Chapter 354: The Emperor

Wan Wan Shihe was the "all-purpose oil" of the court, the lubricant, and a key figure in harmonizing conflicts. Whether it was Zhu Zhu Yijun, Zhang Zhang Juzheng, Wang Wang Chonggu, or the court officials, they all recognized Wan Wan Shihe's ability. Wan Wan Shihe's most conspicuous ability was "sprinkling water to wash the ground," finding excuses for what His Majesty did.

His Majesty said: The Western large sailing ships cannot arrive at the port this year.

The collapse of the fine wool business was not entirely because Zhu Zhu Yijun had a huge inventory and kept smashing the market. It was because, taking advantage of the fact that the Western large sailing ships could not arrive as scheduled, the speed of silver inflow slowed down, the silver blockage in the Ming's developed regions would be relieved, and the fear that the value of fine wool—a substitute currency for silver—would inevitably depreciate as the silver in developed regions decreased, the two combined to completely smash the market.

The purpose of smashing the market was not to let the risks of the fine wool business be transferred to the commoners, as the wealthy households were extremely good at "holding the commoners to threaten the government."

Silk currency was still too dangerous. In definition, silk currency is a complete financial currency, weakly related to the real economy, and closely related to the speed of silver inflow and the liquidity of silver.

Shipping tickets and silk currency were completely different things. In terms of definition, shipping tickets have the attribute of dividends, while silk currency has no such attribute at all.

The issuance of shipping tickets is limited by the Ming's shipbuilding capacity, while fine wool business is mainly limited by the lush water and grass of the grassland.

The risk of shipping tickets comes from the safety of Ming ships, which determines the probability of the ships returning, while the risk of silk currency mainly comes from the dealer's manipulation.

The main purpose of the shipping ticket business is to inject a steady stream of funds into the opening of the seas in the Southern Capital, while the fine wool business is more like a gambling house opened for gathering wealth.

The scale of the shipping ticket business is much, much larger than that of the silk currency business.

The silk currency business was the Emperor's toy alone. It could be said to be a pilot for shipping tickets, accumulating experience in ticket trading, and then slowly promoting it. The trading of shipping tickets, from the institutional design, Zhu Zhu Yijun had to discuss in detail with the Grand Secretary, the Vice Minister, the Minister of War, and others, and then slowly promote it. It was a major plan for the country.

Wan Wan Shihe could neither let His Majesty's words fall to the ground, nor let the Grand Secretary Grand Tutor's words fall to the ground. These were all figures of authority, and the authority of figures of authority did not allow any challenge.

The imperial system is essentially the highest embodiment of authoritarian power.

Wan Wan Shihe's angle of washing the ground was very strange. He did not deny the news that the Western large sailing ships were arriving, and then announced that this news was good news!

This kind of washing method was simply shameless, completely turning black into white, pointing at a deer and calling it a horse. But Wan Wan Shihe's words were unanimously recognized by the wealthy households. This was indeed good news, and it was great news!

Because this represented the helplessness of imperial power in maritime trade, and it represented that the Ming Emperor could not manipulate the value of shipping tickets as he pleased.

After the silk currency business, the owner behind Yanxinglou released nearly 20,000 bolts of fine wool in one day, directly smashing the market. This terrifying ability to manipulate the market made the wealthy households have some doubts about the value of shipping tickets, because this represented the terrible control of the Southern Yamen in ticket trading. This control affected the market's enthusiasm.

But as Wan Wan Shihe pointed out the essence of the matter, this annoying news completely turned into good news. Shipping tickets rose with the tide again, and the occasionally leaked tickets were snatched up.

Silently, the interests of the wealthy households in the Northern Capital, Shanxi, Shandong, and other places were deeply bound to the Ming's opening of the seas and the Ming's national destiny. Only when the Ming flourished could they continue to lie down and make money. If the Ming perished, everyone would be finished together.

From the moment Wang Wang Chonggu proposed the shipping ticket trading house, he repeatedly emphasized that everyone should be tied to the same boat.

Is His Majesty really helpless in this matter?

Grand Secretary Grand Tutor Zhang Zhang Juzheng said: Sink it! In the places within the Ming's reach, His Majesty is the only heaven of the Ming, the supreme will! If His Majesty says it cannot arrive, it cannot arrive.

His Majesty's will is higher than everything.

In a feudal imperial state where all institutional design revolves around the word "Emperor," an authoritarian Emperor who masters violence possesses supreme power.

Violence is gunpowder, steel, silver coins, ritual laws, and human hearts. In the eyes of different people, the weight of these things is different. In Zhu Zhu Yijun's eyes, the weight of these things is exactly the same, and they are all very important.

Zhu Zhu Yijun still had strong control over the shipping ticket business. He could even over-issue futures shipping tickets and completely stir up the water.

No system is perfect. During the closed-door meeting of the Quanchu Guild Hall to discuss the establishment of the shipping ticket trading house, Zhu Zhu Yijun thought that a three-masted clipper ship worth 50,000 silver could be split into 10,000 shares. That is, the dividends of opening the seas could allow most commoners to share a cup of soup. Shipping tickets of 5 taels each could be bought by ordinary Ming families with a little spare money.

The idea was very plump, but the reality was very skinny.

But it was finally persuaded by Zhang Zhang Juzheng to be 1,000 shares, because it involved the difficulty of landing. The Ming did not have enough manpower to manage such a large-scale ticket. Similarly, 5 taels of silver might be the accumulation of several years for an ordinary family. Once the ship capsized, it meant that years of hard work would be wasted.

At any time, in any era, the risk-resistance ability of commoners is almost zero. They cannot withstand any risk. Even if they are slightly lazy in autumn, do not plow the fields deeply, and do not turn the locust eggs to the surface to let the severe cold freeze them, there is a possibility of a poor harvest the following year.

The Ming's opening of the seas is still on the road of exploration, and even the gateway to the ten-thousand-mile sea pond, the Strait of Ma Liujia, is firmly controlled by the Red-Haired Barbarians. This also leads to another problem: in any era, commoners cannot eat the dividends of development. When the exploration is completed, the dividends of opening the seas are almost exhausted, and high-quality assets are completely mastered by the wealthy households, just like the good fields of the Ming are in the hands of the gentry.

"When it flourishes, the commoners suffer; when it perishes, the commoners suffer."

The Ming Emperor and the Ming court are not the Heavenly Court. Even if the monarch, father, country, and teacher are one, they cannot distribute the Emperor's imperial grace equally to everyone. Guaranteeing basic social order, guaranteeing the continuation of the regime, guaranteeing the correct use of violence, guaranteeing the basic life and property safety of the commoners, and being able to guarantee relative fairness—this reality is the criterion for the court's practice.

The Great Harmony world, the world of the Great Way, where everyone has virtue, everyone respects the old, everyone loves the young, where there is no inequality, and everyone is full and warm—this is an ideal country, a metaphysical pursuit.

On the fourth day of the sixth month of the seventh year of Emperor Wanli, the news that the Western large sailing ships arrived as scheduled reached the capital. The new captain had already boarded the hydrofoil sailing ship and was on his way to the capital.

Zhu Zhu Yijun came to the Zhao Wenhua Hall as always for the imperial audience. Lu Prince Zhu Zhu Yiliu yawned long and followed His Majesty to the Zhao Wenhua Hall. Zhu Zhu Yiliu liked the imperial audience less and less, and felt genuine disgust.

Even though he was afraid of his imperial brother's majesty and had to come, he could not show too much, but he was already quite tired.

Endless meetings, endless things to do, benefits that are never distributed evenly, endless busyness—Zhu Zhu Yiliu could only admire his imperial brother for being able to persist until now! My elder brother is a fierce man!

In Zhu Zhu Yiliu's view, his imperial brother's life was boring, dull, and tasteless, not exciting at all. Zhu Zhu Yijun also expressed his agreement with his younger brother's view.

Every day, drilling troops at the Northern Camp was the happiest time for Zhu Zhu Yijun. Every time this happened, he could feel the wind of freedom whistling past him.

In the eyes of the Ming Emperor Zhu Zhu Yijun, the imperial throne is a golden toilet, with countless chains firmly binding the emperor to it. These chains are ritual laws, are interest entanglements that cannot be seen clearly, are the expectations of the Ming commoners, are the missions given to him by history, etc. They are shackles, and also power.

Zhu Zhu Yijun really disliked the imperial palace. After Wang Wang Chonggu rebuilt the central axis of the imperial palace, Zhu Zhu Yijun only lived in the Qianqing Palace for one day. This was not because Zhu Zhu Yijun did not trust Wang Wang Chonggu's rebuilding, but because he disliked this kind of restraint.

The high walls of the imperial palace are a cage.

Before the court discussion began, Zhu Zhu Yijun took out a memorial, picked up the vermilion brush, stamped the great seal, looked around at the court ministers, and said extremely seriously: "The Luzon Viceroy's Office asked the court about its attitude toward the Strait of Ma Liujia. My attitude is only one: at all costs, take the Strait of Ma Liujia. This is the Ming's gateway on the sea. If the Strait of Ma Liujia is in the hands of the barbarians for one day, the ten-thousand-mile sea pond will not be peaceful for one day."

"Everyone, imagine if the Jiayu Pass were in the hands of the barbarians."

Tan Lun immediately said loudly: "The Ming will never have a peaceful day!"

Tan Lun is a radical. Because he is afraid of people dying, he won't pacify the Japanese pirates? Because he is afraid of people dying, he won't attack outside the passes? The living space of all the people in the Ming needs to be opened up and guarded by the Ming's sword.

The Grand Secretary and Minister of Revenue Wang Wang Guoguang let out a turbid breath and said with some helplessness: "The celestial phenomena have changed, and it is getting colder day by day. The grain in the three border regions of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia has been poor for years, and the grain in the Northern Capital is also declining. The cold wave that originally only affected the grassland seems to be gradually eroding the Ming. Last winter, it snowed in Guangzhou, ice formed in Hangzhou, and people froze to death in Yingtian Prefecture. If the court cannot get grain, the day of the Ming's demise is not far away."

The Ming's grain is not enough. This is the Ming's current situation. The contradiction between people and land is the Ming's fundamental contradiction. This is a fundamental contradiction that has existed since the beginning of the Emperor Wanli New Policy, and the "enriching the country" has always been carried out around the clearing of fields.

How serious is the Little Ice Age? Ice formed on the West Lake in Hangzhou, and it snowed in Guangzhou.

The snow in the south is different from the snow in the north. The snow in the north really freezes people to death, and in the Southern Capital, Yingtian Prefecture, the place where the Ming rose, people also froze to death. This is the terror of the Little Ice Age. The most terrifying thing is the poor harvest of grain.

Where is the granary? In the ten-thousand-mile sea pond.

Bai Yin cannot be eaten or drunk. Without silver, at most there is a money shortage. The Ming's economy has been collapsing for more than two hundred years. Since the Emperor Hongwu years, the Ming has always been in a state of money shortage. After the collapse of the treasure notes, the court had long since completely given up on the matter of money.

But without grain, there will be famine. When famine occurs, the commoners will migrate, and various contradictions will explode like fire cooking oil. The starving commoners will lose all shackles and overturn the incompetent Ming court.

After the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue expressed their positions, the Emperor's arbitrary decision became the common result of the court discussion, because the Ming's Ministry of Personnel and Ministry of Rites unconditionally supported all of His Majesty's decisions. Wan Wan Shihe was always in a state of blowing with the wind.

"Fight! If you don't spend money on military equipment, do you spend it on war reparations? Fight!" Minister of Personnel Wan Wan Shihe expressed his position, which did not exceed everyone's expectations.

Wan Wan Shihe always believed in one sentence, and always kept saying it in the Emperor's ear: Barbarians are not human, they are wolf-hearted and dog-lunged, fearing power but not cherishing virtue. If you don't beat them until they hurt, beat them until they are afraid, and beat them until they don't dare to reach out, they won't speak well. Wan Wan Shihe thought so, said so, and did so. Wan Wan Shihe's brainwashing over the years had been very successful, and His Majesty also recognized this sentence very much.

Hence Hai Rui, as a court minister from Qiongzhou, raised both hands in favor of taking the gateway to the ten-thousand-mile sea pond, the Strait of Ma Liujia. These Red-Haired Barbarians, Japanese pirates, and the desperate people of the Ming together constituted sea pirates, harassing the Ming's long coastline. Qiongzhou in Hainan bore the brunt.

Without the safety of the ten-thousand-mile sea pond, there is no safety for Qiongzhou. As a high minister of the court and Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, he agreed with his left hand; as a Hainanese, he agreed with his right hand. Both publicly and privately, Hence Hai Rui agreed.

"At all costs, no matter how long, five years, ten years, must take the Strait of Ma Liujia!" Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at the court ministers and, seeing that they did not oppose the major resolution, made the final decision.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Zhang Juzheng led the group of ministers to sing praises.

Only after Zhang Zhang Juzheng sat down did he open his mouth and say: "Your Majesty, the victory report is not unexpected." Zhang Zhang Juzheng said with great emotion: "Your Majesty is wise."

When His Majesty first wanted to touch military power, he did it cautiously, starting from practicing martial arts, to reviewing troops, to using silver from the Inner Treasury to reward and make up for the arrears of the Liaoning troops. The Ming's military construction was executed by Qi Qi Jiguang, but His Majesty played a crucial role.

Qi Qi Jiguang shouted the treatment of 18 taels of silver per person per year, and His Majesty realized this treatment, even if only the Capital Battalion had such a specification.

"Teacher, the good news has been read, and the bad news has also come." Zhu Zhu Yijun took out another report and said with some embarrassment.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng opened the report, first surprised, then blinked, dazed, and said: "Your Majesty, is the news reliable?"

"The report was sent by Deng Deng Zilong. The Western large sailing ship has arrived at Mindanao Island and is now in Manila." Zhu Zhu Yijun rubbed his nose.

The collapse of the Ming's fine wool business started from the panic caused by the Western large sailing ships not arriving as scheduled and the sharp decrease in the inflow of silver. As a result, this plate was also smashed, and the fine wool business collapsed. Those who should have jumped into the river jumped into the river. Now the large sailing ships arrived as scheduled.

Isn't this a mess?

It was as if the Ming Emperor had deceived everyone.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng looked at the report in his hand with a complex expression. Captain Antonio indeed did not come. Philip II changed a captain. Of the five five-masted ocean-crossing ships, only two arrived at Mindanao Island. It can be seen how important an experienced captain is to a fleet. When Antonio was there, at most only one ship was lost.

"Your Majesty, why not sink it." Zhang Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and came up with a method.

"Ah?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was dazed, blankly saying: "Not a bad idea."

As long as it didn't dock at the new port of Songjiang Prefecture, then with so many legends on the sea, whether the large sailing ships arrived or not would become an ocean legend, and the court's face would be saved.

"No, no, if this is sunk, the three million silver on the ship will not be able to flow into the Ming. It's not about the ship, it's about the silver." Zhu Zhu Yijun thought for a long time and still vetoed Zhang Zhang Juzheng's very tempting proposal.

"Your Majesty, the Ming does not lack these three million taels of silver." Zhang Zhang Juzheng insisted on the issue of His Majesty's credibility over the inflow of three million taels of silver.

Zhu Zhu Yijun thought for a moment and said: "Teacher, the Ming does not have a single cent of silver that is redundant."

Deng Deng Zilong did not lie to the Emperor. At that time, he did say they wouldn't come. The Emperor did not lie to everyone, because the cost was very high. Philip II was a variable. He was a very decisive person, willing to pay more to continue exploring the route.

Maritime trade has risks, enter the market with caution.

Zhu Zhu Yijun thought about it and said: "Leave this matter to Minister Wan to handle. If the news can be suppressed, suppress it. If it cannot be suppressed, and the speculators think I deceived them, then let it be that I deceived them."

Because of the decisive smashing of the market, the fine wool business was controlled within the scope of the wealthy households and did not affect the commoners. Zhu Zhu Yijun could still afford this loss of credibility. In the matter of maritime trade, no one could judge accurately.

Would Wan Wan Shihe let His Majesty's credibility be damaged? Wan Wan Shihe, who enjoyed imperial favor, indicated that this was just a small matter. If he couldn't even handle this, he might as well go home and plant sweet potatoes.

Wan Wan Shihe immediately started acting.

Sprinkling water to wash the ground—his specialty.

Many means beautiful, big means good, caliber is justice, turret is truth, truth is within the range of the cannon! Ask for monthly tickets, Awoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 355 =====

Not a single person among the Douzhang Man has stood up to accuse the Great Ming of atrocities.

Zhu Zhu Yiliu's mouth, which was mid-yawn, did not close. His scalp tingled as he stared blankly at Zhu Zhu Yijun and Zhang Zhang Juzheng. He felt that his own dissolute behavior was merely the nonsense of a spoiled child; these two were the truly ruthless ones!

Only by staying far away from the Imperial Court can one enjoy a life of wealth and honor.

Zhu Zhu Yiliu was a bit frightened. In the education he received, shouldn't Confucian scholars be gentle and refined? Does this have anything to do with being gentle and refined?

Deng Deng Zilong is right; His Majesty will definitely fight. Loving one's soldiers like one's own children and being too merciful to command an army have never been contradictory antonyms.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng took out a memorial and said: "The special envoy from the West, Li Li Yashi, has petitioned through the Grand Court of Ceremonial, requesting the delivery of the five-masted ocean-crossing ships agreed upon for this year. This time, twelve ships are expected to be delivered."

"They must pay more. If they don't, our big client, Shah Mahomet, might not say anything, but he certainly won't be happy in his heart. Why, is their Mughal Empire inferior to others? Once Shah Mahomet is unhappy, he won't throw his money bags." Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhu Yijun immediately said: "If they don't pay more, let Philip II wait in line. If he's not satisfied, he can come and fight."

Shah Mahomet likes to throw money bags everywhere to invite people for tea. The appearance of more five-masted ocean-crossing ships in the Western Ocean (Indian Ocean) can effectively tie down the fleets of the Goa and Diu Governor-General's offices. This is extremely beneficial for the Great Ming's conquest of the Ma Liujia Strait. Moreover, Shah Mahomet's additional payments are truly moving; besides the extra money, he even took the initiative to gift twenty thousand warhorses for free. His style is simply one of extravagance!

His Majesty's greedy face is truly not as generous or magnanimous as Shah Mahomet's. It somewhat damages the dignity of the Celestial Empire. For a supreme Emperor to haggle over small change is truly unbecoming.

Alas, alas.

With so many mouths in the Great Ming waiting to be fed, Zhu Zhu Yijun has no choice. The Great Ming has its own national conditions.

You, Philip II, want to pick up ships? I didn't say you couldn't. But if you don't increase the configuration and don't pay more, how can I let you pick up the ships?

"The reason Philip II is taking such a risk shows that the twelve five-masted ocean-crossing ships Antonio took to the West have caused Philip II great trouble. He hopes to obtain more. Antonio is actually quite capable of fighting." Zhang Zhang Juzheng handed the memorial to Feng Bao, who presented it to the dais.

The war between Antonio and Philip II for the Portuguese throne has already begun. This time, Antonio's tactics have a style quite like the English: acting as pirates.

Relying on his twelve five-masted ocean-crossing ships, thirty-five galleasses, and several pirate ships, Antonio continuously harassed Spanish merchant ships in the Strait of Gibraltar. The war in the Netherlands is becoming increasingly intense, and the resistance forces are steadily growing. Philip II, who was already overwhelmed by the English, is now being harassed by Antonio's fleet.

Life is becoming unbearable!

Antonio, leading the pirates of the Free City, has achieved several brilliant victories in succession.

Philip II's Invincible Armada finally took action. However, under Antonio's near-rogue tactics, the Invincible Armada proved to be a fallacy. Relying on his ships' ability to sail in all winds, their large size, high speed, and numerous cannons, Antonio refused to engage in a head-on decisive battle, forcing Philip II's Invincible Armada to return home because it could no longer afford the losses.

"This kid is capable; he's worthy of the investment I gave him!" After reading the report from the Western envoy Li Li Yashi, Zhu Zhu Yijun was surprised by Antonio's combat effectiveness. Antonio did not rely on the commoners who supported him most, but chose another path: becoming an Englishman.

The Western envoy Li Li Yashi did not betray his king. He told the Great Ming these things entirely because the Great Ming would surely find out anyway. Xu Xu Jie's eldest son, Xu Fan, as the resident envoy to the West, would certainly bring this news back to the Great Ming. The Great Ming would know sooner or later.

The change in the pattern of naval warfare brought about by the five-masted ocean-crossing ships is much greater than Zhu Zhu Yijun imagined.

After reading the report, Zhu Zhu Yijun laughed directly. The French, Germans, Portuguese, and Spaniards of the West hate the English just as much as the Great Ming hates the Japanese pirates.

"This time, when the Western galleons arrived at the port, there was also a special envoy on board: Antonio's first mate, Marcus. This first mate represents the Portuguese throne heir Antonio, not the captain Antonio." Zhang Zhang Juzheng said with a strange expression: "Here is a memorial from Antonio."

"A memorial?" Zhu Zhu Yijun was stunned. He took the memorial. It was indeed a memorial—a memorial from a Great Ming subject to the Emperor. Antonio referred to himself as a subject in the memorial. This was not the first time; ever since Antonio accepted the Great Ming Emperor's investment in the second year of Emperor Wanli, he had always referred to himself as a subject.

The memorial was written by Antonio in his broken Chinese—truly broken. If it weren't for the calligraphy expert Zhang Zhang Juzheng providing annotations, Zhu Zhu Yijun would hardly have been able to tell what this fellow had written; the characters were too ugly.

And the document of the memorial was provided by Xu Fan. The resident envoy to the West, Xu Fan, had become Antonio's advisor.

"Then that's no wonder." Zhu Zhu Yijun had seen too much of the viciousness of Great Ming scholars. Xu Fan was also a scholar. He acted as Antonio's advisor, and Antonio followed his suggestions readily. As long as the cost for Philip II to obtain the Portuguese throne was greater than the benefits, Philip II would have to weigh the pros and cons. This kind of bad idea was clearly Xu Fan's doing.

Philip II's envoy came to pick up ships.

Antonio's envoy, Marcus, came to beg for investiture.

Antonio hoped that the Great Ming Emperor would continue to support him. The military support was already sufficient; he had obtained the twelve five-masted ocean-crossing ships with an account that His Majesty would collect personally. These twelve ships could suppress and beat the Invincible Armada.

Antonio hoped to receive His Majesty's investiture.

Antonio judged that the Papacy, controlled by Philip II, would absolutely not grant him investiture. Therefore, he simply threw himself completely into the arms of the East, becoming His Majesty's vassal and being invested by His Majesty as a king. His Majesty is the Emperor; the Emperor's investiture of a king is a legitimate political power.

And this kind of investiture would inevitably bring a privilege: the qualification for trade with the Great Ming.

To this day, because of Portugal's bribery of local officials in Guangzhou to privately occupy Haojing, the Great Ming still imposes a punitive tariff on Portugal. This punitive tariff is as high as 30%. When Antonio is invested, this punitive tariff will naturally end, and Portuguese merchant ships can continue to come to the Great Ming for normal trade.

The gifts of fate were already marked with a price in the dark. Antonio begged for the Great Ming Emperor's grace and investiture, not by shamelessly begging. Antonio knew His Majesty's character: he wouldn't release the hawk until he saw the rabbit.

The Great Ming's grace and investiture granted him legitimacy, and he offered up all the castles and plantations in the Ma Liujia Strait. What he offered was the legal system. This was a transaction, a transaction good for both sides. As for the specific gains, the Great Ming navy would have to go and conquer them personally. It has always been like this on the sea: only those with big fists can obtain benefits.

"The cub sells the grandfather's fields without feeling heartache; did Antonio sell them just like that?" Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Antonio's memorial and said with a click of his tongue in wonder.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng pondered for a moment and said: "Antonio is a smart man. Antonio, who has been able to overcome the ocean, storms, sea beasts, and natives, is also a brave man. The Great Ming's ambition for the ten-thousand-mile sea pond is known to all. The Ma Liujia Strait is so close to the Great Ming and so far from the home country of the red-haired barbarians; it is a place destined to be lost. It is only natural for Antonio to take it out in exchange for some benefits."

The smart, brave, and commoner-loving Antonio, after latching onto the Great Ming's thigh, finally had the qualifications to protect those commoners who were looking forward to his protection.

The Great Ming has done plenty of this kind of thing. Those barbarians are not living in the grasslands, plateaus, and ten-thousand-mountain ranges voluntarily. Begging for monthly votes, awoo!!!!!!!!!!!

(End of chapter)