King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 669 Struggle
Next, Zhu Jinghong, accompanied by Zhao Chengwu, inspected the Liaodong navy that came to reinforce.

These people had participated in battles under his command, and most of them had been rewarded for their meritorious service last year. Now, they were taking orders from Zhu Jinghong, which made them excited and full of fighting spirit.

As a result, these "guest soldiers" actually showed stronger fighting spirit than the Jinling Navy, which made Wang Long feel a little embarrassed.

When Zhu Jinghong was inspecting the military equipment, he summoned several deputies and asked them to raise the morale of their soldiers as soon as possible, as it would be too embarrassing to be outdone by the Liaodong Navy.

When Zhu Jinghong was examining, Yu Hai had already received the news of Lin Ruhai's death, but he did not go to report it immediately.

Zhu Jinghong is busy with his work right now, and Lin Ruhai has been dead for two days, so there is nothing wrong with keeping the news secret for a while.

As Zhu Jinghong's most trusted eunuch, Yu Hai was not only responsible for taking care of Zhu Jinghong's food and daily life, but also served as his "secretary".

Half an hour later, when Zhu Jinghong came down from the warship with a smile on his face, surrounded by a group of generals, Yu Hai seized the opportunity and approached.

He and Zhu Jinghong had a tacit understanding. When the latter saw him coming over, he knew something was wrong, so he let the generals leave first.

"what happened?"

"Your Majesty, news has come from Yingtian that Imperial Censor Lin has passed away!"

Zhu Jinghong was silent for a moment, then sighed. He was not surprised by the result.

Lin Ruhai is so seriously ill that he could die at any time. Now he is relying on medicine to endure the pain, which is also painful. Death may be a relief for him.

Because of this, Zhu Jinghong didn't take it too seriously.

At this time, Yu Hai continued, "Under the instruction of the Prince-in-Chief, people have been sent to pay tribute, and Empress Yang... has also gone in person!"

Yang Jingting went there in person, which was not arranged by Zhu Jinghong, so it surprised him.

"Yeah!" Zhu Jinghong responded, and his impression of Yang Jingting also changed a little.

Only those who understand the overall situation and take the overall situation into consideration can be regarded much more highly by him.

"After things are done here in a couple of days, I'll go back and take a look!" Zhu Jinghong replied.

As a prince, it was honestly extremely condescending for him to go to Lin Ruhai's coffin to pay tribute, and it would have been better for him not to go if he could.

What's more, he has to preside over the overall situation in the southeast right now. He should not go when he has important matters to attend to, otherwise he would be treating military and national affairs as a joke.

So, when Zhu Jinghong mentioned "going there in a few days", even he himself didn't know which day it was, and he was not sure whether he would go or not.

Now that the three naval forces have arrived, there are many things that need to be prepared, and Zhu Jinghong will be very busy in the future.

The Liaodong Navy's rest, replenishment, relocation, and supply after relocation all required careful consideration, which also meant that mountains of documents had to be signed and approved.

Half an hour later, Zhu Jinghong convened a military meeting.

Generals above the rank of commander of the three major naval forces are allowed to attend the meeting, so the level of this meeting can be very high.

The content of the meeting was very simple. Zhu Jinghong put forward his own strategic idea, which was to relocate the three major naval forces.

Nowadays, the Nanjing and Liaodong navies are in Tongzhou, and the Zhejiang navy is in Hangzhou Bay, which are too far away from Luzon.

After analyzing the actual situation, Zhu Jinghong glanced at the generals present and said in a deep voice: "I propose... that the Liaodong Navy be stationed in Taiwan, and the Jinling Navy and Zhejiang Navy be stationed in Quanzhou!"

"If the enemy attacks, we will try to lure them to the Taiwan Strait. Then the Liaodong Navy will attack westward from Taiwan, and the Nanjing and Zhejiang Navy will attack eastward!"

At this point, Zhu Jinghong said with a serious expression: "Attack from the east and west together to defeat the main force of the Western Barbarians in one fell swoop!"

As everyone looked thoughtful, Zhu Jinghong continued, "Everyone, now that our three major naval forces have gathered together, we have more warships than the Spanish!"

"And if the war starts in the Taiwan Strait, we are familiar with the sea conditions and routes. As long as we come down and make careful plans, it is not impossible to defeat them!"

This is certainly a more optimistic view, but for now Zhu Jinghong must convey optimism and boost the confidence of the generals present.

Next, Zhu Jinghong talked about a more detailed plan, but it was actually just a big framework, and each navy still had to plan the specific plan based on its own actual situation.

The meeting lasted for nearly an hour, and finally, after discussion among more than 20 generals present, they only came up with the most basic plan.

The next step is to execute the plan and fill in the gaps during the execution process.

"Everyone, the content of today's meeting must be kept confidential, and the execution process must also prevent leaks..."

Zhu Jinghong made a few more concluding remarks, and the meeting was finally concluded.

After the Liaodong Navy rested for a few days and replenished its ammunition and food, it sailed towards Chaotian Port in the southeast of Taiwan under the flag of the Jinling Navy.

As for the Jinling Navy and the Zhejiang Navy, they requisitioned many merchant ships and hoisted war flags on all of them to disguise them as warships, while the real warships were sent away at night.

All of this sounds simple, but it was a very delicate task and took time to complete. By then, Zhu Jinghong had already secretly rushed to Quanzhou.

In the end, he did not go to deal with the Lin family's affairs, but asked Yang Jingting to represent him.

Lin Ruhai passed away on July 12, and Yang Jingting received Zhu Jinghong's handwritten letter on July 19.

"I order you to handle the Lin family's affairs. Make sure you take good care of them and don't make any mistakes!"

Although there were only a few words, Yang Jingting read it over a dozen times and still felt unsatisfied.

Although she was not a princess, she did experience the feeling of a princess, which made her very excited and thrilled.

But Yang Jingting has been through a lot of hardships after all, and she is much more shrewd than before. She knows that she must not show any covetousness, and her top priority right now is to get things done.

After putting away the warrant, Yang Jingting looked at the maid and asked, "When is the Lin family's funeral?"

"Reporting to the queen, it will be on the twenty-third, which is three days later!"

Nodding, Yang Jingting then asked, "Let's make some arrangements. I'll go take a look tomorrow!"

"The person has passed away, how can the living bear it... Miss Lin, you need comfort now!"

Hearing these words, the maids on both sides praised: "Your Majesty is so considerate!"

"Also, no entertainment is allowed in the house these few days. Anyone who violates this rule will be severely punished!" Yang Jingting said seriously.

"Yes!"

The next day came in a blink of an eye. Yang Jingting arrived at the Lin family in a low-key manner. Daiyu and other female relatives came out to greet her, including Xia Yuegui and Baoqin.

These days, Xia Yuegui comes every other day to help Daiyu deal with family affairs.

Nowadays, almost no one in the Lin family dares to make trouble anymore, and they have changed their mindset and carefully flatter Daiyu in order to gain Daiyu's gratitude and then get benefits.

Now that Prince Xiang's concubine has come to visit again, these people have confirmed the correctness of their choice, and they will surely be more dutiful and proactive in the future.

"Get up quickly, why do we sisters have to do this?" Yang Jingting stepped forward and helped Daiyu up.

Holding Daiyu's hand, Yang Jingting said affectionately, "The prince ordered me to take good care of you, saying that the descendants of loyal ministers should not be wronged. Now I see that you have lost some weight, I am afraid that the prince will think that I have failed him!"

While she was speaking, her heart was not at peace, and she was rethinking the status of Miss Lin.

Previously, she thought that this person might be appointed as a concubine, but now she could be sure that she was at least a concubine.

Even from Zhu Jinghong's extraordinary concern for her, Yang Jingting boldly speculated that she might be given the title of concubine...

She wouldn't really become a concubine... Looking at the beauty in front of her, Yang Jingting was unwilling to believe it.

She, Yang Jingting, the queen's niece, was only a concubine after all.

But the more she didn't want to believe it, the more likely Yang Jingting felt it was happening, so she felt uncomfortable at this moment.

But in this situation, she still had to behave magnanimously and gracefully, after all, she came here today on behalf of Zhu Jinghong.

"Okay...you all go and do your own things, let me talk to Sister Lin!" Hearing Yang Jingting call Daiyu "Sister Lin" again, the women of the Lin family were shocked again, and they dared not underestimate this girl anymore.

Watching the two of them enter the house, Xia Yuegui looked calm and thoughtful, but Baoqin looked unhappy.

Realizing this, Xia Yuegui pulled her away. After all, the dozen or so eunuchs and maids left in the courtyard could all be Yang Jingting's spies.

"Stop talking, let's go home!" Xia Yuegui warned in a low voice.

Baoqin was not stupid, so she held her breath and went all the way to the outer courtyard, where she got on the carriage with Xia Yuegui.

After the carriage left the Lin family, Xia Yuegui was lost in thought, and Baoqin finally couldn't help it.

"Sister-in-law, did you see her expression just now? If you didn't know, you would have thought she was a princess!" Baoqin said indignantly.

"She came here on the orders of the prince, so it's only natural for her to be more public!"

Xia Yuegui said this, but what she was thinking in her heart was that the princess should really be someone else's. It would be extremely abnormal for the Xue family to have a princess.

"Sister-in-law, who are you standing on and talking to?" Baoqin became more and more dissatisfied.

"Sister Qin, of course I stand on the side of the princess. We shouldn't discuss what happened today. Just report it to the princess!"

Yang Jingting was a concubine and the queen's niece. Even Baochai had to give her some face. How could the two of them dare to express their dissatisfaction with her?

Xia Yuegui was teaching here, while in the inner hall of the Lin family, Yang Jingting was also speaking from the heart.

"Alas, I was young and ignorant before, so I was taken advantage of and made a big mistake. Now... it's too late to regret it!"

They both served as tutors and knew each other's affairs, so Yang Jingting could tell Daiyu about those shameful past events.

"It is a great honor to admit one's mistakes and then to improve. Sister is now deeply trusted by the Thirteenth Master, so why should she dwell on those old things!"

Looking at Daiyu, Yang Jingting asked pleadingly: "You are right, those old things should be forgotten!"

"To be honest, I only have one thought in mind right now, which is to live a peaceful life and give birth to a boy or a girl for the prince, so that my life will not be in vain!"

What Yang Jingting said was half true and half false, which made Daiyu feel a little confused. She didn't know what she was thinking.

"Alas... it's a pity that the princess and I can never go back to the way we were before!"

When saying this, Yang Jingting really recalled the scene when she and Baochai appreciated each other. At that time, their relationship was very good.

The true love that flashed in her eyes once again deceived Daiyu, making the latter think that she was truly repentant.

Who doesn't make mistakes? Knowing one's mistakes can help one improve. So Daiyu comforted him, "Sister Bao won't worry about these things!"

"Yes, the princess is generous, I don't think she will hate me for this!"

After saying this, Yang Jingting suddenly grabbed Daiyu and asked pleadingly, "Sister Lin, will you forgive me?"

"Sister Ting is a good person. She was seduced by others and made a mistake!"

Daiyu was indeed very cautious. She did not express her attitude clearly, nor did she directly admit that Yang Jingting was wrong.

"Since Miss Lin no longer blames me, let's make a pact that we won't talk about this anymore!"

Since Daiyu did not express her attitude, Yang Jingting had to do it herself, and the latter only needed to admit it.

"Yeah!" Daiyu nodded.

Having achieved her goal, Yang Jingting slapped her forehead and continued, "Look at my memory. I brought you some things today. They are all top-grade nourishing and conditioning products..."

"Now I have been ordered to take good care of you. If anything happens to you...the prince and princess will never forgive me!" Yang Jingting said half-jokingly.

"Thank you, ma'am!"

"Look at you, you're being so formal again... What do you mean by empress? You used to call me Sister Ting!"

"Thank you, Sister Ting!"

"now it's right!"

People say that relationships between women are complicated, but in fact, relationships between men are no less complicated.

For example, at this moment in the Jinling Provincial Government, a group of provincial governors from the southeast gathered here, and the relationships among them were extremely complicated.

The senior officials from seven provinces, including Jiangsu, Nanjing, Jiangbei, Jiangnan, Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong, gathered here today for only one thing, which is to raise food and fodder for the war in the southeast.

It stands to reason that the Southeast is rich and raising food and fodder should be a very simple matter, but the situation this time is indeed somewhat different.

In order to build an effective coastal defense, the various military governors of several provinces along the southeastern coast mobilized nearly 100,000 troops and also recruited 200,000 Qing soldiers to participate in the defense.

Simply put, there are more than 300,000 people who just open their mouths to eat, and the daily consumption can be said to be extremely large, so we have to raise funds from several neighboring provinces.

In accordance with the current situation, the emperor later issued a new decree, allowing Jia Yucun to take charge of the procurement of food and fodder in Jiangsu and other provinces.

However, in order to prevent him from having too much power, the imperial decree also imposed special restrictions on Jia Yucun, allowing him only to raise grain and not to interfere in any other matters.

Therefore, as the governor, he did not have much deterrent power over the provincial governors, provincial judges and other governors present.

All he could rely on was the imperial edict and the support of Zhu Jinghong who was far away in Quanzhou, but these were of little use.

Of course, not everyone embarrassed Jia Yucun. For example, his old superiors Zheng Xianlin and He Gujin supported him. The two were currently serving as the governor of Zhejiang and the governor of Jiangbei respectively.

Even so, only these two provinces gave their full support regardless of the consequences, while other provinces made excuses and prevaricated for various reasons.

To be honest, it's too easy to find an excuse to make trouble.

At this moment, everyone was discussing the matter. Jia Yucun sat in the main seat, listening to everyone's speeches with a cold face, but his eyes were fixed on Xu Xin'an not far away.

He knew that since these people present responded in succession, it was most likely this person who was behind the scenes.

"The autumn harvest is not over yet, and the grain cannot be collected in a short time. This is also something we can't help!"

"So, Chief Minister Jia, it's not that we don't want to help, it's just that we are unable to do so!"

Jia Yucun's ears were already callused from hearing such similar remarks.

He thought that he had appealed to their emotions and explained the interests involved, and that these people would be able to understand the current situation and consider the overall situation. But now it seems that he was still naive.

"Have you said enough?"

"I am speaking the truth, please forgive me, Your Excellency the Minister!" After saying this, the official retreated.

The dozen or so officials present were basically provincial governors and provincial judges, and the only three governors were Jia Yucun and Zheng He.

The latter can be seen as a gang, and most of the former are a group.

At this time, Zheng Xianlin interrupted and said, "Master Zhang, Zhou is right. Let me ask you... do you want to execute the imperial edict?"

The Mr. Zhang he mentioned was the Governor of Jiangsu Province, and that was his last reply.

Facing He Gujin's question, the governor surnamed Zhang replied: "He Zhongcheng, of course the imperial edict must be carried out, but how to carry it out does need to be discussed, which is also the purpose of our coming here today!"

"Discuss? Who said we need to discuss? The emperor has ordered Zhongcheng Jia to handle the matter with full authority. He will arrange the execution. Who said we need to discuss it with you?" He Gujin asked with a hot temper.

At this time, the governor of Jiangnan said: "The imperial edict put Jia Zhongcheng in charge of this matter, and the intention is to let him handle it properly and not make any mistakes!"

"Today, all provinces are facing difficulties. Report the truth to Zhongcheng Jia, and we will make a strategy based on the actual situation!"

(End of this chapter)