Walking home from Jincheng West Road, Li Dan was planning how to get a few more paintings from Shen Zhou and build a painting collection building in the garden. Suddenly, a horse's hooves came from behind, and someone asked loudly: "Is this the Li Mansion's carriage in front of you?"
"Huh?" Li Dan reached out and pulled down the bell, and the carriage stopped. Soon the knight jumped off his horse and ran forward, panting and crossing his hands and saying, "Sir, I am inspecting Gaofei at the Ministry of War, and I have been ordered to deliver documents to you."
After saying that, he held up a briefcase with both hands and said, "I went to your master's house. I didn't want to tell you, but I went out and chased you to the palace gate... Alas, in short, I can hardly run anymore!"
Li Dan looked at the young official in his twenties with a smile: "You have a great age, but because I made you waste your time on this bluestone road, I really feel sorry for you!"
"Sir, you are joking. After all, it is the responsibility of a humble position." Gao Fei said with bright eyes, "Of course, if one day I can kill enemies on the battlefield like my ancestors did, that would be my wish!"
"Oh? Who is your ancestor Gaojun?"
"After Fei is the king of Bohai County in the Tang Dynasty, Gaoshi, the Marquis of Bohai County, is my great-uncle."
"It turns out that she is a queen from a famous family, so she was neglected!" Li Dan handed over his hand: "This time, the Ministry of War also sent an attaché to the Liao Dynasty. Didn't you apply?"
"Your Majesty is very determined this time. The public offering of war bonds has been sold out since the day before yesterday, which shows everyone's concern for this war and their belief in victory. With such an obvious opportunity to make meritorious deeds, who wouldn't want to be the first to do so?"
Gao Fei smiled bitterly: "A person in a humble position speaks softly and has no connections or support, so he cannot earn that honor!"
"Then, how did you get into the Ministry of War?" Li Dan was curious. Judging from the young man's figure, posture and confidence in speaking, he must be a man with martial arts skills, but he was wearing the clothes of an eighth-grade civilian.
"The humble position was taken through the imperial examination, and he was recommended as an official in the Daming Prefecture because of his merits in civil service. Later, when there was a shortage of soldiers, the humble position was promoted by the prince of the mansion because of his martial arts skills.
Later, when I followed the prince to Beijing to take up his post, he recommended me to go to the Ministry of War and become a merit-examination officer. Unexpectedly, he died the next year and has been holding a humble position in the Ministry of War ever since. "
"I see." Li Dan nodded: "If you have the chance, would you like to come with me?"
"Sir, are you joking?"
"Hey, I am the governor-general of the town, and I can still get a military officer with Master Gu." Li Dan smiled.
Gao Fei was overjoyed. He saw the hope and immediately decided to grab it. He hurriedly bowed and crossed his hands: "It would be great if I could go with you! I just don't know if there is such a blessing in a humble position?"
Li Dan laughed loudly: "Go back and make preparations. Report to the Raozhou Guild Hall at 10:00 tomorrow and follow me to set off the next day!"
As soon as he entered the house, Wu Mao and several others were already waiting for him. They had already known the news about the Ministry of War, and they all came to wait for Li Dan. "The authorization and appointment documents have been obtained, and we can set off." Li Dan said:
"Inform all the accompanying personnel to start lighting the fire tomorrow morning. Supplies and vehicles will leave Beijing first. The entire team will meet outside the north gate of Yucheng early the next day and then head to Xuzhou." Everyone responded loudly.
After waiting for so long, everyone was excited and excited to finally set off.
Most of them are from Jiangxi and Fujian, and it is their first time to even visit Shangjing, let alone the distant Liao land. But everyone was still eager to try, looking forward to competing with Kerr.
After everyone dispersed, Zhu Qing and Wu Mao stayed behind. Zhu Qingxian reported to the trading company: "80% of the war bonds have been subscribed, and the total amount of silver and banknotes received has reached 670,000 taels.
The main people subscribing now are our various chambers of commerce in Jiangxi, as well as Huizhou businessmen who were encouraged and influenced by Mr. Qian.
But there is good news today. The three chambers of commerce in Shanxi, Datong and Xuanfu have united to subscribe for 10% of the bonds and sent people to discuss the details with me. It seems they are serious. Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce and Jinling Chamber of Commerce also invited me to contact them.
Judging from the trend, I think there is no big problem in selling all bonds. "Zhu Qing admired Li Dan's idea of war bonds and was very optimistic about it. In three or five days, the trading company could earn tens of thousands of taels. Such a deal was really a good deal.
But Li Dan immediately poured cold water on him: "Don't be too optimistic. We must not only think that we can win the war, but also be mentally prepared to lose the war!"
"What, will there be a defeat?" Zhu Qing was startled and turned to look at Wu Mao, seeing that he also had a surprised expression.
"I heard today that many people in the Ministry of War are very optimistic about this battle. I'm afraid this is not a good thing." Li Dan said: "You have also experienced the war. Is this blind optimism just because the emperor supports it? What is the basis for such optimism? ?
So I think it’s very likely that the early game will be tough. Furthermore, we still don’t know the combat effectiveness of the Liao army. It is said that 80,000 troops will be mobilized. Will they be elite troops and strong generals, or a ragtag army? We won't know until we get to the scene. "
"Then what should I do?" Zhu Qing's face looked a little ugly: "I don't want to say anything, the credibility of the court and your majesty is all on this!"
"Then there is only one way," Wu Mao whispered to the two of them: "First test, then fight. Otherwise, if we attack like this and something goes wrong, the consequences will be unpredictable!"
"The young master in question is not the coach, he is just the commander-in-chief!" Zhu Qing also lowered his voice: "His words don't count, how can he listen to General Shi?"
"Stop arguing." Li Dan waved his hand: "We haven't seen the actual situation. Sitting here is just guessing. We can only take one step at a time.
But if it drags on for a long time, Mr. Zhu, you must be mentally prepared for the possible issuance of the second tranche of bonds. At that time, His Majesty will ask the Ministry of Revenue to contact you. "Speaking of the household department, Li Dan paused slightly.
Although Zheng Shou was obviously suspected of having an affair outside the border wall, he was not held down on the spot and there was no evidence. The only witness has been returned to the grassland, so pulling out this nail will not be a matter of time, and now we have to tolerate him for the time being.
Besides, to dig out this poisonous insect, the emperor and the Sanfa Si must work together. Li Dan knew that it was not enough so far, so he had to say hello to Cai Langzhong first, and at the same time ordered Shenjie to secretly collect more evidence.
Shi Hao arrived in Shangjing three days ago, and Li Dan had already visited him. He doesn't have much airs, but he has developed a good sense of politics through his many ups and downs over the years.
Therefore, when he met Li Dan, he was very enthusiastic and expressed that he would cooperate with the work of the governor. As for his views on Liao affairs and his understanding of the Liao army, he was left to his own devices. This is one of the reasons why Li Dan feels unsure and worried.
"General Shi is enthusiastic on the surface, but he probably regards you as a minister of Xingjin, so he doesn't want to have a heart-to-heart relationship so quickly." Wu Mao said:
"The news came from the Commander-in-Chief of the Fifth Army. Both Li Houye (Li Gengsan) and the Right Commander-in-Chief (Hou Xie) had talked with him, but no one thought that Commander Shi was a very well-connected person.
I estimate that one of them felt that the young master should keep a distance as he was the supervisor of the army, and the other was that he resented the supervisor's involvement in too much military affairs. "
Li Dan thought of the books he had read about the military supervision system in the late Ming Dynasty, nodded slightly and replied: "No one likes the supervision of the army, and I'm afraid it would be the same if I were leading the troops. I really didn't expect that the first task assigned by your majesty was actually You want me to play this role!"
He thought, you surnamed Shi, you should burn some incense, it would be nice if you didn't send a eunuch to serve as a supervisor!
Just when he thought of the word "eunuch", he saw Lu Jiu poking his head. "What's going on?" Li Dan asked.
"Sir, I have two things to say. Which one do you want to hear first?" Lu Jiu's big face was full of embarrassment.
Li Dan got angry and said, "I don't even know what's going on. How do you want me to choose?"
Wu Mao reacted quickly and asked immediately: "Is it a family matter or a court matter?"
"One of the same."
"Let's talk about the court first!" Li Dan said immediately.
"Eunuch Liu is here, riding in a donkey cart quietly and wearing Taoist robes."
Li Dan was startled: "What about family matters?"
"My aunt has arrived with my wife, Mrs. Ru (referring to the Wu family, she has a high status, Lu Jiu dare not treat her as a concubine)!"
"Why are they here?" Li Dan was shocked and turned to look at Wu Mao and Zhu Qing. They were also stunned and said in unison: "We don't know."
There was no other way, so Li Dan had no choice but to ask Wu Mao to come forward and invite Eunuch Liu to sit down at Yang Yuexuan, and then he ran with Lu Jiu to pick up Xiao Qian.
"Auntie, why are you here? Didn't you inform me beforehand?" Li Dan said, staring.
Han Si, the retinue, glanced at him.
"Sir, I am following orders." Han Jinguo defended quickly, took out an envelope from his jacket and handed it over.
Li Dan opened it and saw that it was Han An's handwriting. It contained an order for Han Jinguo to escort him secretly with two dozen personal guards. His name, whereabouts, etc. were not to be revealed on the way.
There is also a letter from Han An below, explaining that it was the Xiao Qian family who proposed to move to the capital. He considered that this would be beneficial to Li Dan's career, so he agreed and arranged for escort.
"Hey, if my aunt wants to come and say hello to me, just send someone to pick her up. There's no need to be so secretive. If something happens on the way, I don't even know about it, then I'll regret it!" Li Dan first greeted his aunt. , and then said.
"I'm accompanying you personally, what could happen?"
Only then did Li Dan realize that Su Siniang was also here, and said in surprise: "Master's wife is here too, so isn't Master Han alone?"
"She accompanied me because she was worried that I would be lonely on the road, but she didn't expect that you were here to be the mark maker." Xiao Qian said with a smile and stopped Li Dan who was about to look at his wife: "Your aunt is behind you."
"Ah?" Li Dan looked back, and sure enough, Mrs. Shu, Mrs. Cui and her cousin Luo'er were there, coming up to see the ceremony together. Li Dan suddenly remembered Li Qin and hurriedly asked Lu Jiu to invite his fourth brother. She asked dumbfoundedly: "Auntie is here because of Xiaosi'er?"
"Both for him and for your eldest brother." Mrs. Shu sighed: "The two brothers are in the capital, and we couldn't sit at home in Jiangxi all day long. In the end, the whole family decided to move here.
Don't be angry with me, Sanlang. It's because my words made them want to move. Your uncle is behind and will be there in a few days.
When I entered the capital, I asked Lu Ning'er (Li Zhu's servant) to report to his master. When your eldest brother arrives, our whole family will live with him. "
"Uh..., I'm afraid this can't be done." Li Dan shook his head: "The eldest brother is now one of the people most needed by Your Majesty. He only rented two huts to live in the capital, and he often stayed at the Hanlin Academy to wait for Your Majesty. They are summoned, so sometimes they can’t even go home.
The clerk from the guild hall would visit his sister-in-law and children every two days and bring some meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, etc., but he himself didn't care at all.
You and your family can fill up the small courtyard even when you come to visit. How can you possibly stay at his place? Why don't you stay temporarily in the guild hall first, and I'll send someone to quickly find a courtyard for you to rent. How about that? "
"This..." It seems that Shu and Cui didn't know how reserved Li Zhu was in the capital. They thought he would be so prestigious when he entered the Hanlin Academy. They didn't know what to do after hearing what Li Dan said.
"I think we should do as Sanlang said. You guys stay here first." Xiao Qian saw their embarrassment and said quickly, "They are very tired after coming all the way. Let's settle down and make decisions slowly."
Seeing this, Mrs. Shu and Mrs. Cui had no choice but to respond first. Just as Li Qin came, he greeted the two mothers in panic. Mrs. Shu couldn't say much in front of everyone and only gave a few warnings.
Liu En heard the noise and came over, asking his assistant to take Shiro and his family to settle down first, and then asked Li Dan for instructions.
Only then did Li Dan tell his mother that he had booked a garden for his family to live in, but it was still a bit rough there at the moment. Xiao Qian laughed and said how simple could it be in this capital city?
It's better to stay here first and go have a look tomorrow. If it's suitable, we can move there first to save everyone from crowding together.
Li Dan was right. After all, there were two thatched houses with five or six rooms, and there were three or four studios, flower houses, and waterside pavilions in the garden behind that could be used. Then he agreed.
At this time Tao Niang also came. Li Dan had the courage to ask her to come over and salute his mother and two mistresses. Suddenly he saw Huo'er huddled behind and staring at him resentfully, and his heart trembled slightly.
He quickly turned to Liu En and told him to arrange a place for Xiao Qian. Tao Niang would definitely move to the side room and free up the main room and study room for A Ying and Wu Ning'er to live respectively.
Then he told his mother that the angel had arrived, and asked them to follow Liu En for resettlement first, and then come to greet him after he received her.
When Xiao Qian saw Tao Niang, she wanted to take her son to teach him a lesson. But when she heard that the angel was waiting, she was frightened and quickly said, "Go quickly, go quickly!" and let him go.
Li Dan hurriedly came to Yang Yuexuan, and Eunuch Liu asked what was going on.
With all the noise, Li Dan told him that it was family members from Jiangxi who were in Beijing. Eunuch Liu misunderstood and thought it was Li Dan who called his family members to the capital before leaving. He gave a thumbs up: "loyal minister Li Sanlang, he is well-deserved!"
Li Dan didn't know how to respond to this compliment, so he had to accept it as a mistake, and then asked him: "Why did my father-in-law come to see Li Dan this night?"
"Your Majesty remembered something and asked us to ask."
"Oh? Please speak!" Li Dan quickly said, crossing his hands respectfully.
"What if the war goes against us?"
Li Dan glanced outside the door and asked in a low voice: "Excuse me, father-in-law, how did your majesty come up with this question?"
Liu Kan shook his head: "How can the heart of heaven be measured? But please tell me honestly, is this possible?"
"Yes!" Li Dan mentioned the points he had just discussed with his staff, and also heard that everyone in the Ministry of War was optimistic. "Unfounded and blind optimism is never a good thing."
Li Dan said: "I am mentally prepared. Maybe we will fail in the early stage, and maybe Khan will be more cunning than we thought. But in any case, this idea that this time is a sure thing must be stopped immediately and cannot be allowed to spread. Endanger the entire army!"
"Yes!" Liu Kan nodded: "Now that Young Master knows this, what if...?"
Li Dan took a few steps, turned around and said, "If there is such a possibility, then the Kelges may directly enter western Liaoning, or endanger Jinzhou to Shanhaiguan." He took out a pen and paper and roughly drew a map of Liao and its main cities. Pointing and saying:
"My father-in-law, please see, if our army cannot cut off the enemy's limbs west of Cullen, causing the Kerrs to march straight in. Then there are two biggest possibilities:
Either Bihan would lead his army north to sweep away the Luyan tribe and absorb or annex them; or he would go south to Liaohetao.
If it is the latter, although it will face counterattack by the imperial army, it may benefit the most.
The Liao defenders who were cut off became a lone army. Once a complete defeat occurred, Kerr would have the opportunity to take the entire Liao into his pocket, so I think he is likely to choose the latter, which is risky but highly profitable.
Our army has to do two things: set up a second line of defense in Yizhou to hold him back; and prepare for a decisive battle with the enemy from Daling River to Niuzhuang! "
"So Mr. Li suggested gathering elites as a reserve team in the Gai and Hai areas?" Eunuch Liu asked, pointing to the location on the map.
"Yes." Li Dan nodded: "We can hurriedly organize 50,000 frontline troops. If they cannot resist, they will have to hand over to the 30,000 reserve troops on the second line of defense."
"The question is, can they stop it?"
"Not necessarily." Li Dan shook his head: "But it's worth a try. Currently, the Shenwu Army is being ordered to gather in Cangzhou for training and re-equipment. They have to wait for the arrival of the Shenji Battalion to learn new tactics, practice using new equipment, and then leave from Dagu Board the ship to Haizhou.
If they study well, they will be able to block an enemy force twice their size! "
"Twice?" Eunuch Liu frowned and thought, and said quietly, "How sure can you be?"
Li Dan's heart skipped a beat, and he saw something. "If you leave it to me to command, I'm 60% sure," he said.
"Can it be improved more?" Eunuch Liu shook his head slightly: "Sixty percent is too little. I'm afraid Your Majesty cannot use this to face the kings of the court."
"If...your majesty can allow it, I suggest recruiting veterans who have retired from the Raozhou regiment for three years to form a battalion, and send this battalion to Wusongkou by ship, and then take a sea ship to go north.
If this battalion joins, I can say that I have an 80% chance of winning! Li Dan said in a low voice.
Eunuch Liu tilted his head to think about it: "Well, this is a good suggestion. But the journey is long, how many people are willing to participate, and the court has to spend a lot of money on military expenses, more than 3,000 people!"
"Father, there is no need for expenses." Li Dan said with a smile, "I only need two conditions: 40% of the spoils after the battle in which the battalion participates will be at the battalion's discretion; and there will also be a five-year exclusive right to purchase furs and livestock produced in Liao. .”
Eunuch Liu nodded: "It's not difficult. We can just go back and report to Your Majesty. But you have to pay for the equipment and travel expenses yourself, okay?"
"These are all small
money. "Li Dan waved his hand grandly:
"My father-in-law, if the imperial court agrees to grant duty-free concessions in the three industries of coal, iron ore, and timber in Liao, as well as the exclusive right to sell carriages, liquor, glass, and cement to my trading company for a period of seven years, I can also contribute capital for The three states and two counties recovered by the imperial court were built into cities."
