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

80. Hegemony:

If you want to sweep away Dongfu and punish dissidents, you can’t move to monopolize the Blue Lake.

~

All countries have noticed the methods used by the West Lu Kingdom against the Dongfu Kingdom. Some are surprised, some are sad, some are aggrieved, some are in danger, and some are secretly happy. They all want to take advantage of it, but in the end most of them can only choose to remain silent, or at least Wait and see for a while.

The elimination of the Yi vassal was a watershed. Before, they used relatively mild methods. At least the radicals were not dominant. The elimination of the vassal changed everyone's views. No one expected that Dongfu State would send troops under such circumstances, let alone just It took 3,000 men to pacify the Yi clan. The most unacceptable thing for both the prince and the prince was that there were such brave generals in the Dongfu army. Now there is no distinction between moderate and radical factions in the Dongfu court.

"The Dongfu Kingdom is different from the Rakshasa Kingdom. Today, the Rakshasa Kingdom is just a tiger that has lost its teeth. It can only roar when its mouth is opened, but cannot bite anyone. The function of not removing it is to warn other countries. Dongfuguo is a sleeping lion lying in the Blue Lake. Once it stands up completely, it will stir up stormy waves. We must give it a heavy blow immediately."The detached tone is slightly impatient.

"The top priority is to use deterrence to benefit the court, and the bottom priority is war. In wars, money and food are lost, and soldiers are killed or injured.……"The left prime minister still seems to be defending the first strategy.

Chaoran turned around and asked impatiently before Zuo Xiang finished speaking:"Dare you ask Zuo Xiang? Where does the power of deterrence come from?"

Zuo Xiang did not want to answer, Chao Ran continued in an aggressive tone:"Precisely the power of deterrence comes from war. Over the years, It was through war that the Xilu Army gained its prestige on the Blue Lake, and all countries were afraid of it. Having soldiers but not using force is like having food but not food and clothes but not clothing. Knights are not for fighting and watching. Today, the momentum of Dongfu Kingdom has been He is very ambitious and extremely arrogant. If he does not suffer a serious blow, I am afraid that it will be difficult for all countries to stay in peace in the future. Since the lion cannot be tied, his legs should be broken so that he can never stand up. This is also a warning lesson. , let all countries understand that there are only two choices on the Blue Lake, dog chains and broken bones, and those who disobey can only be disabled."

"Of course it's good to cripple the country, but has the general considered it? How many troops can cripple Dongfu Country?"Prime Minister

"As long as the Youfan army has 50,000 knights, this general will be able to defeat Dongfukuo."

"50000? Yi Fan's 50,000 defense troops were unable to fight back on the mainland. The general's 50,000 knights traveling long distances may have been overconfident."The Prime Minister Zuo can't stand the aloof arrogance.

"How can the wine sacks and rice bags of Yi Fan's defense army be compared with the knights of my right army. My right army knights are invincible and unbeatable in the Blue Lake. 50,000 is enough."Detached glanced at the Prime Minister Zuo, angrily.

"Everyone knows that General Chao Chao is extremely brave and has never been defeated. However, there are many people in Dongfu country. What if they rebel in groups?"Left Prime Minister

"Prime Minister Zuo is right. If the people of Dongfu Country resist to the end like they did 60 years ago, Dongfu Country is so vast that it will be difficult to completely conquer it. The late king withdrew because he knew that if the war continued, Xilu Country would be held back and the gains would outweigh the losses."The old prince.

The prime minister first glanced at the old prince:"The King Dongfu 60 years ago had a high prestige and strong appeal, and could unite the people to fight. Today's King Dongfu is far from the previous one. He must unite everyone. I don't think it's possible"

"Indeed, most of the courtiers in Dongfu Kingdom are obeying our orders in Xilu Kingdom, and the squire and big family are all making arrangements for the future. There is nothing to fear, the people are complaining, and the people are distracted."aloof

"Even if Dongfu Country is defeated, what will happen after it is defeated? Dongfu Country is riddled with holes and its people are displaced. How should we deal with it? I'm afraid the gains outweigh the losses."What the Prime Minister did not accept was the detached tone.

"You can rest assured, Prime Minister Zuo. We are not occupying Dongfu Kingdom. We are only fulfilling the last wish of the late king. After the war, we will dismember him and support those ministers who are loyal to us as kings. They will naturally be grateful to His Majesty. We can increase their food supply by the way. Tax, how can the gains outweigh the losses?"aloof

"Even if they are divided into several countries and all industries are ruined after the war, even if the food tax is increased, they will not be able to pay and will not benefit."Left Prime Minister

"After the reduction of vassalage, the strength of Dongfu Kingdom increased significantly, and long-term stability must be considered. The Blue Lake Tax can be mobilized according to the national strength after dismemberment. It may not be much in the first few years, but it will definitely make a profit after a few years. Back then, the late king did not collect all the military expenses at once."Aloof and aggressive."

"How to ensure the loyalty of those ministers?"Zuo Xiang actually approved of sending troops in his heart, but he was not convinced.

Chao Ran handed the documents of sincerity and allegiance they wrote to His Majesty:"Don't worry about this, the Minister of Hubu of Dongfu Kingdom is in Xidu at the moment."

"Well, well... there are no certainties above the Blue Lagoon except death and the Blue Lagoon Tax, both of which are in our hands. Xilu Kingdom has been the overlord of the Blue Lake for 60 years, and will still be the overlord of the Blue Lake for the next 60 years. Anyone who disobeys will be punished."King Xilu laughed loudly, and then handed over the document of allegiance to the ministers. After reading it, the old prince stared at Detao. He didn't even know that there was such a document.

"Several ministers in Dongfu Kingdom are willing to pay more taxes, and there are always people who are aware of current affairs."Prime Minister

"In the future, the garrison will belong to our vassal army. They are willing to provide military pay. Of course it is good if they are so, but after all, they are traitors to the country. Can they be completely trusted? General Chaoran has a long history with Dongfu Kingdom, and has an unusual relationship with the Minister of Household Affairs, so he might be a little sentimental."The left prime minister has no confidence anymore.

"The left prime minister's worries are not unreasonable, but even if they are traitors, they are betraying us. Even if they are turtle grandsons, they will always be our turtle grandsons. We will not have to worry too much when we have the vassal army guarding us. The Luoba people are so strong, but they are not bowing down yet. King Xilu turned around and said to General Chaoran:"I have also heard that this Minister of the Ministry of Finance is your distant relative?""

Chao Ran frowned and his tone softened a lot:"Actually, they are not relatives."

"General Chao Ran, don’t worry. Although your grandfather came from Dongfu Kingdom, he served our Xilu Army in the war with Luoba Kingdom. Your father died fighting for Xilu Kingdom when you were young, and you were trained by Eunuch Cui. You can be said to be loyal and loyal for generations. , there is nothing wrong with having such relatives."King Xilu. Chao

Ran didn't say anything. He didn't want to mention these things more. After observing for a while, the young prince took over his majesty's words:"The families of many officials and gentry in Dongfu Kingdom are in our Xilu Kingdom. is their real home"

"Oh, it seems that Dongfuguo is really in chaos now."Prime Minister

"Indeed, ever since the court of Dongfu State appointed a woman to be the governor, these ministers began to manipulate. First, the officials were dissatisfied, then the people were dissatisfied, and then disasters came from the sky. The ambitious people of Dongfu State with their wealth have all joined our country. The country of Dongfu is actually empty. It will be broken at the first glance and its energy will be exhausted."Little Prince

"It was unheard of for a woman to serve as an official in the court, and chaos was inevitable."Prime Minister

"Since ancient times, women have not been allowed to participate in government affairs"

"If a woman enters the court, there will be chaos."

The other ministers all shook their heads and agreed.

"No matter what, Dongfu Country is now different from the past and should not be taken lightly."The old prince has always been very cautious.

"The old prince need not worry too much. The lives of the people of Dongfu Kingdom have indeed improved in recent years, but the Dongfu Army has not changed fundamentally."aloof

"The former Minister of War was Uncle Wang's protégé. He originally purchased 20,000 armors in the name of changing his armor, but was eventually killed because of his evil intentions. It seems that Uncle Wang did not have a thorough understanding of the Dongfu Kingdom."The little prince glanced at the old prince.

"He is indeed my disciple. According to what the old minister knows, his martial arts are so good that he should be unrivaled by anyone in Dongfu Kingdom. Do you know who killed him?"The old prince was thinking about selling the armor. At that time, no one mentioned that he wanted to rebel. The old prince realized that someone was hiding something below.

General Chao Ran seemed to feel something, and the young prince was also very curious:"I wonder who the new Minister of War is? Who are they?"

"The new Minister of War is young and does not know the exact details. He is a bit reckless and has only one ear, so there is nothing to worry about."Detached only thinks about conquering Dongfu country

"reckless? On the 3rd, the Yi vassal was completely stabilized. The old minister believed that this person should not be underestimated."Old Prince

"It is not surprising to destroy the Yi clan in 3 days. If it were to take only 1 day, even if the Dongfu Kingdom was dismembered, 1 month would be enough."Chao Ran has long thought that the old prince is getting old and his courage is not as good as before.

"Wouldn't it be an advantage to those ministers to dismember the Dongfu Kingdom?"The little prince's tone seemed a little unbalanced.

"If you are willing to go to Dongfu Kingdom to be the king, you can choose whatever you want?"King Xilu said with a smile.

There was no sound from below.

"I would rather be a phoenix tail than a chicken head. It seems that everyone understands that even if they are kings, they are our ministers. Even if they are not as good as ministers, they will only take over a dilapidated territory. It doesn't matter if they take advantage of them, and there is nothing wrong with them. ah."King Xilu was even happy.

All the ministers in the court laughed.