Thief Emperor

Chapter 642 Auspicious
The battle in Jiangdong continues.

Although the battle in Jiangdong was dragging and not smooth, and it may not even seem like a particularly significant victory, but if we look at the entire battle situation, Li Yun has already won a great victory.

Of the five states of Jingzhou and Xiangyang, Li Yun has already taken over four, leaving only Jingzhou, which is still struggling.

Even for Jingzhou, it was not that Li Yun was incapable of taking it, but the cost of a forceful attack was too high. Therefore, he planned to use the method of slow grinding, or siege, to slowly take it down.

Anyway, if we need to use Jingxiang, it will be next year. By the end of the year, we will definitely be able to take over Jingxiang. It is completely in time.

Here in Jiangbei, Li Yun used tricks in several battles. In the only battle where he did not use tricks directly, the two sides were evenly matched. However, only General Zhou Xu knew how much he had suffered in Jiangbei.

Li Yun, on the other hand, managed to defend Jiangbei at a very small cost, and so far, he has already severely damaged the Pinglu Army.

The Zhou family is different from Li Yun.

By this time, Li Yun had already established a complete, self-operating government office in Jiangdong, and had good public support and prestige. He was a force that was completely capable of establishing an independent country. Although Qingzhou had also tried to establish its own independent kingdom like Li Yun, they all failed without exception.

Although the death of Mr. Gu Wenchuan was one of the reasons, it was also partly because the internal structure of the old vassal state like the Pinglu Army had already been deeply rooted, and it was extremely difficult to change careers.

The worst that can be done is to establish a military government.

Most educated people look down on such forces. This is a structural problem that cannot be changed.

Because the Pinglu Army and Qingzhou forces were far less active and popular in their own territories than Li Yun's Jiangdong Army. When Li Yun's Jiangdong Army was damaged, they could quickly replenish their forces, and it could even be said that the supply was in short supply. However, it was different for the Pinglu Army. They had lost 10,000 to 20,000 people, and if they wanted to recover quickly, they could only rely on forced conscription and the recruitment of young men.

If this were really done, it would lose the support of the people.

Moreover, Qingzhou's economic strength is far inferior to Li Yun's. Even if he returns and forcibly conscripts able-bodied men, it will probably be quite difficult to restore to its previous level.

After this time, Li Yun will no longer give Qingzhou the opportunity to slowly lick its wounds and recover its strength. It won’t be long before he and General Zhou meet again north of the Huai River.

…………

While Li Yun was talking to the three brothers of the Meng family in Chuzhou, General Zhou on the other side had successfully joined forces with his main force.

At this time, after counting the number of people again, the number of Pinglu troops was exactly about 30,000, while they were an army of 50,000 heading south. In other words, this trip to Jiangbei caused them to lose a total of 20,000 troops!

Even General Zhou felt the pain. He was even unwilling to stay in Jiangbei any longer. After reaching the Huai River, he boarded a large ship and crossed the river to the north, leaving the subsequent finishing work to several deputy generals of the Pinglu Army.

When we arrived at the north of the Huai River, there was already a group of people waiting on the other side. The leader was a young man. When he saw General Zhou, he immediately came forward and bowed his head and said, "Father."

Zhou Xu raised his head, glanced at his son, and said silently: "Didn't I tell you to stay in Qingzhou? Why did you come here?"

"I know my father is coming back, so I am here to welcome him."

Zhou Xu glanced at him and didn't speak for a long time. After a long time, he finally said, "You are right. We shouldn't start a war with Li Erqing."

General Zhou sighed and said, "I was reckless."

Zhou Chang thought for a moment and said, "I have also seen some of the battle reports from Jiangbei. Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with what father did. As for Li Yun...he always has some strange and bizarre things that make it hard to guard against."

Having said this, Zhou Chang looked straight at his father.

General Zhou understood, fumbled in his arms, and handed the telescope back to Zhou Chang, a little annoyed: "Are you still afraid that I won't be able to do it?"

Zhou Chang did not speak, but took the telescope and said with his head down: "Dad, I think we should send someone to meet Li Yun, make friends with him, and temporarily ease the relationship."

"It's useless. Li Yun is not a woman."

General Zhou snorted: "After a beating, can you coax him into submission by saying a few nice words?"

Only General Zhou, who has been in the business of prostitution for decades, could say this.

Zhou Chang whispered, "Dad, what should we do now?"

"If we cross the river, Li Yun might catch up and take a bite."

"It's already like this, there's no other way."

General Zhou put his hands behind his back and said, "Your father has never bowed his head to anyone in his life, and it is even more impossible for him to bow his head to this Li Yun. As for the future of our Qingzhou..."

"Then it's up to you."

Zhou Chang was startled, pointed at his nose, and asked, "Me?"

"Ah."

General Zhou coughed twice and said, "Father is old and tired."

He said silently: "In the future, I need to take a good rest for a few years. I will think about what will happen to Qingzhou in the future and where it will go."

"It depends on how you make this decision."

Zhou Chang was stunned. He thought of Li Yun's appearance on the battlefield in Fanyang, and then looked down at the telescope that Li Yun gave him. After a long silence, he sighed and said, "Dad, aren't you afraid that I will sell Qingzhou to Li Er?"

General Zhou said calmly: "Your father won't live for many years, so he can't control the future. If..." "If you can sell it for a good price, it's also your ability."

Major General Zhou Chang suddenly looked up at his father, who was walking further and further away with his hands behind his back.

Zhou Chang turned his head and looked south, muttering to himself.

"It's really amazing."

…………

Jinling City, new city.

The new city has been mostly built now, and the vacant lot reserved in the north of the new city is almost ready to start construction. Several small houses have already been built next to this vacant lot.

This is where Du Qian and others temporarily work. When the palace on that vacant land is completed in the future, Du Qian's place will be included in the royal city and officially become a "central agency."

At this moment, in front of Du Qian's desk, Zhuo Guangrui placed a huge blueprint in front of Du Qian and said, "Look, Lord Du, this is the rough drawing of the palace that I and dozens of craftsmen spent more than a month drawing. If there are no problems later, I will arrange for manpower and start construction."

Du Qian took the blueprint and looked at it, then looked up at Zhuo Guangrui and said with a smile: "Brother Zhuo, have you seen this?"

"Last month, a rough draft was submitted to the superior by the Ninth Secretary. The superior replied to me and asked Lord Du to make the decision as appropriate."

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Du Qian then looked at the blueprint carefully again. The drawing was very delicate. Not only were various buildings drawn, but their specific sizes were also fully marked.

After looking at it for a while, he said, "Brother Zhuo, you have to look at this thing carefully. You won't be able to see anything in a day or two. When I find out, I will send someone to inform you."

Zhuo Guangrui nodded his head and was about to leave when Du Qian called him back, "Brother Zhuo, what are you busy with lately?"

"I am busy with the new city. Many families are starting construction in the new city. In addition, there are seven things to do in Jinling Prefecture. My subordinates are very busy."

"Then I have something to ask Brother Zhuo to do."

Zhuo Guangrui immediately lowered his head: "Mr. Du ordered."

"We need some auspicious signs now."

Du Qian looked at Zhuo Guangrui and said, "Brother Zhuo, you must try your best to find some auspicious signs to prove to the world that we in Jiangdong are the ones blessed by heaven."

"Xiangrui?"

Zhuo Guangrui was stunned: "Mr. Du, this thing can only be encountered but not sought after, right?"

"Brother Zhuo, you are a bit straightforward."

Du Qian stood up, walked around twice with his hands behind his back, and said calmly: "Many auspicious signs do not come from the sky, but grow from the ground. Now that construction is underway in various parts of Jinling New City, it is not surprising to dig something out, right?"

Zhuo Guangrui immediately understood and whispered, "What does Mr. Du mean?"

Du Qian smiled and said, "That's what you mean. Things like auspicious signs are rarely explained clearly throughout history. It's a bit mysterious, but there's nothing to it."

Zhuo Guangrui kept these words in mind and bowed his head to Du Qian and said, "Don't worry, Lord Du, I will do this beautifully and not leave any traces."

"Ah."

Du Qian waved his hand and said softly, "Just go ahead."

Now, Jiangdong is basically no different from a rebellion. At this time, Li Yun needs some mystery to protect himself.

If his origins were not mysterious enough, but he was able to "change his fate" by rebelling, then who knows how many people would follow his example in the future.

Therefore, Li Yun should be given a layer of mystery.

Of course, another reason is that the cultural relics officials in Jiangdong are eager for Li Yun to make further progress as soon as possible.

In this way, they can also rise with the tide and become "founding heroes".

After Zhuo Guangrui lowered his head and left, Du Qian picked up the drawing he had prepared and looked at it carefully. He then put the drawing in his arms and called out, "Laian, prepare the car."

Du Laian responded and asked, "Where are you going, sir?"

"Let's go to Qianyuan."

Du Qian looked down at the blueprint in his hand and said with a smile, "Let's go and ask the Li family for their opinions."

Du Laian responded and went to prepare.

Half an hour later, Du Qian had already appeared in Qian Garden. After seeing Xue Yun'er, he hurriedly stepped forward to salute and bowed his head, saying, "Congratulations, Madam. Great victory in Jingxiang, and another great victory in Jiangbei!"

At this point, Du Qian smiled and said, "Madam, we can start preparing for the future palace."

……

Supplement: I have a cold and a fever... I am in a very bad state, and the things I write are not good. I will update twice in the next two days (I will update three times if I can, depending on my condition)! I hope you will allow me!
　I have a cold and a fever... I am in a very bad state, and the things I write are not good. I will update twice in the next two days (I will update three times if I can, depending on my condition)! I hope you will allow me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)