Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 413 Coastal Defense
Yun Hao had lived in the barracks for three days and had not seen Marquis Jingbian. Even Zheng Jin had not shown up again. He was not anxious, but Wu Cheng was. "Sir, what do they mean by this? Are they trying to intimidate you?"

"Be patient, Marquis Jingbian is an important minister of the country, and Zhenhaiwei is an important border defense area. It is normal for him to be busy." Yun Hao picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

"But, sir, you are here to inspect the coastal defense. If they avoid you like this, won't it delay important matters?" Wu Cheng was still dissatisfied.

"Wu Cheng, you are wrong. Marquis Jingbian didn't just leave us alone like this, right?" Yun Hao said with a faint smile.

Wu Cheng was stunned when he heard this, and looked at Yun Hao in confusion, "What does your Excellency mean?"

"Do you think those two soldiers were left behind just for me to command?" Yun Hao asked with a smile.

"They are here to monitor you, adults." Wu Cheng's eyes widened.

"Rather than saying they are monitoring us, it would be better to say they are observing us in secret." Yun Hao put down the cup and said.

"What's the difference?" Wu Cheng said angrily.

"The difference is that surveillance is carried out with malicious intent, while secret observation is simply to see clearly what kind of person you are and the purpose of your trip." Yun Hao explained with rare patience.

"Then how long will this secret observation take?" Wu Cheng asked.

"Do you have something urgent to do?" Yun Hao asked.

Wu Cheng shook his head blankly, "No."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Yun Hao picked up the military book and started flipping through it.

Wu Cheng scratched his head awkwardly, "I'm not in a hurry, I'm not in a hurry."

"Hahaha." A hearty laughter came from outside the tent.

Yun Hao's lips curled up, then flattened again. He stood up and walked out. The curtain was lifted, and a veteran in his fifties walked in. "It is rumored that the commander of the Dragon Court Guard is handsome when he was young. After meeting him today, he is indeed as famous as he is."

The veteran looked at Yun Hao with his hawk-like eyes.

Yun Hao smiled slightly and bowed, "Yun Hao greets the Marquis."

This veteran was none other than Jingbian Hou Tan Feng. He laughed and patted Yun Hao on the shoulder, "Good, good, heroes emerge from youth. No wonder His Majesty thinks so highly of you."

Yun Hao said modestly: "My Lord, you are too kind. Yun Hao is just doing his duty and sharing your worries."

Tan Feng sat down in the main seat in the tent, and Yun Hao sat beside him. The soldier brought tea into the tent without waiting for instructions. Tan Feng said politely, "Master Yun, Zhenhaiwei is located in a remote area, not as prosperous as the capital. This tea is a bit simple. I hope Master Yun will not dislike it."

"The tea we serve to guests is never simple." Yun Hao picked up the teacup and took a sip of the tea. It tasted slightly bitter at first, but sweet in the aftertaste. "Good tea."

Tan Feng laughed, "Lord Yun really knows what's good. This tea is a local specialty called bitter and sweet tea. It tastes bitter at first, but if you savor it carefully, you will find that it has a sweet taste that is endless aftertaste."

The two chatted over tea for a while, and Tan Feng took the initiative to ask, "Master Yun, you came here this time in compliance with His Majesty's order to inspect the coastal defense, right?"

Yun Hao nodded, "That's right. Your Majesty attaches great importance to coastal defense and has specially ordered Yun Hao to come here to check on the training of the border defense soldiers and whether the border defense facilities are complete."

Upon hearing this, Tan Feng frowned slightly, "Lord Yun, you may not know that the sea has not been peaceful recently. Pirates often appear and harass our people on the border. Our soldiers of Zhenhaiwei have been on alert, patrolling day and night, and dare not slack off in the slightest."

Yun Hao looked solemn, "Your Majesty is right. Coastal defense is related to the safety of the country and the peace of the people. Yun Hao will inspect it carefully this time and will never be perfunctory." Tan Feng nodded, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes, "Okay, Lord Yun has this intention, and I am relieved. You are a newcomer and don't know much about my military affairs. Zheng Jin will accompany you to walk around these few days to see the border defense situation of our Zhenhaiwei."

Yun Hao bowed and thanked him, "Thank you, my Lord."

Tan Feng waved his hand, "No need to be polite, you and I both serve His Majesty, so we should work together to ensure peace on the sea."

Afterwards, Tan Feng summoned Zheng Jin and asked him to take Yun Hao to familiarize himself with the military affairs and border defense situation of Zhenhaiwei.

Zheng Jin has followed Tan Feng for many years and is familiar with the situation in Zhenhaiwei.

In the following days, Yun Hao, accompanied by Zheng Jin, inspected every hundred households along the coast.

The hundred-household offices along the coast were distributed in various strategic locations, responsible for guarding Daliang’s coastline and preventing pirate attacks.

Yun Hao gained an in-depth understanding of the actual conditions of these centurions and discovered that although Daliang's army was well-equipped and its soldiers were well-trained, some of the fortifications were in disrepair.

In addition, Yun Hao also noticed that the information transmission between the various hundred-household offices was not smooth.

Sometimes, a centurion would discover the traces of pirates but fail to notify other centurions in time, giving the pirates a chance to escape.

"Doesn't the Hundred Households have a messenger soldier?" Yun Hao asked.

"Yes, it is set up, but the terrain between each station is complex, with many mountains and sea waters blocking the way. The messengers often encounter various difficulties when delivering messages, resulting in untimely delivery of messages." Zheng Jin explained.

"If there are any difficulties, we must solve them. Otherwise, if pirates attack on a large scale, the various hundred-household offices will not be able to form an effective joint defense, and the consequences will be disastrous." Yun Hao said seriously.

"Your Excellency is absolutely right. I have also been thinking about how to solve this problem, but have not yet found a suitable solution." Zheng Jin looked worried.

"I have a suggestion. General Zheng, please listen to it and see if it is feasible?" Yun Hao said.

"Please give me some advice, sir." Zheng Jin bowed.

"With messengers, beacon towers, and carrier pigeons working together, shouldn't it be possible for the message to be delivered?" Yun Hao said with a smile.

Zheng Jin's eyes lit up and he said, "Your Excellency is smart! This way, even if there are obstacles in the terrain or foggy weather, the pigeons can still pass the message to other 100 households."

Thinking that the method was suitable, Zheng Jin reported it to Marquis Jingbian. Upon hearing it, Marquis Jingbian thought that Yun Hao's method was very good.

He immediately ordered that each hundred households raise homing pigeons for emergency communication, and said to his staff, "This Yun Hao is a practical man who knows the rules. Prince Zuo will probably be disappointed."

"According to the news from the capital, Prince Zuo has tried to win over Lord Yun several times, but Lord Yun remained unmoved. This time, Prince Zuo sent Lord Yun to inspect the coastal defense, and I'm afraid he wants to use the Marquis to get rid of Lord Yun." said the aide.

"This marquis has no grudge against Yun Hao and no connection with him in the future, so why should I get rid of him? Prince Zuo has a good plan." Upon hearing this, Marquis Jingbian laughed coldly.

Then Jingbian Hou ordered his staff: "Pass the order down, let each hundred households follow the pigeon breeder to raise homing pigeons, and regularly check the training of homing pigeons to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of message transmission."

The staff took the order and left, while Marquis Jingbian sat in the study, looking through the secret letter sent from the capital.

Yun Hao holds a high position at a young age, but he keeps a clear head in officialdom and is not tempted by power. Jingbian Hou feels that such a person is worth making friends with.