Qining arrived at the yamen of the Ministry of War, announced his identity, and was immediately invited into the yamen. When he arrived at the lobby of the Ministry of War, Lu Xiao, the left minister of the Ministry of War, had already stepped forward to greet him and said with a smile: "Master Hou, if there is anything you need to do, send someone here to let me know. Where is it?" It's necessary for the Marquis to come in person." While joking, he welcomed Qining into the lobby and brought tea.
Jin Daohou concurrently serves as the Minister of the Ministry of War, but Jin Daohou is very old and rarely visits the Yamen of the Ministry of War in recent years. Although Lu Xiao is the left minister of the Ministry of War, he is responsible for all affairs of the Ministry of War.
"The Marquis is here today, but is it about the affairs of the Black Scale Camp?" After sitting down, Lu Xiao didn't exchange much greetings. He went straight to the point and said with a smile: "I want to congratulate the Marquis here."
Although he was smiling and saying congratulations, there was not much congratulations in his tone.
Qi Ning knew that the Qi family came from behind and replaced the Tantai family to become the number one martial arts family in Chu. This would certainly make the Tantai family hate the Qi family.
Lu Xiao is an old member of Jin Dao Hou, so he naturally protects the interests of Jin Dao Hou's faction, and he obviously doesn't have much favorable impressions of Jinyi Hou Qi's family.
The two sides were clearly divided. Qining knew that even if they exchanged a few words, the relationship between the two parties would not change. He said with a smile: "Lord Lu also knows that I am following the emperor's decree to rebuild the Black Scale Camp. There are thousands of things involved, but in the final analysis , it’s better that Mr. Lu takes more care of you.”
"It's easy to say that rebuilding the Black Scale Camp is also a major event for the court." Lu Xiao nodded slightly: "General Qi built the Black Scale Camp back then, and it was invincible. He fought with the Blood Orchid Army with generosity and heroism, which made us both admire and regret him. Mr. Hou , I wonder if the garrison of Blackscale Battalion has been selected?”
"On the edge of Jiguan Lake south of the capital, there is the old site of Black Scale Camp." Qining said: "It is said that everything is still there, but it is a little older. The Ministry of Industry will send people there to repair it, and it should be ready for use soon."
Lu Xiao nodded and said: "That's very good. I know that the Marquis will come over for discussion in the next two days. I am thinking about where to place the Black Scale Camp. I originally thought that the old site of Jiguan Lake was too dilapidated, and the Marquis might not be able to see it. Come on, now that the Marquis has brought it up himself, it can be regarded as relieving me of a lot of worries."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "Lord Laolu is concerned. I came here today mainly for equipment, money and food."
"I know, I know." Lu Xiao nodded: "But the Marquis also knows that the armor of the Black Scale Battalion is different from other camps. It needs to be specially made and requires a large sum of money. The Ministry of Finance must first allocate the money. Come on, the Ministry of War can arrange the production. This will take a long time to prepare, so we can’t rush it."
Qi Ning nodded and smiled: "Of course I know this. Specially made armor cannot be completed in a day or two. When I came here today, I didn't want the Ministry of War to send the armor immediately. However, the war horses of the Black Scale Battalion, Money, food, and cotton-padded clothes must be prepared immediately.”
"Oh?" Lu Xiao picked up the tea cup, stroked the tea leaves with the tea lid, and then said slowly: "There won't be enough war horses in a short time. When fighting on the front line, almost all the horses from the major racecourses were taken away. , and there aren’t many horses available at the Ministry of War. I can send people to call the Ministry of Household Affairs for cotton-padded clothes, but I don’t dare to guarantee how much there will be. As for food, when the barracks are repaired, I can send people to send some of it first. "
Qi Ning frowned and said: "The Black Scale Battalion is mainly about cavalry, and what they train is riding and shooting skills. If there are no horses, how can we train them?"
"Master Marquis, please be patient." Lu Xiao said with a smile: "In July or August next year, war horses will be dispatched from major racecourses. I will be the first to send them to the Black Scale Camp."
"So, it will take half a year before we can get the war horse?"
Lu Xiao put down the tea cup and said: "I know that when the new official takes office, the Marquis will inevitably be vigorous and resolute. He hopes to get things done quickly, but there are some things that cannot be rushed. If there had not been the Qinhuai War in three years, not to mention one thousand horses, it would be three thousand. It won't be a difficult problem for the Ministry of War." After a pause, he said in an old tone: "Whether it is war horses and equipment, or money and food, all ministries must cooperate with each other, and it cannot be done in a day or two."
Qi Ning said: "In this case, the Black Scale Battalion can wait until July or August next year to start training."
"That's not the case." Lu Xiao said with a smile: "Master Hou can recruit soldiers first and practice the basic kung fu. Once you have a good foundation, you will get twice the result with half the effort if you practice again in the future."
Qining sighed: "Master Lu, I am not here to discuss with you, but to collect the required horse equipment. You have pushed it to July or August next year, which I did not expect."
"Don't worry, Lord Marquis, the Ministry of War will take care of it as soon as possible." Lu Xiao said with a smile: "Yes, Lord Marquis, there is something I would like to ask you."
"Mr. Lu, you're too polite. I wonder if you have any advice?"
"Master Marquis, do you think it's time to send troops to annihilate the Xichuan side?" Lu Xiao stared at Qining: "The Black Lotus Holy Sect is extremely rampant, and it also wants to contact the 72nd Cave of the Miao Territory to cause chaos. If it is not eradicated as soon as possible, there will be endless troubles. .”
Qi Ning smiled and said: "I just want to train my troops now. Xichuan is too far away. You important officials in the court have your own opinions, and it's really hard for me to get involved."
"Master Marquis, you are humble." Lu Xiao said: "Back then, the old Marquis of Jinyi made great achievements in Xichuan and was famous throughout the world. Xichuan was a blessed place for the Jinyi Qi family." He leaned forward slightly, "Master Marquis, the Ministry of War has begun When formulating a strategy for dispatching troops, since we want to quell the Miao rebellion, we naturally cannot drag our feet. Not only must we mobilize a large number of troops, but we must also first deter their morale."
Qi Ning said: "I don't quite understand what Mr. Lu means!"
"Master Marquis, the old Marquis of Jinyi conquered Shu and shocked the world. Even today, the reputation of Marquis of Jinyi is still respected by everyone in Xichuan." Lu Xiao said with a smile: "Master Marquis, have you ever thought about leading troops on an expedition? The army suppressed the Miao people’s rebellion?”
Qi Ning was startled, thinking how could this old guy think of letting him lead the army? However, his face was still calm and composed, and he said with a smile: "Master Lu, it is the rebellion of the Black Lotus Holy Sect. Although the Black Lotus Holy Sect was founded by the Miao people, it does not represent all Miao people, so it cannot be said to be the rebellion of the Miao people. We It’s okay to talk about it here, if it spreads and the other side of Xichuan knows that the imperial court has designated the Black Lotus Holy Sect’s rebellion as the Miao people’s rebellion, and if the Miao people don’t want to rebel, they will be forced to rebel by the imperial court.”
Lu Xiao was stunned for a moment, then smiled awkwardly and said, "What the Marquis said is absolutely true. I made an omission."
Qi Ning secretly thought that you, an old guy, have been in charge of the Ministry of War for many years and your words are impeccable. How could you easily slip up in front of me? I wonder if Lu Xiao really hopes to cause the entire Miao rebellion through the Black Lotus Holy Cult
He had actually been curious. According to Duan Canghai, the King of Huainan and Jin Daohou were not actually from the same group. However, this time, the two sides actually maintained a high degree of agreement on sending troops to Xichuan. Qining knew that he wanted to The two groups of people maintained such a subtle tacit understanding. They must have the same interests in sending troops to Xichuan. However, for a while, he was quite puzzled. The encirclement and suppression of the Black Lotus Holy Cult even caused the Miao people's rebellion. What would happen to the King of Huainan? What are the benefits of being a Marquis of the Golden Sword
"Master Marquis, forgive me for being negligent." Lu Xiao stood up and said: "The Ministry of War still has a lot of things to deal with. I will keep the Marquis's affairs in mind. If there is any news, I will send someone to inform the Marquis. I am sorry that I cannot accompany you. .”
Qi Ning also stood up and said: "After the barracks is repaired, I hope Master Lu will send the necessary materials there as soon as possible. I don't understand the difficulties of the Ministry of Household Affairs and the difficulties of the Ministry of War. I only know how to train troops according to orders, so I hope Lord Lu can cooperate fully." After a pause, his tone was not polite: "Today I will have a peaceful discussion with Lord Lu here. When the time comes, supplies are lacking. I'm afraid it won't be my turn to speak, but the black one. Nearly a thousand soldiers from the Lin camp have spoken."
As soon as Lu Xiao opened his mouth today, Qining knew that this old guy might hinder the reconstruction of the Black Scale Camp. The people of the Jindao Tantai family certainly didn't want to see the Jinyi Qi family succeed in accomplishing things.
Qi Ning knew that if you were vague and submissive with such a person, it was very likely that the matter would not progress even after all the words had been said. In this case, he might as well say something ugly first, which would at least give the other party a warning.
Lu Xiao frowned slightly and didn't say much. He just cupped his hands and said, "I'm busy with official business. Please forgive me for not sending it away!" He turned around and left.
Qi Ning sneered and didn't waste any time at the Ministry of War. As soon as he left the gate of the Ministry of War and didn't go far, he heard someone behind him shouting: "Master Hou!"
Qi Ning was startled and looked back. He saw several beggars approaching. One of them was familiar. He thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Are you Liu Qingzhou?"
That beggar was none other than Liu Qingzhou, whom Qi Ning had seen many times. This man was infected by the virus last time and almost died. He was sent to Yong'an Hall by the beggar gang and became the first person to be detoxified.
There were still some traces of red spots on his face, but they were no longer obvious. He was very energetic. Qining turned over and dismounted. Liu Qingzhou had already bowed and said, "Master Hou, do you still remember my name?"
"Of course I remember, why are you here?"
Liu Qingzhou said: "It was Elder Zhuque who sent the young men to invite Mr. Hou to have a drink. Elder Zhuque had already set up a banquet in Luogu Lane to thank Mr. Hou for his life-saving grace to the Beggar Clan. Elder Zhuque also said that Mr. Hou We have a lot of things to do, and if we are busy, we will wait until the Marquis finds time to go to the banquet."
"Oh, that's too polite." Qi Ning knew very well that the Beggar Gang was the largest force in the world. Through this incident, the Jinyi Hou Mansion and the Beggar Gang had a good relationship. He also knew that the Beggar Gang My eyes and ears are all over the world, and there are disciples of the Beggar Clan in the streets and alleys of the capital. There is no harm in making friends with the Beggar Clan. Thinking of this, I smiled and said: "It just so happens that I have nothing to do now, since Elder Zhuque is so polite , I can't refuse your kindness."
Liu Qingzhou said happily: "Thank you, Lord Marquis, for the favor. Lord Marquis, please!"