The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 217: Tree Desires Peace (I)

"My dear, when I first saw you in the newspaper, I felt that you were like a great tree, calm and powerful."

"Big tree? This is the first time I've heard someone describe me like that."

"Yes, the battle at Sarhu was fierce and dangerous. Only my husband could turn the tide, like a towering tree standing tall and upright."

Kaiyuan General's Mansion.

As the sky was getting light, Marquis Ping Liao and his wife Yang Qing'er were in a passionate and affectionate mood, and they were still not satisfied.

The fat maid knocked on the door outside. Yang Qing'er answered and Shaoyao said that someone came to visit Ping Liaohou.

They both quickly got up and washed up.

~~~~
A group of generals came to the residence of Marquis Ping Liao with gifts to celebrate.

Qiao Yiqi, Kang Yingqian, Song Yingxing, Mao Yuanyi, Deng Changxiong, Wang Erhu, Yuan Chonghuan, and Ma Shiying.

All the military and political leaders of Kaiyuan were present, even Sun Chuanting, who was guilty of a crime.

The general's mansion, which had been silent for a long time, seemed particularly festive. Guard Zhang Chao told everyone that Marquis Ping Liao had slept late last night and had not woken up yet.

Everyone went to the side rooms to rest first, sitting together in groups of three or two, chatting.

Bumbutai and the fat maid Shaoyao were busy serving tea and water.

Kang Yingqian stroked his beard, looked at the Mongolian girl's back, nodded slightly and said: "I am not mistaken, this little Tartar is indeed virtuous and kind. It is only because of Ping Liaohou's strategy of using the Xia to transform the barbarians that he was able to educate this barbarian into..."

Qiao Yiqi came up to his old partner and interrupted him, saying, "It's a pity that fate is so unfortunate."

Kang Yingqian narrowed his eyes, and before he could ask any more questions, Qiao Yiqi took the initiative to speak:

"Old Kang, you don't know. There's trouble in Mongolia again. Many people have died in Khorchin. Huduntu wants to be the Great Khan of Mongolia and is killing people everywhere. All of Bumbutai's family has died. This year is really a turbulent time."

~~~~
"Isn't it just the annihilation of the Jiannu? What's there to celebrate?"

Liu Zhaosun complained in a low voice while putting on his robe.

Yang Qing'er chuckled, hugged her husband from behind, and helped Liu Zhaosun tie his hair into a bun.

"You're such a bitch! You're ungrateful for the kindness people show you, and you even make sarcastic remarks. No one even remembers my birthday."

Liu Zhaosun felt something behind her words and touched the tip of her nose:
"Oh? Is that true? Who would dare to neglect the daughter of Yang Jinglie?"

Yang Qing'er curled her lips, took off the cherry-colored amber hair crown from his bun, and played with it in her palm.

This hair crown was once worn by Jin Yuji. Yang Qing'er feigned anger and said, "My husband is a great tree, and great trees cannot be frivolous. These frivolous things of women are not worthy of you. It is better to throw them away."

Liu Zhaosun grabbed the amber hair crown and said with a smile, "Okay, I won't treat the governor's daughter with disrespect again. By the way, when is your birthday?"

"The sixth day of June."

"The sixth day of the sixth month?"

Yang Qing'er nodded.

"Yes, my father is always busy with the comings and goings. There are always people coming and going at home, whether it's the prefect or the censor. He's always busy. He's not home most of the year. Who would remember to celebrate my birthday?"

Liu Zhaosun stroked Yang Qing'er's cheek and said solemnly, "The sixth day of the sixth lunar month, 666, is a good day. I'll remember it and make good arrangements for you this year."

Last night, Yang Qing'er and I slept in each other's arms, a deep sleep. Later in the night, I had a nightmare and woke up in a cold sweat. Yang Qing'er wiped his sweat off and helped him drink medicine. When he woke up this morning, the two of them spent some time together, and the cold symptoms were mostly gone.

The couple looked at each other and gazed at Yang Qing'er's pretty face. Unconsciously, they were attracted by each other. Just as they were about to enter a climax, there was a noise in the courtyard. Zhang Chao knocked on the door and said that everyone had come to celebrate the victory of Ping Liaohou.

I don’t know if he felt guilty towards Yang Qing’er or if he simply liked her, but the look in his eyes when he looked at her was filled with more tenderness and affection.

"Have a bowl of noodles first and then go over. My husband has just recovered from a serious illness, so you must take good care of him."

While I was still in a daze, Yang Qing'er had already brought me a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup.

There was a layer of mutton and chopped green onions floating in the bowl. It was the noodle stew from a certain place that he loved to eat in his previous life.

I immediately smelled the aroma of noodles and started to eat them voraciously.

"Eat slowly, I won't fight with you."

Yang Qing'er looked at her husband with heartache.

"Excuse me, Madam. I forgot we were home and thought we were still fighting in Hetuala. Hahahaha."

Upon hearing this, Yang Qing'er frowned and said anxiously, "We agreed yesterday that after we destroy the Jiannu, there will be no more wars. You can't even think about it. Concubine Jin Yu is about to give birth. Your husband is like a big tree. If that tree falls, what will we do?"

Liu Zhaosun nodded repeatedly, and a tear fell into the bowl.

He was not a warmongerer, nor did he experience the thrill of killing. However, the tree wanted to be still, but the wind did not stop.

After destroying the Later Jin, there is still Mongolia. After destroying Mongolia, there is still Ming. After destroying the Ming, there is still Japan. After destroying Japan, there is still...
The enemy will always appear in various forms, unless you can really let go of your obsession.

Let go of your obsession, and everything will be gone. Even if the external enemies are eliminated, the battle will never end.

Once the Kaiyuan chariot starts, it cannot be stopped.

That day, Sun Chuanting was so decisive in killing and slaughtering thousands of civilians that no one objected. This shows that the army had deviated from the route it had originally set.

The chariots rumbled forward, crushing all who stood in their way.

If you get off the bus halfway, your fate will probably be worse than Huang Taiji's.

Either be pushed forward or transform this chariot.

The new intelligence bureau must be established as soon as possible, the Central Army Guard must be expanded, a group of new people must be promoted, and the old ones must be suppressed...
Perhaps Qiao Yiqi was right. Let Yang Qing'er take charge of civil affairs, while he led Jin Yuji on his expeditions. Women wouldn't betray me, right?

My thoughts are in a tangle.

"My dear husband, Jin Yuji is alone in Wendeng. How can you be at ease?"

Liu Zhaosun took Yang Qing'er's hand and walked out of the room.

"I have already destroyed the Jiannu. Kaiyuan's military is powerful, and no one in Liaodong dares to disobey. No matter how much the imperial court hates me, it dares not act rashly. Jin Yuji is safe, and so is your father. This autumn, I will go to Tianjin and bring them all back."

Yang Qing'er nodded. She had very little feelings towards her power-hungry father.

When she and her husband needed help the most, her father went to Tianjin alone to serve as a military governor. She had no idea what he was thinking.

Liu Zhaosun didn't notice the change in his wife's expression. He just stared at the gray sky in a daze. He looked for a long time and muttered:

"What a troubled time."

There was a noisy sound coming from the side room. Yuan Chonghuan, Kang Yingqian and others were arguing inside. Liu Zhaosun said to Yang Qing'er:
"Madam, go back first. I'll go meet them and have dinner with you tonight."

Yang Qing'er took a few steps and turned back to warn: "Old Song said to drink less, your alcohol tolerance..."

"I see. I can only drink three bowls of wine. I won't drink more. I have something important to discuss today."

Zhang Chao led four guards to escort Ping Liaohou to the wing room.

The room was filled with a cacophony of voices. After two years of military service, the civil officials had followed Ping Liao Hou through life and death, and had picked up the warrior habits. Their speech and behavior were quite heroic.

Zhang Chao pushed open the door. When everyone saw Ping Liaohou coming in, they immediately stopped talking and bowed to him.

The eight-immortal table in the wing room was filled with a variety of dishes, quite a sumptuous feast. Zhang Chao leaned in and whispered that the food was prepared by the chef brought by Supervisor Kang. He had tasted it and found no poison.

Liu Zhaosun burst out laughing, he really wanted to avoid chaos in the world.

If there is even the slightest grudge between the superiors, the subordinates will make malicious assumptions. No wonder the power struggles between big figures in history are always so bloody, cruel and unexpected.

Two scenes emerged before my eyes: the Xuanwu Gate Incident and the release of military power over a cup of wine.

He dismissed these distracting thoughts and asked everyone to sit down. Everyone stood still, so Liu Zhaosun had no choice but to walk to the top seat and sit down.

Qiao Yiqi was pushed to the second seat, Kang Yingqian sat next to Qiao Dazui, followed by Yuan Chonghuan, Song Yingxing, Deng Changxiong, Wang Erhu, Ma Shiying, and Mao Yuanyi.

Sun Chuanting was sitting in the corner. Ping Liaohou asked Sun Chuanting to sit next to him and called him twice. Sun Chuanting used the excuse that he was drunk and could not refuse, so Ping Liaohou had to give up.

Liu Zhaosun glanced at everyone, stood up from his seat, and raised his glass filled with tea:

"I just returned to Kaiyuan yesterday, and you came early this morning to celebrate my victory. You are all my confidants, and older than me. This glass of wine is for you all! Today is my family dinner, so I'll set the drinking order first. There is no Ping Liao Hou, no superiors, and no discussion of military affairs or political affairs here. We are just friends. Come, let me toast you all! Congratulations on the annihilation of the Jian Nu! A great victory in Kaiyuan!"

After hearing this, all the subordinates raised their glasses and congratulated Ping Liaohou on Hetuala's victory. The hall was bustling with people toasting each other and the atmosphere was very lively.

After finishing a glass of wine, Ping Liaohou raised his chopsticks and said, "Come, come, come! Let's all try the cooking of Inspector Kang's mansion."

Qiao Yiqi shouted, "General Liu, we have already prepared gifts. Let's present them before we start the feast."

Liu Zhaosun wanted to refuse, but felt it was a bit unkind. He was still trying to refuse, but Qiao Yiqi had already handed him the gift.

Everyone presented gifts to Ping Liaohou one by one.

Knowing he had just recovered from a serious illness, everyone sent him supplements like ginseng and angelica. Qiao Yiqi was the most generous, with two of his guards carrying a box of gold bars and ten boxes of top-grade Korean ginseng, worth a fortune.

This is equivalent to lending Liu Zhaosun another 8,000 taels of silver.

"General Qiao, your gift is too valuable. I cannot accept it."

Qiao Yiqi said solemnly, "These are my daily savings. I haven't embezzled a single cent. We've been together for two years, sharing life and death together. What are these small fortunes worth? Our Qiao family has plenty of money in Jiangnan, but it's a pity that Emperor Taichang confiscated it all. General Liu, you must accept these gifts as compensation for the families of the soldiers who died in battle."

Having said that, it was difficult to refuse, so I had to let the guard accept the things.

Qiao Yiqi sat down, and Kang Yingqian shamelessly came up to her and reached into his sleeve with a smile.

Looking at Kang Yingqian's actions, you can tell what he is taking out.

"General Kang, I've just recovered from a serious illness. If I take your miraculous medicine, I'm afraid I'll die prematurely. How could you bear to do that?"

There was a burst of laughter all around, and Yuan Chonghuan slapped his thigh and said, "If you are short of money, Lord Kang, I can lend you some money."

Kang Yingqian ignored Yuan Chonghuan. His King Kong Powder had gained a good reputation in the Liaodong officialdom and was a hard currency equivalent to gold and silver.

Every time Inspector Kang went to Shenyang to see Wang Huazhen for business, he would bring two bottles with him. It was said that this thing was more useful than silver.

"Never mind, I know that the Marquis of Ping Liao is mighty and powerful, so I don't need this medicine, but..."

As Kang Yingqian spoke, he scattered the diamonds on the Eight Immortals Table, stood up, clapped his hands at the door of the wing room, and shouted loudly at the door:

"Let the beauty in!"

There was a sound of footsteps outside, and everyone looked at each other and headed out the door.

A graceful and pretty woman stood at the door and bowed to Ping Liaohou who was sitting at the top of the table.

Ping Liao Hou didn't even look at the woman:

"I appreciate Inspector Kang's kindness. I'm not interested in women, and my two wives are not allowed to take any more concubines. Next one."

After saying this, he looked up at Yuan Chonghuan.

Yuan Chonghuan came up with a wooden box in his arms, smiling, and tried to push Kang Yingqian aside. Kang Yingqian refused to give in and tried to knock Yuan Chonghuan down like a sumo wrestler.
"You don't want the Diamond Powder, and you don't want this beautiful woman either. General Liu, do you know who this woman is?"

(End of this chapter)