Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 280, Disease-Free Poultry and Livestock

Aligu was an ordinary herdsman.

In his youth, he was also full of vigor and vitality.

However, after enduring the lashes of noble lords, his youthful vigor was completely worn away, and he became an honest and submissive person.

Later, when Qah Khan liberated the herdsmen, Aligu was fortunate enough to escape his status as a slave.

He is very good at raising animals.

The cattle and sheep he raises have a high survival rate, with most surviving even in years with extreme weather.

With this skill, Aligu gradually built up some wealth.

He married a strong woman and they had a son.

Later, when his son was thirteen, Qah Khan led his army south.

Aligu voluntarily donated half of his cattle and sheep as a way of repaying his former benefactor.

Then, Qah Khan died.

Then, Prince Tuolei and Prince Duolei vied for the Khanate.

Aligu didn't know who to support, but his son was influenced by Tuolei's personal charm and became Tuolei's supporter.

At that time, most of the able-bodied men of the Abuka tribe had died. Although his son was not yet fourteen years old, it was only natural for him to join the army at such a critical moment.

War broke out soon after.

The battlefield was filled with the smoke of gunpowder, and swords were merciless.

Aligu didn't know what he could do, so he prepared plenty of dried meat for his son, and his wife sharpened swords before seeing him off.

The boy, not yet fourteen, stepped onto the battlefield. He shared the jerky his father made with his teammates and shot the arrows his mother had sharpened into the bodies of the enemy.

After a series of victories, then... the Chinese arrived.

A tall, imposing warhorse, its entire body covered in thick steel armor, was struck by the boy's arrows as if by a gentle breeze.

The warhorse charged, knocking the horse beneath the boy to the ground. The boy was thrown into the air, landing in a daze. Before he could get up, he was trampled by someone's hoof.

Aligu never received any news of his son again.

There wasn't even a body.

The boy was buried on the spot, and the grass there will grow even better the following year.

Later, the area where Aligu lived was occupied by the Dore.

Dore demanded that Aligu hand over all his possessions.

Aligu dared not resist and obediently did as he was told.

He was so honest and hardworking.

He lost his only son, yet he still had no desire for revenge.

Just like when his son joined the army, he didn't say anything to stop him.

All his ambition had been completely extinguished during his time as a slave.

Such a person would naturally be targeted by traitors.

He and his wife were sent to a pasture in Hezhou to raise cattle and sheep for the King of Wu.

Aligu didn't know who King Wu was.

But he is skilled at raising cattle and sheep.

He skillfully set up the pasture, allocated the cattle and sheep, cleaned it regularly, and prepared simple herbs such as Bupleurum and Scutellaria to prevent the cattle and sheep from getting sick.

Everything he did was so skillful, but this seemingly skillful skill was also his life's work.

However, at this time, some people raised questions about him.

"There's no need to waste so much space. These cattle and sheep won't get sick. You just need to leave a small space to prevent them from being trampled to death. The rest can be done at maximum efficiency!"

The speaker's name was Zhang Dele.

His original name was Dele, a soldier from the grasslands. Later, out of cowardice, he became a traitor. To curry favor with the people of Zhongxia, he didn't hesitate to add a Zhongxia surname before his own name to demonstrate his loyalty. Zhang Dele is currently in charge of the production and animal husbandry of seven or eight ranches in the surrounding area, including Aligu. There are many people like him, scattered around Hezhou, each in charge of a different ranch.

Fang Yong provided them with specialized training and instructed them to manage the livestock breeding of each ranch according to the specific requirements given to them.

Fang Yong has an entry for being an expert in aquaculture.

[Talent: Animal Husbandry (Mastery)]

【Progress: 126/1000】

[Effects: Increased livestock numbers, disease-free poultry and livestock, and doubled reproduction rate.]

Under such a definition, cattle and sheep will not get sick and can be raised on a large scale without restraint. The only thing to worry about is external factors, such as fodder, trampling, or wild wolves.

Zhang Dele was a loyal traitor, so even though Fang Yong's demands seemed unreasonable, he would still push them through without hesitation.

This is the awareness one should have as a traitor.

Aligu was very dissatisfied with Zhang Dele's demands.

He has been raising cattle and sheep for most of his life.

Herding cattle and sheep was his life's work.

No one knows better than him how to do this better.

Zhang Dele's current demands are a complete denial of his entire life.

Aligu mustered his courage with difficulty, his lips trembling, and weakly protested:
"You can't do that, the cattle and sheep will get sick and die!"

Zhang Dele glanced at Aligu and ordered:
"That's none of your business. Just do as I say! King Wu is the incarnation of the Eternal Heaven. As long as you graze your livestock on King Wu's land, your cattle and sheep will not die of disease!"

Aligu opened his mouth upon hearing this. He naturally couldn't believe this explanation, but in the end, he still couldn't muster the courage to resist again.

"Okay...okay."

Aligu dejectedly agreed.

He stubbornly reminded himself of this.

"Doing this is wrong!"

The matter on the grassland has temporarily come to an end.

Back in the capital, the day finally arrived for Fang Yong and Princess Sofia to get married.

The wedding was very grand, and in accordance with local customs, the wedding was conducted according to the traditional wedding customs of Central China.

The only difference is that it includes the religious rituals of the British Empire.

Fang Yong and Princess Sofia held the Bible together, solemnly swore an oath, and received the blessing of Bishop Mored.

The wedding proceeded smoothly.

The noble ministers of Dae Hee all came to attend, but most of them were not very interested.

Clearly, in their eyes, taking a British princess as a concubine was hardly a glorious thing.

That is Fang Yong, who now wields immense power.

If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't even come.

Count Sweet had intended to take advantage of this wedding to make good connections with the nobles of Da Xi, and he had prepared for this for a long time, even studying Chinese etiquette and language.

However, the reality was that everyone looked at him with disdain, a look that Earl Sweet was very familiar with, just as he had looked at those lowly Indians.

Shui Rong smiled faintly, elegantly but impolitely ignoring Count Sweet's outstretched hand.

How dare a barbarian who can't even use chopsticks be worthy of being associated with him?
If Count Sweet knew what Shui Rong was thinking, he would definitely argue loudly that he could use chopsticks; he had specifically learned to use them, but it was just a little awkward to use them due to habit.

But the more awkwardly it is used, the more ridiculous it seems, and the more people laugh at it.

Earl Sweet withdrew his hand in utter embarrassment.

At this moment, Earl Sweet truly understood the significance of his nephew Willie's statement that Fang Yong was the most enlightened king in the country.

(End of this chapter)