"Why are you still thinking about the reward?" Xiao Chen said.
"That's not true. Brother Xiao, didn't you say that the emperor might ask me something? I'm a little nervous." Lin Qi said.
"You should be nervous." Xiao Chen said, "But you know, just remember what I said to you, and nothing will go wrong."
"One more thing, Brother Xiao, the New Year gifts we have collected in the past two days can't be loaded in several warehouses..." Lin Qi said.
"Why are you worried that I accept too many gifts?" Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"That's not true. It really can't be loaded." Lin Qi said with a smile, "How about transporting some to Fat Brother's house? They still have free warehouses there."
"Aren't you trying too hard?" Xiao Chen said, "Why don't you just give them all away?"
"There's so much to give away, and besides, there aren't many people who can accept your gift from Brother Xiao, so I'm going to give it all away." Lin Qi said.
"You're stupid and you're giving me a runny nose. Why do you have to give me a gift? It can't be a reward?" Xiao Chen said with a smile.
"Then I understand." Lin Qi said, "I promise to give away all the things before the end of the year!"
"Have you prepared the New Year's goods at home? Anyway, there are so many things here. You choose a good batch to send to the old lady. It's my wish. I don't have time to spare. I won't visit her home before this year. "Xiao Chen said.
"What kind of batch? How many things did those people in the family use?" Lin Qi said, "Besides, many people sent New Year's goods...I am still worried about how to repay the gifts."
"Haha, you are really smart." Xiao Chen said with a smile, "It would be a favor to send something at this time."
"The main reason is that it's hard to repay the favor." Lin Qi said, "Besides, this is all for your face, Brother Xiao. If I hadn't followed you, who would have curried favor with me as a prisoner?"
"That's not necessarily for my sake. Those people may be investing in the long term." Xiao Chen said, "Okay, let's not talk about this. I still have to accompany the guests. It's been a mess these days. You can’t wait for a while! You don’t even have time to see your father. By the way, you should take the time to find Shi Mingtao and ask him to tailor it to Master Dongyang.”
"My father is in prison, so he doesn't need to make new clothes, right?" Lin Qi said.
"Well...it's not good to go to the prison to have him measured, but I see that Mr. Dongyang is neither fat nor thin. He should still be able to wear his old clothes. Do you still have his former second-grade official uniform at home?" Xiao Chen asked.
"There are one or two more. When my family was selling them, those high-grade clothes couldn't be sold," Lin Qi said.
"Well, people are not as good as new, and clothes are not as good as old, so there is no need to find Shi Mingtao. Okay, that's it." Xiao Chen said and left.
Lin Qi was left confused. What kind of clothes did Brother Xiao have? I still have my father's second-grade official uniform, but I'm afraid I'll never be able to wear it...
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Lin Qi and the others inevitably talked about this trial.
"As for the Four Books and Five Classics, I have already read it by heart. No matter what the topic is, I can always do it, at least I won't go off topic." Murong Lin said, "It's just that it's not easy to make strategies, and it's not easy to grasp the importance of writing, and it's not easy to grasp the importance of writing. Do you know what questions will be asked in this subject?"
"I think it's probably related to the switch trade." Jiang Chenghe said, "I have heard that many officials along the coast have petitioned the imperial court to open up overseas trade. Chen Zi'ang, Lin Wenbai, oh, and the prince-like Lord Dongyang seems to have also mentioned it. We have done it many times, but the emperor has never been sure. This time with Yingjili's matter, I will be sure if I can't guarantee everything."
"Yes, only by opening up overseas trade can we boost the shipbuilding industry and fundamentally solve the problem of the weakness of our navy. Isn't the reason why England is so arrogant and openly challenging us this time because our navy is not good enough?" Murong Lin said.
"I heard that the English gave in, and they asked for peace, right?" Lu Wenqian said, "Our Zhou navy is not good, but the Yanyun navy is powerful. Maybe they were scared after seeing the Yanyun navy's battles, so they Arrogant at first and respectful at the end."
"It's not necessarily because they are afraid of us." Lin Qi said, "I heard that the English Navy is also very powerful, much more powerful than the Japanese Navy, and even the Ross Fleet cannot compare... Maybe it is because of their domestic Something unexpected happened, so we didn’t dispatch the fleet.”
"Tell me, then, what will be the topic of this policy discussion?" Jiang Chenghe asked.
"It should still be a border policy." Lin Qi said, "Shangke is to the north, and Jinke may be to the west."
"You mean Langya County?" Murong Lin asked, "Is this topic too sensitive?"
"It's a little hasty. After all, Duan Fengnian rebels quickly and fails quickly..." Jiang Chenghe pondered.
"It may not be about war and political affairs. It may be about reconstruction or civil affairs. It may not be Langya County. Maybe all the counties in the northwest and southwest are included." Lin Qi said.
"What Zipan said makes sense." Lu Wenqian said, "Regardless of whether this topic will come up or not, I will write an article based on it when I go back. I will ask you to help me correct it after I finish it."
"Then if this is really the topic, aren't you, Wen Qian, afraid that we will plagiarize you?" Jiang Chenghe said with a smile.
"Then let's fight together." Lu Wenqian said with a smile.
"It's a trivial matter to get slapped. It's a big deal to get rid of your fame and make the adults in the family lose face!" Murong Lin said, "I was born in the army, and I still burn incense and worship Buddha every day. It's not to atone for his sin of murder, but I pray to the Buddha to bless me to be a Jinshi and a member of the Hanlin Academy, so that I can shine on my family." Murong Lin said.
"Then let's just find a topic each and write one article. We have to review our homework anyway, so just practice our skills." Jiang Chenghe said, "I will write about river courses. I am familiar with this. At the time, Chen Ziang and Qian I have read Master Ruhai’s river management strategy thoroughly, and I have discussed it with my father... Don’t compete with me!"
"I can't snatch it from you. I don't even understand this." Murong Lin said, "I'd better start from the military and political side. I won't talk about the big picture, just the local area. Langya County now has too many soldiers and horses, it is bloated, and there are no All combat power is maintained with free money... In my opinion, the first thing Langya County needs to do now is to reduce the number of troops and streamline its administration."
Father Murong Lin was a leader, and he was well aware of the drawbacks.
Having more soldiers does not necessarily mean fighting capacity. Just like Duan Fengnian's army of 200,000, was attacked by Lord Xiao and others with less than 70,000, and was completely defeated.
The troops in other places are even more vulnerable. The only ones with real combat power are the 100,000 people in Baisha City.
Now that Langya County has just been pacified, the court may recruit a large number of soldiers again, and the huge military expenditure will overwhelm the court and local finances...
Several people each chose a strategy topic and agreed to do it when they got home. After finishing it, everyone would ask each other for advice and make additions and revisions. Let's talk about whether they can get it right. Anyway, it was regarded as practice.
