unclear

Chapter 1107 The plan cannot keep up with the changes

"…Change place, go to Nanhu!"

Hong Tao thought about it and it seemed that this was indeed the case. In order to relieve the loneliness of the queen and concubines, he did ask officials and generals from all over the country to find rare animals and bring them back to raise in the West Garden. But he did not take this matter to heart and forgot about it soon after.

Since the queen likes it, don't kill it. But the fishing cause cannot be abandoned, what should I do? Fortunately, the area of ​​Taiye Lake is very large, and the current fishing spot is on the north bank. We can't afford to offend but can avoid it, so we can go to the south bank to fish.

"Uh... To be honest with His Majesty, these birds often fly back and forth. I'm afraid that Nanhu is not peaceful." But Wang Chengen still didn't move. His face was full of embarrassment, and he stammered out the truth.

"Well, I have brought this upon myself... Let's go back to the Yangxin Palace! Tell the Cuju team to stop throwing food here and instead throw it into the Tongzi River in the east, and take some of the fish here."

Come to think of it, waterfowl and swans can fly. Even though they seem far away, they can reach the place with just a flap of their wings. Seeing that the fishing rod he had set up was tilted by another waterfowl, Hong Tao had no choice but to return home.

Not only can I not fish this time, I can't come here again in the future, so I have to change places. But I can't leave the palace at will, so I have to settle for the next best thing, Dongtongzi River, which is a bit narrow, so I have to make do.

"Ah...what happened again!"

As soon as he entered Xuanwu Gate, he saw Cao Huachun, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, walking quickly with two young eunuchs. Hong Tao knew that there was an urgent official business, so he sighed and said that he couldn't take this leisure time, he had to continue grinding the mill.

"Director Wang of the Advisory Office came to the palace to ask for an audience. I heard that the Lord went to the West Garden, so I came to look for him specially." Seeing that the emperor's face was not looking good, Cao Huachun quickly stepped aside, did not ask about the catch, and only talked about official business.

"Well, that's good news! You can go back now. Next time, let your subordinates do this kind of errands. You don't need to do everything yourself when you are old."

Hearing that it was Wang Datou who came to the palace, Hong Tao's irritability finally eased. This big spy chief would not come easily. If he came, it meant that there was progress in the work. There must be changes in Persia and the Ottoman Empire.

Just as he was about to move forward, he suddenly saw a few strands of gray on Cao Huachun's temples, and he stopped again. If you want to say who is the person you trust the most in your life, the first person you recommend is the eunuch.

From Chen Ju, Wang An, Li Shi, Zou Yi, Wang Guotai, Zhang Ran, to Wang Chengen, Zhang Yongling, Wei Zhongxian, Pingtou Ge, Cao Huachun and so on, all the eunuchs who have been given important positions have performed their duties well so far.

In the blink of an eye, several decades had passed, and many people had passed away, including Wang An. The most senior eunuchs were now in their 40s or 50s, and it was estimated that within ten years they would gradually retire to the second line or even leave forever.

Sadness is inevitable, but there is nothing I can do about it. I am destined to walk alone in this life. Immortality sounds beautiful, but if you are alone without a companion, it will become a torture, testing your heart all the time, and too many memories will make you feel sad.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Cao Huachun was not grateful for the emperor's kindness and concern, but was a little dazed. After thanking the emperor, he waited until the emperor walked away, then he caught up with Wang Chengen, who was lagging behind, in order to get some reminders.

"The fishing was disturbed by water birds, and they cannot be killed! Next time you come to see His Majesty, don't go to Taiye Lake, but Dongtongzi River. Remember that!" Wang Chengen believed he understood the reason for the emperor's mood change, so he lowered his voice and briefly explained what had just happened. Without waiting for Cao Huachun to respond, he quickly chased after the emperor.

"The Dongtongzi River... is broken! You guys quickly notify all the prisons and stop dumping dirty water into the Tongzi River! Tomorrow morning... no, tonight, find someone to clear the silt overnight! But you are not allowed to make a big fuss, you have to do it quietly, quickly and quietly. I'll take a walk tomorrow and see who dares to fool you!"

Cao Huachun knew that the emperor liked fishing, and if he was upset because he didn't fish well, it wouldn't be a big deal. But changing the fishing spot was a bit of a problem. Tongzi River was not like Taiye Lake. In addition to its small area, the water quality was not very good. The main reason was that there were always people in the prisons and houses along the way who were lazy and dumped waste water into it.

In the past, this river was only used as a defense facility for the imperial palace, so it was OK if it was a little dirty and didn’t have too much odor. But if the emperor wanted to go fishing, that was another matter. It couldn’t be crystal clear, but it had to be clean.

This work cannot be delayed. Who knows if the emperor will have time tomorrow? He might go there. If the hook catches something, or if there is a strange smell due to dirty water, the blame will be put on me, because the Imperial Household Department is in charge of the inner palace.

Hong Tao really didn't expect that casually saying to change the fishing spot would cause so many trivial matters. In the next few days, all the supervisors were very busy and would not stop until the Tongzi River was completely cleaned up.

Even if he knew about Cao Huachun's arrangement, he had no time to interfere. Wang Datou really never came to visit someone for no reason. This time he brought a piece of news that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire personally led a large army to the Mesopotamian region, heading straight for Baghdad.

It was not easy to judge whether this news was good or bad. According to the plan, the empire was going to start a war between the Ottomans and Persians, but one side suddenly started the war ahead of time, which became an accident.

Should the Ming Empire keep its troops in place and continue to secretly subsidize the Safavid Dynasty of Persia through the Danish East India Company, or should it adapt to the situation and change the previous plan? Wang Datou couldn't figure it out, so he had to attack and meet the emperor.

“What is Safi Shah’s attitude?”

Hong Tao had no specific impression of the historical context of the Middle East in the 17th century. It was too niche, and few books of this kind had been read in later generations. Without the memory cheat, he could no longer see clearly, and could only speculate based on the performance of all parties.

"The Emir of Bandar Abbas has sent a purchase request to the Danes, hoping to obtain more muskets, cannons, and ammunition. Judging from the quantity and timing, it should not only be used by his ethnic group's armed forces. It is likely that this is Safi Shah's intention. The Danes are currently waiting for news, but they can't delay for too long."

Since the sea route is more than 12000 kilometers long, even if the communication ship can travel day and night at an average speed of 11 knots, the latest information Wang Datou has in his hands is only from 20 days ago.

“The Mesopotamian region cannot be lost. There are water, wheat and livestock there, which are enough to provide logistical supplies for the army. If they are occupied by the Ottomans, they will use Baghdad as a base to continue to encroach on Persia to the east and invade the Arabian Peninsula to the south to obtain more human resources.

It's a bit troublesome. Plans can't keep up with changes. I didn't expect the Ottomans to take action first. Based on the intelligence you have, can the Persians hold Baghdad this time?"

After looking at the map for a while, he found the problem, but he had no solution. So Hong Tao stopped thinking hard and decided to listen to other people's opinions to learn from each other.

(End of this chapter)