Chapter 529 Self-destruction

The Emperor of Northern Qi immediately summoned Liu Zhengrong, the Right Pillar of the State, and as soon as Liu Zhengrong entered the hall, he suddenly threw the memorial in his hand at him.

With a "bang", the memorial hit Liu Zhengrong's face hard, and his cheeks turned red instantly.

Liu Zhengrong didn't dare to cover his face with his hands, and fell to his knees. Before he could even open his mouth to ask the Northern Qi Emperor to calm down, he heard the Northern Qi Emperor's angry voice echo above him.

"Look at what you've done. You've caused me such a big mess. I can't escape the blame even if I die a thousand times."

Liu Zhengrong trembled with fear and hurriedly defended himself, "Your Majesty, I was acting according to your orders. Over the past month, only the people of the Imperial City and its surrounding areas have paid their taxes, and all the collected tax money has been deposited into the national treasury."

"As for the people living far from the imperial city, they are all unruly. Not only are they unwilling to pay an extra 10% in taxes, they're even unwilling to pay the original taxes. They've even resorted to making trouble by taking advantage of the imperial decree to increase taxes."

"At this point, you still dare to deceive me." The Northern Qi Emperor was furious, pointing a finger at Liu Zhengrong. "Tell me, apart from the prefectures and counties surrounding the imperial city, how much more tax is collected in other places? If you say one more false statement, I will accuse you of deceiving the emperor and chop off your head."

Liu Zhengrong didn't dare to argue anymore and kept his forehead pressed against the ground.

"You all treat me like a mere decoration, covering your ears and blindfolding your eyes. I can't hear or see what's happening outside the palace," the Northern Qi Emperor said bitterly. "I trusted you so much, entrusted you with a matter of vital importance to the survival of our nation, yet you deceived your superiors and subordinates, causing chaos under my rule."

"Your Majesty, I deserve death." Liu Zhengrong knew that the Northern Qi Emperor's suppressed anger had not yet fully erupted, so he kowtowed repeatedly, "This old minister is also concerned about the good of Northern Qi. I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

He didn't dare to protest, but every word he said spoke of his grievance and his helplessness: "It's true that this year's harvest is poor. Even if we collect 10% more tax than in previous years, it's still not as much as in previous years when there was no tax increase."

"If all regions were to increase taxes by only 10%, how would that be enough to pay for military pay and rations? I know Your Majesty is a rare wise ruler in this world, one who cares about the people. He will certainly not agree to any further tax increases."

"But Northern Qi is weak and in a difficult situation. If the Great Zhou were to take advantage of the situation, how would they respond? Therefore, I, this old minister, have come to the conclusion that as long as I can accomplish great things for Your Majesty and establish merits that will endure for generations to come, even if I become a criminal of Northern Qi, it will be worth it."

At this point, Liu Zhengrong took off his official hat to demonstrate his resolve. "This old minister then boldly made the decision on his own. After consulting with the Minister of Revenue, he increased the tax rate by another 20% on top of the original amount."

In fact, they took advantage of the decree to increase taxes by 10% and then added another 20% to enrich themselves.

Otherwise, if the two countries go to war and there is not enough military pay and food, the Emperor of Northern Qi will target these court officials.

At that time, they will donate some of the money they have embezzled.

Now that his deeds have been exposed, he can only find excuses to justify himself.

"You are truly eloquent and gifted at making the dead appear alive." The Northern Qi Emperor looked at Liu Zhengrong's righteous expression and sneered, "What's going on with the conscription?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhengrong was immediately shocked. He didn't expect that the Emperor of Northern Qi would receive the news so quickly.

Before he entered the palace, he learned that people in several places had gathered to resist the conscription order, resulting in casualties.

The order to recruit soldiers was issued through him. It was originally thought that he was the first person to know the news, and he also wanted to think of a response plan before it reached the ears of the Emperor of Northern Qi.

Who would have thought that it could not be concealed.

Liu Zhengrong's mind was in turmoil, but he didn't dare to argue any further. He could only say with a mixture of truth and lies, "Your Majesty, there is no general in the court who can rival the King of Zhenbei. If we want to win, we can only win by numbers."

"This old minister, the Minister of War, and all my colleagues discussed a countermeasure with you during this morning court session. It's a good idea, but we never expected it to backfire and ruin a good thing."

The Emperor of Northern Qi remained silent, waiting for Liu Zhengrong to continue.

Liu Zhengrong was also helpless. He recounted the cause, process, and changes in detail. "I was once a military officer in Northern Qi and I am very familiar with Northern Qi's military strength. Given the current situation, Northern Qi cannot compare with the Great Zhou."

"If we want to increase our military strength quickly, we have no choice but to recruit soldiers publicly and offer them generous compensation. Those who apply will be granted titles based on their military merits. If someone dies for their country, the court will grant titles to the women in their family and grant them money and land."

"You agreed to this decree."

The Northern Qi Emperor nodded, confirming this. "You later reported to me that no civilians had volunteered, so you planned to draw on the national policy of combining farming and warfare as described in the Records of the Grand Historian. You would have the soldiers cultivate the land on weekdays and conduct combat training during the slack season, and then enlist if war broke out between Northern Qi and Great Zhou."

"This way, we can not only strengthen our military strength, but also preserve the cultivated land. We can ensure the grain production, provide food and fodder for the soldiers, and allow them to make a living, support their parents, and continue the family line."

At this point, the Northern Qi Emperor wondered, "This decree only benefits the people, not harms them. So why has it turned into a situation where the people are fighting against the government and soldiers?"

The Emperor of Northern Qi agreed with Liu Zhengrong's words that only a strong agriculture could support a protracted war, so he agreed to the strategy of combining farming and warfare.

"That's the problem," Liu Zhengrong said bitterly, his face full of grievances. "Nowadays, civilians can become officials not only through military merit, but also through the imperial examinations. Furthermore, land annexation is becoming increasingly serious, and most civilians have lost their land, making even basic living impossible. Some have also turned to business and abandoned farming. All these factors make it difficult to achieve the integration of farming and warfare."

"Before this decree was implemented, we didn't expect it would be so difficult to implement. But the decree has been issued, and we must see it through to the end."

"After all, the military camp cannot be without soldiers. I thought to myself, since I have already been accused of taxation, I don't care about another charge. So I took the initiative to discuss with the Minister of War and committed another act of deceiving the emperor."

"Since the people are unwilling to enlist, I will force them to join the army. I am concerned that if the two countries go to war together, Northern Qi will surely suffer a defeat due to food shortages if it fails to annex Great Zhou within a short period of time."

"After all, the Great Zhou excels at protracted warfare. They know that Northern Qi is less powerful than the Great Zhou, and they will surely try every possible means to delay the war, deplete our food supplies, and force us to defeat without a fight. Therefore, I, your humble servant, have instructed every household to send any male between the ages of fifteen and fifty-six to the military camp to increase our manpower."

"When the time comes, the arrival of our Northern Qi army will not only intimidate the soldiers of Great Zhou, but also greatly boost Northern Qi's morale. They will no longer fear the reputation of the Northern Zhen King and will dare to fight to the death. This will surely lead to a quick victory."

"So, this old minister has been thinking that after Your Majesty unifies the Great Zhou, I will then apologize to you. I will punish you in whatever way you choose. This old minister will not hesitate."

At this point, Liu Zhengrong began to stammer, "But who would have thought... that as soon as the Ministry of War issued this decree and the officials below implemented it, the people would revolt one after another."

He also had his own grievances. If the Emperor of Northern Qi had not been mentally disturbed and wanted to launch an army against the Great Zhou without overestimating his own capabilities, how could he have caused so many troubles?

All the colleagues knew in their hearts that they could not persuade the Emperor of Northern Qi at all.

In order to avoid becoming vassal statesmen of the country, they had no choice but to treat the people as non-human beings, exploiting them in various ways to strengthen the national strength of Northern Qi, trying to scare off the Great Zhou with numbers and defeat the morale of the Great Zhou, which would be more conducive to Northern Qi's victory.

Sure enough, even the political enemies who had fought each other to the death in the past remained silent and did not criticize them in the court for their actions.

It is obvious that they have the same interests and are on the same front.

The Northern Qi emperor was furious. Liu Zhengrong kept saying that he was willing to die for the great cause of Northern Qi. But in reality, he was dragging everyone from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue into the water.

He simply took advantage of the fact that the law does not punish everyone, and was sure that he would not dare to execute all the officials involved.

The more Liu Zhengrong schemed, the more the Emperor of Northern Qi wanted to order his head to be chopped off.

But Northern Qi was already in chaos.

The most urgent task is to let Liu Zhengrong solve the trouble he caused.

"Convey my decree: cease all tax increases and conscriptions, and appease the people." The Northern Qi Emperor's expression was stern, and his tone was filled with warning: "I will give you a chance to redeem yourself from your crimes and make meritorious contributions. If you mess up again, you will be beheaded."

Liu Zhengrong hurriedly responded: "I obey your order."

The Northern Qi Emperor looked at Liu Zhengrong and felt annoyed: "You are incapable of achieving anything, but always capable of causing trouble. Get out of here now."

Liu Zhengrong crawled out of the Yangxin Palace.

The Emperor of Northern Qi felt so frustrated that he threw all the documents on the table to the ground.

If Liu Zhengrong had not been immoral, committed many unjust acts, and had not been so audacious as to deceive his superiors and subordinates, causing chaos in Northern Qi and leading it to self-destruction, he would have been able to unify the Great Zhou and achieve his great cause.

Now, let alone attacking the Great Zhou.

He only hoped to quell the civil unrest in Northern Qi as soon as possible.

To prevent the Great Zhou from taking advantage of the situation and attacking Northern Qi.

The Northern Qi Emperor's expression suddenly changed at this thought, and he summoned several secret guards. "Rush to Yuncheng as quickly as possible and bring Prince Guangling and Princess Guangling back to the capital." His eyes darkened as he spoke. "If they show any signs of rebellion, kill them on the spot."