Chapter 857 Borrowing Food
The next day, early morning.
Ning Chen led 2,000 Ning'an troops, Modao troops, and 20,000 new troops to go straight to Fuzhou.
Marching in a hurry, we arrived at Juzhou half a month later.
As Ning Chen expected, capturing Fuzhou was effortless, even easier than he expected.
When the officials of Fuzhou heard that Ning Chen was coming with his army, they trotted out of the city to greet him.
There was no garrison in Fuzhou, so they had no choice but to surrender.
Besides, the hundreds of thousands of troops at the northern border could not stop Ning Chen, not even with the garrison in Fuzhou.
After entering the city, the people lined the streets to welcome him!
Ning Chen's reputation as a person who loves his people is very stable. When the people mention Ning Chen, they all give a thumbs up.
The people are very simple, and they will be kind to anyone who is kind to them.
When Prime Minister Zuo rebelled, the people of Chongzhou City were in dire straits. It was Ning Chen who saved them.
Moreover, since trading with Wu State, their lives have become more and more prosperous.
Therefore, when Ning Chen entered the city, the people came with their families to welcome him!
After entering the city, Ning Chen immediately sent new soldiers to block the south gate.
The most important purpose of blocking the city gate is to prevent Fuzhou's dignitaries and nobles from escaping.
Fighting requires money, food and grass, and the full help of these people.
Ning Chen did not touch the officials of Fuzhou.
He convened a meeting with officials of all sizes in Fuzhou, with the purpose of asking these people to lobby the wealthy people in Fuzhou City to provide food and money.
His biggest purpose in occupying Fuzhou was to raise food and grass.
The dignitaries and nobles in Fuzhou are very knowledgeable!
Because Ning Chen found reasons to punish those who were ignorant!
A month passed in a flash.
Grain and grass were shipped to the northern border in batches.
But it's still not enough.
Fuzhou is not a rich place to begin with.
The food and grass collected were only enough to feed the border officers and soldiers for two or three months.
On this day, Ning Chen asked people to find Tantai Qingyue.
Tantai Qingyue came to Ning Chen's room.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw the food and wine on the table.
Ning Chen had a smile on his face, "Xiao Danzi, come here... These are your favorites, come and try them. If you don't like them, I'll have them redone."
Tantai Qingyue immediately became wary.
Showing courtesy for nothing is either cheating or stealing!
Ning Chen waved, "Don't be stunned, come here quickly!"
Tantai Qingyue didn't go over and stared at Ning Chen warily, "Tell me, what do you want from me?"
"It's okay, I just want to have a drink with you and have a chat."
"Do you think I believe it?" Tantai Qingyue looked wary and said, "Is there something drugged in this wine?"
Ning Chen's lips twitched, "Xiao Danzi, although I'm not a good person, I'm not so mean... I'm greedy for your body, but I can't do such a bottomless thing as drugging a woman! "
Tantai Qingyue said: "Then why are you so diligent? If you have anything to say, just tell me."
When Ning Chen saw that Tantai Qingyue refused to come over, he shrugged helplessly and said, "Okay, let me tell you straight... I have something to ask you for help."
Tantai Qingyue shook her head, "I can't help!"
Ning Chen: "......"
Tantai Qingyue said: "It's not that I don't help, it's that I can't help... something that even you can't solve must be very troublesome, so I just refuse."
Ning Chen smiled bitterly, "Only you can help me with this."
Tantai Qingyue became more vigilant and quietly took a few steps back... Only she could help, and that was only a matter between men and women.
"I can give you money, and you go to the Jiaofang Division...I won't tell you about those women."
Ning Chen was startled, and then a black line appeared on his forehead.
"Xiao Danzi, can you please be clearer in your mind?"
Tantai Qingyue was startled, it was not a matter between men and women... Ning Chen talked nonsense every day, and she was almost suffering from persecution paranoia.
"What's that?"
Ning Chen's face straightened up and he said, "Borrow food."
"Borrow food?"
"Yes! I am in urgent need of food and grass now, and I want to borrow some food and grass from Xiliang... Don't worry, I will definitely pay back double the amount when the time comes."
He originally wanted to buy it, but if he finished buying the food and grass, he would have no money to pay the army.
Tantai Qingyue shook her head, "I can't borrow it! Xiliang has been so harmed by you that it's almost too late to untie the pot. How can I still lend you food?"
This man has such a big face. He even destroyed several cities in Xiliang and almost reached the capital of Xiliang. He looted along the way and captured hundreds of thousands of prisoners as coolies... Now he actually has the nerve to borrow food from them, bah. , what about dreaming? Tantai Qingyue complained crazily in her heart.
"Don't be so stingy! I told you, I'll give you back double."
Tantai Qingyue shook her head, "It's not that I'm stingy, it's that I don't have any food to lend you!"
Ning Chen cried: "Xiao Danzi, you are the Holy Mother, no, a saint... Can you bear to watch my army of more than 200,000 people starve to death?"
Tantai Qingyue asked in confusion: "What does this have to do with me? Why can't I bear it? It's not me, a Xiliang person, who is starving to death.
They are starving to death, and you have no soldiers to use, so I, Xiliang, can attack Daxuan... This is a great good thing for us. "
Ning Chen's mouth twitched.
Since the soft one is not enough, the only option is the hard one.
"Let me ask again, do you want to borrow it or not?"
Tantai Qingyue let out a snort and said: "You are still so arrogant when you borrow food... I won't borrow it!"
Ning Chen nodded and suddenly asked with a smile: "Do you know that Tuoluo Kingdom likes to eat people?"
Tantai Qingyue nodded, this matter was not a secret...but seeing the weird smile on Ning Chen's face, she felt uneasy!
Ning Chen continued: "There are still more than 40,000 Xiliang captives in Xuanwu City. These people consume too much food... Therefore, I plan to make a deal with the Tuoluo Kingdom and use the more than 40,000 Xiliang captives to trade with the Tuoluo Kingdom. In exchange for cattle and sheep.
Ten people would exchange for a sheep, and thirty people would exchange for a cow... In this way, the food of the Tuoluo Kingdom will be solved, and we can also obtain a lot of livestock to solve the problem of food shortage. I guess the Tuoluo Kingdom will definitely agree.
Xiaodanzi, what do you think of my idea? "
Tantai Qingyue's pretty face was ashen and her eyes were cold.
"Ning Chen, you bastard!"
Ning Chen spread his hands, "I can't help it, I'm too short of food and grass now, and Xiliang refuses to lend it to me... I can only make this last resort.
I can't just watch my more than 200,000 troops starve to death, right? "
Tantai Qingyue walked over and sat down with a cold face. After being silent for a while, she said, "I don't have the final say on borrowing food... But if you want to buy food, it shouldn't be a big problem."
Ning Chen smiled bitterly, "I have no money. If I buy food, I won't have money to pay military pay."
Tantai Qingyue thought for a while and said, "I can write to the Xiliang royal family, but I can't guarantee whether I can borrow food."
Ning Chen's eyes lit up, "Xiao Danzi, I love you so much!"
Tantai Qingyue looked disgusted, "I can borrow food, but I have a few conditions!"
"Tell me about it?"
Tantai Qingyue said: "First, you must release the 40,000 Xiliang people in Xuanwu City."
Ning Chen chuckled and said: "The maximum number can only be released is 20,000."
Tantai Qingyue was not disappointed. She knew that Ning Chen would not agree, so releasing half of it was an unexpected surprise.
"Okay!" Tantai Qingyue continued: "The second condition is that you must sign a written note and sign it...The borrowed grain must be paid back in double."