The moon was at its zenith, and in the chill of late autumn, its light was so cold and clear that it cast a layer of faint silver light on the ships floating on the waves of the sea.
Zhen Mi and several other girls stood beside the ship's side, holding oil lamps, and watched with great joy as the large ship sailed through the waves, leaving a long white line behind it.
The sound of the tide came from all directions, making the women who had never seen the sea even more excited.
Even though the guards in charge of her care knew that Zhen Mi was Yuan Xi's wife and could not be looked at directly, their eyes were still involuntarily attracted to her.
When they heard footsteps, the guards looked carefully and saw that it was Yuan Xi coming. They immediately straightened their heads and stood still.
Seeing Yuan Xi approaching, Zhen Mi smiled and said, "My dear, this trip was indeed worthwhile. I saw a lot of fish just now."
"Can all these fish be eaten?"
Yuan Xi nodded and said, "Almost all of them are fine."
"The sea is more fertile than the fertile fields on earth. If it could be used, there would be fewer people starving."
"Speaking of a land of fish and rice, it's the area near Jiangdong. You'll be able to see scenery that's completely different from the north."
Zhen Mi looked expectant, and when she saw the paper tube in Yuan Xi's hand, she asked curiously, "What is that in your husband's hand?"
After hearing this, Yuan Xi said mysteriously, "In our hometown, this thing is called a sky-climbing monkey."
"It means that this thing can jump into the sky like a monkey."
When these words were spoken, Zhen Mi's eyes widened, and even Cai Zhaoji and Cao Xian came over curiously.
The three girls looked at the ordinary paper tube and said at the same time: "This thing is not alive, how can it reach the sky?"
Cai Zhaoji thought for a moment and said, "Could it be shot with a bow?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "There are still some differences. Move away and I'll show you something fun."
He found a small hole on the deck and inserted the bamboo strip under the bamboo tube into it.
Seeing Yuan Xi holding the incense stick and about to light the fuse under the bamboo tube, Zhen Mi was curious and took a few steps forward.
Yuan Xi saw it and said, "What do you think?"
Zhen Mi nodded.
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Okay, let's do it together."
He stuffed the incense stick into Zhen Mi's hand, held her wrist, and the two of them slowly moved the incense stick closer to the fuse.
With a puff, the fuse was lit, but it was soaked in too much oil and burned violently, shortening in an instant.
Yuan Xi didn't expect the fever to spread so quickly. Without thinking, he suddenly bent down, picked up Zhen Mi, held her horizontally in his arms, and ran away.
Zhen Mi screamed, and Yuan Xi burst into laughter and ran away more than ten feet away.
When Cai Zhaoji and Cao Xian saw it, they were so scared that they stepped back, thinking, could this thing be so scary?
After the two ran away, Yuan Xi put Zhen Mi down on the ground. Zhen Mi's heart was pounding. She held on to Yuan Xi's arm and barely stood, staring at the bamboo tube.
After a long while, the bamboo tube didn't move at all.
When Yuan Xi saw this, he looked depressed. Was it because the fuse was broken, or was the ratio of gunpowder wrong?
Zhen Mi couldn't help but asked Yuan Xi angrily: "My husband, is it true?"
At this moment, sparks began to spew out of the small hole at the bottom of the bamboo tube.
At first it was just a few dots, then it became a thin column of fire, which began to drive the bamboo tube away from the deck and rise crookedly into the sky.
Amid the exclamations of the crowd, flames gushed out from the bottom of the bamboo tube, leaving a long-lasting smoke trail that rose to a height of more than ten feet.
Zhen Mi laughed excitedly, her eyes forming crescents, "My husband really didn't deceive me."
At this moment, there was a loud bang, and the bamboo tube exploded, creating a huge bright spark in the air.
The crowd had never seen such a beautiful sight. They looked up and exclaimed in amazement.
Sun Li shouted, "The monkey exploded!"
Everyone laughed when they heard this, and the deck was filled with laughter.
Guo Jia, Taishi Ci and Tian Yu looked at each other and saw the surprise on each other's faces.
It turns out that this is what Yuan Xi has been secretly asking Qu Yi to do for the past six months!
They were all well versed in battle formations and military tactics, and they immediately understood the use of this thing, which could quickly transmit battlefield orders!
With it, not only can you immediately transmit enemy information back, but you can also directly command subordinates far away, which will greatly change the situation on the battlefield!
The three men only then realized that Yuan Xi had already begun planning the keys to capturing Guangling.
Guo Jia thought about it, and the more he got to know Yuan Xi, the more he realized that he often prepared for unknown events that might happen in the future.
To Guo Jia, this was really unbelievable, because many of the clues to what was happening were not even predicted by Guo Jia!
Is there some mysterious master behind Yuan Xi?
Guo Jia shook his head. Could it be that Yuan Xi was hiding some secret from him?
The next morning, as the ship swayed slightly, Zhen Mi woke up in Yuan Xi's arms.
She sat up with some difficulty, holding up her clothes to cover her chest, and stretched out her finger with some resentment, tapping the forehead of the sleeping Yuan Xi.
Then Yuan Xi's voice rang out: "Madam, are you trying to murder your husband?"
Zhen Mi said angrily: "Tell me, how did you come up with these weird postures!"
"My husband has a very bad heart!"
Yuan Xi laughed and pulled Zhen Mi into his arms: "Don't make a fuss. This is actually a very normal thing between husband and wife. It's the same in other families."
Zhen Mi had a look of doubt on her face. She was gradually realizing that sometimes she couldn't trust everything her husband said!
Yuan Xi secretly reached out his hand, and was about to cover a certain soft and round part when he heard cheers from outside the window, "It's a fairyland, a fairyland!"
Not long after, Yuan Xi and Zhen Mi hurriedly put on their clothes and walked out of the cabin, they saw people excitedly lying on the side of the ship, pointing and talking in the distance.
Seeing that the side of the ship was crowded with people, Yuan Xi simply took Zhen Mi to the high bow, and saw several large islands shrouded in clouds and mist appeared on the sea level, with what seemed to be a high mountain in the middle.
The morning sun dyed the waves into golden-red dots, which contrasted with the dark shadows shrouded in white clouds, as if it were a heavenly palace hidden in the clouds in the sky.
Zhen Mi was surprised and asked, "Could that be the so-called Penglai Fairyland?"
Yuan Xi calculated the approximate location and found that he had arrived at Donglai County in Qingzhou. He thought that this might really be the island near Penglai at the junction of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea in later generations.
The origin of Penglai City is that in the first year of Taichu, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty looked at the sacred Penglai Mountain in the sea from Penglai. Li Jifu's "Yuanhe County Records" in the Tang Dynasty recorded that "Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty looked at Penglai Mountain here, so he built a city and named it Penglai."
However, this Penglai is actually not the same thing as the Penglai fairyland in mythology.
According to legend, Mount Penglai is not among the Nine Provinces, but is located in the East China Sea. There are immortals living on it, which is obviously not the same as what Emperor Wu of Han saw.
Zhen Mi stared at the beautiful scenery in the clouds and mist in a trance, and said softly: "I am very happy that my husband can take me to see the mountains, rivers and seas."
"But I always feel that my husband's actions are never so simple, there must be a deeper meaning behind them."
"I'm wondering if my husband wants me to understand something."
Yuan Xi hugged Zhen Mi's slender waist and said, "Madam is indeed smart."
"But these can only be understood, not expressed in words."
"Madam, just remember that the Han Dynasty benefits the whole country. This beautiful land should be visible to everyone."
"However, in this chaotic world, most people can't even get enough to eat, but we can live a leisurely life on the sea."
"Without the people growing food, without the soldiers protecting us, without everyone working together, where would we be now?"
After hearing this, Zhen Mi said softly, "I understand what my husband said. I will think about it carefully and think about what I should do in the future as the wife of the governor."
Yuan Xi thought that since Zhen Mi could have such thoughts, his purpose of bringing her out was achieved.
Otherwise, if Zhen Mi, as his principal wife, had deviant ideas and made mistakes in the future, it would have a negative impact on his harem and the people of Youzhou, and even affect more people in the distant future.
Zhen Mi thought for a while and asked doubtfully, "I think the first person who should consider what my husband said should be the emperor, right?"
Yuan Xi said, "That's right, but does Madam know the current situation of the Han Emperor?"
Zhen Mi nodded and said, "Sister Zhaoji told me that he is now returning to Luoyang in the east, and it seems that the various parties are fighting fiercely."
Yuan Xi thought to himself that this was not only amazing, it was almost enough to beat the dog's brains out.
While Yuan Xi and Zhen Mi were enjoying the view on the sea, Liu Xie was growling at Fu Shou, "How rude of you, thief!"
Ever since the last time Liu Xie hosted a banquet, Guo Si had made trouble at the banquet, and after being driven away by Shisun Rui, he actually left with his troops and a convoy overnight.
While the ministers and nobles were rejoicing, Guo Si sent his general Wu Xi to burn down the school where Liu Xie was stationed. Yang Ding and Dong Cheng welcomed Liu Xie into Yang Feng's camp and fought hard against Guo Si's army, forcing Guo Si to abandon his troops and flee into the Nanshan Mountains.
During this period, General Ningji Duan Wei came to receive the emperor, but the attendant Zhong Ji was on good terms with Yang Ding, and he accused Duan Wei of rebellion to his face. The Grand Marshal Yang Biao and the Minister of the Interior Zhao Wen defended him to the death. Later, Yang Feng attacked Duan Wei, and the two sides fought for more than ten days. Liu Xie tried his best and finally persuaded the two sides to make peace.
However, at this time, Li Jue, who was stationed in Chiyang, sent troops eastward to meet up with Guo Si to rescue Duan Wei. Zhang Ji, due to his disagreement with Yang Feng and Dong Cheng, rebelled again and conspired with Li Jue and Guo Si to keep Liu Xie in Hongnong.
The three armies pursued to the east stream of Hongnong, where Yang Feng and others were defeated. Guanglu Xun Deng Quan, Tingwei Xuan Bo, and Shesheng Xiaowei Ju Jun were killed in the battle. Li Jue let his troops kill ministers and officials, and looted the palace ladies and took them to Hongnong.
Shisun Rui, who scolded Guo Si at the banquet that day, was also killed. However, ironically, the ministers and officials who did not stand up at the time did not escape either, and suffered heavy casualties.
Now Liu Xie was being led by Dong Cheng and Yang Feng to flee in a panic, with Li Jue and Guo Si chasing him from behind. Seeing that Dong Cheng and Yang Feng were gradually unable to resist in the past few days, Liu Xie was shocked and frightened. If he was caught by Li Jue and Guo Si again, wouldn't all his efforts over the past year be in vain?
Seeing Liu Xie's worry, Fu Shou said, "Your Majesty, can't you seek help from the princes of the world?"
Liu Xie heard this and said angrily: "All the princes in the world have evil intentions!"
"Now that I am in trouble, where are they?"
"You are all laughing at my joke!"
"What kind of princes are you? They are not even as good as the Yellow Turban bandits. Even the Black Mountain bandits and the White Wave bandits know how to ask for titles and help from the Han Dynasty!"
He suddenly thought, isn't this the territory of the Baibo bandits?
Since the princes are unreliable, why not rely on them?
What the Baibo bandits want is an official position, which is actually the easiest thing for them to get. They can get it just by talking!
Thinking of this, he suddenly stood up and said to the palace servants: "Call Dong Cheng over!"