Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 228 Reply

Xiao Wenshou slapped him across the face, saying, "What talent do you have? You're neither good at literature nor martial arts, and you're arrogant. You're far inferior to Agui and Ji Nu. Just obediently agree to this marriage!"

This slap also stunned Liu Daogui.

“Ah… Mother…” Liu Daolian’s eyes were glistening with tears, her face full of grievance.

"Don't think I don't know that for the past two years you've been indulging in debauchery with the aristocratic sons of the Imperial Academy, picking up all sorts of bad habits. When have you ever calmed down to study? All the money you've spent was earned by Agui and Ji Nu with their lives on the battlefield!"

Xiao Wenshou was born into the Lanling Xiao clan. He was gentle on the outside but firm on the inside, and extremely reasonable.

Her father died early, and she raised her three brothers on her own, so she was no ordinary woman.

Favoritism is not the same as spoiling.

Liu Daolian lowered her head, not daring to speak, but Liu Daogui felt a warmth in his heart. His mother was still the same as before, unchanged.

Without Liu Daolian's nagging, the family enjoyed a peaceful and harmonious dinner.

After joining the army, we naturally spent less and less time together.

Liu Daogui had a lot on his plate and couldn't stay in Jingkou for long, so he led his men back to Guangling the next day.

Before leaving, Xiao Wenshou carried a large basket of herbs, saying, "This is a new prescription from your uncle Liu Juanzi. Take it once a day, and it will help you have a son."

"He studied external wound care, can he take this medicine?" Liu Daogui felt a chill run down his spine.

Cao Sifei became pregnant after she stopped taking the medication.

"Treat the sick if you're sick, and strengthen your body if you're not. He's your uncle, he wouldn't harm you. He took some herbal medicine and has already had a son named Liu Zunkao." Xiao Wenshou was already somewhat deluded.

"Alright... then." Liu Daogui had no choice but to let Liu Zun accept the offer.

After saying goodbye to his mother and boarding the boat, he was thrown directly into the river.

Whether or not one has a son has absolutely nothing to do with taking medicine; Liu Daogui felt that there was nothing wrong with his body.

Back in Guangling, Shen Yuehan and Yu Nu came to announce the good news that they were both pregnant.

Liu Daogui's displeasure vanished instantly. Things shouldn't happen more than three times. This time, surely he should have a son?
Brothers fight together, fathers and sons go to war. Sons not only carry on the family line, but also provide future support. Many powerful figures in history suffered greatly because their sons were born too late.

The Liu family has now established a foothold and needs the support of their descendants.

In this era, there is no closer relationship than the bond between father and son.

Liu Daogui doted on the two women, providing them with the best food, drink, and daily necessities. They bought six or seven maids, but the two women didn't actually need that many.

Having settled down and established a career, Liu Daogui was now considered a prominent figure in Guangling, and he planned to purchase a residence.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yuehan spoke up to dissuade him, saying, "Guangling is located by the sea, with flat terrain and no natural defenses. There is a saying in Jiangzuo: 'I would rather have a tile in Jingkou than a house in Guangling.' One day, the barbarians will be able to move south, and the bandits will be able to cross the sea to attack. My husband, you should either move to Lanling to stay away from trouble, or move back to Jingkou to receive the protection of your clan."

"You have such knowledge?" Liu Daogui was taken aback.

As expected of a woman from the Shen clan of Wuxing, she knows her clan inside and out.

Shen Yuehan said shyly, "The Shen family has been the martial arts clan of Jiangdong for generations, and I have also read some military books at home."

Liu Daogui's heart skipped a beat. "Who is Shen Tianzi to you?"

“He is my cousin. Has my husband met him?” Shen Yuehan was not particularly close to him.

Like the Liu family of Pengcheng, the Shen family of Wuxing was also a large clan, but their kinship would fade after five degrees of kinship.

"I've met him. We fought together against the demon bandits in Yuhang." "Have you seen my younger brother, Shen Qingzhi, who is about nine years old?" Shen Yuehan suddenly became anxious.

Liu Daogui shook his head, "I stayed in Wuxing for two or three months and comforted many old, weak, women and children. If they are alive, we should be able to find them. I will send Meng Ganzhi with people to search for them."

"Thank you, my husband. After our parents passed away, only this little bloodline remained in our family..." Shen Yuehan said pitifully.

Liu Daogui embraced her and comforted her, saying, "We will definitely find it, you don't need to worry."

The next day, Liu Daogui sent Meng Ganzhi with more than a hundred cavalrymen south to Wuxing to find someone.

The military headquarters now has a completely new look.

Liu Huaizhen was quite capable, managing the general's mansion in an orderly manner, and also governing the military households at Sheyangpo well, with the eight buildings beginning to take shape.

Meanwhile, the salt fields in Yandu have made rapid progress since cooperating with the salt dealers. The salt dealers have money, manpower, time, and energy, and they are focused on the salt fields.

In just four months, seven large salt fields—Wuyou, Zizhuang, Nanbayou, Dingxi, Zhuzi, Xinxing, and Qihui—were restored.

The delivery of 20,000 strings of cash to Liu Daogui, though not much, was a more aggressive move than the salt fields in Langya.

Yandu has mature technology and industry, with more than a hundred salt fields of various sizes, making it a veritable treasure trove.

The imperial court can no longer control that area. A month ago, Jiankang sent people to inspect the area, and the salt smugglers were dealt with without Liu Daogui's men even having to lift a finger.

Twenty-one people vanished without a trace...

Gao Yazhi, the Prefect of Guangling, personally led his armored soldiers to Yandu. No sooner had they left than a group of wicked bandits inexplicably appeared in Guangling City, set fire to the government gate, and left behind five bloody words: "Don't meddle in other people's business"...

Gao Ya was utterly defeated by the bandits, his troops were almost wiped out, and the Gao family's prestige suffered a heavy blow. Although he was not stripped of his official position as the Prefect of Guangling, he became a pariah in Guangling, hated by everyone.

These salt smugglers were all people who lived on the edge, and they didn't even put the Sima family in their eyes, let alone outsiders like the Gao family.

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. How could a salt smuggler who has tasted the sweetness of profit possibly hand over the profits he has in his hands?

Liu Daogui was just the ringleader in the two raids on Yandu; they were the ones who actually burned, killed, looted, and destroyed the salt fields.

Unless the Sima family is truly serious and sends troops to conquer them.

However, the salt smugglers were no ordinary people. For every policy, there is a countermeasure. These local criminal gangs had plenty of ways to deal with the imperial court, not to mention whether the Sima family still had troops to send over.

Without the cooperation of smugglers, even if Sima Yuanxian restored the salt fields, not a single grain of salt could be sold...

There are many local issues that the imperial court cannot actually resolve.

If pushed too far, it's not impossible that these salt smugglers might rise up in rebellion and fight the Sima family to the death.

Unlike Liu Daogui, they didn't have so many reservations; they would draw their knives and fight at the slightest disagreement.

Liu Daogui was able to subdue them because of the military households of Sheyangbei, the soldiers of Zhao Lunzhi guarding Yandu City, and the list provided by Yuan He, which gave him knowledge of these people's backgrounds.

"sharp……"

After reading Liu Huaizhen's report, Liu Daogui couldn't help but sigh.

The most stable alliance is one based on shared interests. Salt smugglers were a considerable force, bold, ruthless, and willing to do anything. They were capable of going into business and even infiltrating the territories of the northern nomadic tribes, demonstrating a strong pioneering spirit.

This could be a significant boost in the future.

After several rounds of back and forth, Jiankang dared not ask any more questions, and Gao Yazhi dared not investigate further, turning a blind eye and letting things take their course.

(End of this chapter)