***
The naval officers and men had only rested for one day when Gu Rong volunteered to take over Taiwan.
In this naval battle, Di Zhongxing suffered heavy casualties, while Gu Rong joined the battle later and suffered relatively light losses. At this time, Di Zhongxing was unable to compete with Gu Rong, so the task of recovering Taiwan fell on Gu Rong.
The navy had just experienced a great war and had not yet had sufficient rest, but was about to go out to sea again. In order to boost morale, Qin Mu went to Sanjiangkou again to see them off.
Zheng Zhilong also went with the East China Sea Fleet. With him there to persuade Zheng Zhibao to surrender, he should not resist.
At that time, the Zheng family lived in a difficult situation. Zheng Zhibao and his brothers were all raised on Zheng Zhilong's milk. The eldest brother said, "surrender, and if you don't surrender, believe it or not, I will stop feeding you."
The Zheng army suffered nearly 7,000 casualties this time, and more than 100 warships were damaged. The wounded have been treated by the military doctors of the Navy Department, and tens of thousands of soldiers have also landed. Qin Mu plans to send Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Cai and others to persuade them to surrender, and then reorganize the Zheng army immediately. Then take them to Liuheng Island for brainwashing for half a year. These people have been on the sea for many years, which is very rare. After reorganization and brainwashing, the Qin Navy will have a qualitative leap.
After sending the navy out, Qin Mu immediately ordered Yuan Zongde of Wenzhou to march towards Fenshui Pass and Liu Fangliang of Quzhou to march towards Xianxia Pass, so as to take over Fujian as soon as possible.
In a good mood, he decided to take half a day off and take Li Xiangjun to Yao River to fish.
Yao River, also known as Shunshui, originates in Yuyao County. Yuyao County has been a place of flourishing literary culture since ancient times. It is the hometown of Yan Ziling, Wang Yangming, Huang Zongxi and others. As the saying goes, "hearing its wind and drawing its flow", it seems that the green river water is also filled with the rich fragrance of books and ink.
The spring scenery was just right on the shore, the apricot blossoms reflected on the water, and the tall willows cast shadows like light smoke. Qin Mu stopped the boat under the willows, threw the fishing hook into the river, and then leaned against the bow. He took advantage of the situation and pressed the fishing rod under his feet.
Li Xiangjun wore a emerald green shirt and a pleated skirt with a flower-sprinkled mist. Her shoulders were cut into waistlines, her skin was as white as cream and her breath was as faint as orchids. She was very charming and attractive. She smiled and reminded him, "King Qin, you haven't even put down the bait."
"It's okay. I'm just fishing for some fun." Qin Mu replied indifferently.
The green waves on the river flow eastwards, and a wisp of light smoke surrounds the small village on the other side of the river. On the ridge of the field, a young bride and a young woman return from picking mulberry leaves, and their crisp laughter floats across the river;
Lang, a young man on the black boat, was casting a net. When he heard Qingwan's laughter, he turned around to look, grinning foolishly, and even forgot to pull in the net.
Pink apricot petals fall on the water, and the spring river is tinged with light fragrance. This is ancient China, with beautiful mountains and rivers, like ink and wash; the people are simple and hardworking. Everything you see is poetic. There has never been a country in the world that has so many beautiful poems as China... ..
As Li Xiangjun spread out the wine and food, she said, "King Qin, I have something to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not."
"Go ahead."
"Then I will tell you... King Qin, the army is attacking Fujian, and you are fishing at this time. I am afraid that the ministers will gossip about you."
"The word attack is not quite correct. With Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Cai and others going to persuade them to surrender, Fujian should not put up much resistance. Taking Fujian is not a matter for today. We have already made plans for other things, so there is no need for me to sharpen my sword before the battle."
Li Xiangjun smiled and said, "Then I am relieved. I was worried that the ministers would say that I had deceived the King of Qin and neglected the affairs of state."
"Don't care what they say. No matter what you do, they will always have something to say. In the past, I was busy all day long. They also said that I neglected the concubines, which led to a lack of offspring." Qin Mu broke off a soft willow branch and gently swept it across her fair face.
The slight itch made her wrinkle her nose and smile sweetly!
"King Qin, I also want a child."
Li Xiangjun sat beside him, offered him a glass of red wine, and said something in a tender voice. Qin Mu looked at her charming face and laughed, "Okay, let's go into the cabin now."
"King Qin! You... I'm not going to pay attention to you anymore."
Li Xiangjun's blushing face was more beautiful than the apricot blossoms outside the willows. However, this time she had served Qin Mu for so long, and she really hoped that she could get pregnant this time. Bian Yujing came to the mansion later, but got pregnant first, which inevitably made her anxious.
These days she tried her best to serve Qin Mu so well that he was in ecstasy, tender and loving, just hoping to fulfill his wish. Yesterday she even secretly asked a doctor to take her pulse, but unfortunately she still didn't get pregnant... ...
Qin Mu naturally understood her little thoughts. This is fine, this is fine!
Li Xiangjun saw his eyes on her plump breasts, her face turned redder, and she changed the subject, "Prince Qin, I have heard that many ministers in the Ming Dynasty were reluctant to lift the maritime ban because it would allow them to profit from it. The Prince of Qin is setting up a port in Ningbo this time, so he should be careful of this kind of people who might cause trouble."
She meant well, so Qin Mu smiled and said, "I know this. Most of those who opposed the lifting of the maritime ban in the Ming Dynasty were the gentry in Jiangnan. With the maritime ban in place, ordinary merchants could not go out to sea, but these gentry relied on their privileges to engage in smuggling and made huge profits. However, this is a different time. Most of the officials in Daqin now come from the lower classes, and there is no vested interest group in maritime trade. Even if some local officials are unwilling, whoever dares to go against the trend will be severely punished."
"That's good. King Qin won't blame Nunu for being nosy, right?"
Qin Mu smiled but said nothing. Although he did not like the harem interfering in government affairs, it was no big deal to give a friendly reminder to someone like Li Xiangjun. She came from a humble background and had no family, so Qin Mu was more tolerant towards them.
The one who needs to be paid attention to is Yang Zhi. Once Yang Zhi starts to go on a expedition, she will be in potential danger because of her noble status and the support of her mother's family. Fortunately, up to now, Yang Zhi has been very careful in this regard and seldom even goes to the imperial study.
The Ming Dynasty royal family often intermarried with the lower class people, mainly because they did not want their foreign relatives to become too powerful and threaten the imperial power.
Qin Mu felt that this was the right thing to do. He rejected the Xu family because they had a special background. He also chose Gu Hanyan because the Gu family was poor and her relatives were not strong enough to cause trouble after she entered the palace.
The most important reason why the harem is so harmonious now is the background of several women. Yang Zhi does not think they are a threat, so she treats them very well. Li Xiangjun and others know their own affairs and dare not fight for anything.
If he took in a few high-ranking officials' daughters as concubines at this time, there would be intrigues between them and Yang Zhi, making the harem chaotic. To put it bluntly, it would be better to take in more courtesans instead of doing this.
"A boat with a paddle in the spring breeze, a silken line and a light hook. The bank is full of flowers, the cup is full of wine, and I am free in the vast waves." Qin Mu held the wine and chanted a sentence casually, feeling relaxed. In the past, when he collected a few prostitutes from the brothel, he never thought that they would play such a role in the harmony of the imperial palace.
Well, it is said that the great sage emperor Li Shimin was obsessed with his wife, but did this damage his reputation? As long as the palace was harmonious, what was wrong with taking in a few prostitutes
"Your Majesty, you haven't written a poem for a long time. Today you have some free time. Your Majesty, please write one." Li Xiangjun spoke softly and tenderly, with a faint fragrance emanating from her body.
Qin Mu smiled and said, "Xiangjun, in order to win your heart, I used up all my talent. Now, I have run out of talent and can no longer write poetry."
"Hehe..." Li Xiangjun chuckled twice, thinking of how he had taken great pains to send her a poem from time to time, such as "I want to cross Huanhua Creek, but my distant dream is so light and powerless", etc. Among the poems sent by Qin Mu, most were strong and unyielding, but those sent to her were soaked with tenderness.
Thinking of this, happiness filled her heart, and she couldn't help but lean her head gently against his arms. The willow branches hanging down by the boat swayed gently, and a spring cloud moved in. The ripples on the river disappeared, leaving only green waves as soft as silk.
Qin Mu suddenly felt the fishing rod under his legs move. He was very surprised. "Xiangjun, hurry up, there's a fish on the hook."
Li Xiangjun rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, "King Qin, you didn't even put out the bait."
"But the fishing rod really moved. I wasn't kidding you. Hurry, hurry... Oh, it's a big fish. It must be very big..."
Seeing Qin Mu pulling hard and the string stretched straight but still couldn't be pulled up, Li Xiangjun was so surprised that she forgot to close her cherry lips.
"King Qin, I clearly saw that you didn't put out any bait."
"Xiangjun, please move aside. I can't use my skills. It's no use. Go and call Li Shi for help."
Qin Mu shouted loudly, and Li Shi and others who were standing in the distance came running over, "King Qin, what's wrong?"
"Still asking, come and help."
"Oh oh..." Li Shi quickly jumped onto the boat and worked together with Qin Mu.
"Hey, it's not a fish, what is it?"
Li Xiangjun screamed in shock. The thing that was pulled up had a dark green back. It was definitely not a fish...
..(To be continued..)
...