A new day has come, and Di Xin seems to be in a good mood today. For lunch, Chef Wang Ting specially roasted a whole lamb, and ate it all by himself with a jar of refreshing rice wine.
This is the case for people with strong bloodline. A sheep weighs less than a hundred pounds, but Di Xin was still unsatisfied after eating it. It was not scientific at all, and he had no idea where the food went after eating it.
Just like the ruthless people in the KTVs of later generations who often show off the beer by cartons, it is still 12 kilograms of carbonated liquid, and how can it be held in the stomach.
Di Xin's joy lasted until the meeting. Before everyone had arrived, Di Xin couldn't wait to rush to His Highness, grabbed Meng Chang's hand, and asked earnestly: "Is the food mature?"
This scene made Mengchang dumbfounded. Farming is not something that can be harvested immediately. Even if there are gods and ghosts in this world, there must still be basic laws. In a place where harvesting can be done instantly, Mengchang only works in a place called I’ve seen it at the Chechi farm.
"Your Majesty, please wait patiently. The green seedlings have already turned yellow. It is expected that in some time, the chaff will turn yellow and the seeds will harden, and then the autumn harvest will be ready. Moreover, the autumn festival has not come yet, at least we have to wait for the Great Witch Festival. Harvest can only be done after the sacrifice.”
Di Xin was a little disappointed. Then he saw Prime Minister Bi Gan coming hand in hand with Shang Rong, talking and laughing. He immediately jumped out again, grabbed Bigan's sleeves and asked.
"Prime Minister, may I ask how much grain reserves there are in the treasury?"
Bigan's smile disappeared instantly and he looked at Di Xin warily.
"The king asks why?"
"Haha, it's nothing, I'm just curious, just curious!"
"There's not even a grain of rice left. The treasury is completely empty. There's not even a mouse. They're all starving to death. How much food do you think we have left?"
Di Xin was furious, threw off Bigan's sleeves and said angrily: "Uncle Wang, are you kidding me? There is no food in the treasury, so what do Chaoge's defenders eat? What do I eat every day?"
"The king was joking with me first. The grand master led his army to the north. The treasury is already empty. They are all counting on the autumn grain cultivated by Uncle Meng this year to expand the treasury. But what are you going to do? I promised you, can you still go back on it?"
Looking at the unhappy king, Bigan also had a headache. This good nephew of his was really uneasy and resorted to militarism. When he heard that the grand master had just left, the king immediately beamed with joy and couldn't wait to lead the army to fight. Which minister can endure such a disaster?
As long as there is a war, people will die, and there are so many enemies in the world, and there is not only one Dongyi. There are four princes in the southeast, northwest and northwest. Which one has not fought bloody battles with the Yi tribe and the barbarians. I think in the Wen Ding period, they used force to intimidate the princes. They sent out troops to exterminate these barbarians themselves, which could not only suppress the strength of the princes, but also conquer and expand the territory in all directions.
But when it came to Di Xin, he began to seem a little abnormal. He especially wanted to use his own soldiers to show his force, and he always clamored for a personal conquest.
Anyway, in Mengchang's impression, this was particularly obvious in the Zhou Dynasty after the Shang-Zhou War. Starting from Ji Fa, the Emperor of Zhou also liked to engage in personal conquests at every turn. Regardless of winning or losing, the emperor's six chariots never stopped. From the time of King Wu Jifa to the period of King Zhou Xuan, almost every one of them went on personal expeditions, defeating the emperor's army again and again. Until the period of King Zhou You, the blame accumulated by the previous eleven kings was accumulated on him.
In the days when the country was just founded, not to mention the beacon-fire drama of the princes, the emperor would force a fight with whoever he wanted, and directly destroy the country if he didn't accept it, who would dare to be so presumptuous?
What Di Xin wants to do now is exactly the same as that group of emperors in the Western Zhou Dynasty who wanted to be strong generals.
Maybe it's because of the lack of entertainment options. Staying in the royal court all day can indeed drive people crazy.
Thinking of this, Meng Chang looked at You Hun. If this guy started a football team, couldn't he fully release the energy that the king had nowhere to vent?
As if feeling this gaze, You Hun also looked over, as if he could understand Meng Chang's eyes. You Hun spread his hands, showing a helpless expression.
Think about it, the king can move nine bulls backwards, and he can change the pillars. If he really wants to compete with ordinary people to play football, no one can beat him, even if there are people who are extremely talented and can protect the ball like Henry , not everyone dares to shoot with all their strength into the goal guarded by the King.
Looking at the anxious Di Xin, the ministers remained silent. Whenever the king was in a bad mood, silence was the best protection for himself.
After a while, the Prime Minister spoke in advance, trying to divert Emperor Xin's attention: "Your Majesty, when I heard about the Grand Master's expedition this time, I discovered a talented person and only slightly improved the method of transporting grain, thus reducing the Grand Master's army. Half of the troops are lost during the march, and it can also reduce the time the army spends in camp to rest and wait for supplies. This talent is quick in thinking and has great ambitions. I recommend him to be Chaoge Nongyin."
Di Xin was a little surprised. He knew how to set up a march. He reduced the use of food and fodder by half and shortened the march time. What an incredible thing. If he could really do what the Prime Minister said, he would be a farmer or a general. Is it not good! .
Moreover, the position of Chaoge Nongyin is incredible.
The original Nongyin of a city did not hold the position of doctor. Above him, there were Nongyin doctors of the entire big business. This was originally an idle official position that could not be promoted or demoted. However, since Meng Bo succeeded to the throne, The astonishing move of pioneering land and growing grains directly reversed his status and made Nong Yinsi useless. Instead, he moved to the outside of the west city to study with Uncle Meng, and started working under him.
"Uncle Meng has not resigned, so why did the Prime Minister change?"
If he hadn't known about his prime minister's temper, he would have been furious if it were anyone else, waiting for him in a pot of grass and firecrackers. He is not stupid. The autumn harvest is about to take place. If someone else is in charge, isn't this an obvious act of picking peaches?
"This person also has some credit for Uncle Meng's autumn harvest. Moreover, once the autumn harvest is over, Uncle Meng will receive more rewards and be promoted to other important positions. By saying this, I have agreed with Uncle Meng that in the future, he will be responsible for mulberry farming." Who will take over?"
"Well, I already know, but who is this person's name? Where is he from? What does the Prime Minister mean by the reduction of the march that he said earlier?"
When mentioning this matter, Bigan was also a little excited: "In the past, I personally did all the dispatching and transportation of grain. But this time the autumn harvest is approaching, I have no skills to do it, so Meng Bo recommended someone to me. This person was originally the son of Jichang, the Marquis of Xibo. Duke Zhou Dan, because he admired Meng Bo's academics, went to northern Xinjiang to study the method of innovation. Your Majesty, this man has the way of governing the country in his heart, and he is well-equipped with both civil and political strategies!"
"Zhou Gongzidan did not transport grain directly from Chaoge. Instead, he ordered Qingqi to ride all the way. He ordered the places along the way to raise their own grain and grass, and evenly distributed the military expenses for every seven days to each city and place to raise, and then waited for the news. When the Grand Master's team arrives at one place every day, they can get it from the granary, which saves the army from eating and chewing horses along the way when transporting grain, and also reduces the time for the Grand Master's army to prepare and rest."
"Of course, this is a loan, not a forced conquest. Young Master once asked the following troops to transport food, and went into battle lightly to transport food and grass. They went all the way north and paid off the food debts to the nobles and princes in various places at the interest rate of nine out and ten returns. Moreover, This batch of grain and grass was originally returned to this person, and wherever it passed, the princes and local clans would clear out the Chidao bandits, which would not only reduce the loss of the guard army, but also use the local power to stabilize local security."
"This is a matter of killing three birds with one stone. It was Young Master Dan who personally arranged the plan. Your Majesty, what do you think of such a talented person?"
Emperor Xin has light in his eyes. In military affairs, it is important that the troops and horses are not moved, and the food and grass go first. This move has greatly reduced Chaoge's food supply pressure. Doesn't this mean that the extra food can be used more times? Do you want to support this great king in his conquests in the north and south?
Di Xin was about to praise, but then fell silent.
"The person the Prime Minister is talking about? Who does this mean?"
"Report to your Majesty, Mr. Dan, the son of Jichang, the Marquis of Xibo."
"unlucky!"
When Ji Chang was mentioned, Di Xin was in a bad mood. In addition to the tense situation between the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, he also didn't have much favorable impressions of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Since his birth, Wen Ding had been whispering in the ears of him, Wei Ziqi and others. Propaganda.
If one day the great merchants inevitably end up on the road to destruction, then the one who takes over the merchants and replaces them must be the Western Zhou Dynasty.
No matter how arrogant Di Xin was in his life, Wen Ding's words were like a curse, making him always have a sense of crisis and always looking for an opportunity to nip the big trouble in the future in the cradle.
At this time, Mengchang stood up and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Zhou is the Kingdom of Zhou, and Ji Dan is Ji Dan. When you promoted Dr. Fei Lian and General E Lai, did you ask about their backgrounds? Ji Dan is It is really not the right thing for a man of great talent to succumb to the position of a subordinate and a student."
Seeing Emperor Xin's indifferent look, Mengchang continued: "Furthermore, your Majesty, you don't think that if we use Xibohou's son to govern the country, his son will manage the affairs of Dashang better than his father. This will highlight you more." Are you wise and benevolent?"
Di Xin thought seriously for a moment and then nodded seriously: "Okay, what Uncle Meng said makes sense."
In fact, Mengchang had hesitated for a long time about Ji Dan. He had the same concerns as the king. After all, he was the son of Xibohou. Mengchang could not guarantee whether Ji Dan would be able to stand on his side if he faced Zhou in the future. Or do your duty from the perspective of a big businessman.
However, if you want to achieve great things, how can you look forward and backward? Don’t be suspicious of people when you employ them, and don’t use people who are suspicious. If Emperor Liu had hesitated even a little bit when employing people, the names of Ma Chao and Huang Zhong would not have appeared among the Five Tiger Generals. If Cao Cao had hesitated, he would not have won Guandu, let alone have any future prestige. Zhang Babai shocked Xiaoyaojin.
Whether you dare to use him or not is a matter of the master's temperament, and whether he should return to Zhou in the end is a question that Ji Dan himself has to consider. Mengchang believes that since he left Zhou and went north, this issue should have been in his mind The answer is that for a smart person like Ji Dan, painting and preaching are of no use, sincerity is the surefire way.
Various matters in the court were raised in the mouths of the ministers. At this time, Emperor Xin began to wander around again. No one knew what the powerful man on the throne was thinking.
Just when Du Yuanxian was reporting on the tribute specifications for the various princes during this autumn festival, the king suddenly became excited. He looked at the ministers below, stood up suddenly, and said to Meng Chang and Bigan.
"What the Prime Minister said, I deeply agree with. Since I heard that Ji Dan's strategy was used on the way to the north, the journey and cost can be reduced. Prime Minister, can we ask them to prepare the food and grass for the Eastern Expedition in advance? In this case , I can also go into battle lightly, lead an army of 200,000, quickly send out troops, catch them off guard, and teach these barbarians a lesson!"
"..."
Some of the ministers were confused and some were silent. The king seemed a little different. Although the former Emperor Xin was warlike, he at least listened to advice. But since Queen Jiang's death, the king seems to have changed into a different person, which makes people feel a little chilling.
This time, the minister was particularly hopeful, hoping that this was just an isolated case, and that after the fight against Dongyi was over, everything would be back on track. After all, even if there was enough food, there would inevitably be casualties during the war.
I hope your Majesty is just on a whim, and your personal conquest can really destroy or severely damage Dongyi.
"Of course I won't object to laying the grain road in advance. I just want to ask your Majesty to agree to something."
"After the Autumn Festival, please bring Uncle Meng with you to conquer Dongyi."
If Uncle Meng was on hand to provide the truth for the Eastern Expedition, Bigan's hanging heart would finally be settled.
Therefore, the entire Great Shang Eastern Expedition is about to begin!
I stayed up until three o'clock and couldn't hold it anymore. I will rest after tomorrow. I tried to make the pace faster. This plot has developed to this point and is actually almost at the end.
(End of chapter)
