"Stop talking!" Wan Sanqian impatiently picked up his chopsticks as he looked at the vegetarian dishes. He sighed, "We barely stopped to get to South Vietnam. We almost ate all the vegetables on the boat, and then we had fish every day. I'm sick of it. If anyone makes me eat fish again, I'll fight him to the death!"
"Come on, come on, try some vegetarian dishes."
"Wow, these vegetables are good!"
Wan Sanqian's face was full of surprise.
The vegetables were very tender and crisp, and tasted sweet and fresh, with a very unique umami flavor. He looked at Ning Que and asked in surprise, "Don't tell me, this is just oyster sauce?"
"Um."
"How do you make this oyster sauce?" Even Yue Zhongmu couldn't help but take a few more bites, as he really enjoyed vegetarian dishes. "It tastes like a unique umami flavor."
"It's made with oysters." Shen Qinghe smiled and explained, "That was Xiaoning's idea. After cleaning and digging out the oysters, you can throw them into the water and cook them. Once it boils, you can take the oysters out. Then continue to boil until the water changes color and becomes thicker, and that's oyster sauce."
"So that's how it is..."
"Only Junior Brother can come up with this idea."
Wan Sanqian ignored all this, grinning and frantically picking up food. Their conditions on the ship were limited, so to save time, they wanted to get to South Vietnam as quickly as possible. His favorite food now was vegetarian, and he had little interest in meat.
"If you like it, eat more." Ning Que was not in a hurry. "I was worried that you might not be used to this oyster sauce, but now it seems that you can accept it. During the upcoming oyster harvest season, we can ask the Yue people to boil more. If stored properly, this stuff will definitely last for a few months. We can also prepare some oyster sauce on the boat as a seasoning, and it will definitely taste better."
"That's a great feeling!"
Wan Sanqian nodded repeatedly. "You don't know, being at sea is truly tormenting. I'd rather cross mountains and rivers than cross the sea. It's endless, with nothing in sight. I have to calculate all kinds of supplies every day, especially fresh water. I only have half a month's worth of fresh water left, so I have to quickly find a way to find a port to restock it."
"You've definitely lost a lot of weight."
Ning Que smiled and nodded.
Wan Sanqian used to be pot-bellied, but now he's obviously lost a lot of weight. He also knows that Wan Sanqian is doing this for him.
"Brother Wan, have you been to Dafeng recently? Did you find anything?"
"Some of the slaves were brought from Dafeng." Wan Sanqian smiled. "But as you know, Babao Trading Company is quite sensitive. And Dafeng has too many spies, so I'm very careful when buying things. I try to avoid crowded places and only go to counties and prefectures where the former subordinates of Prince Ning are in charge. For example, Nanjun, or Linzi, etc. However, I can't guarantee that I haven't been seen by the Emperor's spies."
"That's all right."
Ning Que waved his hand calmly.
As long as they were prepared, it wouldn't be a problem. The Babao Trading Company traveled extensively, and had business dealings with many counties in Dafeng. For example, they had previously been to Chang'an to hold an auction, so buying some items was not unusual.
"Dafeng is currently experiencing undercurrents. According to the information I've gathered, things are quite troublesome." Wan Sanqian breathed a sigh of relief. "Although I haven't been to Chang'an, martial law has been imposed in all counties. Furthermore, the conscription order has been issued. We don't know where Dafeng will deploy its troops yet, but all the border counties have already deployed their troops for battle."
"normal."
Ning Que nodded calmly.
The news of his death dealt a heavy blow to Dafeng. It was as if Prince Ning had completely lost hope, and Dafeng was left without a royal prince. From its founding, Dafeng had consisted of one royal prince and four princes of other surnames. Prince Lu had essentially been deposed, and Prince Qi, Tian Zhongxun, had been eliminated. He, however, had faked his own death to escape, effectively leaving Dafeng with only two princes of other surnames.
The intertwining forces of Xiliang, the Shang Dynasty, the Liao Dynasty, Goguryeo, and Lingnan would also put increasing pressure on Dafeng. They were all no pushovers, and many were eager to get a piece of the action. Therefore, Ning Que found it quite natural for the Emperor to deploy his troops and prepare for war.
"Anyway, a lot has happened in Dafeng since you've been gone. Goguryeo rebelled, and troops need to be sent to quell it. The Liao Kingdom has already begun a standoff, but with your uncle guarding the area, it shouldn't be a problem. And Xiliang has also begun actively preparing for war. Jokes aside, I have a feeling Xiliang is equally dishonest. Even if they know you've faked your death, I think they'll still want to enter the country."
"Xiliang is definitely looking out for its own interests." Ning Que appeared calm and said indifferently, "You have to understand that Xiliang is a very poor place. Qinghe has spent three years in the Xiliang royal court, so he must know this. So for the Xiliang people, what they want most is to be able to enter the pass and occupy Longxi County. It's hard to say whether this is right or wrong, it's just that each side has different perspectives. Ultimately, it comes down to who has the bigger fist."
"Emperor Feng is a man who doesn't want to suffer any loss. He is an extremely tough monarch. If Xiliang really dares to send troops, I can be sure that Emperor Feng will send troops. Even if the troops are insufficient, he will order a nationwide conscription to retake Longxi County."
"Do you think... Xiliang will fight?"
"It's hard to say."
Ning Que shook his head.
Although he had faked his own death and escaped, Dafeng's strength hadn't been affected. However, the need for war might have left Dafeng short of troops. This would inevitably require conscription, and the consequence of conscription would be a reduction in arable land.
Dafeng's territory is like this, and every year there are various disasters. Hurricanes, droughts, locust plagues, floods, earthquakes... every county will inevitably face some disaster. If Dafeng remains like this for three to five years, many people will definitely revolt, which is good news for Ning Que.
"Let's not worry about Xiliang for now. I can't send troops anytime soon anyway. We already have a foothold in Nanyue, but it will take some time to unify all of Lingnan. Besides, there are still Japanese pirates in Minyue."
"Japanese pirates? Damn it! I have a grudge against them too! How dare they come to Lingnan?" Wan Sanqian slammed the table and said angrily, "We didn't see any Japanese pirates when we passed by this time, otherwise we would have killed them. The merchants I sent out brought a lot of Silla slaves, and they were spotted by the Japanese pirates. These beasts raped these women and then brutally killed them. Money is a small matter, but these beasts' methods are extremely cruel. I swore an oath at that time that I would kill every Japanese pirate I encountered!"
"Haha, now's your chance." Ning Que smiled and whispered, "There are about five to six thousand Japanese pirates in Minyue right now. They want to seize Minyue and then gradually encroach on the rest of Lingnan's territory. It's just that they're unlucky and have run into our Shenji Pavilion! We'd be doing a disservice to our Master if we didn't kill them!"
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