"An imperial decree from the capital?"
Li Xin was stunned.
Unexpectedly, an imperial decree arrived from the capital.
It seems that Li Ming has finally had enough. Since his schemes have failed, is he going to resort to open tactics?
"Go and invite Mr. Zhao and Mr. Liu over."
Li Xin was not in a hurry and gave instructions.
Zhao Bingzhang and Liu Jingxuan are also the two strategists in Dongning today.
Things like imperial decrees from the capital naturally need to be discussed beforehand.
Before long, Zhao Bingzhang arrived at the Prince Xin's residence. After learning about the situation, he frowned and said, "Your Highness, we will meet force with force and water with earth."
Let's go see what the imperial edict from the capital is about first, and then we can discuss it further.
"Uh-huh."
Li Xin nodded and said, "Mr. Zhao, you go and receive the imperial decree on my behalf. Just say that I am not in Dongning City!"
"good!"
Zhao Bingzhang agreed and then went with Liu Jingxuan, who had just arrived at the Prince Xin's residence, to receive the imperial decree.
Less than half an hour later, Zhao Bingzhang and Liu Jingxuan returned.
In Zhao Bingzhang's hand, there was also a roll of yellow silk.
Upon entering the room, Zhao Bingzhang handed the imperial edict to Li Xin and said, "Your Highness, the capital has indeed made its move."
"How so?"
Li Xin accepted the imperial edict and asked a question.
"Your Highness,"
Zhao Bingzhang replied, "They said from the capital that after autumn, the grassland bandits threatened the border, and the borders in Liaodong, Yanshan, Shuofang and other places were not peaceful. The court issued an edict to dispatch soldiers from various provinces to the border to resist the grassland bandits."
The imperial decree ordered Dongning to send 10,000 troops to Liaodong to await orders.
Furthermore, the decree also instructed Dongning to supply artillery and muskets to the soldiers of various provinces in order to jointly resist the bandits of the grasslands.
"Um?"
Li Xin was stunned and said, "Those people in the capital are certainly making pretty good plans!"
With a single decree, they want to strip half of our Dongning army of its power.
Moreover, they also want to take away our muskets and cannons.
hehe! "
Li Xin sneered repeatedly, his expression changing.
"well!"
Zhao Bingzhang sighed helplessly and said, "The imperial decree is justified, so this time it will be very difficult for us to deal with it."
"Your Highness, today's matter is indeed a bit tricky!"
Li Xin naturally understood Zhao Bingzhang's words.
No matter which clause in the imperial decree was correct, it was difficult to refute.
The Prince's Guard in Dongning numbered only about 20,000.
If the imperial court suddenly strips half of its troops, how will Dongning protect itself?
In addition, there are muskets and cannons, which are Dongning's trump cards, so how could they be handed over casually?
This matter is indeed a bit tricky.
"Your Highness,"
At this moment, Zhao Bingzhang squinted and said, "As the saying goes, one must be placed in a desperate situation to survive."
Right now, we're in a dead end.
In the capital, how could one meal a day be enough to fill one's stomach?
If they agree to this, who knows what kind of decree will be issued next time.
It's like adding fuel to the fire; the fire won't go out until the fuel is exhausted!
Therefore, we might as well go all the way and just…
As he spoke, Zhao Bingzhang stared at Li Xin and said, "Let's break ties directly."
"Your Highness,"
Zhao Bingzhang continued, "Now, we have enough chips on our hands."
Whether it was Li Ming killing his father or the navy impersonating pirates, there is now irrefutable evidence.
Moreover, the sales and influence of the Jiangnan Daily in various provinces of the country are also very large!
As long as the news is released, it will definitely occupy the top spot in public opinion in a short period of time!
We can seize this opportunity to purge the court of corrupt officials and avenge the late emperor!
Listening to Zhao Bingzhang's words, Li Xin sat quietly in the room, remaining silent and not saying a word.
The candlelight flickered in the room, and Li Xin, Zhao Bingzhang, and Liu Jingxuan sat quietly without saying a word.
They all knew that breaking with the imperial court was still too difficult a decision.
We need to give Prince Xin some time to think about this matter carefully.
After a long while, Li Xin raised his head, looked at Zhao Bingzhang and Liu Jingxuan, and said, "Those who achieve great things should consider the overall situation."
The bigger the event, the less you should panic. You need to carefully consider every step to ensure everything is foolproof.
Especially now, as we are still relocating people from various provinces across the country, and everything is not yet ready, we cannot be in a hurry.
Moreover, even if the Jiangnan Daily were to spread these messages, it would still take time to prepare.
If the Jiangnan Daily makes this matter public, we will completely break with the imperial court. At that time, Qingyu Trading Company, Sunji Trading Company, and Jiangnan Newspaper will all find it difficult to establish themselves in the provinces of Daqian Kingdom.
We need to think these things through carefully.
In particular, ensuring the safe evacuation of the personnel serving Dongning is also very important.
And after the break, our work to appease the people of Dongning, logistical preparations, military deployment, and how to fight, etc.
Only when all these things are prepared will we have the right and the ability to break with each other!
Mr. Zhao, Mr. Liu, I hope to complete all the preparations as soon as possible!
It's already autumn, and in a while, it will snow in Dongning, and the mountains will be closed off by heavy snow.
When the time comes, the road will be treacherous, and we can use these reasons to postpone our trip for a while.
Hopefully, everything will be ready by next spring!
"Your Highness, we understand!"
Zhao Bingzhang nodded and said, "I'll start preparing right away!"
At this moment, Zhao Bingzhang also saw the prince's thoughtfulness.
This also brought him some comfort.
After all, breaking with the imperial court would be a one-way street, and it would be difficult to calm down again until a victor was decided.
Such matters naturally require utmost caution!
However, Zhao Bingzhang was certain of one thing: His Highness would not hand over the muskets and cannons for no reason, as these would be the foundation upon which Dongning Province would defend itself!
Thinking about it this way, Zhao Bingzhang felt somewhat gratified.
Three days later, Zhao Bingzhang drafted a memorial in response to the imperial decree from the capital.
The imperial decree stipulated that he would accept the court's orders.
However, it also mentioned the current predicament of Dongning City: it is located in a remote area and has limited food supplies.
We hope the imperial court can allocate five million strings of cash for military pay and one million shi of grain for military provisions.
Only in this way can we set off.
Asking for an exorbitant price!
Only in this way can we have a back-and-forth exchange with the imperial court and discuss things several times.
Once the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, even if the imperial court agrees to these conditions, the Prince's guards will not be able to leave!
In addition to this "delaying" tactic, Qingyu Trading Company and Sunji Trading Company, located in various provinces of Dagang Kingdom, are also transferring employees.
In particular, Qingyu Trading Company and Jiangnan Newspaper Office are two intelligence agencies that are crucial to Dongning City.
The staff who served Dongning gradually began to leave Qingyu Trading Company and Jiangnan Newspaper Office, and went into hiding in various places.
Only in this way can these intelligence personnel be protected from being affected when a real break occurs!
Everything is being prepared.
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