Back Off, Let Me Come

Xun Zhen was convinced by his colleagues, but he refused to accept it.

"...Since they asked for food, we as allies naturally cannot stand by and watch, but--" He deliberately dragged out the word "but" to deliberately tease his colleagues, "How many cooks are needed to transport the food and grass borrowed by Qu State? How many troops will be sent along the way to guard it? Several wars have caused great losses to the treasury, and life is stretched to the limit. We really can't afford it."

Everyone rolled their eyes at Xun Zhen.

This stingy guy started to cry poor again.

But Xun Zhen didn't cry poor for no reason, he cried poor for a reason. You said he was alarmist, and he counted it for you one by one, how much was spent here, how much was spent there, and the unit was accurate to the cent! People who are not good at calculations will forget what they want to say after hearing such a long list of additions and subtractions. How can they have a good argument with Xun Zhen?

Those who often march and fight know that when the royal court allocates ten portions of grain and grass, the frontline soldiers can only receive two or three of them normally. Where does the rest go? A large part of it is eaten by the cooks who transport the grain and the soldiers who escort the grain and grass, and a part of it is caused by force majeure during transportation, such as windy and rainy weather causing the grain to deteriorate and rot. These are normal losses during transportation. The longer the grain transportation time, the more grain is consumed on the road, and the less grain is left at the destination.

It is estimated that considering that Kangguo has just experienced a war and is not well-off, the amount of grain borrowed by Quguo from them is not too large or small.

It will not be so little that Kangguo will think that Quguo is so poor that it has to borrow this little grain and grass, nor will it be so much that Kangguo cannot pay it out.

But——

Xun Zhen took out a palm-sized, golden brass abacus from his sleeve, and the green beads of the same size looked very shiny. He fiddled with his fingers deftly, and taught his colleagues a lesson-people who can't count should not give blind orders!

Those who were good at calculation followed Xun Zhen's steps and made sure that his numbers were correct. Those who were too lazy to calculate directly filtered the calculation process and waited for the answer. The final answer was that under the most ideal conditions, that is, no leaks, no enemy ambushes and interceptions, warm weather without rain, and transportation by waterways, Kangguo would also need to send fourteen times the grain to meet this trip to borrow grain.

Fourteen times!

Isn't this going to cost the Ministry of Revenue its life?

If they were unlucky on the road, the loss ratio would be even greater.

Other court officials said: "Since they are here to borrow grain, we just need to prepare it and let them send people to collect it."

How can they bear the loss on the road?

Some people also think that the loss is half: "Why not decide on a place to hand over the grain and grass first, and each of the two parties will bear half?"

"River and land transportation alternately takes a long time and the loss is also large. In my opinion, we can go by sea." The ocean is Luo Sha's comfort zone. His subordinates are all proficient in water and can easily navigate near the deep sea, not to mention the offshore area where the danger is greatly reduced. "By going by sea, I can find some friends to help escort, and it can also save some for the royal court."

Shen Tang was curious: "Shen Lu's friends in the martial arts world?"

The subtext is whether these martial arts friends can be recruited?

Luo Sha didn't understand, but the others did, and they quietly stretched their ears. Then they heard the mermaid general say proudly: "Not martial arts friends, but ocean friends. I have a group of humpback whale friends who can help escort."

Those are the people he saved by beating up the killer whales, no, whale veins.

As long as you beat the killer whales, you are the best friend of the humpback whales!

Bai Su's face darkened.

Colleagues' expressions were extremely wonderful. How should I put it? It is not an idea that normal people can think of to ask ocean friends for escort!

What's even better is that there is no need to pay humpback whales.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, it is indeed higher than the food transport cooks.

Xun Zhen's eyes lit up when he heard it, and his fingers fiddled with the beads, making people sweat for those jade beads: "... Take the near-sea shipping? Not bad!"

He recalculated.

If Luo Sha's suggestion is adopted, 80% of the grain transportation route is on the sea, and the remaining 20% ​​is transferred to land and then river transportation. The first set of plans is mainly based on land and river transportation, accounting for 73. Land transportation requires a large number of vehicles and livestock, and the loss is huge.

With a change, the transportation cost can be reduced by more than half!

The biggest feature of the near-sea land is that the land is vast and sparsely populated. In this way, the risk of information leaking from this grain line can be greatly reduced, and the risk of enemy interception is also low. Even if it is discovered, it can increase the speed and temporarily hide in the deep sea to bypass surveillance. The enemy doesn't have Qin Li's ability. They hide in the vast ocean, can't tell east from west, south from north, and still want to catch people?

Xun Zhen almost couldn't suppress the arc of his mouth.

He held back, maybe his colleagues have better ideas.

The treasury is under great pressure, so save money wherever possible!

Other officials were almost tempted: "It sounds good to go by sea, but I have heard that there are not only strange beasts in the sea, but also strange giants often appear, and the weather is unpredictable. Everything goes well, but how to escape if you encounter a sea beast attack?"

The vast ocean, there is no village in front and no shop behind.

There is no chance of survival if you encounter a shipwreck.

They have almost no experience in dealing with the ocean. They go by sea without any preparation, and put their hopes on the unpredictable sea. The risk is too great! Even Luo Sha can't get out of the dangerous ocean, let alone the grain transport ship?

Luo Sha was speechless for a moment: "This..."

The tribesmen also spent a lot of energy to barely adapt to the isolated island and the harsh environment of the sea. Obviously, others can't.

Someone sighed helplessly.

Going inland is too expensive.

Going to the open sea, there are many unknown risks.

If Kangguo refuses Quguo, it will miss the opportunity to develop.

For a time, many people also felt it was difficult.

The biggest problem is still the national treasury. If the national treasury is sufficient, everything can be solved easily, but Xun Zhen, this Pixiu, just refuses to let go. Everyone also knows that Xun Zhen is not blocking on purpose, which can only prove that the national treasury is really stretched to the point of being stretched to the limit.

In the face of danger, Shen Tang gritted his teeth: "I have a way, the cost is at most a hundred taels, but it is more risky."

The ministers looked at each other and said: "A hundred taels?"

The grain and grass borrowed by Quguo cannot be bought with a few hundred taels.

How can it be done with a hundred taels?

More risky?

How risky?

Is it possible to cut someone else?

Everyone racked their brains but couldn't think of any way to complete this matter with almost zero cost - compared with that batch of grain and grass, a hundred taels is indeed almost nothing. To put it bluntly, the cats in Qi Zhongshu's house have a yearly expense of more than this.

Shen Tang said: "The hundred or so taels are travel allowances."

Everyone was even more confused.

Only Gu Chi saw the answer in advance: "The master means that since the cost of sending grain is too high, it is better to send people who produce grain. Whether it is borrowing Zhai Le's land or borrowing someone else's land, it should be able to deliver enough grain and grass within the deadline."

Plant and harvest immediately, the grain and grass are fresh.

The biggest risk is that the people sent over may be detained by Zhai Le. As the king, Zhai Le may not be unable to do such a thing.

The surrendered southwestern ministers: "???"

Each one was shocked to the point of shaking their pupils frequently.

I know every word, how can I not understand it after combining it?

They have not completely turned around from the way of going to court by Dingding, and they have witnessed the abundant martial virtues of Kangguo's civil and military officials first. If they don't stay away and are accidentally injured by someone's elbow, they can only blame themselves for their bad luck, and then they hear such a magical speech. No, Quguo is borrowing grain and is short of grain, not short of people who grow grain! What's the point of sending farmers over there? Can Quguo wait patiently from spring ploughing to autumn harvest?

There are so many complaints that I don't know where to start.

The complaint of the old minister of Kangguo is about the travel expenses.

"... A hundred taels is too little..." The most stingy Xun Zhen couldn't help but stand up and speak a conscience. Kangguo and Quguo are more than a thousand miles apart, and the people sent over are not the same. They actually gave a hundred taels of travel expenses, only one tael per person?

Do they eat steamed buns and drink water all the way?

Shen Tang made up for it: "A hundred taels per person, and the rest is calculated separately."

Xun Zhen's face eased: "That's okay."

This budget can at least allow meat to be free.

Shen Tang's proposal is obviously the lowest cost.

How much food does Quguo need, and the people sent out grow how much food for them. There is no loss in the middle of direct sales from the manufacturer, so they should give as much as they should. The land and fertility of Quguo are still used.

If the fertility is not enough, Quguo's national destiny can be used.

This method uses the word stingy to the extreme!

After hearing this, Chu Yao was basically certain that this task would fall on his own student. As a teacher, he was most worried about Lin Feng's safety. In order to prevent the Qu Kingdom from detaining people and obstructing Lin Feng's return to the country, the accompanying guards must be strong. The combat strength of a single soldier must be on par with Gong Xichou and others. To be on the safe side, there must be two people, and a small elite warrior team to assist.

Protecting Lin Feng and others can also deter the Qu Kingdom.

The ministers were crazy about this proposal.

But no one dared to speak first.

Which top military general is easy to offend?

Which military general is willing to miss the golden time to consolidate the prestige in the army and take this hard job with little money and a lot of work? There are only a few generals in the pyramid of Kangguo, and no matter who you choose, you will offend people. General Chu Jie has been in charge of the country for many years. Wei Shou, Qian Yong and other old foxes will definitely use the excuse of insufficient strength to shirk responsibility. Yun Ce is easy to talk to, but they have no friendship with him... In terms of military foundation, Gong Xichou and Luo Sha are "soft persimmons". Who dares to pinch them?

Everyone exchanged glances, and no one dared.

Dingding's court fell into unprecedented silence.

They didn't mention it, so Shen Tang could only speak: "The escort will be handed over to Feng En and Shen Lu. What do you think, generals?"

Luo Sha didn't have so many ideas and didn't understand it very well. Gong Xichou had some ideas but he didn't care about Mama, so naturally he had no objection.

"You two can each pick 50 elite soldiers to accompany you."

These elite soldiers are the best warriors selected from the best soldiers in a hundred battles. Although they only have a hundred people in total, they can break through the siege of 10,000 soldiers in battle. In addition, with the assistance of scholars like Lin Feng, even if Quguo is greedy, it can retreat unscathed.

Seeing Luo Sha and the other two accepting the order, the ministers were still a little dazed - when did these evil spirits become so easy to talk to?

After thinking about it, it can only be summed up in one sentence -

Brine and tofu, one thing conquers another.

Lin Feng received the order and began to prepare.

In fact, it doesn't matter if she doesn't go this time. After years of research, Kangguo has figured out a general set of farming words and spirits, and has trained scholars in this area. I don't know why, only a few female scholars can succeed in the real words and spirits, which also limits the birth and optimization of grain varieties. Those words that affect the weather are not limited to men and women.

It only took half a day for Lin Feng to present a list.

The amount of food and grass required by Quguo is huge, and she needs help.

Shen Tang glanced at it and put it aside. She has always been very confident in Lin Feng's ability: "Let Lingde decide on this matter. I also know that this mission is very hard. At the end of this trip, in addition to the rewards in silver and money, there will be other rewards when I come back, and the literary fortune at the end of the year will be recorded."

I can't give much money, but what else?

Shen Tang was very generous.

Lin Feng smiled and said, "I would like to thank you on behalf of my colleagues."

Shen Tang looked at her with relief: "What are you thanking? A safe journey and a smooth return are the most important things. Qu State is now in a lot of conflicts with the Central Region, and the inner society of the Gods Association is also trying to stir up trouble. I don't know if I will meet your second brother."

If you meet Lin Su, you will naturally meet other members of the Lin family.

For example, Lin Feng's eldest brother and father.

In addition to this matter, Shen Tang has something else to tell her.

"You have to bring someone with you on this trip."

"My Lord, please tell me."

"It's Meng Yuan."

Tan Ting also took the opportunity to go back to the Central Region to make preparations.

Lin Feng nodded and wrote it down.

Shen Tang told Lin Feng to go to her teacher Chu Yao. Chu Yao was no less worried about his students going away than Shen Tang.

Lin Feng laughed: "My Lord, I am not young anymore."

It's just a business trip, why worry so much?

Chu Yao and Shen Tang sighed in the same way: "How can she not be young? In the eyes of the teacher, Lingde will always be a child."

Even though he knew that she could handle the wind and rain, he still worried.

There was a risk of being detained on this trip, so he couldn't be careless.

Chu Yao gave detailed instructions, ordered someone to get the sword that Lin Feng had taken to maintain and polish, and personally cooked a pot of three-fresh noodles for her. There are many strange animals that have been eaten to extinction in the local area, but there are also fish that have escaped the net and passed down, such as the river shrimp in the bowl. A shrimp is as thick and long as a baby's calf. The shrimp meat is firm and elastic, and the taste is a little sweet. Remove the slightly weird shrimp head, remove the shrimp thread, and cook it in soup. The taste is better than any seasoning.

These days, several baskets can be salvaged every day.

Lin Feng drank three bowls that were bigger than his face in one breath.

"How can there be such plump river shrimp in this season?" Much better than the northwest, without any earthy smell. I dare not think about how delicious it will be in spring and summer. Just thinking about it makes me excited.

"The fishermen said that this kind of shrimp is like this. Its habits are completely opposite to normal river shrimp. Autumn and winter are the time when their meat is the most plump." What Chu Yao did not mention is that the fishermen also said that this year's river shrimp production is particularly large, and the size is particularly large. Each one seems to be overnourished. When the fishermen were worried that the river shrimp would harm other aquatic products, Chu Yao silently thought of another possibility.

Or maybe -

Is it because there are many corpses thrown into the water this year?

Don't mention it, it will affect your appetite.

In order to alleviate Lin Feng's homesickness, Chu Yao asked her to bring two large boxes of dried shrimps he made by hand, which are sweet, sour and spicy. Lin Feng has not walked more than ten miles, and the dried shrimps have dried up several kilograms, which can't be used to make soup for three meals to improve the diet.

|ω`)

Shrimp, remove the head and eat.

The purpose of sending Lin Feng and his men was to minimize their own losses. With Tangmei's power now developed, the secret of farming can no longer be kept. However, it is also difficult for outsiders to imitate it. There are only a few talents in this area after Kangguo has trained for many years.