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

Jia Ren, the general of Yanmen Pass, comes from a family of rogues.

In other words, this border general who commanded a large army was neither from a wealthy and noble family, nor even from a "poor family" with ancestral privileges or a family tradition of collecting books.

Even those from humble backgrounds have illustrious ancestors or a family tradition of learning, but Jia Renzhi's ancestors, to put it bluntly, were nothing more than servants who sold themselves into slavery for generations.

However, his current status is entirely due to the favor of fate and the support of the Jia family.

In the past, a severe drought struck the land, leaving it barren and forcing people to resort to cannibalism.

Jia Ren's family was forced to leave their home and embark on a journey of famine relief.

Of course, for these "hooligans" who have no roof over their heads, the so-called leaving their hometown is actually because their employers can't pay their wages, so they can only follow the refugees like stray dogs to the big city, begging for that faint glimmer of hope.

However, fate seems to target the unfortunate, and the rope seems to break at its weakest point.

During that long and desperate journey of fleeing famine, Jia Ren witnessed firsthand a living hell, and his entire family perished except for him.

His younger siblings contracted the disease and died tragically by the roadside without medical treatment.

His parents, in an effort to save the last bit of food for him, starved to death halfway there.

At that time, Jia Ren was also on the verge of death, barely clinging to life.

When they arrived in the big city, only one in ten of the tens of thousands of refugees survived. In the end, only a few thousand people crawled out from the pile of corpses, and Jia Ren was one of the lucky ones.

Unfortunately, surviving was not the end of the suffering.

Young and frail, Jia Ren, alone and stranded in a foreign land, encountered setbacks everywhere in the city. Even when he tried to sell himself into slavery, he was rejected and ignored because of his emaciated appearance.

Fortunately, although the human trafficking den was a den of wolves and wolves, it still provided a way to make a living.

Jia Ren survived there for more than two months until the brokerage firm deemed him of no use and drove him out like trash.

After being driven out, Jia Ren was completely desperate and eventually became one of the beggars in the city, competing with dogs for food and suffering endless scorn.

After half a year of such hellish days, news of the imperial court recruiting soldiers arrived by chance.

As if grasping at a straw, Jia Ren forced himself to tidy his appearance, trying to make himself look like a human being.

Although the recruiter saw through his weakness and humility at a glance and had no intention of hiring him, he couldn't resist Jia Ren's crazy determination to survive and to live as a human being.

He only said one sentence to the recruiter, a shout he uttered with all his might:

"I'll go anywhere as long as the magistrates let me into the army!"

"I'd go even if it meant walking through a pile of corpses!"

During the past six months as a beggar, he had endured enough inhuman mockery. He would never give up as long as there was even the slightest chance to stand up again!

After handing over all his possessions, including a crumpled 124 coins, Jia Ren finally embarked on his journey under the recruiter's gaze, which was a mixture of disdain and pity.

However, this military camp was located in the harsh border region thousands of miles away, and he was accompanied by a group of families of "criminal officials" who had been exiled to the border.

But no one expected that this would be Jia Ren's first step in defying fate, and also the most crucial step!

Once he stepped onto the border, Jia Ren's life took a dramatic turn for the better, as if he had been given a cheat code.

Just then, the barbarians attacked the pass, and Jia Ren fought like a madman on the battlefield. His ruthless and reckless spirit was witnessed by Jia Daihua, the First-Class Divine Might General who came to provide support.

Within a few days, Jia Ren was recruited into Jia Daihua's army and, based on his solid military achievements, entered the Imperial Guard. He was given the name "Jia Ren," which means that he would be loyal to the Jia family for life and never fail them, even in death!

After the war subsided, Jia Ren, as a trusted bodyguard, accompanied Jia Daihua back to the capital.

After years of tempering in blood and fire, he had become one of the leaders of the Imperial Guard.

After Jia Daihua passed away, the Jia family's Ningguo Mansion lost its right to privately maintain its own guards, and Jia Ren and other elites were incorporated into the Beijing Garrison, officially becoming generals of the imperial court.

With the Jia family as his backing, even though the two Dukes of Ning and Rong had passed away, the Jia family's influence remained. As the personal bodyguard of Jia Daihua, the former military governor of the capital and hereditary first-class general, Jia Ren naturally reaped the greatest benefits from the Jia family.

After Jia Daihua's death, Jia Ren was directly transferred to the central army of the Beijing garrison, where he served as deputy commander.

Don't underestimate the title "Deputy Chief of Staff"!

The five armies of the Beijing Garrison (Central, Front, Rear, Left, and Right) each had a standing strength of 100,000 men, with the Central Army being the elite of the elite, boasting a standing strength of up to 150,000 men!

Each army unit consists of one commander-in-chief, two deputy commanders, ten brigade commanders, and twenty deputy brigade commanders...

Upon entering the capital, Jia Ren immediately took command of 8,000 elite troops. In the following years, with the protection of the Jia family and his own hard work, he rose through the ranks to become the deputy general of the central army, wielding real power and commanding great prestige.

Unfortunately, this good fortune didn't last long. Wang Ziteng, the son of the Wang family, somehow made a deal with the Jia family and managed to seize the Jia family's long-held position as the military governor of the capital garrison.

When Prince Teng came to power, he naturally had to purge his opponents and install his cronies.

Jia Ren already loathed the infighting in officialdom, and after hearing about the dirty deeds of his former superior Jia Daihua in the Ningguo Mansion, he became disheartened and took the initiative to resign, voluntarily transferring to the distant border.

But gold shines wherever it is!

After arriving at the border, Jia Ren's career progressed smoothly, and he always took the lead in every major battle.

After the retired emperor was forced to abdicate and Emperor Qianyuan ascended the throne, in order to win over the new generation of military generals, he greatly rewarded Jia Ren, not only granting him a title but also promoting him to the position of commander-in-chief of Yanmen Pass!

Over the years, thanks to his outstanding military achievements in defending Yanmen Pass, Jia Ren has become a first-class earl, a figure of great prestige on the frontier!

Our protagonist, Jia Lang, happens to be from the Ningguo branch of the Jia family, and he voluntarily abandoned the prosperity of the capital to risk his life in this harsh and cold place.

Compared to those in the Jia family who knew they coveted wealth and were afraid of death, Jia Ren found Jia Lang increasingly pleasing to the eye. He not only admired his bravery but also treated him like his own son, showing him great affection.

This is the real reason why Jia Lang was able to hold a high position at a young age!

This can also be seen as Jia Ren repaying the kindness Jia Daihua showed him back then.

........

After everyone had left, only the flickering candlelight and dappled light remained in the council hall.

Jia Ren slowly rose from behind his desk. The heavy iron armor made a slight clanging sound with each movement, which was particularly clear in the quiet hall.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead took heavy steps and walked up to Jia Lang. He stretched out his large, calloused hands and scarred hands and pressed them heavily on Jia Lang's towering shoulders.

"Lang-ge'er, in this surprise attack, General Xu and the others only saw the credit, but what I saw was a near-death experience."

Jia Ren's voice was low and hoarse, devoid of the authority he had just displayed, leaving only the deep concern of an elder for a younger generation.

His weathered, tiger-like eyes were fixed on Jia Lang, as if trying to etch that young, handsome face into his very bones.

"General, this humble general..."

Just as Jia Lang was about to make a promise, Jia Ren raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Let me finish!"

Jia Ren took a deep breath, his tone becoming more solemn than ever before.

"Burning the supplies is a merit, lifting the siege is also a merit, but all these merits combined cannot outweigh the preciousness of your life!"

"Remember this: you are not only Jia Gong's son, but also someone I watched grow from a greenhorn into a strong and upright man!"

At this point, the iron-willed general's eyes reddened slightly. He pointed to the pitch-black night outside the tent and shouted sternly:

"If something is impossible, don't force it!"

"Even if the supplies didn't burn, as long as you get back to me safe and sound, I'll take the blame for this enormous crime!"

"But if you dare to risk your life there..."

Jia Ren paused, his voice trembling slightly:

"Where there's life, there's hope."

"Being alive is the most important thing!"

"Did you understand?!"

Looking at his father-like commander, Jia Lang felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but a proud and confident smile appeared on his face, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. He clasped his hands and said in a deep voice:

"Uncle, rest assured! My iron fists haven't had enough yet. If even the King of Hell wants to take me, he'll have to ask my weapon if it agrees!"

"If I can't beat them, I'll just run away!"

"Alright! Go and get ready!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Ren's tense expression finally relaxed. He laughed and playfully kicked Jia Lang's leg armor, then took the wine gourd from his waist and forcibly stuffed it into Jia Lang's hand.

"Take this, as a parting gift!"

"Come back alive and drink with me!"

"Thank you, sir!"

Jia Lang gripped the wine pot tightly, clasped his hands in a deep fist salute once more, then turned around without hesitation and strode out of the council hall.