The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

"Is it true that there are 1,500 heads?" Emperor Chongli couldn't help but ask again.

"Long live the Emperor! It is indeed true. If Zhenqiang Fort had not fallen, this would have been a great victory," Dai Quan said.

"It has been many years since we have achieved such a great victory," Emperor Chongli exclaimed. "After the change of leadership, the victory at Datong has truly surprised me."

In the past, there have been reports of beheading thousands of northern barbarians, but the reports were often exaggerated.

If Dai Quan dared to say that to himself, even if it wasn't entirely true, it was still about 70-80% true.

It was already beyond his expectations that 70-80% of the information was true, so he naturally didn't care about the exaggerations.

Such achievements are commendable.

Dai Quan gave a wry smile and said, "Your Majesty, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"What can't be said?"

"Of the more than 1,500 heads taken this time, more than 1,400 were killed by soldiers from Qianshan Fortress," Dai Quan said.

"Qianshan Fortress?" Emperor Chongli paused, then asked, "Is there such a fortress in Datong Town?"

"Long live the Emperor! This is a newly built small fortified village on the North-East Road, located thirty li north of Zhenqiang Fort. The fortified village official is Jia Chen."

"Jia Chen? I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before?" Emperor Chongli pondered for a moment.

"Long live the Emperor! Last time the Chahar tribe marched south, most of the heads in Datong Town were taken by Jia Chen's Qianshan Mound. His name was mentioned in the battle report. Now Qianshan Mound has been expanded and renamed Qianshan Fort," Dai Quan explained.

Emperor Chongli's face showed a look of sudden realization. He remembered that there seemed to be such a thing.

He had some recollection of the fact that the soldier had achieved remarkable military exploits as a junior officer.

"That Jia Chen seems to be a centurion. How many soldiers could he have? Could he have killed more than 1,400 northern barbarians?" Emperor Chongli stared at Dai Quan with great suspicion.

Dai Quan was someone he trusted, but this matter defied common sense.

"Your Majesty, Qianshan Fort has fewer than 500 soldiers, but they achieved such a feat by relying on firearms and taking advantage of the fact that the Northern Barbarians' elite troops left the camp with only some wounded. Abunai was actually captured by Jia Chen as well," Dai Quan explained briefly.

He also mentioned Feng Shan's matter.

Although he knew the emperor would not believe that Abunai was captured by Feng Shan.

But the truth is often hidden in many things, and even if you know it's false, you have to accept it.

"Excellent! If all the Great Hong Army were like Qianshan Fort, how could we not eliminate the Northern Barbarians and destroy the Later Jin?" Emperor Chongli exclaimed.

No matter what kind of firearms were used or what kind of schemes were employed, Qianshan Fort only had so few people.

It can be said that the so-called military achievements of Datong Town were entirely obtained by Qianshanbao.

This is no exaggeration to call it a remarkable achievement.

"That Jia Chen is a member of the Jia family," Dai Quan said.

Emperor Chongli glanced at Dai Quan but remained silent.

"However, the relationship is quite distant," Dai Quan quickly added.

"I understand," Emperor Chongli said calmly. "I approve the ceremony of presenting the captives. Let them choose an auspicious day."

"Yes! I'll take my leave."

Just as Dai Quan was about to leave, Emperor Chongli suddenly said, "Let the soldiers of Datong Town who have rendered meritorious service this time come to the capital to commend their heroic deeds. Qianshan Fort has made a great contribution, and I would like to meet the soldiers of the fort."

"Yes, I understand." Dai Quan paused for a moment, then immediately understood the emperor's thoughts.

This is clearly aimed at Jia Chen.

Jia Chen has made such a great contribution that the emperor will definitely be interested, something Dai Quan had already anticipated.

Therefore, he mentioned Jia Chen's background to the emperor in advance, explaining that he was a member of the Jia family.

The Jia family doesn't hold a very good position in the emperor's eyes right now, and as the emperor's confidant, Dai Quan naturally understands the reasons why.

Therefore, whether to reward Jia Chen handsomely or treat him coldly, he had to figure out the emperor's intentions.

In retrospect, the emperor did not ignore or belittle Jia Chen because he was a member of the Jia family; in fact, he valued him.

Sending meritorious soldiers to the capital was essentially a way of saying that Jia Chen had to be present.

"Has His Majesty's attitude towards the Jia family changed?" A thought flashed through Dai Quan's mind.

However, he didn't think much of it; the matter of presenting the prisoners would keep him very busy.

Another point is that the Emperor once again compromised with the Retired Emperor.

In Dai Quan's view, this was a wise move.

Back then, His Majesty had just ascended the throne and was full of ambition.

Three years ago, a rebellion broke out in Qingzhou. The emperor wanted to support Liu Guangde, first making him the commander-in-chief of the Five Armies, and then replacing Wang Ziteng as the military governor of the capital, thus seizing control of the capital's military power.

Unfortunately, His Majesty was too hasty, and the defeat was utterly humiliating.

In recent years, His Majesty has kept a much lower profile, and he generally follows the wishes of the Retired Emperor.

Dai Quan understood the Emperor's resentment, but perhaps the best option was to endure it.

Since Feng Shan was on the Emperor Emeritus's side, and he stole the credit from the prisoner Abunai, the biggest beneficiaries of this prisoner presentation ceremony were still the Emperor Emeritus's side.

However, Dai Quan chose the current emperor because he valued his age.

The retired emperor will eventually grow old.

On the first day of the twelfth lunar month, Jia Chen rode his horse and followed Liu Tianwang and his party to Datong Prefecture.

This is to return to Beijing to participate in the ceremony of presenting prisoners of war.

The imperial court ordered Datong Town to select some meritorious soldiers to go to the capital together, and Jia Chen was one of them.

Due to limited numbers, the others from Qianshanbao had no chance to go to the capital.

That is, there were more people on Beidong Road, which was a bit unusual, with a total of three people.

The team was led by Liu Tianwang, a lieutenant general, and included Jia Chen and Ye Fandong, the garrison commander of Juqiangbao.

Juqiangbao is one of the eight major fortified towns along the North-Eastern Route, but it is smaller than Zhenqiangbao and is located between Qianshanbao and Zhenqiangbao.

Moreover, Juqiangbao is different from other large fortified cities in that it is built protruding from the Great Wall.

With the Great Wall to the south, it could be said that if the northern barbarians invaded from the south, it would be attacked from three sides.

In terms of danger, it is much more dangerous than other fortified cities.

Because Juqiangbao was close to Zhenqiangbao, after Abunai successfully attacked Zhenqiangbao, he also sent people to try to take down Juqiangbao using the same tactic.

However, Ye Fandong was not like He Liding. The guards of the fortified wall discovered the danger in time, and after a fierce battle, they prevented the northern barbarians from succeeding.

Ye Fandong was one of the standout performers, and since he was Chen Tai's man, Chen Tai had a lot of influence this time, so he got a spot in the capital.

Liu Tianwang was the deputy commander of the Northern Barbarians and was at the center of this storm. Although Zhenqiang Fort was lost, he received the most heads and other rewards among the various deputy commanders, which was a great achievement. In addition, he had a background in the Beijing Garrison, so he had to go there in person.

The other military commanders were unable to go to the capital, and each commander was only allocated one spot, which could only be given to their trusted subordinates.

It's impossible for all the military commanders of Datong Town to go to the capital; the defense of this town is no trivial matter.

Chen Tai and Feng Shan are also going to the capital; they will be rewarded for this great victory.

As for military affairs, they will be temporarily handled by the deputy commander-in-chief.

"Let's go to Datong and meet up with the General," Liu Tianwang said.

These days, he has been very hospitable to Qianshanbao, never delaying his pay and providing him with all sorts of food and clothing.

He also talked to Jia Chen, but didn't find anything unusual about Jia Chen.

He remained respectful to himself.

This secretly relieved him.

That incident with Wei Ya should be a thing of the past.

He knew that even if Jia Chen harbored some resentment towards him, he probably wouldn't say anything.

He regrets it.

But who would have thought Jia Chen would be so capable?

Fortunately, things aren't too bad.