The Red Mansions

Chapter 1600 Zhen Lan: If there is, then there is

Chapter 1600 Zhen Lan: If there is, then there is...

Shu, Baoning Prefecture

The offensive and defensive forces of both sides were endless, almost like a tide, and it lasted until dusk fell, when the troops of the Beijing camp slowly retreated, leaving behind corpses with broken fingers and arms and messy weapons.

Beijing Camp, Central Army Camp

Xie Zaiyi was wearing a chain mail and was discussing matters with a group of officers who were going to the war. His unshaven, weather-beaten face had a rough expression and sharp eyes.

"The Shu army has been guarding the city for two days. Relying on the city, our army wants to attack the city. All officers and soldiers should fight bravely and not slack off." Xie Zaiyi's thick eyebrows paused, his cold eyes glanced at the officers and soldiers present, and he said in a deep voice.

The officers and soldiers below all agreed in unison to Xie Zaiyi's speech.

Xie Zaiyi turned his gaze to the side and asked, "How much ammunition has the Red Cannon consumed in the past few days? Are there enough firearms and ammunition among the accompanying military supplies?"

At this moment, a burly officer quickly stood up, clasped his fists towards Xie Zaiyi, and said, "Duke, there are enough musket ammunition, enough for the army to use for half a month."

Xie Zaiyi warned, "We should continue to stockpile muskets and ammunition in case of emergency."

The officer's face became serious and he bowed and said yes.

Xie Zaiyi's eyes wandered around the officers sitting there under his thick eyebrows. His calm voice was a little cold as he said, "A rebellion has occurred in Shu, affecting the entire southwest region. Our Beijing Battalion should quell the chaos in Shu as soon as possible during this expedition. We must not allow the war in Shu to spread to other places, so as to avoid causing greater disasters."

This is because the prince did not come here to fight. He will lead the troops alone and must fight this battle well to live up to the prince's trust!

The officers sitting below all had stern expressions on their faces.

Xie Zaiyi said in a deep voice: "At three o'clock tomorrow morning, the troops will be divided into three waves. From morning to night, they will attack the city and not give the Shu army a chance to breathe."

As the Beijing army began to prepare for war intensively, the sound of horses' hooves was heard, soldiers were constantly coming and going, and a sense of murderous momentum swept in all directions.

On top of the towering city, the Shu army, which had just repelled the attack of the Han army, was now counting casualties and cleaning up the battlefield.

Chen Yuan was wearing a black robe inside and a gold-thread soft armor outside. He had a dignified look on his face, and was talking with Bao Qichun and others, or rather, reviewing and reflecting on the battle on the city wall today.

Chen Yuan's face was as solemn as iron, his eyes wandered over the officers, and he said loudly: "In today's battle, the Han army in the Beijing camp attacked swiftly. Although our army has a strong city to rely on, it may not be able to withstand such a continuous attack."

Bao Qichun was silent for a moment, nodded, and said, "Your Highness, Prince Zhao, if we hold out for another half a month, the troops in the city will move to Jiameng Pass. The Han army relies on the advantage of firearms and their offensive is swift. It would be unwise to confront the Han army at the pass."

Chen Ran's face was solemn, and he said loudly: "The Han army in the Beijing camp is just testing the waters, and has not yet stepped up its offensive. After a few days, it's hard to say what will happen."

Bao Qichun nodded and said, "Should our army abandon the pass and flee? Lead the troops to Jiange and plan for a decisive battle with the enemy tomorrow."

At this moment, Chen Yuan nodded and said, "Baoning City is indeed undefendable."

Chen Ran said: "If we want to retreat back to Jiange and Jiameng Pass, we have to hurry up, otherwise the soldiers of the Beijing camp will not let us leave calmly."

He didn't want to be here and be caught by Xie Zaiyi.

By this day, King Wei Chen Ran also realized that Bashu had little chance of success. In other words, facing the huge imperial court, King Wei Chen Ran couldn't help but feel frustrated and desperate for no reason.

First of all, Gao Zhongping's death meant that the war in Bashu lost a commander with strategic vision. Secondly, the lively scene that was envisioned at the beginning, where heroes from all over the world would rise up and respond to the call to punish the thief Jia, has never happened.

Liang Wang Chen Wei took over the conversation and said, "After the Han army enters Shu, the troops will definitely not be able to deploy. That will be our chance to counterattack."

Chen Yuan said: "That's exactly what I meant. During this period of time, we should first resist the advance of the imperial army, and when the time is right, we can strike back at the imperial army."

In the hall, everyone said yes.

In other words, at this moment, the soldiers and generals in Baoning City could only encourage themselves secretly in this way.

After all the soldiers left, Chen Yuan's face remained solemn. He looked at Chen Ran and said, "Are the Gao family members not coming?"

Chen Ran said: "Cousin, apart from providing some food and military supplies, Chengdu Prefecture has not sent any troops to help. It seems that they want to use the existing troops to temporarily delay and consume the Beijing camp."

Anyone would feel uncomfortable if they were to be used as cannon fodder.

Chen Yuan's face was not looking good. After thinking for a while, he said, "Delay and consumption are not a big deal, but blindly confronting the court and eventually losing troops and generals under the court's artillery fire and being trapped here is not a wise move."

Chen Ran said: "Brother Chen Yuan is right. Send someone to ask in the direction of Jiange whether to gradually withdraw to Jiange to avoid being taken advantage of by the enemy?"

Because, although they each led their own troops, a lot of their food and supplies were transported from Jiange.

Chen Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Send people to Jiange. Three days later, our army will withdraw to Jiange in an orderly manner and abandon Baoning Prefecture City."

Chen Ran nodded.

Then, several people started to discuss.

In this way, time passed like water, and the attack and defense battle in Baoning City lasted until two days later.

The enemy and our side began fighting each other around the city wall of Baoning Prefecture, with the sound of artillery bombardment continuing.

On this day, the Han troops in the Beijing camp were all holding weapons and feinting an attack on the Baoning Prefecture City.

On the top of the towering city, the officers and soldiers of the Shu army, each holding a shield and armor in their hands, were busy resisting the attack of the Han army.

The officers and soldiers of the Beijing camp who were attacking the city first felt that the resistance of the Shu army was beginning to weaken, and then they increased their offensive. A large number of soldiers wearing black and red satin armor rushed to the top of the city like a tide, holding weapons, seizing favorable terrain and driving out the Shu army.

The soldiers of both sides came into close combat and the truth was revealed immediately.

How could the Shu army be a match for the elite troops of the Beijing camp? It didn't take long for the Shu army to be defeated.

"Dangdang..."

Along with the sound of weapons clashing, a large number of soldiers from the Beijing camp carried ladders and rushed up to the city.

On that day, the Baoning Prefecture City, which had been blocking the imperial court's troops for many days, was suddenly destroyed.

Xie Zaiyi, the third-class Duke of Liao of the Han Dynasty, entered the city in a grand manner accompanied by a group of generals and officers.

Baoning Prefecture City, Prefecture Office——

Accompanied by a group of personal guards, Xie Zaiyi sat down on a chair with a majestic look. Under his thick eyebrows, his tiger eyes were fierce. He said to the clerk beside him in a deep voice: "Count the number of our casualties and prisoners, write a victory report to the court, and send it by express horse, saying that Baoning City has been captured."

The middle-aged clerk straightened his face and bowed in agreement.

Xie Zaiyi asked, "When the city was broken, could we see the whereabouts of the three Chens?"

At this moment, Jia Yun stood up and saluted, saying, "Duke, according to the officers under my command, Chen Yuan, Chen Ran and others have withdrawn their troops to Jiange a few days ago. There are only 4,000 people from Baoning Prefecture in the city, led by Bao Qichun, the commander of the Baoning Guard."

Upon hearing this, Xie Zaiyi asked, "Where is Bao Qichun?"

Jia Yun said, "After the city was captured, Bao Qichun and other officers led hundreds of soldiers to the southwest, and the Beijing army is still pursuing them."

Xie Zaiyi nodded and said in a deep voice: "Eliminate the remaining enemies. Also, pass on my order for Ding Rui of the Guyong Battalion to lead his troops as the vanguard and advance to Jiameng Pass."

Upon hearing this, Jia Yun clasped his fists and said yes.

In this way, after the imperial army broke through Yangping Pass, it completely entered Shu.

……

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Godly City, Ningguo Mansion

Jia Heng talked with Chen Xiao and Gu Ruoqing in the study for a while. He did not linger in the mansion for long, but walked quickly towards the Qichi Courtyard of the Grand View Garden.

Qichiyuan

The two sisters Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi were playing chess across a chessboard. It was a hot summer day outside the window, and the sparse summer sunlight filtered through the bamboo and wood carved window lattices and poured into the room.

When you look up, you can see a blue and white porcelain vase with a faint lotus pattern on it, which seems to reflect a human figure.

Under Zhen Lan's beautiful curved eyebrows, she picked up a round, white chess piece and placed it on the apricot-yellow chessboard. With a "click", the chess piece was placed on the chessboard.

The so-called occupying the body and moving the energy.

Beneath her graceful and gorgeous bun, the girl's bright face was full of joy.

Zhen Xi raised her beautiful head with long black hair like a waterfall, and her bright eyes, as lively as a stream, couldn't help but reveal a hint of shyness.

"Sister, Sister Xue seems to be pregnant." Zhen Xi's jade-like face, which had a hint of the gentle and clear charm of the Jiangnan region, paused slightly and said in a loud voice.

Because Zhen Lan and Baochai were both concubines, and Baochai was pregnant, Zhen Xi couldn't help but watch from the side, worrying about Zhen Lan as well as herself.

"If there is, there is." Zhen Lan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said as if she didn't care.

Mr.'s may not be suitable for that position.

Zhen Xi pursed her rosy lips and said, "Sister, don't you want to give birth to a boy for Brother Heng?"

Zhen Lan nodded, and said with a hint of regret, "Yes, but my stomach has not moved at all now."

Speaking of this, Zhen Lan felt a little depressed.

It is said that she and her sister have been taking care of Brother Heng for quite some time, but there is no sign of pregnancy.

What exactly happened between the eldest sister and the second sister?

Especially the eldest sister gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl.

At this moment, while the two sisters were talking, a maid quickly entered the hall and said, "Miss, the prince is back."

After a while, the young man in black and red satin python robe and with a dignified bearing came in quickly from outside with a flourishing smile on his face. He asked, "Sister Lan, are you playing chess with Sister Xier?"

Zhen Lan stood up, her bright and plump face paused for a moment, and asked, "My Lord, you are back from outside."

Jia Heng looked at the Lanxi sisters with warm eyes and asked with a smile: "Sister Xier, how have you been these days?"

Zhen Lan stood up, smiling, and said, "I usually play chess with my sister when I have nothing to do in my spare time. Your Majesty, is the war outside over?"

Jia Heng said: "Bashu is still at war. It will probably take half a year for the war to end completely."

Zhen Lan's tone was filled with concern as she asked, "What about the Junggar in the northwest and the Khoshut troops in Tibet?"

While Jia Heng was speaking, he came forward and sat down.

He immediately grasped Zhen Lan's slender hand and said, "Bashu is the top priority. As for the other two armies, we don't need to recover the homeland. We just need to resist the troops of Khoshut and Junggar, and then we can deal with them calmly."

Zhen Lan nodded and asked, "Your Highness, the imperial temple in Beijing is offering sacrifices to Emperor Shizong recently. Is there anything unusual going on?"

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, and then said, "Recently, there has been nothing unusual, but from the outside, there is a faint smell of conspiracy."

Zhen Lan seemed to be extremely worried and said, "Gao Zhongping was beheaded earlier, and now there is a rebellion in Sichuan. Some officials in the capital who are loyal to the Han Dynasty will inevitably have some doubts about this."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Yes, some sharp-minded officials in the capital are still watching the situation."

Zhen Lan asked, "Your Majesty, isn't there another position vacated in the cabinet?"

Jia Heng said: "The cabinet ministers have been recommended by the court and specially decreed. The cabinet will be re-filled in the next two days."

Among the five ministers in the cabinet, Li Zan was the chief minister, Gao Zhongping was the second chief minister, and the other ministers were Qi Kun, Lin Ruhai and Zhao Yi.

Now that Gao Zhongping has been beheaded and removed from office, there is a vacancy for a cabinet minister, which gives the court officials an opportunity.

Zhen Lan looked thoughtful and asked, "Your Majesty wants to add a new minister to the cabinet to strengthen its power?"

Jia Heng nodded, looked at Zhen Lan beside him, and said, "The Minister of Rites Liu Zheng sent me a visiting card a few days ago, saying that he wanted to visit me and meet me first. If it is feasible, according to the rules, it would be a natural thing for him to be selected to join the cabinet."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Lan looked at Jia Heng intently and asked, "Your Highness, wasn't Liu Zheng among the upright officials who opposed Your Highness in the past?"

Jia Heng said: "This is a different time, and that is a different time. Besides, Liu Zheng is the father-in-law of the emperor. This time he needs to go a step further and be selected as an important official in the cabinet."

Besides, he had no intention of usurping the throne. It was just that he would no longer be restricted in joining the cabinet.

Zhen Lan nodded, looking thoughtful, but didn't say anything else.

As they were talking, Zhen Lan quietly came behind Jia Heng, helped massage one of his shoulders, and said, "Your Highness, my father said he wants to see you in the next two days to discuss the renovation of the official roads throughout the country."

Zhen Lan's father, Zhen Xuan, previously did maritime trade in the southern province and helped the Zhen family in Jiangnan settle their long-standing debts with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Since the new emperor ascended the throne and the Zhen family gained power, Zhen Xuan went to the capital to serve as an official. I heard that the Ministry of Works recently issued a 15-year plan to renovate official roads across the country.

Zhen Xuan sensed the business opportunity and wanted to take over this business.

"The Ministry of Works has this plan. In the next three to two years, the official roads in major cities across the country will be renovated. It involves a huge amount of national funds. In order to ensure the quality of the project, it is necessary to assess the relevant qualifications." Jia Heng said: "For the person who undertakes it, the method of bidding will be adopted nationwide, and it will no longer be decided internally."

In other words, if there is collusion in bidding, it is very easy to breed corruption and profiteering, and the quality of the project cannot be guaranteed.

Zhen Lan looked surprised and asked, "Bidding?"

Jia Heng casually explained: "It's just a few companies competing for a construction project."

Zhen Lan nodded, her eyes thoughtful, and said, "Your Highness, this is something that all the merchants have been looking for, and the one who offers the highest price wins."

Jia Heng corrected him and said, "The one who gets the best product at a reasonable price gets it."

Zhen Lan said: "What about father..."

Jia Heng said: "If the people under your father-in-law can guarantee the quality of the road repair, then it is not a big deal to let your father-in-law take over part of the road repair."

Zhen Lan pursed her pink lips and said, "Then I'll talk to my father about it in a few days."

Zhen Lan massaged Jia Heng's shoulders, her pretty face blushing as if covered with rouge, and said, "Your Highness, the situation in the capital seems to be a little off lately, as if something is brewing."

Jia Heng said: "The Beijing camp and the palace guards are all in my hands, which is enough to deal with the chaos in the capital."

Zhen Lan warned: "Although this is the case, Your Majesty should not be careless."

At this moment, there was a burst of chattering outside the room, followed by the sound of jingling jewelry and the fragrance of orchid and musk coming through the curtain.

Soon, Baoqin and Yaruo came out from outside. When they saw Jia Heng, a hint of joy immediately appeared on their plump, cute faces.

Yaruo's innocent and bright face was full of joy, and she said happily: "Brother Heng, you are here."

Jia Heng also had a big smile on his face, and whispered, "Yaruo, come and see you guys, where are you going to play?"

Since Yaruo got married, she has been having a lot of fun with Baoqin and is no longer as clingy to Jia Heng as she was at the beginning.

But at this moment, the girl jumped up and ran to Jia Heng, broke into Jia Heng's arms, and said with a voice full of joy and excitement: "Brother Heng, I miss you."

Jia Heng reached out and gently put his arm around Yaruo's shoulders. He lowered his eyes and saw her bright and beautiful face. He said loudly, "I miss Yaruo, too."

Yaruo is still like a child who has not grown up, with her eyebrows and eyes slightly opened, and the charm of her eyebrows and eyes is extremely delicate and innocent.

At this moment, Baoqin's crystal clear eyes stared at the young man in the python robe under her embroidered eyebrows and said, "Brother Heng, what are you doing now?"

Jia Heng said, "I have been busy with things outside these two days. Baoqin, you just went to see your sister, right?"

Baoqin responded softly, with a smile on her plump, charming face, and said, "My sister is taking care of her baby, and the whole family is busy inside and outside."

Jia Heng nodded and said gently, "You have to pay more attention to it. The first three months are a very dangerous time."

As they were talking, they came and sat down on a soft couch covered with a mattress.

At this moment, the maid handed over a blue and white porcelain teacup, then bowed and slowly retreated.

Yaruo asked, "Brother Heng, is there still no news from our father?"

Jia Heng said: "We are still in a standoff with the Tibetans in Yushu. It won't be long before we can repel the Tibetan troops."

Then, he looked at Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi who were not far away and said, "It's getting late, let's have dinner."

Zhen Lan didn't say anything else, just responded softly, and then told a maid to bring various dishes over.

On the long table, you can see dishes one after another, steaming hot and with bright soup.

Jia Heng sat opposite Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi. He picked up his chopsticks to eat his food, picked up a spoon to scoop up the black chicken and winter melon soup in the soup bowl, and served a little to Zhen Xi who was sitting beside him. He said, "Xi'er, enjoy this."

Zhen Xi responded shyly. In front of so many people, is Brother Heng so doting on her?

At this moment, Yaruo brought over a blue and white porcelain jade bowl, moved closer, and said in a sweet and innocent voice: "Brother Heng, I want one too."

While Jia Heng was speaking, he picked up a large spoon, scooped up the black chicken and winter melon soup in the bowl, and served a bowl to Yaruo as well.

Yaruo picked up a large spoon and gently stirred the winter melon soup in the bowl. The hot steam continued to rise, and her face was full of a sweet smile.

……

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