X??? S??!'? ??? E? ??? ed????? ? | l?? [? ??? v??? ??? This was a combination of strength and gentleness. It was more or less a threatening warning. Everyone at the table was more or less nervous. r
Madam Kang looked at Madam Du, Madam Liu, Madam Fang, Madam Wang, and so on. r
"Futai's words are very correct. We have been indebted to our country for generations. We are relying on the army of the imperial court to keep ourselves safe. If the Mongolians attack, the situation will be terrible. No matter what you say, Madam Kang will definitely donate this grain today!" r
Madam Kang took the lead to express her position. This was unexpected to Mei Guozhen. He was very happy and quickly praised Madam Kang, "Madam Kang is so righteous. After this matter is over, I will definitely report to the imperial court and reward Madam Kang!" r
Madam Kang quickly stood up and said, "It is our duty to share the worries of our country. We should all do this. Come! Give me the grain ticket! " r
Immediately, a servant brought a plate in front of Madam Kang. Madam Kang picked up the dark green grain ticket from the main house. r
"Futai, we merchants all know that we should put the grain in a safe place. It is easy to take and manage. So, we made this grain ticket. You can take the grain with this ticket. As long as there is a Madam Kang's grain store, you can take it. This is a small token of my appreciation." r
Madam Kang smiled with a harmless look on her face. She handed the food ticket to the civil servant behind Mei Guozhen. r
"Fifty dans of new rice. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it. It is all a donation. There is no need to return it." r
Madam Kang sat back in her seat after she finished speaking. She looked calm and composed. Mei Guozhen's expression suddenly changed. He took the grain ticket and looked. It was indeed fifty dans! r
He thought that he had seen it wrong or heard it wrong! r
"Since Master Kang has made a move, we can't fall behind, can we? Futai, Madam Du will also donate forty dans of grain! " r
"For the sake of the country, my Liu Clan will not be willing to fall behind. Futai, my Liu Clan will also donate forty meters of rice. This is just a small token of my appreciation. I hope Futai will not think it too little." r
"Then my Zhang Clan will donate 30 cgs of rice!" r
"The Wang Family will also donate 30 cgs of rice!" r
"My Li Family donates 20 cgs of rice!" r
… …..\ r
The house full of aristocrats and rich merchants donated a total of five hundred and forty meters of rice, a total of one hundred thousand catties of rice. r
Mei Guozhen was so angry that his hands were shaking. r
On the surface, there were 85,400 soldiers stationed in Datong Town, but this was only on the surface. The decline of the military town started during the late Yongle period, and it was also at that time that the relationship between the garrison and the garrison began to deteriorate. r
The garrison system only existed in name. A large number of City Guards had fled. Some of the better City Guards still had seventy percent of their troops, while the weaker ones only had twenty to thirty percent. There were even some that had no soldiers at all. r
Datong Town was an important town on the border, and it had always received attention. Thus, the officers did not dare to falsify too much. Even so, the total military strength was only around sixty thousand, and there were less than fifty thousand soldiers left. This was still considered good. The situation in the other military towns was even worse. r
Datong Town was overseen by the famous general Ma Gui. With Ma Gui's Cang Tou Army as the main force, the situation was slightly better. Even so, Ma Gui could only ensure that his main force had enough to eat. The majority of the remaining soldiers still did not have enough to eat. r
A soldier needed around two catties of grain a day. The one hundred thousand catties of rice donated by these aristocrats seemed like a lot, but in reality, it was only enough for the soldiers of Datong Town to eat for a day. Even before this, Mei Guozhen had only given Third Lady five hundred dans of grain that he had squeezed out from the gaps between his teeth. r
These aristocrats had actually only brought out five hundred dans of grain to embarrass themselves? r
Mei Guozhen simply did not dare to believe his eyes. r
He had never thought that in the face of a national calamity, when these people's lives were in danger, they would still only take a single hair! r
Ma Gui's complexion was also ashen as he watched from the side. Although he did not say a single word, under the table cloth, his two sandbag-sized fists were already tightly clenched. r
A stack of grain stamps was placed in front of Mei Guozhen. He just stared and stared. r
As he stared, he suddenly felt that this was a great irony, a great irony for him. r
He clearly knew that these were a bunch of hungry ghosts who would eat people without spitting out their bones, but why did he still have a sliver of hope for them? He clearly knew that these scum and scum would rather die than take out a single cent, so why did he still have any illusions about them? r
At this moment, the personal gifts they had given him and the military rations they had given to the Daming Dynasty seemed incomparably ironic, so ironic that even Mei Guozhen wanted to laugh. r
And so, he laughed out loud. r
"Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha! Ahahahahaha! " r
Seeing Mei Guozhen suddenly laugh, the aristocrats and aristocrats in the room were extremely puzzled. r
"Futai, why are you laughing?" r
Madam Kang was a little confused. She thought that Mei Futai was so angry that he had lost his mind. r
"Hahahaha, Head Kang, there's no need to panic. Everyone, there's no need to panic. I just thought of something funny, hahahahaha!" r
"I wonder, Futai, what's so funny about it?" r
Mei Guozhen stopped laughing and looked at Madam Kang with a strange expression, making him feel uncomfortable. r
"A hundred thousand catties of rice. It'll take me five thousand days to finish it, which is about ten years. However, this isn't for me alone. It's for the sixty thousand soldiers stationed in Datong, as well as for the Tumets outside the pass. I'll be able to finish it in half a day. r
Looking at these boxes of precious calligraphy, paintings, cultural relics, and antiques, the price is probably ridiculously high, right? If I sell these things and convert them into silver, I'm afraid I can buy enough food for the sixty thousand soldiers and the Tumets outside the Great Wall for a winter, right? " r
The smile on Mei Guozhen's face faded. He stood up and stood next to the pile of gifts, pointing at them. r
"These are for me, Mei Guozhen, as a show of filial piety. They're worth a lot. If I, Mei Guozhen, accept them and sell them, the money I get will be enough for my grandchildren to spend even if I don't produce anything." r
Then, Mei Guozhen raised the five hundred and forty cubic meters of grain coupons. r
"These, these five hundred and forty cubic meters of grain are for you, the people of the Daming Empire, to show filial piety to the Daming Dynasty! It's only enough for the sixty thousand soldiers to eat for a day, and not everyone will be full! " r
Mei Guozhen pointed to the north. r
"To the north, just a few dozen li outside the Great Wall, the Tumets who have protected the Daming Empire from disasters for more than ten years, and who knows how many times they've been saved from war, are suffering from hunger and cold over there. Inside the Great Wall, right in front of you, the sixty thousand soldiers who protect you and the entire Shanxi are also suffering from hunger and cold. r
As for you, you can drink wine, listen to songs, play with your wives, and eat your meat. Your days are very refreshing, very refreshing! Why don't you think about it, if Datong is breached and Yanmen Pass is lost, will you still be able to live comfortably here? " r
Finished speaking, Mei Guozhen threw the grain coupons on the ground. r
"If Datong is lost, I, Mei Guozhen, will definitely cut my own throat as an apology to the world when the city falls! What's the use of giving me, Mei Guozhen, more money than I can spend in three lifetimes! Commander Ma! Let's go! " r
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