Chapter 14 Plan

Having made up his mind, Mu Qi spoke decisively:

"Brother Donglou, since you trust me so much, I will be honest with you and can discipline you without any worries."

Hearing the prince addressing him so intimately, the young minister smiled widely and repeatedly asked the prince for guidance.

"Brother Donglou, you don't know. I was on duty at the West Garden and heard His Majesty's personal decree. It was very clear. This reform of the tribute process is the national policy of the court and cannot be changed!" Mu Qi said righteously: "National policy is national policy. The Ministry of Rites should either change it themselves or let others change it. Don't say it's just a fuss. Even if all the Japanese in the world are dead, this matter must be changed!"

Such harsh and decisive words really shocked Yan Donglou, and then he couldn't help but feel a warm emotion from the bottom of his heart - even if he was just relaying the emperor's will and was willing to express his support so undisguisedly, it would be a huge risk!

The young cabinet minister's idea was too unconventional. Not only the corrupt scholars in the Ministry of Rites, but even his own father did not dare to agree with it openly, and could only do it behind closed doors. I didn't expect that after encountering so many visible and invisible obstacles along the way, I actually received support and understanding from the Prince of Duke Mu, who I had never had any contact with before!

The emotion at that moment was indescribable. The young elder took the initiative to hold the prince's hand and changed the address sincerely:

"Brother Mu knows me well! Although I am not very talented, I will never disappoint you. Brother Mu is right. Even if all the Japanese are dead, this matter must be changed!"

Mu Qi smiled slightly and withdrew his hand calmly. He couldn't possibly admit that he just wanted the Japanese pirates to die out and he didn't care much about whether the national policy was reformed or not, right?

"I once heard my father-in-law mention that the Japanese have ulterior motives, are fussy about small matters and have no sense of justice, and always covet the Central Plains. They are afraid of power but not virtue, and are the kind of beasts. Such people must not be treated leniently!" He said solemnly: "Young cabinet minister, since you have been ordered to receive them, you should conduct a strict investigation to prevent them from causing any trouble in secret. You can also take advantage of the situation to promote reforms and clear obstacles. This is called 'investigating and reforming at the same time, and resolving the dilemma by yourself'."

Yan Donglou nodded repeatedly, feeling that this visit was really well-timed - "Investigate and correct at the same time, and the dilemma will be resolved by itself", these eight words really touched his heart!

The conversation was so interesting, so he asked tentatively: "Of course I will do my best. However, this action is too intense, I am afraid it will cause people to talk about it."

The Ministry of Rites has always regarded tribute as a "national etiquette" with strict and old-fashioned rules. How could it tolerate such drastic actions as Yan Donglou? Even with the support of his father, the cabinet minister, impeachment was inevitable. To be on the safe side, we still have to ask the noble family to act as guarantor to silence the people.

Mu Qi smiled. Although he could not stand the fact that the imperial court was so generous to the emperor and so ruthless to the foreign vassal states, and that the foreign vassal states took the opportunity to take advantage of the situation, he did not need to be so fussy with the envoy. But who told you that the envoys seemed to be connected with the Japanese pirates? No wonder he fell out with her.

"In ancient times, when great things were accomplished, there were always people talking about them." He said calmly, "It's just one or two vassal states. The emperor has the whole country in his heart. This is just a small thing, so why should we mention it? Brother Yan, in order to work for the court and the emperor, we can endure any hardship and any grievance. What's the big deal about a few comments? For the sake of national affairs, we have to make the Japanese suffer, and you and I will bear the blame!"

Such enthusiasm could not but arouse great ambitions in the heart of the young minister. His heart warmed up, and he rushed forward, tightly grasping Mu Qi's right hand, never wanting to let go:

"Brother Mu is so righteous, I dare not disobey you!"

·

Because they got along so well, Yan Donglou hit it off right away and insisted on taking Mu Qi to the Riyuexing Restaurant, in which he had invested, for a drink. He asked the shopkeeper to serve his treasured Western white wine and a variety of exquisite side dishes, and his conversation was full of affection and cordiality. He also took the initiative to discuss with Mu Qi various ways of making money from tribute - reform; the more they talked, the more interested they became, and the more they found each other interesting, and it felt like they had met too late.

After drinking a few cups, Mu Qi heard a tinkling sound in his ears. He quietly clicked on the notification, and after just a glance, his expression changed drastically, and he stood up subconsciously:

"I should accept Brother Yan's kindness, but I really have something urgent to do—"

Yan Donglou was stunned: "What's the emergency?"

Mu Qi's mind was completely filled with the notice, so there was no room for him to make up excuses. In a hurry, I just said nonsense:

"My cat is giving birth!"

After saying that, he stepped over the bench, bowed hurriedly, walked out of the private room quickly, and rushed downstairs.

Elder Yan Xiaoge held the wine cup in his hand, stunned. It took me a long time to react.

"...It's really unreasonable." He murmured.

·

Mu Qi rode his horse at full speed into the mansion, quickly dismissed everyone, and clicked on the system screen. Sure enough, Zhao Fei's avatar labeled "Abandoned Emperor Playing Mahjong" flashed, and a dialog window quickly popped up:

[The Deposed Emperor plays Mahjong: We have lifted the siege of Bianjing and entered the inner city! 】

Although he had anticipated this on the way, Mu Qi's heart was still beating like a drum when he saw the good news in person, and he almost cheered out loud!

I've been feeling frustrated until now, but finally I won a big one!

No wonder he was so excited. The three of them were drafted by the system to various worlds to put out emergencies and fires. Although their circumstances were different, Zhao Fei was undoubtedly the worst off. Mu Qi at least lived in a peaceful era, and Liu Li had the protection of his father-in-law, but Zhao Fei was stuffed into a horrifying pit by the system - she was attached to the posthumous daughter of Emperor Zhezong, a legitimate princess of unparalleled nobility; but when she opened her eyes and was born, it was only three years away from the Jing Kang Incident.

There is no need to go into detail about how devastated and frantic Zhao Fei was at that time; and all her struggles afterwards can only be described as futile - no matter what means she used, the historical trend was unstoppable and could not be changed by human power; a few years later, the city of Bianjing was captured, and Zhao Fei was the only one who escaped with her life. She was chased around by the Jin army, displaced, and suffered hardships that were difficult to describe; in her own words, she was "more miserable than a wild dog"; people in troubled times are no better than dogs in peacetime, that's all.

To be honest, if Mu Qi and Liu Li had not already established a firm foothold by then and had made every effort to cross time and space to rescue their companion who had been trapped in a bloody trap, Zhao Fei would probably have been desperate and could only choose to commit suicide, wondering whether to jump into the Yangtze River or the Yellow River.

Now, after two or three years of selling blood for aid, Zhao Fei has tried her best and maneuvered, and finally managed to gain a foothold in this end-time when the country is falling apart. She has survived the initial period of searching the mountains and seas and feeling panic-stricken like a stray dog, and has gained military strength to protect herself. Since the beginning of this year, taking advantage of the rapid expansion of the Jurchens and the infighting among the Wanyan clan, Zhao Fei mobilized volunteers from the two rivers and Guanzhong, and worked closely with Yue Fei and others, finally achieving great progress on the battlefield.

According to Mu Qi's estimation, this was probably the critical moment for the Song army to shift from defense to stalemate after the fall of the country. But even though the two sides were in a stalemate, they were able to capture Bianliang in one attack, which was still far beyond his expectations - wasn't this too smooth?

Such an unexpected development was enough to reverse the situation in the war between Song and Jin. As the original shareholders of Zhao Fei's cause of restoring the country, how could he and Liu Li not be ecstatic? When the video window popped up on the system screen, he immediately stood up and clapped together with Liu Li below the window. The applause was warm and loud, and he felt really happy - as if all the anger that Lao Deng had been holding back for days was finally released!

Zhao Fei, wearing a red robe, stood in the video, also smiling, and bowed to them repeatedly to express her gratitude:

"Thank you, everyone! I just arrived in Bianjing and immediately came to tell you the good news. I am also grateful for your friendship and help. I really have no way to repay you..."

Her hair was disheveled, her red robe was still stained, her eyes and eyebrows were full of joy, and her gaze was lively. It seemed that she had just come back from the battlefield and had not even had time to wash up before posting the video.

There was a lot of noise on the other side of the video, and Zhao Fei looked out and laughed again: "Yue... several generals are sending people to maintain order and search for prisoners! I can only say a few more words to you all, and I will soon go to preside over the post-war meeting."

Perhaps because she was considerate of Mu Qi's thoughts, she swallowed the word "Yue Shuai" in time, but Mu Qi's mouth still pouted.

Liu Li was very excited: "'Restore the Han Dynasty and return to the old capital', I didn't expect that you, Sister Feifei, would be the first to do so! This is a great joyous event, a great joyous event! Once Bianjing is recovered, from then on, the hearts of the people in the world, and even the strategic situation of the two armies, will be completely different!"

Wow, it’s true that children with good fathers are like treasures. At the beginning, Liu Li had to read even a military map upside down, but now, after a few years, he knows how to analyze strategic situations.

Mu Qi felt more and more sad and was speechless for a moment.

But unexpectedly, Zhao Fei hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "It's hard to say. When Han, Yue, and Li discussed with me, they did want to use Bianjing to attract the enemy's main force, take advantage of the terrain to fight a few large annihilation battles, and bring about a major change in the enemy and our situation; but judging from the current situation, although we have also won a few battles, the main force of the Jurchens may not have suffered too much loss. They retreated on their own."

Liu Li was stunned: "Why?"

"From the confessions of the captives, there are different reasons." Zhao Fei said: "One is that the weather is bad, and the Jin army is plagued by plague and has no fighting spirit. The second is that the Jin army's main general Wanyan Loushi suddenly fell seriously ill and could not take charge of the affairs. The army was in disarray and could not continue."

Hearing this, Liu Li exclaimed in sudden realization, turned around and blinked at Mu Qi - although illness is always accidental, Wanyan Loushi's serious illness may have been caused by them. At that time, Zhao Fei was chased to the south by a thorough search of the mountains and seas. His troops suffered repeated defeats and were on the verge of collapse. He had to offer treasures to the nobles of the Jin army in order to survive. Mu Qi, who was in charge of this matter, made up his mind and simply bought a night-shining pearl that could "illuminate for several feet" at night from a Western merchant for a large sum of money. He also gave it to the merchant along with dozens of elixirs of immortality that Lao Deng had once rewarded him.

Now it seems that taking the elixir internally and applying radiation externally did play a miraculous role at the critical moment.

Zhao Fei added: "However, the Jin army had a lot of internal debates on whether to fight or retreat. Their indecision gave us a lot of advantages. But now it seems that the Jin army has made up its mind to give up Bianjing."

It's funny to say that when the Jurchens first moved south, they only intended to burn, kill, loot and run away. It was just that the two saints' operations were too good, which led to the gg ending of the country's destruction and extinction. Now that the Song army's combat effectiveness has been restored and Zhao Fei is fully prepared, it doesn't seem strange that they retreat after they have looted enough.

Mu Qi was still a little worried: "Could it be a trick?"

"It shouldn't be." Zhao Fei smiled slightly. "The spies checked and found that the main force of the Jin army had already retreated across the Yellow River and burned all the boats and bridges for crossing the river. It is impossible to repair them in a short time."

Now is mid-spring, the Yellow River has thawed, the flow rate has increased sharply, and it has become a natural barrier. Once the Jin army destroyed the equipment for crossing the river, they would not be able to cross the river and launch an offensive for more than half a year.

Mu Qi and Liu Li breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the same time.

"But speaking of the Yellow River, I get angry again." Zhao Fei suddenly sighed: "You know that vile beast Du Chong, right?"

After all, Princess Zhao had lived a life of luxury for several years during the heyday of the Northern Song Dynasty. She would never utter a bad word no matter what. But now she calls him a beast, which shows how angry she is. However, the system used to strictly enforce civilized language and never allowed users to swear, but it did not stop it now - perhaps in the eyes of the system, Du Chong was indeed no different from a lowly beast, and it was merely realistic, not an insult.

"After Prime Minister Zong Zezong became seriously ill, this bastard took over the defense of the north." Zhao Fei said calmly, "This guy was timid and didn't dare to fight the Jin people at all, and lost a large area of ​​land in vain. Later, when the situation became critical, he wanted to dig up the Yellow River embankment and use water instead of soldiers..."

Mu Qi and Liu Li gasped and exclaimed "WTF" at the same time.

"Surprised, right? I also doubt whether he is the previous life of some people." Zhao Fei said coldly: "But fortunately, the siege of Bianjing was lifted quickly, and he didn't have time to cross the Yellow River. After I entered the city, I immediately sent people to arrest him and put him in jail, but the bastard actually committed suicide by taking poison in the government office!"

"Damn it, it's infuriating enough to let this bastard die quickly. But there are still a bunch of foolish Confucian scholars who are mourning over the death of Du Chong, saying that Du Chong was at least an important minister and should be punished openly instead of being killed secretly - what a fool, I did prepare the instruments of torture to kill him! But didn't I get the chance? Now these fools are still gathered at Du Chong's house to mourn, making a big fuss, deliberately trying to disgust me..."

She shook her head, as if unwilling to think about it, and her mood immediately calmed down:

"Forget it. It won't be too late to deal with these bastards in a few days. This time the army is on the march and it will cost a lot. I have to attend a financial meeting this afternoon to see how to plug the hole in the treasury... Mr. Zong is sick at home now, and I should visit him, but I came from the battlefield, and I'm afraid I might bring some bacteria to hurt him. After a few days, wash and disinfect, I will visit him in person and consider medical plans. I'll show you photos of the scene then!"

After saying this, amid the envious and jealous exclamations of Mu Qi and Liu Li, Zhao Fei smiled elegantly and walked off the line leisurely.

Mu Qi muttered a few words, complaining about Zhao Fei's annoying Versailles, and turned off the video. However, when they logged out of the account, the red dot below the system suddenly flashed and made a harsh beeping sound - and then of course they ignored it.

This nervous system often has some inexplicable bugs, but they are no longer surprised and don't bother to pay attention to them.

...However, if Mu Qi carefully read the system's thousand-page instruction manual, he would understand that such a sound, which heralded a major warning of historical changes, was actually very unusual.

Judging from the subsequent results, they really should have been more careful.