Chapter 39: Ruffian
"Li Heng! Are you going to give the border soldiers three months' salary?"
Hearing the King of Li shouting out his name and surname from the city gate, Lizhou Mu's face turned pale with anger.
Because of her passionate speech, the people surrounding the city fell silent for a moment.
The young men who were playing with coins stopped smiling, as the coins in their hands felt a little hot.
The people who were watching the fun seemed to see their own reflections in these border soldiers and all showed sympathy.
The officials of Yanzhou were afraid that if the incident got out of hand and spread to Chang'an, it would affect their three-year transfer! Although the King of Li was exiled to the border and became a figurehead, with nothing but the border soldiers, he was still a prince.
No matter how much the emperor beats, scolds or punishes him, if he really dies in Yan, the emperor will not just ignore it.
Just at this time, the soldiers who had stored up farmland arrived on foot and gathered outside the city gate in a large crowd.
They were even more timid and did not dare to stand like the Black Feather Army. When they saw the officials on the city wall, they all knelt down and begged: "Please, sirs, give us some military pay! My family is starving to death!"
Although the soldiers who stored land had fields, 80% of the grain they harvested would be confiscated as military rations, and they were also responsible for providing horse feed for the army.
They have no time to rest all year round, and yet they still covet their tiny bit of military pay.
Jin Sui held the imperial edict and walked to the city step by step, and asked again in a harsh voice:
"Li Heng! Are you going to pay the soldiers on the border?"
Li Zhoumu's face turned pale. When his term of office was over this year, he could be transferred out of Yan.
How could the court give him a promotion or transfer after such a thing happened? He would definitely be demoted! This ruthless king is such a troublesome scoundrel! There is no benefit in getting involved with her.
He took a deep breath and said loudly:
"Your Highness, Prince Li, please understand that there was a severe drought in Yan this year, and I had to embezzle military pay because of the earthquake. It's not that I don't want to pay."
Jin Sui laughed loudly, pointing at the food thrown by the young men under the city tower: "You told me there was a disaster, but I looked down on the people in this city. They have so much food that they just play with it!"
"Are you going to use this military pay for earthquake relief, or for these noblemen to play with?"
The princes of Yan were not happy and shouted: "I threw away my own grain and spent my own money. Did I use a single cent from your court?"
"You can do whatever you want with my family's food! The King of Li can't control the officials of the court, so how can he control us?"
Seeing that King Li had successfully provoked the anger of the nobles of Yanzhou, Li Heng was now completely panicked.
If the two sides start fighting, no matter who he helps or if he doesn't help either side, he will be wrong.
Since the King of Li is not here to occupy Yanzhou City but only to ask for military pay, the correct thing to do is to give them the pay quickly and drive them to the border so that they will not come to Yanzhou again.
Li Heng said hurriedly: "It just so happens that the earthquake relief money has been delivered by the court, and I was planning to pay the border soldiers in the near future."
Jin Sui didn't waste time talking to him and said directly: "Then send them out now, not one less. After sending them out, I will immediately lead the people back to the border town."
You are so afraid of me entering Yanzhou City, do you think I want to enter this broken city? Li Heng gritted his teeth and said to his adjutant: "Quick, go to the silver vault to get silver and send this plague god away."
Jinsui kept his word. As soon as he got the silver, he asked Cheng Zhubo to count it and take his men away immediately.
Before leaving, she looked back at Yanzhou City and saw that Li Heng's expression was similar to Jiang Nansheng's. She sneered in her heart, "I didn't stab you, why are you so unhappy?"
I am only asking for back what belongs to the border soldiers, but you look as if I am cutting off your flesh.
Looking at those young masters of Yancheng who were watching the fun, she sneered in her heart and thought, just wait, one day, I will make you crawl at my feet!
At this moment, she completely forgot that her identity as the "King of Li" was borrowed.
There is a kind of heroism that, even if you are a king, you still have to do something for the people under your command.
On the way back, both the Black Feather Camp and the Tuntian Army were extremely excited. The Tuntian Army ran even faster than when they came, just wanting to get back to the camp as soon as possible to distribute the military pay.
Jinsui was afraid of tiring them out, so he asked Hanxing to buy food when they passed a small town far away from Yanzhou City.
They ate some dry food on the spot and rested. There was nothing in the border town. There were many people coming this time, so it was easier to transport supplies. So she asked Han Xing to buy more things to take back.
Food, clothing, ironware, pots and bowls, bricks and tiles, etc.
Cheng Zhubo changed his previous unruly and indifferent attitude and gave Jinsui some suggestions.
We don’t have to buy pots, bowls, bricks and tiles. We can dig kilns and burn them ourselves, which can save a lot of money.
We can buy more ironware, as the imperial court hasn't reissued weapons to the Black Feather Camp for a long time.
For some reason, Jinsui always felt that when Cheng Zhubo stood in front of the soldiers and faced Li Heng's arrows, he seemed to be sincerely seeking death at that moment.
She asked with a smile: "What is Cheng Zhubo going to do with the military pay?"
Cheng Zhubo laughed: "Of course it's to stock up on fine wine! The prince held a banquet last night and drank up all my wine."
Jin Sui smiled and said, "Then I will compensate you. This Yan wine is too strong. Wait for me to compensate you with some fine Jiangnan wine."
Cheng Zhubo suddenly said seriously:
"Your Majesty, don't think that everything will be alright once the military pay arrives. If the pay doesn't come in March, Governor Li won't be able to assign too many tasks to the border troops."
"Now that the military pay has been reissued, I'm afraid the mission will come."
Jin Sui said proudly: "If the enemy comes, we will stop him; if the water comes, we will drown it! I am not afraid of him."
Cheng Zhubo suddenly laughed softly, which turned into a loud laugh. He stroked his beard and said, "Fortunately, Lord Wei didn't come, otherwise he would have cried to death."
Jin Sui also laughed. Lord Wei wanted to leave Yan and return to Chang'an, so he placed all his hopes on King Li.
As soon as the King of Li arrived, he offended all the officials in Yanzhou. If he saw the confrontation between Jinsui and Li Heng, he would cry to death.
"Your Highness, are you planning to die in the border town?" Cheng Zhubo asked jokingly.
Jin Sui raised his eyebrows slightly: "It's not about dying in Border Town, but about making Border Town my city!"
Seeing Cheng Zhubo's puzzled expression, Jin Sui didn't intend to say much. Before the thing is done, no matter how much you say, no one will believe it.
As long as you do it and get results, others will believe it even if you don't say anything.
If she told Cheng Zhubo at this moment that she planned to turn the border town into the largest city in Yan, a place that the people of Yanzhou would look up to.
Cheng Zhubo must have thought that she was mad at Li Heng.
After returning to the Yan family, Yan Shiyi couldn't wait to share the excitement he saw with his family.
He shook his head and said, "Prince Li has been the crown prince for so many years, how can he be so shameless?
For a few coins, he threw his face on the ground and let others step on it! He behaved like a street scoundrel. "
"He just came to Yandi and he did something like this. Who will treat him as a prince in the future?"
Yan Twelve Niang said nonchalantly: "He has been exiled to the border by the emperor, and no one has treated him as a prince for a long time."
However, Yan Jiu put down the teacup in his hand and said with interest:
"I think he is a rare smart man. After this incident, the soldiers over there will naturally be loyal to him."
Yan Shiyi was puzzled: "What's the point of having those border soldiers loyal? If he offends Li Zhoumu, he won't get any benefit."
A normal person should not use his status as a prince to make friends with the nobles in Yan and treat them with courtesy.
To please the high officials, at least he could live in Yanzhou City, which was better than eating sand in the border camp.
Yan Jiu showed a barely perceptible smile on his lips:
"Li Zhoumu can't save his life, but a loyal army can!"
(End of this chapter)
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