[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 274 [English]

Chapter 262: Separation of paths

“Here you go, I’m afraid my waist will break.” Xiao Chiye smiled half-heartedly.

Since I didn’t warn him, Shen Zechuan was injured in his waist and really couldn’t withstand the pain.

Shen Zechuan held back for a moment and wanted to put his foot back, but Xiao Chiye wouldn’t allow it. He pinched the ankle in his palm and let it stick to him.

“Ah…” Shen Zechuan slowly drew out his voice, “This is for me to look at the plum blossoms to quench my thirst and have some masturbation.”

“It’s getting late.” Xiao Chiye said, but didn’t let go.

Shen Zechuan originally wanted to say something, but the hand holding he suddenly moved.

“If it is inconvenient for the commander-in-chief to send troops before September, I will not wait any longer.” Xiao Chiye was neatly dressed, with no clues visible on his upper body, and his speech was the same as usual.

“With such tactics, the empress will definitely not agree to the commander-in-chief sending troops. Besides -” Shen Zechuan’s voice suddenly became softer, as if it had melted away.

Xiao Chiye took off his socks.

There was a hanging table curtain beside the table. Following the movement of Xiao Chiye’s palm, Shen Zechuan’s knees gently touched the table.Bare feet stepped on the robe with complicated patterns, and the fabric rubbed against the soles of his feet, soft and hard.

“Besides, the commander-in-chief also has to think about the five counties,” Xiao Chiye continued, following Lan Zhou’s words, “Going deep into the desert is time-consuming and labor-intensive. She has to weigh the pros and cons. If this battle lasts longer, even Qi Shiyu may not be willing.”

The corners of Shen Zechuan’s eyes were red, which was caused by the heat wave, and he said: “That day you told General Lu that you would wait for Qidong.”

“The empress had not yet shown her talents at that time. Looking back now, the hope of Qidong sending troops is slim.” Xiao Chiye said this and stopped teasing Lanzhou. “This year you gathered grain from Huaizhou, Cha, Ci, and Hezhou to solve the food problem. Although you caught up with the spring plowing, you lost the Huaizhou granary. Tao Ming ran away, and the court will naturally have to replace it. Next year, I want to follow himIt will be difficult for us to do business.Yongyi Port and Xi’s Copper Mine have been sealed, and Libei Mutual Market’s business will be reduced by half.Lanzhou will not be able to support the Qidong garrison next year.”

Qidong sent troops to the Qing Mouse Division this time, but Qi Zhuyin didn’t even provide food. Qi Zhuyin still had confidence. Where did she get her confidence?Apart from Shen Zechuan, who else in the world could supply the garrison with rations so boldly?Xue Xiuzhuo was not a fool. He knew who provided the food for the garrison, but he did not expose it in front of Qi Zhuyin.

Due to the foreign troops in Qidong this year, the military fields in three of the five counties in Qidong have not been cultivated, and the effect of the military settlements will be reduced. This has led to Qi Zhuyin’s demand for military rations this year being greater than in previous years.The only good thing is that the spring plowing of the fields in the four counties is still going on, so she only needs to worry about military rations. But even so, the expenditure of 300,000 military rations is terrifyingly large, not to mention going deep into the desert. This is completely different from her leading troops in a surprise attack.

After the Duanzhou War is won, the expenditures on defense fortifications in each state will inevitably increase. Not only that, the six states have begun to take shape. Shen Zechuan will supply military rations to the 120,000 garrison of the six states throughout the year, and will continue to supply 120,000 cavalry from Libei. If the Qidong garrison is added to this premise, a total of 720,000 troops and horses will be supported by he.

“Wang Xian wrote to me, saying that he sent you a letter half a month ago, explaining how powerful he was.” Xiao Chiye changed into a more comfortable position, “You didn’t reply.”

The soles of Shen Zechuan’s feet were still attached to the place where Xiao Chiye’s blood was raging. He leaned on the chair and said: “The gentlemen had not estimated the budget half a month ago, so I pressed Wang Xian’s letter without replying.”

“The gentlemen in the mansion are nice, but most of them are from Jiangye. They are talented, but they are not as proficient in business as officials like Wang Xian. Wang Xian is the head of the household department and often negotiates with the Ministry of War. He has to deal with us generals who need money and food every year. He knows the military expenditures and food needs in various places.” Xiao Chiye has been resting at home recently, and what he thinks about most is the military food.

It’s great to have three soldiers at the same time, but it’s too difficult.

The equipment of the Libei Iron Cavalry wears out too quickly, and they have to bring military craftsmen with them when transporting military supplies.After the transport team left the battle area, there was no horse trail to the east. The deserted beaches and Gobi deserts were all the territory of the Twelve Ministries. To transport grain and grass, we had to increase our troops for protection, but increasing our troops meant increasing our rations.The further you go from the Northern Iron Cavalry, the more food you will consume, and you have to consider possible accidents along the way, which is much more difficult than playing defense.

“Last year, Xue Xiuzhuo abandoned Quancheng and Luoxiaguan and defended the Thirteenth City of Juexi alone. At that time, I didn’t realize how powerful it was,” Shen Zechuan finally showed embarrassment and sighed, “Only now do I know how powerful it is.”

Who doesn’t want Qi Zhuyin’s military strength?Shen Zechuan also thought that as long as the five counties of Qidong were captured, even if the empress was Emperor Guangcheng, there would be no chance of a comeback in Qudu.Xue Xiuzhuo has been indifferent to the wars between Zhongbo and Libei. At the beginning of the year, he allowed Shen Zechuan to recruit troops and did not even trace Qidong’s military rations. This was another drain on Shen Zechuan.

“Jiang Qingshan is really a big help. It’s no wonder that the empress wants to use he to compete with Xue Xiuzhuo. This person can carry the Great Zhou Granary with his strong bones,” Xiao Chiye said with deep eyes, “Lan Zhou, the battle you are going to fight is more difficult than mine.”

Shen Zechuan didn’t reply to Wang Xian’s letter because of Xiao Chiye’s consideration.Similarly, Xiao Chiye’s decision to abandon the Qidong garrison was also because of Shen Zechuan’s consideration.

Xiao Chiye moved his chair, leaned over and picked up the clogs, but did not put them on Shen Zechuan, but put them aside neatly.he loosened his hold on Shen Zechuan’s hand, leaned over, touched Lan Zhou’s cheek, and whispered: “I’ll go.”

The corners of Shen Zechuan’s eyes were red, but there was no emotion in his affectionate eyes.

* * *

There were a few bangs in the middle of the night, and Feng Quan hugged his legs and leaned against the foot of Li Jianting’s bed, not falling asleep.After half an hour, I heard Li Jianting say from behind the curtain: “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

Fengquan rested his chin on his knees, half-hiding his delicate face, and replied: “The emperor has been unable to sleep for several days, so let’s appoint an imperial doctor.”

Li Jianting opened his eyes, turned slightly sideways, with his back to the curtain, and said, “I just can’t get used to sleeping.”

There was silence in the hall for a moment.

Li Jianting asked: “Have you met Shen Zechuan?”

“I met him when he first came out of Zhaosu Temple in the year of Xian De.”

“It is said that his mother is a Duanzhou dancer,” Li Jianting seemed to be asking for confirmation, “Is this true?”

“Really,” Feng Quan moved his numb feet, “he is the eighth son of Shen Wei’s concubine. He was not favored in the Jianxing Palace. He was sent to Duanzhou’s private residence early. He is related to the late former Jinyiwei Tongzhi Jigang. When Duanzhou fell, he was also in the tea stone sinkhole.”

Li Jianting was silent for a moment and said: “Qi Huilian dared to put aside his prejudices and teach him everything. He is a veritable madman.”

“But Shen Zechuan is narrow-minded and vengeful,” Feng Quan tilted his head, “Ji Lei had a grudge against him, so he made Ji Lei… life worse than death. At the banquet that day, if Han Cheng hadn’t been stubborn and still resisting, the emperor could have dismissed him and exiled him to Zhongbo. Seeing how Shen Zechuan treated him, he would definitely have made life worse than death for him.”

The shadows of the trees outside the palace window shone on the ground, and there was no sound in the palace late at night.

“Are you Mu Ru’s biological brother?” Li Jianting changed the subject.

Feng Quan’s expression moved slightly and he did not answer hastily.

“You were a eunuch before Mu Ru entered the palace. She was already the concubine of the King of Chu at that time. Why did you come in and suffer?” Li Jianting rolled his eyes slightly, “You are not like Fuman who has been in the inner study hall, but you are familiar with poetry and books. According to Mu Ru’s family background, it is good for you to be able to read.”

Fengquan immediately knelt on the ground and said: “Slave, slave…”

“I see that your ears are not newly pierced, but the late emperor has never rewarded you with earrings, and it is even less likely that he will reward you with earrings. A man who can wear piercings in his ears at a young age is either a direct descendant or a noble man. Where do you come from?” Li Jianting stood up, paused for a moment, and looked at the curtain, “where did you come from?”

* * *

The strings of the piano “buzzed” and there was an earthquake. Qiao Tianya woke up as if from a dream. He raised his hand to rub his eyebrows, but found that his fingertips were broken.

“The commander has not replied for a long time because he is dissatisfied with the fact that the prince wants to give the Qingshu tribe’s territory to Hai Rigu…” Yao Wenyu stopped talking and looked inside through the curtain.

“This matter is difficult to handle because I’m afraid there will be a rift with Qidong.” Kong Ling followed and looked over, “Songyue is uneasy, why don’t you come out and have tea with us.”

Qiao Tianya wiped off the blood stains with his thumb, leaned on the wicker chair and said with a smile: “Since sir invited me, I’d better obey him respectfully.”

After saying that, he put the piano on the table, stood up, lifted the curtain, and went outside.

The weather is nice today, and there is a tea table under the eaves. It doesn’t look like we are talking about official business, but more like drinking tea.Yao Wenyu wears a green shirt with wide sleeves, and the red line on his wrist is looming when he drinks tea.Qiao Tianya was not polite and sat on the chair next to Yuan Zhuo.

“What good tea?” Qiao Tianya took the tea from Gao Zhongxiong, just smelled it, and said, “Oh, the blooming spring in Hezhou.”

“Don’t look at it, he usually straddles his horse and holds his sword just like a military general.” Kong Ling pointed at Qiao Tianya, “He is actually a tea-savvy person.”

“To be happy in life, you must have all the fun,” Qiao Tianya drank tea. “If I were rich, I would want to satisfy my appetite. As long as I can taste good tea and wine, I will be happy to spend any amount of money.”

Yao Wenyu lowered his eyes and said: “It’s time to learn the divine power.”

Gao Zhongxiong quickly waved his hand and said: “I envy Commander Qiao. I also want to save money to build a family, so that when the world is peaceful in the future, I can marry a good wife.”

“Songyue isn’t getting married either,” Kong Ling asked, “Aren’t you in a hurry?”

“Look at Fei Lao Shi, isn’t he married? None of them are in a hurry. Of course I am anxious,” Qiao Tianya put down the tea cup and said seriously: “I have been thinking about making this money all night long.”

The gentlemen then burst into laughter.

Qiao Tianya turned his face and looked at Yao Wenyu: “Sir, you’re not getting married either. Are you in a hurry?”

The flowers on the branches fell on Yao Wenyu’s sleeves, and he turned his eyes towards Qiao Tianya.When the wind blew away the flowers, it also blew the slightly bitter medicinal fragrance onto Qiao Tianya.

“We were anxious before,” Yao Wenyu said, “Now that we have tiger slaves, it’s okay.”

Except for Qiao Tianya, none of the people here knew much about Yao Wenyu and Princess Zhaoyue. They had only heard some rumors that Princess Zhaoyue wanted to marry him, so they naturally thought that he was talking about Princess Zhaoyue.

“I say there are three hates in life, and one of them is not being able to be born as a tiger slave.” Qiao Tianya came to hug the tiger slave, but grabbed Yao Wenyu’s wrist behind the tiger slave’s fat body. “Otherwise, I would rest on your lap day and night, and I would have endless thoughts in my dreams.”

Yao Wenyu’s expression changed slightly, he might as well be as bold as Qiao Tianya, and he coughed hastily.

“Conductor Qiao always speaks amazingly. It would be a good thing if I could have a clear talk with Yuan Zhuo,” Gao Zhongxiong sighed, “I wonder if I can see Yuan Zhuo’s charming talk again in the future.”

“Talk is harmful to the country.” Yao Wenyu raised his hand to cover his mouth, his wrists were a little red, and he said, “I haven’t finished speaking just now. The commander didn’t reply to the letter because he was dissatisfied with Hai Rigu. After all, the territory of the Qing Mouse Tribe was not conquered by us, and we cannot force it.”

Kong Ling nodded: “I am just worried that the commander-in-chief will have a problem with the prince because of this.”

“We want to use our strength to fight, but Hai Rigu is a scorpion in the end. It is reasonable for the commander to believe that he is nothing more than a scorpion.”

“This is just one of them,” Kong Ling and Yao Wenyu looked at each other and slowly shook their heads, “The commander who is most afraid of him suspects that the prince is threatening Qidong.”

“The Qingshu tribe is close to the border county,” Yao Wenyu said, “Even if the commander-in-chief doesn’t think so, the Qidong generals will think so. We were hijacked by the eunuchs and eunuchs of the governor of Qudu in the past. We have had enough of being cowardly, and now we will definitely not agree to let the scorpions keep an eye on us.”

“If Qidong refuses,” Kong Ling said, “we will have to make other plans.”

* * *

While the military tent was lighting wax, Qi Zhuyin pinched the back of his neck and crossed his legs to listen to Qi Wei’s words.

“Tell Lu Guangbai to stop writing letters. He has no baggage pressure and the 20,000 infantry can leave as soon as he wants.” She stared at the top of the tent, “Neither Ji Ming nor Xiao Chiye mentioned this matter again.”

“General Lu has been following the commander-in-chief for the longest time,” Qi Wei said. “Knowing the commander-in-chief’s abilities, he naturally wants to persuade him to send troops.”

“I understand that he wants to attack the Biansha cavalry,” Qi Zhuyin frowned slightly, “but the Great Zhou Dynasty has never gone deep into the desert. The journey is long and dangerous. Who will ensure that the station is safe after all the three armies are out? The scorpions in Qudu are still there.”

Qi Wei knew Qi Zhuyin’s difficulties and hesitated for a moment before saying: “The commander-in-chief rejects you right now, he is afraid that he will bear the notoriety of being unjust for profit.”

Qudu had just made her the King of Donglie, but she fell out with Zhongbo and Libei, and the garrison was still eating Shen Zechuan’s food. Anyone who heard this would scold her.

Qi Zhuyin said nonchalantly: “Let people do whatever they want. The most uncontrollable thing in the world is the tongue.”

“This account is difficult to calculate. From Zhongbo’s point of view, it is a great favor for us to provide food to feed the garrison,” Qi Wei said, “But if the war in Libei had not been serious and Zhongbo’s door was wide open and we needed our troops to help, Shen Zechuan’s food would not have been so easy to come by.”

“heThey are people who plan the world and understand the timing.” Qi Zhuyin’s face was serious, without the usual smile, “I am helping Libei, and if I don’t send troops now, I am also helping myself.Qidong and Libei are brothers in need, but the crisis in Libei has been resolved, and if Ce’an continues to go deeper, there will be countless refugees.This year and last year’s war.There is nothing we can do.I know that Amul is exhausted, and this is a good time to defeat the six alliances, but the granaries in the eight cities are empty, the people are starving to death on the streets, and there is a drought in Juexi Yongcheng. Jiang Qingshan will still struggle to supply food to Qudu and Qidong after the autumn.Three of Shen Zechuan’s six states have not yet reached the harvest year.He also has to rely on the Hezhou Granary… The war is fun, but I can’t go.”

When Amul was born, the Six Biansha tribes were a serious concern for the generals of the Zhou Dynasty. If they went deep into the desert this time, if they won, no matter who would dominate the world in the future, both Libei Tieqi and Xiao Chiye would be remembered in history.Besides, as a military general, who wouldn’t want to compete with such an opponent?

Qi Zhuyin picked out the candle wick and the tent fell into darkness.She sat for a long time and said: “I said, you write and tell Shen Zechuan that even if the territory of the Qingshu tribe is abandoned, I will not allow Hai Rigu to set foot on it; tell Xiao Jiming that although I, Qi Zhuyin, have met he as a young boy and become close friends, my Qi family is still a great minister of the Zhou Dynasty. It is our duty to fight against foreign enemies, and it is treason to speak loudly and win the championship; tell Lu Guangbai, I wish heGongzhu shines and the shame is washed away, but this time, we siblings will no longer be together.”

The lone wild goose cries over the moon and flies across the sky of the border county.Qi Wei put the letters away and turned around to go out of the tent. Yellow sand rustled under his military boots.A handful of yellow sand was grasped in one hand. Lu Guangbai turned his back to the dim sky, and Qidong’s letter was still between his fingers.he squatted for a long time and put the letter away properly, the yellow sand in his palm flowing back.

Qi Shuai sees words like meeting.

I ignored my duties and left the county without authorization. I am ashamed of my relatives and elders in Qidong. I cannot make my ambition clear unless I go into battle to kill the enemy. I will always be Commander Qi’s general.Although we cannot go together in this battle, the mountains and rivers and the bright moon will definitely live up to Qi Shuai’s expectations.