Jia Yujing of Red Mansion

Chapter 44
The battle at Hetao not only severely damaged the Tatar army, but more importantly, it also wiped out nearly half of the Tatar population.

This battle gave the Tatar tribe at least 20 years to recover, and also gave Dachu the strategic initiative.

Moreover, this battle not only killed a lot of enemies, but also captured a lot.

Among them, there are more than 10,000 war horses, hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep, and a large amount of gold, silver, furs and other valuables.

Although the three towns in Shaanxi also suffered considerable losses this time, these losses were insignificant compared with the huge results.

Especially the 10,000+ horses captured can greatly alleviate the shortage of war horses in Dachu.

The strength of the Chu army will surely increase greatly in a short period of time, and it can reverse the decline of the border to a great extent.

There are many excellent stallions among these captured war horses. With them, Da Chu can also breed war horses on a large scale.

This was the most glorious military victory of Chu since the failure of the Liaodong Battle. It not only inspired the Chinese people, but also was a huge shock to other grassland tribes.

And this victory cannot avoid two names from beginning to end, Jia Qiong and Xu Shan.

Their legendary experiences spread quickly after this court meeting and were praised by the world.

Jia Qiong's triumphal poem also spread quickly throughout Chang'an and then throughout the world together with the good news.

At this time, Jia Qiong and Xu Shan did not know that they had been knighted. Although they were only relatively low-level ninth-class light chariot captains, they had already joined the ranks of the nobility.

You must know that titles are never given lightly. Except for the many titles given at the founding of the country, it will never be possible to be awarded titles unless they have made great contributions later.

The royal family would rather reward people with more financial rewards or promote people, rather than easily grant titles.

The title of Jinyi Qianhu is also very rare, which means that Jia Qiong and Xu Shan have the right to mobilize some Jinyi guards to handle affairs when necessary. This is generally an honor that can only be obtained by the emperor's close ministers.

As for the bullfighting uniform awarded by Emperor Longqing, it is a very great honor that few people can obtain.

The bullfighting suit is the third-level gifted suit, the lowest is the unicorn suit, and above it are the flying fish suit and the python suit.

But even the lowest level of Kirin server is extremely difficult to obtain.

The patterns on the official uniforms of civil and military officials are all patchwork, not directly embroidered. Only the court uniforms of princes, princes and consorts can embroider Qilin or Baize.

One can imagine how valuable this gift of clothing is, as cabinet bachelors are generally given python clothing.

It is difficult to obtain other officials, and the six ministers may not be able to obtain it.

However, Jia Qiong and the others did not know these rewards. Shortly after the war, they bid farewell to Yang Zhenye, who tried their best to stay, and once again embarked on a traveling journey.

This time they planned to cross the Loess Plateau and travel according to their original plan.

Heading east from Zhenyuan Pass for about five days, you will enter Yulin Town.

Yulin Town starts from Huangfuchuan Fort in the east and ends at Huamachi in the west.

It has 37 castles under its jurisdiction, with inner and outer side walls, piers, beacon tunnels and more than a thousand miles from east to west.

In the early Hongwu period, the Mongols invaded the border from Yulin many times.

Later, under the management of multiple governors and generals, the Yulin defense line was greatly strengthened.

The side walls of the Great Wall were repaired and increased, offensive and defensive equipment were installed, and all entrances to the interior of the Loop were blocked.

The mountains were shoveled and the valleys were filled, which completely blocked the route of the Mongolian cavalry, greatly strengthening the defensive capabilities of Yulin Town.

Because of its great geographical advantages, the Yulin border has been relatively peaceful in recent years. The Mongols do not dare to cross the border south easily from here.

This time, the Tatar tribe came from Ningxia Town and bypassed the border defense line. It also caused considerable damage to Yan'an Prefecture, Suide and other places under the jurisdiction of Yulin Town.

As the three of them traveled along, they saw many destroyed villages, small towns, and the bodies of many people.The hero draws his sword and the common people suffer ten years of calamity.

The civil war between the same ethnic groups is already very cruel, let alone the struggle for survival between two ethnic groups.

At the end of September of the 14th year of Longqing.

Emperor Longqing sent Jin Yiwei to deliver the message, and finally found Jia Qiong and his party in Linxian County, Taiyuan Town.

These four people left Chang'an in August and rushed to Zhenyuan Pass to read out the imperial edict. They were told that Jia Qiong and the others had continued their eastward journey.

The imperial edict was not delivered and they had no way to deliver the mission back, so they had no choice but to chase the three of them eastward.

Who would have thought that this pursuit lasted for almost two months. When they found Jia Qiong and the others, the four Jinyi guards almost cried.

Jia Qiong and the others' routes of action are erratic, and they always like to go deep into the mountains and forests.

If Jin Yiwei hadn't known that Jia Qiong and the others were going to patrol the nine sides, and that their characteristics were obvious and easy to inquire about, these people would have given up long ago.

This time they only brought the imperial edict conferring knighthoods and rewards on the two of them, bullfighting uniforms and brocade uniforms and Qianhu waist badges. The rest of the rewards had to be received by the two of them at the Ministry of Internal Affairs after they returned to Beijing.

This unexpected reward made Jia Qiong and the others very happy, but it did not affect their schedule.

Because they were delayed for more than a month, they were unable to complete the entire trip south before the Chinese New Year.

Hurrying slowly, we finally arrived at Ji Town at the end of December.

But after winter, the weather was cold and a heavy snow blocked the roads again.
The three of them could only stay in Ji Town to celebrate the New Year and wait for the ice and snow to melt in spring before continuing their journey.

But it is said that the Jin Yiwei who delivered the order finally returned to Chang'an City to resume his life after going through all kinds of hardships to complete the task.

It was already the end of October, and the four people were severely punished for delaying the process for too long.

They quickly took out the petition written by Jia Qiong on their behalf and asked for a lighter sentence for Qianhu.

This love letter was quickly sent to the imperial court. After reading it, Emperor Longqing not only exempted them from punishment, but also rewarded them, making the four people extremely grateful to Jia Qiong.

Jia Qiong and the other three stayed in Ji Town for a month, finally waiting for the weather to get warmer.

As soon as the road was clear, they immediately set off south.

The journey south is much easier than traveling to Jiubian.

The three set out in mid-January, riding fast and southward along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and entered Jiangsu Province in just ten days.

The jasper makeup is one tree high, and ten thousand green silk ribbons hang down.

I don't know who cut out the thin leaves, the spring breeze in February is like scissors.

Although it is only the beginning of February, the land in the south of the Yangtze River is already full of spring and the green willows are whistling.

Jia Qiong and the other three took off their thick winter coats and put on light spring shirts.

After passing the vast Hongze Lake, we entered the flower-filled Yangzhou City.

Yangzhou, known as Guangling or Jiangdu in ancient times, is located in the center of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, where the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Yangtze River meet. Since ancient times, it has been one of the most prosperous places in the world.

Passing by Yangzhou, Jia Qiong naturally wanted to visit the in-laws of the Jia clan, Lin Ruhai, the salt censor of the Huaihe River Basin.

The three of them inquired all the way, and soon found the Xunyan Yushi Yamen located on the bank of Gaoyou Lake.

They first found an inn nearby to stay. After lunch, Jia Qiong visited Lin Ruhai alone.

(End of this chapter)