Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 601: Be Thick-skinned

"He is devoted to his country and loyal to his country. He has the courage of a bear and the integrity of a stone, and he has made himself an outstanding talent.

He was entrusted with the task of commanding generals and was given the power to carry out military operations. He was entrusted with the task of commanding generals and was able to wield a spear and show his might.

He has the methods of Sun Wu to command the people, and the strategies of herding and controlling the army. His upright spirit reaches the sky, and his sincerity penetrates the sun. He is proud of himself as a hero, and he advocates loyalty and filial piety to establish himself.

Meet the cloud dragon for a thousand years, and be the leader of the tiger and leopard. Cultivate courage and vow to defeat the strong enemy, and be in harmony with the gods.

Yesterday, the Qing Temple was in Qi, and the purple altar was in full bloom. You trained the imperial guards and guarded the imperial residence. You have done a lot of loyalty and effort, so I will praise you and show you respect.

"Then Wang Ziteng, the loyal and devoted military official who obeyed the will of heaven and promoted his loyalty, was the Marquis of Ningyuan County, the Right Pillar of the State, the Special Advancement of Ronglu, and the Minister of War. He quelled the civil strife in the west and conquered the rebels in the east, defending the country from dangers, and his contributions were unparalleled. In accordance with the order of the Crown Prince who supervised the country, he was given the posthumous title of Wulie, and his military spirit was honored in the country, so that he can enjoy eternal life..."

Civil officials were posthumously named Wen, and military generals were posthumously named Wu.

The "Lie" refers to the outstanding military achievements of Prince Zhang's Teng, so he is called Wulie, which is the second most beautiful posthumous title after the single posthumous title of Wu and Wuzhong.

Several important officials of the cabinet and the Grand Military Governor's Office had proposed many other posthumous titles, such as Min, Xian, Su, etc. Considering the trouble Wang Ziteng had caused to the current emperor in his early years, it was a great thing to be given such a posthumous title.

But after pondering for a long time, the prince gave Wang Ziteng a higher and more fair evaluation.

Without mentioning the blame that Wang Ziteng took for the emperor due to his military campaigns in the south and the north, his suppression of the rebellions in Xining Prefecture and the Western Regions and his expedition against Japan were the top merits he was awarded. He quelled civil strife and expanded the territory for the country, but in the end he suffered a lot of injuries.

Even though he was angered to death by his nephew this time, it was also because of the hidden danger caused by him leading his troops to the battlefield.

Therefore, in Liu Hong's opinion, compared with national wars, Wang Ziteng deserves posthumous fame for his outstanding military achievements in political struggles.

When the cabinet chief Lin Ruhai personally stepped down from the carriage carrying the imperial edict, the civil and military officials who were originally watching and dared not come to pay tribute were stunned.

Everyone knows the feud between the Wang family and the Lin family. I didn't expect Lin Ruhai to come here in person...

"Your servant Jia Lian (Xue Pan) kowtows on behalf of Wang Ji, the heir to the throne of Ningyuan County, to thank God for His grace. Long live the Lord!"

Wang Ren was probably still hanging on the torture device and being whipped. The Wang family had already split up, and the two-year-old Wang Ji, the direct descendant, was in mourning. The only ones who could receive the imperial edict were his nephew-in-law Jia Lian and his nephew Xue Pan.

The attitude of the palace was already very clear. The Governor's Office and the Ministry of Rites also sent people to help deal with the funeral, which made those who were watching sigh.

"The Crown Prince is so kind and righteous. Back then, Wang Ziteng almost openly opposed His Majesty. I never expected that he would be given the beautiful posthumous title of Wu Lie."

"Years ago, there were rumors that the emperor was mean and ungrateful, but over the years, I have come to understand that the emperor's heart and the heart of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are higher than the sky and deeper than the sea."

"But it was beyond my expectation that Prime Minister Lin would come... It is rumored that Mrs. Lin's death was closely related to the second wife of the Wang family who married into the Rongguo Mansion. Many people said that this matter was instructed by Wang Ziteng..."

Accompanied by Jia Lian and Xue Pan, Lin Ruhai walked into the mourning hall that had just been set up.

Because Wang Ziteng passed away before dawn, today's funeral was just a small one, with only white mourning gauze separating the body.

Lin Ruhai held incense and offered sacrifices, and his filial sons and grandchildren returned the favor in front of his coffin.

Seeing the two-year-old Wang Ji still looking around curiously, Lin Ruhai felt that the grievances with the Wang family over the years were quite ridiculous.

Fighting and arguing for a lifetime, what's the point?
"According to the order of the Crown Prince, the Wang family will not be demoted to inherit the Ningyuan County Marquisate. You should teach my brother well in the future and don't let him follow Wang Ren's old path!"

Jia Lian returned the greeting and said, "I, Wang Ji, would like to express my gratitude to the Emperor for his grace. I will follow the instructions of the Grand Chancellor and will not slack off in the slightest."

"I (the minister's wife, the minister's daughter) will follow the instructions of the great minister and will never slack off in the slightest."

All the relatives of the Wang family bowed down, expressed their gratitude and accepted the order, and thanked the Prime Minister for his teachings.

At this time, the housekeeper came in and said that people from various families who came to pay their respects had arrived one after another, so Lin Ruhai did not stay long. He just told Jia Lian and Xue Pan to take good care of him, and then took Jia Cong out of Ningyuan Marquis Mansion.

Along the way, Jia Cong saw many familiar faces.

Visitors from founding noble families such as the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion should be the first group to arrive after finding out the attitude of the palace.

No matter whether he had done evil things in his life, Wang Ziteng has died and someone has to come to see him off.

The carriage moved forward slowly. Lin Ruhai lifted the curtain and looked at the carriages and horses passing by one after another outside the carriage. He sighed: "See, Wang Ziteng's plan was successful after all."

"He was given the posthumous title of Wulie, and an edict was issued that his descendants would inherit the title without any downgrade, and posthumous honors were given to him to commend his military achievements, and he was granted the right to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Martyrs' Shrine. Wang Ziteng's plan was indeed successful."

Ever since Wang Ziteng led his troops to quell the rebellion in Xining Prefecture, he has been constantly expressing his sincerity to the emperor, and even took a lot of blame for it.

A military general, who fought in dozens of battles over the years, risked his life to pull the imperiled Wang family back from the brink of death.

This kind of scheming is really scary.

The father-in-law and son-in-law once again witnessed the depth of Wang Ziteng's scheming. Lin Ruhai even said: "Even if Wang Ziteng did not directly participate in the murder of your mother-in-law, he is still involved. It is impossible for me to say that I don't hate him. But I also admire him very much. This person has a strong character, is good at fighting and scheming... The most important thing is that he can put aside his selfishness and plan for the family. It is admirable!"

"My father-in-law is right. I think so too. Even Sister Lin said that Wang Ziteng is a qualified general and a qualified clan leader."

Even at the last moment of his life, Wang Ziteng was trying his best to plan for the Wang family. You know, he didn't even have a biological son.

This is what Lin Ruhai and Jia Cong admire most.

"You can go back to the Wang family to help in a while. Jia, Wang, Xue, and Shi are all of the same blood. No matter what happened before, even His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has put aside his resentment towards Wang Ziteng and given him a fair evaluation. We must also take a proper attitude."

As the saying goes, debts are paid off when one dies, not to mention that Wang Ziteng had already made deals with the Jia, Lin, and Xue families and even the royal family before his death.

A man without faith cannot stand, and it is time to fulfill your promise and act.

……

Wang Ziteng's funeral was very grand. The Crown Prince Regent personally went to the palace to pay his respects after the burial on the third day.

On the day of the funeral, all the prefectures in the capital held roadside memorial services. The Grand Marshal's Office also dispatched a thousand elite cavalry to escort Wang Ziteng's coffin all the way out of the capital, until they boarded a ship at Tongzhou Wharf and headed south to the Wang family's ancestral home in Nanjing, and then returned to the capital.

Jia Huan, who was already engaged to Wang Xiluan, personally accompanied him south and would not return until he had sent the coffin to the Wang family's ancestral tomb in Nanjing for burial.

It's just a pity for Jia Huan, the originally scheduled wedding date has to be postponed for another three years, alas~
Wang Ziteng’s sudden death also had a significant impact on the Jia family.

Qilin'er's full-month banquet was cancelled and a grand banquet was held when the baby was 100 days old. This also alleviated Daiyu's worries and pain during the confinement period. After all, it was both the third day of the baby's birth and the full month, and there were a lot of people coming and going.

Jia Cong had been helping out at the Wang family for several days, and even though he was tired, he couldn't rest well at home.

Mr. He assigned him a lot of work. Not only did he have to negotiate with the French, but he also had to worry about the affairs of the Ministry of Works. His main idea was that the capable should work harder and the capable should be treated like animals.

This busy work lasted for more than a month. When the first snow of this winter covered the capital with a layer of silver, Jia Cong finally signed a cooperation draft between the two countries with the French.

"Mr. He, take a look and see if there is anything missing."

Although Jia Cong was very confident about the draft that he personally drafted and forced the French envoy to sign, he was still a little unsure.

Damn, we can’t underestimate the Western barbarians. The biggest disagreement in the negotiations is the division of the occupied territories.

When the French saw that their country had a small population and was far away from India, they realized that even if they could take over some of the rich land, they would hardly gain any benefits.

On the contrary, the Celestial Empire, with its millions of subjects and directly adjacent to India, could dispatch millions of troops to the south at any time...

What kind of true friendship is there between countries? Today, Bactria and France are brotherly countries, but tomorrow they may fight over interests.

Therefore, since it is difficult to gain benefits in a short period of time, it is better to give up the land in exchange for something more tangible.

"The French actually want to exchange the land of India for our warships and firearms?"

It was the first time that Mr. He had seen someone who did not want land. For the Chinese people who regarded land as their life, this was absolutely a rare thing.

Jia Cong had no choice but to explain to Mr. He his understanding of the French people's actions. His guess about this group of Western barbarians was at least 80% correct.

"The Western barbarians value practical interests the most. They don't know how to farm. No matter how fertile the land of India is, it is not as important to them as our advanced warships and firearms. The focus of France's current competition with England is still on the dominance of the West. Therefore, I guess that when our fleet arrives in the West, King Louis of France will definitely ask the Celestial Empire to send troops to help..."

He Yaomin himself also noticed this.

On the way westward, France never refused the invitation of the Celestial Empire, and even rushed to clear the way for it, hoping that the Celestial Empire's army would arrive in the West as soon as possible.

If you don't ask for anything, no one will believe it.

"Hearing what you said, can we raise the price again?"

hiss!
Jia Cong held his forehead and smiled bitterly: "Mr. He, I only left a small island in Tianzhu for France to use as a transit point. To be honest, I am embarrassed to raise the price again."

The old man is so cruel!

According to the cooperation draft signed by Jia Cong and the French, the French gave all the cities and lands in India that they had originally planned to occupy to the Celestial Empire, leaving only a small island as a transit point for the fleet.

The Celestial Empire would give France fifty large and small warships in return, equipped with the latest naval guns, firearms, etc.

According to the current market price, the total value is about 38 million taels of silver.

However, if the casting cost is based on Daxia, it is only a little over 10 million. In exchange for the ownership of the entire Tianzhu, it is a great deal.

He Yaomin chuckled and squinted his sharp eyes at Jia Cong: "Now it is France that is begging us, so we have the final say on the price. Just listen to me and tell the French envoys that the Celestial Empire can not only build them the latest warships and the most powerful artillery, but also help them defeat the English and let the glory of King Louis cover the entire Western Ocean..."

"Even if King Louis is crowned emperor, our Celestial Empire can help him..."

"The only thing France has to give is a piece of insignificant land in the West!"

……

He Yaomin did not mention which piece of land he wanted because he was not very familiar with the geography of Western countries.

But Jia Cong was familiar with it. He waved his hand and drew a circle on the land of the Kingdom of Spain and Portugal.

Attacking England is one thing, and attacking all those so-called powerful countries in the West together is also one thing.

It would be better for the emperor to lead the war personally and cooperate with France to fight on a larger scale.

Corsica is located in the inland sea, which is not convenient for China to develop in the West. On the contrary, the geographical location of Portugal and Spain is the best option for China.

Jia Cong directly found a vacant duty room in the cabinet and worked on paperwork for a whole day. After dark, he dragged his tired body and climbed into the carriage to return home.

The next morning he hurried to the palace again, asked the Crown Prince to set the main tone, and began to send letters to the Emperor who was far away at sea.

At the same time, the Grand Marshal's Office also read the new contract drafted by Jia Cong, especially the draft strategy for the layout of the West. The bosses studied it for a long time before putting forward their opinions.

Generally speaking, the veteran generals of the Governor's Office agreed with Jia Cong's opinion.

But the old coaches believe that France cannot dominate the West alone.

England can be defeated, but it must not perish. The Celestial Empire is thousands of miles away from the West, and it is impossible to truly establish a force in the West that is strong enough to overthrow other countries in a short period of time.

Therefore, after the Celestial Empire helped France defeat England, the secret envoy of the Ministry of Rites secretly contacted the English royal family.

When it comes to insidiousness... ahem, when it comes to strategy, the old commanders of the Grand Marshal's Office can be called the strongest men's group in the world.

Although Jia Cong's plan can be said to be good, in the eyes of the old generals, it is still immature and shallow.

Fighting a war is like playing chess. Every time you make a move, you have to think about the next few steps.

Before the Celestial Empire’s strength in the West becomes sufficient to overthrow other countries, it must never allow France to truly unify Europe.

"Help the King of France to be crowned emperor and give him the title of the nominal ruler of the West. This can be done. It can be regarded as a bait we throw out, and it can also be regarded as a reassurance to the French. The Ministry of Rites should also choose a suitable secret envoy, who must be experienced and thick-skinned enough... This old minister recommends my grandson, he is the most suitable."

It was really a case of promoting the most virtuous person regardless of relationship. He Yaomin suddenly stood up and bowed to the prince, and told him the best candidate for the secret envoy.

The old generals had no intention of interfering in the selection of the secret envoy, but they were still shocked when they heard He Yaomin propose to send his grandson to the West.

Jia Cong was also shocked, although this secret mission, if accomplished, could be as great as destroying a country.

But this was also a job that could easily cost you your life. If you were not careful, the English might see that you were an envoy from the Celestial Empire and chop off your head with a knife and hang it on the castle gate.

Even the Crown Prince was stunned and waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, choose someone else to go. I want He Chong to stay in the capital and be of great use!"

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)