Chapter 560 - 562: They’re Back
Chapter 560: Chapter 562: They’re Back
Gu Wenheng was puzzled. "In that case, let’s just pick out some more health supplements, dried seafood, and the like."
Jin Qianqian said, stifling a laugh, "I’ve noticed Father-in-law always staring at the hairpins on Mother’s head. I suppose he likes seeing her all dressed up. So, I’ll send a bunch more over. That way, she can wear a different one every day, and Father-in-law will truly see how filial we are."
Gu Wenheng was speechless. ’He’ll probably be fuming every day. One spouse bedridden, the other dressed to the nines. The contrast couldn’t be starker.’
"...In that case, let’s just send more dried seafood. It’s just that sick people probably shouldn’t eat too much of it. Remember to mention that in the letter." Gu Wenheng suddenly realized he was being a little cruel, but he went along with it anyway.
Jin Qianqian nodded, holding back a laugh. "Don’t worry! We don’t know what Father-in-law should eat or use for his ’injuries,’ so all we can do is give them more Silver Taels and let Mother handle the arrangements."
Far away in Gaoling Village, Gu Dashishi let out a series of sneezes. "Is everyone dead?! It’s getting cold! Hurry up and fire up my kang bed!"
Li Cuicui replied coolly, "Stop lying there groaning about nothing all day. When I tried to give you an extra blanket earlier, you complained it was too stuffy. Now you’re just looking for trouble.
"It seems you have too much ’internal heat.’ I’ll have someone brew you some more radish water later to cool you down."
Having been forced to drink radish water for days on end, Gu Dashishi felt a sourness rise in his throat. ’That wretched woman is treating me like a rabbit.’
...
On the day the first heavy snow of the season fell, even better news arrived.
Vice General Wang and his men had returned from Eastern Yi.
Seeing every last soldier disembark, safe and sound, Zhou Shixiong was grinning from ear to ear.
Vice General Wang had clearly been bottling this up for the entire voyage. The moment he saw the Great General, he launched into a breathless account of their glorious achievements.
Li Ji, who had been listening from the side, stood there with his jaw practically on the floor.
"The moment we set sail, we locked those men in separate cabins.
"At first, they tried to cause a stir, claiming they knew the sea routes and offering to guide us from the deck. They said it would prevent us from straying off course, which would be dangerous at sea.
"But we weren’t so easily fooled. Even if the territory was unfamiliar, our navigators had already memorized the charts, and we had the compass car to maintain our bearing.
"Even so, it was a rough journey. It took us nearly a month before we reached the islands nearest to Eastern Yi.
"You have no idea. When we brought Teng Shang and his men onto the deck, their faces fell.
"The fools actually tried to order us to sail into Eastern Yi, but why would we ever grant their wish?
"We tied them to the mast, sailed a full circle around their island country, and if we hadn’t been worried about rations, we would’ve taken an even wider loop.
"It’s just as Mr. Gu said—their country is laughably small.
"Teng Shang was still putting on his arrogant airs at first, but we just ignored him. Eventually, he started trying to bribe us, promising high office and great wealth if we’d just take him to his home port.
"Following the Great General’s orders, we dumped them in a small boat not far from their port and let them row back on their own.
"As for what power struggles await them when they get back? That’s not for us to know."
Li Ji spoke up, "General Wang, you mean to say you took all those soldiers and just went for a joyride at sea?
"You were so close to their island. Why not do them a favor and see them home safely? It would have been good for future relations between our two nations."
Vice General Wang rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say. We were in their territory, completely unfamiliar with the land and its people. Were you suggesting we send our soldiers to their deaths?"
"How could that be? Prince Zuo Tengshang is in desperate need of aid. If we’d helped him, he would have owed us a massive favor. To just throw that away—and potentially offend him in the process—is utterly foolish."
Zhou Shixiong snorted. "Since you make it sound so simple, this General will grant you a ship. You can go see for yourself. Perhaps they’ll be willing to accept *your* favor."
Li Ji stammered, "...I am only thinking of the Rong Dynasty’s best interests. To expend so much manpower and resources just to take a trip around the sea seems far too frivolous."
"Who told you it was just a trip around the sea? This was a training exercise, do you understand? If you don’t know what you’re talking about, then shut your mouth."
Li Ji shot back, "The Holy Decree to establish a Navy hasn’t even been issued! How dare you begin training? This is an act of gross insubordination!"
Zhou Shixiong just chuckled. "This has nothing to do with a Navy. This General merely acquired some new spoils of war. What’s wrong with letting my soldiers take them out to get their sea legs?
"However, Assistant General Li has given this Great General an idea. It seems we now have the beginnings of a proper Navy. We can submit another petition. Perhaps this time, the Holy Emperor will see things differently."
Li Ji was speechless. ’No, I didn’t remind you of anything... If Minister Chen hears about this, he’ll suspect me of being disloyal...’
No one paid any mind to his inner turmoil. The crowd was far more interested in hearing about the exciting adventures at sea. They swarmed around Vice General Wang and his aides, heading toward the General Mansion in a boisterous procession of questions and answers.
As the owner of the fleet, Jin Qianqian had sent some of her own men to get accustomed to the vessels. They disembarked with the soldiers but didn’t dare to delay. After a quick word with Vice General Wang, they hurried back to give her their report.
"Do you think Teng Shang and his men made it to shore safely?" Jin Qianqian asked. Even though she didn’t know what happened next, her curiosity was piqued.
Gu Wenheng replied, "It’s hard to say. They should be able to land safely, given their familiarity with the area.
"Reclaiming their former power and status, however, will likely require a great deal of effort.
"It all depends on how many loyal subordinates he still has. If I’m guessing correctly, their court is in utter chaos right now.
"In any case, the more fiercely they fight amongst themselves, the better it is for us."
’Ideally, they’ll stir up trouble again right after our Navy is officially established. That will be the perfect opportunity to teach them a proper lesson.’
"What a shame. It looks like we’ll have to wait a long time to find out what happens," Jin Qianqian said, barely concealing the glee in her voice.
"My men just reported back that there weren’t many ships at the Eastern Yi Port. It seems we overestimated them. It’s possible that the ships we seized were the bulk of their naval power."
Gu Wenheng’s mind was already turning over another possibility. "This isn’t a modern era. If we consider the historical timeline, they’re little more than barbarians right now. Those ships we captured... maybe they didn’t even build them. It’s possible they were stolen from passing merchant fleets."
Jin Qianqian considered this. "Now that you mention it, that’s entirely possible. But we can’t let our guard down. They’ve had those ships for some time now; I worry they might have learned how to replicate them."