Dream of the Red Chamber: From a Border Ruffian to a Capital Tyrant

The next morning, as the sky began to lighten and the crescent moon hung like a hook, the morning breeze carried the unique chill of the northern frontier.

Li Tiedan and other veterans of Yanmen Pass could no longer contain their excitement and gathered outside Jia Lang's courtyard at dawn to wait.

After returning to camp last night, Li Tiedan and the others were so excited that they couldn't sleep all night. They tossed and turned in bed as if they had been injected with chicken blood, hoping that dawn would come soon so that they could follow Jia Lang to teach those arrogant "capital soldiers" a lesson.

Jia Lang was also fully armed today. His cold, heavy iron armor gleamed with a chilling luster in the morning light. As he stepped out of the threshold, the huge hammer in his hand swayed with each step, faintly carrying the sound of wind and thunder.

With a wave of his hand, he beckoned to Li Tiedan and the others, and with strides as powerful as a dragon and as imposing as a tiger, he headed straight for the military camp.

However, as soon as he stepped into the military training ground, the scene before him instantly darkened Jia Lang's originally resolute face, and his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

On the vast training ground, apart from the thousands of soldiers from Yanmen Pass who were sweating profusely and shouting battle cries, the 50,000 troops brought by Wang Ziteng were like a pile of mud. Only a very few people were doing their jobs, while most of the rest were still fast asleep in their tents, and some were even gambling and drinking.

"Li Tiedan!"

Jia Lang's voice was low and suppressed, "Go and see what's going on here."

"Why are only our soldiers training? Where are the others?!"

The military discipline has deteriorated to such an extent that it is simply outrageous!

If the Xiongnu cavalry were to launch a surprise attack at this moment, what fighting power would these good-for-nothings have?

This is definitely not the army Jia Lang wanted to see!

"Zhao Meng! You bastard, what on earth is going on?"

Li Tiedan, his face contorted with rage, grabbed Zhao Meng, who was directing the formation, and shouted, "Where the rest of you are? Why are only a few hundred of us brothers here practicing like idiots?"

Those who survived this great battle were all elites, and Li Tiedan recognized most of them.

Zhao Meng turned around and saw it was Li Tiedan. He couldn't help but sigh and said with a wry smile, "Brother Tiedan, let's not talk about this. It makes me furious!"

"Isn't it all because of that damned General Wang?"

"You were there yesterday too. He made some outrageous remarks, saying that he would be in charge of Yanmen Pass from now on, and we would all have to listen to him."

"We all know perfectly well that General Jia hasn't given the order yet, so who cares about his nonsense? But this morning I kindly went to wake them up for drills, and guess what?"

As Zhao Meng spoke, a look of both anger and helplessness appeared on his face.

Li Tiedan's curiosity was piqued, and he urged them on hastily:

"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me! You're driving me crazy!"

Zhao Meng slapped his thigh and said angrily:

"These brats actually said they only obey General Wang's orders, and they even said... they even said General Jia Lang is just a greenhorn, completely unqualified to command them!"

"I heard yesterday that General Jia was coming today. I'd like to see how these bastards will get out of this mess!"

Upon hearing this, Li Tiedan not only wasn't angry, but instead grinned, revealing a set of white teeth:

"Hehe, just you wait and see, my general has arrived, right at the camp gate!"

"This is going to be interesting!"

Zhao Meng's eyes lit up, and he was about to rush out:

"Really? Let's go, let's beat these bastards to a pulp!"

"Hey! Come back!"

Li Tiedan grabbed him, "Where are you going? Who's going to take care of the team if you leave?"

"Stay put! The general will definitely be gathering soon, and that'll be your turn to act!"

Zhao Meng slapped his forehead and scratched his head sheepishly:

"Yes, yes, yes! We were so excited to hear the general was coming! Brother Tiedan, hurry and tell him!"

Li Tiedan turned back to Jia Lang and recounted the whole story in detail.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lang's lips curled into a cold smile, and he said twice:

"Interesting, truly interesting!"

"Sound the rallying drum! Draw everyone out!"

"I'll see if these guys are as tough as they are!"

A cold glint flashed in Jia Lang's eyes. "Li Tiedan, take my token and go 'invite' all the lieutenant generals and deputy generals here, one by one! If you can't persuade them, tie them up and bring them here!"

...

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the drums on the training ground thundered, but could not drown out the commotion below.

Jia Lang stood alone on the towering command platform, while the 50,000 troops below were huddled together in a chaotic mess, with shouts, curses, and even swearing filling the air.

His face was ashen, his arms crossed, and he coldly looked down at the rabble.

At this moment, several trusted officers brought by Wang Ziteng finally arrived, surrounded by a group of people.

This army of 50,000 was known as the "Northern Expeditionary Army" and was divided into five battalions. These men were the deputy commanders of the fifth battalion.

Yesterday, Prince Teng handed over his military power, which made these men resentful. They believed that Jia Lang, a mere child, was not fit to command an army.

Having traveled for days and been forced to drink all night by General Wang, the group was still reeking of alcohol and quite tipsy.

When Wang Canjiang and his men arrived at the stage, they saw Jia Lang standing alone on the stage, while the crowd below was in complete chaos. The men exchanged glances, their eyes filled with barely concealed smugness and contempt.

"I don't think Jia Lang is anything special. He can't even control a situation. What can a greenhorn like him amount to?"

General Wang sneered inwardly, his courage growing with the effects of the alcohol.

He led a few men swaggering onto the command platform, not even glancing at Jia Lang, and directly pressed down with both hands, gathering his strength to shout:

"Quiet down, all of you!"

Surprisingly, the Northern Expeditionary Army actually gave him face, and the noise really did subside.

Wang, the military officer, immediately felt elated. He raised an eyebrow, turned around, and looked at Jia Lang with an extremely provocative and mocking gaze. He cleared his throat and said:

"Hey, Lieutenant General Jia, what's wrong?"

"You woke up the brothers so early in the morning without even informing me beforehand, making the situation so awkward."

"Luckily, I arrived in time, otherwise the soldiers would have been laughing at you!"

Jia Lang stood there quietly, watching Wang Canjiang as if he were watching a clown putting on a great show.

His expression remained completely unchanged; he spoke calmly, his voice not loud, yet carrying an icy chill:

"General Wang, remember this clearly, I am your superior."

"You have no right to call yourself 'this general' in my presence."

Upon hearing this, Wang, the military officer, never expected Jia Lang to dare humiliate him in front of tens of thousands of people. The alcohol instantly turned into rage, his face turning a deep purplish-red as he pointed at Jia Lang:

"You! You..."

"What do you mean, 'you'?!"

Li Tiedan suddenly stepped forward, pointed at Wang, the adjutant, and shouted sternly, "You don't salute your commander? Do you want to commit insubordination?!"

"You're asking for it!"

Upon seeing this, the lieutenant beside General Wang flew into a rage, drew his sword with a whoosh, and was about to kill the ignorant soldier.

Just as tensions were about to rise, Jia Lang made his move!

He took only half a step forward, one large hand pressing down on General Wang's wrist as he drew his sword like an iron clamp, while the other hand grabbed the heavy hammer weighing eighty-nine pounds and slammed it into the bluestone slab beneath his feet!

"boom--!"

A loud bang, and debris flew everywhere!

The heavy stone slab was smashed into pieces by this hammer blow, and the cracks spread outwards like a spider web.

"Oh? General Wang, what do you intend to do?"

Jia Lang subdued the struggling Wang Canjiang with one hand, his eyes as cold as if he were looking at a dead man. "Did my subordinate say something wrong?"

General Wang was about to break free when he was horrified to find that the large hand was like a mountain pressing down on his shoulder, and no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge. Then, his feet trembled, and a tremendous force came through the hammer, making his blood surge.

"Jia Lang, you brat..." General Wang was about to start cursing.

Jia Lang's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly increased the force with his left hand! A sickening cracking sound of bones dislocating rang out.

"ah--!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream erupted from General Wang's mouth, instantly echoing throughout the entire training ground.

The scream was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the drunkenness of the five lieutenants.

They watched in horror as the usually arrogant Lieutenant General Wang was now like a boiled shrimp, his shoulders gripped by Jia Lang's single hand, his knees buckling, slowly collapsing to the ground, his face as pale as paper, cold sweat pouring out like rain.

"General! We know we were wrong! Please forgive Vice General Wang!"

"This humble general is willing to accept punishment!"

The five lieutenants were so frightened that they fell to their knees with a thud, not daring to lift their heads.

"Hmph, a bunch of useless trash!"

Jia Lang released his grip with a look of disgust, tossing General Wang aside as if he were throwing away trash.

He glanced around at the five kneeling lieutenants and said coldly:

"Get up, I am not an unreasonable person."

"If any one of you can lift this heavy hammer of mine and swing it for a quarter of an hour, I will forgive and forget what happened today."

Jia Lang pointed at the heavy hammer that had sunk half a foot into the ground, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Deputy General Jia, is this true?"

One of the lieutenants mustered his courage and asked.

"My word is my bond! As long as you can command it."

Jia Lang crossed his arms, his expression calm. "But before that, move your General Wang aside."

"A dead dog lies in the middle of the battle platform—what kind of behavior is this?"

"Don't break the rules."

Looking at the disheveled and unconscious Wang Canjiang on the ground, the group of veteran generals from Yanmen Pass behind Jia Lang all crossed their arms and sneered, their eyes full of disdain.

This General Wang, who usually relied on his connections in the capital, was arrogant and domineering. His current predicament is entirely his own doing.

The five lieutenants had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, carrying Wang, the military officer, to the open space below the platform. They then quickly summoned the accompanying medical officer.

The physician cautiously stepped forward to examine the patient, then let out a long sigh of relief and said:

"Fortunately, General Jia showed mercy; he only dislocated a joint, not broken any bones. He'll recover in a few days."

These words sent a huge shock through the hearts of the five lieutenants!

They can also dislocate joints, but to dislocate someone's arm like Jia Lang, without relying on skill or trickery, but purely on brute force, requires immense strength.

No wonder Wang Can fainted from the pain!

In an instant, everyone's awe of Jia Lang deepened.

After settling Wang Canjiang in, the five men exchanged glances and steeled themselves as they approached the heavy hammer that emanated a chilling aura.

The heavy hammer was planted straight in the ground, its large head giving people a strong sense of oppression.

A rather burly lieutenant stepped forward first. He rubbed his hands together, spat, gripped the hammer handle tightly, and roared, "Rise!"

However, the hammer seemed to be rooted to the spot and remained motionless.

The lieutenant, defiant and furious, his face flushed red, veins bulging on his neck, he exerted every ounce of strength he had, yet the heavy hammer still pounded steadily. It was he who, however, suffered a burning pain from the rough hammer handle rubbing against his hands.

"General... Your subordinate is incompetent and is willing to accept punishment."

He lowered his head in shame.

"Okay, stay over there." Jia Lang said calmly.

Then two more people, not believing in the odds, went forward to try, and the result was exactly the same: they were panting heavily, but the hammer didn't even budge.

The last three looked at each other, knowing in their hearts that Jia Lang was making an example of them, but the difference in power was too great to be faked.

The three of them simply knelt on one knee and said in unison:

"General, your divine power is truly admirable; we are completely convinced and willing to accept the punishment!"

"Good, you're not a bad man after all." Jia Lang nodded. "Since you accept the punishment, go down and each receive twenty strokes of the military rod!"

"If this happens again, I will execute him without mercy!"

After dealing with these troublemakers, Jia Lang took a big step forward and surveyed the entire army of 50,000.

"Some of you may have heard of me, and some may not!"

"My name is Jia Lang. I came to Yanmen Pass three years ago!"

"Just a few days ago, I led my several thousand brothers to a great victory over the main force of the Xiongnu! The Emperor personally bestowed upon me the title of First-Class Earl!"

"But in the army, I prefer you to call me General Jia!"

Jia pointed at the heavy hammer on the ground and roared with boundless pride:

"This heavy hammer in my hand weighs eighty-nine pounds!"

"From now on, we will stand on this platform!"

"Anyone among you who can lift and wave this for a quarter of an hour, I, the general, hereby appoint him as a centurion! I will not go back on my word!"

"But! What I, the general, must tell you is that just a few days ago, I wielded this very hammer outside Yanmen Pass and beheaded over a thousand Xiongnu cavalry! Their heads were used to build a mound of skulls!"

"You must have seen it when you came! Did you see the Xiongnu kneeling before me, begging for mercy?!"

Jia Lang suddenly drew his sword from his waist, pointed it straight at the sky, and shouted sharply:

Answer me!

The 50,000-strong army was stunned by this overwhelming killing intent and instinctively shouted in unison:

"No!"

"Very well! Then let me tell you, you'll be seeing this kind of scene quite often from now on!"

Jia Lang's eyes were piercing, and his voice resounded through the sky:

"If any Xiongnu dare to set foot in Yanmen Pass, I will kill them all!"

"Bring two, and I'll kill them both! I'll slaughter them until their blood flows like rivers, until they tremble at the mere mention of 'Jia Lang,' until they never dare to invade the borders of my Great Zhou again for generations to come!"

"Our approach to the Xiongnu can be summed up in one word—"

Jia Lang raised his heavy hammer high and slammed it down on his chest armor, producing a loud clang of metal against metal!

"That's 'kill'!!"

"kill!!"

"kill!!"

"kill!!"

At this moment, the blood of the 50,000-strong army was completely ignited. Everyone had red eyes, brandished their weapons, and let out a roar that shattered the clouds. The sound waves soared into the sky, and even the distant Yanmen Pass city wall seemed to tremble!