Upon hearing the imperial edict, Lü Tu hesitated to accept it, and the Imperial Guards who delivered it were the same ones from last year.
The group looked at Lü Tu with some confusion and asked, "General Lü, why don't you accept the imperial decree?"
Lu Tu stood up and looked at him quietly, his face expressionless: "Are you sure this imperial edict is real?"
The Imperial Guard chuckled and said, "General Lü, please don't make such a joke. If this gets out to others, we'll all be beheaded. How could we dare to forge an imperial edict?"
Instead of accepting the imperial decree, Lü Tu returned to his chair and sat down. He reached out and Zhao Qingyao poured him a cup of tea, which he then drank in one gulp.
"Since the imperial edict is genuine, then I must ask His Majesty the Emperor, why does he think that because our northern border has had a bumper harvest, we should pay ten times more taxes?"
The Imperial Guard smiled wryly and said, "General Lü, please don't make things difficult for us. We are only here to deliver orders. If you don't want to accept the order, I'll leave it here. Don't worry, I won't talk nonsense."
Lu Tu nodded: "Someone, bring the reward!"
Cui Guo stepped forward and, as usual, gave the Imperial Guards a hundred taels of silver. Although it was not bad and enough for them to eat, drink, and live a carefree life in Longcheng for a few days, it seemed rather meager compared to the reward money given last time. However, the Imperial Guards did not dare to show any sign of this, which was clearly Lu Tu's attitude.
After the Imperial Guards left, Zhao Qingyao slammed her hand on the table: "I never expected the Emperor to be so ruthless. Other places have been plagued by wars and uprisings for years, leading to famine. Why should we have to pay so much tax!"
Song Yuxi shook her head slightly: "According to the intelligence from the past few months, the emperor's inner circle has been sidelined. He hasn't attended the morning court for three months, and each time it's handled by the eunuchs around him."
Zhao Qingyao nodded: "It's Eunuch Deqing. He's been with Zhao Qihong since he was a child."
The current emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty was none other than Zhao Qihong.
Wang Miaoling clenched her fist: "It seems that the lives of the people of Wuchuan are finally going to get better, but if we follow the imperial edict, we will not only have worked for nothing for a year, but we will also have to pay out of our own pockets. After all, transporting grain to the capital will consume a huge amount of grain."
Nangong Huiyu appeared even more furious: "Why don't we rebel!"
Even the most composed Song Yuxi had a glint of shrewdness in her eyes, but she made no statement, simply looking quietly at Lü Tu, waiting for his decision.
Jiang Wanyu chimed in, "Second Sister is right. Since the emperor is incompetent and the people are suffering, why not let my husband become the emperor?"
Lu Tu, who hadn't said a word the whole time, felt incredibly at peace and suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.
In this somber atmosphere, Lü Tu suddenly burst into laughter, leaving everyone present completely baffled.
"My lord, why are you laughing?"
Lu Tu laughed for a moment before finally stopping and saying, "Ladies, what in this world is more wonderful and inspiring than our whole family working together as one?"
The women were taken aback by his words, and then looked at Lü Tu with emotion. Even though Lü Tu was now one of the most powerful people in the Great Yu Dynasty, he still had never looked down on them, his wives who had shared hardship with him.
On the contrary, Lü Tu always took them into consideration when making any decision, which made them feel that Lü Tu truly cared about them.
"Husband, what do you mean?"
Lu Tu smiled coldly: "I, Lu Tu, came from humble beginnings. When I was poor, I slept with Yu Xi in a pile of straw without blankets. We didn't even have a roof over our heads. I've climbed to where I am today by fighting and grabbing! Anyone who dares to bully me, I'll kill them! If they're the emperor, I'll take their place!"
After saying that, Lü Tu took out a self-made pencil from his pocket and wrote down many orders on the paper.
When Song Yuxi and the others peeked over, their pupils contracted in shock!
Lu Tu threw down his pencil and shouted loudly towards the door, "Someone, send it to the Six Garrisons Commandery!"
"My lord, should I wait until I write another letter to Zhao Qihong and see what his opinion is?"
Song Yuxi looked at Zhao Qingyao: "Qingyao, if Zhao Qihong really still considers you his older sister, he wouldn't have suddenly increased our taxes tenfold even though he knew you were already married to your husband. Isn't that obviously trying to put you in an unjust position?"
Wang Miaoling nodded: "That's right, Qingyao. Think about it, the whole court knows that you married your husband. After this imperial decree is issued, how will your husband view you? Of course, your husband is not that kind of person, but the way they are doing this shows that they don't treat you as one of their own."
Nangong Huiyu stepped forward and put his arm around Zhao Qingyao's shoulder: "Yes, sister, why are you tolerating this scoundrel? Why not rebel against him? Since he looks down on us women, let's do something to show them!"
After hearing this, Zhao Qingyao sighed softly, "I understand the reasons you are giving. Since that's the case, I won't interfere anymore. As the old saying goes, a woman follows her husband wherever he goes. Since I have chosen my husband, I am a member of the Lü family. Sisters, rest assured, I will definitely stand with you. I just... I just hope that if we really manage to capture the capital one day, my husband can spare Zhao Qihong's life."
Lu Tu nodded in agreement: "Okay!"
"Qingyao thanks you on behalf of Zhao Qihong, sir."
Within just a few days, news of Lü Tu's impending southward expedition had spread throughout the six border towns.
In the course of that year, they had firmly taken control of all the military, civilians, and land in the six towns.
In his letter, Lü Tu gave them their respective instructions: Liu Yang, who was keeping his troops in Wuchuan, should remain inactive, because Wuchuan was a key target of the Wuhuan people in the north.
The fact that they hadn't made any moves in the previous year didn't mean they didn't have spies within their territory. Once they learned that Lü Tu was going south, the Wuhuan would definitely not behave themselves. If they hadn't captured the capital by then, but instead lost their homeland, it would be a great loss.
The other five towns each sent 30,000 men to support Longcheng, and also provided sufficient food and military supplies.
A month later, Longcheng had amassed a total of 400,000 troops, along with a large amount of food and supplies.
With sweet potatoes being cultivated on a large scale, there are basically no worries about food supplies. All that Lu Tu needs to do now is wait for an opportunity.
That means the emperor's edict has arrived again, and we don't have to wait for the emperor to urge us again.
A month earlier, Lü Tu had sent someone with superstition to Zhang Chengyan, who was in Yanzhou, to tell him that he wanted to form an alliance to attack the capital together!
The offer was one that Zhang Chengyan could not refuse: a full 100,000 jin of grain, enough to solve the food crisis in Zhang Chengyan's army!
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