Chapter 374: The sage meets the king, admonishes and confronts him
In October, the autumn harvest was completed, and the kingdom immediately mobilized troops. The city of Qincongcan was in a hustle and bustle, and the trumpet of war sounded.
The Guakili Army went south from Hekou County, marching hundreds of miles in a day, and arrived at the military camp outside the royal capital in two days. Twenty thousand of the Gyeonggi's field troops went south and were stationed in the south of Ivacio City. The Gyeonggi Army in Orosz was prepared
Completed, ready to attack at any time. The King's Guards Corps has officially incorporated an artillery battalion. The artillery battalion currently has 500 gunners, ten condor cannons, and thirty tiger squatting cannons. The required gunpowder and
The projectiles are being allocated intensively and will be replenished soon.
The morning sun is rising, and the smoke is curling up. The prayers of the Lord God are heard in the royal capital, just like the Kingdom of God coming to the world. This is the morning prayer, before breakfast begins. The prayers are like a grand movement, passing into the Palace of Wind and falling on the earth.
When Shulot heard it, he smiled cheerfully.
"Praise the Lord God! After several years of hard work, the Lord God's faith is finally solidified in the capital."
Then, the king continued to lower his head and looked at the sand table in front of him. This is the terrain sand table in the south of the kingdom. Although it is roughly built, it is very intuitive to look at. In the sand table, towns, villages and convenient roads are all marked.
There are some in Zicao County and some in the southwestern mountainous areas.
Surrounding the sand table were three legion commanders: Bertard, Orosh, and Toltec. And Ezpan of the Second Lancer Legion had been stationed in the southernmost part of Gyeonggi Province, always alert to the southern nobles. Everyone discussed it all night
, I was a little tired at this time. The maids gave me sweet and sour honey flower tea, paired with sticky purple figs, as a snack to relieve my fatigue.
At this time, a personal guard came from outside the main hall and lowered his head to report back.
"Your Majesty, Chief Minister, Sage Jatiri, I request an audience!"
Hearing this, Shulot was a little surprised. He looked at the sky and saw that the sun had just risen, so why did it come so early.
"Hurry and invite the sage into the palace!"
"As you command, Your Majesty."
The bodyguard was about to leave, but heard the king change his words.
"No, I will go to the palace gate to greet you personally!"
One or two years after the Northern Expedition, the current prosperity and peace of the royal capital, the Lake District, and even the entire kingdom are all due to the governance of Sage Jatiri and the Missionary Priesthood. In other words, the Missionary Priesthood is the one who actually manages the kingdom.
"Civil officials", and the chief minister is the "prime minister" of the kingdom. Although in the Kingdom's Songun system, the power of "civil officials" and "prime ministers" has been greatly weakened, their functions are irreplaceable.
After all, Shulot could not rely on military nobles to govern the entire country. Nor was he willing to hand over the affairs of the country to the generals.
Outside the main hall, Jatiri looked serious, holding the sage's cane and wearing the chief's robe. He was meticulous and his temperament was refined and refined, which made people respect him at first sight. When he saw the king walking quickly, he felt solemn.
He bowed his head and saluted.
"Your Majesty, I greet you!"
"Dear sage, the sky has just broken, and you are here."
Shulot said with a friendly smile.
"I haven't had breakfast yet, why don't you come with me and try the palace breakfast?"
Jatiri bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, I request that I meet you alone!"
"Ah! Solo pair?"
Shulot was a little surprised. After pondering for a while, he guessed the other party's intention, which was a bit tricky. In the entire kingdom, the only ones who were wary of war were probably Chief Jatiri and the missionary priests.
On the one hand, the kingdom's missionary priests have absorbed many elites from Prepecha and have connections with nobles from all over the south. Their determination to deal with the south is not firm. On the other hand, launching a war will consume a lot of financial and material resources and trigger the military aristocracy.
The further growth of power. The war takes place in the kingdom, which will also severely reduce the kingdom's commercial taxes. Many foreign businessmen in the capital have already smelled the news and left the kingdom early. All this is not conducive to the governance of the "civilian officials".
.
"Exactly. The old minister requested me to have a one-on-one showdown with you!"
Jatiri waited for a while, then knelt down on the ground and asked again.
"Okay, let's follow the wise man!"
Shulot quickly stepped forward and lifted up the chief minister. Then, he led the sage into the palace and gave instructions.
"Olos, Toltec, you go back to the legion to prepare first. Bertard, you come to guard outside the palace!"
The warrior commander was stunned for a moment, looked at the serious-looking sage, and then went outside the palace. The two legion commanders also said goodbye and left. The surrounding guards dispersed far away, and soon there were only two people left in the hall.
.
Jatiri knelt down on the leather cushion, making his posture look solemn. Xuelote also had to kneel down opposite him.
After several breaths, the sage calmly asked.
"Your Majesty, do you want to lead the army south?"
The king answered calmly.
"Exactly."
"What do you want?"
"Purge the South."
"His Majesty!"
Jatiri sighed.
"The south is the land of the Kingdom. Why did you raise such a large army and invite the violent canine legions?"
"Sage."
Shulot replied in a deep voice.
"This is a major military matter and must be violent."
"Your Majesty, please listen to what I have to say: you have acted too hastily."
Jatiri bowed and spoke solemnly.
"The kingdom is not yet stable, and the Northern Expedition consumes a lot of money. The canine descendants are settled, military merits are rewarded, and the treasury is empty. You also build new legions and forge new weapons... With 700,000 people, you raise 30,000 standing troops, and the treasury expenses
, at this time it was all supported by trade. And merchants from all over the world came from the south, worried about the war, and left the country one after another, and business taxes dropped sharply..."
"...The nobles in the south are afraid and are mobilizing private soldiers, recruiting young men, and building strongholds to gather grain. They have no intention of resisting, so why force them to start another war? If the war drags on for a long time, it will delay the next year.
Spring plowing...Old minister, I am afraid that the foundation of the kingdom is shaken, and the overthrow is imminent!..."
After hearing this, Shulot was silent. After a while, he spoke.
"Sage, the kingdom has just emerged, so it shouldn't be so urgent. It's just that the arrow is on the string, and it has to be launched. The promise of the Western Expedition has not yet been completed. The southern nobles colluded with each other, formed private alliances, hindered the spread of faith, and occupied the southward navigation waterway.
..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Sage, did you know? There are 200,000 people in Zicao County, and the Zicao family and the Palm family alone account for 60,000 people! There are more than a dozen other big families.
The nobles control thousands of people at least, and control tens of thousands at most. More than 80% of the land population is in the hands of the great nobles. And they do not pay tribute or give money, and each has a warrior tribe, which makes me feel like there is a fish bone in my throat.
, it has to be eliminated!”
This time, it was Jatiri's turn to be silent. He looked down for a long time before admonishing again.
"Your Majesty, you once said that governing a big country is like cooking a small fish in a lake. After controlling the heat, the next step is to wait slowly. I deeply agree and will always remember it in my heart! I am already a rotten tree, and most of my body is buried in the earth.
, It’s not urgent. Your Highness is just a new shoot, just like the sun rising, so why be so urgent?..."
Shulot shook his head and did not reply, but looked firm.
Jatiri sighed, speaking earnestly and with a tired look on his face.
"Your Majesty, the governance of the kingdom is like the growth of a sacred tree. A sacred tree is rooted in the soil. Only when the roots are deep and luxuriant can it be stable and long-lasting. If it is top-heavy, with shallow roots and luxuriant branches and leaves, the more it grows, the more dangerous it will be. What I do day and night,
It is for you to unify people's hearts, prosper culture and education, integrate culture, and lay a solid foundation...but it cannot keep up with the speed of the branches and leaves, and I often feel fear in my heart."
"Your Majesty, why don't you wait for a moment? You see, the sacred tree grows, and within a radius of a hundred meters, the dwarf trees will naturally wither. This is because the sacred tree accepts the sunlight from the sky, absorbs the vitality of the earth, and follows the general trend without revealing any flaws.
.It is always in a silent place, eliminating everything, and can always stand firm!"
Xiuluo nodded, but did not answer. Accumulation and thinning are the right ways in the world. If he had a choice, he also hoped to "build walls high, accumulate food widely, and become king slowly." But... the king smiled,
Said calmly.
"Sage, there are always many roads in the world. During my northern expedition, I saw mountain fires. Mountain fires came raging, violently devouring everything, and turning large tracts of forest into ashes! Then, when I returned, I saw
Above the ashes in the forest, new shoots are rising everywhere, growing strong day and night. The sunshine in the sky and the life in the soil are all owned by the new shoots."
Hearing the implication of the king's words, Jatiri was horrified. He said immediately.
"Your Majesty, how can a mortal control a mountain fire? I have also seen a mountain fire. The violence of the mountain fire devours everything, leaving no escape route. If you are not careful, you will burn yourself and the rest of the people... not to mention
, the big trees in the mountains also have good materials, and they are also your people!"
Shulot shook his head again.
"Sage, many of the big trees in the mountains are rotten and full of parasitic vines and mushrooms. They are completely crooked. If they are not completely pulled down, they will not be able to leave sunlight, rain and dew for the new shoots! I only want to plant the new shoots with my own hands and watch them grow strong.
growing up!"
Jatiri thought for a long time and finally advised.
"Your Majesty, the Zicao family has approached me and intends to make their daughter his concubine. The same is true for the Palm family. If they can get His Majesty's promise, they are willing to hand over half of their land and land in exchange for a divorce with the country."
Shulot lowered his eyes, thought for a while, then shook his head.
"No. This generation has not made any achievements, how can I rest with the country? I have made up my mind. The king's determination cannot be shaken!"
Jatiri had a complicated expression and was speechless for a long time. He finally sighed.
"Now that Your Majesty has made up his mind, I should follow suit. The nobles of the south once donated several boxes of property, but I did not use any of them. They were all handed over to the missionary priests... I am just worried that the fire has been burning for too long, and all the old trees have been destroyed, and the new shoots have been destroyed.
It must not be born!”
Hearing this, Shulot smiled confidently.
"Sage, you don't need to worry! In my opinion, the nobles in the south are like dry bones in the soil. Once the army arrives, they will obey orders obediently! Those who dare to disobey will have no danger of defending and will be dead!"
"Your Majesty, what if the Tekos barbarians in the southwest mountainous area are involved?"
"It's okay. Before the Northern Expedition, I was a little worried, but now that the Guakili Army has been established and the artillery battalion has been established, the tribal camps in the mountains are no longer resistance!"
After saying that, Shulot stretched out his hand and grabbed the sage's arm.
"This time, to appease the people of the South, I still have to ask the sage to help me!"
Jatiri nodded, feeling regretful and relieved at the same time.
"Your Majesty's ambition is unshakable, as high as the eagle and as broad as the sun. The old ministers naturally support your highness. I have sent students to contact the priests and chiefs of the villages in various places. Now, even if they are unwilling to respond to your majesty, they will not cooperate with you.
His Majesty is the enemy. But when His Majesty sets the general trend, they naturally know how to choose."
"Good, very good!"
Shulot was quite satisfied. The liger and the tiger fought against the rabbit, even with all their strength. Being able to divide the enemy before taking action is of course the best choice.
"Your Majesty, I have a request."
Jatiri bowed to the ground.
Shulot accepted it calmly. He smiled.
"As long as the sage's request does not violate the general policy of the kingdom, I can agree to it!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Jatiri said in a deep voice.
"Please, Your Majesty, leave a way for everyone in the south to survive."
"Don't worry, sage. I am not a person who is easy to kill. I have already left a way to survive."
Shulot smiled, took out a volume of documents from his arms, and handed it to Jatiri.
"Sage, please look."
Jatiri opened the document, and right above it were five large characters: "Order on Reduction of Seal and Change of Seal". He already knew Chinese characters, so he flipped through the document twice and nodded lightly.
"Your Majesty has mercy!"
The two chatted for a few more words, and then the sage stood up, bowed and left. This sudden and important duel finally came to an end. All parties in the kingdom finally reached an agreement.
At the end of October, the spring plowing and harvesting were completed, and the autumn gifts from various places were handed in one after another. There were still very few autumn gifts in Shicao County. The king finally ordered that the Gyeonggi Army, the Guakili Army, and the Second Lancer Corps move south at the same time and enter Zicao County!
The nobles in the south were greatly shocked. The chiefs of each tribe mobilized private soldiers and gathered in Dingkou to guard the area day and night. The nobles in the southwest even fled into the mountains and formed a stronghold to defend themselves.
At the beginning of November, Shulot personally led the Guards Corps, heading south from the capital to the small city of Alto. Kuramo City and the capital of King Qincongcan are 320 miles apart, and this is the midpoint of the two places. The Guards Corps immediately
Set up camp and set up the royal flag.
Then, the king issued an order to summon the nobles, clan chiefs and chiefs from all over the south: within ten days, they should come to the location of the royal flag and meet the king!