Chapter 909: The Formation of Five Elements (Part 2)
Although he was helpless, Shi Dan, the chief minister of Prince Zhao's palace, still said, "In fact, we are also innocent people in this matter. In fact, the Ministry of Household Affairs of the imperial court carried out tax reforms on some commodities."
"Tax Reform?!"
Chang Shi handed another stack of paper to King Zhao, "Your Majesty, please take a look!"
King Zhao opened the paper and saw the large-character title in Zhubi: "Notice of the Ministry of Household Affairs on Adjusting Tax Rates for Various Luxury Products - Attached is a Specific Product List."
King Zhao couldn't help but ask after reading the title, "Yang Qingyuan has returned to the center of the imperial court!?"
This title is so distinctive of Yang Qingyuan’s personal style that ordinary people cannot write it.
Ge Changshi understood very well why King Zhao was asking this question now. He thought the same when he first saw it, "Reporting to the prince, Yang Qingyuan has not returned, but has been staying in the Jiangnan area. This is the decree issued by the imperial cabinet.
Government decree..."
The cabinet headed by Wang Hua has begun to reform the Great Zhou Dynasty. The first thing to be reformed is the official documents of the imperial court. Although the title of Yang Qingyuan style seems a bit long and convoluted, it can clearly express the central idea of the decree.
This tax reform is also an important part of the Great Zhou reform system. According to the current financial pressure and consumption of the Great Zhou, it is impossible to support the finance and taxation of the entire empire by relying on agricultural taxes alone.
So the cabinet chose someone to make a fuss about commercial taxes.
However, once the commercial tax is raised excessively, it will greatly improve the status of merchants from the side, which is inconsistent with the ancestral system, so the cabinet chose to start with luxury goods.
"Ge Changshi, could this be a sign that the imperial court is taking action against us?!" King Zhao felt that there was no such coincidence in the world, how could he just touch his money bag?
Ge Changshi shook his head in denial and said, "Your Majesty, I think that the cabinet is not here for us. I have seen the product catalog here, which mainly includes benzoin, ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, coral and other imported products from the sea. Northland
Fur goods, mink hair, ginseng, and horses only accounted for a small part of them. The imperial cabinet probably wanted to rectify the maritime trade merchants along the southeast coast."
King Zhao followed Ge Changshi's words, read the directory in his hand, and nodded in agreement with Ge Changshi's statement.
Ninety percent of this list is for taxes on maritime trade along the southeast coast. The business of Prince Zhao's Mansion only accounts for a very small part.
"This part of the gap comes from the palace's treasury."
"yes!"
"Does this government policy have a big impact on us?!"
Friends who have rebelled know that the most important thing in a rebellion is money and food. Without money and food, no one will sacrifice their life for you.
The Zhao Palace can support the army under its command now, and this monopoly business accounts for 70% of the success.
"The impact is not small. Once the court's taxes are collected, the income will be reduced by 20%!"
Originally, the financial situation of Prince Zhao's Mansion was relatively normal, with a surplus every year.
But if the two percent is less than one percent, a huge hole will appear.
"Can it be solved?!" King Zhao himself did not understand economics.
"Do your best for your humble position!" Ge Changshi did not take over everything, and the 20% gap was a big problem for anyone.
Zhu Kai showed a smile on his face and patted Ge Changshi.
Ge Changshi was an indispensable figure for the financial and taxation management of Prince Zhao's palace, just like Xiao He was to Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty and Fang Du was to Emperor Wen of the Tang Dynasty.
With him in charge of the finances of Prince Zhao's Mansion, Zhu Kai was relieved.
Not long after Ge Changshi left, the old monk Duyan in black appeared in front of King Zhao.
"Your Majesty, there are seven masters outside the palace, and the leader wants to see you!"
Du Yan's words made King Zhao's expression become serious.
The old monk Du Yan is an eminent monk of the Shaolin generation, and he supports him on behalf of Shaolin. Du Yan is not his subordinate, but more like a partner.
The person who can let Du Yan name a master must definitely be in the Dongxuan realm and above.
"Does this person have any malicious intentions?!"
Although there are masters guarding King Zhao, facing seven masters at the same time, even King Zhao is under psychological pressure.
"Whether it is malicious or not is unknown, but this person said that he came to give the prince a white hat." At this point, both Du Yan and King Zhao showed strange looks on their faces.
This routine has already been used by someone, and the person who used it is Monk Duyan.
The king of Zhao is the king, and the word "wang" is added in white, isn't it the same as the word "emperor"?!
"Then let's meet! Let the leader come in! The remaining six people will take them to the living room to rest, and send experts to keep an eye on them. If they come with bad intentions, they will be shot to death!"
"yes!"
A moment later, under the leadership of Du Yan, a man wearing a black robe and a mask came to King Zhao's garden.
"I heard from Master Du Yan that he wants to give me a gift!" King Zhao poured the boiling tea into the tea cup while speaking, and threw it at the visitor.
King Zhao is a veteran on the battlefield and has good martial arts skills. Although he cannot compare with the top masters in the world, he still has the realm of Yuanhua.
I saw the tea flying out, just when it was about to spill on the man in black robe, it suddenly stopped in mid-air, and then seemed to be wrapped by an invisible force, and the spilled tea returned to the teacup without leaking a drop.
, the tea cup also fell into the visitor’s hand.
“The tea is fragrant and the tea is really good!”
The man in black robe didn't mean to be offended. It was a reasonable thing to meet for an interview.
"I have heard for a long time that His Highness King Zhao has many talented people, and they are indeed extraordinary. Although this Master Du Yan has no obvious martial arts skills, his resourcefulness is the best in the world. And there are actually two masters of heaven, earth, heaven and earth in this small garden. It is really shocking.
I’ll look at you with admiration!”
The man in black robe opened his mouth and revealed the masters hidden in the dark by King Zhao.
This move made King Zhao's evaluation of him to a higher level, "This person's martial arts is indeed extraordinary!"
Then the man in black robe said something extremely arrogant, "Actually, Your Majesty, you don't have to be like this. With my martial arts skills, if you really want to harm Your Majesty, the two men from the Shaolin Lecture Hall will not be able to stop me."
The two old monks hiding in the dark were masters of the Shaolin Lecture Hall. One of them was the white-robed monk who secretly went to Wudang on the day of Zhang Sanfeng's birthday party.
Although these two old monks were eminent Buddhist monks, after hearing the arrogant words of the man in black robes, they couldn't help but feel itchy and wanted to hit him.
King Zhao did not respond to the black-robed man's words. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "Have you brought the gift that I just said you would give to me?!"
The man in black robe placed the tea cup on the stone table and sat directly opposite King Zhao.
"This gift is too great. If I leave it in the capital of the gods, I have to wait for the prince to pick it up himself!"
There was a smile in King Zhao's eyes, "Then don't beat around the bush, let's get down to business!"
"Okay, the prince is indeed a cheerful person, and I am also a straight person!! Let's open the skylight and speak frankly!"
"Then how can your Majesty give me this white hat?!" King Zhao's title changed from "Ji" to "Your Majesty".
"Your Majesty has a strong army and strong horses, and he dominates Yan and Zhao. He already has the capital to compete in the world. He is just waiting for an opportunity. I am here to bring this opportunity to Your Majesty."
"Oh?! Please elaborate!" King Zhao stretched out his right hand and asked the man in black robe to speak.
"The emperor today, who is young and ignorant, is just a decoration. The power lies in the cabinet, the Sixth Army Governor's Office and the Inspectorate. When it comes to wise methods, the emperor is not as good as the prince! The reason why the prince has been standing still is because he has nothing to worry about!
"
The man in black robe stared at King Zhao's expression, and when he saw the almost imperceptible look of surprise on his face, he knew that he was right.
"The first one is Li Chengen, the commander-in-chief of the Tiance Army. This man has been in charge of the Tiance Army for many years, and has been invincible in every battle and attack. The Tiance Army under his command is the most powerful army in the world. He attacked Daqian in the north and leveled Houjin in the east. Among them
They all have the shadow of the Tiance Army. He is the first big mountain blocking the prince's way to Beijing. If this mountain is not removed, the prince will not be able to leave the land of Yanzhao and head west!"
King Zhao did not answer, but nodded to indicate to the man in black robe to continue.
"The second one is the Crown Prince and Tutor, the Marquis of Wuxiang Yang Qingyuan! If there are traces of Li Chengen's military use, then this man's military use is unconstrained. After reforming the military system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, this man has fully gathered military morale. It can be said that the Great Zhou Dynasty is now
The number one person in the Zhou army, if this person is here, the prince may not be able to defeat him!"
Hearing what the man in black robe said, King Zhao was not angry. Instead, he agreed, "Soldiers are crafty! There are so many changes and it's impossible to guard against them! I think I only have a 30% chance of winning against Yang Hou."
"If these two people are not eliminated, the prince's great cause will not be able to succeed!"
King Zhao lowered his head and took a sip of tea, then said, "Does your Majesty have the ability to move mountains and fill seas?!"
Southern Xinjiang, Blood River Sect General Altar.
Li Jin found the stone tablet representing the gold industry. With his previous experience, he was more careful this time, and sure enough, he found a golden scorpion in the stone tablet.
The scorpion wearing armor, the five elements belong to gold!
After finishing off the scorpion, he punched hard and knocked down the stone tablet.
Then, according to what Zhang Xuanqing said, Jie Jin knocked down the stone tablet in the order of gold, wood, water and fire.
Just when he was about to destroy the base of the formation, Zhang Xuanqing was hit by another claw in the fight with the Fourth Elder, and five wounds more than two inches deep appeared on his abdomen.
"Old Heavenly Master, you are still working hard at such an old age?! Can you fight hard?!" The fourth elder seemed to have selectively forgotten the existence of Ji Jin, and kept fighting with Zhang Xuanqing.
Although Zhang Xuanqing was injured, his Qi still showed no signs of weakening. He could only see that the lightning enveloped his entire body and his face could no longer be seen clearly.
When Zhang Xuanqing stood still, a person who looked exactly like Zhang Xuanqing appeared from nowhere behind him.
He was also wrapped in lightning and couldn't see his face clearly.
"Shadow fractal?! Is there really such a magical martial arts in this world?!"
Shadow fractal is an extremely powerful martial art in the martial arts world. It must have a special method and temperament to practice it. This kind of Kung Fu is only a legend in the martial arts world. No one knows whether it exists, but the facts before us
The four elders were shocked and couldn't believe it.
"It's just a cover-up, and you're showing off in front of me!?"
Rushing forward quickly, the fourth elder struck out with a claw, directly grabbing the Lei Guang figure's chest. He did not believe that Zhang Xuanqing could really be so skilled in martial arts.
The blurry figure flashing with lightning struck out with a palm, blocking the claws of the four elders, and then pushed the four elders back with a movement of strength.
"This is true!"
The fourth elder had already made a judgment in the flash of lightning, and then took action to attack the Dao Lei Shadow in front of him.
At the same time, a figure appeared behind the fourth elder.
When the fourth elder attacked Lei Guang's figure, he found a strange smile on his seemingly mosaic face, looking at him as if he was sizing up an interesting object.
The fourth elder didn't know why he felt like this, but in the next moment, he knew.
The fierce claw force penetrated directly through the thunder figure in front of him without any hindrance!
This is fake!
The figure behind the fourth elder punched the fourth elder on the lower back.
"Poof!" A mouthful of blood spurted out. The fourth elder was hit by the punch and rolled two and a half times on the ground before stopping his castration.
"How is that possible?!" The fourth elder's eyes were full of disbelief.
Obviously the figure in front of him just now is real. When did Zhang Xuanqing change positions?!
The thunderous figure dissipated, and the lightning around Zhang Xuanqing also disappeared, revealing his true face.
"The methods of your Taoist master are not something that a heretic like you can understand!"
This is a unique skill that Zhang Xuanqing developed after discussing with Yang Qingyuan using the speed of lightning god walking, coupled with his own Qinggong movement - Wind and Thunder Transformation.
The two figures are both fake, and they can both be real!
As long as you are fast enough!
Yang Qingyuan also knows this trick, and he stole it from Bai Feng's Six Fantasy of Phoenix Dance.
Of course, there is still a distinction between superior and inferior. Bai Feng's Six Illusions of Phoenix Dance may not be useful in front of masters of the Heavenly, Elephant and Earth Realm, but Yang Qingyuan's ordinary Heavenly Elephant and Earth Realm masters are absolutely difficult to crack.
Zhang Xuanqing's Wind and Thunder Transformation technique is still immature and puts a huge burden on the human body. Although Zhang Xuanqing has advanced martial arts skills, he is still old. With his current physical condition, it is difficult for him to perform this magical skill for a long time.
Just as Zhang Xuanqing and the four elders lined up on both sides, the last stone tablet in the center of the Blood River Sect's main hall was broken.
"Haha, boy, the formation of the Five Elements has been broken, what are you going to do to fight me?!"
What the four elders rely on is nothing more than the Five Elements Formation. The foundation of the Five Elements Formation has been destroyed and the power of the Five Elements has been disrupted. The four elders will definitely be defeated!
But just when Jie Jin walked up to Zhang Xuanqing and stood side by side, a strange smile appeared on the corner of the fourth elder's mouth.
Blood was flowing continuously into the five stone pits just now, and soon the five stone pits turned into five pools of blood.
"You are so confident! You can come and try it!" The fourth elder did not panic at all.
In the final move, Wei Tuo's demon-subduing fist was thrown out. The extremely fierce fist force carried the power of the Buddhist protector and struck directly at the face of the four elders.
But I saw the fourth elder, constantly absorbing the blood evil energy around him, and flicked out a finger at will without dodging.
The power of the Wei Tuo Demon Subduing Divine Fist was completely consumed by the Blood River Zhengang!
"This?!" Ling Jin looked at his fist subconsciously. He had used 80% of his power in the punch just now. It would have been impossible for the Fourth Elder to receive it so easily without the help of the Five Elements.
"How could the formation that our Blood River Sect spent decades building be broken down so easily?! What are you thinking?!"
The Qi of the fourth elder increased instead of falling, becoming three points stronger than just now.
