Qi Zhuyin's thoughts flew in an instant, she weighed the weight of the left and right sides, and she had to find the most suitable ally for Qidong in this game. Winning or losing this game is equally important to Qidong, and it even determines how long Qi Zhuyin can stay in the position of military commander in the future.
Qi Zhuyin made up his mind and said, "I haven't discussed the details with the lords of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household, and I don't know the grain storage facilities in other places. However, the harvest in the four counties in Qidong was good last year. Can last for two months."
"You are a general. Naturally, you understand better than Ai's family. If you want to continue to go deep into the desert, it will take you a month to march." The Queen Mother whispered, "It's March now, which has delayed the spring ploughing in the four counties. Two months later If you don’t come back, then you will delay the autumn harvest in July. Zhuyin, it’s not that the Aijia is unwilling to send troops, but that they can’t send troops.”
Qi Zhuyin seemed to be stumped, and the Mingli Hall fell silent again.
The Empress Dowager slowly stood up, looked at the ministers in the hall, and said bitterly: "If the Great Zhou Canglin is full, this battle will be fought even if Zhuyin does not ask for it. But the imperial court is shy at the moment, and it is really powerless to do anything. Besides, the people take food as their priority. In this fight, the people of the three places will starve. Isn't that a reversal of priorities? Bo Ran, you have read the report of the Ministry of Household at the beginning of the year, and you know the situation in various places like the back of your hand."
When Qi Zhuyin was in the hall, how could the courtiers refute bluntly? The empress dowager was so calm and calm, forcing them to mention the eight cities by themselves, Kong Qiu held his handbook and stood on the side with no expression.
After a while, Kong Qiu said, "The deployment of troops in Qidong is not a trivial matter, and there should have been specific regulations. Since the new commander has entered the capital, since he has not discussed with the cabinet in detail, it is better to wait until we have finished talking tonight before making a decision."
Kong Qiu did not follow the Queen Mother's wishes, nor did he make decisions for Xue Xiuzhuo. He had copied the ledger that Liang Luoshan had sorted out, but it was a pity that he couldn't take away the city of Pill.
When they dispersed, everyone went out of Mingli Hall in turn. Fengquan put a cloak on Li Jianting at the front. Li Jianting slowed down a few steps and waited for Kong Qiu to come out. Kong Qiu raised his arm to lead the way for Li Jianting, led the prince down the stairs, and walked on the open field.
"His Royal Highness is blunt today," Kong Qiu said, "The proposal to integrate the granaries in various places is indeed a solution."
Li Jianting pursed his lips slightly, then turned to a smile, and said to Kong Qiu, "Yuanfu talked to me a little at the beginning of the year, and I naturally dare not forget it. But at this moment, it seems that it is really too difficult to collect military supplies."
The sky was already bright, the puddles on the ground reflected the blue sky, and the eaves covered the last dim light.
Li Jianting took a few steps and said: "The Lord Chongshen is very good. I heard that his mental calculations are fast and accurate, and his accounts will never go wrong. Since the Dancheng land tax case is temporarily postponed, why not ask him to calculate the various places. Surplus grain? Not enough for three places, and eight cities, let’s work together.”
Kong Qiu smiled bitterly and said, "Now that the military rations are dispatched from Juexi, I am struggling with how to borrow food from the Eight Cities..."
Kong Qiu suddenly stopped speaking and looked sideways at Li Jianting seriously.
What Li Jianting said was to let the cabinet do the calculations, but not to let the cabinet investigate, but the meaning of the word difference is very different. For the former, regardless of whether the Queen Mother is willing, the cabinet can use Liang Luoshan to calculate the surplus grain in the eight cities. Because there is a problem with the Dancheng account, Pan Lin is still closed. The Ministry of Household should now recalculate the surplus grain in the Eight Cities.
The red flower between Li Jianting's eyebrows did not take away the prince's spirit. She seemed to mention it casually, and she was still a little at a loss for Kong Qiu's gaze.
* * *
When Qi Zhuyin walked out of the palace gate, she saw Xue Xiuzhuo standing not far away. She pulled off the cloak on her shoulders, and threw it to Qi Wei, who came to greet him.
"I just heard from Chen Shangshu that you gave the military salary this time," Qi Zhuyin said, "Thank you very much."
Qi Zhuyin's thanks naturally wasn't so simple, Xue Xiuzhuo heard the meaning, followed Qi Zhuyin for a while, and said, "The commander uses the army of blue mice to contain Amur. The battle in the north is tight, and this battle should be fought."
Qi Zhuyin avoided the fact that she already had military rations, but said, "I heard before entering the capital that the military rations will be recruited from Juexi. Jiang Qingshan will not agree? You also have difficulties."
The morning in Yedu is not so cold, and the vendors in the streets are busy. They all wore official uniforms, and no one dared to get close to them, and ordinary people avoided three feet. When they walked over, they looked at Qi Zhuyin and whispered.
The Qi Zhuyin, who was rumored to have a stroke and attracted Lie Ye, was just tall and tall. She was neither strong nor majestic, but she was calm and could stand these snoops and speculations.
"But you're right, this battle should be fought." Qi Zhuyin's five beads swayed in the wind, her hair on the temples was slightly messy and brushed against her side cheeks. She went on to say: "Libei is the opposite, but the Libei iron cavalry is still the iron wall in the northeast of the capital. The king of Libei died in the battle. This year's battleground has not seen any good news, and the fight is really hard. You are in the capital. If you are far away, you don’t know much about the Twelve Biansha Divisions, and a few military newspapers alone can’t describe Amur’s ambitions, so don’t always think that they really can’t get in.”
Que is the capital of the Son of Heaven, where the prosperity of the Great Zhou Dynasty has rested for a hundred years. Only seven years have passed since the defeat of the Zhongbo army, but the fear at that time can no longer be found in Qidu, and the fear of the Biansha cavalry here has long since faded.
"Amur has already commanded six divisions, and in Gedal imitated the military colony of Dazhou. If Qidong does not send troops this year, Qidu will not be able to stay out of trouble. Let me tell you the truth, my troops can't outrun the Biansha cavalry. If Luoxia City can't hold it, even if the Biansha cavalry slaughtered into the capital, I won't be able to catch up."
The wind increased slightly, Qi Zhuyin stood still and turned to look at Xue Xiuzhuo. Behind her was the majestic red wall, the cascading eaves soared into the clear sky, and there were no clouds above her head, so she was so nakedly exposed to the morning light.
"I have to send troops." Qi Zhuyin's eyes were not excited.
Qidong rarely participates in the political affairs of Qidu. Qi Shiyu is very smart. Whether it is dealing with the relationship between Qidong and Libei, or maintaining the friendship between Qidong and the family, he can find the most appropriate time to stand in line. But Qi Zhuyin couldn't do it. She didn't have the patience of Qi Shiyu. She would rather risk the risk of being dismissed and investigated by Qi Du to attack the Green Mouse Department because she knew that the war situation was far more urgent than the political situation.
The empress dowager was very clever in forcing Xue Xiuzhuo to submit, but she also forced Qi Zhuyin to marry Fei Shi, which showed that she would not give Qi Zhuyin any title, and even showed signs of wanting to divide Qi Zhuyin's military power.
Maybe someone can fight better than Qi Zhuyin, but at this moment, at this moment concerning the North-South battlefield, Qi Zhuyin will not hand over the military power of Qidong to anyone other than her. Since the Queen Mother already has the idea of moving her, then she will definitely not. Will not sit still.
"As long as I can get the red flags for sending troops before I leave, and the Ministry of War's orders can be issued," Qi Zhuyin laughed suddenly, "It's not difficult to get stuck with your rations, and I won't force Juexi's rations."
Xue Xiuzhuo pushed aside the flying willow branches and said, "Deal."
* * *
The incense in the hall was a little heavy, and the fragrance of the flowers became tired after a long time. Aunt Liu Zhang hurriedly asked people to open the windows, helped Hua Xiangyi to sit on the couch by the window, and said earnestly: "Miss San has only been gone for half a year, and the servants have lost a lot of weight. Miss."
Hua Xiangyi clenched her handkerchief and said, "Auntie is thin." She turned her eyes and saw the small Buddhist hall in the middle.
Aunt Liuxiang said: "The queen mother misses the third lady, and she prays for the third lady in front of the Bodhisattva every day. The last time I caught a cold at night, I wanted to see the third lady, and it was useless to take medicine, so I just let the servants light the lamp to read. A letter from Miss San."
As they were talking, the eunuch outside the hall shouted. Hua Xiangyi went out to greet her, but the Queen Mother did not want her to salute, she held her hand, stood at the door and looked at the people carefully, and said, "Why is this so thin? Are you not used to eating it in your house? Aijia will pick a few for you. I'll pick a cook from our Dicheng and take it with you when you leave." The Queen Mother spoke emotionally, with tears in her eyes, stroking Hua Xiangyi's temples, "How are you?"
Hua Xiangyi shook the Queen Mother's hand and choked slightly, "I miss my aunt."
The queen mother took her inside, and her heart was broken when she heard the words. She sat on the couch and did not let her go to the side, so she next to herself and said, "How will Qi Shiyu treat you? Qi Zhuyin will treat you? The Ai family heard that his yard Concubine Li is restless, if anyone dares to offend you, you will let the mother-in-law tie it up and send it out directly, and the Aijia will support you."
Hua Xiangyi burst into tears and smiled.
The queen mother hugged her like a child and said, "I used to think that I could pass letters when I got married, but now I know what it's like to be far away."
The empress dowager originally wanted to choose the best husband for Hua Xiangyi, but unexpectedly she married Qi Shiyu, and thought that Qi Shiyu was a hero of all time, except that he was old and barely worthy, but who knew that he would end up having a stroke. She regretted this move, facing Hua Xiangyi, wishing she could give all the good things.
Hua Xiangyi leaned against the queen mother, and after finishing the conversation, she said, "How are you aunt?"
"The front hall is very messy, and Ai's family can't eat or sleep well." The queen mother paused for a moment, and then laughed at herself, "It's because she's getting older and her spirit is better than before."
Hua Xiangyi got up slowly, and said softly, "Why does my aunt work so hard? There is a Yuan assistant to assist in state affairs. I heard that the prince is also eager to learn."
The queen mother supported Emperor Xiande, and now she can also support the prince. From Hua Xiangyi's point of view, Li Jianting is far more reliable than the previous two. Although she is in Qidong, she knows all about the important events of Qidu.
The queen mother sighed. She remembered how Li Jianting had spoken at the Mingli Hall just now, and she was even more wary of the prince, saying, "You think too much, how can the prince be easy to get along with? It's just a cheap girl who came in from outside. A bastard instigated a fight with the Ai family."
Hua Xiangyi was silent for a moment, and said, "I am married to Qidong this time, and I have a little understanding of Biansha and Zhongbo. Aunt, Shen Zechuan has become a big trend in Zhongbo, but his nature is not bad, and it is a good thing to regain Duanzhou and redevelop fields... Last year, I asked Zhaoyue how the situation in Dancheng was, and she said that Pan Yi was not sure, too many people starved to death. The couple wanted to help the refugees, but there was no food in the warehouse, and there was nothing they could do."
The Empress Dowager gradually closed her eyes, listened for a while, and said, "Aijia knows that you have a good heart, but now is the time for success or failure." The Empress Dowager opened her eyes again and looked at Hua Xiangyi, "You live in the palace and leave Dicheng. , and there are things I don't know. Xian Denian ransacked the house, and the Aijia was trapped in the harem. At that time, the eunuchs in the inner court yamen also dared to go to the Aijia Palace to corrupt the money. If it wasn't for Helian Hou's management, he wanted to trample us. There are too many people. Look at the Xue family, the son of the first son is not responsible, he has ruined his family, and he is called to and fro, how can he have a decent reputation? Look at Xue Yanqing, the bastard among the bastards, he has to deal with it. It is the Dancheng land tax, and it is to use us as a stepping stone for the prince. If he really investigates, how many of the eight cities will be able to escape?"
The queen mother also sat upright.
"Without the family background, what else can the Ai family use to fight with them? There is a problem with the land tax, and the Ai family will be liquidated in the future, and it will not be anyone's turn to intervene. And that Shen Zechuan, who is at odds with Xiao Chiye, what do they want to do, Ai's family? You can see clearly. You thought he was looking at the ground beneath his feet, but he was clearly staring at the Jiuzhongque. These chaotic ministers and thieves are all doing things to seek fame, and Shen Wei is still pressing him!"
Hua Xiangyi's words were all tactful. She watched the empress dowager's chest rise and fall, and knew that the empress dowager was determined and would never coexist with the prince. She hesitated, listening to the sound of rain outside, and it was raining.