Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 531 Marry
After the vassal states in the Western Regions were massacred by Wang Ziteng, there was a brief period of peace, but the Protectorate had reported to them many times that the surviving Western Regions nobles had begun to commit rebellious acts in secret again.

Fortunately, Jia Cong had proposed the strategy of fighting against the local tyrants and dividing the land as well as military settlement. He set up as many as twelve construction corps in the vast Western Regions and moved a large number of retired veterans from the interior.

These veterans served as civilians in their spare time and as soldiers in wartime. They were like nails, firmly fixed in various places in the Western Regions and played a key role in helping the imperial court stabilize the Western Regions.

But these are just the beginning. Whether it is garrison or military settlement, the Western Regions, a place surrounded by wars, not only has internal separatist forces, but external interference forces are also one of the main factors affecting the stability of the Western Regions.

For example, the Rakshasa Kingdom that we are going to deal with this time. According to the intelligence analysis sent by the Western Regions Protectorate, the people of the Rakshasa Kingdom have colluded with the restorationist rebels in the Western Regions.

When Russia and England interfered in the affairs of U-Tsang, those rebels who wanted to restore their country were likely to provoke a war in the Western Regions.

As a result, the imperial court will have to divide its troops to suppress the rebellion, and it will be difficult for the Western Regions to free up hands to help with the war in the southwest.

The abacus beads of Western countries clattered loudly, but they still underestimated the wisdom of our ancestors in China.

These two tricks they played were already common long before Zulong unified the Central Plains.

With powerful intelligence detection capabilities and the central think tank, after receiving the report from the Western Region Protectorate, it took less than a day to develop several countermeasures.

In addition to Jia Cong's strategy of sending surprise troops to disrupt the rear of the Rakshasa Kingdom, Duke Yingguo Zhang Yue also offered the emperor a plan.

However, apart from Zhang Yue himself and the emperor, this strategy was not known until the day before yesterday, when Jia She and Liu Ke were summoned to the palace. The emperor and his ministers secretly discussed and decided to implement the two strategies simultaneously.

At this time, Jia Cong was still unclear about the emperor's plan. He thought that the Thirteenth Prince insisted that Liu Chong go to the Western Regions just to facilitate the dispatch and collection of food and grass.

It was not until the eighth day of May, after all the ceremonies of Baoyu's wedding were completed, that Jia Cong discovered that his second brother was missing.

Yes, Mr. Lian from the Rongguo Mansion, who was originally busy with welcoming and seeing off guests today, has not appeared since nightfall.

At first, Jia Cong thought that today was Baoyu's wedding, so as an elder brother, he blocked the drinking for his younger brother and went back to his room to rest after drinking too much.

But when the noise in the courtyard slowly faded away, Jia Cong asked his eldest niece Qiqi, and only then did he hear from Qiqi that her father changed into a golden iron armor, rode a tall horse and left home under the protection of a group of personal soldiers.

"Your second brother... was ordered to lead 20,000 cavalrymen to the west to attack Luosha."

Wang Xifeng looked at her son who was sleeping soundly on the bed. It was hard to tell whether her eyes were filled with pride or worry, or perhaps both.

"This is the fate of a general, and it is also my fate. I don't care about victory or defeat, I just want your second brother to come home safely!"

Jia Cong then recalled that a few days ago, the Thirteenth General had forced Liu Chong into the Pingxi Army. It turned out that after all the fuss, the real purpose of Liu Chong's going to the Western Regions was to stabilize the rear and supply lines for the expedition against the Rakshasa Kingdom.

……

The wedding of Baoyu and Xiangyun was held smoothly and luxuriously. Even Yuanchun, who was always cautious, did not raise any objections to it.

By the time of dinner the next day, the atmosphere in Rong Xi Tang was no longer solemn or sad, but it also lacked the relaxed and lively atmosphere of the past.

The army marched alone thousands of miles westward. Even Master She, who was used to battlefields, did not dare to say that he would win this battle.

"There has been a huge uproar in the court. Many people are questioning the necessity of this war. They believe that the country is now at war on all sides and is in danger of losing the country due to its bellicosity."

Master Zheng's words broke the tranquility of Rong Xi Tang. Before Master She and Jia Cong could react, the newlywed Baoyu curled his lips and said, "They must have forgotten that there is another sentence behind this sentence, forgetting war will lead to danger! The Rakshasa Kingdom has wolfish ambitions. If they dare to plot against the Western Regions today, they will be able to reach out to the east of Jiayu Pass tomorrow."

Oh, Baoyu’s words are so profound!
Master She and Jia Cong looked at Baoyu almost at the same time, with admiration and satisfaction in their eyes.

"Your Majesty arranged everything secretly without telling the court and let Lian'er lead the troops to the battle in order to avoid resistance from the court. With Liu Chong in the Western Regions with Your Majesty's imperial edict, I am not worried about the food and grass supply. The only thing I am worried about now is that we are not familiar with the Rakshasa Kingdom."

In war, the right time, right place, and right people are all important, and finally, intelligence is the key.

As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. Unlike the grassland, the Rakshasa Kingdom is truly an unknown place for Daxia.

Jia Lian went there almost in the dark.

"Fortunately, His Majesty only wants your second brother to go and test the strength of the Luosha Kingdom this time. He does not require you to conquer cities and territories. If you cannot defeat them, you can just retreat to the Western Regions to rest."

Jia Cong shook his head and said, "Father still underestimates the temperament of our Second Master Lian."

In addition, they brought with them the most elite Imperial Mausoleum Guards and Divine Martial Guards of the Dynasty. This group of well-equipped and arrogant royal guards would feel ashamed to return if they could not bite off a large piece of meat from the Rakshasa Kingdom.

……

The ministers in the court were very dissatisfied with the fact that the emperor had dispatched troops to invade other countries without telling them. They believed that the emperor had violated the rules of the court.

The censors initially impeached the Grand Council and the Cabinet for inaction, but eventually turned their criticism directly to the emperor, flooding the Ministry of Public Security with memorials impeaching the emperor.

The emperor could no longer bear the nagging of the censors, so he avoided the war and fled to the Dragon Palace, leaving all state affairs to the Crown Prince Liu Hong, making the East Palace a new battlefield.

When the Eastern Palace was in chaos, Jia Cong and Daiyu quietly came to the Shunyi Prince's Mansion.

Yi Lan had already left for the Western Regions with the Pingxi Army, leaving only Lan Qiduo and his one son and two daughters in the palace.

Fortunately, Jia Cong is now the adoptive father of the youngest daughter Baolu, and the two families are close friends. With Daiyu around, there are fewer taboos.

Daiyu hugged her goddaughter tenderly, while Jia Cong told Lan Qiduo the real reason why he suddenly came here today.

"Can the princess contact your father? I would like to ask your father for a favor..."

Lan Qiduo's father, Choros Arotai, the former Grand Tutor of the Oirat and patriarch of the Choros family, was unwilling to surrender to Daxia. He led the Choros family and 30,000 elite cavalry through the Western Regions and went further west to create his own country.

Judging from the news sent back from the Western Regions, Arotai's 30,000 cavalry were like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, sweeping across all the tribes west of the Pamir Mountains and cutting a piece of meat from the Timurid Empire and the Kazakhs.

If he had not had insufficient troops under his command, Arotai would probably have established a khanate belonging to the Choros family by now.

But there is one thing Jia Cong must admit, that is, Alutai's command art is far superior to those nomadic peoples in the Western Regions. At this time, the Choros tribe has become an important military separatist force west of the Western Regions.

The purpose of his visit was to ask Lan Qiduo to write a letter...

"Your father and his soldiers and civilians are, after all, descendants of the Yellow Emperor, and share the same roots and ancestors as the people of Daxia like us. Even though he was unwilling to submit to the Celestial Empire, the Celestial Empire did not kill him, but instead sent him west with courtesy and sufficient food and grass. Now that the Celestial Empire is marching west to attack Luosha, if your father is willing to join forces with the Celestial Empire's army, you will naturally be entitled to a share of Luosha's fertile land!"

Lan Qiduo was not sure whether the land of Rakshasa Kingdom was fertile or not.

But she was clear about one thing: by cooperating with the Celestial Empire, the Choros family would be free from worries and her father's dream of establishing the Choros Khanate could be realized more quickly.

Even if the Choros Khanate was not established in the end, it would be great if the relationship with the Celestial Empire could be eased.

Thinking of this, Lan Qiduo did not continue to hide or shirk responsibility, and immediately nodded and said: "To be honest with you, Master Jia, my father sent someone to Beijing to deliver a letter and arranged for someone to stay in the palace..."

Lan Qiduo also understood that this matter could not be hidden from the court's spies, so she was not surprised that Jia Cong knew that she had been exchanging letters with her father.

She quickly asked A Luotai's messenger to come to the main hall. After Jia Cong asked about A Luotai's recent situation, he admired the ability and character of A Luotai, the former Grand Tutor of Wala, even more.

Unexpectedly, in just three years, Arotai had occupied the Timurid Khanate and large tracts of fertile land in Kazakhstan, and had a population of nearly one million, with an army of nearly 100,000.

He laughed and said, "I didn't expect that the Grand Master would not establish a country and call himself Khan."

Lan Qiduo really wanted to roll her eyes at Jia Cong. It was you, Jia Cong, who caused my father to fail to establish a country and become the Khan.

The Celestial Empire moved more than 100,000 veteran soldiers to the Western Regions. On the surface, they were all retired veterans who went to farm the land, but have you ever seen any farmer riding a tall horse with a long sword in his hand?

They established a country and proclaimed themselves Khan right under the noses of the Western Regions army. Could it be that the Choros family wanted to continue migrating westwards?
She changed the subject, took out a pen and paper and wrote a letter in front of the messenger.

At the same time, Jia Cong also wrote a letter to A Luotai in person, in which he stated his intention to form an alliance with him, and in the name of the crown prince, he promised that if A Luotai could help the Celestial Empire conquer the Rakshasa Kingdom, he would support him in establishing the Choros Khanate on the most fertile land west of the Western Regions.

If A Luotai is willing, the Celestial Empire is willing to treat him as a brother, and the two countries will support each other and jointly march westward...

Of course, the Rakshasa Kingdom has not been destroyed yet, so talking about brother countries and jointly marching westward is a consequence.

Jia Cong painted a big pie for A Luotai with only one purpose, which was to let A Luotai send troops to help relieve the pressure on Master Lian.

……

After leaving the Shunyi County Prince's Mansion, Jia Cong and Daiyu rushed to the palace together.

The East Palace was in a mess and was crowded with a bunch of censors. Jia Cong just stood outside the door and took a look, expressing his deep sympathy for the prince, then led Daiyu to the direction of the Dragon Head Palace without looking back.

The old saint and the emperor each held a fishing rod and sat by the Taiye Lake fishing.

When they saw Jia Cong and the other two coming, they all looked curious.

The old man waved Daiyu to sit next to him, ordered the eunuchs to bring fruits and snacks, and discussed with her the establishment of a royal academy.

As for the emperor, he asked about the reason for Jia Cong's sudden arrival.

After listening to Jia Cong's plan, he thought for a long time before nodding.

"It is indeed a good idea to join forces with A Luotai. Although the country has the ability to swallow Luosha, it is not in the interests of the country to conquer a country thousands of miles away and cause too many casualties to the country's soldiers. If A Luotai is willing, let alone supporting him to establish a country and become the Khan, it would not be a big deal for me to call him a brother."

As for the covenant, it is a covenant when it is useful, but it is worse than toilet paper when it is useless.

The stubborn Fourth Brother has always been a staunch pragmatist. The Emperor believes that using a piece of paper that does not require any actual effort to exchange for victory in the Western Expedition is the best strategy.

He immediately asked someone to bring pen and ink, and after a while he had written a secret decree.

"Otomo, have someone deliver it to the Crown Prince, stamp it with the imperial seal, and send..."

"Your Majesty, please send my personal soldiers. We still need the help of Princess Shunyi for this matter."

Jia Cong knew A Luotai quite well.

This person has great ambitions and great talents. Even if Jia Cong is confident that A Luotai will agree to the alliance after seeing the emperor's secret decree, with Lan Qiduo as the middleman, he has a better chance of success.

Another point is that Jia Cong did not want the emperor to send people from the court because he wanted to turn this matter into one that was ambiguous between public and private.

As long as he is not a legitimate court envoy, if he wants to tear up the alliance in the future... my buttocks can still withstand dozens of beatings!

The wise Fourth Master naturally understood Jia Cong's thoughts and was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

"You kid... I'm not someone who cares about reputation..."

Jia Cong scratched his head and replied with a silly smile: "I don't care at all. When the time comes, Your Majesty just asks me to be gentle when I have the sticks beaten."

……

When the two armies, Pingxi and Zhengxi, set out on the expedition, the Ministry of Revenue's silver was transported out like water, and even Master Lin felt distressed.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue have been working around the clock these days and have not even taken care of their nephew's wedding or their daughter's marriage.

Fortunately, the Lin family members who came to Beijing from Suzhou were able to help a lot, and Lin Bo's wedding and Daiyu's marriage proceeded in an orderly manner.

On May 22nd, it was auspicious day. Lin Bo rode a white horse to pick up Tanchun, who was wearing a wedding dress, from Rongguo Mansion.

The old lady once again sent one of her granddaughters out of the gate of Rongxi Hall. She waited until Lin Bo and Tanchun disappeared from the courtyard gate before she sighed and said to Jia Cong, "Everyone has left, and I am the only one left!"

"Thanks to grandma, my second and third sisters were able to find good husbands. My third sister's husband is known as Xiaolin Hou and has a bright future. Grandma should be happy that my third sister can find such a husband."

Jia Cong could understand the old lady's feelings. Regardless of whether she was partial or not, the old lady had raised the girls in the family and watched them grow up.

Normally, her grandchildren would sit around her and chat and laugh with her, but now Xichun is the only one left. How could the old lady not feel lonely and lost?

But this kind of thing is unavoidable. Girls will eventually get married when they grow up, and the old lady will not think of keeping her granddaughters at home and letting them grow old and die alone. After all, she is a person who loves her granddaughters...

"Fortunately, it won't be long before my grandson will be able to bring Sister Lin back home. Then I'll ask Sister Lin to be more filial to grandma."

hey~
It’s finally time for those older than me in the family to get married.

It is finally Master Cong's turn to marry Sister Lin home as his wife!

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　I’ll stop here today and continue tomorrow. Good night!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)