I studied in modern times

Chapter 746: The Liao Navy Threat (2)

Deep in Anjiefang, in several abandoned shacks converted into workshops.

More than ten Taimu vehicles have been assembled by the workers.

Li Erhu watched the spinning wheels start to turn under the operation of the workers.

He laughed with joy!

After nearly three months of hard work and fear, I finally got a break at this moment!
He ordered people to bring in a box of copper coins that had been prepared long ago.

Then he opened the box, revealing bags of copper coins packed in cloth bags.

He picked up one of the bags, untied the rope on the bag, and let the copper coins inside fall to the ground, making a crisp tinkling sound.

"Everyone! Everyone!"

Everyone had already turned around, looking at the copper coins that fell to the ground in front of Li Erhu, listening to the tinkling sound of the copper coins bouncing on the ground, and swallowing their saliva.

"I've said it before, I'm not a stingy person!"

"Today, the spinning wheel is completed. I can finally open my workshop successfully!"

"This money is just a token of my appreciation. Please don't despise it!"

After he finished speaking, he took out the copper coins from the box and handed them to the workers present one by one.

The workers were very happy to receive the reward and expressed their gratitude one after another.

Li Erhu kept a hearty smile from beginning to end.

After all the workers had received their rewards, Li Erhu clapped his hands and said, "It's getting late today. Everyone, take your rewards and go home to your wives and have fun!"

Everyone laughed, bowed to Li Erhu and expressed their gratitude, then dispersed.

Before long, Li Erhu and a few of his followers were the only ones left in the huge workshop.

These followers have followed Li Erhu for more than ten years and have received his favors.

Li Erhu always paid these people enough wages, provided them with wine and meat every month, and personally attended their weddings and gave them a big red envelope.

Naturally, Li Erhu trusted them the most.

These days, the workshop has hired them to guard here.

But correspondingly, one must be more generous to these people than to others!

So, after Li Erhu and the others had left, they gathered these people together.

"Uncles and brothers!" He first bowed and said, "Everyone knows the situation in my family."

"My brothers and uncles, you are willing to follow me to Anjiefang to do such a beheading business. I will never forget it!"

"Now that the market has finally been built smoothly, I dare not treat all of you uncles and brothers unfairly!"

As he spoke, he took out a stack of Jiaozi from his arms.

All of them are in denomination of fifty kan.

"This little bit of money is my gift to you uncles and brothers. I hope you uncles and brothers will not refuse it!"

As he spoke, he distributed the Jiaozi to the people present.

Everyone gets one!
This was the norm in Song Dynasty society.

At the grassroots level in cities under the employment system, only those with money can be loyal and righteous.

If you don’t have money…

Even if you are the timely rain in Bianjing or Hu Baoyi in Kaifeng.

Then no one will be willing to follow you.

Li Erhu's heart was as clear as a mirror on this point.

After receiving the Jiaozi, those who followed Li Erhu to Anjiefang to start a business suddenly became excited.

One by one, they patted their chests and expressed their opinions.

"Don't worry, boss. I'm here in this workshop. I'll take good care of even a piece of tile!"

"The boss is at home, but please rest assured, I will keep a close eye on this place for you..."

……

Li Erhu listened to these people's statements and nodded slightly.

At this time, there was a knock on the door.

"Brother-in-law!" A young man in a robe walked in. It was Li Erhu's brother-in-law Zhang Sui.

He is also a wardens in Anjiefang.

Zhang Sui leaned close to Li Erhu's ear and whispered, "The senior official is here."

Li Erhu's face lit up with joy, and he immediately said, "Brother Sui! Come out to meet me quickly!"

The high-ranking official is his benefactor and benefactor!

In the first month of this year, he was forced by the Bian Jing Cloth Shop Guild headed by his father-in-law to build the Taimu Car Workshop.

But at that time, he lacked everything.

There is a shortage of people, connections and craftsmen.

It's really frustrating!

Li Erhu once thought about hanging himself and exchanging his life for the safety of his parents, wife and children.

However, his luck turned for the better and he met this high-ranking official when he went to a brothel to get drunk.

The official hit it off with him from the moment they met, and after learning about his situation, he felt very sympathetic.

So, many craftsmen were introduced to him.

Among them, there were even weavers from Lingjinyuan.

It was because of the help of these people that his workshop was able to be established so smoothly!

Not only that, the senior official also helped him smooth things over with his connections.

This allows him to build his workshop here in a down-to-earth manner without being questioned or inspected by the government.

He also found a job as a neighborhood guard in Anjiefang for Li Erhu's brother-in-law Zhang Sui, so that he would have someone to take care of him from then on.

To Li Erhu, that high-ranking official was truly a benefactor who was like a second parent to him.

Therefore, after hearing that a high-ranking official had arrived, Li Erhu immediately went out with Zhang Sui to greet him.

When I arrived at the door, I saw a short, plump man standing in front of the workshop, leading a horse.

He seemed to be looking at this place with great interest, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

When Li Erhu saw the visitor, he bowed from a distance and said, "I, Li Erhu, greet you, sir!"

The senior official smiled and stepped forward, helped Li Erhu up, and said softly, "Erhu, your workshop is finally built!"

"All this is thanks to your kindness!" Li Erhu said hurriedly.

He knew that this senior official came from a very important background.

The senior official looked at Li Erhu and asked, "What? Erhu, don't you want me to come in and take a look?"

"I was just about to invite you to do me the honor of coming in and taking a look!" Li Erhu said hurriedly.

He respectfully led the senior official into the workshop.

The senior official did not deceive Li Erhu. He really came with the intention of visiting the workshop.

After entering the door, look around.

He also asked Li Erhu a lot of questions and even showed concern about Li Erhu's business situation.

For example, are there raw materials?
Can the spun spindles be sold?
He even asked how many workers Li Erhu planned to hire.

When he learned that Li Erhu only planned to hire more than 50 people in the initial stage and put these more than ten Taimu vehicles into operation first.

The senior official's expression changed obviously, and his tone seemed to be somewhat disappointed.

"Erhu! To do great things, you must be magnanimous!"

"How can more than fifty hired workers be enough?"

"At least hire a hundred people first!"

Listening to the senior official's rebuke, Li Erhu didn't quite understand, but he immediately expressed his position: "If the senior official is right, I will hire a hundred people!"

"Let them work in two shifts, from morning to sunset."

"Yes!" The senior official nodded with satisfaction: "This is the Erhu I know!"

“You just have to have this drive!”

Li Erhu nodded repeatedly.

But this senior official just said a few words, looked around, and then politely declined Li Erhu's offer to stay, saying that he had other matters to deal with in Bianjing City.

He said goodbye to Li Erhu, led the horse, walked out of the workshop leisurely, and then disappeared into the intricate alleys of Anjiefang.

Li Erhu personally saw him off and watched the noble man disappear from his sight.

"Brother-in-law..." After the figure of the senior official completely disappeared, Zhang Sui asked softly, "Tell me, who is this senior official?"

Li Erhu shook his head: "I don't know!"

Zhang Sui whispered, "Why does he help my brother-in-law so much?"

Li Erhu still shook his head.

"This gentleman doesn't want money or things, and he didn't even leave his name..." Zhang Sui had read for a few days and muttered to himself, "What on earth does he want to do?" Li Erhu sighed, "No matter what he wants..."

"Now we can only obey him!"

If I don't listen to them, my little flesh and blood will be devoured by the hungry wolves in Bianjing City in no time.

"Let's go back to the city first and pay a visit to Lord Taishan's home!" Li Erhu said in a deep voice.

Zhang Sui looked at him in surprise: "Brother-in-law, why are you so respectful to an old man?"

Li Erhu turned around and glared at Zhang Sui: "Brother Sui, be quiet! Be careful with your words!!"

Li Erhu knew where his Taishan Tian Qi came from.

When Tian Qi was young, he was just a small businessman in the city of Bianjing.

In terms of background, he is not as good as Li Erhu.

But in less than twenty years, he rose to become the head of the cloth shop guild in Bianjing City.

However, the original head of the guild had long since disappeared without a trace.

What happened in the middle?
How much more blood and rain?
No one knows!
Therefore, even though he hated Tian Qi in his heart, Li Erhu never dared to show it.

He even still went to Tian Qi's residence to pay his respects on the first and fifteenth day of every month as he did in the past.

The matters concerning this workshop are also reported on time.

Of course, he omitted the part about "high-ranking officials".

……

The 'senior official' that Li Erhu knew led his horse along the road and entered the city of Bianjing from the Nanxun Gate.

It was evening at this time.

Thousands of piglets and sheep were crowded together under the Nanxun Gate. The smell was so strong that even the soldiers guarding the gate had to cover their noses with cloth.

The 'senior official' didn't care about all this. He led his horse, walked under the sheep and horse wall, bypassed the herd of livestock, and entered the city gate.

Not long after entering the city, he stopped at an intersection, quietly seeming to be waiting for something.

After a while, several newspaper boys, holding today's Bian Jing Newspaper and carrying backpacks, walked along the road.

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale! Today's new Bianjing newspaper is out!"

"Today's newspaper: The Northern Tartar Navy has won a great victory over the Goryeo Navy. Hu Feipan, a commentator for the Bianjing New Newspaper, said: This is truly the greatest crisis that has never happened since our ancestors!"

The 'senior official' listened to the newsboys hawking their wares along the street, and he quickly stepped aside and hid in a nearby alley, staring intently at the newsboys walking by.

Until he saw the boy among the newspaper boys who was obviously taller, stronger, smarter and had a louder voice than the other children.

A relieved smile appeared on his face.

I just feel that all my efforts have paid off.

He already knew that his child was doing very well in the new school in Bian Jing and was appreciated by many instructors and teachers.

In the second half of this year, he may be recommended by the Bian Jing Xin Bao to become an apprentice in mathematics, law or martial arts.

This is a top-notch background!
……

Li Erhu returned to Bianjing City before the city gates closed.

After entering the city, he headed towards Tian Qi's mansion.

At this time, it was already dusk. The water of Wuzhang River reflected the sunset glow. In front of Longjin Bridge, red gardenia lanterns began to be lit.

The scent of cosmetics wafted out from the nearby alleys.

From a distance, you can even hear the lingering sound of the singer's low and gentle singing.

"We met at the dressing table, and sang songs with red tears and golden threads..."

"I once promised in my heart that we could play with each other and blow the flowers together..."

Li Erhu couldn't help but stop and listen when he heard the singing.

Because this song "Dian Jiang Chun" is a famous song known to the people of Bian Jing, young and old, and has been sung for decades.

It was created by the great talent Yan Jidao, who is known as the contemporary Liu Sanbian.

For Li Erhu, this song represents his former youth - when he was young, he once got drunk in brothels and fell asleep listening to this song.

And now...

But he can only rush around in this world, working hard for his parents, wife and children.

After resting for a while, Li Erhu was about to continue on his way.

A few newspaper boys came out from the alley ahead, shouting their wares as they went.

"Sell newspapers! Sell newspapers!"

"The Bianjing Newspaper is newly published today!"

"Today's newspaper reported that 'the Northern Tartar Navy has greatly defeated the Goryeo Navy'. Hu Feipan, a commentator for the Bianjing New News, said based on this: This is truly the greatest crisis that has ever occurred since our ancestors!"

Listening to the voices of the newsboys, Li Erhu couldn't help but take out five copper coins from his pocket and went to buy one from them.

no way!
Who said today's Bian Jing News is so explosive?

……

Wen Yanbo leaned back on the imperial chair, half-closing his eyes, listening to the servant beside him reading the contents of the Bianjing news to him.

“If one day, the northern barbarian navy comes across the sea and our coast is undefended, then the land from Hebei to Jingdong, a thousand miles long, will all be trampled by the barbarians. If this happens, the capital will be shaken and the country will be in danger at any moment!”

"The chief ministers of the capital should be on high alert!"

Wen Yanbo slowly opened his eyes, reached out to take the tabloid from the servant, and read it carefully.

There was a gleam of light in a pair of cloudy eyes.

After a long while, Wen Yanbo said, "This Hu Feipan is really talking nonsense!"

"But the officials in the court should indeed be on guard!"

"We must not allow the barbarians to invade our sea borders or invade Hebei and Jingdong!"

What is the latest news from Bian Jing?
Wen Yanbo knew it clearly.

So he knew that this was an order from the emperor!
Although, he didn't know why the palace was stirring up this turmoil.

But cooperating with the palace to put pressure on Du Tang was a tacit understanding formed between him and the palace.

……

Night has fallen.

But the Empress Dowager in the Qingshou Palace was feeling uneasy.

She asked the invited Zhao Xu and Empress Dowager Xiang, "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, did the Northern Tartar Navy really defeat the Goryeo Navy?"

Zhao Xu nodded: "Reporting to the Grandmother, according to what the Korean monk Yi Tian said, this is indeed the case!"

"The Northern Tartar navy has now completely occupied the waters off Goryeo. The Goryeo navy can only retreat to the waters near their capital to defend themselves!"

As one of the most senior Liao-phobic patients in the Song Dynasty.

The Empress Dowager was immediately worried: "Hasn't it been the case that people in the north are good at riding horses and people in the south are good at sailing boats since ancient times?"

"How did this Khitan people get their navy?"

Zhao Xu said: "Mother, the Northern Tartars have always had a navy!"

"When the country was first established, it had a large number of ships to help it transport food, fodder, armor and weapons... Later, when it conquered Bohai and conquered Goryeo three times, it always had a navy with it!"

Since ancient times, governing Liaodong or the peninsula required both land and water advances.

Only by advancing by land and sea can Liaodong and the Peninsula be pacified.

The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "What should I do?"

"Grandmother, we can only strengthen our navy and build garrisons between Deng and Lai to protect the capital and the country!"

The Empress Dowager said: "This is the only way now!"

This is what a person with leonophobia is like.

They will try every possible means to enhance their sense of security.

For example, since Huangyou, the Song Dynasty’s proposal to return the Yellow River to its original course had the greatest argument and reason of the faction that returned the river to its original course – as long as the Yellow River returned to its original course, the Song Dynasty could rely on the Yellow River as a barrier on the Song-Liao border.

So, in order to achieve this goal.

The emperor and the scholars did not hesitate to launch two consecutive expeditions back to the river.

They attempted to complete in the Middle Ages an incredible project that might even be impossible to accomplish in modern times - forcibly reversing the flow of the Yellow River!
result--

Nature teaches us how to be human!

The two changes of government back to Hebei directly caused the Hebei economy to enter the ICU twice, and also turned dozens of military states and millions or even tens of millions of people into refugees.

During those two times when the floods occurred, the number of soldiers and civilians who died directly from the floods alone totaled at least one million!
You use your limited talents to initiate a project that is bound to fail, and drive innocent people to a place where they are bound to die!

Su Shi’s angry shouts are still ringing in our ears.

However, the Huihe faction is still active in the court.

After Zhao Xu ascended the throne, they once again attempted to stir up trouble and return to the river.

If Zhao Xu hadn't pressed the button, the court might have been preparing to return to the river.

The reasons and motivations for the Huihe faction from the beginning to the end all came from the Liaophobia.

(End of this chapter)