Chapter 670: Killing Intent
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The three years in the Feng family were the most relaxed and happy time in his life.
Even after so many years, that memory still did not fade in his heart.
Yu Niaoniao said, “I remember my father once said that as a ruler, you have to prioritize the people of the world. Did you do it?”
Shen Zhuo said, “Of course.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “When the Chen Army attacked Liaodong County, the Eastern Expedition Army urgently needed food support. What was your choice?” Shen Zhuo immediately stopped talking.
Yu Niaoniao said, “You chose to give up the Eastern Expedition Army and the entire Liaodong County.”
Shen Zhuo explained, “That’s because of the rebellion in Prince Jia’s Mansion. I have to calm the rebellion as soon as possible. The money and food in the national treasury are limited. I can only calm the internal strife first before dealing with the external trouble.”
Yu Niaoniao looked at him penetratingly.
“What you’re saying is only part of the reason. The reason why you gave up Liaodong County was that Tang Guixi was in Liaodong County.”
“You don’t want me and Xiao Juan to rely on Tang Guixi. You don’t want Tang
Guixi to continue controlling the Eastern Expedition Army.”
“You want to use the Chen Army to get rid of Tang Guixi. What you want from the beginning to the end is personal.”
Shen Zhuo could not refute.
That was indeed what he had thought back then.
Yu Niaoniao’s eyes were cold. “To you, protecting the throne is more important than anything. For this, you can even sacrifice the entire Liaodong County.”
Shen Zhuo said, “When I take back Liaodong County, I can exempt it from taxes for the next five years. Consider it compensation for the people of Liaodong.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “Five years of taxes in exchange for so many lives of the people of Liaodong. Let’s see if they will agree.”
Shen Zhuo was silent again.
Liaodong County did not pay a lot of taxes every year, but it was not a small amount either. Five years of taxes were already the limit of what he could concede. The Ministry of Revenue would definitely not agree to anything more.
Yu Niaoniao explained the current tax system of the Eastern Tang to Shen Zhuo in detail. Then, she explained the tax system of the Dayan.
She compared the two tax systems.
In comparison, the taxes on Eastern Tang were clearly much lower. The commoners still had a lot of surplus food after paying the taxes.
In addition, Eastern Tang had a system of distributing land according to the number of people. Every commoner could be distributed two acres of land, regardless of gender. Every year, the government would distribute food seedlings to the farmers for free.
If Eastern Tang was annexed by the Dayan, it meant that the land in the hands of the commoners would be taken back.
Even if the Imperial Court was willing to reduce taxes for them for five years, what would happen after five years? In the future, they would still have to live a hard life after paying taxes.
Shen Zhuo became more and more silent.
Actually, it was not that he did not know the benefits of these systems to the commoners. He was also willing to reform like Eastern Tang.
However, Dayan was not the Eastern Tang. The Eastern Tang was small and Tang Guixi had just finished the war. She was held in very high regard among the commoners. Her words were very influential. Even if some people in the court were dissatisfied, they did not dare to say anything.
They controlled most of the fields and would never allow the Imperial Court to undergo land reform.
No matter how ambitious Shen Zhuo was, he did not dare to touch the interests of those powerful people easily.
Yu Niaoniao looked at him and said calmly.
“I’m not afraid to tell you.”
“From the moment you gave up Liaodong County, your image in the hearts of the people of Liaodong had been completely destroyed.”
“Especially the commoners who were unlucky enough to have their families destroyed in the war. They hate you to the core.”
“If you want to send troops to Eastern Tang, I can guarantee that the entire Eastern Tang will work together to fight you to the death. If you don’t believe me, try it!”
Towards the end, her expression had become stern and fierce.
Shen Zhuo knew that it would be very difficult to take down the Eastern Tang, but if they really had to fight to the death, the price that Dayan would have to pay would be much greater than he had expected.
After all, fighting a war depended on aura.
If Eastern Tang really burned their bridges, it meant that they would fight this battle at all costs.
As the saying went, there was nothing to be afraid of.
Eastern Tang could risk everything to fight Dayan, but Dayan could not.
Once the expenditure on the war exceeded expectations, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Cabinet would protest. In order to make up for the expenditure, the Imperial Court could only increase taxes. In this way, the commoners would resent them.
The commoners would not analyze the reason. They would only become more and more dissatisfied with the Imperial Court and the emperor.
It was a vicious circle.
As the ruler of a country, Shen Zhuo had to be cautious.
Yu Niaoniao continued, “Taking a step back, even if you’re lucky enough to win this battle, it will definitely be a tragic victory. At that time, the people and land of Eastern Tang will be almost destroyed. You spent so much manpower and financial resources to obtain such a dilapidated Eastern Tang. Do you think this deal is worth it?”
Shen Zhuo was silent for a long time before speaking.
“Liaodong County is our Dayan’s territoryu If I give up just like that, where will the national prestige of Dayan be?”
Yu Niaoniao said coldly, “When the Chen Nation Army invaded Liaodong County and waved the butcher’s knife at the innocent people here, the prestige of the Dayan no longer exists.”
“The only way you could have restored the might of the country was to chase the Chen Nation Army out of Liaodong County and protect the people living here from the pain of war.
“But you gave up this opportunity. Brother Junzhi, you have already lost the right to talk about national power with the people of Liaodong.”
Every word seemed to be sharp.
Even that seemingly soft “Brother Junzhi” was filled with mockery in Shen Zhuo’s ears.
No matter how much Shen Zhuo could tolerate it, he could not help but be angered.
He grabbed Niaoniao by the neck, his eyes filled with hostility.
“Do you know who you’re talking to now? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you now?”
Outside the door, Wei Liao and the commander of the Imperial Guards stood on both sides.
There were also many Sky Wolf Guards and Imperial Guards scattered around this room. They were meant to protect the emperor.
He heard the conversation coming from the room and knew that Shen Zhuo wanted to kill Niaoniao. He subconsciously stood up and placed his hand on the hilt of the saber at his waist.
Seeing this, the commander of the Imperial Guards immediately became vigilant. “What’s wrong? Did you discover any abnormal movements?” Wei Liao said nothing.
He pricked up his ears to listen carefully for movement in the house.
If Shen Zhuo really wanted to attack Niaoniao, he could only take the risk to rush in to save her.
Fortunately, Shen Zhuo quickly regained his composure.
He quickly released Yu Niaoniao.
“I’m sorry. I was rash. I didn’t hurt you, right?”
She had clearly just walked on the line between life and death, but Yu Niaoniao could still smile.
“Look, even if it’s me, as long as I offend you, you still can’t help but want to kill me. This is also why you feel lonely at the top. Not because the seat is too high, but because you think too highly of yourself..”
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