Xiahou Ling snapped out of her daze, forced a smile, and raised her hand in return, her right hand trembling slightly.
"Miss Xiahou, are you injured?" Song Jiuyuan thought Xiahou Ling was injured by the Northern Di people yesterday while protecting Luo Cuiwei, so he asked with concern, "Why aren't you resting in bed? Why are you standing here?"
Xiahou Ling glanced down at her trembling fingertips. "I'm waiting for the pear."
After speaking, she quickly raised her left sleeve to cover her mouth and awkwardly let out a burp.
Last night she carved forty pieces, but only twenty-six made into a set; her fellow sufferers seemed to be in even worse shape.
In short, there were no whole pears with the peel on at home at this time, so Tao Yin went to the market to buy some.
Song Jiuyuan was completely bewildered by what he was seeing and hearing, but since he had come to discuss serious matters with Yun Lie, he couldn't linger any longer. After offering a few polite words of comfort, he hurriedly entered the side hall.
As soon as the door to the side hall was pushed open, Yun Lie, who was sitting behind the table, was seen with a fervent light in his eyes.
"You've finally arrived!"
Seeing that he seemed anxious, Song Jiuyuan quickly closed the door behind him and hurried to meet him.
Before he could speak, a large soup bowl was pushed over from the other side.
The size of that soup bowl was really excessive; perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a "soup bucket."
Song Jiuyuan looked at Yun Lie in surprise and frowned when he saw that there was a soup bowl of the same size in front of him.
"Sit down, let's eat and talk," Yun Lie waved his left hand holding the soup spoon, his eyes "kind." "That bowl was specially prepared for you, no one has touched it, eat it while it's hot."
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Song Jiuyuan sat down in the chair opposite him. Upon lifting the lid of the bowl, he was surprised to find it contained stewed pear with fritillaria and rock sugar. He was filled with emotion.
“Now that Her Highness the Princess is protecting us, things are different,” Song Jiuyuan said, picking up a spoon and scooping up a spoonful, then happily putting it into her mouth. “In previous years, at this time of year, our biggest worry was how to fill everyone’s stomachs, but this year we can even eat fritillaria stewed with pears to nourish our lungs.”
Yun Lie swallowed a large spoonful like a warrior cutting off his own arm, mumbling, "Eat as much as you want, there's plenty in the kitchen."
Thanks to the kindness of his wife, who saw that he and Xiahou Ling had ruined too many pears, she reluctantly agreed that they could find someone to help them eat them.
"Eh, Your Highness, why are you holding the spoon with your left hand today?"
"Eat your pear." Yun Lie glanced at him indifferently, then lowered his eyes imperceptibly.
It's not something to let subordinates know if you're carving a pear until your hands tremble; it's not impressive.
****
"...According to what Fu Ying said yesterday, the Northern Di people originally intended to establish friendly relations with us."
After quickly finishing half a bowl of stewed pears, Song Jiuyuan's eating pace noticeably slowed down considerably.
"Their previous leader intended to abandon nomadism and engage in agriculture and commerce, but his farming methods were ineffective, leading to food shortages, which forced him to step down. In other words, if given the right approach, they would actually be willing to settle down."
The root cause of the northern barbarians' disturbances on the border was nothing more than a lack of food and water. After all, their nomadic lifestyle was very extensive and they often depended on the weather for their livelihood. Every year when winter came, the grass and trees withered, and the cattle and sheep had nothing to eat, so they had nothing to eat either. This made them have no choice but to turn to this place.
Unfortunately, the two sides did not communicate well, and the Northern Di people were also unruly, so they would often attack and rob, which led to enmity.
They were nomadic and never settled down. They would plunder and run away, and they would also run away after a defeat. They had no fixed abode, which made it impossible for the people of Linchuan to completely grasp their weaknesses. They could only adopt a defensive posture.
If we can guide them to settle down and build cities, it would be best to assimilate them with the Dajin people; to put it another way, if they rebel again in the future, it would be convenient to wipe them out once they have settled down.
“Yesterday Fu Ying mentioned,” Yun Lie swallowed the stewed pear in his mouth with difficulty, “that the Northern Di people fear power but do not cherish virtue. Judging from our dealings with the Northern Di people over the years, this is indeed the case.”
Song Jiuyuan put down his spoon and sighed, "So, even if we take the initiative to show goodwill, the Northern Di people may not necessarily be willing to be taken advantage of."
“We must first defeat them completely and make them submit, then we can talk,” Yun Lie said, raising his eyes and frowning. “Continue eating.”
This useless Song Dai, he can't fight, and he can't even eat? There's so much food in the kitchen!
Urged on by his words, Song Jiuyuan hurriedly picked up the spoon again, "But this all-out battle won't be like the usual battles where you just have to deal with whatever comes your way..."
Taking the initiative would be a money-burning business.
His Majesty originally had no intention of waging war against the Northern Barbarians. Now that Linchuan has become the fiefdom of Prince Zhao, the Ministry of War is even less likely to allocate funds to Linchuan.
Yun Lie raised his head. "I'll give you a year to straighten out the livelihood issues in the six cities. By next autumn at the latest, the fiscal and tax system must be back to normal."
“It’s no problem to straighten out the fiscal and tax system in a year,” Song Jiuyuan said with some difficulty. “But the people’s livelihood in the six cities has been devastated for many years and has only gradually recovered in recent years. Even if everything goes smoothly next year, the fiscal and tax system will not be sufficient to support such a tough battle.”
"Her Highness the Princess decrees: The Linchuan Army is only responsible for ensuring victory in every attack."
Seeing Yun Lie standing tall and proud with an air of confidence, like a messenger borrowing the tiger's power, Song Jiuyuan asked for further confirmation with some unease, "What... does this mean?"
Yun Lie grinned, revealing his white teeth: "My Weiwei said, don't be a coward, just fight! If you need money, come to her!"
Song Jiuyuan was well aware of how strapped for cash Yun Lie had been all these years.
Having known Yun Lie for nearly ten years, this was the first time Song Jiuyuan had ever heard him speak such boastful words of wealth and power.
That confident and bold spirit inexplicably infected Song Jiuyuan. He gripped the spoon in his hand tightly and replied firmly, "I will obey Your Highness's decree."
Next year, we will achieve our goal in one decisive battle. First, we will beat them until they kneel down, then we will offer them sweet treats, and completely eliminate the threat of the Northern Barbarians!
but……
"Your Highness, I really can't eat anymore..." Seeing Yun Lie get up and open the window to call Tao Yin to bring in another bowl of stewed pears, Song Jiuyuan had no choice but to decline this excessive hospitality.
Yun Lie turned around and glared at him: "Her Highness the Princess also decreed that if those big pots of stewed pears are not finished, no money will be allocated next year."
Song Jiuyuan was stunned: "Your Highness, how could there be such an absurd... no, such a... decree?"
In fact, what Luo Cuiwei said was clear: if the pears that were carved badly that day were not eaten, some people were not allowed to return to their dormitories.