"Ten stones of grain." Mr. Zhu put down the lid of the cup in his hand.
Hearing this amount, Mr. Zeng frowned and said, "Ten stones is too little. There's not enough money for thousands of young people. Otherwise, I'll just give you a number, five hundred stones, just old grain."
"Five hundred stones!" Master Zhu stood up from his seat excitedly and said loudly, "Mr. Zeng, you are not here to ask for food, you are here to ask for my life."
He stared straight at Mr. Zeng in his seat.
"Mr. Zhu, don't get excited. Sit down first and let's talk slowly." Mr. Zeng put his hands down and motioned for Mr. Zhu to sit down and talk.
Mr. Zhu said with a dark face, "How can I not be angry? You only need five hundred shi with one mouthful. You can throw so much food into a room."
"Five hundred stones is really not much." Mr. Zeng said, "If the strong men who defend the city can't even have enough to eat, how can they be willing to guard Xi'an Fort? If Xi'an Fort cannot be defended, Mr. Zhu, your family will have In the end, Jinshan's grain sea will only be cheap to the bandits, so instead of doing this, it is better to use a small part of the grain to support the defense of the city."
Mr. Zhu said with an ugly face: "This is what you said when you came to collect donations during the day. Do you think I will still believe it? Let me tell you, I am a member of the clan. If you really push me hard, no one can get better."
Snapped!
He slapped his palms heavily on the table.
"Calm down, Mr. Zhu, please calm down and let me finish what I have to say." Mr. Zeng said to comfort the very excited Mr. Zhu, but he did not dare to really push the other party into a hurry.
Just like what the other party said, although the other party did not join the clan, he was indeed a member of the clan. He was five or six generations removed from the current acting king who lived in Datong City, and he was considered to be a member of the acting royal family.
With this relationship, even the conduct of Xi'an Fort is not willing to offend Master Zhu.
Mr. Zhu snorted and said, "You tell me, I want to see what tricks you can do."
After saying that, he picked up the bowl angrily, brought it to his mouth and took a big sip.
"The gates of Xi'an Fort are closed, Mr. Zhu must have heard about it!" Mr. Zeng looked at Mr. Zhu who had returned to the main seat.
Mr. Zhu nodded.
Mr. Zeng continued: "There are bandits outside the city, and the city gate has to be closed. I don't know how long it will be closed for. It would be okay if the bandits don't attack Xi'an Fort. Once they do, the more than 100 guards in the city will be locked." Jun, Master Zhu, do you think you can hold on?"
"It is your government's business to defend Xi'an Fort. It is your responsibility to defend Xi'an Fort. What does it have to do with me, a commoner living in the city?" Mr. Zhu said in a strong tone.
General Manager Zeng said: "In order to defend Xi'an Fort, we recruited young men to defend the city. Only if Xi'an Fort is defended, Master Zhu, your family business can be safe."
"Don't be alarmist here. I belong to the clan, and Your Highness Daiwang is my great-uncle. If you dare to touch me, you are going against the imperial court. You are treasonous and want to kill the nine tribes." Mr. Zhu slapped the table with his hand angrily.
General Manager Zeng said: "The bandits don't care what clan they are, and they even kill clan members. Since Datong City fell into the hands of the bandits, all the clans in the city and His Highness Dai Wang have fallen into the hands of the bandits. It's hard to say whether they are still alive today." , Mr. Zhu, your status as a clan member may not be that useful in the eyes of the bandits."
Master Zhu's expression changed after hearing this.
He can rely on his clan status to show off his authority in front of the people of Xi'an Fort House, but the gangsters may not give him the clan's face.
"If Master Zhu feels that five hundred stones is too much, you can give less. How about four hundred stones?" Zeng Li held up the four fingers of his right hand, except the thumb, and gestured in front of Master Zhu.
"Defending the city is your responsibility. The food needed to recruit young people will naturally come from the government." Mr. Zhu's tone was much softer.
General Manager Zeng said: "Mr. Zhu, you don't know what is going on in the Chongshou Mansion. You can't afford thousands of green rations. Otherwise, Master Zhu will give three hundred dan, which cannot be less."
One of the four fingers was lowered, leaving only three fingers in front of him.
Mr. Zhu, who was sitting in the main seat, didn't say anything and was still hesitating.
At this time, there was a noise in the yard.
Not long after, the concierge came in with a guard from the Chengshou Mansion wearing cotton armor.
"Master, Commander Zeng." The concierge first saluted Mr. Zhu, then pointed at the person he brought with him and said, "This military master said that he was ordered by Master Zeng to see General Commander Zeng. , I couldn’t stop the little one, so I had to bring him over.”
Mr. Zhu waved his hand towards the concierge and motioned for him to leave.
"You are a soldier by Cheng Shou's side. You are not by your side to obey orders. Why are you so anxious to come to see me?" Zeng asked the general.
He Caoshou's cavalry bowed and clasped their fists, saying: "Some people from the Huairen County government fled to Xi'an Fort and brought the news that Huairen County fell into the hands of bandits. The leader of the Chengshou faction came to ask the general to go to the Chengshou Mansion. Negotiate.”
"Okay, I understand." General Zeng nodded, and immediately looked at Mr. Zhu who was sitting on the throne, and said, "Huairen County is less than thirty miles away from Xi'an Fort. The bandits will be there after noon tomorrow at the latest. When will Mr. Zhu’s food be delivered to Xi’an Fort?”
"The bandits have really arrived in Huairen County?" Mr. Zhu asked hesitantly.
Mr. Zeng said: "No one would joke about this kind of thing. Mr. Zhu, you should make a decision early. If it is late, I'm afraid everything will be late, and no matter how much food you have, it will be useless."
"I will pay three hundred stones." Mr. Zhu opened his mouth and said.
After hearing this, President Zeng showed a hint of joy and said hurriedly: "Then please ask Mr. Zhu to prepare food."
"Steward, go and prepare three hundred shi of grain. Remember to use old grain, so take the old grain from the year before last." Mr. Zhu told his housekeeper.
The butler bowed and backed out.
"I won't stay as long as I want to do it. Mr. Zhu has collected the food, and my men will be escorted back to the Chongshou Mansion in the food truck." Mr. Zeng stood up from his seat.
Mr. Zhu also stood up and said: "The business of defending the city is more important. The Zhu family will prepare the food matter."
"Then I'll say goodbye." Mr. Zeng clasped his fists, turned around and walked out.
"If there is a shortage of food in the city, food prices will naturally rise. This is not something I can control alone. It is completely determined by the relationship between supply and demand." Mr. Zhu did not give any guarantee, but instead made excuses for the increase in food prices.
General Manager Zeng said: "I can ignore the increase in the price of food in the city, but the young men guarding the city cannot go hungry. I don't ask too much. Master Zhu only needs to give me some old grain. This will not make Master Zhu embarrassed, right?" "
Mr. Zhu looked thoughtful, calculating the gains and losses in his heart.
The right hand is holding the tureen, and the left hand is holding the lid. The lid is gently tapping the rim of the cup.
