No one expected that the war would break out like this, and the young general of the Ye family even made the first contribution.
If we were to say who is the most embarrassed person in the harem at this moment, it would naturally be the empress dowager who specially sent people to "care" about Ming Xiuyuan a few days ago.
But I won't admit my mistakes even if I'm embarrassed.
Even if I had to stiffen my neck, I had to say, "I am the Queen Mother. So what if I teach the Emperor's concubine?"
Nanny Fu sighed in worry, but she was also glad that the Queen Mother was not completely confused and knew not to continue to find fault with Ming Xiuyuan.
Once a war breaks out, food, fodder, and soldiers are naturally indispensable.
The Ministry of War cannot be used for the time being. After all, Lingzhou and Zasak still have enough troops, so it is just on standby.
But it was different for the Ministry of Revenue. Military rations had to be quickly gathered and sent to the battlefield.
The Minister of Revenue was Yao Xiang’s father, Yao Bingshuo, Marquis of Shunyuan.
Now, most of the supplies for the soldiers on the front line are in the hands of the Yao family.
Ye Jun always felt uncomfortable in her heart. She could tell a lot from the little she saw. Just by looking at Yao Xiang, she had a bad impression of the entire Yao family.
I feel really uneasy knowing that my brother's logistical supplies are in the hands of such a family.
But matters of state were certainly not something she could interfere in.
After considering for a long time, he finally found a way to send a letter to his maternal grandparents' home outside the palace.
After Chu Xiuwen received a letter from his niece, he called his youngest son Chu Yunhong to go to his father Chu Peiyi's study.
"Father, Yun'er means that she is worried that the Yao family is unreliable, so we have to make preparations for Zhe'er." Chu Xiuwen said.
After reading the letter, Mr. Chu's expression became serious.
"Yun'er has lived with the girl from the Yao family in the palace for many years. I think there must be something that makes her worried. Once a large-scale battle breaks out on the front line, food and fodder will inevitably be used more and faster than usual. If the supply is not enough, I'm afraid something big will happen."
Chu Yunhong was anxious. "Although our family has grain, we are doing business. We can't send it in the name of the Chu family alone. If we want to send it openly, it must go through the Ministry of Revenue, and it will still be useless."
Isn't it still like someone is strangling you
No matter how much you give, as long as the Ministry of Revenue holds it, it will never reach Ye Zhe's hands.
"So Yun'er said in the letter that we have to think of a solution." Chu Peiyi frowned, his cloudy eyes filled with worry.
Three generations sat in the study, all thinking hard about how to prepare the food and fodder secretly.
Just at this time, the manager outside came to question him.
Years ago, a merchant from Zasak ordered a batch of tea and tea sets from the Chu family, but now that the war has broken out, it is obvious that those nobles have no mood to drink tea. These things will definitely not be sold, and he doesn't want them anymore.
Now someone was sent to deliver a letter asking for a refund of the money and no more tea.
The father, son, grandfather and grandson all raised their heads at the same time and looked at the manager, "We can't retreat!"
The steward was frightened by the scene and trembled. He whispered, "Yes... Yes, I'll do it right away."
"Wait a moment." Old Master Chu waved his hand. "Go and tell him that there is a war now and Zasak's fellow countrymen are all fighting for the country at the border. At this time, we in Nanqi are all united. The goods cannot be returned, but the money can be returned. This thing is considered a gift from our Chu family. Tell that brother to go back and report. I will send someone to deliver it on a chosen day."
The manager was stunned. This was not a small amount of money.
But seeing that the three masters in the room all had serious expressions and did not seem to be speaking casually, he was surprised for a moment.
However, the Chu family has made a lot of donations to help the poor over the years, so it is understandable now that the country is in crisis.
Hearing about the Chu family's actions, the Zasak merchant was also greatly touched.
In the end, it was decided to pay the Chu family half of the original price.
After the man left, Mr. Chu gave instructions to his son.
"For this tea delivery, go find a few reliable people, put tea and tea sets on the top of the truck, and rice on the bottom. When you get to Zasak, have someone secretly deliver it to Lingzhou."
Obviously Chu Xiuwen meant the same thing and he did it immediately.
Chu Yunhong was kept in the house by his grandfather, and the two talked for a long time before leaving.
Now that the eldest grandson Chu Yunhuai is far away in Lanzhou, the only one in the family who is an official in the court is the second grandson Chu Yunhong, so he still has to rely on him to inquire about the news in the court.
Ye Jun is pregnant, and the Chu family has already made preparations. If a boy is born, there will be a fight.
Even if I don't fight for it, I have to protect them and their child for the rest of their lives.
The Chu family is very clear-headed. Ye Jun is related to them by blood, and they will prosper and suffer together.
After things were arranged, they naturally found a way to pass the message to the palace.
Ye Jun was also very satisfied with this method of secretly attacking Chencang.
Let's prepare like this for now. After all, when a critical moment comes, we cannot be without emergency backup food.
The situation outside the palace was tense because of the war, and even more so inside the palace.
Although the treasury of Nanqi was well-off, more money was always better when it came to war, so the queen took the lead in reducing the expenses of each palace by 40%.
Even though the money saved is not much, it represents the thoughts and attitude of the women in the harem.
But saving money can’t save the lives of two pregnant women.
Ye Jun and Yao Xiang are at a critical moment now and cannot be spared.
At the same time, the previous dynasty quickly dispatched troops to Lingzhou and Zasak for support.
There is no need to dispatch too many troops for the time being, but military arrangements must be made. This is the emperor's attitude and represents the emperor's support.
Among the people sent was Yao Xiang’s brother Yao Xu.
On April 25, the Liao people finally launched a large-scale attack on Nanqi after their first sneak attack.
The battle line was very long because the Liao people were good at riding horses, their cavalry were fast and they were good at using longbows and scimitars.
In a serious fight, the tactics that Zasak was good at were similar to those of Liao, and they were evenly matched, but they seemed to be struggling in Lingzhou.
Compared with cavalry, infantry is indeed not at an advantage.
However, Nanqi was a large farming country with more cattle than horses. Most of the military horses were obtained from the Zasaks, and were far inferior to the Liao people's military horses in both quantity and quality.
Ye Zhe has little experience, but fortunately he is steady and mature. He will adopt the tactic of defending the city unless he is confident enough and will not fight easily.
But on the other side, something happened to General Xian.
He was an old general from the previous dynasty, experienced and victorious in battles, but the stability over the past five or six years did make him careless.
He led his troops out of the city to fight, and was hit by the enemy while pursuing the victory. If it were not for his deputy general who fought to the death to protect him, he would have almost died outside.
In this battle, General Xian lost nearly three thousand soldiers and horses, which was a blow to the entire Lingzhou.
Because he brought 5,000 elite cavalry, most of them were lost in an instant.
When the news reached Kyoto, all the joy that Ye Zhe had felt from winning the first battle some time ago was washed away. Ning Chen was so anxious that he locked himself in the study for most of the day and refused to see anyone.
Finally, an imperial edict was issued, ordering Shufei's father, Yuzhou Commander Yan Bin, to bring 10,000 troops to support, and Huo Cairen's brother, General Huo Pingbei, who was also in Yuzhou, to bring 10,000 troops to support Ye Zhe.