Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 474 Luo Yuheng's Son-in-Law (1)

The morning breeze is cool.

As sunlight pierced through, the thick fog gradually dissipated.

There were also some rustling noises coming from the governor's mansion, as the maids gradually woke up and began their busy day. Occasionally, heavy footsteps and the clattering of armor could be heard, as the patrolling guards changed shifts.

"Then who is my real mother?"

"Where are you?"

"Is he dead or alive?"

Gao Yang asked this question.

She readily accepted the news that Kong Nianhan was not her biological mother.

His tone even revealed a hint of relief and lightness.

This was probably the second best news she had heard in the past few days; the best news was Song Yan's marriage proposal to her.

Disregarding her wishes, she forced her to marry Fang Jun; she sold her daughter to the Xiongnu barbarians, a sadistic man who enjoyed abusing women; she tried to use her daughter's body and innocence to exchange for some benefits from Song Yan… If Kong Nianhan wasn't her biological mother, then some of her actions would be understandable: Kong Nianhan only wanted to use her, to squeeze out all the benefits, and didn't care what fate awaited her…

Granny Liang's face twitched: "I'm sorry, Princess."

Even Granny Gui didn't know about this.

"Granny Gui only knows that the other children of Prince Fu are raised in a very secret place."

"Perhaps only Princess Fu knows the truth behind this."

Gao Yang remained silent, her brows furrowed in thought. Did her father, the Prince of Fu, know that she was not the biological daughter of the Princess Consort of Fu? He probably did, but his tacit acceptance of this was truly heartbreaking. Perhaps what Song Yan had said earlier was true; her father didn't actually care much for her. His so-called care was merely a facade to maintain the appearance of a loving father and filial daughter.

Song Yan also frowned, and more doubts arose in his heart.

What exactly is Prince Fu trying to do?

Why is Kong Nianhan the only one publicly acknowledged when he has many children, concubines, and maids? What benefit would it bring him to have everyone believe that he only has one daughter and no sons?
And those two maids... I had a strange feeling before that they looked somewhat like Gao Yang.

Could she be the daughter of Prince Fu, and the sister of Princess Gaoyang?
What Song Yan found even stranger was that the two maids' alluring demeanor subtly resembled the gentle charm of the women from the Hehuan Sect's Jade Garden.

There were simply too few clues. Even if Song Yan racked his brains, he couldn't figure out the reason behind it. Seeing that Granny Liang couldn't provide any more information, Song Yan shook his head and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Go back and get some rest."

"As for Granny Gui, you can kill her."

Although Song Yan also wanted to extract more information from Granny Gui, it would be pointless if what followed was all lies, and might even affect his judgment.

Granny Gui was quite loyal to Prince Fu and Kong Nianhan.

Song Yan knew about Granny Liang's methods; they were so ruthless that even grown men would tremble at the mere mention of them. Yet Granny Gui managed to hold out for over two months before finally revealing a valuable piece of information.

Liang Qiaofeng nodded, bowed, and stepped back.

After Liang Qiaofeng left, Song Yan turned to look at Gao Yang, thought for a moment, and carefully chose his words: "You don't need to worry too much."

"Since we're going back to Dongling anyway, we might as well investigate this matter while we're at it."

"Kong Nianhan is not your biological mother, which is a good thing. At least from now on you will no longer be subject to Kong Nianhan's constraints and control."

Gao Yang smiled. Ever since Kong Nianhan prepared to marry her off to Alunchi, she had made up her mind that she would no longer be controlled by Kong Nianhan... Even without this news, this would not change.

Goooo!

Bones.

Almost simultaneously, Song Yan and Gao Yang's stomachs both made sounds.

The two of them were quite exhausted from last night's activities and were starting to feel hungry.

Gao Yang chuckled softly and stood up gracefully: "I'll go prepare some food."

This time it went smoothly, without any of the messy things that happened last night. About fifteen minutes later, Gao Yang returned with congee, side dishes, and meat buns. After filling his stomach, Song Yan temporarily left for the military camp. He planned to take a troop of soldiers back with him, and this needed to be properly arranged.

After all, Pingyang's military strength was already limited, and now it also had to garrison Anzhou, so the defense of the border passes was somewhat weak. If some more troops were taken away, the military strength would be even more stretched.

However, when Song Yan arrived at the military camp, he could hear a rumbling sound from a great distance.

From a distance, smoke billowed above the camp.

If you get any closer, you can hear the neighing of warhorses.

Upon entering the training ground, they discovered that almost all the warhorses in Pingyang had been brought over and arranged in several large circles, with at least two black-armored soldiers accompanying each warhorse.

In the center of the circle, a black-armored warrior held a thunderbolt, ignited it, and threw it out.

Then... boom boom boom.

A sound like thunder exploded instantly.

Flames soared into the sky, and smoke billowed.

The ground beneath their feet trembled violently.

The warhorses surrounding them shifted restlessly, their necks raised high, neighing incessantly, as if trying to break free of their reins. The black-armored soldiers beside the warhorses immediately rushed forward and quickly brought the frightened horses under control.

so repeatedly.

In a short time, more than a dozen thunderbolts exploded.

The degree to which the warhorses were frightened gradually decreased to a visible extent.

Just then, Zhang Han, the young general in charge of training the warhorses, saw Song Yan appear and immediately rushed over excitedly: "Lord Marquis."

Song Yan nodded slightly, looking ahead: "What are you doing?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, this was arranged by General Mei Wu." Zhang Han replied happily, "General Mei Wu said that although the Thunderclap Thunder is powerful, it has its weaknesses. When facing the alien cavalry, even though the Thunderclap Thunder can frighten the enemy's warhorses and prevent them from forming an effective cavalry formation, ultimately leading to their defeat and escape, it will be extremely difficult for us to expand our gains. This is because our warhorses will also be affected by the Thunderclap Thunder, becoming frightened and unable to advance."

"If our warhorses can adapt to the effects of the thunderclap, they will have a greater advantage, whether in resisting enemy cavalry charges or in pursuing enemy troops. Therefore, General Mei Wu specially approved a batch of thunderclap bombs for training, so that the warhorses can adapt to the sound and impact of the thunderclap bombs as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Song Yan felt a surge of admiration.

He truly deserves the title of War God of Ningguo.

Although Song Yan had a wealth of military texts in his mind, there was an insurmountable gap between him and Master Mei Wu in terms of troop deployment and even troop training. He could understand the reasons behind such a thing with just a little explanation, but he ultimately couldn't have imagined it before Master Mei Wu made such an arrangement.

With such an old general stationed in Pingyang, even if he were to leave temporarily, there would be little need to worry about the threats from the Xiongnu and Jurchens.

Song Yan let out a heavy sigh before asking again, "How many warhorses and cavalry do we have in total now?"

"There are currently 36,000 warhorses." Clearly, Zhang Han was very familiar with the situation in the army and immediately gave a very accurate number.

"Among them, a very small number were the warhorses originally kept by the Pingyang City government troops, numbering less than a thousand."

"The vast majority of them were plundered from the Haixi Grassland, numbering about 20,000."

"Some of these were obtained by Zhang Yaohui through caravans, using grain and decommissioned weapons, in exchange for the Jurchen tribes. This part amounted to about eight thousand."

"In addition, there is another part that was provided voluntarily by the Blackwater Tribe. This part is three thousand, and it is said that the Blackwater Tribe's Jilie Khan prepared it as a dowry for Miss Nakhtoya."

Upon hearing this, Song Yan raised an eyebrow.

The Blackwater Tribe, Nakhtoya's mother tribe.

Previously, Nahtoya had sent a letter to her father, warning him to behave himself while fighting the Xiongnu in Pingyang and not to have any improper thoughts. Thanks to Song Yan's ruthlessness, Mei Wu's arrangements, and the power of the thunderbolt, two of the four Xiongnu armies were completely annihilated, one was severely damaged, and the other retreated. This news should have spread throughout the Haixi grasslands by now.

Such a victory was enough to intimidate all the Jurchen tribes.

This includes Wanyan Guangzhi.

For the time being, the Jurchens should not dare to have any more ill intentions.

As for the Blackwater tribe, because of Nakhtoya's presence, they wanted to take the opportunity to strengthen their relationship, which is why they sent three thousand warhorses as a dowry.

"What about the remaining four thousand?"

“The remaining four thousand came from the Xiongnu.” Zhang Han explained: “The Xiongnu’s third prince, Agsang, had some of his cavalry wounded during the attack on Yongchang City and the capture of other counties. Agsang then ordered these horses to be left in the occupied areas to recuperate.”

"After Agsang's entire army was wiped out, these warhorses became our spoils of war, and most of them can still be put into the battlefield." Zhang Han's expression showed a hint of barely suppressed excitement: "Moreover, compared to the Jurchen warhorses, the Xiongnu warhorses are taller, faster, and have greater endurance. It's just a pity that there are too few of them." His regret was evident in his words.

Is the difference significant?

“They are very large. The Xiongnu warhorses, even unarmored cavalry, can travel 500 li per day, while our warhorses can only travel 300 li. The Xiongnu warhorses can carry 300 jin of weight and charge normally, while our warhorses can only carry 200 jin. The only advantage of our warhorses is that they can accelerate quickly over short distances and have a stronger burst of power.”

Song Yan rubbed his temples, recalling the scene of the horses trampling the royal court. The speed at which they charged could hardly be considered a charge: "So how many cavalry do we have in total now?"

“We only have eight thousand heavy cavalry, and they can’t even be considered true heavy cavalry.” Zhang Han said helplessly, “Normally, heavy cavalry should be equipped with three extremely good warhorses, but on our side, only a very small number of heavy cavalry can be equipped with good horses. Most of them are replaced with inferior warhorses, which greatly reduces their actual combat strength.”

"In addition, there are 12,000 light cavalry."

"Because warhorses are difficult to obtain, the workshop is working on redesigning the armor to reduce weight as much as possible without significantly reducing defensive capabilities. Only the first batch has been produced and equipped on the cavalry. It will take some time for testing and improvements. If there are no major problems, mass production will be possible later."

Song Yan's job as governor was quite easy; he didn't need to worry about many things, as his subordinates had already taken care of them.

"In short, the most serious problem at present is that there are too few warhorses. With our current military strength, we can only bully the Jurchens, but when facing the Xiongnu, we can only defend our cities. At present, it is just wishful thinking to penetrate into the heart of the Xiongnu territory."

"General Mei has already begun recruiting soldiers today. If he can successfully recruit 30,000 soldiers and convert them all into semi-heavy cavalry, he will be able to have the resources to fight the Xiongnu in open battle to a certain extent."

Accompanied by Zhang Han, Song Yan walked through the military camp.

I also saw the latest armor developed by the workshop, which was basically a scaled-down version of the infantry armor. The infantry armor could be said to be the pinnacle of heavy lamellar armor, but its defensive capabilities were severely wasted compared to the bows, crossbows, swords, and other weapons of this era. Currently, apart from Song Yan's thunderbolt, almost no weapon could penetrate the infantry armor.

Therefore, after a long period of research, hundreds of craftsmen in the workshop reduced the defensive capabilities of the infantry armor by about one-fifth, but reduced its weight by two-fifths. Even after the reduction, crossbows and arrows still could not penetrate it.

After leaving the military camp, Song Yan went to the Zhang family again.

Zhang Yaohui did a very good job this time. He not only prevented the Anchegu tribe from taking advantage of the chaos, but also instigated a fierce battle between the Anchegu and Wuji tribes.

Anche Guji Lie Khan Sarilang received news that Wanyan Guangzhi was preparing to lead his troops south to plunder the Central Plains. He thought the Wuji royal court was vulnerable, so he led the tribe's elite troops to flatten the royal court. Although Zhang Yaohui saw through the trap, he did not warn him.

As expected, when Sarilang's army arrived at the royal court, Wanyan Guangzhi led a large number of troops to attack from the left, right and rear, and even ambushed many people in the royal court.

It's like being wrapped up like a dumpling.

After a fierce battle, Anche's elite troops were almost completely wiped out.

Sarilang fought his way out under the protection of his trusted men, but was seriously injured.

Subsequently, Wanyan Guangzhi led the elite of the Wuji tribe to massacre Anchegu, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries. Sarilang once again survived by chance and led his remaining troops to join the Funie tribe.

From then on, the struggle for supremacy among the four kingdoms on the Haixi Grassland transformed into a tripartite balance of power.

As for Zhang Yaohui, he had already run back to Pingyang. Apart from a few more marks on his face, there were no other injuries on his body.

After hearing what he said, Song Yan couldn't help but sigh. It was such a waste of Zhang Yaohui's talent to only be a businessman. He was more suited to be a diplomat. He was a master of the art of diplomacy.

Such a great achievement naturally deserved a reward, so Song Yan arranged for Zhang Yaohui to work in the prefectural government as the chief administrator of the border region, specifically responsible for dealing with officials, merchants, and even people from other countries and ethnic groups in other prefectures.

Another member of the clan entered officialdom, and the Zhang family was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Old Master Zhang Ci's mouth stretched from ear to ear.

When Song Yan returned to the governor's mansion, it was already evening, and someone had been waiting for him in the study for a long time.

That was a commander of the Imperial Guard.

Under Song Yan's command, the Imperial Guards operating in the northern grasslands and the western grasslands were all under his jurisdiction.

He also brought with him extremely important news: the Xiongnu Chanyu Suochuoluo and Wanyan Guangzhi, the most powerful Jurchen Khan, were preparing to meet, seemingly to discuss how to eliminate Song Yan.

Upon learning this news, Song Yan showed no fear whatsoever.

Eliminate yourself?

Nowadays, neither the Xiongnu nor the Jurchens dare to wage war against Pingyang lightly.

The means they could then use were extremely simple: to pressure the Ning Kingdom court through diplomatic means to eliminate them.

Song Yan smiled. He never expected that one day he would be able to enjoy the same treatment as Prince Yue.

It's just a pity that he wasn't Yue Fei, and wasn't as loyal as Yue Fei.

Emperor Ninghe was not like Zhao Gou; he was not as weak as Zhao Gou, and he certainly wouldn't issue twelve imperial edicts in a row.

Three days later.

Five thousand iron cavalrymen marched out of Pingyang, turning the Yellow River upside down to wash the sky.

……

Inside the Eastern Mausoleum City.

The night breeze blows gently.

From the heights of Qunyu Garden, one can see the lights of a small part of Dongling City.

Courtyards and streets.

The lanterns under the eaves cast a warm yellow glow into the night sky.

The sounds of silk and bamboo instruments drifted in.

No matter the time, Qunyu Garden is always lively. The rooms are brightly lit, the gauze curtains sway gently, and the seductive music stirs up the deepest desires in men's hearts.

A beautiful woman dressed in men's clothing stood quietly by the window, gazing at the Dongling Mausoleum in the night with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.

Her figure is absolutely amazing.

Her waist is too thin.

Her chest is too prominent.

Her buttocks are too perky.

Her skin was too smooth, and her small face was too delicate.

Even if she changed into a white scholar's robe and dressed as a man, anyone who wasn't blind could easily tell that she was a woman, and an extremely beautiful one at that.

Thinking of the suspicious and mocking glances he received from all sides when he entered Qunyu Garden, Luo Yuheng felt somewhat helpless.

She was a rebellious and unconventional person by nature. Although she was a princess, she was extremely unruly. When she was twelve or thirteen years old, out of curiosity about what a brothel was like, she took a little eunuch from the palace and her companion Wang Shaojie, disguised themselves as young gentlemen, and secretly sneaked into the Qunyu Garden.

They even ordered several girls.

I vividly remember that the little eunuch was on the verge of tears, his face full of grievance.

I still remember that Wang Shaojie was too naive. The light touch of a prostitute's finger made him blush, just like a little girl being teased.

She herself, however, had one arm around the waist of each of the two pretty girls, and kept drinking one glass of wine after another, having a great time.

Of course, upon returning to the palace, she was severely punished by her father with a slap on the hand and forced to kneel for three hours. There was no way around it; for a princess to go to such a filthy place was simply unacceptable, and even with her father's favor, she still needed to be properly disciplined.

Recalling the foolish things he did in his youth, Luo Yuheng smiled faintly. Such ignorant and foolish memories are always especially precious.

Then, Luo Yuheng sighed softly, her head bowed, and all that could be seen were the peaks, not her toes.

No wonder, I was recognized as soon as I arrived at the door.

She has been back in Dongling for some time now.

I have never been to the palace.

She did not go directly to see the person who left her the letter.

Like a ghost detached from the world, wandering in the deepest parts of memory.

His gaze swept over the bustling crowd below. After many years away, Dongling was even more prosperous than before.

Suddenly, Luo Yuheng's body trembled slightly, her pupils contracted, and a figure was reflected in her eyes.

That intense sense of familiarity...

Is it Wang Shaojie?

(End of this chapter)