That afternoon, a ship returned to the naval port. As Seto stood on the deck, watching the naval port draw ever closer, he felt a sense of relief.
This expedition was ordered by Emperor Kangxi on short notice, leaving the naval officers and soldiers little time to prepare, less than 24 hours, which was the shortest possible time for an army that was still in the process of training.
After getting up in the morning, Qingyan heard Yinzhen say that Saito would be returning today. She changed into a bright red Fujin dress and wore a pomegranate flower headdress that Yinzhen had personally designed. Her whole body was bright red.
Normally, she would never dress like this. With the online trolls' first battle a success, she hopes that this outfit will bring them even more victories.
"Sisi, how does this outfit look?" After Sulan helped Qingyan get dressed, she took Sulan's hand and walked out step by step in three-inch flowerpot shoes.
Yinzhen looked up and saw that she was dressed in a formal palace gown, a rare sight for her, and nodded in satisfaction.
A moment later, Lady Yin Genjue and Qing Yan followed Yin Ti and Yin Zhen to the dock, and everyone in the naval port was watching their actions.
"Let's go." Yinzhen changed into his golden prince's robes and left the courtyard first. As he walked towards the naval port, he encountered Fei Yanggu and his son on the corridor halfway there.
"Father, Ah Hun is back!" Qingyan looked at Fei Yanggu and E Shuo happily. Before the expedition, everyone helped to keep it a secret from Qingyan and did not intend to suppress the news that Saito was going to war with the ship.
She was clever. Two days after Saito went to war, she noticed the problem. Saito would always come back for meals on weekdays, but during those days, the three members of the Feiyanggu family, father and son, did not come for meals to avoid Qingyan finding out.
"Father-in-law, has the Emperor given any reward for this victory?" The number of times Qing Dynasty generals could claim military merits was decreasing, and they were racking their brains to lead their troops to the battlefield.
"Fourth Master, this is just a practical training exercise, not a real battle. The two sides are too different!" Fei Yanggu said with a smile.
Feiyanggu bypassed Saito and reported the merits to the other soldiers. Kangxi received Feiyanggu's secret report and was very satisfied. Saito directly gave up this merit, which reassured Kangxi.
His achievements overshadowed those of his master!
These four simple words have become a tight rein on many military generals. Throughout history, countless generals have fallen because of these four words.
"The Emperor's secret memorial says that the soldiers who went on this expedition will be rewarded. I looked at the list of the soldiers who made meritorious contributions, but Saito is not on the list. Even Yin Jitai, who cooperated with the battle, is included!" Yinzhen couldn't understand why Feiyanggu did not recommend Saito for merit.
“No need. Saito is not a naval commander. He was just helping out this time!” Fei Yanggu knew that Yinzhen was stubborn. If he didn’t explain clearly, he might write a secret memorial to ask Kangxi.
"Fourth Prince, Father just wants to give this honor to someone else!" Qingyan understood Fei Yanggu's meaning slightly and lowered his voice to say to Yinzhen.
As soon as he finished speaking, Yinzhen instantly understood that Kangxi must have some suspicions, which was why Feiyanggu had suppressed Saito and forcibly removed him from the list of those requesting merits.
"Father-in-law, what is the situation regarding casualties?" They need to train a second batch of soldiers, and after this combat training, Yinzhen needs to know how many more casualties they have suffered.
These naval officers and soldiers were all royal treasures, and they had gone through layers of hardships to reach the level of the current trainees.
"Less than one-tenth, that's pretty good!" Seto has already kept the mortality rate of this expedition to a minimum.
This battle was a great victory. Of course, the Crown Prince of Joseon has been secretly sent to the capital. However, two Joseon generals were secretly imprisoned by Saito, who was aware of the spies hidden within Qing territory.
Upon learning the news, Saito instructed his capable generals that if the two men were discovered, they should be detained and reported as military deaths.
They need to intervene in the interrogation, and if the censors find out, they will surely say that they need to maintain the demeanor of a great power and not make things difficult for the defeated generals.
Seth had no such good intentions and planned to use harsh oral torture to pry open their mouths.
“Master, we’re almost at the naval port. Prince Zhi and the Fourth Prince will be coming!” the head guard beside Saito reminded him. “The Fourth Princess Consort will also be coming.”
Saito was in a bind. Normally, he would just buy some toys that Qingyan liked. But this time, he didn't tell her in advance and went straight to war. He broke his promise to Qingyan.
Before each expedition, he would inform Qingyan in advance so that she could be mentally prepared.
All three of them, father and sons, were military generals, so when war broke out in the surrounding area, their two capable generals, Saito and Eshuo, had to be at the forefront.
Fei Yanggu stayed by Kangxi's side and released his two sons, ensuring that the Ulanara clan had a successor.
"I understand!" Seto was unsure of himself and hoped that Qingyan would give him face and not cause any trouble.
After the head guard gave him a hint, he stood silently behind Saito. He quite enjoyed watching the show, and Qingyan was sure he couldn't avoid Saito this time.
The ship slowly arrived at the naval port. Qingyan looked up at the ship's deck. Saito, dressed in a plain yellow banner military robe, looked down at Qingyan with a condescending expression.
He noticed that the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, and she didn't seem angry at all, so he felt relieved and stepped off the ship.
"Ah Hun!" After maneuvering among his ministers, Saito quickly went to Qingyan's side.
She was delighted that Seto was uninjured and had won a resounding victory.
“Little darling, this matter is urgent. From the time the order was given to the time we left, it was less than two days at most,” Saito explained, lowering his voice in fear that Qingyan would directly cause trouble.
"Ah Hun, this is the last time!" Qingyan sneered.
Qingyan rolled her eyes at Saito. The head guard looked at Saito's stiff back, which had completely lost its ferocity on the battlefield and instead looked like a timid wife.
"Okay, this won't happen again, little darling. How are Yiken'e and Hutulifengsheng Zhalafen?" Saito looked around. The twins weren't by their side. Saito had been away for so long and really missed the two little ones.
“Of course, he’s very mischievous. Ah Hun, shall we go back first, or should we report first?” Qingyan asked Saito.
"Let's go to the study first," Seto said directly.
The soldiers on the ship began to disembark one after another, with the wounded and injured soldiers being the last to leave.
Saito said that even if something really happened, they would be allowed to return to their homeland and be laid to rest.
"Hehe, Father must have something to tell you!" Qingyan smiled.
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