"I think Brother Zhao's plan is very good. In the third year of my Qingyuan Mansion, Duke Chongguo managed Qingyuan Mansion in an orderly manner, especially the great achievements in combating pirates and Japanese pirates, which benefited a lot from those of us who rely on sea transportation. Now Duke Chongguo invites him to go to the front line to fight the enemy. We must do our best!" Shaoxing tea merchant Cao Feng nodded and agreed with Zhao Qi's statement.

"We have no choice but to defend our country and donate money, but once the money is known to the court, I wonder if it will be used for other purposes or even corrupted by officials?" Gao Yucheng couldn't help asking.

"You don't need to worry about this. After the donation is completed and the inventory is announced, we will send someone to escort the money to Ezhou. Without the help of the court and local officials, it will be no big problem!" Zhao Qi said.

"I'm afraid that the government and the court will forcefully take action along the way!" Fan Hailong was still a little worried. "I was under the command of Yu's Ministry of War. The Mongolians repeatedly invaded. Sichuan people also enthusiastically donated food, grass, and military pay to the front line, but they were forcibly intercepted and even embezzled by many officials and garrisons along the line. Ten percent were transported to the end of 20% to 30%. The Lizhou commander Wang Kui even plundered the people of the prefectures and counties and the court escorted the military pay, food and grass on the front line, killing the escort officers and soldiers and court officials. He also claimed that these people were killed by the Mongolians. What he did was outrageous. The Ministry of War Yu's Ministry of War was investigated and killed, which made the Sichuan soldiers rectified in an orderly manner and stabilized the situation in Sichuan."

"Yu Jie's death is really not worth it, what a pity!" Su Houyou shook her head and sighed.

"Yes, Yu Jie was in charge of Sichuan, and for more than ten years, he managed Bashu like an iron barrel. The Mongols were beaten by him and almost repelled Hanzhong. Unfortunately, there were too many treacherous officials in the court, and they ended up committing suicide by taking poison. Now, Ding Daquan controls the court. These people are bullshit in the country to control the war, but they are all good at slaughtering money. The battle has just begun. The commercial tax in Zhejiang and Fujian prefectures has increased by 20%, and the land tax has also increased by 10%. If it is fought for three or five years, I am afraid that the prosperous Jiangnan will be squeezed out!" Zheng Zhen's face was a stranger, and the group of people began to drink tea.

"No matter how long this war lasts, we must hold on. If the front line is defeated and Ezhou is lost, I am afraid that you will sit together and have tea and chat like today!" Zhao Qi shook his head to remind him.

"Yes, I have to carry it all the time, it depends on who can carry it for a long time!"

"Just money alone is not worth it. Nowadays, the generals in various military prefectures have too many empty salary. In some places I know, only 100% of the military system is only 60% or 70% of the soldiers, and even less than 50% of the military pay sent by the imperial court is mostly divided and embezzled by generals of all sizes. When I followed Yu's Ministry of War in Sichuan, it was even more shocking to eat empty salary. Some army even lacked 40% of the soldiers, and 60% or 70% of the military pay, food and grass were embezzled by the defenders. In order to rectify Sichuan, Yu's Ministry of War had killed several generals of the army, which caused trouble for itself. Alas!"

Fan Hailong had been in the army, and his words were naturally very convincing. Everyone in the tea room felt cold all over. Even Zhao Qi felt a little frightened. The heavy redundant soldiers and expenses of the Song Dynasty had completely become a heavy burden that crushed the Song Dynasty. Later, after Jia Sidao came to power, his goal was to target these generals who were experiencing empty wages. Unfortunately, although the idea was good, it was so tilted that it was not said in the execution that the generals who were experiencing empty wages were frightened and frightened, so he simply surrendered to Mongolia.

But Zhao Qi never expected that the Song Dynasty's **** was so heavy that an army was not enough to have enough troops, so it was a bad otaku.

Ezhou has never been the focus of defense. The management of defenders in such places may be even more relaxed, and I am afraid that Wu Qian will vomit blood excitedly after he goes there.

Fan Hailong seemed to feel that his words were too serious, so he smiled and said, "Don't worry too much. Although the military and states lacked enough troops and there were many generals who were vacant salary, this has always been the norm. However, our Song Dynasty wars did not rely on the wing army. The imperial guards and local rural brave wars were also very hard when fighting. In Sichuan, Yu's Ministry of War recruited many local volunteers to train rigorously, and many times they beat the Mongols to the point of being beaten!"

"Brother Fan, you have been in Sichuan for several years and are familiar with the situation in Sichuan. Do you think that this time, the Mongols' army of 100,000 attacks Sichuan, how long can Sichuan resist?" Cao Feng asked.

"It's hard to say. In the past, the Mongols were not elite in attacking Sichuan. They were just a few thousand households. The bigger generals were the princes and other leaders. The number of people was only 20,000 to 30,000 people. Under the scattered plunder, there were not many enemies in each unit. Some even had a few hundred people. As long as they defended the city and waited for an opportunity to counterattack, it was not difficult to fight. The most terrible thing about the Mongols was to fight head-on horses with them in places where there were no dangers. They basically couldn't win. Their horse speed was too fast and the bows and arrows were extremely sharp. Except for Chengdu Prefecture, Sichuan was basically surrounded by mountains and steep mountains, which was not advantageous for the Mongols. At the beginning, Yu's Ministry of War defended Sichuan, which was to seize the advantage of Sichuan's geographical advantage and take advantage of the Mongols' weakness of climbing mountains and siege.

Point, Shicheng Shizhai was built in many places in Chongqing and Sichuan. These Shizhai Shizhai were built on some dangerous traffic routes, which were easy to defend but difficult to attack. The Mongols suffered a great loss in these places. Now even if Yu's Ministry of War is gone, I know that Sichuan officials and local defenders are still continuing to implement Yu's Ministry of War's strategy. In recent years, hundreds of Shizhai Shizhai have been built. Although Mengge Khan personally led a 100,000 army to attack Sichuan, the consequences were somewhat unpredictable, but I think it would be difficult for the Mongols to break through Sichuan in a short period of time as long as the defense is properly. But it is impossible to judge how long it takes to be right. The right time, place, people and people are indispensable. If Yu's Ministry of War is still there, I can boldly speculate that the Mongols can basically not capture Sichuan, but now... ah..." Fan Hailong shook his head and sighed after explaining.

"The court forced Yu Jie to death, which was considered to be a self-destruction of the Great Wall. It was really hateful for the treacherous ministers and traitors!" Su Houyou gritted her teeth and punched her heavily on the coffee table.

There was another shaking head and sighing in the room. After drinking tea silently, Zhao Qi broke the silence:

"Yu Jie has been in Sichuan for so many years, and most of the people left behind are his generals. They are very familiar with how to deal with the Mongols. There is another factor that is also unfavorable to the Mongols, that is, there are too many people who attacked Sichuan this time, especially Mengge Khan personally led his troops, and he must have carried a large number of family and ceremonial guards. The climate and terrain of Sichuan is completely different from the northwest grassland. If you don't adapt to the land, you will not be able to say that you have tens of thousands of people crowded together every day, and plague may occur.

If Mengge is also infected with the epidemic, the army will definitely be unstable. If Sichuan defenders can defend against the danger and hold Chongqing tightly, even if the Mongols occupy Sichuan, they will not be able to quickly attack Jingxiang. So I think that the key node of the battle situation in Sichuan this time is Chongqing Prefecture. If you defend Chongqing, as long as you persist for one or two years, the Mongols will definitely not be able to hold on. I heard that there is a Diaoyu City in Chongqing, but I don’t know if Manager Fan understands it?”

Zhao Qi looked at Fan Hailong.

"I am so familiar with Diaoyu City. When I built the city, I worked as a military supervisor in Hechuan and used more than 100,000 people in Chongqing Prefecture. It took a year and seven months to repair it. The entire Diaoyu Mountain was built into a stone city. The stone walls were two meters high. Below is the Jialing River, the intersection of the Fu River and Qu River. It is simply a gate of hell. No matter which direction it comes from, it is a dead end. Brother Zhao suddenly asked this?" Fan Hailong asked in confusion after explaining.

"I heard people talk about Diaoyu City at the wharf. They said that it was a man who was a pass and could not be opened with a steep and steep man. So I thought about it and asked specifically, "I thought that Chongqing has a dangerous pass like Diaoyu City. As long as the defense is properly, the Mongols' 100,000 troops may not be able to succeed easily!" Zhao Qi said with a smile.

"Brother Zhao's inference is reliable. Diaoyu City cannot be captured by people, unless it is a defensive mistake. Besides, the Mongols are not good at siegeing the city at all. The biggest difficulty is that there are three big rivers under Diaoyu City, and there is no place to launch troops. Even building siege equipment is very difficult. If it is a strong attack, the bows, arrows, stone cannons on the city can go head-on, and the narrow and steep mountain road will become a nightmare for the Mongols..." Fan Hailong nodded with his eyes shiny.

"Since Diaoyu City is so steep, it will definitely not be easy for the Mongols to break through. As long as Chongqing is not broken, 100,000 Mongolian troops will not be able to go down the Yangtze River to attack Jingxiang, and the pressure on Ezhou will inevitably be much smaller. If the Mongols insist on capturing Diaoyu City, 100,000 troops will gather in the narrow and rugged mountains, and it will be very difficult to eat, drink, defecate and supplies. In addition, the terrain is not well-known and the water is not suitable for the land. When the weather is hot next summer, there will be another plague, and maybe the Mongolian Khan will hang in Diaoyu City..."

"Brother Zhao, why are you hanging in Diaoyu City?" Zheng Zhen interrupted curiously.

"Oh, haha, hang means death. There is a saying in the peacock flying southeast: When the officials heard about this, they knew that they had separation. They wandered under the trees in the courtyard and hung on the southeast branches. Mengge Khan personally led 100,000 elite troops to attack Sichuan, but he was unable to break a Diaoyu City for a long time. He was so angry that he might vomit blood and die. Wouldn't it be like hanging and dying?" Zhao Qi smiled and found a far-fetched reason to explain.

"Hahahaha, although Brother Zhao is just joking, if Mengge Khan really dies in Diaoyu City, the crisis in our Song Dynasty will definitely be gone. Although Mongolia is now aggressively attacking, we can only do this military and national affairs in a hurry. Since Sichuan has such natural danger evidence as Diaoyu City, we are a little relieved. Please have tea!" Zheng Zhen picked up the teacup and laughed.

"Brother Zheng said that we cannot decide this military and national affairs, we can only talk about it, drink tea!"

Several people raised their glasses and savored the tea slowly. After talking for a while, the topic returned to Zhao Qi's donation. Zhao Qi also explained his thoughts carefully, and several people also expressed that they would donate some money.

"Everyone, don't be busy donating today. Since everyone is so enthusiastic, why don't we invite some friends to hold a charity sale? This will mobilize the enthusiasm of more people!" Zhao Qi waved his hand and rejected Zheng Zhen and others who were paying out.

"Brother Zhao, what is a charity sale?" Su Houyou asked in confusion.

"A charity sale is when we each take out a treasured item and put it together to bid. If someone is interested in buying it, the money will be donated no matter how much it is. This is more interesting and can also express your righteous deeds. It will be more interesting than donating money alone. I wonder what you think?"

"Hey, Brother Zhao's method is good. Not only is it interesting, it must be very lively!"

Zheng Zhen and others became interested in it immediately after they understood.

"Then just put the venue of the charity sale in my Sanweiju. At that time, I will be responsible for all the tea expenses!" Fan Hailong was very excited and asked to take on the qualifications of the main venue.

"Haha, that's right. Not only does this venue have it, but also tea. Brother Fan's teahouse will definitely become famous, and it will kill two birds with one stone!" Zheng Zhen and others all laughed.

"Then why don't we discuss how to manipulate this charity sale and see who should be invited to participate. We also need to consider the value of the charity sale, how to collect the money obtained from the charity sale, etc. Since it is a donation, it must be done properly, otherwise the end of the matter will not be done, and even a piece of mud will be made into a pity!" Fan Hailong urged with interest.

"Brother Fan's statement is reasonable. This matter must be planned carefully. Otherwise, some people would think we are liars and end up being unpleasant. Since Brother Zhao's fundraising activities have begun today, we will still take Brother Zhao as the leader. He has experience in this area. We will help check for omissions and promote errands. Brother Fan is responsible for setting up the venue and tea. What do you think?" Zheng Zhen nodded and said.

"It's so great. It's the first time we heard about the charity sale. Although Brother Zhao is very young, he has extraordinary experiences. With such a commercial model as Xiaolongwan Harbor, I dare not show off. I will definitely help shake the flag and shout and cheer. If we need our efforts, we will give our orders, and we can do our part to protect the country in the War of Resistance Against Japan, we have no choice!" Su Houyou bowed Zhao Qi very seriously.

"Everything is followed by Brother Zhao's orders!" Zheng Zhen, Cao Feng, Gao Yucheng, and Fan Hailong all bowed to Zhao Qi together.

Zhao Qi stood up and bowed with fists: "I thank you for your respect, and Zhao sighed. I really didn't expect that there were so many kind-hearted people in Qingyuan Mansion. Since that's the case, I won't refuse. Then we formed a preparatory committee for the Anti-Japanese War Protective Charity Sale. Just like various guilds, we are all the leaders and deputy leaders. We will discuss the matter of the charity sale together. We do not seek merit, but we only seek no mistakes. We strive to run this charity sale well and raise a donation for Duke Chongguo and Ezhou Front. What do you think?"

"Okay, with this title similar to a guild, this matter is more famous for handling, and at the same time, you can communicate directly with each guild, which is more convenient to promote!"

"That's right, Brother Zhao's proposal!"

"Then we recommend Brother Zhao to be the head of the charity sale, and we are all deputy!"

"It's so best. Brother Zhao's Xiaolongwan Harbor is perfect. This is a mere charity sale. I'll be able to plan it thoroughly. I'll be running errands!"

Zheng Zhen and others all had their eyes lit up. After a few discussions, they recommended Zhao Qi to be the leader of the auction. Zhao Qi nodded without refusing.

After a while of discussion, the responsibilities of several people were quickly determined.

As the top leader of the committee, Zhao Qi is naturally responsible for overall planning and designing a complete system for the entire charity sale from beginning to end to ensure that the charity sale can proceed smoothly to the end, and there should not be too many loopholes in the middle.

Zheng Zhen is familiar with the large and large guilds near Yanggong Town Harbor and is responsible for contacting these guilds.

Fan Hailong is responsible for the arrangement of the venue and reception of the charity sale.

Gao Yucheng, Cao Feng, Su Houyou and other three are not from Yanggong Zhenhaigang. However, they have been in contact with Yuan Prefecture and Wenzhou and Fuzhou all year round, and they know a lot of people. They can help promote the businessmen they know and try to attract more people to participate in the auction.

Especially Su Houyou, he knew many great scholars from Yin County. After asking carefully, Zhao Qi found out that Su Houyou was actually a descendant of Su Shi. Their lineage was originally Su Mai, Su Shi's eldest son. After Yuanfeng moved from Longxing Prefecture to Ezhou to avoid the war. After evading the war, it has been said that it has reproduced for eight generations for more than a hundred years. Although most of the family still studied and studied, there are very few officials. However, because Su Shi was too famous in the Song Dynasty, as long as he was a descendant of Su Shi, he would definitely be respected and sought after wherever he went.

Although Su Houyou was doing business, he was actually quite knowledgeable. Not only was he a juren, but he also went to Beijing to take provincial examinations when he was young. However, it was when Shi Miyuan was tyrannical. Su Houyou couldn't stand Shi Miyuan's style and directly gave up the exam and returned home. Then he abandoned literature and became a tea dealer. A few years later, relying on his ability and the reputation of Su's descendants, he gradually became a big tea merchant, and then went to Fujian to plant tea gardens and became a manor owner.

Although Su Houyou was a businessman, he was still very talented and did not bother to collude with the government. In addition, tea was originally sold by the imperial court. In recent years, the business of tea gardens has been lukewarm. However, he did not agree with it. He grew tea himself and drank it himself. He also built a college and teahouse in Jian'an. He taught him to drink tea and travel around the mountains and rivers when he had nothing to do. His life was very free and easy.

Su Houyou was deeply moved when Zhao Qi donated money to his hometown Ezhou this time. He was eager to meet Zhao Qi. In order to prepare this charity sale, he also decided to contact some local celebrities in Yin County to see if he could raise some famous calligraphy and paintings for charity sale.

"Brother Zhao, do I have another word or not?" After talking lively, I drank tea. Gao Yucheng, a tea merchant in Yin County, hesitated for a long time before speaking.

"Kei Gao said it's okay. Today we are discussing together to try to make this charity sale better!" Zhao Qi smiled and put down the teacup and said.

"That's right, we are preparing for this charity sale together. Why should Brother Gao hide it? But it's okay!" Zheng Zhen and others nodded together.

Gao Yucheng sat upright and said seriously: "Since we are donating money to the front line, it seems a bit insufficient to just look at Yanggong Town. In fact, Yin County is the best place. Yin County has a population of more than 700,000, thousands of business shops gathered in the city, and there are also many wealthy businessmen and gentry. If we put the venue in Yin County, the effect might be better!"

The room suddenly became quiet. After a moment, Zheng Zhen nodded with his beard and said, "Brother Zhao's proposal is naturally very good, but we are not very familiar with Yin County, so it may be a lot of trouble to operate!"

"It's just one of the troubles. Yin County is still the city. The matter is too big and is afraid of being disliked by the prefect. I heard that the new prefect Zhao Kui has a bad temper..." Cao Feng also added.

"How can a martial artist have a good temper? When Zhao Kui, Duanping, was the commander of the army, but Kaifeng did not take it back, but was beaten by the Mongols..." Su Houyou shook her head disdainfully.

"It cannot be said that, if the failure to enter Luoyang, the generals cannot be blamed all. The situation is very complicated. The most important thing is that the court is not ready at all. The army is fighting on the front line, and the food and grass are not running in time. In addition, the Mongols dig out the Yellow River, and all kinds of situations are not conducive to the continued combat of the army, so Zhao Kui had to withdraw his troops. In fact, Zhao Kui was still very powerful in fighting!" Fan Hailong had been in the army for more than ten years, so his evaluation of Zhao Kui was still very pertinent.

Several people discussed it all over the place. After hearing a few words, Zhao Qi said: "Shopkeeper Gao is from Yin County and must be very familiar with Yin County. Since there is this proposal, we can also refer to it. Yanggong Town is indeed much worse than Yin County. In fact, it doesn't matter where the charity sale is placed. The important thing is to raise more donations. Moreover, Zhao Kui himself has fought with the Mongolian and Jin Kingdom. He is a veteran on the battlefield. He must be more aware of the current state of Chongguo Duke in Ezhou. We go to Yin County to raise funds. I think he will not find fault!"

"Brother Zhao's words are reasonable. Zhao Kui is not a narrow-minded person. At that time, the Ministry of War Yu respected him very much. Even Duke of Jilin Meng Gong praised him and had a very high reputation in the court. If he knew that we were donating money for the Ezhou anti-Mongolia frontline, he would not only not be angry, but also strongly supported him!" Fan Hailong continued Zhao Qi's words.
Chapter completed!