20demayo Chapter 262 Discussion! The Prince's Abnormality...
Chapter 262 Discussion! The Prince's Abnormality...
"Tell me!"
When Gu Jingzhi heard that Lin Feng had a solution, he was immediately shocked.
Lin Feng said, "What the Marquis is worried about is that the news will be leaked out, which is very likely to affect the strategic intentions of our army and even let the enemy guess our intentions!"
"However, with the two sides at war, the border is naturally closed, and these merchants can no longer travel freely!"
"When the time comes, we can use the name of war to impose certain restrictions on merchants!"
Lin Feng was halfway through his words when Gu Jingzhi shook his head. He said with some disappointment, "I'm afraid that won't work. As the saying goes, food and fodder go before troops move. With an army of hundreds of thousands, their food and fodder and weapons will be innumerable. They will have to be transported to Ningzhou first, and then distributed from Ningzhou!"
"If someone were to discover our army's food and fodder transfer, our intentions would likely be revealed. Even if war were to break out in the northwest, our army would inevitably be ill-prepared!"
“That’s not difficult!”
Lin Feng said, "Transporting food and fodder this way is just a routine method! However, the army will always carry a certain amount of food and fodder when going to war. The court can first prepare the army's subsequent food and fodder. When the war begins and the border is closed, the food and fodder will quickly reach Ningzhou by water!"
"We in Ningzhou only need to build a military dock and secretly store food and fodder without being discovered!"
"This one……"
Gu Jingzhi was a little worried.
This strategy sounds good at first glance, but it carries great risks.
There is no problem in transporting food by water, but food cannot be stored on board for a long time. The river surface is humid, and if the food is stored for too long, it will easily go bad!
These were not things that Gu Jingzhi and his team should have considered, but once this method was reported to the court, they had no choice but to come up with a corresponding solution.
Of course, Lin Feng’s strategy is the best at the moment.
Gu Jingzhi thought for a moment and said, "If we implement this method, we have to solve two problems!"
"First, the food and fodder must not be left on the river for too long, otherwise it will have spoiled by the time it arrives!"
"Secondly, where should we build this dock, and where should we store our food and fodder?"
"My Lord, the storage of food and fodder is easy to find!"
Lin Feng smiled and said, "When I led troops to suppress bandits earlier, I discovered a very secret valley in Lianyun Mountain. With a little repair on this road, it will be large enough for the army to transport food and fodder!"
"We just need to use the excuse of military training to build a military camp there, which will conceal our activities from the public!"
Is that so?
Gu Jingzhi thought for a moment and said, "Now that we've solved the problem of where to store food and grass, what about the first problem?"
First……
Liu Sandao said, "My Lord, if you're worried about a possible shortage of food for the army...it's actually not that difficult! We've just finished the autumn harvest, and our Ningzhou treasury is well stocked. We can definitely use the grain from Ningzhou first!"
"As long as we can hold out for this period of time, once the military rations arrive, we can return them to the treasury. This way, we can avoid the danger of the army running out of food in the early stages!"
When Gu Jingzhi heard this, his eyes lit up immediately.
It can be said that he was too worried, as he had so much food in his hands but was completely unaware!
Ningzhou is different from other prefectures. The grain stored in the treasuries of other prefectures is all tax grain collected from the people. However, since most of the land in Ningzhou is newly reclaimed, the imperial court not only exempted it from taxes for this year, but most importantly, all the grain belongs to the government.
After all, those people are still guilty, so Gu Jingzhi only needs to ensure that they do not starve to death and there will be no problem at all.
To be honest, the food he has now is enough to feed the people who are guilty for a year. Even if it is used to supply 300,000 troops at the border, it can last for three months.
This is because these lands have just been reclaimed. If he can give them another two or three years, he will have no problem feeding the border troops.
Of course, this is just talk.
After all, in two years, the people will be freed from their crimes, and these lands will be distributed to them. The court can only collect taxes according to the law, and by then there will not be so much food!
Gu Jingzhi thought for a moment and said, "It's still some time before winter arrives, so the foreign armies probably won't be heading south so quickly. I'll write a memorial to the court shortly, and we'll proceed according to this plan!"
"For the next period of time, Lin Feng, you will lead the people to build the military camp. Lord Liu and Lord Wu, please cooperate. I have only one request... Absolute confidentiality!"
"Don't worry, my lord!"
Liu Sandao and Lin Feng agreed with a smile.
Liu Sandao, on the other hand, asked hesitantly, "Sir, a war is about to break out here. When the border is sealed, merchants from outside will definitely not be able to get in!"
"It's not so bad for us in Daxia. We can just stockpile the goods in Ningzhou. But if the goods they purchase from other regions are not allowed to enter, I'm afraid Ningzhou will be the only one affected in the end!"
As the Tongpan of Ningzhou, he saw Ningzhou getting better day by day, and his mind was full of Ningzhou's future. When he suddenly heard about the war, his first consideration was still the interests of Ningzhou.
However, he was definitely overthinking this!
Wu Xiang said, "Lord Liu has lived in the capital for a long time, but he doesn't know that these merchants travel all over the country, and they are well aware of the intrusion of foreign tribes on the border!"
"Every year before winter, they stop traveling in and out of the border to avoid being burdened by war. Don't worry, sir. They don't need us to worry at all!"
"..."
Ok!
Liu Sandao had never been to the northwest, so he wasn't entirely clear on the situation there. He smiled awkwardly and said, "If it weren't for Lord Wu's reminder, I wouldn't have known about this situation!"
Gu Jingzhi smiled and said, "You are also worried and confused. It is a good thing to worry too much. At least it can reduce the probability of accidents. However..."
"Even if this is as you wish, we cannot reveal a single word to the outside world. This concerns the safety of our country, and some sacrifices are unavoidable!"
Liu Sandao remained silent after hearing this.
Gu Jingzhi said, "Now that this matter has been decided, let's proceed accordingly! Also, the grain in Ningzhou needs to be stored and counted as soon as possible. We don't have much time left!"
"..."
After finishing his official business, Gu Jingzhi wanted to return to the inner courtyard, but then he realized that he hadn't visited the prince's family for a long time...
He thought about it and left the government office directly!
Ever since Qu Feiyan sent the message last time, there has been no abnormality in the reports from the prince, and Gu Jingzhi is somewhat worried.
It’s not that he doesn’t trust Qu Feiyan and her subordinates, but this matter is too strange.
Jin Lehuang couldn't just talk about it. So much time has passed, but there is no movement at all. He would be worried if he didn't go and take a look in person!
……
Gu Jingzhi picked up some cakes and came to the courtyard where the prince lived.
As soon as I entered, I saw a few children playing in the yard. When they saw Gu Jingzhi coming, the little kids surrounded him and called him "Teacher".
Zhou Quan, the eldest son of the prince's family, was the first to ask, "Teacher, are you here to see my father?"