Wind rises time and space gate

Chapter 545 What is Happiness?

Yuezhou actually had more than 100,000 soldiers and horses! This once again refreshed the prince's cognition.

It also shocked those who wanted to emulate the King of Yue, such as the King of Qin.

They had just begun to make arrangements in their respective fiefdoms, and the King of Yue already had an army of 100,000 in Yuezhou?
They wanted to recruit some people in their respective fiefdoms. They had hundreds or thousands of people and were worried that the local authorities would report them to the emperor. They were cautious and careful. When did the King of Yue accumulate so many soldiers?

Emperor Zhizheng was also shocked.

After the King of Yue refused to give up the military power of Hangu Pass and the camp outside the capital, Emperor Zhizheng sent people to investigate his background. As a result, Yuezhou was calm and there was no sign of military activity.

The 50,000 troops from Changzhou seemed to have descended from the sky.

"Lord Zhan, tell me, where are the King of Yue's troops stationed? When did he start to stockpile them? And where did he get the money to support his troops?"

Duke Dingguo Zhan Ji is now as low-key as he can be.

His son is now with the King of Yue. Even if he defends himself that it was the King of Yue who refused to release him, I am afraid the Crown Prince and the Emperor will not believe him. Now the more you do, the more mistakes you make, the less you say, the fewer mistakes you make. In the court, he would not open his mouth easily.

But the emperor insisted on summoning him.

"Your Majesty, I did start paying attention to the King of Yue after he led his troops to Hangu Pass. I didn't know much about him before."

How would he know when the King of Yue had stockpiled his troops?

Zhan Ji now has great admiration for the King of Yue.

He was banished to the imperial mausoleum and deprived of his freedom. Under such difficult circumstances, even though it was clearly a dead end, he managed to carve out a way out.

It is not surprising that even a salted fish can turn over and a trapped dragon can rise from the abyss.

However, he could not express his admiration for the King of Yue. "Yuezhou is close to the sea, and there are countless small islands around it. Maybe the troops are stored on the islands."

He couldn't be too foolish in front of the emperor, otherwise he would be unworthy of his position and be replaced by someone else, and he would have no place to cry. By then, he would have no power and influence, and his family would become meat on the prince's chopping board, to be slaughtered at will.

Being punished by the crown prince was a small matter, but making the emperor suspicious of him and losing the emperor's trust was a big matter.

The emperor nodded to Zhan Ji's answer. He thought so too. Yuezhou was not without spies from all sides, but a hundred thousand soldiers was not a small number. It was impossible for them to leave no trace at all. They could only hide at sea.

"My dear Zhan, what do you think if I send troops to attack the small islands around Yuezhou in the name of clearing out pirates?"

Emperor Zhizheng looked at him and asked half tentatively.

Zhan Ji was surprised, but he didn't show it on his face. He calmly analyzed: "Our dynasty has banned sea travel for a hundred years. I'm afraid there are no large ships at present. And I don't think many of our soldiers are good at naval warfare."

Seeing that Emperor Zhizheng was silent, he thought for a moment and added, "When the King of Yue returned to the capital, he was right under the Emperor's nose. I'm afraid he couldn't do anything even if he wanted to. He could only start making arrangements when he was at the Imperial Mausoleum. So, the arrangements have been made for at least five years. I'm afraid that the troops that the King of Yue has stored have been trained for a long time and are very good at naval warfare. At least they won't get lost at sea."

At present, is there any place with troops that are good at naval warfare and can be sent out to wipe out the Yuezhou soldiers? Zhan Ji couldn't think of it.

"And if we want to send troops, we must at least let the shipyards build large sea vessels, which is not something that can be done overnight."

Emperor Zhizheng’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

It's not something that can be accomplished overnight? When did the seventh brother start planning? How many warships would be needed to stockpile 100,000 soldiers? How much silver would it cost?
Where did it come from?

Is this a backup plan left for him by the Lu family?
Is it Lu Jiatun’s wealth?
Emperor Zhizheng quickly denied this idea. He had killed all the members of the Lu family, and Duke Lu's wealth was confiscated into the national treasury. Empress Lu trusted him, and Duke Lu also trusted him, and did not hide anything from him. He was relatively clear about the Lu family's wealth.

Moreover, when the Seventh Brother was in the imperial mausoleum, he had people watching him in the first few years, and he did not see any contact from the Lu family. When Duke Lu died, the Seventh Brother did not even see him for the last time.

Given the situation back then and his spies everywhere, he was sure that Lu had not left any tricks up his sleeve for the Seventh Brother.

Where did the seventh brother get his money?

Could it be Lin’s family wealth?

Although the Lin family was a wealthy family in the area, they were only average. The people he sent out to investigate would not be wrong. So which family was secretly communicating with each other through money, and what benefits did the seventh brother promise him?
Many old people flashed through Emperor Zhizheng's mind, including the former crown prince, the Lu family, the former queen, and even the former crown princess's family.

Zhan Ji saw that Emperor Zhizheng hadn't spoken for a long time, so he didn't dare to say anything more. He just stood there respectfully.

After a long while, "My dear Mr. Zhan, what do you think I should do with the King of Yue? It is not easy to deal with him, but letting him alone will only encourage his arrogance. Once he becomes stronger, I am afraid it will lead to a disaster."

"I dare not lie."

"You are not guilty."

"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhan Ji thought again and again, and organized his words before saying, "I still remember that when the late emperor was alive, he liked the late queen's legitimate sons very much and often brought them with him. He praised them for their intelligence to all the ministers..."

Emperor Zhizheng fell into memories...

"At that time, I often accompanied my father to meet with the late emperor, and often heard the late emperor praise the late crown prince for his kindness and benevolence, and praised the King of Yue for his loyalty and righteousness."

Zhan Ji thought of his two children when he was young and sighed, "The King of Yue is now gathering troops in the northwest, and has no intention of usurping the capital. The King of Yue values ​​friendship and loyalty, and cares about the people in the northwest, and does not want to start a war. Why is the emperor so anxious to make a decision?"

Emperor Zhizheng was stunned for a moment, "No need to rush to make a decision?"

"That's right. I heard that the northwest is now hoarding land everywhere, and the people are enthusiastic about opening up wasteland. In addition, with the northwest trade, merchants are constantly coming and going. I am afraid that the northwest will usher in the most prosperous period. Your Majesty may wish to wait and see. If the King of Yue's decree this year is good for the northwest, the people of the northwest will all have enough food to eat and live a rich life. The increase in taxes will fill the treasury, which will greatly deter the countries in the Western Regions. It will be of great benefit to Your Majesty and our Great Qi."

There is no need to rush.

Emperor Zhizheng was silent for a while, then suddenly asked him, "My dear minister, you seem to be more optimistic about the King of Yue?"

Zhan Ji was startled, and quickly knelt down to defend himself: "My family has been loyal to the country for generations, and I, Zhan Ji, have always been loyal to the emperor and respect him. I have never forgotten it. I only have the emperor in my eyes. What I said from the bottom of my heart just now was also for the country, the emperor, and the people, without the slightest selfish motive!"

Emperor Zhizheng paused, as if thinking, and then said: "My dear minister, please stand up quickly. Don't I know that you are loyal to the emperor and patriotic?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhan Ji was so frightened that he broke out in a sweat. He dared not speak nonsense again.

Emperor Zhizheng asked a few more questions, and after hearing his neither idle nor indifferent replies, he realized that he had frightened him, so he sent him away.

Zhan Ji walked out of the imperial study for a distance, and when he saw the crown prince, he hurriedly bowed, "Your Highness, I, Zhan Ji, greet you."

The prince glanced at Zhan Ji and asked, "Master Zhan is coming out of the imperial study?"

"Yes. The emperor summoned me."

The prince hummed and asked casually, "What state affairs did Lord Zhan and the emperor discuss?"

"Your Majesty asked me about the defense of the capital."

The prince frowned, knowing that he was unwilling to tell the truth, but he could do nothing about it. Zhan Ji was in charge of the nine battalions in the capital, guarding the inner and outer cities of the imperial palace and the safety of the capital. He would still need him in the future.

The palace was full of the emperor's spies, and it was not good to make friends with the ministers, so he forced a smile and sent him away. He wanted to continue walking to the imperial study and cry to his father about Zhao Guangyuan's hoarding of troops in Yuezhou. But when he saw Zhan Ji, he changed his mind. His father might have known about this. He also summoned Zhan Ji to discuss it.

The emperor must have known that he had sent troops to invade Yuezhou and defeated them, but he did not summon him.

The prince was filled with resentment. Zhao Guangyuan had secretly recruited soldiers and horses with ill intentions, but his father did not say anything and allowed Zhao Guangyuan to grow bigger and bigger. The prince felt chilled.

As expected, what the Queen Mother said was right. It is better to rely on oneself than on others. He could not rely on the Emperor either, as he was not the only son of the Emperor.

After thinking about it, he turned and went to Fengzao Palace.

When Empress Shen saw him coming, she dismissed the maids and pulled him to sit closer. Empress Shen had been restless since she received various news from the King of Yue, and she had a strong sense of crisis.

She thought her son would be the crown prince and she would be promoted to the empress. In the palace, she would be second to none and enjoy unlimited glory. When her son ascended the throne in the future, she would be the empress dowager and would be above everyone else.

In the future, every ruler of the Great Qi Dynasty will have Shen’s blood flowing in their veins.

But Zhao Guangyuan suddenly appeared! He threatened the status of her and her son step by step. How could she tolerate this?

"We should have eradicated the problem at the beginning and not let him live!"

Empress Shen regretted it so much that her intestines turned green. At that time, she thought that she had only destroyed his body and made him childless, and that she could rest easy. However, she pressed him into the mud, and not only did he climb out of the mud, but he also had a biological son!
How can I bear this!
"We shouldn't have let him leave the capital at that time!" He should have been trapped in the capital, with people watching him everywhere. Even if he wanted to do anything, he couldn't. His hands were not that long in the capital!

The prince became more and more annoyed by her words. He should not have been allowed to leave the capital, but he was let go. Now he is in a difficult position.

"Mother, please help me think about who else can be used. The people from the Shen family are not strong enough to withstand a single blow when they arrive in Yuezhou. And there are too few of them."

The queen blamed herself a little, "It's all mother's fault. I can't help you much. The Shen family is a group of literati, even if they have some power, it is limited. Didn't my son win over a group of generals in the army before? Did he write to them?"

The prince was very annoyed. "It's ok for them to use some means secretly, but how dare they send out troops on a large scale? How is that different from rebellion?"

No matter how brave you are, you dare not risk being beheaded and your entire clan being exterminated.

"Don't worry, my son. Let me think about it. Zhao Guangyuan is not in the capital, nor is he with the emperor. He doesn't have the advantage that my son has. And today, my son, please don't lose your composure."

Both mother and son regretted that when they were just promoted, they gave up some power and Changzhou in order to please the emperor and show goodwill to the emperor. Otherwise, they could have made arrangements in Changzhou like Zhao Guangyuan did. Changzhou is vast and rich in resources, so it is not a problem to store hundreds of thousands of troops.

Then you can attack or defend.

But it's too late to say anything now.

No, it's not too late. They are in the capital, the imperial palace is in the capital, the civil and military officials are also in the capital, and Zhao Guangyuan is in the northwest.

Just wait and see, it will happen tomorrow.

Lin Zhaoxia didn't know whether the next day was long or not. She only knew that she was very busy.

After the members of the drama club arrived in the northwest, she arranged for them to promote the culture of the Great Qi to the surrounding Western Regions. Every day, she discussed with the team leader and the manager what programs to arrange and what kind of drama would attract people's attention.

At the same time, she built shops, theaters, and teahouses in the trade market, and she also had to keep an eye on them. This is not the capital, the people in the northwest are tough, and the countries in the Western Regions are even more different from Da Qi. You can often see Hu women coming with the Western Regions caravans, with their breasts exposed, blocking traffic.

The graceful style of the capital cannot be copied to the northwest.

The repertoire of the plays had to be changed, the theater had to be changed, the food in the theater, the snacks and tea had to be changed, and the wine shops, foot shops and inns were all different from those in the capital.

Most merchants from the Western Regions used horses or camels as their means of transportation. The inns and guesthouses they opened had to have at least large animal quarters. In addition to preparing food for the guests, they also had to prepare fodder for the horses and camels.

Two main streets were first built at a very fast speed on the trade side, with shops everywhere, selling tea, porcelain, cloth and silk, medicinal herbs, food... and now there are shops selling jewelry too.

The two main streets were not enough, so two side streets were added. As there were too many merchants applying for shops, the side streets became main streets and continued to expand.

In the beginning, they traded various necessities, all of which were urgently needed by Da Qi and the Western Regions. As a result, there were too many merchants coming and going, and their stay time gradually became longer. As a result, hot spring shops, barber shops, inns, teahouses, taverns, and theaters were all built. There were also many customers, and each shop was crowded with customers.

There is an endless stream of merchants and common people entering and leaving the border every day.

On the highest day, the customs duties alone collected tens of thousands of taels of silver, which shows the huge number of merchants entering and leaving the customs.

The market became bigger and bigger. In the beginning, there were only simple mobile stalls, but eventually permanent brick and stone shops were built. As more merchants came and went, houses were built for merchants from all over the place to live long or short periods of time. In addition to the merchants, the laborers and assistants, as well as the people who came here to find work also needed a place to live.

The result was that the trade fair became larger and larger, almost reaching Hangu Pass.

As the market grew, there were more things to do. Lin Zhaoxia was the first to build a shop and a house in the market, one step ahead of other merchants. As a result, he not only met the needs of Zhao Guangyuan's caravan, but also made a lot of money by selling the shops and houses to other merchants.

As more people came, the market became very lively. Many people who came here to grow grass and cut fodder to sell made money.

In a corner of the market, several children squatted together, heads touching, counting copper coins...

"I made fifty-two coins from selling fodder today!" Fifty-two coins! His father and brother only made a dozen coins a day doing odd jobs outside!

"I also have forty-five cents!"

"I have sixty-five!"

"Why do you have so many?"

"The blond, sunken-eyed Xirong man gave me a handful of reward money." The youngest children earned the most, and their mouths were grinning from ear to ear as they spoke.

"Then I will bring my brother and sister tomorrow!" Who doesn't have brothers and sisters? I didn't expect that younger children are more popular with customers, and maybe I can save more tips.

"Aren't you afraid that your brothers and sisters will be kidnapped?"

"I'm not afraid. The pass is guarded by soldiers sent by the King of Yue, so they won't let anyone kidnap our Daqi people!"

"The King of Yue is so kind. He opened this kind of trade so that kids like us can also earn money." What's so difficult about cutting grass? He can cut hundreds of kilograms a day.

"Yes, my mother also said that the King of Yue is a good man. He let us open up wasteland and gave us seeds, saying that we can harvest a lot more food and have enough to eat! My mother said that even if the new seeds can't produce more food, today we have more land at home and more food than last year, so we can all have enough to eat!"

Several children nodded, they could also have a full meal!
"Do you give all your money to your family?" another child asked.

Several children nodded and said they would definitely give it to their family.

"I want to keep a few. I heard that the princess's theater will open tomorrow, and I want to go to see a play. I have never been to a play before!"

The children's eyes lit up. They had never seen a play before. They reached into their wallets to try to save a few coins.

An older child suggested, "I know where there is good grass. Let's go cut some grass. If we sell more grass, we will have more money."

"Okay, let's go now!"

Chang Zhi and Ji Chang Feng poked their heads out from behind a large rock. "Sir, is this what you mean by the feeling of happiness that people can only have when the country is prosperous and the people are well off?"