Chapter 458: Getting Something for Nothing
"My daughter, do you think we can take this opportunity to ask the court for some benefits?" Lu Desheng had an idea in his mind.
Lu Songli gave him a thumbs up and said, "Dad, you are awesome." This move was completely a way to get something for nothing.
Lu Desheng was proud, "Then what should we ask for? How about iron ore." When he was the governor of Liaodong County, he was short of iron ore. Now he is the governor of Pingzhou, and he is still short of iron ore. There is always a shortage of this thing.
"You can try."
When Prince Gong met Lü Desheng again, Lü Desheng smiled and said, "Prince Gong, have you decided to stay until after the autumn harvest? It's inconvenient to stay in restaurants and inns all the time. I've arranged for a separate courtyard."
Prince Gong: "Don't bother, I will leave for Chang'an the day after tomorrow."
Lu Desheng was surprised, "Don't stay longer..."
Prince Gong: No, no, no, he refused.
"Okay, whatever you say." Lu Desheng felt regretful and helpless, as if he was treating a naughty and disobedient younger generation in his family.
The helpless yet doting words made Prince Gong feel nauseous.
"Prince Gong, I have thought about it all night and decided to agree to the court's request." Lu Desheng had an expression of sudden enlightenment on his face.
"What?" The surprise came too suddenly, and Prince Gong was stunned.
Lu Desheng continued, "My family advised me that contributing more grain would benefit the country and the people."
"Lord Lu, are you telling the truth?" Prince Gong suspected that he had not woken up yet. Was there really a sudden turn of events?
"It's true. You underestimate me. Even if you say it's for the sake of the late emperor, I can't refuse."
"I'm glad you figured it out." Prince Gong looked relieved.
"Prince Gong, we are so well behaved. Shouldn't the court give us some rewards?" Lu Desheng asked with a licking face.
"What reward?" Prince Gong was confused again.
"For example, allocate more iron ore to Pingzhou?"
"Isn't the amount allocated to you every year enough?" Prince Gong asked doubtfully.
"That's not enough, come on, follow me."
Lu Desheng took him directly to see their new agricultural tools in Pingzhou.
Prince Gong followed Lu Desheng to several households and saw that almost every household had one or two new farm tools.
"As the saying goes, sharpening the knife doesn't delay the chopping of wood. You also said that our Pingzhou harvest is good this year, and that's all thanks to them." Lu Desheng said, and he swung the hoe into the mud twice. "Look, isn't it working well?"
As he said this, Lu Desheng handed him the hoe, wanting him to try it.
Prince Gong quickly refused. The blade of the hoe was shining coldly and looked very sharp.
"Come, let me show you this big thing." This time, Lu Desheng showed him a pedal thresher. "This thing is especially useful for threshing sorghum, wheat, and rice."
After a tour, Prince Gong finally knew where the iron ore in Pingzhou was used.
"Prince Gong, when you return to the palace, remember to say a few good words for me. If the iron ore is allocated sooner, we can also produce more farm tools."
Prince Gong was helpless. "Even if the court approved it, it wouldn't be shipped to Pingzhou so quickly, right?"
Lu Desheng suggested a solution. "You could suggest that the emperor issue an edict to the governor of Youzhou, asking him to give the iron ore to us in Pingzhou first. We can return it to him after the court allocates it. We won't despise him."
Prince Gong: "That's not how things are done."
As for Lu Desheng, he could only say that he was amazing.
"The autumn harvest is important. If the farm tools arrive sooner, we can harvest the grain sooner and pay taxes sooner, right?"
Prince Gong: That’s what I said, but…
"But what you just said makes sense. The court is too slow. So, aren't you leaving the day after tomorrow? I'll come with you and give you a ride. When we pass by the Youzhou Governor's mansion, can you please ask him to transfer the iron ore he has to me first?"
Prince Gong was numb: "...Isn't this bad?"
Lu Desheng was surprised. "I thought Prince Gong was wholeheartedly serving the Emperor and the court, and would definitely do his best." Now you're not willing to do something that's just a simple request? He looked like he had misjudged you.
Prince Gong was restless.
"Actually, I don't have that much face. The Governor of Youzhou may not agree." This was Prince Gong's final struggle.
"Prince Gong, you're being too modest, aren't you? It's settled. We'll set off together the day after tomorrow." Lu Desheng stood up and muttered, "We're about to leave. Time is running out. No, I have to go pack my luggage. Hey, Prince Gong, why are you still here? Is there anything else?"
Even when Prince Gong returned to the restaurant where he was staying, he still looked dazed.
The subordinate hurriedly asked with concern.
After learning the whole conversation, I was speechless.
On the day of departure, early in the morning, as soon as they went downstairs, they saw Lu Desheng and his men waiting there.
"Prince Gong, come quickly. I brought you breakfast. Eat something hot and you can set off."
Prince Gong has become numb and has given up struggling. Let it be!
…
While Lu Desheng was entertaining Prince Gong, the Qin brothers led their soldiers to defend the dangerous checkpoints in Pingzhou.
Qin Sheng is in charge of Longcheng.
He is busy with his confidants at this moment.
Zhu Dazhuang, Chen Jinlong, Gao Lei, Ding Han, Yan Tianqing and others were all there. They dug holes and buried things according to his requirements while whispering to each other.
"Tell me, how did he come up with such a mean trick?" Lu Dayou muttered as he buried things in the ground.
Chen Jinlong worked briskly. "Don't worry about how you came up with this idea. Just tell me if it works, right?"
Lu Dayou didn't answer, but Zhu Dazhuang did. "With my thirty years of experience in slaughtering pigs, it must work!"
"Lord Lu has given Master Liu a mission: to ensure that the Xianbei army never returns."
"Is this difficult?" The speaker was Yan Tianqing, who was usually relatively silent. The others did not say anything. They were not so optimistic because they had been living in Pingzhou and had witnessed the brutality of the Xianbei army.
"Sixth Master said that if we operate properly and inflict heavy damage on their cavalry, we should be able to do it." Zhu Dazhuang was quite optimistic. They had been stationed in the northern border before, facing brutal foreigners. Both sides had won and lost, but because of the Qin family, they had been firmly guarding the northern border and had not allowed foreigners to move south for so many years.
Lu Dayou picked up a piece of something, stuck it into the soil, and said viciously, "Yes, at the very least, we must destroy their cavalry." They have few cavalry in Pingzhou, so this is fair.
Qin Sheng returned from his inspection and took a look at their progress, finding it acceptable. He once again surveyed the area, which he had carefully selected after repeated surveys, and found it ideal for ambushing the cavalry.
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