Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 325, The Ship of Revenge

"No, absolutely not!"

Jia She simply couldn't understand his mother's thoughts.

As I get older, I'm getting more and more confused.

Why can't we just stay at home and enjoy our retirement?
The Jia family is currently thriving and prosperous, yet they insist on meddling in their affairs at this crucial moment.

Is the outcome of the war something the Jia family can influence now?

What benefits would there be in protecting the Prince of Nan'an?
Befriend the other party?
How ridiculous.

Can't Grandmother Jia see that the two sides are no longer on the same side?

Previously, both sides were nobles of Dae Hee.

It's fine to be on good terms with them.

However, ever since Fang Yong went to the capital, the Jia family has already boarded a new ship.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Nan'an was still on an old, decaying ship.

Previously, the Prince of Nan'an had taken the initiative to curry favor with Fang Yong, intending to board the new ship.

But now, with the defeat in the war, the Prince of Nan'an has lost the opportunity to board the ship.

Under these circumstances, the Jia family had absolutely no need to contact the other party.

Not a single one.

What about past friendships? They're all worthless.

What about mutual assistance among nobles?
Why don't the Shi and Wang families help each other?
Jia She really didn't know how to explain this to Grandmother Jia.

The Prince of Nan'an is no longer considered a nobleman.

Are princes from the previous dynasty still considered princes?
From the moment the Prince of Nan'an lost his military power after his defeat, he lost the chance to board the ship forever. His best outcome would be to commit suicide in Siam, where he might even earn the title of a national hero.

Unfortunately, with her limited perspective on the inner quarters of the household, Grandmother Jia was clearly unable to understand the complex relationships involved.

Grandmother Jia insisted that Jia She help her.

After being firmly rejected by Jia She, Grandmother Jia judged Jia She's behavior as "selfish," "shortsighted," and "rebellious."

In contrast, the obedient Jia Zheng was more favored by Grandmother Jia.

Jia Zheng promised his mother that he would submit a memorial at the meeting to plead for the Prince of Nan'an.

Unfortunately, all the memorials were lost without a trace.

Grandmother Jia was angry at Jia She's indifference, and finally, having no other choice, she shamelessly wrote a letter to Daiyu, inviting her to visit the Jia family mansion in the name of kinship.

……

In the inner palace, Fang Yong's mood was not dampened by the defeat in the South China Sea.

He continued to eat his usual meals.

Occasionally, I practice swordsmanship or archery.

In your spare time, take care of the fields specially set aside in the Imperial Garden, or raise some ducks and rabbits, and hone your talents.

Of course, the most time-consuming part was the practice of the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic.

Fang Yongqin devoted himself to this skill diligently, pouring most of his energy into it.

In addition, while practicing his martial arts, he did not forget to spend time with the women.

He accompanied Daiyu in writing poetry and playing the zither.

Accompanying Baochai to admire the flowers.

He accompanied Xiangling and Baoqin on a stroll in the garden.

He accompanied Tan Chun to practice calligraphy.

He spent time with Cui Si and enjoyed Zhao Lin's service.

Watch as Xiao Rong'er and Xiang Yun, each wielding a three-foot-long sword, display their chivalrous spirit and deep affection.

Occasionally, they would enjoy the manor tarts made by Princess Sofia herself, and also ride horses with Princess Emin at the horse farm.

Although Yimin's motives were not pure.

She seemed to prefer gazing at the little eunuchs in the neighboring animal enclosure while riding her horse.

Fang Yong was very magnanimous and forgave this behavior.

He wasn't angry; he simply continued practicing on horseback with Yimin.

Of course, he didn't forget to accompany Jin Chuan'er and Qin Keqing, who were pregnant, in the end.

Fang Yong could be accused of indulging in pleasure and disregarding the country's interests.

Perhaps that's just the kind of person he is.

time flies.

Siam's negotiating demands continue to be delayed.

This is also a normal situation.

When it comes to such important matters, it is quite normal for the two sides to negotiate for a month or even several months.

And so, October passed quietly.

November is here.

At the docks of Jinhai, lathes, machinery, supplies, and personnel were being transported off the ship.

Merry Christmas, my beloved King Wu!

Fang Yong smiled.

"We don't celebrate Christmas here, but I wish you a Merry Christmas anyway!"

The factory site selection and construction have long been completed, and some small parts have also been manufactured. Now, all that is needed is for this batch of precision machinery and machine tools to arrive before it can be officially completed and begin industrialized production.

There will definitely be many difficulties in the early stages.

For example, how to operate the equipment, how to produce, etc.

Fang Yong hired a large number of engineers and scientists from the British Empire, including some teachers, to provide guidance, but the difficulties still could not be eliminated.

This is a process that must be adapted to.

Fang Yong had no choice.

We can only accept these difficulties and overcome them gradually.

In any case, the factory was eventually established.

Steel production began.

Coal mining has begun.

The machines began production.

Although things were slow at first, Fang Yong was already satisfied.

By the time the factory was established, he was already sixty years ahead of the time.

……

"Have the previous probing attempts yielded no results yet?"

"No, as you know, such a corrupt empire is always very inefficient. However, their negotiating stance wasn't very assertive. Does that mean they lack confidence?"

"..."

"We can't jump to conclusions. Let's urge them on and wait for the negotiation results before making any further statements!"

"Yes."

……

Recently, the envoys from Siam seem to be getting a little anxious.

His attitude changed drastically during negotiations with Dae-hee.

Fang Yong continued to send people to stall, agreeing to some less important conditions when things got really bad, but he would never budge on the three most important ones.

On the grassland, amidst the ravages of ice and snow, Zhou Shuan conquered the last piece of grassland territory.

Tuo Lei and his remaining dozen or so men disappeared into the swirling snow.

"General Du, your wound..."

"The injury has worsened..."

"After such a long journey and without any doctors, the broken bones are beyond repair."

"The only option now is to cut it off."

"No, my hand!"

"General Du, rest assured, even without arms, you are still my number one general!"

"I……"

"..."

"Is this the Kingdom of Rakshasa ahead?"

“It seems to be soon.”

"I'm so hungry, so cold, I can't hold on any longer..."

There seems to be a cave here.

Is there anything to eat inside?

"It seems not... Um, what is this?"

"It's a bear!!!"

"Run!"

After Christmas, news of victory came from the grasslands.

Although they failed to capture Tuolei, they had already occupied all the current territory of the grassland, which could be considered as completing Fang Yong's initial goal.

Fang Yong was overjoyed and secretly celebrated with Daiyu in the palace.

Not a single word was revealed to the outside world.

The people of the capital were completely unaware of this.

Some young students still harbor resentment over the South China Sea issue.

The arrogant attitude of the Siamese envoy somehow got out.

Many scholars, outraged, jointly submitted a petition demanding that the Siamese envoy be severely punished and boiled in a copper pot as a warning to others.

Fang Yong quietly read the contents of the letter, without being moved in the slightest.

The Siamese envoy was alarmed for two days, and seeing that Fang Yong had not changed, his attitude became even more arrogant.

Scholars in the capital were very dissatisfied with this, believing that Fang Yong was too weak in diplomacy.

……

On the sea, three majestic ships cut through the waves, their brand-new metallic luster exuding an extraordinary aura. Behind them followed vessels of all sizes, including steam-powered iron-hulled ships and many old-fashioned sailboats.

This fleet was unprecedented in size, with over three hundred ships, nearly a hundred of which were large ships over ten feet long. It was unknown where they were headed...

(End of this chapter)