Chapter 142: The Nation

Gede Ward, Rongguo Prefecture.

Seeing Tan Chun was just emerging from Jia Zheng's Mengpo Study when she ran into Lin Daiyu and Yingchun.

"I just went to pay my respects to Father. I originally wanted to ask for news of Third Brother in Jin Ling, but I heard that Eldest Brother Xue Pan of Xue Yima Xue's family has beaten someone to death in Jin Ling!"

Yingchun was startled upon hearing this and asked, "For what reason? How could he beat someone to death?"

"I heard it was because of a dispute over buying a maid to be a concubine. They argued, and he ordered his servants to beat the man to death."

"Xue Yima Xue heard that Third Brother has a friendship with the Prefect of Yingtian, so she wanted to ask Third Brother to step in and mediate. Third Brother said he was young and lacked the standing to handle such a matter, so Xue Yima sought help from Mother instead."

"Father is very angry and unwilling to get involved. Now, Mother is handling the matter."

Daiyu smiled slightly: "I knew it. When Third Brother Cong encounters such things, he would surely be like this."

Seeing Tan Chun also said: "Sister Lin and I thought the same. Given Third Brother's temperament, he cannot stand such things and would certainly be unwilling to get entangled in them."

……

Yingchun, standing to the side, had simple thoughts and did not care about these things. She only said: "Brother Cong has been in Jin Ling for over a month. I wonder how he is doing and if he has gotten used to staying in Jin Ling."

Heaven creates a hundred kinds of people, yet the differences between them are as vast as clouds and mud. Thinking of this, her heart twisted and turned, long unable to calm down.

She remembered back then, because of Baoyu, he was groundlessly exempted from filial piety and etiquette by their grandmother. In a great family, this was a tremendous humiliation.

Third Brother was born in the same year as Baoyu. Not only is he peerless in both poetry and books, having entered the path of scholarship and officialdom, but what is even rarer is that no matter how great the trouble he encounters, he can handle it calmly and even turn around to be considerate of others.

Kneeling below the hall were several old servants from Feng Yuan's family and some neighbors, yet the Xue family had only sent one steward.

Yet, knowing she was coughing up blood, he specially prepared medicinal meals and had Wu Er send them over every day, while he didn't take his own troubles to heart at all.

A few days ago, Jia Yucun received a letter from Lady Wang written in Jia Zheng's name. Having accepted the favor, he instructed his advisor, Yan Yuanliang, on the strategy he had already decided upon, letting him come forward to mediate between the Xue and Feng families.

Daiyu, however, thought that Jin Ling was indeed a good place. She had followed her father there twice when she was small, and it was much quieter than here.

Since Baoyu does not like to read, it is not a big deal. Are there few people in this world who do not read or enter officialdom? It is merely a difference in personal aspirations.

Jia Yucun sat high in the public hall. Behind him, on the shadow wall, was a painting of a red sun rising over ten thousand acres of blue waves. Above his head hung a black-lacquered plaque with gold characters reading "Bright Mirror Hanging High."

"Both parties involved in the matter shall sign and press their fingerprints on the settlement agreement. The silver shall be handed over on the spot. This case is closed immediately; there shall be no going back on it."

Through such a series of operations—playing with litigation, breaking things down, and maneuvering left and right—a human life lawsuit was thus dissolved into nothingness, and Xue Pan, who had beaten a man to death, also used a fake death to escape.

Seeing Tan Chun said: "I heard that Third Brother is staying at the old Jia family residence in Jin Ling. That place, apart from Second Brother Lian, none of our generation has ever been to. I wonder what it looks like."

Yingtian Prefecture Yamen.

She thought again of how Baoyu had come to her room to talk yesterday, only to be dragged away halfway by Xi Ren, who said the Second Uncle wanted to question him on his studies, which had turned his face deathly pale with fright.

"Now, with the Xue clan members and the ward head's documents as proof, according to the law, the crime is cleared upon the death of the person. However, human life is a matter of heaven and cannot be taken lightly. Through the mediation of this prefecture, the Xue family shall compensate the Feng family with three thousand taels of silver, and the Feng family voluntarily closes the case."

The Prefect's advisor, Yan Yuanliang, read the settlement agreement from the side:

"Now, Xue Pan of Jin Ling, due to a dispute over buying a maid, ordered his house slaves to beat Feng Yuan to death. The evidence is conclusive. However, after Xue Pan was imprisoned, he fell ill with an acute disease and died despite medical treatment.

The bit of spiritual elegance he once had vanished in an instant, making it dull for others to look at.

Since he has this intention, he should have argued with the Second Uncle on the merits and laid bare his heart. Instead, he has spent years avoiding him, lacking the openness of a man. He himself is miserable year-round, and he also makes the Second Uncle constantly depressed. Why suffer so?

The Feng family no longer had any relatives, leaving only a few old servants. After being reasoned with by Yan Yuanliang and receiving the silver to be dismissed, they felt lucky and would never dare to sue again.

However, since it involved a human life, Jia Yucun had Yan Yuanliang tell the Xue family that this "dead" Xue Pan should not appear in Jin Ling again, so as to avoid exposing the matter and creating further hidden dangers.

The Censors of the Jiangnan Circuit are not to be trifled with. If they discovered the clues, a single impeachment memorial would leave both the Xue family and Jia Yucun in deep trouble.

Xue Yima Xue knew the severity of the situation, so she decided to move to Shenjing to avoid the limelight.

She would wait until the Xue family's business in Jin Ling was arranged before setting off to Shenjing to stay with relatives.

She also instructed her daughter, Baochai, to keep her brother under control and not to leave the Xue residence for even half a step before they set off, so as not to be exposed.

……

Shenjing, Imperial City, South Drill Ground.

Marquis Zhongjing, Shi Ding, in full military regalia, led one hundred spirited soldiers of the Five Armies Battalion, holding Lumlum muskets, into the drill ground.

Among them was one squad leader holding a corner flag, while the other ninety-nine were divided into three rows, standing in position.

These were all elites selected by Shi Ding from the tens of thousands in the Five Armies Battalion who were familiar with the use of firearms.

Each person held a Lumlum musket about six or seven feet long. Their morale was high, their formation was strict, and every move was uniform.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, sitting on the high platform, could not help but nod in satisfaction as he watched the disciplined musketeers.

In just three short days, Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding was able to train these newborn musketeers to such morale and military posture; only a famous general of the age could do this.

Fifty paces in front of the three rows of musketeers, a row of targets made of thick wood was placed, with a thickness exceeding two palms.

Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding walked to the front of the throne and knelt on one knee to salute: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the newly trained musketeers are in position. Please, Your Majesty, give the order to drill."

"Begin!"

Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding raised his right hand and swung it fiercely toward the squad leader holding the corner flag!

The red corner flag in the squad leader's hand swung accordingly, the tip pointing directly at the target fifty paces away.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet Cai Xiang, Minister of War Gu Yankui, and others watched the drill.

They saw the first row of musketeers raise their Lumlum muskets in unison, light the fuses, and immediately emit a deafening roar.

Amidst the swirling smoke, the air was filled with extremely sharp whistling sounds. On the targets fifty paces away, there was a sound of intense impacts like raindrops. Wood chips flew from the targets, and the power was astonishing.

After the first row of gunners fired, they immediately put away their muskets and quickly retreated to the third row. The thirty-three musketeers of the original second row quickly moved to the front row position and raised their guns to fire.

After firing one shot, they also retreated to the last row. Immediately after, the thirty-three gunners of the original third row quickly moved to the front row position to fire, thus completing a cycle of three consecutive volleys.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and the others watching the drill only heard the continuous sound of gunfire on the scene, like muffled thunder. The two-palm-thick targets fifty paces away were beaten into a mess by the dense bullets and were swaying, on the verge of collapsing.

Minister of War Gu Yankui held a gilded Western pocket watch in his hand, calculating the squad conversion of the three-volley formation and the time interval between shots.

Originally, for matchlock guns like the Lumlum musket, it took six breaths of time between two bullets because of the need to load ammunition and burn the fuse.

On a battlefield facing fast horses and sharp blades, after firing the first shot, if one didn't stand there waiting for death, one had to abandon the gun and switch to a sword to fight. It was truly like a chicken rib.

And just now, using the three-stage consecutive firing of bullets, the time interval between two shots had been shortened to less than two breaths!

As the three rows of gunners rolled back and forth like the tide, firing continuously, their movements became more and more proficient, and the interval between the two shots gradually shortened to one breath!

Jia Cong only provided the principle of the three-stage firing mode.

But Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding was a famous general who led troops. When implemented into specific training, relying on three days of time, he groped out the practical tips for the operation of the three-stage gun formation.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and the others watching the drill saw that the gunners in each row advanced and retreated with evidence, without the slightest disorder. Even retreating a few steps and advancing a few steps seemed to have been calculated in advance.

The entire gun formation was like the tightly meshed gears of a clock, containing shocking lethality potential.

After the gunners in each row had fired five rounds in succession, Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding signaled the squad leader to stop firing.

Because of the impact of hundreds of bullets, the two-palm-thick wooden targets standing fifty paces away were all shattered into powder, leaving no targets left to shoot.

The dense barrage formed by the three-stage firing had astonishing power, exceeding the expectations of everyone watching the drill.

Minister of War Gu Yankui's face was glowing, and he said excitedly: "Your Majesty, the power of the three-stage firing method is astonishing. If thousands of musketeers are trained with this method and used in battle formations,

no matter how sharp the fast horses and sharp blades are, they will all be defeated before the bullets.

"This three-stage firing method breaks the barriers of military tradition; if the matchlock musket is further improved, its power can be increased even more. This method can become a weapon for defending the nation. Jia Cong is the first to create this method, setting a precedent that never existed before; this is truly a remarkable achievement!"

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, who had always been introverted and deep, could not help but laugh heartily when he saw the power of the three-stage gun formation: "Jia Cong's contribution of this method is rare, and Marquis Zhongjing is even more adept at training troops, which has opened my eyes."

"Minister Gu, I intend to build a Firearms Battalion in addition to the Five Armies Battalion. The Ministry of War shall formulate the strategy for building the battalion. Jia Cong has unique ideas about firearms, so the Ministry of War can issue a document to consult with him."

(End of chapter) *** **Chapter 143: Granted the Right to Direct Memorials**