The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 350 Kill two birds with one stone

Qin Hongyu was a skilled martial artist, almost on par with the fierce bandit Kang Dayong. However, as she watched Tiehu, who was as tall as an iron tower, stride into the pavilion, she still felt a sense of oppression. She was secretly awed, thinking to herself, "This man is indeed an invincible warrior who can charge into battle. No wonder he can terrify the bandits."

Jia Huan calmly walked into the pavilion and found that Qin Hongyu's face was sallow. It was obvious that she was in disguise, most likely with ginger juice or something. However, he recognized her at a glance and bowed, "Master Qin, how are you?"

Qin Hongyu looked at the handsome young man with outstanding temperament in front of her, feeling a bit complicated, and said calmly: "Mr. Jia, I never beat around the bush when doing things, so let's get straight to the point."

Jia Huan nodded and smiled, "Master Qin, please speak. I am all ears."

Qin Hongyu then explained her purpose. Jia Huan couldn't help but frown after hearing it. It turned out that Dulong Island was occupied by a group of Westerners? These guys were really quick.

As a top student majoring in archaeology in his previous life, Jia Huan was naturally quite familiar with the dynasties of China, so he clearly remembered that the Western invasion of China's coastal islands occurred in the middle and late Ming Dynasty.

For example, the Dutch and Spanish occupied Taiwan Island step by step in the late Ming Dynasty, taking advantage of the rise of the Qing Dynasty in Liaodong and the internal and external troubles of the Ming Dynasty, when the Ming Dynasty had no time to take care of other things. Later, the Netherlands defeated Spain and basically achieved its rule over Taiwan until Zheng Chenggong sent troops to retake it decades later.

However, the history of this Red Mansion world went wrong at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. Chen Youliang defeated Zhu Yuanzhang and established the Chen Han regime, and then the Great Jin replaced Chen Han, so there was no Ming Dynasty.

However, what is surprising is that although there is no Ming Dynasty here, there is a figure like Nurhaci, and this Qing Taizu successfully led the Jianzhou Jurchens to rise and established the predecessor of the Qing Dynasty - the Later Jin Dynasty, which now poses a serious threat to the northeast of the Great Jin Dynasty.

All this is so similar to the late Ming Dynasty. Figures like Sun Chengzong, Lu Xiangsheng, and Chen Yuanyuan have also appeared one after another. Moreover, if calculated according to the timeline of real history, the current Jin Dynasty is exactly in the Chongzhen period of the late Ming Dynasty. It is really too coincidental. The long river of history has mischievously taken a turn spanning more than two hundred years, and now it seems to have returned to its original track, which really makes Jia Huan, a time traveler, a little confused.

Now the Westerners are also ready to make a move. Could it be that the history of the real world is really going to repeat itself in this world of the Red Mansion? The Great Jin will be replaced by the Qing Dynasty, and the Dutch will also take over Taiwan and act tyrannically along the Chinese coast?

Jia Huan's mind raced, and he asked in a deep voice, "Does Master Qin know which country the Westerners who are occupying Dulong Island are from? How many troops and warships do they have?"

As the saying goes, those who are not of my race must have different hearts. Although Jia Huan, as a time traveler, does not have a strong sense of belonging to the Great Jin Dynasty, he is ultimately a descendant of the Chinese King Yan. Naturally, he does not want to see this kind of history repeat itself. If it is within his ability, he will take action to stop it.

Qin Hongyu was delighted to see that Jia Huan seemed to attach great importance to them. Although he was a commoner, he had great influence on Lin Ruhai, the governor of Yingtian. So she quickly replied, "It is not clear what country they are from, but they are all white-skinned Westerners. The leader is called Andre. He has about 200 people under his command and three warships. However, their artillery is very powerful and it is not easy to deal with them."

Jia Huan looked at Qin Hongyu thoughtfully and asked, "I would like to ask you a question. At the beginning, the head of the Qin family refused to cooperate with the government to encircle and suppress Dulong Island. Why did he take the initiative to find me now?"

Qin Hongyu said frankly: "Although Kang Dayong is ungrateful and killed my adoptive father's family to usurp the throne, Dulong Island is the family property left by my adoptive father after all. Most of the brothers on the island are still on his side, but they obey him because of Kang Dayong's tyranny. How can I surrender to the government and massacre my own brothers? What's more, I, Qin Yuhong, hate the government very much and I don't want to be a lackey of the court."

Jia Huan asked curiously, "What do you say now?"

Qin Hongyu said: "Now Kang Dayong is dead, and Dulong Island has been occupied by Westerners. Since we are fighting against Westerners, I naturally have no worries. But I have to make it clear that I, Qin Hongyu, am only cooperating with the government this time, not surrendering. After we take over Dulong Island, everything on the island will belong to the government, and I will only take away the bodies of my adoptive father's family and bury them in peace."

Tiehu nodded secretly upon hearing this, thinking: "Although this woman is a thief, she is loyal and righteous, and she knows how to distinguish between gratitude and resentment. She is indeed a heroine. No wonder she held the Third Master hostage at first, but later released the Third Master and Xiao Yuanyuan together."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Master Qin is a man of high integrity, which is admirable, but this idea is too naive, or even fanciful."

Qin Hongyu was stunned for a moment. This brat actually called her childish. She immediately raised her eyebrows and said unhappily, "Jia Huan, I, Qin Hongyu, am not begging you. If you can cooperate, then cooperate. If you don't want to cooperate, forget it. And put away your condescending attitude. When I was robbing houses at sea, you were still wearing open-crotch pants. Who is childish?"

Tiehu couldn't help but grin. What a fierce female bandit! It seemed that the Third Master had gotten into trouble this time.

However, Jia Huan was not angry. He just smiled calmly and said, "Master Qin, please be patient. Since ancient times, officials and bandits cannot coexist. Master Qin is unwilling to surrender, which official would dare to cooperate with you? Aren't you afraid of being accused of associating with bandits?
If there is an official who really agrees to cooperate with you, it is most likely just a pretense, with the intention of crossing the river and destroying the bridge, waiting to take your head and ask for credit from the court after the success. "

Qin Hongyu was frightened when she heard this and looked at Jia Huan warily. Only then did she realize that her thoughts were indeed a bit childish.

Seeing Qin Hongyu staring at him as if she were on guard against a sinister venomous snake, Jia Huan could not help sweating and spread his hands, saying, "I am not that kind of person. Besides, if I had such thoughts, why would I have reminded the head of the Qin family?"

"You are famous for being cunning and difficult to deal with, otherwise how could Kang Dayong, Li Ji and others fall into your hands?" Qin Hongyu secretly complained, but she had experienced the power of the Westerners' strong ships and powerful guns not long ago, so she knew that it would be difficult to defeat the group of Westerners with her own strength alone. Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, she still asked: "Jia Xiucai, do you mean that we can't cooperate anymore?"

Jia Huan said solemnly: "That's right. Unless the Qin family surrenders and accepts the jurisdiction and constraints of the court, there is no room for negotiation."

Qin Hongyu said coldly: "In that case, goodbye!" After saying that, she turned around and was about to walk out of the pavilion.

Tiehu stretched out the iron rod in his hand to block his way. Qin Hongyu immediately put her hand on the handle of the knife and shouted angrily: "Get out of the way!"

Tiehu said proudly: "Third Master didn't let you go, can you leave?"

Jia Huan gestured to Tiehu to put away the iron rod and said with a smile, "Master Qin, why don't we talk more?"

Qin Hongyu snorted coldly: "Since the cooperation fails, what else is there to talk about? Why waste your breath?"

Although Qin Hongyu said this, she did not move her feet. Seeing this, Jia Huan felt more confident. Since this woman had risked being captured and came to Yangzhou, it showed that she was very willing to cooperate. In other words, this woman really valued friendship and did everything just to help her adoptive father's family collect and bury the body.

"Since Mr. Qin is unwilling to work for the government, we can find a compromise way to cooperate." Jia Huan said with a smile.

Qin Hongyu's heart moved, and she asked hurriedly: "How to compromise?"

"Mr. Qin will first nominally surrender to the government, and then assist the government in sending troops to Dulong Island. After repelling the Westerners and recovering Dulong Island, Mr. Qin can leave with what you want, or continue to live on the island." Qin Hongyu looked incredulous and blurted out, "Really?"

Jia Huan nodded and said, "However, whether Mr. Qin chooses to leave or continue to stay on the island, there is a prerequisite."

Qin Hongyu's heart sank, knowing that there was no such good thing, and asked coldly: "What are the conditions?"

Jia Huan smiled and said, "If the Qin family chooses to leave, they must disband their subordinates and send everyone back to their hometowns. The government can forgive them for their past behavior, but if they resume their old ways in the future, they will be severely punished."

Qin Hongyu lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then asked, "What if we choose to stay on the island?"

"If the Qin family wants to continue living on Dulong Island, they must accept the jurisdiction of the government and pay taxes to the court according to the law. They must not continue to make a living by robbing and pillaging as they did in the past."

Qin Hongyu frowned and said, "We are pirates. If we don't rob, how can we live?"

Jia Huan shook his head and asked, "Pirates are also human beings, just like the other common people in our Great Jin, with hands and feet. Don't they know how to farm, fish or hunt, except for robbing? Where in the world can you get something for nothing?"

Qin Hongyu was a little embarrassed by the question and retorted: "You make it sound easy. There is not much arable land on Dulong Island. Apart from snakes, insects, rats and ants, there are no wild animals to hunt. How can fishing alone support so many people?"

Jia Huan said, "How to feed the population is your business as the head of the family. Anyway, the court will not allow a group of pirates to continue to occupy the island and do evil. If you cannot accept this condition, the head of the Qin family can choose to disband and all the people return to their original place of origin."

Qin Hongyu's expression changed for a moment, and she said in a deep voice: "Let me think about it again."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "It's okay. Master Qin, please take your time to think about it. Besides, this matter is not something that Jia Huan, a commoner, can decide on his own. I can only mediate on your behalf. As for whether it can be accomplished in the end, it will be decided by the patrol officer."

Qin Hongyu's heart tightened when she heard this. In fact, she was not completely unacceptable to the two conditions proposed by Jia Huan. She just wanted to bargain. Now that she heard Jia Huan say that he could not guarantee that it would succeed, she felt nervous instead.

At this time Jia Huan said again: "By the way, I will leave for Jinling to take the exam in three days. I am afraid I will not have time to take care of this matter by then."

Qin Hongyu became even more hesitant after hearing this. The reason why she dared to take the risk and come to Yangzhou was certainly out of a desire to repay her adoptive father Gu Sanmaizi for raising her, but another reason was because of Jia Huan.

Although Qin Hongyu had only met Jia Huan once, she could see that this boy was kind, loyal, and trustworthy, unlike those playboys from aristocratic families, and therefore worthy of trust. In addition, with Jia Huan's influence on Lin Ruhai, if he came forward to mediate, maybe the matter would be accomplished.

Now that Jia Huan said he would go to Jinling to take the exam in three days and no longer care about this matter, Qin Hongyu naturally became more anxious. She gritted her teeth and said, "Mr. Jia, I, Qin Hongyu, can accept the two preconditions you just mentioned, but they must be agreed to by the Yingtian Governor Lin Ruhai himself. If Lin Ruhai agrees to cooperate, I, Qin Hongyu, am willing to lead my troops to help the government troops attack Dulong Island."

Jia Huan clapped his hands and said, "Okay, Mr. Qin is indeed a quick-witted person. I will give you an answer before noon tomorrow. How about we meet here then?"

Qin Hongyu cupped her hands and said, "Then it's a deal!"

Then, Jia Huan and Tiehu walked out of the pavilion, and together with Feng Ziying and Dai Shilin, they mounted their horses and returned to the city.

"Aunt, Jia Huan is not a good person. He won't plot against us, right?" The ugly slave walked into the pavilion and said worriedly to Qin Hongyu.

Qin Hongyu said calmly: "Although Jia Huan is cunning, he is not a bad person, so there is no need to worry too much. Moreover, if he wanted to capture us to gain merit, he would not have brought only three people this time."

Chou Nu thought about it and it made sense. Jia Huan was able to lend a helping hand to Xiao Yuanyuan, whom he had never met before, and escorted her all the way from Tongzhou to Yangzhou. He even arranged a boat to send Xiao Yuanyuan and her servant to Suzhou. Obviously, a person of low character would not be able to do this.

When Jia Huan returned to the city, he immediately went to see Lin Ruhai and reported everything.

In the past two days, Lin Ruhai's spirits have obviously improved a lot. He can already walk around with the help of a cane. At this moment, Lin Daiyu is helping him stretch his muscles under the shade of a tree.

After listening to Jia Huan's retelling, Lin Ruhai stroked his sparse beard and pondered for a moment, then asked, "Brother Huan, what do you think of Qin Hongyu?"

Lin Daiyu, who was standing next to him, glanced quickly at someone and listened attentively.

Jia Huan said, "Huan'er has not had much contact with this girl. We have only met twice. However, this girl is different from the vicious Kang Dayong. She does not kill innocent people indiscriminately. Apart from her fierce personality, she is fairly upright in her actions."

Lin Ruhai nodded and said, "This girl risked her life to come to Yangzhou to discuss this with you in order to collect the bodies of her adoptive father's family. It can be seen that she is also a filial person who values ​​friendship and loyalty. After all, she still has a conscience. If she can turn over a new leaf and make meritorious contributions, her past crimes can be forgiven."

Lin Ruhai paused for a moment, then continued, "How about this, Huan'er, please make arrangements for the official to meet her in person tomorrow."

Lin Daiyu was immediately worried when she heard this, and said softly, "Father's illness has just improved a little, so we dare not overwork him."

Lin Ruhai smiled and said, "Don't worry, Yu'er. Your old bones can still hold on, not to mention that it's just to meet someone. Your father swore on his sword that he would wipe out Dulong Island. Although Kang Dayong has been killed, the trouble is still there. What's more, as Huan Ge'er said, the Westerners are ambitious and we must guard against them. If we ignore them, they will definitely make progress. We must strike them hard in time to serve as a warning to others.

Qin Hongyu, the female bandit, is familiar with Dulong Island and the surrounding waters. If we can get her help, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort. It would be a good thing for me to meet her. If she can turn over a new leaf in the end, it would be a win-win situation. Why not do it?"

(End of this chapter)