Video Editor

Chapter 872: Advance, attack, retreat or defend
This time, the old emperor's tour of Jiangning Prefecture with the empress received unanimous support from the court, because the area south of the Yangtze River was actually out of the court's control. It was meaningless to simply send one or two ministers to sit in Jiangning Prefecture in person. Therefore, it was urgent for their emperor to establish the Song Dynasty's rule over the area south of the Yangtze River through a southern tour. At the very least, the civil officials and military generals in Jiangnan should see the court's attitude.

The old emperor naturally would not take Empress Cao to Jiangning Prefecture alone. Instead, he accepted the advice of the three great ministers and brought along the women of all the noble families in Bianjing City. It seemed as if he was preparing for a large-scale migration to occupy the old mansion. It can be seen that the Zhao Song court really regarded Suning and the Ningyuan Army as a serious threat, and an uncompromising pressure was exerted on Jiangning Prefecture.

At this time, Sheng Hong had already brought all his family members on board a ship and arrived in Bian Jing, but a huge fleet coming towards them shocked everyone. Seeing that the flag hung on the dragon boat in the middle was representing the old emperor's personal trip, the Sheng family's ship immediately hid to the side of the river, and then all the people on the ship came to the deck and knelt in unison to salute.

After the emperor's massive fleet finally sailed away, the Sheng family, whose backs and waists ached from kneeling, finally stood up one after another. Sheng Hong looked at Old Madam Sheng with a puzzled look on his face and asked, "Mother, why is there such a grand ceremony for the emperor's inspection tour of Jiangning Prefecture this time?"

"Hong'er, I heard that the emperor brought almost all the noble families in Bianjing City this time, just to ease the conflict between the nobles and Prince Ning. You must know that the previous incident made the emperor directly punish the nine clans of the Gu family, and also made many noble families in Bianjing reject our Prince Ning." Old Lady Sheng did guess the intention of the old emperor and the eunuchs. It was nothing more than wanting to ease the relationship between the Ningyuan Army as a whole and the Song Dynasty court.

"Mother, I think there is more than one reason. Another reason may be that the area south of the Yangtze River is too important to the Song Dynasty. The emperor and the ministers are unwilling to see Jiangnan break away from the control of the Song Dynasty court." Then Sheng Hong also made inferences based on his own experience. Everyone knows the significance of the area south of the Yangtze River to the Song Dynasty court.

"That's right! Hong'er, your progress is truly astonishing. It will also save me a lot of worry when you work hard in the officialdom in the future."

"Mother is so complimentary."

People are so strange and unpredictable. In the original drama, in order not to be annoying, Old Lady Sheng took the initiative to give up all the power and trivial matters of the Sheng family, and allowed Sheng Hong, the illegitimate son of the Sheng family, to "do whatever he wants" at home. However, he did not get the respect of Sheng Hong and the eldest lady Wang Ruofu, and all kinds of weird operations happened. However, in this life, Old Lady Sheng immediately asked about the affairs of the Sheng family, which made Sheng Hong, the adopted son, respect him from the bottom of his heart. Even Lin Qishuang's pillow talk did not have the crazy effect in the original drama.

"Ah! Jiangning Prefecture is already a turbulent place. It would be great if our Sheng family could stay away from it for the time being." Realizing that something was wrong, Old Lady Sheng felt somewhat relieved.

"Mother, do you think Prince Ning can handle this matter easily?" Sheng Hong then became a little worried about his son-in-law. You know, the Sheng family and Prince Ning's Mansion are in a situation where they share the same fate.

"Hong'er, even though our Prince Ning is only a young man, his cunning and ability are enough to give the emperor and the eunuchs a headache. Otherwise, the emperor wouldn't be forced to inspect Jiangnan in person, and the emperor and the eunuchs wouldn't dare to fall out with Prince Ning." At this time, Old Lady Sheng smiled indifferently.

After all, the momentum of Suning and Ningyuan Army had already been formed at this time. Since they completely occupied the Indochina Peninsula, they had become in a position to attack or defend. Naturally, they were not afraid of the weak Song Dynasty court. In fact, this was exactly what the old emperor and the ministers saw, so they went to Jiangning Prefecture for inspection with great fanfare.

The Sheng family's fleet soon docked at the Bianjing wharf, and the Sheng family's carriage was already waiting there. You should know that Sheng Hong's father, Old Shengtou, was also a third place winner in the imperial examination of the Song Dynasty. He was very far-sighted and bought a house in Jiying Lane in Bianjing City. This made it convenient for the Sheng family to live in Bianjing City, and naturally there was no need for Su Ning to worry about their residence in Bianjing.

At this time, the city of Bianjing was still the most prosperous city in the world in the Middle Ages. It had not changed because of the southern tour of the old emperor and the noble ladies, nor was it surprised by the performance of Sheng Hong, the new Minister of Works. Millions of people in the city of Bianjing were still working hard all day to satisfy their appetites. This was the scene of the market that China should have in its heyday.

…………

As the true master of the area south of the Yangtze River, Suning naturally needed to be at the dock to greet them. Thinking of the old emperor's huge entourage on his southern tour, Suning suddenly felt a sense of depression, like a wealthy man being exploited. "Master Shen, is the emperor trying to bankrupt me?"

"Hmph! Prince Ning, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager all meant well. They wanted to ease the tense relationship between you and the nobles in Bianliang, but it turned out to be so unbearable for you." Looking at Su Ning, whose face was full of depression and anger, Prime Minister Shen became a little unhappy.

"Come on! Everything still depends on strength. I have no interest in these extravagant nobles right now."

"Hey! Prince Ning, you mustn't be too rebellious! The emperor is getting older and older, you mustn't make him angry to the point of causing harm."

"Huh?" Su Ning looked at Mr. Shen very depressedly, guessing that the old emperor's high-profile visit this time was probably not to scam people.

"Prince Ning, the dragon boat of our father and mother will be arriving soon, so please don't talk nonsense to them!" Princess Huirou, who was standing by, naturally heard the conversation between the two clearly. She looked at Su Ning with a helpless look on her face and reminded him.

"Hey! Huirou, didn't you see that I even brought a wig? I am serious about welcoming the Emperor and the Empress Dowager." Suning said to Princess Huirou helplessly, pointing at his hair.

"Hmph! Prince Ning, you have to follow me and call them father and mother. Besides, you are the emperor's adopted son himself." Hearing that Su Ning was still unwilling to change his words, Princess Huirou became a little unhappy.

"Oh! I see."

In fact, when the emperor's fleet entered the waters of Yangzhou, the Ningyuan Army Navy was already guarding the fleet. The old emperor and empress on the dragon boat also saw the large iron ship for the first time. They looked at Han Da Xianggong beside them with curiosity and asked, "Han Da Xianggong, is this the large iron ship of the Ningyuan Army Navy?"

"Exactly! When the Ningyuan Army is not engaged in battle, these large iron ships will go out to sea to fish, and every time they come back from the sea, they will bring back a boat full of sea fish."

"Oh? Where did Prince Ning get these big iron ships? You know, I personally asked many officials and merchants who are familiar with maritime trade, and they all said that there are no such ships overseas." At this time, the old emperor could not help but ask the biggest question in his heart.

"Your Majesty, it must be that Prince Ning has mastered a new route and has gone to a new place that no one else has ever been to." Han Da Xianggong, who had no clue, could only guess as best he could.

"Oh? Lord Han, does such a place really exist in the world?" The old emperor looked at Lord Han in front of him with surprise and asked.

"Of course! Sea routes are always very dangerous, and there are countless places that are still unexplored by the world."

"Well, this time I will tour the south to Jiangning Prefecture, and see if Prince Ning is willing to share the route with us." The emperor said this with a very naive fantasy at this time.

"..."

At this time, Han Da Xianggong was not optimistic about the old emperor's idea, because he learned from Shen Da Xianggong that Su Ning was difficult to get along with. It could be said that he was a more cunning monster than the old fox Shen. It was impossible for him to give up such a huge benefit casually. However, he did not discourage the old emperor's enthusiasm. Sometimes the old emperor would not be willing to give up unless he personally hit the wall.

On a large official ship behind the dragon boat, the families of Bianjing's top nobles were all on board. The lady of the Yongchang Earl's Mansion came up to Princess Pingning and said, "Princess Pingning, you are actually a distant relative of the Gu family. This time, the emperor is paving the way for His Royal Highness Prince Ning!"

"Madam Liang, Prince Ning was given the name Zhao Ning by the Emperor himself. What relationship does that have with my Gu family?" Princess Pingning retorted, looking at the Earl of Yongchang with displeasure. "Huh? Your Majesty is right! I forgot for a moment." Seeing Princess Pingning's expression suddenly change, the Earl of Yongchang's wife quickly offered a defensive smile.

"Madam Liang, it's nothing to say this to me, but if the emperor and the madam heard it, they would inevitably reprimand your Yongchang Earl's Mansion."

"Ah? The princess is right."

……

Soon, the emperor and his entourage were settled in Jiangning Mansion. The old emperor and the eldest empress were very fond of the tranquil and magnificent pavilions and towers in Ning Wang Mansion. Then they looked at their adopted son and son-in-law Su Ning and asked, "Ning Wang, building this garden must have taken a lot of effort from you, right?"

"Returning to the emperor, it's all good! The Ning Palace was mainly designed based on the gardens of Gusu, and then it was handed over to the craftsmen below to take charge."

"Oh? The person who was in charge of building Prince Ning's Mansion was your father-in-law Sheng Hong, right?" The old emperor looked at Su Ning in surprise and asked.

"Exactly."

"I have already issued an edict promoting Sheng Hong to the position of Minister of Works. Did that not catch you off guard?"

"Going back to the Guan family, Sheng Hong's eldest son Sheng Changbai is also a talent. I have asked Sheng Changbai to take over all of Sheng Hong's work."

"Oh? Sheng Changbai?"

"Yes! Sheng Changbai is already seventeen years old this year. He has been participating in the imperial examinations and just passed the examination this year."

"Oh? A seventeen-year-old scholar. It seems Sheng Changbai is also a talented person."

In order to entertain the old emperor and the empress on their southern tour, the Ning Wang Mansion put in a lot of effort. At the very least, they wanted to avoid looking too ugly on the surface. You know, the emperor coming in person this time was a great honor to Suning. Throughout his life, Song Renzong never left the palace to inspect the world, so it can be seen that he was really forced into a corner by Suning's outrageous actions this time.

"Prince Ning, you personally promised to let the Ningyuan Army of the Northern Song Dynasty fight against the Khitan and Western Xia. I wonder when you, Prince Ning, are going to send troops north?" The old emperor, who had eaten and drunk his fill, finally got straight to the point and asked Suning when he would send troops.

"Your Majesty, the Ningyuan Army has just returned from the southern expedition. We should let the soldiers rest first, right?" Suning had anticipated the urging of the old emperor and the ministers, so he had already thought of a response. Now Su Ning was able to come up with excuses easily. "Besides, the Ningyuan Army's offensive against Indochina has not stopped. They just successfully occupied Champa not long ago."

"Oh? Prince Ning is going to fight all the way south?" Seeing that Suning took the initiative to mention the Ningyuan Army's war in the Indochina Peninsula, the old emperor and the two ministers beside him could not help but be surprised.

"Yes! Through the Indochina Peninsula, we can reach India, which is truly a land of fish and rice."

"Hmph! King Ning, you can't just stare at the land in the south. You still have to fulfill your promise to go north to fight against the Liao as soon as possible. The Duke of Ying is under great pressure on the border right now." Although he was happy for the Ningyuan Army to fight to the death in the barren land of the southwest, he still wanted the Ningyuan Army to divide its troops and go north to fight against the Liao. After quickly consuming the strength of the Ningyuan Army, he didn't mind driving Suning, the "grass-roots king", directly to the Indochina Peninsula.

"Your Majesty, another reason why I don't immediately go north to fight against the Liao is that I don't want to leave my back to an unfamiliar army. I'm worried that they will stab our Ningyuan army in the back. Sometimes friendly forces can cause more damage to us than the enemy." Suning spoke his true thoughts without hiding anything. He did not trust these weak and incompetent natives.

"Hmph! Nonsense! We are all teachers of the Song Dynasty, so how can there be such a thing as a stab in the back?" Suddenly, their little thoughts were exposed by Su Ning, and the old emperor and the eunuchs became angry.

"Sir, I have always been rather timid, and I am indeed a little worried about my back." Suning showed a lazy expression without any care. He would never leave his back to someone he did not trust.

"In other words, Prince Ning, you are not planning to go north?"

"Of course not! Shitou, bring me my map." Then Suning looked at his little follower Shitou who was hiding far away and said.

"Yes! Your Majesty."

Shitou, who had quickly grown into a sturdy young man, brought Suning's map. Suning took it and unfolded it in front of the old emperor and the ministers. He then pointed to the location of Bohai Bay and said, "Your Majesty, my two ministers, our Ningyuan Army intends to attack Bohai Bay by sea, because it is more meaningful to attack the heartland of Khitan."

"What? Attack the Khitan heartland?" The old emperor and the two ministers were immediately shocked, feeling that the young man in front of them was too crazy.

"Yes! In fact, we will quickly occupy the entire territory of Goryeo at the beginning. This way we will have a base and a springboard in the north, and I believe it will have the greatest lethality to the Khitan."

"Prince Ning, are you serious?" At this time, Han Da Xianggong couldn't help but be surprised, because their Song Dynasty court was indeed bullied by these barbarians.

"Haha, Mr. Han, I don't have the courage to commit the crime of deceiving the emperor."

"..."

……

(End of this chapter)