Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 236, Daiyu's Feelings

The two curved eyebrows seem to be frowning rather than frowning, and a pair of eyes that seem to be happy but not happy.

The sorrow of the two dicks, the disease of the whole body.

Tears shone a little, and she panted slightly.

Still as a beautiful flower reflected in water, in motion as a willow swaying in the breeze.

The heart is more dry and one hole is more, and the disease is like Xizi winning three points.

The poem reads: A sob still lingers, fallen flowers cover the ground, birds take flight in fright.

Before we knew it, it was morning.

When Daiyu opened her eyes, she looked like a fairy waking from a dream. Although her hair was disheveled, it could not hide her ethereal beauty.

Yesterday's attempt was only a brief one, but under the influence of the technique, Daiyu not only recovered physically, but also experienced a strengthening effect.

Looking at the figure beside her, Daiyu's eyes revealed tender affection.

She instinctively leaned in and nestled comfortably against Fang Yong's chest.

Fang Yong stirred slightly. He had actually been awake for a while, but seeing that Daiyu was still fast asleep, he hadn't gotten up to disturb her. Now that he saw Daiyu awake, Fang Yong immediately became restless.

Sensing the change, Daiyu trembled and looked at Fang Yong reproachfully.

"What a jerk, doing this so early in the morning!"

Fang Yong opened his eyes.

The two looked into each other's eyes, unable to hide the feelings in their hearts.

Fang Yong couldn't help but chuckle and said:

"Little sister, can I kiss you?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu softly hummed in agreement.

Fang Yong leaned forward and kissed Daiyu's lips...

Soon after, Lin Daiyu shed tears.

Fang Yong stayed in Daiyu's room until noon before finally deciding to leave.

Before leaving, Fang Yong gave the royal robe to Daiyu as a keepsake.

Now, Daiyu has collected robes of three different kinds: those of a marquis, a duke, and a king.

It seems there are no more Bo Zinans available, and as for the imperial robes, we'll have to wait a little longer.

In the past, King Wen of Zhou possessed two-thirds of the world, yet still served the Yin Dynasty. Fang Yong, on the other hand, has only obtained one-third, so it is clear that he cannot easily change dynasties.

We need to take over Henan and Shanxi at least to be considered secure.

Shanxi had previously suffered a major upheaval, with a large number of officials dying.

Emperor Longqing promoted many new officials to serve in Shanxi to quell the chaos in the province, among whom Jia Lian, the prefect of Zezhou, was a notable example.

In addition, the current governor of Shanxi is named Su Guangxiong.

This person is frequently mentioned by Xue the Cripple.

Su Guangxiong's ancestral home is Suzhou, and his father was the former governor of Suzhou.

Long ago, Xue Da the Cripple was transporting military supplies when they were ambushed and killed on the way. The person who did it was Su Guangxiong's elder brother.

However, in the following years, Su Guangxiong's elder brother and father were implicated in some major cases and were executed.

As a result, Su Guangxiong's family fell into decline, but fortunately, his family's network of connections remained, which made his career progress smoothly afterward, and he was even promoted to Governor of Shanxi last year.

Xue Da Quezi's Xue family business association bribed Su Guangxiong when transporting horses in Shanxi.

Su Guangxiong readily accepted the bribe and gave the Xue family business a free pass. It is unclear whether he was purely driven by greed or was unaware of the events of that year.

Fang Yong, acting in the capacity of the Longqing Emperor, issued an imperial edict to Su Guangxiong, ordering him to return to the capital to report on his duties.

If Su Guangxiong were to obey the imperial decree and return to the capital, Fang Yong could take over Shanxi without lifting a finger.

If Su Guangxiong disobeys the imperial order, Fang Yong will have to mobilize a large army to suppress him, which will be relatively troublesome...

In addition to Shanxi, Fang Yong also issued an edict in Henan.

However, it is highly likely that Tian Tianrui, the governor of Henan, will not obey the imperial decree to return to the capital.

Tian Tianrui lived during the Kangning era. In his early years, he was dismissed due to political disagreements with Zhang Tingzheng. After Emperor Longqing ascended the throne, he was reinstated. After the retired emperor seized power, he was dismissed again. When Emperor Longqing seized power again, Tian Tianrui was already over sixty years old. Emperor Longqing still valued him highly and reinstated him, appointing him as the governor of Henan.

Given such boundless imperial favor, Tian Tianrui's loyalty to Emperor Longqing would certainly not be low. To take an extreme stance, he might even be gathering an army now, preparing to rebel.

Therefore, Fang Yong decided that as long as Tian Tianrui refused to return to the capital, he would immediately label him a traitor and then prepare to suppress him with a large army or order others to attack him.

In addition, there is the Liaodong region.

Although Liaodong is a harsh and cold region, it is a vast and populous land with abundant resources, making it a rare and precious place.

Having experienced modern life, Fang Yong understands the potential of this land better than others.

Wang Ziteng had been in Liaodong for many days, and his current situation was unknown. Fang Yong asked Emperor Longqing to issue an edict to Chu Yuqi, the governor of Liaodong, and sent people to inquire about Wang Ziteng's situation.

With the Longqing Emperor as his patron, Fang Yong always felt justified in his actions, giving him a significant advantage.

The emperor's title is indeed very useful; no wonder so many people have imitated it throughout history.

the other side,
grassland.

The expeditionary soldiers finally returned to their long-missed homeland.

The troops of the various tribes dispersed here, each going their own way.

The Abuka tribe's territory is not far from here, located in the eastern part of the Yinshan Mountains.

The western region was once allied with the Abuka tribe, the Adil tribe.

Of course, the relationship between the two sides has now become one of enmity, and is no longer what it used to be.

When the men returned, the women of the grassland led their children out to greet them from afar.

I still remember the promises made by the men of the grasslands before they went to war.

This trip will bring back gold from Zhongxia to make glittering jewelry for the women in my family.

They will take back those expensive silks from the Central Plains and make new clothes, so that they will never have to suffer from the cold winter again.

They would capture slaves from the Central Plains to herd cattle and sheep for their families.

The women watched with anticipation as the returning procession arrived.

Those beautiful visions repeated themselves in their hearts.

But when the army arrived, the first sound to be heard was the mournful cry of bugles.

"Woo-"

The men brought back no gold, no silk, no slaves, only their own bones.

The gyrfalcon, soaring high in the sky, will never lower its proud head.

Qah Khan once said that he would do his best to bring back all the warriors who went with him on the expedition.

Although they knew in their hearts that it was impossible for everyone to return, they were still willing to believe in Qah Khan.

I have faith in this man who single-handedly dominated the grasslands.

But now, even this man has left his life there forever...

Many women never saw their husbands again.

Many of those who returned alive were injured and unable to work.

Soon after, every household wore mourning clothes, and cries of grief echoed throughout the entire tribe.

The child, who had been eagerly anticipating his father's arrival, lost his smile and silently tied the white cloth strip around his body.

When the expedition began, Khan Kah took away 30,000 of the tribe's most elite warriors, but only a little over 20,000 have returned.

The mortality rate is as high as one-third.

Grasslands have never been densely populated areas.

Compared to the hundreds of millions of people in the Central Plains, the entire grassland has a population of only about one million.

The warriors on horseback are skilled in archery and horsemanship; they are natural-born soldiers.

The mobile forces, numbering in the tens or even hundreds of thousands, cavalry, invaded Central China.

It appears incredibly powerful, but the undeniable fact behind it is that it represents the culmination of all the strength and all the able-bodied men on the grasslands.

If we had failed, it would have been a tragedy like today.

The extinction of a race and its people could happen in the blink of an eye.

(End of this chapter)