"Oh, Governor Zhang is here, please sit down."
Dong Sheng heard the faint sound of footsteps and saw Zhang Chenghuai walking in plain clothes, so he quickly gave him a chair to sit on.
"Master Supervisor, has there been any progress in begging money and food from the court yesterday?" Zhang Chenghuai dusted the chair and sat down.
Dong Sheng smiled and said: "I got a reply from the Ministry of War this morning, saying that the money and food will arrive in a few days. I can teach the generals not to worry."
"In that case, it's time to start planning for the new deal, right?" Zhang Chenghuai asked sideways.
"What... do you mean?" Dong Sheng looked at him nervously.
Zhang Chenghuai patted his knees and smiled softly: "Nothing else, I'm just worried about you. Now that everything is ready, if we don't draw up a complete strategy as soon as possible, and further delay, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to the New Deal."
Dong Sheng was very surprised by the change in his attitude. His eyes froze and he thought to himself: 'I can't guess what this person is thinking. I don't know whether he sincerely supports him or whether he has Cun Zhao's instructions and has some agenda... However, he should be dealt with as soon as possible. If the New Deal continues to be implemented, it will be beneficial and harmless. What tricks can he get out of it? If we take this opportunity to make the governor sympathize with the New Deal, it will be a great achievement. '
He stopped thinking about it and nodded towards him: "The Governor's words really woke me up. My idea is to connect the east and west defense lines from end to end and connect them with each other, forming a spider web, instead of having everyone sit on guard. The isolated city restricted the enemy's forces with one or two important towns, and wasted a vast area of nearly a thousand miles."
Zhang Chenghuai was very dissatisfied and felt that his remarks were far-fetched, but at this time he had to follow Cun Zhao's arrangements and had to praise: "The supervisor's plan is grand and far-reaching. I have been guarding the border for many years, but my experience is not as good as yours. I am ashamed. It's just like this. The project is very big, how much money will it cost? I hope you can give me an accurate figure so that I can be prepared."
"I have already checked it out with people at the Ministry of War. Let me write it out to the governor."
"good!"
Zhang Chenghuai suspected that he had fallen into the trap, so he quickly helped him get pen and ink and laid out the paper.
Dong Sheng was thinking and writing, and roughly listed the various expenses in half an hour.
"A total of more than two hundred thousand taels of silver were spent..." Zhang Chenghuai was shocked when he looked at this large amount, "There is no way the border officials can collect all this money!"
Dong Sheng smiled and said: "You misunderstood. This project cannot be completed overnight. It needs to be implemented slowly and must not be rushed. Based on this calculation, it will take at least two years."
"Then...can Zhang take this note back and study it carefully?" Zhang Chenghuai raised his eyelids slightly and made his final request carefully.
"Of course, you can take it." Dong Sheng responded with only one light word. Zhang Chenghuai felt relieved and stuffed the note into his sleeve.
In order to conceal his true intention, Zhang Chenghuai also discussed with him the details of the New Deal, such as where the castle should be built, how many troops should be stationed, whether to cultivate fields, etc., and made a detailed analysis. Although Dong Sheng was still wary of him, he didn't have much reservation in this matter.
Zhang Chenghuai completed the task assigned to him by Cun Zhao without fail, but he was not very happy. He returned to the barracks expressionlessly and handed over the note.
"Thank you very much!" Cun Zhao was very happy and patted his shoulder excitedly.
"There's nothing to thank. It's all business." Zhang Chenghuai answered with a sullen expression, not appearing to be modest.
Cunzhao smiled awkwardly, ignored him, and turned to ask his confidants: "How should you use this 'account book'?"
"It goes without saying! It must be taken out of context. It is said that Dong Sheng is eager to make achievements and can achieve immediate results within a few months. After hearing this, the officials and people in the city will be filled with complaints." Confidants offered suggestions one after another.
"Captain Zhang, what do you think?" After hearing this, Cun Zhao smiled maliciously and asked Zhang Chenghuai.
Zhang Chenghuai replied firmly: "Cun Si Jin, as long as the power is still in my hands, I will not allow traitorous behavior for personal gain! If you have any party disputes, you can start it yourself, but it is best not to involve my soldiers." General, let alone cause a border emergency. That would be of no benefit to anyone."
"Captain Zhang, you still don't understand that without us, border defense is the foundation for rebels and traitors to rebel!" Cun Zhao's eyes were so wide that they were almost bursting with bloodshot eyes, "Since you claim to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic, you should do it no matter the cost." Defeat the Ye Party! Otherwise, even if we conquer thousands of miles of territory, that is still the achievement of the Thief Party, paving the way for them to rebel!"
"Cun Si Jin, I am loyal to the country..." At this point, Zhang Chenghuai became speechless. Yes, if the Ye Party is allowed to complete the major task of reviving the country, the country itself will be the first to bear the brunt. This strange tear really left him at a loss.
But the governor did not doubt his thoughts all along and firmly believed that it was truly correct, but he had not yet found a reasonable explanation. So he regained his composure and said: "Zhang seems to have no room for refutation in front of Lord Si Jin. But I have a strong balance in my heart, and I don't need outsiders to teach me."
Cun Zhao was about to respond to his words when he heard footsteps outside the room. He quickly opened the door and saw a junior high school student coming to report: "My lords, Supervisor Dong has something to discuss in the big tent. Please go there quickly." .”
"I see..." After Cunzhao dealt with it perfunctorily, he turned to Zhang Chenghuai and smiled, "Then I hope this scale will be more fair."
Everyone didn't pay much attention to this meeting, thinking it was just an ordinary meeting, so they were very relaxed, and there was far less tension and depression than the first day.
Dong Sheng doesn't have to worry at all now. Everything will develop according to the idea in his mind without any hindrance, as long as his thinking is clear enough.
Seeing that all the generals had arrived, Dong Sheng was not in a hurry. He approved some ordinary official duties first and patiently discussed this for half an hour. The most important one was Zhang Chenghuai's suggestion to divide his troops to defend the fort, even though it was Chen Dang's suggestion. It was a signal to seize power, but Dong Sheng refused to be distracted by this, and finally agreed to this request. When Cun Zhao heard these boring little things, he started to yawn and look around. He was thinking about things outside and didn't care about him at all.
Dong Sheng looked up and saw his appearance, he was very happy and said to himself: "This guy is proud now, let's see what he will look like in the future!" ’ Then he suddenly changed the subject and asked coldly: “Do you know that Duke Du Wude is kind to you?”
All the generals cupped their hands and said: "We have fought under Du Gong for many years, but he has always treated us as brothers and has never had any airs. We support him as if we were parents again. We have so many kindnesses, needless to say!"
"What do you think of me?"
"You..." Everyone's expressions suddenly changed and they immediately fell silent.
