Chapter 433: Good News or Bad News? ( 3 )
Chapter 433: Good News or Bad News? ( 3 )
The moment Emperor Tianwu heard Jin Liangkai’s words, he couldn’t help but stare at his maternal grandfather coldly.
He knew that his maternal family was greedy for wealth and power but lacked capability. They often used their familial relationship with him to throw their weight around for their own benefit. Even so, he never expected them to be this foolish.
Everyone knew that he was in a bad mood and didn’t even dare look at him. Yet, his maternal grandfather couldn’t wait to step out and muddy the water.
Did he really think that he, the Emperor, was still that weak and useless young boy from back then?
It seemed that his maternal grandfather had forgotten that, before his status as the Emperor’s grandfather, he was first and foremost his subject. Maybe he should teach him a lesson so he would remember his position and status.
With this thought flashing through his mind, Emperor Tianwu sneered and said, "Minister Jin, it seems that you are hoping to hear bad news."
Jin Liangkai was taken aback by the Emperor’s words. When he met the Emperor’s cold gaze, he quickly knelt on the ground and said, "This subject wouldn’t dare!"
"You wouldn’t dare?" Emperor Tianwu let out a snort and added angrily, "Zhen sees that you are very daring!"
The moment his voice echoed through the vast hall, everyone, including the eunuchs, knelt on the ground with their foreheads touching the cold floor.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" they shouted in unison.
After a long silence, Emperor Tianwu finally said, "My dear ministers, the Northeast City has been reclaimed, and the White Tiger Army is stationed outside the city under General Lu’s command."
When he finished speaking, he glanced at all the kneeling ministers and smiled.
"Now that General Lu has contributed greatly to our Great Yan Kingdom, what reward should Zhen bestow upon him?"
The moment the ministers heard his words, they lowered their heads as much as possible, fearing that the Emperor would single them out to answer.
Emperor Tianwu narrowed his eyes and let out a chuckle. All of these old foxes were smart. They knew his intention of removing the military power from Lu Qianxuan’s hands because he hadn’t even bothered to hide it.
But even so, no one would be foolish enough to say it out loud. After all, speculating about the Emperor’s thoughts was a capital crime. One wrong move, and they would be used as scapegoats by the Emperor.
After the time it took to brew a cup of tea had passed, the Emperor finally asked, "Aren’t you usually so eloquent? Why is no one talking now? Have all of you lost your tongues?"
Another ten minutes passed before Ye Wenzhou made up his mind and said, "Your Majesty, this subject has a suggestion."
Emperor Tianwu looked at him and said, "Speak."
With cold sweat drenching his back, Ye Wenzhou raised his head and replied, "Your Majesty, the imperial treasury is empty, and tax revenue has been decreasing over the years. With our current situation, it will be difficult for us to cover the expenses of rebuilding the Northeast City."
"As the sages said, it’s easy to take a city, but it’s hard to defend it. If we fail to rebuild the city, it will raise discontent among the commoners and cause riots. Although we can suppress them using military force, it’s not a long-term solution."
After saying this, he observed the Emperor’s expressions.
Seeing that he had no objection to his words, he continued, "Since General Lu was able to reclaim the city without using funds from the imperial treasury, this subject believes that he will have the capability to rebuild the city even without troubling the Imperial Court."
"But by doing that, people would definitely point fingers at the Imperial Court, and this would turn the soldiers’ hearts cold. Therefore, this subject thinks that the best course of action is to grant him a noble title and bestow the Northeast City as his fief."
As soon as he finished speaking, all of the ministers exchanged glances, but no one dared say a word. They were still kneeling, and without the Emperor’s permission, they couldn’t stand up.
At first, Emperor Tianwu was displeased by Ye Wenzhou’s suggestion and thought that he was in cahoots with Lu Qianxuan. But the more he listened, the more it made sense.
Even though he didn’t know how Lu Qianxuan was able to win the war, he was sure that it was not without support from the Xue family.
Since they had the money to help him reclaim the Northeast City, they should also have the money to help him rebuild it.
While he was unwilling to grant a noble title to Lu Qianxuan, the man had accumulated considerable military merits over the years.
If he continued ignoring his merits and avoided rewarding him, the soldiers would lose their loyalty towards the Emperor and their determination to gain military merits.
Thinking about it, now was indeed a good opportunity to grant him a reward. With this title, he wouldn’t have to reward him with anything else. As long as he didn’t have to spend money, he had no problem granting an empty title and a money-losing fief.
Even though the Northeast City’s location was strategic for trade routes between the Great Yan Kingdom, the Mobei Kingdom, and the Zhiyue Kingdom, it also shared borders with the barbarians and the grassland tribes.
They needed a strong army to ensure that those people with wolfish intentions were unable to enter the Great Yan’s land. Just maintaining enough soldiers to guard the city would cost at least several tens of thousands of taels of silver every year.
Not to mention that they needed to rebuild the city before they could reopen the trade routes. The amount of money required was indeed too great a burden for the imperial treasury.
Judging from the situation over there, it might take several years just to reopen the trading route. It would be foolish for him not to use this good tool to his benefit.
It wouldn’t be too late for him to take over the city and strip Lu Qianxuan of his military power after the city had been rebuilt.