Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 937 Pulling
"Brother Jumong, why are you back?" Yasha asked in surprise.

"What do you mean 'Why am I back?'" Jumong said unhappily, "I came back naturally after I got the job done! Yasha, I just saw your boats parked at the dock, preparing to sail. What happened? Where are you going?"

Yasha opened his mouth wide, not knowing how to answer for a moment. Yuanbao coughed and said, "Jumong, please sit down first. Let me explain this matter slowly!"

Jumong also sensed something unusual in Yuanbao's tone. He nodded and found a chair to sit down.

"A few days ago, Teacher Cao came from the north! He said his father fell off his horse and broke two ribs. He is bedridden and will not be able to get up soon!"

"What?" Zhu Meng looked as if he had been hit on the head with a stick. He sat on the chair with a pale face and could not speak for a long time. Yuan Bao sighed and said, "Don't worry too much. At least before Cao Shifan left, my father was still alive."

"So, you want to go back to Fan Yang?" Jumong asked with a bleak look.

"Yes!" Yuanbao nodded, "But not me. According to my father's letter, as the governor of Jiaozhou, I have the responsibility to defend the territory, so I can't go back. Only Sutuo and Yaksha will go back. Time is tight, so we didn't plan to wait for you, but God has a spirit and let you come back before departure. This is the best, you go back with us!"

"Yes!" Yaksha said, "You are really lucky to be able to catch this trip. Hurry up and pack up and get ready to board the ship!"

Facing the eager gazes of his brothers, Jumong did not respond immediately. He remained silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "No, I won't go back!"

"What?" Yasha was shocked. "Brother Jumong, are you crazy? This trip back might be the last time I see him. How can you not go back?"

Jumong said to Yasha, "I won't go back. Go talk to Yaoshi, Zhenwu and the others. Don't go back either. We have more important things to do!"

"Stop talking nonsense. What could be more important than going back to Fanyang?" Yaksha said anxiously, "If we don't go back, who knows how Aunt Cui will frame us in front of everyone! We will be charged with being unfilial and won't get a penny of the inheritance left by our father!"

"Jumong, what happened to you with the Khmers this time?" Yuan Bao asked, "Tell me about it and discuss it with the brothers!"

Jumong glanced at Yuanbao. Although he and Yuanbao had been at odds since coming to Jiaozhou, he had to admire the other party's sharpness at this time. Compared with Yuanbao, Yaksha was far inferior.

"I have formed an alliance with the Javanese and captured the Khmer capital of Pratipat in Water Chenla. According to the agreement with the Javanese, Pratipat will belong to our Tang Dynasty. In addition, the Linyi Kingdom will be divided into two, the southern part is Lower Linyi and the northern part is Upper Linyi. Lower Linyi will belong to the Javanese, while Upper Linyi will choose one of our brothers to marry the captured Linyi princess and become the king!"

Hearing Jumong's words that contained a lot of information, Yuanbao's eyes lit up. With his understanding of the situation in Nanyang, he could naturally find more information from Jumong's brief narration. He stood up and went behind the screen. When he came back a moment later, he had a map in his hand and spread it on the ground: "Jumong, tell us more carefully according to the map! Start from when you arrived at the city of Balatiba!"

Jumong responded and began to tell the story of how his ship encountered a Javanese patrol boat off the coast of Paratiba. He fought with them, sank two ships, captured six, and took hundreds of people alive. He then told the story of how he secretly formed an alliance with the Javanese and took down Paratiba before the rainy season. He left Gugal as the acting lord of Paratiba and returned by boat.

"Well, Jumong, you did a great job with your little effort!" Yuanbao nodded, "But have you ever thought that a covenant or an agreement is only useful if there is strength behind it. Yes, these Javanese said it well before they took over the city of Paratiba, but what about after that? Gugal is a businessman and doesn't have many soldiers. How can he defend the city? Not to mention Upper Linyi and Lower Linyi. If the Javanese seize the city of Paratiba and turn against their promise, what can you do to them?"

"I have considered what you said, brother!" Jumong said, "After that naval battle, the Javanese knew very well that their fleet was vulnerable at sea and was no match for our warships. If they betray the alliance now, when the Khmer counterattacks next year during the dry season, our fleet will cut off their retreat and supply lines. If he abides by the agreement, although he will have to hand over the city of Paratipat, he will gain a powerful ally. The Javanese should know clearly whether it is a benefit or a disadvantage!"

"Well! Do you want to use Cambodia to contain the Javanese and then profit from it?" Yuanbao asked.

"Yes. Besides, the location and geographical conditions of the city of Balatiba are very good. There are large tracts of land around it that can be developed. If we can bring 2,000 to 3,000 armed immigrants there, within a few years, the situation in Water Zhenla will be completely different!"

Yuan Bao looked at Zhu Meng's confident face and suddenly laughed: "Since you have already made up your mind, I won't say much. Anyway, my father has said before that I have the obligation to support you in opening up the South China Sea. Tell me, what else do you want?"

"So, brother, you support me not going to Fan Yang?" Jumong said happily.

"Don't! I didn't say that!" Yuan Bao waved his hands quickly: "I can't bear the big hat of being unfilial. It's up to you to decide whether to go to Fanyang or not. I just said I don't object! As for supporting you in opening up the South China Sea, that's my duty!"

"That's enough!" Zhu Meng smiled, and he turned his gaze to Yasha: "Yasha, what about you?"

"Me?" Yaksha was stunned: "This, this is not embarrassing me?" "What's the embarrassment?" Jumong laughed and said, "How many sons does father have? You are not outstanding. Even if you go to Fanyang, how much will you get? If you go with me, the spoils can be divided equally. I will be the lord of Balatiba City, and you will marry the princess of Linyi Kingdom, and you will be the ruler of half of the country, and you will be the only one who can rule the country. Wasn't it because my father married Princess Saitama that he was able to establish his great cause? Otherwise, how could he have achieved his glory later?"

"This..." Hearing the empty promise from Jumong, Yasha was very tempted. He hesitated for a while and shook his head: "You only have one city and half a country here. If not enough people go, my strength will be too weak to take it. If too many people go, it may not be my turn!"

"Hahaha!" Jumong laughed, "Yaksha, you are so funny. Of course, this kind of thing can only be done step by step. In the land of Water Zhenla alone, there are rivers crisscrossing, and the land is fertile for hundreds of miles. The benefits of fish, salt, and rice are more than hundreds of millions. There are countless small cities and small countries in the area. Not to mention that there are only nine of us brothers, even if there are nineteen or ninety of us, everyone can be king. Not to mention going up the Mekong River, both sides are villages. With the talents of us brothers, we can all attack and seize them as the qualifications for emperors. Why should we worry about not having a place to be king? If you don't believe it, you can ask Brother Yuanbao to be a witness. I swear to the sky that as long as one of the brothers who travel with me this time does not have a hundred miles of land to be king, I, Jumong, will never be king! How about it?"

"This--" Yasha turned his gaze to Yuanbao, his eyes full of inquiry. Yuanbao nodded with a smile: "Since Jumong said so, I will bear witness to this!"

So he brought a few incense burners, and Jumong lit incense and swore to the heavens that if any of the brothers could not be king of a hundred miles of territory, Jumong must not be king, otherwise the heaven and earth would not tolerate it. After the oath was completed, Jumong stood up, and Yasha smiled and said, "Okay, I'll take a gamble this time. We will persuade the others later to see who is willing to go with us!"

Yuan Bao was thinking about something. The "hundred-li land" in Jumong's oath was actually a learned thing. According to the Book of Rites, there are five ranks: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. The princes have five ranks: the senior officials, the junior officials, the senior officers, the middle officers, and the junior officers. The fields of the emperor are a thousand li square, the fields of the dukes and marquises are a hundred li square, the fields of the earls are seventy li, and the fields of the viziers and barons are fifty li. Those who cannot cover fifty li are not worthy of the emperor and are attached to the princes, called vassals. In the ancient patriarchal politics of China, a thousand li and a hundred li both refer to something. Generally speaking, a hundred li corresponds to the size of the first-class princes under the emperor. Jumong promised a hundred li of land to the brothers who went with him, so what was left for himself? This is obvious.

"Jumong, this bastard, is really ambitious!" Yuanbao sneered in his heart, but he was too lazy to break the paper. To put it bluntly, even if Jumong was born with divine power, it would take at least 10 to 20 years for him to turn his promise on paper into reality. It was still too early. Besides, the smoother Jumong's war went, the more warships, gunpowder, firearms, and various military supplies they needed. Yuanbao was the only one who could provide these military supplies. This was equivalent to opening up the market for the military handicraft industry, shipping industry, and commerce that Yuanbao was building. Yuanbao had seen this too many times when he was in Cangzhou. Since Jumong and his men were willing to shed blood and sweat to open up the market, why didn't he just sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor? As for the king, the emperor, and so on, the land and ocean in Nanyang were so vast, how many kings could it accommodate? He still knew which was more important, false reputation or real profit.

"But compared to those who are in a hurry to return to Fan Yang to grab the property, Jumong is still much better! At least he knows that the blade should be pointed outward! If he plunges in headfirst, he might even lose his life!" Yuanbao sneered secretly.

"Brother Yuanbao, time is running out, Yasha and I will take our leave first!" Jumong bowed to Yuanbao. He was a little surprised that the other party was so cooperative with him tonight.

"Well, you are going to persuade the others, right?" Yuan Bao said with a smile, "You should hurry up. The boat has been loaded almost completely. As soon as the wind changes, we will have to go out to the north. It will be too late! I won't keep you here!"

"Thank you, Brother Yuanbao!" Jumong bowed deeply as a greeting, then turned and left. The Yaksha followed closely behind him and soon disappeared into the night.

The next day at noon, at the Governor's Mansion.

"What? You five aren't going back to Fanyang?" Cao Wenzong looked at the Jumong brothers in astonishment. "You must understand that your father is seriously ill in bed. If you don't go this time, you may never see him again, and you will be separated from him forever!"

The few who decided not to go all showed shame on their faces. Zhu Meng coughed and said, "Master Cao, we know all this, but we have a golden opportunity right now that we can't miss. Besides, if my father's illness is as serious as you said, even if we go back now, we probably won't be able to see him!"

"Nonsense!" Cao Wenzong's face turned red with anger at what Jumong said. "How can a son of man say this? Besides, even if it is true as you said, isn't returning home to attend the funeral also what a son of man should do? What opportunity could be more important than this?"

"No, my father asked us to come south to develop Southeast Asia and build our own business. What a son should do is to obey his orders and achieve something! If we just go back to Fan Yang and miss the opportunity, and fail in the development, it would be unfilial!" The pharmacist interrupted.

"You——" Cao Wenzong was speechless for a moment because of the pharmacist's sharp words. After a while, he sighed and said, "Forget it. I am old and can't argue with you. But you should think about how the king built up the foundation bit by bit and how he raised you. Now he is old and sick in bed. He wants to see you again, but you are unwilling to go. This is unacceptable in any way!"

Cao Wenzong's words were sincere and heartfelt. Several people felt guilty and lowered their heads. Seeing this, Zhu Meng was afraid that someone would be shaken, so he hardened his heart and said, "Father has many sons and he doesn't need a few of us. Besides, we have prepared gifts and letters and asked the brothers to present them to us. Father will surely understand the difficulties of his sons!"

"That's it!" Cao Wenzong was extremely disappointed when he heard this. He shook his head and said, "You have grown strong, so I can only leave it to you!" Then he turned around and left. Jumong and others bowed as a courtesy and sent Cao Wenzong off. They didn't stand up again until his back disappeared in the corridor.

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"Yuanbao!" Suta whispered, "Jumong and the others are really going too far. Why don't you give them some advice?"

"Persuade? How?" Yuan Bao sneered, "They are not three-year-old children. They already have their own ideas. Can I persuade them?"

"That's what you said, but I heard that you agreed at that time. Isn't that a bad thing?" Suta asked.

"I didn't agree with him at that time. I just said that if he went to fight the Khmer, I would support him. What's wrong with that?" Yuan Bao asked back: "Besides, do you really think that what Jumong did was not good? Apart from anything else, don't plunge into the mud pit of Fanyang. This is a smart person!"

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