La vida perfecta en la dinastía Song

Capítulo 32

As they were talking, a loud knocking sounded at the door. Prime Minister Zhu nodded displeasedly, and Zhu Sihuai immediately went to open the door and then silently withdrew.

Zhu Yu stared intently at his father and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Was this robbery of the funds orchestrated by you?"

Prime Minister Zhu was furious: "You'd better watch your words, this is a crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan."

Zhu Yu remained silent, still staring intently at her father.

Prime Minister Zhu burst into laughter: "Hehe, I would never do something so foolish. But it's truly a stroke of luck. I've long heard of the formidable bandits of Sichuan and Shaanxi, but I never imagined they would be this powerful."

"What kind of secret is it to escort military funds? And it's led by the best of the 'Thousand Machines Sect'! Their secrecy is top-notch. The Sichuan and Shaanxi bandits are indeed incredibly powerful, but where did they get such inside information?"

"You'd have to ask those notorious thieves, how would I know?"

Prime Minister Zhu laughed smugly: "Ren Junyu possesses extraordinary abilities, but now that supplies are running low, let's see how she can continue to dominate the world. Zhenmutier, who has been eyeing this situation covetously, will certainly not miss this excellent opportunity. Hahahaha..."

"You will not rest until you have completely wiped out Junyu."

"Give me this opportunity to let Heaven get rid of her, and save you the trouble of worrying about me revealing her true identity as a woman in court. Wouldn't it be better if she were to simply be defeated or die, saving me the trouble?"

"Do you know that once Zhenmutier occupies the northwest and southwest, it will be only a matter of time before he marches south?"

"Isn't this perfect? Now that the northern border is temporarily safe and the Japanese pirates in Fujian have been basically wiped out, that tyrannical emperor is plotting to eliminate dissidents in the court. Now that this has happened, isn't it heaven helping me and keeping him busy?"

Zhu Yu stared at her father's smug face, feeling a chill run down her spine: "Could it be that you...could it be that you..."

Prime Minister Zhu glared at him and snapped, "Just do your own job well, why ask any other questions?"

Zhu Yu lowered her head, remained silent for a while, and then turned and walked out.

"It's getting late, are you going out again?"

"What? Now I don't even have the right to go out?"

Prime Minister Zhu said sternly, "The Prince of Heyang and his wife will be visiting their daughter soon. Starting today, you are not allowed to go out at night. If the princess expresses any dissatisfaction in front of the Prince of Heyang, how am I supposed to explain it?"

Zhu Yu sneered: "I will explain myself."

"How will you explain this? Since the marriage, have you ever even looked at the princess properly? She has complained to your mother many times. The princess is of noble birth and outstanding in appearance. In what way is she not worthy of you? A small number of opportunistic ministers have already begun to outwardly comply with my wishes while inwardly opposing me. The Prince of Heyang is our in-law, and we are closely connected. At this critical moment, we must not allow them to have any dissatisfaction."

"What do they have to complain about? The Prime Minister's mansion is rich and luxurious, and it hasn't wronged his daughter."

"I never cared about your past debauchery, but now that things have come to this, why don't you stop?"

"Hehe. Isn't this exactly what you've always hoped for me since I was little?"

Prime Minister Zhu was so angry that he trembled all over and could not speak.

"I only know how to play with women. I've never done anything to show tenderness or humility. I'm afraid you'll be disappointed with the princess."

"What about Junyu? Even the tyrannical emperor isn't worried, so why are you so anxious for her?"

Zhu Yu felt as if she had been punched hard in the chest. She slumped against a row of huge bookshelves, closed her eyes, and remained silent for a long time.

Prime Minister Zhu sighed, “Even if Junyu is truly a woman, she is from a completely different world than us. Wealth? Glory? Fame? Status? If she is truly Lanxisi’s daughter, then she must be just like Lanxisi, with a heart of stone that nothing can move. Why are you still not awake? Why are you still indulging in wishful thinking?”

Zhu Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, I'm just like everyone else; I'm nothing more than a pawn for you to consolidate your power."

"You beast! Do you know that I did all this to preserve the wealth and glory of the entire Zhu family?!"

Zhu Yu stared at his father, and Prime Minister Zhu glared angrily at his son.

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Chapter 98: Military Funds Robbed (2)

Outside the thick study door, Zhu Gang, with sparse blond hair, was about to knock when he was stopped by Zhu Sihuai.

Zhu Gang was furious: "You lackey, how dare you be so rude! I have important business to discuss with my father, why are you blocking my way?"

Zhu Gang had previously held very little status at home, but recently, Zhu Chengxiang's attitude towards him had changed drastically. Therefore, seeing that Zhu Sihuai was still blocking his way as usual, he couldn't help but put on airs as a young master and enjoy the feeling of showing off his power.

Although Zhu Sihuai was a retainer of the Zhu family, he and his brother Zhu Sanhuai were highly valued by Prime Minister Zhu and had always been treated with great courtesy. Seeing Zhu Gang's rudeness, he was furious. Before Zhu Sihuai could speak, the door to the study was pushed open and a person rushed out like a whirlwind.

"Second brother..."

Prime Minister Zhu glared angrily at Zhu Gang: "Why call him? Let him go."

Chapter 99: Military Funds Robbed (3)

The sun shone brightly on this barren land, and the frozen streams began to thaw slowly. In the distance, beneath the sand, countless tiny, pale yellow grasses sparsely poked their delicate heads out.

Not far from Xining Prefecture, Qinghai Lake presents a completely different scene. At this time, the lake water is clear, surrounded by rows of green trees, and schools of fish swim to and fro.

On the lakeside, two fast horses, one galloping from the south and the other from the north, had no time to appreciate the beautiful oasis scenery of the northwest. The horses were so tired that they were foaming at the mouth, and the riders looked very nervous. In the distance, the camp of the Northwest Army was already in sight.

"Reporting to the Marshal, three days ago, a cavalry unit of the Crimson Gold Clan attempted to raid our garrison at Great Wind Mountain but failed. Subsequently, a plague broke out in the camp, and more than 800 people have died within two days..."

"Reporting to the Marshal, a plague has broken out near Jielong Lake, causing heavy casualties among the local population. Yesterday, two soldiers from the Yushu Town army died in the middle of the night, and the military doctors have not yet determined the cause of death..."

Every spring, plagues of varying degrees occur in this land, but a large-scale outbreak within the military is extremely rare. Dafeng Mountain is garrisoned with 5,000 troops, while Yushu Town, where Zhou Yida is stationed, has over 50,000. If the plague were to spread to these two places, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The scout continued, "The army in Yushu Town has not enough food to last half a month, and we have also learned that the Chijin tribe's army is gathering in this direction. General Zhou is worried that we may be attacked while the plague is raging, so he requests the Marshal's urgent instructions..."

Junyu frowned. News of the hijacking of military funds had already spread. Zhenmutier was deeply resentful of the defeat in Yushu. With such a good opportunity, a comeback was truly imminent.

Although the imperial court had ordered local governments to provide assistance and supplies, the various government offices continued to delay with various excuses. The army, unable to storm the government offices and loot them, could only helplessly wait for the imperial court to allocate more military funds.

Junyu thought that Xining Prefecture had the most abundant food supplies, which could last for more than a month. Lin Baoshan, Zhang Yuan and others were enough to maintain the situation.

She immediately ordered Lu Ling to lead a doctor from Xining Prefecture to Yushu Town to investigate the epidemic, while she herself, along with Geng Ke and several other military doctors, prepared to head straight for Dafeng Mountain.

Just as they were about to set off, news came that Bai Ruhui had arrived at the military camp.

Junyu was quite surprised. Bai Ruhui had returned to Phoenix City at the end of last year to take charge of affairs, so why was he rushing over now?

As soon as Bai Ruhui entered, he immediately said, "Chief, I have come on the orders of Young Master Nongying."

It turned out that Phoenix Village learned that the Northwest Army's military pay had been robbed. Young Master Nongying, who had served as an official in the court for several years, knew the urgency of the matter and immediately sent Bai Ruhui ahead.

Bai Ruhui pulled out a stack of silver notes, which was part of the funds accumulated by Phoenix Village through years of business. These were silver notes exchangeable by major banks in the southwest and northwest, totaling more than 100,000. Although they wouldn't last long, they were enough to alleviate the immediate crisis.

Junyu was overjoyed: "Where is Mr. Nongying now?"

"The professor's research on a new type of artillery is nearing completion. He said that once the artillery is successful, he will personally bring it to us immediately."

Junyu sighed, "Mr. Nongying's medical skills are superb. If only he were here."

Bai Ruhui also said, "When I came, Phoenix Village was unaware of the plague. If they had known, Young Master Nongying would have come in person."

Five hundred elite cavalrymen advanced lightly, their specially wrapped hooves raising clouds of dust without making a sound.

A gentle breeze blows across the vast grasslands adjacent to Dafeng Mountain, creating a scene of spring warmth and blooming flowers, while the slowly flowing stream beside it carries a faint fishy smell.

There were also some groundhogs and various unidentified animals scurrying around.

Years of experience in battle taught Junyu that these streams or those unknown rodents could very well be the source of the plague. Everyone wore masks, and the horses were muzzled, strictly prohibiting any human or animal from drinking water or eating grass at will.

World

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Chapter 100: Military Funds Robbed (4)

A rapid hoofbeat rang out, and the dense grass suddenly undulated.

Geng Ke said, "Oh no, the Crimson Gold Clan cavalry is here."

Junyu reined in his horse, and at that moment, a scout reported: "About 5,000 cavalrymen are galloping from the opposite side."

"Line up immediately."

At this moment, the vanguard cavalry of the Crimson Gold Clan charged down, and arrows rained down from the vast grass, causing the cavalry at the forefront to fall to the ground one after another.

The swarming Crimson Gold Clan cavalry continued their onslaught, led by a burly man whose archery skills were exceptional, felling several men in quick succession. Amidst the dense rain of arrows, Jun Yu leaped from his horse, pulled a Crimson Gold Clan cavalryman down, stood on his back, drew his bow, and shot an arrow that brought the fierce general down from his horse.

The charging army suddenly saw a god-like youth standing high on horseback, who shot down their general with an arrow, while the arrows that had been aimed at the youth fell to the ground. They couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Flying General of Fengcheng!"

This exclamation startled the cavalry surging forward. Just then, a sound of charging and fighting came from the bushes on the left, as if thousands of troops were charging out. It was a hundred men carrying the special small trumpets invented by Young Master Nongying who charged out.

The crowd was shocked, thinking they had been ambushed. In the ensuing chaos, many people trampled and rammed each other, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.

The elite troops of the "Emei Vanguard" fought against ten men each, and within half an hour, the grassland was littered with corpses. Only a hundred or so riders escaped. They captured over three thousand warhorses.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

The military camp at Dafeng Mountain was brightly lit, without any noise or commotion. The soldiers on duty were fully armed and every half hour they transported batches of corpses to a large pit five miles away.

Unable to touch the corpses, they used sharp spears to lift them up and throw them onto the carriage. Sometimes, due to improper handling, it could take quite a while to get the corpses onto the carriage.

These corpses were their living comrades not long ago, but now they are dying one after another. The soldiers coming and going all had ashen faces, wondering if they would be next after they carried this one.

This is a torment more unsettling than a brutal charge.

Those who were temporarily safe and those who developed symptoms were separated into two large temporary camps.

The defenses outside the military camp were temporarily withdrawn because they knew that the Crimson Gold Clan only lingered thirty miles away from the Great Wind Mountain and would never set foot on this plague-ridden land of death at this crucial moment.

In the military camp, no one could truly sleep peacefully; their faces were shrouded in an aura of death and fear.

Five hundred elite cavalrymen stopped ten miles away, and Junyu entered the camp with only a few doctors.

General Xu Ming of Dafeng Mountain was already waiting in the camp. Upon seeing Jun Yu, he immediately asked anxiously, "Marshal, what should we do now?"

Junyu nodded, signaling him to calm down.

Meanwhile, military doctors were already examining the epidemic. Working tirelessly through the night, seven or eight doctors gathered, but couldn't come up with a definitive diagnosis.

By daybreak, the death toll in the army had reached more than 2,000.

Junyu, Xu Ming, and the other doctors were at their wits' end when Geng Ke arrived with two holy monks. They were none other than Tiebang Xia Ao and an old monk with a wrinkled face whose age was unknown. Xia Ao was also carrying a huge bag.

Junyu was somewhat surprised. Xia Ao put down the bag and said, "These are some herbs for treating the epidemic. I heard that the epidemic is rampant in the Northwest Army." Bokdo "ordered us to come and see if we can be of any help."

Junyu nodded in thanks, but then saw the old monk walk into the patient's tent without saying a word.

Xia Ao said, "This is the elder with the most superb medical skills. I don't even know how old he is."

Junyu thanked him again, but then saw the old monk carefully examining a nearby sick soldier. He then checked the condition of several other soldiers, pondered for a while, and then looked up: "This plague requires rhubarb to treat." He then mentioned several auxiliary medicinal herbs for preventing the plague.