Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 560: The Prince and the Queen's Night

As soon as September arrives, the wind in Japan becomes icy cold.

After Wang Ziteng got off the warship, he forced himself to straighten his back and left the dock. He waited until he entered the city and returned to the Marshal's residence before he went into the house with the help of his personal soldiers and lay down on the couch.

Wang Ziteng, who was less than 50 years old, no longer had the mighty power of a former general. Instead, he coughed continuously like an old man on his last legs.

"My Lord, please call a doctor to come and see you."

The guards were really worried about their master's health. The temperature on the island dropped much earlier than in the capital.

It was only September, but on days without sunshine, a cold white fog would appear on the Japanese island.

Every time he went out to sea, his master would get sick. Most importantly, for the sake of the overall situation, the master just held on.

Although the personal soldiers advised him again, Wang Ziteng still shook his head.

"Go find the most beautiful woman in the city..."

"master……"

Wang Ziteng waved his hand and said, "Go ahead. It's the same old rule. Send them to the backyard when you find them. As long as they don't leave the yard, you can have someone deliver whatever they want."

In the past, Wang Ziteng would not have had any mercy on these women. He would have considered it good enough if they could leave their bodies intact after using them.

But now it’s different, he wants to accumulate blessings for the Wang family.

"By the way, why is there still no news from Prince Jing? Send another team to the Hizen Domain to ask. Ahem..."

As he spoke, Wang Ziteng shuddered and started coughing again.

The personal guard brought the hot ginger soup and waited for Wang Ziteng to drink a few sips before continuing to reply: "There is no news from Prince Jing yet, but a messenger came from Iwami, who was sent by Prince Jing earlier. He said that there is news in the capital. Your Majesty has restored the title of Yongfeng Marquis and planned that Yongfeng Marquis will leave the capital on the first day of September and come to Japan to serve as the military supervisor of the expeditionary army and concurrently appointed as the pacification envoy of Fuso Protectorate."

"According to the time calculation, Jia Cong should be on his way to Dengzhou now."

When Wang Ziteng heard that Jia Cong was coming, he felt complicated.

Jia Cong wanted to ask the emperor for help, but plans could not keep up with changes, and his physical condition was much worse than expected.

I'm afraid he won't be able to see Jia Cong arrive in Japan!
"Master, in my opinion, Prince Jing does not intend to return to the capital. He is just avoiding us."

After much hesitation, the soldier finally expressed his opinion. Wang Ziteng just smiled bitterly when he heard it.

Not to mention other people, Wang Ziteng had the same thought in his mind.

Prince Jing Liu Yi is the most skilled fighter in the royal family. This man is the reincarnation of the God of Death. What is the difference between asking him to leave the battlefield before a full-scale war breaks out and killing him?
Ever since he arrived at Wo Island with the imperial edict, he has not found Liu Yi.

Liu Yi was just trying to avoid him. When the battle was over, Liu Yi would definitely throw up his hands and say: Look, it’s not that I didn’t obey the imperial edict, it’s that I didn’t see the imperial edict at all. So you can’t say that I disobeyed the imperial edict…

"Liu Yi, Liu Ke, and Jia Enhou are all bad people!"

Wang Ziteng couldn't help but swear and smile bitterly.

In order to force the emperor to show mercy to the Wang family, Wang Ziteng decided to risk his life.

But Liu Yi hasn't shown up yet, so he can't even get the command of the army.

Otherwise, he would have already started deploying his troops and was waiting for the right time to officially launch the war against Japan.

Wang Ziteng, the nominal imperial commissioner and commander-in-chief of the expedition against Japan, could only station 5,000 naval forces in Izumo Domain and go to sea to fight every few days. For more than half a year, his battle results could not even reach the number of killing 1,000 enemies. He was too embarrassed to report the victory to the capital.

After Wang Ziteng finished scolding Liu Yi, he felt even more depressed.

He drank the ginger soup in one gulp, stood up and sat in front of the desk, and wrote again: "Liu Yi, I know you can receive the letter. I beg you to be kind and come to Izumo Domain as soon as possible to give me the tiger talisman..."

……

What Jia Cong hated most was the scene of parting, so when he left Beijing on September 1st, he did not allow his family to see him off.

In less than half a month, he arrived at Dengzhou Wharf on horseback.

He didn't even think about taking a day off. He boarded the warship provided by the Dengzhou Navy that day, took advantage of the wind, and began a long and boring voyage.

"vomit!"

"I didn't expect that the Lord would get seasick!"

"I'm not seasick, I'm seasick!"

Seasickness and seasickness are two different things, at least that's what Jia Cong thinks.

He also didn't expect that after going to sea, he would be worse than the old imperial physician with white hair and beard.

The emperor personally ordered Jia Cong to take Mr. Li Shiqian out of the capital.

Among the best people in Chinese medicine in the Imperial Medical Bureau, Li Shiqian was not the youngest, but he was definitely the strongest in physique.

Li Shiqian, who came from a Taoist sect, was not only an expert in needle skills, but also an expert in swordsmanship.

Jia Cong saw with his own eyes this man who could fly over eaves and walls, and fight three personal soldiers with a single sword without being at a disadvantage.

"Okay, take one of these pills, and you'll get used to it after a few days."

Seasickness is not a difficult disease to cure. Li Shiqian only gave Jia Cong a few injections and he felt much better.

After taking a bitter pill, Jia Cong's whole face wrinkled.

Just as I was about to give Mr. Li some advice and ask him to add some sugar to the pills, I heard someone knock on the cabin door.

"Third Master, there is a message from the eagle that His Royal Highness Prince Jing asked us to be prepared. He accidentally conquered the six feudal domains of Iyo, Tosa, Awa, etc. The remaining troops of these feudal domains fled to the sea and may meet us..."

What an accident! I conquered the six feudal domains of Japan in one go. You tell me it was an accident?
Jia Cong really didn't even want to complain, he could only roll his eyes and took the letter to read it.

The message was delivered by a falcon, and the content of the letter was not too much, just a few short sentences.

The general meaning was that one of Liu Yi's personal soldiers disappeared in the territory of Iyo Domain, and His Royal Highness Prince Jing, who loved his soldiers like his own sons, led his troops to search for him.

I don't want the people of Iyo Domain to be ignorant and insist on stopping me...

"Lord Wang has been fooled by Prince Jing. It seems that the strategy we set at the beginning needs to be changed."

Jia Cong was too weak to complain about Liu Yi's actions, but he felt quite happy in his heart.

However, a solemn look still appeared on his face, and he was studying the map on the table with great difficulty.

Today, the Celestial Empire has occupied one-sixth of Japan's land, including Hizen, Higo, Iwami, etc. The Celestial Empire's military strength in Japan is not enough to launch a war.

Wang Ziteng is in Izumo and Liu Yi is in Awa. The two have different views on the future strategic direction, which is a problem.

Logically, at this time Wang Ziteng is the commander-in-chief of the army and has the final decision-making power.

But Liu Yi obviously didn't want to return to Beijing, so it would be difficult for Wang Ziteng to take the military power from him...

"What a headache! Prince Jing has given me a big problem!"

The meaning of Liu Yi sending this letter was very simple. He wanted Jia Cong to help him get half of Wang Ziteng's troops.

"It is definitely not possible to attack from both the north and south at the same time. This will disperse our forces. If the enemy joins forces to defeat one, the other will be in danger."

Jia Cong finally decided to reject Liu Yi's idea. Although the progress of the Celestial Empire was very smooth in the early stage, it took one-sixth of Japan's land without bloodshed.

But in fact, up to now, the total number of military achievements achieved by the army has not exceeded 10,000 people.

It's not that Japan is a small country with a small population, but that they have concentrated their manpower near Kyoto.

Who is Shui Rong? He is more sinister than anyone else.

This guy is definitely deliberately conserving his strength to avoid the early stage.

“Don’t be arrogant when you win, and don’t be tired when you lose. Your Highness Prince Jing must not underestimate Shui Rong, and don’t underestimate the Japanese… Wang Ziteng is the commander-in-chief appointed by His Majesty himself. Even if Your Highness Prince Jing doesn’t want to return to Beijing, he can’t delay the handover… In my opinion, we should go north first, bypass Kyoto, capture the other fiefs, and finally surround and annihilate the enemy…”

In his letter to Liu Yi, Jia Cong once again emphasized the importance of Wang Ziteng as the head coach.

He then clarified his point of view that since Japan had concentrated its main military forces near Kyoto, it should take over the remaining feudal domains first.

In the end, they would close the door and fight the dog. Even if they surrounded them without attacking, they could still wear out the troops in Kyoto.

It can reduce the damage to the Celestial Empire's army and only cost some money and food, but the Celestial Empire has plenty of money and food.

After sending the letter to Liu Yi, Jia Cong was still worried.

He could only write another letter to Wang Ziteng, take out the falcon on the ship and hand it over.

Jia Cong finally stood at the bow, watching the falcon soaring into the sky and gradually disappearing, and said with a wry smile: "I hope Prince Jing can be a good person this time. Wang Ziteng is already pitiful enough..."

……

The sea route from the Celestial Empire to Japan is direct and fast, but it is difficult to obtain supplies.

Jia Cong and his party had to travel east first, stop at Gwangju, Goryeo for supplies, and then head south to the Japanese island. Eventually, they encountered several small-scale "pirate" attacks. After killing hundreds of Japanese pirates, they finally arrived at Izumo Domain on the eleventh day of the winter month.

At this time, it had been snowing heavily in Izumo for several days in a row, and there was even thin ice on the sea surface.

Wang Ziteng's physical condition was obviously worse. If Jia Cong was not very familiar with him, he would not have dared to recognize him.

Li Shiqian grabbed Wang Ziteng's arm and frowned as soon as he touched his hand.

Jia Cong stepped forward, supported Wang Ziteng who was about to fall, and asked in a low voice: "Mr. Li, how is it?"

"Go back to the city first!"

At Wang Ziteng's suggestion, Li Shiqian did not say it in public. Instead, he cut off the sight of others and stuffed a pill into his mouth.

Then everyone returned to the temporary Grand Commander's Mansion, and Li Shiqian said to Jia Cong: "Both his Qi and blood are deficient, and the evil wind has entered his body. If he hadn't arrived in time, he wouldn't have survived this month!"

Jia Cong didn't understand this professional term, so he could only ask again: "Mr. Li, didn't you say before that as long as you take proper supplements, you can still hold on for a few more years?"

"That also requires the cooperation of our Lord Wang!"

Li Shiqian was always rude to disobedient patients. After saying something sarcastically, he went straight to work and pulled off Wang Ziteng's coat.

After a series of slapping, beating, scraping and acupuncture, Wang Ziteng was sweating all over in the middle of winter.

"You're so weak yet you dare to toss around everywhere and take tonics blindly. Not only have you failed to replenish your energy and blood, but you've almost used up the last bit of your potential. If you let someone else do it, you'll have to mourn in ten days!"

Wang Ziteng was smiling bitterly, while Li Shiqian looked displeased.

While treating the patient, he also called Wang Ziteng's personal soldiers, threw them a prescription and asked them to get the medicine.

Compared with this group of iron-hearted soldiers who would cook a pot of ginseng and deer antlers at every turn, Li Shiqian adopted the method of warming and nourishing.

Jia Cong also realized that these foolish soldiers of the Wang family had no idea about the harm of excessive nourishment.

Fortunately the emperor asked him to bring his old darling Li Shiqian with him, otherwise the commander-in-chief would have to return to the capital in bed before the war even started.

Crunch!

The door was pushed open and a gust of cold wind blew into the room.

Li Shiqian cursed him unceremoniously, "Get out!" Liu Yi also noticed Wang Ziteng, who was almost pierced in the wrong acupuncture point because of trembling.

He quickly closed the door, bowed to Mr. Li and Wang Ziteng to apologize, and said awkwardly: "I am wrong, please forgive me, Mr. Li and Brother Wang."

He is a prince after all, so Mr. Li couldn't blame him too much. He just frowned and explained, "This set of acupuncture must be completed, otherwise we will have to report the death to the capital. We can't be careless at all. Please ask the prince and the duke to guard the door and don't let anyone disturb us."

Now Liu Yi really understood the seriousness of the situation. He hurriedly called out to the soldiers outside the house, and stood guard at the door with Jia Cong, not daring to even breathe.

It was true that he wanted to stay in Japan to fight, but he didn't want Wang Ziteng to die to the point of wanting him to die.

The war hasn't even officially started yet, and if the coach dies, it will cause real trouble.

……

Li Shiqian's skill in snatching people from the King of Hell is truly amazing. At least in Jia Cong's opinion, the grayness on Wang Ziteng's face faded a little after he drank the medicine.

However, he had indeed reached his limit and it was difficult for him to persist in discussing military affairs with Jia Cong and Liu Yi.

At Li Shiqian's insistence, he drank a bowl of calming soup and fell into a deep sleep, leaving Jia Cong and Liu Yi looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Why is the prince in Izumo?"

Liu Yi pouted at Wang Ziteng who was sleeping soundly on the bed: "Hey, didn't you tell me to come over and discuss this with Lao Wang? I've been here for almost a month, and this guy wants to drive me back to the capital every day."

Speaking of this, Liu Yi has to be grateful for Jia Cong's letter.

Who would have known that Lord Wang, who had sex with ten women every night in Izumo Domain, was actually terminally ill and almost died.

Wang Ziteng is such a scoundrel, he actually used his own reputation to confuse the enemy...

As they talked, they went to the study room nearby.

There was a stove burning in the study, and it was warm, making Jia Cong, who had been traveling for two and a half months, feel sleepy.

But he couldn't sleep at this time. He had to cheer up because Liu Yi told him some bad news.

"It should be that Wen Taibao and your master offended the Western Barbarians too badly, and the Western Barbarians and the Japanese have completely colluded with each other. According to the intelligence sent by the spies, the Japanese reached an agreement with the Western Barbarians, opened the country's borders, and welcomed the Western Barbarians into the country. At this time, near Kyoto, in addition to 300,000 Japanese troops, there are also tens of thousands of Western Barbarian coalition forces. Moreover, from the direction of Luzon, a large number of Western Barbarian warships are constantly coming."

"This is indeed a big problem. Unlike the Japanese, the Western barbarians' navy warships and firearms are not much worse than ours..."

In the eyes of the Japanese, the Celestial Empire was both cruel and awe-inspiring.

The power of the suzerain state for thousands of years made the Japanese dare not underestimate the Celestial Empire in the slightest.

If they could win over the Western barbarians to help in the war, the Japanese would at least feel they had a better chance of winning.

"But it doesn't matter. If the Japanese can get help, there's no reason why we can't."

Jia Cong looked at the name of the leader of the Western Yi coalition and smiled coldly: "As long as we fight the English, the Kingdom of France is our natural ally!"

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　That’s all for today, continue tomorrow, good night!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)