Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 705 Pattern
Li Zisheng called Xu Bao to his temporary governor's office and gave him a severe scolding.

The tone was so strong that even Qin Chang standing beside him wanted to give some advice...

No matter what, we have to use local troops to investigate front-line intelligence and prepare for the next step of fighting the enemy. You can't just come up and kill him with a stick, right?
Wait until Li Zisheng dismisses Xu Baoping.

Qin Chang finally couldn't help but walked over and asked, "Is it really that serious? Your words are too harsh! It will easily make him rebellious. It's better not to cause trouble for us."

"Humph!"

Li Zisheng said coldly: "If there is any trouble, let him find it."

Tan Chang said with a bitter face: "The Tartars are getting closer and closer. One of them is only about 20 miles away from Piantou Pass. Don't we still have to rely on them to fight? We can't blame them."

"Count on them?"

Li Zisheng shook his sleeves and said with disdain, "They didn't help me last time, so why would they help me this time? Even if I'm the local governor, I'm just a temporary official. They know I won't stay in Pianguan for long, so they won't take my words as the golden rule. They'll fool me if they can!"

Qin Chang asked curiously: "Then who do you count on to fight?"

"Who else could it be? Of course it's the current Shanxi military commander - Zhu Yong, the Duke of Baoguo!" Li Zisheng said, "Didn't Eunuch Tan say earlier that he had already led his troops to the pass?"

"he!?"

Qin Chang was somewhat speechless and reminded him, "Before, Zhu Yongke was very disrespectful to you and seemed to want to go against you. Now that he heard that you were promoted to governor, he came to help eagerly! Can such a person be trusted?"

Li Zisheng shrugged and asked, "Whether he is trustworthy or not is none of my business."

"..."

Qin Chang felt that Li Zisheng's speech was incoherent.

You expect him to help you fight the war, but you don't care whether he can be trusted or not?

Li Zisheng asked with a smile: "Eunuch Tan, do you want to get another military merit?"

"Who wouldn't?"

Qin Chang said as a matter of course, "My family wants it, the Duke of Baoguo wants it, and the soldiers guarding Pianguan want it too!"

"Hey, Eunuch Qin, what you said is wrong. It's okay to think, but there is always a difference in the degree of enthusiasm." Li Zisheng looked at Qin Chang meaningfully and continued, "How many of the veterans here will be like Captain Wang and work for us sincerely? We won a victory outside Pianguan. Will the Pianguan garrison give us a good face?"

"This……"

"Even if I were the local governor, they would try their best to sideline me and make me useless. Look at the Duke of Baoguo. He is just like you and me, a passer-by. He also wants his son to accumulate prestige in the army. Doesn't he want the Duke of Baoguo's Mansion to be the first meritorious official family of the Ming Dynasty?"

Qin Chang smiled and said, "What you said makes sense. But his troops are all from the Beijing camp. To put it bluntly, their fighting power is not good, and they are far less elite than the border troops."

Li Zisheng curled his lips and said, "What kind of people are the border troops? Do you believe them? You saw it in the previous battle. When it comes to retreating in the face of battle, both the border troops and the Beijing troops are the same! On the contrary, the troops of the Beijing troops are better equipped and look more intimidating! What we want is to scare the Tatars away. Do you really think there will be any major battles later?

"Who isn't afraid of death these days?"

……

……

Zhu Yong led the Beijing camp and did not go directly into the pass, but instead camped on a hill outside the south gate of Piantou Pass.

The troops were in fairly good order.

However, this was very stressful for the defenders in Pianguan Pass.

He had just arrived in Lizi Province and was promoted to governor before he had done anything.

The next one to come is the Duke of Baoguo, who is the new general of Shanxi...

So we, the frontier soldiers, have to be commanded by a group of bigwigs from the capital? If we have merits, these bigwigs will definitely hug us desperately, and we will definitely be the ones to do things that will make us die...

Zhu Yong then asked his son Zhu Hui to stay in the army, while he went into the city in person to meet Li Zisheng.

Li Zisheng and Qin Chang met with Zhu Yong.

When he saw Zhu Yong, Li Zisheng immediately asked, "Sir, did you bring the military rations you were transporting with the army?"

Tan Chang was stunned when he heard this.

I thought to myself that you, Li Zisheng, are the most direct in your words...

Perhaps we all know that the troops of the Beijing camp cannot be relied upon when fighting a tough battle, so the most important thing at the moment is the batch of military rations that Zhu Yong has transported to the northwest.

Zhu Yong bowed and explained, "The military situation is urgent. We unloaded most of the 200,000 dan of military rations when we reached Xuanfu City. Then I led the troops and rushed to Piantou Pass without stopping."

Qin Chang got anxious when he heard this and asked, "Duke Baoguo, why did you unload the grain in Xuanfu City? Not all the military rations are for Xuanfu Town. If you unload half of it... can they eat it?"

"Eunuch Tan, you can't say that."

Li Zisheng smiled, as if to excuse Zhu Yong, "My Lord must have heard that a war broke out here, so he had to unload his baggage and rush to reinforce us. He just temporarily stored the grain in Xuanfu."

Qin Chang frowned when he heard this.

I thought to myself, am I the bad guy?

Master Li, you are not a kind person.

Li Zisheng asked Zhu Yong with a smile: "Sir, have you brought the remaining half?"

"Yes."

Zhu Yong seemed to be in a dilemma. "But Li Zhongcheng, you should know that there are thousands of people in our army. The cost of eating, drinking, defecating and urinating along the way is not small. Especially the horses..."

Tan Chang said angrily: "Just tell me, how much of the 200,000 dan of grain is left now?"

Obviously, for someone like Qin Chang who came from a eunuch in the Imperial Household Department, there was no need to give any face to the nobles.

Even if you meritorious officials are from a distinguished family, you are still outsiders no matter how prominent you are. How come I, a poor eunuch in the Imperial Household Department, have three thousand nails? And who are you, Zhu Yong?
Are you qualified to talk directly to the emperor?

Zhu Yong said: "After deducting the military expenses... there are probably 40,000 dan of grain available for allocation."

"What do you mean?"

Tan Chang asked.

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "The 40,000 dan mentioned by the Duke of Baoguo should not include the expenses of the troops under your command, is that what you mean?"

"This one……"

Zhu Yong said, "Of course it is not needed within seven days, but after seven days, it is estimated that it will be necessary to allocate funds from it again."

Tan Chang asked: "Are 100,000 dan of grain so inefficient to consume? How come there are only 40,000 dan left?"

Li Zisheng ignored him and said quickly, "We need to ask Xuanfu to transport the remaining 100,000 dan of grain. What do you think, Lord Baoguo?"

Zhu Yong said: "Li Zhongcheng, you should know that it is easy to store grain but difficult to take it out. I was negligent at that time. I wanted to rush to reinforce, so I kept the grain in Xuanfu. Now I have to transfer it out..."

"What's the matter? Xuanfu won't let you transfer, right?" Tan Chang said angrily, "Do you believe that I will impeach them and make them pay for it?"

Zhu Yong thought, as an old man in the palace, with such a high status and position, could it be that you are just helpless and furious?

But then Zhu Yong understood something.

Are you guys performing a double act, deliberately showing it to me?

But even if I am a duke, my status is still far inferior to yours. There is really no need for you two to act like this in front of me, right? Who are you acting for?

Li Zisheng nodded: "After hearing what you said, I understand a lot."

Qin Chang turned around and looked at Li Zisheng, as if asking, what do you understand now?
Li Zisheng said: "The grain was transported to Xuanfu, and no manpower or material resources were used. It was directly stored in the Xuanfu granary, so there was nothing wrong with it. But the problem is that when it is withdrawn, the expenses of unloading and loading the grain will be included, which involves the use of manpower, the cost of hiring carriages, and the repair of the yamen gate, as well as the loss caused by insects, etc.... After transporting 100,000 dan to Piantou Pass, it is estimated that only 40,000 to 50,000 dan will be left."

Qin Chang thought to himself, you are quite knowledgeable.

But can we please not encourage others to succeed and destroy our own prestige?

We can’t pamper those people in Xuanfu!

After all, we are about to fight a tough battle and urgently need a large amount of food.

Zhu Yong added: "What Li Zhongcheng said is absolutely right. They will definitely find all kinds of reasons to deduct the money. In fact, we have to deduct the 30,000 dan of grain that was originally going to be unloaded in Xuanfu... It would be great if we could have 30,000 dan of grain transported here. And it will take time. I'm afraid we won't be able to wait for ten days or half a month."

Qin Chang rebuked him, "If you had known this, why did you unload the goods in Xuanfu? If you had just transported them here, wouldn't everything be fine?"

Zhu Yong said helplessly: "Eunuch Tan, you can't blame me. If I hadn't unloaded the food, how could I have gone into battle with so little equipment? I'm afraid I'd still be on my way to Piantou Pass."

"Walk slower, you won't die!"

Qin Chang seemed very annoyed and kept complaining.

But it seemed that he himself knew that such complaints were meaningless.

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "If we move too slowly, the Tatars will have an opportunity to take advantage of us. If we put the grain in Xuanfu, it will be used by the soldiers of the Ming border army. It's better than letting the Tatars take it away, right?"

"Yes."

Zhu Yong echoed.

He suddenly felt that Li Zisheng was still very humane.

Even if it was just acting, the words made people feel warm when they were spoken.

Li Zisheng said: “Besides, the arrival of the Duke of Baoguo with his troops will greatly deter the Tatars and let the enemy know our determination and courage to fight them.

"It is precisely because of this that the Tatars were not in a hurry to come and attack the pass or even destroy it, and they refused to confront us. If the Duke of Baoguo had come a few days later, whether we could have defended the Piantou Pass would have been another matter."

Tan Chang asked, "Do the Tatars have the guts to come and block the pass and destroy it?"

Zhu Yong said hurriedly: "Eunuch Qin, based on my previous experience of guarding the border for many years, the Tatars have a strong desire for revenge. This time you and Li Zhongcheng have caused them a great loss, and they will definitely find a way to retaliate.

"We have found out that the Tatars are mobilizing a large number of troops to gather in the direction of Piantou Pass. I believe that our current number of troops is not enough to resist."

"Duke Baoguo, are you trying to emphasize to me that you have experience in commanding an army, and I don't? So you are more authoritative than me?"

Qin Chang became even angrier after hearing this.

Zhu Yong said: "I dare not."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "With the Duke Baoguo here, I can always rest assured. I have been trying to find a way to raise money and food. At present, I have already requisitioned all the food that can be mobilized inside and outside Piantou Pass. Now we have to come up with a countermeasure quickly to repel the Tatars."

Now Qin Chang and Zhu Yong looked at Li Zisheng at the same time.

I'm thinking about it in my heart.

It seems that you, Li Zisheng, still have evil intentions.

With the experience of the previous successful sneak attack, you want to do the same thing a second time?
Did you know that the Tatars are on guard?

If your sneak attack fails the second time, you will probably end up in big trouble!
Qin Chang said, "There are not many places in the city where people can live now, and Piantou Pass needs to be expanded. Should we let the troops of Baoguogong be stationed outside the city?"

Li Zisheng said: "The Tatars have no signs of attacking at the moment, so we shouldn't keep all our troops inside the city. I think it's not a bad idea to let the troops under the Duke of Baoguo stay outside the city. We can also temporarily store food and fodder outside the city."

"what?"

Qin Chang was a little confused for a moment.

It is understandable that you let the Beijing troops led by Zhu Yong station outside the city.

After all, there are conflicts of interest between the Beijing Army and the Border Army. If they are forced together, conflicts will definitely break out.

But what’s the point of putting the food outside the city?
Aren’t you afraid that the Tatars will rob you?

Li Zisheng asked, "Duke Baoguo, what do you think?"

"Everything is up to Li Zhongcheng."

Zhu Yong smiled and said, "I will follow your instructions."

Qin Chang muttered, "What did you do so far?"

Li Zisheng said: "Well, there is no need to transport food to the city for the time being. You don't need to worry too much about the affairs in the city. You just need to organize your troops and be ready to be dispatched at any time. Let's strive for another victory, and everyone will have military merit!"

……

……

After Zhu Yong paid a visit to the two powerful figures, he quickly left the city with his entourage to make arrangements.

In order to show his importance, Li Zisheng even personally escorted Zhu Yong out of the city.

Wait until the person is sent away.

Tan Chang and Li Zisheng stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the military camp with flags flying on the hillside more than a mile away from the city.

Tan Chang said: "Why don't you bring the grain into the city? If it stays outside the city, I'm afraid it will be unstable."

Li Zisheng sighed, "Don't we have to make the troops outside the city feel our trust? Also, if all the food is transported into the city, and the Tatars really want to attack us, can we mobilize these old soldiers in the city?"

"Ah."

Qin Chang suddenly realized and said, "You mean to say that the border troops in the city have to go out of the city and fight to the death even if it is just to protect the food?"

"Ah."

Li Zi said, "This is one of the reasons."

Qin Chang said: "There are other reasons, why don't you tell us clearly?"

Li Zisheng said, "Eunuch Qin, this batch of grain is not only for Pianguan. If you transport the grain to the pass and the Tatars suddenly retreat, can you still transport the grain to the northwest? Pianguan will definitely do the same as Xuanfu and try every means to intercept this batch of grain."

"hiss……"

Qin Chang took a deep breath and said, "Master Li, you really understand the ways of the officialdom. But..."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Eunuch Tan, please give me some advice."

Qin Chang said: "You are the governor of Shanxi, but you don't take care of the local soldiers in Shanxi, but consider the soldiers in other places in the northwest?

"We are now considered the local garrison commander, and we think there is nothing wrong with keeping the grain in Pianguan."

Li Zisheng said with emotion: "We have to think about the big picture. Eunuch Qin, if the Tatars withdraw, we can either continue to complete the imperial mission and transport military food and supplies to the northwest, or return home.

"Do you really want to stay in Shanxi? This place... is too austere. Even a Taoist like me can't stand it. I think it would be even more difficult for someone like Eunuch Tan who lives a life of luxury to adapt to it, right?"

(End of this chapter)