knife

Chapter 638 Gaining both people and wealth
The dark red skin of the pork belly was wrinkled, and the high-quality pork belly was steamed until it resembled tofu. Jiang Qian carefully picked up a slice and put it in her mouth. With a gentle bite, the meat melted into juice, filling her mouth with a fragrant aroma. After swallowing the juice, she chewed the slightly chewy skin, her eyes slightly narrowed, and her face was full of satisfaction.

"Li Dachui, your culinary skills are just as top-notch as your martial arts skills. I'm afraid there's no one else in the world who can do it!" After eating three slices in a row, Jiang Qian finally put down her chopsticks, her face full of disbelief: "Even the veteran imperial chefs in the palace who have been around for many years are no match for you! How did you figure this out?"

Li Dachui smiled, picked up his chopsticks, and put some preserved mustard greens from under the braised pork into Jiang Qian's bowl. He stirred it a few times and said, "Rice with these preserved mustard greens is the best way to eat it. Actually, all the flavor is in these preserved mustard greens!"

"Really? Then I'd like to try it."

Although the great battle was not yet over, the overall situation had been basically settled, and the two who had been somewhat uneasy finally felt relieved.

Li Dachui relaxed by personally preparing a table of delicious dishes, and Jiang Qian was naturally the only diner.

For Li Dachui, this trip to the State of Chu was a great success.

Not only did they capture Ruyin County and Yong'an County, but they also captured six of the eight towns in Jiangnan, and incidentally killed He Zudao, which can be considered as a way of avenging their parents in the afterlife.

Although Li Guohua captured Nanyang, under the current circumstances, it was the result of gaining the greatest benefit at the lowest cost.

The territory we have now is enough to allow the newly acquired territory to survive the two-pronged attack from Chu and Linghu Ye.

The navy's great success, in particular, made Li Dachui extremely happy.

After taking control of Shu County, Li Dachui devoted himself to building up the navy. At that time, he did not expect it to play such an important role now. However, preparation is the key to success, and lack of preparation leads to failure. It was a seemingly insignificant move that led to the fruitful results of today.

With its navy dominating the Yangtze River, Chu could keep the important cities along the river trembling with fear without needing many men. And Chu's wealthiest cities were all located along the river.

Whoever controls the Yangtze River holds the strategic initiative.

The Chu Kingdom could only shrink its battle lines and focus on defense. In any case, Wang Dao and Yao Dali's navy would never let them have an easy time.

The Yangtze River is like a long carrying pole, and the navy is the porter, carrying the Shu region on one end and the eight towns of Jiangnan on the other, firmly linking Li Dachui's forces within the pass.

Of course, for Li Dachui, the biggest gain was Jiang Qian, the former Empress Dowager of Chu.

This is a real treasure.

Jiang Qian's existence allowed him to easily gain control of Ruyin County and Yong'an County, and the current situation is precisely because of these two counties that he has developed into this vast territory.

Next, Li Dachui will definitely have to go back to the area outside the pass, and only Jiang Qian can stay inside the pass and manage the situation there for him.

Jiang Qian is more than qualified to do this job, both in terms of prestige and ability.

More importantly, Jiang Qian's existence has caused numerous internal conflicts and mutual suspicion within the Chu Kingdom. One day, when he leads his troops south, he might find that many places are settled because of Jiang Qian.

Of course, Jiang Qian herself, in her early twenties, was at the most tender and delicate stage of her life. Recalling the enchanting moments of the previous night, Li Dachui stared at Jiang Qian sitting opposite him and couldn't help but feel a little restless.

Who would have thought that Jiang Qian, who became the Crown Princess at the age of sixteen, was still a virgin!

To be honest, last night really gave Li Dachui a big fright.

After the passion subsided, and upon careful questioning, it became clear that the late emperor, frail and weak, had been completely bewildered and manipulated by Jiang Qian, a master of innate cultivation, without even realizing it. Seeing the strange look in Li Dachui's eyes, Jiang Qian understood the meaning behind his gaze. Her face flushed crimson, her eyes shimmering with a captivating light. Her previously restrained energy blossomed like a flower, making her utterly mesmerizing.

"What are you?"

"Hey, why are you?"

Will you still cook for me in the future?

"As long as you don't get tired of it, I can cook for you for the rest of my life!"

Jiang Qian picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of fried egg with chives into Li Dachui's bowl, smiling as she said, "Don't forget what you said today!"

Jiang Qian did not mention Xiao Changche from outside the pass, nor did she discuss the issue of status with Li Dachui.

A smart woman would never mention other women at this time.

As for titles and ranks, people like Jiang Qian and Xiao Changche would never bother arguing about who is superior or inferior.

They are among the most outstanding people in the world.

Their status and identity are determined by their own abilities, not by any other factors.

Once you have the ability, everything else will follow naturally.

Xiao Changche took the lead, and the area outside the pass was the base of Li Dachui's forces. She also gave birth to a son for Li Dachui, giving her a first-mover advantage. At least for now, this advantage seems unshakeable.

Of course, Jiang Qian is not without competitiveness.
If Jiang Qian were to use the eight towns of Jiangnan as a base to expand southward and defeat the State of Chu, and when Li Dachui marched south from beyond the pass, he could then attack Linghu Ye from both the north and south. Would his power be any less than that of Xiao Changche?

It's hard to say who will sit in that position when the world is unified in the future.
So there's no need to mention it or argue about it; one in the south and one in the north, let's let our strength speak for itself.

Moreover, both women have a large group of powerful subordinates under their command, who will strive hard even for their future achievements and wealth.

"Zhu Chi has already reached a cooperation agreement with Na Wei. He has been promoted by Na Wei, the newly appointed regent, to the position of Vice Minister of Revenue, in charge of making money for Na Wei!" Li Dachui laughed. "Next, Zhu Chi will keep fleecing those wealthy and powerful families in Chu. The more he fleeces, the richer Na Wei will become. Of course, the conflicts with these wealthy and powerful families will become bigger and bigger."

"When did Zhu Chi pledge allegiance to you?" Jiang Qian asked curiously.

At the time, she only brought Old Master Zhu back as an advisor instead of entrusting him with an official position because, given the circumstances of the Zhu family, it was difficult for them to remain loyal to the Great Chu. They could only be used as a tool.

“He hasn’t sided with me!” Li Dachui shook his head and said, “At least so far, we’ve each gotten what we needed. Of course, Zhu Chi will be closer to us, since he knows Beiting very well, but his style is still the same as that of aristocratic families, playing both sides. But that’s enough for us. You might as well contact him more often in the future! This person will inevitably become a rising star in the Chu court under the rule of Na Wei.”

“That old man Zhu is like a whirlwind, seemingly frail, but he’s like a weed, always able to grow tenaciously. Let’s see how much of his skills Zhu Chi has inherited!” Jiang Qian said with a smile.

"So, he was a rare talent!" Li Dachui said.

(End of this chapter)