Chapter 10

In the Daming Palace —

"Could it be that I, the Emperor, should sit idly by and watch those Tartars ravage the prefectures and slaughter my people!" Emperor Chongping roared.

The Chief Grand Secretary, Yang Guochang, pondered for a moment before speaking, "Their southern advance is merely for plunder. In a month or so, they will withdraw with their loot."

This statement was tantamount to letting the bandits plunder to their heart's content and leave at their leisure.

Emperor Chongping sneered, "What a fine withdrawal! But while you wish to wait like Yan Song for the enemy to leave on their own, I do not wish to be like Emperor Jiajing of the Ming, who burned the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"

"I dare not, Your Majesty!" Yang Guochang's face changed dramatically, and he hurriedly knelt to beg for forgiveness.

Emperor Chongping cast a cold glance at Yang Guochang, who was prostrate on the ground, his face dark. "Ministry of War."

Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall and Minister of War, Li Zan, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I am here."

This was a middle-aged official in his early forties, with a beard. Despite Emperor Chongping's anger, he remained calm and composed.

"How soon can the garrisons in Hebei and Shandong mobilize and march north to our aid?" Emperor Chongping asked, his gaze piercing as he looked at Minister of War Li Zan.

Li Zan replied solemnly, "I have already sent letters to the military commissioner of Hebei, Kang Hong, and the military commissioner of Shandong, Lu Qi. Hebei has ten thousand troops ready to fight and can provide immediate support. Shandong can mobilize ten thousand troops, but it will take about half a month."

The national military system was in disarray, and he could not guarantee how many of these two hundred thousand troops were actually available or how effective they would be. However, if the goal was just to drive the thirty thousand Tartars out of Shanhaiguan, the force should be sufficient.

"The ten thousand troops of Kang Hong are in Baoding, and it will not be difficult to send them. They can arrive at any time... But Shandong has twenty-six thousand troops, so why can only a small number be mobilized?" Emperor Chongping asked, frowning.

Since the loss of Liaodong, Chen Han had stationed heavy troops in Jizhen and appointed military commissioners in Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi to oversee provincial military affairs, responsible for defense and bandit suppression, known as provincial governors.

Li Zan explained, "In recent years, Shandong has suffered from frequent droughts, especially this summer, with no rain for months, causing widespread famine and crop failure. The White Lotus rebels have taken advantage of the situation to incite unrest, attacking county towns, killing officials, and rebelling. The various garrisons under the Shandong military commissioner have been busy suppressing bandits and maintaining order, with conflicts breaking out everywhere. Being able to mobilize twelve thousand troops now is already a great effort by Lu Qi, who is struggling to manage the situation."

Emperor Chongping sighed. He was aware of the drought and famine in Shandong. Waving his hand, he said, "Let's handle it this way for now."

As for the twelve regiments in the capital, no one had proposed mobilizing the troops from the three auxiliary regions around the capital. Without nearly two hundred thousand elite troops to defend, the officials in the capital could not sleep soundly.

The bandit uprisings in Shandong and Shaanxi were similar, but with the heavy troops protecting the capital, the bandit problems could be suppressed at any time, and the situation was still under control.

Looking at the kneeling Chief Grand Secretary Yang Guochang, Emperor Chongping's anger subsided. He sighed, "Yang, you may rise. The floor is cold."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Yang Guochang said, his voice trembling, but he did not immediately stand up. Holding his ivory and jade tablet, he said in a hoarse voice, "I am nearing the end of my life, feeling old and feeble, lacking the energy to handle state affairs effectively. I cannot relieve Your Majesty of worries above and cannot pacify the people and defend the borders below. I request to retire."

Emperor Chongping was silent for a moment, then said, "The state is in a difficult situation, and it is a time for us to work together. How can you, Grand Secretary Yang, bear to abandon me?"

Yang Guochang staying in office was better than his predecessor, as he could still secure funds for the treasury to support border defense, bandit suppression, and other expenses. If he left, where would the money come from?

Yang Guochang requested again, but the Deputy Grand Secretary, Han Huang, who was sitting calmly with his eyes half-closed, as if asleep, straightened up, glanced at Emperor Chongping, and gently pulled Yang Guochang's arm, saying, "Grand Secretary, the Emperor is concerned about the border situation and spoke out of emotion. We all know of your sense of responsibility, but the state is in a difficult situation and cannot do without your leadership. You must understand the Emperor's position and consider the greater good."

Yang Guochang, supported by Han Huang, felt a chill at his words. Looking up at Emperor Chongping, whose face was dark and unreadable, he said, trembling, "The state is in a difficult situation. Even if I must risk my old bones, I will do my best to relieve Your Majesty's worries."

While the emperor and his ministers in the Daming Palace were urgently discussing the Tartar invasion —

In the capital city of Shenjing, on Ningrong Street, in Liutiao Alley, Jia Heng had just washed off the smell of alcohol, changed into a regular robe, and was sketching a map of the thirteen provinces of the Han Empire on a sheet of Xuan paper by the east window.

"Chen Han inherited the territory of the Ming Dynasty. After a century, the Jurchens of Jianzhou rose in Liaodong and established the Jin Dynasty twenty-five years ago. Since then, Chen Han has been in a strategic defensive phase, with the border situation resembling a larger version of the Northern Song Dynasty, or perhaps slightly better, as the capital is in Chang'an and the Youyun region has not been lost."

Jia Heng looked at the map on the Xuan paper, which he had drawn based on the border situation mentioned by Xie Zaiyi over the past two days.

"The sage of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Shouren, once said that although the Ming was vast, there were only four key areas. If these areas were lost, the Ming would fall. These four areas are Xuan, Da, Jizhen, and Liaodong. Now, Chen Han has lost Liaodong and only retains Jizhen. The fortunate part is that the capital is in Chang'an, allowing a partial peace in Sichuan, but even considering the Southern Ming regime of the previous life, it is not entirely secure."

After chatting with Xie Zaiyi for the past two days and studying the history books of this world, Jia Heng was almost certain that this Red Mansion world was on the eve of a chaotic era.

The marriage of Tan Chun in "Dream of the Red Mansion" and the inability of Chen Han to defeat the barbarian states along the Western Sea revealed the decline of the nation's strength and military power.

This could be seen from these details.

"Peace will last for only about ten years. By then, not only will the Jia family's mansion crumble, but the nation will also fall into the hands of the barbarians. The ghosts will wail under the green maple trees, and the bones will pile up like mountains, forgotten of their names... Our Chinese civilization will be stolen by the barbarians."

Jia Heng exhaled a deep breath of turbid air.

If he did not want to die like a weed in the chaos that would come in ten years, he needed to make preparations in advance.

"However, I must first get through the hurdle of Jia Zhen and his son."

In the Ningguo Mansion —

In the flower hall, which was carpeted with wool, Jia Zhen listened to Jia Rong's report, his face dark. He asked coldly, "Did he really say that?"

"How could I dare to hide it from you, Father? Jia Heng said that even if offered ten thousand taels of gold, he would not break the engagement!" Jia Rong said angrily.

"What a bold Jia Heng!" Jia Zhen snorted, slapping the small table, causing the cups and saucers to rattle.

Since becoming the head of the Jia family, no one in the two mansions, except for the masters of the Western Mansion, had dared to defy him so openly.

What an ungrateful wretch!

Beside him, a beautiful woman in her thirties sat quietly. Her hair was styled in a woman's bun, revealing a smooth, jade-like forehead. Her golden hairpin sparkled in the candlelight, and her exquisite, well-crafted yellow-brown silk dress accentuated her voluptuous figure.

The woman had delicate features, with a rosy complexion like peach blossoms in February, a small, straight nose, and full, cherry lips painted with a light rouge. Her white, slender neck led to two prominent, moon-like breasts. She smiled and said, "Why be so angry, my lord? If Jia Heng refuses, we can find another good match for Rong'er..."

"Do you know anything!" Jia Zhen did not let her finish, his face dark as he interrupted her harshly, "Rong'er is good for nothing! He spends his days chasing women and hunting. Which noble daughter would look at him! This is a good match I have found for him, and I will not allow that poor scholar to ruin it!"

Hearing Jia Zhen's scolding, Lady You's body trembled, and she clutched the pink embroidered handkerchief in her hands, pressing her lips together, not daring to say more.

After years of marriage, she knew that Jia Zhen was truly angry.

Jia Zhen cast a fierce gaze at Jia Rong, who was trembling like a quail, and said coldly, "Rong'er, tomorrow you will bring Jia Heng here. I will meet him personally and see if he still respects me as the head of the family!"