Datang: Ten Years of Proton, Leading an Army of Millions to Return

Chapter 85: Sending Changle and getting married!Make peace! !

"Impossible, Your Majesty, false news! It must be false news!"

Changsun Wuji's eyes widened and turned red.

He doesn't believe it!
Ten thousand tiger troops could be defeated by a small country like the Yan Kingdom!
Among these ten thousand tiger divisions, there is the Suzaku Camp called the Spear of the Empire!
Although the Suzaku Battalion was established by Chang'an City, their military commander Sun Wuji went to inspect it, and he was tough!Solemn!

They are unparalleled elites!

In addition, there are black armored cavalry following this time, how can they be defeated?
Could it be that the other party has an army of [-] people, but... where did the army of [-] people come from?Where did the [-] troops come from? !

The Yan Kingdom has only one land, how can it support an army of [-] people!I'm afraid it's a blessing to have more than [-] people inside!

Li Shimin didn't believe it either, but after looking at it for a long time, it was still the same.

"Auxiliary machine, you can see for yourself."

He handed the letter to Changsun Wuji sadly.

Changsun Wuji quickly took it and stared at it with his eyes wide open, not missing a single detail.

Du Ruhui also joined in to check.

watched for a long time.

Changsun Wuji’s old eyes were extremely shocked: “It’s actually true.”

"The Yan Kingdom is actually so powerful..."

He never imagined that the Yan Kingdom, which was separated from the Liang Kingdom and was ignored by the world, could defeat the Tang Dynasty's [-] tiger troops.

Inside, there is the Suzaku Camp! !
The other side only used about [-] troops, which were evenly matched with the Tang Dynasty and defeated the Tiger Division of the Tang Dynasty.

This….
Who is the divine leader of this Yan Kingdom?
It's obviously just a city, how could there be such a powerful army!
Du Ruhui was also shocked.

Face full of disbelief.

You know, it is not easy to raise an elite teacher.

Their equipment must be the best, their treatment must be the best, and everything must be the best. It would take tens of millions of people to raise an elite division.

The Tang Dynasty is currently using all its resources, and its elite soldiers do not exceed [-].

and….
A small Yan Kingdom could raise ten thousand elite troops who could rival or even surpass the Tang Dynasty!

In addition, the letter also said that the Yan Kingdom also allocated its strength to resist [-] Turkic cavalry, which shows that their strength is more than this.

This….
How can they afford to support such a large number of elites?
Where did it come from, where did it come from! !

"Could it be that there are actually other big countries supporting them?"

Du Ruhui couldn't help but said.

Changsun Wuji sighed: "It should be, otherwise the city of Yanyun City, or even the entire Liang Kingdom combined, would not be able to raise these."

"I just don't know who is standing behind Yan Guo."

"Is it Tubo? Goguryeo? Or Western Turks?"

Du Ruhui's eyes were solemn: "No matter which country it is, our Tang Dynasty is in trouble right now."

"The fact that Yao Jin led his army to the Northern Expedition caused a stir in the Tang Dynasty and is known to the whole world."

"Everyone was expecting them to win, and no one believed they would lose, but they... lost..."

"How should we face the thousands of people in the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Shimin's eyes were filled with deathly silence: "It's troublesome, it's really troublesome now!"

"Those noble families have made a mess, and even before the Quyuli incident has been resolved, news of the defeat of the Tang Dynasty comes again. Once all the news comes out, my Tang Dynasty will... be in chaos again."

"They even think that I don't deserve this position at all!"

"Damn it! Damn it! How could you lose!!"

Li Shimin is still in disbelief even now.

"Your Majesty, right now, the most important thing is how to explain to the people."

Du Ruhui's eyes were solemn and he held up his hands and continued: "I have studied the history of various generations and concluded from it that once the economy and people's expectations for the country are on the rise, no one will remember the small shortcomings, and some officials will even enrich themselves. It doesn’t matter.”

"But... once the economy goes down or parallels, and the national level fails, then... all kinds of social problems will be exposed."

"Once the news comes out that our Tang Dynasty defeated the Yan Kingdom, then...the personal pockets will be expanded infinitely, just like this Quyuan Plow, the personal pockets of those wealthy families will be infinitely expanded, and in addition to the fact that your Majesty... gained the throne last year No, it is very possible that someone will launch a rebellion by then!"

Rebellions were very frequent during the feudal dynasty.

Some people may think that Li Shimin is unparalleled in fighting, who dares to rebel?

But in fact there were quite a few rebellions.

On a larger scale, his sons Li Chengqian and Li You rebelled.

To put it into perspective, there were countless peasant uprisings during the Zhenguan period.

And this is not unique to the Li Shimin dynasty, but also to other dynasties.

Whenever there are natural or man-made disasters, there will be rebellion.

During the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor, was born a peasant. Even so, there were countless peasant uprisings under his rule.

Therefore, if this matter is not handled well, the people of the Tang Dynasty would have criticized Li Shimin for usurping the throne, but you still led people to defeat the war?Are you still allowing a wealthy family to line their own pockets?

It is very possible for Datang to rebel again.

"Stop the news first, don't let it get out!"

Changsun Wuji said with a cold face.

Li Shimin nodded: "That's right! Ke Ming [Du Ruhui], please go and do it quickly. How much information can be sealed? Don't let too many people know about this matter."

Du Ruhui cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, minister, take your orders!"

He left quickly.

There is no delay in this matter.

As expected, he would be so busy these days that he would stay up late at night.

After he left, Changsun Wuji said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, why was the defeat so complete?"

Li Shimin has been fighting in the north and south for many years. He is the person who knows the most about war in the Tang Dynasty. He wants to hear the answer.

Can….
Li Shimin was silent...
He walked outside and looked up at the bright sky.

Yeah yeah….
Why failed.

Not only was the defeat so complete, even Cheng Yaojin, who had never been captured, was captured.

Behind this Yan Kingdom, which big country is supporting...?

Li Shimin was puzzled.

Until now, he still didn't believe that it was the Yan Kingdom that defeated Cheng Yaojin's [-] Tiger Division.

The State of Yan broke away from the State of Liang and was divided into two.

There are only a few hundred thousand people in the entire city, and the productivity cannot keep up. Even with the full strength of the Liang Kingdom, it is impossible to defeat the Tang Dynasty's [-] Tiger Division.

Behind them, there must be military support and equipment support from other major countries.

Only in this way can it be reasonable.

"Yang Kuan, the leader of the Yan Kingdom, are you a puppet supported by other big countries? Or are you not...a member of the Yang family?"

Li Shimin felt lost, his thoughts drifting away.

Constantly use the content of the letter to conceive in your mind everything about the reasonable Yan Kingdom.

………………………….
Jiangdong.

Jian'an City.

On this day, Chu Suiliang and Zheng Chang'e were waiting outside.

"Ah, dad, why hasn't he come yet? Mr. Chu, are you hot? If it's hot, why don't we go back and wait. Then I told dad that we would wait outside, but he was late."

Zheng Chang'e clapped her little hands to fan the air.

Today, Zheng Yuanzhou is coming to Jiangdong.

Ever since Zheng Yuanzhou came to Jiangdong for the first time, he has been deeply attracted by Jiangdong. From time to time, he would come over to visit and learn from Jiangdong's advanced knowledge and concepts.

In this way, taking over the family business from Zheng Jibo in the future will also ensure that the Zheng family will not lag behind others under his leadership.

"Miss Chang'e, I'm fine, otherwise you should..."

Halfway through his words, Chu Suiliang's eyes lit up: "Here he comes, the head of the family Zheng Dai is here."

"Ah? Dad is here!"

Zheng Chang'e followed Chu Suiliang's gaze, and sure enough, she saw her father Zheng Yuanzhou, followed by a noble son.

That person….
Zheng Chang'e knew Zheng Zhiyuan, her eldest brother and Zheng Yuanzhou's eldest son.

Zheng Chang'e ran to Zheng Yuanzhou and couldn't help but ask: "Dad! Why did you bring eldest brother with you this time?"

Zheng Yuanzhou laughed loudly: "Hahaha, this is not to bring your eldest brother here to see the world. See that Jiangdong is the city. Don't just focus on studying all day."

His son Zheng Zhiyuan can be said to be the next generation head of the family, but he has always been focused on studying. Zheng Yuanzhou thought this was not a problem, so he took Zheng Zhiyuan to Jiangdong because he was free today.

"Little sister, you don't seem to welcome me?"

Zheng Zhiyuan smiled elegantly.

I have read many books, all of which are Confucian books, and my whole person is elegant and easy-going.

"Hehe, wherever you are, I will certainly welcome you, big brother."

Zheng Chang'e smiled sweetly, and then asked: "Dad, are you so happy today? Is there something good going on?"

Zheng Yuanzhou laughed loudly and said: "Haha, it has to be our Chang'e. Dad knows everything he thinks."

"Yes, I have something great to tell you this time, as well as everyone in Jiangdong."

And everyone from Jiangdong….
Zheng Chang'e's little eyes brightened, she clenched her hands into small fists and placed them in front of her chin. Her little eyes flashed and she said, "Is it related to His Highness?"

Zheng Yuanzhou rolled his eyes: "Chang'e, look at you, you become like this when the King of Chu is mentioned. Why hasn't Dad seen you like this before?"

"Humph! I want you to take care of it!"

Zheng Chang'e put her hands on her hips angrily, and then she became flattering: "Oh, Dad, just tell me whether it has anything to do with His Highness, Chang'e, please."

She browsed Zheng Yuanzhou's large hands.

Zheng Yuanzhou was speechless.

If Chang'e knew that what she said had nothing to do with King Chu, I'm afraid this flattering appearance would disappear in an instant, that's for sure.

Because it was like this the last few times I came to Jiangdong.

Hey…….
Women's colleges do not stay.

Every time I come here, I ask the King of Chu first, then I think about myself as my father.

Zheng Yuanzhou sighed, and then said angrily: "Yes, it has something to do with King Chu."

"Wow!" Zheng Chang'e's little eyes were as bright as stars: "What are you doing, Your Highness? Last time, Dad, you said that Your Highness's country was attacked by the Tang Dynasty. Did the results come out?"

She was worried to death now.

Do not!
Even worried all the time.

When I heard that the Tang Dynasty's [-] elite troops were attacking the Yan Kingdom, Cong had not slept well since that day, fearing that His Highness the King of Chu would be defeated.

She didn't want anything to happen to His Highness. After all... His Highness had promised to take her to see the scenery that only belonged to the two of them. She hadn't seen it yet, so she would watch it with... His Highness.

now.

Hearing this, Chu Suiliang also pricked up his ears.

Their intelligence network in Jiangdong is not yet complete, so the speed of intelligence sources is much slower than that of the Zheng family.

Now he doesn't know who failed King Chu.

but….
Judging from Zheng Yuanzhou's appearance, he should have won, right?

Chu Suiliang is not sure, but it feels like this.

"Victory! Hahaha, a great victory!"

Zheng Yuanzhou laughed loudly and said: "Chang'e, and Mr. Chu, you don't know, King Chu is really shameless, he defeated the [-] tiger troops of the Tang Dynasty, and even captured Cheng Yaojin. .”

"Now, the King of Qin in Chang'an is scared to death. He is afraid that the people of the Tang Dynasty will know that he has lost the battle, so he keeps blocking the news."

"But it's useless. As soon as I learned that King Chu had won, the old man had already asked me to take people to spread the news. Now...it is estimated that only [-]% of the people in the world know about it, and only [-]% of them know about it."

"And once it spreads to ten, and if it spreads to hundreds, these three people will soon spread throughout the entire Tang Dynasty."

In terms of controlling and spreading public opinion, the royal family will never be as powerful as the aristocratic family.

Therefore, the speed of Li Shimin's blockade was far slower than the speed of the Zheng family's spread.

"Wow, Your Highness is so powerful!"

Zheng Chang'e's little eyes are full of little stars.

Zheng Yuanzhou smiled and said: "That's natural. After all, he is the King of Chu."

Although he said that, in fact, when they learned that Li Shimin had sent [-] tiger troops, including the Suzaku Camp, the entire Zheng family was not optimistic about it.

The same goes for Zheng Yuanzhou, but the old man Zheng Jibo is very optimistic about it.

Even if he later learned that the Turks had sent [-] cavalry, the old man was still very optimistic.

He didn't even know what the basis was.

But the final result proved that the old man was right.

Ginger is still old and spicy.

Zheng Yuanzhou only felt that he had a lot to learn from the old man.

And through this incident, the King of Chu won with overwhelming force, and the Zheng family became more determined to help him.

Therefore, Li Shimin blocked the news, and the Zheng family spread public opinion, sparing no effort to publicize it.

Almost...all the family's resources have been used.

"Master Zheng, you really brought me the best news in Jiangdong."

At this time, Chu Suiliang spoke at the right time.

Zheng Yuanzhou hurriedly came to his senses and said with a smile: "What are you talking about? Even without my Zheng family, you Jiangdong will still be able to get the information about King Chu's victory in the future, it will just take a little longer."

Chu Suiliang was noncommittal, and then he seemed to think of something, and said quickly: "Master Zheng, I almost forgot, we are not here anymore, let's go to the city as soon as possible."

"it is good!"

Zheng Yuanzhou nodded in agreement.

Then the group entered the city.

Zheng Yuanzhou has traveled to and from Jiangdong many times, and is quite accustomed to some of the buildings in Jiangdong.

But his eldest son Zheng Zhiyuan was astonished. He looked here and there, and he always stopped for some time on the road. Except for Zheng Chang'e, who was quite resentful, the others were fine and kept talking. While walking, there is no rush to move forward.

On the way, Chu Suiliang probably also learned about the Yanguo battle, and he couldn't help but be a little surprised.

Then I couldn't help but think.

Your Highness... He is like that and will always be like that, always creating all kinds of miracles.

On the road.

Zheng Yuanzhou seemed to be brewing something. After a long while, he asked: "Mr. Chu, there is something I have been unclear about. I would like to ask Mr. Chu to clarify my confusion."

"Master Zheng, please speak." Chu Suiliang looked seriously.

Zheng Yuanzhou nodded and asked: "The old man has high hopes for me. He has taken me around since I was a child and visited many places in the Tang Dynasty, but I have never seen other places where merchants are treated so politely like Jiangdong. Why is that? ?”

In fact, Zheng Yuanzhou had wanted to ask about this matter for a long time, but at that time, Jiangdong had to do many things for his Zheng family and was very busy, so he had no time to ask.

But now that things are almost busy, I asked.

In today's world, merchants are a lowly profession and no one looks down upon them. However, the people in Jiangdong respect merchants very much and treat them like their equals without any airs.

This attitude was truly rare in the entire Tang Dynasty.

Chu Suiliang thought for a while and replied: "The importance of merchants is no less important than that of officials, farmers, and workers. Head Zheng Dai, you should also understand this truth."

"Just like rice is only worth a few pennies in the hands of farmers. If it is taken from Jiangdong and made into Jiangdong rice wine, the value will be five times higher."

"It's like the porcelain sold by your Zheng family. The value of porcelain from the south can be doubled when shipped to the north."

"It all depends on the flow of merchants. This is called resource allocation! Only when resources are allocated in place can everything be of maximum value, so merchants are very important in Jiangdong."

"Besides, Jiangdong has been forgotten by the court for a long time. The positions of Tongzhi, Chief Registrar, etc. are still vacant, so the system has been fine-tuned. This has created a situation where Jiangdong is focused on business. Although the outside world despises merchants, but We definitely don’t have this culture in Jiangdong.”

After these words, Zheng Yuanzhou was still deep in thought, but Zheng Zhiyuan stood up next to him.

He said angrily: "Since ancient times, scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, merchants have not been involved in production. If we encourage merchants, and everyone in the world goes to do business, won't it be chaotic?"

Zheng Zhiyuan is a scholar, a very pure scholar, so he despises businessmen from the bottom of his heart.

Chu Suiliang laughed and said: "Since ancient times, silk and tortoise shells have been used to write. Why do some people still use paper? Since ancient times, slash and burn farming has been practiced. Why are plows and oxen used now?"

"Since ancient times... is it right? Is it right to stick to the old ways? If everyone in the world becomes merchants, the world will be in chaos. If everyone in the world is scholars, won't the world be in chaos?"

"Mr. Zheng, not everyone has the ability to study, and not everyone has the ability to be a merchant."

"A person can farm land and be a merchant, study and farm land at the same time. Is this a contradiction?"

Zheng Zhiyuan's tone paused.

Chu Suiliang thought for a while and continued: "The reason why I, Jiangdong, are so wealthy is because everyone in the world despises merchants, but Jiangdong, under the leadership of His Highness, attaches great importance to the attributes of merchants, so Jiangdong can be what it is today."

Zheng Zhiyuan blushed: "Then if there are more people working as merchants, there will be fewer people and less time cultivating the land. There will be insufficient food in the world. As you said, wouldn't it mean that the land will be starved to death!"

Chu Suiliang said with a smile: "Farming is done by professionals in Jiangdong. It was Haizhu who led my Jiangdong official family to farm. Secondly, there are subsidies for ordinary people to farm. In addition to subsidies, if they sell grain to us, we will also Take it all as ordered."

In other words, no merchants can make money from farming, but they will be subsidized by the King of Chu, and if they can’t sell the land, they can sell it all to the King of Chu at the market price.

This tests the financial capabilities of a local government.

However, Jiangdong always values ​​merchants, so it has a lot of fiscal revenue and is not afraid of spending money.

Jiangdong overall urban model.

Under the leadership of the King of Chu, it was somewhat similar to Pengcheng, a first-tier city in later generations. It focused on commerce, and the government had high fiscal revenue. Then the government arranged for the people to build the city, store grain, etc. They valued everything that the people did not pay attention to.

In this way, when the unexpected comes, the officials can have a complete plan.

rich!Just so willful.

"This…."

Zheng Zhiyuan was speechless.

He couldn't refute...
On the side, Zheng Yuanzhou's eyes brightened at this moment, and he also realized the importance of merchants.

The issue was not discussed further.

A few people continued walking on the street, and people kept saying hello to Zheng Chang'e. It seemed that the little girl was very popular in Jian'an City.

Then we had a meal together.

It was still the familiar pork stewed vermicelli. Zheng Yuanzhou ate it just fine, after all, it was cooked.

But after the eldest son Zheng Zhiyuan finished eating, he called it sacred and kept asking why his father didn't give it to him before.

Zheng Zhiyuan thought so.

His Zheng family is famous all over the world. He has everything and knows everything. How can he not eat pork stewed vermicelli?Dad must be hiding something secret!

This couldn't help but make Zheng Yuanzhou smile bitterly.

He secretly thought, "Silly boy, our Zheng family doesn't have any, so we came to Jiangdong to study!"
A day flies by.

At night, as always, Zheng Yuanzhou did not choose to stay overnight. He said goodbye to Chu Suiliang in a hurry and took Zheng Zhiyuan back to Kaifeng City.

On the second day after returning to Kaifeng City, Zheng Zhiyuan changed from his normal routine and did not go to a private school to study. Instead, he inspected his own Kaifeng City to see what was different from Jian'an City in Jiangdong.

He had not seen much of Kaifeng City before, and he had focused entirely on studying, so when he came out this time, everything was new.

Arriving at a certain place in Kaifeng City, Zheng Zhiyuan asked his servants to stop the car. He got off the carriage and walked leisurely, looking around intently.

He wanted to see what Kaifeng City did better than Jian'an City.

But soon, Zheng Zhiyuan couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Obviously, the surrounding environment is not good. The road is just a dirt road that has been stepped on, because it has rained not long ago and now it is a bit muddy.

There are even small puddles in many places.

Every few steps, you can smell a strange smell. The smell is different, some are smelly, some are fishy, ​​but there is no fragrance.

In such an environment, even if there is fragrance mixed in the air, it becomes extremely weird.

The surrounding houses are not made of bricks and stones like Jiangdong Jian'an City, but are made of compacted soil and piled wood.

The exterior walls are uneven and lack any aesthetics at all.

If you look closely at the wall, you can still see a log protruding from it.

The window frames and door panels are also made of wood, but the wood is poor visible to the naked eye, and the low-quality wood has even begun to turn gray and cracked due to long-term wind and rain.

Only the door panel was different. The edge of the door had been pushed and pulled by people for many years, and the middle part had been covered with a thick layer of black paste.Compared with this, the houses in Jian'an City can be called exquisitely carved buildings!

Pedestrians on the street were also listless, matching the dirty and messy environment, it seemed a bit like a walking dead.

Zheng Zhiyuan stood there, with confusion beginning to appear in his eyes, and even a surprised expression on his face.

The master in the private school originally described the world to him, saying that the people did not know how to educate without the enlightenment of saints.

So the upbringing is extremely poor, and I use this to teach myself to read more.

This scene turned out to be...far more cruel than imagined.

But now I am standing in Kaifeng City. Compared with Jian'an City, it is actually a huge difference. Is the leader of Jiangdong, King Chu, a saint?

No, not possible!
While he was in a daze, Zheng Yuanzhou, who learned that he had left, quickly arranged for guards and followed Zheng Zhiyuan quietly.

Zheng Zhiyuan frowned and carefully stepped on dry ground as much as possible to avoid muddy dirt on his boots.

Hearing a voice behind him, he turned around and saw that it was Guo Ge, the home guard, and said, "Guo Ge, where are we?"

"Master, this is the north gate of Kaifeng's outer city." Guo Ge replied with his hands in hand.

Here, it’s really… Kaifeng City….
The last trace of luck in my heart, the luck that the groom took me to the countryside, was wiped out.

Zheng Zhiyuan couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Since we have reached Kaifeng City, why is it so dirty and messy? It is not even close to Jian'an City in Jiangdong."

Guo Ge smiled and said: "Master, this is the first time you have really come out of Zhengjia District to inspect the place where people live, so you don't understand the situation yet. This outer city was newly built in the past two years."

"This place has gathered people from all over the country in the past two years, and most of them are refugees."

"Just walk further in, walk around, and get closer to the inner city!"

Zheng Zhiyuan pursed his lips and turned back to look at the outer city: "No! I want to go to the outer city to have a look."

Guo Ge suddenly felt a headache and quickly signaled the surrounding guards with his eyes.

He couldn't understand it.

There are people from all walks of life in the outer city, and they're so dirty, what's there to see?

My young master is dressed in brocade, and he is like a little white sheep entering a wolf's den!

So he flattered in a low voice: "Young master, let's go early and come back early... Don't let the head of the family worry."

Zheng Zhiyuan felt agitated for no reason, waved his hands and walked away.

Guo Ge quickly waved his hand.

The guards hidden around him followed quietly.

When we arrived at the outer city further outside, it was almost the same as what we had just seen.

Perhaps because there are no officers and soldiers guarding it, the number of people is much more than that in the inner city.

Many children are playing outside, and all the vegetable sellers and laundry workers are working on the street.

The odor in the air became heavier because of this.

Guo Ge really wanted to cover his mouth and nose. The smell was really unpleasant. His nose was sour and he felt nauseous.

But seeing that his young master didn't move, Guo Ge could only hold back his nausea and follow behind.

Suddenly walking halfway, a family suddenly opened the door and poured a basin of dirt onto the street.

The pot was filled with dirty water and other miscellaneous things, full of fishy smell.

Zheng Zhiyuan jumped back quickly but still failed to survive, and dirty water splashed on his boots bit by bit.

Zheng Zhiyuan frowned, looked down at his boots, and then at the dirt the woman had just spilled.

In a pool of blood, apart from a few rotten vegetable leaves, there were also fish heads, fish scales and various small internal organs...
Then the fishy smell hit his forehead, and Zheng Zhiyuan couldn't help but cover his mouth and retched.

Upon seeing this, Guo Ge quickly covered his mouth and nose, then jumped out and pointed at the woman and said angrily: "You bitch! You threw garbage on the street and soiled my young master's boots! What crime should you be guilty of!"

The surrounding guards immediately became vigilant and put their hands on their waists.

The woman quickly glanced at Zheng Zhiyuan and was shocked to see that he was dressed elegantly and luxuriously like a young man from a high official family. The basin in his hand was also shocked.

Quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.

"The civilian woman didn't do it on purpose! The civilian woman didn't do it on purpose..."

"Please spare my life, sir. Please spare my life, sir..."

The woman knelt on the ground and kept shaking, saying these words back and forth.

Li Yuanzhao also got used to the fishy smell at this time. Although it was a little disgusting, it was still bearable.

When I walked up to the woman, I wanted to yell angrily, but when I saw the woman begging for mercy and kneeling on the dirt, most of the anger in my heart suddenly disappeared for some reason.

Then, unexpectedly, he asked, "What are you eating?"

"Ah?" The woman didn't turn around when she heard his question.

After slowing down for a while, Qiqi Aiai said: "Fish... stewed fish..."

"Get up and let me take a look." Zheng Zhiyuan then walked around the woman and entered the room without ceremony.

Guo Ge was stunned, what happened to the young master?
I went to Jiangdong for a day, and when I came back everyone was not normal.

What's so good about fish stew in this common people's house? Why not hide in that poor place?

Seeing that his young master had already entered the house, Guo Ge quickly followed him in.

Sporadic people began to approach the house around.

It was a little dark inside the house, and there was only one window for lighting in the small room.

There are only two rooms inside and outside the house, separated by curtains. The inside room is obviously the bedroom, and the outside is the small kitchen hall.

The soup in the pot on the stove was still tumbling, and something had been added to it. The fish soup that should have been milky white now turned a cloudy yellow.

The smell is not very good either.

Zheng Zhiyuan couldn't help but look around the room, thinking about something in his mind.

Suddenly he turned his head to the woman and said, "Are you going to eat this?"

The woman stood tremblingly in the corner, not sure what the noble young man in front of her was thinking.

Hearing his question, he quickly replied: "No, no, no, this is for the man who is a peasant woman. He is injured... and needs fish soup to replenish his health."

Then he took a step forward and opened the curtain between the kitchen and the bedroom.

Inside lay a pale-faced man asleep, his right leg tightly wrapped.

"What happened to his leg?"

"I went out to work a few days ago and broke my leg..."

Zheng Zhiyuan frowned slightly: "Then what do you usually eat?"

The woman quickly went to the stove and brought a small porcelain basin over and showed it to Zheng Zhiyuan.

Zheng Zhiyuan stretched his head and took a look. There was a mess inside, mixed with vegetable leaves. He couldn't see the exact ingredients, but there was a faint smell of rancid wafting to his nose.

Guo Ge came over and took a look of disgust, then stepped back.

"what is this?"

"This is porridge made from grain bran, yellow rice, and wild vegetables, with some coarse salt added..."

Zheng Zhiyuan frowned.

He couldn't imagine that this thing was for people to eat... In Jian'an City, he had seen people squatting on the street to eat.

The food inside is rice, and the vegetables are vegetables, and everything looks normal.

Even he is greedy for some meals.

But this... the thing in front of me doesn't look good, and the taste is disappointing. Is it really edible?

"Why not eat normal meat?"

Zheng Zhiyuan asked.

When the woman heard this, she was slightly startled, then smiled bitterly and said: "Buy... I can't afford it, I just dare... I just dare to smell it."

"Sometimes when we are dirty, if we go to smell it, we will... get beaten..."

Zheng Zhiyuan was silent.

The gap between the life of the people in Kaifeng City and what he imagined was... too big, too big...
"Can this food be eaten?" Zheng Zhiyuan looked at the woman.

"Eatable, this is what the women's family eats every day!"

Hearing the woman's affirmative answer, Zheng Zhiyuan still couldn't believe it.

Curiosity suddenly rose: "Can I taste it?"

Guo Ge trembled with fright, rushed forward and grabbed the porcelain basin, crying: "You can't eat it! Master, you can't eat it!"

"What if I eat this unknown thing and my body is damaged? The head of the family will have to kill me!"

After saying that, he looked back at the woman with a fierce look.

The woman was so frightened that she shrank to the corner of the wall.

"Then you eat!"

Zheng Zhiyuan looked at Guo Ge.

"what?"

Guo Ge felt like crying but had no tears, why should we eat this thing!

Why don't you just go back to Zheng's house honestly? You have to wallow in the garbage. Damn this Jiangdong, the young master was demoted after just one visit?

Guo Ge held the porcelain basin and looked at Zheng Zhiyuan eagerly without saying a word.

Seeing his appearance, Zheng Zhiyuan became even more excited: "Haha, don't you dare? Bring it to me!"

After that, he grabbed the porcelain basin directly.

"Go away!"

Guo Ge quickly tried to grab it, but was kicked away by Zheng Zhiyuan.

Zheng Zhiyuan looked at the mess in the bowl and suddenly became timid.

This thing... looks really inedible.

Then he glanced at the woman hiding in the corner and asked again.

"Can you really eat?"

"Eat."

Zheng Zhiyuan looked at the things in the basin, his throat felt a little tight, and then his heart suddenly crossed, he picked up a small piece with the tip of his finger and quickly put it into his mouth.

The paste slowly melted in the mouth, and an indescribable taste immediately filled the mouth.

Sour, bitter, rancid, and a little salty….
"Yuck~"

Unable to hold it back this time, Zheng Zhiyuan bent over and vomited, choking with tears and runny nose.

The porcelain basin also fell to the ground.

Guo Ge secretly thought that he was going to die, so he quickly stepped forward to help him and kept patting Zheng Zhiyuan on the back.

After coughing for a while, Zheng Zhiyuan felt better.

At this moment, the woman in the corner looked at the food vomited all over the floor, a flash of heartache flashed across her face, she sighed, and then she tremblingly tried to step forward to help Zheng Zhiyuan.

Zheng Zhiyuan flicked his arm hard, causing the woman to stumble.

Angrily said: "Bold! How dare you lie to me! You don't know how to live or die!"

Guo Ge also bared his teeth and shouted at the door: "Someone is coming!"

Five or six people suddenly rushed into the house!
The already small room now seemed even more crowded.

Zheng Zhiyuan's chest was heaving, and he was obviously very angry that he had been teased by this unruly man.

Just as he was about to speak, the man in the room was awakened by the sound and staggered out.

Seeing so many people around the room, I was scared.

He knelt down with his sick leg and said in a trembling voice: "Masters, what did my wife do?"

Zheng Zhiyuan pointed at the mess on the ground and sneered: "How dare your mother-in-law lie to my young master that this food is edible! You two unruly people!"

The man looked honest and explained in a panic: "It can be eaten! It can be eaten! I will eat it for a few masters to see!"

After finishing speaking, regardless of the woman's tugging, he lay down on the ground and ate his food.

Zheng Zhiyuan was shocked... This thing is really edible...
And judging from the man's expression, it seems that eating is not difficult.

That man... was still lying on the ground eating, and he didn't have any masculinity at all.

Zheng Zhiyuan's eyes flickered, and he instantly remembered the teacher's words.

[Some people, while they are still alive, are actually dead. 】

[Many people in the world are like this, so there is no need to treat them as human beings. 】

Zheng Zhiyuan watched the man lying on the ground eating without dignity, watching quietly, watching silently, and constantly... watching...
Looking at this man, he thought of the people of Jiangdong yesterday.

Most of those people's faces were full of hope and real people like Zheng Zhiyuan.

But outside the city of Kaifeng, along the way, I saw hundreds of people, and they all looked like... walking zombies...
Guo Ge saw his melancholy and whispered in Zheng Zhiyuan's ear: "Master, this is what the people eat. Maybe the master is not used to it!"

Zheng Zhiyuan was stunned on the spot, his face turned from pale to red, and for a moment, he felt... extremely guilty.

Then he kicked Guo Ge and said angrily: "You bitch! Why didn't you tell me earlier!"

Guo Ge held his butt in grievance and said, "What are you talking about?"You insist on eating it, and you can't stop it. This is really unlucky!

Looking at the man who was still lying on the ground eating the paste, Zheng Zhiyuan blushed and said: "Get up, get up quickly! Stop eating!!"

The man staggered up and Zheng Zhiyuan saw a lot of dust on the man's face, and felt even more mixed emotions in his heart.

He sighed and whispered: "I vomited in your house and ate your food. I deserve compensation."

"Guo Ge, get them a tael of gold!"

The honest man waved his hands quickly: "Sir, no need! Those things are worthless! worthless!"

"You must take what is given to you!!" Zheng Zhiyuan said sternly.

Guo Ge directly put a tael of gold on the table next to him.

Seeing that the money was given, Zheng Zhiyuan left the room without saying a word.

Guo Ge followed him to the street.

Seeing his young master's back looking a little sad, Guo Ge stepped forward and said softly: "Young master, go back to Zheng's house."

Zheng Zhiyuan turned a deaf ear and looked at the sky: "Guo Ge, do you think people in other cities also live in such houses and eat such food?"

Guo Ge apologized and said with a smile: "How can you, young master? Kaifeng City is backed by our Zheng family, and the people's treatment is pretty good. Other cities may not be as good as them! It's not bad to have porridge every day. One meal every three days." , it’s common to have one meal in two days.”

"Master, don't worry. The Tang Dynasty has only been in peace for half a year. Some people may be in a worse situation now, but the good times are still to come!!"

Zheng Zhiyuan was thoughtful after hearing this.

Good days, good days….
When will we be able to live as prosperously as the people in Jiangdong...
He's not sure.

I even think that it will be impossible in a lifetime...
…………………….
Chang'an City.

half a month later.

Tai Chi Palace.

"Bang!!"

Li Shimin hit the table angrily, making thunderous noises.

Many of the former ministers of Prince Qin's palace below were shocked, but they all knew why His Majesty was angry.

"Damn! Damn!!"

"What's going on, what's going on!!"

"Why block the news? The more people block it, the more people will know about it. Now the entire Chang'an City knows that I have suffered a defeat, and they also know that I sold broken Quyuan plows to them!"

"Who did this?"

Li Shimin gritted his teeth and his eyes were blood red.

Although it was not his fault to sell the broken Quyuanli, Quyuanli was spread because of his reputation, so if there was a problem, it was natural to look for him.

at the moment.

With the news of two major unfavorable things for his rule, Li Shimin could foresee that in the future, the people of the Tang Dynasty would only recognize him even less, and they would even turn to the side of those who rebelled.

He never imagined that what he thought was a perfect plan would lead to such a situation today.

Now, let alone conquer Youzhou and then send troops to attack Jiangdong, it is not a matter of whether he can secure his throne!
"Your Majesty, whoever this matter benefits is the culprit."

Changsun Wuji suggested.

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "What did Yan Guo do?"

Changsun Wuji and others remained silent.

It seems to be the default.

"Yan Kingdom? They have extended their hands to my Tang Dynasty? And the speed of spreading the news is the last time that the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes have moved their hands. Have the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes surrendered to them?"

Li Shimin felt uneasy in his heart.

Changsun Wuji sighed: "I'm afraid, yes."

Hearing this, Li Shimin became even more uneasy.

This Yan country has such a strong army and is obviously supported by a big country. Now there are five surnames and seven hopes supporting the Yan country.

The people behind Yan Guo have already penetrated into the Tang Dynasty.

What are they going to do?In other words, what are the hostile powers behind the Yan Kingdom going to do?
Do you want to... destroy the Tang Dynasty?
"Your Majesty, there is one more thing."

Wei Zheng walked out.

"Say."

Li Shimin said absently.

Wei Zheng said seriously: "This year, Youzhou and Bingzhou may not be able to harvest. Just three days ago, locusts... came..."

boom!
As soon as these words came out, Li Shimin, who was still absent-minded, felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Zhang Sun Wuji and others around him were also shocked.

"What, the locust plague is coming?"

"Damn it! The moment has come!!"

"That's not good, Your Majesty. Our treasury doesn't have much food to begin with. Yao Jin took away a lot when he went on an expedition, and they... can't bring that food back..."

"......."

Many former officials of the Qin Palace were panicked.

Since ancient times, locust plagues have been aware of death, tens of thousands of deaths.

Right now, many people are going to die in Datang...
"A natural disaster is coming, and our Tang Dynasty is being targeted by an unknown powerful country. Will they take this opportunity to attack our country?"

Li Shimin couldn't help but feel a little panic. The Tang Dynasty was suffering from natural and man-made disasters, so he couldn't help but think of Jieli Khan's direct visit to the Weishui River half a year ago.

That time it was General Jiancheng who opened the door to welcome the thieves.

And this time….
Externally, he lost the battle.

Internally, he sold broken Quyuan plows to the people of Sanzhou.

Oh my god, there's a locust plague coming.

All kinds of natural and man-made disasters are telling the people that he, Li Shimin, is not worthy of the throne!
This time, if there is a large-scale invasion by an enemy country, such as the Yan Kingdom and the large armies of the big countries behind him, I am afraid... the people will open the door.

Li Shimin's eyes flickered, as if he had lost his way: "Everyone, what should I do? What should Datang do?"

The ministers were silent.

half an hour.

Fang Xuanling stood up and carefully made suggestions: "Your Majesty, a few days ago, envoys from Yan State arrived in Youzhou to discuss post-war matters with General Yuchi."

"They are begging for things so that we can exchange for captives like Yaojin and them, or... we can add a lot more on top of this to appease the foreign enemies first, that is, the Yan Kingdom and the big country behind him. "

"Then we will calm down and deal with various internal issues."

Hearing this, Li Shimin nodded and said: "Xuan Ling! You are right, I will do as you say!"

"It's just... Our Tang Dynasty has passed through the Weishui Alliance, and there isn't much left. Can the Yan Kingdom and the big country behind it really satisfy our appetite?"

Fang Xuanling sighed: "I don't know, my minister."

"So, in order to improve our success, I hereby suggest that we, the Tang Dynasty, make peace with the Yan Kingdom!!"

"To show the sincerity of the Tang Dynasty, I suggest that your majesty's eldest daughter, Princess Changle, be married to the Yan Kingdom to show that the Tang Dynasty is willing to establish eternal friendship with the Yan Kingdom and the great country behind it!"

(End of this chapter)