Chapter 216

【In the Dutian Mansion, in a warm room, a room of sunshine is reflected.】

【You sit in the main seat.】

【Below are Liu Wen, Dou Gu, Feng Haiping, and the other six.】

【Several people sat upright; Feng Haiping and Liu Wen and others were old men in the Lu Army, naturally knowing your strictness in marching and discussing affairs, and did not dare to be careless at all.】

【Large group operations require strict discipline.】

【Wen Xiaohe was originally an advocate of "doing things with a smile," and had never worked with you. This time, driven by the serious atmosphere of the five people, he couldn't help but restrain his smile and become cautious.】

【However, today you changed your previous solemnity, and there was a hint of a smile on your face.】

【You look at these six people, your heart is full of relief. They are all people you carefully selected. In these years, they have never made any mistakes.】

【Among them, three people have not yet started a family for the sake of the Yan State's government affairs. In these complicated government affairs, although they have subordinates and consultants to assist, the memorials sent to the Prince of Yan's Mansion every day are still surging like a tide, fast horses and whips, not allowing a moment of delay.】

【The Yan territory is vast, and the family is big, even if it is a trivial matter like cow hair, it is not a small matter when piled up.】

【You opened your mouth gently, stood up, bowed to everyone, and said in a warm voice: "These years, the Yan territory has relied on you."】

【These days, after the founding ceremony, the generals and civil officials under his command were named Marquis and Prime Minister, and they were honored.】

【The merit of supporting the dragon, the labor of opening up the territory, these old brothers have followed you for so long, and they have finally returned and got what they wanted.】

【Returning home in brocade clothes, looking for a Marquis for thousands of miles!】

【The six people were stunned when they saw this, and hurriedly stood up to return the salute.】

【Feng Haiping was even ready to kneel, but was helped up by an invisible force from you.】

【Wen Xiaohe saw it clearly from the side and couldn't help but be surprised. He knew the weight of Feng Haiping in the army, which could be said to be second only to you. However, even so, Feng Haiping's respect for you was from the bones, from the heart.】

【You smiled and said in a peaceful tone: "Sit down!".】

【Everyone heard the words and sat down one after another.】

【Dou Gu began to talk about the financial revenue, grain storage, and major civil engineering construction in the Yan territory in recent years.】

【Dou Gu counted the financial revenue, grain storage, and the grand feat of large-scale construction in the Yan territory in recent years, and his words revealed a vigorous spirit.】

【Population growth is the foundation of national prosperity. Private schools and martial arts halls stand side by side, both for physique and thought, as well as the resettlement of retired old soldiers in the army.】

【Based on the "Governance of the North," the tax system has been improved many times, striving to be fair and reasonable. Under the fish-scale policy, population statistics are accurate, and tax burdens have been reduced again and again to reduce the burden on the people and promote the development of people's livelihood.】

【From the implementation of the equal-field system to the adjustment of tax sharing.】

【Four years ago, there was a bolder move to release state-monopolized industries such as salt land, private salt, and ironware to the people for operation.】

【As soon as this move came out, the court and the public were shocked, and voices of opposition rose one after another.】

【Salt and iron are the lifeblood of the country. In history, uprisings caused by salt merchants and ironware have been frequent, and the sale of "private salt" by the four nations is a capital crime.】

【Therefore, court officials worried that this move would cause turmoil and bury hidden dangers for future generations, and even the cabinet members were hesitant.】

【Finally, the Prince of Yan's Mansion wrote to Mount Zhongnan, asking the Prince of Yan to make a decision. In the end, the Prince of Yan overcame all opposition, made a final decision, and decided to implement this policy, but it was supervised by the Prince of Yan's Mansion, and a portion of salt had to be stored every year.】

【Let the people benefit, and take the people's thoughts as one's own.】

【The Prince of Yan's Mansion has absolute power, and all walks of life are under it, paying taxes in different proportions of gold and silver.】

【This is also the core of the "Governance of the North."】

【Established eighteen border city special zones, built commercial markets, and connected the canals of the two places of Zhiwater and Yuetang River.】

【Selected talents to carry out imperial examinations in all provinces, and then organized the Prince of Yan's Mansion to unify assessments, and everything proceeded in an orderly manner.】

【Liu Wen, Dou Gu, and the other three reported continuously from early morning to noon, but there was no dryness at all, but instead they were energetic and radiant.】

【This is the hard work and political achievements of the Prince of Yan's Mansion for ten years.】

【Ten years to sharpen a sword, today "show the monarch."】

【You also listened carefully, and there was Zhang Yu of Mercury supplementing the data returned from all over the place to verify.】

【People's adjustment cannot be lacking, and production and political systems also need to go hand in hand.】

【Do not be too hasty, and do not hesitate to move forward.】

【After the Prince of Yan's Mansion had lunch, the six people returned to the warm room and started again.】

【In the Prince of Yan's Mansion, hundreds of consultants, wine-tabooers, scholars, and yellow-gate attendants gathered, and their hearts and minds were involuntarily tied to the warm room.】

【A simple morning and evening is the rise and fall of the Yan territory for ten years, and also the future direction!】

【Everyone also wants to know the Prince of Yan's evaluation of their ten years of diligent achievements.】

【However, they naturally didn't dare to listen. Besides, there were two people standing firmly outside the warm room, Flying General Jia Fu and Longting Marquis Yu Xu, both of whom were old men of the Lu Army, a military governor of a prefecture, and a Left General.】

【The two of them, with such prominent status, also stood quietly outside the door.】

【The scholars passing by here all held their breath, not daring to be presumptuous, and did not dare to breathe.】

【Naturally, there were no such two people before. Now it is after the Prince of Yan returned. At this time, it should be called Your Majesty.】

【At this very moment, people are coming and going in the Prince of Yan's Mansion, all of whom are "princes" of one side, big figures with eyes and hands reaching the sky in a prefecture. Their every move is enough to affect the changes in the Yan territory and even the entire world.】

【In the afternoon, the topic turned to military affairs, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.】

【Huo Hai and Feng Haiping, these two veteran generals in the army, have been committed to training Yan territory military branches in recent years, exploring the method of strong army from the "Notes on Training Soldiers."】

【They know that the army is in the elite and not in the quantity, so in the past ten years, the Yan territory has carried out two large-scale disarmament, saved funds, increased military treatment again, and raised the selection threshold, aiming to build an elite division.】

【However, this move caused an uproar in the Yan territory.】

【The northern land has been in war for many years, and the people know the importance of armed forces to the country.】

【Martial arts can stabilize the country and settle the state!】

【It is different to have a sword in hand and no sword.】

【They questioned whether this move was wise, and some even worried that this was an act of destroying the Great Wall.】

【Students in many places even united to write "Ten Thousand People's Words" and submitted them to the Prince of Yan's Mansion, expressing their worries and dissatisfaction.】

【Facing such a major decision, the six cabinet members were also hesitant and difficult to decide.】

【Finally, they wrote to Mount Zhongnan to ask for a decision.】

【It was the Prince of Yan's reputation that suppressed many voices of opposition.】

【Now, the Yan North Army has become a carefully selected strong army, with a full eighty thousand people.】

【Plus the armed forces of various states, once there is a change, they can quickly gather a million-strong army.】

【Military affairs, you are at ease.】

【In the Lu Army, there are too many old men, they are all famous generals of the time, personally cultivated by you.】

【The way of governing the army is that discipline must be strict, rewards and punishments must be clear, and one must take the lead in order to fight hard battles.】

【Among the twenty-six generals on the pavilion, many were tempered from soldiers. They are not paper-talkers, but real brave generals on the battlefield.】

【From afternoon to dinner time, the candles in the warm room were wiped bright, and the shadows of several people were cast on the windows.】

【The sky outside the house gradually darkened, and the many consultants and officials in the mansion left one after another at the hour of You, but their eyes still occasionally paid attention to the room in the West Xiang.】

【At the door, Jia Fu and Yu Xu still stood at the door, never having the slightest slack.】

【The house was closed, and only the shadows of several people could be heard answering.】

【You nodded slightly. For everyone's report, most of them were refined and focused on the key points, but you could also glimpse the "body appearance" of the Yan State today.】

【With the military strength of the Yan State today, it is no longer inferior to any of the four nations.】

【Infantry, cavalry, heavy armored army, and the craftsmen in the army, their duties and the development of weapons have been effectively promoted.】

【The logistics supply and the promotion and demotion system of military duties are also increasingly perfect, the consultants and wine-tabooers around the military generals are fully equipped, and the propaganda and hair-growth work are also available.】

【In addition, the army also specially set up "Acting Department" and "Military Martial Arts Hall" to learn, and conducted rehearsals for various possible changes to ensure that they can respond quickly in actual combat.】

【A well-trained, obedient army seems to have appeared before your eyes.】

【After Huo Hai and the other two finished reporting, they sat down again, and the atmosphere in the room was slightly solemn.】

【At this time, someone came in to add charcoal to the earth stove, and you opened the window by hand.】

【The moonlight gently sprinkled the entire room.】

【The reports of the military and political departments have been completed, but the six people seem to have words left unsaid, and their hesitation is fully revealed.】

【In the warm room, the Mercury Commander Zhang Yu, who was holding the armrest of the wheelchair with his head down, was particularly eye-catching.】

【You look at the hesitation on the faces of the six people, and you have already guessed in your heart.】

【"Xiaohe, you say it."】

【You look at Wen Xiaohe with a smile. He is the most calm at this time and is a suitable candidate.】

【Wen Xiaohe was stunned for a moment, then reacted.】

【He looked around at the five people and finally stood up and said: "Holy One, this matter is related to Marquis Changping!"】

【Marquis Changping Ye Mu, this name echoed in everyone's ears.】

【Old General Huo Hai sighed.】

【Wen Xiaohe continued: "Marquis Changping privately trained soldiers and armor, cultivated party members in the army, and also met privately with Tuoba Hongyan in Haozhou."】

【His tone was fair, without the slightest intention of fooling.】

【You heard this, but there was no anger on your face, it was calm.】

【Liu Wen and others then eased their faces.】

【This sacrificial ceremony, Ye Mu also participated as scheduled. You originally intended to keep him, talk about the past with him, and talk about the friendship of the past.】

【Your father, Lu Jiaxuan, specially left him for a family banquet, but Ye Mu claimed to have official duties and left in a hurry.】

【Recalling that year, when the Lu Army was first created, Ye Mu was one of the first four people, and could be called a founding father.】

【He was open-minded, and in the Lu Army, almost no one did not know his face.】

【When guests came that year, there was no good wine and food to entertain, so Ye Mu killed the only plow ox in the family to treat them.】

【He had the grace of saving your father's life, and his age was about the same as yours, so Lu Jiaxuan wanted to accept him as an adopted son many times.】

【Father praised him: "Heroic, civil and military, handsome."】

【In the days of Hulao Pass, every holiday, you and Lu Yu would go back to call Ye Mu to gather together.】

【Your relationship with Ye Mu can be considered very good, and you have experienced life and death together many times.】

【You, Ye Mu, Yu Xu, and others, even made a vow in front of the yellow sky and thick earth at Hulao Pass.】

【"Make a name for yourself in the world, create a prosperous age."】

【Drinking on the city tower, shouting "Life and death together."】

【Later, after many major battles, finally decided the Yellow River.】

【Received the land of three prefectures, in front of the Huang Long Mansion gate.】

【When you resigned and cultivated Dao, Ye Mu was furious and publicly accused you of being "pedantic" and "benevolent to women" in the Lu Army.】

【"Just raise one hundred thousand troops, how can you, Lu Shenzhou, not compete for the world?"】

【You just shook your head indifferently, not committing.】

【Ye Mu angrily threw down his helmet and scolded: "Lu Shenzhou, you are really a coward!"】

【At that time, Jia Fu and others were furious when they heard this remark.】

【You appeased Jia Fu, and then left with Lu Yu.】

【Parted ways!】

【Recalling the letter "Year in Jiazi" on Mount Zhongnan that year, it was also written by Ye Mu.】

【At this moment, Zhang Yu had already submitted a secret memorial, which recorded Ye Mu's actions in recent years in detail.】

【You read it carefully and found that it was no different from what Wen Xiaohe said.】

【Your eyes swept over the four people present, Feng Haiping, Huo Guang, Liu Wen, and Zhang Yu, who had slept in the same tent with Ye Mu that year, and their feelings were deep.】

【If it were someone else, perhaps the army would have already pressed the border, and it would not have been delayed until now.】

【But at this moment, everyone is waiting for your decision.】

【You turned to Zhang Yu and asked in a deep voice: "In Ye Mu's governance, are there any acts of bullying the people?"】

【Zhang Yu heard this, pondered for a moment and replied: "According to the intelligence submitted by Mercury spies, there is no such record."】

【You then asked: "Then is there any act of filling one's own pockets and treating Haozhou as a private warehouse?"】

【"Does Ye Mu really have ironclad evidence of colluding with foreign enemies?"】

【Zhang Yu shook his head, there is no solid evidence.】

【Finally, you asked: "Is there any sign of turmoil in Haozhou at present?"】

【Before Zhang Yu could speak, Wen Xiaohe grabbed the answer: "Holy One, Haozhou has been prosperous in all industries in recent years, and tax revenue is among the best in several prefectures."】

【Zhang Yu seemed to understand the meaning, uncertain: "However, we have written to this many times, Ye Mu is not willing to come to the Prince of Yan's Mansion, and is not even willing to reply."】

【You looked at the six people and said: "I will go to Haozhou tomorrow."】

【Wen Xiaohe hurriedly tried to stop him: "Holy One, you are a body of ten thousand gold, how can you easily take risks?"】

【You smiled and said: "No problem! One person is enough!"】

【"To settle the outside, one must first settle the inside!"】

【Huo Hai and others know that once you make up your mind, it is difficult to change, but they are also relieved.】

【If the Prince of Yan thinks Ye Mu has the heart of rebellion, Ye Mu will have no way to survive.】

【For you going to Haozhou, they are not worried.】

【In the Yan territory, no one will raise troops to resist the Prince of Yan.】

【Just at this time, a masked man in black knocked on the door of the warm room, and Jia Fu and Yu Xu also walked in.】

【It was a Mercury spy who hurriedly reported:】

【"The delegation of the four nations was attacked in Haozhou!"】

【Zhang Yu and others were shocked when they heard this.】

(End of chapter)