Chapter 272 Li Hu’s Strategy

“.You don’t have to report everything to me.”

“I’m tired from walking, come and have some tea.”

“You!”

At this time, Zhao Tong smiled and handed a bowl of tea to Li Hu.

Li Hu bowed, took the tea bowl and took a sip, then said to the prince, “Hong Zhou is a tight-lipped old man, but since they are here, they must be ready to take advantage of us.”

The prince nodded: “It seems that the real situation of the Jurchens is worse than we thought. This is good.” At this point, he lowered his voice: “My father meant to take back Jinzhou, which was lost by the former Ming Dynasty, rebuild the Ningjin defense line of the Liaoxi Corridor, and push the defense area to Daling River.”

Li Hu spit out a mouthful of tea on the ground, his eyes widened. Which idiot gave the emperor this idea? The Jurchens are not the Later Jin. They don’t have to go through the Liaoxi Corridor. There are many passages from Mongolia to the interior.
Prince: “What’s wrong?”

Li Hu: “Who gave the emperor this idea?”

The Crown Prince: “I heard that this idea was proposed by Father himself.”

The emperor made the decision himself? No wonder! Li Hu shook his head.

Prince: “What’s wrong?”

Li Hu: “Not to mention that the Jurchens will not agree. Even if they agree, once the war starts, Jinzhou City will be breached in a short time, and it will be too late to provide support. The Jurchens are no longer the Later Jin who only knew how to shoot arrows. They also have firearms and artillery. Besides, the Jurchens have tamed the Mongols, and they always invade from the Mongolian side. In my opinion, it is better to tear this piece of meat from the Mongols.”

Prince: “Oh”

Li Hu: “May I ask, Your Majesty, does the imperial court intend to sell grain to the Jurchens?”

The prince was silent for a moment, then replied, “Now is not the time to start a war.”

Li Hu: “Then we will discuss the issue of food and compensation together, capture Guihua City and Suiyuan City, annex the pasture at the foot of Daqing Mountain, and then eliminate the remnants of Chahar. Next year, we will send troops from Langshan, Yinshan, and Daqing Mountain at the same time, first destroy the Ulanqab League, then wait for the opportunity, and eliminate the Mongolian tribes south of the desert one by one from west to east. Finally, we will attack Liaodong together with the Shanhaiguan garrison and join forces with Shengjing City.”

The prince was startled at first, then he took a deep breath and clapped his hands: “What a good strategy!”

Li Hu smiled.

The prince hesitated again and said, “Will the Jurchens agree? After all, this will offend all the Mongols in the south of the desert.”

Li Hu: “If the Jurchens don’t agree, we will go to Liaodong. The Jurchens understand the principle of preferring the death of a friend to the death of the poor.”

The prince suddenly remembered: “Oh, by the way, you don’t help that god anymore?”

Li Hu smiled: “War profits are huge profits.”

The prince nodded. With the wealth from the war, he really didn’t care about the little money he made from business.

Li Hu continued, “A younger brother and a son. It can be seen that Qian Xiaosi’s attitude is almost certain as long as we are tough.”

The prince: “Okay. Why did you think of using Jia Yucun, that fence-sitter?”

Li Hu: “You can’t let me personally go and argue with the Jurchens, right?”

The prince smiled and said, “Is this considered recycling waste?”

Li Hu laughed: “I didn’t say that.”

The prince: “For your sake, I will take advantage of you.”

The two looked at each other and smiled.

At this moment, Zhao Tong’s voice came from outside the warm room: “Your Highness, Chief Steward Dai from the Qianqing Palace is here.”

Prince: “Please come in.”

As spring arrives and flowers bloom, the banner door in the warm room is also removed.

The door curtain was raised, and Dai Quan walked in. He bowed politely, exchanged a few words, and then said to the prince, “There’s news from Huitong Hall that Heshen wants to see Earl Zhongyong.”

Li Hu: “Oh? What’s the matter?”

Dai Quan: “He Shen knew about the Jurchen envoys’ visit to Beijing.”

The prince’s face sank: “How courageous!”

Li Hu smiled: “Money can make anything possible.”

A cold light flashed in the prince’s eyes: “You can also communicate with ghosts!” He said to Dai Quan: “Clean up Huitong Hall and kill a few people.” “I will arrange it immediately.” Dai Quan replied respectfully.

Li Hu looked at the prince: “Your Highness.”

The prince understood and stood up: “I will go to the study room now.”

Whether going to the emperor’s palace, Yuqing Palace, or the harem, one must first cross a river, the Nei Jinshui River.

After leaving Yuqing Palace, Li Hu walked straight towards the stone bridge on the side of Wenyuan Pavilion.

As he walked, Li Hu was slightly startled. He saw Jia Zheng standing alone on the stone bridge, staring at the river in a daze.

Are you going to jump into the river?
Li Hu didn’t have time to think about it and walked over quickly.

Li Hu grabbed Jia Zheng’s arm and spoke: “Second Master, what are you doing here?”

Jia Zheng was startled: “Why are you walking without making any sound? You scared me. Where are you coming from now?”

Li Hu pulled him down the stone bridge and said with a smile, “We just went to Yuqing Palace to have a cup of tea. What are you always doing here alone?”

Seeing that Li Hu was still holding his arm, Jia Zheng was startled at first, then he laughed: “You don’t think I want to jump into the river, do you? Even if I am upset, I can’t jump here!”

Li Hu also reacted and let go of his hand with a smile.

After laughing, Jia Zheng said, “I just came out of the old concubine’s palace. When I walked here, I remembered something and was distracted for a while.”

Li Hu looked at him and asked, “The old lady is here too?”

Jia Zheng nodded and said, “The old concubine has left dinner for me. I will go home first and come to pick her up later.”

Li Hu: “Has the marriage been decided?”

Jia Zheng: “It’s settled. Baoyu and the third daughter of the Zhen family.”

Li Hu: “It’s good to settle down. It will also help Baoyu to concentrate and study hard.”

Jia Zheng gave a bitter smile and said, “This evil creature has been spoiled by the old lady. He can neither be beaten nor scolded!”

Li Hu smiled: “Baoyu is still a child, he will be fine in two years.”

Jia Zheng shook his head: “Let’s not talk about him. Oh, by the way, Wang Ziteng is back.”

Li Hu: “I heard about it.” He looked around and asked in a low voice: “Have you seen the emperor?”

Jia Zheng: “No. I heard from the eunuch in charge that the emperor has been meditating and chanting in the quiet room these days. He also eats and sleeps in the quiet room.”

Li Hu’s eyes flashed. Is this old guy really scared, or is he enduring it?

Jia Zheng looked around and said, “This is not the place to talk. Let’s talk while we walk.” Then he walked towards the Meridian Gate.

Li Hu followed and asked, “How does the old concubine look?”

Jia Zheng smiled bitterly: “As soon as I stepped into the palace, I was scolded by the old concubine. How could I have the energy to pay attention to these things?”

Li Hu smiled secretly, probably falling to the ground in fear.

Jia Zheng: “. But from the sound of her voice, the old concubine should be in good health.” At this point, he suddenly remembered, “The second young lady of the Zhen family, the Princess of Beijing, is said to be in a bad condition.”

Li Hu: “Oh? Who do you always listen to?”

Jia Zheng: “Zhen Yingjia’s eldest son, Zhen Fu.”

“He also entered the palace?”

“The old lady of the Zhen family did not bring Zhen Baoyu to the palace today. The old concubine wanted to see Zhen Baoyu, so Zhen Fu sent him here. He should still be there now. Every time the old concubine wanted to see Zhen Baoyu, it was most likely Zhen Fu who sent him to the palace.”

As they were talking, Li Hu and Jia Zheng walked out of the Meridian Gate.

Jia Zheng: “Do you have anything else to do? If not, let’s go to Taihe Tower and sit down.”

Li Hu smiled and replied, “I still have to go to Huitong Hall, so I don’t know when I’ll be done. Let’s wait until next time. I’ll treat you next time.”

(End of this chapter)