The attendant rolled his hands into a trumpet shape and shouted to the crowd below, "Mr. Li asks where these war horses came from."
Zhang Shixun looked up at the top of the city wall and shouted, "All these war horses are from the Tiansi Prison on Moutuogang... Stop the nonsense, where is Li Gang?"
Li Gang, standing on the top of the city wall, heard him call out his name. A frown rose on his forehead. He no longer cared about his identity and asked loudly, "I am Li Gang, Zhang Shixun, what do you want?"
"Oh! What a coincidence... Li Xiang, I was just looking for you."
"What do you want me for?"
"It's a long story."
"Then I'll make it short."
"My right eyelid has been twitching constantly these past few days. I counted on my fingers and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat..."
Li Gang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "There are so many people in the city, and you're telling fortunes here?"
Zhang Shixun continued, "The Jin soldiers are launching a massive attack on the Song Dynasty and are about to cross the Yellow River. Logically, we should fortify our defenses and clear the fields, leaving not a single grain or horse for the enemy. However, I've calculated and discovered that the Tiansijian (Heavenly Stele Guards) is completely unattended. There are tens of thousands of horses and mountains of fodder there. If the Jin soldiers seized them, they would probably wake up laughing in their sleep... Prime Minister Li, you've just taken the position and are so busy with government affairs. Surrounding you are those who are servile and idle, and no one reminded you to move the horses from the Tiansijian."
Li Gang felt his face getting slightly hot. Even if no one reminded him, he should still have thought about a place like Tiansi Prison.
Looking at the herd of horses below, Li Gang broke out in a cold sweat.
As Zhang Shixun said, if these horses fell into the hands of the Jin soldiers, it would undoubtedly increase the strength of the Jin soldiers.
Zhang Shixun continued, "Now that I've thought of this, I want to help the country. Due to limited manpower, I've summoned the people of Zhangxiaozhuang and Gaolaozhuang to rush to Moutuogang overnight."
He pointed at Old Hu and said, "Fortunately, this Hu Majian is very understanding and took decisive measures without receiving any orders from the court. He cooperated with me to drive the war horses of the Tiansijian here..."
Li Gang nodded, thinking to himself that he was lucky.
"What's that smoke over there?"
"There was too much fodder in the Tiansi Prison, too few people, and not enough time to move it. So, I made the decision on my own to burn it all down."
Li Gang slapped the wall and couldn't help shouting, "This fire is great!"
"Prime Minister Li, all the war horses are here. Please send someone to receive them."
"Okay!" Li Gang quickly sent someone out of the city to take over.
When Li Gang finished his work and looked down at the city, Zhang Shixun and his men had already left.
Looking at the black dot in the distance, Li Gang felt mixed emotions.
He was reserved about Zhang Shixun.
Although Zhang Shixun was said to be a miraculous figure in the capital, with claims of being able to summon thunder from heaven, hold a heavenly book, and move to fairyland, Li Gang did not believe any of it.
Over the years, there have been too many "virtuous and noble men" around the retired emperor, and it was finally proved that these people were all swindlers.
As a Confucian disciple, Li Gang rejects everything related to ghosts and gods from the bottom of his heart.
After the retired emperor abdicated, he specifically reminded him to be wary of Zhang Shixun and never use him unless absolutely necessary. Even if he had to be used, he should not be allowed to touch military power.
After Emperor Qinzong ascended the throne, Li Bangyan mentioned that Zhang Shixun had great abilities and could be used by the court, but Zhao Huan did not give a direct answer. For some reason, he did not seem to like Zhang Shixun.
An attendant hurriedly climbed up to the top of the city wall and handed Li Gang a note, "This is what Zhang Tianshi wrote to you before he left."
Li Gang took the note and opened it. There were only four words scribbled on it: "People outside the city."
He understood it at a glance. This was a reminder for him to move the people outside the city into the city.
Tokyo City was very prosperous and densely populated. It was difficult for poor people to find a place to stay in the city, so they just built a straw hut outside the city as a shelter. Over time, the population gradually increased. It is roughly estimated that there were no less than 10,000 households, with a total of about 100,000 people.
It was a bit difficult to move all these people into the city. First, there was no place to accommodate them, and second, it was not easy to manage them.
Li Gang didn't take this matter to heart. With the enemy troops approaching, he really didn't have the energy to be distracted by such trivial matters.
Zhang Shixun returned to Zhang Xiaozhuang happily.
Wang Dong was sitting in his living room drinking tea. Seeing him come back, he laughed and said, "This time we have quite a harvest. We got a thousand war horses at once. They are all fat and strong. Our farm is almost full of them."
Zhang Shixun said, "These horses look strong, but they are just for show. They are good for show but not for use."
"How do you say it?"
"The difference between war horses and ordinary horses can be described as a world of difference. War horses have very strict requirements for both breed and breeding environment. Take the breeding environment at the Tiansi Prison in Kaifeng, for example. Without enough grassland for them to run, it's difficult to unleash their potential. Horses raised in this way can't even run fast. They're like lions and tigers in the zoo, but they're more docile than kittens when you take them out for a walk."
"So, these horses are useless and can't be used as war horses?"
"It can only be used as a trail horse or a pack horse, not as a charging horse."
"It's better than nothing. These horses are free money anyway." Wang Dong is very open-minded.
Zhang Shixun picked up the teapot and drank from the spout.
Wang Dong looked at him in surprise and asked, "You...you always drink tea from the spout?"
"Yeah! At home, there's no need to be so particular."
Wang Dong looked at the teacup in his hand, threw it away with a wave of his hand, stood up and walked out, "I am so blind that I would associate with a rough guy like you."
Zhang Shixun called out to him from behind, "Hey! Don't go! The black beans we brought back are really good stuff. What are you going to do with them?"
Wang Dong didn't even turn around. "I've had them put it in the tunnel and stored. When we need large quantities of military rations in the future, we can take it out and make compressed dry rations."
After he left, Zhang Shixun returned to his small building.
Li Shishi, Liang Hongyu and Ding Dusai's family were sitting in the living room eating.
Ding Dusai smiled sweetly when he saw him come in, "Sir, when did you come back?"
"I just came home." Zhang Shixun greeted everyone present with a smile.
"You're back just in time. I just cooked a few dishes. Let's eat together."
"OK."
As soon as Zhang Shixun sat down, he saw Ding's father staring at him with an expression as if someone owed him eight hundred coins.
"Boy, I came to your house, don't you even offer me a drink?"
Mother Ding rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're such a fool! When you come to Shixun's house, can't you be more polite when you speak?"
Father Ding raised his beard and said, "So what if his family is his? Sooner or later, it will become our family."
There was something right in what he said, and Zhang Shixun liked to hear it.
"Uncle, you're here, so how can you not have some wine? I've already prepared some for you."
Zhang Shixun stood up and opened the closet. "Look, these are all Gao Lao Zhuang liquors, from high to low-end... Oh! We even have the highest-end Gao Lao Zhuang tribute liquor, which only the emperor can drink. Would you like some?"
When Father Ding heard this, his eyes lit up, "Of course I want to drink it, bring it over quickly."
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