Chapter 284

The fourteenth year of Emperor Jia Zhao, January 15th.

Early morning, on the watchtower of Yafu Pass.

The cold wind whistled, and breath turned to ice. Jia Cong, wearing a pitch-black bear-fur cloak, looked out at the few musketeers busy below the city wall.

Beside him, Wei Yongzhou, the commander of the Firearm Battalion, and Guo Zhigui, the squad leader of the Firearm Battalion, also looked curiously at the activity below the city wall.

Standing beside Jia Cong was Through Ai Li, standing tall and graceful, her figure slender and tall, a long blade hanging at her waist, exuding a heroic spirit.

She wore a black fox-fur warm hat on her head, which set off her snow-white skin and bright eyes, possessing an unusual, moving quality.

These days, people at the Yafu Pass Military Affairs Office could often see such a strange scene.

Jia Cong, a firearm advisor from Guangning City, had actually spent a large sum of money to hire a woman as a bodyguard, entering and leaving the Military Affairs Office every day, the man and woman inseparable.

Young masters from the Love Shenjing are just damn protective of their lives, and they have money too.

The bodyguard he hired, named Through Ai Li, although a woman, was the most famous swordsman in town for the past two years, and that strange long blade in her hand was not to be trifled with.

This bundle of rope Jia Cong bought from Hongbei Restaurant was a 100-meter-long rope made with his feeling and memory of a meter as a scale.

Only those who were locals or had stayed in Yafu Pass for several years and were familiar with the town's situation knew that Jia Cong actually had quite a good eye.

They used the bundle of rope Jia Cong bought from Hongbei Restaurant, starting from the city gate, to measure the distance outward.

He had Jiang Xiao Si and the others dig up the frozen earth every 100 meters, bury a round stone, and then paint the part exposed above the ground with eye-catching white paint.

He did these things to ensure that the various firearms carried this time could exert their power with maximum efficiency.

Beside him, Madelun, the instructor for the Frankish cannons, looked at the eight round stones exposed an inch above the ground below the city wall, neatly arranged and extending into the distance, like a huge ruler on the earth.

These stones were only painted white on the side facing the city wall, while the other side remained the original color of the stone; if the enemy came from the opposite direction, they wouldn't notice these stones.

A young girl who also raised an old mother, yet could live without any taboos and never suffer a loss in this dangerous and complex border town—how could she be an ordinary person?

It wasn't until they buried the eighth stone from the city gate and painted it white that he had someone send a message to tell Jiang Xiao Si to stop.

Jia Cong had also informed Liang Chengzong, the Military Governor of Liaodong, and Liu Yongzheng, the Commandant of Yafu Pass, of everything he could consider, and implemented them item by item.

Since the last report from the scouts that the Great Zhou had abandoned the military forts and adopted a 'scorched earth' policy, the various Jurchen tribes had shown signs of movement under pressure.

Below the watchtower, Jiang Xiao Si was busy with five or six musketeers.

Even Liang Chengzong, who had always appreciated Jia Cong, shook his head somewhat amusedly when he saw the female bodyguard beside Jia Cong.

Many soldiers at Yafu Pass laughed at him behind his back, saying that he didn't even hire a decent bodyguard, instead getting a delicate 'ghost-hag' to protect him—it was truly laughable.

"With these markers, the accuracy of our artillery fire will be greatly improved."

Jia Cong smiled: "I also admire the wise men of your country, such as Ferdinand Magellan, a great navigator and explorer."

All units of the Yafu Pass troops strengthened their guard, standing by in full battle array.

Beside him, Madelun praised in somewhat stiff Han Chinese: "Master Jia is like the wise men we Franks speak of, able to think of such a simple and clear method of measuring distance.

Madelun was greatly surprised upon hearing this and said: "Master Jia, your breadth of knowledge is truly shocking. You actually know Mr. Ferdinand; even many people in my own country don't know him."

Jia Cong smiled slightly; what was strange about this? It was common knowledge in elementary school textbooks of later generations.

"Mr. Madelun is a Frankish artillery expert, and I admire him very much. Our Great Zhou has established a specialized Firearm Department to recruit famous scholars from Western countries.

If Mr. Madelun is willing to stay and be hired by the Firearm Department, I would be honored."

Madelun smiled: "Great Zhou is a magical ancient country in the East, and I like it here very much. However, I went to the Love Shenjing once, and it was too cold for me.

Of course, the winter in Liaodong is even harder for me to endure; I prefer places that are a bit warmer."

Jia Cong smiled: "Our Great Zhou spans ten thousand miles, and the various prefectures in Jiangnan are all places with mild climates. It is extremely easy for Madelun to go to a warmer place."

Jia Cong naturally valued artillery experts like Madelun very much; if the Great Zhou's firearm industry wanted to be at the forefront of the foreign powers, it needed such specialized and leading talents.

However, he didn't expect to recruit an artillery expert with just a few words, but it was very necessary to have more contact and communication in daily life, increase understanding, and exchange academic information.

Madelun also liked talking to Jia Cong because this young man formed a sharp contrast with those Great Zhou officials who were stiff and humorless.

He was young, knowledgeable, intelligent, and talkative; chatting with Jia Cong was a very pleasant thing for Madelun.

And Guo Zhigui, who had been standing behind Jia Cong, looked at Jia Cong with quite a bit of admiration; the Cong Sanye could actually chat congenially with foreigners, and this foreign devil seemed to admire the Cong Sanye quite a bit.

"Is this Master Jia, the Supervisor of the Firearm Department?"

Jia Cong was chatting congenially with Madelun when he suddenly heard someone speaking beside him.

Turning his head, he saw a rough-looking military officer in armor standing before him with a smile, his words carrying a hint of flattery.

Judging by his official uniform and demeanor, his rank didn't seem low.

At the moment, Liaodong Military Governor Liang Chengzong was patrolling the three passes along the Liaodong line.

As Liang Chengzong's firearm advisor, Jia Cong had contact with Liu Yongzheng, the Commandant of Yafu Pass, and several important officers, but he had no impression of the person before him.

"Please forgive my poor eyesight, General, but you look somewhat unfamiliar."

Upon hearing Jia Cong's words, a hint of embarrassment and helplessness appeared on the man's face.

"Your subordinate is He Xiong, a Mobile Corps Commander of Yafu Pass. I once served as an official in the Right Battalion of the Five Armies Camp in the Love Shenjing. Master Jia has enjoyed a great reputation in the Love Shenjing, and I have long heard of your name."

Jia Cong was surprised to hear this; this man was actually a Mobile Corps Commander of Yafu Pass. According to the official configuration, the main official of Yafu Pass was a Commandant, and the secondary official was a Mobile Corps Commander.

This He Xiong was actually the second-in-command of Yafu Pass, yet Jia Cong had participated in military consultations at the Military Affairs Office several times and had never seen him.

As a Mobile Corps Commander, his presence was far too low.

"In a letter from Prince Beijing, he mentioned that Master Jia was coming to patrol the Nine Borders. The Prince holds Master Jia in high regard. It is truly an honor for this subordinate to see Master Jia in the North today."

Because of the 'presumptuous poem' incident, Prince Beijing was treated coldly by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, and the forces of the Prince Beijing faction were hit as a result.

As a general supported by the Prince Beijing Mansion, He Xiong was implicated and kicked out of the Five Armies Camp, being sent to the border town as an official.

He brooded over this matter. After arriving at Yafu Pass, he didn't change his arrogance as a capital official, friction arose with the main official, Commandant Liu Yongzheng, so he was often squeezed out by local officers.

He Xiong had once written to Prince Beijing, wanting to be transferred away from Liaodong as soon as possible, but he received a letter from Prince Beijing that was extremely soothing. He knew that it was impossible to be transferred away from Liaodong in the short term.

However, he didn't give up. Prince Beijing had mentioned in the letter that Jia Cong was coming to Liaodong to patrol the borders, so he thought Jia Cong had some connection with Prince Beijing, and the relationship was even special.

Coupled with Jia Cong's noble background and the rumor that he was highly esteemed by Gu Yankui, the Commander of the Nine Provinces, He Xiong was now on pins and needles at Yafu Pass, eager to get out of his predicament.

Naturally, He Xiong had to get familiar with a person as well-connected as Jia Cong; perhaps he could pull him out of his situation—one never knew.

Therefore, in his words, he specifically mentioned that he had correspondence with Prince Beijing, wanting to use this to get closer to Jia Cong.

But he didn't expect that when Jia Cong heard he had a connection with Prince Beijing, he would instead become guarded. How could he have a deep friendship with such a person? He just exchanged a few polite words, and there was nothing more to say.

Seeing that there was no opportunity to be found in his conversation with Jia Cong, He Xiong left somewhat disappointed.

Beside him, Commander Wei Yongzhou said: "Master Jia, as soon as I arrived in Liaodong, I heard quite a few things about this Mobile Corps Commander He.

This man is a confidant of the Prince Beijing Mansion, but he is mediocre on the battlefield. A month ago, a Jurchen battalion of a thousand men invaded Yafu Pass.

He led the Right Army cavalry and was no match for the Jurchen cavalry, actually retreating in advance, causing the Firearm Battalion to lose support and suffer heavy losses under the Jurchen cavalry's charge.

Originally, Commandant Liu wanted to punish him, but it is said that the Regional Commander, because he had a connection with the Prince Beijing Mansion and was newly transferred to Liaodong, was afraid of causing criticism about the imperial court's transfer of generals, so he left this person idle."

When Wei Yongzhou said this, he was quite indignant. As the commander of the Firearm Battalion, the Firearm Battalion had suffered over a hundred casualties because of this man's slackness in battle, so he was naturally extremely dissatisfied with He Xiong.

Jia Cong suddenly realized; no wonder this He Xiong was the secondary official of Yafu Pass yet had no presence—it turned out he had offended everyone and was given the 'cold shoulder'.

Jia Cong had always been very resistant to Prince Beijing's hypocritical, fame-seeking, ambitious, and incompetent style, so he naturally couldn't have a good impression of his confidants, not to mention that this person had also implicated the Firearm Battalion in suffering heavy losses.

Looking at He Xiong's back, he said: "As a secondary general of the Liaodong border pass, his conduct is improper, his heart is unstable, and his will to fight is decadent; it is ultimately somewhat inappropriate.

Now that the war is unpredictable, according to scout reports, the Jurchens have shown signs of movement.

Brother Wei, we cannot manage other people's affairs, but we cannot have any slips in our own. Order the Firearm Battalion brothers to reduce going out.

Please, Brother Wei, send more brothers to strictly guard the firearm warehouse, and strictly forbid any idlers from approaching!"

Traditional compulsory education is harmful; I'm embarrassed to brag that the protagonist knows Portuguese.

I can only let Madelun use somewhat stiff Han Chinese; it can only be like this...

(End of chapter)