Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 311, The Goryeo Rebellion
Liaodong is a tough nut to crack, and now is not the time to take action against it.

However, this matter cannot be left unresolved.

Fang Yong does not want to go to war directly with Liaodong at present, but conversely, Chu Yuqi does not want to go to war directly with him either.

Moreover, the latter is more than the former.

If Fang Yong were to go to war with Liaodong, even if he were to make the worst-case scenario plan, the only loss he would suffer would be some casualties and financial losses.

For Liaodong, defeat would mean annihilation.

Chu Yuqi jumped out earlier because Tian Tianrui was there to protect him.

Tian Tianrui mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops to attack the Fang traitors, spreading the news throughout the land. The momentum was immense, and many heroes responded enthusiastically. Seeing an opportunity, Chu Yuqi stepped forward, ready to seize the moment.

But who could have imagined that Tian Tianrui would be so useless, losing hundreds of thousands of troops in just over a month? Looking around at all the heroes, he has now become the leader.

Now all the pressure is on Chu Yuqi.

If a war were to break out with the Huaiyin Army, he would be at a disadvantage in terms of both logistical capacity and military strength, and the slightest misstep could lead to his own death and the destruction of his country.

Chu Yuqi was a man of great character. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable to him, he decisively changed his tune and turned the tables on the Goryeo Dynasty, which had secretly allied with him.

Yes, a secret alliance.

Chu Yuqi originally planned to take advantage of the time when Tian Tianrui and Fang Yong were almost finished fighting to cross the Shanhaiguan Pass and head south. To this end, he secretly allied with Goryeo and promised to support the Yi regime of the Goryeo Dynasty and help the Yi regime quell the rebellion in the future. In return, the Yi Dynasty needed to provide Chu Yuqi with some money, food and troops.

Everything was agreed upon perfectly.

But who knew that Tian Tianrui would be eliminated so quickly?

Upon learning the news, Chu Yuqi had no choice but to turn the tables and betray Goryeo, his ally, annihilating its troops and demanding its money and provisions in order to seek peace with Fang Yong.

Goryeo was incredibly unlucky to have met him.

The country was already in chaos with rebellions raging everywhere. They finally managed to join forces with Chu Yuqi, who agreed to help quell the rebellion. They had provided money and manpower, but now the other party was turning around and accusing them of rebellion and attempting to invade China.

Listen, is this what people say?

Rebel kings are now rampant throughout Goryeo. Even if we search the entire country, we can't muster 10,000 soldiers. What will we use to invade China?

The Chinese are truly despicable!
Fang Yong immediately saw through Chu Yuqi's facade of strength. He was willing to reconcile with Chu Yuqi, but before that, he decided to extort a large sum of money from the guy...

Fang Yong instructed Niu Jin to fake a conscription and spread rumors.

He announced that he planned to deploy 200,000 troops to attack Liaodong, 80,000 to attack Xifengkou, and the remaining 120,000 to attack Shanhaiguan...

Fang Yong is currently mobilizing troops in preparation for an upcoming sweep across the grasslands. This is a good opportunity to scare Chu Yuqi, and then send an envoy to extort money from him.

After making his decision, Fang Yong had some free time again.

It seems like I've forgotten something?

What was he going to do again?

Forget it...

In the time that followed, peace and tranquility prevailed in various places.

After Fang Yong decisively defeated Tian Tianrui, the various prefectures and provinces became much more subdued and dared not challenge him.

Grain harvests were bountiful in various places. Wheat, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and all kinds of grains were growing well, more than twice as much as before. At this moment, Fang Yong's position in the hearts of the common people was more secure than ever.

In addition, the cattle and sheep in Hezhou are being raised very well. Although they have not yet reached the level of being ready for market, they have gradually grown from calves to adulthood.

Even with high-density feeding, no cattle or sheep died. Apart from a few that were not properly protected and were taken away by wild wolves on the grassland, none of the others died.

The survival rate is as high as 99%.

Aligu was so shocked that he exclaimed that it was a miracle.

In essence, the people who cultivate the land in the Central Plains are no different from the herders who graze their livestock in the grasslands; the only difference is that one raises plants, and the other raises animals. Plants depend on weather and climate—rainfall and drought—to determine the harvest, which is why people worshipped agricultural gods and dragon kings.

Animals also need similar processes, such as avoiding the cold and protecting themselves from snow disasters to reduce mortality, which led to the belief of the grassland people in the Eternal Heaven.

When someone can disregard all these rules and guarantee the harvest of people's crops and the growth of their livestock, then he will naturally become a god in people's hearts.

Fang Yong's reputation began to spread across the grasslands without anyone noticing.

Currently, the effect is only triggered in disease-free poultry and livestock, which isn't that outrageous, and the spread isn't that fast. However, if it triggers a double reproduction rate next year...

South China Sea.

Siam frequently provokes and violates the borders of the South China Sea.

Fang Yong ordered the sea area to be sealed off, but many local fishermen relied on this for their livelihood, and even though Fang Yong ordered the seal off, many fishermen still secretly came out.

Some returned safely, while others were encountered by Siamese fleets and perished at sea.

The bodies of the civilians who had died tragically were hung on the mast. The Prince of Nan'an was furious at the provocation from Siam and petitioned several times to send troops to fight, promising to annihilate the Siamese fleet.

Fang Yong couldn't explain the reason behind this, so he could only tell him to endure it for the time being.

If he waits a little longer, the ships he purchased will arrive soon.

Aside from the war, the two books, "On Agriculture" and "On Industry," which were previously piloted and promoted, are now showing initial results.

The results that have been achieved are slightly different from what Fang Yong had imagined.

Fang Yong's initial plan was to have ordinary people at the grassroots level first learn the most basic "Elementary Education" and then study these two books, thereby improving their basic knowledge and work skills and laying the foundation for future industrial development.

However, during the pilot program, many people found good jobs in the city after learning "Elementary Learning," so there was no need for them to learn "Agricultural Treatise" and "Industrial Treatise."

Fang Yongda greatly underestimated the value of literacy among ordinary people in this era.

The basic knowledge acquired through elementary education was enough for an ordinary person to live a comfortable life.

However, as the saying goes, sometimes things turn out unexpectedly well.

Although ordinary people did not study these two books, many local officials used their contents as a reference to guide the people.

The content in these two books is simple and easy to understand, and very practical, so the guidance is quite effective.

Fang Yong has decided to reprint these two books and use them as guidebooks for retired and wounded veterans in the army to study first. After they have learned the knowledge, they will be assigned to townships as grassroots officials to popularize the knowledge in the books among the people.

In addition, there was the promotion of "Elementary Education".

In Fang Yong's original plan, this was supposed to be the simplest and most basic book. Lin Ruhai completed it in just a month or two, making it the book that took the least amount of time to write.

However, judging from the actual results so far, this book has become the most crucial book.

Fang Yong secretly sent people to reprint the book, preparing to begin its full-scale promotion.

However, doing so will inevitably affect the interests of some people.

Therefore, he needs to prepare in advance.

Unbeknownst to him, Fang Yong had wandered around to the palace where Kong Zhaolin was.

Several young maids were guarding outside the palace. When they saw Fang Yong coming from afar, they immediately went inside to report.

When Fang Yongjin entered, he saw Kong Zhaolin dressed in a simple long robe, holding a book and quietly reading. Her expression occasionally showed a thoughtful look, which made her appear even more refined and elegant, with a lovely face.

Yes, she also wore light makeup.

Fang Yong found it somewhat amusing to see the little girl's cunning.

(End of this chapter)