For the entire nine years of the Long An, Daliang was filled with the smell of gunpowder.
At the end of May, Yan Wang was the representative of the imperial court. He met with the 13 righteous merchants who held the first batch of Beacon Tickets and announced that the first batch of Beacon Tickets had expired. At the same time, Li Feng personally approved the establishment of the "Long An Bank". The head office was set up in the capital and branches were set up in various places. Before the branches were set up, the government was in charge of collecting the expired Beacon Tickets and cashing them. The next day, Long 'an Bank made public a few options for cashing in. You could cashing in cash, or you could open an account in Long' an Bank and exchange the banknotes into deposits. Then, you could convert the banknotes into banknotes of Long 'an Bank that could be used throughout the territory. If the amount of banknotes reached a certain standard, you could also exchange the banknotes from the official factory held by the Canal Office. All the prices were listed, and they were written into a thick account book. Fang Qin and the others gnashed their teeth in anger. They felt that King Yan had already thought about this matter.
In the past, there were all kinds of banks in Daliang. Some were privately owned by the people, and some were opened by the imperial merchants. They were the official banks that were used for official purposes such as foreign trade and exchange. Long 'an Bank forcefully removed the flat banknotes, and most of the official banks were forcefully merged. King Yan had changed his gentle and refined image. Ever since he returned, it was as if he had been possessed by something. Day after day, he became crazy.
Although the imperial merchants had the word "emperor" on their heads, most of them were from aristocratic families. When they wanted to bully others, they remembered that they had the word "emperor" on their heads. When they wanted to fill their own pockets, they only had the word "merchant" around them. They were used to not distinguishing between public and private affairs. They couldn't distinguish between the account books and the mud. It was hard to explain the conflict of interests in three days and three nights. They had long regarded the official's business as their own. Who would have thought that the sky would change overnight and someone would indiscriminately "seize their business"?
From May to August, the imperial court could be said to be in chaos every day.
The head of an official bank stood out and resisted to the death. He was immediately found guilty of fraud and embezzlement and was imprisoned. His house was confiscated and investigated. His wife was pregnant, but because of this, she had to run around for days. She was already weak, so she miscarried and lost two lives.
His mother-in-law was an old lady. On her seventieth birthday, the late emperor personally named her the "Old Longevity Star". She had a daughter at an old age and was very pampered. How could she stand this? At that time, she wore the late emperor's plaque and made a fuss about hanging herself.
For a time, it caused an uproar. All the Dukes and marquises in the capital wanted to pull Yan Wang out and skin and pull out his tendons.
While Fang Qin was running around, he cleverly avoided Prince Yan, who had a noble status, and pointed the spearhead directly at the Grand Council. He contacted the various forces of the Six Ministries and jointly wrote a letter denouncing Shi Liu of the Grand Council. The crowd was agitated and asked the emperor to abolish the Grand Council, a "temporary wartime organization".
Behind the Grand Council, of course, was not a commander without an army. Of course, they had to fight back. For a time, all the dirty things that had happened over the years were thrown onto the table. The court was full of open spears and hidden arrows, fighting to the death. Even if one wasn't involved in the fight, one would still be hit by one or two stray arrows as they strolled by.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the situation was already white-hot. Even a cautious person like Jiang Chong was involved in a case and had to be suspended from his position to wait for further investigation.
Everyone knew in their hearts that although the emperor seemed to be impartial, he was actually secretly protecting Yan Wang. Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained unmoved despite the wind and rain.
The chaos continued until the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
As usual, Li Feng was going to the harem to eat a family banquet. On the way, he happened to meet the Third Prince. Even the most strict person would be somewhat tolerant of his youngest son. Li Feng warmly called him over and held him in his arms. The Third Prince was as afraid of his father as his older brothers. He didn't dare to make a sound. He tried his best to hold Li Feng's hand and trotted to follow his footsteps. After a while, he ran until his face was red.
The chamberlain could only remind him. Li Feng lowered his head and saw his youngest son's trembling appearance. He didn't know why, but he remembered that day when Yan Wang was sitting on the grass and weaving grass worms for this little thing.
Li Feng said, "Go call Yan Wang into the palace. Let's eat a family banquet."
The chamberlain on the side hurriedly complied. However, after running a big circle, he didn't bring him back.
"Your Majesty, this servant didn't find His Royal Highness Yan Wang."
Li Feng frowned, "He's not in the Grand Council?"
The chamberlain cautiously said, "Didn't something happen with the Lord Jiang recently? Someone is making a fuss about disbanding the Grand Council. His Highness said that in order to avoid arousing suspicion, he stopped his daily affairs … Isn't the letter of apology still on your desk?"
Li Feng rubbed his forehead and thought of this matter, "You didn't go to his home to look for him? The Prince's residence? And the Marquis of Stability's residence … "
"I did," the chamberlain whispered, "His family said that His Highness went out of the city to Huguo Temple. He's been in Master Liao Ran's monastery for the past two days."
Li Feng, "… …"
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, thousands of families were reunited. However, the dignified Prince Yan, who was second only to one person and above everyone else, was actually all alone under a poor monk's lamp.
… … There was also a group of people eyeing him covetously, trying to pull him off his high horse.
Li Feng suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
Although he was moved by Changgeng's resolute and decisive "Willing to follow the Shang Emperor" in the Imperial Garden that day, he really had a headache because of Yan Wang's excessive methods. This time, he punished Jiang Chong to remind him that it was enough and that he should exercise restraint. At this time, the uncomfortable feeling gradually changed in Li Feng's heart. No matter what, Yan Wang was still a member of the Li family. Even if his actions during this time were too hasty, it was to plug the hole in the imperial court. Moreover, all the land in the world belonged to the Prince. As the Emperor, he didn't say anything. These nobles and officials were scrambling to jump up and down. They really didn't put the imperial family in their eyes.
In the past, Li Feng knew that there was a problem with Yan Wang, but he still angrily protected Uncle Wang in the palace when Tan Hongfei aggressively came to question him. This was because Li Feng was born to be amenable to coaxing but not coercion. It was one thing for him to be willing to take action to maintain the balance, but this time, it was another thing for the aristocratic families to join forces to deal with Yan Wang.
"Some people have gone too far," Li Feng thought to himself.
However, before the seed in the Emperor's heart could germinate, on this night, a major event happened thousands of miles away.
The Western Navy, which had already retreated to the coastal port, was still hypocritically sending congratulations to the Jiangbei garrison. The dew on the nondescript flowers they sent had not even dried yet, but the next day, they turned hostile. They had planned this for a long time and used all their strength.
They launched a large-scale attack on the Jiangbei garrison in Daliang.
Ever since Gu Yun took charge of the Jiangbei garrison, the local garrison's patrol requirements were basically the same as the Black Iron Battalion's standards. Although the wildfire in the imperial court's backyard had been incessant during this period of time, the Jiangbei Jiao, Eagle, Light and Heavy Armors, and other major military forces were all in a state of preparation for war.
At night, the southeast watchtower, which was closely monitoring the enemy's movements, was the first to discover the Western Navy's movements. It immediately turned on the alarm light, and an extremely bright white light shot through the dark water like a rainbow. Without waiting for the Commander-in-chief's order, the Jiangbei Jiao at the forefront gathered immediately and quickly erected a wartime defensive iron fence on the surface of the water near the ground. At the same time, the sentinel who reported the news flew directly from the watchtower to the Commander-in-chief's tent.
On the Western Army's flagship, Mr. Ya rushed in breathlessly. "Your Majesty, they have been closely monitoring our army and have been discovered."
"That's normal." The Pope did not look up. "Last time, their Commander-in-chief had just passed away, and the new person in charge had not yet been handed over. We were lucky to succeed this time. Now, the Daliang army is very formal, and Gu Yun is in charge. Let's not think about unrealistic luck. Go, since the enemy has already discovered us, let's say hello to our old enemy."
As soon as the Pope finished speaking, the messenger had already rushed to pass on the order.
Mr. Ya frowned. "Your Majesty, I'm thinking … Did we choose an inappropriate time? Why can't we wait a little longer? Daliang is facing the same problem of power transfer as the Holy Land. Maybe after a while, they will have an opportunity to … "
Before he could finish his words, a loud noise came from outside — the fast-moving vanguard warship had opened fire!
The firing was out of control, and the sound of explosions rang out one after another. Mr. Ya trembled and realized that he had to focus on the battle. After all, he had suffered a great loss at the hands of Gu Yun.
The Pope briefly looked down from the Thousand-mile Eyes and turned to Mr. Ya. "I have a hunch that this is the best time — full speed ahead!"
The shadowy sea monster pushed away the cold water like a tsunami. It had been lying in wait for a long time. Once again, it waved its ferocious claws and rushed to the border of Daliang.
However, this time, the weak Daliang Navy was no longer what it used to be.
In the garrison of Liangjiang, the sentinel had just taken over the position of sentinel from his old comrade who had died. It was his first time being the commander's eyes and ears in such a critical moment. When he heard the sound of gunfire behind him, for a moment, he thought that he was too slow and had delayed the military opportunity. He made a violent dive with the eagle armor on his back. When he landed, he couldn't stop running for dozens of steps. His comrades patrolling around the commander's tent reached out and held him up.
"Urgent military situation, I want to see the commander …" The sentinel was panicking. The hand that was holding him suddenly raised and touched his head.
The sentinel was shocked. When he looked up, he realized that the person he thought was in charge of the defense was Gu Yun himself.
"Don't be afraid, it's just a defeated opponent," Gu Yun patted the back of his neck and smiled at the young sentinel. "Let's go. Follow me to meet them."
In the time it took to say these two sentences, the land armored soldiers and light cavalry in the entire camp were all ready. Countless eagle armors lit up with purple flames in the dark night. Gu Yun whistled, and the flying eagles soared into the sky with a murderous aura.
"Long and short Flood Dragons, form three to five groups and leave the port!"
"Eagle, set up a white rainbow on the iron fence."
"What else?" Gu Yun put the wind-cutting blade behind his back like an ornament and rubbed his chin. "Oh, yes, go and prepare the 'snacks' sent by the Lingshu Temple last time. When we're tired, give some to our old friends who came from afar."
The Western Army came suddenly, but the response of the Liangjiang Garrison was not hasty.
On one side was the Pope, who had regrouped and fought all the way here from the Holy Land. On the other side was the legendary Marquis of Stability, Gu Yun. The two finally faced each other head-on in a situation where they were evenly matched and there were no outsiders to cause trouble.
Gu Yun was not a hot-blooded young man like Changgeng who dared to go into battle. He methodically pulled apart the battle lines on the shore and on the water, probing the enemy's main ship while trying to lure them away.
Unfortunately, they were evenly matched. This time, the commander of the battle was not Mr Ya, who was a coward who would take a wooden club seriously. Gu Yun teased him a few times, and a team of short Flood Dragons that launched a sneak attack almost sent the enemy's right wing flying several times. The enemy's main ship reacted quickly and immediately retreated.
The Western Sea Monster looked cumbersome, but in fact, not only was this huge monster's defense extremely high, but it was also covered in thorns. The ugly iron plates on the surface were opened, and the muzzles were connected to the muzzles. The inside of the sea monster could be loaded with unimaginable amounts of violet gold, ammunition, and even Eagle and small Flood Dragons.
With such a thing, the Flying Eagle could freely drop supplies and suppress its opponents in the air no matter where it went. At the same time, its control and cohesion over the surrounding sea dragons was irreplaceable. It was like a queen bee or an ant queen. It could perfectly gather a group of subordinates who were not very smart and had varying levels of strength.
Gu Yun said to Yao Zhen beside him, "See? It's neat enough. The autonomy of the left and right wings has been replaced by the big guy in the middle. It seems that the Pope has finally sent the troublemaker in the middle to the sea. "
Yao Zhongze looked worried, "Marshal, they were the ones who had been shamelessly asking for peace talks. Why did they suddenly turn hostile now?"
Gu Yun licked his lips, "I'm guessing that the situation in their country has changed. Someone gave them a shot of chicken blood. I know a little about that old thing's style. In the beginning, he liked to bombard and open up a path to test the waters. Once he failed, he would immediately adjust. But look at him today. If it weren't for the abundant supplies, he wouldn't have dared to be so fearless. The supplies should have come from the Japanese through the open sea. We don't have the strength to deal with them. "
Yao Zhen's mind was very clear. He immediately said, "Marshal, if that's really the case, we can't fight head-on. The tracks haven't been repaired yet. Even if we go now, we might not be able to make it in time. What should we do?"
The Western Army's artillery fire fiercely hit the river and the sea. For a moment, the surface of the water burned like the legendary Avici Hell. The free Purple Gold turned into thin white steam in the hearts of all the metal monsters. The impurities and smoke from the artillery rose into the sky. Soon, the night sky with a bright moon and few stars was covered in a layer of haze. The water accumulated into clouds and the stalemate lasted until the second half of the night. Then, it actually started to rain.
At this time, a messenger trotted over, "Marshal, the squid is ready!"
"Gather the Flood Dragons on the water. The main ship is in the water. Get the Eagle on board." Gu Yun strode to the deck of the main ship and said to Yao Zhen, who was following closely beside him, "Brother Zhongze, you should stay on the shore. Don't follow me."
Yao Zhen laughed loudly and said, "Although I've always been greedy for life and afraid of death, what's there to be afraid of when I'm with Marshal?"
However, Lord Yao regretted it not long after. Unfortunately, he became seasick next to Gu Yun. The power system of the main ship had been modified by the Lingshu Temple according to Gu Yun's ideas. It was simply a white stripe in the waves. It was not inferior to the Flood Dragons that were as fast as the wind. Generally, the main ship would not be so "unstable". Unfortunately, the person who gave the order was Gu Yun. Even if it flew, the thousands of Flood Dragons around it were still in his hands.
The Western Army did not dare to be negligent and immediately began to encircle and intercept on a large scale.
In this way, the unbreakable solid formation of the Western Army immediately became a hindrance. Gu Yun's sense of rhythm was very strong. He would relax and tighten at times. Once the artillery fire was concentrated, the fleet would immediately break into pieces. After a while, they would reassemble into a murderous fleet. It was as if a sharp knife was always lying across the neck, forcing people to follow his rhythm.
Gradually, the Western Sea Monsters would add the word "Stay calm" to the end of every order.
However, the situation was not so easy to stabilize.
Gu Yun quickly found the weakest point of the Western sea monsters. The Daliang Navy immediately formed a sharp knife and stabbed it. The Western sea monsters had no time to react. The Pope immediately said fiercely, "Open the main ship's shell and load it with heavy cannons. Those who are in the way, get out of the way."
At this time, Gu Yun smiled at Yao Zhen and said, "The idea of the Western sea monsters is actually very worthy of reference. However, the reason why we have not decided on it with the Lingshu Temple is that although their ideas are correct, their technology is not up to standard. Perhaps in ten or twenty years, we will be able to create a better …"
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the Western Sea Flood Dragons that were sticking close to the sea monster suddenly scatter in a disorderly manner.
Gu Yun said, "The opening is out. Squid, don't just stand there!"
Yao Zhen said, "Marshal, don't worry about the opening! Be careful! "
The Western sea monster brazenly lifted the black back cover, revealing a row of heavy cannon muzzles below.
Gu Yun said, "Full speed ahead in the southwest direction. Explode! These small boats can't stop us!"
Two loud sounds rang out almost at the same time. The short cannons fired by the Daliang Navy first blew up a group of Western sea monsters that had scattered in all directions. They charged into the enemy's position as if there was no one around. Then, the Western main ship's long cannons followed and almost brushed past them. The main ship shook violently. Yao Zhen used all four of his limbs to grab onto a pillar. Gu Yun lost his balance and crashed heavily into the side of the ship.
Yao Zhen was frightened by the movement and trembled. "Marshal!"
Gu Yun shook his head and climbed up nonchalantly. His eyes were frighteningly bright. "The snacks are here."
The surface of the water fluctuated violently after being bombarded by large and small cannons. No one saw a few strange-looking "sea monsters" hidden under the water. They were a group of "sea squids" that the Lingshu Temple had recently sent over. They were the suicide squad of the sea monsters. They could move underwater. After the pilot locked onto the direction, he could directly abandon the ship and jump into the water. The warship that was pushing the sea squids would have a rope to pull them back. The unmanned sea squids could continue moving forward until they hit something at the bottom of the sea. The force of the impact was enough to detonate the sea monsters.
This was tailor-made for the giant cuttlefish that could swim extremely deep in the water.
The impregnable frontline of the Westerners was smashed to one side by Gu Yun's charge and explosion. Then, for no reason at all, a huge splash of water that was tens of feet high suddenly exploded on the surface of the sea. There was even a flicker of fire on the surface of the water before it was extinguished by the surging seawater. Before the Westerners could figure out what was going on, they saw the sea monster like flagship twitch violently. Caught off guard, it took a solid hit from the squid.
It turned out that the shell of the sea monster was not invulnerable. The entire sea monster's main ship tilted violently to one side. The Western soldiers who had been signaling orders fell off the sea monster without making a sound. Another wave of explosions occurred. It was unknown whether they were dead or alive.
The enemy's neat formation was suddenly messed up. Gu Yun did not give them any time to breathe. The eagles that had already boarded the ship immediately chased after the fleeing Jiaos with absolute speed.
The soul-stirring naval battle lasted from dusk to dawn in the east. The rich supplies of the westerners had not yet been used up, but their formation had already been broken into pieces. The Pope had a solid taste of Gu Yun's cunning and ever-changing tactics. Choking back a mouthful of old blood, he had no choice but to temporarily retreat and wait for an opportunity to come again.
Gu Yun suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and said hoarsely, "Pretend to chase, don't fight."
If the Western people did not retreat, soon a large number of Jiaos would lose their power and be unable to return to the shore in time to resupply. At that time, even Gu Yun would be in a very passive position. Mr Ya's train of thought was correct. The Daliang Navy still lacked the ability to fight at sea.
"The enemy commander is old and cautious. He's not easy to fool, but he's also cautious. If it was that animal He Ronghui from the Black Iron Battalion who fought me today, even if the main ship was completely blown up, he would still grab a small boat and fight me to the death. That would be really difficult to deal with." Gu Yun said in a low voice and subconsciously rubbed his eyes. His vision was blurry, and he was too nervous to notice it. Only now did he realize that he should take the medicine. He smiled at Yao Zhen, who had just recovered from the shock, and ordered, "Return!"
Back in the commander's tent, Gu Yun did not dare to rest. He had to submit an urgent battle report to the imperial court and adjust the battle preparations to prevent such a situation from happening again. Therefore, he had to ask someone to boil a bowl of medicine for him first. While waiting for the medicine to take effect, he was also thinking about how to control the Western Army in the future. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up from his back and the back of his head, which were bruised from the collision on the ship. Gu Yun's hand trembled, and the millstone fell from his hand.
He gritted his teeth and reached out to support himself on the table, waiting for this wave of pain to pass.
But this time, the pain was especially intense. It tormented him for almost an hour. Gu Yun's back was covered in cold sweat, and the numbness gradually subsided.
At this time, Gu Yun discovered a serious problem.
His vision and hearing, which should have been clear again, did not recover.
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