In fact, Zhao Kai and Li Qi each performed their own duties. Li Qi could have refused him, but Li Qi knew that Zhao Kai must have done this for a purpose, so he simply sold him to save face.
It was okay for him. After all, he exercised regularly, and he was young and strong, so this kind of work would not be too tiring for him. But Wang Zhongling suffered more. He was panting like a dog before he did it twice.
Li Qi looked very happy. He didn't know why he, a good man who respects the elderly and loves the young, had such a mentality. He joked in a low voice: "Uncle Wang, you really should lose weight. With your figure, the older you get, the better."
Suffer a loss."
"Go, go, I'm annoyed. Stop coming and join in the fun."
As Wang Zhongling spoke, he glanced at Zhao Kai who was repairing the window. Seeing that Zhao Kai was working very hard and didn't look like he was pretending at all, he became more and more curious and asked in a low voice: "Hey, Li Qi, why did Your Highness do this?"
What is it for?"
Li Qi said angrily: "I didn't know. If I had known, I would have left a long time ago and wasted my time here with him. I still have a lot of things to do."
Wang Zhongling sighed and said: "Who can say otherwise? There are still a lot of unresolved issues outside, but he is still in the mood to build a house here. This His Highness is really getting more and more incomprehensible."
Li Qi nodded and said, "I deeply agree."
At this moment, someone outside suddenly heard shouting: "Bu Shuai, Bu Shuai, are you in there?"
Niu Gao? Li Qi frowned slightly and thought to himself, why is he here? Could something have happened? Thinking of this, he hurried out.
Wang Zhongling saw Li Qi's solemn expression and hurriedly followed him out to take a breath. This physical work was really not suitable for him.
When Niu Gao saw Li Qi coming out, he first clasped his fists and saluted, then stepped forward and whispered a few words in Li Qi's ear.
Li Qi raised his eyebrows and said, "Is this true?"
Niu Gao nodded and said: "The general will not dare to hide anything."
Li Qidao: "Will you accept it?"
Niu Gao shook his head and said: "Without Bu Shuai's order, how dare we accept it?"
Li Qi pondered for a moment and said: "Since it is His Highness's kindness, just accept it."
Niu Gao cupped his fists and sang, when he suddenly saw Li Qi holding a hammer in his hand and curiously asked: "Bu Shuai, what are you doing?"
Li Qi glared and said: "Why are you so ignorant of taste? You won't open any pot and pick up any pot. You are almost as good as Yue Fei. Get out."
"As ordered. Get out of here, general!"
Niu Gao grinned and laughed a few times. Seeing that Li Qi had raised his hammer, he hurried away.
"This bastard."
Li Qi smiled and shook his head.
At this time, Wang Zhongling suddenly came over and asked in a low voice: "What happened?"
Li Qi shook his head and said: "It seems that His Highness is serious this time."
Wang Zhongling snorted and said, "How do you say this?"
Li Qidao: "Your Highness has just transported all the fine rice in the palace to the military camp, and exchanged it two to one for the middle and lower grade rice that the soldiers eat."
"What?"
Wang Zhongling was dumbfounded. On the first day, Zhao Kai could say that he had emptied the entire palace.
The two returned to the house. They saw that Zhao Kai was still working on the windows seriously and turned a deaf ear to Niu Gao's arrival.
Li Qi and Wang Zhongling looked at each other and shook their heads. They had no choice but to start working again.
About half an hour later, another burst of rapid footsteps suddenly came from outside.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way quickly."
After a burst of extremely arrogant and anxious shouting, Zhao Kai finally stopped. With a frown, he turned around and strode out.
Li Qi and Wang Zhongling also followed out.
When I came outside the house, I saw a large group of people coming outside. They were all dressed in official uniforms, and there were many officers and soldiers. The refugees were frightened, and there was fear in their eyes.
Li Qi glanced around and smiled to himself, it seemed that everyone was here.
These people were the ministers of the court. Since neither Zhao Kai nor Li Qi came to the morning court and were not in the palace, the military situation in Daming Mansion was urgent again. But they were so anxious that they looked for Zhao Kai everywhere.
Soon, they learned that Zhao Kai was here, so they hurried over.
quiet!
When they saw Zhao Kai and Li Qi, they were all stunned. Their expressions were surprisingly consistent with those of Li Qi and Wang Zhongling. They couldn't believe their eyes.
The number one and number two figures in the current dynasty actually hold a hammer and a saw. Is this a weird situation?
Zhao Kai glanced at the soldiers, a flash of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but just this look scared those soldiers to death, and they quickly restrained themselves a lot. It has to be said that Zhao Kai today is indeed very different from before.
Same.
Zhao Kai smiled slightly and said, "Everyone is here!"
As soon as he spoke, the ministers also reacted. Jiang Daoyan was the first to stand up and asked: "Your Highness, the emperor entrusted the state affairs to you, but you turned a blind eye and came here to make trouble. You are not right to the emperor."
Do you trust me?"
He even dared to lecture Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty, let alone Zhao Kai.
"Yes! Your Highness, the military situation is urgent. Please go to the palace as soon as possible."
"Your Highness, please return to the palace as soon as possible."
...
The ministers were anxious with tears in their eyes and urged Zhao Kai to go back and take charge of the overall situation.
Zhao Kai responded with a smile. After a while, he raised his hand and said: "Don't be anxious, everyone. Everything is done on a first-come, first-served basis. Let's solve it one by one. The top priority now is to repair this house." He
As he spoke, he pointed towards the house behind him.
"What?"
The ministers' eyes widened, as if they couldn't believe their ears.
Zhao Kai ignored their feelings and continued: "Since you are here, please help."
When Li Qi and Wang Zhongling heard this, they breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. With more people helping them, they could feel much more relaxed.
"ah?"
Those ministers became more and more confused as they listened. We are the ministers of the DPRK and have too many things to deal with. You ask us to build a house. This is simply a fantasy and unreasonable.
Jiang Daoyan reprimanded: "Your Highness, you are simply making nonsense!"
Zhao Kai smiled softly and said seriously: "Whether it's nonsense or serious, in short, today's court meeting will be held here. When will the house be repaired? Then the court meeting will be held at that time."
As he spoke, he turned around and went back into the house, pretending not to hear the ministers shouting.
"How can this be true? How can it be true?"
Jiang Daoyan and others were so angry that they didn't care so much anymore. They stood outside and scolded Zhao Kai for being unfilial, not doing his job properly, and treating state affairs as child's play.
But the only response they received was a burst of banging sounds.
After scolding for a long time, Zhao Kai never uttered a word, which made the ministers feel that they had nothing to do. At this moment of helplessness, they remembered Li Qi and Wang Zhongling, and they all surrounded them.
"Economic Envoy, Wang Shangshu, why are you here?"
"Economic Envoy, please don't forget the mission assigned to you by the Emperor. How can you fool around with His Highness?"
"That's right. If His Highness doesn't go to court, we can't make the decision. The Jin army is about to attack."
...
Li Qi was so noisy by them that he had a headache. He suddenly raised his hands.
Everyone was shocked and took a small step back. After all, the sledgehammer in Li Qi's hand was also very scary.
Li Qi showed a face that was even more miserable than theirs, and shouted: "Everyone, you think I'm not trying to persuade you, but then your Highness must be willing to listen. Look at what I'm holding, and look at what I'm holding."
Where does the food here come from, and look at who these craftsmen are. I can only say that His Highness is serious this time. If you want to solve the problem as soon as possible, there is only one way, get the tools
, build a house."
He hummed as he spoke, then turned around and walked towards the house.
The ministers were stunned and looked at Wang Zhongling aggrievedly.
Wang Zhongling did not dare to roar loudly like Li Qi. After all, he could only be regarded as a mid-level among these people, so he explained to them everything that had just happened and the food here. In summary, in one sentence,
Zhao Kai has gone crazy. He can't live without building this house!
When the ministers heard this, they looked at me and I looked at you, and they were all like two-foot-long monks, confused.
Wu Min was so angry that he really couldn't understand the reason why Zhao Kai did this. But now there seemed to be only one way before them, and he said: "Just do it, I want to see what kind of tricks he is playing."
.”
Jiang Daoyan said: "What Wu said is good. Let's do it first and ask him for an explanation later."
There was no other way, so the ministers took the tools and started working. It was not so much building a house as venting the anger in their hearts. Nails, hammers, and wood all became big enemies in their eyes.
The refugees were dumbfounded. They were sitting around eating, drinking, and chatting, while these officials were working there. This was simply incomprehensible! They were all whispering, and they didn’t know who was speaking.
Knowing the identities of these people, especially when they knew that the handsome young master was the current Queen Regent, they were frightened.
The dignified regent and the prefect of Kaifeng came to help them build houses, but they just sat on the sidelines and watched. This made them very touched, but also very uncomfortable. How many years of life would be lost? Many strong men volunteered to join in.
Whether they are civilians or officials, whether they are voluntary or forced, they are gradually synchronizing with Zhao Kai's pace without knowing it. It can be said that this is the first time they have worked under Zhao Kai's leadership.
, although this job is a bit ridiculous, Zhao Kai has obviously taken the initiative.
While working, several ministers wanted to take the opportunity to report military information to Zhao Kai, but they were pushed back by Zhao Kai with just a few words.
They had no choice but to work harder and try to build the house as soon as possible.
If the king and his subjects work together as one, they will naturally get twice the result with half the effort.
Night fell silently on this dangerous city.
"call---!"
It was finally completed, and the ministers almost collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Now Zhao Kai was free, but they had no energy to speak. This was really interesting!
Zhao Kai looked at the staggering ministers, smiled slightly, and ordered people to prepare dinner.
After hearing this, Li Qi thought to himself, this guy is not really planning to hold a candlelight ceremony. This is really not romantic at all!
Facts have proved that Li Qi's guess was correct. Some soldiers moved some shabby long tables and placed them in front of the house. There were one or two pairs of bowls and chopsticks on each table. Some bowls were missing a small piece, which was obviously missing.
Using local materials, an open-air restaurant has begun to appear. Some maids brought some wooden lampstands, lit candles, and put lampshades on them.
This simple restaurant is complete.
Zhao Kai sat down on the main seat majestically and ordered people to invite the ministers to come up.
Now that they have come to this point, the ministers have already put aside their so-called dignity, climbed up on the table, and sat down in order of their positions. They were all as tired as dead dogs.
The refugees were watching from a distance. It was the first time they saw what this morning would be like with their own eyes. They opened their eyes wide and held dinner in their hands, just like watching a movie.
The whole place was silent.
I have to say, this is really a unique court meeting.
Zhao Kai glanced at the ministers. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he cupped his hands and said: "Thank you all for your help. Kai is very pleased. I believe you are all hungry too, so let's talk while eating. It's time to serve."
"As you command!"
Those ministers have been starving for a long time. You want them to say it now, but they don't have the strength to say it. When they hear that dinner is finally served, they are so excited that they burst into tears!
They had never looked forward to a dinner so much.
But I saw some maids coming up with food. A portion was placed in front of each person.
The ministers looked at the dishes with excitement, and their excited faces suddenly collapsed. Are these things for human consumption?
To put it simply, just four words, simple food.
A bowl of low-quality rice that has nothing to do with white, although it is still steaming, is really not tempting to eat with chopsticks. As for the vegetables, there are just some pickled vegetables, and there is not even a piece of meat residue.
These ministers lived in fine clothes and fine food every day. Delicacies from the mountains and seas were very delicious, and they would not eat anything else. In their opinion, the things on the table were just for pigs.
Although they were all hungry, no one moved their chopsticks. They all wondered if Zhao Kai was deliberately trying to mess with them.
Zhao Kai picked up the chopsticks and said generously: "Don't be restrained, everyone. Eat, eat. I'm really hungry after a day's work."
As he spoke, he was the first to pick up his chopsticks and eat.
Are we being constrained?
The ministers looked at Zhao Kai at the same time, and saw that he also had these "pig food" in his bowl, but he was eating it very deliciously, eating big mouthfuls of grilled rice, and throwing the pickles into his mouth regardless of how many years ago they were.
That's right, it's more exciting than eating delicacies from the mountains and seas.
The regent had already eaten, and was eating so deliciously. It seemed that no more food was prepared for them. The ministers started to look at each other again, their stomachs growling with hunger, and they struggled.
After a while, one person finally couldn't bear it any longer. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating in large gulps. He was probably too hungry. He actually thought the food was pretty good and nodded to his colleagues.
Someone started the meal, and the others had no choice but to pick up their chopsticks and start eating.
Although Li Qi doesn't care about high status or low status, and he doesn't eat less than simple meals, at least you have to cook something that is palatable. The food on this plate can be seen by a low-level chef at a glance. What the hell! See you.
Everyone else started eating, and he could only pick up his chopsticks.
Since these people were really hungry, it looked disgusting, but it tasted delicious after eating.
The refugees who were watching were dumbfounded when they saw that all these ministers were devouring their food, which was even uglier than their appearance. This was really an eye-opener for them.
Soon, Zhao Kai finished all the meals like a whirlwind, without even a grain of rice left. He took a sip of tea, wiped his mouth again, looked up and glanced around, and saw that they had almost eaten, and said hehe
: "In fact, you can tell how much a person has done and whether he is doing it attentively from how fast and how much he eats. If a person is still slowly eating delicacies from mountains and seas and tasting fine wine and delicacies, then he
You must have done nothing, and you are still on vacation. On the contrary, it is just like you are now. You have just been saying that there is an urgent matter to report and there are many things to deal with, but are they really that urgent and so many? I think
Otherwise, at least you can still eat here every day and spend two or three hours, maybe more.
But does it really take so much effort to eat a meal? I once thought it was, but today it seems that this is not the case. As far as this dinner is concerned, from the time the meal was served to now, you
It only took about a quarter of an hour to finish eating them all. One meal counts as a quarter of an hour, and the three meals added up are less than half an hour. What can be done in half an hour will take you two or three hours. You are in a hurry.
I really don't see why you are so anxious.
Then again, if you just save two hours every day from eating here to do some practical things, then I believe you can do it with ease, let alone being anxious. I wonder what you think?"
The ministers finally understood and thought to themselves that there was still no way to avoid the three fires that the new official took office. But no one said a word. Because they all knew that Zhao Kai was setting a trap for them, and no matter what they said, they would be wrong.
Zhao Kai's opening remarks made the ministers speechless, and he continued: "Don't you have something urgent? Why are all of them silent?"
When this urgent matter comes to you, it becomes less urgent. Wu Min didn't care too much and said anxiously: "Your Highness, Daming Mansion is in an emergency now. The Jin Army is about to cross the Yellow River. How should we deal with it?"
Zhang Bangchang said: "Your Highness, we should quickly mobilize the Western Army to come to the rescue."
Khan! It’s the Western Army again. Li Qi sighed secretly when he heard this.
Wu Min said again: "No, no. An urgent report came from the northwest this morning. Xixia suddenly sent a large army to station at the border of Hengshan in the Song Dynasty. It is possible to launch an attack at any time. If the Western army is dispatched to assist, in case Xixia
If we attack suddenly, the Song Dynasty will be attacked from two sides. By then, things will be very bad."
Jiang Daoyan said: "The most urgent task now is how to rescue Daming Mansion. Daming Mansion is Kaifeng's last line of defense. If Daming Mansion is lost, the Yellow River defense line will fall into the hands of the Jin people. When the time comes, the Jin army will cross the river. We
If you want to defend, it will be difficult."
Li Qidao: "Save Daming Mansion? Jiang Yushi, you said it's easy, how to save it? You don't even think about why the Jin army chose to attack Daming Mansion. That's because the military and government of Daming Mansion are in ruins, and the Daming Magistrate has been working hard all day.
They just know how to eat, drink and have fun. They usually ask the court for this or that, but they all keep it for themselves. The soldiers get nothing. Moreover, the officials of the Daming Mansion never care about military affairs. The defense is full of loopholes. Otherwise, just rely on the name.
With the strength of the government, how could the Jin army break through three lines of defense in half a day? Even if we deploy it now, I'm afraid it will be too late."
Jiang Daoyan was a little disappointed by what Li Qi said, and said: "Economic envoy, what is the use of talking about this now? The matter has reached this point, we should find a way to remedy it."
As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to Zhao Kai.
Zhao Kai seemed to listen attentively, until they all fell silent, then he realized what he was doing, raised his head, and said with a smile: "You have said a lot, but I think that as long as we do one thing, all the problems will be solved."
Solved easily."
Zhang Bangchang asked hurriedly: "I wonder what His Highness said?"
Zhao Kai smiled and said: "Repulse the Jin army."
"this---."
Everyone was speechless for a while. Aren't you talking nonsense? I know it too.
Zhao Kai seemed to see through what they were thinking, smiled, and said: "Since we all know what we should do, that's half the battle. The other half is what the other party wants?"
Wu Min said: "The purpose of the Jin army is already obvious. They are clearly aiming for Kaifeng Mansion."
Zhao Kai nodded and said: "That's it. The Jin army fought fast, but this also tells us that it is difficult for their rear supplies to keep up. Even if they can keep up, they can't maintain it for a long time."
, Therefore, they can only choose to fight quickly, and reaching Kaifeng is already their limit. They dare not go further south and go deep into the hinterland. If this is the case, it is very likely that we will cut off our backup and catch the turtle in the urn. So,
As long as we drag this war into a protracted war, the Jin army will definitely retreat. And their target is Kaifeng Mansion. If this is the case, if I want to drag this war into a protracted war, there is only one way."
Li Qidao: "Just conserve our troops and defend Kaifeng Mansion."
Zhao Kai nodded and said: "The economic envoy is right. If we divide our troops to rescue Daming Mansion and then deploy them along the Yellow River, then the strength of Kaifeng Mansion will definitely be weakened, and it will be weakened a lot, because you have to send a large number of troops.
Otherwise, we will not be able to complete the two tasks mentioned above. But we must also examine ourselves. The Jin army is indeed braver than us. Once they are defeated one by one, Kaifeng Mansion will definitely not be able to contain it. "
Wu Min frowned slightly and said, "Then what do you mean by His Highness?"
Zhao Kai smiled and said: "It's very simple. Immediately withdraw all the troops deployed by the Yellow River and fight a protracted battle with the Jin army in Kaifeng Mansion. As long as we defend Kaifeng Mansion perfectly, the Jin army will definitely retreat. Don't look at the ferocity of the Xixia attack.
They are just waiting and watching now, because they still have to rely on our Song Dynasty in many aspects. If the Jin army breaks through Kaifeng Mansion, they will definitely send troops to our Song Dynasty. There is nothing we can do to stop it, but if the Jin army retreats
, then Xixia will definitely withdraw its troops, so there is nothing to worry about, so what we have to do now is to defend Kaifeng Mansion, and it is useless to think about anything else."
ps: It’s another 6,000-word chapter. There should be another chapter in the afternoon, which should add up to 10,000 words. Although it’s only two chapters, I’d like to ask for a monthly pass. It shouldn’t be too much to ask for an initial subscription. (To be continued. Please give me a monthly ticket.) Search Piaotian Literature, the novels will be better and updated faster!