Even some ministers who were on good terms with the government were already whispering among themselves.

"What did you call us here for this time?"

"Could it be the same situation as last time?"

"If it's the same situation as last time, who will it be this time?"

"It's hard to guess. Anyway, we'll see the result soon. If it continues like this, even though the court is in peace, we'll still be worried!"

"Brother Wang, why should you be so scared? As long as you don't do anything wrong, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door. If you do something wrong, you will have to pay the price. I think Master Zhangyin did a good job in this matter!"

Different people naturally have different opinions, so different factions are formed.

In fact, Zhao Ji had been behind the screen in the imperial study, but he did not come out immediately. Instead, he observed for a while.

On the surface, these are the only people from the prime minister's lineage that Zhao Ji and his men know.

But in fact, Zhao Ji and the others all knew that the prime minister had been in the court for most of his life, and it was impossible that there were only a few names.

There must be some forces secretly belonging to the Prime Minister that have not been discovered.

This part is the intermediate force that the prime minister can truly mobilize.

This is also something Zhao Ji needs to be wary of.

After some observation, Zhao Ji had a few suspects.

Zhao Ji walked out from behind the screen with a happy smile on his face.

The other ministers greeted Zhao Ji one after another.

Zhao Ji sat down in the main seat without any hesitation, coughed, and took a sip of the tea beside him.

"I called you all here so suddenly today because I have something to tell you."

The court officials who were originally whispering to each other adjusted their expressions the moment Zhao Ji walked out.

At this moment, everyone was feeling anxious as if a cat was scratching its head, and everyone wanted to know what Zhao Ji was up to.

Zhao Ji paused for a long time before he said slowly, "A few days ago, I followed the emperor's order and secretly transferred General Yun Nishang to the battlefield in southern Xinjiang. Three days ago, that was the first day that General Yun Nishang led his troops to the battlefield..."

"He brought 100,000 troops and unexpectedly attacked the military camp in Southern Xinjiang, and directly burned all the food and grass stored by General Nanying!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a hint of joy appeared on the faces of all the ministers.

No one wants to be a minister of a fallen country. So when they heard the news, everyone was subconsciously happy.

No matter who went, it was the only good news during this period.

So soon these ministers all showed joy on their faces, and some of them began to ask for more detailed details.

Zhao Ji said nothing, but smiled faintly, looked at the ministers and said: "Because the general's battle plan is currently confidential, I can only tell you a little bit. As for the more detailed details, you need to wait!"

These ministers, immersed in joy, did not have to listen to this.

Some ministers who had been suppressed for a long time asked cautiously: "So can we really win the battle this time? Is it possible to take back all the cities we lost before?"

Before Zhao Ji could answer, an excited minister next to him slapped the minister who asked the question.

"What do you mean by possible or not? It's necessary! We must take back all the cities we lost before!"

Zhao Ji gave these ministers some time to calm down.

Then he continued, "I'm afraid you all know how difficult our previous war was. Now if we rely on General Yun alone to recapture all the lost cities, I'm afraid it will be very difficult!"

"I hope that during this special period, everyone can work together to do their best to ensure that food and fodder can be transported to the front line!"

"Besides, because of various situations in the past period of time, the national treasury is a little insufficient. This time, I called everyone here, actually hoping that you can do your best to help!"

"I know that all the ministers have elderly parents and young children to take care of, but the front line is indeed short of food and clothing. If you can contribute something, or think of some other ways, Zhao will be very grateful, and the emperor will remember your contributions."

In fact, delivering the good news was secondary. The most important thing was that Zhao Ji wanted these wealthy ministers to say something.

Zhao Ji had investigated very clearly and found out that most of the ministers present had shops at home.

Nowadays, because of the war, the price of food in the city remains high.

The shops owned by these ministers stocked a lot of grain.

They probably planned to wait until the grain price was high before selling it. In Zhao Ji's opinion, this was tantamount to making money from the war and the national disaster.

Zhao Ji apparently asked them to find a solution today, but in fact he was also trying to put pressure on them.

The grain in the capital city has been marked at an astonishing price.

Zhao Ji knew without sending anyone to check that in places far away from the capital, the price of food was probably extremely high.

If this situation is allowed to continue, the people will not have enough food to eat.

When that happens, people will be displaced, which will further delay the development of agriculture.

I'm afraid that in the end all the money will flow to these ministers, while the ones who will be displaced are the ordinary people.

So even if the battle was won, what would it matter in such a situation? The people were hungry and cold, and they would naturally be dissatisfied with the court.

You must know that there is still a prime minister hiding in the dark.

If the Prime Minister recruits soldiers and secretly provokes these refugees, I'm afraid it will be bad.

By that time, there will be constant uprisings in various places, and who can know what kind of trouble the prime minister will eventually get into?

Zhao Ji has always known that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

That’s why what happened today happened.

Of course, if it weren’t for the victory on the front line, these ministers would have seen the hope of victory.

These old foxes won't donate money and food readily.

Although none of them wants to be a vassal of a fallen country, none of them wants to be a refugee even more.

"Ministers, please go back and think carefully. Every bit of strength you contribute will become a factor in future victory on the battlefield. If you are still loyal to the court, you will know what to do!"

Having said that, Zhao Ji touched the imperial sword beside him with a smile.

If you want to be loyal to the court, you must make some contributions. If you don't want to make contributions, and just hold on to the money and food and drive up the price of food, then in Zhao Ji's eyes, you will definitely be considered disloyal to the court.

The ministers have seen the consequences of being disloyal to the court some time ago.

The blood splattered across five steps and the body was torn apart!

Zhao Ji believed that these ministers would choose the result that would benefit them!