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

At Yanmen Pass, the north wind was like a knife, tearing the sky apart and whipping up a sky full of dry, yellow sand, which slammed against the city walls.

The dragon-like banners fluttered violently in the gale, making a "whooshing" sound, as if countless heroic souls were roaring before the battle.

Inside the council hall on the city tower, the charcoal fire flickered, and Jia Lang was buried in a mountain of military documents, dealing with complicated and trivial military affairs.

Suddenly, a soldier exuding a chilling aura burst in and slammed one knee heavily to the ground.

"Reporting—General, an urgent letter from the capital, eight hundred li away!"

Jia Lang paused in his writing brush, then casually tossed it down and accepted the letter that carried the weight of imperial authority.

Upon removing the sealing wax and unfolding the letter, Emperor Qianyuan's vermilion imperial rescript instantly came into view. Every word was precious, yet every sentence was like a knife, a scathing rebuke.

Jia Lang's lips twitched slightly, and an indescribable sense of embarrassment and helplessness welled up in his heart.

You can't entirely blame him!

Arriving here is like starting in hell mode. There are no memories of the original owner. It is already a stroke of luck that I was able to cobble together this reply by copying the original. What more could I ask for?

However, Jia Lang was by nature the kind of person who would take anything that happened as a blanket, so this little bit of embarrassment was fleeting and was quickly replaced by a sudden burst of sharp light in his eyes.

He quickly ignored the criticisms about the poor calligraphy, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's fixed on the core content of the letter—regarding the matter of General Wang, Emperor Qianyuan had actually granted him the imperial sword of "acting expediently, having full authority to handle matters, and having the power of life and death"!

This imperial decree was like giving wings to a tiger descending the mountain. Jia Lang felt a surge of heat rush to his head, his eyes burning with fighting spirit, and he was so excited that he almost slammed his fist on the table.

Although that old fox, Wang Canjiang, had not made a public appearance in the military camp these past few days, Jia Lang knew his true nature well—this man was vindictive and narrow-minded, and would never swallow this insult.

For such treacherous and disloyal parasites, Jia Lang had only one principle.

Either beat him until he kneels down and submits, calling him "Grandpa," or send him straight to meet the King of Hell!

Judging from Wang Canjiang's past ruthless and vicious behavior, it is clear that only the latter is true.

With the emperor's imperial sword at his disposal, Jia Lang's back instantly became as hard as steel.

Now, all he needs to do is lay a trap and wait for that old dog to show its tail.

Sure enough, in just two days, the fish couldn't wait to bite the hook.

On this day, the massive convoy of imperial rations arrived at Yanmen Pass, its wheels rolling so loudly that the ground trembled.

As usual, Jia Lang sent people to receive and count the supplies. However, when his subordinate captain reported the shocking results to him, Jia Lang was furious. He slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups tremble. The life-saving rations for 50,000 troops had evaporated into thin air all the way to Yanmen Pass!

Less than 60% of the old, rotten rice remains!

Jia Lang's brows furrowed into a ferocious "川" shape, exuding a chilling murderous aura. He immediately donned his armor and headed straight for the granary.

Upon seeing the bloated, greasy-faced grain transport official, Jia Lang skipped all pleasantries and cut straight to the point, his voice as cold as ice:

Why is there a 40% shortage in this grain shipment?

"You'd better give me a reasonable explanation that will save your head!"

The grain transport official's eyes darted around, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, clearly indicating he had something to hide. However, being a seasoned veteran, he quickly regained his composure, cupped his hands, and said with a forced smile:

"General, you are wise. It is not that I have failed in my duties, but rather that I encountered a large group of bandits on the way."

"My men fought a desperate battle and barely managed to salvage 60% of the grain. The remaining 40%... was unfortunately stolen by the bandits. I am heartbroken!"

Jia Lang's eyes flashed like lightning, fixed on his face, and he asked three questions in quick succession, pressing him relentlessly:

"Were we robbed? Why is there no report of the enemy's head being displayed?"

"Have you sent troops to pursue them?"

"Why not urgently request assistance from the prefectural and county governments along the way?"

The grain transport official was repeatedly outmaneuvered by this barrage of questions, and finally, in a fit of rage, he stubbornly adopted the bureaucratic attitude of "a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water":

"General, I have already submitted a report to the court regarding this matter. The court will make a fair judgment. General, please don't overstep your bounds and worry about it too much."

Seeing his fearless demeanor, Jia Lang's sneer intensified, and murderous intent surged wildly within his chest.

If it were someone else, they might have been fooled by this bureaucratic rhetoric, but he had read countless online novel tropes in his previous life and knew that in a battle between two armies, supplies were the lifeline!

Prince Teng led an army of 50,000 to reinforce the area. If the army only had this amount of food, it would have starved and fallen into chaos before the Xiongnu cavalry even arrived!

There's absolutely a shocking secret behind this! A secret that could be deadly!

Suppressing the anger that was about to erupt in his heart, Jia Lang remained calm and turned back to his camp.

Upon entering the tent, he immediately summoned his trusted and fierce general, Li Tiedan, and whispered:

"Tie Dan, take a few quick-witted and agile brothers and keep a close eye on that grain transport official."

"No matter what he does—poop, piss, or meets—even if a fly comes into contact with him, you must record it all in detail!"

Li Tiedan accepted the order, his eyes flashing with excited ferocity, and darted out of the tent like a cheetah.

That night, the moonlight was as dark as ink, the cold wind howled, and a desolate atmosphere filled the world.

Li Tiedan returned, carrying the chill and earthy smell of his clothes, and entered the tent. He lowered his voice, unable to hide his excitement, and said:

"General, amazing! That corrupt official was indeed up to something!"

"At dusk, he sneaked off to General Wang's private residence and stayed there for a full half hour before emerging!"

Jia Lang suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a cold light, like a sharp blade being drawn from its sheath:

"Did you hear what they said?"

Li Tiedan scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his hands together with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"General, that old dog was accompanied by two skilled guards. I was afraid of alerting him, so I didn't dare to get too close. I only saw the two of them whispering in the doorway from a distance, but I couldn't hear what they were saying."

Jia Lang tapped the table lightly with his fingers, the rhythm getting faster and faster, until it finally stopped with a "thud".

It was no coincidence that the grain transport official did not return to the capital to report, but instead secretly met with Wang, the military commander with whom he had just clashed!

A moment later, a ruthless glint flashed in Jia Lang's eyes, and he decisively gave the order, his voice as firm as iron:

"Tie Dan, lead your men and make your move tonight!"

"Find a chance to tie up that grain transport official!"

"Remember, don't alert anyone, and don't let a word of it leak out!"

"I suspect that this food shortage is inextricably linked to General Wang, and he may even be the mastermind behind it!"

Upon hearing this, Li Tiedan was overjoyed, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. He made a swift and decisive gesture of slitting his throat and asked menacingly:

"General, now that we've arrested him, this old bastard will definitely be stubborn. Why don't we just..."

"Snapped!"

Jia Lang slapped him on the forehead with his other hand and glared at him, cursing:

"Fool! Will killing him conjure up food? Will he bite out General Wang?"

"Spare his life, interrogate him to the point of death!"

"We must use every means possible to find out where the grain supplies are hidden, and obtain irrefutable evidence of his collusion with General Wang!"

Li Tiedan shrank back after being scolded, but then suddenly realized what he meant. He chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth: "Yes, sir! Don't worry, General, I guarantee I'll make him spill even his childhood bedwetting!"

.........

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and the first rays of sunlight had not yet pierced the darkness, Li Tiedan waited outside the tent with the grain transport official as if he were carrying a dead dog, his face full of excitement and cruelty.

Jia Lang was having breakfast. He took a bite of the rough, hard bread, drank a sip of hot goat milk, glanced indifferently at the person on the ground, and said:

"Did they confess?"

Li Tiedan began his report with great enthusiasm, spittle flying everywhere, gesturing wildly:

"He confessed! He confessed everything! This bastard looks tough, but he's softer than cotton!"

"Last night, my brothers Li Huowang, Zhang Xinhuo, and I, while he was sleeping like a log, sneaked into his room, stuffed him in a sack, and dragged him straight out of town!"

"That brat tried to yell on the way, so I stuffed his mouth full of horse manure!"

"At first, this old guy was stubborn and kept shouting that he was an official of the imperial court and that if he lost a single hair, the court would definitely send troops to wipe us out."

"After all that shouting, we've lost our patience. It's a waste of food to waste words on people like this."

"So we dug a deep pit in the mass grave outside the city, threw him in, threw dirt on him with shovels, and threatened to bury him alive to feed the wild dogs."

"When the pit was half-filled, and the soil was up to his neck, the bastard immediately chickened out, his crotch was soaked, and he even confessed to his ancestors for eighteen generations!"

He said that Prince Teng's army was marching at high speed, and their grain transport convoys were too slow to keep up and fell far behind.

"According to the original plan, the supplies should have arrived on the evening of the fourth day."

"But at this moment, he received a secret order from Wang Canjiang’s confidant, instructing him to withhold 40% of the grain and fodder, and to give him 10% of the profits afterward. He also said that General Wang had great influence in the court, so the matter was foolproof, and even if it was discovered, he could blame it on the robbers."

"The grain transport official acted rashly and, greedy for that extra 10%, secretly withheld 40% of the grain."

"Since he had always led the grain transport convoys, which were all his trusted confidants, he conspired with his men to kill several scapegoats and stage a scene where the grain was stolen by bandits. That's how they managed to bring only 60% of the grain to the station!"

Li Tiedan became more and more agitated as he spoke, finally rubbing his hands together anxiously, his eyes blazing with anger:

"General! The evidence is irrefutable, and the suspect has been caught red-handed!"

"Let's go and chop off that old dog Wang's head, and hang it on the city wall as a warning!"

Jia Lang put down his chopsticks, wiped his hands, his eyes deep and unfathomable. After a moment of contemplation, he asked in return:

"Wait, if you said it was taken there by General Wang's confidant, do you have any written proof?"

"Is there a signature?"

"Did that grain transport official get a good look at the man? Was he tall or short? Old or young?"

Li Tiedan was taken aback. Recalling what happened last night, he scratched his head:

"This...it seems not. According to the grain transport officer's testimony, the man claimed to be a confidant of General Wang, and he was masked, only his eyes were visible. There was no correspondence between them, only verbal communication."

Jia Lang frowned slightly, his fingers tapping heavily on the table, making a "thump-thump" sound.

"Isn't that settled then? Without physical evidence or witnesses, what evidence do you have to arrest a mere court officer?"

"If General Wang turns on us in court, accusing us of coercing confessions, falsely accusing colleagues, and arbitrarily arresting government officials, not only will we be unable to touch him, but we'll also get ourselves implicated, and might even implicate the Commander-in-Chief!"

Li Tiedan looked distressed, scratching his head and cheeks, his face full of resentment:

"What should we do then? Are we just going to let it go?"

"Just watching that old bastard get away with it right under our noses? And we still have to feed him good wine and food?"

Li Tiedan frowned, asking with a puzzled look and a hint of frustration in his voice.

"No, how can we let him go so easily?"

Jia Lang shook his head, a cold glint of cunning flashing in his eyes:

"You first tell your men to block the news. Tell them that the grain transport officer went out of the city on business this morning, and no one is allowed to spread the word."

"I'll go and discuss this matter with the General."

"This matter is of great importance and must be decided by the adults."

Jia Lang felt that it was most appropriate to discuss this matter with General Jia Ren.

After all, Jia Ren has been an official for many years. He is shrewd, experienced, and perhaps has a better way to handle the situation. He might even be able to help me make the fire burn brighter without getting burned myself.

Inside Jia Ren's residence, the study was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood incense.

Jia Lang recounted the whole story, including his own idea of ​​"killing" Wang Canjiang.

After listening, Jia Ren did not speak immediately, but picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam.

The atmosphere inside the room became extremely tense.

After a long while, Jia Ren put down his teacup, looked at Jia Lang, and a gentle smile appeared on his face:

"Brother Hu, it's good that young people are energetic. If you want to kill, then kill. It's not a big deal."

At this point, Jia Ren paused slightly, his gaze falling on Jia Lang, and continued:

"However, the fact that you thought of consulting His Majesty first, and then came to discuss it with me, shows a rare composure."

"Go do what you want to do. Remember, if the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you."

Stepping out of the mansion, a gust of cold wind instantly calmed Jia Lang's feverish mind.

Recalling his frankness in front of Jia Ren, he couldn't help but curse himself for being "reckless." Jia Ren's brief silence was clearly a weighing of the pros and cons—was it worth offending the powerful court forces behind General Wang for the sake of him?

Although Jia Ren eventually expressed his opinion, Jia Lang didn't want to put his uncle, who had been so kind to him, in a difficult position. After all, this was Yanmen Pass, and Jia Ren was the nominal commander.

"Since we can't kill him openly, let's make him wish he were dead."

Back at his residence, Jia Lang's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

He ordered the release of the grain transport official—of course, not actually.

Just when the grain transport official thought he had escaped and was on his way back to the capital with his remaining troops, a meticulously planned "accident" occurred.

An elite squad disguised as bandits launched a surprise attack on the convoy, raining down arrows and flashing blades.

The grain transport officer, along with his trusted confidants, were all "killed" in the chaos of battle, and the grain supplies were "looted."

Jia Lang showed no pity for these parasites who sucked the blood and flesh of the soldiers on the frontier.

Often walking by the river, how can there not be wet shoes?

This time, let him truly become a ghost and regret it.

Time flies, the north wind sweeps across the land, and in the blink of an eye it is already November, the dead of winter.

With General Wang gone, the air at Yanmen Pass is much fresher.

The supplementary grain supplies from the imperial court have arrived, and with the 40% of privately hoarded grain that Jia Lang "intercepted," the granaries are now overflowing.

Under Jia Lang's governance, refugees returned to their hometowns, merchants resumed their businesses, and Yanmen Pass, this important border town, miraculously regained some of its former glory.

As for that Lieutenant General Wang, he was completely isolated in the army, and every day he faced contemptuous and indifferent gazes.

He was like a rat crossing the street, jumping around but no one paid him any attention.

Finally, on a snowy day, he couldn't bear the pressure any longer and sheepishly made up an excuse to "visit relatives" to flee back to the capital.

Jia Lang stood on the city wall, watching the disheveled figure disappear into the distance, a disdainful sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

Since you've left, I'll spare your life for now.