This was not the first time Jia Lian had met the Holy Spirit, and he no longer felt as uneasy as before.

So when faced with the emperor's inquiry, he was very objective and slowly told what happened in the desert in official language.

Although he had experienced it personally and had repeatedly performed extraordinary feats, there was no hint of pride in Jia Lian's words and demeanor, which made Emperor Ning Kang very satisfied.

After Jia Lian finished his statement and asked Prince Wala for failing to see through Prince Wala’s plot as early as possible, which resulted in the loss of his army, Emperor Ning Kang waved his hand and said in a cold voice: "This matter is not yours. It's a mistake. Think about it, when Prince Navarre was still in the capital, all the officials in the court didn't see through this man's wolfish ambitions, but instead all of them said good things for him..."

At this point , Emperor Ning Kang's face turned cold. He remembered that Prince Navarre was planning those things carefully. When he was in the capital, he secretly bribed many court ministers.

Otherwise, even if Prince Navarre’s conspiracy cannot be seen, how could there be so many ministers speaking for him!

After the incident occurred, the court was busy calming down the turmoil and had not yet had time to settle the matter. Now that this matter has come to an end for the time being, it is time to investigate those people carefully. By the way, if he can use this to make those old people who have been staring at him a little more honest, he can also be more relaxed.

Seeing that all the doubts in his heart had been solved, Emperor Ning Kang did not ask further questions, but turned to Xiang He and said: "Xiang Aiqing has worked hard this time, so he took advantage of it. Take a bath in front of the court and go home to have a good rest.

In addition, regarding the rewards from the court, the Ministry of Revenue will send someone to Aiqing’s house later.”

Xiang He was a little excited. He had worked hard for half a year and received a word of condolence from the emperor. He felt that everything was worth it, so he immediately thanked the holy grace.

After standing up, he glanced at Jia Lian beside him, and then exited the south study room in a wise manner.

When only the monarch and his ministers were left, Emperor Ningkang looked at Jia Lian, who was standing quietly in front of him with his hands down, and suddenly said coldly: "Jia Lian, do you know your sin?"

Jia Lian was startled, thinking for a moment that Princess Zhaoyang's story had been leaked. After all, other than that, he believed that his trip to Wala had merit but no fault.

His body trembled slightly, but he knelt down as usual, with a look of fear, "I am stupid, your Majesty, please make it clear."

"I have received a secret message Zhao, saying that when you were at Ganning Pass, you acted on your own authority. Not only did you bully your colleagues, but you also ignored the interests of the court and coerced and humiliated the new envoy of Oala, King Song Ye, which almost caused the two countries to restart the war.

Can you plead guilty?"

Hearing what Emperor Ning Kang said, Jia Lian immediately breathed a sigh of relief.And he knew immediately who was snitching on him.

Since there was no one else, it was just the "most dignified" marriage envoys in the mission.

"Reporting to your majesty, anyone who comes as an envoy under the emperor's order to do important things for the court will be jealous of Xiaoxiao. Otherwise, your majesty would not have personally given the humble minister Shangfang the sword to eliminate Xiaoxiao and protect himself.

Therefore, in order to complete the mission entrusted by His Majesty, the minister must have unintentionally offended some of his colleagues, so he was impeached. However, to say that the minister acted on his own authority and bullied his colleagues is really slander. words.

As for disregarding the interests of the imperial court and humiliating the king of Song Dynasty, this is even more nonsense.

Since ancient times, the envoys of the two countries have negotiated, each with their own positions, and since then On top of fighting for the interests of the country, how can we save face for each other without doing our best?

Therefore, in the negotiation with Song Yewang, the ministers spoke fiercely and refused to give in. These are all things that make King Song Ye very angry with his ministers. If any colleagues think that at the negotiation table, they should also behave like a gentleman and show mercy to their opponents, then the minister has nothing to say.

And..."

Jia Lian seemed a little angry and made fierce speeches.

He paused mid-sentence and glanced at Emperor Ning Kang. Seeing that he had no intention of interrupting, he continued to reply loudly: "Furthermore, the reason why I competed with the Ye King of Song Dynasty is because And I have been dealing with him for many days. The reason is that he wants to add an extravagant request. Of course, this minister cannot agree!"

"Oh, what an extravagant request it is. , tell me." Emperor Ning Kang seemed to really not know, and asked a little curiously.

Jia Lian was happy to cooperate, "You traitor, you deceived and teased me, the Wei Dynasty, before putting my Wei Princess in danger. However, after knowing that I, the Wei Princess, had returned safely, he still dared to speak so brazenly. Ask me, the Great Wei, to continue to marry him and marry the princess of our dynasty to their so-called eldest prince.

Don’t say whether the eldest prince of Nawala is a good match for the princess since he has already taken a wife and concubines. From the perspective of the Wei Dynasty, I absolutely cannot agree to this matter.

Your Majesty, please think carefully. Initially, our dynasty formed an alliance with Wala. Not only did we make King Nawala the khan of the entire grassland, but I married the most noble princess to Oara, and I also promised to send troops to help Oara when the Tatars invaded. With such generous conditions, I, the Wei Dynasty, treated Oara well.

However, Wala did not care about kindness, and conspired against our court, trying to capture our princess and offer it to the Tatars, thus provoking a new round of war between our Wei Dynasty and the Tatars, so that they can reap the benefits!

The wolf’s ambition is obvious.

Fortunately, Princess Zhaoyang is luckyZe is profound and has not fallen into the enemy's hands.

But our court has been deceived by Wala and has lost all face. If we agree to their request at this time and marry Her Highness the Princess, how should our vassal and surrounding foreign countries treat me, the Wei Dynasty?

Don’t they think that in order to win over a small Wala, our country did not even care about the face of the country?

Moreover, Navarre might also use the name of marriage to confuse the fact that they had betrayed their trust, and confuse right and wrong in the exchanges between countries.

Therefore, no matter from the perspective of national interests or the face of the court, agreeing to make peace with Wala again is harmful and unprofitable to our court, so I firmly refuse.

I am devoted to the imperial court and His Majesty’s consideration. If there are other colleagues who feel that the only way to do this is to cater to the Wala people’s ideas, it is only for the imperial court’s consideration. However, I tried my best to argue according to reason and protect the face of our court, but it was in vain to consider the interests of the court, and I had nothing to say. ”

Emperor Ningkang was a little stunned by what Jia Lian said.

In fact, Emperor Ningkang had already known about the resumption of negotiations between Jia Lian and Wala. .

Although the negotiations were delayed for more than half a month because of Jia Lian's persistence. But in the end, Jia Lian did not harm the interests of the Wei Dynasty. Instead, with a combination of carrot and stick, Jia Lian allowed Wala retreated knowing the difficulty and gave up marrying Princess Zhaoyang.

So Emperor Ning Kang had no intention and had no reason to punish Jia Lian for this.

The reason why he mentioned this matter This incident was just to suppress Jia Lian's state of mind and pave the way for what was to come.

Who knew that Jia Lian was already prepared and laid out so many "reasons" in one breath.

However, this kid still stands on the truth, which makes him seem a bit harsh even if he wants to find fault.

Looking at him standing in the main hall, he still looks a bit harsh. Emperor Ning Kang secretly rolled his eyes at the indignant and aggrieved Jia Lian, but he did not deliberately suppress Jia Lian.

"I understand what you said. It is rare that you are so young and have so many thoughts and concerns. , so thoughtful.

Huh, that person who has only read half of the book at first, and who only knows how to cling to the weak and keep the status quo, how can he understand the true righteousness? If you don't understand the truth, I won't agree even if they send the previous credentials back to Beijing.

Who do they think my princess is? Is it someone Nawala can marry if he wants to?

Long before you entered the capital, I had already decreed that the person who had written the memorial to impeach you should be demoted from the capital. There is no need for such a short-sighted and foolish person to stay in the court. ”

SinceJia Lian had his own excuse. In order to protect his own face, Emperor Ning Kang also took advantage of the opportunity to show that he and Jia Lian were on the same page, making Jia Lian grateful.

But Jia Lian knew that despite what Emperor Ning Kang was saying now, he was absolutely decisive. If we really want to go back to the beginning, and use a princess who has become an outcast, in his own hands, and difficult to deal with in exchange for Wala's concessions, his attitude is really hard to say!

If he really had no intention of letting his daughter marry a foreign country, he would not have agreed to the marriage in the first place.

Thinking this in his heart, Jia Lian looked relieved and bowed: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Get up."

He raised his hand to let Jia Lian stand up, and then Emperor Ning Kang changed his tone and looked closer to him.

"Do you still remember what I said to you when you left Beijing?"

"I dare not forget it. Your Majesty wants me to take this opportunity to He was sent as an envoy to Wala to find out as much as possible about the situation in Wala in order to prepare for the future.

Unfortunately, due to these sudden changes, Wei Chen only took a long trip to the southern part of Wala. , He couldn't even enter their royal court, and naturally he failed to fulfill His Majesty's great trust, which disappointed His Majesty."

Emperor Ningkang shook his head, "Although you did not arrive at the Nawala Royal Court, At least we are out of Xisai. What, if I ask you to command the three armies now, are you sure that you can wipe out all the enemies in the western border?"

Jia Lian was stunned and asked him to command the three armies? true or false?

But Jia Lian reacted quickly and immediately clasped his fists and bowed: "If you have your majesty's trust and are willing to shoulder the great responsibility, I may not dare to make such big statements as to slay the enemies of Western Xinjiang, but I am willing to be your majesty's vanguard." Traveling to the western frontier, I will do my best to serve His Majesty's great cause."

Jia Lian's voice was loud and clear, allowing the eunuchs inside and outside the palace to hear it.

If they hadn’t all known that the only person facing the emperor now was Jia Lian, they might have thought that at this moment, His Majesty the Emperor was discussing a war to destroy the country with a group of generals.

This General Jia is really favored by His Majesty. He dares to say anything in front of His Majesty...

The eunuchs feel that Jia Lian’s words are too flattering, but Ning Ning Emperor Kang didn't think so.

I still remember that when I decided to train Jia Lian, I saw that he was quite passionate. In order to protect his father's reputation, he even dared to beat the prince in public!

What monarch wouldn’t like such a passionate, capable, loyal and patriotic person?

So he nodded secretly and did not express much praise. He was afraid that Jia Lian would be too proud if he showed more favor.

So I turned to ask about Xijiang FanThe armament situation within the surrounding area, including major towns and Anxi Prefecture.

Jia Lian also reported to Emperor Ningkang in a simple way some of the pros and cons he saw.

Emperor Ning Kang was very concerned about this.

Although he boasted that his intelligence was not inferior to that of the Supreme Emperor, he also knew that compared with the Supreme Emperor, he was an emperor who had never left the capital.

About the situation at the country’s borders, we can only learn about it from the mouths of trusted ministers.

Since we want to solve the border troubles in Western Xinjiang, the armament situation in Western Xinjiang is naturally the top priority.

He was relieved to learn that the Western Xinjiang border troops had no major problems and were quite capable.

Xu was Jia Lian today, which gave him a lot of surprises. He actually wanted to talk to Jia Lian about military matters.

"Over the past few years, I have had countless discussions with the veterans of the Ministry of War regarding border troubles.

Jia Lian, in your opinion, if I were to go to court If you want to gain an advantage in the future war with the horse people in the north, what preparations should be made?"

In his heart, Emperor Ning Kang wanted to fight a war that would shine in the annals of history, and he must By winning a great victory, he could erase the influence of the Supreme Emperor on him and truly stick to his word in the court.

To this end, he has been planning and preparing for several years, waiting for the opportunity.

When Jia Lian heard this, he quickly shook his head: "Since your Majesty has discussed it with all the old generals, I am still young, and my qualifications and knowledge are far inferior to those of the old generals. Naturally, I dare not talk about national policy. ."

"One person is short-term, and two people are long-term. Since I ask you, just tell me."

"Then, I will tell you straight...

Although I don’t know what specific preparations should be made in order to deal with those alien races that repeatedly invade our borders in one fell swoop.

But I really have an idea.

Weichen believes that if we want to gain an advantage in future wars, we might as well start with firearms!”

“Firearms?”

Emperor Ning Kang Although he was questioning, his expression looked a little disappointed.

"As for firearms, when I inspected Shenji Camp, I was also shocked by their extraordinary power. However, after listening to the explanations of several veteran generals who are good at fighting, I also became convinced. No more attention.

Now that you mentioned it like this, you might as well express your thoughts."

Emperor Ning Kang's disappointment was as expected by Jia Lian.

In fact, firearms areIt has been used in wars for hundreds of years.

But looking at the previous dynasties, although firearms were developed, it was obvious that they did not pay much attention to them.

Because although firearms are powerful, they also have outstanding shortcomings.

The battlefield is constantly changing. As bulky firearms, whether they are muskets or artillery, in terms of movement and precise strike, they are far inferior to horseback shooting, which is faster and more powerful.

It is also easy to accidentally injure one's own people.

Moreover, the research and development and manufacturing of firearms require a large amount of money to support, which is far less economical than crossbows.

There are such shortcomings, and in previous wars, many armies equipped with firearms did not gain any overly practical advantages when fighting the enemy.

Investment and actual combat effectiveness are not directly proportional. So it's no wonder that people in the Ministry of War despise firearms.

It seems that people at that time did not pay enough attention to firearms, not because they were not smart enough, but because they really did not see the fate-changing moment when firearms were used on the battlefield!

But as a person of later generations, it is naturally impossible not to know the historical trend that cold weapons will eventually be replaced by hot weapons.

"Your Majesty, the veteran generals in the army don't like to use firearms, and Wei Chen naturally knows that.

Wei Chen also knows that the firearms manufactured by Shenji Camp today, It does have a lot of disadvantages.

However, I feel that if firearms can be used well, they may not be a big killer on the battlefield.

The existing Shenji Camp Although those firearms have many shortcomings, they may not be incapable of improvement.

I once got acquainted with a Franconian businessman who came across the ocean to the Wei Dynasty. According to him, after working with In their country, which is tens of thousands of miles away from us, their fighting weapons have been replaced by ordinary swords and firecrackers.

Especially the war between their country and the enemy is not even on land. Instead, we moved some powerful artillery to countless ships, and then sailed thousands or even tens of thousands of miles to fight the enemy!"

"What, tens of thousands of miles? ?”

Emperor Ning Kang felt a little incredible.

As the emperor of the Wei Dynasty, he certainly did not think like those dynasties long ago that there was only one China in the world.

He also knew that there were other countries far away from Wei.

But those countries gave him the impression that they were all weak.

How?According to Jia Lian, those countries can fight their enemies across thousands of miles?

You must know that even when the Wei Dynasty conquered foreign tribes, the battle line stretched thousands of miles, which was already considered far away. It's only a few thousand miles at most, so it's considered an expedition.

Thousands of miles away, in Emperor Ning Kang’s mind, there was no concept of such a war.

"I thought it was incredible at first, so I also contacted some other foreigners who came from across the ocean to inquire about it. Although some people said something different, one thing is certain.

In the far west, there are some powerful countries that can build strong ships and cannons, and then cross the ocean to attack others, but it is true.

I thought, since Firearms can be carried on ships and carried out on ocean expeditions.

Then why don’t we, the Wei Dynasty, follow suit? If we can also build a decent fleet, let alone the Japanese pirates who have harassed us all year round along the southeast coast. , it is not a problem.

As for how to use it in the battle with the horse people in the north, Wei Chen has not thought about it for a while.

After all, the prairie cavalry is really It's too sharp and fast, and with the disadvantages shown by current firearms, it may not be useful."

Jia Lian was afraid of arousing Emperor Ning Kang's rebellious psychology, so he deliberately said it tactfully.

In fact, although in the face of hot weapons, cold weapons are really scum. But that was also the relatively mature era of thermal weapons.

In this era when hot weapons are still in their infancy, to be honest, cold weapons are still the mainstream.

If nothing else, take the "Flangji", which is the best in the development of Western thermal weapons. Even if they fight as a whole, the Wei Dynasty can still rely on the fighting level of thousands of years. , and a huge army to defeat them...

It may be unfair to say this. After all, Wei is not qualified to beat others now!

But it also shows that today’s West should only enter the first industrial revolution at most, and firearms are like that.

Otherwise, these foreign businessmen who came to the Wei Dynasty with the belief that the East was full of gold would not be so honest.

Therefore, Jia Lian is not too worried that the Wei Dynasty is too far behind the West. As long as he starts from him and pays attention to the development of firearms, he believes that with the wisdom of the East for five thousand years and its strong national power, it can easily be achieved. Overtaking the West.

In this way, it is still unclear who will be the real trendsetter in the future Age of Discovery.

Emperor Ning Kang originally did not believe that firearms could have any great effect, but Jia Lian's words were so conclusive that he secretly became suspicious.

RepeatAfter asking several questions, Jia Lian was able to answer them, and Emperor Ning Kang became silent.

After thinking for a long time, he said: "Since you are so confident in firearms, I just remember that Shenji Camp still lacks a deputy commander, so you can take up the position temporarily.

Remember, I don’t like people lying to me.

I will give you three years at most. If you can’t produce any results for me to see, then don’t blame me. I will punish you for deceiving the emperor and neglecting your superiors."

"I accept the order and will live up to the entrustment of the Holy One!"

Deputy Commander, has he been promoted?

It seems not.

This seemed to be a fourth-rank official, because he remembered that the commander of the Shenji Battalion was only a third-rank official. The commander of one unit was only a third-rank servant, which shows the court's disdain for firearms.

Ignoring Jia Lian’s slander, Emperor Ning Kang turned his head to look at the two bright yellow imperial edicts in the dark boxes under the dragon case.

After hesitating for a moment, he took out one of them and acted as if he didn't care.

"Okay, you kneel down and listen to the order."

Jia Lian's expression straightened, knowing that he had been playing the right note for a long time, and finally it was the moment he was most concerned about.