Chapter 270 Yan Shifan: Then offer your loyalty!
"Boom boom boom."
On a high-speed fairy track carriage, as the fairy track continued to shuttle into the mountain, the faint lights on the firefly clam stones flickered, and the light in the carriage flickered.
At this moment, in the head carriage of the Immortal Track, which looked like a small conference room, there were three men of different ages and body shapes sitting there, and the atmosphere was inexplicably solemn.
"Our affairs have been exposed." The King of Korea, Li Hun, sighed and looked at the King of Toungoo and the King of Siam who were sitting in front of him, and said in a deep voice in standard Chinese.
With the influence of the Ming Dynasty on the entire world, people from all over the world are learning Chinese. Overseas countries, such as Britain, France, the Netherlands, etc., have long regarded Chinese as their second mother tongue and even use Chinese in daily communication.
After all, as long as one is a human being and wants to cultivate immortality, one must learn Chinese.
Because only by learning Chinese can you understand the magic.
Chinese is the official language of the whole world. It is naturally difficult for people of different countries to communicate using their own language, but if they use Chinese, then communication will be barrier-free.
The King of Toungoo, Menghan Lhazak II, was a burly, bronze-skinned man with a gray and hard beard that looked like steel needles.
A pair of deep eyes flashed with a strange color after hearing the words of King Li Hun of Korea.
Of course he was scared!
Their business, what business?
Of course it is a matter of secretly developing the Immortal Cultivation Dynasty!
Various countries built spiritual energy factories for the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty could also guarantee the royal bloodlines of their countries and develop immortal cultivation families.
However, the king and his heirs can use normal spiritual resources to practice, but no one else is allowed to use normal spiritual resources to practice. This is the bottom line that cannot be touched.
However, not only did they use normal spiritual resources to develop families outside the royal line to expand the number of family members with the intention of strengthening their own immortal cultivation family, they also helped their close ministers and let the ministers' families practice with them.
In recent years, with the corruption of officials within the Ming Dynasty, the growth of underground gang forces, and the huge profits of the spirit stone business, they have also benefited a lot.
The three countries have secretly developed a considerable army of immortal cultivators, numbering at least several thousand or tens of thousands.
Although the cultivation levels of these elite troops are generally at the first to second level of Qi training, and most of them are only at the stage of drawing Qi into the body, they have all practiced immortal martial arts.
By now, in the ninety-ninth year of the Jiajing reign, after several decades of development, the contents of the first three levels of the Immortal Martial Arts, that is, the three acquired levels, are no longer a secret.
Even the detectives in ordinary government offices can practice it.
As for the contents of the three levels of the innate realm, it is not too difficult to obtain if one wants to. The high-ranking officials of the garrisons under each dusi have practiced it.
Of course, there are three levels in the Innate Realm, and the content of each level has a different degree of confidentiality.
The internal official ranks of the Ming Dynasty's guards were roughly divided into three levels from top to bottom. The highest level was naturally the Duzhihuishisi.
There is one commander-in-chief in the Military Command Headquarters, who is a second-rank official and is the head of the Military Command Headquarters.
Then there is the second in command, the commander-in-chief, who has two people, with the rank of second grade, and assists the commander-in-chief in handling affairs.
The next three in command is the deputy commander, which consists of four people with the rank of third grade, and is responsible for specific military command.
All the contents of the three innate levels are completely open to the Commandery. Even the top leader, the Commandery, is allowed to practice the last three levels of the Immortal Martial Arts, which is the content of entering the Tao through martial arts.
After all, the first three levels of the Immortal Martial Arts are the acquired realm, also known as the acquired three levels; the middle three levels are the innate realm, called the innate three levels; and the last three levels are the third level of the realm of martial arts.
Few people have seen how powerful the realm of martial arts is, but there is a saying circulating in the Ming army that most of the first batch of immortal warriors and guards have reached this level.
Rumor has it that even if a cultivator in the late stage of Qi training has magical instruments and talismans in his hands, he still has to be extremely alert when facing the Immortal Guards of this level, otherwise he will die as soon as he meets them.
Of course, we are talking about the Ming Dynasty's immortal cultivation world. For those cultivators who have reached the eighth or ninth level of Qi training, if the Immortal Martial Guards encounter cultivators who also practice immortal martial arts, especially high-ranking military officials, they will not be able to win easily and may even lose.
However, the Xianwu Guard and the Jinyi Guard have a special status in the Ming Dynasty. Once these two are dispatched, it proves that the top leaders want to take action. Anyone who dares to resist would mean rebellion.
The second watershed of the Wei Suo system was the Wei Commandery.
The official positions from high to low are: the third rank commander, the third rank associate commander, the fourth rank assistant commander, the fifth rank guard, the seventh rank experience, the eighth rank governor, and the ninth rank clerk.
Military officials who were at the second watershed of the Wei-suo system were only allowed to cultivate the contents of the third level of the innate realm.
After that, there was the third watershed of the Weisuo system.
The ranks of a thousand households, from high to low, are thousand households, deputy thousand households, hundred households, pacification, general flag, small flag, clerk, etc.
It allows the practice of transforming from acquired to innate content.
It is precisely because of such a large-scale spread of the Immortal Martial Arts that various countries have the possibility of coming into contact with the Immortal Martial Arts.
Even if they use spirit stones and disregard the lives and future of their soldiers, the speed at which the surrounding countries cultivate immortal martial arts, although not faster than that of the Ming Dynasty, cannot be ignored.
This is also one of the reasons why Yan Shifan saw that various countries were determined to develop the Immortal Cultivation Dynasty and started a war!
Yan Shifan can be said to be vicious and bad, but when it comes to his own interests, he thinks faster than anyone else.
Yan Shifan knew very well that he and his family were tied to the entire dynasty. If the surrounding countries had an army of hundreds of thousands or even millions of immortal warriors, it would mean that these countries had the capital and ability to challenge the Ming Dynasty.
Although it will not pose any threat to the Ming Dynasty today, if it is allowed to continue to grow, although it will not be enough to threaten the Ming Dynasty, it will still be a trouble if a real attack is launched.
Therefore, in Yan Shifan's opinion, it must be dealt with quickly.
In overseas countries, because there were the Ming army and the Jinyiwei stationed there, and the top families only cared about the development of their own families, they sold out their country thoroughly and were extremely obedient.
It is precisely these small countries around here that should have been more well-behaved and obedient, but are the most restless!
Therefore, in the view of Yan Shifan and even Zhang Juzheng, since these small countries are disobedient, it would be better to wipe them out.
It was just at the critical point of the 100th year of Jiajing's reign that he could contribute to their achievements in expanding territory.
"I heard that the person who ordered us to go to Nanjing this time was the young cabinet minister, Yan Shifan," said the Toungoo King, Menghan Lhaza II, after a pause.
"As long as it's not the cabinet minister, or the emperor who issues the order, I think he won't go too far, right?"
"That's right," the King of Siam, Narasuant Rama I, was a dark-skinned, pot-bellied, sixty-year-old man. After hearing Menghan Lhaza's words, he bowed as if to give himself courage, and spoke slowly:
"No matter what, we are also the rulers of a country."
"No matter how powerful the cabinet minister's family is, he can't execute us on the spot, right?"
Looking at the two old guys in front of him who were still deceiving themselves at this time, King Li Hun of Korea just felt tired.
He is regretting it to death now.
If I had known earlier, I shouldn't have been blinded by the benefits and cooperated with these two idiots who couldn't see the situation clearly. But it's too late to say anything now, the best thing to do now is to think of a countermeasure.
So Li Hun had to patiently speak: "Yan Shifan is the son of Yan Song, the head of the cabinet."
"Now that things have become so serious, don't you think about it? Without the consent of the Prime Minister, or even the tacit approval of the entire cabinet, no matter how arrogant Yan Shifan is, would he dare to ask the head of a country to come and see him?"
"His tough attitude shows that he will definitely deal with us this time," Li Hui said, glancing at the two nervous idiots in front of him, shaking his head and continuing:
"As for the lack of the emperor's permission... ha!" Li Hun chuckled at himself and said:
"Do you think that the monarch of a tiny country like ours can ask the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to personally intervene?"
"He is a living immortal. Even God, Odin, Brahma, and Zeus are his servants..." Li Hun waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this."
"Anyway, this time when we go to Nanjing, nothing good will happen to us!"
"Then what do you think we should do?" King Menghan Lhaza of Toungoo swallowed and looked at Li Hun.
The King of Siam, Narasutra I, who was standing nearby, also put away his dissatisfaction and indifference towards Yan Shifan's summons. He subconsciously sat up straight, his eyes fixed on Li Hun.
Well, compared to Li Hun, although the two of them were also living in the vicinity of the Ming Dynasty, they were not influenced by the Han culture after all.
Therefore, whether in terms of government scheming, governance, or cultural heritage, no country is as close to the Ming Dynasty as Korea.
In terms of mental cunning, he is not even a little bit inferior to the young man Li Hun.
Li Hun is the external brain of both of them.
“When you go there this time, admit your mistakes first. No matter what Daming says or what demands are made, you must accept it and absolutely cannot refute it!” Li Hun knew that his two teammates were idiots and was too lazy to beat around the bush.
"Okay!" Naraxuan Lama and Menghan Laza looked at each other and nodded at the same time.
Seeing this, Li Hun nodded and stopped talking. At this time, the Xiangui drove out of the tunnel and a dazzling light entered the carriage.
Li Hun looked at the wilderness in the distance. He didn't know why he always felt uneasy in his heart. This matter was actually very big, but if he wanted to solve it, he could land it safely.
After all, these small countries have always been obedient. Even if they occasionally make some normal mistakes due to some ambitions, the Ming Dynasty will only need to give them a slight punishment, and there is no need to start a war.
After all, the forces they developed in secret were nothing in the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, to put it bluntly.
As long as he went to Nanjing and behaved respectfully, making the young cabinet minister happy, and presented some tributes, he would be humiliated at best.
But I don’t know why?
He always felt uneasy.
Li Hun's idea was indeed correct. If this incident had happened eleven or twelve years earlier, even if the Ming Dynasty discovered that they were secretly developing an immortal cultivation dynasty, they would at most punish them and would not resort to war.
But what he didn't know was that this was just a coincidence.
It is almost the 100th year of Jiajing, a big day, and then it is the time when the 30-year year-end bonuses that the officials have been looking forward to will be distributed.
All the ministers wanted to expand the territory at this moment and add a considerable political achievement before the year-end bonus was distributed.
In addition, Yan Shifan had just experienced a humiliation in the world of immortal cultivation. This young elder had just realized that only when the Ming Dynasty was better could Yan Shifan's great revenge be avenged.
Therefore, when faced with countries and people that damage the interests and authority of the Ming Dynasty, we will never let them off easily.
All the coincidences happened together, and the final result was the destruction of the country.
Nanjing City, the garrison office.
The photo stone in front of Yan Shifan projected the scene inside the Wenhua Hall of the Cabinet. He was participating in a remote meeting.
"I agree with Zhang Juzheng's proposal," Yan Shifan took the lead in expressing his opinion, "The surrounding small countries really have no meaning of existence!" After all, it was a major event to decide whether to swallow up the surrounding countries, so naturally all members of the cabinet had to participate. Therefore, Yan Shifan was also invited. After listening to Zhang Juzheng's proposal, Yan Shifan chose to agree without even thinking about it.
It is not surprising that Yan Shifan, the cabinet and other senior officials of the six ministries, would agree to this proposal.
Well, a poisonous snake! Everyone knows that this young minister is a greedy and vicious snake.
Once such people see benefits, they will naturally not let them go.
Moreover, from the radical attitude that Yan Shifan adopted towards the Japanese Kingdom and the Japanese people on Yingzhou Island, which was to destroy the country and the race, we can know what he would do if he had the opportunity to annex the surrounding small countries.
However, destroying a country is not a matter of eating and drinking. It must be based on interests and weighing the pros and cons. There are also subsequent problems to be solved, so naturally one cannot listen to someone's one-sided words.
Therefore, everyone looked at Yan Shifan and asked him to tell them why he agreed.
Being watched by everyone, Yan Shifan didn't waste any words and directly began to explain the reasons why he agreed to destroy the country.
"First of all, the families in the overseas countries are extremely obedient. Their people and countries are not averse to spirit stones!"
Yan Shifan looked around at everyone and said:
"Secondly, the amount of spiritual energy industrial products sent to Ming by any country in overseas spiritual energy factories each year is equal to the total amount of spiritual energy industrial products sent by surrounding small countries throughout the year!"
After hearing these two reasons, everyone nodded slightly.
Yan Shifan now serves concurrently as the Minister of Revenue, so he naturally knows all this.
As for whether the overseas countries are obedient? Not necessarily, but it is because the overseas countries have elite troops of the Ming Dynasty stationed there.
Moreover, the supervision of the Jinyiwei was also very strict.
In addition, those families in overseas countries really only care about themselves and have no so-called patriotism.
Even those families are deliberately restricting ordinary people from accessing normal cultivation resources.
There is no need for the Ming Dynasty to deliberately and strictly control it.
For these families, it is enough for them, the upper nobles and merchant families, to ensure normal practice.
As for the common people? They can just be cultivators who use spirit stones to cultivate, and work for them in factories, so that they can exchange them with the Ming Dynasty for normal cultivation resources.
It is precisely because of this cold-blooded and cruel consciousness of capital that the Ming Dynasty believes that families in overseas countries are more suitable for control.
In order to reward the families that controlled a country in overseas countries, the Ming Dynasty even allowed the children of those families to study in the Ming Dynasty's academies and live in the Ming Dynasty.
In this case, the people of these families will naturally care even less about what is happening in their own country?
Moreover, in order to ensure that the spiritual energy factory can continue to operate, they also control the ratio between monks and ordinary people. After all, monks come from mortals.
The most important thing is that the people of overseas countries don’t seem to have any intention of resisting Lingshi.
Nowadays, their lives have already surpassed the levels of the past few decades, and this is all brought by the spirit stones!
If someone in every household becomes a cultivator, there will be a lot of subsidies. As for whether the spirit stones are poisonous or harmful? So what? The spirit stones have good effects and can speed up cultivation. The benefits they bring are unimaginable.
For them, this is enough!
Besides, isn’t the country also vigorously promoting Lingshi?
Spiritual stones are harmful? If we can always ensure a sufficient supply of spiritual stones, then it won't matter, right?
For them, monks who use spirit stones can receive a sufficient share every month. Sometimes, after saving up spirit stones for a year, there are still quite a few left over, and they can even do some small business.
Well, if you skip a meal, you will still be hungry? If you don't eat for three days, you will starve to death? Isn't the principle of spiritual stones the same as eating and drinking water?
Who can say that food and water are harmful?
"As for the annexation of the surrounding small countries, the spiritual energy factories, and how to accommodate those spiritual stone practitioners," Yan Shifan looked around at everyone and sneered, "Why bother?"
"Who said that there can't be a spiritual energy factory that uses spiritual stones as energy on the land of our Ming Dynasty?"
"Everything should be as it is now, isn't it?"
"What we want is an opportunity to expand our territory and a region that is completely under the control of the laws of our Ming Dynasty."
"Now the surrounding small countries are interested in developing a Xiuxian Dynasty, which means they have already developed the idea of rebellion."
"Since they won't listen, then let's destroy their country. If these so-called royal families of various countries can't manage their own countries, then let the Ming Dynasty manage them."
"I think that under the laws of our Ming Dynasty, the spiritual stone trade will soon be rectified."
"Or," Yan Shifan paused for a moment and said indifferently, "If you are really worried that the spiritual energy factory will affect our Ming Dynasty, then just move it."
"We will clear out the surrounding areas of Ming Dynasty, such as the small country of Luzon, and many other island countries, and then move the factories there. As for those spiritual stone practitioners, move them all there as well."
"In this way, the cleared land can also become a reserve for some spiritual warehouses in our Ming Dynasty."
"In short, there are too many ways."
After Yan Shifan finished speaking, everyone in the Wenhua Hall fell silent again.
In fact, they had considered what Yan Shifan said, but doing so would be too detrimental to the harmony of nature and people.
Overseas countries and their people knew that the spiritual stones were harmful, but they were happy to use them.
Although the opening of the spirit stone trade seemed somewhat immoral and even against the harmony of nature and people in their own eyes, overall, it was a case of both sides willing to fight and be beaten.
However, the surrounding small countries were deeply involved with the Ming Dynasty and were of course aware of the dangers of the spiritual stones. They also understood that if the Ming Dynasty continued to act, it would lead to the destruction of their country and their race.
Naturally, the leaders and people of these countries were resistant, and some even secretly accumulated strength in an attempt to save the country.
This is also the reason why the total annual spiritual industrial products of the surrounding small countries combined are not as good as that of a single overseas country.
Now that the Ming Dynasty is destroying their country, they see nothing wrong with it. However, after all, it is a great dynasty, so they still have to act with dignity and have a legitimate reason.
Now, overseas countries are trying to bring spiritual stones into the Ming Dynasty to harm its people. This is a reluctant reason to destroy the country, but the people in the cabinet are unwilling to be the first to make the final decision.
In other words, Zhang Juzheng's proposal required someone to take the lead in agreeing and to state the interests openly, indicating that they were doing this for the sake of interests.
Yan Shifan is the best and most suitable person!
The young cabinet minister naturally understood the consistent style of these self-proclaimed "clean stream" people who pretended to be whores and put up a memorial arch for themselves, and he was too lazy to bother with them. His ultimate goal in doing this was to benefit the Ming Dynasty.
As long as the emperor understands it in his heart, that’s enough!
As for the stigma? Yan Shifan took it, so what? Anyway, when the emperor gives my Yan family benefits, you just don't get jealous and go crazy!
"The harm caused by the surrounding small countries is indeed great, and they have evil ambitions," Yan Song said slowly, "but if that's all, a little punishment will suffice."
"But we also have to consider the reality," Yan Song said in a gentle tone, "Now the population is skyrocketing, and the number of ordinary people is also surging. The Ming Dynasty really needs more land, not only spiritual soil and spiritual warehouses, but also ordinary mundane grains."
"The food crisis has been resolved. Now that Ming is supplying food to the entire world and meeting the food needs of its own surging population, it will be very difficult to meet the demand in the next decade or so."
"Therefore, appropriate territorial expansion is also necessary."
Good! This time the reason is more reasonable!
Everyone was very satisfied with Yan Song and his son.
One gave a reason to send troops to destroy a country, the other gave a reason to serve the country and the people.
In this case, wouldn't this force them into a dead end? If they don't agree to swallow up the surrounding small countries, wouldn't they be letting down the country and the people?
Good, good, good, great!
"I agree with Lord Yan's proposal!"
Among the six ministries, there was a person from the Yan Party. After observing the situation, he realized that things had come to this point and both the inside and the outside had been revealed, so it was time to make a conclusion, so he shouted it out immediately.
"The small countries around us are so ungrateful that they even attempt to invade the Ming Dynasty. They should be destroyed!"
"That's right, everything is for the people of the Ming Dynasty..."
As more and more people spoke, the Yan Party and people from other factions in the court understood the meaning of the elders' silence and expressed their opinions immediately.
For a moment, all the ministers in Wenhua Palace were furious!
When the atmosphere gradually calmed down, Zhao Zhenji coughed lightly and said, "In this case, I can only endure the hardship for a while... If I can bring benefits to the people of the Ming Dynasty, I will bear the blame."
"I agree too!" Gao Gong also expressed his opinion.
Afterwards, Zhang Juzheng, Wang Chonggu, Yu Dayou and Hu Zongxian all expressed their opinions.
"In that case," Prince Yu and Prince Jing looked at each other, stood up and said, "Then let them offer their loyalty!"
Then he looked at Yan Shifan who was projected by the image stone, stood up and said, "Yan Shifan."
"I'm here!" Yan Shifan was stunned.
"Tell the King of Siam, the King of Toungoo, and the King of Korea to hand over the national seal, offer loyalty to the Ming Dynasty, and set an example for the surrounding countries." Prince Yu said in a serious tone:
"If they perform well, these countries will become the provincial governors under the Ming Dynasty, and they can serve as provincial governors."
"Yes!" Yan Shifan clasped his fists and bowed!
"Hu Zongxian, Wang Chonggu, and Yu Dayou!" At this time, King Jing also spoke and called out the names of three people.
"We are here!" Hu Zongxian and the other two stood up and bowed.
"I order you to take charge. The Three Thousand Battalion, the Five Army Battalion, and the Divine Machine Battalion are to be on standby at all times!"
"Yes!" The three of them received the order at the same time.
Afterwards, Prince Yu looked at Yan Song again and said, "Lord Yan, do you have anything else to say?"
"This move should be reported to the emperor..." Before Yan Song finished speaking, Jiajing's calm voice rang in everyone's mind.
"I agree, but remember, since you have done it, do it cleanly. Make all the surrounding small countries hand over the national seal, establish a provincial government, and let the king serve as the provincial government."
"Your Majesty?!" The ministers were startled when they heard Jiajing's voice, and then hurriedly saluted.
After understanding that the emperor also agreed to annex the surrounding small countries, they all knelt down and shouted: "Your Majesty, I obey your order!"
"..."
(End of this chapter)
