Xu Hongfei was very proud in his heart. He had been thinking about this day for a long time. Before, his position in the Lian Sect was not solid. Facing the increasingly charming and beautiful Xu Qinglian, he had intentions but did not dare to act rashly.
In order to deceive the power of the Lian Sect, Xu Hongfei claimed in the Lian Sect that he was the cousin of the former leader Xu Hongru. In other words, he was the uncle of Xu Qinglian. If he did what Xu Qinglian wanted, it would be incest.
But now in the Lianlian Sect, Xu Hongfei almost has absolute power. Even if others are dissatisfied with him, they dare not jump out to oppose him. The Lianlian Sect's successive victories in recent times have put all the military power in the hands of Xu Hongfei.
Many so-called peasant uprisings in history, after achieving certain victories, would be forgotten by those in power because of their early calmness, and they would become greedy for enjoyment and want to bully their subordinates, thus leading to the ultimate failure of the uprising.
Laizhou City was bustling with lights and decorations, and the followers of the Yilian Sect in Laizhou City were also immersed in the festivities, almost forgetting that they were still fighting with the officers and soldiers on the battlefield ahead. Xu Hongfei's Zhou Palace was the most lively place in the entire Laizhou City. Xu Hong was sitting on a red horse, wearing the clothes of a Yilangguan. Although Xu Hongfei had had many women, this was the first time he wore the clothes of a Yilangguan. On the one hand, Xu Hongfei really liked Xu Qinglian, on the other hand, Xu Qinglian's identity also made Xu Hongfei unable to treat this matter carelessly. No matter how powerful Xu Hongfei was in the Yilian Sect, Xu Qinglian, as the daughter of a former leader, had great appeal in the hearts of the believers in the Yilian Sect.
When Xu Hongfei set out on the road to welcome his bride, Tang Tong, Dayuer, Liu Rushi, Hailanzhu and Zhang Yiheng met up and were resting in the area of North and South Changshan Islands. Hong Chengchou and Zhou Linfeng were also heading towards Laizhou City on the sea, preparing to launch a surprise attack on Xu Hongfei.
Xu Qinglian sat in front of a glass mirror, letting two middle-aged women dress her. The mirror reflected a beautiful face without any joy or sorrow. Xu Qinglian looked at that face, as if it was not her own. From the moment her father died, the prosperity of the Lian Sect became her responsibility. For this responsibility, she could not live the life she wanted like other girls. For this responsibility, she now had to marry a man she did not like, because she could not let the Lian Sect, which had been prospering with great difficulty, split. This responsibility forced her to sacrifice what she could.
Xu Qinglian is a very smart woman, and can be said to be both civil and military. Since she was a child, she has been a saint of the Lotus Land, learning everything a saint needs to learn. When a person has talent, her heart will also be elevated. And for a beautiful and talented woman like her, her aspirations are naturally not comparable to those of ordinary women. As a young girl, she also has the hazy fantasies that a young girl would have.
Occasionally, Xu Qinglian would dream that one day she would meet a heroic young man and live a happy life from then on, but Xu Hongfei was not that young man. Xu Hongfei was now in his forties. Although he was considered a hero in the hearts of the Lian Sect, he was definitely not a young man. What's more, in Xu Qinglian's heart, Xu Hongfei was not even a hero.
Most people have certain fantasies in their lives, more or less. Xu Qinglian has it, Xu Hongfei has it, and Tang Tong has it too. As his subordinates' power grows, Tang Tong also fantasizes about building an ideal world, one where his people and country will always be strong and prosperous. However, Tang Tong knows very well in his heart that this ideal is not so easy to achieve. He can only do as much as he can and do his best.
As Xu Qinglian sat in the bridal sedan, Zhang Yiheng, far away on Changshan Island, also set out with his four thousand men. These four thousand men were all Jurchen barbarians serving as auxiliary troops. After nearly two years of training and fighting, these four thousand men had become an elite force. Mounted as musket cavalry, dismounted as musket infantry, they were perfectly suited for this raid.
Looking at the four thousand Jurchen savages, Dayu'er thought of the twenty thousand of her own people captured by Tang Tong's men, and sighed inwardly. Tang Tong heard Dayu'er's sigh and gave her a questioning look. Tang Tong and his personal guards were aboard a large, fully equipped warship. It was absolutely invincible in the Ming Dynasty. That was why Tang Tong dared to take Liu Rushi, Dayu'er, Hai Lanzhu, and the others out to sea.
Tang Tong treated the women around him very well. Therefore, Dayu'er wasn't afraid of him. However, Dayu'er and Hailanzhu didn't dare let their favor get them into a rage. Seeing Tang Tong looking at them questioningly, Dayu'er obediently sat on Tang Tong's lap as he sat on the armchair. Like a tame cat, she snuggled in his arms and said coquettishly, "Kizi, those 20,000 grassland warriors you captured are all true warriors. Do you really intend to make them slaves?"
Although Dayu'er was now very docile, Tang Tong still preferred Hailanzhu because Hailanzhu now truly regarded Tang Tong as her husband. Dayu'er, on the other hand, was intimidated by Tang Tong's strength.
Hailanzhu's appearance was an anomaly among the women of the grasslands. Not only did she possess the voluptuous figure of a woman from another ethnic group, but she also possessed the delicate and tender skin of a woman from the south of the Yangtze River. She was also intelligent and gentle. Naturally, Tang Tong liked her. Sometimes, Tang Tong couldn't help but think about her. No wonder, after Hailanzhu's death from illness, Huang Taiji also died of grief.
Tang Tong let Dayu'er squirm on him. After a moment's thought, he said, "It's not impossible for them to release them. Even for you and Zhu'er, I wouldn't kill them. But if I let them go, they'll still follow Huang Taiji to kill our Ming people. Wouldn't that be like letting a tiger go back to the mountain?"
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Dayuer knew in her heart that there must be conditions for releasing these people of her clansmen, but Tang Tong did not state the conditions, and she did not dare to propose negotiation conditions for her people of her clansmen without authorization. She couldn't help but glance at Hailanzhu who was standing aside, hoping that Hailanzhu, who was favored by Tang Tong, could say something to help at this time.
Hailanzhu was a very clever woman. She understood what her sister Dayuer meant from the look in her eyes. She approached Tang Tong and said in her soft and charming voice, "Hey, how about letting them become your auxiliary army?"
Being an auxiliary soldier of the Tang family army under Tang Tong was a far cry from being a slave. The auxiliary soldiers from Japan lived a very good life under Tang Tong. Not only did they have military pay, but they also had extra rewards during battles.
The families will also enjoy certain care. Although these treatments are far from what they deserve, they are much better than the Mongols working for Huang Taiji. That's why Hai Lanzhu made such a proposal.
Hailanzhu's proposal was certainly for the sake of the 20,000 captive tribesmen, and on the other hand, it was also for the sake of her man Tang Tong. With an additional 20,000 troops, she would be even stronger. When Dayuer heard this proposal, her eyes lit up and she looked at Tang Tong. After all, this would not only be a good thing for the 20,000 tribesmen, but also for herself. She thought to herself that her sister was more thoughtful. If she had a large number of her own tribesmen under the command of Qizidi, she and her sister would have more status in front of Qizidi.
"Those who can join my army are all willing to do so. Your people are prisoners. If we make them auxiliary troops, what if they turn against us on the battlefield? We should talk about this matter in a few years. Today you asked me for mercy, so I will send people to talk to the tribal leaders of your people and redeem them at the price of five sheep each." Tang Tong thought about it. The Nanyang army had already occupied part of Australia, so some sheep could be transported there for breeding. In such a large place, raising sheep should not be a problem.
One hundred thousand sheep is a moderate number, and the price Tang Tong asked for is not high. Moreover, many people from the tribes on the grassland have died in the battle with Tang Tong. If these 20,000 people are added, those Mongolian tribes close to Huang Taiji will be in danger of being annexed by others, so it is very necessary to get these 20,000 people.
Dayuer and Hailanzhu were very happy to hear Tang Tong's promise. They thought that Tang Tong agreed to such a low condition just for their sake. So they thanked Tang Tong and teased him to please him.
However, they did not know that Tang Tong was not the kind of person who would lose himself when seeing beauty. He came from the later generations and had contacts with the descendants of Mongols and Jurchens. He did not have that kind of deep hatred in his heart. He only hated the culprits such as Huang Taiji and Dorgun, so Tang Tong now had no intention of killing them all.
In the war with Korea, the reason why he let Huang Taiji go and captured these Mongols was to make the Mongols dissatisfied with Huang Taiji, so that the two sides would eventually become alienated and unable to work together. Another purpose was that Tang Tong wanted to conquer Mongolia and the Jurchens, and one day deal with those Cossack cavalry. In an era without cars, people still had to rely on horses on land. In those places in the northwest, relying on infantry was not enough.
Liu Rushi was very unhappy when she saw Dayuer using her seductive means to seduce Tang Tong. Although Tang Tong did not sleep with her because of her young age, she had matured early and she and Tang Tong had already had a formal relationship. Dayuer and Hailanzhu were just Tang Tong's maids. In the big families of the Ming Dynasty, the status of a maid was far lower than that of a concubine. Dayuer seduced Tang Tong in front of her, which was an infringement of her power and face.
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