Chapter 152: Who Made the General I Favor Only Twenty Years Old?

Xia Shouzhong felt jealous inside, but showed no trace on his face, bowed and said:

"Your servant will definitely get it done tomorrow."

Jing Sheng Di withdrew his gaze, sat back at the imperial desk, and picked up a report—a secret dispatch from the Northwest sent by the Imperial City Office.

He looked for a while, his brows slowly furrowed.

"False Qing, Hun Xie and Northern Yuan have been moving frequently these days; a great war seems inevitable!"

Xia Shouzhong replied:

"False Qing recently sent people repeatedly to contact Hun Xie and Northern Yuan; not long ago the three parties held a summit at Wolf Mountain, and their intention to invade Da Han Empire from the south is obvious."

Jing Sheng Di sneered:

"Kangxi that old thing, last time he was unwilling to accept his son's death; now he wants to ally with other nations to weaken my Da Han Empire!"

"Indeed, the founding emperor was right; False Qing's desire to destroy us never dies, they are the real internal threat to my Da Han Empire."

Jing Sheng Di, having said that, walked to the map and pointed toward the Northwest.

"Now transmit my edict: let the four towns of Datong, Xuanfu, Ningxia, and Yulin, from tomorrow, have border troops not remove armor, double the scouts, and report daily."

"During the New Year period, no relaxation. If Mongol cavalry approaches the border wall, they are not to engage or pursue, to avoid ambush."

"Order the Imperial City Office personnel in the Northwest to fully investigate the three parties' movements—who sends troops, how many, which routes, and when they move; I must know everything clearly."

Xia Shouzhong responded to each point.

Jing Sheng Di, after a moment of contemplation, added:

"Have Lord Jingwu prepare, ready at any time to campaign to the Northwest. The Northwest battle concerns the nation's safety and must not be lax!"

Xia Shouzhong, hearing this, could not fully hide surprise, asked softly:

"For this Northwest battle, Your Majesty intends to make Lord Jingwu the chief commander?"

"According to the Imperial City Office's intelligence, Hun Xie, Northern Yuan, and False Qing together will field at least 200,000 troops, involving two battlefields in the Northwest and Liaodong."

"The scale and breadth may be the largest hard battle in recent years for our court. Lord Jingwu is only twenty years old, still only a third‑rank lord; having him command those frontier veterans may be hard to win their obedience…"

Xia Shouzhong was not doubting Jia Jing's ability; he thought that this might be the biggest campaign since Jing Sheng Di ascended the throne, even concerning the state's safety, and wondered whether using some veteran generals would be more prudent.

Jing Sheng Di, hearing this, his eyes deep, declared resolutely:

"This battle cannot be won without Jia Jing! If people like Nian Gengyao, Yue Zhongqi were the chief commanders, they could at most maintain a stalemate without victory or defeat; achieving victory would be very difficult, let alone a great or swift victory."

"Now the treasury is empty, New Policies are imminent, the Northwest war cannot be delayed; only by using Jia Jing is there a sliver of chance for a swift victory. He is my fortunate general; only he can accomplish what others cannot!"

"As for using that twenty‑year‑old commander, that is even simpler—who else but the general I favor is only twenty years old!"

Xia Shouzhong felt a chill in his heart at the words, respectfully took the order, and only after Jing Sheng Di gave no further instructions did he slowly retreat.

Jing Sheng Di watched Xia Shouzhong leave; this emperor, rich over the four seas, felt endless thoughts well up within his heart.

"Jia Jing, Jia Jing, the outcome of this Northwest battle—victory or defeat—depends on your ability!"

"This time I have placed the state's safety upon you; do not disappoint me."

From afar came the third‑watch drum, Jing Sheng Di rubbed his brow, steadied himself, and continued reviewing the memorials.

At the same time in Shengjing City, the Hall of Nurturing the Heart.

The hall was solemn, candles blazing brightly.

Behind the imperial desk hung a massive map, spanning from Liaodong to the Northwest and even to Da Han Empire's nine border strongholds, countless points marked with vermilion ink.

The charcoal brazier burned fiercely, yet could not disperse the heavy atmosphere in the hall.

Kangxi sat upright behind the imperial desk.

Over the past months, Kangxi had grown much older; white hair thickened at his temples, his eye sockets sank, and the vertical line between his brows deepened.

The eldest prince died in battle at Jizhou, with 150,000 Qing troops lost, causing him both physical and mental anguish; he could not swallow this grief.

He had thought himself a saintly ruler, but not only did he lose soldiers and generals, even his own eldest son fell on the battlefield.

After this, how could he still be called "the eternal emperor"?

If in this life he cannot defeat the Han Dynasty, seize the Central Plains, and cleanse his shame, then even in death he would not be content.

In the hall, Li Dequan stood beside Kangxi, and Crown Prince Yinreng stood nearby on the left.

The two sides of the throne were each flanked by three ministers from the Southern Study—Tong Guowei, Ma Qi, Gao Shiqi, and Long Kedo—and by the princes: Third Prince, Fourth Prince, Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, Tenth Prince, Thirteenth Prince, and other imperial sons.

The ministers and princes all wore a hint of fatigue and caution; they had been in this court session for nearly three hours, and now only the final matter remained.

Kangxi slowly spoke, his voice hoarse yet authoritative:

"The hour grows late; next, we shall discuss the final matter."

Kangxi rose, walked to the map, and his gaunt finger pointed toward the Northwest.

"The nation's great affairs lie in rites and war! Now the Hun Xie Khanate and the Northern Yuan court have already agreed with my Qing to jointly deploy troops in early spring, striking the Han Dynasty together."

When these words were spoken, the hall fell silent, the atmosphere solemn, everyone held their breath, awaiting Kangxi's next words.

Kangxi continued slowly:

"This time our court dispatches two routes: one led by Chuan Erdan commanding sixty thousand troops to Liaodong, to check Nian Gengyao and the heavy cavalry under Han Army's Qin Qiong."

"The other route heads to the Northwest. Northern Yuan and Hun Xie will each field one hundred thousand troops, attacking the Han Dynasty's northwest strongholds of Yulin, Ningxia, and Suzhou respectively."

"This route our army serves only as support, not as the main force. Let Hun Xie and Northern Yuan clash with the Han Dynasty; regardless of outcome, both sides' national strength will be drained."

"This route's troops are mainly commanded by thirty thousand cavalry from our Qing vassal tribes, the Karka Mongols and the Khorchin, and the commander must both understand strategy and be adept at intrigue—crucial."

After finishing, Kangxi sat back on the throne, saying word for word:

"Since its founding, the Han Dynasty has been the Qing's arch‑enemy! My Qing founding emperor launched several campaigns against the Han, none succeeded."

"After the Liaodong battle a few months ago, the Han Dynasty emperor heavily employed the military official Jia Jing, who organized troops in their Shenjing City with considerable success!"

"If they are given more time to implement New Policies and restore national strength, it would be extremely detrimental to my Qing!"

"Therefore, our Qing's goal in this war is not a swift victory; it is to unite with Hun Xie and Northern Yuan in the Northwest to tie down the Han's forces, forcing the Han to continuously pour money and supplies into the Northwest, exhausting their national power."

"The ancestral legacy has passed through several generations to my hands; now it is time to settle matters with the Han Dynasty."

This northwest war concerns the destiny of our Great Qing! I have decided, among the princes, to select a worthy one to campaign in my stead, and to confer the title of Grand General Wang, to oversee the northwest military affairs.