"Your Majesty, swords and knives have no eyes. The battle at the city gate is intense. If something happens to you, how are we going to live?" Xiong Jinshui had a bitter expression and tried to persuade him, "Your Majesty, please spare me. Can I go and find out the situation for you?"
"Scram!" Li Qitian was in a good mood. Even though he was annoyed by the nagging, he only kicked Xiong Jinshui.
Xiong Jinshui cried out and staggered two steps before stabilizing himself. He did not dare to say anything else and quickly followed Li Qitian to arrange for Your Majesty to leave the palace.
Now that the battle was intense, it was not a small matter for the Emperor to leave the palace. No one could guarantee that there were no Tatars spies in the capital. If something happened to Your Majesty, they would not be able to pay for it even if all of their families were killed.
The eunuchs and guards bitterly went to prepare. They carefully and cautiously went to prepare the carriages and horses.
The imperial carriage and the guards left the palace gate and went straight to the north gate.
Ji Zeyu was counting the casualties and setting up defenses. Suddenly, he heard someone report that the Emperor had arrived. He could not help but frown.
He brought his followers and walked down the city gate tower. From afar, he bowed to Li Qitian, "Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities. You have worked hard in this battle. How is the situation? Did the battle ease up after the troops joined in? "
Ji Zeyu honestly nodded his head. "It can indeed alleviate some of the problems, but these people come from all over the world. Their training methods are different, and some of the soldiers do not even understand the normal language of the Great Zhou Empire. It is not easy to deploy them."
Li Qitian nodded in understanding, "Of course, there was nothing we could do about it. Luckily, we have more people. If the Tatan suddenly sent a large number of troops, we would not be flustered because of a lack of manpower. I also know that you are used to leading the Dragon Legion Corps. Unfortunately, the Dragon Legion Corps is trapped, and at least half of them are dead. I also know how you feel, but as the ruler of a country, you have to make a choice. Not everyone will be satisfied. "
When Li Qitian said these words, Ji Zeyu just stood there expressionlessly with his head lowered. It seemed that he didn't hear him and didn't care if Li Qitian could satisfy his request.
Ji Zeyu had always been cold, and Li Qitian was used to his reaction. Seeing that he had no intention of refuting her, she felt even more comfortable.
"You have made great contributions in this battle. I will definitely reward you handsomely." Li Qitian's tone was extremely excited.
Ji Zeyu replied calmly, "I'm just doing my duty. Your Majesty really doesn't have to do this. "
"Sigh, I know that you are wholeheartedly devoted to the country. However, just because you have noble character and unquestionable integrity doesn't mean that everyone is like that. There will always be people fishing for fame who will slander me behind my back. In the face of a national disaster, there are also many people with ulterior motives who not only refuse to help, but also keep dragging us down. "
Li Qitian put his hands behind his back and slowly walked toward the city gate that was half-opened due to the clearing of the battlefield.
Ji Zeyu frowned slightly and followed behind Li Qitian.
Li Qitian said in a low voice, "You have also seen what Pang Zhixi has done during this period of time. I have been really worried these days. The matters of the court are already complicated, and the Tatan people are also very stubborn. I have to raise so many troops to fight against the Tatan. I originally thought that when the people of Dazhou encountered such a national disaster, they would definitely lend a helping hand. Those large families with grain would also lend a helping hand for the safety of their own people.
"However, I never thought that Pang Zhixi would actually undermine me! Tell me, where did he get so much money to buy grain from the wealthy families? Didn't he use my name to swindle people outside and make those people willingly take out their money and grain?
"He has earned a good reputation, but I can't raise any grain here because of his schemes. Seeing the soldiers fight the Tatan with empty stomachs, I feel really uneasy!"
Ji Zeyu's voice didn't have any emotion. He just stated the facts calmly, "Your Majesty, grain is indeed a big problem. If people don't eat, they will starve to death. Dead people can't fight against the Tatan. "
Li Qitian choked. He was a bit angry and embarrassed, but also a bit helpless.
He said so much because he didn't want Ji Zeyu to mention the grain. Anyone who was smart and knew how to get along with people would understand that he didn't want to talk about the grain. However, Ji Zeyu still said this.
Li Qitian didn't even know how to respond for a moment. Seeing that Ji Zeyu was silently waiting for his answer, Li Qitian said, "I understand. I will think of a way."
Think of a way, think of a way again. Every time this topic was brought up, Li Qitian would use this kind of excuse. However, after so many years, the food in the army still hadn't improved. The reason why the soldiers were able to hold on was because he took the lead and charged at the front like a flag. Fortunately, he had some false reputation back then and had some prestige in the army. Otherwise, how long could they hold on?
Moreover, Li Qitian's distortion of Pang Xiao's story made Ji Zeyu almost unable to suppress his anger.
Your Majesty arranged for Pang Xiao to go to the disaster area and didn't give him any grain. Pang Xiao thought of a way to get money to save the lives of the people.
Shouldn't he be rewarded? Why did Pang Xiao have the ability to get money to buy grain? Why did it become Pang Xiao's fault for delaying the Emperor's request for grain from the rich merchants?
In the past, Ji Zeyu had thought that Li Qitian was a wise ruler because they fought together and experienced the cruelty of the battlefield together. They also understood the value of life and knew how important it was to overthrow Beiji.
Unfortunately, things had changed with the passage of time. Back then, they started an uprising to prevent the people from suffering. Now, Li Qitian had forgotten and became the main culprit who harmed the people.
Ji Zeyu shook his head. After sending the Emperor away, he pondered for a long time and still wrote a letter to Pang Xiao.
When Pang Xiao received this letter, it was already the beginning of the third month.
At this time, a group of people were stationed in a quiet field. The grain they bought was stored everywhere near and far. Some people who were willing to follow Pang Xiao were now patrolling near the grain carts.
Pang Xiao ordered someone to arrange for the person who delivered the letter for Ji Zeyu to rest. He read the letter carefully and then frowned slightly, looking deep in thought.
Qin Yining saw that Pang Xiao's brows were furrowed. He put down the hot tea in his hand and asked worriedly, "What's wrong? Did something happen in the capital city? "
Pang Xiao shook his head hurriedly, "Nothing. It's a letter from Ah Lan. "
Qin Yining raised his eyebrows, "Marquis Dingbei rarely writes to you. This time, he suddenly wrote to you. Something must have happened." After saying that, she tilted her head and looked at him. Her long hair fell smoothly behind her back, making her look more delicate.
Pang Xiao was defeated by her gaze. He handed the letter to Qin Yining and muttered in a low voice, "Didn't they say that pregnancy makes one stupid? Why is my Sister Yi still so hard to fool? "
Qin Yining was right beside him and naturally heard his words clearly. She looked at the letter and rolled her eyes at him.
However, when she saw the content, she laughed mockingly and lost the mood to joke.
"How much does Your Majesty hate you? He even said this to Marquis Dingbei."
In the letter, Ji Zeyu reminded Pang Xiao not to return to the capital. He was afraid that once he returned, Your Majesty would kill him regardless of everything. This was because the Emperor's dissatisfaction and jealousy had reached an extremely serious level.
"He's not as talented as you and is unwilling to accept others. This kind of person has a good life. He can actually be the Emperor for so many years."
Pang Xiao was amused by Qin Yining's serious disdain for Li Qitian and laughed. The gloominess in his heart disappeared for a moment.
"Alright, what's there to be angry about? Ever since he became afraid of me, it was impossible for him to trust me. No matter what I do, it's wrong. Besides, his suspicions are not wrong. It proves that his brain is not too stupid. Although I don't want to expose him, I used the money for disaster relief. It's just that we have different standpoints. "
Qin Yining shook his head, "As an Emperor, he can't control his greed. This will cause a tragedy. It may not be too late for him to turn over a new leaf, but I don't think he will change.
Pang Xiao shrugged indifferently, "It doesn't matter. Even if he is like this, what can he do to me in such a tense situation?"
Qin Yining was also amused by Pang Xiao's appearance.
Yes, they had made sufficient preparations. If Li Qitian wanted to do anything, he would have to see if Pang Xiao agreed or not. However, when he thought of Li Qitian's actions, Qin Yining still felt depressed.
He increasingly disliked Li Qitian and concluded that if Li Qitian did not change, the common people would suffer in the future. His thoughts of overthrowing Li Qitian gradually took shape and became correct.
Pang Xiao wrote a reply to Ji Zeyu. Although the person who delivered the letter was Ji Zeyu's trusted aide, it was not Pang Xiao.
Pang Xiao was worried that the letter would be read by someone with ulterior motives. Therefore, he only wrote a few words in his reply and did not mention the current situation at all.
As for Ji Zeyu, he was gradually losing patience.
There was not enough food, and all the soldiers were starving. Li Qitian, on the other hand, could not think of a solution. He even shamelessly asked the army to prepare two cabins. He was just short of writing an IOU to borrow.
Ji Zeyu had been leading troops for many years and was very thorough in his analysis of war. He could make a series of judgments based on a few clues. If Pang Xiao was willing to join, he would definitely find a way to protect Pang Xiao and maintain a peaceful environment in Da Zhou. However, Pang Xiao was blocked outside by Li Qitian. Even the army did not think of letting Pang Xiao come. If he spoke too much, he would only offend the Emperor. In the future, if Pang Xiao was targeted, he would lose the Emperor's trust and advantage. At that time, it would be impossible for him to speak up for Pang Xiao.
At this time, Pang Xiao had already traveled 60% of the way. The number of people who were willing to follow Pang Xiao along the way was simply beyond Qin Yining's expectations. Pang Xiao ordered people to make a register so that it would be easier to record everyone's age and family situation. Qin Yining's morning sickness was getting more and more serious. Even eating thin porridge would make him feel disgusted.
Bing Tang diligently nursed Qin Yining back to health. Mu Jinghu stayed by Pang Xiao's side all day long to prevent him from being plotted against.
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