New Song Dynasty: My Wife is an Imperial Princess

Returning from outside the city, Tang Qian saw Zhao Yingluo pacing back and forth in her room as she entered her home.

When Tang Qian left home early in the morning, she felt a vague unease, worried that Wanyan Zonghan might harm her husband. That's why she mustered up the courage to ask to see Wanyan Xi. Seeing that Tang Qian had returned safely, her heart, which had been hanging in her throat, finally settled down.

After checking Tang Qian over thoroughly and finding that he was indeed unharmed, Zhao Yingluo sighed softly: "When I bumped into that Grand Marshal in front of our house yesterday, I sensed that he might have ill intentions towards me. If he uses this to blackmail me, my husband, you don't need to worry about me. Anyway, I'm here for a political marriage, and it doesn't matter who I marry. But I can't let you suffer for no reason."

It must be said that a woman's intuition is truly accurate; Zhao Yingluo sensed Wanyan Zonghan's malice at just one meeting.

Reaching out to pull Zhao Yingluo into his arms, Tang Qian gently comforted her, "Don't worry, since I said I would take you back to the Great Song Dynasty, how could I possibly hand you over to that old man? However, after this battle, our plans really need to be brought forward."

In the winter of the first year of the Jingkang era, the Jin army will invade the Song Dynasty again. This time, the Song Dynasty will not have the good fortune it had in the seventh year of the Xuanhe era. The fall of Bianjing (Kaifeng) will lead to the destruction of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Tang Qian knew that he alone could not reverse the fate of the Song Dynasty six months later. His plan was to take advantage of the opportunity when the Jin army was advancing south and the defenses of Youzhou City were weak, to take a boat and escape directly to Guangling City by waterway to reunite with his parents, and then cross the Yangtze River with Zhao Gou to the south.

With his status as the emperor's son-in-law and his past relationship with Zhao Gou in the Jin army camp, he should have no problem dying a natural death.

If Tang Qian wanted to achieve great things and change the course of history, he was confident that he could do so. As long as he had enough time to prepare, it was not impossible for him to lead an army back to Youzhou in the future.

But now his wife is being targeted by someone, and that person is a powerful figure he can't afford to offend. If Wanyan Zonghan really tries to take Zhao Yingluo away, he won't be able to stop him.

With such a potential threat hanging over his head like a sword, Tang Qian had no choice but to prepare to flee in advance.

To speed up the process, the construction of ships needed to be accelerated. Fortunately, the Li family of Jinling was quite helpful. After receiving Li Shu's letter, they indeed sent a shipbuilding team of dozens of craftsmen, which arrived in Youzhou as quickly as possible.

Of course, this group of people were extremely unwilling to come, but the head of the family had given them enough benefits and made proper arrangements for their families. With profit as their priority, they were indifferent to life and death. This group of people were gambling with their lives. If they won, they would be rich for life; if they lost, they would die.

Tang Qian said that as long as the ship was built, everyone could return to Jinling safely. Although such a promise was hardly credible, coming to Youzhou was originally a gamble with their lives on the line. With Tang Qian's guarantee, their chances of winning increased, and they worked with much more enthusiasm.

Tang Qian's requirements were not high; he only needed to build a boat that could run on the canal. The blueprints indicated that it was a three-masted sailing ship that was twenty zhang long and six zhang wide.

Such a boat can easily navigate inland waterways, but crossing the sea is simply impossible.

Wanyan Xun nearly crumpled the blueprints into a ball and threw it at Tang Qian's face: "This kind of ship can cross the sea? Do you really think I wouldn't dare to lay a hand on you?"

“The shipyard outside Youzhou City is too small. At present, it can only build ships of this size. This ship is just a prototype. As the saying goes, it is small but complete. The layout of the cabin and the height of the deck are all scaled down to the size of a sea ship. The craftsmen in the shipyard can build this ship. In the future, it can be enlarged ten times according to the size ratio. A ship that is twenty feet long cannot withstand the waves. Would two hundred feet be enough?”

"Two hundred zhang long and sixty zhang wide?" Wanyan Xun couldn't imagine how big the ship Tang Qian described was; it was practically a moving castle.

"And there's the most crucial part." Tang Qian pointed to a certain area on the blueprint. Wanyan Xun looked down and realized that he was referring to the area below the waterline at the stern.

"Install a wooden propeller and rudder at this location, and then use gears to drive the propeller to rotate. In this way, our ship can move in the direction we intend without relying on sails, and even going against the current will not be a problem."

"There's even such a mechanism?" Wanyan Xun's eyes lit up at Tang Qian's design. "Brother Tang truly lives up to his reputation as a genius."

If he had a ship that could move without wind, where in the world would he not be able to go?

"Have Li Shu recruit thousands more craftsmen to build this experimental ship as quickly as possible. Then move the shipyard to the coast and build the invincible warship of Youzhou."

No need for many, just ten ships, and Wanyan Xun was confident that he could sail directly to the ancestral court of the Great Jin and catch those elders off guard.

Just as Tang Qian was meticulously planning to escape Youzhou, Zhuo Luwang, escorted by a group of guards, arrived at Linhuang Prefecture, where another Grand Marshal, Wanyan Zongwang, was stationed.

Wanyan Zongwang had no interest in summoning this tribal prince who had just submitted to the Jin Dynasty. It was only after much effort that Zhuo Luwang finally got a chance to meet the Grand Marshal.

Upon learning that Zhuo Luwang intended to present a rare and exotic fruit, Wanyan Zongwang barely mustered his spirits, though he still looked listless. What kind of earth-shattering thing could a third-rate tribe possibly offer?

"This fruit was obtained by my father by chance when he was traveling in various Western Regions in his early years. The ripe fruit is greenish-yellow and contains white sap. Soaking it in warm water and drinking the liquid can refresh the mind and make one feel as if they are sitting on a cloud. It can also be used to relieve pain and diarrhea, clear heat and stop coughs, with immediate effects."

Then, he took out a white porcelain bottle from his bundle: "Inside are pills made by my father using fruit pulp as raw material and mixed with various rare medicinal herbs. Please accept this as a gift, Grand Marshal."

Wanyan Zongwang's curiosity was finally piqued. He took the porcelain bottle from Zhuo Luwang's hand, uncorked it, and sure enough, he smelled a medicinal fragrance emanating from it—a refreshing and pleasant aroma.

Pour a pill into his palm and Wanyan Zongwang frowned slightly: "Is it really as you say, capable of giving one the feeling of ascending to heaven in broad daylight?"

"Whether it is as the villain says, the Grand Marshal will know once he tries it."

As Zhuo Luwang waited expectantly, Wanyan Zongwang put the pills in his hand back into the porcelain bottle: "Speak, what do you want from me? If it is within my power, I will help you once."

Seeing that Wanyan Zongwang had put the porcelain bottle aside, Zhuo Luwang's expression remained unchanged: "I only pray for peace and prosperity for the country, and that my Zhuo Lu tribe may prosper for generations to come."