the Northern barbarians?"

Jia Chen was surprised that it was He Liding who spoke up.

Wasn't this guy captured after he escaped from Zhenqiang Fort?

He Liding followed closely behind Wei Ya, riding on his horse and looking down at Jia Chen from a high vantage point.

He needed to find a scapegoat for the fall of Zhenqiang Fort, otherwise he would be in big trouble.

After escaping from Zhenqiang Fort, he went straight to Datong Prefecture to find the garrison eunuch Feng Shan.

He didn't trust Liu Tianwang; if he went to Liu Tianwang, he was afraid he would be detained.

Over the years, Feng Shan has been one of his backers, and he has been very generous to Feng Shan, so he can only ask Feng Shan for help in this matter.

Upon hearing this, Feng Shan did indeed step in to protect him; otherwise, he would have been imprisoned long ago.

Now we're sending him to join the army and let him redeem himself through meritorious service.

When he discovered that Qianshan Fort was still intact, he could no longer suppress his anger.

Qianshan Fort was unharmed, but Zhenqiang Fort fell, all because Jia Chen failed to warn them.

He needed someone to share the responsibility, and Jia Chen was clearly the best choice.

"My lord~~" Jia Chen looked at Wei Ya and wanted to speak.

"Shut up," Wei Ya shouted.

"In my opinion, Qianshanbao is guilty of a great crime," a shrill voice rang out.

Jia Chen looked up and saw a man dressed as a eunuch, about fifty years old, riding a horse and surrounded by a crowd.

Several eunuchs, including Hu Youcai, were also with him.

Jia Chen roughly understood that the guy in front of him must be Feng Shan, the eunuch in charge of Datong Town.

Soon, Jia Chen saw Chen Tai, Liu Tianwang, and a group of high-ranking military officers from Datong Town also heading this way.

Jia Chen sighed inwardly, thinking that this time, the entire army of Datong Town had really mobilized.

Judging from their attempt to shift the blame onto themselves, the pursuit of the Northern Barbarians was probably not very successful, and they likely did not achieve much.

Otherwise, they wouldn't need to rush to find a scapegoat.

"Eunuch Feng, this matter needs to be investigated!" Hu Youcai said.

"The facts are right in front of us, what else is there to say?" Feng Shan turned to look at Hu Youcai and said coldly.

Hu Youcai didn't say anything more.

After all, Feng Shan was the garrison eunuch, whose status was above his.

Moreover, he and Feng Shan were not on the same side.

"Eunuch Feng, I think this matter needs to be investigated thoroughly. Whoever is responsible should be held accountable, and no one should be allowed to escape responsibility," Chen Tai said calmly.

As he spoke, his gaze swept over He Liding.

He was extremely dissatisfied with He Liding and wished he could tear the guy to pieces.

Shouldn't the first thing to do after such a major event be to report it to Liu Tianwang, the military commander of the North East Road?

Then they immediately organized troops to recapture Zhenqiang Fort.

Who goes directly to Datong Prefecture?

Even if it's Datong Prefecture, shouldn't it report to me, the general?

Why would they go looking for the eunuch Feng Shan?

Of course, Chen Tai also knew that He Liding had sided with Feng Shan.

He had served as a brigade commander on Beidong Road for many years and knew his old subordinate He Liding quite well.

Because of Feng Shan, He Liding had previously paid lip service to many of his orders.

Chen Tai was well aware of the despicable things He Liding did in private.

He couldn't say what the situation was like at Qianshan Fort after the Northern barbarians breached Zhenqiang Fort.

He trusted Jia Chen more than He Liding.

Chen Tai disagreed with these guys' eagerness to find scapegoats.

Even if they found someone, Jia Chen's official rank and status wouldn't be high enough.

The more this is the case, the more likely He Li is to have a problem.

Rather than placing the blame on Jia Chen, Chen Tai is more inclined to believe that He Liding is responsible.

Regardless of any other reasons, Zhenqiang Fort was lost under He Liding's leadership.

Moreover, since he abandoned the city and fled, I could kill him on the spot.

They say it's about redeeming oneself through meritorious service, but it doesn't look like it at all.

Did they charge into battle?

If it weren't for Feng Shan, would we have tolerated him until now?

"In that case, take him away and keep him under strict guard. We'll decide what to do after we find out the truth." Feng Shan smiled and looked at Liu Tianwang. "Lord Liu, what do you think? After all, he's from your Beidong Road."

Liu Tianwang looked at Jia Chen, hesitated for a moment, and said, "What you say is very true, sir."

The officers standing nearby chimed in with their agreement.

For them, finding a scapegoat is certainly a good thing.

Anyway, this person isn't from their area.

Chen Tai frowned and glanced at Liu Tianwang.

Liu Tianwang's statement surprised and disappointed him.

He thought Liu Tianwang would at least defend Jia Chen, but he didn't expect that Liu Tianwang wouldn't dare to oppose Feng Shan at all.

This fellow from the Beijing Garrison is quite slippery.

Seeing that most people supported Feng Shan's suggestion, Chen Tai didn't say anything more, but just snorted coldly with some dissatisfaction.

Jia Chen sighed inwardly.

He was prepared for the possibility that someone would frame Qianshanbao and make him a scapegoat.

But he never expected that Liu Tianwang would stand idly by at this moment.

Feng Shan said that he would be taken away and kept under strict guard, which is equivalent to being imprisoned.

In other people's eyes, they were all on Liu Tianwang's side, but now they were being abandoned.

Jia Chen thought to himself that he hadn't seen through a person's true colors before.

Liu Tianwang was very enthusiastic towards him because he had benefited from the great victory at Qianshandun last time.

Now that Zhenqiang Fort has fallen, He Liding, the garrison commander, should be the first to be punished, followed by Liu Tianwang, the directly subordinate brigade commander.

In this situation, Liu Tianwang also wanted to find someone to take the blame in order to lessen his own responsibility.

Therefore, in front of Feng Shan, he abandoned himself.

Besides not wanting to offend Feng Shan, he probably also had his own selfish interests to consider.

Jia Chen realized he had overestimated Liu Tianwang's magnanimity and vision; he was just a selfish and self-serving guy.

You can know a person's face but not their heart.

Hu Youcai did say something in his defense at the beginning, which was of little use, but at least he said it, and that was an attitude.

Then there's Chen Tai, who's even more distantly related to me, and he's also speaking up for me.