The snow keeps falling and the wind continues...
After walking around for a while, Li Qing's coat was covered with a thick layer of snow. Li Hong was even more unbearable. His snot bubbles were all frozen, making them as clear as ice and glass.
"Godfather, let's go back?"
Li Hong was completely frozen. Even though he wore two layers of cotton-padded jackets, he still couldn't withstand the severe cold and trembled even as he spoke.
…
After returning home, Li Hong roasted for a while before slowly recovering. Seeing that his godfather seemed to be fine, he couldn't help but be surprised:
"Daddy, don't you feel cold?"
"Your physique is too poor, so you still need to practice." Li Qing curled his lips and said, "Practice your breath internally, and train your muscles, bones, and skin externally. You are not qualified for either."
"...It's not that I don't work hard, but godfather, you are too outrageous, okay?" Li Hong was speechless and quite shocked at the same time.
My godfather's body... is simply invincible!
Thinking back to the night battle with powerful enemies in Hetao, Li Hong was even more fascinated. He rubbed his hands and said, "Godfather, how should I practice to reach your level?"
This really stopped Li Qing from asking. He pondered for a long time before saying: "There is no need to pursue these things deliberately. Being a general has little to do with personal bravery. Besides, everyone's physique is different."
How can Li Hong believe it: "You can't stand a chance against the child, right?"
"You think you are me?" Li Qing rolled his eyes and said angrily: "Dad, I am a unique martial arts genius, you? You are just a mortal."
"Diligence can make up for weakness!" Li Hong refused.
Li Qing nodded: "Maybe, but without talent, there will be a serious imbalance between effort and reward, which is not cost-effective."
After a pause, "Let's put it this way, if you start practicing from now on, day and night, by the time you're fifty, you'll probably only have one-tenth of your godfather's strength. Do you think it's worth it?"
"Just...one-tenth?"
"That's all, I'd rather go on to say more," Li Qing snorted, "Since you want to pursue an official career, you must be more pure. Force is a bonus, but it is not indispensable. A little more brains is more serious. .”
Li Hong sighed regretfully, thinking about how he had imitated his godfather while riding a horse... He gave up the idea of imitating his godfather.
Some people are so dazzling that they can only be compared to others, and future generations cannot even imitate them, let alone reach that level.
"Godfather, is the officialdom really as turbid as you said?" Li Hong asked.
Li Qing didn't explain any more, just said: "Some things can only be understood deeply if you experience them."
"Okay." Li Hong scratched his head and muttered: "But when can I pursue an official career?"
Li Qing smiled: "Since I promised you, I won't break my promise. Don't worry, I will make arrangements for you when there is a suitable opportunity."
"Well, thank you, godfather." Li Hong nodded, "What's for dinner?"
"casual."
"...Can you be more specific?" Li Hong said cautiously. He believed this last time and got a beating in the end.
"Hi, everything is fine."
"..."
~
Life during the New Year is very comfortable, leisurely all day long, and accompanied by good food and wine. Li Qing, who has been busy outside the customs for more than a year, is fully relaxed.
While relaxing, Li Qing was also considering joining the cabinet.
He is weighing the negative impact of joining the cabinet and the benefits of the national policy to be implemented after joining the cabinet, which is greater.
Li Qing thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't make a decision.
On the one hand, the current Ming Dynasty has no major shortcomings that need to be reformed. It is difficult for him to make any major subversive moves after joining the cabinet. Moreover, since Xungui has become the first to join the cabinet, there is no guarantee that no one will follow his example.
On the other hand, Hetao, Mobei, maritime trade... While the Ming Dynasty was prosperous, various problems also arose, and we need to take a good lead.
In prosperous times, moths grow the fastest and cause greater harm.
In the end, Li Qing decided to wait for Shi Biao to return to Beijing. If the situation in Mobei Grassland was not tense, he would not join the cabinet and just make the best of the situation;
Otherwise, then join the cabinet!
…
Ming Dynasty's annual vacation was not long, just a few days. After a brief relaxation, this huge machine resumed operation again.
Li Qing is still at leisure, waiting for Shi Biao to come back...
The period before the Lantern Festival was still within the New Year's Day, the court was very peaceful, no one was looking for trouble, and the emperor was gentle to others.
Both sides are accumulating energy, recovering mana, and preparing for the subsequent confrontation.
On the tenth day of the first lunar month, ripples appeared in the peaceful court, and Li Qing, a salty fish, also went to court.
It's not that Shi Biao came back from the grassland, it's that there was some trouble within the Ming Dynasty. gòйЪ.ōΓg
——The chieftain of Dateng.xia, Guangxi, is causing trouble!
Fengtian Temple.
The ministers all express their opinions, and the noisy people's ears hurt.
The civil servants expressed indignation at this, and then advocated gentle methods to eliminate the chieftain's disobedience through etiquette education.
The military commander was not good at words and almost didn't speak much. This made Zhu Jianshen, who finally took advantage of the opportunity, quite annoyed.
But he didn't know that it was much more difficult to use troops internally than externally. It's not that the chieftain's combat ability was higher than that of the Mobei Tatars, but it was due to the geographical environment.
These chieftains occupy the mountains as kings, defend by danger, and are able to be self-sufficient to a certain extent. They use strong methods... not to mention the price is too high, and they may not be able to win.
Throwing tens of thousands of people into the vast mountains, not to mention supply issues, wouldn't make much of a splash.
You must know that domineering people like Zhu Yuanzhang, as well as the combat power of the Ming army in the early Hongwu period, and their famous generals, failed to completely solve the chieftain problem.
The chieftains were ceremonial and geographically favorable, and although they did not become a state within a state, they were often domineering, and friction with nearby people was common.
Zhu Jianshen wanted to send troops, but even the generals didn't say anything, so he had to endure it for the time being and discuss countermeasures with Li Qing.
~
Qianqing Palace.
The monarch and his ministers sat opposite each other.
Zhu Jianshen was the first to clarify his attitude: "Being soft-willed will only encourage their domineering arrogance. They must be beaten. If the beating hurts them, then we can talk."
"Your Majesty's words make sense." Li Qing nodded.
"Then...?" Zhu Jian looked at him expectantly, "Sir, if you have a good idea, you might as well tell him."
Li Qing said: "Then...it would be better not to fight."
"..." Zhu Jianshen was annoyed, "They had a quarrel once in the first year of Chenghua, did you know?"
"Uh...I don't know."
Zhu Jianshen was even angrier: "Of course you don't know, because you don't even go to court!"
Li Qing strategically leaned back to avoid Zhu Jianshen's Tumo Xingzi, and said helplessly: "Your Majesty, don't be impatient. It's really unwise to use troops against the chieftain..."
"I won't listen!" Zhu Jianshen interrupted forcefully and said angrily: "I came to you to let you think of countermeasures, not to ask you to persuade me to stop. I have already heard enough words of persuasion in the court."
Without waiting for Li Qing to speak, he continued to output: "Do you know how much trouble the chieftain has caused in just the two and a half years since I have been in office?"
"I listen to you and have been committed to stabilizing the situation of the court and holding back. But if these chieftains are not cured, they will go to heaven!"
"Actually... I still know roughly." Li Qing leaned back again and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, first of all, calm down first, and secondly, will you let me speak?"
Zhu Jianshen snorted bitterly and said dullly: "Ang, you tell me."
Li Qing dusted off his robe, wiped his face, and then said: "It's not uncommon for chieftains to make trouble. It's not just the Chenghua Dynasty. From Hongwu to Jingtai, there were chieftains making trouble for a hundred years. Son, you don’t have to be too angry.”
After a pause, "But basically it's all trivial matters, not worth sending troops. Unless it's really necessary to send troops, the Ming emperors in the past have used gentle methods to maintain balance."
"Is it cowardice?" Li Qing shook his head: "No, absolutely not! But the price is too high; firstly, the difficulty of fighting in the jungle is too great.
Secondly, once a war starts, it must be won. If he loses or fails to make staged progress, it will make the chieftain even more domineering;
You will win the battle, but if you are not sure of victory, it is better not to fight! "
Zhu Jian smiled angrily: "Do you think the imperial army will be unable to defeat these chieftains?"
"If we fight head-on, the imperial army will definitely crush them, but the problem is... people won't fight us head-on!" Li Qing said helplessly, "Those arrogant and domineering people are all taking advantage of the geographical advantage, and they are sure that the imperial army cannot defeat them. toast,
Those who could be captured easily by the imperial army were basically well-behaved and did not cause trouble. This cannot be generalized. "
Li Qing said: "Jungle combat and marching are extremely difficult. You don't have to fight the opponent. Just laying traps can seriously reduce the number of the imperial army.
They are familiar with the terrain, and a team of hundreds of people can destroy the army's supply line, and this does not include many natural chasms... Invisible attrition is too deadly. "
Zhu Jianshen was dissatisfied: "Is there really nothing we can do to them?"
Li Qing shook his head slightly and said: "That's not a problem, it's just that the price is too high. In fact, they can't be completely self-sufficient, well...
Theoretically speaking, as long as the imperial army surrounded them and completely isolated them, over time, they would compromise. "
Zhu Jianshen frowned: How many troops are needed to surround the mountains?
"How long does it take to be surrounded?"
"A conservative estimate will take one or two years!" Li Qing said. "There are areas on the mountain where crops can be grown. In addition, there are wild melons and fruits, as well as wild animals and so on. It's really a struggle... The treasury may not be able to survive."
Zhu Jianshen: "..."
He gritted his teeth and said: "Then, according to what you say, you can only be obedient to them, break your teeth and swallow them in your stomach?"
"There is a way." Li Qing said: "The chieftain is not convinced, but the people living around him are still convinced by the imperial court. Notifying the local officials so that the local people will no longer trade daily necessities with them will make them uncomfortable."
After a pause, "However, it would be best to send factory guards to supervise the local area to prevent anyone from taking risks for the sake of huge profits."
Zhu Jianshen sighed dejectedly, "In other words, we still can't fight?"
"It's best not to fight if you can," Li Qing said.
Zhu Jianshen was furious: "After all, it's still the same thing as a civil servant, so please step back!"
Li Qing: "?"
However, seeing that the young emperor was depressed and unwilling to give up, Li Qing did not share his understanding.
…
On the Lantern Festival, the two men were chatting and laughing while making glutinous rice balls. The eunuch came to the door with a message and said that there was an urgent matter and asked Li Qing to come to the palace immediately to see him.
Li Qing came to Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Jianshen's first words were: "It won't work without fighting!"
