Chapter 79

Ma Guocheng's expression relaxed, knowing his repeated gestures of goodwill had taken effect; he immediately bowed and accepted the order, saying:

"Yes! I'll have someone take care of it right away!"

Immediately, Ma Guocheng summoned a dozen or so trusted soldiers and ordered them to go out and recruit people in different directions.

Meanwhile, Jia Jing walked onto the high platform of the drill field, his expression stern, and began to address the troops in the camp:

"Let me introduce myself! I am Marquis Jia Jing! I have been in the army for over two years, stationed in Liaodong, experiencing over thirty battles big and small, never suffering a defeat!"

"Recently, in one fell swoop I annihilated the Qing army's 150,000-strong force, captured and killed the Qing grand prince Yin Hui! For this merit, His Majesty appointed me as Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Defense and Marquis Jingwu! I have been appointed as the Military Governor of Bashang Daying!"

"In other words, from now on, Bashang Daying, I call the shots!"

Although the drill field is large, Jia Jing's vigorous voice still carried clearly to every soldier's ears.

As soon as his words fell, an uproar immediately broke out among the crowd.

"So he's Jia Jing! I know him!"

"He's the fierce man who crushed the Qing army's 150,000-strong force?"

"He is the descendant of the Marquis of Rongguo who was ennobled after a single battle!"

"Back when the Qing army was almost at the gates of Shenjing, it was he who kept winning battle after battle..."

……

The soldiers of Bashang Daying instantly erupted like a boiling pot, chattering wildly; most of them had heard Jia Jing's name before.

First, when Jia Jing's three victory reports were sent to Shenjing, the court widely publicized them to boost morale, so naturally the troops here had also heard of them.

Second, Jia Jing's extraordinary feat of annihilating 100,000 Qing troops in a single battle and being directly ennobled as a marquis caused a huge stir in the Da Han army, with countless soldiers venerating him as a legendary figure.

Therefore, most ordinary soldiers, upon hearing Jia Jing's name, felt excited with a hint of anticipation!

With such a capable general as the Military Governor of the camp, could we possibly follow him to earn merits, gain rewards, get promoted and grow rich?

Ma Guocheng was also somewhat surprised; it turned out he was Jia Jing, who was ennobled after three battles.

No wonder, at his young age, he could be appointed Military Governor of Bashang Daying; no wonder he dared to directly clash with Marquis Zhongqin and others—he had the confidence to do so!

Before, he only knew that the court had newly appointed a Military Governor, but he didn't know it was Jia Jing.

In Bashang Daying, he had been secretly sidelined by Marquis Linchuan and others, so he often learned of news only after the fact.

Jia Jing then shouted coldly:

"Marquis Linchuan, Marquis Zhongqin, Huang Bin, Zhou Xin, and the like have been acting lawlessly in the army—emptying the troops' pay, drinking the soldiers' blood, selling off military provisions and equipment, drinking and cavorting with courtesans, bullying the soldiers, disregarding military law, and corrupting morale."

"When Marquis Linchuan faced my arrival, he remained arrogant and domineering, refusing to admit guilt and showing contempt for imperial authority; thus I have slain him with the emperor's bestowed heavenly sword!"

"The rest have all been either captured or killed, awaiting the court's judgment!"

"His Majesty sent me to Bashang Daying to rectify military affairs, to retrain the camp into a strong and ironclad army; I hope you will take this as a warning—anyone who dares violate my military law will be put to death!"

"Attendants, pass Marquis Linchuan's head around the drill field for all to see!"

Jia Jing's icy, murderous voice instantly silenced the entire drill field.

The personal guards then carried Marquis Linchuan's head and circled the drill field once, letting the soldiers there see it clearly.

Although just now, at the commander's quarters, some of the camp's soldiers had personally witnessed Jia Jing beheading Marquis Linchuan,

but another portion of the soldiers did not see it with their own eyes, merely possibly having heard of it.

Now, Marquis Linchuan's bloody head, as it circled before them, gave the soldiers of the camp a tremendous shock to their hearts.

"It really is Marquis Linchuan's head—I never expected him to be killed!"

"He's a veritable killing god! I heard the Marquis was kicked to pieces by the Military Governor, leaving no intact corpse—only his head!"

"I myself saw, and the Military Governor even said he hadn't used full strength!"

"He actually dared to kill Marquis Linchuan—this is a second-rank marquis of the court, holding a death‑exempt iron certificate!"

"What's this? Don't you know? When the Military Governor faces the Qing army, after each battle he leaves no prisoners, killing tens of thousands of Qing troops!"

"He even killed the Qing grand prince!"

"We won't be implicated, will we…"

……

In a moment, the clamor on the drill field rose again—some were astonished, some shocked, some worried, and so on.

When Marquis Linchuan's head was hung again beneath the flag at the front of the drill field, the soldiers' gazes toward Jia Jing gained an extra hint of awe!

He is not only a legendary figure capable of slaying barbarians, but also a ruthless man who dares to kill even the court's martial marquises!

Some of the originally mid‑ and low‑ranking martial officers of Bashang Daying broke out in cold sweat, their faces pale with fear,

some of them had previously been trusted subordinates under the Jingnan Wuxun, not knowing whether they and their fellows would be purged by the new Military Governor.

Of course, some people were exhilarated, their faces showing anticipation,

after all, tens of thousands cannot all be of the same ilk as Marquis Linchuan and his ilk; naturally there are those, like Ma Guocheng, who are dissatisfied with the actions of Marquis Linchuan and company.

However, everyone realizes that the situation in Bashang Daying may henceforth be different from before!

Marquis Linchuan's head gave Jia Jing an excellent opportunity to establish his prestige in Bashang Daying.

Jia Jing stood on the high platform, his gaze sweeping over everyone, then he spoke in a deep voice:

"First, let me share some good news!"

"I also know that when Marquis Linchuan and his ilk held command, they drank the soldiers' blood, embezzled the troops' pay, and corrupted the soldiers' rations."

"Many soldiers have not received their pay for nearly two months; their families can't even keep the pot boiling! Their lives are extremely hard!"

"If we want to reform the army and become a strong force, it's not just empty talk!"

"First, I will guarantee that you are well fed and clothed, and that you receive your full monthly pay!"

"This time I come, I will not only make up the back pay for the past two months, but from now on I will also dispense your full monthly pay each month."

"I will never delay or deduct, and even soldiers who perform outstandingly in training will receive rewards!"

"Bring it up!"

Jia Jing gave an order, and the personal soldiers brought up ten small boxes; although the boxes were not large, they were heavy.

According to the Han Dynasty's measurement of sixteen taels to a jin, 200,000 taels of silver weigh about 7 tonnes or more.

The personal soldiers opened the boxes, and, following Jia Jing's signal, poured the silver from the boxes onto the high platform of the training field, so that the soldiers could see it clearly.

In an instant, a small mound of piled-up silver appeared before the eyes of the soldiers of Bashang Daying.

All the soldiers' faces lit up with joy, and their spirits were instantly uplifted!

No amount of other talk is as persuasive as this solid silver.

Many soldiers of Bashang Daying can't even get enough to eat, and their wives and children are about to starve; they're just waiting for a pot of rice to save their lives.

For a moment, the solemn atmosphere in the camp disappeared, replaced everywhere by cheerful sounds.

"The Marquis of Linchuan and his ilk really deserve to die; the court should have let the lord marquis serve as Military Governor!"