Knight of the Blue Lagoon (The Past of Tao v)

61. Big brother, this year we have wine and we drink together. Next year, big brother will be as far away as the world.

~

The three ministers in Dongdu no longer choked up their food purchases. After meeting, they blamed each other and finally came to the eldest brother. After all, he had been in charge of the grain trade for many years and always had many ideas.

"Sir, three ministers want to see you."

The Minister of Household Affairs in the courtyard was instructing his subordinates to sort things out:"They, their noses are quite sensitive, let them in.""

The Ministers of the Ministry of Li, the Minister of Works and the Minister of Punishments entered the courtyard and were still complaining to each other. They did not stop until they met the Minister of Hubu. As soon as they met the three of them, they asked:

"Brother, please give me some advice. What does Your Majesty think now?"

"Brother, how many people have died in Chenzhou?"

"Brother, will the price of food get higher again?"

"The imperial court is in a troubled time. If the three of you are not doing your best in the court, how can you come here to see me quietly?"Seeing that these three people were a little depressed, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance said sarcastically

"Big Brother, please stop making fun of us. Without Big Brother here, we can’t control ourselves." Minister of the Ministry of Industry

"Yes, brother, we have been trying to get him to return to court."Shang Shu of the Ministry of Punishment

"Your Majesty, who usually cares most about the people, why is he turning a blind eye to the rise in food prices? What kind of medicine is being sold in the gourd?"Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"If I had known now, why bother then."The Minister of Hubu has always been worried about his brother's affairs.

"you……"Minister of the Ministry of Personnel

"Now that it has become a fact, the elder brother will not remember the faults of the villain."The minister of the Ministry of Industry advised

"Yes, brother, we have been thinking about it."The Minister of Punishment.

At this time, the manager came up and said,"Sir, the food is ready."

The ministers were sitting at the table. The Minister of the Ministry of Finance specially took out a jar of good wine. He opened the lid and the aroma of the wine floated in. The Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, who was fond of wine, couldn't help but admired after being stimulated by the aroma of the wine:"Good wine! What a great wine!"

The Minister of Hubu poured wine for the three of them, and the Minister of Gongbu immediately took it up and smelled it:"There are tens of years if not a hundred years. It is rare to get old wine. After saying that

, he couldn't help but want to drink, but was stopped by the Minister of Civil Affairs:"Fifth brother, you know how to drink." After pouring the wine, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance did not sit down immediately. He picked up the wine glass and said sadly:"This jar of wine was given to me by the old Minister when I first became Minister. I have not had a suitable opportunity to drink it for decades. Now is the time." , when we drink wine with close friends, I would like to offer this cup to my second brother first."

A few people picked up the wine glasses. After drinking, the Minister of Hubu wiped his tears. The three ministers were confused. The Minister of Xingbu asked:"Brother, what are you doing?……"

"It seems that I am getting old. I have been crying recently. I think back to the time when the five of us formed a blood alliance and became brothers, living and dying together for wealth and honor. Over the past ten years, although the few of us have bumped into each other a little, it did not hurt our brotherhood. Now the second brother is gone, and there are fewer brothers. It is me. I'm sorry, second brother."The Minister of Hubu.

Seeing the miserable look of the Minister of Hubu, the Minister of Libu regretted:"We failed to protect our eldest brother last time and made him suffer. It's our responsibility to bear with him."

"We don’t want our eldest brother to become what he is now."After finishing speaking, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry stared at the wine in front of him and swallowed a little saliva.

The Minister of the Ministry of Affairs picked up the wine glass and took a few steps back, bowing to the Minister of the Ministry of Finance:"Brother, it's all our fault. This glass of wine is to our fault. Big brother apologizes."

Then the Ministers of the Ministry of Punishment and the Minister of Industry also toasted to apologize one after another. After a few glasses of wine, the four ministers recalled their past events together, sometimes laughing and sometimes feeling sad.

……

"Brother, without you in charge, the government will be leaderless."Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"Yes, brother, I can’t do it without you"

"That is, there is chaos in the DPRK and China right now"

"Although the eldest brother is in the mountains and fields, the matters in the court cannot be hidden from him."Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"Brother, why can’t we understand the current situation?"Shang Shu of the Ministry of Punishment

"This food price?" Minister of the Ministry of Industry

"You only see the disaster, but others also see it. What happens afterward?"The Minister of the Ministry of Finance looked serious.

"What happens next?"The three people's ears seemed to stand up.

"The strange disease is raging, and now it has spread in the Eastern Capital City. Everyone must have heard about it, and it is far more serious than what was reported by the Minister of War. If 30% of the people of Dongfu Kingdom die, and 30% of the people flee, and there is reliable news that the Yi vassal king is about to make a move, what will happen to Dongfu Kingdom by then?"The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"Are you saying that the Yi vassal king will take the opportunity to rebel?"Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"Brother, what is their attitude in Xilu Kingdom?"Shang Shu of the Ministry of Punishment

"What will your Majesty do if it's the other way around?" Minister of the Ministry of Industry

"It is an open secret that King Yi Fan wants to establish himself as king. However, Dongfu Kingdom has given a large amount of food aid in recent years, and due to the Blue Lake Treaty, there has never been a reasonable excuse."The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"If a war breaks out, can the Yi vassal king be able to defeat the Dongfu army?" Minister of the Ministry of Industry

"Nowadays, news about Chenzhou is closed. Why is the blockade so strict? Have you ever thought that the main force of Dongfu Army is in Chenzhou."The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"What the eldest brother means is that the reason for blocking the news is because he is afraid that the outside world will know that Dongfu Army suffered heavy losses."Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"Well, if half of the people in Chenzhou die, Dongfu's army will be reduced by at least 30%. At this time, His Majesty is most worried that the Yi Fan King will take the opportunity to rebel."Shang Shu of the Ministry of Punishment

"This is the real reason for the blockade, no matter who it is."The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"Even if the Yi Fan defense force is defeated by the Dongfu Army, if a fight breaks out, Dongfu's national power will be further weakened."Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"If the Yi clan breaks away successfully, the Dongfu Kingdom may split."Shang Shu of the Ministry of Punishment

"The Yi vassal king has troops in his hands, but the Dongfu army is not in our hands now." Minister of the Ministry of Industry

"What if there is help from the Xilu Army?"The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"How does eldest brother convince Xiluguo?"Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"Can the Xilu Army really come?"The Minister of Punishment has doubts.

"General Chao Ran is a relative of the eldest brother, so the eldest brother will naturally have his own ideas." Minister of the Ministry of Industry

"The Blue Lake Treaty was established by the Xilu Kingdom and was originally defended for the benefit of the Xilu Kingdom. As the Dongfu Kingdom became increasingly powerful, the Xilu Kingdom was certainly not happy. You might as well think about the strategy of the West Lu Kingdom. From the Blue Lake Tax to the current food embargo, isn’t it just to attack the Dongfu Kingdom? The next step is probably the Blue Lake Ban. What’s the next step? It is not impossible for a large army to come. General Chaoran has always advocated garrisoning troops in Dongfu State. As long as there is a reasonable reason on the Blue Lake, the Xilu court will definitely send troops."The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"Brother's words make sense." Minister of the Ministry of Industry

"Since the king of Yi Fan wants to become an independent king, what does the eldest brother mean?……"The Minister of Punishment was a little hesitant

"Why not?"The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"Why is Yi Fan also a vassal state, and it is understandable that he can become an independent king, but does it not make sense in our legal system?"Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"As long as you want to do it, it will definitely make sense. It depends on how you plan to do it?"The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"So what are the plans?"Shang Shu of the Ministry of Punishment

"Once the court is without food and the people cannot survive, the people's mentality will change and riots will occur. If the people are incited on the grounds that King Dongfu is incompetent and cannot govern well, and the people are asked to manage it in the name of the people, King Dongfu can be abolished legally.."The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"What if the Xilu Army occupied Dongfu Country and refused to let go?"Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"There were many small countries that had been in internal chaos for a long time and wanted Xilu to manage them on their behalf. Xilu refused. First, in the Blue Lake Treaty they formulated, countries could not annex each other. In addition, they were not willing to spend time in those poor and chaotic places. Dongfu Country is different from them, and Xilu Country had the intention to split Dongfu Country 60 years ago. They are afraid that Dongfu Country will become stronger in the future. Now that its strength has increased, they will definitely suppress it with all their strength. Now that General Chaoran is in control of the Youfan Army, he has great power. As long as he goes to lobby, it will not be a problem. In order to reassure the Xilu Kingdom, everyone can write a letter of sincerity and allegiance, swearing to be loyal to King Xilu for generations, and everything will be safe. Then ask them to station in To guard the vassal, we only set up a defense force like the Great Ying Kingdom. They have neither violated the Blue Lake Treaty nor have any worries. Naturally, they can rest assured that the divided Dongfu Kingdom will be handed over to us for management. Once we become the king, the territory will be barbarian. Several times that of the vassal state."The Minister of Hubu.

The three ministers thought for a while. The Minister of Libu picked up the wine glass and said bitterly:"Okay, everything will be listened to by the elder brother."

"Brother, let’s do this."Although the Minister of Punishment had some doubts, he didn't hesitate anymore when he thought that he could also become a king.

"I still want to listen to my elder brother as before." Minister of the Ministry of Industry

"The current situation of internal and external difficulties is a great opportunity that cannot be missed. Soon everyone will sit together and drink together, and they will all be kings."The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"Man cannot destroy King Dongfu, but now it seems that God will destroy King Dongfu."The Minister of Civil Affairs said, and everyone burst out laughing.

"What should we do now?"Shang Shu of the Ministry of Punishment

"Chaos, the more chaotic the better, I have sent a letter to King Yi Fan, what will happen if King Yi Fan comes to ask for food now?"The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"Brother, all the grain reserves have been secretly sold. I am afraid that the court has no grain. Now the price of grain is high. The money for the court's relief to Chenzhou has been scraped together, and there is no money to collect grain."Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"If food is not provided and Yi Fan breaks away, his Majesty will never let go easily after so many years. He will definitely send troops. War is inevitable. The Xilu Army can clean up the mess and stabilize Blue Lake just like it did in 60 years... Brother, this What a wonderful move."Shang Shu of the Ministry of Punishment

"When the time comes, food will be even more scarce and the people will have no food to eat, but we will enjoy wine and meat."The minister of the Ministry of Industry picked up the wine and several people drank it down.

The three ministers calculated that the price of food would rise in this way.

"In the near future, I will personally go to Xilu Kingdom to present our letter of allegiance, inform the details, and request Xilu Kingdom to prepare. Other countries will definitely follow suit. Even if Dongfu Kingdom has ten or eight more Daozhi, they will not be able to withstand it."The Secretary of the Ministry of Finance

"Everything will fall into place, haha, haha, big brother is really tall."Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs

"Well, brother Gaoming, come on, brother, do it……"

"Fuck...I respect you, big brother"

……

The four ministers laughed again, you said something, I said something, drank wine, and imagined the future in a hearty way.