Chapter 559 Imperial God War
Emperor's Tower.
Large conference room.
Royal guards and imperial garrisons were spread throughout the conference room.
It indirectly proves the rapid expansion of imperial power - the royal guards were rarely allowed into the Emperor's Tower.
In the eyes of most people, Li Longxing was preparing to become the emperor.
One hundred and eighty years had passed since the Old Empire, and the nightmare of the Great Emperor had gradually faded away from them.
The worry now is that the empire is declining and no longer what it once was.
Everyone could feel the empire's declining status in the world.
The major powers no longer respect the empire, and even clowns dare to mock it.
The cowardly Sob Kingdom actually dared to openly compete with the Empire for oil fields.
The Northern Alliance even cut off the Grand Canal, causing severe damage to the empire.
Even the ungrateful Papal States was able to push the empire into a desperate situation at one point.
Although the Empire won the war, its weakness was exposed.
The attempts of the major powers failed, but they became even more covetous of the empire - how could a weak and old empire occupy such a large territory and gain so many benefits?
Although the Empire exhibited its latest technology, it did not scare them.
Wars are fought based on national strength. Unless it is the legendary ultimate weapon like nuclear weapons, one or two decisive weapons cannot change the situation of the war.
Since the Papal War, the imperial bureaucrats have felt this chill even more deeply.
——If the empire collapses, they are worth nothing.
In this situation, whether the emperor was restored was no longer their top priority.
As long as Li Longxing can lead the empire to revival, what does it matter if he wants to be the emperor?
Of course, the damage to their own power and interests is also intolerable.
But, if there is still a glimmer of hope.
If only this were a fair rule.
Then they can still retain some illusions and endure the pain of cutting flesh.
At present, the empire is indeed on the road to revival, and the people are greatly supporting reform.
The new rules apply to everyone, including the royal faction.
Only under the coexistence of these three factors could they grit their teeth and support the emperor's reform policies.
However, for the elders of the empire, this was something that could not be tolerated.
Behind every elder is a powerful group.
The weakening of the elders' power means the disintegration of the group and the backlash of powerful forces.
More importantly, it also means that they will become cowardly and vulnerable insects.
Everything they have inflicted on others before will be inflicted back a thousand fold.
The same is true for group leaders who possess powerful powers similar to those of elders.
There were only two exceptions.
The empire elders Wang Wengong and Ye Nantian.
Everyone in the Royal Faction was surprised that they could win their support.
Duke Wen of Wang was the biggest obstacle to the expansion of imperial power. He obstructed them at every turn and made everyone hate him.
Ye Nantian and Xu Chengguo both belong to the neutral faction and are inseparable allies. Xu Chengguo is very wary of the expansion of the imperial faction.
But Ye Nantian, who was in the same camp, opened his arms and embraced them.
No one understood, only Li Longxing knew why.
These two people experienced the heyday of the empire.
Thirty years ago, they were both counselors in the Imperial Foreign Affairs Bureau and remembered clearly the world's reaction after the Empire attacked the Papal States.
This was in stark contrast to the world's reaction thirty years later when the Papal States declared war on the Empire.
——These countries that praised the imperial invasion thirty years ago, now face the invasion of the empire and not only openly condemn and blame the empire, but also openly support the Papal States.
Also participated in the war directly or indirectly.
Even after the war was won, they did not apologize, but simply resumed sea trade with the empire.
——Because they need it too.
However, not everyone could feel the empire's decline so personally.
Even though they knew this was a fact, they were not so sensitive to it given the larger environment of the empire.
Everything seems to be the same as before.
For these people, self-interest comes before everything else.
This type of people is the most common in the empire. They are forced to be magnanimous. If they had any choice, they would not be like this.
But this is not the case for Wang Wengong and Ye Nantian. They desire such a powerful empire more than their own power.
When Li Longxing proved with facts that he could win battles and revive the empire, they began to turn to the imperial faction.
Even if this weakens their power and isolates them among the elders.
As for the restoration of the emperor, it was not a problem for them at all.
Ye Nantian saw that the empire was growing stronger, and Wang Wengong also saw that the people's livelihood in the empire was improving.
If this is the price, then Duke Wen of Wang is willing to pay it.
If this could prove that the Great Emperor was the correct system for the empire, then he was willing to change it.
This is hope.
He had been struggling in the empire for more than ten years, but the changes he saw in the first month after Li Longxing came to power were nothing compared to what he had seen.
but.
What no one expected was that Li Longxing's ultimate goal was to eliminate the emperor and the Supreme Elders Council.
He knew very well that all the current achievements were temporary, and as long as the imperial elders existed, their achievements would be destroyed and plundered at any time.
The elders of the empire must be eliminated. Only after he completes the centralization of power can he eliminate the emperor and complete the last piece of the puzzle of his reform.
The most core powers of the imperial elders are three.
The first item is the power to appoint and dismiss officials. Censors, consuls, and judges must all be appointed and dismissed by the elders.
The second item is tax exemption. Elders can be exempted from certain taxes, which gives them the possibility to form a group.
The third item is forgiveness. The elders can directly forgive certain crimes, which helps them win the hearts of the people.
These three items were originally within the scope of imperial power. The expansion and contraction of its scope, and the increase and decrease of its degree, all directly correspond to the imperial power.
Therefore, the elders and the emperor are irreconcilable enemies.
Now, Li Longxing is ready to completely take away these three powers.
As long as these three powers are taken away, the elders will lose their core and only be left with an empty shell.
The threat from the elders completely disappeared.
——
The atmosphere in the conference room was once very tense, and the confrontation between the imperial faction and the elders and leaders of various groups was very sharp.
The demands of both sides are completely diametrically opposed.
Rono demanded the abolition of social welfare and the elimination of a minimum wage, as this was a brutal interference of the empire in the economy and would greatly affect future development.
Lin Yabo not only made such a request, but also demanded that the benefits that had been distributed previously be collected back.
Of course, the burden of tax collection naturally fell on him.
He was willing to selflessly undertake such a complicated task and pay for Li Longxing's mistakes.
Cheng Wei believed that the empire's citizenship rights were too extensive.
"If the untouchables start to make trouble, how can the bosses continue to work? Won't the empire's economy collapse?"
Lin Yabo also said, "People have their highs and lows. The chaos of the empire was caused by a few idiots who failed to recognize their own status and wanted to usurp power. If people were born with a clear hierarchy and a clear order, and everyone followed their own way, the empire would have soared long ago."
As they spoke, violent chaos broke out in various parts of the empire.
This was caused by the private military power extended from the three powers of the elders.
Not only that, except for Qin Gang, the commander of the Southwest District, the commanders of the North District, the East District, and the South District all have their own masters.
They are demonstrating.
However, the demonstration turned into chaos because there were people who supported the emperor among them.
The military leaders under the commander-in-chief each serve their own masters. Some are led by Elder Ye Nantian, some are led by Elder Wang Wengong, some are led by the imperial faction itself, and there are many more young officers who are supporters of the first princess.
Li Linyue's live broadcast has a great influence among the young people of the empire, and many young officers must watch every live broadcast.
Similarly, Li Linyue's imperial concept also penetrated into their brains like mercury.
Not only that, there are also Sheng Huaixuan, Zhao Chaoyang, Wang Boan and others in the local area.
They also supported the imperial faction, among whom Sheng Huaixuan and Wang Bo'an were the "overall" governors whose power had not been stripped away.
So, this can only be called chaos.
In the conference room, Wang Wengong also strongly refuted the absurd views of Lin Yabo and others.
He discussed in detail the changes that had taken place in the empire over the past few months and listed various data.
"...In summary, all of Your Majesty's policies are supported by empirical evidence and have produced immediate and noticeable changes."
"And besides empty promises that the empire will improve if your changes are implemented, what concrete evidence do you have?"
"I believe that from now on, the Empire should speak with facts. Those who speak with imagination should all get out!"
Wang Wengong is almost sixty years old this year. His temples are gray and his face is full of wrinkles. He looks like he is eighty years old.
But there was a fire burning in his eyes, like the spirit of a twenty-year-old boy.
He spoke in a very loud voice, and the clanging "get out" that came out of his mouth was like a stone hitting Lin Yabo and others in the face, triggering a lot of cheers.
Lin Yabo's face turned pale. He stood up and said coldly, "As everyone knows, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. An imperial policy that shows advantages in the short term will inevitably lose long-term benefits. Your Majesty's imperial policy has overdrawn the empire's potential. If this continues, the empire will collapse in the near future!"
"That's right."
Rono said sternly:
"The common people of the empire are wailing and groaning. All of our current glory is built on their suffering. As the highest consuls of the empire, how can we turn a blind eye to the suffering of the common people?"
Cheng Wei said coldly, "If the empire falls apart because of this, everyone here will be the empire's sinner."
Duke Wang Wen sneered and asked, "I wonder who you call the common people of the empire? The scene I saw seems to be different from what you saw."
Lin Yabo sneered, "Of course they are the people who form the foundation of the empire. Do you think a lowly creature like scum is qualified to be on the stage?"
"The empire relies on hardworking and virtuous people, not trash."
Duke Wang Wen even refrained from sneering, "I feel I have nothing more to say to you."
Ye Nantian was silent for a while and then expressed his opinion.
"I support Your Majesty. You've said too much over the years, but the empire continues to decline. Your Majesty has used your strength to change the empire. I believe what I see."
Xu Chengguo's face was gloomy. Ye Nantian's breakup with him made him very passive.
He said, "Although I agree with some of Your Majesty's imperial policies, the elder system was established by Emperor Shenwu himself one hundred and eighty years ago. It is the fundamental policy of the empire and cannot be changed. I oppose stripping the elders of their power, changing the structure of the Supreme Council, and improving the strategy of the Imperial Congress."
The last person to express his opinion was Ren Zhengqing.
He is the one who directly or indirectly controls the most troops among all the elders, and the last "overall" governor, Ge Guanglin, is his man.
He is also the elder with the most support from the imperial military leaders.
Elder Ren has a great influence, and even the Grand Elder would ask for his opinion during his tenure.
His face was sinister, and his narrow eyes flashed with a cold light that no one could see through, and he spoke calmly.
"If Your Majesty can lead the Empire to victory, I support you."
Then.
A full vote was held in the conference room.
All eligible officials were present in person or through representatives, and the final vote count was 151:163.
Li Longxing's proposal was not passed.
But he didn't care.
Because he can raise the issue again anytime and anywhere.
The elders' power can also be gradually stripped away item by item.
The pressure exerted by the imperial faction was so great that most people tended to seek compromise and balance. If he had directly proposed to remove the roof, most people would probably not agree.
But if he had instead suggested opening a window, they would most likely have agreed.
What Li Longxing didn't expect was.
His request to remove the roof actually received 151 votes.
These are the votes of all the top officials in the empire and represent all the power.
Li Longxing was also surprised to get so many votes.
This also means that if he proposes one item alone, it will most likely be passed.
As long as any one of the three powers of the elders is reduced.
So what's left, is it still a problem?
Sooner or later, he will be able to strip the elders of their power.
Moreover, Li Longxing can just strike at the strength they have exposed.
Knock out their iron rods and strip away the military leaders who support them.
The major groups in the empire will eventually fall apart.
Li Longxing walked with his head held high on the avenue outside the Emperor's Tower, with groups of royal guards protecting his safety.
The spring breeze blows towards me.
The spring of the empire is about to come.
——
Shenjing.
A secret place.
The elders gathered together.
"must."
Lin Yabo said gloomily.
"It's time to use the killer move."
(End of this chapter)
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