In the afternoon, a round sun hangs in the sky, dispelling the coolness of late autumn.
In the backyard of the Beidu Palace, Li Wenquan was standing by a wide pond, holding a small, delicate white porcelain bowl in his hand. He pinched some fish food and threw it into the pond, causing the fish to scramble wildly.
Seeing this, the corner of his mouth raised slightly. Ever since he decided to go against the imperial court, he had not been so relaxed for a long time. He was also extremely lucky that he had made the decision to keep Tang Ji. In just ten days, the boy had been tossed from the military camp.
The county government not only came up with a new training method, but also eased the relationship between him and the people in the city. In the past two days, it proposed the casting of new weapons with increased hardness and horseshoes to protect the horseshoes...
All in all, he really had to dig up fast treasures from Black Dragon Village this time.
Soon, he recovered his thoughts and turned to look at Liu Qicai, who had just walked from the yard in front: "Is Tang Ran here?"
"Master, not yet." Liu Qicai put the tea and snacks prepared by Wang Mengyan on the table in the pavilion next to him, then returned to Li Wenquan, glanced at the fish swimming in the water, and after thinking for a while, asked: "Your Majesty,
That kid is now famous in the city, and the people are supporting him even more. Instead of punishing him, you promoted him to the county magistrate of Yingzhou. Aren't you afraid of something happening?"
"Something happened?" Li Wenquan seemed to have heard something very interesting, and laughed twice, and then said: "I hope there can be a few more talents like Tang Ran in the city!"
These days, Tang Ran not only persuaded him and the wealthy businessmen in the city to open porridge shacks to help the victims, but also personally visited the markets to solve problems for the people. It was normal for him to attract support, but it was all in the name of Beidu Palace, and Tang Ran was Shu'er.
The matter of the future consort had already been spread, so he didn't need to worry about anything at all, but he didn't say much. After all, Liu Qicai was just a slave, and he might not understand it if he talked about it.
After a while, Li Wenquan handed the porcelain bowl in his hand to Liu Qicai, then turned back to the table, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, picked up a piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth: "Well, the pastries made by Yan'er are delicious. Speaking of pastries,
, Shuer really needs to learn from her mother, otherwise it would be a bit outrageous to make such a thing after marrying someone else!"
Just as he sighed, a royal guard came over quickly and presented the imperial edict in his hands: "Your Majesty, this is the imperial edict from Kyoto."
In an instant, Li Wenquan frowned. In the past few times, Li He had given him orders in the form of secret letters or memorials. This time, he actually used an imperial edict. It seems that his patience has been exhausted. If he doesn't send troops, it won't take long.
, the imperial court will send troops to attack Yingzhou.
Liu Qicai took over the imperial decree for him and then asked: "Your Majesty, what should we do next?"
It happened that at this time, another figure walked in from outside the arch, and did not stop until he was in the pavilion: "See you, Your Majesty."
Immediately, Tang Ji's eyes unconsciously turned to the imperial edict in Liu Qicai's hand.
Has the imperial edict been delivered?
Can his secret message reach Kyoto before the old emperor sends troops?
"No courtesy." Li Wenquan's relaxed mood was ruined, and he didn't pay attention to his eyes. He waved his hands casually and sat down on the chair.
Tang Ji rolled his eyes slightly, raised his hands and asked, "Your Highness, but Kyoto is urging you again?"
"I didn't expect Li He to be unable to sit still so soon. It's a pity that the king's plan is still two steps away!" Li Wenquan sighed softly, then turned his eyes to Tang Ji: "Do you have anything to say?"
Tang Ji raised his eyes and thought for a while and then said: "Prince Qi, my dear... I think you need to send someone to pay attention to the movements of the imperial army first. Once the opponent sends troops, the Yingzhou army must also respond in time. In addition, the prince
We must also contact the generals of Jiang State as soon as possible to discuss the matter of breaking the barrier."
After hearing his words, Li Wenquan's expression changed slightly, and he frowned and said, "What do you mean? Although I am dissatisfied with the court's actions, I am also a native of Ning State. How can I cooperate with the barbarians of Jiang State?"
Are you pretending to be a mud horse?
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that you intend to become a traitor, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here drinking tea happily!
Although Tang Ji was insulting the other party in his heart, he still hurriedly replied verbally: "Your Majesty, there is no better way at the moment. If the imperial court's second army marches to the northwest, let's not say whether we can stop it. Even if we can stop it, it won't be possible."
We have to pay a big price. If we are unable to influence the border war situation, it will be difficult to negotiate with the Jiang people. If we don’t cooperate now, we may become lambs to be slaughtered in the future. I hope the prince will think twice!"
After listening to his words, Li Wenquan was silent for a moment, and then said: "Hahaha, Tang Ran, Tang Ran, I did not misjudge you. Now that things have happened, I will not hide it from you. In fact, I have been with you for a long time.
The Jiang people have reached a cooperation, but the conditions have not been agreed upon yet, so we need to delay it. If Li He dares to send someone over, I will not be merciful."
Tang Ji pretended to have a sudden realization: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Now we can only hope that his secret message can be sent back to Kyoto as soon as possible, otherwise his plan will be ruined, Ning Guo will lose more than a dozen northwest states in one go, the people's lives will be even more miserable, and even that guy Li Yu may encounter
Danger!
Soon, Li Wenquan ordered Liu Qicai: "Send spies immediately to monitor the movements of the imperial army, mainly focusing on the movements of the army in Dianyuanzhong and Dingbei. The only reinforcements that can reach the northwest the fastest are those two places. In addition,
, pass the order and have all the soldiers in the eight states on standby at any time!"
"Yes!" Liu Qicai responded with his hands raised, turned around and left.
Li Wenquan raised his hand to signal Tang Ji to sit down: "Try it, this is the pastry made by Shu'er's mother."
Tang Ji was not polite. Li Yushu had given it to him before, and it tasted really good, but most of the time it ended up in Hua Yuan'er's stomach. He picked up a piece and tasted it, not forgetting to praise it a few times, and then suddenly remembered something.
, took out two memorials and several sheets of rice paper from his sleeves, and explained: "Your Majesty, here is the new iron smelting method I have summarized, which can make the forged weapons stronger. Here is the model of a horseshoe. As long as you give it
When a war horse puts on shoes, it will no longer be afraid of the wear and tear of its hoofs..."
After a brief introduction, he went on to talk about some complicated theoretical knowledge, which directly made Li Wenquan feel dumbfounded.
But the latter still listened carefully for the sake of face, and then said: "Okay, okay, with these, the strength of our Yingzhou army will be improved by several levels. Since you came up with these, I
The king will leave all the tasks of making them to you!"
Tang Ji pursed his lips and continued: "But Your Majesty, this requires a lot of manpower and material resources..."
But before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Li Wenquan raising his hand: "Everything is up to you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his head and glanced at Tang Ji again: "How do you, a weak scholar, understand this?"
Tang Ji blinked, then lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "To be honest with the prince, Xiaguan fell into the river before and almost drowned. He was unconscious for several days, but he met an old god in his dream. He told
When I was nineteen years old, I was able to meet a noble person, and I was able to unlock my own fortune. I understood many things that ordinary people could not understand, and finally helped that noble person achieve the supreme status. Of course, the lower official himself could also enjoy endless things.
The glory and wealth!”
Li Wenquan looked at him doubtfully: "What about your year?"
"Your Majesty, I just turned 19 last month!" Tang Ji was actually only 18 years old, but his features couldn't be too similar to Tang Ji, the household doctor in Kyoto, otherwise it would definitely arouse suspicion!
Hearing this, the corners of Li Wenquan's lips raised unconsciously. The supreme position, isn't it the throne? He had never thought about this, but if he could be the emperor for a few days, his life would be in vain. He laughed twice and said,
Then he replied: "Hahaha, if what the old god said is true, I can give you all the glory and wealth you want!"
Tang Ji rolled his eyes silently. This guy is indeed deeply persecuted by theology. Shouldn't he first doubt whether his words are true or false?
Li Wenquan's hearty laughter spread throughout the backyard. After a while, he picked up Liu Qicai's dropped imperial edict and threw it on the ground. Finally, he stepped on it twice. He turned to Tang Ji and said, "I heard that you are busy at the county government.
Have you eaten yet?"
Tang Ji stood up and replied: "Prince Qi, not yet."
"It just so happens that I haven't eaten either, so just go with me!" Li Wenquan responded, and then walked away from the pavilion, not forgetting to warn: "It's good that you share the burden for me, but you should also pay attention to your health."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Tang Ji replied and quickly chased after him.
At the same time, in the Imperial Study Room in Kyoto, a Star Secret Service agent delivered an urgent letter.
Not long after, an order came from the palace: "Send the order, and the army in the original camp will stand still and wait for my will!"