Chapter 1363: Ships and Seas

Chapter 1363: Ships and Seas

Chapter 1363: Ships and Seas (Part )

On the second day of September, Shao Xun, who had had enough of soaking in the hot springs, ordered his journey eastward.

On the third day, Duke Shao Hou of Shu came from Bingzhou.

Before that, he traveled west with a part of the Huangtou Army. With the cooperation of the troops in Juyong Town, they intimidated the border nobles in You and Bing states. It took two months.

Judging from the fact that a lot of the childishness has faded from his face, he must have gained something.

"Is it hard to lead troops?" Shao Xun asked, lifting the curtain of the car.

"It's not bitter, it's fun." Shao Hou said with a smile.

"You're the only one who thinks it's funny." Shao Xun scolded with a smile.

He also liked to lead troops when he was young. Now, he is also deeply involved in the army, but he is more forcing himself to do so because he does not want the military power to fall into the hands of others.

According to his heart, as he gets older, he feels that he has not much time left and wants to enjoy himself.

For example, he held Gao and Gongsun in his arms, one on each side, and played with them day and night. Looking deeper into his heart, it was probably because he was 49 years old and had not had many years of fun, so he became more and more aggressive.

The emperor's stupidity in his later years was probably related to these things.

"What have you learned?" Shao Xun asked again.

"I was in a panic at first, but General Wu helped me cover it up so I didn't make a fool of myself. But now I have learned it," said Shao Hou.

Shao Xun nodded and said, "Study hard and help your sixth brother fight in the future."

"Yes." Shao Hou replied, and when he saw that his father had nothing else to say, he rode away.

Gao was watching outside quietly.

His son Murong Ke was riding a horse, following the crowd from a distance. As if he sensed his mother's gaze, he turned around and saw that his mother was indeed looking at him. He immediately smiled shyly.

Gao smiled back.

"What a wonderful story of deep love between mother and son." Shao Xun said with emotion.

Gao was originally a very shy person, and she couldn't help but lower her head when she heard Shao Xun's words, but now she kept looking at her fourteen-year-old son.

Murong Ke was already wearing a brocade robe, which made him much warmer. This was a gift from Shao Xun after he enjoyed Gao's meal for the first time a few days ago.

Gao seemed to have acquiesced.

She served Emperor Liang and fought for good treatment for her son. And this kind of service had to be done with all her heart to please Emperor Liang, otherwise if he got tired of her one day, his son might not be treated well again.

Shao Xun never mentioned such exchange conditions. He just did it on purpose to let Gao make up his mind and gain benefits.

Of course, he didn't hate Murong Ke.

Shao Ze is old now, and now he likes to see things like loving fathers and filial sons, and brothers being friendly and respectful to each other. He admires Murong Ke very much for being filial to his mother and also being friendly to his brothers, and he doesn't mind improving Murong Ke's treatment.

After Shao Hou left, he rode his horse to Murong Ke's side and chatted with him for a few words.

The child born to Yang Xianrong was not arrogant. He had been raised in a free-range environment for too long, so he had a wild personality. He liked making money, bragging to others, and talking about military affairs. He was not restricted by the person and would talk to anyone regardless of their status.

Among the group of people accompanying the emperor, Shao Hou was probably the one who talked to Murong Ke the most, and he was also the one with the highest status.

After driving for several days, they passed Jicheng but did not enter, but stayed in the suburbs of Luxian for half a day.

Here Shao Xun met the Silver Spear Left Battalion and the Yellow Head Army Fifth Battalion who had just returned from their campaign.

******
Under the cover of night, a bonfire was lit.

Shao Xun was very satisfied when he saw the "filial piety" of his third son Shao Xu - a group of captured tribal noble ladies were dancing.

Sanlang has been following Jiang Kedong for quite some time and has experienced a lot.

He first fought a small battle and defeated a part of Murong Xianbei, then approached Xiandu and defeated Murong Khan.

After two battles, they beheaded more than 3,000 people, captured thousands of people, and forced 20,000 to 30,000 people to surrender.

Although Jiang Ke praised Sanlang highly in the victory report, Shao Xun didn't quite believe it.

Yang Guang was credited with destroying the Chen Dynasty, but was it him who did it? He was just a figurehead.

However, Shao Xun was also an old warrior. Through various analyses, he knew that Sanlang was actually involved in the command, but in a subordinate position.

Some of his suggestions were very general, but Jiang Ke did not openly oppose them. Instead, he explained to him in detail what should and should not be done, and when the tolerance for error was very high, he let Sanlang actually command several post-war mopping-up operations so that he could apply what he had learned and deepen his understanding.

There should still be some gains.

"Sanlang, after this battle, you will go back to Jizhou with Jiang Ke first." Shao Xun said, "There are some things that need to be dealt with."

"Grandpa, are we going to strike?" Shao Xu asked.

"My son is smart." Shao Xun smiled and said, "Don't rush to act. After the army moves south, first eat in Boling, and wait for the imperial envoys to arrive in each town, and then wait for your father's order."

"Yes." Shao Xu replied.

"Do you know how to do it?" Shao Xun asked.

"But it is important to keep it secret." Shao Xu said, "Some of the garrison troops have not yet returned. If we suddenly withdraw from the garrison, they may rebel."

"Yes, you have thought carefully." Shao Xun said, "You are very good at handling these affairs. You should be more familiar with military affairs in the future. You should have a good understanding of training, leading and using troops. In the future-"

Shao Xun smiled and pointed at the center of the field, saying, "You have a good eye for selecting people. There are many beautiful dancers here. It's a pity that some officers in the army don't care about beauty, but only big breasts and fat buttocks. I gave beauties to them, but they still think they are not good enough."

Shao Xu was still pondering what his father had said before, but now he smiled and said, "Everyone has their own preferences."

"Have the officers in the army ever talked about my father's preferences?" Shao Xun asked.

Shao Xu didn't answer, just smiled.

Shao Xun touched his son's head happily and scolded with a smile: "You really think I don't know. The Huangsha Prison has collected a lot of disrespectful words. That bunch of killers always offer women of noble status to them. Do you think I don't know what they are thinking?" Duan knelt beside Shao Xun, quietly watching the Xianbei noble ladies who were dancing, with mixed feelings.

Sometimes I see familiar people but can’t remember who they are, so I can only lower my head to hide my face.

Recently, many close ministers have repeatedly advised Emperor Liang to kill Murong Huang.

Although Duan knew that Emperor Liang would not kill her husband, she was still a little scared after hearing it so many times, so she made a tactful request.

Emperor Liang always comforted her, saying that he was not a bloodthirsty person, and then it was natural for him to favor her.

Beside the desk, on the bed, in front of the window sill and even on the carpet...

She was betting that after her husband arrived, Emperor Liang would let her go home.

Wang Yinling, the Wuhuan woman, always laughed at her for being stupid, saying that her appearance could only be described as "pretty". Murong Huang had long been tired of her and thought she was an "old thing", otherwise why did she have so many children with other concubines, while she only had one child, Murong Jun?
Duan didn't know how she felt, so she could only force herself not to think about it.

Her husband should forgive her.

She lost her virginity, but it was not her fault, and she was also trying her best to help her husband.

After the dance, Shao Xun stood up, clapped his hands, looked at the generals, pointed at the girls in the arena and said with a smile: "Take the ones you like back home."

There was cheering in the field.

Shao Xun laughed loudly, then looked at Shao Xu and asked, "My son, don't you want to pick one?"

Shao Xu didn't act pretentiously. He stood up, pointed at someone, and said, "This is it."

Shao Xun took a closer look and praised, "You have a good eye."

He sent someone to inquire about it again, and found out that she was the daughter of Murong Yun, who had married into the Lan tribe of the Xiongnu and was Lan Bo's second wife. So he waved his hand and said, "She is yours."

Shao Xu walked over and took the girl away.

The officers and soldiers of the Silver Spear Left Camp all laughed, and the atmosphere was extremely warm.

Murong Yun sat next to Jiang Ke and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had made considerable contributions in his previous mission to persuade the enemy to surrender. Later, he met Murong Han, Huan Wen, Jiang Ke, Shao Xu and others, and tried to curry favor with them, thus establishing some relationships with them.

Among the four, his nephew Murong Han was very polite to him, but his attitude was actually a little distant. Huan Wen and Jiang Ke looked down on him. Only Prince Zhao treated him with respect, which touched him deeply.

It was a great thing that his daughter followed King Zhao, and all his planning was worthwhile.

Shao Xun drank quite a bit of wine and was a little tipsy, so he didn't notice the undercurrents beneath the surface - in fact, it wouldn't have hurt even if he knew.

The officers of the Silver Spear Left Camp quickly picked up all the beautiful girls. At the end, Jiang Ke seemed to be drunk and pushed a girl into Huan Wen's arms, saying, "Yuanzi has made great efforts this time, so I will leave you a good one."

Huan Wen froze there.

Shao Xun sighed and said with a half-smile, "Yuanzi also has such a refined taste?"

Huan Wen felt sweat running down his spine, secretly cursing Jiang Ke for being so foolish, and then he gently pushed the woman away, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I only have the princess in my heart, and I have no other thoughts."

Shao Xun hummed and nodded slightly.

Duke Shao Hou of Shu and King Shao Wo of Han gathered together and looked at Huan Wen with mischievous eyes.

Shao Xu also looked over and smiled without saying anything.

We are all men, how could we not know what Huan Yuanzi was thinking? It's just that he was strictly controlled by his elder sister and didn't dare to do it.

Shao Xun smiled and said, "We have had enough wine today, please continue."

After saying that, he left under the protection of Tong Qianjin.

Duan looked left and right, then lowered his head and followed.

******
On the Double Ninth Festival, Shao Xun arrived in Wuzhong, Beiping.

Shao Yu, Prince of Yan, sent an envoy to report that he withdrew his troops at the end of August and burned down Wandu before leaving. Zheng Long, the left Sima of the Shanyu Palace, joined forces with him and marched west for thirty miles. They broke through the camp set up by Gaowu outside the city and beheaded two thousand people. However, they failed to capture Heshenggu City, so they lifted the siege and left, heading north from Feiliu Shui and returning to Xuantu via Mudi.

The reason for the retreat was that the north wind was blowing hard and the temperature was dropping sharply. The officials all said that if they didn't leave now, they might freeze. After all, after the army returned to Xuantu, they would have to cross the Liaoze and return to Youzhou, which would take more than half a month.

The report also included the military situation in Lelang that he had heard: the chief of the Wimok tribe rose up in rebellion against the Goguryeo people; the cavalry under Murong Zhi's command broke into Lelang and defeated Gao Kai outside Pyongyang; Gao Kai was afraid and retreated into the city, seeking help from all sides.

Shao Yu requested the court to build a city and a port near Anpingkou (the mouth of the Yalu River) to maintain it with the navy. This should be able to deter Goguryeo for a long time and also boost the morale of the officials and people in Lelang and Daifang counties.

After reading it, Shao Xun did not reply immediately.

In fact, the value of Yalu River had already been fully demonstrated in the Battle of Marundu - it is a large river that can accommodate naval ships.

Sometimes it’s a matter of trade-offs.

Sun Quan was forced to do so, and as the southerners were good at sailing, he sent envoys three times to sail across the Yalu River to the city of Marundu.

It's not that Cao Wei didn't have the need to communicate with Goguryeo, but their envoys traveled by land instead of by boat, which was obviously faster and more convenient.

When Li Shimin attacked Goguryeo, Zhang Liang led 40,000 soldiers from Jianghuai, Lingnan and the Three Gorges (people from Jianghuai, Lingnan and the Three Gorges) and drove 500 warships across the sea to land. This was also a last resort.

The sea route was dangerous, but the land route was too long and unbearable, so they were forced to take the sea route and finally achieved great success.

Shao Xun was still a little undecided about whether to do this.

Let's go check out the boat first...

A new ship had just been delivered from Wenma Ship Station, and it was personally escorted by the Captain of the Ships, Zhuge Wei, and sailed all the way from Jiangnan to Liaoxi.

After reading this, you may have made a decision.

(End of this chapter)