"Fourth! Fourth!"

Ji Fa hurriedly opened the door of the small courtyard and went straight to the north room.

Li Ping'an still heard the noise and was distracted from the performance of the Tianting Song and Dance Troupe. At the risk of being misunderstood by a group of Chang'e's that he didn't like this dance, he allowed this active mind to return to Ji Dan's body.

As expected, Ji Fa came here for the [Food Raising Order] issued by Emperor Xin.

Ji Fa sat behind the low table in the room, frowning at Ji Dan who was slowly making tea, and whispered: "How are we going to do this?"

"How did the other princes react?"

"It's a long journey. I don't know how the princes will react. Your Majesty only gives us a three-month deadline!"

Ji Fa said quickly:

"This season's millet has just been harvested, and the king's order to us, Xiqi, is to take almost 60% of the total amount we can harvest!

"As a result, our sergeants will be hungry every day, not to mention going out for battle, even if they are training in the military camp!"

Li Pingan raised his eyebrows slightly.

Di Xin's move was quite clever, the only drawback was that he was too impatient.

If this method is changed to boiling frogs in warm water and asking the princes to donate grain and grass every two years, many princes will be brought down by this method after ten years.

As for the name of each collection of grain and grass, you can find it at will.

"Fourth, what should we do?"

"Pay it forward," Li Ping'an said. "If you don't hand it over, do you still have to wait for the king to call?"

"Ah?" Ji Fa frowned and thought.

He stood up holding his knees and walked back and forth in the hut.

Li Ping'an sipped tea slowly and asked: "What did brother say?"

Ji Fa scolded: "Brother... Alas! Brother, he said that he must obey the king's order! Obey the king's order, obey the king's order. Once these grains and grass are handed over, will our soldiers be hungry next? How can we fight when we are hungry! Over there with the Qiang people

What if I call you!"

"Do you have a letter from father?"

"No letter yet."

"What's the hurry? I'll wait for the letter."

Li Pingan smiled and said:

"Second brother, let me teach you a trick. This one is relatively simple.

"Now Chaoge City has sent an envoy. Please report that the grain warehouse in the city is empty. The grain that has just been harvested has not been stored yet. It will take two months to collect it from various places. Later, the sufficient amount will be sent to the court.

Song.

"Then……"

"And then?"

"Then, wait and see if it rains. He can't keep it from raining for two months, right? If it rains once, it can be said that our millet was soaked in the rain while drying and was infected by mold. It will take two more

Yue continues to collect grain and grass, and this batch of spoiled grain and grass needs to be exchanged with the people."

Ji Fa blinked and vaguely realized something.

"Fourth brother, what do you mean..."

"Delay," Li Ping'an said with a smile, "it depends on the situation. If the eight hundred princes pay four hundred, then we will also pay. But if the eight hundred princes pay two hundred, then why should we join in the fun? This matter is really causing trouble.

We are also justified.”

"What's the point?"

"Second brother, practice martial arts less and think more!"

Li Pingan said helplessly:

"The share of grain and grass sent by the king to the princes in the four directions is different. Many princes not only contribute grain and grass, but also send troops, horses or slaves.

"Dong Bohou wants the most, followed by us, then Nan Bohou, and Bei Bohou is just interested.

"This is to worry not about scarcity but about inequality.

"The king just wants to support his direct lineage, suppress the various princes, and see if he can force one or two rebels. If he can force a moderately important prince to rebel, then he can set out with a large army, break down the city and plunder, and also serve as a source of great merchants.

Increase your energy."

He spoke for a moment, and then thought of his subsequent plan for the war in heaven.

It seems that, in terms of nature, it is also a robbery...

As if he had taken a reassurance, Ji Fa walked forward with a smile and sat opposite Li Ping'an.

"Okay, let's just put it off and I'll go find my brother to have a fight later!"

"Huh?" Li Ping'an wondered, "Are you still going to quarrel?"

"Forget it," Ji Fa sighed, "I have quarreled with my eldest brother many times. My eldest brother seems to be possessed by an evil spirit. He only thinks about how powerful Dashang is. Dashang is our benefactor, but we Zhou people are standing here, relying on

What we rely on is the military formation, we rely on the taming of animals, and we rely on the bravery of these men inside and outside Xiqi City! What did Dashang give us?"

Ji Fa's eyes were a little more determined.

He said slowly:

"On the contrary, when we followed the advice of the Great Shang envoy and moved from the northwest to the foot of Qishan Mountain, the Shang State did not give us a cart of food, but only gave us a title and used us to contain the tribes in the west.

"Then what?

"We catch and send sheep to the great merchants. We have to pay taxes every three years. If we have treasures, we have to give priority to the merchant country.

"My grandfather still died tragically at the hands of the previous Shang King! After such great achievements, my grandfather returned eastward with a hundred thousand men from Xiqi City and fought in all directions. In the end, only how many people came back? Less than six thousand! Just like that, my grandfather is still

He died, having his heart and liver ripped out by the king he was loyal to.

"Just because we are getting stronger?

"Does so many people in Xiqi City die for a mere imperial suspicion?

"Why should he!"

Li Pingan nodded slowly: "Second brother, don't get excited. I'm talking about the quarrel between you and the eldest brother. The second brother is becoming more and more mature now."

"Hey, I'm just not afraid of them anymore. I'm getting older."

Ji Fa pondered slightly:

"I'm a little confused now, whether the elder brother wants to go here or towards Chaoge City.

"Fourth brother, you have many ideas. If it doesn't work, go and persuade the elder brother.

"Businessmen don't have any true feelings for us. They just want us to be like dogs. They will step on us if we stand up for a moment. Soft bones are useless."

"I won't try to persuade you," Li Ping'an said. "There may be many spies from the King of Shang around my eldest brother. My second brother, don't talk to them. Secretly contact the ministers and talk to them. Whenever something big happens,

I’ll just go to your place to discuss it and ignore my eldest brother.”

Ji Fa asked: "Is this appropriate?"

"What's inappropriate," Li Ping'an said, "Sometimes, don't think about brotherhood. Now you two have the responsibility of the Zhou people on your shoulders. Father's stay in Chaoge City is basically equivalent to semi-house arrest."

Ji Fa thought for a while and nodded vigorously: "Okay, that's it. I'll use the procrastination method to go to some ministers to discuss it first... Fourth child, why don't you go and persuade the eldest brother? He is our eldest brother after all.

"

"I won't go. I feel very comfortable now."

——Refer to the Heavenly Palace to watch singing and dancing.

Li Ping'an smiled and waved his hand: "Go and do your work. I still want to read, so go, go, go."

Ji Fa suddenly felt helpless to complain.

He sighed and left dejectedly, thinking about what to do next.

Because before Ji Chang left Xiqi City, he entrusted all the military and political affairs of Xiqi City to Ji Fa. With this relationship, the officials still respected Ji Fa more.

Moreover, the resonance between the officials of the Zhou Kingdom and Ji Fa was stronger.

Most of these courtiers were nobles of the Zhou Kingdom. They had followed the Ji family to fight all the way. Their hostility towards the merchants and their hatred towards the King of Shang was not weak.

"Went to watch the singing and dancing."

…

When Ji Kao came to see Li Pingan, it was already three months after Di Xin issued the order.

In the past three months, the overall situation in the Shang Kingdom has been highlighted by a messy character.

When the tribes of Dongyi heard that Emperor Xin was about to attack again, half of them were gearing up to avenge their shame, and the other half were dodging backwards, ready to bow before the merchant's banner.

The Jiang family of Dongbohou paid the full amount of grain and grass and sent out soldiers and guards, but put forward a condition that the grain and grass soldiers and guards would be sent when the king's soldiers and horses arrived in Dongyi land.

Their reason is that they are tired from traveling back and forth, and their food and grass are prone to natural disasters.
To be continued...