The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 317: Battle between Land and Sea
The messenger knights with banners set out from the Central Asian province and flew in all directions like exploding sparks.

Some of them went directly to the capital with more specific letters, and rushed all the way to deliver the letters to the next knight with the banner.

Some of them changed horses but not the men, and went to the front line of the battlefield carrying confidential letters with them.

Others go south and north to convey the various orders of His Majesty the Holy Emperor.

As the sun rose and set, the knights with the banners rode on different horses.

Even the knights could not endure the constant bumpy ride day and night, and they replaced messengers one after another.

Only the letter in my arms and the command flag behind me will not change.

During the more than 20 days that Jia Rong was repairing the plane and the car, the cavalry had entered Western Europe from Central Asia and officially entered the Spanish territory.

More than thirty generals gathered in the military tent.

The Grand Marshal said excitedly: "The messenger reported that the emperor has arrived from the capital to the Central Asian province, and then went to St. Petersburg, and will be waiting for our triumphant return in Habsburg!"

Everyone showed delight when they heard it.

It is not a good thing for His Majesty to go to the battlefield in person. The Habsburgs have been defeated by swords and guns here, and that place belongs to the rear battlefield and is relatively safe.

The staff officer said: "Although the Habsburgs are governed by cowardly nobles and merchants, they are worth a fortune. We must send people to defend there and protect the safety of the emperor!"

The generalissimo and the rest of the people in the tent had no objection.

The war can be lost, generals, soldiers and marshals can die, but nothing can happen to the emperor.

Protecting His Majesty's safety is a hundred times more important than a trivial matter like fighting a war.

The Grand Marshal took out the letter and handed it to the staff officer beside him.

"Spread it around. His Majesty said that since we have made it this far, there must be nothing wrong with our brains, so don't interfere with how we fight. Just win as soon as possible. If you don't want to be crowned a king and enjoy the good life here, you can be conferred a title in the Central Plains, but it will be a lower rank."

The Grand Marshal smiled and recited the original text of Jia Rong's letter. Even though the Emperor said that there was nothing wrong with his brain, which was a bit humiliating, he did not feel humiliated, but only felt close to him.

The others didn't think it was a humiliation, but of course if someone else said this, it would definitely be a humiliation.

What people care more about is the issue of rewards.

A young noble in his thirties said, "The imperial court cannot spend all the taxes it collects every year. Jiangnan and Jingji regions receive tens of millions of silver dollars a year. Those are all good places. I heard that the capital has running water and houses are four or five stories high."

An old general nearby nodded and said, "It's hard to leave one's homeland. It's hard to return to one's roots. Being a king overseas with a bunch of barbarians is not as good as being in the Central Plains and accompanying the emperor."

Whether it is a matter of diet or lifestyle, most people prefer to return to their hometown rather than become local tyrants in a foreign country.

Many people still have wives, sons, parents, families, land, houses, relatives and friends in their hometowns.

Especially after four or five years of working away from home, of course you would choose to go home if you can.

A middle-aged general said: "Even if we want to stay here, our subordinates won't agree. They all want to go back."

The others nodded.

Without the support of his subordinates, there is no way for him to settle down in this foreign country. It would be better for him to go back and enjoy his life.

If the family is poor, most people will still think about going out.

But our family is not poor!

Nowadays, everyone knows that there is too much money in the capital to spend. Countless people in the capital and across the country are living a good life, and after returning home, they will definitely exempt their hometown from land taxes for a hundred years.

How can I not go back after doing such a good thing for my hometown?
The reward money he gets when he returns will not be small. The imperial court is not short of money and will not deduct money on such matters.

There is also the ever-present problem of language barriers. There is a lack of communication here, and problems can easily arise when one is unfamiliar with the place.

The Grand Marshal gave the order directly: "Send the Imperial Guards to protect the emperor, and tell all the soldiers to capture these villains in one fell swoop! Return to the court as soon as possible!"

Everyone said happily, "Yes!" Just when everyone was excited and happy, fantasizing about capturing the King of Spain tomorrow, and then returning to the court in triumph to bring glory to their ancestors, a messenger ran in as if something big had happened!

"Report! Urgent report!!"

The messenger rushed in, and the guards behind him were unable to stop him, so they had to let him in.

A group of people quickly looked at the young messenger and became nervous for a moment.

The messenger ran too fast and was too anxious, so he fell to the ground and knelt heavily on the ground.

The staff officer shouted, "Tell me! What's going on? Is there something wrong with His Majesty? Tell me now!!"

If something happens to the emperor, there's no point in fighting this war, and everyone must go back quickly.

The messenger's throat was sore and his forehead was covered with dirty sweat. He tried hard to speak but no words came out and he could only feel smoke coming out of his mouth.

Seeing this, the Grand Marshal cursed, "Hurry up and tell me! If you continue to disrupt the morale of the army here, I will kill you!"

The messenger rested for a few seconds, then was frightened by the marshal and was able to speak quickly.

"navy!"

When they heard it was the navy, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"What is the navy afraid of? Why should our army be afraid of the navy?"

"Did he run away?"

"Let them run away, we just need to capture them. Besides, no matter where they run to now, they can't escape the pursuit of our Holy Dynasty!"

"It's not like we haven't fought the Spanish navy before. What a bunch of rubbish! One of our soldiers is worth fifty of theirs!"

Everyone present was a veteran of many battles. In the past few years, they had expanded all the way from Central Asia to Western Europe and had fought countless battles, big and small.

Some words may seem arrogant to others, but they sound humble when they say them.

Today might not be a good time.

The messenger quickly told the real truth.

His words silenced everyone in the tent and made the commander-in-chief look incredulous.

"What did you say? Say it again!!!" The Grand Marshal stood up and looked at the messenger with a stern face.

The messenger had rested and said quickly: "Report to the Marshal! The Luzon Navy defeated the Spanish Invincible Armada at sea, and then chased them all the way to the Spanish Royal City, and now they have occupied the Spanish capital!"
When this news came out, the soldiers in the camp were all shocked, regretful, desperate and angry!!

The Grand Marshal stared at the messenger and said, "How could the Luzon Navy show up? Didn't that bunch of rubbish fail to build a single ship in four years? ! ! It was you who lied about the military intelligence, wasn't it?!"

A group of people fought hard for four or five years, and fought all the way from the capital to Spain.

Now they have entered Spanish territory and have repeatedly defeated Spanish and European coalition forces, but a navy suddenly appears at this time? !

The messenger did not dare to admit his mistake and hurriedly shouted: "Everything I said is true! It only took the navy one day to rush from the port to the Spanish royal city and capture the Spanish royal nobles alive!"

The Grand Marshal didn't believe it and was talking incoherently, "I don't believe that these navy men can run faster than our army! I don't believe it!!"

The rest of the people didn’t believe this either. The court didn’t say anything about this, and they couldn’t do this!!!
However, it didn't matter whether he believed it or not, the messenger did not lie.

When Jia Rong went out, the coastal naval fleet also set out to attack Spain.

Now they came from behind and won first, inflicting heavy damage on the Spanish fleet and successfully ending the four-year expedition.

But it also dealt a heavy blow to the friendly forces!!

(End of this chapter)