[Comprehensive] The five elements are short of money

"How did you lose the stronghold in Fuzhou?" Xue Xun asked quickly before he could sit down.

"There is no news yet, I only know that it was forcibly breached. The brothers who were offline did not receive the news. When they organized people to investigate, they found that the Fuzhou stronghold had been broken and people died."

"There are more than 20 strongholds in Fuzhou, all gone?" Xue Xun couldn't believe it.

"There are 23 strongholds in Fuzhou, twelve of which are in the fighting area. According to the master's order, they kept a low profile and did not contact here. Ten of the remaining eleven strongholds were destroyed, and the last one was useless. The person who did it must be I know the Secretary of General Administration very well, otherwise I can't break the game again and again without disturbing the offline." Uncle Zhong sighed, with a hesitant look on his face.

"Looking at you, do you have someone you suspect?"

"After all, we have lost the Secretary of General Administration. The name is not right and the word is not right. Someone rebelled as early as expected, but who this person is, I don't know yet. What I am most afraid of is not which subordinates will act recklessly. What I am afraid of is... the prince. !"

"Impossible!" Xue Xun complained. He and the prince did not get along. He didn't have the slightest affection for the prince's chaotic private life. What is your corner doing? "There is a war going on ahead. The crown prince is the crown prince of the country, and the second deputy of the country. What are you doing with such a small thing?"

It was the critical moment of the war, and without the intelligence of the General Secretary, the prince would also be damaged in the war.The prince wanted to clean up the imprint left by the Xue family in the Department of General Affairs, so he would not choose this time.

"What the master said is true." Uncle Zhong nodded in agreement, but his doubts about the prince did not dissipate in his heart.

"Do we have someone by the prince's side?" Xue Xun was also a little worried, mainly because the prince had always held grudges against him.

"It's only on the periphery, and it's useless." The crown prince is His Majesty's son, and all the people who served him since childhood were carefully selected and selected from the best. Even the horoscope was tested before being sent to the prince. From where there are such front and rear eyes.

"Keep an eye on the prince, talk is better than nothing." Xue Xun sighed.

"Then what should we do now? Uncle Zhong, please go and invite Mr. Niu and Ma." Xue Xun sighed, seeing Uncle Zhong retreat, he called the boy guarding the door and said, "Go and find Zhuqing by Madam's side. Tell your wife that I am in the study for dinner today, so I can't take a walk with him, please forgive me."

The General Secretary's stronghold has been lost, and now he can only rely on the Xue family shop that has turned from light to darkness, and Yinshuang has to add more burdens.Xue Xun sighed.

Things have happened, no matter how much you worry about them, it won't help. If you discuss things clearly, your life will go on as usual.

Shi Gui's life in the Jinling Yamen was going smoothly. He was passing by the son of a Marquis. He had rich experience in the officialdom. There was a certain difference between military and civil positions, but they all lead to the same goal. He couldn't go wrong with whatever song he sang on any hill.

In recent days, Shi Gui and Xue Xun have been in frequent contact, and they seem to be a good family. Xue Xun also often accompanied Xue Wang to visit. Mrs. Li suffered from bumps and fatigue during her pregnancy. With Xue Wang as a senior example, She is also at ease.

The women exchanged childbirth experiences, and Shi Gui and Xue Xun drank tea in the laughing hall.

"This time I am really thankful to my brother. If it weren't for the generous help of my wife, I would never have had this child." Mrs. Li has been recruited for abortion many times, thanks to the real skills of the doctor recommended by Xue Xun.

"Brother Yu Chong~ You are talking politely again, why should we two be so estranged, we agreed last time, if anyone is too polite, he will be punished with three glasses of wine." Xue Xun teased.

"It's for the brother, isn't it? Use tea instead of wine. After the virtuous brother is out of filial piety, let's drink again. If you don't get drunk, you won't return!" Shi Gui picked up the teacup, which was three big cups, and drank it quickly, drinking a pot of clear tea. He has a heroic spirit.

"Your sister-in-law and I have been married for many years, and we finally had a child... I had a miscarriage when I was just married, and your sister-in-law hasn't recuperated since then. She is anxious and I am also anxious. If there is something else this time, I think she will I can't hold it anymore~" Shi Gui said with fear.

"Now there is a doctor taking care of it, and Zhuo Jing is watching, my wife is sure to be in good health. I think the cook from Beidi hired by my brother, this yard should also be like Beidi. The warm pavilion is burning like spring, and my wife is no longer unaccustomed to it." Yes. Since I am used to material things, at most it is due to psychological reasons. Don’t be too nervous, brother, so as not to affect the mood of my sister-in-law. Husbands and wives already think a lot during pregnancy, and the most important thing is to relax." Xue Xun advised.

Knowing that Mrs. Li is at risk of tire slippage because of her weakness, Xue Xun is relieved. If the Xue family followed the emperor and the prince in the original book and did not lend a helping hand to Shi Gui, Mrs. Li might not be able to keep the pregnancy, and it will take many years to recover. Shi Xiangyun.Shi Gui will die at that time, so the risk of Shi Gui in Jinling is not so great.

"What my brother said is true, the doctor also told me, I will pay attention to it." Shi Gui nodded, always talking about women's internal affairs, Shi Gui was also embarrassed, and changed the subject: "I don't know what happened to the southern naval battle?"

"Xue's shop has been fully contracted, and there is not much news. I only know that it is still in the stage of stalemate. It has already entered winter. The water in the south will not freeze, but it is cold and wet. It will not continue to fight until the beginning of autumn. , the winner will definitely be determined, even if it is a small victory." Xue Xun said that he had no doubts about his own victory.

"That's the reason. His Royal Highness will also return to Beijing to attend the ancestor worship and court meeting, and there won't be too long a delay." Shi Gui nodded.

Xue Xun did not say that he sent people to rebuild the stronghold of the General Secretary again. This time, it was rebuilt according to the regulations of the General Secretary, but all of it was funded by the Xue family. It was no longer attached to the imperial court, but hidden behind the General Secretary. .After the war, there must be great construction. The Xue family has strong capital and dares to accumulate strength in the midst of gunfire.

All the officials and people, from His Majesty to Shengdou, have no doubts about my victory in the navy, but the facts just come to slap me in the face, and I lost the court!

The news in the war zone was tightly blocked. Xue Xun had been prepared for half a month before he got the news. The prince's ability to participate in government affairs since he was a child was used by him to deceive others and deceive the public.

Can't wait for Xue Xun to take measures, then came the news that the refugees broke through the blockade and headed directly north, to the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River, and the rich land.The news of the Nanfang Navy's defeat spread along with the refugees, and it could no longer be concealed.

Jinling has important political significance for our dynasty. The refugees have not yet arrived in Jinling, but Shi Gui is already very nervous, so he hastened to make drills to ensure the stability and prosperity of Jinling.He also wrote a letter to ask His Majesty to make a holy judgment. It is not for him, the prefect, to decide whether to drive or resettle the refugees.

The deeper meaning is, how to define this defeat?

Whether it was the crown prince who lost the battle because of his poor command, or the incompetence of the officers and men, which caused His Highness the crown prince, there must be an explanation.

What Xue Xun cares about is not the prince's situation, but the economic collapse that has spread from the war zone to the north. Guangdong, Guangxi, and the two lakes, except for Yunnan and Guizhou, which have natural geographical advantages, brought not only the news of the defeat, but also the sudden increase in population pressure, Misallocation of resources, disease and morale.

Morale, yes, looking devastated, any common people's trust in the court is slowly weakening.A refugee who hurts others is weakened by one point, and an officer and soldier is like a bandit weakened by one point. If this continues, the court will no longer be able to control the south.

Xue Xun held his head in the study, feeling sad.It was he who made a gesture of full retreat, luring domestic and foreign businessmen to enter the southern market in a disorderly manner, disrupting order.I thought it would be a slow accumulation in three to five years, and there will always be people of insight who see the problem and invite the Xue family to come out.Unexpectedly, it coincided with the naval battle, the superposition of the quantity, the destructive power increased geometrically, the southeast coast was already full of blood, and starvation was everywhere.

"Master, it's not your fault." Uncle Zhong comforted dryly.

"The crown prince is incompetent, so why should the master bear his faults on himself? The most important thing now is how to get the qualification to rebuild the south." Mr. Niu comforted.

Mr. Ma was sitting on the sidelines, and he didn't pay attention to Xue Xun's state at all. When he was a gangster, he took down dozens of people with a knife, and he was used to death.In his opinion, Xue Xun is hypocritical, he is going to die anyway, what's the use of lamenting and blaming himself now, what should be done should be done.

"The most important thing now is to win a game and suppress the morale of Qianxiang Kingdom. The tiny land of Qianxiang Kingdom is absolutely incomparable to my national strength and durability. I am afraid that the prince will be beaten. , Your Majesty loses his spirit and would rather seek peace than start a war, then it will be all over." Xue Xun worried.

"Master, I am too worried. The previous dynasty was too weak towards Jin, Liao, Tubo, etc., which caused the barbarians to go south and ravage the Central Plains. The Taizu left a ancestral instruction not to seek peace with foreigners. Fight to the death. Never back down!" Mr. Niu said impassionedly, he seemed to be another fan of Taizu, and his admiration was beyond words.

"It's only been three generations since the founding of the country. The blood of the royal family has not been lost, so we must regroup and fight again. What we should worry about now is the leader of the army. The prince has suffered a big loss and has already been escorted from Guizhou to Sichuan, and then transferred to the inland capital along the Yangtze River. As soon as the enemy came, the prince would abandon the city and flee. Such a level is not suitable for leading troops. Those who support the prince in the court will definitely want the prince to return to the court. The army still needs someone to lead it, and the status should not be too low, otherwise it will not be able to suppress it, and if a prince stands out...hehe, it will be lively." Mr. Niu laughed.Wars don't happen very often, but scrambling for the throne is common. Are there still few father-son fights and brother fights that have revolved around the throne for thousands of years?

Xue Xun's alarm clock had a flash of inspiration, and said: "It doesn't have to be the prince, the four founding kings with different surnames are also princes!"

Decades later in the original book, the king of Nan'an County controlled the navy and was defeated by the navy of Qianxiang Kingdom.It can be inferred from this that the top general who took the position this time came from among the old nobles, four kings and eight princes.

"Extremely, extremely. Your Majesty is so gracious to the crown prince, so he will be able to predict what will happen next. If the prince leads the army, how to reward him after a big victory will inevitably lead to instability of the crown prince's position. If he uses a king with a different surname, there will be no risk at all. These Senior relatives of the year are closely following His Majesty's footsteps, several princes were born in the battlefield, if a king with a different surname is ambitious, he can directly cut the prince, after all, he is only a courtier, and His Majesty is righteous." Mr. Ma stroked his beard and smiled. road.

"Since His Majesty may use nobles, and it may not necessarily be four kings with different surnames, why not recommend one who is on good terms with our Xue family?"

"What do you mean, lord?"

"Squeeze!"