Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 195 Opportunities in the North

Lin Xiuming felt he only vaguely understood what his father was saying.

He was just a military general who spent most of his time leading troops in training and rarely participated in politics, so he didn't know much about many things.

However, he believed that his father's choice was correct, and that his father should not drag the Lin family into the abyss.

Lin Xiuming continued, "Father, there's one more thing. I suspect that the heavy cavalry of the Northern Kingdom hasn't been wiped out."

"On the contrary, it is possible that the Northern King will be destroyed by the Northern King."

Upon hearing this, Lin Gaoyuan smiled and said, "I never believed from the beginning that the heavy cavalry of the Northern Kingdom had been wiped out. If the heavy cavalry of the Northern Kingdom had really been wiped out, the Northern King would not have been able to carry out reforms in the Northern Kingdom."

At this point, Lin Gaoyuan looked at Lin Xiuming and said, "Tell me what you saw in the Northern Kingdom, and why you doubt that the Northern Kingdom's heavy cavalry has not been wiped out."

Lin Xiuming then told Lin Gaoyuan about what he had seen and heard in the North. After listening to his son's words, Lin Gaoyuan fell into deep thought.

After a while, Lin Gaoyuan came to his senses and said, "The Northern King's approach is correct. We should indeed hide our strength now. The barbarian cavalry you saw in Tianguang City are most likely real barbarians, but not barbarians from the Northern Xian King's tribe, but barbarians from the Tianlang King's tribe."

"The Northern King is trying to confuse you and make you think that the Northern Xian King is still alive."

As a cunning old fox who had been in the imperial court for decades, Lin Gaoyuan saw through the actual situation in the North at a glance.

Lin Xiuming then said, "Father, since we can all see that the heavy cavalry of the Northern Kingdom may still exist, then others can probably see it too."

"Won't the Northern King concealing the Northern Kingdom's military strength at this time reveal his intentions?"

Lin Gaoyuan said calmly, "So what if they noticed? There are still so many unresolved issues within the Great Xia Dynasty. The Xia Emperor simply cannot focus his attention on him."

"By the way, you should stay at home during this period. Unless you have any missions, try not to contact people outside, especially those from aristocratic families."

"Recently, many large ships have sailed south from the east. I estimate that His Majesty has made sufficient preparations."

Hearing Lin Gaoyuan's words, Lin Xiuming asked curiously, "What, are the preparations almost complete?"

Lin Gaoyuan glanced at Lin Xiuming and then said, "The powerful families of Jiangnan started this war, causing His Majesty to lose so much land. Do you think His Majesty will just tolerate it and do nothing?"

Lin Xiuming immediately understood, and then he said, "If His Majesty sends troops south, the powerful families of Jiangnan should have already noticed, right?"

Lin Gaoyuan snorted and said, "The officials in Jiangnan are all immersed in the joy of victory. They think His Majesty has compromised. They have no time to pay attention to the merchant ships at sea. If I hadn't been in charge of adjusting grain prices, I probably wouldn't have noticed that there are so many more merchant ships at sea."

"Of course, to hide these merchant ships, we will definitely need the cooperation of a certain aristocratic family in Jiangnan. Otherwise, with so many merchant ships suddenly appearing at sea, other aristocratic families would most likely have noticed. As for who is helping His Majesty, we will only know after everything is over."

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You must be tired from your journey. Get some rest today."

Having said that, Lin Gaoyuan stopped talking to Lin Xiuming.

……

at the same time.

North.

Winter has passed, spring has arrived, the ice and snow have begun to melt, and the weather is getting better and better.

Today was another sunny day. Lu Chen stood in the courtyard, basking in the sun while looking at the account book in his hand.

At this moment, Mu Zixuan, wearing a purple cotton coat, came to Lu Chen's side.

Lu Chen smiled and said to Mu Zixuan, "My dear concubine, I never expected that you would earn me ten million taels of silver in just one winter."

Perfume and soap are not as profitable as they were a few months ago. The real money is in coal and stoves. This winter, the charcoal balls produced by the Northern Prince's Mansion are basically sold out in every quantity made.

Mu Zixuan also established a merchant guild in winter. Any caravan that joins the guild can buy goods from the Northern Prince's Mansion at low prices and then resell them to other countries or fiefdoms.

It was precisely because of the establishment of the Chamber of Commerce that the Northern Prince's Mansion made money even faster, and caravans from Yancheng came in an endless stream. Now the road leading to the Northern Prefecture was completely blocked by carriages.

Mu Zixuan said, "This is all thanks to Your Highness's money-making methods; it has little to do with me."

Lu Chen held Mu Zixuan's delicate body and stroked her slightly protruding belly, saying, "How can this not have anything to do with you? Even if there's a way to make money, someone has to know how to use it."

"With so much silver, the Northern Kingdom can finally embark on large-scale construction projects."

Seeing Lu Chen so happy, Mu Zixuan was also very happy. Being needed by the Northern King made her feel very satisfied.

Just then, a maid entered the main courtyard and said, "Your Highness, Commander Wu is looking for you."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen immediately released Mu Zixuan. "My dear consort, you should rest well. I'll go and get back to work."

Mu Zixuan said softly, "Yes, Your Highness, please take care."

Lu Chen then went to the study, where Wu Yuan was already waiting at the door. Upon seeing Lu Chen, Wu Yuan first bowed and then handed the intelligence in his hand to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen took the intelligence report, glanced at it, and couldn't help but smile.

"I was right after all; the war is indeed over."

"Three counties of land! My father really is willing to give them up."

At this point, Lu Chen said to Wu Yuan, "Immediately summon Li Rui and the officials of Yancheng. Now that the Hall of State Affairs has been built, it's time to put it to use."

Wu Yuan immediately replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

About an hour and a half later, the officials of Yancheng appeared in the newly built council hall.

The Hall of State Affairs is very large, covering hundreds of square meters. Nowadays, there are very few officials in the Northern Kingdom, and most people hold several positions. Therefore, the Hall of State Affairs appears very spacious.

After Lu Chen sat down on the throne at the very top, the officials immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness! Long live the Prince!"

Lu Chen hummed in agreement, then said, "Please, everyone, have a seat."

Lu Chen did not follow the rules of the Great Xia court. Officials in the court were required to stand during the grand court assembly, but they could sit down to discuss political affairs, of course, on their knees.

After the officials knelt down, Lu Chen said directly, "The imperial court has already made peace with Da Wu. As far as I know, the terms of the peace talks are the two prefectures that Da Wu currently occupies, plus Xi Wu Prefecture."

Upon hearing this, the officials in the hall immediately began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Many of them thought the war between the two dynasties would continue, but they didn't expect it to end so quickly.

At this moment, Li Rui said, "Your Highness, this is great news for our Northern Kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen asked, "Why does Lord Li say that?"

Li Rui said, "Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, Xiwu County has always been the land of the Great Xia. The population of Xiwu County is basically the people of the Great Xia, and they have a very deep affection for the Great Xia. In addition, the Great Wu Dynasty launches wars every year, and the soldiers of the Great Wu Dynasty burn, kill, loot, and commit all kinds of atrocities. Once the people of Xiwu County hear that the court is going to cede them to the Great Wu Dynasty, many people will definitely try to find a way to migrate eastward!"

"But there is no more land left for them in the east. Once they leave their original land, they will become refugees."

"But our northern lands are precisely lacking in population!"

Mu Changtian then said, "This is indeed a good time for the Northern Kingdom to absorb population."

"but……"

"I believe that the Northern Kingdom should not be too proactive in taking in refugees."

"A large number of people from Xiwu County will inevitably flee eastward. The refugees will soon put enormous pressure on the fiefdoms of other vassal kings. At that time, vassal kings will naturally beg the Northern Kingdom to take in the refugees."

At this moment, Lu Chen looked at Qin Yushan and asked, "Commander Qin, what's your opinion on this matter?"

There are too few civil officials now, and only a handful of people speak up. With no other option, Lu Chen had to bring Qin Yushan along as well.

Qin Yushan thought for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, I think General Mo is right. We don't need to rush to absorb refugees. However, we can send people to the three prefectures that are about to be assigned to the Great Wu Dynasty to spread some of the benefits of joining the Northern Kingdom."

"For example, joining the Northern Kingdom will grant us land and grain. I believe that the people of those three counties will choose to come to the Northern Kingdom once they hear that they will receive land after joining."

Lu Chen said, "Alright, let's do as Commander Qin says."

"In addition, there are some reform-related matters that need to be discussed with you today."

At this point, Lu Chen looked at Mu Changtian, "General Mo, I have reviewed your military reform plan. I have made some additions and adjustments to your proposal. All of you military officers will now listen to my military reform plan. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask..."

Then Lu Chen said to the Imperial Guard soldiers beside him, "Read it."

Immediately afterwards, the Jinyiwei soldier took out a scroll and began to read.

For the next hour, they discussed some issues related to the reforms in the Northern Kingdom.

……

at the same time.

Yancheng, a restaurant owned by Xuan Yue Palace.

In the private room by the window, a man dressed in coarse cloth was drinking and waiting for someone.

A short while later, a man wearing a straw hat entered the private room.

After closing the door to the private room, he went straight to the man in coarse clothes by the window and sat down.

The man wearing a bamboo hat spoke up, saying, "The Northern King's Mansion has more than one Grandmaster. Today I saw two Grandmasters entering and leaving the Northern King's Mansion. Although they were trying to conceal their auras, I still noticed them."

"It might be difficult to make a move."

Hearing the man in the straw hat's words, Su Teng downed the cup of wine in his hand in one gulp, then chuckled and said, "Since I, the Pavilion Master, have come in person, this mission cannot fail. Two Grandmasters are nothing."

"The Wang family can't wait any longer; we have to make our move tonight."

(End of this chapter)