Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 416: Deduction and Speculation Action
Chen Yunzhe passed the imperial examination, which was a great event, and the servants in the mansion congratulated him one after another.

Shen Lizhen immediately stated that everyone in the mansion would be rewarded.

Everyone in the mansion cheered, and the butler immediately had someone bring out two strings of firecrackers and light them outside the gate to celebrate.

“Quick, quickly arrange for someone to deliver the letter to Kuandian and Maoershan.

Tell the old master, the old lady, the aunt, the uncle, and the second master, and let them be happy too."

Shen Lizhen called the housekeeper and gave instructions.

Upon hearing this, the housekeeper immediately arranged for people to deliver the good news to Kuandian and Maoershan.

As soon as the messenger was sent away, Chen Yunzhe's classmates and friends came to congratulate him.

Now, the couple became busy. Chen Yunzhe chatted with the guests, while Shen Lizhen hurried to prepare the banquet to entertain them.

In the following period of time, Chen Yunzhe was very busy.

Generally speaking, if one passes the imperial examination, he or she will be eligible to be selected as an official and can be appointed as the magistrate of some small county in a remote area, which means that one has officially entered the official career.

Chen Yunzhe ranked second in the provincial examination, with excellent results. If he could pass the imperial examination in Beijing next year, he would have an even brighter future.

Therefore, no matter whether they knew each other or not, many officials, gentry and celebrities in the city came to the Chen Mansion to congratulate them one after another, keeping Chen Yunzhe and his wife busy.

In addition, Chen Yunzhe also had to attend the Lu Ming Banquet hosted by the governor.

In addition to officials from the government office, those who attended the banquet included those who had passed the provincial examination this year.

At the banquet, people would sing the poem "Deer Singing" and dance the Kuixing dance, etc.

Chen Yunzhe was busy entertaining guests, attending banquets and socializing.

The messenger rode his horse as fast as he could, rushing all the way to Kuandian and Maoershan to deliver the message.

Kuandian is close, so the news was delivered quickly.

When Chen Yunhan heard that his elder brother had passed the exam and even won the second place, he was extremely happy.

He quickly arranged for people to send letters to Liaoyang, Huairen and other places to share the good news with the He family and Li's family.

Maoer Mountain was far away, so the messenger did not dare to delay and traveled day and night.

On the way, they happened to meet the person arranged by Qu Shaoyang to inquire about the news. When the two met, Qu Shaoyang's person learned that Chen Yunzhe had passed the imperial examination, and hurriedly turned their horses around and followed the person back.

"Yes, yes, sir, my uncle passed the imperial examination and came in second place."

At noon on September 16, Qu Shaoyang had just finished his official business and was leaving the yamen and heading home.

Then I saw several horses galloping towards me, and before they got close, the people on the horses were shouting loudly.

Qu Shaoyang was slightly stunned, then realized that this was talking about Chen Yunzhe.

My eldest brother-in-law passed the imperial examination? And he was the second runner-up? Oh my, this is incredible, great news.

Just as Qu Shaoyang was about to speak, the horses had already approached, and the people on the horses jumped off and came forward to salute.

"Sir, on the seventh day of September, the results of the provincial examination were announced, and our master won the second place. The master and his wife sent me here to deliver the good news."

It was lunch time at that time, and officials from the Inspection Office and the Wood Tax Office were walking out one after another. When everyone heard this, they came forward to congratulate him.

"Congratulations, sir. Congratulations, sir. Uncle Chen has passed the college entrance examination and has a bright future ahead of him. Great news."

"Thank you all, thank you very much." Upon hearing this, Qu Shaoyang was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling and quickly bowed in return.

"Everyone, I have to go back and tell my father-in-law and mother-in-law the good news, so I won't talk to you any more.

I will hold a banquet in my mansion some other day, and I hope you will all come and have the honor of attending."

"Please do as you wish, sir. We will certainly come to congratulate you and ask for a glass of wedding wine."

Qu Shaoyang said goodbye to everyone in the yamen and hurriedly took the messenger home.

The weather was fine in autumn, and ginseng was still being dried in the fence. Doctor Chen and Mrs. Li and the others were also helping outside, chatting while working.

Qu Shaoyang led his men into the enclosure and saw Doctor Chen and his wife at first sight.

"Hey, Dad, Mom, you are here.

Great news! My eldest brother passed the imperial examination and was the second runner-up."

Qu Shaoyang stepped forward quickly and told his father-in-law and mother-in-law the good news.

Doctor Chen and his wife were stunned at first, then stood up suddenly, "Shaoyang, what did you say? Did your eldest brother pass the imperial examination?"

Doctor Chen's face turned red with excitement, his hands shook, and his voice trembled.

At this time, the messenger from Chen Yunzhe's house stepped forward quickly and saluted.

"Reporting to the old master and old lady, the master has been ranked second in the imperial examination, and he has sent me here to deliver the good news."

When Doctor Chen saw the person coming, he recognized him. It was from his son's house, so there was no mistake.

Liu Dongshan, Lin Ruolan, Meng Lanxin, Yang Qionghua and others were all in the yard.

At this time, everyone came closer and congratulated Doctor Chen and his wife.

The clever girl quickly sent a letter to the backyard to inform Chen Xiuyun.

When Chen Xiuyun heard that her elder brother had passed the imperial examination, she put on her coat and went out without caring that she was still in confinement.

The two maids, Baizhi and Baiwei, hurriedly chased after her with cloaks and hats, covered Chen Xiuyun tightly, and walked towards the front yard together.

"Dad, Mom, did my eldest brother really pass the imperial examination?"

Chen Xiuyun was very nimble and soon reached the center of the yard, asking excitedly.

"Oh my god, why are you out here? We agreed to stay in confinement for two months and take good care of your health. Why are you running out?"

As soon as Mrs. Li saw her daughter coming out, she couldn't help but complain and nag about Chen Xiuyun being disobedient.

"Mom, I'm fine. I've been nursing for such a long time, I've recovered a long time ago.

Besides, I am wearing thick clothes and a hat. Tell me about your brother's success in the imperial examination."

Chen Xiuyun was so anxious about her brother's success in the imperial examination that she had no time to care about anything else.

Besides, the 42-day postpartum period has passed. Chen Xiuyun has been staying in the house all day long during the confinement period and has been feeling uncomfortable for a long time. This is a good opportunity for her to go out for a walk.

Everyone started talking at once and told Chen Xiuyun about Chen Yunzhe's success in the imperial examination.

Now, Chen Xiuyun understood that her elder brother not only passed the exam, but also got a pretty good ranking, the second place.

This made Chen Xiuyun so excited that she almost cried.

"Dad, Mom, Master, Master's wife, Wife, Lan Xin, let's go back to the house and talk. We are all hungry."

It's the middle of the day and we can't stand in the yard chatting on an empty stomach. We should go inside, put out the food, and eat while chatting.

In this way, everyone went to Qu's house, and the kitchen brought up the dishes and rice. Everyone sat down, and while eating, they discussed how to return to Kuandian.

The Chen family’s roots are in Kuandian. Doctor Chen’s parents and relatives, as well as Li’s parents, are all buried in Daqinggou, Kuandian.

Now that Chen Yunzhe has passed the imperial examination and brought honor to the family, Doctor Chen and Li are planning to go back to worship their ancestors.

"Dad, Mom, I have something to say, but I'm afraid it might spoil your fun." Qu Shaoyang coughed twice and spoke. Doctor Chen and Li looked up at Qu Shaoyang, "Shaoyang, just say whatever you want to say. We are all family, there is nothing to be taboo about."

Doctor Chen understood his son-in-law's personality. He would not say that for no reason. He must have his reasons.

"Dad, Mom, I know that my eldest brother passed the imperial examination, and you must be happy.

If it were an ordinary year, we would of course go back and celebrate properly, and the banquet would not be over until three days and three nights.

It is even more necessary to worship ancestors. If the descendants and future generations are successful, the ancestors will be happy if they know about it in the afterlife."

"But the situation is unclear right now. Since the Japanese won the naval victory, their ships have been running rampant in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea.

Moreover, the Japanese army is now heading from Pyongyang to Yizhou, reportedly with 25,000 men.

Although our Qing Dynasty has deployed nearly 30,000 soldiers on this side of the river, we all know the situation of the Qing army.

Now, tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides are facing each other on both sides of the Yalu River, and the war is about to break out. I think the situation on my second brother's side is also very tense.

Now that my parents are back, my second brother will be distracted and restricted from doing anything. Xiuyun and I are also worried and can’t feel at ease.”

Qu Shaoyang took great pains to bring his father-in-law and mother-in-law here so that they could avoid the war.

Now that it’s this time, if the two of them want to go back, wouldn’t everything Qu Shaoyang did before be in vain?

Doctor Chen and Li looked at each other, both hesitant.

"Shaoyang, tell me, do these Japanese really dare to cross the Yalu River?" Doctor Chen seemed a little bit unconvinced.

"Dad, the Japanese won a battle in Pyongyang and also won the naval battle. What else are they afraid of?

Don't be fooled by the fact that the situation seems calm at the moment. Those Japanese devils must be looking for the safest and most secure way to cross the Yalu River.

It’s not that they don’t dare, but they want to bypass our army’s blockade and find the weak points in our defense.

These little Japanese are cunning and treacherous, and they are good at using tricks. We should not underestimate them."

Qu Shaoyang shook his head and sighed. It was already this late. Why was he still fantasizing that the Japanese wouldn't dare to attack?

"Really? Oh, isn't the area along the river very dangerous? What should we do?

The second son is still in Kuandian, please don’t let anything happen to him.” Hearing this, Li became frightened.

After all, she was a woman and didn't understand much about these things. She was also worried about her son in Kuandian City and was confused because of her concern.

"Master, if the Japanese want to sneak across the river, where would they choose?"

Qu Shaoyang did not answer Li's question, but turned to look at Liu Dongshan.

During the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Qu Shaoyang was most impressed by the Battle of the Yellow Sea. He did not know the land battle in such detail.

I only vaguely remember that after the naval battle, the Japanese launched a land war. In just a few days, they captured Andong, Jiuliancheng, Kuandian, Fenghuangcheng and other places.

But Qu Shaoyang couldn't remember the exact time or how the call came.

In recent days, Qu Shaoyang has also sent a number of people to gather information along the Yalu River, and combined this information to make deductions with Liu Dongshan.

The master and his disciple agreed that if the Japanese wanted to gain the advantage in the main attack, they had to find a way to capture Hushan.

Because Hushan is located outside Jiuliancheng, it is the commanding height for entering Jiuliancheng.

As long as we take Hushan, we can set up cannons there and fire at Jiuliancheng.

However, Hushan was guarded by a large number of Qing troops, making it almost impossible to cross the river and attack head-on.

These days, Qu Shaoyang has been recalling the information and videos he had watched in his previous life, while deducing them in his mind.

He tried to stand on the side of the Japanese and think from their perspective and thinking. Suddenly, he felt that the method of making a detour from the side and launching a surprise attack across the river might be feasible.

Originally, Qu Shaoyang was planning to discuss this matter with Liu Dongshan. Since the conversation had come to this point and there was no outsider in the room, Qu Shaoyang simply asked directly.

Liu Dongshan didn't say anything, but he was thinking in his mind.

He has been rafting for many years and is familiar with the terrain and water conditions along the Yalu River.

If we follow Qu Shaoyang's idea, there is probably a place that is more suitable.

"The Anping River estuary is remote, the water flows slowly, and the water is not deep."

Upon hearing this, Qu Shaoyang slapped the table and said, "That's right, it should be here."

He vaguely remembered that this seemed to have happened, but he could not remember where the location was. After listening to Liu Dongshan's explanation, he suddenly understood.

"No, Master, I have to go back to the government office and write a letter to the Taotai, reminding them to pay attention to the guards at the mouth of the Anping River."

Qu Shaoyang felt that he had found a key point to defeat the enemy, so how could he sit still and eat?

Before the war begins, we must quickly remind those people above us.

"Shaoyang, will the memorial you wrote be useful?" Liu Dongshan asked hesitantly.

"You know better than me what kind of people the Qing army is like. Even if you write a memorial to warn them, do you think it will be useful? Will they listen to you?"

Liu Dongshan didn't mean to pour cold water on his apprentice, he really saw through these officials.

The imperial court is corrupt, the officials are incompetent, and those Eight Banners and Green Camp soldiers only know how to smoke opium. Can they fight?
"Master, whether the higher-ups listen or not, I have to write what I'm supposed to write.

If it doesn't work, I will go to Phoenix City in person, meet the governor, and talk it out in person. I can't just wait for the Japanese to attack, can I?"

Qu Shaoyang also knew that this matter was not as simple as he thought, but he still wanted to give it a try and do his best.

Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, at least he can give the Japanese a head-on beating, it means his trip here is not in vain.

"Well, then go ahead. Whether it succeeds or not, we have tried our best."

Liu Dongshan sighed. How could he not know what kind of personality his apprentice had? If Qu Shaoyang was determined, no one could persuade him.

So Qu Shaoyang hurried back to the yamen, picked up his pen to write a memorial, and then sent someone to deliver it to Phoenix City at full speed.

After thinking about it, Qu Shaoyang felt that it was still not safe, so he simply wrote another letter to Chen Yunhan, writing down his and Liu Dongshan's speculations.

After the letter was written, it was sent by express horse to Kuandian. Afterwards, Qu Shaoyang led his men to Anders's explosives workshop.

"Anders, how many grenades have been produced recently? How much explosives are left?" Qu Shaoyang asked as he arrived at the workshop.

"Not many grenades are produced, less than a thousand at the moment, but there is a lot of explosives, several thousand kilograms."

Anders didn't understand why Qu Shaoyang asked this, so he just answered truthfully.

Qu Shaoyang had previously told us to produce as much as possible. These days, a lot of manpower has been added to the workshop and the machines have been working all the time.

But they had so few machines that they could only produce so much.

“Okay, then have someone check all the grenades and pack them into boxes and get them ready.

There are also mines. Please pack as many as you can for me. I may need them."

Since Qu Shaoyang wanted to have a fight with the Japanese, he could not fight an unprepared battle. He had to prepare everything he needed, so that he would be free of any equipment when a real fight broke out.

"Okay, I'll have someone prepare it."

Anders didn't know what Qu Shaoyang was going to do, but Qu Shaoyang was the boss and they had to take orders from him, so naturally they had to do whatever the boss said.

(End of this chapter)