Chapter 181 The Rise or Fall of an Empire
Sure enough, the Great Elder and the Elders all agreed.
Sheng Huaixuan closed his eyes. He knew there was no way out. Changshan County no longer belonged to him administratively. He could only help him to the best of his ability.
But in the Supreme Council of Elders, he was just one of many governors and had no way to reverse the situation.
At this time, the imperial emperor Li Longxing suddenly spoke.
"Delegating power isn't thorough enough. I think we can also delegate military power to Changshan Commandery."
As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately met with strong opposition from everyone.
But Li Longxing silenced the opposition with just one sentence: "This way, we won't have to pay for the Changshan County garrison."
The four great elders were silent for a long while before they said, "It's still inappropriate. Changshan County already has military control. If you add financial and military power to it, it would be an independent kingdom."
Li Longxing laughed and said, "Changshan County is in the center of the empire, surrounded by imperial troops on all sides. Are you still afraid that he will rebel?"
The four elders looked at each other, still hesitant.
Li Longxing continued, "Also, I remember there are quite a few illegal gangs in the mountainous area west of Changshan County. Furthermore, the Tianjiang River connects directly to the border. The tentacles of organizations outside the empire, such as the Nanwan Tuodian area, the Renei River, and the Yueli City, have all reached there. With military power, Changshan County can wipe them out, gaining more spoils, and we can collect more taxes. Isn't this killing three birds with one stone?"
The president of the Imperial Foreign Council said, "What if they protest?"
Li Longxing glanced at him with disdain: "The personal behavior of the Changshan County Magistrate has nothing to do with the Empire."
The Great Elder asked, "What if we lose the battle?"
Li Longxing laughed and said, “The empire took over, the army purged, blocked Tianjiang, blocked the exit, and closed the door to beat the dog.”
Sheng Huaixuan immediately grasped his old friend's intention and continued, "The stronger Lin Wen is, the harder it will be to defeat him. The more strength the enemy puts in, the greater the profit will be when we close the door and fight the dog. We will definitely make a profit."
The imperial emperor Li Longxing's gaze swept over, and their eyes met for only a moment. In that instant, their minds understood each other and they looked away tacitly.
The elders all raised objections to some extent, but the chief elder thought it was feasible.
When the four great elders and the first elder reached a consensus, the matter was settled.
Soon after, the regular meeting ended and all those below the elders left.
The formal meeting of the Supreme Council begins.
There were only 8 elders, 4 great elders, and the emperor of the empire present.
At the beginning of the meeting, the two elders, Luo Nuo and Xu Chengguo, jointly proposed that the Imperial Bank start the printing press and issue one trillion imperial yuan in advance to make up for the economic difficulties and financial holes.
After a heated argument, the proposal was rejected.
The tensions with the Kingdom of Sopotamia were then discussed.
The two sides have issued ultimatums to each other in order to compete for control of the Blackwater River.
Now, the deadline has passed and war is inevitable.
The question now is who to send.
After a fierce argument, the Great Elder made the final decision and sent the frontier official Shan Xinwu to lead the Empire's Second Army, Fourth Army and Western Garrison Corps to the Black Water River to defeat the Sopotamian Kingdom and establish the Empire's oil hegemony in the Kirkuk region.
The meeting should have ended there, but the sudden arrival of urgent news brought them back.
"Zezhou Governor Wu Jingtang has rebelled! The Papal State of Adriano has declared Zezhou their territory! Adriano's Holy Cavalry Regiment marches straight into Nazhou, Binzhou, Gwangju, and Zhongzhou!"
——
Late at night, Elder Cheng left the Emperor's Tower and returned to his mansion.
He lay in the big chair, with countless chaotic things entangled in his mind, making him feel deeply exhausted.
For the first time, he felt that the once powerful and glorious empire was drifting away from him.
When he was young, the empire was at its peak. No force could stop the empire, and no country dared to challenge the empire's authority.
The Kingdom of Sopotamia is a coward that hides behind the Western Federation and never dares to compete with the empire for any interests.
The Adrian Papal States were even more of a motley crowd. The Empire only needed one division of troops to capture its capital, scaring their chief priest to kneel down and beg for mercy.
At that time, his only thought was to gain a place in the empire, and he worked tirelessly for it. He spent most of his life in internal strife, and things like the development of the empire and the future of the empire never occurred to him.
He had already tacitly assumed that someone would naturally do these things, and the empire would naturally be invincible and prosperous forever. He only needed to rack his brains to reap the fruits of victory.
Whatever he does, the first thing he considers is his own interests.
The empire is so big, what does it matter if there is a little more or less?
But suddenly, he discovered that this once invincible giant was growing weaker and sicker, while his former enemy was becoming more powerful.
For a moment, he wanted to give up his previous ways and change his approach.
But that thought only lasted for a moment, and he became firm again.
The empire will not fall. The empire is so big that someone will naturally come out to defeat those jumping clowns. I just need to protect my own interests.
At this time, the housekeeper brought up a bowl of steaming ginseng soup.
When Elder Cheng picked up the ginseng soup, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where is that brat?"
The housekeeper knew that the master was talking about his only precious son Cheng Xiaoguo, and shook his head slightly: "No news yet."
Elder Cheng frowned slightly, feeling something was wrong, and asked, "How long has it been since we heard from him?"
The housekeeper recalled carefully: "About two months. Master Cheng has been away for a very long time this time, longer than any other time before."
Bang!
Elder Cheng put the ginseng soup down heavily and said sternly, "Send someone to look for it immediately! Bring this useless thing back to me!"
The housekeeper said aggrievedly, "Master! I've already sent people to look for him. I've sent out half the people in the mansion!"
Elder Cheng said angrily, "Then add more people! No matter how much it costs, bring him back immediately!"
"Yes." The butler took the order and left.
——
To the Winter Palace.
Yu Zhongxian’s exclusive conference room.
Elder Lin Yabo asked, "How long will it take for you to completely control the Council?"
Yu Zhongxian's expression was gloomy. "There are two other Supreme Council Chairmen. They are both veterans from the reform period. They are very stubborn and it is difficult to find any weaknesses in them."
Elder Lin said, "It must be done as soon as possible."
Yu Zhongxian nodded sinisterly.
Elder Lin added, "Wang Bo'an has already turned to Sheng Huaixuan's faction. If he gets too close to the Dongzhou faction, it will pose a great threat to us."
"For this rebellion, we need to contain the imperial forces defending the central region, weakening their defenses, starving them of supplies, and alienating their officers and men. We can then lure Adriano's Holy Cavalry Regiment toward Zhongzhou, thereby striking a blow against Wang Bo'an's forces."
Yu Zhongxian nodded slightly. "I will also strictly investigate the refugees in the east and west. I will use methods such as driving them away and intimidating them to force a large number of them to go to Zhongzhou, thereby increasing Wang Bo'an's burden."
"If he refuses, I will attack him for being unworthy of being the governor of the empire, being cruel and indifferent, treating human life with disregard, and ignoring the suffering and safety of the people of the empire."
Elder Lin smiled and said, "If he accepts it, I will seize his funds and aid supplies, causing the refugees to starve to death on his territory. I can also attack him for his brutality and indifference to human life, his disregard for the suffering and safety of the people of the empire."
They both laughed.
"This is what challenges us!"
——
Taiming Palace.
Yong'an Palace.
As soon as the first princess Li Linyue returned, she called an emergency meeting and announced what had happened today.
Many core members of the Princess Faction were gloomy, and many of them cursed the traitor Wu Jingtang on the spot.
But Li Linyue quickly stopped them and said, "Now is not the time to scold traitors. This is our chance. We must make plans as soon as possible."
She handed the handwritten letter and a gift that she had prepared long ago to her confidant Xiao Zhizhong.
"You must immediately go west and deliver this gift and letter to Shan Xinwu. Shan Xinwu is a high-ranking official on the frontier. As long as he accepts them, there is no need for him to express his opinion."
Xiao Zhizhong nodded.
She took out another exquisite pink box, which contained her personal belongings.
"Give this to Shan Xinwu's son. Also, don't say anything."
Xiao Zhizhong nodded, put away the two gifts, and set off immediately.
Li Linyue took out the second handwritten letter, the second gift, and the second exquisite pink box and said.
"Liu You, give this to Qin Gang, the supreme commander of the southwest region. He was the first to break through the uranium purification process and is a person worth winning over."
Liu You asked, "Your Highness, is this a gift for his youngest son?"
Li Linyue smiled slightly. "His youngest son is only 15 years old and has no real power. Even if he wants to become my follower, it is meaningless. This gift is for Qin Xiao, the most famous Ice Fairy in the Southwest Region."
Liu You was a little surprised, but didn't ask any more questions. He took the gift and left in a hurry.
Li Linyue took out the third gift.
"This is for Wang Bo'an, the governor of Zhongzhou, and his eldest son."
The fourth gift.
"Give it to Longzhou Governor Gu Zhengyi. Give it to him as a personal gift as well. Yes, give it to him personally, not his son."
Until the end, Li Linyue took out the eleventh gift.
She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Give this one to Lin Wen, the governor of Changshan County. After tomorrow, that place will belong to the Changshan Kingdom and its King Lin Wen."
Chang Kaiyuan, one of the princess's confidants, expressed his understanding: "Although he is only a county governor, as the first region in the empire's history to have unified control over military, financial, and personnel affairs, I think he deserves the princess's gift."
Hearing this, Li Linyue thought for a moment and decided to add the pink box. She said, "Give this to him as well. He's qualified."
Chang Kaiyuan put away the gift and set off immediately.
At this time, a confidant asked, "Your Highness, who are the generals sent by the Empire to suppress the rebellion and counterattack this time?"
Li Linyue's face brightened and she smiled, "The Twin Stars of the Empire."
All the cadres of the Princess Faction exclaimed in surprise, and then everyone applauded excitedly.
A cadre shouted, "I wish Feili and Yang immediate success and victory! May they bring honor to the princess!"
Everyone cheered.
Li Linyue sat upright amid cheers and praises, her smile sweet and her eyes moving, like a beautiful work of art.
——
On the large military vehicle leaving Beijing, in the supreme commander’s exclusive office.
Qin Gang looked at the letter in his hand, which seemed to be written by him, for a long time without saying a word, until the car lights went out and natural sunlight shone in.
He then whispered to himself, "Xiaoxiao, is that you? Are you really in Changshan County?"
(End of this chapter)
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