"Then let's start the interrogation directly!" Zhao Dan held his chin with one hand and gently tapped the armrest of the dragon chair with the fingers of his other hand.
He leaned back in his chair to make himself more comfortable.
"Wang Qing, the complaint you wrote is all true?"
Wang Zhenchuan sat on a chair with his head calm. After a while, he nodded heavily.
"Okay, in that case, where did the silver and grain you mentioned come from?"
Wang Zhenchuan hesitated for a few seconds and shook his head.
"What are you doing by digging moats, strengthening city walls, and accumulating granaries?"
Wang Zhenchuan shook his head again.
"Sir Wang, don't drink the toast without drinking it, or you'll have to drink the wine as a penalty!"
"Your Majesty asked you something, but you kept silent. What do you want?"
The Ministry of Justice official on the side saw Wang Zhenchuan shut his mouth tightly, pointed with his hand, and shouted loudly.
Wang Zhenchuan stood up from his chair, looked around, and said solemnly: "Everything I do is for the people, and there is absolutely no falsehood."
Zhao Dan chuckled: "For the people? Everything you do is a waste of money and waste for the people. Is this also for the people?"
Wang Zhenchuan's face was serious. He looked at the young man on the high platform and said sternly: "The people in the world are simple, and they deserve great rewards no matter how hard they work. In my opinion, as long as they are given the wages they deserve, it is not a waste of money."
"
"Master Wang is very good at sophistry!" Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment laughed and pushed his hand, "Your Majesty must not be led astray by Wang Zhenchuan. Today we are discussing Wang Zhenchuan's crime of "rebellion."
"I only have one son. I went to the Immortal Mountain in my early years and became a free immortal family. Why would I rebel?"
After hearing this, Zhao Dan remembered that the governor of the Southern Patrol, like the imperial master, had a son who had escaped from the mortal world.
"Then why, Qing Wang?"
Wang Zhenchuan took a deep breath, raised his hands above his head and knelt on the ground: "Please, Your Majesty, find a way for the people of Rouge Country to survive!"
In the main hall, a water mirror was broken and turned into water droplets dripping on the beams.
In a mansion not far outside the imperial city, Lin Yanli closed her eyes slightly.
Wang Zhenchuan made the decision just as she thought.
She looked up to the sky.
There, a black cloud slowly flew towards the palace.
"Wang Zhenchuan, I was right when I saw you. You are really a good official." Lin Yanli murmured a few words and broke the water mirror in front of him with his hand.
When the officials in the Qianyuan Hall saw this scene, they began to whisper. They had no idea what Wang Zhenchuan was acting in.
Zhao Dan's lazy posture disappeared. He lifted his crown from his forehead and said very seriously: "Why did Wang Qing say this!"
Wang Zhenchuan stood up and opened his chest. Hidden inside was a map.
He laid the map flat on the ground, walked slowly to the north, pointed at the map with both hands and said: "Your Majesty, please take a look!"
Zhao Dan raised his eyes and saw many circles densely drawn on the map.
He suddenly felt a pain in his eyes, so he simply took off his hat and walked straight to Wang Zhenchuan.
"these are?"
"Northern Border Guard!"
Zhao Dan frowned slightly, and his eyes fell on the northernmost point marked by Wang Zhenchuan. There was an ancient border defense city called Tainan City. It was connected with several other border defense towns and built a Great Wall that was thousands of miles long.
"What do you mean, Wang Qing? Could it be that the Hanhai Kingdom wants to break the alliance and use troops against the Rouge Kingdom? Even if they dare to attack our Rouge Kingdom, with this Great Wall, their cavalry can't penetrate deep!"
Wang Zhenchuan shook his head, squatted down and pointed at Tainan City with his finger: "The Hanhai Kingdom itself cannot be protected!"
Hearing this, the ministers in the court looked at each other in confusion. They were a little hard to understand for a moment. They just thought that Mr. Wang was frightened in front of His Majesty and had gone crazy.
Wang Zhenchuan took a deep breath: "Your Majesty, do you still remember the beast tide that wiped out more than a dozen villages half a month ago?"
Hearing the word "tide of beasts", all the civil and military officials in the room changed their minds.
More than twenty days ago, a beast wave broke out in Feilong Ridge. The crazy ferocious beasts invaded more than a dozen villages and devoured all the people. If the immortal family hadn't arrived and successfully stopped the beast wave, I can't imagine the consequences.
.
"Hasn't the beast tide been extinguished by the immortal master?"
"What if that's just a sign? If there is such a wave of beasts, it moves from north to south and is more powerful than any previous wave of beasts. It can subvert a country in an instant. Your Majesty, do you think our northern border defense can be defended?
"
"This..." Zhao Dan touched his chin and finally shook his head.
This is definitely unsustainable.
The power of mortals is too weak. If a mortal body faces a brutal beast, it will be torn to pieces in an instant.
"Your Majesty, two years ago, I dreamed of an immortal. The immortal came riding a crane and told me that soon a wave of vicious beasts would come south from the wilderness, turning everything it went into scorched earth. In the past two years, I have vigorously dug the moat.
The purpose of strengthening the city, recruiting soldiers, and accumulating food and grass is to find a way out for the people of Rouge Country in this unprecedented beast tide. The beast tide that appears in Feilong Ridge is the foreshadowing of this beast tide!"
Wang Zhenchuan knelt on the ground and looked at Zhao Dan sincerely.
Zhao Dan was slightly startled and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.
The Minister of Punishment burst into laughter.
"Your Majesty, after checking the history books, there will be a beast tide in the Rouge Kingdom every forty years. I feel that the beast tide in Feilong Ridge is only a few years ahead of schedule. Lord Wang's words are too shocking. How can the things in the dream be taken seriously?"
"Yes, it's a dream, how can it be taken seriously?"
"Master Liu is right!"
Many officials agreed, but were interrupted by Zhao Dan who raised his hand. His eyes were clear, and he walked around the entire map. He sighed deeply and said: "Wang Qing even felt that the ferocious beasts could swarm to the southern region, which means it means
Is it impossible to defend the northern part of Rouge Country?"
"At the speed of a ferocious beast, a whole state can be overturned in a moment. The Southern Territory is the confidence I have left for Your Majesty."
"There are three mountain sects in the North, can't they defend it?"
"The immortal family on the mountain are not monolithic. They don't care about the life and death of mortals. It is possible for them to seal off the mountain and let the beasts go south! It is better to put all your hopes on those who practice spiritual practice than to seek your own survival!"
Zhao Dan remembered the aloof posture of those Xian family sects and shook his head helplessly.
Wang Zhenchuan is right. From ancient times to the present, cultivators have paid little attention to the life and death of mortals. Although the emergence of the Zhengyi Sect and the Immortal Alliance have given mortals some protection, their nature remains unchanged.
"Wang Aiqing, I only have one thing to ask you now. Since you had an immortal master tell you two years ago that the wave of ferocious beasts is heading south, why didn't you write a memorial to tell me? Are you afraid that I won't believe you?"
Zhao Dan put his hands behind his back and stood up straight. His gaze fell on Wang Zhenchuan, which was particularly sharp.
Wang Zhenchuan raised his head and straightened his body: "Your Majesty, I was dubious at the time, but after I actually did it, I became more and more uneasy about the impending rain. To delay telling Your Majesty until now is really against His Majesty's grace.
.”
Zhao Dan waved his hand gently, indicating that he didn't care too much about it.
"Wang Aiqing, I now appoint you as the Chief Envoy of the Northern Territory, with full responsibility for the reinforcement of the Northern Territory's defense line and city walls."
He is a young monarch and a bold monarch.
What Wang Zhenchuan said was very absurd. Those ministers didn't believe it, but he did.
Wang Zhenchuan gave a wry smile. He raised his head and looked out of the palace. He straightened his body and bowed deeply to this heroic king. He said goodbye: "Please forgive me for not obeying the order."
"Why?" Zhao Dan was startled.
"Your Majesty, there is a price for revealing secrets. Please forgive me for not being able to serve Your Majesty. Your Majesty believes in me, and I also believe in Your Majesty. Please take the money and food that I have prepared for Your Majesty and become this unprecedented emperor.