The Son of Heaven wants to borrow a boat from Liu Ling.

Liu Ling looked embarrassed. "I've already transferred all the boats to my father."

The Son of Heaven was disappointed and rubbed his fingers. Seeing this, Empress Chen asked, "Why did you transfer your ship to your father?" Although you married into the Liang family, your fief is still there, are those businesses in your fiefdom ......?"

Liu Ling nodded and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, before marriage, I can enter Beijing, I can go to sea, come and go freely, and the building ship is very useful." Now that she is married to a wife, a husband and a child, this building boat is useless, and it was given to my father along with the double-sided brocade and the glazed workshop. There are gains and losses, and this is also an inevitable price. ”

The queen looked at the Son of Heaven and didn't know how to persuade her. The Son of Heaven worked tirelessly and rushed to Maoling to see Liu Ling, the main purpose was to borrow a boat. Unexpectedly, Liu Ling's building ships had all been transferred to the King of Huainan. But who is to blame for this? Although Liu Ling didn't say it, everyone knew it. Liu Ling's so-called price is not in the king of Huainan, but in the son of heaven.

She didn't want the Son of Heaven to be jealous of Liang Xiao, so she no longer went out, her husband and children, and the transfer of the building boat was just one of many measures. In the past, Liu Ling was a prominent figure in Chang'an City, and the lecture salon in Huainan Mansion was very prosperous in her hands. After marrying into the Liang family, she no longer showed her head, Huainan Mansion was no longer in the limelight, and now the most famous lecture salon is her Chen family, and even many rising stars have surpassed Huainan Mansion, which was the first to open up.

Liu Ling asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, if you need it, I can borrow it from my father." However, I originally only had three building ships, is it enough? ”

"If it is used to transport troops and food, how many people can be carried by three ships?"

Liu Ling pondered for a moment: "It depends on where you go. The length of time spent at sea. Are there any supply points along the way that you can stop? ”

The Son of Heaven squinted. Silent, like a mud puppet. Seeing this, Liu Ling had a rough idea in his heart, and then said: "If you go to Huiji, excluding the sailors, a building ship can carry about 200 people." If you go to Panyu, because the road is long, you can only carry about 100 people. ”

"So little?" The Son of Heaven was surprised. "That's not a lot of cargo."

"Carrying cargo is not the same as carrying people." Liu Ling explained: "As long as there is enough space for the cargo. The weight does not exceed that. Manned is different. Not only should there be room for movement, but also food and drinking water should be loaded with them. Drifting at sea, you can't do without water. ”

"Do you want to bring water with you to the sea?"

Liu Ling smiled. "Your Majesty, the sea is bitter and salty, and you can't drink it."

The Son of Heaven suddenly realized and slapped his forehead. "Yes, yes, I have heard this from my lord. I see. In this way, this building ship really can't hold a few people, three or four hundred. It doesn't come in handy. ”

Liu Ling raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "That's not necessarily." ”

The Son of Heaven tilted his head. looked at Liu Ling, picked up the tea bowl on the case and sipped tea. He knew that Liu Ling was smart, and as soon as he said a few words, he knew where he borrowed the boat to go. However, it was precisely because Liu Ling was smart and would not be open-mouthed that he did not decide to hide it from her. Now listening to her take the initiative to ask, I can't help but be a little surprised.

"Your Majesty, when my husband went to the Western Regions, there were only about a dozen people." Liu Ling lowered his eyebrows, pleasing to the eyes, lifted the lid of the glass bowl, and gently knocked the edge of the bowl, making a crisp sound of dingding. "Three or four hundred people, if they are all elite and used properly, they can also win by surprise." She glanced at the Son of Heaven, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. "It's like a master's competition, sometimes a seemingly casual move can kill with one blow."

The Son of Heaven laughed silently. "Then is your husband such a master?"

"He's just an eagle dog." Liu Ling shook his head. "And it's a somewhat proud eagle dog."

The Son of Heaven's eyes flickered, and he was silent. Liu Ling's meaning, he understood it as soon as he heard it. However, he did not have such self-confidence. Can I control Liang Xiao, a proud eagle dog? If you can't control it, you'll hurt yourself.

However, the Son of Heaven can't help but be moved. Liu Ling was right, if Liang Xiao commanded three or four hundred elites, it was possible to win by surprise. Judging from Liang Xiao's arrangement for Qin Ge and others to learn the tactics of South Vietnam, he probably also longed for the opportunity to return to the battlefield, and made a lot of preparations. For now, he is the best person to carry out this task.

The Son of Heaven hesitated.

――

The Son of Heaven said goodbye to Liu Ling, got into the car, and drove towards Chang'an City.

It is the height of summer, and the trees on the side of the road are thick and green, lush, like a green city wall, stretching out to Chang'an City in the distance.

The Son of Heaven sat in the car, leaning against the wall of the car, holding his cheeks, looking at the shadows of the trees passing by outside the car window, but his eyes were a little wandering, obviously out of state.

Empress Chen Ajiao held the other hand of the Son of Heaven and sat quietly aside, her body swaying gently as the carriage advanced. Luan Ling is crisp, as if from the depths of memory. She was momentarily distracted, and a shallow smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"What's wrong with you?" The Son of Heaven turned his head and saw that the queen had a strange face, so he couldn't help but ask.

The queen came to her senses, her face flushed, and she bowed her head. "It's nothing, when I hear the sound of this bell, I think of my childhood, when we didn't have a marriage contract, and whenever you go out of the city, you like to stay by my side."

The Son of Heaven raised his eyebrows, and stopped talking. His impression is somewhat different from that of the queen. In the beginning, he liked to be by her side, purely because he liked her. Later, he was by her side, but it was taken care of by the queen mother, because she wanted to compete for the crown prince, not as the queen thought, but just naturally.

What he misses even more is the time before he decided to fight for the crown prince. Sadly, those days are gone.

Suddenly, the Son of Heaven was a little sad. By Empress Chen Ajiao, he thought of Liu Ling. Once upon a time, he and the king of Huainan were also close. Whenever the King of Huainan entered the court, he liked to pester the King of Huainan and listen to him tell some fairy stories, yellow and white spells, Liu Ling was still young at that time, and sometimes he listened, and looked at him with a pair of black and shining eyes. In their free time, they also get together and say something childish.

Now that he is the Son of Heaven, he belittles Huang Lao, and the relationship between him and King Huainan has also become estranged. Liu Ling married a wife, worked hard for her husband Liang Xiao, and lost no time in fighting for Liang Xiao's comeback, but he had to be vigilant all the time. lest you fall into her trap.

I'm really tired.

Liang Xiao ...... Is it available? The Son of Heaven thought twice. Still opened his mouth. He didn't want to discuss these matters with the queen. But looking at the palace, except for the queen who knows a little, the other women can't provide him with any reference at all.

Liang Xiao married a good wife.

Empress Chen turned her head, her eyes a little surprised. "Your Majesty?"

"Nothing, just talk about it." The Son of Heaven hid the jealousy in his heart and laughed softly: "Ling'er wants Liang Xiao to re-command the army, do you think I can trust Liang Xiao?" ”

Empress Chen blinked her eyes and didn't speak for a long time. She didn't know if she should answer. The Son of Heaven is very disgusted with harem politics. There was the Queen Mother before, and now there is the Queen Mother, who has been constrained by the harem for a long time. After so many years of marriage, except for some special circumstances, this is the first time he has taken the initiative to ask her opinion.

"I ...... I don't know how to say it. ”

"Say whatever you want." The Son of Heaven leaned back, his hands resting behind his head, looking at Empress Chen's side face, and suddenly noticed a problem. A single white hair on Empress Chen's sideburns was missing. He was stunned for a moment, and then he was attracted by Empress Chen's contemplative appearance.

Empress Chen bit her nails. The long eyelashes flickered, revealing a bit of coquettishness. Childhood. When she encounters unanswerable questions, she often looks like this. Whenever this happens, he will stand up bravely and proudly to protect her and help her answer, and then she will giggle, look at him secretly, and wink to show her gratitude.

"Your Majesty, what do you think of the relationship between Liang Xiao and Lord Weng?"

The Son of Heaven was silent. Empress Chen turned her head and saw the Son of Heaven staring at her in a daze, her eyes were confused, and she was a little embarrassed for a while. She pushed the Son of Heaven and said coquettishly: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?" ”

"Oh, nothing, what did you just say?"

"I said, what do you think of Liang Xiao and Lord Weng's feelings?"

"Needless to say, it's naturally very good." The Son of Heaven pouted. She is a dignified lord, and she does not hesitate to wait for several years, starting from Liang Xiao being a commoner, until he is crowned a marquis. Liang Xiao is not bad, in order to marry her, he is desperate. If it weren't for that, there would be so much trouble now. It doesn't matter which Weng Lord he marries, even if he wants to marry a princess, he has to marry Huainan Weng Lord? ”

"Then you say, will Liang Xiao abandon Lord Weng?"

The Son of Heaven was silent, somewhat regretful. He already knew what Empress Chen meant. However, his understanding was slightly different from that of Empress Chen. In this regard, women's thinking is always different from that of men. Consulted the queen about this, and it was wrong at the beginning.

"Probably not." The Son of Heaven said slowly.

The queen looked at the Son of Heaven in bewilderment. The expression of the Son of Heaven made her very confused. Is there any doubt about this question, Liang Xiao and Liu Ling have such a good relationship as husband and wife, how could Liang Xiao abandon Liu Ling. He is now rich and rich, and if he has a wife, what luxury can he hope for.

What a strange mind is a man's mind.

――

The Son of Heaven returned to Weiyang Palace, and before he could sit down, he received a note sent by Yan An from South Vietnam.

In the middle of the song, Yan An suggested that the imperial court requisition and transfer ships to enhance the water warfare capabilities of Han Anguo and Wei Qing. If possible, let Wei Qing lead his troops to attack Panyu City. Even if there are only more than 1,000 people, it can deter the monarchs and ministers of South Vietnam and force them to accept the subject.

The Son of Heaven is happy and worried. Happily, Yan An's suggestion coincided with him, and he went to Liu Ling, just to attack Panyu with a sailor and put pressure on the monarchs and ministers of Nanyue. Worryingly, this suggestion obviously came from Liang Xiao, Yan An not only failed to suppress Liang Xiao, but was influenced by him and became his mouthpiece.

The Son of Heaven was somewhat disappointed.

The Son of Heaven immediately summoned Dou Ying and others to discuss the matter.

Dou Ying's attitude was very clear, supporting Yan An's suggestion. He said that in the case of the great water in Shandong, it was impossible for the imperial court to send heavy troops to attack South Vietnam, and the current conditions were not in place. If we can deter South Vietnam with a partial division and make them subordinate and accept the quality, this is the plan with the least force but a large enough impact. As the last king with a different surname, Nanyue sent a proton to the imperial court, which meant that his history of secession outside the mountains was over and he became a real vassal state.

In a sense, this is tantamount to expanding territory. You must know that South Vietnam was nominally a subject state of the Han Dynasty, but the Han Dynasty never exerted real influence on him. South Vietnam is an independent kingdom, not even as good as Dawan and Yue. Dawan and Yueshi at least have protons in Chang'an.

As for how many people to send, Dou Ying also put forward a suggestion: to requisition the ships and soldiers of Huainan Kingdom, but transfer them to Han Anguo's command. According to the imperial court system, the king of Huainan does not govern the people, let alone the army, the soldiers of Huainan originally belonged to the imperial court, and it is natural for the imperial court to recruit now, and the king of Huainan has no reason to oppose it at all, and the court's rat trap is even more unnecessary.

The Son of Heaven was very satisfied, and immediately sent Dou Ying as an envoy, asking him to rush to Huainan to proclaim the edict, and recruit Huainan Lou boatmen to go to Huiji to reinforce Han Anguo and Wei Qing.

Dou Ying took the opportunity to put forward another suggestion: recruit the children of the marquis and let them accompany the army to fight. The liehou was sealed with a split, and he was originally obliged to contribute when the imperial court went on an expedition. Now that the children of the princes are all in the capital, they are bored and cause trouble, so it is better to drive them out to fight, even if they do not make meritorious contributions, they can open their eyes.

The Son of Heaven hesitated for a moment, but accepted it. He was originally worried that the children of the Liehou would recreate a military merit group by joining the army, but after this period of time, he felt that he was too worried. The founding heroes have long since passed away, and most of the children of the current princes have not gone through the battle formation, and they have no influence in the army at all. Let them join the army, not only can balance ordinary generals like Liang Xiao, but also reduce military spending.

The lieges brought their own weapons and saddle horses for the army, and only needed food and salary from the imperial court, and the biggest expense was the reward after meritorious service. However, that will have to wait for them to make meritorious contributions.

Dou Ying's two suggestions were approved by the Son of Heaven, and he was in a good mood, and even his voice was a few points higher.

The Son of Heaven immediately handed over the ship models and drawings brought back from the Liang family to the examination order, and asked him to go to Huainan with Dou Ying. According to Liu Ling, although there are many building ships in Huainan, the best ships are the three she has used. The three building ships have been modified to be more resistant to wind and waves. If you want to carry soldiers to sea, you may have to renovate the existing building ships in Huainan. With these ship models and drawings, the examination order can avoid detours.

In order to be foolproof, the Son of Heaven sent people to Maoling again, and seconded Deng Guobin and other Huainan guests to Liu Ling. After a conversation with Deng Guobin, he admired Deng Guobin's skills very much, and wanted to recruit him as an official, but Deng Guobin refused. If there is Deng Guobin's auxiliary examination order, the transformation of the building ship will be smoother.

Liu Ling readily agreed. A few days later, Deng Guobin and two other doormen rushed to Chang'an, joined Dou Ying and others, and rushed to Huainan together.

At the same time, the Son of Heaven issued an edict to the Prime Minister's Mansion and ordered the Prime Minister to cooperate with Zongzheng to levy the children of the Liehou to join the expedition. In order to ensure that this matter could be carried out smoothly, the Son of Heaven personally rushed to the Pingyang Marquis Mansion and asked the Pingyang Marquis Cao Shou to set an example for the Liehou and lead the army to the battle.

Cao Shou happily obeyed his fate-

(To be continued.) )