Chapter 1865
The Late Northern Song Dynasty
Pan Jinlian's mind was entirely focused on her son. She was determined to send him to an academy when he turned five, and then have him take the imperial examinations and become a high-ranking official.
She controlled all of the Wu family's money, giving Wu Dalang only a small allowance each month, and saving all the money for her son's education.
Wu Dalang was not angry about this; on the contrary, he agreed wholeheartedly.
He also hoped that his son could study hard and pass the imperial examinations.
Holding her son, Pan Jinlian quickly calmed down and withdrew her jealousy towards Cheng Wan'er.
She used the excuse that her son needed to study to avoid going to Cangzhou with Wu Dalang and Wu Song.
Wu Song didn't care about this.
Wu Dalang met with Cheng Wanli and presented him with betrothal gifts.
The betrothal gifts included many valuable items: glass mirrors, enamel porcelain, blue and white porcelain, fur coats...
These items are valuable and difficult to obtain for outsiders, but they are easily acquired by Liu Dong's subordinates.
Cheng Wanli was unaware of the inside story. He only thought that the Wu family was well-off and valued their daughter, so Cheng Wan'er wouldn't suffer if she married Wu Song.
The marriage negotiations between the two families went very smoothly.
A month later, Wu Song married Cheng Wan'er and took her back to Qingzhou.
Wu Dalang also returned to Yanggu County.
One of the group of bachelors ended his single life, and the others became restless and began to yearn for love.
As their superior, Liu Dong naturally had to help them solve their personal problems.
He brought Wang Niangzi over and asked her to help Qin Ming's wife find wives for the bachelors.
They didn't need to worry about Hua Rong's situation. General Hua and his wife had already found him a wife, and they were just waiting for him to come home and get married.
Madam Qin and Lady Wang held a flower appreciation party, inviting young ladies from wealthy families in Qingzhou to participate, observe their personalities and behavior, and select candidates from among them.
The two women were the first to be ruled out, as they looked down on men who were skilled in martial arts.
Those who are too pampered are also excluded; being a military general's wife is not easy, according to Lady Qin's experience.
Ultimately, the two of them selected only two candidates.
But the number of bachelors is quite large.
The two had no choice but to turn their attention to girls from modest families, and this time they selected quite a few girls who met their criteria.
The two held another banquet and invited the chosen girl to the Qin family.
Meanwhile, Qin Ming also brought all his brothers home and arranged a group blind date for them.
These girls knew exactly what they were invited to do when they were invited, and they wouldn't accept the invitation if they didn't want to.
They were not unwilling to marry military generals, and those girls from modest families were full of expectations.
After all, they would become officials' wives after they got married.
The blind dates were very successful; all the single men found girls they liked.
After that, there were various wedding banquets, and Liu Dong ate her way through them, gaining several pounds in weight.
After the wedding banquet, it was the New Year.
For people in other states, the New Year is a "hurdle to overcome".
But for the people of Qingzhou, the New Year is a time for rest and enjoyment.
Since Lord Liu came to Qingzhou, everyone's life has been getting better and better. Every household has surplus grain, and no one will starve to death anymore.
Qingzhou has many workshops that provide jobs and opportunities for people to earn money.
Nowadays, there are no more beggars in Qingzhou.
All the former beggars have now entered the workshop, worked hard, and saved money to buy houses.
At the end of the year, they not only received their wages, but also two jin of grain and a piece of meat, which allowed them to have a New Year with meat to eat.
Therefore, in Qingzhou, the New Year is a time for everyone to celebrate happily.
Many families spontaneously made lanterns and hung them outside their houses, leaving them burning all night. Qingzhou became a city that never sleeps during the Spring Festival.
This sight amazed visitors from other places.
In many people's hearts, Qingzhou has become a paradise.
People who couldn't make a living locally all went to Qingzhou.
The number of private soldiers under Liu Tong's command has doubled.
The online army has been fully assembled, numbering no less than 20,000.
Oh, Li Jun and his group have already returned.
Although they encountered a storm at sea, the large ship built with the technology provided by Liu Dong withstood the storm well, allowing everyone to return to Qingzhou safely.
They brought back many precious spices and gems, which they transported to Bianliang (Kaifeng), the capital of the Eastern Capital, and earned a hundred times their initial investment.
Liu Tong also generously sold the shares to Li Jun and others, taking one-tenth of the profits. Half of the money was invested in the construction of the naval forces, and the other half was invested in the infrastructure of Qingzhou.
When Madam Qin and Madam Wang acted as matchmakers, they also selected wives for Li Jun and others.
Now they're all happily hugging their wives.
A group of people entered Qingzhou. Although they were dressed as people from the Central Plains, their aura made it clear at a glance that they were not from the Central Plains.
Shi Qian is now Liu Dong's intelligence minister. He noticed these people when they entered the Qingzhou border.
Shi Qian followed these people for several days and finally found out their origins.
These are people from the Jurchen people of the north.
The Jurchens established the Jin Dynasty in the north and fought several major battles with the Liao Dynasty, showing a tendency to annex the Liao Dynasty.
These people came to the Song Dynasty to investigate its situation and steal its secrets.
The Jin people had great ambitions; they wanted more than just to annex the Liao Dynasty. They also coveted the Song Dynasty.
The leader of this group was Wanyan Zongbi, the fourth son of Wanyan Aguda, the emperor of the Jin Dynasty.
Liu Dong smiled upon hearing Shi Qian's report.
Others might not know who Wanyan Zongbi was, but he did.
This person also has another name, which is very famous because of his connection with Prince Yue.
Jin Wuzhu!
He was a man of great military talent, but he was always defeated by our Marshal Yue.
This man was also very politically astute; the Jin dynasty's strength was inseparable from him.
Marshal Yue was murdered by Qin Hui, partly at Qin Hui's behest.
Such a person is too unfriendly to the Central Plains.
Liu Tong whispered instructions to Shi Qian.
Shi Qian accepted Liu Dong's order.
Jin Wuzhu came to Qingzhou after hearing rumors from the people. He found that Qingzhou was indeed very prosperous and stable, until the officials who governed Qingzhou were exceptional.
Jin Wuzhu: Such a talented person does not belong to the Jin state, so he must be destroyed.
When Liu Tong issued him a death notice, Jin Wuzhu also harbored murderous intentions towards Liu Tong.
However, Qingzhou is Liu Tong's territory, so it won't be easy for Jin Wuzhu to kill Liu Tong.
In order not to expose their identities, Jin Wuzhu had to suppress this thought.
They stayed in Qingzhou for a few days before leaving and heading north.
They were unaware that someone was secretly following behind them.
Upon entering the territory of the Jin state, Wanyan Wuzhu relaxed, and Shi Qian took this opportunity to mix the poison prepared by An Daoquan into Wanyan Wuzhu's food.
Thus, this most important general and political figure of the Jin Dynasty, a man who was posthumously awarded the title of Zhonglie (Loyal and Valiant), passed away before he could fully demonstrate his talents.
Liu Tong: I wonder if the Jin army can still advance south? (End of Chapter)