Chapter 30
Whether it was just her imagination or not, Lia felt Morgan's hands on her waist tighten, as if she were gripping the bedsheets.
The room was very quiet, save for the occasional seductive and comfortable sound Morgan made.
After a long while, Lia stopped the movements of her palms. She lowered her head to look at Morgan's closed eyes, the flush on Morgan's face clearly visible. Hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Sister, is that enough?"
Morgan's closed eyes snapped open, her watery blue eyes gazing at Lia. A smile curled at the corners of her mouth as she said softly, "Your technique is truly excellent, Sister. I feel very comfortable; it's much better now."
"That's good then." Lia breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then let's leave it at that for tonight. If I feel uncomfortable again next time, I'll keep coming to find you~" Morgan released Lia, rose from her body, and began to tidy her clothes.
"Ah, okay." Seeing that Morgan intended to head back just like that without doing anything else, Lia felt relieved, yet also a tiny bit disappointed.
"Sister, did you feel anything just now?" Just as Morgan was about to open the door and leave, she suddenly turned back and asked.
"Feel...? I didn't feel anything at all!" Lia's face instantly turned red again as she felt a certain stickiness in her lower body.
With such a great beauty lying in her arms and letting her rub her belly, it would be a lie to say she felt nothing.
However, she still harbored quite a bit of fear toward Morgan. This woman had pushed her down on the very first day they met; she didn't dare act recklessly, lest she be pushed down a second time!
Looking at the expression on Lia's face, Morgan smiled slightly and opened the door. She believed that if she took the initiative a few more times, she would bound to win her sister over!
Lia had no idea that Morgan was already planning to set a trap for her. After seeing Morgan leave, she hurried to the door and locked it again, fearing Morgan might push the door open and come back in.
Lia locked the door and returned to bed. But after Morgan's antics, let alone thinking about tomorrow's affairs, her head was now filled with thoughts of Morgan, making it difficult for her to sleep.
"Next time, next time, I absolutely won't open the door for this person!" Lia muttered to herself.
However, just a few days later, Morgan was about to give birth.
Lia was a bit anxious upon hearing the news. Just as she was about to have someone call for the Midwife, Morgan had already come out holding the child.
"Huh?" Lia couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion.
Wasn't giving birth supposed to be extremely exhausting? How was it that from start to finish, it only took her sister a few minutes?
"Sister, how did you give birth so quickly?" Lia looked at the child Morgan was holding and couldn't help but ask.
"I used magecraft to take it out. Did you expect me to be like an ordinary woman, screaming and shouting there?" Morgan gave Lia a sidelong glance.
"Is that how it is...?" Lia was a bit dumbfounded. It turned out she had been worrying for nothing like a fool.
"This is our daughter. Sister, take a look~" As she spoke, Morgan handed the daughter in her arms to Lia.
Lia curiously took the daughter she shared with Morgan. She had white hair.
"White hair?" Lia was stunned. Shouldn't it be blonde? Mordred became white-haired?
Though it was strange, Lia didn't say anything about it. White hair was fine; wasn't there a saying about white hair being a special weakness for people from the Central Plains?
Chapter 71: Morgan, Aren't You Afraid of a Backstab?
"Sister, do you have any names in mind for our daughter?" Morgan suddenly asked.
Lia thought for a moment and said, "I'm terrible at naming. If I were to do it, it probably wouldn't turn out well. Why don't you choose one yourself, Sister?"
Naming her Mordred would actually be inappropriate. She was currently promoting sinicization within her borders; whether they were barbarians or Han people, everyone had to learn han family culture. If she gave her daughter a foreign name, it would be somewhat out of place.
But what would Morgan choose? Lia was a bit curious. Would she still call her Mordred?
"Then let's call her Melusine," Morgan said after some thought.
"Melusine? Isn't that the name of the Fairy Knight Lancelot? Good grief, are you planning to give birth to an entire Round Table for me?" Hearing this name, Lia was stunned.
She had originally thought this child was Mordred, but it turned out she wasn't at all. Could this be the inertia of history?
Even though she had left Britain, Morgan had still come running here, and even the daughter she gave birth to occupied the position of the First Knight of the Round Table.
"While that name is nice, it can only be used as a childhood name. Her formal name needs to follow the Huaxia culture here, so let's change it a bit," Lia said.
"Huaxia culture?" Morgan tilted her head.
Lia could only explain the situation in Huaxia to Morgan, such as how she had changed her own name to the surname Long and the given name Lia.
"I see. In that case... how about Long Luxin?" Morgan suggested after more thought.
"Then Long Luxin it is." Lia wiped away non-existent sweat from her forehead. It seemed this cheap daughter really was Melusine.
But Melusine was someone who liked to backstab Morgan. Lia teased the daughter's cheek with her hand. 'Little one, will you be like that in the future?'
Little Luxin naturally didn't know the meaning of her name. Seeing Lia teasing her, she just giggled and grabbed Lia's finger, trying to stuff it into her mouth. It seemed she mistook Lia's finger for food.
"The little one has quite a bit of strength?" Although Lia wasn't using any force, the little one's strength was unexpectedly great. Despite having just been born, she could already pull Lia's hand.
She was the daughter of her and her sister, after all. Her body inherited the power of both of them, so it was only normal for the little one to be a bit formidable.
Seeing Lia teasing their daughter, Morgan, who was standing to the side, felt completely at ease. Her sister indeed had no grievances against her; otherwise, she wouldn't be getting along so harmoniously with this little one.
After two months passed peacefully like this, many of the things Lia wanted to develop had been created and were starting to be put on the agenda.
While Lia was reviewing the financial situation of this period, Ninger came to her side. After bowing, she said, "Miss, Prefect Wang has an urgent report."
"Send him in." Upon hearing this, Lia had Ninger bring the man in.
Soon, a frantic Prefect Wang arrived. He bowed to Lia and said hurriedly, "My Lord, there is a report from the border. The Nomadic Confederation is suspected of an impending invasion."
"The Nomadic Confederation? What is going on?" Lia asked immediately upon hearing the news.
At this moment, the 'border' referred to the area around Yumen Pass.
"According to General Yu Ming over there, the Rouran People seem to have learned about our recent battle with the Wei State. Intending to strike while we have not yet recovered, they have gathered tens of thousands of soldiers, planning to take the opportunity to head south and plunder."
"Hmph, these Rouran People, I must show them what's what!" Lia slammed the table and frowned upon hearing this.
The Rouran People were actually descendants of a branch of the Huns. However, these fellows primarily used light cavalry and frequently invaded the south, making them hard to defend against.
Once the Han Army organized its soldiers, they would flee. Later, to deal with this situation, there were the ancient stories of Huo Qubing and Wei Qing.
However, because these people were nomads, unlike the Huaxia people who lived by farming, they had no fixed residence on the grasslands. Once the Han Army came to suppress them, they would run away; once the han family left, they would return again.
It could be said that these fellows were a malignant tumor, specifically existing to disgust people.
They were essentially a nation on horseback, and their combat power was chilling. Many of The various kingdoms of the Western Regions suffered from their depredations and could only submit to their iron hooves.
Lia thought for a moment. She had originally intended to conquer The various kingdoms of the Western Regions; now that the 'big brother' of those kingdoms had arrived, she could take the opportunity to deal with them. This would also let the people of the Western Regions understand whose fist was bigger!
She would beat the Rouran People into submission and then take the opportunity to incorporate the Western Regions directly into her territory. In any case, she had rested and recovered enough over the past few months.
Thinking of this, Lia immediately summoned all her subordinates to the assembly hall.
Under Lia's summons, over twenty people soon arrived. Among them, besides Lia's original subordinates, there were many leaders from the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Over the past two months, people from the Hundred Schools had been arriving in Lia's territory one after another to begin teaching.
When these people saw that there was actually a woman sitting in the main seat next to Lia who looked very similar to her, they all showed expressions of doubt.
"My dear subjects, perhaps you already know, or perhaps some of you do not, but today I would like to solemnly introduce to you who this person beside me is. This is my elder sister, Long Fei." In truth, Lia had simply taken the last character of Morgan le Fay's name to form a Han-style name.
Although Morgan had been here for two months, these people had only heard of her fame without ever seeing her in person.
Doesn't 'Long Fei' sound like 'Dragon Consort'? When Morgan made that association, she was quite satisfied with the name Lia had chosen.
"Greetings, Eldest Princess," the crowd addressed Morgan respectfully.
Morgan nodded.
"I have called you all here today because you should have received the news that the Nomadic Confederation intends to invade our borders and plunder the south. I plan to personally lead the army to recover The various kingdoms of the Western Regions to serve as a defense against the Nomadic Confederation. I wonder what you all think of this matter," Lia said after a moment's thought.
"My Lord, the road to the Western Regions is fraught with peril. We need only defend at Yumen Pass; you must absolutely not go in person." After Lia finished speaking, a civil official named Yu Shang stepped forward.
Lia glanced at him, knowing he was afraid something might happen to her on this expedition. If she were to suffer a major defeat and return, it would have a severe impact on the power base she had worked so hard to build.
However, Lia had already made up her mind to strike fear into these Rouran People, so that they would flee for a thousand miles at the mere mention of her name.
Furthermore, Northern Wei and Liu Song Dynasty were currently fighting fiercely in Henan, leaving them no time to worry about her. This was the best opportunity to recover the Western Regions.
Chapter 72: Lia Wants to Develop flintlock guns
"Minister Yu, I believe you are mistaken. The Nomadic Confederation has long harmed our han family's common people, invading year after year. The various kingdoms of the Western Regions have now become vassals of the Nomadic Confederation, allowing the Rouran People to come and go as they please in the Western Regions. Only by stabilizing the Western Regions can we annihilate these Rouran People beyond Mobei!"
After Lia's words fell, the others sank into deep thought. Soon, Li Lin cupped his fists and said, "What my Lord says is correct. As a righteous army, how could we not feel ashamed if we cannot protect Common People? However, Mobei spans ten thousand miles. If we are to pursue the Nomadic Confederation deep into their territory, what should we do if we accidentally lose our way?"
The Nomadic Confederation was not scary; what was scary was their total lack of understanding of the conditions in Mobei. Once they took a wrong turn, it would be a fatal mistake for the marching soldiers.
"I already have a solution for this problem," Lia smiled.
"May I ask what solution my Lord has?" Mulan asked curiously.
"Do you all remember the kongming lanterns from a while ago? They have now been developed to the point where they can carry people. Although there are still some shortcomings, they can already control their direction and enter the lands of Mobei," Lia spoke of her secret weapon.
"I see. If we have the help of the kongming lanterns as my Lord described, as long as the soldiers on the lanterns guide us, there will be no problem!" Hearing Lia's words, the generals all showed expressions of excitement.
Although Mobei was said to span ten thousand miles, once someone was watching from the sky, the Rouran People would have nowhere to hide.
Next was the time to finalize the itinerary. For these ministers, it was excellent if the master reasoned with you, but if you couldn't out-reason them, you had to follow the master's ideas and work on perfecting the details.
Lia quickly set the itinerary. This time, she would personally lead an army of ten thousand on the expedition to the Western Regions, while Li Lin was dispatched to Chang'an to prevent the Aristocratic Families there from making a comeback.
After her departure, all matters in the rear would be organized and led by her sister, Morgan.
Over the past two months, Lia had also allowed Morgan to learn a great deal about the affairs within her territory, so even if she left, there wouldn't be any major issues.
Before Morgan arrived, Lia had no way to lead a personal expedition. After all, the grudge between her and the Aristocratic Families was quite large. Don't be fooled by how quiet these families were now; in their hearts, they all wished for Lia's early death.
Once she led an army on a distant expedition to the Western Regions, the Aristocratic Families might feel there was an opportunity to seize and throw her rear into chaos. It was just like Cao Cao; every time he went on an expedition against others, the rear would always cause trouble for him.
Now with Morgan here, Lia had far fewer worries and could entrust all rear affairs to her, allowing her to focus on the war with peace of mind.
Afterward, Lia established a title for her rule: "Wu," which became the Wu Kingdom.
Since she had already conquered Chang'an, it wasn't impossible to choose a future dynastic title. Once she formally conquered the Western Regions, this title could be officially established.
Although the itinerary for the conquest of the Western Regions had been decided, they didn't set out that quickly. It took half a month for all the protocols to finally be finalized.
"Sister, I am heading out to the Western Regions this time, and I don't know how long it will take. I have been conceptualizing a weapon for a while now. I hope that after I leave, you will have the craftsmen try to produce this weapon." Before leaving, Lia handed a drawn blueprint to Morgan.
"What is this thing that looks like a wooden club?" Morgan asked in confusion as she looked at the blueprint Lia had drawn.
"This thing is called a flintlock gun, a very new type of weapon specifically designed to be loaded with gunpowder. It can attack from a great distance, and it has great power and range. Once production is complete, it can replace bows and arrows," Lia said.
"You're saying this thing can replace bows and arrows?" Morgan was somewhat surprised.
"I can't say it will completely replace them, but the advantages of the flintlock gun are just too great," Lia said after some thought.
Evaluating based purely on weapon performance, the main advantage of the bow and arrow over the flintlock gun was its high rate of fire, being able to shoot five or six arrows in a minute.
But this advantage was relative, because the strength required to draw a bow was far greater than that needed to load and fire. In prolonged combat, flintlock gunners would not tire as easily as archers.
In damp weather, bows could not be drawn because the bowstrings would get wet, but flintlock guns could be fired normally as long as it wasn't raining. Therefore, the reliability of the flintlock gun was far greater than that of the bow.
Then there was the matter of accuracy. Bows required years of training to ensure a certain level of precision.
However, if flintlock gunners were trained seriously, their accuracy was far better than that of bows. matchlock guns were called 'bird guns' precisely because they could accurately shoot flying birds.
In terms of weapon power, flintlock gunners could pierce plate armor from a distance of over 50 meters, whereas archers often found it difficult to penetrate plate armor. When facing elite heavy enemy units, the flintlock gun had an incomparable advantage over the bow.
In terms of training difficulty, archers required at least three years of training, while a flintlock gunner only needed three months to learn the three-point line, standard handling movements, following firing commands, and formations. The speed at which a unit could be formed was far faster than with bows.
Regarding personnel requirements, recruiting archers required selecting high-quality recruits with superior physical fitness, and even required the recruitment area to have a long tradition of archery.
In contrast, recruiting flintlock gunners simply involved gathering a large number of farmers and idle men from villages and towns, and an army could be formed rapidly.
Furthermore, after a few months of training, one could field ten thousand flintlock gunners to trade fire with one or two thousand enemy archers. Flintlock units could utilize the three-stage firing tactic, completely overwhelming archers with firepower on the battlefield.
It could be said that the replacement of bows and arrows by flintlock guns was inevitable.
After Lia listed these advantages, Morgan fell into deep thought. With her abilities, it wasn't too difficult to create a single flintlock gun.
However, mass production would not be an easy task; that would require the craftsmen to do it.
She decided to try making one herself according to Lia's design. If it truly was as Lia described, then this new type of weapon would become the standard equipment for the soldiers under their command.
Even Lia hadn't expected that Morgan would create the flintlock gun she designed in just a single day.
However, the flintlock gun Morgan made was produced using her personal abilities. If it were handed over to craftsmen for research, it would still take some time to create the molds and forge them.
But this process also accelerated the research and manufacturing of the flintlock gun. Going from nothing to something might be troublesome, but with the first prototype, as long as it was taken apart to make molds, subsequent flintlock guns could be produced according to the standard of this gun.
Chapter 73: Attacking the Western Regions
Lia felt a bit of regret seeing this. Had she known Morgan's abilities were so outstanding, she would have given this weapon to her to handle from the start; perhaps the army would already be equipped with it by now.