The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 313 Jing

What kind of life do missions with no money live?
Borrow!

This loan is no longer in the form of silver or any other money; it is in the form of land. No matter where the territory is drawn, the Great Zhao can designate a place and enclose another 300 acres thereafter.

This was something neither Barzel Ackerman nor Iris Roberts had anticipated.

They had only ever heard that this great Eastern country was warm and hospitable.

They are especially kind to missions, envoys, and host countries.

Many foreign missions that make a trip here return with huge sums of money.

But now...

Although they were living a very good life, their mood was... well, let's just say it was terrible.

Moreover, the Huitong Hall is currently being cleaned up, reportedly in preparation for the joint delegation of several Mongol tribes that is about to enter Beijing.

The rooms they are currently living in... are the very rooms occupied by several princes from the former Qing Dynasty.

"Actually, that grenade shouldn't be too difficult to make."

Iris Roberts said, "The principle is the same, it's just a matter of volume."

"..."

Bazel Ackerman did not speak.

After they returned, their weapons experts were indeed able to develop it, but the east... from then on, it was no longer within their reach.

The envisioned territory will never exist again.

He will be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Previously, he could comfort himself by thinking that they were much better off than the Japanese delegation; at least they received a reception, while the Japanese delegation was still suffering in the Tianjin prison.

But now...

Bazel Ackerman sighed deeply in his heart.

This negotiation actually failed the moment they joined forces with the Japanese delegation, didn't it?
For the Great Zhao, Wa (Japan) was their vassal state.

Betrayal by a vassal state is absolutely intolerable.

Therefore, they were targeted by various parties even before they arrived in Dazhao.

"When we came here, weren't we prepared for the Dazhao Assembly to make exorbitant demands?"

After a day trip to the Tianjin prison, Iris Roberts became much more resigned, saying, "The most important thing now is still their six guns."

Having obtained six guns, they can build something similar and head west.

"I'll go find that missionary again."

Although they'll be treated like monkeys if they go out, they probably don't have much time left.

"No need to look anymore, missionaries are useless."

Bazel Ackerman sighed, "Let's visit the Rongguo Mansion together tomorrow!"

what?
"Are you planning to make a move through that Lord Jia, the Director of the Imperial Arsenal?"

Iris Roberts had already inquired about everything, "but it's probably useless. The family that was assassinated by the Japanese was his cousin's family next door."

And they have no money.

There's nothing to give as a gift.

I've heard that people from the Great Zhao Dynasty value personal relationships wherever they go.

This favor is essentially giving gifts.

"We didn't have anything that could move him."

"No, we have them. We can bring out our muskets."

Bazel Ackerman drew his sidearm from the holster on his waist.

……

After spending another day in Yangzhou, Shen Ning, who had delivered half a boatload of goods to Jia Min on behalf of Lin Ruhai, stood on the deck under an oil-paper umbrella, looking at the misty, rainy world.

Jiangnan is beautiful; its scenery is familiar from long ago!
The sunrise paints the river flowers redder than fire, and spring brings the river water greener than blue. How can one not long for Jiangnan?

She truly witnessed the breathtaking sunrise over the Yangtze River, where the river flowers bloomed ablaze with color, but alas…

Shen Ning glanced back at her daughter, who was playing on a rocking horse in the cabin, and sighed softly in her heart.

If she could, she really wanted to leave everything behind and travel around.

Unfortunately, because of the hundred soldiers sent by the emperor, she didn't even get to go to her original hometown, Luzhou.

She and Jia Zhen had originally planned to go that way!
"Grandmother, it's windy outside, let's go back inside!"

Rong-ge came out with an umbrella.

"Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles, Rong-ge'er, do you think you've gained anything from this trip back?"

Shen Ning ignored his words and instead asked him about his feelings about the trip.

"Yes, I have!"

Rong-ge smiled broadly, "I feel I have gained a lot, especially in Jinling. I learned a great deal from my grandmother and father in how they dealt with the Japanese and the Wang family."

In the capital, he learned from letters home how his uncle and fourth aunt used various methods to suppress the Japanese invaders.

"Grandmother, I think that each of you has something I can learn from."

Shen Ning: "..."

"Grandmother, the Japanese delegation has not yet been released from the Tianjin prison."

Rong-ge decided to add Prefect Yu and Madam Yu to the list of people he admired.

"Do you think our Great Zhao will keep them imprisoned forever?"

"...If you were Prefect Yu, would you keep them locked up indefinitely?"

Shen Ning didn't answer his question, but instead asked him, "Or rather, do you think the Emperor will keep them locked up forever?"

"If I were Prefect Yu, as long as the Emperor hasn't spoken, as long as those two Japanese soldiers in Xuzhou are still alive, I will keep them locked up, finding all sorts of reasons to do so."

Rong-ge'er said, "It's about the Emperor... The Emperor may wait until the peace talks with the Russians and Mongols are over before he can expel them from the country."

"Just expel them, no conditions?"

Shen Ning's overly generous expression made Rong Ge'er swallow hard.

They've already been made to such a sorry state, and you're still making demands?

It was their family that was assassinated, not the emperor.

Rong-ge thought for a moment and said, "After we go back, Grandmother, you should go to the Empress's palace. If you cry to her a few times, the Emperor might ask for some benefits for our family. But if that happens, the Japanese will hate our family even more."

Therefore, he didn't want to make any demands.

"So you think the Japanese don't hate our family anymore?"

Shen Ning asked again.

She wouldn't give him any answers.

She only asked him to think.

"...I will hate it!"

Rong Ge thought for a moment, his face turning grave. "Especially the Japanese delegation, they might hate us very much."

Regardless of whether they were related to the Japanese assassin Kaneda Shoji in Xuzhou, it is true that they were imprisoned in Tianjin.

They were all Japanese officials.

Thinking of this, Rong-ge suddenly felt that those Japanese shouldn't be let go either.

Not a single one can be let go.

"Grandmother, is there a way to kill them all?"

"...How do you think they should die?"

"First and foremost, we cannot die in Dazhao!"

Not only would the emperor disagree, but the ministers in the court would also disagree.

"Secondly, we cannot die not far from the Great Zhao."

Shen Ning: "..."

She couldn't help but laugh.

The fact that Rong-ge'er can think of so much shows that he really has thought about it.

"Grandmother, am I right?"

"Whether it's right or wrong, go tell your father!"

Shen Ning said, "A generous reward will surely attract brave men."

Unfortunately, she didn't know how Jia Jing was doing over there.

But if he hears about the mission, he will definitely take action there.

Shen Ning waved her hand at Rong Ge'er, "Go, find a safe place, and be careful what you say."

There was a breeze on the deck, so they kept their voices low. With no one around, their conversation remained unnoticed. "Even in the face of absolute power, the Japanese can have several faces."

The reason why there is no chaos in Jiangnan is because their family was assassinated. From the emperor to the officials of various prefectures, everyone has begun to take it seriously and has imprisoned those who should be imprisoned.

This doesn't mean things won't get chaotic in the future.

Things will definitely get chaotic again in the future.

However, it depends on how well the information is received in Japan.

In Shen Ning's opinion, they would definitely try to cause trouble again.

But what she could think of, the emperor and some people in the Ministry of War should also be able to think of.

Fighting with precautions is completely different from fighting without precautions.

Especially after the newly arrived Japanese failed to receive help from the spies...

Shen Ning was actually looking forward to Xiao Rizi coming over and making a splash soon.

Now that both sides of the Great Zhao are at war, others are being promoted and given titles... Don't the officers and soldiers in Jiangnan feel envious?

Fighting a war, if there are problems, we discover them; if there are no problems, we demonstrate our military strength.

It was not only a display of force against ordinary people, but also a display of force against themselves, the court, and the people.

If the Rakshasa could invade and be driven out by the Great Zhao, then shouldn't the Great Zhao also be able to go out and see the world?

Shen Ning didn't care how Jia Zhen planned to kill those Japanese soldiers; all she needed to know was that he had indeed done it.

As for whether it will be successful or not?

Let's see who has better luck!

With a happy mood, she gave up the deck and went back to her cabin to write.

The Return of the Condor Heroes is not yet finished.

Of course, because the plot wasn't as well-developed as The Legend of the Condor Heroes, she made some changes.

She also changed her ways regarding the incident where Xiaolongnu was raped by Yin Zhiping.

I heard that Mr. Jin was severely criticized back then because he wrote this plot.

It was like that back then, let alone now?

Shen Ning herself is a woman, and she wouldn't like to write that kind of plot.

There are many ways misunderstandings can arise, and she happily followed her own way.

Time flew by, and amidst her stops and starts, her book was finished, and the capital city was in sight.

Negotiations with the Rakshasa Kingdom have been fraught with disputes and have not yet made good progress.

The main reason is that envoys from various Mongol tribes have come to the capital.

Compared to the Rakshasa people who look different, the Great Zhao is definitely better.

The Russian delegation negotiated for half a month but only managed to secure a temporary ceasefire agreement among the three parties.

Of course, a group of Russian soldiers also accompanied the Mongol delegation to the capital.

The mission's dire situation had already been reported to the Mongol spies on the other side.

Today, Bazar Akerman and Iris Roberts are also tasked with negotiating with the various Mongol tribes.

Their goal was simple: since they had come all this way and some people had died, they couldn't just leave empty-handed.

The war of words raged on and on.

On May 29th, the family disembarked at Tongzhou Wharf. Before they could even rest, several horse-drawn carriages were already waiting for them.

Jiao Da personally led a group of people and had actually been waiting here for two days.

The whole family was overjoyed when they received the package.

"Madam, sir~"

The old man looked them all over carefully. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Xiao Yue'er, who was often carried to the outer courtyard by Jia Zhen and Rong Ge'er, stretch out her arm to him.

Oops!

The old man became incredibly excited.

He thought the girl had long forgotten him.

He hurriedly reached out to catch it, but before he could even feel happy, he cried out "Ouch!" as his beard was pulled.

"Yue'er?"

Shen Ning's voice was threatening, "Don't you dare pull your Grandpa Jiao's beard."

Looking at her mother's expression, and then at Jiao Da who was staring at her with wide eyes, Jia Yue finally opened her chubby little hands.

At first, she didn't actually remember Jiao Da, but she remembered Jiao Da's beard.

Now that she can't pull his beard anymore, she pouted...

"Don't cry, sweetie. Grandpa Jiao's beard is long, it's for you to pull."

Jiao Da hurriedly handed his beard to the little girl.

Jia Zhen, who was originally going to coax his younger sister, couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw the old man's biased attitude.

Even Rong-ge'er wanted to sigh when he saw his aunt being laughed at by Jiao Da.

Whether it was the hardworking Rong-ge'er or the lazy Jia Zhen, neither of them had ever received many smiles from Jiao Da since childhood.

Especially Jia Zhen, that old man beat him many times on behalf of his grandfather when his grandfather was still alive.

But now...

"You can't spoil him!"

When Shen Ning's daughter passed through Yangzhou, she pulled a few more hairs from Lin Ruhai's beard and then gave him a severe scolding on the boat.

"Don't underestimate her just because she's young. She's very perceptive. The more you spoil her, the more she'll..."

"Madam~"

Jiao Da turned Jia Yue around, not letting the little girl see her mother, "You know the girl is young? She's our only little girl, what's wrong with me spoiling her for the old master?"

Shen Ning: "..."

It's her fault; she forgot how rude and hurtful that old man's words could be.

"The carriage is ready. It's been checked several times. Get in quickly, let's go home as soon as possible."

Jiao Da urged them, "I'll carry the girl and take her riding a horse for a while."

He pulled a small, thin cloak from his pocket. "Come on, Grandpa Jiao will take you horseback riding."

"Grandpa Jiao~"

"Eh~~~~"

The little girl called out "Grandpa Jiao" in her sweet, childish voice, which made Jiao Da's eyes well up with tears. "Grandpa, you can call me Grandpa now? Haha! Hahaha..."

The old man was agile and quickly mounted the horse with Jia Yue. "Come on, Grandpa Jiao will show you around."

Upon receiving news that his family had been assassinated in Xuzhou, the old man was very worried and went to the black market overnight, hoping to find more martial arts figures to take revenge.

Unexpectedly, those people helped him take revenge, throwing several corpses into Shuntian Prefecture, but none of them asked him for a reward.

Having saved money, the old man went to the ancestral hall and drank with the old man for quite a while.

Anyway, Jia Zhen secretly hid all the wine, and he squandered it all.

"Giggle~ Grandpa Jiao~~~~"

The little girl was overjoyed.

As the weather got hotter, every evening when she went ashore, either her brother would carry her on horseback or her nephew would take her on horseback.

She especially loves horseback riding.

What's more, Grandpa Jiao even started running around for a moment.

Shen Ning glanced enviously at Jia Zhen and Rong Ge'er riding their horses and following behind, then quickly stepped into the carriage.

Hey~
If she were a man, she would surely whip her horse and ride around everywhere.

Wen Peilan, who got on the bus with her, heard her sighing repeatedly and didn't know whether she should laugh.

"Didn't we say we have a farm in Tongzhou? Come over sometime, and I'll teach you how to ride to your heart's content!"

When he worked as a bodyguard, Wen Peilan traveled all over the country.

It's not that fun outside.

One person can be robbed, but a group of people have no freedom.

Not to mention food, drink, and lodging.

Wen Peilan had long been tired of that kind of life.

Until this trip with my wife.