The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

In the blink of an eye, it was the first day of October. Big red lanterns were hung on the streets of the capital, with words such as "universal celebration" and "prosperity and prosperity" projected on the lanterns.

In the lobby of the Ministry of Rites, the English ambassador sat on the very back chair. There was no tea on the table beside him. The lobby was empty and no one greeted him.

The English ambassador lived in the capital for several years. He not only learned Chinese, but also had a deep understanding of the rules of the Tang Dynasty officialdom. Everything in the officialdom was regulated, including how to arrange seats, who sat where, who spoke first, and who said what. A slight change meant a change.

He immediately felt a change in the Ministry of Rites today. The official who received him was no longer as friendly as before, and had a completely official attitude. He even arranged him on the lowest chair. There was no tea or snacks, and no one greeted him.

This is extremely rude in diplomacy.

But people tend to think positively about these changes. The English ambassador thought that such an arrangement was caused by a mistake made in a hurry. After all, today was the National Day of the Tang Dynasty, and it was normal to be busy.

So he continued to sit there very patiently, without saying a word or moving a muscle.

Finally, the sound of footsteps was heard inside.

Then, Jia Yucun, the Minister of Rites of the Tang Dynasty, walked out from the back hall with an official document in his hand.

The English ambassador stood up quickly, gently took off his hat with his right hand, and then moved it in a semicircle around the right side of his body, finally to his chest, and took off his hat in a very formal manner to Jia Yucun, "Good morning, respected Minister of Rites."

Jia Yucun smiled and nodded.

The English ambassador felt relieved and was about to speak.

Jia Yucun spoke up: "I asked the Ambassador to come here today because I have something to hand over to you personally."

The English ambassador had a bad feeling. He looked at Jia Yucun and the document in his hand without saying a word.

Jia Yucun didn't waste any words and said directly: "I am hereby ordered to submit a declaration of war. From today on, the Tang Dynasty will enter a state of war against England."

The English ambassador's head buzzed: "What? What did you say?"

Jia Yucun: "The Tang Dynasty has declared war on England."

The English ambassador gritted his teeth and his face turned pale. Ever since the United States openly attacked the English fleet, he knew that this day would come. Without the support of the Tang Dynasty, the descendants of those robbers would not dare and would not be able to attack the English fleet.

But people all have a lucky mentality. They all think that the Tang Dynasty just wants to make a fortune from the war by reselling arms.

The most important point is that the gap in strength between the two countries is quite obvious, so England can only turn a deaf ear and continue to maintain good relations with the Tang Dynasty, and even have to "be obedient."

He had just heard the news that the Tang Dynasty's newest ironclad ship had completed the first round of sea trials and would soon be delivered to the naval fleet, further widening the gap in naval power between the two countries.

At the end of September, he received a personal letter from the Prime Minister. In the letter, the Prime Minister said that the war between England and the United States had reached a critical moment, and asked him to stabilize the Tang Dynasty at all costs. As long as the Tang Dynasty remained neutral, anything would be fine!
Thinking of this, he hurriedly said: "I want to see His Majesty the Emperor! I want to see His Majesty the Emperor. We can voluntarily give up the East India Company and even the colonies in West Asia."

Jia Yucun interrupted him directly: "In the past few years, we have received countless letters from England, all of which are complaints from ordinary people in England against your government. They hope that the Tang Dynasty can help them and promote the establishment of a truly 'democratic and free' country."

At this point, he smiled and said, "The people of your country are living in dire straits. Your so-called 'democracy' has not brought any benefits to the people, and their living standards are getting lower and lower. As a responsible major country, we have the responsibility to maintain international peace and security, support the grassroots people in their struggle for democracy and freedom, protect their human rights, and spread the 'light of democracy and freedom' to every corner of the world."

The English ambassador was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "Since the United States attacked our fleet, no civilian ships have left England. Where did the letter come from?"

Jia Yucun suddenly realized: "No wonder I haven't received a single reply in the past two years. It turns out that those people have lost their personal freedom. Hey, you won't kill them, will you?"

The English ambassador was anxious: "You are slandering me! You are making up stories out of nothing. You are going too far!"

Jia Yucun: "Whether it is fabricated or not, we will know once we find those common people."

The English ambassador was so angry that his eyes turned red: "You are committing robbery!"

Jia Yucun: "Whether he is a robber or not is not up to you to decide, but for the English people to judge."

The English ambassador was stunned, his chest rising and falling. After a long while, he adjusted his breathing and said, "Okay. So after the declaration of war, England will be your enemy. Are you sure?"

Jia Yucun smiled faintly and handed over the declaration of war in his hand.

The English ambassador's face looked extremely pale. He took the declaration of war tremblingly, and without even looking at it, he turned around and walked out. When he stepped over the threshold, he actually stumbled. He quickly held on to the door frame to steady himself, took a breath, and walked out with difficulty.

Looking at the English ambassador who walked out tremblingly, Jia Yucun smiled and said: "This world is a world where the strong prey on the weak, the strong exploit the weak, and the upper class exploits the lower class."

The setting sun was blood-red, and the sea was filled with the wreckage of smoking warships and the bodies of soldiers.
All the ships of the English Navy are here!
After declaring war, the Tang army marched westward with overwhelming force, easily defeating both the East India Company on land and the English navy stationed in coastal ports.

In order to protect its own territory and trade in the Mediterranean, England had to withdraw its Atlantic fleet and draw warships from various colonies to form an invincible fleet, which headed to the Cape of Good Hope to ambush the Tang Dynasty navy.

The English Admiral was already 65 years old at this time. After analyzing the enemy situation, he determined that victory could be achieved as long as the Pangu ironclad ship and its three sister ships were sunk.

Therefore, he dispatched more than a hundred warships of various types to engage the Tang Dynasty's main sailing battleships, and personally led thirty-five main sailing battleships to launch a fierce attack on the Pangu and its sister ships.

Unfortunately, the warships of both sides were not products of the same era. After only a few rounds, a shocking reversal occurred. England quickly lost nine main sailing battleships. The English naval marshal quickly responded, but it was too late. Four 10,000-ton steel behemoths had already surrounded them.
The news that the Tang navy had annihilated the English navy at the Cape of Good Hope spread across the entire European continent like a gust of wind. At the same time, news of the fall of the Pharaohs came from Africa. The reason was that the Pharaohs saw the Tang army eating birthday cakes and accused the Tang of stealing their customs.

The Tang Dynasty's troops stationed in West Asia launched a war against Pharaoh, using the excuse that Pharaoh had insulted the Tang emperor. They occupied Pharaoh and were said to want to turn Pharaoh into a cotton plantation for the Tang Dynasty.

At this time, the European countries, which were already beating their heads off, suddenly realized that the Tang Dynasty had already reached their doorstep, and fear instantly enveloped them.

With the mediation of King George of England, France reached a reconciliation with the anti-French alliance, and subsequently signed the Treaty of Paris, forming an anti-Tang alliance among England, France, the Holy Roman Empire, Italy, Sweden and other countries.

At this moment, they became extremely united.
Although the railway was laid, the distance was too far and it took several months for the news to reach the capital.

At this time, a world map woven from silk brocade was spread on the floor of the eastern warm room of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, taking up most of the room.

A pair of bright yellow satin boots were placed next to the map, and Li Hu walked back and forth on the map with his hands behind his back.

Lin Ruhai, Jia Lian and the two grand secretaries Shi and Meng had all arrived and were standing on the other side of the map, their eyes following Li Hu's footsteps.

Finally, Li Hu stopped and found himself standing on Europe.

The four of them looked at each other and seemed to understand something.

Li Hu spoke: "I have decided. I will lead the army in person!"

Lin Ruhai was silent for a moment, then asked, "May I ask when the emperor is going to lead the army in person? Who will be left to assist the crown prince in governing the country? Who will be sent to accompany the emperor?"

Li Hu: "I will leave tomorrow. In the capital, you and the two old masters, Shi and Meng, will assist the prince. If there is anything you are undecided about, let the queen make the decision. I will keep Wang Daniu. Jia Lian will follow me to lead the army in person." Lin Ruhai nodded.

Li Hulue thought for a while and said: "This time the emperor will personally lead the expedition. The journey is long and it will take a year to travel by train. But you don't have to worry. This decisive battle between the East and the West will not take too long. I estimate that the outcome can be decided in three or four months."

Thinking of the heavy machine gun that was like cutting straw, Lin Ruhai and others nodded.

Li Hu: "The kings of European countries will also go to the front. I will try to bring them all back and make the 'Street of Nations' a real Street of Nations. I will build a huge open-air stage on Qianmen Street and let them perform Western songs and dances for the people of the Tang Dynasty."

All four laughed.

After laughing, Lin Ruhai said, "As the old saying goes, those who are not of our race must have different intentions. Besides, the Americans and the English have the same ancestors, so we must be on guard!"

The two Grand Secretaries Shi and Meng said: "That's right. Foreigners cannot be trusted."

Li Hu smiled and said, "The United States is now like a clay Buddha crossing the river. They should protect themselves first."

Lin Ruhai: “Oh?”

Li Hu: "The United States has already started a fight."

After hearing this, the four of them became curious.

Li Hu smiled and said, "Five years ago, the Tang Dynasty began to secretly train Indians. North America has a vast central plain with flat terrain, fertile soil, and a very superior natural environment. It can only belong to the Tang Dynasty."

The four of them nodded.

Li Hu: "That's all, let's go."

Lin Ruhai led Jia Lian and the two grand secretaries Shi and Meng to pay their respects to Li Hu, then walked out.

Li Hu looked at the map under his feet again, then put on his boots and walked out.

Walking out of the East Warm Pavilion, the fat boy waiting at the door hurriedly followed.

As Li Hu walked towards Kunning Palace, he said to the little fat man, "I am not in the capital, you have to take good care of the prince. Do you understand?"

The little fat man said: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will serve your highness wholeheartedly."

Li Hu: "I am confident that you can handle the matter. Wang Daniu and Kong Qingxiang will both stay in the capital. You can discuss anything together."

Little Fatty: "Yes."

As soon as he stepped into Kunning Palace, Li Hu heard laughter from the bedroom. He walked in and saw that Xue Baochai, Jia Yingchun, Jia Tanchun, Xue Baoqin, Amber, Xiangling were all there, and Shi Xiangyun had also come.

When they saw Li Hu coming in, everyone knelt down except Lin Daiyu who stood up.

Li Hu smiled and nodded continuously: "Don't be so polite, don't be so polite." As he said that, he walked straight to Lin Daiyu and looked at the little one in the cradle.

Lin Daiyu gave birth to another son for Li Hu. Including the fifth prince born to Xue Baoqin, Li Hu had six sons and three precious daughters, making him the father of nine children.

Seeing the little fellow's eyes wide open, staring at him, Li Hu clapped his hands gently and picked up the Sixth Prince.

The Sixth Prince chuckled.

Xue Baochai and others tactfully withdrew, leaving only Lin Daiyu and Li Hu holding the sixth prince in the bedroom.

While Li Hu was teasing his son, he asked Lin Daiyu, "Why is Xiangyun here? Are you here to plead for Da Lian Bao again?"

Lin Daiyu shook her head slightly: "She heard that Shouchang was ill, so she came to visit him specially."

Li Hu suddenly remembered: "Her son didn't come with her, did he?"

Lin Daiyu: "I am here. I am flying kites with Le An and Jing Yi in the Imperial Garden."

Li Hu snorted and said, "Don't let him come here anymore."

Lin Daiyu looked at him strangely: "What's wrong?"

Li Hu: "My daughter cannot marry Da Lian Bao's son."

Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes: "How old are they?"

Li Hu: "There is a term called childhood sweethearts! Le An and the others don't see other boys in the palace, so it's easy for them to develop feelings. Especially Shou Chang, she likes Xiang Yun very much, I can't help but be on guard!"

After a pause, he said, "Like father, like son. I don't want my daughter to become the second Xiangyun!"

Lin Daiyu smiled bitterly. Three years ago, Jia Baoyu and Miaoyu begged for alms and ended up in bed, and gave birth to a daughter.

The Jia family became the laughing stock of the capital city for a while. Grandmother Jia was so angry that she fell ill and died. Jia Zheng was also so angry that he fell ill and almost died with Grandmother Jia.

Li Hu was also very angry, and ordered that Jia Baoyu be sent to the tower in the temple. He also said that the Buddha had suppressed the Monkey King under the Five Finger Mountain for five hundred years, and he did not dare to compete with the Buddha, so he reduced the sentence a little and suppressed him for four hundred and ninety years.

Thinking of this, Lin Daiyu said to Li Hu: "Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. Let's let him out."

Seeing that Li Hu was silent, Lin Daiyu sighed softly: "I can't really keep him down for 490 years, can I?"

Li Hu put the Sixth Prince back into the cradle, and then said to Lin Daiyu: "After a great victory in Europe, I will grant amnesty to the whole world."

Lin Daiyu nodded, then came to her senses and asked anxiously, "Are you going to lead the army in person?"

"Ah."

Li Hu nodded heavily, slowly took Lin Daiyu's hand, held her in his arms, and said softly: "Don't worry. Compared with the Tang Dynasty, the European countries are just a group of children. No matter how many children there are, they can't beat adults. When the war is over, I will take you to see all these mountains and rivers."

Lin Daiyu hummed and buried her head tightly in Li Hu's chest. "Then you must be careful! The children and I will wait for you at home." (End of this chapter)