knife

Chapter 357 As you wish

Li Dachui sat behind his desk with a sullen face.

In front of him, Zhang Qingyun's face still bore traces of tears.

Wu De's most trusted subordinate, deputy general Ye Tao, along with Luo Liang and Luo Ying, all looked terrified, standing with their heads bowed to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Li Dachui rarely gets angry.

What most people see is his kind and approachable side.

Even Zhang Qingyun was seeing Li Dachui so furious for the first time.

The cause was Zhang Qingyun's previous arrangements with Luo Liang and others regarding the grain at Yongfeng Granary.

If the grain could not be held, Zhang Qingyun ordered Luo Liang and others to destroy it by any means necessary. To this end, he even transferred several spies skilled in poisons from the White Tiger Brigade to serve under Luo Liang.

Neither Ye Tao nor Luo Liang and Luo Ying had much resistance to these methods.

Or rather, it doesn't matter.

Although I felt a little regretful.

But in Li Dachui's view, such methods are highly undesirable.

Or perhaps it's because these people have never experienced hunger since childhood.

Zhang Qingyun is a well-known socialite in Beijing.

Ye Tao also came from a wealthy family.

Luo Liang and Luo Ying were powerful local figures with manors and strongholds outside the Great Wall.

They have never gone hungry since they were children.

Or perhaps they have never experienced the hardships of life.

Although Li Dachui was in better condition than them, he had seen people go hungry, and he himself had indeed gone hungry.

That was when he was a teenager and Zhou Zhi threw him into the desert to make a living.

The feeling of being so hungry that your stomach is practically touching your back is truly unbearable.

Moreover, at this time, evil thoughts would arise, and sometimes he would have some ideas that even he himself found shocking.

There are many ways to avoid aiding the enemy.

The effect is far better and more sophisticated than methods like poisoning or arson that destroy food.

"General Ye!" Li Dachui's expression softened slightly when he looked at Ye Tao. After all, Ye Tao wasn't his direct subordinate, so he had to give him some face.

"Protector!" Ye Tao stepped forward and bowed.

His attitude was extremely humble.

Even his superior, Wu De, who was also his mentor, treated Li Dachui with utmost respect, let alone himself.

Moreover, through Wu De, he also learned more about Li Dachui's strength.
This is someone who truly has a chance to go all the way.

To be able to stand before Li Dachui at this moment and receive his personal command is a matter of fate and opportunity. It would be foolish not to seize it.

Once Li Dachui succeeds in the future, my humble family will be able to rise to prominence overnight.

“Yongfeng Granary is of great importance; it is the Achilles' heel of Tongguan and also the Achilles' heel of Chang’an!” Li Dachui said. “Of course, if we hold it firmly, it will be a powerful ally. Right now, Yongfeng Granary is short of troops. Li Guohua is preparing to launch a large-scale offensive in Henan, which has put Wei Yi under great tension. He won’t have much energy to pay attention to Yongfeng Granary, so Yongfeng Granary is short of troops. That’s why we need you to go there.”

Ye Tao nodded.

“Wei Zhengdao and I have already agreed that after you go there, the defense of Yongfeng Warehouse will be mainly under your command, and the original Imperial Guards will return to Hedong County! Only some local county soldiers will remain there.”

Ye Tao said, "Guardian, Dean Zhang has analyzed with us that the large-scale offensive that Li Guohua is preparing to launch in the Henan direction is very likely a feint. Linghu Ye's real target is actually Chang'an and Yongfeng Granary!"

Li Dachui glanced at Zhang Qingyun and said, "It's highly likely that so. However, in military strategy, the deceptive can be real, and the real can be deceptive. There are no fixed rules between the deceptive and the real, and it is generally based on strength. Li Guohua's strength in Henan is not bad, and there are reliable sources that he has most likely joined forces with the Chen family of Qi County and the Qin family of Donghai to launch a large-scale offensive, which is not difficult for him."

"The Protector-General means that even if Li Guohua launches a feint attack in the Henan direction, it could turn into a real attack if an opportunity arises," Ye Tao said.

“That’s right! Because Linghu Ye has the strength now!” Li Dachui sighed, “while we are truly lacking in strength.”

Ye Tao glanced at Zhang Qingyun beside him and thought to himself that his strength was indeed insufficient, so Dean Zhang's arrangement was not wrong. "Yongfeng Granary has plenty of grain. You should make full use of this. As soon as you arrive at Yongfeng Granary, open the granaries and distribute the grain. Recruit soldiers on a large scale. With grain, are you afraid of not being able to recruit soldiers?" Li Dachui said.

“Expanding the army is easy, but procuring weapons is difficult, and finding sufficiently experienced officers is even harder,” Ye Tao said. “We can’t let the Imperial Guards infiltrate so easily, and besides, the Imperial Guards themselves don’t have enough experienced officers!”

"The matter of weaponry will be handled by Qingyun in communication with the Ordnance Department!" Li Dachui said. "As for the officers, the entire White Tiger Brigade will be incorporated into the Inspection Brigade. In addition, a group of experienced combat personnel will soon return from beyond the Great Wall to join us. You know the Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong brothers, right?" Li Dachui asked.

"Are they both coming back?" Ye Tao was both surprised and delighted: "Of course I know them, and I'm quite on good terms with them."

“Over the years, those two brothers have seen many big scenes and fought many tough battles outside the Great Wall. They will come back to fight alongside you. This time, there are hundreds of experienced junior officers coming back with them,” Li Dachui said. “With them as the backbone, after a few battles, even rookies will become veterans!”

Upon hearing that strong reinforcements were on their way and that their weapons were in order, Ye Tao immediately became full of confidence.

"Furthermore, once you get there, make a good plan. Abandon all the granaries that are too far away to manage, and distribute all the grain to the surrounding people free of charge. As long as they can carry it, they can carry as much as they want!" Li Dachui said.

Ye Tao was taken aback. "Just move it anywhere?"

"Move it anywhere!" Li Dachui nodded.

Zhang Qingyun, standing to the side, retorted indignantly, "Protector, these common people can't protect this grain. Giving it to them is tantamount to aiding the enemy. In the dead of winter, it's difficult for the enemy to transport grain, so they will definitely requisition and seize grain on the spot. Giving it to the people who are powerless to protect themselves is the same as giving it to the enemy!"

“Sometimes, it’s better to look at things from a higher perspective!” Li Dachui said coldly. “We give the people grain, and Linghu Ye steals it from them. Comparing this giving and taking, who will the people support and who will oppose in the future? The people’s hearts and minds may seem intangible, but they actually have a huge impact. You must always remember the saying, ‘Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it!’”

"Yes, sir!" Ye Tao, Luo Liang, and Luo Ying all bowed and accepted the order.

Zhang Qingyun's tears fell like beads from a broken string.

"Feeling wronged?" Li Dachui asked coldly.

"No!" Zhang Qingyun shook her head and said, "It's just that I feel I haven't considered things thoroughly enough."

“It’s not your fault. After all, you come from a scholarly family and have never suffered hardship. You don’t know how precious food is, let alone how much it means to ordinary people!” Li Dachui said. “Everyone will be very busy for the next while, so let’s all do our jobs!”

"Don't worry, Protector-General, we will do our utmost to defend Yongfeng Warehouse and keep Linghu Ye out of Chang'an!" Li Dachui smiled and nodded, then got up, walked to the window, and opened it, letting in a rush of biting cold wind.

While everyone was still puzzled, Li Dachui said, "You all discuss what to do next. We have guests, and I need to go and greet them!"

To everyone's astonishment, Li Dachui had already disappeared from the room.

Backyard, gazebo.

A person was sitting there quietly.

As the wind stirred slightly, Li Dachui appeared outside the cool hall, stepped inside, and said with a smile, "Mr. Hong, are you well recovered from your injuries? Are you eager to have a proper match with me so soon?"

Hong Zhan chuckled, "The pill you gave me that day was incredibly effective; this injury has indeed healed. But even with my thick skin, I wouldn't dare ask you for money again!"

"It wouldn't hurt to exchange skills with each other!"

"Never mind, never mind." Hong Zhan waved his hand and said, "I just suddenly figured something out, so I came to ask you. That's just my personality; if I have doubts, I can't even sleep if I don't get the answers!"

"Mr. Hong, please ask!"

“Outside the east gate of Chang’an, the person who impersonated me and killed Crown Prince Li Tai must be you!” Jiang Zhan stared at Li Dachui and said.

“That’s right!” Li Dachui said frankly, “Since Mr. Hong has always been a friend of Prime Minister Wei, the debt for your help will naturally be placed on Prime Minister Wei!”

Hong Zhan glared at Li Dachui: "But I'm in a situation I can't clear my name even if I jump into the Yellow River. This is a huge problem for the Hong family. As long as I'm here, I can protect them, but what if I'm gone one day? Protector Li, we need to have a serious talk about this!"

Li Dachui laughed loudly: "Mr. Hong, if we win, will this matter even matter? Of course, it will be a malicious frame-up, someone impersonating you to kill someone."

"So, you're saying I have no choice but to help you?" Hong Zhan said, not without annoyance. "Only if you win can my Hong clan remain safe. If Linghu Ye and his group win, they will surely exterminate my entire Hong clan!"

"Why not the Wei family?"

Hong Zhan chuckled: "Although I'm not well-versed in politics, I can roughly figure it out. The Wei family is merely a tool you need, and only at this stage. Wei Zhengdao is certainly aware of this, but he has no other choice. In that case, why don't I just come directly to you?"

"Mr. Hong is insightful!" Li Dachui gave a thumbs up. "However, Mr. Hong can't openly entangle himself with me, as that would frighten Prime Minister Wei, which would be detrimental to our current cooperation!"

“My Hong family has retreated to Shu!” Hong Zhan said, “You can give them some good positions, and Prime Minister Wei will be at ease.”

“I understand, they are actually on our side!” Li Dachui said with a smile, “Then naturally, it is as you wish.”

(End of this chapter)