Chapter 632 Return to Chengdu Prefecture
The Wumeng tribes were defeated faster than Jia Cong had expected. After leaving the city, the Wumeng tribes had no advantage at all. Under the pursuit of Jia Cong's troops, they almost left behind corpses and remnants along the way, and then fled back to the Wumeng territory south of Mabian River.
At this point, all the tribes in southern Xinjiang were defeated, and Shu was stabilized.
However, Jia Cong did not rush to attack the Wumeng tribe. Or rather, the Wumeng tribe was also left by Jia Cong to contain the Xuhen and Wudeng tribes. After all, how could the struggle between two tribes compare to the Three Kingdoms struggle?
As long as these three tribes are restrained by the title of King of Qiongdu, there will be no more hidden dangers in southern Xinjiang.
Afterwards, Jia Cong sent a report of victory to the court and allowed the army to rest.
The Xuhen and Wudeng tribes also mentioned to Jia Cong that they wanted to return to the Qiong tribe.
After thinking about it, Jia Cong agreed. Now that the war was basically over, there was not much point in the two tribes staying. Then, Jia Cong asked the two tribes to lead 20,000 troops each to return to their tribe, and the remaining troops were all added to Jia Cong's army.
After dispatching some troops to garrison in various prefectures , Jia Cong led the army all the way back to Chengdu Prefecture and waited for the imperial court's order.
After marching for more than ten days, the army arrived at Chengdu Prefecture at the end of June.
…
"Miss, Miss, Marquis Guanjun has led his troops back to Chengdu Prefecture." Yue Ling rushed into the house and spoke to Miaoyu without stopping.
Brush, Miaoyu stood up suddenly, and the teacup in front of her was knocked over. How could she care about it at this moment?
"Are you back?"
Yue Ling nodded vigorously, "Miss, the Champion Marquis's army is already outside the city, and the vanguard has already entered the city. I think the Champion Marquis will also enter the city."
Miaoyu subconsciously headed outside, but Yueling hurriedly grabbed her. "Miss, even if we go over now, the Marquis is already in the army. How can we see him? Besides, the Champion Marquis must be exhausted after returning from such a long journey. I think he'll need to rest his troops before returning to the camp. Why not write a letter and invite him tomorrow? Wouldn't that be the best?"
Miaoyu paused, suppressing her emotions and thoughts with all her might, then nodded slightly, "You're right, he must be exhausted after returning with the army. Then tomorrow, tomorrow..."
Jia Cong was indeed a little tired, and so were his soldiers. After the war, everyone was eager to return home, so they almost did not stop along the way and went straight back.
After placing some troops outside the city, Jia Cong led the remaining troops back to the camp in Chengdu.
The chef prepared a sumptuous meal, and after the army had eaten, they returned to the camp to rest.
The next day, the generals arrived at Jia Cong's camp. After everyone settled in, they chatted for a while. Then, Jia Cong said, "The rebellion in Shu has caused most of the Shiquan, Huaian, Yongkang, and Changning armies to be shattered. Therefore, when I reported the victory to Your Majesty, I mentioned rebuilding these four armies."
"During last year's New Year's holiday, His Majesty instructed me to make the decision on whether to rebuild or cancel military deployments in various regions, and then report to the court. Now that the war is over, and once Shu is stabilized, I will return to the court, so I have decided on this matter first. Therefore, I summoned you here today to ask if anyone intends to stay."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the generals were secretly happy.
This is a great joyous event. The size of these four armies is not as large as that of the border troops, nor as large as the camps in important places , but they are also legitimate armies.
Even if he commands 10,000 people, the commander-in-chief is still at the level of a real commander of a garrison.
According to military regulations, each du (capital) consisted of 100 men, with a lieutenant or captain appointed. Five du (capital) formed a battalion, with a commander appointed. Five battalions formed an army, with a commander-in-chief appointed. Ten armies formed a wing, with a commander-in-chief appointed as the commander-in-chief.
Therefore, normally, a local army would number around 20,000 men. However, depending on the location or needs, the number of troops would be increased or decreased. As for the border army camps, they could even command tens of thousands of men, but this was an exception.
Under normal circumstances, to be promoted from the rank of Military Commander to the rank of Wing Commander, military merit was one, support from important officials was another, and opportunity was a third. After all, unless the commander made a mistake, fell ill, or died in battle, it would be almost wishful thinking for the officers below him to be promoted.
In reality, Jia Cong had repeatedly turned down this offer from Emperor Longxing. After all, if these armies were all established through his own efforts, it would be practically equivalent to branding them with his own name, and the commanders and officers within them would naturally be his loyal supporters. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. Jia Cong's army already contained many officers from the Beijing garrison and descendants of the Eight Dukes and Twelve Marquises. After a year of fighting in Shu, this army could be considered his own.
It is equivalent to indirectly controlling the entire Shu.
Such power has exceeded that of ordinary ministers. To exaggerate, even if Jia Cong is in charge of the capital, it is another Nan'an Palace.
However, what Jia Cong couldn't understand was that in the face of his refusal, Emperor Longxing issued several edicts in succession, ordering him to supervise the construction of these troops and select the commander-in-chief and all the officers to report to the court.
If it weren't for the distinction between the monarch and his subjects, Jia Cong would have wanted to ask Emperor Longxing, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that one day your subjects will rebel?"
Unable to refuse, Jia Cong had no choice but to agree. So, now that the war was over, Jia Cong mentioned this matter to the generals.
Although the generals were delighted, no one spoke for a moment. Almost all of those present were at the same level as the military commanders. Men like Meng Hua were already commanders of a major camp in the capital, so they naturally didn't need to stay and compete for a position. Even Shi Nai, though eager, was already the deputy commander of the Shandong camp, making him unsuitable to lead another major camp.
Therefore, there are not too few people who are qualified and suitable, but there are not too many either.
After a long while, Guan Jin was the first to stand up. He scratched his head and chuckled before speaking, "General, I don't have any family concerns, and my mother is taken care of by my brothers, so I want to stay in Shu."
Having said this, he quickly added, "General, I will just continue to serve as the commander-in-chief of the army and will not dare to compete for the position of commander-in-chief."
Jia Cong smiled and nodded, and then Guan Jin sat down.
However, despite this, the generals clearly had a plan in mind. Guan Jin had served under Jia Cong since he was stationed at Lanzhou. He was considered one of Jia Cong's most loyal followers, and he was also a skilled warrior. If he chose to stay, commanding an army was a sure thing.
After a moment, Liu Fang slowly stood up and said, "General, I am willing to stay."
"Though my sons may not be as good as Hou Jing and Ma Chuang , they have been through some training under the Marshal and are now capable of supporting their families. I will stay in Shu for a few years. Besides... that bastard Old Ma will stay here by himself, and I want to keep him company for a few years. If I leave, that bastard won't be able to find anyone to fight with."
