readytorunbook Chapter 687 Sun Luyu gave birth?
Chapter 687 Sun Luyu gave birth?
Zhuge Liang took Gongsun Yuan away from the Prime Minister's residence and first toured the military camp, intending to use the might of the Han army to intimidate Gongsun Yuan again and let this kid know what it means to be unpredictable by the power of the heavens.
They then visited various warehouses to show Gongsun Yuan the abundant military reserves of the Han Dynasty.
In fact, the Han Dynasty's current military reserves are not exactly abundant. The reserves of food and fodder are not large, and the number of weapons and armor is also not large. However, the variety is abundant. All kinds of swords, sugar, salt, rice, flour and oil are readily available.
Mi Wei's sugar factory in Funan has been successfully put into operation. Seventy percent of the red and white sugar produced is sold to earn profits and expand production, while the remaining thirty percent is sent to the national treasury for storage in case of emergency. Other materials are also being stored in the warehouse one after another. At this rate, the court will be able to save enough funds for the Northern Expedition in less than three years.
After visiting the warehouse, Zhuge Liang took Gongsun Yuan to the palace to meet the emperor.
When Liu Bei met the emperor, he gave Gongsun Yuan a taste of imperial power, making him feel the majesty of the emperor, which frightened Gongsun Yuan to the point of exhaustion.
The next morning, Liu Bei convened a grand court assembly specifically to address Gongsun Yuan's request for assistance. He instructed Gongsun Yuan to formally submit his request to the court, and Liu Bei, as the emperor, then issued an edict to provide aid, thus following the proper procedures.
Once the procedures were completed, it was time to get to work. Thanks to the gifts Gongsun Yuan had given him earlier, all the government offices gave him the green light, and none of them held him back.
Three days later, Gongsun Yuan, carrying the official documents from various government offices, went to Jianye to pick up the goods and transport them by boat to Liaodong.
On the return journey, Gongsun Yuan stood at the bow, gazing at the calm sea, feeling more relaxed than ever before.
Although he was quite frightened by Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang during this trip to Jiangling, he also gained a lot. At least with Liu Bei's assistance, he was more confident in defending Liaodong.
Even if they can't hold out, it doesn't matter. They can retreat to the mountains and fight guerrilla warfare until the Wei army withdraws. Cao Wei still has to deal with Liu Bei, a major enemy, and will definitely not stay in Liaodong for too long and get bogged down in the war. If they can't win a quick battle or see any hope of a quick victory, they will definitely withdraw. At that time, Liaodong will still belong to the Gongsun family.
Once the Wei army retreats, I can stay in Liaodong and watch the Wei and Han armies fight it out. Then I can wait for the victor to surrender. If neither Wei nor Han can win and they end up in a north-south stalemate, that would be even better. Then I can stay in Liaodong and be a local tyrant.
Thinking of his bright future, Gongsun Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. He returned to Liaodong with the naval fleet and immediately organized two hundred elites to return to Jiangdong with the navy for further training. Then he began to prepare for resisting the Wei army.
Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye.
September in Jiangnan is still scorching hot, so hot that people are drenched in sweat and unwilling to go out.
However, on the official road from Yuzhang County to Jiangling, a large army of nearly three thousand men was advancing at a steady pace.
Upon closer inspection, this large army was covered in dust and looked exhausted. Their armor was covered with marks from sword cuts and even stained with indelible blood. It was the bandit-suppressing army led by Liu Shan and Guan Xing.
For months, Liu Shan and Guan Xing had been traveling through the mountains, covering almost every corner of the Wuling and Luoxiao Mountains, and even venturing into Jiaozhou.
The results achieved are also very encouraging. Currently, in the entire Jiangnan region, bandit dens with more than 500 members have almost disappeared, and the remaining bandit dens with around 100 members can no longer cause much trouble, as the local county government can wipe them out.
While suppressing bandits, we must also do a good job of resettling them, finding them a way to make a living so that they can farm and live in peace. Only in this way can we completely eradicate the root cause of banditry.
It should be understood that not all bandits are bad. A large portion of them are people who have no means of livelihood and are forced to become outlaws. If the government does not provide for these people, even if the soldiers wipe out the bandit dens, new bandits will still infiltrate them and resume their old ways.
Therefore, the best way to completely eradicate bandits is not through encirclement and suppression, but through resettlement. Only by ensuring a peaceful and prosperous life can the conditions for bandits to survive be completely eliminated.
In response, Liu Shan accepted Guan Xing's suggestion and contacted the local government. While allocating land to the bandits, he also had the government establish small workshops that utilized local resources to create jobs for people who were disabled or unable to work for other reasons. This effectively cut off the source of new blood for the bandits.
It is believed that after this crackdown and crackdown, public security in the Jiangnan region will definitely improve for some time.
This is good news, but there's also bad news.
In any large-scale military campaign, casualties are inevitable, and special forces are no exception. After several months of fighting, Liu Shan and Guan Xing's 3,000 special forces soldiers suffered 123 deaths and more than 200 were seriously wounded and retired. Liu Shan and Guan Xing were heartbroken and shed tears.
But there's nothing we can do about it; war inevitably results in death, and the only way to avoid casualties is to end the war.
Looking at the seriously wounded patients on the stretchers and the tired eyes of the soldiers carrying them, Liu Shan waved his hand and shouted, "Brothers, give it your all and try to get to Jiangling City before dark. Once we get back to the city, I'll give you all a break so you can relax."
With Jiangling City in sight, the soldiers, eager to return home, quickened their pace and managed to return to Jiangling before sunset, entering the camp outside the city.
It's worth mentioning that a large army of several thousand must have been reported in advance before arriving in the capital; otherwise, how would anyone know if they were there for tourism or to attack the capital?
To avoid any misunderstanding, Liu Shan had sent someone to inform Liu Bei before the army returned. As a result, as soon as the army returned to camp, they saw Liu Shan's personal eunuch, Huang Hao, waiting at the door.
As soon as Liu Shan appeared, Huang Hao trotted forward with small, quick steps, bowed, and said, "This servant greets Your Highness, greets Marquis Shence, greets..."
Liu Shan waved his hand and said, "Stop talking nonsense, did you bring the money?"
Huang Hao replied, "I brought it. Three strings of cash for each person, totaling nine thousand strings of cash. I was afraid it wouldn't be enough, so I brought an extra five hundred strings."
Liu Shan felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this, as it was all his private savings.
After feeling the pinch, he turned to face the army, waved his arm, and shouted boldly, "Did you all hear that? Three strings of cash each. Line up and go in to collect your money. After you collect it, you'll have seven days off to rest. We'll talk about the rest after your leave. As for the compensation for the fallen soldiers, I and Marquis Shence will personally deliver it to their families. Now, let's go into the camp."
Guan Xing interrupted, "Wait a minute, I'll say something. After you get the money, do something worthwhile. Don't go to brothels as soon as you have any money. Got it?"
"We've got it!" The soldiers answered listlessly, clearly not taking it to heart, and were determined to visit various brothels the next day.
If I finally get the money, where else can I go but a brothel? You won't even let me into your house?
Guan Xing stepped aside to let the soldiers enter the camp. Just as he was about to follow the front row through, Huang Hao suddenly said, "Marquis Shence, I have good news for you. Your wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy three days ago."
"What?" Guan Xing jumped up in shock, grabbed Huang Hao's collar, and asked impatiently, "What did you say? Say it again?"
Huang Hao was too short and was lifted off the ground by Guan Xing. He was so frightened that he stammered, "It's true, how could this servant dare to lie to you about such a thing?"
"Why the hell didn't you say so earlier!" Guan Xing threw Huang Hao aside, turned and ran, almost stumbling as he ran too fast.
Liu Shan also rebuked him, saying, "You didn't tell me about such a big thing sooner. I'll deal with you later. Anguo, wait for me."
After saying that, he took off after them, and only halfway there did he say, "Xingguo Earl, please come with me, Xia Tong. Ma Zhong, you stay here and guard the camp. Go with Huang Hao to distribute the money to everyone."