"Brother Li." Lan Yu poured another cup for Li Qing and spoke in a more affectionate tone, "We can't let this young boy mess up the situation!"
us?
Li Qing was secretly amused, who are you and us?
"Don't worry, Marquis Yongchang." Li Qing looked as if he was heartbroken, "If Li Jinglong uses chicken feathers as arrows and directs them like a blind chicken, I won't let him go without you taking action, and I will definitely not miss important events."
Lan Yu was stunned, this was not what he wanted at all.
His goal was to knock Li Jinglong off.
"Ahem... Well, Brother Li!" Lan Yu looked slightly embarrassed, "To be on the safe side, we'd better kick him out. Is he worthy?"
Li Qing: "..."
He will not get involved in this matter. On one side is the Marquis of Yongchang, on the other side is Duke Cao and the Emperor. Even fools know how to choose.
"Yongchang Hou, if it is really the emperor's appointment, why don't you let me follow you to resist the decree?"
Lan Yu blushed, but he misunderstood, thinking that Li Qing thought he was too stingy.
Thinking about it, it's really a bit petty to ask someone to go against the emperor after just inviting them to a drink.
"Brother Li, don't worry. This battle will be a great victory. I will definitely take credit for you in front of the emperor." Unknowingly, Lan Yu brought the two of them closer.
After a pause, he added: "If I break my promise in the future, I will be struck by lightning!"
The ancients made the most promises and did not swear easily.
Lan Yu does come from the heart, not because he is generous, but because no matter how great Li Qing's contribution is, it cannot affect him.
Moreover, he has already been promised by the emperor, and he doesn't care if other rewards are more or less.
But Li Jinglong is different. If he goes, he will lose part of his influence. Moreover, with this trip, the speed of his rise will definitely accelerate.
This is what Lan Yu cares about!
"It is the duty of a minister to eat the emperor's salary and share his worries, and to be loyal to the country." Li Qing suddenly came to the line, "I am not the kind of person who is greedy for merit!"
He looked unhappy, "Is Marquis Yongchang humiliating me?"
Sapphire: (⊙_⊙)?
Before he could react, Li Qing stood up angrily, "Thank you Marquis Yongchang for your hospitality. I have something else to do, so excuse me!"
After saying that, he cupped his hands and turned to leave.
The blue jade man was dumbfounded. He instinctively felt that he was wrong, but where he was wrong, he couldn't figure it out for a while.
He invited him to drink and promised military honors. He was obviously sincere, so why was Li Qing angry?
Lan Yu is domineering, and Li Qing is shameless. He won't do anything when he gets benefits, and he won't be soft-spoken after a banquet.
Lan Yu wouldn't be able to deal with someone so shameless.
After a while, Lan Yu came back to her senses and realized that she had been cheated on. She was so angry that the table was overturned.
"Li Qing, you bitch...!"
————
Return to the courtyard.
Li Qing breathed a long sigh of relief, pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing his legs to bask in the sun. Before the chair was warm, guests came to the door.
When he opened the door, he saw Li Jinglong in mourning clothes standing outside.
"Jinglong came uninvited, sorry for disturbing you."
"Young Master Li, you're welcome." Li Qing couldn't help but refuse the door, so he stretched out his hand and said, "Please come in."
Li Qingqian smiled and said, "The humble house is too shabby. The sun is just right today, why not bask in the sunshine in the courtyard?"
"Jinglong admires Marquis Yongqing for his integrity and integrity." Li Jinglong nodded, "It's not a bad idea."
Li Qing: "..."
Don't be like this, you should regain your arrogance, please... Li Qing really can't stand Li Jinglong like this.
The two came to the table and sat down, and Hongxiu served hot tea.
After a few simple greetings, Li Qing got down to the topic: "I wonder what Mr. Li is here for?"
Li Jinglong put down his tea cup and sighed: "My father died of illness. As a son, I should accompany him to serve him. However, the Northern Expedition is imminent, and the emperor ordered me to go with the army and participate in war preparations.
State affairs are more important than family affairs. The Li family receives great favor from the country, and Jinglong does not dare to neglect it.
Marquis Yongqing had experience in the Northern Expedition. Last year, he and King Yan conquered the Northern Yuan Dynasty and achieved great success. Jinglong yearned for him and wanted to learn from Marquis Yongqing. He also hoped that Marquis Yongqing would not hesitate to teach him. "
Li Jinglong kept his posture very low, as if he wanted to become his disciple.
Li Qing had a strange look on his face and thought to himself: "If history repeats itself in the future, and this guy achieves the status of God of War, and people find out that he has taught him, he will really be nailed to the pillar of shame."
He said tactfully, "Your Majesty is one of the most promising military generals in the Ming Dynasty. How dare you, a low-ranking official, to do anything you want?
If Mr. Li really wants to learn from the scriptures, he might as well go to Marquis Yongchang, I don’t know how to fight! "
Li Qing didn't want to be caught between the two. Besides, he was just a bastard and really didn't understand military matters.
"Marquis Yongqing, don't belittle yourself." Li Jinglong cupped his hands and said, "Jinglong really sincerely asks for advice."
Li Qing: "..."
How could he teach? Even if he could really teach, he would not teach. Without him, his reputation would be too bad.
Li Qing made a few perfunctory remarks and then directed the topic elsewhere. Fortunately, Li Jinglong didn't pursue him and continued the conversation along the way.
Only then did he realize that Li Jinglong was not here to ask for advice on military tactics, but to get close to him.
Li Qing secretly wondered, how could he become so popular?
Is your personality so charming?
After a long conversation, Li Qing's impression of this dude has changed a lot. Putting aside the name of the 'God of War' in history, Li Jinglong has really grown a lot in terms of how he treats people and things, and he is completely different from before. .
As dusk fell, Li Jinglong stood up and said goodbye: "Tomorrow we will start preparing for war, Marquis Yongqing, we will see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow." Li Qing smiled and nodded, "I'll see Mr. Li off."
…
The next day, the Ministry of War Yamen.
Li Qing, Lan Yu, and Li Jinglong gathered here, accompanied by the host, the Minister of War, and stood aside carefully.
The Minister of War in the Hongwu Dynasty was just a decoration and had no real power at all.
Lan Yu was teased by Li Qing yesterday, and she didn't have a good face. She sat on the main seat with a golden sword and said angrily:
"In this Northern Expedition, 150,000 troops will be dispatched and will go deep into the Mobei grassland. The duration of the battle is also uncertain. We can only have more food and grass, not less."
The Minister of War nodded repeatedly and said with an apologetic smile: "What the Marquis said is that I don't know the specific number...?"
"Two million stones."
"Ah?" The Minister of the Ministry of War looked dull, "This...this, you won't need so much, right?"
With an army of 150,000 and two million dan of food, each soldier costs nearly 13 and a half dan. Is this going to fight or celebrate the New Year?
No matter how voracious a soldier is, he can't eat this much in a year!
Along the way, people were fed and horses were fed, and two million shi of grain were transported. The actual cost was more than 5 million shi. It was just for food and grass. It cost so much. How could the Minister of War dare to agree easily?
"That Marquis, does the Emperor know?"
Lan Yu glared, "I am the commander-in-chief and am solely responsible for arranging military supplies. These are the emperor's exact words. Do you dare to resist?"
"I don't dare." The Minister of the Ministry of War shook his head repeatedly, but he didn't dare to agree. He had to look at Li Qing and asked for help, "Li Jianjun, Deputy Commander Li, what do you mean?"
"What do they mean?" Lan Yu said disdainfully, "I am the coach and listen to me."
Li Qing frowned. The last time he sent out 50,000 troops, the rice and wheat together only amounted to 130,000 dan. He hadn't finished eating that yet. Now that the number of troops has been increased three times, the food and grass have been increased fifteen times. It's simply... outrageous. !
The more food and grass, the better. Too much food will become a burden. If it is robbed by the Yuan army, it will be great fun.
If you can't finish it, the 150,000 troops can't finish it.
Just as he was about to object, Li Jinglong spoke: "Marquis Yongchang..."
"Call me coach!"
"..." Li Jinglong was speechless and changed his words: "Coach, we really don't need so much!"
Although he had never fought in a war, he could tell with any arithmetic skills that he could not use so much, and half of them were extremely rich.
"What do you know?" Lan Yu said disdainfully, "Have you ever fought in a war?"
Li Jinglong's face heated up, and he felt a little embarrassed after being told, "I have never fought in a war, but this food is enough to feed an army of 150,000 for two years. Does the coach think that this Northern Expedition will take two years?"
"I haven't even fought in a battle, so I have to explain it to you." Lan Yu looked disdainful.
"You..." Li Jinglong is too young to bear such anger, "I want to report to the emperor."
"I'm afraid of you, so I won't be the head coach."
Li Qing felt very tired and raised his hands: "Coach, can you tell me why you need so much food and grass?"
"Have you ever been in a war?"
"I..." Li Qing hesitated, "I have also been to Mobei."
"It's just for military glory."
Lan Yu was like a resentful woman, after quarreling this and that, the minister on the side looked anxious, but in his heart he was very happy, and secretly prayed:
"Fight, fight..."
The civil servant was suppressed so miserably by the military commanders that he could not hold his head up at all. Two of the three were from the general camp, and one was from the Jinyi Guards. It could be said that they were all the civil servant's 'enemies'. Naturally, the Minister of War wanted the three of them to fight each other.
Li Jinglong couldn't stand the excitement and finally returned to his former unruly state:
"Don't you, Marquis Yongchang, act so arrogantly as if you are the father of your own country and don't know how to fight?"
One day, one man, Li Jinglong's language skills made Lan Yu very angry.
But he was not the one who suffered the loss. He immediately retorted: "You are just relying on your father's shadow. Without your father, who are you?"
He looked down on Li Jinglong, he looked down on him from the bottom of his heart, "I earned my title by working hard on my own, and it's not like someone picked on someone else."
"Ah...!" After all, Li Jinglong was too shallow. He was so ridiculed by Lan Yu that he exploded. "I will fight with you."
"Mom, who are you calling me?" Lan Yu also got angry.
"Oops..." the Minister of War said anxiously, speaking in an official tone: "Prince and Marquis, please don't fight!"
