Border Cook

Such a person is worthy of his trust and is worthy of him revealing some of his inner secrets.

After hearing this, Fan Honghui didn't speak for a long time. He just reached out and patted Lu Qiyan on the shoulder.

This shot is worth a thousand words.

Lu Qiyan cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your trust, Commander."

"Let's do our work." Fan Honghui said.

Trust is built on what you do. If you want others to trust you, first of all, your behavior must be able to withstand the scrutiny and calculation of others.

"Yes!" Lu Qiyan answered seriously, his tone full of determination.

Fan Honghui smiled and patted Lu Qiyan's shoulder again.

This time, I am full of expectations.

Rumors that the imperial court had purchased large amounts of surplus grain from the people to supply border wars were still rife in cities and towns near the border.

The rumor was so convincing that many people believed it, but some people thought it was just nonsense.

At this time, notices were posted in government offices everywhere, strictly prohibiting the people from discussing the border war again, and once again emphasizing that the purchase of grain was done by the Ministry of Revenue and had nothing to do with the war.

Even the runners in the yamen, when they were out on patrol on weekdays, would sternly stop people from discussing such matters. If they refused to listen, they would even be taken to the yamen and given a warning.

"Looking at the government's attitude, it seems that the purchase of grain from the people has nothing to do with the border war. It's just that the Ministry of Revenue wants to stockpile grain for emergency use."

"Let's just say you have a simple mind. You think simply. The government said that it was the Ministry of Revenue that wanted to buy grain, not the military camp. If the military camp needs money and grain, it still has to ask the Ministry of Revenue to allocate it. Then what exactly is the grain collected by the Ministry of Revenue used for? How do you know?"

"So if you say so, then we are still planning to go to war?"

"Of course not. Why don't you collect the grain earlier or later? Why do you collect the grain at this time and give such a high price?"

"But if it's for war, why did the government specifically say it's not for war, and why don't we ordinary people say it?"

"You don't understand this, right? If we tell this matter publicly, wouldn't Jin Weiguo know about it and be on guard?"

"I understand. We have to keep Jin Weiguo from knowing about this. We have to catch him by surprise."

"Not bad, you even use such a fancy word..."

A crowd of people laughed in the teahouse. Some people finished the tea in their bowls and did not greet the owner. They just put a few coins on the table, put on the most common sheepskin hat used to keep warm in winter, tucked their hands into their sleeves, and hurried away with their necks shrunk.

All the way out of the city gate, heading west. Jinwei State, the capital, the imperial palace.

Sitting on the dragon throne is the ruler of Jinwei State, Li Yanyang.

At this moment, Li Yanyang frowned and looked worried. He glanced at the four people standing below.

These four people are the eldest prince Li Junhao, the second prince Li Juncheng, Prime Minister Chu Hongwen, and Duke of Weiguo Zhuo Shengjie.

At this time, the four people all lowered their heads, looked at their noses and their hearts, and remained silent.

"You should all have heard about the current situation at the border. The Great Zhou Kingdom is eyeing us covetously. There are many unusual movements now. There are rumors that the Great Zhou Kingdom has begun to stockpile large amounts of food and grass in order to fight a few big battles before New Year's Eve. They even threatened to take over the capital of our Jinwei Kingdom before the Dragon Boat Festival next year. What do you think about this?"

After Li Yanyang finished speaking, Li Junhao immediately raised his head and answered with his hands clasped, "Father, the Great Zhou Kingdom is not strong, but it pretends to be powerful to the outside world. It is just a straw tiger and is not to be feared. If the Great Zhou Kingdom does not fight again, it means they know what is good for them. If they are so restless and still want to keep testing us, then don't blame us for being rude!"

"Brother, you said that so easily. This year, our Jinwei Kingdom has fought against the Great Zhou Kingdom dozens of times, but 80% of them were defeated. We even lost many villages and towns on the border, and consumed a lot of money and manpower. If the Great Zhou Kingdom really wants to send a large army to attack us, what can our Jinwei Kingdom do to resist?"

The one who spoke was Li Juncheng. When he looked at Li Junhao, his face was full of mockery. "Are you using grain mixed with bran, or hollow weapons?"

Of the two brothers, Li Juncheng was the older and had been in the army for a longer time, so he was responsible for many military affairs, including gathering food and fodder and forging weapons.

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The Jinwei Kingdom had a small territory and barren land, so the imperial court was naturally not very wealthy. In order to cope with the long-term friction between the Jinwei Kingdom and the Great Zhou Kingdom, the Jinwei Kingdom had been spending more than it earned for many years and was under great pressure. Whether it was food or weapons, it often seemed unable to provide enough.

In order to stabilize the morale of the army, Li Junhao took it upon himself to mix bran into the grain to increase its weight and quantity. When forging weapons, he hollowed out the middle and poured tin water in. In this way, more weapons could be forged from the same iron.

Li Junhao thought he was smart, but the food mixed with bran was unpalatable and not filling, and the weapons forged with tin were not heavy enough and not tough enough. When a real battle broke out, the weapons were easy to break, causing many soldiers to complain.

There were even rumors in the army that the court was corrupt and embezzled money, making money from military expenses without caring about the lives of the soldiers, which made the military morale extremely unstable. Li Yanyang therefore reprimanded Li Junhao and handed many military affairs to the Duke of Weiguo.

At this time, Li Juncheng deliberately brought up these two things, with the intention of deliberately exposing Li Junhao's scars.

Li Junhao glared at him, gritting his teeth, "You..."

"Why, what I said is wrong?" Li Juncheng snorted, "Right now, due to the continuous wars, the people in the country are complaining, and some places have even gathered to rebel. If we continue to fight recklessly as my eldest brother said, I'm afraid that before the Great Zhou Kingdom reaches the capital, the palace will be besieged by the people who can't survive!"

"As for what Big Brother said about the Great Zhou Kingdom being nothing more than a straw tiger, it's even more ridiculous. Big Brother has also led troops to the front line, and what was the result? It was nothing more than a miserable defeat. I really don't know where Big Brother got the confidence to say such a thing!"

"Brother, you are extremely warlike. You wish you could be on horseback every day and see blood every day. But have you ever thought that governing a country is not just about fighting wars. The most important thing is to keep the people's hearts stable and let the people live and work in peace and contentment!"

"What a coward!" Li Junhao's eyes turned red, and he pointed at Li Juncheng and yelled, "If you don't even fight, others will just think you're easy to bully, and they'll bully you. By then, you'll be at the mercy of others!" (End of this chapter)