Chapter 853: Love That Cannot Be Sustained in Life and Death

Da Zhou Imperial Palace, Qianyang Palace.

In the warm chamber of the rear hall, the incense burner was warm, and the burning incense was refreshing. It remained as warm as spring, yet the original tranquility was long gone.

The atmosphere within the chamber was unusually solemn. Following Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's instructions, Guo Lin had added tables and chairs against the west wall, complete with the Four Treasures of the Study.

Because the matter was of great importance and involved military and state secrets, Guo Lin had originally intended to summon the cabinet clerks, but was stopped in time by Wang Shilun, who drafted the proposal himself.

Gu Yankui and Shi Ding stood by his side, expounding on the coordination of the Five Military Battalions' forces, the mobilization of troops from the nearby four prefectures, the defense of the three northern passes, the requisition of grain and fodder for the nine garrisons, and the planning of new grain routes.

Wang Shilun's brush flew across the paper, recording everything the two said in detail. The three consulted with each other from time to time to form a preliminary strategy, which would then be submitted to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao for his imperial decision.

……

For Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, a war between Da Zhou and the Remnant Mongols was inevitable. The so-called peace negotiations between the two states were, for both sides, merely a tactic to buy time.

It was just that the way the war arrived completely exceeded Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's expectations, making him feel unusually humiliated and angry.

While having Gu Yankui and Shi Ding plan the military grain and defense, he would not be the least bit lenient regarding the leak of military and state secrets that had caused the loss of the initiative in the war.

Now that a great war was imminent, one must settle internal affairs before dealing with external ones. The black hand that leaked the secrets of the military grain depots must be cut off as quickly and cleanly as possible.

Otherwise, once the war between Da Zhou and the Remnant Mongols began, if something like the Donggang Town incident happened in the rear again, the military would be attacked from both front and back, with consequences too horrific to contemplate.

Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Wei Guanyao was rigorous and loyal, and he had a group of capable officials under him. Although these people were efficient in handling affairs, they were too bound by convention.

They lacked Jia Cong's meticulousness, flexibility, and constant stream of ingenious strategies. When faced with complex and tangled matters, he could often simplify the complicated, which was refreshing.

This was also the reason why, when facing major events, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao would summon Jia Cong into the palace for consultation, even when other civil and military officials summoned were all high-ranking officials of the third grade or above.

……

After listening to the Emperor's consultation, Jia Cong pondered for only a brief moment.

He said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the military reports describe everything in detail. The Remnant Mongols set an ambush in advance, acted meticulously, and succeeded in one strike.

That the secrets of the military grain depot locations were leaked is beyond doubt. In this subject's view, there are only three possible channels for the leak.

First, the leak occurred in Shenjing. Shenjing is the place for the collection, transit, and transport of military grain for the Nine Frontiers.

The Ministry of Revenue is responsible for the collection of military grain, the Ministry of War for the distribution to the military garrisons, and the Five Military Commissions for the storage and transport of military grain.

Within these three major government offices, there are many officials who, due to their official duties, can learn the secrets of the Nine Frontiers' grain routes.

If the source of the leak is in Shenjing, the perpetrator must be among these officials. As long as there is a meticulous investigation, there will surely be traces to follow.

Second, the leak occurred along the route. Since the beginning of the tenth month, the Nine Frontiers have been preparing for war, military grain transport has been frequent, and grain transport vehicles have been endless.

If the Remnant Mongols sent spies into the pass to track traces along the way, even if the grain convoys were guarded by heavy troops, it would be inevitable to leave traces.

However, spy reconnaissance is not aimless; they must have known the clues in advance to follow the vine to find the melon.

The spies' knowledge of the grain route clues came from the source of the leaked information, so this item is only a secondary factor.

Third, the leak occurred in the military garrisons. The military supply officers, grain transport soldiers, and garrison commanders of each frontier town all know the locations of the military grain depots.

There is also a risk of leakage here, but the killing in the military is strict, and military discipline is harsh; compared to the looseness of the government offices and officialdom, they cannot be mentioned in the same breath.

Moreover, the two states are confronting each other at the Nine Frontiers, and Da Zhou holds the upper hand. There may be corrupt practices in the military, but colluding with the Remnant Mongols to harm others and oneself is extremely unwise.

If the military grain depots are breached by the Remnant Mongols, each garrison will fall into a grain shortage crisis; is that not digging one's own grave?

People like Sun Zhanying, who committed too many evils, are after all a very small minority. This subject believes that the possibility of a leak in the military is not great.

In this subject's view, the leak of the military grain depot locations is of the utmost importance in the relevant government offices in Shenjing and must be strictly investigated.

If the secrets were indeed leaked in Shenjing, the Remnant Mongols launched a surprise attack on New Year's Eve, from which much information can be deduced.

The transmission of leaked information, the mobilization of troops and setting of ambushes, and waiting for the right opportunity all require a considerable amount of time.

According to this subject's estimation, it would take at least half a month to a month. Reversing the time of the leak from this, it must have been around the twelfth lunar month.

During this period, the officials of the three major government offices involved in the secret grain routes are all objects of strict investigation.

Not only must their daily official duties be screened, but their interpersonal contacts must also be checked for any suspicious aspects.

By peeling the silk and removing the cocoon, following the vine to find the melon, there will surely be gains..."

……

Jia Cong's words were incisive and meticulous. Wang Shilun, Gu Yankui, Shi Ding, and others had long seen his talent and strategy, and although they were full of admiration, they were not surprised.

Chen Yi and Yao Ruchang were seeing Jia Cong's response before the Emperor for the first time, seeing that in an instant, almost without thinking, he had such a meticulous response.

This quick-wittedness was unheard of; the talent of a second-place scholar was well-deserved.

It was just that the proposed investigation strategy was too sharp and chilling, decisive and gloomy, leaving no room for others, making people have nowhere to hide, vaguely having the style of a harsh official.

If one were to investigate according to his method, not a single official involved in grain transport in the Five Military Commissions would escape screening; one does not know how many people would be implicated by then.

Left Military Commissioner Chen Yi was even more terrified after hearing Jia Cong's words.

According to the strategy proposed by Jia Cong, his grandson Chen Ruichang had been responsible for escorting grain many times and even witnessed the incident at Donggang Town. No matter how one measured it, he was an important target for investigation.

Chen Yi knew his grandson's temperament well; although he was also a playboy, he was meticulous and cautious in his actions and would not have the negligence of leaking secrets.

But no matter what, such a major case of leaking military secrets, as long as one was involved, the risks were unpredictable.

For a great family, if one is damaged, all are damaged. To maintain wealth and honor for a long time, one must inevitably be cautious at every step. With one more incident, there is one more worry...

……

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's tense expression relaxed after hearing Jia Cong's words, and he asked, "Minister Wei, what do you think of what Minister Jia said?"

Wei Guanyao thought of the major cheating case in the spring examination. When he entered the palace to report, it happened that Jia Cong was present. It was his remonstrance that pointed directly to the gist of the cheating case.

This prompted Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao to change his original intention and transfer the cheating case to the Court of Judicial Review for primary trial, putting the trial of the case back on the right track and avoiding a larger disturbance.

This time, a great disaster occurred at the northern military grain depots. The Emperor summoned relevant civil and military officials into the palace for an emergency consultation on countermeasures, allowing a fifth-grade official whose duties did not match to participate in the discussion in the same hall.

It can be seen that he appreciates and relies on this young man. Moreover, what Jia Cong said just now was precise in every sentence, pointing directly to the key points, which was better than the experienced officials of the Three Judicial Offices.

……

It was just that although Wei Guanyao agreed with Jia Cong's words in his heart, and the strategy he proposed was meticulous and flawless, quite brilliant, he still had doubts in his heart.

He said solemnly, "The Earl of Lord Weiyuan's analysis is thorough, meticulous, and good at planning. What he just said are all essential strategies for solving this case. This official admires him quite a bit.

It is just that why does the Earl of Lord Weiyuan think that the military garrison is light and Shenjing is heavy regarding the leak? What is the basis?"

Jia Cong said, "Minister Wei must know that in the tenth month of last year, the Remnant Mongol mission entered the capital to negotiate peace. This subject served as the scribe for the peace talks between the two states and is very familiar with the peace talks.

Having just read the urgent report from Liaodong and recalling the peace talks, I feel there are many doubts.

When the Remnant Mongol mission first entered the capital, they followed the routine regarding the peace talks. It was not until the approach of the twelfth lunar month that they suddenly changed their tune.

They unilaterally increased the quota for mutual trade by 40%. For Da Zhou, this scale of increase was simply impossible to implement.

From that time on, the peace talks between the two states fell into a stalemate. This subject listened to the progress of the peace talks every day, and apart from the bickering between the officials of both sides, it was really meaningless.

Recalling it now, increasing the mutual trade quota by 40% was absolutely impossible to achieve; the leaders of the Remnant Mongol mission knew this well.

Originally, this subject thought they were asking for a high price on the spot, trying to win as much benefit as possible, and also had concerns that the other side was delaying time.

But there were no changes at that time, and the latter speculation had no basis.

Recalling this matter now, the time when the mission increased the mutual trade quota coincides perfectly with the time of the leak estimated by this subject, which makes one suspicious.

After the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month, the mission suddenly changed its original intention, agreed to the mutual trade quota proposed by Da Zhou, and signed the peace agreement between the two states at an extremely fast speed.

This kind of arrogance followed by humility, a world of difference, is too surprising.

Starting from the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, the mission's camp outside the city began to return in batches.

By the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month, the three major leaders of the mission and their entourage had all officially left the capital. They were really eager to return, and it looked hasty inside and out.

At this time, only three days had passed since the signing of the peace agreement between the two states, and the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month was just before New Year's Eve.

But four days of travel were enough for the mission to be far away from the territory of Yongzhou!"

……

Jia Cong spoke in detail, his words were meticulous and calm, revealing a cold certainty and a cold scrutiny, which seemed to be able to bewitch people's hearts, making people unable to produce even half a word of rebuttal.

At this time, Wang Shilun and Gu Yankui, who had been the chief officials for the peace talks, were both attracted by Jia Cong's words, and an unspeakable chill arose in their hearts.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's face became gloomy, and his expression revealed unspeakable anger.

Wei Guanyao was somewhat suddenly enlightened, and a sense of horror could not help but arise in his heart.

He said in a deep voice, "According to the Earl of Lord Weiyuan's speculation, the Remnant Mongol mission used the peace talks in the capital to find out the location of the military grain depots in the frontier towns.

They increased the mutual trade quota to buy time for the message to be delivered and to prepare for the surprise attack, thus delaying time and confusing the public.

Therefore, the Earl of Lord Weiyuan concluded that the leak of military secrets must be in Shenjing!"

……

Once Wei Guanyao said this, the monarchs and ministers in the warm chamber all felt a sense of awe, as if they had fallen into a strange and unknown vortex.

Jia Cong said, "Your Majesty, if this subject's speculation is correct, the Remnant Mongols entering the capital to negotiate peace was merely a trick for them to catch their breath, survive, and cover up their movements."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said angrily, "Anda Khan has the ambition of a wolf. If this villain is not eliminated, the northern territory of Da Zhou will have no peace!"

He then asked, "Minister Jia, according to your speculation, does Noyan Taiji of the Ordos tribe know about this secretly in advance!"

Jia Cong's mind tightened instantly, and he said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Remnant Mongol mission increasing the mutual trade quota was enough to cover up their intention to plot against the military grain depots.

If Noyan Taiji had known about this in advance, he would not have made an unnecessary move to negotiate appeasement with Da Zhou."

Jia Cong's words were obscure, because the private trade with Ordos was a secret matter of the strange path.

Only four people present, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, Jia Cong, Wang Shilun, and Gu Yankui, knew about it.

So his words were vague and not thorough, but Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao knew it well, and the doubts in his heart dissipated instantly...

Jia Cong said, "The strength of the Ordos tribe is far inferior to that of the Tuman tribe, which determines that they are unlikely to have covetous hearts.

Although Anda Khan is ambitious, the various tribes of the Remnant Mongols are not of one piece."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao nodded slightly: "This matter will be discussed later..."

He continued, "Minister Jia, now that the war has begun, I know you have the ability to solve cases, but you bear the heavy responsibility of supervising the manufacture of firearms and should not be too distracted.

I grant you the right to participate in this matter. You can consult with the Court of Judicial Review on the strategy you just mentioned, and you don't need to worry about the specific investigation."

Jia Cong said, "This subject obeys the decree. After this subject leaves the palace, all officials and craftsmen in the workshops will have their leave canceled, and the construction affairs of the workshops will be operated immediately.

At present, the inventory of various firearms is sufficient. This subject believes that the focus of subsequent firearm construction needs to be strengthened in the construction of porcelain mines and fire bombs to prepare for the war."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said, "You are a master of firearms. I grant you the power of exclusive decision-making for all construction decisions in the workshops..."

……

The eight-hundred-mile urgent report from Liaodong had not yet caused a shock in the court and the public, but it had already set off a monstrous wave in the warm chamber of Qianyang Palace.

Jia Cong entered the palace at the time of the horse, and until sunset, he had not yet left the palace. The monarchs and ministers in the warm chamber discussed politics in an orderly manner.

According to the needs of the established strategy, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao summoned relevant ministers into the palace. Until night fell, officials were still entering and leaving Qianyang Palace. ===== CHAPTER 854 =====