Man Tanghong

Chapter 54 Ma Zhou Bows His Head
"I want [-]% of the food in the future."

Li Yuanji spoke without hesitation.

Li Shimin frowned, "No."

Li Yuanji stared at Li Shimin, "Second brother, did you forget that all the food has to go through my hands once, and I say [-]% is [-]%, you don't count."

The food obtained by the Pingdiao officials was collected by Li Yuanji and distributed by Li Yuanji.

If Li Yuanji didn't give it, Li Shimin couldn't take it by force.

Li Shimin dared to be the first grader, but Li Yuanji didn't mind being the fifteenth grader.

Li Shimin stared subconsciously, and shouted angrily, "My food, what do I say?"

Li Yuanji said 'hehe', "Do I have the final say on my food?"

Li Shimin was stunned and had nothing to say.

It was Li Shimin who was unreasonable first, and he has no right to blame Li Yuanji for being unreasonable.

Li Shimin's face was gloomy, he pondered for a while, and then sighed, "Food is the most important thing now. It is related to the life and death of millions of people in Hebei. I can't give up a single cent. You can change the condition."

Changsun Wuji and the others looked at Li Shimin and then at Li Yuanji, with blank expressions on their faces, not understanding what Li Shimin and Li Yuanji were talking about.

Li Yuanji also expected that Li Shimin would not be able to spit out the food he ate, so he immediately said: "Then you get me three thousand pairs of iron armor as interest."

Before Li Shimin could speak, Li Yuanji added, "The iron armor is just interest, and the food still has to be paid back."

Li Shimin was taken aback, frowned and said, "What do you need so many armors for?"

Iron armor is a sharp weapon. Three thousand pairs of iron armor are enough to arm a warrior battalion of 3000 people, and it is easy to destroy cities and villages.

If it occupies a favorable terrain, it can withstand the attack of tens of thousands of people.

Li Yuanji gave Li Shimin a blank look, and said angrily, "I want to build an armored battalion of 3000 people, and let them stand guard at the gate of the granary to see who dares to attack my food."

Li Shimin looked embarrassed.

Li Yuanji almost pointed to his nose and said, I will arm an army to prevent you, a villain, from stealing food.

Changsun Wuji couldn't help but said: "Your Highness King Qi, with three thousand iron armors, you can make three thousand warriors. It's easy to destroy cities and villages. When necessary, you can also act as a surprise soldier and deal a painful blow to the enemy.

If it is handed over to someone with ulterior motives, it may become the source of troubles for my Tang Dynasty. "

Li Yuanji glanced at Changsun Wuji, and said calmly: "I know the seriousness of it, and I don't need you to remind me."

Changsun Wuji was making himself uncomfortable, and also looked embarrassed.

Li Shimin said with a headache: "That's all, tomorrow you send someone to the Luoyang arsenal, and I will tell the storekeepers to bring you three thousand pairs of armor."

Li Yuanji wanted to use 3000 pairs of iron armor to arm a [-]-people warrior battalion to defend him, and he felt very uncomfortable.

It's not that I'm worried that Li Yuanji has other plans, it's just that if Li Yuanji does this, it won't be easy for him to steal food in the future.

"Humph……"

Li Yuanji's goal had been achieved, he snorted softly, and left the front hall of Luoyang Palace with steps that his relatives did not recognize.

After Li Yuanji left, Changsun Wuji said to Li Shimin dumbfounded: "His Royal Highness Qi, isn't this just a joke."

Three thousand iron armors can make three thousand warriors and can change the outcome of a war.

But Li Yuanji wants to use it for the defenders, who are still guarding the granary.

luxury.

Extravagance to the extreme.

Li Shimin sighed: "If you mess around, just mess around, who made me feel wronged."

Changsun Wuji wanted to ask Li Yuanji what happened to the food in his mouth, but seeing that Li Shimin didn't mean anything, he didn't ask further.

Li Yuanji returned to the side hall of the Luoyang Palace, and when he caught the general manager of Shanzhou, he gave all the blame.

The general manager of Shanzhou is now his subordinate, so he only looks at the commander-in-chief and doesn't know how to ask him for instructions.

This is dereliction of duty and must be reprimanded.

Although Li Shimin's commander-in-chief is greater than his general order.

However, the director of Shanzhou is currently the immediate superior. When the director of Shanzhou sees Li Shimin leapfrogging his rank to issue a commander-in-chief, he should consult him first before making a decision.

The governor of Shanzhou made a decision without asking for instructions, that is, he did not take him seriously.

Li Yuanji scolded the general manager of Shanzhou for a long time, and when he kept berating the general manager of Shanzhou to the point of being ashamed, Xie Shufang hurried to the side hall.

Only then did Li Yuanji let go of the governor of Shanzhou.

After the governor of Shanzhou left, Xie Shufang immediately stepped forward, "Your Highness, Ma Zhou has already arrived outside Luoyang City."

Li Yuanji pondered for a while, then ordered Xie Shufang to take all the guards and left Luoyang Palace with great fanfare.

It was announced to the outside world that it was necessary to re-arm the granary, to make the granary impenetrable, and not to give the thieves a second chance to steal grain.

Li Shimin knew about it, so he probably only said that he was narrow-minded and would not suspect anything else.

After leaving Luoyang Palace, Li Yuanji asked Xie Shufang to take people to the granary, and then secretly rushed to meet Ma Zhou outside the city.

When I saw Ma Zhou again, Ma Zhou was even thinner, but he looked energetic.

When Ma Zhou saw Li Yuanji, he stepped forward without hesitation and bowed deeply to Li Yuanji.

"Chen Ma Zhou, see Your Highness."

Ma Zhou traveled around Luoyang for half a month and witnessed Li Yuanji's spare no effort to resettle those refugees. His opinion of Li Yuanji changed, and his attitude naturally changed a lot.

Li Yuanji was very satisfied with Ma Zhou's attitude, and said with a smile, "Now I'm not saying that I'm saving people, but I'm also hurting them?"

Ma Zhou arched his hands and said shamelessly, "It was my minister Menglang before."

Li Yuanji nodded and said: "I already know what you have done in Luoyang in recent days. You not only prevented the yamen on the border of Luoyang from driving the refugees from Hebei back to Hebei, but also invited the refugees who hid in the mountains Come out, prepare houses for them, distribute land property, let them settle down in Luoyang, and take root.

Li Sixing said, you have saved more than 50,000 refugees.

You are very good. "

Ma Zhou hurriedly said: "I can't afford to be praised by Your Highness. If you don't have His Highness's iron cavalry to protect you, if you don't have His Highness's reputation. Don't talk about preventing those yamen on the border of Luoyang from driving refugees back to Hebei, even if you save one person, I would be very happy." Difficult to do."

Ma Zhou knew very well that the reason why he managed to resettle and relieve refugees in Luoyang so smoothly was because of Li Yuanji's prestige and military leadership.

Without Li Yuanji's help, the yamen in Luoyang would not obey his orders, let alone cooperate with him in resettling refugees.

Li Yuanji said with a smile: "A meritorious service is a meritorious service. You don't have to be so modest. If you can find problems and solve them, it proves that your vision and methods are not bad.

I have always been rewarded for meritorious deeds and punished for demerits.

Since you have meritorious service, I will not be stingy with rewards.

From today onwards, I will promote you to serve as the secretary of Prince Qi's residence and join the military, are you willing? "

Ma Zhou was obviously taken aback, and bowed to Li Yuanji, "Thank you for your appreciation, and I am willing to serve you."

The recorder joins the military, and from the official of the sixth rank, he joins the military at the same level as the recorder.

Compared with his previous teaching assistant, he was several grades higher.

Moreover, as a recorder and military officer, and as an official in the Qi Palace, his future is limitless.

The reason why he left Bian and Cao Erzhou, where he had traveled for several months, and appeared in Luoyang was because he was humiliated by Junyi Order Cui Xianshou in Junyi, so in a fit of rage, he planned to go to Chang'an to seek a good future, so that Cui Xianshou Let's see who is the real hero.

After witnessing with his own eyes that Li Yuanji was not as cruel and domineering as the rumors said, he didn't mind working for Li Yuanji.

Li Yuanji was happy, "Okay, okay, okay..."

Finally, there is a guy with a long history who is willing to be used by him. How could he be unhappy.

Li Sixing is a [-]-year-old boy, Ling Jing was threatened by him, so he reluctantly joined him.

So Li Sixing and Ling Jing were not willing to be used by him.

Only Ma Zhou, who is willing to join his command, will definitely be with him and spare no effort to help him.

Seeing that Li Yuanji seemed to appreciate him very much, Ma Zhou was very excited.

He came from a bad background, few people appreciated him, and when he announced his great ambitions to others, others would only laugh at him.

Li Yuanji was the second person he had met so far who appreciated him, and also the first person who truly appreciated him.

The first person to appreciate him was a doctor of Confucianism from Bozhou, but that doctor of Confucianism only recommended him to the Yamen as a teaching assistant and asked him to help share the pressure of teaching, not really appreciating him.

Li Yuanji is the only one who believes in his talent and puts him to good use.

It is also the only one who entrusts him with important tasks regardless of his background.

"There is one thing I need you to do."

After laughing for a while, Li Yuanji stated the purpose of this trip.

Ma Zhou looked solemn, bowed and said, "Your Highness, please give me instructions."

Li Yuanji waved to the guards, and when the guards left, he solemnly said to Ma Zhou: "I need you to go to Weizhou for me."

Weizhou is under the jurisdiction of Youzhou, and Li Yi is now stationed in Da'an Mountain, defending against the East Turkic troops.

Ma Zhou was stunned, and said thoughtfully: "Your Highness wants me to see His Highness King Yan?"

Ma Zhou knew the situation in Youzhou more or less, so when Li Yuanji asked Ma Zhou to go to Weizhou, Ma Zhou guessed that Li Yuanji asked him to meet Li Yi.

After all, besides Li Yi, there was no one in Youzhou worthy of Li Yuanji sending someone to meet him personally.

Li Yuanji nodded and said, "I need you to get some news and go help me change my family."

Without the slightest hesitation, Ma Zhou said seriously, "Please give orders, Your Highness."

The road from Luoyang to Youzhou is not easy.

Heibei was occupied by Liu Heizai. From Luoyang to Youzhou, one either went out of Weize Pass and rushed to Youzhou under the arrows of the Turks, or went to sea via Henan Road and went up the coast.

It is obviously unrealistic to go to Youzhou with the arrows of the Turks.

Therefore, the only way to go to sea is through the Henan Road, and go up the coast.

But going up the coast also carries enormous risks.

Li Yuanji gave Ma Zhou great appreciation, and Ma Zhou felt that it was worthwhile for him to take some risks.

Li Yuanji stared at Ma Zhou and said, "There should be a famine in Youzhou right now. If there is no accident, Li Yi will ask the nearby Gao Kaidao to borrow food. Gao Kaidao has ulterior motives, and he will probably plot against Li Yi.

Li Yi's soldiers were far better than Gao Kaidao, after Gao Kaidao plotted against Li Yi, Li Yi would definitely not let it go.

If Gao Kaidao wanted to survive under Li Yi, he would definitely collude with the Turks. "

(End of this chapter)