During Yan Wang's absence, the conflict between the new nobles and the aristocratic families became even more acute. On one hand, these two groups of people maintained their nobility. On the other hand, they were in the limelight. From the very beginning, they did not deal with each other. Sometimes, the estrangement between the scholars, farmers, businessmen, and merchants was not smaller than the estrangement between the 18 tribes and the Liang people.
The aristocratic families had been passed down from generation to generation, so they were all very rich. Almost every family had a large manor and land. Ever since the Yuanhe Era, when the price of food kept falling, the aristocratic families had secretly started to do business in order to get more income. It had become a common practice for them to do business in secret. On the one hand, it allowed the merchants who were originally at the bottom to start to rise to a higher level. On the other hand, it also continuously hurt the merchants of the common people.
Daliang had a law since Emperor Taizu. Scholars, nobles, and the like could not compete with the people. Because once a merchant had the word "official," it was no longer a pure merchant. Even if it did not take the initiative to bully people, there would be vile people relying on power.
The hatred between the old aristocratic families and the new nobles had a long history. It was not a matter of one generation or another.
Now that the new nobles came to power, it was no different from a salted fish turning over. It was either the East Wind suppressing the West Wind or the West Wind suppressing the East Wind. Of course, the old aristocratic families would spare no effort to suppress them. The new hatred and old hatred were sandwiched together. When the country was in turmoil, they could still hold their noses and be united. Now that the barbarians had bowed, Jiangnan could be freed up. The war situation did not seem so urgent.
It suddenly exploded. After Yan Wang returned to the court, there was no buffer. What awaited him was a smoky quarrel in the court.
From the big trouble of whether or not to abolish the fire beacon tickets, to the various abuses of the new officials, and finally to attacking the Canal Office. Then they quarreled from the royal power to civil rights, from civil and business rules to the ancestral family rules. In the end, the fire of war was unexpectedly led to the military. Starting from the expenses of the garrison in the four territories, it went all the way to the question of whether or not to continue the war in Jiangnan. Fang Qin's party could be considered to have grasped Yan Wang's foundation. If it were not for the huge expenses of the war in the past few years and the national treasury screaming that it was poor every day, Yan Wang would not have seized the opportunity to focus on money and make the court so smoky.
A member of an aristocratic family stepped forward to stir up trouble, "Your Majesty, the eighteen tribes have surrendered, and we will have a large amount of purple gold in the future. The vitality of the country is slowly recovering, and it is not suitable for us to start another war in the next three to five years. I think that the western people have been very sincere in their proposal for peace talks. They will withdraw from the Yangtze River and give up the land that they have forcibly occupied. They will only open up a western port on the coast of the East China Sea, and they will disperse the garrison to a few specially opened ports along the coast. This will not only bring peace to the people, but also serve as a transit point for our maritime trade in the future. . Commander Gu is indiscriminately nitpicking and constantly adding conditions. Isn't that a bit too unreasonable? "
Naturally, Yan Wang's party responded, "Why should we give up the fertile land of the East Sea to a group of western monkeys? Don't we know how to open our own ports? Don't we have merchant ships and caravans? You gave the land that was passed down from our ancestors to the westerners with just one sentence. There is no one more generous than you in the entire imperial court! "
Fang Qin personally stepped forward to change the topic of "treason and collaboration with the enemy". He calmly said, "The westerners came from afar across the ocean. Most of their military supplies have to be supplied from thousands of miles away. The soldiers they brought with them are tired soldiers who have left their homes. In my opinion, there is no need to be overly cautious. What's the point of pretending to negotiate peace? In less than eight to ten years, they will not be able to continue. General Gu has worked hard for Liang, and over the years, he has also been sick and injured. He has never had a few days of peace. Even if he feels sorry for the 100,000 soldiers on the frontline who have been bathed in blood, it is time to stop the war and rest. This matter can also be discussed later. I wonder, Your Highness King Yan, what are the rules for the fire beacon ticket?"
Yan Wang, who had been listening from the side, was directly dragged out by him. He raised his head and looked at Fang Qin, "I think there is no need to discuss it later, right? The name of the Fire Beacon is' Fire Beacon '. In the final analysis, it is closely related to the war. Since you all want to give up the land to feed the tigers and wolves, then there is no reason to send out the third batch of Fire Beacon tickets. The imperial court will use the next five years of taxes as a guarantee. There will be enough to pay off the debt. "
Fang Qin shook his head and smiled, "Yan Wang is just saying this in a fit of pique. How is stopping the war at this time the same as giving up the land to feed the tigers and wolves? The westerners are already retreating in defeat. This is a disguised surrender. On the sea, they are just a group of rootless duckweeds. They really can't pose a serious threat. "
Changgeng also smiled and said calmly, "Master Fang knows about the world without leaving the house. It is really admirable. He knows that the westerners are rootless duckweeds from thousands of miles away. This kind of foresight is really difficult for us to compare."
Seeing that the two people were using the tone of wishing each other a happy new year, Li Feng had no choice but to step in and say, "The military has the final say. I summoned you here to discuss the urgent matter of the Fire Beacon tickets. Why are you arguing about the Two Rivers Battlefield? You still can't figure out the debt after such a long time. You have a lot to worry about. Ah Min, you should also speak less. "
The Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue followed the Emperor's words and said, "His Royal Highness Yan Wang has just returned from Jiangbei. I'm afraid he still hasn't figured out the reason for the third batch of Fire Beacon tickets being blocked. You also know that although the salaries of the civil and military officials of our court are more generous than those of the previous dynasty, we still have a family. We can only rely on this salary to maintain some face. How could we dare to be rich and powerful … When the country is in trouble, we really can't help. Ever since the Fire Beacon tickets were included in the investigation, how many people have gone bankrupt? Right now, we really can't take out a single coin. Wang Ye has a close personal relationship with the Chamber of Commerce tycoons, Du Wanquan and others. Do you think you can step in and ask them again? "
Changgeng didn't want to fall into this trap. His expression didn't change as he said, "On the way back to the capital, I already visited Du Gong and others. Now that factories are being built in various places, as a righteous merchant, sometimes we have to take care of the refugees. The expenses are very high. Right now, more than half of our wealth is in the canal. Even if we have the intention to destroy our family to relieve the difficulties, we can't just abandon the refugees that we have worked so hard to settle down. To be honest, Du Gong's original words to me were that he really can't take out a single coin. "
Fang Qin didn't want to let him go, "Could it be that when Your Highness pushed for the Fire Beacon Tickets, you didn't think of leaving a way out?"
Changgeng looked at him coldly, "Master Fang, I made it very clear that the money would be borrowed first. When the two years were up and the national treasury recovered, it would naturally be able to be exchanged. If we really couldn't find the time, we could try to use the third batch of Fire Beacon Tickets to solve the urgent problem. At that time, when we calculated the inflow of the national treasury, Master Fang had already taken over the Ministry of Revenue and didn't raise any objections. Now that you're asking me, this Prince would like to ask Your Highness, where did the money that flowed in and out of the Ministry of Revenue in the past two years go? Why is there such a big difference?"
Fang Qin finally couldn't help but say angrily, "The account books are all here. If Yan Wang has any doubts about this humble official, you can go and investigate!"
Changgeng put on a fake smile and said, "That's right. The officials of the Ministry of Revenue wouldn't be unable to keep the account books. Presumably, Master Fang was possessed and miscalculated?"
Li Feng said, "That's enough!"
Fang Qin hurriedly apologized. Changgeng bowed slightly and stood to the side. He was very quiet most of the time in the court. Most of the time, he spoke to the people below. He rarely argued with others like this. Fang Qin couldn't help but look at him. He felt that something was wrong.
Yan Wang must have been prepared for the awkward situation of the Fire Beacon Tickets. Why would he rather quarrel in front of the Emperor than say it out loud? What was he laying the groundwork for?
The court ended on a bad note. Yan Wang was left behind and walked silently with Li Feng. Although Li Feng's broken leg had recovered, it was still a lingering illness. If he walked too fast, he would appear to be limping.
"Accompany Zhen for a walk in the garden," Li Feng said.
Coincidentally, the Crown Prince had just finished school and was playing in the garden with the Third Prince. When he saw his father and little uncle, he hurriedly ran over to greet them. The Crown Prince was older by one year and now looked like a little teenager. The Third Prince was only five years old and was still growing his teeth. He spoke with a lisp.
When Li Feng saw the Crown Prince, of course, he had to show off his authority as a father. First, he found fault with the Crown Prince and scolded him. Then, he interrogated him with a stern face.
The Crown Prince answered well at first, but in the end, his eyes kept glancing at his younger brother. Li Feng followed his gaze and suddenly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The toothless Third Prince wasn't old enough to be interrogated by his father. Originally, he stood quietly on the side. Later, Yan Wang waved his hand and called him away. Yan Wang took him to sit on the ground carelessly, grabbed a few grass stalks, and made a grasshopper. When had a child from the forbidden palace ever seen this kind of rural area? The Third Prince's eyes were wide open and he foolishly stuck his head out to look. After a while, the little thing was holding a grasshopper in his left hand and a grasshopper in his right hand. He was so happy that he didn't even bother to hide his missing front tooth.
Li Feng: "… … Losing one's will to play around. What are you saying?"
He glared at Changgeng with a stern face and sent the two reluctant children away. Li Feng saw from afar that the Third Prince stood on his tiptoes and stuffed a grasshopper into the Crown Prince's hand. The Crown Prince then took his empty hand. The older child led the younger child and they looked like a pair of brothers from an ordinary family.
The Crown Prince's temperament was docile, just like his grandfather.
Li Feng was rarely moved. When he turned to Changgeng, his expression softened a lot and he asked, "It's been so long. Do you still not want to start a family?"
Changgeng's smiling expression immediately faded.
Li Feng could see that he didn't like to talk about this topic, so he sighed and said, "How about Big Brother make the decision and let you adopt a child from the clan? When you get older in the future, you'll need someone to be filial to take care of you."
Changgeng paused and rubbed his hands. There seemed to be grass juice left on his fingers. He glanced in the direction the Third Prince had left. His expression seemed to be moved, but after a while, he still didn't nod.
Changgeng: "Many thanks, Imperial Brother, but there's no need."
"If the child follows you, in the future, he'll inherit the title. He won't have to do anything. At the very least, he'll be a Junwang. There are many people willing to give him a good future," Li Feng said. "You don't have to worry that taking someone's child will harm your virtue."
Changgeng suddenly clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I'm willing to imitate Lord Shang. I have no intention of being a burden to my children and grandchildren."
The corners of Li Feng's eyes twitched slightly. He turned and looked at him silently.
Changgeng bent at the waist and refused to get up. He looked young and powerful, but also lonely and bleak.
He was willing to imitate Lord Shang. He wanted to reform by hook or by crook. He wanted to be hated and despised by the world. He wanted to be torn apart in the city. He wanted to become the burning cinder of this era.
That day, all of the eunuchs were sent far away. No one knew what the Li brothers said in the garden. They talked from noon to night. Only then did Yan Wang leave the Palace.
Only the few stalks of grass that had been pulled out and woven into grass worms were left. They were still bald.
The next day, Jiang Chong received an order from Yan Wang. Don't let the Marquis of Stability return to the capital. You don't have to fight, but you must let him stay in Liangjiang.
The heavy rain in Jiangnan was a bit cruel. A few days ago, it was so hot that people couldn't sleep. Suddenly, the wind and rain changed the weather. The dampness could drill into people's bones.
Mr. Ya wiped the moisture from his face and quickly walked up the stairs. He climbed the iron steps that extended from the ugly and terrifying shell of the Western sea monster to the top. An old man with a head of dazzling white hair had his back to him. He was lying on something. His hunched back was like a piece of burned bamboo.
Mr. Ya coughed softly. "Your Majesty, it's so late. Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
"When people get older, sleep will abandon them," the Pope said with a wave of his hand. "Come, take a look at this."
There was a "clairvoyance" at the top of the sea monster. It wasn't a small thing that could be clipped to the bridge of the nose. It was more than three feet long and made of copper. There were circles of bamboo-like marks on the outside. It was firmly fixed to the ground with a triangular frame. The long copper tube had circles of complicated markings on it. They were all in Western characters.
This was the real "clairvoyance". It could see a thousand miles.
Through this long tube, they could see Daliang's territory on the other side of the sea monster floating on the East Sea.
In just a few years, the silent fertile land on the other side had begun to emit an inextinguishable light in the night. The brightest and most concentrated light came from the garrison's watchtower. Further back, it was much softer. It was the light of many newly built factories working at night. It wasn't very hot, but it was distributed everywhere like a handful of tiny stars.
Mr. Ya asked curiously, "Your Majesty, what are you looking at? Are there any unusual movements from the enemy? "
"The enemy has been acting strangely," the Pope said in a low voice. "The people in the Holy Land succumbed to their own greed first, then placed unrealistic expectations on the peace talks. They lost the initiative and could only retreat again and again. Now that the command ship has returned to the sea, Daliang is likely to send troops to cut off our supply line to the country. We don't know how to deal with it then."
Mr. Ya said, "Isn't there a reason why we retreated to the coast? When the time comes, the Dongying archipelago can be used as a special supply channel … We can go by the open sea. Although the Liang people imitated our fast and mobile tiger shark dragons, the overall design of the fleet is not yet suitable for long-distance combat. "
"The Dongying people are like a pack of wild dogs. When you have the upper hand, they will not hesitate to come to you for rotten meat. Once you lose the advantage, don't expect to gain their loyalty." The Pope sighed in a low voice. "Besides, is the conclusion that the Daliang Navy is not suitable for long-distance combat is always accurate? A few years ago, they didn't even have a decent navy. How can they base their chances of winning on the assumption that the enemy is weak? "
Mr. Ya was silent for a moment. "But Your Majesty, the Saint …"
"I asked you to come here for this." The Pope took out a letter from his pocket. His hand was shaking like an autumn leaf, but his face was extremely cold and hard. There was no trace of his usual gentleness and kindness. "It's from the country. Take a look."
Mr. Ya quickly took the letter. Then his face changed. "Is … is this true?"
The Pope lowered his voice. "The Holy Land has changed."
The Conservatives sat on the bench of the Liberals, and the seesaw was paralyzed. They borrowed tens of thousands of people from several affiliated countries to approach the Holy Land in the name of protest. They created riots, dethroned the king, executed more than 30 old nobles, including the first in line of succession, and installed a pitiful new king.
A few days later, the Royalists, who were slow to realize the truth, fought back. The new king was forced to step down after only seven days of wearing the crown.
The political scene in the Holy Land was extremely unclear. Anything could happen. The Saint who was loyal to the old king naturally lost his power. The Royalists were desperately trying to curry favor with the Holy See, which the old king had neglected for half his life. They would not cause trouble for the time being.
Mr. Ya's mind was very sharp. He figured out the key points in an instant.
The Pope suddenly turned around and stared at him with his hawk-like eyes. "This is an opportunity. Do you understand?"
Mr. Ya excitedly lowered his voice. "Then the Saint …"
The Pope nodded slightly and said modestly and coldly, "He's no longer the Saint."
Mr. Ya took a deep breath and clenched his fists under his complicated sleeves. "I'll go prepare now."
"Jacques." The Pope folded his old hands in his sleeves and stood facing the night wind. "If we miss this opportunity, it may be difficult for us to set foot on this land again. It has woken up."
Mr. Ya looked back at the distant shore and recalled the lights he had just seen. His heart skipped a beat and he hurriedly left.
While the Liang people were unaware, a violent "rebellion" took place in the Western Army.
From the time the Sacred Emissary received the news from the Holy Land to the time he made the decision to flee, it was less than the time it took for an incense stick to burn. It could be said that he was very decisive. Unfortunately, he did not know that his message had been intercepted and it was already too late. From the time he led the remnants of his army to the time he was secretly arrested by the Pope's personal guards, it was still less than half an hour.
The Saint and his people were killed on the spot by Mr. Ya. Then he arranged a sailing ship and pretended that he had successfully retreated, keeping the news of the rebellion in the Holy Land a secret. In the peaceful port of the Western Army, the ordinary soldiers were still doing routine patrols. They only knew that the Saint was summoned back to the Holy Land. From now on, they only had one boss.
The Pope did not change his weak attitude toward the peace talks with the people of Daliang. On the surface, he was still retreating little by little, until the autumn equinox of the ninth year of the Long An.
A batch of Western military supplies arrived at the port of the Western Army by sea. A large number of military supplies and Purple Gold were like a group of dark ghosts, quietly pressing on the scorched south coast.
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