Urban Sims

Chapter 81 The Final Arrangement
The expedition to the church was over, and the coronation crown returned. In the remaining ten years since then, in addition to stabilizing the political system and situation of the empire, most of Zhou Ming's energy has been put on the arrangement of his fifteen sons.

For these fifteen sons, Zhou Ming is not quite sure how many women gave birth to him, seven or eight?I'm not sure, but a son is more expensive than a mother. Among the fifteen sons, excluding the concubines, servants, and illegitimate children, there are eight sons, which need to be properly arranged. Otherwise, if the arrangement is improper, Triggered a civil strife similar to the battle for the throne, and his decades of hard work were all in vain.

Even, the game rating will be lowered a lot.

Opening the [World Map], Zhou Ming looked at his assets.

In order to make a distinction, he took the Ural Snow Mountains as the boundary, and called the continent to the west the "Old Continent" and the continent to the east the "New Continent".

On the old continent, his Gangduo Empire now controls an area of ​​about 1000 million square kilometers (it’s not that it can’t continue to expand, but before the invention of wireless telegraphy, this is almost the management limit of an ancient empire), after becoming emperor , there are nearly a hundred kingdoms that are subject to surrender (you will be beaten if you don’t surrender), and the combined area is tens of millions of square kilometers. These nearly a hundred kingdoms will randomly kill a few kings and send tens of thousands of troops to escort them. It shouldn't be a big problem for a few sons of lower status to become kings.

On the new continent, after more than 30 years of development, Zhou Ming successively built more than ten cities and immigrated millions. After promulgating the "Household Law" to allow immigrants to freely enclose land, on this new continent with an area of ​​nearly 2 million square kilometers, the land he built The New Gangduo Empire only occupies a very small corner, not to mention how much land it occupies, even the space where millions of immigrants often move does not exceed 500 million square kilometers.

Two continents, two empires, one new and one old, among the eight sons, how to choose the two best heirs to inherit these two empires has become the most difficult problem for the elderly Zhou Ming.

Therefore, adhering to the principle of "easy before difficult", Zhou Ming made the following arrangements:
First of all, the seven concubines, servants, and illegitimate children, Zhou Ming selected a few kings without heirs from the nearly 100 vassal kingdoms around the Gangduo Empire, and placed these seven sons in the name of royal marriage. In each of the seven kingdoms, each person will be provided with 5000 million gold coins for development funds and [-] elite firearms guards. Once the kings of these seven kingdoms die, his seven sons will be able to take the throne (it’s okay if you can’t wait, or let these kings Zen place, or take away a glass of poisoned wine... How to do it depends on how much the seven sons can learn from him over the years).

There is also an episode here. The daughter of Zhou Ming and the snake girl is born with a temperament of "who says women are inferior to men". She doesn't like red clothes and loves armed forces. His legion made great achievements in battle and gained a great reputation. For this reason, after this daughter conquered a kingdom, Zhou Ming set a precedent in history and made her the queen of that kingdom.

Then, after one of Fanny's sons, Alice's three sons, Elena's two sons, and Eugenie's two sons (similar to the situation in the previous life, seeing Zhou Ming's growing momentum, Unwilling to be the king of a small country with only three territories, Helian also sent this peerless stunner to Zhou Ming on a mahjong field through some special channels. A son with average aptitude or relatively flawed personality also found five kingdoms with stronger national power and larger land area from nearly a hundred small countries around the empire, let them choose, and gave each person 500 million gold coins for development. Funds and 5 elite firearms corps, if they can't win the kingdom and lay a foundation, it can only be said that rotten wood is hard to carve, it is better to return to China and become a rich man.

Well, except for that...

There are only three sons left to arrange.

With a rough plan in mind, a few days later, Zhou Ming called his three sons together, and said to them in front of a huge sand table: "Alan, George (son of Eugenie), you two can be together in the Old Continent." Choose a vassal kingdom with strong national power, and you can also go to the New World Circle to a large piece of land you want. Alexander, you can choose between the two Gangduo empires, and I will do it according to the choice you make. Make reasonable arrangements."

"Your Majesty, give me a bigger subsidiary kingdom." Alan's words were not as expected by Zhou Ming, because Alice mentioned this to him recently, saying that her son Alan has a weak personality, and it would be better to be the king of a small country. suitable.

"Your Majesty, I want to confine a piece of land in the New World." Zhou Ming was a little surprised by George's answer. He glanced at the son and found that he didn't mean to be joking, and George was the only one among all the sons. Said to go to the New World to develop.

"George, are you crazy? The New World is so dangerous, and that devil's land is not suitable for human habitation at all. A random plague can kill you." Alexander looked at his brother in surprise, feeling that his head was a little abnormal, and then Facing Zhou Ming, he said, "Your Majesty, I want to inherit your will and carry forward the Burns family!"

Sure enough, this is the choice...

Zhou Ming felt a little regretful. He should have given this son a low-key name at the beginning, and he should not have told his wife Fanny the stories of those great emperors. Now, looking at this proud, confident, He was a little uncertain about his son, who seemed to be born a nobleman.

Because that one, in his side-stepping, also made the same choice.

Who is more suitable?

The different experiences of the two growing up are played in the mind, comparing the way of life and inner character of the two, and comparing the achievements of the two in the process of establishing the empire...

But for the long-term stability, prosperity and stability of the empire, between simplicity and nobility, maturity and frivolity, virtuous and mediocre, down-to-earth and one-step success... a choice must be made.

three days later.

A news that shocked the imperial capital, the empire, and all the citizens came from the palace.

His Majesty Emperor Edward announced that the eldest son of the emperor, Otto, would be the crown prince, and the fourth prince, Alexander, would be the emperor of the new Gangdor Empire, and asked him to go to the new empire as soon as possible to take over the throne.

Soon, Queen Fanny came to the emperor with the fourth prince Alexander, and asked sharply, "Why did you make such a stupid and absurd decision? Alexander is your eldest son! A noble crown on the head of a lowly bastard?"

And the fourth prince Alexander with red eyes, with his chest heaving violently, pointed at the emperor through gritted teeth, and said, "Your Majesty, I don't agree with you handing over the position of crown prince to that lowly illegitimate son!"

Zhou Ming had no choice but to persuade: "Alexander, the development of the New World is not enough, but that piece of land has a wider land than the Old World, richer resources, and easier to conquer the native kingdom. As long as the plague and the Disease, sooner or later the New World will become a land of gold that is far more valuable than the Old World, it is a land full of hope!" Zhou Ming has said this kind of words describing the New World many times, but among all the wives, concubines and children, it seems Only Eugenie, who is good at fighting for favor and good at listening, listened.

"I don't want that ghostly place! Your Majesty, please take back your order immediately, and pass on the position of crown prince to the person who should pass it on!" Many people live in enjoyment but suffer from struggle. A powerful empire, the sparsely populated land in the New World to the east, where half the population could be wiped out by just a single plague, was indeed not attractive at all.

Therefore, after letting go of such a harsh word, within two days, Zhou Ming received a report from the minister that the fourth prince, Alexander, led more than a dozen assassins with high martial arts skills, and assassinated Prince Otto who was returning to the uterus in the street. When he arrived, Prince Otto, who had been chased all the way, might be hacked to death.

"You bastard! I abolished you!"

Zhou Ming, who was furious, immediately asked the guards to arrest Alexander. After a reprimand, he was exiled from the imperial capital the next day and exiled to a closed place in the south, which made him suffer a little. , Only then was he entrusted to a remote small country, and the initial development funds and firearms guards were not given to him, and he was left to fend for himself.

At this time, the vacated position of emperor of the New Gangduo Empire can only be passed on to his son George who has the idea of ​​going to the New World to open up.

The eldest son of the emperor, Otto, officially became the crown prince. In the next few years, with his vigorous work style, superb political skills, and ruthless ability to attack political opponents, with the tacit support of Zhou Ming, he quickly embarked on a career path. As the front desk of the empire, he controlled most of the power, and no one could question it.

Watching Otto manage the empire better and better, continue to implement the reforms he initiated, intensify the training of the army, prepare to launch foreign wars, and consolidate his power...Every step, he walks like a qualified king, Zhou who is relieved Ming also relinquished all his power, and after abdicating the throne to him, he spent the rest of his life peacefully for two years in a manor with beautiful scenery near a large lake.

On this day, Zhou Ming, who was sitting in a wheelchair in a good mood, looked at the busy government affairs and still took some time to visit him. Looking at the setting sun in the sky, he rarely said to the powerful emperor beside him:

"You must hate me very much in your heart, right? You hate me for being different from other sons, for caring for other sons, but not for you, and for giving other sons the best training environment. From the beginning of the year, I snatched them from their mothers, put them beside me and taught them myself, and left you alone... Sometimes you will doubt whether you are my son..."

"How could you not be my son?"

Zhou Ming sighed, and said: "From the first time I saw you, I knew that you are different, different from all children, so I will not give you any preferential treatment, nor will I teach you anything, because you You don’t need me to teach you, your growth experience has taught you how to treat the world and the people around you? So I also gave you three chances, and you took all these opportunities in your hands, but When you were the proudest, you hit the bottom of the valley three times, and now, you seem to have some appearance..."

The voice weakened and said: "Son, take care of this empire, don't stand still, inherit my will, expand the territory, and become a greater emperor than me..."

Listening to these words, Otto the Great, who had always had a majestic face that could not be offended, and whose staring eyes made people tremble, his body trembled violently at this moment, and many images suddenly appeared in his memory. When he was sleeping soundly, that There are pictures of people secretly covering him with blankets; when he was seriously ill, the man hid at the door and accidentally exposed his boots;

When there was no more sound, he turned his head and saw that he was lying peacefully on the wheelchair without a trace of breath.

"father!"

With a loud cry, hot tears welled up from the eyes of the emperor who had never shed tears in his life...

　I finally finished writing this story, and I was moved. I don’t know if I can write something touching in the future...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)