In Daliang City, on a street lined with cars and horses, there is a deep house and courtyard scattered among them. Just looking at the threshold of the gate, you can tell that the owner must be an unparalleled noble.
However, in front of such a large courtyard, it is extremely deserted. Not only are there no Japanese nobles carrying heavy boxes of wood, but even the traders and servants are almost walking around here, as if they are avoiding it. Like a plague.
The door decorated with red paint and brass was tightly closed, and there was even a faint cobweb wrapped around it. Apparently, the front door had not been opened for a long time.
After Lord Xinling handed over the military talisman to the King of Wei, he had been sitting quietly in the courtyard for more than ten days.
A fishing rod, a jar of deep water, and a few small fishes are all Mr. Xinling has now. The water in the lotus bed in front of him was still there, but the lotus seeds on it had long since disappeared, leaving only a mess.
"Your Majesty." Suddenly, an old voice sounded from behind.
No need to look back, Lord Xinling knew that this was his old housekeeper.
"What's the matter?" Lord Xinling said calmly, as if he was afraid of disturbing the fish in the pond, but did not turn his head.
"Your Majesty, we have another guest requesting to leave." The old butler's voice became deeper and deeper: "This is already the seventh batch of guests requesting to leave."
Sighing, the old housekeeper once again looked at Lord Xinling, who was still sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai, and couldn't help but worry: "Your Majesty, would you like to talk to all the disciples? If this continues, I'm afraid..."
"Ha..." Seeing the old man's sigh frightening all the fish away, Mr. Xinling simply put away the fishing rod, turned around and said to the old housekeeper, "Didn't the housekeeper still complain about me back then?" Are you keeping too many guests and spending a lot of money?"
"This?!" The old housekeeper was speechless for a moment.
Lord Xinling waved his hand indifferently. He was used to seeing death on the battlefield. At this time, he didn't care at all about the betrayal of these disciples.
More importantly, Lord Xinling, who has experienced ups and downs, knows deeply that only a few truly useful and usable subordinates are enough.
Immediately, Lord Xinling put away the fishing rod and said to the old housekeeper: "If you want to leave, just give me some money and cloth, and that's it to complete this friendship. There is no need to worry too much."
Seeing Lord Xinling being so free and easy, the old housekeeper felt relieved a little.
After all, the backbone of Lord Xinling's mansion in the history has always been Lord Xinling. No matter how many disciples there are, they only add to the power. The most important and fundamental thing is Lord Xinling himself.
If he wasn't afraid that the guest's departure would affect Lord Xinling, the old housekeeper wouldn't care so much.
Immediately, the old housekeeper nodded slightly and agreed, "Yes."
"Besides." Just when the old housekeeper was about to leave, Lord Xinling stopped the old housekeeper again: "How is the food purchase going?"
"Oh." The old housekeeper seemed to have just remembered and immediately replied: "Your Majesty, there will be a great harvest in the country this year and the price of grain is quite low. I have purchased about 100,000 tons of grain and grass near Daliang. I'm afraid the rest will have to come from Collecting in surrounding counties will take a little longer. In addition..."
As he spoke, the old housekeeper looked at Mr. Xinling carefully.
"How?" Lord Xinling asked with a frown.
"The money and supplies at home are no longer enough." The old housekeeper quickly explained: "Although the price of grain is low, after all, one hundred thousand dan is not a small amount, and transportation of grain from other places also costs money, so..."
"If it's not enough, sell some of the jade and treasures at home." Lord Xinling sighed slightly, and then said, "If it's still not enough, sell some of the land."
"How can this happen?" The old butler immediately jumped three feet high.
Sure enough, the Chinese people's attachment to the fields is engraved in their blood.
"This is not your job. How can you let your Majesty bear it all, even to the extent of using your property?!" The old housekeeper immediately defended his Majesty.
"Shut up." Lord Xinling immediately interrupted the old housekeeper's words and scolded him sternly.
Upon hearing this, the old housekeeper immediately bowed and saluted, not daring to say anything more.
"I led an army that overwhelmed the country, so it's just that I failed to benefit the country, and I still humiliated the country by losing the army. In terms of crime, it is not an exaggeration to even cut off the market in half." Lord Xinling threw the fishing rod in his hand on the ground. He continued angrily: "If my king does not surrender for the crime of defeating the enemy, how can I waste the country's money for my own sake?"
"I am the one who owes Zhao Guo grain and grass. The two hundred thousand dans of grain and grass are redeemed with my life. I should repay it by myself." Lord Xinling frowned, looked at his old housekeeper, and spoke word by word. He said, "Does my elder think that I am not worth these two hundred thousand dans of grain and grass?"
Hearing this, the old butler immediately bowed his head to the end and said hurriedly: "I don't dare, little old man. It's just..."
Although Lord Xinling took all the blame on himself, as the old housekeeper of Lord Xinling's house, he was quite familiar with the generals under Lord Xinling, so how could he not know the whole story.
In the eyes of the old housekeeper and the generals under Lord Xinling: On the battlefield, the Korean army turned against them. If Lord Xinling had not made a prompt decision, he might not have been able to save even the last 20,000 troops.
The loan of grain and grass from the State of Zhao was obviously a last resort, in order to rescue the last elite helpless army of the State of Wei. Therefore, in everyone's opinion, it should be funded by the national treasury.
Naturally, everyone was very reluctant and even more dissatisfied with Lord Xinling's act of raising food and grass by himself to repay Zhao's debt.
In fact, why does Mr. Xinling want to use his own family assets to make up for the country's holes?
But, there is no way! He is afraid!
He was afraid that if he did not come forward to repay this debt, King Wei would most likely pretend that this matter had never happened due to his greed, hoping to let it go.
Although this debt, from the perspective of the country, is nothing at all.
But the king who can't hold himself back is so greedy!
If this is the case, if the State of Zhao directly sends envoys to ask for it, or if a large army presses the border, then it is okay. Under pressure, King Wei will still pay back the debt.
But King Zhao is so wise, it is very likely that Zhao Guo will not even mention this matter at all.
And when Wei gradually forgets about it and Qin completely withdraws to Hexi, this incident will be the best excuse for Zhao to send troops to Wei. Obviously, this excuse can allow Zhao State to successfully occupy the moral high ground. Even Qin State may not be able to send troops to help itself.
Even if the Qin army came forward to coordinate, Wei would have to pay more than just hundreds of thousands of loads of grain.
Therefore, in order to dispel King Wei's stupid and greedy idea, Lord Xinling could only bite the bullet and take over the foreign debt. Even if this amount of food will make the already declining Xinling Lord's Mansion even more decadent.
For the safety of Wei State, he could only do this.
And since he has decided to bear this debt, Lord Xinling naturally has to create a patriotic persona of his own. Of course, this move is enough to illustrate his patriotism.
"Continue to purchase grain." Lord Xinling then said calmly: "Eating the emperor's salary is a matter of loyalty to the emperor. Besides, as long as Wei is still there, Lord Xinling's mansion will not be defeated."
Hearing this, the old housekeeper's spirit was also lifted.
Obviously, he also understood that as long as Lord Xinling did not fall, even a small amount of money would be returned soon.
In the Wei State, which is currently short of major generals, and faced with the complex situation of Qin and Zhao competing for hegemony, Lord Xinling is obviously confident enough that he will be reused. Whether it is government affairs or military affairs, today's Wei State is indispensable for Lord Xinling.
Although Lord Xinling led his troops on two expeditions, and both times he came back defeated, you must know that Lord Xinling's opponent was the Qin army, which is known as the invincible! Countless famous generals fell into disgrace in their hands, and even the former veteran general Long Jia was defeated and captured.
Being able to retreat unscathed from the fierce Qin army twice showed that Lord Xinling knew how to fight.
Yes, among today's countries, if you can defeat the Qin army without dying, you are already a famous general. If you can defeat the Qin army, you are already a top famous general.
Speaking of which, I really can’t blame Xinling Lord for his second failure. The main reason was
It was the Korean army's defection on the battlefield.
Even under such unfavorable circumstances, Lord Xinling was still able to bring back some of his troops without panic. To be honest, there is no way to blame him.
Of course, what's more important is that Lord Xinling will take him with him. In addition to being the elite of Wei State, he also has another important identity - Lord Xinling's own direct lineage!
This may not be a deliberate choice by Lord Xinling, but it is the final result filtered by the laws of the battlefield.
Obviously, if he is not a direct descendant of Lord Xinling, he may not obey Lord Xinling's orders when faced with a life or death decision. At the same time, if he is not a direct descendant of the troops, Lord Xinling will not be able to lead such troops with ease. They charged and killed among the rebellious troops without any scruples.
In addition, Lord Xinling shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers along the way, and the officers and soldiers of the Wei army also saw it. Although they may not feel anything during the defeat, at the critical moment, these troops who followed Lord Xinling back home will obviously have more trust in Lord Xinling, a general who has experienced life and death with them.
And this group of troops who actually fought against the Qin Army will obviously become the backbone of the Wei Army in the future.
In other words, among the current Wei army, Lord Xinling has already established his name invisibly. The present and future of the Wei army will be under the control of Lord Xinling.
Maybe next time, Lord Xinling can "save Zhao" even if he doesn't have the "stealing talisman".
During the two wars, although Lord Xinling lost some of his reputation among the people, what he gained was prestige and recognition in the military. Obviously, King Wei, who was sitting high in the temple, was not aware of this.
With the Wei army behind to support Lord Xinling, this was the most fundamental reason and confidence that Lord Xinling could fish in his own pond with peace of mind, regardless of the deserted situation in front of his house, or the fear of his guests being scattered.
With soldiers in hand, there is no panic in mind. And this was taught to him by Zhao Kuo, the current King of Zhao.
As for the so-called politics, let alone that. In the past ten years, he has accepted too many retainers and recommended too many officials.
Although he is temporarily frustrated now, as long as the situation changes and he regains power, he will soon be able to gather a large force again.
This is politics, and it is also interests.
As Lord Xinling himself said, as long as the state of Wei still exists, Lord Xinling will not fall. As long as Lord Xinling does not fall, naturally Lord Xinling's mansion will not collapse!
However, Lord Xinling really didn't expect that his recovery would come so quickly.
