"Brother Li." Lan Yu filled another cup for Li Qing and spoke in a more affectionate tone, "We can't let this young boy cause trouble!"
us?
Li Qing was secretly amused, "Who are you and us?"
"Don't worry, Marquis Yongchang." Li Qing looked as if he was heartbroken, "If Li Jinglong is using chicken feathers as arrows and blindly directs them, I won't let him go without you taking action, and I will definitely not miss important events."
Lan Yu was stunned, this was not what he wanted at all.
His goal was to knock Li Jinglong off.
"Ahem... Well, Brother Li!" Lan Yu looked slightly embarrassed, "To be on the safe side, we'd better kick him out. Is he worthy?"
Li Qing: "..."
He will not interfere in this matter. On one side is the Marquis of Yongchang, on the other side is Duke Cao and the Emperor. Even fools know how to choose.
"Yongchang Hou, if it is really the emperor's appointment, why don't you let me follow you to resist the decree?"
Lan Yu blushed, but he misunderstood and thought Li Qing thought he was too stingy.
Thinking about it, it is a bit petty to only invite people to have a drink and ask them to follow you and contradict the emperor.
"Brother Li, don't worry. This battle will be a great victory. I will definitely take credit for you in front of the emperor." Unknowingly, Lan Yu brought the two of them closer.
After a pause, he added: "If I break my promise in the future, I will be struck by lightning!"
The ancients made the most promises, and they did not swear easily.
Lan Yu is indeed sincere, not because he is generous, but because no matter how great Li Qing's contribution is, it cannot affect him.
Moreover, he has already received a fair promise, and he doesn't care whether other rewards are more or less.
But Li Jinglong is different. If he goes, he will lose part of his influence. Moreover, with this trip, the speed of his rise will definitely accelerate.
This is what Lan Yu cares about!
"It is the duty of a minister to eat the emperor's salary and share his worries, and to be loyal to the country." Li Qing suddenly came to the line, "I am not the kind of person who is greedy for merit!"
He looked unhappy, "Is Marquis Yongchang humiliating me?"
Sapphire:(⊙_⊙)?
Before he could react, Li Qing had already stood up angrily, "Thank you Marquis Yongchang for your hospitality. I have something else to do, so excuse me!"
Saying that, he cupped his hands and turned to leave.
The blue jade man was dumbfounded. He instinctively felt that he was wrong, but where he was wrong, he couldn't figure it out for a while.
He invited him to drink and promised military honors. He was obviously sincere, so why was Li Qing so angry?
Lan Yu is domineering, and Li Qing is shameless. He won't do anything when he gets benefits, and he won't be soft-spoken after a banquet.
Lan Yu wouldn't be able to deal with someone so shameless.
After a while, Lan Yu came back to her senses and realized that she had been cheated on. She was so angry that the table was overturned.
"Li Qing, you bitch...!"
————
Return to the courtyard.
Li Qing breathed a long sigh of relief, pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his legs to bask in the sun. Before the chair was warm, guests came to the door.
When I opened the door, I saw Li Jinglong in mourning clothes standing outside.
"Jinglong came uninvited, I'm sorry for disturbing you."
"Young Master Li, you're welcome." Li Qing could not refuse the door, so he stretched out his hand and said, "Please come in."
Li Qingqian smiled and said, "The humble house is too shabby. The sun is just right today. How about sunbathing in the courtyard?"
"Jinglong admires Yongqing Hou for his integrity and integrity." Li Jinglong nodded, "It's not a bad idea."
Li Qing: "..."
Don't be like this, you should regain your arrogance, please... Li Qing really can't stand Li Jinglong like this.
The two came to the table and sat down, and Hongxiu served hot tea.
After a few simple greetings, Li Qing got down to the topic: "I wonder what Mr. Li is here for?"
Li Jinglong put down his tea cup and sighed: "My father died of illness. As a son, I should accompany him and serve him in front of his soul. However, the Northern Expedition is about to happen, and the emperor ordered me to go with the army and participate in war preparations."
State affairs are more important than family affairs. The Li family receives great favor from the country, and Jinglong does not dare to neglect it.
Marquis Yongqing has experience in the Northern Expedition. Last year, he and King Yan conquered the Northern Yuan Dynasty and made great achievements. Jing Long yearns for it and wants to learn from Yongqing Marquis. He also hopes that Marquis Yongqing will not hesitate to teach him."
Li Jinglong kept his posture very low, as if he wanted to become his disciple.
Li Qing looked strange and thought to himself: "If history repeats itself in the future, and this guy achieves the status of God of War, and people find out that he has taught him, he will really be nailed to the pillar of shame."
He said tactfully, "Your Majesty is one of the most promising military generals in the Ming Dynasty. How dare you, a low-ranking official, do whatever you want to do?
If Mr. Li really wants to learn from the scriptures, he might as well go to Yongchang Hou, I don’t know how to fight!"
Li Qing didn't want to be caught between the two. Besides, he was just a bastard and really didn't understand military matters.
"Marquis Yongqing, don't belittle yourself." Li Jinglong cupped his hands and said, "Jinglong really sincerely asks for advice."
Li Qing: "..."
How could he teach me? Even if he could really teach me, he would not teach me. Without him, my reputation would be ruined.
Li Qing made a few perfunctory remarks and then directed the topic elsewhere. Fortunately, Li Jinglong didn't pursue him too hard and continued along with his topic.
Only then did he realize that Li Jinglong was not here to ask for advice on military tactics, but to get close to him.
Li Qing secretly wondered, how could he become so popular?
Is your personality so charming?
After a long conversation, Li Qing's impression of this playboy has changed a lot. Putting aside the name of the 'God of War' in history, Li Jinglong has really grown a lot in terms of how he treats people and is completely different from before.
.
As dusk fell, Li Jinglong stood up and said goodbye: "Tomorrow we will start preparing for war, Marquis Yongqing, we will see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Li Qing smiled and nodded, "I'll see Mr. Li off."
…
The next day, the Ministry of War Yamen.
Li Qing, Lan Yu, and Li Jinglong gathered here, accompanied by the host, the Minister of War, and stood aside carefully.
The Minister of War in the Hongwu Dynasty was just a decoration and had no real power at all.
Lan Yu was teased by Li Qing yesterday, and she didn't have a good face. She sat on the main seat with a golden sword and said angrily:
"In this Northern Expedition, 150,000 troops will be dispatched and will go deep into the Mobei grassland. The duration of the battle is also uncertain. We can only have more food and grass, not less."
The Minister of War nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "What the Marquis said is that I don't know the specific number...?"
"Two million stones."
"Ah?" The Secretary of the Ministry of War looked dull, "This... this, we won't need so much, right?"
With an army of 150,000 and two million dan of grain, the average soldier costs nearly 13 and a half dan. Is this going to fight or celebrate the New Year?
No matter how voracious a soldier is, he can't eat this much in a year!
Along the way, people were fed and horses were fed, and two million dan of grain were transported. The actual cost was more than 5 million dan. It was just for food and grass. It cost so much. How could the Minister of War dare to agree so easily?
"That Marquis, does the Emperor know?"
Lan Yu glared, "I am the commander-in-chief and am solely responsible for arranging military supplies. These are the emperor's exact words. Do you dare to resist the order?"
"I don't dare." The Minister of the Ministry of War shook his head repeatedly, but he didn't dare to agree. He could only look at Li Qing and asked for help, "Supervisor Li, Deputy Commander Li, what do you mean?"
"What do they mean?" Lan Yu said disdainfully, "I am the coach and listen to me."
Li Qing frowned. The last time he sent out 50,000 troops, the rice and wheat together only amounted to 130,000 dan. He hadn't finished eating that yet. Now that the troops have been increased three times, the food and grass have been increased fifteen times. It's simply... outrageous.
!
The more food and grass, the better. Too much will become a burden. If it is robbed by the Yuan army, it will be great fun.
If you can't eat it all, the 150,000 troops can't eat it all.
Just as he was about to object, Li Jinglong spoke: "Marquis Yongchang..."
"Call me coach!"
"..." Li Jinglong was speechless and changed his words: "Coach, we really don't need so much!"
Although he had never fought in a war, he could tell with some arithmetic that he didn't need so much, and half of them were extremely rich.
"What do you know?" Lan Yu said disdainfully, "Have you ever fought in a war?"
Li Jinglong's face heated up, and he felt a little embarrassed when he was told, "I have never fought in a war, but this food is enough to feed an army of 150,000 people for two years. Does the coach think that this Northern Expedition will take two years?"
"I've never fought in a battle, so I have to explain it to you." Lan Yu looked disdainful.
"You..." Li Jinglong was too young to bear such anger, "I want to report to the emperor."
"I'm afraid of you, so I won't be the head coach."
Li Qing felt very tired and raised his hands: "Coach, can you tell me why you need so much food and grass?"
"Have you ever been in a war?"
"I..." Li Qing hesitated, "I have also been to Mobei."
"It's just for military glory."
Lan Yu was like a resentful woman, after quarreling this and that, the minister on the side looked anxious, but in his heart he was very happy, and secretly prayed:
"Fight, fight..."
The civil servant was suppressed so miserably by the military commanders that he could not hold his head up at all. Two of the three were from the general camp, and one was from the Jinyi Guards. It could be said that they were all the civil servant's 'enemies'. The Minister of War naturally wanted the three of them to fight against each other.
Li Jinglong couldn't stand the excitement and finally returned to his former unruly state:
"Don't be so arrogant as the Marquis of Yongchang, do you think you are the father of your own country and don't know how to fight?"
One day, one man, Li Jinglong's language skills made Lan Yu very angry.
But he was not the one who suffered the loss. He immediately retorted: "You are just relying on your father's shadow. Without your father, who are you?"
He looked down on Li Jinglong, he looked down on him from the bottom of his heart, "I earned my title by myself, and it's not like someone picked up someone else's trick."
"Ah...!" After all, Li Jinglong was too shallow. Being ridiculed by Lan Yu, he burst into tears. "I will fight with you."
"Damn it, who are you calling me?" Lan Yu also got angry.
"Oops..." The Minister of the Ministry of War was anxious and said in an official tone: "My lord and lord, please don't fight!"