Chapter 1

A seventeen-year-old youth was hunched over a desk, writing, with a person of about the same age standing behind him.

"Brother, you've read for many years, but if you write this letter, won't people laugh at it? It would be better to pay someone to write it for you."

"I want it to be straightforward and easy to understand. Would my uncle understand flowery language?"

The youth behind him rolled his eyes.

Brother has been good at arguing since childhood; he always has a reason.

"Uncle, I hope you are well! Your nephew Tang Qing'an is unfilial and has not taken good care of his mother. At the beginning of the year, my mother fell ill. We invited a doctor and got medicine, but her condition did not improve. She passed away before the New Year..."

Tang Qing'an's expression was calm.

He had been in the world of *Dream of the Red Mansion* for seven years.

Unfortunately, he did not become a member of the Jia family and experience the grandeur of the Red Mansion, but rather became a commoner in Jinling.

In the world of *Dream of the Red Mansion*, the Jia family held immense power. The four major families of Jinling were closely connected, and the Zhen family was their longtime ally. Even the imperial salt commissioner of Yangzhou was a son-in-law of the Jia family.

In every aspect of Jinling, there was some connection to the Jia family.

Tang Qing'an was no exception.

His father was an apprentice in the Xue family, later becoming a manager. Unfortunately, he died young, leaving behind a widow and three sons.

His mother came from the Wu family in Liaodong, and her brother was Wu Jinzhao.

The Jia family had two founding dukes and was the most prestigious of the nobility. The Wu family was the manager of the Jia family's estates outside the pass, serving the Ningguo Mansion for generations.

His father died young, and the Xue family, considering their relationship, took in their widow and young children. His mother supported them by doing needlework.

During the seven years at the Xue family, combined with his early love for *Dream of the Red Mansion*, Tang Qing'an had already foreseen the future.

The future of the Jia family, the Xue family, and even the Great Zhou dynasty.

The pen on the desk did not stop, and Tang Qing'an made his decision. The companion behind him frowned, his expression growing heavy.

Over the seven years, Tang Qing'an had thoroughly recognized the reality.

The world of *Dream of the Red Mansion* was a feudal society, and the class structure had been fixed for nearly a century. No matter how talented or capable a person born into a common family was, their potential was still limited.

Reading and taking the imperial exams.

In his youth, he did not have extraordinary talent, and his low birth meant that he could not study the proper classics. Without a teacher to explain the texts, he gained the Xue family's trust and was working at the counter by the age of fifteen, which already amazed outsiders.

His success did not bring him benefits; the Xue family's emphasis on seniority led to his being secretly ostracized by the managers and clerks.

"Nephew and his two younger brothers have taken care of Mother's funeral and buried her next to Father. With Uncle's help, the Xue family provided ten taels of silver for the funeral, which was spent entirely on Mother's funeral.

Nephew has achieved nothing in Jinling. I am writing this letter to Uncle to inform him of Mother's passing and to ask for Uncle's help in finding a way to make a living.

Liaodong is in turmoil. The court suffered a defeat at Sarhū, and now it is in dire need of manpower. Nephew has a basic understanding of literature and martial arts and wishes to seek a military position in Liaodong.

Although the battlefield is dangerous, to achieve a future, Nephew is not afraid. If fortunate, it would also bring glory to the family.

Nephew Tang Qing'an, personally.

March 3rd, Year 11 of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Tang Qing'an put down the brush and waited for the ink to dry, looking at the letter he had just written, deep in thought.

"Brother, have you really made up your mind?"

The companion finally could not hold back and asked. He had known Tang Qing'an since childhood, and they had read *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* together, forming a brotherhood in the bamboo garden.

"Yes."

Tang Qing'an's eyes were resolute.

Liaodong.

The companion looked puzzled.

Was he really going to follow his brother to Liaodong? A place thousands of miles away, where even an army of 200,000 had been annihilated.

His family owned several acres of land, and he had always preferred martial arts to scholarly pursuits.

Years ago, he had agreed with his brother to fight on the battlefield for glory, but now, faced with the reality, he felt hesitant.

He was afraid of death.

Tang Qing'an quietly looked at his sworn brother, not trying to persuade him, but waiting for him to make up his mind.

He was just a seventeen-year-old youth, different from himself, and knew what he wanted.

He had had enough of an ordinary life in his previous life!

The feeling of being powerless despite his best efforts was suffocating, and he did not want to experience it again in this life.

Since heaven had given him this opportunity, he was determined to rise to prominence.

To become a person of high status, one must take extraordinary actions.

The Xue family had reached its current scale not through talent and ability but through the legacy of their ancestors. No matter what, he could not replace the Xue family.

Over seven years, from a ten-year-old child to a seventeen-year-old youth, he had finally waited for the opportunity to soar.

History had taken a turn.

The Tumu Fortress Incident, where the conservative faction won, and the southern advance to Nanjing was intercepted by the Oirat, leading to the slaughter and capture of the court's nobles and officials, and the Empress Dowager becoming a prisoner.

The ambitious imperial family, ignoring the overall situation, rushed to claim the throne, leading to the division of the Ming dynasty's strength.

The recovery of the capital, the expulsion of the Oirat, the three-way struggle among the emperors, and the warlord conflicts, eventually led to the Zhou dynasty taking over, which has now been established for nearly a century.

Fighting the northern nomads, the southern pirates, the Japanese in Korea, and the rebellious chieftains, although these issues were resolved, the Great Zhou dynasty was severely weakened.

The Great Zhou dynasty inherited the Ming system and became even more isolated due to the pirate troubles.

Calculating the time, it was the Little Ice Age, coinciding with the late Ming period. Comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the Great Zhou dynasty, it was not better than the late Ming period.

Shaanxi was on the verge of a major upheaval, the Liaodong nomads were rising, and the officials of the Great Zhou dynasty were still indulging in luxury.

The Great Zhou dynasty was plagued by deep-seated problems, corruption, and the suffering of the people, compounded by natural disasters. Last year, a heavy snowfall in Hainan killed countless livestock.

Even more terrifying was the struggle between the retired emperor and the current emperor.

The Jia family would also fall in the struggle between the retired emperor and the current emperor, showing the intensity of their conflict.

Luxury and extravagance, internal strife, and the destruction of the country.

This was the hidden meaning in *Dream of the Red Mansion*.

Whether it would be destroyed by the common people or by foreign tribes.

The defeat at Sarhū, even thousands of miles away in Jinling, was widely discussed, and people spoke of Liaodong with fear.

Only he was inwardly excited.

By combining the history from his previous life with the current situation, he discovered an opportunity in Liaodong.

To ordinary people, the nomads were fierce and powerful, and the Great Zhou dynasty had lost its elite forces, making them a formidable enemy.

The Great Zhou dynasty inherited the Ming system and, due to the pirate troubles, had stricter maritime restrictions, lacking naval power.

This was a limitation of the era.

In the history of his previous life, a general in the late Ming period discovered the enemy's weakness and used this advantage to become a commander of a garrison.

That was Mao Wenhua.

He had no powerful background and relied on naval power to become a commander of a garrison in enemy territory.

Tang Qing'an believed that with the support of the four major families, he could achieve even more, at least ten times easier than Mao Wenhua.

He did not have to face the nomads directly or worry about the dangers of the battlefield. He could find the enemy's weak points along the long coastline and launch surprise attacks.

He would not risk his life and could still earn credit. With his uncle's help, he could join the Jia family and ensure his achievements were not claimed by others.

Now, Liaodong was in dire need of manpower. With his uncle's connections, becoming an officer would not be difficult, and he could directly follow Mao Wenhua's strategy.

The minimum goal was to become a commander of a garrison, and the upper limit was unknown.