Capital, palace, Extreme Purple Hall.
During the court assembly everyday, hundreds of officials would meet the Emperor to discuss politics.
The Emperor of this dynasty was a square middle-aged man with a dignified expression. At this moment, he was sitting in his dragon throne as he listened to the courtiers.
One by one, the officials went forward to report. Most of them were unimportant matters.
After a while, someone suddenly stepped out of the crowd and announced,
“…There has been a drought in the northern and southern regions of the country for years. The people are struggling to survive, and refugees are everywhere. The Imperial Court is in urgent need of disaster relief.”
The courtiers stirred slightly and whispered to each other.
The Emperor raised his eyes in dissatisfaction,
“The year before last, there was a drought. Last year, there was a drought, and this year, there was another drought. The Imperial Court has been providing disaster relief every year, but there has been no effect. Instead, there is less and less food in the official warehouse and the treasury every year… Do any of you have any suggestions?”
Everyone looked at each other in silence.
At this moment, the right prime minister, Qin Song, stepped out of the crowd and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, in my opinion, when the Emperor’s decree is completed, showcasing his achievements to the world and illuminating the heavens. the weather will naturally be smooth, and the year of calamity will become a year of prosperity.”
The Emperor’s decree referred to the large number of strange buildings that were still being built…
Hearing this, the Emperor smiled,
“Minister Qin is right. This is why I asked the world to build the Emperor’s Temple. It’s just that it hasn’t been completed yet, and distant water can’t quench one’s thirst. We have to deal with these two drought issues now.”
“Your Majesty is wise.” Qin Song lowered his head and retreated.
The Emperor looked around and pointed at a minister who had been in charge of disaster relief last year. “Minister, the results you proposed were good last year. Do you have a plan today?”
The minister quietly glanced at Qin Song before saying loudly,
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“We can only do what we did in the past few years. We can reduce taxes, distribute food and porridge, and help the victims… Other than that, there’s no other way.”
The Emperor nodded, about to say something.
However, the minister continued and added,
“It’s just that the continuous disasters have caused bandits to run rampant in the north and cause trouble everywhere. If we don’t deal with them, there will be many obstructions to disaster relief.”
“Oh?” The Emperor frowned. “There’s such a thing?”
The minister nodded, “The drought is a natural disaster, but there were thieves who turned it into a man-made disaster. They incited the victims of the disaster and attacked the state capital, causing the various state capitals to not dare to open their cities for relief. There were even county cities that were plundered by the victims of the disaster. It was extremely bad.”
“Then do you have a way to deal with it?”
The Emperor looked at the crowd once again.
Suddenly, another courtier stepped out of the crowd and said coldly, “It’s a small matter to starve to death, but it’s a big deal to lose discipline. Even if these victims are displaced, it’s not a reason to cause trouble. We should send troops to suppress them and kill them as a warning to others!”
Hearing this, Qin Song hurriedly walked out to speak up,
“You can’t do that. Those Northern bandits are too rampant. In my opinion, we should focus on pacifying and appeasing the people. His Majesty can issue a decree to recruit a few of the bandits under the royal family’s command. This will not only show the Emperor’s kindness, and they can be ordered to suppress the other bandits. This way, the bandit problem will be resolved. We won’t have to waste a single soldier, and can also save a lot of money and food.”
At this moment, Privy Ambassador Pang Hong, who was in charge of the military, interjected in a deep voice,
“The bandits are just a motley crew. They don’t amount to much. As soon as the soldiers arrive, with the support of our vast and mighty heavenly might, the bandits will naturally submit! Why do we need to recruit them? They’ll only degrade the dignity of the Imperial Court for no reason.”
The court was quickly divided into three groups. Some supported sending troops, some supported recruitment, and the rest watched coldly.
They seemed to have their own legitimate reasons, but there was actually an undercurrent flowing about within the imperial court.
The Emperor listened for a while and stopped everyone, but he slowly spoke out, “Building the Son of Heaven’s Temple is an important matter. We should save as much as we can. Now that the national treasury is empty, it’s not appropriate to mobilize troops. It’s better to focus on recruitment. I’ll leave the disaster relief and suppressing the bandits to Minister Qin.”
He was thinking about building a lot of buildings and getting a bunch of wonders as soon as possible. He did not want to increase his military expenditure at this moment.
Seeing this, everyone stopped arguing and retreated into the crowd.
The Emperor paused and changed the topic, “It’s almost autumn. How’s the preparation for the autumn patrol this year?”
Minister Lu Wenzong walked out and bowed.
“Your Majesty, everything has been arranged from the capital to Ning Tian Prefecture.”
The Crown Prince also took a few steps forward and said, “Father, don’t worry. I’ll supervise the country in the capital to ensure that nothing goes wrong.”
“Yes.” The Emperor nodded. Then, he thought of something and smiled, “A few days ago, Ning Tian’s official reported that an expert had come to the city. He can summon the wind and rain and is called Perfected Master Windwalker. I want to see if it’s true.”
“Your Majesty, please reconsider!” An imperial censor who was known for his “straight-talking” hurriedly said, “These people are all people who deceive others with demonic words. How can Your Majesty meet such a swindler?”
The Emperor’s smile faded.
At this moment, Qin Song immediately retorted,
“Since Magistrate Ning Tian dares to report, he will naturally be investigated on the veracity of the statement. When His Majesty arrives in Ning Tian and clarifies the reason, he will naturally decide if he wants to summon this person. Why do you need to say anything?”
“That’s right.” The Emperor nodded with a smile.
After saying a few more things, the Emperor was a little tired, so he announced the withdrawal of the court.
The officials left the Extreme Purple Hall in a single file.
Qin Song was at the back. Lu Wenzong walked beside him, separated from the other officials and chatting leisurely.
“That Privy Ambassador Pang always wants to stir up trouble. Both Northern Yan and Eastern Tai states are in chaos. If we use weapons to suppress them, I wonder how much silver will be consumed. How can His Majesty be willing?”
Qin Song said casually.
Lu Wenzong glanced at him and smiled, “I heard that Minister Qin has bought many businesses in these two places as well. I wonder if it’s a rumor.”
“Hehe, it’s just some little investments.” Qin Song waved his hand calmly and stroked his beard. “On the other hand, Official Lu has managed to get a royal decree to arrange for His Majesty to travel south in the past few years. It’s really enviable.”
Lu Wenzong smacked his lips in response, quickly changing the topic,
“Speaking of which, I heard that a student of Minister Qin was a magistrate in the Lu River area. His arm was chopped off by an outlaw and his career was cut off as a result. I wonder if that’s true?”
Qin Song’s smile faded slightly as he said indifferently, “That’s right. Such a ruffian deserves to die for offending their superiors.”
Lu Wenzong continued, “It’s said that the criminal’s name is Chen Feng. He has the strength to go against ten thousand men. I wonder what Minister Qin plans to do?”
Qin Song sneered, “Just let the Lu River people fight on their own. Why should we worry?”
Lu Wenzong smiled, “I’m just worried that if there’s such a powerful person in the Lu river, he will probably bump into the Emperor and ruin His Majesty’s mood.”
When Qin Song heard this, he narrowed his eyes,
“That makes sense. This is a hidden danger… Then I’ll give those people a little push.”
…
Northern Yan, Heavenly King Stronghold.
This was a majestic stronghold that occupied a high mountain. There were many passes and flags fluttering.
At this moment, in front of the stronghold, dozens of leaders were sending a few envoys out.
“Leaders, don’t send us off. We’ll go down the mountain now. I hope you can consider my master’s suggestion carefully to be recruited in exchange for amnesty. We’ll wait for the good news.”
The envoys politely declined the send off before following the lackeys down the mountain. Their backs disappeared into the distance in everyone’s eyes.
Xiang Tianjie retracted his gaze and looked at the Stronghold Chief. He could not help but say, “Brother, the Imperial Court has yet to issue a recruitment order. Can these people really be trusted? Could they be fooling us?”
The leaders also looked at the chief in confusion.
As the number one stronghold in the north, their Heavenly King Stronghold had actually always been receiving recruitment from the various nobles. However, the Imperial Court never seemed to have such intentions, so this suggestion was shelved.
However, it was not until last year when the chief went to the capital that he met someone and made some connections. When he returned, he brought up the matter of being recruited again.
After that, envoys of unknown origin frequently came to communicate about the recruitment. There was clearly no movement from the Imperial Court, but these envoys seemed to be certain that the Imperial Court would definitely issue the recruitment and came to discuss all kinds of conditions with their Heavenly King Stronghold in advance.
“Brothers, there’s no need to worry. It’s naturally true. The Imperial Court will recruit us sooner or later.”
A burly man spoke loudly. He had a dignified appearance and white hair at his temples. His age was evident.
This person was the chief of the Heavenly King Stronghold, Lu Longchuan.
He was known as the “Heavenly King” and had always been known as the “number one expert in the Green Forest”. He was famous throughout the Green Forest and was a big shot at the top of the Green Forest Path.
At this moment, one of the leaders spoke out in dissatisfaction,
“Recruitment, recruitment, recruit your mothers. The conditions they proposed are for us to help the Imperial Court pacify the Northern Yan and Eastern Tai bandits. If that’s the case, how can we continue living in the Green Forest? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to live happily like now?”
Hearing this, another leader immediately retorted, “Brother, you’re wrong. We can’t be bandits for the rest of our lives. The harvest of the crops in Northern Yan and Eastern Tai has been bad for the past two years, and a large number of farmers have abandoned the land and fled. We’ve been constantly expanding as a result. Now that we’ve reached a bottleneck, it’s not easy to feed the entire mountain.
If we expand again, we have to occupy an actual city. That’s a huge crime of rebellion, and we won’t be able to stand out again! This path has come to an end. Being recruited is the only way out.”
“That’s right. If we can eliminate the two local bandit groups for the Imperial Court, we will also be people who have contributed greatly. Everyone can be conferred an official position. The people in the Green Forest will be recruited as a co-option and can eventually become generals of the Imperial Court. It’s not like there’s no precedent. Haven’t you heard of the old saying… If you want to be an official, kill and set fire!”
Everyone chattered.
The composition of the members of the Heavenly King Stronghold was complicated, but most of them agreed to the recruitment. They felt that this was the only way to restore their innocence and make a name for themselves.
Even though they had become outlaws, under the education of feudal etiquette, most people naturally yearned to enter the court and become officials. They felt that this was the epitome of one’s life.
Lu Longchuan raised his hand and pressed it down to silence everyone, before solemnly speaking, “We’ve been brothers for many years. Don’t you trust me? I’ll definitely fight for wealth for everyone.”
“We’ll listen to Brother’s arrangements.”
Everyone hurriedly cupped their fists.
At this moment, Xiang Tianjie thought of something and smiled, “Master, do you still remember that Death Beckoning Yama King, Chen Feng?”
Lu Longchuan nodded, “Brother Xiang thinks highly of him. I naturally remember. Why did you suddenly mention this person?”
“Recently, it’s rumored that Chen Feng has done something big in the Lu River area. He single-handedly leveled two mountain strongholds, and his reputation has spread throughout the world. Some busybodies said that he’s the number one expert in the Green Forest…”
Xiang Tianjie explained Zhou Jing’s deeds.
Lu Longchuan’s eyes flashed, “This person’s attainment of martial arts is indeed rare… Brother Xiang is old friends with him. Do you have a way to invite him to the mountain?”
“This… I’m not sure either. This person doesn’t seem to have any thoughts of settling down at the moment.”
Xiang Tianjie paused and hesitated for a moment before continuing,
“Moreover, this person is rash, lawless, and domineering. He’s probably a powerhouse who doesn’t want to submit to others. Even if he comes up the mountain to join us, he’ll probably be unwilling to accept the recruitment…”
When Lu Longchuan heard this, he sighed, “What a pity. Forget it.”
If it was in the past, when the Heavenly King Stronghold was still developing rapidly, he would definitely pull a fierce person like Zhou Jing up the mountain.
However, now that the Heavenly King Stronghold was huge and had already occupied a territory, and they were already planning to accept a co-option, there was no point in having another top expert… Moreover, it was not easy to settle such strong minded people down.
Lu Longchuan shook his head and threw Chen Feng to the back of his mind.
No matter how high this person’s martial arts was… what did it have to do with him now?
His status was now stable, and he had long passed the stage where he needed to become famous.