The atmosphere in the tent was somewhat stagnant.
Jiang Ling narrowed his eyes dangerously. "The four major grain merchants are doing this to target the General's Mansion. They are deliberately forcing us to empty out all our gold and silver. In the future, we will have no choice but to beg them for grain."
"If it really comes to that, we will definitely owe them a favor. If we don't agree to whatever they want, there will be no way we will release the grain."
"They will then hold the handle, which will be a sharp blade stabbing the General's Mansion in the future. We must not take such a passive step."
Jiang Ziang scratched his head, feeling a little confused.
"Uh, big brother, what does this mean? It's okay if they restrict the sale of grain. We can negotiate the price with them."
"That's how business works. If they can make money, why not agree?"
Jiang Sheng muttered quietly, "If it were that simple, there would be no need to worry so much. The purpose of the four major grain merchants is to force the General's Mansion to compromise."
"If you do anything illegal in the future, the General's Mansion will stand in front of you and block it. They will get the benefits. If they don't agree, we will withhold food and starve the soldiers to death."
The two of them looked over at the same time. Jiang Sheng blinked his eyes, looking somewhat bewildered and innocent. "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
Jiang Ling looked at him with admiration in his eyes: "Yes, Xiaotong is right. There are three ways to break the current situation."
"First, the imperial court's grain arrives. That's the best. Second, find the four major grain merchants and negotiate a low price. Third, find where they store the grain and...rob it secretly. It won't cost a penny."
Jiang Ziang's mouth twitched and he looked at him in disbelief.
"Brother, how can you say rob?"
"If this is discovered, the reputation of the General's Mansion will be ruined, and we will completely offend the four major grain merchants. Buying grain from us will be impossible in the future."
Jiang Ling glanced at him calmly and said calmly, "I know, that's why I said the first way is the best, but the problem is that it's too late, and the soldiers can't wait any longer."
"As for the second option, we'll discuss it after Father and Commander discuss it. If the four major grain merchants take advantage of the opportunity to attack us, then we'll take the third option."
"They dare to do this now, they must have some backing. They must have hidden a lot of food somewhere else. If they secretly got it, what can they do without evidence?"
“……!!”
Jiang Sheng buttoned the corner of his clothes, his eyes becoming more complicated.
In fact, there is a fourth way to go, which is to take out the food in the space, find someone to disguise as a grain merchant, and negotiate directly with the military camp, but it will be difficult to get away in this way.
Neither this nor that works. It’s so annoying.
It would be great if we could plant the food in the woods and let them find and harvest it themselves. That way, we could help our brother and we wouldn't have to worry about getting away...
Jiang Ling finished his chicken soup and waved his hand: "Second brother, go back first. I'll think of a good solution. For the time being, send more people to buy food. Buy as much as you can."
"Also, ask Leng Feng Chengxia to come over. I have something to tell them."
Jiang Ziang hummed and stood up: "I know, big brother, I'll go find someone right away. You're not well yet, so go get some rest."
After everyone left, Jiang Ling looked at the people cleaning up nearby with a questioning look in his eyes: "I didn't expect that Doctor Mo actually knew so much about what was happening in the city."
Seeing his doubt, Jiang Sheng raised his head and looked at him, his expression calm and said: "I often go to the city, and people often talk about it in those teahouses. I naturally understand it after listening to it many times."
"The Major General mentioned the third way. I might be able to help. The poor are most concerned about food. If there's one place with the most up-to-date information, it's naturally among the beggars."
"…What does this mean?"
Jiang Ling's mind raced, and he instantly came up with a guess. He stared at him intently, "Doctor Mo, you mean those beggars know where the four major grain merchants hide their grain."
Jiang Sheng nodded: "Even if we don't know the exact address, we can probably determine it."
"There are beggars everywhere in this city. If the four major grain merchants are hiding grain, it would be impossible to hide it. As long as we get some clues and find the grain storage, there will be hope."
"If they know what's good for them, then the deal will be done. If they try to take advantage of their misfortune, then we can steal their food to teach them a lesson. We always need to be more prepared."
Jiang Ling looked at him deeply and nodded: "You have a point. I will arrange for someone to find out as soon as possible. If it succeeds, you will have made a great contribution."
Jiang Sheng smiled a little embarrassedly and whispered, "Nothing, I like to drink on weekdays, and I like to daydream when I'm bored. I don't know if it will work yet."
"Well, thank you, Dr. Mo."
Leng Feng Chengxia came over soon. Jiang Ling arranged everything and got up to go find his father.
A soldier came in and whispered, "Major General, the Marshal wants to see you. He said he has something important to discuss."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
"Doctor Mo, please wait in the tent. I'll be back soon."
Jiang Sheng nodded and sat obediently on the chair waiting. He waited for two hours and his stomach was rumbling with hunger, but his brother still didn't come back.
I suddenly felt a little uneasy. What could take so long to discuss? Could something else have happened?
No, he has to go and take a look.
Jiang Sheng arrived outside the main tent, but was stopped before he could even get close. The guards shouted, "Doctor Mo, you are not allowed to come near us, or else don't blame us for being rude."
"...I don't mean anything else. I'm just worried about the Major General's health. I wonder if they have any food."
"No, we will have dinner after the discussion is over."
At this moment, there was a bang from inside, the sound of porcelain breaking, and a loud voice rang out: "Damn, those bandits are so bold."
"They dared to rob the imperial court's food and supplies. Let me go and meet them. It's a good thing to suppress the bandits."
Jiang Baichuan frowned and shook his head: "The bandits in Longhu Mountain are difficult to suppress. Not only is the terrain on the mountain steep, but they are also scattered. How can we suppress them?"
"Even if we send tens of thousands of soldiers, if they disperse into the mountains and get lost or encounter wild animals, you can imagine what will happen. It's not that easy."
"How could the government just sit there and do nothing? There's nothing they can do about it. In the past, Longhu Mountain Stronghold never robbed military rations. Why did it change this year?"
General Wang was a man of bad temper. He didn't care what happened in Longhu Mountain Stronghold. He always robbed the army's rations, which was forcing the soldiers. How could they fight like this?
"Marshal, what do you mean by this? If we do nothing, won't they become even more daring in the future? Then all the imperial food and supplies will be robbed, and how can we continue the war?"
Jiang Ling pondered for a moment and said softly, "Where are the spies? Are you sure it was the Dragon and Tiger Village that did it?"
General Wang snorted angrily, "Who else could it be if not them? The spies have reported back. They stole the food and ran away, leaving the officials who delivered it behind."
"So you didn't kill the imperial officials?"
"Well... not really. Perhaps they were afraid of offending the imperial court, so they didn't dare to kill the imperial officials. After all, if the imperial court really issued an order to suppress the bandits, at most it would just be a little more effort."
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