Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 588 Song Yan Has Both a Son and a Daughter (5500 words)

At 7:45 PM, Pingyang City was completely plunged into darkness. The stars twinkled in the sky, and the night wind howled through the ancient city. Faint lights shone from the rooms on both sides of the street.

Song Yan's steps were very hurried.

On the way, they also inquired about the specific situation of the troop transport ships of the Qingluan Jurchen.

"The Yang family mobilized a total of over a thousand ships of various sizes this time."

The number Qingluan just revealed made Song Yan's heart skip a beat. Goodness, as expected of the Yang family, their foundation is exceptionally deep. You must know that currently, the entire Pingyang shipyard has only about a hundred ships of various sizes. Of course, this is partly due to the large number of small fishing boats being phased out in order to install Hongyi cannons; otherwise, this number would probably be twice as high.

"Among them, the Yang family mobilized a total of 27 merchant ships, requisitioned more than 400 fishing boats, and also borrowed more than 700 Japanese pirate ships from the coast of Zhao."

These Japanese pirates certainly had no shortage of ships, but among the seven hundred ships, there were countless old and dilapidated ones. Moreover, these seven hundred ships were probably cobbled together by many groups of Japanese pirates.

"Originally, these ships were all loaded with grains such as rice and millet, totaling at least 100,000 shi. According to the intelligence brought by our scouts stationed in the Haixi Grassland, most of the 100,000 shi of grain was transported to the Xiongnu, and about 20,000 to 30,000 shi remained in the Haixi Grassland."

Thirty thousand shi of grain is roughly less than four million jin.

It sounds exaggerated, but considering the Jurchen population, even if each person only had one jin of grain a day, it wouldn't last for more than a few days.

"After all the grain was unloaded, we prepared to deploy soldiers and even transport a batch of warhorses. We had to prepare food for the people and horses, so it took longer."

"The soldiers were almost all Jurchen barbarians from the Haixi grasslands; the Xiongnu did not mobilize."

Song Yan already knew this, so he wasn't surprised.

Mei Wu had previously analyzed that even if the Yang family were to borrow troops, they could only do so from the Japanese pirates and the Jurchens. The Xiongnu would be difficult to move around because they would have to cross the snow-capped mountains. Compared to going by sea to Langya, it would be more effective to directly station troops on the northern border to contain the Yan vassal's army.

Perhaps, after the Yan army was transferred away on a large scale, that old bastard Suochuoluo was planning to take the opportunity to raid their homeland.

"More than a thousand ships were loaded with soldiers, and large merchant ships carried a large number of warhorses. The Jurchens sent a total of 50,000 troops, all of whom were brave warriors selected from various tribes. Among them were even 3,000 Death Knights."

"Death Knight?" Song Yan found this term slightly strange.

"This is the most elite force on the entire Haixi Grassland, and Wanyan Guangzhi's most trusted confidants." Qingluan explained simply. After that part of the Night Scouts and Embroidered Uniform Guards were transferred to Qingluan's command, their professional abilities had obviously improved greatly. They wouldn't say they knew everything about what was happening on the Haixi Grassland, but they were generally aware of the more important matters.

"Last year, Wanyan Guangzhi led a large army to besiege the Anchegu tribe but failed. The Wuji tribe's royal court was also trampled by the prince, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. Wanyan Guangzhi lost all his prestige among the Jurchens and even among the Wuji tribe. Some of the Wuji tribe members whose relatives died at the prince's hands became dissatisfied with Wanyan Guangzhi."

“One of Wanyan Guangzhi’s former confidants attempted to rebel, but was ultimately killed by Wanyan Guangzhi.”

"Afterwards, Wanyan Guangzhi used iron-fisted methods to suppress the tribes again, regained power, and then led a loyal army to fight in the snow and ice, annihilating several tribes, seizing their food, and even boiling the corpses of dead Jurchens into dried meat, finally allowing the Wuji tribe to get through the winter."

They feed on humans.

Song Yan couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

It seems that those fires during the New Year last winter really made things very difficult for the Jurchens.

Many people must have died.

Of course, Song Yan felt no guilt.

To put it bluntly, this was caused by the Jurchens' greed. If the Jurchens hadn't plundered Pingyang to seize food, he wouldn't have retaliated against them. Otherwise, even if many people starved to death in the winter, it wouldn't have been this tragic.

You have to bear the consequences of your actions.

This is cause and effect.

"This unit that fought alongside Wanyan Guangzhi was called the Death Knights by Wanyan Guangzhi, which probably means knights who came out of the dead."

"These people are extremely experienced in battle and are extremely fierce on the battlefield. They have probably experienced hell before, so they know nothing about fear and death. They will only obey Wanyan Guangzhi's orders. Even if Wanyan Guangzhi ordered them to commit suicide, they would not hesitate for a moment. This Death Cavalry will be of great merit to Wanyan Guangzhi becoming the Great Khan of the Jurchens."

"The total number of Death Knights is not too many, only about six thousand, and there are three thousand of them in the fleet."

If what Qingluan said is true, then six thousand is already an extremely exaggerated number.

However, it was unexpected that Wanyan Guangzhi really valued assisting the Jurchens, even bringing out three thousand of his core Death Knights.

After a brief pause, Qingluan continued, "Because transporting warhorses is difficult, most of the soldiers borrowed from the Yang family this time are infantry, and only these three thousand Death Riders are equipped with warhorses."

"In addition, there are several thousand crew members from the Yang family and tens of thousands of Japanese pirates on the water."

"The entire fleet numbered approximately 60,000 to 70,000."

Seventy thousand, and most of them are elites. We can handle this.

Before they knew it, Song Yan had arrived at the government office. He woke up Liu Yisheng and Jia Yifei that very night, quickly gave them some instructions, and arranged for someone to notify Mei Wu of Anzhou Prefecture, instructing him to be on guard against a Xiongnu sneak attack. Then, Song Yan rushed to the barracks as fast as he could. More than 10,000 elite soldiers were already prepared. After a quick packing, he immediately headed to the shipbuilding workshop.

……

It was right in front of the Prince of Yan's residence.

The bright moonlight shone on Luo Yuheng's pretty face, making her face appear even paler, devoid of any color.

The feeling of heaviness in my lower abdomen is getting stronger.

Even though Luo Yuheng had experienced so much over the years, he couldn't help but feel panicked at this moment. Could it be that she was about to give birth?

But the timing isn't right.

Could it be premature?
For a moment, Luo Yuheng panicked, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his face.

Gu Banxia, ​​who had been keeping watch at the door, sensed something was wrong and quickly came over. Seeing Luo Yuheng's pale face and beaded sweat, she was immediately startled: "Your Highness, what's wrong...?"

"Quick, help me back to the house, I might be going into premature labor." Luo Yuheng's lips moved, the sensation was so intense that it made her body tremble, as if most of her strength had been drained away, and even her voice was weak and feeble.

Premature birth?

Upon hearing those two words, Gu Banxia dared not be negligent in the slightest and quickly helped Luo Yuheng into the Prince's residence. As they passed the gate, she hurriedly told the guards, "You, quickly go and fetch the Prince, tell him that Princess Chang is about to give birth..."

However, before the two guards could make a move, Luo Yuheng interrupted them: "No need."

"Don't bother Yan'er."

"It's just childbirth. Every woman goes through this. Yan'er has important things to do. Don't let this little thing distract you."

"Besides, although Yan'er knows medicine, she can't really help with childbirth. Just help me back and call the midwives."

The rules of this era.

During childbirth, women can only be treated by midwives; male doctors are not allowed to provide medical care or deliver the baby.

Otherwise, she would be considered to have lost her chastity, and even if the child was born, she would most likely be divorced. In some strict families and scholar-official households, in order to protect her reputation, she would even be drowned in a pig cage. Yan'er would naturally not do that, but Luo Yuheng could not let Yan'er be gossiped about by outsiders because of such a thing.

Moreover, childbirth involves blood, which was considered unclean by people of that era, and men considered it unlucky.

In short, there are still many messy and complicated constraints.

Even though the prince couldn't enter the delivery room, just knowing that he was waiting outside would give the princess some comfort and make it more likely that she would get through this ordeal... Gu Banxia sighed inwardly, but there was nothing she could do but help Luo Yuheng to the bedroom.

Along the way, they also instructed the maid to quickly summon the midwife.

Before long, the once quiet palace suddenly became lively.

Boiling water, heating towels, everyone was busy. Even the kitchen staff were busy cooking soup for the princess so she would have more strength during childbirth.

The commotion even woke up everyone in the entire Prince's mansion. Hua Lianyue, Gao Yang, Cui Yingying, Bu Yu, and almost all the women, all heavily pregnant, gathered in front of Luo Yuheng's door... This was the Prince's first child, and everyone took it very seriously.

After an unknown amount of time, a piercing scream suddenly came from the bedroom, making everyone outside feel their hearts clench. Interspersed among the screams were the midwife's shouts of "Push! Push! Almost there! Almost there!"

Somehow, the news spread, and even Jia Yifei, Liu Yisheng, Gao Xingcai, Liang Guangzong, and others knew about it. These usually powerful figures were now extremely nervous, as were even the guards of the Prince's mansion... After all, they were all people who followed the Prince to accomplish great things, and they hoped even more than Song Yan that he would have a son. This child was not just the Prince's child; he represented hope, he represented the future, and his significance was extraordinary.

Just as dawn was breaking, a loud cry rang out from the delivery room.

Then came the excited voices of the maid and the midwife:
"Born, born!"

"She is a princess."

Upon hearing these sounds, almost everyone outside the delivery room and throughout the Prince's residence finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was a princess, it at least proved that the Prince's fertility was not a problem, which was a good thing.

Before smiles could even bloom on everyone's faces, the midwife's voice suddenly rang out again: "Wait a minute, there's another one... the head is almost out."

"He's a guy!"

A brief silence fell outside the delivery room, but it didn't last long before it suddenly erupted into chaos.

Goodness, a son and a daughter?
That's perfect now.

When the prince examined the princess's pulse before, he said that the princess's belly was too big and that she might be carrying twins. Unexpectedly, he was right.

Hua Lianyue gently placed one hand on her lower abdomen, her face beaming with an irrepressible smile: "Grandma Lu..."

Hua Lianyue summoned the housekeeper from the inner quarters.

Lu Wan was originally one of Luo Yuheng's personal maids. After Luo Yuheng settled in Pingyang, there was a shortage of people to manage the inner quarters, so Lu Wan was put in charge.

"Does Your Highness have any instructions?"

"Go to the storeroom and fetch some silver." Hua Lianyue handed a key to Lu Wan. This was the key to the Wangfu storeroom. There were originally two keys, one with Song Yan and one with Luo Tianxuan. When Luo Tianxuan left, she gave the key to Hua Lianyue: "Today, all servants in the Wangfu, whether guards, servants or maids, will be rewarded with ten taels of silver each."

"The maids who have been busy in the delivery room and the cooks who have been busy in the kitchen have also been working hard all night. Each of them will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver."

“The old doctor who was guarding outside and the midwife who was inside will each be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver.”

"Also, take some red paper, seal some loose silver, and distribute it to the adults guarding outside."

Although Hua Lianyue had never been the head of a household, she was still the leader of a sect and had some experience in management, so she handled such matters with ease.

As for red envelopes, they are a special custom, especially among wealthy families. When someone in the family has successfully given birth, they would wrap some loose silver or even copper coins in red paper and distribute them to people passing by the house. The amount of money wasn't much, but people passing by were happy to accept such red envelopes, mainly for the sake of celebration and good fortune.

Looking at the bustling Prince's Mansion, Hua Lianyue couldn't help but smile. She gently supported her belly with one hand, and a sense of anticipation arose in her heart. Her belly was quite big, and she wondered if it would be twins.
Inside the room, Luo Yuheng was panting heavily, his face deathly pale.

His entire body was soaked in sweat, and his eyes kept rolling back as if he was about to fall asleep at any moment. Even so, Luo Yuheng still forced himself to stay awake and asked, "Where is my child? Where is my child?"

"Don't worry, Princess, they won't escape." A midwife smiled and walked up to Luo Yuheng with another old woman beside her, carrying the newly wrapped baby. "Come, Princess, take a look. A boy and a girl. These are the eldest son and eldest daughter of the Prince of Yan's mansion."

Luo Yuheng's gaze fell on the faces of the two little children.

Two little people, they are really small.

Her eyes were not yet open, and her hair was sparse and a bit yellowish.

"Your little face is all wrinkled up, how can you be so ugly? You don't look like me at all." Luo Yuheng was probably a little disgusted. She was, after all, the most beautiful woman in Ningguo. She wouldn't dare say she was stunningly beautiful, but she was certainly gorgeous. How could her children look like this?

Despite her disdain, a slight smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

"Oh dear, Your Highness, please don't say that. Most babies are like this when they are born. After drinking milk for a couple of days, their little faces will open up. With your and the Prince's good looks, these two babies can't be any less handsome."

……

Unbeknownst to Yu Songyan, he already had a son and a daughter.

At this moment, Song Yan was on a merchant ship, having just left the river mouth, when he looked up and was struck by the boundless sea.

The morning sun shines down from the horizon, the sea sparkles, and occasionally you can hear the splashing of water as a few waves rise on the surface!
In fact, this was the first time Song Yan had ever seen the sea in both his past and present lives.

What you see on your phone doesn't count.

That vastness, that azure blue, truly possesses a captivating charm.

Seeing the sea and the ship, I couldn't help but think of the Titanic. I wonder if people would think I'm a fool if I shouted "I am the king of the world" at this moment?
Well, considering that most of his soldiers are somewhat rebellious, it's more likely that these soldiers will kneel on the ground on the spot, and Batu, Ji Gang, Ji Peng, and Shi Lei will probably immediately take out a pre-prepared yellow robe and drape it over themselves, saying, "Your Majesty, it's windy at sea, here's an extra layer of clothing for you."

Immediately afterwards, a group of people knelt on the ground and chanted: "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Let's forget about it.

Moreover, no woman was there to cooperate with him in this charade. This time, the voyage was somewhat rushed, and Ziyu and Luo Tianyi did not accompany him. However, Ji Gang and Ji Peng were enough to protect Song Yan, so only Qingluan remained by his side.

Regardless of whether Qingluan was willing or not, Song Yan was somewhat resistant.

After all, Qingluan is definitely a woman in body but a man in heart. Otherwise, what good woman would dress as a man every day? Song Yan seriously suspects that Qingluan might be a virgin, or even the top one.

I glanced back discreetly. At this moment, Qingluan was leaning against the mast with her arms crossed. Her pure white scholar's robe was fluttering gently in the salty sea breeze. If it weren't for her bulging chest, which was impossible to tighten no matter what, anyone would probably think she was a handsome young master.
Wouldn't it be uncomfortable to tighten the cloth strip like that? Over time, it might cause nodules.

Should I get Qingluan two sets of underwear later? It would be a way of showing consideration as her boss.

As Song Yan grumbled to himself, Qingluan seemed to sense something, raised her eyes to look at Song Yan with a hint of suspicion in them, as if asking Song Yan if there was anything wrong.

Song Yan shook his head and looked in another direction. On the boat, Batu and Shi Lei were whispering to several old fishermen. He had not brought Mei Wu and Li Er, nor Lei Yi and Zhang Han with him on this expedition. The defense of Anzhou and Pingyang was also extremely important and could not be lost.

Batu is the father-in-law.

Nowadays, the remnants of the Blackwater tribe rely on the Yan vassal state for survival.

Therefore, at least for now, Batu's loyalty is beyond doubt. Even on the ships, there are more than a thousand soldiers from the Blackwater Tribe. These people have long been familiar with the Nine Honors and Nine Shames, and they are the most outstanding learners among the remnants of the Blackwater Tribe.

Batu was somewhat reluctant when he was called over.

Batu was deeply troubled by the loss of the twenty-seven tiger penises, and the thought of it always made him feel heartbroken and breathless.

So after this father-in-law arrived in Pingyang, besides his daily studies and training, he spent most of his time hunting. And surprisingly, he actually managed to shoot and kill two tigers by accident. In Batu's mind, following his son-in-law into battle was far less important than shooting tigers and seizing tiger penises.

Regarding the tiger penis issue, Song Yan felt that he was doing it for his father-in-law's own good. After all, he was already so old, and eating that stuff every day could easily lead to overdoing it. If he overstimulated himself and lost his life, that would be terrible.

As for Shi Lei, he was originally a military leader under Li Er.

He was burly and strong, with a bad temper. He didn't have many strategies in battle, relying mainly on bravery. However, since he was assigned a separate instructor, his temper has been tempered quite a bit.

Neither of them knew anything about naval warfare; in fact, there was no one under Song Yan's command who was proficient in naval combat. Therefore, they found an experienced fisherman to be their guide.

After discussing for a while, Shi Lei and Batu approached Song Yan and said, "Your Highness, according to the old fisherman, if a ship sails from the Haixi Grassland to Langya, it will travel another ten miles or so to reach the sea area they will definitely pass through, where the waves are relatively smaller."

"None of us brothers are good at naval warfare. We hope Your Highness can give us some advice on how to fight this battle."

"How do we fight?" Song Yan smiled.

His gaze swept across the sides of the large ship, past rows of black cannon barrels and baskets of round cannonballs placed behind them, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

This is an absolute technological crushing victory.

Faced with such a disparity, ambushes and flanking maneuvers become irrelevant.

"Just form a long, straight line and bombard them with cannons."

……

(End of this chapter)