Chapter 1209 Insufficient money and food

   It is the first time that General Zhendong, who stayed at the Protectorate of the Central Capital but never went to court, asked to enter the palace to meet the emperor, and it was not a time when he was not in court.

  Secretary Zhang's eyes fell on the envelope on the desk.

  General Guan glanced at her, said nothing, and dressed himself.

  Secretary Zhang glanced at General Guan, walked to the desk, and turned to look at General Guan.

  General Guan is fastening his belt, not looking at her.

  Secretary Zhang reached out to pick up the letter, and then turned to look at it.

  General Guan is putting on his robe, not looking at her.

  Secretary Zhang opened the letter, and there were only a few words in the letter:

   "The military in the government is under the supervision of a small monarch, and I will bear all the consequences."

   Isn't this just nonsense!

  Who doesn't know that General Zhendong stayed behind to protect the Central Capital and supervise the military in the Central Government?

   But Secretary Zhang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

  There are only four sentences and fifteen characters, but there is an inexplicable sense of stability.

  The letter didn't seem to say anything, but A Lang made people desperately send back such a few words of nonsense, which is enough to explain everything.

  Secretary Zhang raised the letter in his hand, and finally showed some relief on his face:

   "Sister, how did Alang find out about Bingzhou so quickly?"

   Logically speaking, the government should have just sent the news to Caoqiao Pass.

  Even if it was flying, it was impossible for Alang to send the letter back immediately.

  General Guan stretched out his hands and buckled the copper button on his waist.

   "Crack!

  A handsome young master appeared.

  He is tall and tall, with the arms of a monkey and the waist of a wasp, with a calm and resolute face, and his eyes are like deep ancient pools.

   It is matched with purple clothes that only important officials in the court are eligible to wear. A long sword is hung around the waist, the hilt of which is wrapped with gold thread and inlaid with jade.

   This outfit, walking on Zhangtai Street, will attract many women to watch.

  General Guan pressed the long sword at his waist with his left hand, and said:

   "I don't know. But when I think about it, someone from Bingzhou should have sent the news in advance."

  If General Guan herself, she would do the same.

  Deng Zhi is the general of the right guard, so it is not even possible that he does not have this sensitivity.

  He can send the news to Chang'an, so naturally he can find a way to send the news directly to A Lang.

  As one of the few old ministers remaining in the great Han Dynasty, Deng Zhi doesn't have to be afraid of Wei Yan, and he doesn't have to worry about what the palace man thinks of him.

  A loyal veteran in his sixties, who has worked tirelessly all these years, has been leading troops outside, defending the border for the country, what do you think of others?

  If you really want to go back to Chang'an and enter the palace to see the emperor, the emperor has to stand up to greet you and invite him to sit down.

   This is the benefit of old qualifications.

   "Open the gate, drive the car!"

  The gate of the Zhendong General’s Mansion, which has always been closed, is now rarely rumbled, and the heavy mansion gate is slowly opened.

  General Zhendong stepped out of the gate, went down the steps, took the reins from the guard, and got on the horse.

   "Drive!"

"Da da da!"

  The cavalry guards who had been waiting for a long time escorted General Zhendong towards the palace.

  Many people living nearby, not only saw General Zhendong's mansion open for the first time, but also saw General Zhendong for the first time.

  There are women or girls, when they saw the face of General Zhendong, many of them immediately felt like a deer, and some even unconsciously dyed their cheeks red.

   "Is that General Zhendong? I heard that he was born more beautiful than women in the world. He was called Hua Guansuo, and his name really lives up to him!"

  Looking at the receding formation again, I feel that the compelling nobility just now is still as condensed and lingering for a long time.

  Someone couldn't help but gritted their teeth and stamped their feet:

   "This hard-to-find Han family Haoerlang is actually a savage girl! Damn it! Damn it!"

   He twisted the silk cloth in his hand so hard that it almost broke.

  General Zhendong came to the gate of Weiyang Palace and handed over a token to prove his identity.

  Responsible for leading the little yellow gate, he also couldn't help but sneak a few glances at General Guan.

  Because before he was sent here, he saw the words "extremely beautiful" written on it in the notebook recording General Zhendong's appearance.

  At first, I was still a little curious, thinking about how outstanding General Zhendong was to be worthy of these four words.

  After seeing a real person at this time, my heart finally came to a sudden, and then I just took it for granted—probably only this kind of person is worthy of those four words.

   "General Guan, this way please, Your Majesty has already asked the villain to wait here for a long time when he learned that the general is going to enter the palace."

  General Guan nodded slightly: "Thank you."

  Bypass the front hall used for the court meeting, and follow the small yellow gate to the Xuanshi Hall.

   Xuanshi Hall is the place where the emperor personally handles important affairs and summons important ministers.

   "Xuan, General Zhendong, see you!"

  General Zhendong took off his sword, took off his shoes, walked in, kowtowed and saluted:

   "Chen Suo, I pay my respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live forever and be happy forever!"

  A Dou, who was sitting on it, stretched out his hand to help: "Get up!"

   "Thank you, Your Majesty."

   "General Zhendong, sit down."

  Jiang Wan, Fei Yi, and Dong Yun, who were on duty at the central government office in the front hall of Weiyang Palace, had arrived one step earlier.

  Wen Dongwu West, General Zhendong did not sit in the same row with them, but walked across from them, ready to take a seat.

  Just before taking his seat, he glanced at Guan Xing, the general of Fu Han who was sitting under his seat.

  General Zhendong's figure froze invisibly.

  Guan Xing looks at the nose with his eyes, and his heart with his nose, and sits upright.

  After General Guan took his seat, Adou forced a smile:

   "As soon as the Shangdang urgent report arrived, I thought about sending someone to the Central Capital Protector's Mansion. I didn't expect General Zhendong to invite you into the palace first, which saved me a lot of effort."

  General Guan heard the words, bowed his body in his seat, and said slowly:

   "The minister was entrusted by the Central Capital Protector, and stayed behind in the Central Capital Protector's Mansion. He dared not neglect the slightest military and state affairs."

  The voice was not in a hurry, but it made the smile on A Dou's face more awkward.

  The originally round and fat face, because of the restless sleep and food these days, has actually lost some weight at this time, and even the face is a little haggard and gloomy.

  The little fat man in the past, at this moment, looks like he no longer has the sense of joy he used to have.

   Seeing that everyone was present, Adou coughed and began to raise issues:

   "I think you all know about the Shangdang. This time, I summoned you to come here to ask you how to retreat from the enemy right now."

  A Dou glanced around while talking.

   But seeing the positions of generals, Guan Suo, Guan Xing, Zhao Guang...

   None of them are fearful young people, and none of them are old people.

  Thinking about the big man now, there are no more than Wei Yan and Deng Zhi who are still able to lead the army when they are old.

  The second is Chen Dao and Wu Ban.

  It's just these four people, they can be general but hard to be handsome.

  Recalling that before Xiangfu passed away, entrusting Feng Mingwen instead of Wei Yan, it was indeed a foresight.

   Regret that I should have changed the arrangement of my father-in-law without authorization!

   While introspecting, A Dou set his sights on Jiang Wan, the oldest minister.

  Jiang Wan looked at General Zhendong and said:

   "The Central Guard's mansion supervises the internal and external military. Although the Central Guard is not here, General Zhendong is staying in the mansion. I wonder if General Zhendong has a good plan?"

  General Zhendong shook his head:

   "Not yet, the Shangdang change was too sudden, in a hurry, I can only guess that the thieves were probably well prepared."

   "According to the news that came, Wei Wenchang ordered his son to guard Gaodu, and led most of the soldiers back to the north to take back the eldest son."

   Speaking of this, she sighed, "Wei Wenchang's move, in my opinion, is really too greedy."

   Changing his usual routine, General Guan would at most say something a little aggressive.

   But at this point, how could she still think about saving Wei Yan some face?

   It would be considered polite not to call someone by their first name!

  A Dou's expression changed slightly when he heard General Guan's words, and he subconsciously leaned forward:

   "General Zhendong means that General Wei's move is inappropriate?"

  General Guan glanced at A Dou, and said indifferently:

   "I don't know if it's right or not, probably Wei Wenchang has other plans."

   "Anyway, if the minister is changed, the minister will only shrink his troops to Gaoping Pass, and try his best to ensure that the passage from Hedong to Shangdang is not lost, waiting for reinforcements."

   "If, like Wei Wenchang, he doesn't want to give up Gaodu, but also wants to take back the eldest son by himself, it will only make the troops too scattered."

   Both want and want, how can there be so many good things in the world?

   Isn't this too greedy?

   Speaking of this, General Guan emphasized his tone:

   "According to the current situation, Sima Yi may have been plotting to join the party for a long time! Wei Wenchang has been attacking Gaodu for several months, and he is already tired of the soldiers, and now he is in a hurry to go to the eldest son."

  General Guan snorted and stopped talking.

  General Guan stopped talking, and everyone had already understood what she meant, and many people's expressions changed slightly.

   Only a voice with hidden anger sounded:

   "Wei Yansheng was arrogant and unwilling to be subdued. He was attacked and thrown away by Shangdang. With his temperament, he naturally refused to wait for the imperial reinforcements to arrive."

  A Dou followed the sound, and it turned out that it was Jiang Wan who also spoke:

   "In the Battle of Guanzhong, Sima Yi was able to retreat unscathed under the pincer attack of the prime minister and the central guard."

   "Looking at what happened to Guo Xun again this time, it can be seen that this person is not someone who is easy to deal with, but a man with deep plans...cough cough, deep plans."

   Having said that, Jiang Wan glanced at General Zhendong, and continued:

   "There is a saying in the art of war: Know yourself and know the enemy, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles. Sima Yi is a person who is good at commanding troops. If this person is really going to do what Zhendong said, he has a heart for plotting against the Shangdang."

   "Will Wei Yan lead the army back to the eldest son, will he also be in his calculations?"

  Jiang Wan is generous, and rarely argues with others on weekdays.

  At this time, General Zhendong still called Wei Yan Wei Wenchang, but he simply called him by his first name.

   There was even a hint of disgust in his tone and demeanor that was not easy to detect.

   It can be seen that Jiang Wan was extremely annoyed at Wei Yan's careless loss of Shangdang this time.

   Seeing that neither the civil and military leaders were optimistic about Wei Yan, Adou's originally gloomy face became a little more panicked:

   "From this point of view, we should send people to Shangdang for rescue as soon as possible."

   Rescue must be rescued, otherwise everyone came to Xuanshidian to chat?

   But how?

  Who will save?

  Where to send troops to rescue?

  Is there enough money and food in the treasury?

   These must be discussed in advance.

  As the great butler of the great man, Jiang Wan was the first to feel a headache.

  The soldiers and horses have not moved, but the food and grass go first.

  I saw him sigh:

   "The Zhongdu Huqian led the army to fight, and the last grain stored in the treasury was already used up. Fortunately, the summer grain was put into the warehouse, so this is considered to make up for it."

  Jiang Wan glanced at Adou, and continued:

   "I'm afraid the treasury will be empty again when we send troops this time. Your Majesty, it's only July, and there is no food left in the treasury. I'm afraid it won't work."

  A Dou's face lost all color when he heard it:

   "Jiang Gong meant that the food and grass were not enough to support the army to go out?"

  Jiang Wan rubbed his temples, with a look of distress on his face:

   "Your Majesty, this year the big man has used troops three times in a row, and has never stopped. If this time is added, it will be the fourth time."

   Wei Yan attacked Gaoyang, Zhang Bao led the southern army to enter Hedong, and the Zhongdu guard attacked Caoqiao Pass.

   Money and food are spent like flowing water.

  This is not counting the cost of restoring production in Guanzhong East and other places, and building water conservancy.

  Jiang Wan looked at Adou, and said earnestly:

   "Your Majesty, no matter how rich the treasury is, it cannot afford such expenses!"

  That is to say, the Han country is rich and the people are strong now. If it was replaced by the prime minister in the past, it would not be necessary to calculate and calculate carefully before daring to send troops.

  Jiang Wan didn't say anything, let alone Adou, even everyone didn't realize it.

  Hearing it at this moment, everyone present felt that the money spent this year was really too much.

   "Then what should we do? Do we just abandon Shangdang?"

  A Dou finally couldn’t sit still anymore:

   "Jiang Gong, there is still some money and food in the palace. If you think about a way, you will have to raise more food and grass."

  Jiang Wan smiled wryly:

   "Your Majesty wants to gather food and grass right now, all he wants is to increase revenue and reduce expenditure."

   "In today's situation, the upper party's war is the most important thing. Therefore, in my opinion, it is best to notify the Central Capital to return to the division as soon as possible."

   "In this way, not only can there be enough soldiers and horses to rescue Shangdang, but also the saved food and grass can be used for Shangdang's war."

   As he spoke, he glanced at General Guan.

  General Guan nodded: "Jiang Gong's words are very reasonable, and I also think that it is most appropriate for His Majesty to issue an order immediately to let the Zhongduhu return to the army as soon as possible."

  A Dou said hurriedly: "Okay, okay, I'll make an order now."

   Letting his brother-in-law lead the army back to the army is exactly what A Dou thinks in his heart.

  But when he saw him, he dictated the imperial decree on the spot, and Dong Yun wrote the book and stamped it with the emperor's seal, so that he could be sent out of the palace as quickly as possible.

   Then A Dou asked again:

   "Besides letting Zhongdu protect the teacher, do you have any suggestions?"

  Jiang Wan said again:

   "Your Majesty, even if the Zhongdu Guards return to rescue the Shangdang, it's just a way to save money, and we still need to increase revenue."

  A Dou is a little bit blind: "But where can I open up the source now? You can't increase taxes temporarily, right?"

   "Increasing taxes is absolutely impossible!" Jiang Wan resolutely objected, "Now that His Majesty has just moved back to the old capital, it's enough not to reduce or exempt taxes to win the hearts of the people. How can we increase taxes and disappoint people!"

   "Where will the money and food needed come from?"

  Jiang Wan slowed down his tone, looked at Adou meaningfully, and said:

   "Your Majesty, the Zhongduhu was going to lead the army a few months ago. The veteran also talked with the Zhongduhu about the lack of money and food in the treasury. He once proposed a plan with the Zhongduhu."

  A Dou was shocked when he heard it:

   "Mr. Jiang is talking about expanding the seats of the Joint Reserve Board?"

   "Exactly." Jiang Wan emphasized his tone, persuading, "Your Majesty, Shangdang is in a hurry!"

   "If you want to collect enough money and food in a short period of time, expanding the seats of the Joint Reserve Board is the best and fastest way!"

  Since the news of the expansion of the seats of the Joint Reserve Bureau came out, in the past few months, whether it is the Central Capital Protectorate or the Chiang Mansion, I don’t know how many people have come to ask about it.

  It's a pity that this matter was stuck at the last moment, and the progress was not satisfactory.

  Because the royal family is one of the major shareholders of the Reserve Board, although it agrees to expand the seats.

  But he has been hesitant about how many seats to expand.

   To be precise, the royal family has not thought about giving up much interest for the time being.

   This made Jiang Wan, who was already somewhat dissatisfied with some actions in the palace, even more annoyed.

   At this time, it is a good opportunity, how can you be polite, of course, it is to throw stones into a well with joy.

  A Dou's lips trembled a little, this is really not in charge of the family and does not know how expensive it is!

   No wonder when the father was still there, he often warned himself not to be too extravagant.

  Thinking about when the big man was in dire straits, I don’t know how Xiangfu survived with only that little money and food.

  (end of this chapter)