Chapter 575 Establishing Prestige
This action immediately alarmed the king of the vassal state, who summoned his ministers overnight to discuss the matter. After learning the whole story, the king was furious and exclaimed that his fourth son was useless.
The Fourth Prince Tu Jun's army suffered heavy casualties and had been captured by the enemy. The entire coastal area defended by the vassal state was filled with soldiers from the Southern Kingdom led by Lu Yang.
Since the vassal state had deliberately provoked trouble, this was the first time Lu Yang had attacked and entered the enemy's camp. For a moment, he felt a sense of triumph.
At the same time, Jiang Fenghua and Lin Yu also visited many people near Linhai. They had made their living by fishing all their lives, but because of the pirates, they could no longer fish, and their family members had disappeared and could not be found. So everyone was afraid.
The Southern Kingdom has been cracking down on pirates, but the imperial court dares not easily launch a large-scale crackdown and pursuit. Once a war is triggered, no one can bear the consequences.
Many people know that the pirates in Linhai come from the vassal state, which is their sanctuary. So for many years they have chosen to swallow their anger. Now that the news of the Great Zhou and the Southern Kingdom joining forces to attack the vassal state has spread, the people of Linhai and even the people of the Southern Kingdom are in an uproar.
"The Great Zhou Dynasty has sent a prince to personally oversee the battle. He is determined to eliminate all the pirates. If there are no more pirates in Linhai, we can go out to sea to fish again."
"General Lu finally showed his power this time. Before, he was like a grandson, afraid to kill or fight. It really infuriated me."
"Exactly! I always thought General Lu was a coward!"
"Don't blame General Lu, it wasn't easy for him to guard the customs."
"What nonsense! The Southern King handed over power to him, and the pirates have come to his doorstep to rob him. Would he dare to lay a single soldier on his shoulders? Several times, he just watched as the fishing boats of ordinary people were robbed."
"Sigh, he still lacks courage, and the court is not doing anything. I predicted that our Southern Kingdom would soon fall into the hands of pirates and become their gathering place. I didn't expect him to send troops this time. At least he still looks like a man."
"It was only because the Great Zhou Kingdom sent troops to help him that he dared to fight; otherwise, he would still be a coward."
"Haven't you heard?" someone said.
Those who had been listening to the commotion followed the gaze and asked in unison, "What did you hear?"
"Our Southern Kingdom has already submitted to the Great Zhou Kingdom. Many cities in the Southern Kingdom have been renamed, and the capital city has been renamed Lizhou. The border between the Southern Kingdom and the Great Zhou Kingdom is gradually opening up. We don't need to apply for customs documents to go to the Great Zhou Kingdom. As long as we have documents proving our identity, we can come and go freely."
“I heard about it. I just returned from purchasing goods in the Great Zhou Kingdom a few days ago. I registered at the border, and it said Great Zhou on the document. I am now a citizen of the Great Zhou Dynasty.”
"With the protection of the Great Zhou Kingdom, we are no longer afraid of pirates."
"Is General Lu going to be relieved of his post? I heard that the Great Zhou army has already entered Linhai, and the Great Zhou Dynasty has also sent a general named Yuan Li to command the battle..."
Jiang Fenghua and Lin Yu were also in the crowd listening to their discussions about Lu Yang and the Southern Kingdom's court.
One reason for the corruption in the Southern Kingdom's court over the past decade is that the princes have all grown up and are vying for power. Fortunately, the Southern King is not senile and has appointed Lu Yang to guard the customs. However, the people have expressed great resentment towards him.
Lu Yang did try his best; although he didn't drive away the pirates, he also prevented the enemy forces of the vassal state from invading the southern border.
Jiang Fenghua and Lin Yu heard the people talking about Lu Yang in a very unpleasant tone, and couldn't help but speak up for him, saying, "In fact, General Lu had his reasons for not eradicating the pirates."
Her words immediately drew the attention of the surrounding crowd. "What do you mean by that, young lady?"
"How many years have pirates been harassing the coastal area?"
“It’s been more than ten years,” someone replied.
"Has General Lu been guarding the Linhai Customs for more than ten years?" she asked again.
"It seems like it's been more than ten years. Since the former Customs Commissioner died in battle, the position of Customs Commander has fallen into the hands of Commander Lu. Since he took office, we have become increasingly afraid to work at sea. It's almost impossible to eat some deep-sea seafood because we are all afraid of sudden pirate attacks."
Hearing this, Jiang Fenghua was dumbfounded. If they knew that the seafood in the deep sea might have been fed on the corpses of their relatives, well, let's not spoil everyone's fun.
Xie Shang is leading his soldiers in battle now; what they need is morale, not discouragement.
Jiang Fenghua added, "This is my opinion. Over the past ten years, even though we knew that enemy countries had repeatedly invaded the Southern Kingdom, General Lu had kept the enemy out of the customs. In general, he protected the peace and tranquility of the people in this region."
Piracy is rampant and impossible to eradicate, not because he doesn't want to, but because he can't. Judging from the current battles, the pirates' backers are actually the vassal states. Let's imagine, if these pirates are actually people from the vassal states in disguise, and General Lu has been relentlessly pursuing them, preventing the vassal states from entering the southern kingdoms, wouldn't that be considered a merit on his part?
Everyone nodded in agreement. "In that case, General Lu is indeed a good official. He guarded the customs for more than ten years and did not allow pirates to occupy the customs of the South. Our people still live their lives as usual."
Jiang Fenghua had a lot of thoughts running through her mind, and said, "It's not that General Lu doesn't want to fight, but that he can't fight. If he were to start a war, he would have to recruit a lot of soldiers to fight. The South is beset by internal and external troubles, and he wouldn't be able to handle it. Now that the prince of the Great Zhou Kingdom has come in person, he has given General Lu enough courage and confidence. Isn't he fighting quite well?"
She meant that only by relying on the Great Zhou could they have a peaceful life.
Everyone listened with great excitement. She continued, "If General Lu manages to bring the coastal waters into our territory this time, I think it will be a piece of cake for everyone to go out to sea to fish and shrimp in the future, and we will no longer have to worry about being robbed by pirates..."
In fact, Jiang Fenghua knew that Xie Shang would give Lu Yang an important position for only one reason: regardless of his abilities, at least he did not betray the country. If he really did betray the country, the Southern Kingdom would not only face internal strife, but also external war.
Xie Shang valued Lu Yang's character, which is why he dared to give him the position of general. And Lu Yang did indeed live up to expectations at the start of this campaign.
What he lacked was not courage, but someone to give him confidence. With the Great Zhou behind him, it would be beneficial to both the Southern Kingdom's army and its people.
Through this battle, Jiang Fenghua used public opinion to build a positive image for Xie Shang in the hearts of the people.
Lin Yu smiled slightly as she listened to Jiang Fenghua's words. It turned out that even though she had lost her memory, she still cared about Xie Shang's reputation.
The people of the South will have even greater faith in the Great Zhou Dynasty through this battle, which will bring about a favorable situation.
Xie Shang did not disappoint everyone; the king of the vassal state quickly sent envoys to negotiate his willingness to withdraw from Linhai.
The news caused an uproar among the people of the entire Southern Kingdom. The fact that only the Southern Kingdom's naval forces were allowed to be stationed in Linhai meant that they could build ships and go to sea again.
Everyone attributed the credit to the help from the Great Zhou Kingdom.
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