mtlumby2d Chapter 571 Ma Chao Enters the Western Regions
Chapter 571 Ma Chao Enters the Western Regions
In this era, the consequences of not having a son were very serious. No matter if you were an ordinary citizen or an emperor or general, if you didn't have a son, you would face the fate of being eaten alive and having no descendants.
Qu Lian is in an even worse situation. He has a throne to inherit, but what will happen after he dies without a son?
He originally intended to pass the throne to his grandson Fan Xiong, but now that he has a grandson of even higher status, Fan Xiong has temporarily put that idea aside.
After all, passing the throne to Mi Fang's son would bring the aid of the Han Dynasty, the protection and support of the Mi family, but what would be gained by passing it to Fan Xiong?
Upon hearing this, Mi Fang froze, rubbing her hands together in hesitation, and said, "Well..."
Although the allure of the King of Linyi was great, Mi Fang was not interested. The main reason was that he had no children in the Han Dynasty and instinctively wanted to bring his children back to the Han Dynasty to recognize their ancestors and inherit the family business. However, bringing them back to the Han Dynasty did not seem to be a good idea.
First of all, he was the second son, not the eldest. The Mi family business belonged to his brother Mi Zhu and nephew Mi Wei, and had nothing to do with him.
Secondly, his reputation for betraying Guan Yu was too bad. Although Liu Bei spared him from death, the reputation of betrayal remained. With this reputation, how could his son hold his head high in the Han Dynasty?
Compared to returning to the Han Dynasty and being looked down upon, staying in Linyi seems better; at least one can grow up happily.
Mi Fang was undecided and said hesitantly, "I need to ask my brother's opinion. He is the head of the Mi family, but if it is really his son, he must take the surname Mi."
Qu Lian nodded and said, "It must be surnamed Mi, it must be surnamed Mi."
Qu Lian is quite open-minded about surnames. In the past, when he passed the throne to his grandson Fan Xiong, he did not force Fan Xiong to change his surname. So naturally, he will not have a conflict with Mi Fang over surnames now.
Mi Fang smiled with satisfaction: "Thank you, Father-in-law. Don't worry, I have already made a list of supplies for General Fu. When General Fu comes again, he will definitely bring you things you like."
Qu Lian smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, my dear son-in-law."
The way he addressed her as "father-in-law" and "son-in-law" instantly brought them much closer.
Mi Fang nodded and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something and pointed to the ship in the sea, saying, "I gave that ship to General Fan Yong. Tell him it's my compensation to him, and ask him to send me the divorce papers later. If he has any other requests, he can bring them up as well. I will meet them as long as they are reasonable."
After all, Qu was Fan Yong's wife. He had only wanted to have some fun and hadn't thought about anything else. There were countless examples of Han envoys causing all sorts of trouble abroad, so his act of stealing someone else's wife was nothing special, and he naturally didn't feel any guilt.
But things are different now. The woman surnamed Qu is pregnant with Mi Fang's eldest son, who may be his only child. As a result, the matter of settling the aftermath should be put on the agenda.
Damn Mi Fang, you can handle the aftermath without any problem, but can you at least use your own money to do it? Those ships belong to the Han Dynasty's navy and are public funds. Is it appropriate for you to use the Han Dynasty's public property for your own private affairs?
Qu Lian looked at the ship, which was as big as an island, and said with envy, "Don't worry, I will definitely hand the ship over to General Fan Yong."
He wanted such a magnificent ship, but he dared not covet it, since the Fan family was very powerful in Linyi, and things could get out of hand if he was pushed too far.
After chatting for a few more minutes, the father-in-law and son-in-law turned and went back. Mi Fang did not go to the land left by Fu Shiren, but returned directly to the capital. For him, the most important thing at the moment was not farming, but taking care of the Qu family and ensuring the smooth birth of the child.
As for such trivial matters as farming, those can be left to the soldiers.
Meanwhile, after receiving news that Mi Fang had gifted him a luxury ship, Fan Yong locked himself in his room and struggled for three days before finally deciding to accept Mi Fang's terms.
What else can they do? If things really fall apart, Mi Fang will probably get away with it, but the Fan family will be wiped out. He has to think about his family, even if he doesn't think about himself.
The days that followed returned to normal. Mi Fang stayed in the capital to keep his wife company and would occasionally visit the fields to check on the soldiers who were working in the fields.
The soldiers weren't idle either; in addition to farming, they actively built roads, bridges, and houses nearby. It wasn't that they were too diligent, but rather that the native girls were too enthusiastic.
The natives of Linyi have no tradition of chastity or fidelity. When faced with handsome, burly male soldiers, they would directly pounce on them. These soldiers, being young and full of vigor, could not resist and soon became involved with the native women. Some even became involved with several. Almost every day, burly male soldiers were dragged into the woods by native women near the farmland.
It's great when you're flirting, but it's not so great afterward. You have to support them, make sure they're well-fed and clothed.
As a result, the unfortunate soldiers found themselves with several times more work, busy every day with a bittersweet mix of pain and joy.
Mi Fang not only turned a blind eye to this, but also thoughtfully found the loom blueprints that Guan Xing had specially given him before he went abroad, gathered craftsmen to build looms and teach the native women to weave, and selected soldiers with special skills such as carpentry, blacksmithing and masonry to form groups and teach the local natives.
Finally, Mi Fang made a bold decision and, after inquiring about the current situation in Linyi from Qu Lian, tailored a detailed system for Linyi's development and to improve its productivity.
It should be noted that Mi Fang had served as the Prefect of Nan Commandery for seven or eight years and had rich experience in governance. Applying this experience to Linyi would be a game-changer. Even if Linyi absorbed only one or two tenths of this experience, it would greatly enhance the country's strength.
With Mi Fang's advice and Qu Lian's implementation, Lin Yi Kingdom, like parched land finally receiving sweet rain, quickly entered a stage of rapid development.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Xiaoyao suffered a defeat on the front lines a few days later, and Funan attacked. Qu Lian had no choice but to turn to Mi Fang for help again.
In the past, Mi Fang would never have cared, but now that his son might become the next king of Lin Yi, how could he not care?
Mi Fang personally donned his armor and led the Lin Yi army to the front lines, easily driving the Funan army back to their homeland and seizing several strategic locations in Funan.
It should be noted that Mi Fang had also led troops and fought battles, and had even participated in high-level games among the warlords of the Central Plains. Now, dealing with a weakling like Funan would be a piece of cake for him.
I can't beat the Twelve Tiger Generals of Jiangdong, but I can't beat you little Funan?
Do you really think all those years of training in the Central Plains were for nothing?
Unfortunately, Mi Fang's heart was not on the battlefield. After recapturing the strategic location and re-formulating the defense plan, he went back to be with his wife and children.
That noon, Mi Fang stroked Qu Shi's slightly protruding belly and said, "Linyi is still the best."
……
There is a famous saying that goes, "When the Central Plains dynasty was powerful, it could crush the surrounding small countries; when the Central Plains dynasty collapsed, it could crush the surrounding small countries."
This is both a joke and a fact. For example, Mi Fang was like a rat crossing the street in the Han Dynasty, hated by everyone. But when he arrived in Linyi, he slept with a princess and then kicked Funan, and he became incredibly successful.
Take Ma Chao for example. Unable to defeat Cao Cao and Liu Bei, he fled to the Western Regions, where he brought disaster upon the region in an instant.
Ma Chao led his army west out of Yumen Pass, and his first battle was against Yiwu, which is the later Hami.
Starting from the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the Han Dynasty established the Protectorate in the Western Regions, bringing Yiwu and the northern kingdom of Pulei under its jurisdiction. After the restoration of the Han Dynasty under Emperor Guangwu, the Han Dynasty also established the Yihe Commandant and the Western Regions Commander in Yiwu, completely incorporating Yiwu into the territory of the Han Dynasty.
However, during the Central Plains War a few years ago, Yiwu was seized by the Pulei Kingdom. Therefore, the first thing Ma Chao did upon arriving in the Western Regions was to reclaim Yiwu.
Ma Chao accepted Ma Su's advice to seize the initiative and forcefully captured Yiwu City. He then quickly marched north and stormed into the capital of Pulei, slaughtering the entire royal family. In doing so, he proclaimed the return of the Han Dynasty and warned other small states that had rebelled because they thought the Han Dynasty was weak that this was the consequence of betraying the Han Dynasty.