Unlimited employment

Chapter 25 [Territory and Power]

Yangtze River, Yingtian section.

On the broad river, a large fleet was sailing slowly.

A gorgeous dragon boat ten meters long was clustered in the center, surrounded by more than a dozen two-decker warships.

The gun ports of these warships have been opened, and they are now pointing black cannons at the surrounding waters to guard against possible attacks.

Since the Battle of Poyang Lake two years ago, the King of Wu has wiped out Chen Youliang who occupied the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, and now he has besieged Zhang Shicheng in Pingjiang City in the lower reaches. The entire Yangtze River has become the territory of the King of Wu.

Logically speaking, there is no need to be so careful when walking on your own territory.

But the Little Ming King is the banner of the Red Turban Army's rebellion, he is extremely important and must not be lost.

Therefore, the commander-in-chief responsible for welcoming the young Ming King, Zhu Chongqi, prepared for this reception completely as if he were preparing for war.

At this time, the dragon boat is at the top.

Zhu Chongqi, who had a short beard and a majestic appearance, was having a pleasant conversation with the Young Ming Prince and Empress Dowager Yang.

“I have been living in the Ming Palace. Although I have heard people around me talk about how the King of Wu loves his people like his own children and how he lives in harmony with them, and how the people under his rule live and work in peace and contentment, I still don’t fully understand it.

It wasn't until today, when I left Chuzhou City and saw the fertile fields on both sides of the road, all planted with lush green wheat, that I was truly astonished."

Empress Dowager Yang stood by the window, sighing repeatedly.

She was nearly forty years old, but the endless wheat fields she had just seen along the waterway were a scene she had never seen in her life.

When the Daqian Dynasty was at its peak, the Mengqian nobles and high-ranking officials were busy enclosing land, turning fertile farmland into pastures for grazing livestock, causing farmers to lose their land and become tenants or refugees. In addition to heavy taxes and constant natural disasters, the common people at the bottom were living in dire straits.

After the Red Turban Army rose up in various places, years of war and chaos caused rounds of war to sweep across this land repeatedly, grinding the corpses of the people into the soil.

Over the years, Empress Dowager Yang has witnessed many scenes of troubled times, with thousands of miles of bones scattered across the land and thousands of deserted villages.

It is truly rare that the King of Wu was able to bring his territory into such a state in just a few years. He truly has the potential to be a great leader.

Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Yang glanced at Zhang Shixin, who was disguised as the Little Ming King, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

"What a pity! My son has been kidnapped by this reckless man, and he is planning to assassinate the King of Wu.

Otherwise, if I had followed my original plan and presented the Scripture of the Origin of All Laws to King Wu, my son would have been able to inherit this legacy and become a true emperor."

The "Little Ming King" standing next to Empress Dowager Yang had no idea what the woman was thinking.

He was obviously more interested in the soldiers guarding the ship and spoke bluntly.

“I have long heard that the King of Wu has many talented generals and brave warriors under his command, and he is invincible in every attack and battle.

After meeting the general's soldiers today, I know what he said is true."

In this world of martial arts, Zhang Shicheng was able to sit in one of the top positions in his camp. What he relied on was not only his blood relationship, but he was also a martial arts master himself.

After boarding the dragon boat today, he keenly noticed that inside every soldier on the boat, there was a fiery force completely different from internal strength flowing.

It is not internal force, because this kind of power does not flow in the meridians, but flows directly throughout the body along the blood, and can even greatly enhance physical strength.

There are more than 500 such soldiers in this fleet. If they were put on the battlefield, wearing heavy armor, riding horses in formation, and holding heavy weapons, they would be a terrifying armored cavalry.

Zhang Shixin had led his troops to fight against the King of Wu before, but he had never seen such martial arts. So, knowing that the King of Wu had secretly trained a group of brave soldiers, he immediately went to find out the truth.

But Zhu Chongqi was no longer the young boy he used to be. Facing the question from "Little Ming King", he just said indifferently.

"They may look vigorous and powerful, but they are far inferior to those warriors who have practiced internal martial arts for many years. They can only do the rough work of guarding and are of little use."

Having said that, Zhu Chongqi glanced at Empress Dowager Yang beside him out of the corner of his eye, and then hurriedly activated the Arhat Demon Subduing Technique to suppress the restlessness in his heart.

He is already thirty-one this year. He has been fighting for many years, has many wives and concubines, and has more than a dozen children. He is not a young man who has never experienced women.

The distracting thoughts in his mind at this moment were entirely due to his practice of the main world martial arts, the Kuangfeng Daolu. His Qi and blood were vigorous, and his body's various desires were greatly enhanced, making his instincts difficult to control.

At this time, Zhu Chongqi kept dealing with the overly curious "Little Ming King", but he was thinking about other things in his heart.

"My second brother has not married for many years, and no matter how much my third brother and I try to persuade him, it's no use.

I've heard for a long time that Empress Dowager Yang practices a special magical skill that even stone men would be tempted by. After seeing it today, I find that it's really as good as its reputation.

Although this woman has been with two men, Han Shantong and Liu Futong, she appears to be as cold as an iceberg at first glance, but as hot as a flame upon closer inspection. She is truly a heart-warming beauty.

At night, I secretly put her in my second brother's bed to try it out, hoping that he would be moved and have a child smoothly."

Today, Zhu Yuanzhang has basically occupied the provinces along the Yangtze River, and owns the grain-producing areas of the two lakes, as well as vast territories and troops. He is the most powerful among the rebel kings in the world.

In addition, the entire north had suffered a sharp decline in population due to years of war, and was in a state of desolation. The Qian Dynasty, which occupied the north, was now extremely weak.

Ming Yuzhen who ruled Sichuan, Zhang Shicheng in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Fang Guozhen and Chen Youding in Fujian, He Zhen in Guangdong and Guangxi were all weak and had many conflicts with each other. They had no ability to form alliances and were all just a bunch of losers.

As long as you work hard step by step, your goal of conquering the world will be just around the corner.

The only hidden danger to the Wu regime now was that the King of Wu had no children. As long as he could give birth to a child, even if the mother was the Queen Mother of Han and Song, who was already a mother, the civil and military officials under Zhu Chongwu would be willing to accept the child...

Throughout the rest of the journey, the three people on the boat each had their own thoughts and had a pleasant conversation.

After another half an hour of boat ride, they sailed from the Yangtze River into the Qinhuai River and arrived at the capital of the Wu State - Yingtian City.

Prince Xiao Ming and Queen Mother Yang rode in two carriages respectively, along the streets that had been cleared in advance, and turned into a heavily guarded mansion.

They will live here before meeting the King of Wu.

Although Zhu Chongwu was still nominally a subordinate of the Little Ming King, he should have vacated the newly built Wu Palace for the Little Ming King to live in.

But in this situation where they were at the mercy of others, neither the young King Ming nor Queen Mother Yang raised any objections.

Before parting, Empress Dowager Yang said to Zhu Chongqi.

“Third General, I heard that King Wu likes all kinds of rare martial arts manuals.

I have a unique martial art passed down from my family that I would like to personally present to the King of Wu. Please inform him on my behalf."

Zhu Chongqi was just wondering what excuse he could use to get her into his second brother's bed. When he heard this, he immediately patted his chest and said.

"Please rest assured, Queen Mother. I will report this matter to King Wu immediately."

(End of this chapter)