Xiaoyao Xiaojunhou

Chapter 577 It's a Dream
"But...hey, the Liang Kingdom doesn't break their promises, but sometimes they are at their wits' end!"

"As a result, our country, Chen, has sent a large number of tributes, but we cannot seek peace..."

Chen Huang's face was ashen, and he looked deeply depressed.

If "paying tribute in exchange for peace" is treated as a business, Emperor Chen will both lose money and get no goods!

You can imagine how depressed an individual would feel when encountering this kind of situation.

Regarding this situation, Zhu Xiuyuan could only smile bitterly.

He couldn't say anything, so he just listened quietly. Zhu Xiuyuan believed that Emperor Chen summoned him here in the middle of the night not only to complain about Liang Guo, but also to give other instructions.

"I wish you dear, I have placed all my hopes on the Divine Thunder Army. I only hope that the Divine Thunder Army will become an army as soon as possible and can deter the Yan Kingdom in the north, so that I, Da Chen, will no longer have to pay tribute every year!"

Sure enough, Emperor Chen got to the point the next moment.

Concubine You took over and said, "I wish Aiqing, in fact, your majesty also had great ambitions, but... our army is weak, far inferior to that of Yan State, let alone that of Liang State."

"The military of a country is so weak that it cannot even use its ambitions to protect its territory and its people..."

"That's why Your Majesty has to submit to Liang Guo and pay a large amount of tribute every year, in the hope that Liang Guo can take action to frighten the Yan people and protect our country, Chen, in peace."

"But Zhu Aiqing, you have also seen that in today's world, the situation is unpredictable. Even a 'strong beam' sometimes cannot protect my safety, Da Chen."

"Only when we are strong can we protect the safety of Dachen and protect the country and the people!"

"Zhu Aiqing's Divine Thunder Army is related to the fate of our country, Chen. I hope Zhu Aiqing will pay more attention and train more rigorously so that the Divine Thunder Army can become an army as soon as possible and deter the Yan people in the north."

"When this is done, Your Majesty will definitely receive a generous reward!"

Zhu Xiuyuan had actually guessed this point a long time ago. After hearing the long speech between Emperor Chen and Concubine You, he was "tearful of gratitude" and bowed his hands: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty and Your Majesty, I will do my best to make the Shenlei Army into an army as soon as possible." , Don’t be afraid of the Yan people!”

"Ok!"

Chen Huang was very satisfied with Zhu Xiuyuan's performance and nodded repeatedly.

Then he asked: "I wish Aiqing, what else does the Divine Thunder Army need? Just ask, my internal treasury is full now, no matter what Aiqing wants, I will find a way to satisfy it!"

Chen Huang suddenly thought that the reason why his inner treasury was so full was actually because of Zhu Xiuyuan.

In the "Three Major Cases", many people were confiscated and exterminated, and countless big fish were caught in the net. All the proceeds from these confiscations went into Chen Huang's inner treasury.

That's a huge sum of more than 1000 million taels!

When Chen Huang thought about this, he suddenly felt that the Zhu Xiuyuan in front of him became more and more pleasing to the eye...

"Your Majesty, the Divine Thunder Army is fully equipped with weapons, food, and wages that far exceed those of other armies. We don't need anything more! If there are any other needs in the future, I will definitely come and request your Majesty." Zhu Xiuyuan paid his respects.

It's not that Zhu Xiuyuan doesn't want to take the opportunity to make some money, but it's not necessary.

First of all, Chen Huang has really invested a lot in the Thunder Army.

Although the armor of the soldiers of the Divine Thunder Army is made of paper, the paper armor wears out quickly and needs to be replaced frequently, which is already a huge expense.

There are also food, salary, etc., as well as the investment in Shenleifang, which is a huge number, which is completely enough.

Another point, for Zhu Xiuyuan himself, his Jiangcheng uncle's mansion is not very short of money now.

There are two businesses in the mansion: Dong's Tea House and Dong Shuyu, both of which make money every day.

In addition, there are fields, real estate, gold and silver utensils, silk cloth, slaves and livestock, etc. rewarded by Emperor Chen, which is also a huge wealth.

With this income, it is more than enough to support everyone in the house, including the thousand "gold-swallowing beasts" generals.

In addition, Zhu Xiuyuan's desire for money is not very high, he has other pursuits.

Money and other external things should be enough.

If it is not enough, Zhu Xiuyuan has countless ways to make money.

Therefore, there is no need for Zhu Xiuyuan to fish for this little profit.

After declining Chen Huang's kindness, Zhu Xiuyuan said that after selecting generals at all levels through military examinations, the Divine Thunder Army has undergone major changes and is no longer what it used to be.

In addition, there is another important point, that is, the regulations for the training of new weapons are gradually being explored except for a few tricks. I believe it will take a few months to finalize them.

This is what Chen Huang really values.

Regulations for training new weapons.

With this thing, Chen Huang can practice according to the regulations and copy many divine thunder armies in minutes.

When that time comes, hehe, Chen Guozhi's military power may be able to detonate the entire land of China!

Therefore, Emperor Chen was very pleased, praised him profusely, and then let Zhu Xiuyuan leave the palace and return home...

It was already late at night when Zhu Xiuyuan returned to his mansion.

He did not disturb Dong Shuzhen and the others, but only woke up Qiu Wen who was in the small penthouse next to his room, washed briefly, and then went to bed to rest.

After tonight's court meeting, it was already known that Liang, Dafan and Beiyuan were really fighting hand-to-hand and facing off against Chen Bing.

However, Zhu Xiuyuan still did not change the plan he had made for the previous nine days. He was still running between the Shenlei Army and Shenleifang, testing new weapons.

At the same time, Zhu Xiuyuan also ordered Lin Bochang to step up his training. Now that the situation in the world is changing, one day, this seemingly impregnable capital may become a battlefield.

By that time, even if the Divine Thunder Army has not yet formed an army, I am afraid they will have to go into battle to kill the enemy...

Days passed by like this.

The news about Liang Guolai has not improved at all.

The war between Liang Guo and Da Fan seems to be getting more and more intense.

Although the confrontation with Bei Yuan has not yet turned into a war, the smell of gunpowder is getting stronger...

On the Chen State's side, in addition to the vigorous reorganization of the armies near the capital, the prefectures and counties bordering the Yan State in the north, from east to west, such as Chuzhou, Haozhou, Luzhou, Xuanzhou, etc., are also strengthening defenses and building Military affairs, dispatching troops and generals, are very busy.

The scouts, spies, and agents sent out by King Zhongshan also penetrated deep into Chuzhou, Haozhou and other places on the northern border, and even Sizhou, Xuzhou, etc. in the Yan Kingdom, and agents also infiltrated.

They continuously sent back news and went straight to the court for discussion by Emperor Chen and his ministers.

These days, Emperor Chen has also become more diligent in his work and holds court meetings from time to time.

After all, this matter is really big. If the Yan people really go south, they will cause huge harm to Chen State no matter what.

The capital of Chen State, also known as Healthy City, is located on the south bank of the Yangtze River, which is too close to the border of Yan State.

If the Yan Kingdom suddenly attacks and attacks the capital city, or breaks through the capital city and breaks into the palace...

Both Emperor Chen and Concubine You were afraid that this situation would happen, which would affect their life and death, so Emperor Chen had to take it seriously and "sacrificed" a lot of time for fun, dealing with military affairs and holding court meetings every day.

Zhu Xiuyuan would go to every court meeting.

Zhu Xiuyuan's mood became heavier every time he left the court.

Judging from the news from all parties, the situation seems to have reached an irreversible point.The Liang Kingdom and Dafan seemed to be fighting a real fire, and both sides invested more and more troops.

But fortunately, Beiyuan is still in confrontation, and there is no sign of any change on the Yan side...

On the third day, Emperor Chen held another court meeting and announced terrible news: Bei Yuan also fought against Liang Guo!

The two sides have fought several battles on their respective borders...

At this point, Liang Guo finally fought on two fronts.

In other words, the Liang State no longer had any extra troops to deter the Yan State, who was ready to make a move, and plot against the Chen State.

At this court meeting, the mood of the entire court, including all Chen Guojun and his ministers, fell to the lowest point.

However, what made Chen Guo's monarchs and ministers feel a little relieved was that they went deep into Yan Guo to inquire about the news, and the news they came back was reassuring.

According to the craftsmen, there was no unusual movement in the Yan Kingdom, and the situation was calm. Even the previous talk among the people of "going south to attack Chen" has completely disappeared!

The Yan State seems to have forgotten that now is an excellent time to attack the Chen State!

However, many people, including Zhu Xiuyuan, smelled something unusual from the news about Yan State.

Even the popular talk of "going south to attack Chen" has disappeared. Is it too much?Is it too deliberate?

However, although they smelled something unusual, due to various reasons, they never investigated further...

At the end of the day, Zhu Xiuyuan dragged his exhausted body back home.

It was dark and dinner time, so Dong Cheng, Zhu Xiuyuan, Dong Shuzhen, and Dong Shuyu gathered in the flower hall of the main house to have dinner.

On the table, a large table was filled with good wine and good food, and the aroma was overflowing, which really whetted one's appetite.

Zhu Xiuyuan was tired and hungry, so he picked up his chopsticks and wolfed down the food without caring about anything else.

Dong Shuzhen, who was sitting next to him, had no worries. Seeing that her husband was eating deliciously, she couldn't help but feel an appetite. She took off her chopsticks and kept picking vegetables for Zhu Xiuyuan.

Dong Cheng, as the prefect of Runzhou Prefecture, is in charge of the people's livelihood affairs of the entire Runzhou Prefecture, including the capital.

Although Dong Cheng did not attend Emperor Chen's court meeting, as a governor, Dong Cheng was naturally very aware of the current situation.

He is worried, worried, worried about this and that...

This caused Dong Cheng to have a poor appetite. He took a bite of food with his chopsticks, but could not reach out for a second chopstick for a long time.

Dong Shuyu on the other side was also full of melancholy. Although her mouth was moving slowly, she was eating very slowly, as if one grain of rice would take as long as a stick of incense.

After dinner.

The leftovers were removed and the fragrant tea was served.

The four of them gathered around the table and started the "family meeting" after dinner.

"Dad, and Xiuyuan, what is the situation now?" Dong Shuyu frowned and asked, "If it is true as what is spread in the market, will we..."

"Should we also make some arrangements, such as a farm outside the city, a tea house in the city, Dong Yulou, etc. If the situation is really critical, we can make arrangements early so that we won't panic when it comes."

Dong Shuzhen, the wife of Uncle Jiangcheng, was actually responsible for the management of the servants in the mansion, the business in the city, and the farm properties outside the city.

But Dong Shuzhen is such a person who escaped. It would be strange if she didn't make a mess if she came.

So in fact, Dong Shuyu was in charge of the general affairs of Jiangcheng Bofu. At the same time, Dong Shuzhen was taken to watch and learn while watching.

But Dong Shuzhen didn't care about these facts.

No, when she heard Dong Shuyu talk about these issues, she couldn't help but shrink her neck, her big eyes darting around, for fear that her father Dong Cheng and her husband Zhu Xiuyuan would say something about her.

"Well, I think it's okay. The current situation is really not optimistic. We might as well prepare early. This matter..."

Zhu Xiuyuan prolonged his voice and glanced sideways at Dong Shuzhen.

Dong Shuzhen was startled, and her whole face seemed to have a few words written on it: "Husband, don't give me this difficult task..."

Zhu Xiuyuan smiled and looked at Dong Shuyu again, "Please let Shuyu arrange this!"

"Ah."

Dong Shuyu nodded and agreed.

There is no way, this kind of general affairs should be handled by the women in the mansion.

The male master of the house only needs to deal with the outside world, but they cannot interfere with the inside.

"But one thing is that this matter cannot be made public and needs to be done in secret to avoid being taken advantage of by those who are interested." Zhu Xiuyuan ordered again.

Dong Shuyu nodded, indicating that he understood.

Next, they discussed some other things, but after all, they couldn't get around the recent tense situation...

After it got dark, everyone dispersed and went back to their rooms to rest.

Before Zhu Xiuyuan fell asleep, he habitually went over what happened today in his mind. When sleepiness hit him, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Zhu Xiuyuan has been having trouble sleeping recently and often has nightmares at night.

No, he didn't know how long after he fell asleep, the lingering nightmare came to him again.

This time, he dreamed that the capital was besieged and 20 Yan troops violently attacked the city. For some reason, the impregnable capital was breached and the city was in chaos.

Then he decisively pulled down the city wall and rushed to Jiangcheng Uncle's Mansion with all his life. He wanted to take Dong Cheng and the others to break out and run away.

Will we live or die with the capital?

Impossible, it's all broken, how can we survive together?

However, the world in the dream was strange. He wanted very much to run back to Jiangcheng Uncle's Mansion as soon as possible, but his feet seemed to be filled with lead and he could not take a step...

Then, the scene in the dream changed. Yan Jun captured his little wife Dong Shuzhen. Dong Shuzhen was still shouting: "Husband, husband..."

I vaguely remember that he broke out in his dream and ran desperately to rescue him. However, his feet seemed to have lost consciousness and he fell to the ground with his head up.

"what!"

The moment he fell down in his dream, Zhu Xiuyuan suddenly woke up and screamed. His whole body twitched violently and trembled involuntarily.

In the darkness, Zhu Xiuyuan opened his eyes. Through the wisps of light from the lanterns on the corridor outside the room, he could only see a blurry bedside.

He gasped for air and his eyes widened in the darkness. It took a while for Zhu Xiuyuan to react.

It was just a dream.

While gasping for air, he noticed that there seemed to be water on his face. He stretched out his hand and touched it. Where the water was, it was clearly cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)