Datang: What's wrong with my fief being a billion points larger?

Chapter 5: Free food isn't that tasty
Xie Shufang, who was standing aside, looked at the troubled and worried Li Yuanji, but he was helpless. He was just a military general and he had no other choice. He had wanted to tell Li Yuanji about these things a long time ago, but Li Yuanji just wouldn't listen to him every time and didn't care.

Seeing Li Yuanji's painful expression, Xie Shufang felt bad too, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I think we should abandon some of the troops, lay off 5,000 people, and keep 15,000.

Add the newly selected 2,000 men, 17,000 men, and with the weapons, we can equip another 3,000 men, so there will be 11,000 men. As for the remaining 6,000 men, as long as the king remembers, we can supplement them when the palace has more resources.”

Li Yuanji had never thought about what Xie Shufang said. The foundation of his existence in Lingnan was these large armies. Asking him to disband the army was like asking for his life, wasn't it?
Now, among the Eastern Palace, the Palace of Prince of Qin and the Palace of Prince of Qi, he has the smallest number of troops. If they are to be further reduced, it will be difficult for him to live a peaceful life in Lingnan.

After all, he also had to consider that no matter whether Li Jiancheng or Li Shimin won, there would be a problem of revenge against him later. How could he stop it without a large army?
Only a large army can make the victor worry and allow him to continue to enjoy himself in Lingnan. Otherwise, what is he going to do in Lingnan? To experience the primitive customs and then be taken back to Chang'an to be chopped?

Li Yuanji shook his head.

"Shufang, you don't understand. These troops are the foundation of our survival after we go to Lingnan. You can also see the situation in Chang'an clearly. The troops in the Prince of Qi's Mansion are already few. If we reduce some of them, it will be a problem whether we can defeat Feng Ang in Lingnan, let alone protect ourselves in the future.

I will figure out a way to deal with this. You train the army, train those two thousand men, and the army packs their bags and is ready to set off at any time. Wait for me to prepare all the supplies.

By the way, in addition to this, you go to the army and find me a man named Xi Junmai. After you find him, keep him in the army. This man has some skills and is not valued by anyone, so he must be found.

After you have dealt with it, take this letter, go to Wuyi County, Jizhou, find Su Lie Su Dingfang, and invite him to me. You should have heard of Su Lie's abilities. Although he is not very famous, he does have some abilities.

That's it, you go down and prepare now, time is urgent, try to get all these things done within a month, and then we will go to Lingnan."

Xie Shufang was even happier when he heard Li Yuanji's arrangements. Li Yuanji's arrangements showed that he had thought it over carefully and it was not a sudden decision. As long as he was prepared, it would be fine. Xie Shufang trusted Li Yuanji even more.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will go down and start preparing right away. Everything will be ready within a month. As for Xi Junmai and Su Dingfang, I will definitely bring them to Your Majesty!"

Li Yuanji nodded and believed what Xie Shufang said. There was nothing he could do if he didn't believe it. He had no one under him. What else could he do except believe it? Did he have to do it himself?

Stop joking. The most important thing for him now is to prepare money, food and military equipment. This is what he should do and the most important thing.

Li Yuanji stood up immediately. He had a huge headache. If he had come a few years earlier, he would have had more choices, and he could even get the money and food himself. But now, he didn't have that much time.

The Xuanwu Gate Mutiny was imminent. If he didn't leave quickly, it would be difficult to leave by next year, and he would be truly desperate by then.

Li Yuanji had made up his mind that this time he was going to risk his reputation to save up enough money, food and military equipment. As long as he could gain a foothold in Lingnan and develop slowly, he wouldn't have to worry about money or food anymore.

As for his face? Li Yuanji really sighed. Originally, he had come here to save face, but now it seems that he has to continue to cause trouble to others with this face, otherwise he will not be able to get money and food.

Anyway, he has no face in the eyes of those people, so he might as well sell it at a low price in the end.

Li Yuanji came to the door of the backyard. He was hesitating whether to push the door open. After all, what he was going to do was really embarrassing. No matter what era it was, it was embarrassing. After thinking for a while, he finally gritted his teeth and prepared to push the door open. However, the door opened by itself. Looking forward, it was Yang Qingwan who opened the door.

"Qingwan, um, you're awake."

Yang Qingwan immediately grabbed Li Yuanji's upper arm and led Li Yuanji in.

"Master, what's wrong? Don't you even want to enter your own door? Or has something happened again?"

Yang Qingwan was also very smart. She could tell at a glance that Li Yuanji was worried about something, and he came to see her, so it was obviously related to him. So she simply asked directly to avoid embarrassing Li Yuanji.

Li Yuanji was indeed a little embarrassed at this time. The psychological preparation he had made earlier was gone after he saw Yang Qingwan. He didn't know how to start the conversation for a moment.

Seeing this, Yang Qingwan smiled and said, "Husband, you just said that husband and wife are one, but now you have forgotten it. If you need any help, just tell me. There are no outsiders here, so it won't be spread out."

Listening to Yang Qingwan's words of encouragement, Li Yuanji thought for a moment and finally spoke.

“Madam, I am going to Lingnan and ask the Saint to make Lingnan my fiefdom. However, to go to Lingnan, I need a large army. The army of the royal palace now does not have enough money, food and weapons, and cannot hold out to Lingnan.

Madam, please help me and ask for some money and food from the Queen’s family. I really have no other options now.”

After Li Yuanji finished speaking, he was afraid to look at Yang Qingwan. If this matter were to be made public, it would not only be embarrassing for him, but also for Yang Qingwan. It was simply humiliating. But Li Yuanji had no choice. The money and food required were not a small amount. He had to make a choice between face and life.

Yang Qingwan was moved by Li Yuanji's words and smiled even more. Li Yuanji could say these to her and felt so guilty, which showed that he really cared about her. She didn't understand why Li Yuanji wanted to go to Lingnan. She knew very little about the situation outside, but since Li Yuanji had made a decision, she just had to support him.

"My dear husband, I will definitely support the decision you make. I will go back now and will not let you down."

Li Yuanji looked at Yang Qingwan, and his guilt deepened. Yang Qingwan came from a famous family, the Yang family. At that time, the power of the Yang family was very great, otherwise she would not have become his wife, and Li Yuan would not have personally designated her.

Now asking Yang Qingwan to go back and ask for these would undoubtedly be a very embarrassing thing, but just as he thought, there was no way, between face and life, life was more important after all.

Li Yuanji felt grateful but also guilty towards Yang Qingwan, and felt very uncomfortable. After all, he was not the original body and would not take things for granted. Li Yuanji made up his mind that this was enough of a gigolo. In the future, he would never allow such a situation to happen again!

This is his oath as a man!

(End of this chapter)