Chapter 785: It

Xie Changling actually had such high prestige in the army and was so capable. How had he never heard of this?

Chen Guanlou was half-believing and half-doubting.

Chen Guanxu was worthy of being a descendant of the Marquis Prefecture; he was very clear about the ins and outs of this matter.

He explained slowly: "Brother Lou, you must know that the Xie family is not only a great clan of the current age, but also the leader of the powerful clans in the south. Now that Grand Secretary Xie has taken the lead in fighting the rebel Prince Chujiang, the powerful clans in the south, whether they are willing or not, must obey Grand Secretary Xie's call—those with money contribute money, and those with strength contribute strength."

"With the Xie family's rallying power, plus the Minister of War personally overseeing the battle, if this war cannot be won, the Xie family is in danger. If for no other reason, just for the sake of the Xie family's ancestral fortune, Grand Secretary Xie must also do everything in his power to bring about this victory! Even if he has to use some unsavory means and gamble with his personal reputation and the family's honor, he will not hesitate! Therefore, I say that for this battle, even if a fool were in charge, they could still achieve a pretty good result."

Chen Guanlou was dumbfounded upon hearing this.

After a long while, he said: "No wonder the Chief Steward values you; you not only know the intricate relationships among the nobility, but you are also crystal clear about the great families and powerful clans of the current age. So, you mean the Xie family has gambled everything on this war? Is it worth it?"

Chen Guanxu modestly replied again and again: "Brother Lou, you flatter me! I have only seen and heard enough to know a thing or two. As for whether it is necessary for the Xie family to gamble everything, in my opinion, it is certainly necessary, very necessary. If they do not curb the expansion of the rebel Prince Chujiang, the next step will be for Prince Chujiang to attack the Xie family's lair, the core of the Xie clan."

"In any case, the Xie family must never abandon the foundation of their ancestors' rise. Once lost, it is equivalent to losing their position as the leader of the powerful clans, losing their say in the great families, and consequently, Grand Secretary Xie's official career will also be hindered. Therefore, the Xie family must gamble everything to stop Prince Chujiang's attack."

"Moreover, the Xie family has a great chance of winning. Just on the item of grain and fodder alone, with the Xie family's rallying power, it is enough to mobilize the court's annual revenue in a short period! With the Xie family as an arm and full support, His Majesty's confidence has also greatly increased. If there are no accidents, this battle is already stable!"

So rich!

Only when their own vital interests are involved are these great families and powerful clans willing to show sincerity and fight with all their might.

The court has been fighting Prince Chujiang for so many years; if the Xie family had been willing to show this kind of courage from the beginning, Prince Chujiang would have long since become scum, and the grass on his grave would already be two people tall.

These great families are truly a long story!

"What about the Marquis Prefecture? What is the Marquis Prefecture's stance? Support or oppose?"

"The Marquis Prefecture naturally supports it," Chen Guanxu said as a matter of course.

"Why is that? I thought that fighting a war between the north and south would be more beneficial to the Master!" Chen Guanlou didn't quite understand; logically speaking, the more chaotic it is, the more opportunities there should be.

"On the surface, it looks like that. However, if you observe carefully, taxes have been increased frequently in the past two years, yet civil unrest has actually decreased."

Reminded of this, Chen Guanlou began to ponder.

Taxes increased, yet civil unrest decreased—truly strange.

That is because the common people who could not survive all went to join the mountain bandits. And the mountain bandits were bought off by the rebels, becoming their eyes and ears. On the surface, the common people do not seem chaotic, but in reality, a large number of people are being lost, transporting personnel and artillery fire for the enemy.

Right now, the goal is to break this balance.

The court hopes for civil unrest, but it does not hope for the chaotic people to defect to the rebels and strengthen the rebels' power.

Civil unrest can be quelled in one battle with the court's military equipment. Mere civil unrest is not worth mentioning.

What is fatal is the rebels, especially those who have become a climate. Once the other side raises a banner and proclaims themselves king or emperor, that is terrible; the world will be torn apart.

The common people have long legs; they will vote with their feet and choose the soil suitable for survival. This is ten or a hundred times more serious than civil unrest. If the cattle and horses all run away, who will the court collect taxes from, and who will they apportion to?

"Actually, the more chaotic the common people are, the more opportunities there are. Regardless of whether civil unrest can stir up waves or achieve anything, war cannot be limited to one place. Even if it is fought into a white land, other places will not be affected."

Chen Guanlou laughed immediately upon hearing this.

"You people are truly afraid that the world will not be in chaos!"

"Not so! We also hope for peace in the world. However, the fact is that the world cannot be peaceful. Prince Chujiang actually has a great opportunity, but he has been slow to proclaim himself emperor, which makes people a bit anxious!"

"He dares to proclaim himself emperor? With that little territory of his, he dares to proclaim himself emperor? Is he not afraid that the court will kill him?" Chen Guanlou could not believe it; these people really dared to think—they were actually secretly inciting Prince Chujiang to proclaim himself emperor.

Fortunately, Prince Chujiang's brain was still clear enough not to be arrogant and conceited to the point of proclaiming himself emperor.

"Only by proclaiming himself emperor can he enfeoff meritorious officials and unite the hearts of the people."

"He has already proclaimed himself king; why proclaim himself emperor? It is too urgent."

"It is different! As the saying goes, a teacher must have a name! A king is the king of the Great Ming. An emperor is a new empire."

"Even if he proclaims himself emperor, he is still a descendant of the Great Ming Taizu; this world is still the Song family's world."

"That is why I feel it is a pity. If his surname were not Song, perhaps he could better unite the hearts of the people."

Chen Guanlou asked curiously, "Are you hoping for war, very eager to go to the battlefield?"

"To be honest with Brother Lou, my ambition since childhood has been to join the army, become a general, command thousands of troops, and take the enemy's head from among ten thousand people. It is a pity..."

"Even if your Wu Gong is mediocre, you can still join the army! To be a general, it is not necessary to have high Wu Gong." Chen Guanlou didn't quite understand.

Chen Guanxu shook his head repeatedly, "Brother Lou does not quite understand the current situation in the military camp. If you want to rise, even a small sixth-rank martial general must be a martial artist. In the past, there might have been situations where ordinary people served as generals, but in the last few decades, it has basically become extinct. The military camp worships the strong; if ordinary people want to hold important general positions, the people below will not be convinced, and they might have their heads cut off in the middle of the night."

"Is it that serious? Martial artists only have strong individual fighting skills; it does not mean they can command thousands of troops."

"That is true. The Master has a disability, yet he has commanded the army twice and brought that group of soldiers in the northwest to complete submission. However, how many people in the world have the Master's ability? In the end, if an ordinary person wants to achieve something, prestige, qualifications, and martial power are all indispensable. The Master has a disability, but he is surrounded by experts, and everyone bows and obeys; who dares not to be convinced by him?"

Chen Guanlou:...

In this day and age, there are not many opportunities left for ordinary people.

The Heavenly Prison is still comfortable; it is not picky about background. As long as there is a way, anyone can come.

"Drink tea, drink tea!"

He adjusted his mood and invited the other party to drink tea; it was more suitable for him to talk about romance.

This world is rotten, but if someone else sits on the throne, it may not be better than it is now. The essence of people is the same: selfish! It might be good in the early stage, but it will rot later; they are all the same bird.

There is only one conclusion: do not have expectations for anyone, especially those who sit on the throne; never treat them as normal people. They are just a group of perverts!

Having expectations for people only leads to disappointment.

Having expectations for the system still leaves room for improvement. ===== CHAPTER 786 =====