Li Shi Min sat in the royal study.
Cheng Yaojin, Qin Shubao, Li Jing.
Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, and Hou Junji were all waiting in the royal study.
Pei Xingjian was chatting with a few scouts outside the door. He then walked into the royal study with a solemn expression.
"Your Majesty, we have already investigated."
"Speak."
Pei Xingjian said,"Today, the envoy team of Tuyuhun has sold all the goods they brought and purchased 500 miles of grain for the thousand-man team.”
There was a very professional evaluation formula for transporting grain.
For example, to transport rations for 10,000 people a hundred miles would require at least 1,800 people.
Based on the distance, it was easy to calculate how long the rations they transported could last a thousand people.
Li Shimin looked at the map." It's at least 800 miles from Chang 'an to Tuyuhun. They only brought 500 miles of grain.”
"Do you think the Tuyuhun people are prepared to starve themselves to death?”
"Your Majesty, after the Tuyuhun envoys sold their goods, they did not buy a large amount of goods.”
"Your Majesty, could it be that you summoned us today for this matter?"”
"What do you think, dear ministers?"”
"Your Majesty, this group of Tuyuhun envoys is here to do business, but they don't purchase a large amount of goods from the Great Tang. This doesn't conform to the methods of a merchant."”
It was like a big truck transporting goods from Chang 'an to Tuyuhun and then running back empty?
This time, they couldn't even earn money for gas, and they had to pay for it.
This didn't make sense.
"Your Majesty, please take a look. After Qinzhou, we'll head toward Tao Prefecture. There are no military towns or large cities within three hundred li of this uninhabited region.”
"If they plan to replenish their rations after passing Qinzhou, they won't be able to buy rations here.”
"If these Tuyuhun people really only brought 500 miles of grain, then it means…they are preparing to send troops to fight for grain near Taozhou.”
"Once we cross Taozhou, we will immediately enter the Tuyuhun border. By then, before our border troops can react, they will have already escaped.”
The generals immediately looked at the map.
Hou Junji's analysis was correct.
"That's right, I had this suspicion, so I sent people to investigate how much grain they bought."”
"As traveling merchants, they can't bring back goods or buy enough grain. There must be a big problem.”
"Is there a possibility that they're worried that the transportation of rations would consume too much energy, so they're preparing to replenish their rations in Qinzhou?"”
"Impossible." General Li Jing immediately refuted this idea.
"Duke of Wei (Fang Xuanling title), Chang 'an is a place with a large population. Buying grain for 1,000 troops won't cause too much of a fluctuation in the market.”
"However, if we buy grain for more than five days for a thousand people in Qinzhou, the grain prices in Qinzhou will skyrocket.”
"You're the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It's impossible that you don't know that we prohibit envoys from purchasing large quantities of food outside Chang 'an.”
"A small number of merchants who are not afraid of breaking the law would not be able to replenish such a large amount of grain for them.”
One had to know that the amount of food consumed by the army was completely different from that of ordinary people at home.
The amount of food needed for 1,000 people to travel 100 miles required 180 people to push the carts.
This scene was spectacular.
For a thousand people to advance for several hundred miles, more than half of them would need to transport rations.
At the same time, he needed a horse to pull the carriage.
So much food, and the merchants in Qinzhou were selling it illegally?
Would they dare?
Fang Xuanling nodded." That's true. We've dealt with too many corrupt officials over the years. We've been too cautious."”
Back then, Fang Xuanling was famous for his strategies.
Li Shi Min nodded." It seems like these Tuyuhun people have already prepared to split up and rob after passing through Qinzhou. Then, they will split up and break through the border to return to Tuyuhun."”
"Hou Junji!"
"Your subject is here!"
Li Shimin: " I order you to lead a team of guards and light carriages to Taozhou. Mobilize the soldiers and arrange the troops. Prepare to destroy the Tuyuhun envoys after they disperse."”
"Yes!" Hou Junji raised his head, kneeling on one knee.”
Li Shi Min: " Remember, bring the Tuyuhun envoys back alive. I want them to be widowed. I'm tired of living!"”
"Remember, you must catch him in the act! He had to wait until Tuyuhun's team dispersed and started to act like bandits before he attacked!”
"I understand!"
As the saying goes, the emissaries should not be killed when the two countries are at war, not to mention that the two countries have not yet been at war.
To catch a thief, to catch the dirty, to catch the adulterous.
Although he had predicted what the Tuyuhun envoy team was planning, he still had to wait for them to start moving before he could make his move.
With Hou Junji's meticulous thinking and leadership, he should be able to keep the losses to a minimum.
"Your Majesty, is it possible?" Li Jing knelt on one knee.”
"Tuyuhun predicted that we would notice that something was wrong with the envoy team. In fact, they were just bait to lure Taozhou into emptiness and then launch a large-scale attack?”
"How could their brains think of such a thing as a serial scheme?"”
Do you think everyone is as smart as Fang Yang?
" Ahem, but that's right. We have to be on guard. Li Jing, take my Commander's Seal and go to Taozhou to hold the fort. If Tuyuhun invades, we will have 100,000 troops in Chang 'an within seven days."”
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
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