In these troubled times, Chief Zhang's mood became worse and worse.
Even though Xiong Bonan didn't know how bad the other party had been before, he could also tell that the other party was in a terrible mood at this time.
On this day, Zhang Xing did not return to Jiangling at all, but stayed at the farming site near Gaojibo... That evening, listening to the ticking sound outside the house, facing Xiong Bonan, the deposed The chief of the Dragon Gang did not hide his thoughts and worries, but poured them all out.
"Well, I feel ridiculous about this... I am a rebel thief. I don't want to take advantage of the chaos. Instead, I want everyone to listen to me, not to cause damage, and to do things in peace. Who is the official and who is the thief?
"It can even be said to be hypocritical, because I asked them to stabilize production, and my original intention was that when I go to fight, I can take over a territory with full treasury and local stability, rather than really expecting them to become strong or win over the people. More Furthermore, in addition to our own territory, I am most concerned about other places in Hebei, and then other places in the Central Plains, Jianghuai, and a little further away. To be honest, I will turn a deaf ear... For example, if the Wu tribe invades Guanzhong, do you want me to do it? It’s so worrying that I can’t help but worry... This is not hypocrisy, what is hypocrisy?
"The most important thing is that I am vaguely aware of it in my heart, that is, in troubled times, what kind of order do you expect? If you can control your own territory, you can be called benevolent and righteous, and you have to treat half the world's affairs as your own. The mission is not only hypocritical and absurd, but also ridiculous!”
Zhang Xing finished speaking in one breath, feeling a little angry, but he gasped heavily on the couch of the wooden house that had just been built less than a year ago.
The room was a little damp, but the stove was lit and the soup was boiling, so that the water vapor made the birds sing.
There were more than a dozen guards and patrolmen sitting in the outhouse and the wooden house next door. No one said a word at this time. Obviously, it was rare for them to see or hear the chief being so rude.
Xiong Bonan waited for the other party to finish speaking and was quiet for a while before speaking in a low voice: "So, is this why you were so anxious during the summer drought?"
"That's not necessarily true. At that time, we were mainly worried about our harvest, and we were afraid that we would be delayed in Xuzhou for too long and not have enough food, so we didn't think so far ahead." Zhang Xing calmed down and admitted more simply. "I came up with this idea. Essentially, on the way back, everyone started to cheer up when we met in Xuzhou, and then I suddenly started to feel weak. There was a feeling that we had dug this hole, and we were responsible for it. The trepidation of responsibility.”
"This isn't like you." Xiong Bonan laughed dryly, with the same deep voice. "Have you ever been afraid of any situation? And when have you ever been afraid of causing trouble?"
"Things are different. The things I caused were either because I was showing off behind a high wall, or because I had no choice but to act recklessly." Zhang Xing smiled, but became obviously more relaxed. "For example, when this matter was exposed, I found that I couldn't maintain it no matter how hard I tried, so I relaxed. But Heavenly King, do you know where I am most helpless in this matter?"
"Appreciate further details."
"It's just that things are not that bad, and no one is deliberately causing trouble. It just becomes a little bit logical and I can no longer control it." Zhang Xing was obviously emotional. "Of course it was a drought at the beginning, but drought is really not that serious. Those who rely on mountains and rivers can eat mud, and those who rely on tidal flats can still eat mud. They can always survive half-full and half-starved... However, we saved the disaster, and many It is possible to do this by rationing 10% to 20% of the grain and leveling taxes. However, in other places, many people in power do not have the willpower, so they reduce the ration by 10% to 20% of the grain. This is a problem;
"The drought was followed by the military disaster. There's nothing to say about this. I just want to talk about ourselves. We actually did an excellent job. Bai Hengqiu went to Hebei to make trouble, but we actually suppressed it and failed to fall into his plan. We didn't even count. We have won this hand, but we are still victorious, but we still can't control the corners, let alone the turbulent situation... This is another problem;
"Then came the floods... This was the last thing I expected, but it was also the one that woke me up the most. In previous years, this kind of rain would have been nothing, but because of the drought in the summer and the war immediately after the autumn, the water conservancy in many places The ditches are useless, and when flooding occurs, it will cause disasters... floods, droughts, military disasters, a little leakage here, a little less there, together, it will be fatal.
"So Heavenly King, next, there will definitely be problems that are not problems at ordinary times. In the end, nothing can survive. This is the real troubled world. We need to take a long-term approach."
"What's the plan?" Xiong Bonan didn't have time to ask. "Do you want to fight out?"
"If you can fight, it's better not to fight. If you can fight, it's better to fight later... The best and most utilitarian way is to hold the food in your hands and wait until the surrounding area is exhausted to attack. It's to see clearly the final moves of Dongdu and Jiangdu. Take action again! At this time, the effect is greatest and the final word can be finalized!" Zhang Xing answered seriously. "But this is the best case scenario!"
"But we can't just think about the best case scenario, what about the worst case scenario?" Xiong Bonan couldn't follow up.
"The worst thing is that it's really bad. Not only does it mean that we may be forced to take action early and then become a mess, but we also have to consider the situation of being defeated and being driven to Dengzhou to shrink!" Zhang Xing blurted out. .
There was a cough and the sound of something hitting something from the outhouse.
Zhang Xing did not say anything, but nodded to Jia Runshi, who was standing inside the door. The latter understood, and immediately went out, temporarily expelling the people in the outhouse from the house. Even there was some movement next door.
After a while, the surroundings became quiet again. Xiong Bo Nanfang nodded and continued the conversation: "I understand roughly what you mean. You are afraid that once there is no food, no one will care about anyone and will only fight indiscriminately. At that time, it is easy for us to become the loser and then be defeated... But retreating to Dengzhou... is that a big deal?"
"It's not just about retreating to Dengzhou." Zhang Xing squinted his eyes while looking at the rain outside the wooden house, and lowered his voice. "We also need to gather a fleet at the mouth of the river to conduct trade between Dongyi and the North. If necessary, hide out and hide in the North!"
Xiong Bonan raised his head in surprise: "Why is this so?"
"The worst-case scenario." Zhang Xing responded calmly. "It's just the worst-case scenario, but when we make decisions, we have to have this in mind."
"Then what's the worst thing?" Xiong Bonan was still uneasy.
"We were caught up in the situation and responded to the battle in advance, and then became the losers. Not only were we beaten by Xue Changxiong, but we also became the target of encirclement and suppression by Uncle Cao and the British Duke." Zhang Xing explained seriously. "I know that Uncle Cao and the British Duke are enemies rather than friends. It is even possible that this wave of witchcraft will force Uncle Cao to die. But Uncle Cao's time is running out. Once he takes action, it is likely to be limited by time, distance and the target. As well as his own situation, we must prepare for extreme situations..."
"For example..." Xiong Bonan was thoughtful. "Uncle Cao Huang resisted the Wu clan in Guanzhong, but he only had half a life left. Then he could not deal with the other great masters. And the British Duke hid behind Old Master Zhang. He did not dare to go, so Uncle Cao Huang was forced to come to Hebei to deal with the only master. We were able to deal with him, and we managed to survive the last half of his life, but in the end, the British were waiting for the mantis to catch the cicada and the oriole behind them, and were preparing to take advantage of the situation to take down Hebei?"
"It's possible." Zhang Xing looked as usual and nodded. "However, nine times out of ten, the British will still take Guanzhong first. He thinks we are a greater threat and stabs us hard first, but he only leaves with one blow... That's why I said to prepare the fleet and avoid its sharp edge if necessary. After he leaves, Hebei will still be ours, and if we recover, we can still grow up and compete with him."
Xiong Bonan nodded, then suddenly froze for a moment, looked at the other person's expression, and then shook his head: "No, Chief Zhang, Zhang Sanlang, the worst case scenario you just thought about is not this... right? Otherwise, instead of saying 'It's possible', it should be 'That's what it means'... What's the worst-case scenario you thought about at the beginning?"
"What I'm thinking is..." Zhang Xing suddenly got stuck. "I'm afraid of the King's joke."
Xiong Bonan didn't say anything, just squinting his eyes to look at the other party.
Zhang Xing nodded and continued: "What I think is, if the situation continues to get hopelessly bad step by step, and sinks step by step with no way to stop it...then I want to take a gamble, I want to Go attack Li Yangcang! I want the people in this world to at least not starve to death!"
Xiong Bonan opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
"If Cao Lin is recruited for this, I will admit it! Bai Hengqiu and Huangque are behind, and I will admit it!" Zhang Xing said simply. "It doesn't make sense. The food they have produced at home, the food they have worked so hard for year after year, is just there, but people are still starving to death! There is no such thing as this in the world!"
Xiong Bonan was silent for a moment and then said directly: "So, why does Chief Zhang think I can laugh?"
"Because it's too naive." Zhang Xing answered calmly. "Because it is likely to fail completely and lose the possibility of feeding more people in the future... This account is always inappropriate among smart people... No matter what, you should kill Uncle Cao first before talking about anything else."
"That's only for smart people to laugh. I, Xiong Bonan, have never been a smart person." Xiong Bonan answered seriously. "According to my stupid thinking, if you really get to this point, knowing that there is a way to make people full but don't do it, then there is no point in being a smart person... Chief, if you really get to this point, Come on, if the chief really wants to do this, I will settle the accounts with those smart people for the chief! Even if you are really forced to take a boat to the north, I will get on the boat with you!"
Zhang Xing nodded, but then shook his head: "It's just the worst case scenario, how can it really be like this? Maybe Cao Lin will fight to the death with the British father! We also have a destiny! The Black Emperor is watching, right?"
Xiong Bonan also laughed, then suddenly stopped smiling and continued to speak seriously: "The bad thing about this world is that many people are obviously stupid but always try to be smart. The good thing is that they can always jump. There are a few people like the chief who are obviously smart but are willing to be stupid... This world is really interesting."
Zhang Xing didn't respond, he just listened to the sound of rain outside and was lost in thought.
At this moment, suddenly, a few crows hiding from the rain under the tree on the roof flew up and flew away in the rain. Zhang Xing was awakened again, and he gestured to Jia Runshi, who was already stunned. , called the rest of the people back into the house and started having dinner.
It was a dark time, and the sky was dark, and the fields were filled with mist and rain.
