Jia Huaiying took out an account book from his arms, presented it to Ling Ning, and said: "My lord, for this trip to the Chen Kingdom, I used the three thousand taels of gold I brought to buy all the grain, which will be shipped later." .”
According to the exchange ratio of this era, one tael of gold is equal to ten taels of silver, and ten taels of silver is equal to 10 copper coins, which is equivalent to 10,000 copper coins.
Therefore, the three thousand taels of gold that Jia Huaiying brought was equivalent to thirty thousand taels of silver. If converted into copper coins, that would be thirty million copper coins.
According to the grain price of 45 cents per bucket, you can buy 660,000 buckets of grain, which is 66,000 shi.
Enough to feed a hundred thousand troops for a month.
Ling Ning handed over three thousand taels of gold to Jia Huaiying as a sign of her trust in him.
Jia Huaiying lives up to expectations and is loyal.
Ling Ning nodded and said sincerely: "Sir, this trip has been hard. Three thousand gold of food can solve the urgent need. Sir, I have decided to go together on two roads."
"Please make it clear, my lord!" Jia Huaiying immediately sat upright.
Ling Ning said: "The first way is to continue to collect wool from Dachen State. The second way is to send troops. When the territory is expanded, there will naturally be food. But as for the second way, it is to attack the tower in the west. Prefecture, Suizhou to the east, or Lizhou to the south, I haven’t thought clearly yet. Do you have any suggestions?”
Although Ling Ning had made a decision and plan in his mind, only by brainstorming could he avoid omissions, so it was natural for him to ask his advisers for their opinions.
After Jia Huaiying thought for a while, he began to explain his thoughts: "My subordinates also think that the time is right and we can send troops. As for where to attack, I think Suizhou is the most suitable."
"Tazhou to the west is relatively desolate and the food is tasteless."
"Huang Yuanzhang's tens of thousands of troops are stationed in Lizhou in the south. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack."
"The area of Suizhou in the east is second only to Yanzhou, but it has more cultivated land than Yanzhou, and there are fewer troops there. In addition, the southern part of Suizhou has complex terrain. Once Suizhou is captured, troops can be stationed in dangerous areas, and Suizhou will have peace of mind. , all fell into the hands of the lord."
Ling Ning immediately smiled and nodded, and said: "I also want to attack Suizhou. Suizhou only has 80,000 troops, and they are scattered along the main roads. As long as one area is broken, the army can march straight in and capture the entire Suizhou in one fell swoop. With Suizhou, The food and grass problem was further solved, and we used Suizhou as a springboard to capture more territory to the east and surround Lizhou to the south."
"What my lord said is absolutely true." Jia Huaiying said with a smile. The emperor and his ministers were of the same opinion.
At this time, Ling Ning told an interesting story: "The governor of Suizhou is about to die, which is an appetizer for our army to attack Suizhou. Speaking of this matter, I have to mention the Wang family in Kyoto..."
Subsequently,
Ling Ning told Wang Chao about his surrender.
After Jia Huaiying heard this, he couldn't help stroking his beard and laughing, and said: "This Wangchao is really a simple and honest man. It's a pity that his wish is difficult to achieve."
"He is indeed a simple and honest man. The Wang family is impregnable and cannot be destroyed. But that may not be the case in the future." After Ling Ning finished speaking, he changed the topic and said, "Sir, the first way is to expand the wool of Chen State. , how can we gather this wool well, which will be more beneficial to us? Do we need to send someone to the Great Chen Kingdom to meet Emperor Chen?"
If you, Chen Guo, want to drive away wolves and devour tigers, you can do it, but you have to give me funding, not just a dime.
Therefore, Ling Ning felt that it was time to send envoys to complain. If you don't help, your ideas will not go as they wish.
Unexpectedly, Jia Huaiying said: "My lord, there is no need to send someone. The Chen Kingdom is more eager to facilitate this matter, so I guess that the Chen Emperor will send someone to Yanzhou City secretly to ask for an audience with the lord!"
Ling Ning reacted immediately.
Yes, Da Chen Guo is more anxious.
Ling Ning is only eighteen years old. If he proceeds steadily and slowly expands his territory, how can he significantly consume the national power of the Liang Kingdom?
If twenty or thirty years had passed, Ling Ning would be in his prime, but Chen Huang would have died long ago.
Chen Huang's dream is to destroy Daliang in his lifetime, expand his territory, and become the greatest monarch since the founding of the Chen Kingdom. Therefore, he does not want Ling Ning to play it safe. He is even more anxious than Ling Ning.
"Sir, what you said makes sense! Then this matter is not urgent." Ling Ning said with a smile.
Later, Li Ning asked Jia Huaiying to go back and rest for a few days.
When all the generals gathered in Yanzhou City, they were busy again.
…
"This is Yanzhou City... it's more prosperous than I thought."
In Yanzhou City, a woman disguised as a man walked on the street under the protection of guards, admiring the prosperity here.
The woman is wearing men's clothing, and her appearance looks unremarkable, but when she turns her neck, her fair skin is inadvertently revealed in her neckline, as delicate as mutton-fat jade.
The maid on the side was also a woman disguised as a man. This maid was quite pretty. She worriedly said: "Mr...."
"My name is Ye Jing now. I have to call you when I am away from home. Have you forgotten? This is my last reminder. If you make a mistake, go back by yourself." The woman named Ye Jing warned.
The maid quickly said: "It's the young master!"
The woman nodded with satisfaction.
"Where are you going, Master?" the maid couldn't help but ask.
The woman said: "I heard that the prince of Beidi County has opened a recruitment hall to recruit talented people from all over the world. He is very hungry for talents. I also have talents, so naturally I will recommend myself."
"Ah?" The maid was even more panicked, with a worried look on her face, and the oil bottle was hanging from her lips.
The woman stretched out her finger and tapped the maid's forehead, scolding: "Ling'er, if you show such a bad face again, let's see how I punish you!"
"Master, my current name is Lin Mu. You gave me the wrong name. You also called me wrong." Maid Ling'er couldn't help complaining.
The woman immediately raised her hand to hit her, which frightened the maid Ling'er and hid far away.
Soon, the woman and her group arrived at the recruiting hall.
At this time, the recruitment hall was very busy, but it was not that easy to be admitted. You must have real talent and study, and you must be the best.
Women line up to enter the recruitment hall.
"What's your surname? Who is he from?" the staff from the recruiting center asked with a smile.
The woman deliberately spoke in a low voice and said, "My name is Ye Jing, from Suizhou. I am proficient in calligraphy and can imitate handwriting."
"Seriously?" The staff at the recruiting center's eyes lit up. This is a professional talent with wonderful uses.
So, the staff of the recruitment center brought a calligraphy and painting and asked her to imitate it.
After observing, the woman began to imitate. Soon, she wrote a calligraphy and painting that was almost fake.
"Good craftsmanship! Welcome to join the Talent Recruitment Hall!" The staff of the Talent Recruitment Hall welcomed him immediately.
In this way, the woman joined the recruitment hall.
"I dare to ask this big brother, when will people like us who join the Talent Recruitment Hall be able to meet the King of Beidi County?" the woman asked curiously.
The staff of the recruitment hall said with a smile: "You also admire the prince, don't worry, the prince attaches great importance to the recruitment hall and will come."
The woman nodded, and although she smiled, she was obviously not satisfied with the answer.
…
Jia Huaiying returned to Yanzhou City in the morning, and Duanmu Shuang returned in the evening.
Ling Ning immediately summoned Duanmu Shuang.
