Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 1010 Chance Value - Old Man Lin

"Mr. Qian!"

Li Bao was naturally astonished that the Grand Chancellor of the Western Prefecture of the Song Dynasty had come to the island.

This feeling is similar to that during the Three Kingdoms period, when Zhuge Liang casually found a bathhouse to take a bath and suddenly saw Sima Yi scrubbing his back.

Their first reaction was definitely not to fight, but to wonder if they were blind.

Seeing that Li Bao had already blocked his way, Qian Duanli felt helpless but could only feign confusion: "General, do you consider me your cousin?"

Lu Jiuyuan also stopped and turned to look.

The martial artists following behind Li Bao also stopped. The young man in the lead reached out to touch his sword, which made Lin San and the others a little nervous.

After looking Qian Duanli up and down, Li Bao smiled and said, "Mr. Qian is indeed very much like Master Qian. I was presumptuous."

After bowing respectfully, Li Bao stepped aside to make way.

Li Bao's face only darkened after Qian Duanli and his group left the restaurant.

The young man holding the knife, Li Gongzuo, leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Father, is there anything wrong with him? Could this man really be Master Qian Duanli?"

“It’s him, of course.” Li Bao said firmly, as if he had already made up his mind: “He was being too deliberate. A cousin who looks so much like Master Qian, there must be plenty of people who mistake him for someone else. How could he not react when I first called him Master Qian?”

Besides, we're all dressed in plain clothes now, without armor, no different from ordinary sailors. Why did he call me "general" so directly?

Li Gongzuo asked nervously, "Father, is there anything you need me to do?"

Li Bao shook his head: "There's no need to do anything. There must be some big trouble in the court... Heh... Even the Prime Minister of the Western Palace has gone into hiding and fled to Taiwan. How could he have time to care about us?"

At this point, Li Bao seemed to recall a series of disgusting things that had happened in the court, and immediately lost the desire to speak, heading towards the second floor.

the other side.

Qian Duanli walked out of the restaurant with an air of nonchalance, but once he was far away, he walked quickly, his movements incredibly agile, leaving Lu Jiuyuan and the others several steps behind.

"Mr. Qian! Slow down! Slow down!" Lu Jiuyuan called out as he jogged, "We're on the island of Treasure Island now, a place beyond the reach of civilization. Nobody dares to cause trouble here."

Lin San caught up and repeatedly comforted them, "That's right. After all, the Lin family has put a lot of effort into the construction of Beigang. We can't let our distinguished guests lose face for no reason."

Qian Duanli finally calmed down and leaned against a doorpost, panting heavily. This startled the foreign woman from the half-closed door of the small house next door.

But when the Hu woman saw that Qian Duanli was old but handsome, she was overjoyed. She lifted her breasts and her eyes seemed to ripple with spring water.

Qian Duanli ignored the Hu man, instead turning his head to reveal a smile that was more like a grimace: "Lu Liulang, do you think Lu Dalang anticipated so many twists and turns before setting off?"

What a load of rubbish!
Lu Jiusi is just adept at interpersonal relationships, not at being able to predict the future!
Lu Jiuyuan gave a wry smile: "Who would have thought that someone on this overseas island would recognize Mr. Qian? By the way, who was that person just now?"

"Li Bao, Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry and Infantry of Liangzhe and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy." Qian Duanli did not hide anything.

Lu Jiuyuan and Lin San exchanged a glance, then immediately frowned.

The same thought crossed both of their minds: Why would this high-ranking general, one of the top Grand Commandants in the Song Dynasty, come to Taiwan?
Could it be that they're just after this fish soup?
Surely he couldn't possibly end up like Qian Da Xiangong, forced to flee by sea due to the political situation in the Song state?

Upon having this thought, Lu Jiuyuan immediately hesitated.

Now, Li Bao was a true advocate of war. His hometown was Chengshi in Shandong. He had served under both Yue Fei and Han Shizhong and was a close friend of Wei Sheng.

There is even a claim that Li Bao was one of the masterminds behind Wei Sheng's Northern Expedition, and that his son has made outstanding contributions in the north and has already received an official position in the Han Dynasty.

From the Jingkang Incident to Wanyan Liang's southern invasion, he fought on the front lines against the Jin Dynasty. Later, he was appreciated by Yu Yunwen and helped the Song Dynasty block the Han army forces that were spreading from the sea.

Given his qualifications and the state of the Song Dynasty, it would be strange if Li Bao weren't suspected and suppressed!

However, this matter was far removed from Lu Jiuyuan's life, as he had not even passed the imperial examinations and entered officialdom yet. Therefore, after a moment's thought, he put it out of his mind.

After tossing a silver ingot onto the Hu woman's skirt and sending her away, Lu Jiuyuan stepped forward to help Qian Duanli up: "Mr. Qian, whatever Li Baolai is doing in Taiwan, since he hasn't called out your name on the spot, it means it has nothing to do with you. So what is there to worry about?"

Qian Duanli shook his head again: "You don't understand. Po Li San is a famous general of the current dynasty, no less than Li Xianzong and Cheng Min. It's just that he has been at sea all his life, so his reputation is not well known."

Taiwan is so close to Fujian; whatever he wants to do, he can definitely do it.

Li Bao must be insane to fight for Taiwan at this time!
Doing so would be tantamount to waging war against the Han army at sea!
Lu Jiuyuan inwardly grumbled, but he knew Qian Duanli was a frightened bird, incapable of reasoning, so he could only helplessly say, "According to Mr. Qian's wishes, now..."

Qian Duanli was also afraid that Lu Jiuyuan would send him to Southeast Asia again, so he quickly interrupted and said, "Lin San, does the Lin family have any other residences? Anything outside Beigang will do. If you can't afford to offend them, you can avoid them. Li Bao is a general in the court, and he can't stay away from the army for long. As long as he hides for a while, he will naturally leave."

Lin San hesitated for a moment before saying, "Indeed, there is, and it's quite suitable, but it's a bit too close to the mountains, and there are a lot of mosquitoes." Qian Duanli waved his hands repeatedly, "It's alright, it's alright, how can we worry about such things at a time like this?"

Helpless, Lin San could only give a wink to his trusted family members, and then found two carriages, taking Qian Duanli and Lu Jiuyuan out of the city.

Lu Jiuyuan wanted to use the token to mobilize manpower at the Lu Family Business, but because Qian Duanli left in such a hurry, he had to sigh and get into another carriage.

In the afternoon, the group left the city and the hustle and bustle of Beigang behind, and large tracts of farmland appeared before them.

Taiwan is divided into east and west by a central mountain range. The plains on the east side are sparse, while the plains on the west side are relatively vast.

Of course, this is only relative. This narrow plain, which has already entered a period of large-scale development, stretches over 300 li from north to south and no more than 100 li from east to west.

After all, one cannot expect an isolated island to be as vast as the fertile plains of North China.

What's even more natural is that, for the Han people, who built their nation on agriculture, they could create all sorts of fun, not just on the plains, but even in the mountains.

Those who obstruct their own farming are naturally guilty of heinous crimes and deserve to die.

As the saying goes, I also want to be kind to others, but why are you stepping on my ground?

The mountain people who have lived on the island for generations were naturally baffled by this attitude of the Han people.

Heaven have mercy! They used to live a good life of fishing and hunting, and they could hang the heads of their prey on the roof from time to time. They could also have a meal every now and then. Why did they suddenly want to change their lifestyle?
This is a classic example of the conflict between the subject and the object, a struggle concerning survival resources that is a fight to the death.

Therefore, after leaving the bustling Beigang City, besides vast farmlands, the most noticeable features are the fortified manors.

Some of these estates were built according to the terrain, while others were simply built on flat ground with a tower and a fence surrounding it.

Some of the fortified villages were covered in moss, suggesting they had been built a long time ago, while others were just a few newly erected earthen and timber structures, with people shirtless carrying wood to fire kilns.

The Lin family and their group traveled slowly along the rugged road, and it was evening when they finally arrived at the easternmost fortified village built on a small hill.

Further east from here, rolling hills and mountains can be clearly seen, which, in a sense, can be considered the front line to guard against savages harassing the plains.

Indeed, this is the case. This Lin family fortress is clearly different, with a stronger military character, more arrow towers, and several wooden canopies covering the earthen and stone walls.

Outside the fortified village, two ditches draw water from the Beigang River on either side, encircling the village like arms, forming a moat about thirty paces wide.

There wasn't a single old or weak person in the fortified village; all of the hundred or so people were young and strong men. When the carriage entered the fortified village, most of them were practicing archery, swordsmanship, and physical training.

Qian Duanli's face was somewhat pale. He wanted to ask if the Lin family was secretly raising assassins, but because he was in a fortified village, he dared not ask.

Lu Jiuyuan, however, took it all in stride.

He was from Jinxi, Fuzhou. His hometown was mountainous, and there were many bandits who were impossible to eradicate. If the clan did not unite and develop its military strength, they might be wiped out one day.

However, Lu Jiuyuan still had some questions: "Lin San, your Lin family is considered a wealthy and powerful family, and you contributed greatly to the establishment of Beigang City. Why didn't you find a prime location in the west to build your manor, but instead came to this dangerous place?"

Lin San stood tall and proud, seemingly quite pleased with himself: "Reporting to Mr. Lu, it is precisely because my Lin family has done so much for Beigang that we must fight so hard to protect it; and without this courage to face the savages, how could we win the respect of the heroes at sea?"

Lu Jiuyuan immediately understood and nodded slightly.

Power and obligation are often complementary; if you want power, you must fulfill the corresponding obligations.

To put it bluntly, the reason why the Song Dynasty is in this state is ultimately because Zhao Gou only wanted the power of the emperor, but not the obligation to defend the country.

As they were talking, Lin San led the two men to the two largest guest rooms in the fortified village, a hint of apology on his face: "Please stay here for now, gentlemen. The place is not great, but it is still a place to stay."

I suspect that scoundrel Li San can't stay in Beigang for long. My Lin family men have eyes and ears everywhere in the city. Once we've gathered this information, we'll immediately inform you two gentlemen.

Qian Duanli nodded repeatedly, while Lu Jiuyuan looked at the dimly lit guest room and sighed slightly, feeling that this mission was truly arduous and wondering when it would be over.

It wasn't until then that Lin Zongchen, who was already extremely busy, learned about this in Beigang.

He cursed Lin Sanduo for being nosy in his heart.

If these two are placed in the Lin family mansion in Beigang City, how could Po Li San possibly break in?

Are you so full that you have to bring them to the fortified village outside the city?
But Lin Zongchen also understood that Qian Duanli and Lu Jiuyuan were, after all, people of some status, and what they wanted to do was not something Lin San could stop.
Fortunately, they will only stay for a few days. As long as these two do not leave the fortified village, there will be no major trouble.

On the third day, Lin Zongchen received a bolt from the blue.

The two officials were abducted by savages and taken to the mountains.

(End of this chapter)