In the original book, Xiao Shaoke was a great figure who founded the Later Qi Dynasty and divided the world into four parts with the King of Zhenbei, the Duke of Jingguo and the Lu family. Yu Zizhen didn't think that he would be easily found out after he left his surveillance.
Of course, with her meddling, no matter how hard Xiao Shaoke tried, it would be impossible for him to establish the Later Qi Dynasty as described in the original book.
What Yu Zizhen didn't know was that Xiao Shaoke, who was indeed more ambitious than the emperor, the eldest prince, and the second prince, had really been working hard for his own future during this period, just as she had guessed.
He did not, as the emperor expected, take the money he got from Yu Zizhen and find a safe place to live in anonymity. Instead, he approached generals and heads of aristocratic families in various places who could lend him a hand.
However, just as Yu Zizhen expected, this time Xiao Shaoke did not easily win over those he favored as described in the original book.
Unlike the original book where he just secretly escaped from the capital, this time he was directly issued a death notice by the Lu family.
As a "dead man" like the emperor, the eldest prince, and the second prince, even if those he favored wanted to rebel in his name, the Lu family could declare to the outside world that Xiao Shaoke Benke was an imposter of some unrelated person.
In a situation like this where each person has his own reasons, Xiao Shaoke's identity as the late emperor's youngest son could only play a limited role.
Xiao Shaoke was deeply frustrated by his constant frustration, but he refused to give up. When one person rejected him, he went to the next. When the second person rejected him, he went to the third...
After working so tirelessly for such a long time, Xiao Shaoke actually managed to win over a few people who were willing to support him.
However, these people, without exception, were not the ones he had originally considered as alternative targets.
There was no other way. After many attempts to win over others failed, he could only settle for the second best and force himself to compromise with the cruel reality.
Unlike Xiao Shaoke who encountered obstacles everywhere, as soon as Yu Zizhen appeared under the name of Tanlang, the noble families and generals in the eastern region could no longer sit still.
The bigwigs who were originally watching, analyzing, and waiting for the price suddenly realized that they had lost the opportunity to wait for the price because of the frequent activities of Yu Zizhen's private soldiers.
They immediately sent people to inquire about the news and immediately contacted those who were in the same class as them.
Under Yu Zizhen's nose, they exchanged information and privately agreed to help each other at critical moments.
Yu Zizhen would personally review the important intelligence gathered by the spies every day, but she never did anything about the noble families and military generals who kept making small moves.
Only a very few people knew that while Yu Zizhen was connecting and forming alliances with each other, she was also constantly improving the relationship map in her room.
She would add or delete some things on it every day, and update the latest developments of these noble families and generals in real time.
At the same time, Yu Zizhen was making intensive preparations for the war.
However, unlike the pre-war preparations made by the Prince of Zhenbei and the Duke of Jingguo, the first thing Yu Zizhen did before the war was not to raise food and fodder or recruit new soldiers, but to stabilize the rear and develop basic industries such as agriculture, breeding, weaving and dyeing.
All the talents that she had asked people to recruit continuously before were mobilized by her at this moment.
In terms of farming, she had previously only had people privately research, try, and promote tool improvement, scientific planting, seed cultivation, fruit tree grafting, sericulture, etc. However, after she completely controlled the eastern and western regions of Da Qi, she directly promoted them free of charge in the name of Tan Lang.
By the way, she also asked Jiang Yunshan to help write a letter to the people of the world with the general meaning of "I only wish that all people can be well fed and clothed", and portrayed herself as a saint who cares about the world and saves the people.
With the instant messaging tool she left for intelligence chiefs in various places, this letter to the people of the world, which was finally completed after several deletions and revisions by Jiang Yunshan, soon became widely circulated throughout Da Qi.
Although those scholars with official titles were not used to its simple and straightforward words, the larger number of ordinary people really liked this "Book to All the People of the World" which was not difficult to understand at all and they could easily remember it.
They spread the word and quickly went to find carpenters and blacksmiths to customize the new agricultural tools that Yu Zizhen had spread throughout the world.
Not all ordinary people have the courage to try scientific planting, breeding of high-quality seeds, fruit tree grafting, etc., but those new agricultural tools that are said to make farming, harvesting, and threshing easier are basically of interest to those who make a living from farming.
Even if they needed to use expensive iron products for farm tools, they couldn't afford one for every family, but they could still afford it by sharing one with relatives, friends, and good neighbors.
Unlike the curiosity and expectations of these grassroots people, those who aspire to dominate the troubled times almost immediately felt that Yu Zizhen's move posed a huge threat to their interests.
Although the land they hold is dozens or even hundreds of times more than that of ordinary people, and Yu Zizhen announced this, they can actually benefit more. But who can blame them for planning big things? They need not only the immediate small profits, but also the indispensable and most important "people's hearts" for those in power.
If they cannot win over the hearts of the people, if all the ordinary people live a good life because of Yu Zizhen's action, and no longer have to worry about having no food at home and their whole family starving to death, then where can they recruit enough people to fight for them?
They are not like Yu Zizhen, who has spent a lot of money to train private soldiers over the years. These bigwigs are used to being high and mighty. Except for a few elite soldiers under the banner of guard, who have been trained by them, they all hope to fill the remaining troop gaps with ordinary people who cannot afford to eat when the war really breaks out.
Yu Zizhen, who caught those guys off guard, didn't know that she just wanted to win people's hearts, but accidentally destroyed the recruitment plans of many important people.
After she spread the knowledge about farming, she never cared about the subsequent development of the matter.
In addition to the deployment of personnel and horses, the transportation of military supplies and weapons, and the production and improvement of city defense and siege equipment, she is currently focusing on the mass production of new military rations that are high in calories, durable in storage, and easy to carry, as well as the expansion of the various workshops under her name.
Fighting a war is a money-burning business. People need to be raised and horses need to be fed. She has no choice but to increase the money-making capacity of her own industries.
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