The attendees at the meeting, upon hearing this strategy, looked as if they wanted to laugh but dared not. They had never expected such a method to be proposed publicly. This alliance strategy was indeed very suitable for Li Kongteng, as finding a good son-in-law allowed him to maintain his position.
As a result, he dared to joke about the City Lord's daughter at this moment, which made people want to laugh. If the City Lord became angry because of this, he would be finished.
Everyone turned to look at the City Lord, wanting to know his current expression. After all, he was the master of Jinling, governing a large surrounding area, and the nominal head of China. If he were to fly into a rage at this moment, it would be quite troublesome for everyone.
The City Lord of Jinling was named Zhou Yayun. He was already over forty years old, but unfortunately, he did not have many children, only one daughter and one son. His daughter was older, around thirteen or fourteen years old, while his son was just turning five, too young.
Zhou Yayun, after hearing this suggestion, said, "At this moment, the relationship between our Jinling and Yuzhou is still quite good, and no major trouble has arisen, so there is no need to use means like marriage alliances to unite with them. However, I must also state that I am not considering my own selfish interests. If special circumstances arise in the future, such as Shen Feng truly controlling the sea outlet to the south, then he will be like a dragon soaring in the sea or a tiger leaping in the mountains. At that time, I will certainly let my daughter marry his son."
"Actually, I was just joking. Why are you all taking it seriously? I said it casually, so don't take it to heart," Li Kongteng said with a smile, then sat down, as if he wished the matter had never happened. Unfortunately, everyone had already taken his words to heart.
At this moment, Ke Yiming stood up and said, "Actually, everyone doesn't need to pay too much attention to the southwestern region, because no one can truly eradicate the mutated insects at present. Even if we use nuclear bombs, we cannot easily eliminate the insects in a short period, especially since many insects hide in the soil. It is extremely difficult to deal with these insects. With the great enemy at our doorstep, engaging in internal strife is not the act of a hero and will not help our future. Let's stop discussing this matter."
Upon hearing this, everyone thought about it carefully and realized it was indeed the case.
At this moment, Yuzhou had not shown the slightest sign of threat. If Shen Feng were to be considered a threat at this time, it would be unreasonable. Even if Shen Feng wanted more say in the future, it was not something that could be achieved now.
Thus, the meeting in Jinling ended. Yuzhou had not yet shown stronger aggression, so at this moment, they could not directly treat the other party as an enemy. However, people had already kept this in mind. If Shen Feng truly obtained Dian Province in the future, perhaps the marriage alliance plan would indeed be put on the agenda.
People from all regions, as long as they had normal thinking, could understand that Shen Feng had once been like a tiger crouching in one area. Although he had strong power, as long as the Three Gorges were locked, he could not get out. But now, Shen Feng was about to become a giant dragon soaring in the nine heavens. Because as long as Shen Feng could occupy Dian Province, he would possess the previously occupied Myan-Dian region, and then he could obtain a sea outlet and energy resources.
Once Shen Feng obtained a sea outlet, no one could restrict him anymore. Because he could rely on the existing railway to directly reach the sea. Although it was not the Pacific Ocean, there were abundant resources in the Indian Ocean. This way, his status would rise significantly.
"Perhaps in the future, Shen Feng will have even greater influence. This guy must not be provoked!" Everyone now held this thought in their hearts: they must not provoke someone with a great future.
There is a widely circulated saying in this world: "Do not bully a young man in his poverty." It means not to bully a young man in his poor circumstances, for he might rise in the future and pose a threat to you. Therefore, one should be polite to every young man and not provoke them, otherwise, once they achieve success, they might retaliate.
However, in reality, people in the world do not care about this saying at all, because many people believe that a person's destiny is determined in their childhood. The environment in which they are born largely dictates their future, and they cannot escape it, thus remaining in poverty. Therefore, the saying "Do not bully a young man in his poverty" is problematic. One only needs to look at the other person's family background to know whether they will have a day of soaring success and then develop various strange ideas.
Thus, it is common in this world for poor boys to be looked down upon. These situations, in the hands of web novel writers, become selling points. This is what "waste to genius" novels are all about.
The reason why such novels can attract others is that they write about their own experiences, and then make the protagonist a "Dragon King" who performs various acts of showing off and humiliating others. Thus, in the eyes of others, this is a portrayal of "Do not bully a young man in his poverty." Many poor boys, after reading these novels, become invigorated, thinking that the book is well-written. It is a pity that they do not consider that perhaps the person who wrote the book is also a poor boy with a bleak future, just like them.
As for Shen Feng, no one dares to underestimate him anymore. Because everyone knows that Shen Feng was originally the City Lord of a large city, with a population exceeding ten million. And now, if he expands his territory and obtains a sea outlet, he will truly become a dragon.
"It's truly a case of comparing oneself to others and dying of anger. Shen Feng, who is only in his thirties, has already achieved what others cannot achieve in a lifetime, which is awe-inspiring," someone said after hearing about Shen Feng's actions, immediately putting away their dismissive thoughts and sighing helplessly in their heart.
In the apocalypse, most people cannot even hold onto their own territory, let alone other things. Yet, Shen Feng has not only conquered a vast and fertile region but is also continuously expanding. This situation, in the eyes of others, evokes envy.
In reality, Shen Feng's current situation is like others watching him eat sugarcane; only he himself knows whether this sugarcane is sweet or not.
Before Shen Feng decided to send troops, almost all civilian officials opposed his expansion, because they all felt that in the midst of the apocalypse, expanding territory at this time would surely increase their burden, making it difficult to manage later. If Yuzhou eventually collapsed due to excessive burden, it would be a disaster.
And in Yuzhou, many people were still discussing the situation on the front lines. Many had already heard the news of setbacks on the front lines, so they could not help but worry. If bad news came from the front and the army suffered heavy casualties, their own situation might not be stable.
On this day, many soldiers had been withdrawn and were heading south. At this time, people in the city were discussing: "I heard that many people died on the front lines. Many were attacked by mutated plants and were killed or captured on the spot. There are also many giant earthworms in the soil. These earthworms can attack humans. Once hit, they will quickly fall to the ground. It seems that reinforcements are being drawn from the city now. The battle ahead must be unfavorable."
"I think the same is true, because I heard that many mercenaries have also been withdrawn to fight in the south. I heard that the Mercenary Guild is offering very generous rewards. Once these rewards are obtained, they will be worry-free for the rest of their lives, so many people want to go to the battlefield, but those old people have almost no one signing up."
"Who says not? At this time, even if you have money, you must be able to return to use it. If you don't have money, what's the point? Dying on the battlefield for nothing, without even a family member to mourn at your grave."
After hearing the news from the front lines, many people in the city instantly had a bad feeling and worried about the situation on the front lines. Once the situation on the front lines became unfavorable, they would also have to find a way to escape. However, with the vastness of the world, they did not know where else would be safer than Yuzhou.
"Madam, people in the city are all discussing. They are all saying that if the front line fails, they will also lose their lives. So many people are spreading rumors. I don't know if someone is deliberately having them say this," Lin Yue found Chang Jianyi and explained the situation.
"Don't pay attention to what these people say. Just do what we need to do. Although we lost several thousand people on the front lines, we have not lost our vitality. Quickly draw a batch of personnel from the orphanage to work in the City Lord's Mansion. Whether it is for maintaining order or for other matters, they will handle it all!" Chang Jianyi was not worried about this matter at all.
"Actually, regarding these children in the orphanage, I also found a strange phenomenon, but I don't know if I should say it," Lin Yue suddenly said hesitantly.
"Just say whatever you have to say. Anyway, I have nothing to do now, so hurry up and tell me so I can handle it. If things get busy in a few days, I won't have time to listen to these trivial matters!" Chang Jianyi said indifferently.
"The thing is, I found out that many parents make their children pretend to be orphans and then let them enter the orphanage. Then, after they graduate, they can work in Chengdu and later stage a reunion scene of mother and son or father and son! These people, in order to turn their lives around, are truly determined for their children, willing to not see them for more than ten years just to let their children succeed," Lin Yue revealed what he had discovered.
Upon hearing this, Chang Jianyi frowned and said, "This is a time of turmoil, and I don't have time to deal with these trivial matters. But I will definitely address this issue later. I cannot let these people take shortcuts like this. It was originally intended to allow these orphans to live well in the future, but these people are actually using orphanages to take shortcuts. I cannot tolerate them."
The person leading the team this time was Chang Haojie. The reason he needed to depart was that he had learned about the situation on the front lines, and his ability had a very wide coverage range, which could also be useful at critical moments. So, he set off at this time. Fortunately, the locust plague in the north had come to an end, and it was unlikely to spread over.
In the north, Yue Hengyi had been continuously attacking locust nests for more than half a year. His attacks had finally produced results. At least, the large number of locusts in the north had been contained, and people could finally breathe a sigh of relief and harvest crops to eat their fill.
Therefore, Chang Haojie prepared to set off. He had received meticulous training before, so he understood many military common sense. Moreover, he had studied command under Lu Kaiyang for a long time, and he would not panic in the face of danger at critical moments. Sending him to lead troops was a good choice.
Hua Jinran said to her husband, "You must be careful on the battlefield. I heard there are many poisonous insects in the south. If you are accidentally stung by a poisonous thorn, you will die of poisoning. You must be very careful. When you sleep, you must sprinkle lime around you."
"Don't worry about this matter. I will take care of myself. You also be careful at home. If you have nothing to do, go and talk to your sister, or go play with your nephews. Don't mope around alone and get sick," Chang Haojie also earnestly instructed his wife.