Chapter 104: Fighting against the Japanese

Because of the emperor's sudden cruelty and decisiveness, this New Year's Day was quite dull. In the past, when ministers wanted to enjoy the favor of their king or father, they would take great pains to collect auspicious secret techniques from all over the place so that True Lord Feixuan could enjoy their day. But now the alchemists are lying dead on the spot, and the blood has not yet dried. Who dares to touch this tiger's beard? So just go through the formalities and follow the process honestly to get it done.

However, Master Feixuan's attitude was also very strange. The current emperor pretends to be benevolent and righteous on the outside but is full of lust on the inside. Although he always claims that he only wears eight sets of clothes throughout the four seasons, in fact, he really likes the style of grandiose and extravagant things. This winter, the weather is suitable with the snow, and everything is going smoothly inside and outside. It is a good time for the old giant baby to splurge and enjoy himself, showing off the royal family's splendor and satisfying his vanity. However, the palace rituals before and after the New Year's Day were still very rigid and according to the rules, without any additional additions. Such a strange restraint inevitably shocked the ministers in the court and found it completely unreasonable.

Of course, there must be a reason for wearing leather pants over cotton pants. Master Feixuan's extraordinary restraint and patience were naturally not due to a sudden impulse of conscience to be frugal and love the people, but because he had to do so due to certain practical constraints - for example, the New Year was approaching and he had to collect the arrears. He finally received a detailed list of the musketeers he had trained and the various firearms he had manufactured, including rockets, fire bombs, and other weapons, as well as the accounts owed.

"One million and eight hundred thousand taels!" Master Fei Xuan threw the bill directly to the ground, and said in a rather unfriendly tone: "There are only more than eight or nine thousand musketeers trained nowadays. Does it cost two hundred taels per person per year? The salary of a university scholar in our dynasty is only two hundred taels!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the prince who was being questioned did not feel anything, but the university scholars who were listening carefully could not hold back any longer:

...No, why is the salary of a university scholar only two hundred taels? Don’t you, the Zhu family, have any idea about this?

As the person in charge of training the musketeers, Prince Mu saluted respectfully and answered honestly:

"I am a foolish and stupid person. I have failed the trust of Your Majesty. This is an unforgivable sin. But every cent of this 1.8 million taels has been spent."

The emperor snorted and didn't respond. As an important project related to the dignity of the imperial power, Prince Mu recruited workers in the suburbs to manufacture firearms and train the army, and everything was monitored by the Jinyiwei East Factory at all times. Therefore, Master Feixuan could be 100% sure that the prince definitely did not profit from the project; even the 1.8 million taels were obtained by him through the connections of Yan Donglou and Yan Xiaoge Lao, who managed to get a lot of discounts from the tycoons, and only then was the budget barely reduced; otherwise, the 2.2 or 2.3 million would have been easy for him. No matter how much money is spent, every penny is genuine.

It was precisely because of this that the emperor only snorted to express his slight displeasure, without any other more intense expression - otherwise the True Lord would always let you know that it is not easy to make money from him.

"Will this be the same expenditure every year?" The emperor said coldly, "The coastal defense costs several million, and the muskets cost several million. We will spend all our money."

Old Deng, you spend millions every year to build a palace, why don’t you reflect on this? The prince remained calm:

"To reply to Your Majesty, in the early stage, we had to make muskets and rockets, so the investment was of course greater. But now that the factories have been set up, the subsequent expenses will definitely be reduced."

The essence of industrialization is to reduce costs through assembly line production. Even the few remaining industries in the suburbs of Beijing are still quite rudimentary and primitive, relying heavily on skilled workers rather than machines, and only vague traces of steam and water power can be seen. But no matter what, the new production method is powerful, and its cost-effectiveness is enough to beat the products of the small workshop in the backyard of Duke Mu’s mansion.

“How low can it go?”

"The musketeers have to train every year, and it will cost around 600,000 taels."

No matter how advanced the weapons are, they still need people to operate them. If we follow the method of border garrison soldiers, then no matter how many people we gather, it will be just raising pigs; even if the new muskets and rockets do not require overly complicated tactics, it is still necessary to conduct some drills every now and then to try their hands; military pay, armaments, plus annual losses and upgrades, 600,000 is not an exaggerated number.

Master Feixuan's expression became somewhat uncertain. It is always difficult to unify people's standards. It is easy to scrape 600,000 from the national treasury to build a palace, but it is extremely difficult and painful to pay 600,000 from one's own pocket - not to mention, the amount of money is limited each year and not a single cent can be less!

But even so, thinking about the days in the future when I will be lying in bed drooling, I can't help but be cruel. Besides, doesn’t Japan still have silver mines? As long as we win the war, sign the treaty and open the silver mines, Master Feixuan doesn't believe that he can't squeeze the oil out of the bones of the Japanese!

Wherever there are gold, silver and copper mines, there will be the flag of the Da'an army. This is a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation in the imperial court since Emperor Taizong. And now the emperor is finally going to pick up this long-lost ancestral craft and restore the old system of his ancestors; the so-called restoration of the glory of Da'an is our obligation!

Therefore, Master Fei Xuan's expression changed for a moment, and in the end he just took a breath:

"Six hundred thousand is enough?"

"This is just the daily expenses for stationing." The prince said carefully: "If we want to go out to fight, the expenses will have to be increased by at least 50%."

——? ! !

Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Others may be angry but I won’t be angry. If I get angry and become sick, no one can replace me. Think about the silver mines, think about the silver mines, think about the endless profits.

"…What else?"

"The subsequent compensation will probably cost money..."

Don’t be anxious, don’t be anxious. Others may be anxious, but I am not. If I were to die of anxiety, who would be happy? Besides, it would be stressful and tiring - I am not the anxious emperor! Think about the eternal fame after winning the battle, think about the possible immortality recipes overseas -

The emperor gritted his teeth and finally held back:

"...Never mind! Just take everything from the inner treasury and reimburse it before the New Year."

However, the money has already been spent, so of course it has to produce significant results to justify the boiling emotions in my heart. The emperor gritted his teeth for a moment and added:

"... You must take good care of yourself with so much silver. When dealing with the Japanese pirates in the future, you must not be soft-hearted or merciful!"

Prince:? ! ! !

——Oh, no, when did I ever show mercy to the Japanese pirates?

The prince wanted to argue a bit, but the emperor had already closed his eyes. He endured it for a moment, but finally had to swallow his anger and leave.

·

The emperor's instructions were indeed not groundless. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the cabinet was urgently summoned to the palace again and saw the second piece of intelligence detected by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Compared with the previous vague news, the second piece of intelligence was much more accurate and clear. It pointed out in detail the location and time of the Japanese pirates' gathering along the coast, and deduced the possible location of the invasion from this. Compared with the usual harassment in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the Japanese pirates' target this time was quite far to the north, and they had almost penetrated into Shandong, close to the location of Qingdao. Shandong officials had little experience in guarding against Japanese pirates, so the situation facing the enemy was extremely delicate and dangerous, and they had to rely on the guidance of the central government.

The central guidance is of course very simple. The emperor has been decisively attacking and killing people in various places for many days. Any important officials with a little common sense can see his intention and will never interfere with such a politically correct matter. So the cabinet meeting passed the resolution to send troops to suppress the bandits without any hesitation, in order to vent the anger that the emperor had been accumulating since the previous year.

As for who to send to lead the troops, the choice is natural and there is no need to think about it. Of course, those who attended the meeting in front of the emperor knew the situation in the palace and knew that Master Feixuan had urgently summoned Qi Yuanjing to the capital. They met three times in the West Garden within ten days. On New Year's Eve, Master Feixuan personally rewarded Qi Yuanjing with New Year gifts. His favor was unparalleled. How could those below him be so blind and stop the emperor, who was rising so fast and enjoying so much favor? Therefore, the important officials who participated in the meeting unanimously recommended Qi Yuanjing to lead the anti-Japanese campaign.

With everyone's unanimous opinion, it shows that His Majesty the Emperor is humble and cautious in major military matters, and is not acting arbitrarily. Zhenjun gladly accepted the recommendation and sent Li Zaifang to summon Qi Yuanjing to the imperial court to receive orders.

I have to say that as long as his intelligence quotient takes over again, Master Feixuan's performance is still quite impressive. In front of an ignorant and insignificant general like Qi Yuanjing, Zhenjun changed his usual sarcasm and asked about the New Year's situation in a very warm manner, and even called him by his name in a particularly cordial manner:

"…Originally, it's the New Year's Day, so it's time for you, Yuan Jing, to have a good rest and enjoy the scenery of the capital. But the military situation is urgent, so I have to work hard. Thank you for your trouble!"

Which of the important officials present here is not favored by the emperor? When the emperor and his subjects were getting along well with each other, who had not heard the emperor's sweet words of respect to the wise and humble? Now the old has been replaced by the new, and Xiao Tiantian has become Mrs. Niu; seeing the emperor's deep affection, everyone feels a little subtle.

Unfortunately, Qi Yuanjing did not know this long-used routine, so he was moved to tears by the emperor's words and almost lost his composure in front of the emperor; a gentleman will die for his friend, and while he bowed his head and accepted the order, he was also loyal and carefully put forward several suggestions. The emperor agreed to all of them without hesitation, which made Qi Zhihui, a new official, so excited that he was so bold that he even put forward a rather presumptuous suggestion:

"...I have been practicing firearms and rockets these days, and they are indeed perfect and the best weapons in the world. However, there will inevitably be some minor problems during the transportation. Could Your Majesty please appoint a minister who is proficient in firearms to accompany and give instructions, just in case..."

After saying this, Qi Yuanjing's voice became smaller and smaller, and he even felt a little lacking in confidence. Among the ministers of the dynasty who are proficient in firearms, there is no one else to consider except the Prince of Mu, who has devoted himself to the study of elixirs and worked hard to create the name of Feixuan Zhenjun. But what is the identity and status of Prince You, Duke of Mu? To be honest, it is a bit presumptuous of you to drag people away from their hometown and make them wander around during the holidays - not to mention that the Prince of Duke Mu is his sponsor, so his status is particularly different.

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, the palace became slightly quieter. Agreeing with Qi Yuanjing's words was tantamount to sending the prince out; although everyone might be unhappy about it in their hearts, it was not easy to say it out loud; only the emperor himself could give the order. Therefore, Master Fei Xuan hesitated for a moment, his eyes already wandering among the crowd: According to the conventions of the imperial court, nobles and eunuchs are usually allowed to accompany the military supervisors; the selection of the candidates still needs to be considered a little bit -

In the silence, the prince suddenly took a step forward:

"I know a thing or two about firearms, so I'd like to follow Qi's command and march south."

This kind of initiative is very sensible, but the emperor still has to pretend:

"It's always the New Year, don't you have any other important events in the capital?"

"There are still many things to do, but they can actually be postponed." The prince replied truthfully: "It is mainly because the expenses of entertaining guests and setting up banquets during festivals are too high. The warehouse of the Duke's Mansion is very clean. Can't we find a way to hide in the south?"

Master Feixuan:? ! !

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

——What the hell is this crazy talk? Can you say such crazy things in front of the emperor? !

"I am telling the truth."

It is indeed true. The emperor needs to reorganize the army and strengthen the military. He needs rockets, muskets, new weapons, and he needs to wipe out the Japanese lair completely. All of these are important matters that cannot be shirked. The prince has no choice but to risk his life to accompany the gentleman and work hard on research and development. In the past few months, three generations of rockets have been replaced. Against the background of rapid development, there are expenses like mountains of gold and silver. Leaving aside the public budget, even the Duke's Mansion has to pay a lot of its own expenses - with this amount of spending, isn't it normal for the treasury to be depleted?

——But, can we tell normal things everywhere? A hereditary nobleman who spent all his family fortune refining elixirs for the court. You are not just crying poor, you are clearly slapping Lord Xuan Zhen's face!

The True Lord flew into a rage and slammed the table: "Nonsense! How can you behave like this, kid!"

After the angry rebuke, he suddenly remembered something important and said sternly: "Don't write down these words!"

Zhang Hanlin, who was ordered to take notes of the meeting in front of the emperor, trembled with fear and quickly waved his brush, but only made a dot on the white paper without erasing anything - Zhang Taiyue was so smart that he quickly stopped recording when the prince started to explode, without having to wait for the emperor's orders. This is the eyesight of a top-level SSR, which is far beyond the reach of ordinary Karami. Isn't this kind of thoughtfulness and sincerity much better than that of Ruwang, the resentful person?

It is more reassuring when it is used by your own people. This is so true.

The True Lord was angry for a while, but he still shook his sleeves with a cold face, sat down leisurely, and did not scold again.

The essence of politics is still to distinguish between camps. Of course, what Prince Mu said was outrageous, confusing and incomprehensible, but considering his identity and background, it was actually nothing. Master Fei Xuan only felt that he was quite embarrassed for his poor response, and did not think that the prince was deliberately trying to embarrass him in public - this was the dual effect of reputation and status; if it were someone else who did this, he would probably be sent to prison.

In fact, after his anger subsided, Zhenjun gradually realized the meaning behind Mu Qi's crazy words - it was indeed very unbecoming to complain in public, and the Duke's Mansion might not really be penniless; the prince volunteered to go south, probably because he wanted to take the opportunity to make a fortune on the battlefield. According to the custom of the Ming Dynasty, after defeating the enemy in battle, a considerable portion of the spoils and prisoners could be disposed of by senior generals at their own discretion. Whether they kept them or sold them, it would be a very lucrative income. Such an income can certainly solve the urgent needs of the Duke's Mansion and is enough to attract the prince. On the contrary, if the emperor wanted to send a few high-ranking eunuchs to accompany him, the profit he would get would be much less. They have vested interests, so it's no wonder that they would do something crazy like this.

When Zhenjun is a human being, he is still very humane. He never makes things difficult for his own people over money, not to mention that he is still generous to the Japanese pirates now. So he hesitated for a moment and decided to type a few words:

"How can I be assured of your nonsense? Unless you behave yourself, you will not be allowed to go south."

What this means is that as long as you behave yourself, you can go south alone smoothly, right? The prince obediently agreed politely; the emperor thought about it and added:

"Even if you go south, you are not allowed to interfere in the war at will. War is dangerous, and everything must be handled by the generals on the spot. It is not your turn to speak. In addition, the Japanese pirates are vicious and treacherous, and they do not understand benevolence and righteousness. You must not be reasonable. When facing the enemy, you must not be soft-hearted."

Well, that's indeed what people say. But "not showing mercy" is too cruel and fierce, which greatly loses the dignity of the emperor - weapons are dangerous tools, and sages use them when they have no choice; even if they have to use military force, they should express the sadness and fear of the danger of weapons in public, and leave enough room for retreat; how can one be so murderous and merciless in words? So Zhang Taiyue was stunned for a moment, and dared to look up at the emperor. But the emperor didn't say anything else, so he had no choice but to take note of it, feeling quite confused.

...So, the water of government is so deep that even gods cannot fathom it; even the top SSRs of the dynasty can only learn slowly.

·

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the emperor summoned the heads of the Cabinet, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Governor's Office to finalize the plan of sending troops; on the seventh day of the first lunar month, Qi Yuanjing was ordered to take charge of military affairs and lead two thousand musketeers and heavy military equipment and supplies south to "support" - it was called support, but in fact it was just to save some face for the local officials in Shandong; these two thousand musketeers were already the elite among the emperor's old troops, and bringing such elite troops south, no matter how big or small their official positions were, they were all imperial envoys. The fact that the emperor was willing to send out these two thousand elite troops was a desperate attempt to go all in. It was a rare display of courage and decisiveness after more than a decade of disarray, enough to make the ministers who still had hope delighted and encouraged, unable to control themselves - and, moreover, this courage was actually used to deal with the Japanese pirates rather than the immortals, which made things even more pleasing.

Heading south with such a key trump card in hand, Qi Yuanjing was excited but also a little nervous; he was just a newbie, not a fool. After getting the army's supplies, he made a quick estimate in his mind and immediately understood the magnitude of this advance. The expenses for building the army and the investment in military funds alone were absolutely an incredible investment - but the problem was that for such a major and important investment, what was expected was of course a crucial return. How can a nameless warrior from the countryside like me, with no foundation, bear such expectations?

Out of some kind of instinctive caution, Qi Yuanjing behaved very carefully along the way. He ate, drank, woke up and slept with the soldiers, and personally took care of all the training and war affairs, not daring to slack off in the slightest. Whenever there were major or minor events, he would report them to the Prince of Duke Mu who was accompanying him, fully expressing his respectful attitude.

However, the Prince of Duke Mu still maintained the attitude he had in Shangyu. Apart from expressing his opinions on professional issues regarding the transportation of firearms, he remained silent on all other military affairs and only answered with a "yes" after the report. He interpreted the identity of the mascot very well and strictly followed the order of Master Feixuan not to interfere in military affairs when he went south. It was also because of this that the army did not know about the existence of Mu but only knew about relatives. The power and responsibilities were unified and the military orders were disciplined, and the commander-in-chief was able to operate the army with ease.

When the army was about to arrive in Shandong, Qi Yuanjing received extremely shocking news from the Jinyiwei - informants along the coast followed the whereabouts of the Japanese pirates all the way, but found that large and small ships were appearing on the southeast sea waves, swarming together like ants, and heading north non-stop, heading straight for Taizhou and Dengzhou; the number of ships was so large that it was almost impossible to count.

Such reports are of course exaggerated, but the facts seem indisputable. So much so that Prince Muguo listened to the report silently and actually asked an exception:

"Have all the Japanese pirates gathered together?"

Qi Yuanjing bowed: "Yes."

"Is this common?"

“Not very common.”

It's indeed uncommon. The essence of the Japanese pirates is still pirates. As long as they can break through a point and go ashore to plunder, no matter how much they rob, they will make a huge profit. Therefore, they always attack scattered soldiers and brave men who have no connection with each other, and at most they will use the wolf pack tactics of rushing forward together. Such large-scale invasions in groups are indeed a tactic that has never been seen in many years, and it is also an incredible choice. Are the Japanese pirates so confident that they can really gain the upper hand in the confrontation between the large armies?

The intelligence was so strange and unpredictable that it was no wonder that Qi Yuanjing was hesitant. But Prince Muguo only asked this one more question and then kept silent; he still threw the whole matter over to me.

However, from then on, whenever the prince discussed military affairs in the tent, he would add an extra sentence at the end:

"Are the Japanese pirates still gathering?"

Whatever the meaning of the question, the answer he received was always the same:

"They are still gathering and moving as usual."

·

Such a status quo is of course very abnormal; even if Japan becomes unified and powerful decades later, and its ambitions become stronger than ever, it will still use Goryeo as a springboard before it dares to move south to seize the Central Plains. Now that the gap in national strength is so huge, who gave them the confidence to dare to come out in full force and carry out such a life-and-death strategic move?

The reason why Master Feixuan and Emperor Wanshou dared to talk nonsense is because they still have a reserve military force factory in their hands. After failure, the worst that can happen is that they can endure for two years and be heroes again. But how many times can the Japanese pirates withstand the turmoil with their broken foundation? Are you crazy about betting on the country's destiny?

But the evidence was there, and all signs pointed to the same fact without a doubt - Mu Qi would not believe the vague intelligence from the Jinyiwei, but even if he spent a lot of money to fly drones to investigate, he did spy the same signs overseas in Dengzhou. Comparing the two, there was no mistake, but it only added to Mu Qi's confusion - what exactly did the Japanese pirates want to do?

There must be a reason for wearing leather pants over cotton pants. He didn't believe that the Japanese pirates were just gathering together and marching south on a whim, and he didn't want to sacrifice his life to make Qi Yuanjing famous - after all, you can't expect all your enemies to be from the Bao clan; so after thinking about it, he always believed that the Japanese pirates must have a big conspiracy, but they just couldn't see through it for the time being. Of course, he was not good at calculating people's hearts, so he made up his mind and simply took out a large amount of deviation values ​​and upgraded the drone comprehensively. He had to use money to bring out the conspiracy.

The upgraded drone makes a lot of noise and can be easily discovered if you’re not careful. Mu Qi had no choice but to change the military regulations. Every time he was stationed, he would dismiss the guards and live alone in a quiet room, strictly prohibiting others from entering to investigate, using the excuse that he needed to rest and recuperate. Sometimes the operation process is too complicated, and you have to rest for most of the night. You have to go in and out of the military tent with dark circles under your eyes the next day, even if it causes a commotion among the crowd.

This desperate approach might work, but there are obviously huge loopholes in the strategy. On the tenth night of the first lunar month, Mu Qi went into the secret room for the third time to rest, planning to adjust the drone's coastal sweep strategy; and use far-infrared equipment to count the number of Japanese pirates heading south. But as soon as he stepped into the house, a white light flashed in front of him, followed by a cold air blowing in his face, and a sharp sword was placed across his chest.

"Please do not act rashly." A voice with a very strange accent spoke: "Otherwise, the life of the prince will be at stake in this moment."

·

As expected, the prince did not act rashly. He just stared straight ahead, but saw nothing - the assassin who sneaked in was very experienced and had already closed the windows to block the light source; he walked from the brighter outdoors into the dark room, and inevitably could not see anything because of the darkness; such a subtle pause was enough to stab ten Mu Qis to death.

Despite this, the prince remained calm:

"Japanese?"

"The prince is very smart."

"You speak Chinese very well then." The prince said, "However, since you speak Chinese so well, you should understand the position of power in the Da'an army. You rashly attacked me, isn't that the right target?"

Although I don't want to admit it publicly, the prince is just a mascot. What's the point of chopping off a mascot?

"There's nothing wrong." The assassin spoke calmly, without any aggressive tone: "Kill one commander and there will be another, and you will never kill them all. But there are not many people in the world who can create the name of 'Flying Xuan Zhenjun'; killing one means one less. The son of a rich man should not sit in the hall; Prince, you really shouldn't leave the capital."

At the end, the assassin's tone slowed down a bit, and there was even a hint of regret, as if it was a real friendship, a sympathy between heroes at the end of their road - this is the stubborn temper of the Japanese, they can pretend to be polite and affectionate in every detail, but it will never stop them from using the most brutal and bloody methods after being gentle, a cruelty that breaks all bottom lines. The assassin had already decided to cut off the head of the Prince of Mu and dig out his organs, to let him die in the most cruel way possible; but before actually doing it, he would be polite, compassionate and kind, and there would be no impeccable manners and feelings.

Of course, Prince Mu understood this routine, so he just felt disgusted.

"Excuse me, how did you sneak in?"

The assassin was still gentle and polite: "You'll have to ask the prince himself."

"...Myself? Yes, the frequent dismissal of the guards in the past few days has indeed greatly weakened the defense. This is my fault."

"That's right. Although I deliberately led the prince here, the fact that things went so smoothly was still far beyond my expectations. If the prince was not alone, I would not have been able to do it."

At this point, the assassin hidden in the darkness could not help but look around, his gleaming eyes sweeping around - he had received elite training from Japanese ninjas, and could see normally even in the dark, and could clearly distinguish all kinds of strange and bizarre instruments in the small secret room. Due to the assassin's code of conduct, he did not touch these gadgets without permission, but he could not help but speculate on their uses... and even their power.

The rocket is an extremely powerful and incredible weapon, so powerful that the nobles would rather sacrifice their elite forces as bait and lure the prince out of the capital to assassinate him with all their strength; and now, the precious and rare secret of the rocket may be hidden right in front of them, and even an assassin with the determination and ability cannot help but be slightly shaken.

So…so he didn't take action immediately, but made an exception and said a few more words.

"You led me here?" The prince was a little surprised: "Those Japanese pirates who came here in groups are——"

He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said:

"——No, even if that's the case, how did you know the army's itinerary? If there was any mistake, wouldn't we have missed it?"

The assassin did not answer, but the prince was silent for a moment, apparently gradually understanding.

"...I see, it is indeed so." He whispered, "It seems that among the local officials in Shandong, there are indeed people who deserve to be executed along with their entire clan."

-

This inspiration was actually nothing. No matter how carefully the army marched, as long as it needed to be supplied with food and logistics, it had to contact the local area. Even if it was deliberately concealed, local officials could easily find the traces... Besides, Shandong had also been harassed by Japanese pirates many times over the past few decades, and the two sides had plenty of opportunities to contact each other.

It's simple to figure this out. In fact, in many later documents that Mu Qi had read, there was a vague expression of distrust of bureaucrats and landlords in coastal areas in the case of collusion with the Japanese. But even though he didn't trust her, he really didn't expect the other party to dare to play such a big game - it was just a momentary fluke, but in the end, it ended up like this.

Being hesitant and indecisive, and relying on luck, are indeed the biggest taboos in doing big things.

To some extent, this is one of the fatal shortcomings of modern people. Not to mention Emperor Gaozu, who was so ruthless that he would slap a passing dog, even the current Feixuan Laodeng would not make such a mistake as long as he had the same information as Mu Qi - that's right, due to insufficient materials, all the documents handed down from generation to generation are just suspicions, and there is no evidence except hearsay. But in this era, when have high-ranking people ever needed evidence to kill someone?

Those who are suspicious will be killed, and those with less suspicion will be detained on the spot. A line is drawn from top to bottom, and all are replaced by reliable people to be in charge of logistics. How could there be any scandal of leaks?

This is what happens when you don’t listen to the advice of the True Lord and suffer the consequences. You scold the True Lord for being cruel, and the True Lord laughs at your lack of knowledge. Some people might call it cruel, but Zhenjun calls it efficient.

Each version has its own unique god. Cruelty, tyranny and terror are exactly the common interpretations of this version. From this perspective, Master Feixuan’s earnest teachings before his departure, “Don’t be lenient” and “Don’t be merciful to ordinary people”, are really golden words, without a single mistake - it’s a pity that someone didn’t take them to heart.

Therefore, the prince hesitated for a moment and sighed:

"...You can't judge someone by his words! In this regard, I am really not as good as that old wall lamp. I will remember this lesson."

assassin:?

——Who is the old wall lamp? There's no such person in the information?

He was stunned for a moment, then slowly said, "Every failure makes one wiser, but unfortunately, it seems that the prince does not have the time to reflect on this."

"Really?"