Chapter 269 The Mighty Navy
The Minzhou Navy was established earlier than the Lingnan Navy. The two navies have been exchanging supplies and have a very close relationship in recent years. Knowing that the Lingnan Navy was going to expand, Liu Shuangmei came over in person. She did not reveal her identity and just mingled in the crowd of recruiters. If Zhou Mujiao hadn't glanced at her in the crowd, she really wouldn't have known that she had come.
Those who had worked with Liu Shuangmei for several days only then realized that this woman with a bandit-like appearance was actually the commander of the Minzhou Navy.
Liu Shuangmei was a former bandit who turned into a soldier. At first, she didn't have an easy time moving around in the local area. Fishermen who had been robbed by them in the past came to seek revenge, which injured many of her brothers. If they hadn't been so determined to reform, they might have gone back to the wrong path when the first group of fishermen came to seek revenge.
The reason she and her brothers from Fuxu Mountain can enjoy such a peaceful life and be so respected is all because of Zhou Mujiao and Zhao Yunjing.
As for Li Changyi, the King of Lingnan...
Liu Shuangmei frowned. She didn't like him very much, but Li Changyi was able to gain the support of Zhao Yunjing and his wife, so he must have some merits. At the very least, his character was not a problem. Otherwise, Zhao Yunjing and his wife would not have handed over the good Lingnan region to him so easily.
With Liu Shuangmei's addition, the expansion of the Lingnan Navy went very smoothly. The Baiyue people were originally brave and skilled in battle, and their own martial arts routines were previously suitable for use in mountainous jungles. Zhou Mujiao and Liu Shuangmei worked together to revise them, and soon they developed a new routine that combined the strengths of various ethnic groups and added flexibility and practicality.
The Second Battalion of the Lingnan Navy was established in the autumn of that year, with its camp located in Anzhou Port in northern Lingnan. The following year, the Third Battalion of the Lingnan Navy was established, with its camp located in Xiangshan Village at the Lingdingyang Port.
In another year, the Minzhou Navy expanded eastward and established two battalions in Lin'an Prefecture.
The following year, Li Changyi and Zhao Yunjing personally led their troops to reclaim two barren islands, one named Ryukyu and the other Xiangjiang. Both were Baiyue lands, and because they were far from the mainland, there were very few inhabitants, only a few dozen households, all of whom made a living by fishing.
The Lingnan Navy dispatched a battalion to the island to defend it while simultaneously reclaiming wasteland and building a town. In three or four years, they transformed Xiangjiang from a small fishing village with only a hundred or so people into the leading spice production town of Daliang, which also contributed a considerable amount of taxes each year.
In less than ten years, Zhao Yunjing removed the label of "southern barbarians" from Lingnan. Trade, production, and education flourished. This year's top scholar came from Lingnan. He was also a student taught by the retired emperor. In addition to the top scholar, half of the three hundred students on the list this year came from Lingnan!
Four streets past the Lingnan Royal City, there is a residence where four generations of a family live. Today, their elderly mother is on her last breath.
Su Li was not ill or overworked; at eighty years old, she was considered very old. In the Great Liang Kingdom, she would be called an old sage, and at least in Lingnan, she was the only one of her kind.
For this reason, Li Changyi and his wife, as well as Zhao Yunjing and his wife, all came.
Now she was barely clinging to life, her face serene. Zhou Mujiao held her hand, her fingers lightly resting on Su Li's wrist, where the pain was already very mild.
Su Li's descendants were all sobbing outside. Someone raised their voice, as if waking Su Li. She opened her eyes, and her cloudy eyes suddenly became clear. She looked at Zhou Mujiao: "Duchess?"
"It's me, Granny Su. Shall I call Mr. Su in?"
"No need. I've lived with them my whole life, and I've said everything that should and shouldn't have been said. In this final moment, I don't want to see them anymore. I'm going to pursue my freedom."
The old lady spoke clearly, and after finishing, she winked playfully at Zhou Mujiao, then shook her hand in return: "Duchess of the State."
"My mother-in-law can just call me Ajiao."
“Then I’ll take the liberty of calling you Ah Jiao. Ah Jiao, what do you think people are living for in this world? I didn’t understand before, but you gave me the answer. The purpose of living in this world is to be free and happy. It’s a pity that I realized this too late. In this whole life, I’ve been busy and worried about my children and grandchildren every day, but I’ve never thought about myself.”
"If I could live again, I would live like you—unrestrained, free, and outstanding. Not someone's wife, not someone's mother, not someone's grandmother, just me, Li Xinlan. What a pity..."
Zhou Mujiao couldn't say she could fully empathize with her, but she could at least understand some of it.
If modern women still suffer such sorrow, what about those thousands of years ago? Li Xinlan was relatively lucky; she realized her mistakes before she passed away and lived a comfortable life for a while. But most women are still bound by so-called social norms and have no chance to be themselves from the day they are born.
Su Li grabbed Zhou Mujiao and began to talk about her childhood and youth. She talked about how much her parents loved her when she was young, and about her dream of traveling the world when she was a girl. She talked on and on for a long time, as if she wanted to express all the regrets that she had wanted to do but never had the chance to do.
Zhou Mujiao listened quietly without making a sound, until she felt Su Li's breathing pause. She said, "Grandma Su, your descendants are all outstanding."
Su Li smiled, about to speak, but then paused, almost catching her breath, when she caught her breath again and said, "Ajiao, there's an old man with short hair who says he's your grandfather. He asked me to tell you that he's doing well, his family is doing well, and he wants you to live your life well. The sesame mushrooms in Lingnan are ready to be dug up."
Zhou Mujiao's tears streamed down her face. She looked around blankly, but could see nothing. She lowered her head, grabbed Su Li's hand tightly, and said urgently, "Grandma Su, please tell him for me that I'm fine, that I've been doing my best, that the sesame mushrooms from Lingnan are really delicious... I miss him so much."
Su Li's hand fell limply to her side, and Zhou Mujiao burst into tears.
Li Changyi and Meng Jingjing exchanged a glance, puzzled. Meng Jingjing said, "Ajiao, Grandma Su is actually quite fulfilled."
The Su family members outside were puzzled when they heard Zhou Mujiao crying. When did the Duchess become so close to their ancestor? She was crying even more sadly than they, her own children!
Zhao Yunjing said nothing and asked nothing; he simply put his arm around her shoulder and patted her gently, his face full of understanding.
The grandfather of Zhou Mujiao that Su Lishi mentioned is definitely not the old man from the Zhou family in Peach Blossom Village. The old man from the Zhou family was mean-spirited and favored sons over daughters. After Zhou's parents passed away, the first person to kick her and Xiao Wu out was the old man from the Zhou family.
The old man who could make her cry in public and say that she missed him was her real grandfather. As for where she got another grandfather, Zhao Yunjing thought that if she didn't say, he wouldn't ask.
They have a long future ahead of them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
