The moonlight was hazy, and a bright moon hung 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 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 everything is settled and it's too late to say anything.
Knowing that he can't get over his rebellion for a while, he can only slowly relieve her 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 your husband feel relieved when you are like this? "
Liu Mingzhi didn't think there was any shame in saying such soft words. The husband and wife respected each other as guests and loved each other in every possible way. It was 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 without sweeping one house?
If one house is not equal, there will be no peace.
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 he was put 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 porridge bowl that was almost bottomed, raised his hand and placed it on the low cabinet beside the bed, sat down on the bedside with a light movement, and took the third princess into his arms 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. Since you married, you have never shown off your wealth.
My husband is not blind, he sees all these things.
My husband also knows that you are smart, sweet and caring, and you 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.
Things 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 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.
Hao Yan'er, my husband won't let you go, 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 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, just keep sitting."
"Okay, big brother, 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, watching Erlang sit 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, I would like to tell my elder brother about the general situation in the Western countries now. "
An Gouer was silent and sorted out his thoughts: "This time, my little brother toured 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 our Han family's shoulders.
If it weren't for the artillery in hand, I would have almost suffered a hidden loss in the country where the sun never sets. "
Liu Mingzhi nodded clearly: "How is their combat effectiveness? 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 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 skills, 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 sets... ummm... 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 hurt Tianhe. What if the envoys from the Western countries who followed the fleet back to Dalong saw a bad ending.
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.
The eldest brother has never been to Western countries and does not understand that they pay attention to a so-called chivalry.
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 started, and we would not formally engage in war until we were able to persuade them to surrender.
Their etiquette is... just... it feels like there is no string in the brain. "
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 collapsed? When fighting, you come and go, not like you fighting to the death!"
An Gouer suddenly slapped his hand: "Yes, the eldest brother said it was on point, and it is really like this.
Now my dragon is using troops, 80% to outwit the enemy and 20% to crush them with force, minimizing the losses of our soldiers.
The Western countries use their military methods, where you hit me and I hit you, so there is no need for grandson’s grandson and grandson’s descendants. It’s just like a child playing house.
But that's not all, some barbarians still have brains.
Many strange and bizarre military tactics are difficult to guard against, but they are not invincible.
Some barbarians are still very good, such as Larolli, a sea state with only 200,000 to 300,000 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 also 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, compass, 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.
The 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 were jealous, but there was absolutely no chance of success. "
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 haven't found any rumors about iron-cast ships from the beginning to the end. When I asked the kings, city lords, and kings in a vague way, they ridiculed me a few times as a joke.
Brother, 80% of the Western countries that have turned into barbarians understand this very well.
Sea routes are also clearly recorded on the charts, and the country's national strength is also recorded in detail in the history books that accompany the military.
Do you think it’s time to..."
Liu Mingzhi watched An Gouer's gentle touch on his neck and the questioning look in his eyes, raising 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.
If a small amount adds up to a large amount, the strength of your fleet will only become smaller and smaller.
Another point is the issue of food and grass consumption.
The food consumption of 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 dragon, but once we get deep into the Western Ocean.
But it’s not a question of 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 requisition food and grass from the West. Once war breaks out, not to mention food and grass, just replenishing fresh water will be enough for you to worry about.
It is easy to capture, 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 a 10% risk, we can't take risks and move forward! "
"And if I let you be a money-splitting boy in the Western countries, deliberately showing weakness to others, not only will you screen out the real wolves and ambitious people who come to my dragon to find 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 traveling 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 to the Western mainland.
By then, their own country's strength cannot be said to be non-existent, nor is it 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 has a good reputation and the whole country is mobilized to open up the barbarians with no good intentions in the West.
This is called Jiang Taigong fishing - those who are willing will take the bait. "
An Gouer stared at Young Master Liu in stunned silence. At this time, 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! "
