Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 47 Fatal Temptation, the Vision of Yongping Nobles!

Ping'an Prefecture, the main hall of the Jiedushi's (military governor's) office.

"I have already sent a message from here to the General Who Conquers the North by carrier pigeon."

"Please rest here for a while, then we'll cook dinner at midnight and set off for Datong Town at dawn."

Jia Yan sat imposingly in the main seat and began to speak.

"no problem."

Yue Zhongqi was the first to express his willingness to follow his orders, making it even less likely that Feng Tang, Wei Jingyuan, and the others would refuse.

Thus, the 20,000 troops who rushed to Ping'an Prefecture were all in Jia Yan's hands, becoming a powerful ally for him to achieve even greater military exploits in the future.

"The capture of Huihua City is of primary merit, and the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu, the Divine Martial General, and the Mighty Strategy General are of secondary merit."

“Niu Meng, Hou Jie, Liu Yi, Han Qi, Feng Ziying, Chen Yejun, and Wei Ruolan are commended for their contributions.”

"Thank you, Tiger General."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy, and they thanked them loudly.

This single achievement was enough to grant these sons of noble families a title. How could they not be overjoyed?

"Niu Meng, you guys go and prepare first."

With a wave of his hand, Jia Yan gave the order.

"Yes."

The group of young noble sons left the hall satisfied, leaving only four people present.

Yue Zhongqi, Feng Tang, and Wei Jingyuan exchanged glances, seemingly guessing something, but not yet certain.

"General Yue is the 21st generation descendant of Yue Wumu and the second son of Yue Shenglong, the general of Xuanfu Town."

“Since your great-grandfather Yue Wenkui joined the founding emperor in raising an army, the Yue family has served as the garrison commander of Xuanfu for four generations. Your uncle Yue Chaolong is currently the deputy commander-in-chief of Xuanfu Garrison. Your elder brother Yue Zhongrui, your third brother Yue Zhongheng, and your cousin Yue Zhonghuang are all military officers of Xuanfu Garrison. Your eldest son Yue Jun is the garrison commander of Xuanfu Garrison.”

"The only unresolved issue for the Yue family over the years has been the lack of a hereditary title."

Looking down at Yue Zhongqi, Jia Yan seemed to bring up the matter intentionally or unintentionally.

The establishment of the nine border towns by the Daqian dynasty was no different from that of the Ming dynasty. Most of them were appointed by the sons of military families, such as the Yue family of Xuanfu, the Ma family of Ningxia, the Wang family of Gansu, the Ma family of Guyuan, the You family of Yulin, and the Cao family of Shanxi. For example, Datong Town, Ji Town, and Liao Town are located in strategic locations. In recent years, they have promoted generals who have no foundation.

Since the Yuan Congyi War, the Great Qian Dynasty has not experienced any large-scale wars, and therefore there have been no large-scale bestowals of titles. Even noble titles are extremely rare, and even when they are bestowed, they are only hereditary positions.

"What does the Tiger-like Colonel mean?"

Yue Zhongqi suddenly looked up and stared at Jia Yan.

"The merit of capturing Huihua and defending Datong can at most earn General Yue the title of viscount."

"Without a strong foundation in the court, even with such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it would be as difficult as climbing to heaven to gain a title through military merit."

"After this battle, the Beijing Garrison will reorganize the Five Armies Battalion, the Three Thousand Battalion, and the Divine Machine Battalion, which will be directly under the jurisdiction of the Five Armies Commandery. Yue Jun will be transferred to the Beijing Garrison as a guerrilla general, and the founding line will do their best to promote General Yue to the rank of earl."

'what? '

Immediately, Yue Zhongqi lost his composure.

The current dynasty inherited the Ming dynasty's system of five ranks of nobility: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. The first three ranks were all superior ranks, and there was no inherent difference in their status, only in terms of stipends, land, and etiquette. For example, there were twelve halberds in front of the gate of a Duke, ten halberds for a Marquis, eight halberds for an Earl, six halberds for a Viscount, and four halberds for a Baron.

The count has already reached the pinnacle of the nation's nobility, and is not on the same level as the viscount or baron.

Feng Tang and Wei Jingyuan, who were standing next to him, were not as excited as he was. After all, they were both in charge of the Founding Earl's Mansion. Feng Tang, in particular, was a First-Class Divine Martial General. With this military achievement, it would not be difficult for him to rise in rank and restore his ancestors' titles.

"There are some things that General Yue still needs to consider."

"General Yue, there's no need to think about it now. We can make a decision after this battle is over and we return to Xuanfu."

Jia Yan issued an order to leave.

"Ah."

Yue Zhongqi gave him a deep look, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

"Nephew, do you want to win over the Yue family?" Feng Tang dared to speak up only after Yue Zhongqi's figure disappeared outside the hall.

"Do you two uncles believe that after this battle, the founding lineage will return to the court and be able to restore its former glory?"

"Ah this?"

Feng Tang and Wei Jingyuan were somewhat stunned.

"The twin suns and moons illuminate the universe; the decline of the founding lineage was entirely due to the suppression by the retired emperor."

"In the imperial court, which of the six ministers was not promoted by the retired emperor? The Daming Palace is the true center of power."

"The four princes are only nominally loyal to us. Now, only the Prince of Xining and the Prince of Nan'an still control Xining Prefecture and Kunlun Prefecture."

"Yuan Congxun was in charge of the Twelve Battalions, which was the most elite army of 120,000 men in the capital. Even when Datong was in such a critical situation, it was not used."

"If we win this battle and pacify the Mongol tribes, we will have no worries about the northern frontier for at least several decades. We have at least 100,000 battle-hardened elite troops at our disposal. What will the retired emperor and the current emperor think then?"

With a deep gaze, Jia Yan spoke calmly.

'Thump!'

Feng Tang and Wei Jingyuan's expressions changed. They were only concerned with restoring their ancestors' glory, but they never expected that someone would prevent them from doing so.

If it were the royal family that was suppressing them, the outcome of this war for the founding lineage might not be as satisfactory as they had hoped.

"From now on, there will be no more founding nobles, only Yongping nobles."

"This is the scene that the Emperor Emeritus wanted to see."

Then, Jia Yan's words made the two of them even more terrified.

"Why did Uncle Niu bring his two uncles along? It was none other than someone else."

"Don't you two uncles understand?"

"you mean"

Feng Tang and Wei Jingyuan both looked up, their faces filled with anticipation.

"Among the founding generation, there are not many people who still possess the ability today."

"Of the eight great dukes, only the Duke of Zhenguo, the Duke of Liguo, and the Duke of Xiuguo are barely holding on. The twelve marquis families, on the other hand, can use this opportunity to move up in rank."

"Not to mention the other noble families, the talents of my two uncles are obvious to all."

“The Yongping nobility is a completely new group, so it is impossible to determine their seating order according to the past.”

"Not only Yue Zhongqi and his family, but also General Nian Gengyao of Datong and Deputy General Zhang Guangsi of Shanxi Town were outstanding figures in this victory."

"Do my two uncles understand?"

Gazing at the two of them, Jia Yan said something meaningful.

"understood."

Feng Tang and Wei Jingyuan responded with complicated expressions.

"Tomorrow will be a fierce battle, so my two uncles can unleash their full potential."

"I guarantee in the name of the Jia family that no one from the founding lineage will ever steal military merits. How far one can go depends on the abilities of my two uncles."

"This battle may not be comparable to the one during the Yuan Cong campaign, which resulted in the conferment of nine marquises, but there will definitely be several marquises."

'Whoosh!'

Upon hearing this, Feng Tang and Wei Jingyuan's eyes lit up, and they exclaimed, "Thank you, nephew!"

"Ah."

With a slight nod, Jia Yan remained calm, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

(End of this chapter)