Chapter 133
The national treasury has been short of money for many years, and the people of Dasheng have been obsessed with making money for many years.
Knowing that there was a huge treasure overseas guarded by evil pirates, the emperor and his officials were extremely excited.
That was the treasure that was stolen from Dasheng, of course we have to take it back!
As for the part that was robbed by Dongyi... haha, just consider it as compensation plus interest for Dongyi stealing Dasheng's gold mines for three years.
All officials are justified.
The system was right about one thing: it could make money in a snap, and the decision to fight pirates was unanimously agreed upon by all the civil and military officials in the court within just a few seconds.
All departments, from the seventy-year-old elders to the eighteen-year-old junior officials who just joined the government this year, were like chickens with their blood pumped up, and everything gave way to fighting pirates.
Da Sheng had a trained navy, which was mainly responsible for guarding the coastline and killing pirates. It was also called the navy, but its armed forces were not very strong.
Knowing that the pirates were armed with powerful firearms, everyone agreed that they needed to outsmart them.
The emperor and his officials insisted: The court was not afraid of war, but it could take the pirate island at a lower cost, so why not?
The system pointedly complained: "It's clear that they've been fighting for years and lack young and strong men, but they're reluctant to sacrifice their lives."
Chu Hua: [What's wrong with that?]
Those in power understand the fragility and difficulty of life. They cherish the people so that they can live a good life.
System: [That's true. Look at the ferocious behavior of the Western Rong and Northern Di. I feel disheartened for the people of these two countries.]
Chu Hua sighed: [There's nothing we can do about it. In a society where the emperor's power is supreme, the emperor's orders are above all else.]
The system doesn't like this practice, but it has no right to intervene and can only complain about it behind the scenes.
[If it really doesn't work out, Sister Huan, why don't you just unify the world? If you unify the world and become the empress, wouldn't everyone in the world live a good life?]
Chu Huan smiled: [You haven't given up on this idea yet? ]
The system knew the host was not happy to mention this matter, so it muttered vaguely: "Now I am not the only one who thinks this way. Many officials in the court regret that you are not a prince and have no right of inheritance."
Chu Huan:? !!
When she heard this for the first time, she was really shocked.
However, her focus shifted slightly: [Shouldn't their biggest regret be that I'm not of royal blood?]
What does it have to do with being a man or a woman?
System: [What I'm saying now doesn't represent the majority, but there is indeed a small number of officials who think: As long as the heir is excellent enough, like you, it doesn't matter whether the surname is Xiao or not.]
Chu Hua: […Is this true?]
She suspected that the system was deceiving her, and she had evidence.
This was a feudal society, so who wouldn't value blood relations? Confusing royal bloodlines was a serious crime.
The system angrily said: [I only said a small part! ]
[Over the past thousands of years, how many times have the country and the royal family changed? There are always people who see through the essence and think that as long as the people live well, it doesn't matter who is the emperor!]
Chu Huan remained indifferent: [Oh.]
system:【……】
Oh what? Why don’t you tell me what you think?
The system was a little angry, but knowing that the host was really not interested in being an empress, it instantly wilted and went back to work.
It is the intelligence officer of this battle. Its importance is self-evident. It has a lot of work to do. It just took a break from its busy schedule.
With the help of the system, the pirate island's topographic map, defense map, troop map, weak points, treasure map and other information are transparent. After copying them, it took several days to formulate the best tactics.
Half a month later, the imperial court made full preparations and set out to attack the pirate island. It took only one month to capture the pirate island, and carriages loaded with treasures were sent to the capital in batches.
When such a huge amount of treasure arrived, even the expanded national treasury could not hold it. A large part of it went into the emperor's private treasury, and more was quickly spent.
Dasheng was rich, and the emperor and his officials walked around with confidence. The Ministry of Revenue was no longer stingy and approved all necessary expenditures.
The largest money-eating reinforced concrete dam project was also approved.
The most important persons responsible for this project are Li He and Li Chen, father and son.
Before leaving, Chu Huan treated the two to a meal and confided in them, "I know full well how difficult it is to build a reinforced concrete dam. If you two take on this mission, you'll likely be away for decades, unlikely to return to the capital. I truly feel bad for you."
Just because of their outstanding ability in building dams, the father and son worked diligently for many years and were finally promoted to the capital. They were then recommended by her and had to work day and night on the front line, and they could not live a few days of peace.
Li He was terrified. "Princess, you have wronged me! If it weren't for the princess and the system's help, it's doubtful whether my son and I could have survived. I will always remember your kindness, princess. Even if you ask me to sacrifice my life for it, I am willing to do so."
"Lord Li, you're too kind." Chu Huan still remembered the incident, but she had never considered using the favor of saving her life to get the two of them to do things for her. "Saving you back then was just a piece of cake. Even if it was a life-saving favor, you don't have to repay it with your own life."
"Yes, yes." Li He insisted, "Princess, you don't know that I am not good at dealing with officials. If it weren't for your kindness and care, I am afraid that my son and I would not be able to..."
Li He seemed to be having trouble speaking, and the system, feeling anxious, simply spoke for him: [Simply put, Li He doesn't flatter others and has a straightforward personality. He couldn't change even after suffering a serious loss that nearly cost him his life, so he suffered a lot in the officialdom.]
If he and Li Chen hadn't made their names known to you and me, and if the Emperor and his officials hadn't noticed them, and if they hadn't sent the Imperial Guards to rescue them, everyone would have known they were not easy to deal with. Who knows what would have happened in the future.
So, to be honest, the fact that they, father and son, have been able to avoid the rigged social connections of officialdom over the years and instead focus on building dams and accumulating achievements for promotion to Beijing is truly due to our contributions. We are one, and he didn't choose the wrong person to repay his debt.
Li He was not good at speaking, and it was difficult for him to fully express his thoughts. However, the system spoke out all his thoughts and feelings, and he blushed with joy. "What the system said is exactly what I think in my heart. Princess, there is really no need to feel any burden!"
Chu Huan: “…”
Li Chen also said, "My father and I are officials of Dasheng. We studied hard to serve the court. Devoting ourselves to the court and the people is our original intention. It is just a bit hard. Princess, don't blame yourself."
Chu Huan wanted to say that she would find a way to transfer them back to the capital in a few years so that other people could do the work and train more talents for dam construction for Dasheng. However, after such a heart-to-heart talk, she was no longer in a hurry.
After seeing off Li He and Li Chen, father and son, Chu Huan devoted herself to other matters.
There are floods in the summer, snowstorms in the winter, as well as earthquakes and typhoons. Dasheng is plagued by disasters and there are too many things to do.
In Chu Huan's first year at the Ministry of Revenue, Dasheng was paved with cement roads.
In the 2nd and 3rd years of Chu Huan's tenure at the Ministry of Revenue, Dasheng's first reinforced concrete dam was completed, which blocked the devastating flood of that year. There were no casualties in the area where the dam was located, while other areas suffered heavy casualties, the contrast was extremely tragic.
When the news came, the whole country was shocked.
Countless people shed tears of joy, shouting that they were saved. They thanked Princess Zhaoming, the court, and Li He and his son Li Chen. All places submitted petitions requesting the construction of reinforced concrete dams.
Beidi is at a high altitude and there are no major rivers flowing through its territory, so there are no floods. The southern and north-central parts of Xirong were affected by the floods. This severe flood submerged half of Xirong's country, making them very jealous of the reinforced concrete embankments.
As a result, Xirong and Dasheng ushered in a truce period that was rare in a century.
The people of both countries had long been tired of the endless war, so when they heard about the truce and the start of the negotiation period, they were as happy as if it were New Year's Day.
When the people learned that Xirong wanted the reinforced concrete dam proposed by Princess Zhaoming, they were so grateful to Chu Huan that they could not express it in words, and they boosted the sales of "The Legend of Chu Huan".
After learning about this, Chu Huan said: "..."
The two rivers pass through the south and north of Xirong respectively, pass through the territory of Dasheng, and finally flow into the ocean.
No matter how well the downstream is constructed, once the upstream collapses, the downstream will also be affected. Reinforced concrete embankments should still be built, but many of Xirong’s practices are disgusting, and its credibility is not high, which makes people hesitant.
There was strong opposition from the court and the people of Dasheng. They believed that even if the reinforced concrete dam was given away, the Western Rong would not cease fighting and would probably continue fighting once they got the things.
However, despite the doubts, everyone was tired of fighting, and peace was still the mainstream idea, so the two sides entered a period of wrangling.
Chu Huan did not participate in the whole process. After being transferred to the Ministry of Industry, she organized personnel to build reinforced concrete houses in certain areas. She was so busy that the Western Rong envoys could not find her.
Xirong and Dasheng were in a stalemate for half a year, both sides kept using official rhetoric and refused to give in. Dasheng was not in a hurry, but the people in Xirong were anxious.
If we delay any longer, this year's flood will come again!
Not long after, the Western Rong Emperor Wanyan Hong passed away, and things took a turn for the better.
When the system said this, the whole court was shocked.
Chu Huan was stunned for a moment, then asked hurriedly: [How did he die?]
System: [Shi Zhanjiao took advantage of Wanyan Hong's exhaustion after having sex with her and killed him.]
Chu Hua: […This is too brief.]
The king and his ministers nodded vigorously: That’s right!
The system will give you the long version of the story: [Wanyan Hong killed his brothers and sisters in order to ascend the throne, leaving only his half-brother, Wanyan Yu. Wanyan Hong was very suspicious and worried about his half-brother. For many years, he sent people to monitor him, not use him, and drug him.]
Wanyan Hong was a war enthusiast, eager to fight whenever possible, constantly dreaming of annexing Dasheng. How can this be explained? When he was young, many ministers supported him, but over the course of ten, twenty, or thirty years, many people's views changed.
Warfare is too expensive, and the Western Rong are fierce and aggressive, often costing lives. This wastes money, food, and manpower. Many within the Western Rong are already expressing discontent, but they dare not speak out against Wanyan Hong's brutality.
Over the years, Wanyan Yu continued to treat others as a weak and dissolute playboy. Wanyan Hong's supervision of Wanyan Yu gradually weakened, giving Wanyan Yu the opportunity to unite with Shi Zhanjiao. Wanyan Yu promised him that after he ascended the throne, Shi Zhanjiao would remain the queen and could do whatever she wanted without his interference.
Chu Huan: “…”
At that moment, she had only one thought in her mind: Sister is so hot!
The emperor and his officials did not care how Wanyan Hong died, but they wanted to know what would happen after Wanyan Yu ascended the throne - the change of emperor would affect the relationship between the two countries.
Chu Huan was also concerned about this and quickly asked: [What is Wanyan Yu like?]
System: [He is intelligent and very patient. His body was poisoned by Wanyan Hong's medicine. Even if he takes good care of himself, he won't live long.]
Whether due to physical reasons, personality, or ideological reasons, Wanyan Yu is a peace advocate.
[There are many voices in favor of peace within the Western Rong. Wanyan Yu's ability to team up with Shi Zhanjiao to assassinate Wanyan Hong is also the result of many officials being unable to tolerate Wanyan Hong, so...]
Chu Huan's eyes lit up: "After Wanyan Yu ascends the throne, the two countries will likely usher in decades of peace."
All the officials cheered: "Great!"
The facts were just as they had guessed. After Wanyan Yu ascended the throne, he quickly sent someone to deliver a letter from the throne.
Xirong wanted Dasheng’s reinforced concrete dam, and Dasheng wanted Xirong horses and Beidi horses. The two sides argued for half a year and finally signed a 30-year peace agreement.
The agreement says it will last for a few years, but that’s not really binding - the shamelessness of the Xirong is well known.
However, Dasheng wanted Beidi horses, but Beidi refused to sell them to Dasheng, which meant the cooperation between Xirong and Dasheng.
While the Beidi had not heard the news, the Xirong bought 10,000 Beidi horses from the Beidi, saying that they would threaten with force on the border. However, they gave them to Dasheng instead. The eldest prince and his men rode by arrogantly on Beidi horses and robbed them of another 3,000 Beidi horses.
Beidi: ???
Beidi:!!!
Fuck, Xirong, you bastard!
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