Chapter 816
The Forgotten Ones
"Husband."
As Chen Jie was looking at the strategic map and deep in thought, a voice came out. Chen Jie looked up and saw Su Yunjin walking in with a bowl of late-night snack.
"It's late. Have a midnight snack and go to sleep. Don't stay up any longer, or your body won't be able to take it."
Hearing Su Yunjin's words, Chen Jie laughed and said, "My body isn't that easy to break down."
Su Yunjin said, "You can't keep working day and night like this. Now that we've taken Jiangnan and defeated Zhu Chongba, I've noticed that you're busier than before!"
Chen Jie rubbed his temples and said, "Although Zhu Chongba and I are evenly matched, my current enemy has become the famous land immortal Phagpa, who has been famous for a hundred years."
"The gap between the Fusion God Realm and the Land Immortal is terrifying. Although I am confident that I can enter that realm, I can never be too careful when facing such a terrifying monster. Moreover, the descendants of the geniuses of that generation are indeed powerful."
"Our China is merely one of its four Khanates. Now, the three Khanates have reinforced their troops with 400,000 to defend Dadu. If we don't capture Dadu, how can we talk about expelling the Tartars and restoring China?"
"That dead Zhu Chongba is probably laughing his head off in the afterlife. How can I face the people of Jiangnan who are eagerly awaiting my reconquest of China?"
Upon hearing this, Su Yunjin looked at Chen Jie and said, "Husband, you are under too much pressure. Even if we really can't drive out the Tartars and take Dadu, we can at least manage our current land well. Dadu has been ceded by Shi Jingtang during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. For hundreds of years, China has not been able to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. So many emperors have come and gone, but none of them have been able to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. This burden should not fall on your shoulders alone."
"This is so unfair to you. Everyone in the world hopes that you will drive out the Tartars, but I only hope that you will be safe and sound."
Su Yunjin said, "My husband must be tired!"
Chen Jie looked at Su Yunjin and said, "Everyone in the world cares about your husband's great achievements, but you only care about how far I've gone and how tired I am, hehe..."
At this point, he couldn't help but chuckle and say, "Don't worry, your husband isn't the kind of man who gets exhausted easily!"
After saying this, he reached out and hugged Su Yunjin, and a wave of heat immediately spread to Su Yunjin.
"My husband, you..."
"Yun Jin."
"what?"
“I think Chen Li is a bit lonely. Let’s have another baby for him, a younger brother.”
With that, Chen Jie lifted Su Yunjin up in a princess carry.
Su Yunjin suddenly felt weak all over, and said breathlessly, "Let's go back to the room, here..."
Chen Jie said, "Let's stay here. There's a soft couch in the study."
Then Chen Jie announced to the outsiders, "Chen Chun, no guests will be seen today."
Upon hearing this, Chen Chun outside immediately replied, "Yes."
Immediately afterwards, the guards around the house were called away and were not allowed to stay in front of or behind the house. However, security was increased by three layers. The reason for not allowing them to stay in front of or behind the house was to prevent them from hearing things they should not hear, such as the sounds of their own elegant and noble mistress when she was lost in passion.
Chen Chun had done all this, and then personally led his men to guard the perimeter. Seeing the bright lights in the study and the faint shadows moving around, Chen Chun turned his head and said, "Quiet down, no one is allowed to make a sound, and no one is allowed to approach the Han King's study."
"promise!"
Soldiers should all be.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Su Yunjin woke up and found herself on a soft couch in Chen Jie's study. At this time, the head maid Yin Hongmei brought hot water and said, "Before leaving, the Prince of Han instructed Madam to tell her that he was going to meet with the officials of various departments in Jiangnan first."
Su Yunjin nodded, her cheeks flushing as she recalled the passionate night she had spent the previous day.
After washing up, eating some food, and drinking some hot soup, I felt much better.
Chen Jie's main purpose today was to meet with officials from various parts of Jiangnan. Jiangnan had been largely sorted out under his supervision these past few days.
So after meeting with officials from various departments in Jiangnan, Chen Jie prepared to return to Huangzhou Prefecture to prepare for the Northern Expedition.
At the banquet, Chen Jie met with officials from various departments in Jiangnan, offering them ample comfort and telling them that Jiangnan was now in their hands, and that its revival depended entirely on their dedication and hard work.
After giving instructions on various matters, he left Hu Weiyong to oversee the work in Jiangnan, and then took Su Yunjin back to Huangzhou Prefecture.
After returning, he naturally couldn't help but spend some time with Zhao Ya and Huang Wan'er. Huang Wan'er, in particular, was clearly more enthusiastic. Even though she was sweating profusely, she wouldn't let Chen Jie go and insisted on making up for what she had missed over the past few days.
Zhao Ya was reserved, but she was much more proactive than before, as if she were competing with Huang Wan'er.
Su Yunjin, on the other hand, is neither competitive nor greedy, yet she possesses the prestige of a matriarch.
Two months passed quickly. During this time, Chen was relieved of handling government affairs and spent his time with his wives. Fortunately, he was now in good health and could handle three wives on his own without much difficulty.
However, recently many ministers have submitted memorials requesting that Chen Jiu Si take more concubines.
Chen Jie is about to become emperor, so the ministers are very concerned about him. People from various factions want him to marry the daughter of their own faction so that their power can be secured in the new dynasty.
Therefore, sometimes the emperor's harem of concubines was a last resort, after all, each faction had its own demands.
If the emperor could marry the daughter of their powerful families, they would be loyal to him in the future. Otherwise, how would they know how to establish themselves within a new power?
Chen Jie understood what these people were thinking, and he wasn't particularly opposed to these ministers sending their beautiful young women to the palace, but he needed to consider the thoughts of the three ladies.
Su Yunjin said she didn't care, as long as her husband was happy.
Zhao Ya disliked it, but she also knew that it was an inevitable trend.
Huang Wan'er had the worst temper. In the end, she made a fuss and said that he had to spend one day every five days with her, but he didn't care about the rest.
Knowing the three women's attitudes, Chen Jie did not immediately begin taking concubines. Instead, he appeased all factions, saying that these matters would be discussed after the Northern Expedition was successful.
This reassured all parties involved, and they began to wholeheartedly help the Han King's forces develop. With a core force, their development naturally accelerated.
Meanwhile, Fang Guozhen's first batch of grain was delivered to Huangzhou Prefecture, consisting of sixty large ships and a total of over one million shi (a unit of dry measure). This grain relieved the urgent food shortage in the Han Kingdom's territory.
Chen Jie looked at the ledger, which recorded a total of 1.35 million shi of grain, of which 500,000 shi were kept as military rations and the rest were distributed to the people who were short of food.
Once the grain reached the people, Chen Jiu Si's popularity skyrocketed several times over. Countless people were saved because of this grain, and Chen Jie instantly became known as a living justice judge.
The previously unsettled public sentiment was immediately calmed down. The delivery of this grain to the front lines also provided a significant morale boost to the soldiers.
However, the Mulan people on the other side were in a very difficult situation. These Mulan people originally thought they could wear down the Han army, but unexpectedly, the Han people suddenly produced so much military rations, which made them uneasy. Should they continue to wear down the Han army?
Therefore, Subutai, the commander-in-chief of the Golden Horde, together with the two commanders-in-chief of the Chagatai Khanate and the Ögedei Khanate, sent the message to Dadu (Beijing) and to Emperor Qianshun's desk.
Emperor Qianshun looked at the memorial jointly submitted by the three marshals. The memorial stated that, according to their scouts, Chen Jiu Si had sent hundreds of thousands of shi of grain to the army, and the Han army that was confronting them intended to prolong the conflict.
Upon learning the news, Emperor Qianshun immediately ordered his men to seek out Chancellor Lao Hama to discuss countermeasures.
However, when Emperor Qianshun learned of this, he found that Old Hama had not been heard from since his last trip out of the capital to meet Chen Jie.
Emperor Qianshun was puzzled; where had this old fellow gone?
Left with no other option, he took the memorial to the Living Buddha Phagpa, who was his protector.
When he arrived at the Great Buddha Temple, he was stopped at the door by the disciple of the Living Buddha Phagpa. Emperor Qianshun asked Phagpa for his opinion, and the young disciple said, "My master said that he wants to go into seclusion to improve his condition to the best."
"This could take several months or a year. After he comes out of seclusion, Chen Jiu Si will besiege the city. He will launch a counterattack. If Chen Jiu Si does not attack, then he will send troops to attack Chen Jiu Si."
Emperor Qianshun was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked at his young disciple with a puzzled expression and asked, "How confident are you in the Living Buddha's success in his seclusion?"
Upon hearing this, the young disciple said, "He must be absolutely certain. Back then, when the Living Buddha defeated Han Shantong, who was at the fifth level of the Melting God Realm and a half-step Earth Immortal, he only went into seclusion for three days. This time, the Living Buddha is preparing to go into seclusion for a full year."
“When a living Buddha accumulates enough Buddhist aura, Chen Jiu Si will be nothing more than a fish on a chopping board.”
Seeing his young apprentice's confidence, Emperor Qianshun finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Then I understand."
Thinking this, Emperor Qianshun took his leave, and then turned to the people behind him and said, "Give orders to the three commanders at the front: regardless of anything else, continue to wear down the Han people."
"promise!"
The subordinate immediately agreed, but still reminded him, "Your Majesty, with an army of 400,000, the amount of food and fodder needed for men and horses is considerable."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianshun said, "This year, the three major khanates, including the Golden Horde, have all had good harvests, enough to sustain the army for another year."
The subordinate said, "Then I'm afraid the other three Khans won't come to our aid easily."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianshun said, "They just want money. In the past hundred years, we have ruled the Central Plains. We may not have much else, but we certainly don't lack gold and silver. Go to the national treasury and send envoys to other khanates to ask them to provide us with money and provisions."
"promise!"
The subordinate immediately agreed, and then Emperor Qianshun looked around and said, "By the way, find me the location of Old Hama."
"I need that old guy back as soon as possible. Didn't he say he could persuade Chen Jiu Si to agree to the plan of the two emperors from the North and South? Where is he now?"
Emperor Qianshun roared, and his subordinate replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will send someone to investigate immediately."
He disappeared after saying that.
At this moment in Huangzhou Prefecture, Chen Chun looked at Chen Jie and said, "My lord, we sent someone to release that old idiot. He has arrived in Huangzhou Prefecture and has formally presented his credentials, wishing to see you."
"Oh, I almost forgot about that old guy."
Chen Jie patted his head and then said, "I almost forgot about this old guy. He's suffered a lot too. Let him come and meet me."
"Then should we arrange it in the study?"
Chen Jie said, "No, in the main hall, summon the civil and military officials and give him some face."
"Yes."
The news spread quickly, and some officials in Huangzhou Prefecture who didn't have important duties came to see what was going on and to see the old prime minister of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Meanwhile, the stationed troops also sent honor guards.
Soon, in the square in front of the main hall, Chen Chun announced: "Prime Minister Hama of the Great Qian Dynasty is hereby summoned to an audience!"
woo woo woo...
The horn sounded, and immediately a troop of honor guards entered the field, coming out from both sides. Then, a soldier stood every 1.5 meters, holding a flintlock musket with a bayonet. When they stopped, the muskets were arranged in a cross shape.
At this moment, Old Hama stood on the passageway leading to the main hall and then walked forward step by step.
As he walked, a group of honor guards put down their muskets, one after another, until the passageway was quickly revealed. At this moment, Old Hama walked step by step toward the main hall. Looking at everything in front of him, Old Hama was also shocked.
He quickly arrived at the main hall, where he saw Chen Jie sitting on the throne opposite him, surrounded by civil and military officials.
Standing at the front were two people, Wu Hong and Zhou Chu, who were left behind in Huangzhou Prefecture. They had been at the Huangzhou Prefecture headquarters recently, so they were called here today to make up the numbers.
Ni Wenjun was not there; Chen Jie had assigned him to help Zhang Dingbian's army. Subutai, the commander of the Golden Horde, was very strong, and his overall strength was comparable to that of Bolotemur, the former commander of the Baoxiang Army. Therefore, Zhang Dingbian's army lacked a high-end combat force, so Chen Jie sent Ni Wenjun there.
After winning the Battle of Poyang Lake, Chen Jie obtained a lot of Dao Fruits. In particular, after absorbing the imperial aura left by Zhu Chongba, Chen Jie's vision and other aspects reached an extremely high level. Therefore, after talking with Ni Wenjun for a while, Ni Wenjun directly had new insights. His Nine-Story Tower Technique improved again and reached the peak of the eighth floor. With the help of Chen Jie's Dao Fruits, his strength also successfully entered the fourth stage of the Fusion God Realm.
Chen Xiaohu also improved, reaching the third level of the Fusion God realm.
For this reason, Chen Jie directly sent Ni Wenjun to Zhang Dingbian's side, so that by combining the strength of the two, they would have the power to fight Subutai.
Therefore, Huangzhou Prefecture did not leave many troops behind. However, the Prince of Ruyang was still in Huangzhou Prefecture, but he did not want to see his old friends, so he did not come.
At this moment, Old Hama arrived at the main hall and saw Chen Jie. He bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Grand Chancellor Hama of the Great Qian greets the King of Han."
Seeing Old Hama bow, Zhou Chu suddenly shouted angrily from the side, "Hmph, where did this person come from who is so ignorant of etiquette? Why don't they kneel before my king!"
Upon hearing this, Old Hama was startled and his heart skipped a beat. Just as he was wondering whether he should kneel down, he heard Chen Jie laugh and say, "Hey, hey, there's no need for that. Old Hama and I are old acquaintances. There's no need for the kneeling ceremony. By the way, old friend, what brings you here this time?"
Old Hama then said, "I have come here to discuss the matter of the two emperors, the Northern and Southern Emperors, with the King of Han!"
"The two emperors of the North and South?"
Upon hearing this, everyone around looked at Old Hama, remaining silent, but their gazes were so intense that Old Hama was momentarily speechless! (End of Chapter)