140: Meng Guang

Chapter 139: Ambitious Meng Guang

"Grand Marshal Xu entered Yunzhou? So fast."

In the Imperial Garden, the weather was quite nice today, and Zheng Yi was accompanying the Empress and Consort Duan to sunbathe inside the Imperial Garden.

Empress Lu Liner was already seven months pregnant, her lower belly slightly bulging at this moment, and her face somewhat plump.

Her originally perky breasts were now even more plump, radiating the glow of motherhood.

As for Xu Qingluan, she was also three months pregnant, though nothing could be seen yet at this moment, and her figure remained as agile as ever.

"Your Majesty~"

Upon hearing the report from the Jinyi Guard, Xu Qingluan was somewhat worried.

"Will anything happen to Father? Traveling all the way from Bin Province to Yunzhou in just over two months, how can his body endure it?"

Zheng Yi said, "Beloved Consort, rest assured. Grand Marshal Xu advanced to the Innate realm nearly ten years ago. Even Fire Spirit Master is no match for him, let alone these petty rebels?"

"Besides, I have already secretly dispatched Chen Zhong and Chen Yi to Yunzhou to secretly protect Grand Marshal Xu. With three Innate powerhouses making a move, I really cannot think of who else in this world could stop them?"

"Three Innate..."

Only then did Xu Qingluan feel much more at ease, but she worriedly said, "But, but what about Big Brother..."

"Xu Xuanwu will not die either."

Zheng Yi said, "Grand Marshal Xu heading south all the way from Bin Province to Yunzhou seems furious, but he left room for maneuver."

"The most likely outcome for Xu Xuanwu is being beaten up by Grand Marshal Xu and then brought back to the capital for trial."

Xu Qingluan said, "Your Majesty~"

"Alright, Beloved Consort, I know what you want to do."

Zheng Yi held Xu Qingluan's hand and said, "Let's wait until your father brings your oldest brother back first."

"Yes, yes..."

Just at this moment, Liu Chengen walked over in quick steps.

"Your Majesty, Meng Guang requests an audience."

"Oh? So fast?" Zheng Yi's eyes flashed as he said, "Let him in."

"Understood!"

In the fifth year of zhengyong, Meng Guang defected to Zheng Yi, and Zheng Yi granted him unlimited trust.

He was sent with men to the coast of Bin Province to build the Northern Ocean Navy, given men when he asked for men, troops when he asked for troops, money when he asked for money, and cannons when he asked for cannons!

For nearly four years, Zheng Yi had also been relying on the Jinyi Guard and the Shadow Guard to investigate intelligence on the Northern Ocean Navy and Meng Guang.

Intelligence showed that Meng Guang remained extremely loyal to the imperial court and to Zheng Yi.

In just three years, he had built a large naval group with a strength exceeding 100,000 men.

Among them, there were over thirty large warships and more than a thousand small patrol boats.

Each large warship was equipped with ten Red Barbarian Cannons, possessing extremely strong combat power.

Lu Liner stretched and softly said, "Your Majesty~ This Palace is a bit tired, and requests to withdraw for now."

"Go ahead, Liner, rest well."

"Mmm~"

Supported by her personal maid, Lu Liner slowly stood up.

"Consort Duan is not leaving?"

"Oh, right, right..."

Xu Qingluan's mood was somewhat flustered, and only then did she react, hurriedly standing up to say, "Your Majesty, this concubine takes her leave."

"Take good care of the Empress and Consort Duan."

"Understood~"

Attended by more than ten palace maids and eunuchs, Lu Liner and Xu Qingluan slowly walked out of the Imperial Garden.

After walking just a few steps, they happened to run into Liu Chengen leading a tall, fully armed general who exuded the scent of sea salt, walking over slowly.

Seeing the two women, Meng Guang quickly stepped aside and saluted, saying, "Your humble subject Meng Guang greets the two noble consorts!"

"Mmm."

Lu Liner nodded slightly: "You are Meng Guang?"

"Yes!"

"Serve His Majesty well, and His Majesty will not treat you unfairly."

"Yes... Noble Consort."

Liu Chengen whispered a reminder from the side: "This is Empress Niangniang, and that is Consort Duan Niangniang."

Meng Guang's figure paused, and he immediately knelt on the ground: "Your humble subject Meng Guang greets Empress Niangniang and Consort Duan Niangniang!"

"I did not recognize the two Niangniang earlier, and I hope the two Niangniang will forgive me."

"No matter."

Lu Liner waved her hand and said, "Hurry on in, do not keep His Majesty waiting anxiously."

"Understood!"

Meng Guang got up and slowly stepped back.

And Lu Liner, along with Xu Qingluan, also slowly left.

"Consort Duan, what do you think of this Meng Guang?"

"A valiant and bold warrior, I heard His Majesty trusts him very much?"

"He hasn't returned to the capital to report on his duties in over three years, and now that the ten provinces are in full rebellion, he comes running back. What is he doing if not asking for an official position?"

Lu Liner disdainfully said, "And just now, this fellow looked respectful, but that gaze of his was truly a bit detestable. It doesn't look as respectful as other external ministers."

Xu Qingluan frowned and said, "Really? Why didn't I notice?"

"You? What your heart is filled with right now is probably Grand Marshal Xu and Xu Xuanwu. It's completely normal that you didn't notice other things."

Lu Liner confidently said, "Just wait and see, this Lord Meng Guang will surely attain the highest ranks of officialdom in the future."

"Perhaps it will be just like Grand Marshal Xu~ Hehehe..."

Perhaps due to being pregnant for a long time, Lu Liner grew increasingly sleepy, and after saying a few words, she lost interest.

Waving her hand, the sedan chair waiting outside the Imperial Garden immediately came over. The personal maids helped the two women onto their sedan chairs one after another, heading towards their respective palaces.

Imperial Garden.

Meng Guang walked quickly for two steps, and when he was still several steps away from Zheng Yi, he directly knelt on the ground, sliding forward three or five steps, and respectfully said:

"Your humble subject Meng Guang pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"

Zheng Yi's mouth twitched slightly as he said, "Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Grant a seat!"

Two little eunuchs brought over an octagonal stool, and Meng Guang cautiously sat on the edge of it.

"Long time no see, Your Majesty's demeanor far surpasses the past."

Zheng Yi looked Meng Guang up and down: "Indeed, over three years unseen, Lord Meng has grown increasingly valiant and divine."

Meng Guang at this moment, compared to three years ago, was even more mature and confident.

His skin was slightly darkened and somewhat rough, obviously from long-term exposure to wind and rain.

Conquering the seas was not like the land; often months would pass without seeing land. For Meng Guang to survive until now, and to develop the Northern Ocean Navy to its current state, his contributions were indelible.

Over these past three years, Meng Guang had sent memorial reports almost every few months, indicating the current construction progress of the Northern Ocean Navy.

And Zheng Yi naturally also dispatched Jinyi Guards and eunuchs into the Northern Ocean army to supervise, but unfortunately, the fleet often went out to sea for months at a time, making intelligence on the Northern Ocean Navy very scarce.

Among these few memorials, most were requests for reinforcements or for thermal weapons such as cannons.

Regarding these memorials from Meng Guang, Zheng Yi naturally would not refuse, and was almost responsive to every request.

"How is the Northern Ocean Navy doing now?"

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's heavenly achievements."

Meng Guang said, "Now our Northern Ocean Navy has a total of 100,000 naval personnel, over 300,000 logistics personnel, thirty-eight main battle warships, 1,200-plus patrol boats, occupying three islands, shaking the East Sea with our might!"

"Especially the Red Barbarian Cannons supported by Your Majesty, which have made immortal contributions to the construction of the Northern Ocean Navy!"

"The Red Barbarian Cannons are strong indeed, but you being able to build the Northern Ocean Navy to its current state is a contribution of great magnitude."

"I will never fail any meritorious minister!"

Zheng Yi said, "I am still quite interested in your experiences over these past three years. Feel free to talk about them."

"Understood!"

Meng Guang respectfully said, "Three years ago, after bidding farewell to Your Majesty, I led my own troops and two hundred artillerymen to Bin Province."

"When passing through Jizhou, I discussed with my staff advisors and quickly made another decision..."

Under Meng Guang's narration, Zheng Yi quickly understood most of the situation regarding Meng Guang over the past three years and more.

As it turned out, after leaving the capital, Meng Guang did not head to Bin Province right away, but instead went to Qingzhou!

Qingzhou bordered the sea, and its territory had many lakes and water sources.

Meng Guang gathered the brothers left over from his days as a water bandit and began to attack the water bandits within Jizhou's territory!

His goal was to first round up the Qingzhou water bandits.

Doing so would not only solve the bandit infestation in Qingzhou, but also strengthen his own power, laying the foundation for the construction of the Northern Ocean Navy—killing three birds with one stone!

He only had a little over 3,000 men under his command, but he possessed two hundred artillerymen. In addition to the Red Barbarian Cannons, there were also a large number of matchlock guns, Thunderbolt Mines, grenades, and so on.

Meng Guang took the artillery as his vanguard and began to conquer the Jizhou water bandits.

In a short span of half a year, more than half of the fifteen routes of water bandits across the waters of Jizhou had already been wiped out by him.

The remaining water bandits either brought all their wealth to surrender to Meng Guang, or abandoned their foundations and fled far away in other directions.

After achieving this battle record, Zheng Yi once again dispatched 3,000 New Army troops to be placed under Meng Guang's command.

Among them, the strongest faction of water bandits called themselves the Liangxingshan water bandits, having a total of 108 leaders and over 10,000 troops under their command.

Among these 108 leaders, even the one with the lowest martial arts cultivation was as strong as the Third Grade Realm.

The strongest three among them were even Grandmaster Realm Martial Artists.

Yet even so, they were successively defeated by Meng Guang relying on firearms and military formations.

In the end, Meng Guang even begged an imperial decree of amnesty from the imperial court, subduing the vast majority of the Liangxingshan water bandits.

The number of troops under his command, after annihilating the Jizhou water bandits, unexpectedly surged in one go to over 30,000 men!

Afterwards, he stayed among the waters of Jizhou, using these water bandits as a foundation to train a naval force.

At the same time, he continuously weeded out those who committed crimes or disobeyed military law within the army, quickly training this group of water bandits into a proper naval force.

While training the navy, he also relied on the silver and new recruits given by Zheng Yi to start recruiting refugees and continue expanding his strength.

June of the seventh year of zhengyong.

The naval force under Meng Guang's command reached over 50,000 men!

Afterwards, he led these 50,000 naval troops, advancing by both land and water routes toward Bin Province.

On land, the marching troops wiped out rebels along the way and recruited refugees to continue expanding their strength.

On the sea route, Meng Guang led personally, setting his sights on the pirates of the East Sea!

These pirates were mostly formed spontaneously by coastal residents.

Idle, they were pirates; busy, they were fishermen.

Among them, four pirate factions were the most powerful, known as the Four Pirate Kings.

The East Sea's Qingyin King!

The Storm Sea's Storm King!

The Chaotic Sea's Black Dragon King!

The Star Sea's All-Star King!

These Four Pirate Kings occupied numerous islands and territories along the coast of Great Yu, plundering populations, robbing merchant ships, and even occasionally attacking small island nations.

For coastal residents, these pirate kings were truly a thorn in their side.

Meanwhile, the Qingyin King located within the East Sea of Great Yu was the greatest opponent Meng Guang faced.

In order to defeat the Qingyin King, he once again sought reinforcements from the imperial court.

Zheng Yi considered it for a moment back then, and directly allocated three hundred Red Barbarian Cannons, escorted by 3,000 New Army troops, to support Meng Guang.

Relying on these cannons, Meng Guang successively defeated the seven routes of pirates under the Qingyin King, obtaining countless spoils of war and conquering several small islands.

The Qingyin King was furious, summoned all his pirates numbering over 100,000 people, and even joined forces with the pirate group under the Storm Sea's Storm King to launch a surprise attack on Meng Guang's navy.

This battle... was still won by Meng Guang!

Volleys from three hundred Red Barbarian Cannons instantly blew up the Qingyin King's flagship and several other ships.

Three days later, the Qingyin King fled in panic, and Meng Guang led his army in pursuit for three hundred nautical miles!

From then on, the East Sea belonged entirely to Meng Guang's Northern Ocean Navy.

And the Qingyin King had no choice but to abandon most of his territories and flee in disarray.

Afterward, Meng Guang began to seize all the property left behind by the Qingyin King, and his power exploded.

Even the neighboring Storm Sea's Storm King could not help but send envoys to make peace and befriend him.

Just at this time, an imperial decree from Zheng Yi summoned Meng Guang back to the capital.

Upon receiving Zheng Yi's order, Meng Guang immediately left a portion of the navy to garrison the base, led his main force into the river from the estuary of the Canglong River, and sailed toward the capital.

For a full hour or more, Meng Guang spoke with extravagant and brilliant descriptions, dancing with his hands and feet from time to time as he recounted the hardships of these past three years and more.

Of course, the most frequent thing was expressing his admiration for Zheng Yi's support and care from time to time.

It was as if... everything he had attained was achieved under Zheng Yi's direct command.

The greatest credit belonged entirely to Your Majesty.

While he, Meng Guang, was merely a little pawn who had managed to reach this step by chance under Zheng Yi's tacit instruction.

"Hahaha..."

Zheng Yi was also amused to hearty laughter by Meng Guang. This fellow, seemingly honest and loyal, occasionally revealed an Aura and tone that indeed betrayed extraordinary qualities.

Vaguely, Zheng Yi had already seen through what Meng Guang was hiding.

An ambitious warlord.

An ambitious hero of troubled times, an able minister of a peaceful era!

Just like that King of Wei in his past life's history!

However, the King of Wei back then lacked a wise ruler to suppress him, and in the end could only become a warlord of troubled times.

As for Great Yu, with him around, no matter how great Meng Guang's ambition was, he would still have to obediently curl up and work for him!

Zheng Yi said, "Meng Guang, you are doing very well!"

"As I said before, as long as you do not betray Me, I will naturally trust you. Between you and Me, monarch and subject, there is no need to perform these superficial pleasantries."

"Your Majesty! Your subject is entirely sincere and harbors no second intentions!"

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "So be it. This time I called you back to the capital for the purpose of letting you annihilate the rebel kings of other provinces and prefectures."

"You... what official position do you want?"