Chapter 508: Battle of the Council (Part 1)
The next day, the Empire's newspaper published an obituary in a tofu-sized piece of paper: Imperial Marshal Fu Wenyu died of illness.
At the same time, Yu Zhongxian handed the living Fu Wenyu to the Supreme Council and accused Fu Wenyu of ten major crimes.
In general, they are: treason, collaborating with the enemy, aiding the enemy, rebellion, violating regulations, corruption, being unjust, slandering, telling lies, and being illegal.
The indictment detailed everything Fu Wenyu had done, including:
Deliberately selling military secrets.
Deliberately mobilize troops to create defensive loopholes to facilitate a surprise attack by the Papal States.
Attack the Empire's logistics supplies.
Reselling arms and ammunition for huge profits.
He maliciously opposed the correct opinions of the great imperial emperor Li Longxing and tried to lead the imperial army to failure.
Stealing the Empire's biochemical technology and giving it to the Papal State enables the Papal State to produce giants and zombies.
There are also other things such as low moral character, trying to molest the princess's personal maid, obstructing the establishment of imperial laws, corrupting the pure and fair council, and so on. There are too many to list.
The relevant files are more than 200 pages long, with clear facts, smooth logic, and detailed evidence, which fully reveal how the imperial marshal who was once admired by everyone gradually degenerated into a traitor.
After a joint investigation by the three parties, Fu Wenyu confessed to the crimes he had committed.
In the end, Fu Wenyu and his followers were secretly sentenced to death, all their property was confiscated, and they were removed from the imperial army.
Of course, in order to maintain the image of the empire, it was announced to the outside world that the old marshal had died of illness.
After a hastily held simple funeral, this imperial marshal who was once glorious, high-spirited, and ambitious was buried silently in the ground without even a tombstone.
——
Yu Zhongxian's approach was extremely sophisticated. Without thirty years of professional experience, it would have been impossible to come up with a process that met the imperial standards.
Every detail perfectly matches the wishes of the Supreme Council.
Every detail is just right.
The reason why he dared to do this was because the Rune Jade was useless in this battle. It neither played a role in checking Li Longxing, but instead dragged down the imperial army.
If he could lead the imperial army to even one victory, Yu Zhongxian would not dare to do so.
But he didn't.
He spent the whole day giving orders in the Marshal's Headquarters, but did not make any meaningful suggestions except for opposing them.
The generals in the army had long been tired of this old marshal who only knew how to find fault. After Li Longxing's great victory, his last remaining prestige disappeared completely.
The old marshal is old.
This is what everyone thinks.
At this time, Fu Wenyu was already in an extremely dangerous state. In the eyes of the Supreme Council, he had become a useless pawn.
He himself has countless negative information and holds countless secrets.
At this time, what Fu Wenyu should do most is to hide in the Marshal's Mansion and reflect on his mistakes, or admit defeat to the Supreme Council. Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope.
But he didn't.
He even had the nerve to attend the celebration banquet, and after being rejected, he ran to the Council's lair, which had already sharpened its knives.
The fat sheep actually came to him on his own initiative and fell into the trap. Yu Zhongxian laughed so hard that he almost had a stroke.
The imperial faction was originally prepared to take action and was waiting for the celebration banquet to be over before settling accounts with this old immortal.
Unexpectedly, Yu Zhongxian got there first.
He acted too quickly. On the day the Imperial Marshal returned from the front, Yu Zhongxian got rid of Fu Wenyu, the key figure, and put all the blame on him.
The chain of evidence is so complete, it must have been prepared long ago.
It is possible that the Council began to make preparations in this regard after the victory in the Battle of Stan River.
Seeing the old marshal who once had great power and influence appearing stupid and dumb with drooling at the corners of his mouth in the courtroom, all the people in the imperial faction could not help but feel horrified.
They knew that the old marshal must have suffered inhuman torture from the council to become like this.
Li Longxing felt the pressure. The Council reacted so quickly that he had to seize power as soon as possible.
If you trace the empire's power tower back to its lowest level, it is military force.
This is the cornerstone of all power.
The internal situation of the empire was unstable and turbulent, with private armies rampant. Every governor had his own army, and every group had a strong foundation.
The Supreme Council is able to maintain its rule in this turbulent empire, not only by perfect balance, but also by relying on the elite and powerful central army.
The reason why Li Longxing was able to sit on the throne was because he had complete control over the Royal Guards.
However, force is only the cornerstone, the background for establishing the rules of the game.
The government that rules only by force is the military government.
The Military Government is not a normal government. It cannot handle complicated matters and cannot last long.
If Li Longxing wants to get rid of the Council, he must obtain more complete power.
After this expedition, the emperor gained a lot of prestige among the army, the people and the officials.
These prestiges are his intangible political assets.
But this is not enough. Li Longxing still needs the support of more people. He needs to prove that he is right and capable. He can make the empire stronger and bring a better future to everyone.
In this way, more people will support him and will not dare to oppose his reforms.
His first test was how to deal with the Papal States.
At the discussion meeting.
The first proposal to be rejected was the proposal to annex the Papal States.
There is no doubt that this is a huge burden. If it is swallowed, the empire will definitely grow a huge abscess and will not be able to absorb much benefit.
The three issues that really came up for discussion were colonies, dependencies, and huge war reparations.
The final decision-making power lies in Li Longxing's hands. The winner has the power to deal with the loser, which is also the imperial practice.
At the same time, it is also a pressure. If Li Longxing cannot make the most favorable choice, then the prestige he has accumulated with great difficulty will be lost.
Regarding the selection of these three topics and the details of the implementation plan, the main members of the imperial faction, the main generals of the imperial army, and the main officials of the empire each held an opinion and argued endlessly.
The meeting had been going on for a whole day, but still no one could come up with an overwhelmingly feasible plan.
Li Longxing was also in a dilemma. He originally wanted to choose the option of becoming a vassal state.
However, his specific plan did not bring much benefit to the empire. No one here cared about the civilians of the Papal States. They only wanted to gain more benefits from the Papal States.
Li Linyue was sitting at the bottom, also very anxious. She noticed that the eight elders at the other end of the meeting were silent, waiting to see the emperor make a fool of himself.
The elders and the emperor are natural enemies. Their powers are separated from the imperial power. As long as the imperial power expands, the power of the elders will be damaged.
Therefore, when imperial power expanded, they would collectively oppose it.
This is a matter of stance, not likes or dislikes.
Lin Wen, who was standing next to him, had been sleeping for a whole day. Li Linyue hesitated for a moment, then remembered the last words her sister conveyed to her, and woke him up.
"Xiao Wen, do you have any ideas?"
Lin Wen yawned loudly, "Are you done arguing? Let's go back to sleep."
Li Linyue pinched his thigh hard and said, "Keep your voice down."
Her face flushed slightly as she whispered, "Are you in that hurry? Father got us engaged so quickly."
"What?"
Lin Wen woke up suddenly.
What does engagement mean?
Wasn't the engagement cancelled?
He concentrated his mind and looked at the karmic connection between them.
It was very thick, with five words written on it in glittering gold.
"The perfect husband."
No way?
Lin Wen suddenly became a little anxious. It’s my last nine weeks in the physics world, please don’t mess with me.
Didn’t we agree that if you don’t attend the party, you’ll get a divorce… No, cancel the engagement?
Qin Luoshuang is so cute, wouldn’t it be too inhumane for me to find her a stepmother?
"cough!"
Lin Wen immediately coughed and began to use the driving skills he had studied for a while.
"It's urgent. I want to use your legs to measure my waist."
Li Linyue was stunned, and then her entire snow-white face turned red visibly, and the blush extended all the way to her neck.
Obviously, she didn't completely understand.
"You, what did you say? I can measure it with a ruler..."
She was a little incoherent. Lin Wen smiled slightly, which was a good effect. When he was about to press on with his victory, he was seen by the sharp-eyed Li Longxing.
As soon as Li Longxing saw his daughter's embarrassed state, he knew that the boy was teasing her, and he immediately became angry. How could you tease my precious daughter?
Even if you can, you shouldn't tease her in public, right?
Why don't you guys just tease each other on the bed?
And it's not the right time to go public with your relationship, at least until the dust settles.
What would happen if someone saw this?
So, Li Longxing immediately said, "Lin Wen! Please give us your opinion! How should the Papal States handle this?"
"It's finally my turn to speak."
Lin Wen laughed loudly, stood up and stretched, which attracted a lot of dissatisfied glances, but he didn't care at all.
"I think none of you should talk. It's a complete waste of time."
Yu Zhongxian sneered: "Are you the only one who can speak?"
Lin Wen rubbed his sore shoulder and said casually, "Only people with an IQ of 250 can speak. Talking is just a waste of time for those with retardation. If you don't have the intelligence, just do as you're told."
Yu Zhongxian was extremely angry. His wheelchair was thanks to this little beast. When he thought about how he had been fooled like a fool by him before, he could not suppress his anger.
"You dare to say I'm mentally retarded?"
Lin Wen yawned loudly and turned his head to face the group of people from the council.
"No, no, don't get me wrong, I'm not targeting you."
"I mean everyone here is mentally retarded."
boom!
Everyone at the review committee stood up and shouted at Lin Wen.
Lin Wen was not afraid at all. He sprayed them with sprays, and with his years of spraying experience, he sprayed them so badly that they were unable to take care of themselves.
The meeting suddenly fell into chaos, and Li Longxing decisively called in the imperial garrison to suppress the riot.
Lin Wen laughed heartily and pointed at the group of people on the council: "Who is the peak at the end of the spray road?"
Yu Zhongxian calmed down at this time and said coldly: "Lin Junzhang, what's the point of just talking nonsense? Let us see your wisdom."
Lin Wen laughed and said, "Listen carefully, my terrifying opinion."
The venue fell silent, and everyone held their breath. Li Linyue's eyes sparkled. She felt that Lin Wen was extremely handsome just now, and she was not angry at all.
Lin Wen announced his answer loudly.
"Of course it's a vassal state."
A few cold snorts were heard in the meeting room, but no one spoke, waiting for his next words.
Lin Wen didn't say anything special, nor did he spend a huge amount of money to use magic to get the answer.
He simply recited the entire text of the US-Japan Security Treaty and briefly reiterated the US's control over Japan.
The summary is three points.
First, how are dogs trained?
Second, how to use dogs to gain benefits.
Third, what should you do when a dog bites its owner?
Lin Wen did not use any particularly fancy language; he simply briefly recounted the facts that had already happened.
However, in everyone's ears, this is an astonishing social science reasoning, a perfect interpretation of the interaction between humanities and interests, and its details are so real that they are evil.
This is an absolutely feasible plan with maximum benefits and minimum backlash.
No one was speechless. Everyone looked at Lin Wen as if they were looking at an alien, a person who had traveled from the world where this incident happened.
Li Linyue's cheeks were flushed, and she thought to herself, since he wants it so much, just give it to him.
Li Longxing laughed so hard that his eyes were almost invisible. He said loudly, "Does anyone have a better idea?"
No one spoke. Although they still had some ideas, they all felt that they could not compare with this plan.
Li Longxing was very happy. It seemed that they could make their engagement public as soon as possible. Young people are hot-tempered. He could only watch a beautiful woman. Look how frustrated this guy was.
Haha, hold on a little longer, you will have your chance.
Yu Zhongxian's face was as black as a hundred-year-old piece of dog shit, and everyone in the review committee was silent.
This was the time when the Council was at its weakest, and no one dared to speak too much for fear of being used as a punching bag.
The meeting then dealt with some details.
Basically, they still followed the usual methods of bribing high-level officials and indirectly controlling the Papal States to reap profits.
However, this detailed handling method was opposed by Lin Wen.
"The people are all poor. How much money do those poor people have? The Papal States has been collecting taxes for ninety years in order to fight against us."
Yan Gao, the Imperial Taxation Minister, asked in confusion, "What do you mean ninety years? I haven't..."
Lin Wen interrupted him: "If I say yes, then yes, don't interrupt."
Yan Gao, the Chief of Taxation, who was three levels higher than him in rank, shut up.
Li Linyue clenched her fists under the table and thought to herself, "That's exactly what it should be, Xiaowen. You did a great job!"
"In short, the people have become poor, with no more money to be squeezed out... If we squeeze them any further, they will rebel, which will damage the image of our royal army and be detrimental to our future rule."
The empire's elder, Luo Nuo, asked coldly, "If we don't exploit the poor, who are we going to exploit? We've all put in so much effort and money, and there's no reward at all? I've even bought tens of billions in war bonds."
Lin Wen replied briefly, "Whoever has money can shave it."
Luo Nuo's eyes were cold: "What do you mean?"
Lin Wen sneered.
“An empire is an empire because it is composed of civilized people.”
"Civilized people are reasonable and believe that every wrong has its perpetrator and every debt has its creditor."
"Who started the war? The upper echelons of the Papal States. Who led the war? The upper echelons of the Papal States. Who created the hatred? The upper echelons of the Papal States."
Lin Wen walked up to the imperial elder Luo Nuo and pointed at his nose.
"And you, you forgive your enemies and pardon the culprits, but you turn your butcher knife on innocent people."
The voice turned harsh:
"Are you still a civilized person? Are you still an Imperial?"
The veins on Rono's forehead were clearly bulging, and his fists were clenched tightly.
It was this little bastard… Not long ago, in the food war initiated and led by him, this little bastard caused him and his group to suffer heavy losses. The huge losses forced him to mortgage the Mingguang Exchange to others.
Now, he actually dared to point at his nose and scold him for not being an imperial citizen?
If this wasn't the capital, he would tear this little beast into pieces.
Lin Wen ignored his eager look, returning to midfield and shouting, "So, the Papal States' leaders are guilty of unforgivable crimes. Kill all those who dared to challenge the Empire! Confiscate all their property! The Empire doesn't want the money of poor people."
"We'll rip off whoever has money!"
Lin Wen raised his right hand high.
Everyone subconsciously shouted: "Long live the Empire!"
The temperature in the field suddenly rose, and a fanatical atmosphere was circulating.
For a moment, they seemed to have become the passionate and generous young people of the empire again.
At this time, the imperial elder Lin Yabo said grimly: "Headmaster Lin, if we kill all the upper echelons, how can we rule the Papal States?"
He has many partners in the upper echelons of the Papal States. If these people can regain the right to rule the Papal States, then he and Yu Zhongxian will have countless means of operation.
Lin Wen sneered.
(End of this chapter)
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