Eight hundred and eighty-ninth chapter willing to take the bait
The moonlight is hazy, and a bright moon hangs high.
In the third princess's boudoir, Liu Mingzhi was holding a bowl of lotus seed soup and sending it to the third princess's mouth one spoon at a time.
At first, the third princess refused to eat on the excuse of being unwell and having a poor appetite. Finally, she received a few slaps on her buttocks, coupled with Mr. Liu's sharp glances from time to time, and the beauty was reluctantly served by her husband and began to drink.
Warm porridge.
Liu Mingzhi blew on the porridge in the spoon, and felt a little sad when he saw the haggard-looking beauty wearing light clothes and a blouse leaning on the cushions.
Why didn't he understand the real root cause of the third princess's illness?
But now that everything is settled, it's too late to say anything.
Knowing that he can't get over his rebellion for a while, he can only slowly let her go in the future.
"Yan'er, everything is wrong, every fault is my husband's fault. Considering the friendship between us husband and wife for many years, you must take care of your health.
How can my husband feel relieved when you are like this?"
Liu Mingzhi doesn't think there's anything shameful about saying such soft words. Husband and wife respect each other as guests and love each other in every possible way. It's not a shameful thing to look at each other's emotions and say something comforting.
What a king's face.
He is first and foremost the husband of these ladies.
How can you sweep the world if you don't sweep one house?
If one house is not equal, how can the country be equal?
Listening to her husband's comforting words, the third princess's tears fell down her cheeks again.
"Ye...Is Ye'er still alive?"
"While alive, my husband can swear to God that I haven't touched him in the slightest. In order to cause trouble in the world, my husband will not deny that I have put him under house arrest.
But now he is still living in luxury, living a life that ordinary people can't even imagine."
"Really? Ye'er is really still alive?"
Liu Mingzhi looked at the suspicious eyes of the third princess, glanced down at the almost bottomed porridge bowl, raised his hand and placed it on the low cabinet beside the bed, sat down on the bedside with light movements, took the third princess into his arms and held her tightly.
Hug him.
"How could my husband lie to you, and how could he be willing to lie to you!
In the past, you committed yourself to marrying me as Fu Zhengping's wife. Ever since you got married, you have never shown any airs about yourself.
My husband is not blind, he sees all these things.
My husband also knows that you are extremely smart, have a clear heart, and are very clear-eyed about many things, but you just pretend not to say anything.
It's just that I'm worried that it will make Yun'er Liu's wife more popular and cause trouble between my husband and you sisters.
Yan'er, my husband knows everything you do.
But we are husband and wife, and my husband and Li Ye are monarch and minister.
Matters in the court should not be related to the private affairs of our families, either emotionally or rationally.
Things have reached the point where they are now, and the overall situation has been decided.
No matter how much I feel I owe you, my husband will never be able to look back.
I just hope Yan'er can understand her husband's difficulties and last resort.
Our husband and wife will continue to love each other.
Good Yan'er, my husband won't let you go, so please just look away, okay?"
Liu Mingzhi's words made the third princess burst into tears, her delicate body trembling from time to time in Young Master Liu's arms.
Liu Mingzhi gently stroked the third princess's back, his expression also a little downcast.
"Cry, cry loudly, it will feel better if you cry."
The room was intermittently filled with the suppressed crying bodies of the three officials, until the candle burned less than half.
Liu Mingzhi carefully wiped the tears from the eyes of the third princess who fell into a deep sleep after crying, covered her with a thin quilt, and then quietly exited the beauty's boudoir.
In the pavilion in the inner courtyard, Liu Mingzhi looked at An Gouer, who was sitting in the pavilion and drinking wine silently, and walked straight over.
"Jianghe!"
"Brother!"
"No need to get up, keep sitting."
"Okay, big brother, please sit down too!"
Liu Mingzhi placed the porridge bowl he brought out on the stone table, walked to the bench under the pavilion railing and changed into a comfortable position, looking at Erlang and sitting down with his legs reclined.
"While I was busy attacking the city a few days ago, I didn't have time to ask you about the situation in the Western countries.
Now that I am finally free, let me tell you about the general situation in the Western countries."
An Gou'er was silent and sorted out his thoughts: "This time, I visited the West to promote my power to the sky. Compared with the previous two times, I made thirty-nine more overseas foreign friends...
....”
An Gouer silently recounted all the strange and bizarre experiences of the officers and soldiers of the fleet he commanded on the ocean, which made Liu Mingzhi, a later generation, look a bit astonished from time to time.
As a listener, Liu Mingzhi also cooperated with An Gouer's confession in a timely manner.
"Although the fleet of this empire where the sun never sets is not as powerful as our Dalong fleet, its scale cannot be underestimated.
These foreigners are tall, and the weapons they use are almost as tall as the shoulders of our Han family.
If it were not for the artillery in hand, I would have suffered a hidden loss in the country where the sun never sets."
Liu Mingzhi nodded clearly: "What's their combat effectiveness like? Who are stronger or weaker than my dragon generals?"
"It's really hard to say about this little brother. Except for our Dalong soldiers who have a good foundation in kung fu, ordinary soldiers may not necessarily be the opponents of those stupid and big guys when they fight alone.
The most obvious point is the difference in physical strength and height.
It goes without saying that for soldiers who have practiced boxing and kicking, it is not a problem for one to beat three or five of them.
However, such elite officers and soldiers are only a small number among the officers and soldiers of the fleet.
In terms of overall strength, our Dalong soldiers are still superior. For example, when my younger brother led his troops to massacre the country until the sun never set... ahem... to conquer them.
....."
"The city was massacred, the city was massacred, and it has been reported to the imperial court. Is there anything else you dare not admit?"
Liu Mingzhi prepared what An Gouer said angrily, but there was no real blame in his tone.
An Gou'er smiled bitterly: "Brother, it was their soldiers who did not respect military ethics and declared war without declaring war. They attacked our Dalong Fleet officers and soldiers first.
I promise I'm not lying about this. If you don't believe me, I can ask Tan Haiqing to follow the military recorders and confront them in court!"
"Okay, what happened is over. But don't do things like massacre. Let's not talk about whether it will harm Tianhe. What if the envoys from the Western countries who followed the fleet back to Dalong see it and it ends badly.
I'm not complaining about your massacre, but I hope you can put the overall situation first."
"Yes, yes, I understand!"
"Let's talk about their overall combat power!"
An Gouer's expression suddenly became a little weird: "The overall combat power of the troops...tsk tsk... I'm afraid that the elder brother won't believe me if I tell you.
My eldest brother has never been to Western countries and does not understand that they pay attention to a so-called chivalry spirit.
Before going to war, you need to pay attention to the so-called etiquette.
This is not the kind of message our Dalong made before the war began, and we would not formally engage in war until we were able to persuade them to surrender.
Their etiquette is just... it just makes you feel like you are missing a chord."
Liu Mingzhi looked at An Gouer's troubled expression, thought for a moment, raised his eyebrows and nodded.
"Isn't it the same as in the Spring and Autumn Period before etiquette was broken down? When fighting, you come and go, not like you fighting to the death!"
An Gouer suddenly slapped his face: "Yes, the elder brother said it was on point, and it is really like this.
Now my dragon is using troops, 80% of them will outwit the enemy, and 20% of them will be crushed by force, so as to minimize the losses of our soldiers.
The Western countries use their military methods, where you hit me and I hit you, and the grandson's grandson and grandson's descendants are no longer used, okay? It's just like a child playing house.
But that's not entirely true, some barbarians still have brains.
Many strange and bizarre military tactics are hard to guard against, but they are not invincible.
Some barbarians are still very good, such as the country of Laroli, a sea country with only two to three hundred thousand people.
The younger brother, wearing ragged clothes as always, boarded the territory of Larolli with the trading officers and soldiers, and an unchanging gold brick was thrust into the hands of the king of Larollie.
Compared with other kings and city lords who are greedy for money, he not only did not ask for gold bricks, but instead gave us a large number of special products in return. Later, through Luya’s translation, I realized that it was because our goods enriched the people of their city-state.
Life.
Looking at those barbarians who don't know how to be kings but are simple-minded, I quite like them."
"Did anything bad happen while you were wandering on the ocean?"
An Gouer nodded heavily.
"Yes, and it happened more than once.
These Westerners are very attentive to our dragon's charts, compasses, artillery, and martial arts.
On the way back to the voyage, I don’t know how many thoughtful Westerners set foot in my little brother’s cabin.
My younger brother also tried to scare the monkeys many times, but those Westerners still went to the cabin one after another to steal."
Liu Mingzhi suddenly sat up straight and looked at An Gouer solemnly: "There is no chance of being succeeded!"
"Brother, don't worry. Charts and compasses are the foundation for all officers and soldiers of the fleet to gain a foothold in the West. Artillery is our weapon to intimidate the countries in the West. How can I let them succeed?
A true chart boy always has one with him.
The guide compass is supervised by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Tan Haiqing. When the artillery is not in use, no one is allowed to approach it without my Commander-in-Chief token.
Those Westerners are jealous, but they have absolutely no chance of succeeding."
Liu Mingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and leaned down lazily again.
"I asked you to look for sea-going ships made of iron. Are there any signs?"
"No, I have never found any rumors about iron-cast ships. When I asked the kings, city lords, and kings in a vague way, I was ridiculed by them as a joke several times.
Big Brother, 80% of the countries in the West that have turned into barbarians understand this very well.
Maritime routes are also clearly recorded on nautical charts, and the country's national strength is also recorded in detail in the military history books.
Do you think it’s time to..."
Liu Mingzhi looked at An Gouer's gentle touch on his neck, and the questioning look in his eyes, and raised his hand to gently rub his temples.
"Can you kill the friendly city-state of Larolli that you just mentioned?"
An Gouer was startled and couldn't help but fell silent.
"I........."
Liu Mingzhi stood up gently, staring at the bright moonlight in the night sky with his hands behind his back.
"You know, and I also know, that your fleet has a total of 60,000 to 70,000 officers and soldiers, and no country in the Western countries can be a match for the Dragon Fleet.
But have you ever thought about it?
There is no invincible and immortal existence for human beings.
The Western Ocean is no better than the land, and troops and horses can be replenished in time.
It can be said that if you lose one officer on the ocean, you will lose one officer.
As a result, the strength of your fleet will become smaller and smaller.
Another point is the issue of food and grass consumption.
The food consumption for all your officers and soldiers for a month is at least about 100,000 taels.
It's okay in the small maritime countries near our big dragon, but once we get deep into the Western Ocean.
But it’s not about how much money is consumed, but whether it can be supplied even if there is food and grass!
When you coexist peacefully, you can also procure grain and grass from the West on the spot. Once war breaks out, not to mention grain and grass, just replenishing fresh water will be enough for you to worry about.
It is easy to conquer, but difficult to convince them sincerely.
If there is a slight mistake or a slight stumbling block for you, your entire army will be annihilated in the Western Ocean.
With 100,000 soldiers and horses, even if there is only 10% danger, we can’t take risks and move forward!”
"And if I let you be a money-splitting boy in the Western countries and deliberately show weakness to others, not only will you screen out the real wolves and ambitious people who come to my dragon to look for wealth.
It will also prevent those in the West who really don't want war from getting involved.
Furthermore, we are fighting locally, while the enemy is a tired army that has traveled across mountains and rivers.
I don’t need to tell you the consequences of waiting for work.
First annihilate the tired troops in their vanguard, and then look towards the Western mainland.
By that time, their own country's strength cannot be said to be non-existent, and it will not be enough to worry about.
And it also gave the imperial court the opportunity to unite the people and expand its territory!
In other words, the teacher should be famous, and the whole country should be mobilized to open up the barbarians with no good intentions in the West.
This is called Jiang Taigong fishing - whoever is willing will take the bait."
An Gouer stared at Young Master Liu in stunned silence. At this moment, he finally understood his elder brother's true purpose of letting him become a money-splitting boy in the West and show weakness to the enemy.
"Brother, you are too dark-hearted!"
"Haha...that's wrong.
As long as they are not blinded by wealth, what can I do about them?
Two months, within two months I will do my best to stabilize the court.
Two months later, you and I, brothers, will set off together.
I will go to Northern Xinjiang, and you will go to the West.
After the world is unified, I hope you can lure those foreign fish with dark hearts to the hook!"