serious man in the red chamber

Chapter 358 Everyone has their own plans

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. As the infantry yamen inspected the grain merchants' stockpiles, wealthy families in the city donated tens of thousands of grains, and summer grain from Baoding and other places entered the city, the situation in the capital gradually stabilized.

This came as a relief to officials at the Cabinet and Ministry of Household Affairs.

Some people were happy and some were worried. At this time, the mood of the Korean Tatars and Japanese people was not so good.

Courtyard

Although there were two large basins of ice in the room, Hong Zhou, Da Lao, and officials from the two countries' missions who were sitting around the copper basins all had sweat dripping from their faces.

"Filial piety? Do you have such filial piety?!"

Doi stood up suddenly, pulled his neck and shouted loudly: "It's too much to bully others! I asked for 30 stone grains and rice as soon as I opened my mouth! We don't even have enough to eat!"

After hearing his words, everyone except Hong Zhou and Doi Elder showed expressions as if their ancestral graves had been dug up, and everyone was filled with indignation!
Doi then shouted: "Don't they claim to be the Great Kingdom of Heaven? The Great Kingdom of Heaven should be gentle and benevolent, be kind to others and treat the vassal countries well. They should give us large amounts of gold, silver and jewels, rather than asking us to express anything. 'Filial piety', or such a great 'filial piety'. What they are doing now is not at all like a heavenly dynasty?!"

Everyone nodded together.

The deputy envoy of the Korean Tatars spoke: "As a small vassal state, we should contribute and pay tribute every year. But we are a small country, not a big country with abundant products, otherwise we would not become a vassal state."

Everyone nodded again.

"Who the hell is this idiot who came up with such a vicious idea in front of His Majesty the Great Emperor? If we know it, let's curse him together!"

"I heard that this idea came from the Prince of Beining County."

There was a sudden silence.

"The Prince of Beining County can't do this either!"

Doi sneered: "I have inquired clearly. It is the Western Yi people who prevent the Nanyang countries from selling grain to the Zhou Dynasty. There is a saying in the Central Plains that 'eats the king's salary and worries about the king'. As a giant of the Zhou Dynasty's military, , he should lead his army south to fight against the Western Yi people, destroy the Western Yi people, and steal food from the Nanyang countries, instead of bullying vassal countries like us.

As a warrior, I look down upon this arrogant and arrogant Prince Beining. "

"Well said!" Everyone cheered together!
Doi was even more concerned: "As I say, we have already paid this year's tribute and shown our filial piety. There is no way to ask us to hand over food when we are hungry! Heaven must also be reasonable."

Everyone was convinced after hearing the words, exchanged glances with each other, and started talking again.

"Master Doi's words make sense. As the saying goes, truth can be found all over the world. You must be reasonable when doing things." The North Korean Tatar deputy envoy said with admiration on his face.

Hong Zhou and Elder Doi looked at each other and smiled bitterly, shaking their heads at the same time.

A contemptuous smile appeared on Murakami's lips.

Dojing was about to speak, but Hong Zhou spoke up: "Is this place a place for reasoning? Who have you ever seen the Zhou Dynasty talk to? If you could reason, the Mongolian tribes outside Guan Guan would not have been wiped out so much. The leaders and nobles of the Southern Mongolian tribes will not come to settle in the capital. Only the strong have always been qualified to talk sense, while the weak can only obey."

"What should we do?" Doi looked at Hong Zhou blankly.

Hong Zhou's eyes flashed and he said: "The only way out is to drag!"

Doi: "Procrastinate?"

Hong Zhou: "Yes, hold off! Based on my understanding of the Emperor of Zhou and the military, they cannot sit still and wait for death. They will definitely strike preemptively. The imperial edict not to go to war against the Xiyi people is already on the way south. There are still two days before the autumn harvest. More than a month, including the autumn harvest time and the time spent on the road, we still have at least four months.

However, the imperial edict can be delivered to the Guangdong Navy camp within seven days of the eight-hundred-mile rush. In four months, the Guangdong Navy can definitely defeat the Xiyi people.At that time, as long as we pretend to send thousands of stones of food, we will be able to deliver the goods. "

"Then, what if the Guangdong Navy fails to defeat the Xiyi people, or is even defeated?" Doi asked.

Everyone: "Oh"

Hong Zhou shook his head: "To tell you the truth. The Zhou Dynasty began to expand its navy to prepare for war two years ago. It is impossible for them to be defeated."

Doi: "I mean just in case."

Hong Zhou smiled: "Then it will be even more delayed. I heard that there are also shadows of the Xiyi people on the battlefield in Yunnan. The grain-producing areas of the Zhou Dynasty are concentrated in Jiangnan and Huguang. Without the navy, wouldn't it be a good show? I can't say. , we can still get some benefits from it."

Doi: "Then, how should we return to the household department?"

Hong Zhou looked at Elder Doi.

Elder Doi said calmly: "30 stone is too much, and it is not something we can afford. Let's first talk about a number that is acceptable to both parties, and the rest will depend on the situation."

Murakami standing aside said softly: "Elder."

Elder Doi: "Say."

Murakami: "Yes. We can spend some money and let those civilian officials speak for us. As long as the military people stand up from behind, it will evolve into a civil-military dispute, so that we can have enough time. It may even be due to party disputes Affecting the front line." Hearing this, Elder Doi and Hong Zhou looked at each other, turned to look at Murakami, and said, "Okay, I'll leave this matter to you."

Murakami knelt down and replied, "Yes."

There was a sneer in Doi's eyes.

At this moment, the voice of the Japanese guard came from outside the door: "Elder brother, the master of the suzerain country is here."

Before he could say a word, the door was pushed open with a bang.

A Zhou Dynasty official wearing a fifth-grade official robe came in. When he saw the room full of people, he was startled for a moment, and then said: "So they are all here, just in time."

Elder Doi stood up quickly and bowed his hands: "It turns out to be Mr. Wang. I'm sorry for missing you from afar. Please forgive me!"

This person is none other than Wang Ping, the former Gansu Guard General, Sun Shaozu's boss, and he is still serving as a doctor in the Ministry of War.

Hong Zhou also bowed his hands and said, "See you, Mr. Wang."

Wang Ping waved his hand: "That's all. Just now, the king of the county sent a message to the Ministry of War. Tomorrow, the Yongwei camp will return in triumph, and we are authorized to attend the ceremony."

Elder Doi: "What time?"

Wang Ping: "Chenshi, Andingmen." After saying that, he turned around and walked out.

Hong Zhou and Elder Doi looked at each other for a long time.

With a cold snort, Doi said: "He is demonstrating against us, intimidating us, and taking the opportunity to put pressure! He will spread his words, but we will not go!"

"Yes! We won't go!" everyone shouted in unison.

Elder Doi kicked Doi down and cursed: "Damn bastard! How dare you be so unruly? Murakami!"

Murakami: "Big boss!"

Elder Doi pointed at Doi: "Take this bastard down and beat him with twenty sticks. You will carry out the execution yourself."

Murakami was shocked: "Big boss."

Doi was also shocked when he heard this: "Grandpa."

Boss Doi shouted loudly: "Drag him down!"

Murakami: "Yes. Doi-kun, please."

Doi gritted his teeth, stood up and walked out.

Murakami followed and walked out.

Watching them walk out the door, Hong Zhou shook his head at the others.

Everyone understood and quietly retreated.

Hong Zhou: "Why do you deserve to be so angry? Why hurt yourself?"

Elder Doi then sighed: "I'm afraid it will be difficult for this child's illness to be cured. The decline of the Doi family is inevitable."

Hong Zhou also sighed and said: "The Qing Dynasty ended up like this because it chose the wrong successor."

Elder Doi sat down and lowered his voice: "Do you think the Zhou Dynasty can win in the face of siege from so many countries?"

Hong Zhou smiled faintly: "Maybe we can win, maybe we can't."

Elder Doi frowned.

Hong Zhou: "You have to take your time. The Great Zhou Dynasty is in deep water. As long as the Great Zhou army is defeated in one direction, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty will be greatly impacted. I mean not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Internal The greatest threat is. As long as the military can no longer suppress the world, or is dragged into the quagmire and unable to get out, the consequences will be extremely serious."

Hearing this, Elder Doi's eyes flashed with light, and he nodded immediately.

Hong Zhou: "Of course, we can't just watch the fun." At this point, he came forward and whispered: "We need to have a good relationship with Jia Yucun and the Mei Party and wait for the opportunity. In this way, I will go to Jia Yucun He Mei Changwen, you go to the royalist Ma Ruifang and ask them to help us deal with this matter first, don't worry about money."

Mr. Doi: "Okay, I'll go find him tonight."

(End of this chapter)