Ming Empire

Chapter 159 Arrival in Nanjing
It is already July, and under the effect of continuous rainfall, the scorching heat of midsummer has quietly come to an end.

On the turbulent Yangtze River, a huge official ship, escorted by several warships full of soldiers, sailed slowly towards Nanjing City on the other side of the river.On the bow of the official ship, Cao Yue in military uniform was admiring the view of the river with Zhu Yu, who was dressed in a green dress and a small hat.

Following them on the official ship were the soldiers of the First Battalion of the Musket who had arrived on the north bank of the Yangtze River earlier, the more than two hundred mercenaries led by Konstantin, and some other cronies of Cao Yue.

The two parties met in Yangzhou.After the rendezvous in Yangzhou, they will form a fleet, enter the Yangtze River, and then go west along the river to Nanjing.

From Yangzhou to the Yangtze River to Nanjing, you have to go upstream, and the distance is not short.It was too suffocating to stay in the cabin, and Zhu Yu, who was very tired of the boat, begged Cao Yue to accompany her out of the cabin to see the river scenery.They set off from Beijing, took a boat all the way, and went south along the canal.Although the official ship is very large, the wind and waves on the canal will not make the ship too bumpy, but the air circulation in the cabin is not smooth, and it is quite stuffy.

Of course Cao Yue would not refuse his little wife's request, and readily agreed.The two stood at the bow of the boat, facing the wind and enjoying the scenery on the Yangtze River.Not far away, amidst the mist, some houses and river embankments could be vaguely seen.

"Brother Yue, is Nanjing in front?" Aunt Zhu, who was standing against Cao Yue's body, asked Cao Yue, pointing to the blurry scenery ahead.

"It should be. When we reach the other side of the river, our journey will be over. Tonight, we can have a good sleep." Cao Yue put his arms around Aimee Zhu's shoulders, and said apologetically, "My son, it's been a hard journey. You, when you arrive in Nanjing, you can rest for a while and take care of your body."

"Thank you, Brother Yue, for your concern. The slave family will rest well," Zhu Wei leaned her head on Cao Yue's shoulder, and said softly, "Brother Yue, my concubine is your wife now, and when I arrive in Nanjing, there will be only you." You can rely on it. You have to take care of yourself, don't lead soldiers to fight like you did in Datong, otherwise, the servants will worry."

"It's okay, please don't worry, my son. Your husband has a great fate. If you don't wipe out the slaves and bandits, the king of Hades will not remember us." Cao Yue smiled, and then made a playful joke, " When we arrive in Nanjing and our life settles down, we will find a way to have a bunch of children and let them stay with you so that you don't have to worry about it all the time."

One sentence made Zhu Yu's face blush immediately, she pinched Cao Yue's hand in disbelief, and said coquettishly: "Brother Yue, you are the only one who is not serious, hehe, just thinking about these things last night, you can torment me died."

"Are you dissatisfied? Then I won't torment you anymore," Cao Yue pretended to be aggrieved and teased Aimi Zhu often: "I'll let you rest for a while, how about it?"

"Huh, no, I want to let you sleep in my arms every night," Aunt Zhu couldn't help being coquettish again, and she still didn't forget to tease Cao Yue softly: "I like being tossed by you too!"

"Then let's keep tossing tonight until we come up with a little thing!" Cao Yue laughed very flirtatiously while speaking.Auntie Zhu was shy and anxious, and couldn't help being coquettish again. As the young couple laughed, all the boredom soon disappeared, and all that was left was warmth and tenderness.

Soon, the fleet arrived at Yanziji Wharf in Nanjing.Yanziji is located on the Zhidu Mountain in the outskirts of Nanjing. It is named for the towering stone peak on the river, facing the sky on three sides, and it looks like a swallow spreading its wings to fly.The south of Yanziji is connected to the river bank, and the other three sides are surrounded by river water, so the terrain is very dangerous.It is an important crossing of the Yangtze River and a military center. It is known as the first rock of the Yangtze River for thousands of miles.

Before arriving in Nanjing, Cao Yue had already sent people to investigate the situation in Nanjing, and selected the station of the first battalion of muskets, which was near Yanziyan.When choosing this place as a military camp, Cao Yue mainly focused on the important terrain here, and he also wanted to train sailors.

Yanziyan is an important port.If you want to build a navy, you must be close to the port. Yanziji can be said to be the most ideal candidate for military camp in Cao Yue's mind, not one of them.

Before the fleet docked, Cao Yue saw the dark crowd on the pier through the binoculars, and he knew that this was the Nanjing officials who were welcoming them.When an official came to greet him, Cao Yue's vanity was greatly satisfied. He knew that some things could be settled during the first meeting with the official who greeted him.

However, the number of Nanjing officials who came to welcome them was beyond Cao Yue's surprise. He Xiongxiang, Minister of Civil Affairs and Minister of Rites of Nanjing, Shi Kefa, Minister of Military Affairs, Gao Hongtu, Minister of Household Affairs, and King An Zhu Tongpromethium, Wei Guogong Xu Hongji, and Cao Yueqian Nanjing admiral Xin Chengbo Zhao Zhilong, Chengyi Bo Liu Kongzhao and other Nanjing dignitaries greeted him at the pier.

Cao Yue knew that so many people came to greet him, and they were not entirely aimed at him as the commander of the Nanjing capital. His military exploits, the Shangshu sword and the gold medal for avoiding death certainly made Nanjing officials dare not despise him. , but they put up such a big battle, mainly for the face of Zhu Yu, the emperor's favorite eldest princess.When Cao Yue and Zhu Yuxi left Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen issued an edict to the left-behind officials in Nanjing to let them receive them comfortably.

Due to many factors, the officials in Nanjing did not dare to be sloppy, and all the main personnel came to the dock to greet them.

In order to give Nanjing officials a special impression, Cao Yue ordered the troop carrier to arrive before his own ship docked, and all the sergeants on board lined up on the deck, exposing the most serious military camp in front of Nanjing officials.

After the official ship docked, Cao Yue personally helped Auntie Zhu, who had changed into a palace attire, to get off the side of the ship.

Nanjing officials, led by He Xiongxiang, Minister of Officials and Minister of Rites, stepped forward to welcome Cao Yue and Zhu Yuxi.

What Cao Yue thought was right. Although he had made many military exploits, as a general, his status in the eyes of civil servants was still not high. If he didn't have the title of Consort Captain, and the princess Zhu Yu who accompanied him, it would be impossible for him to get Nanjing. What a noble welcome.

He Xiongxiang, Gao Hongtu, Zhu Tongpromethium, Xu Hongji, Zhao Zhilong, Liu Kongzhao and other dignitaries in Nanjing did not take Cao Yue seriously, at least they did so before meeting Cao Yue.Only the Minister of the Ministry of War can follow the law, and he did not dare to underestimate Cao Yue.

Shi Kefa knew that for Cao Yue to be so respected by Emperor Chongzhen at such a young age, besides being brave in battle, he must have other qualities.Shi Kefa was upright by nature, and cared about and worried about the chaos in the world. Cao Yue was able to defeat the Jiannu several times and defeated the bandits. Even if he was young, he would not underestimate such a hero, let alone take it seriously.

Of the many officials who greeted him, Shi Kefa was the only one who showed real respect for Cao Yue, while the others treated Cao Yue with false flattery and deep-rooted disrespect.

As for Cao Yue, he only looked at Shi Kefa differently. Of course, he did not despise other officials, but among these officials and dignitaries, he was most familiar with Shi Kefa. He was a national hero with a long history.

(End of this chapter)