Chapter 375 Niu Jizong Asks for Advice
After chatting for a while, Zhou, the chief steward of Fengzao Palace, came over.
"Your Majesty, the Queen asked me to ask you whether you and Marquis Guanjun are going to Fengzao Palace for dinner!"
"Well, let's go!"
When the two arrived at Fengzao Palace, the Queen was waiting. "Yuanchun, ask the imperial kitchen to prepare the meal!" Seeing the father and son come in, the Queen hurriedly gave instructions to Yuanchun who was standing beside her.
Pulling Jia Cong to sit down, the Queen asked with a smile, "I heard that you went to Qingxu Temple a few days ago?"
Jia Cong nodded, "I will go with my family to hold a ceremony, and I will have two days of leisure."
"When the Japanese palace is free, you can go with me. Didn't you build a pond for the hot springs in the back mountain of Qingxu Temple? I will go and enjoy it too."
"Whenever your majesty leaves, I will go to escort you."
"Well, it's settled."
Seeing the mother and son chatting happily, Emperor Longxing always felt like a big enemy. Fortunately, the meal was served soon, and Emperor Longxing hurriedly said, "Okay, stop talking, and eat quickly."
The family of three sat down, Yuanchun served them food, and the Queen continued, "Recently, I have been asking the Imperial Observatory to pick a date. In a few days, the Great Illusionary will come to the palace to give lectures to the Emperor. When the time comes, I will ask him to come and help calculate. Marriage is a big deal, so you don't have to rush. Once the date is set, I and His Majesty will personally arrange a marriage for you."
The emperor also nodded and said, "Yes, this matter cannot be taken lightly, but you don't need to do anything, the queen will arrange everything."
"Besides, didn't the emperor promise to marry the daughter of the Zhen family to you? Although she is a concubine, she still needs to be treated with proper respect. So, I plan to let the emperor arrange the marriage first, so that the emperor won't have to do it in a difficult way."
"Since the daughter of the Zhen family has been assigned to you, you don't have to worry about it. I do have some thoughts about the Zhen family, but they don't involve a married daughter. So, you can marry her boldly. Besides, the Zhen family is staying in your house now, so you don't have to be too shy."
"Since it is Father who intervened in this matter, it concerns Father's reputation. If you treat the daughter of the Zhen family badly, wouldn't it make Father lose face?"
Jia Cong immediately responded, "Thank you, Your Majesty, and Your Majesty for your concern. I know all these things."
"Well, but don't tell anyone about the arranged marriage with the Zhen family for now. To avoid any trouble, you can just issue an order when the time comes ."
"By the way, when the matter of the old concubine is over in a few days, the palace will also need to invite monks to perform some rituals. At that time, the women of each mansion will come. You should also ask your two young wives to come so that I can talk to them. Just let them come directly with your mansion's old lord. No one will embarrass them."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Being able to attend such a banquet is actually a royal grace, and it is indeed a rare thing for women from various mansions.
After the meal was finished, Jia Cong accompanied the Queen on a tour of Jinghua Garden in the back garden of the palace. Only then did the Queen let Jia Cong leave the palace.
When he returned to the mansion, Jia Zhong came to greet him as soon as he entered the door, "Master, Niu Jizong from the Zhenguo Mansion is waiting in the front hall."
Jia Cong nodded and went straight to the front hall.
"Thank you, my lord!" Niu Jizong, who was drinking tea in the front hall, saw Jia Cong come in and immediately stood up and thanked him solemnly!
Jia Cong smiled and supported Niu Jizong, "Uncle, why should you be so polite? Now that we are the founding lineage, we are united as one. Now that there is an opportunity, how can I not help you fight for it?"
As they sat down, Jia Cong said again, "As long as your uncle goes to guard the border for two or three years and controls the elite troops, when he comes back, won't you still have the final say in the South Camp? The Marquis of Jinxiang is not young anymore."
Niu Jizong also nodded vigorously. Being able to control a large camp would greatly improve his identity and status. At that time, he would become the second most important figure among the entire founding lineage, second only to Jia Cong.
"So, Uncle Shi, you should focus on stability when you go there. There is no need to take the initiative to send troops to fight unless it is absolutely necessary."
Niu Jizong laughed loudly, and then said respectfully, "I will keep your words in mind. I came here today to learn from you."
"When it comes to military affairs, I, Old Niu, am not convinced by anyone else, but I am convinced by you, Lord. If you can give me some pointers, I, Old Niu, will have more confidence when I lead the troops!"
As he spoke, he actually took out a geological survey map of Datong area from his arms.
Looking at Niu Jizong proudly unfolding the geological survey map, Jia Cong shook his head speechlessly. However, he did not mind it. If Niu Jizong could make a contribution, it would also be good for him.
Moreover, Jia Cong had already visited the borders of various places. Although he had never actually been to Datong, he had some plans in mind.
Jia Cong brushed his hand across the geological survey map. "I dare not give you any advice, but I do have some ideas that I can share with you for your reference."
"In my opinion, the defense line in the entire Datong area can be divided into three layers."
"The first layer is the Jiuyuan, Yinshan, and Tianshan lines. The Dalat Pass is the pass through which the Dangxiang people entered. This place is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If we hold the pass, we can completely keep the Dangxiang people out of the pass."
"However, there is a problem in defending this pass. There is an elite Tangut army in the Wuqi Sea. If they risk going north to bypass the barren land and directly reach the Dalat Pass, the troops in this pass will become an isolated force."
"Outside the pass, the Tanguts have built many defensive fortresses. Under attack from both inside and outside, it is difficult for the soldiers here to survive."
"The second line of defense is Fengzhou and Guanshan! These two places are important towns outside the Great Wall. If we station troops and store food in these two places, as long as these two places are in our hands, the Dangxiang people will not dare to attack the Great Wall. Moreover, Fengzhou Fumin City is on the rear grain road, and the enemy dare not easily cross here."
"There is the Shenshan Mountain Range between Fengzhou Fumin and Tianshan. Most of the roads here are narrow. If Shishu deploys his troops here, he can use the terrain of the Shenshan Mountain area to deploy his troops."
"As for Guanshan, it is adjacent to Jiujiuquan. The terrain here is complex, making it difficult for cavalry to deploy, and it is not suitable for large-scale deployment. Uncle Shi only needs to send a small group of soldiers to guard the checkpoints, which will cause great trouble to the enemy."
"As for the Great Wall, it is the third line of defense."
"This place is based on the Great Wall, including the Yehu Ridge where Uncle Shi is going to station his troops, which is also in the Taoshan area of the Great Wall."
"From Fengzhou to Yehuling, there are two most suitable locations for garrisoning troops. One is Xiashui Town to the west of Datong, and the other is Maoerzhuang to the north of Datong. If troops are deployed on two fronts, garrisons in these two locations can serve as a support for each other. Moreover, these two places are only a hundred miles away from Baidengtai."
