Realm of Power

Longluoshan Hot Spring on Dijing West Road is filled with mist. The hot spring water containing considerable minerals gushes out from the mountainside. The faint white mist flows along the winding waves deliberately piled up in the gentle summer wind. The water diversion channel flows from top to bottom into a huge palace covering an area of ​​several hundred meters. Since the foot of the mountain, it has been occupied by the emperor. *Martial law, the hot spring is not open to the public, and has never been open. During the Central Asian Empire, this was one of the royal palaces. When the Yelu family took over the imperial capital, the palace built next to the hot spring began to become deserted, because Prairie people believe in gods and have a natural reverence for rivers and lakes.

After learning that the water here was warm and pleasant all year round, Yelu Hongtai ordered the hot spring palace to be sealed off with a livid face.

For more than two years, the entire palace was completely isolated. The original villages at the foot of the mountain were also forcibly driven away by the grassland army. Only one palace was left completely covered with weeds and vines. In winter, it was already full of The hot spring effect makes this place green even in winter. It also makes the prairie people believe that this is an area protected by gods. They even built a horse farm at the foot of the mountain. The hot spring water here is not big, but it is just right. good The temperature at the place, the clear spring water, the rich minerals, and the excellent terrain overlooking the entire Dijing West Road. Bonnie Bonnie moved into Dijing West Road. Women have a natural preference for hot springs, not to mention Bertrand. Bonnie, a female knight who lived in the open air all year round, had long heard from the emperor that hot springs had miraculous effects on women's skin care. After learning about the relevant information, she was so happy that she immediately reopened the place.

A black carriage rolled over the not-so-flat mountain road. Guarded by a group of imperial cavalry, it slowly entered the gate of the huge villa in front of them. After checking the relevant documents, the Imperial Guards standing at the door asked Li Yuehua in the carriage gave a military salute, handed back the certificate, and said in a solemn voice, "Sir Li Yuehua, your Majesty is now at Hot Spring No. 6."

Bertrand Bonnie was injured, and the emperor transferred Li Yuehua to take charge of the Imperial Palace West Road, taking full charge of the empire's military and political affairs in Central Asia. As the news spread from Li Long, it was no longer a secret, and all forces paid more attention to it. What is more important is the empire's intention of suddenly pushing Li Yuehua, the former princess of the Li clan, into this position. I originally thought that it might be related to the middle school on Dijing West Road. The Bian people played the emotional card. If the ruler of the empire was a high-ranking noble from Central Bia, it would naturally be possible to weaken the resistance on the Imperial Capital West Road to the maximum extent. However, soon, all forces were completely defeated by tens of millions of people. The news of Biya's return to the south was shocking. Under such circumstances, it was a completely different concept for Li Yuehua to take charge of the affairs of Dijing West Road in place of Bertrand Bonnie.

And as Li Yuehua took charge of Imperial Capital West Road, another imperial organization also appeared in front of the entire Central and Asian forces, and that was the Imperial Bank! For the Central and African forces, the Imperial Bank is quite unfamiliar, and they don’t even know the role of this business group that lends money to people everywhere. But if it is someone from Obarro’s side, the Imperial Bank’s name is well known, and this time let The one who really showed Imperial Bank’s power in Zhongbia was a woman, the eldest princess of Zhongbia, Princess Mingyue. Along with the news that Li Yuehua took over the Imperial Capital West Road, there was also the news that Princess Mingyue of Zhongbia was in charge of Imperial Bank of China. Message from the branch manager

The storm is coming and the building is full of wind!

At this moment, even a fool can feel that the empire's mobilization is aimed at the wave of tens of millions of Central Asians returning south that has shocked the whole of Central Asia. All forces are stunned this time, and they are still the first. This is the first time I have seen such a miraculous method. Just by releasing the population, a large country with tens of millions of people has been oppressed to such an extent.

So there is still such a war! After being shocked at the beginning, all the forces were amazed by Yelu Hongtai's decision. What a stroke of genius!

Yes, there is no sincerity in reconciliation. It is simply an attack and a war. In the eyes of all parties, this attack involving tens of millions of Chinese refugees from South Africa is like a prairie fire. South Biya is in danger. Although the various forces do not know that this is the result of the empire behind it, they also know very well. Chu, how difficult it is to resettle tens of millions of people. It is simply an impossible task. No matter what you do, even if you take out all the existing food in Central and Bibia, you will not be able to solve the problem of these tens of millions of refugees. belly, but if left unchecked, once there is a riot, it will be a big storm that shakes the entire southern part of Central and Bibia.

These Central Asians who poured in from the north to the south day and night did what even the Yelu family's hundred thousand cavalry could not do, that is, they completely held back the Long family.

Although the Yelu family made a comeback in the battle of Hanshui, everyone with a discerning eye knows that the Yelu family was severely damaged after all. Even if they want to recover, it will take several years. During this period, the biggest threat they face has already been It's not the embarrassed royal court in the north, nor the rebels who have thrown themselves into the arms of the empire, but it should be the Southwest Long Family, which is heavily armed in the south of the river.

Since the Long family took control of the Central and Bian court, they mobilized the entire Central and Bian army to expand their 300,000-strong army. The army was practicing day and night on the big river, and a large amount of supplies and food were flowing in, and the number of cavalry was For the first time, they defeated 30,000 cavalry. With fighting spirit soaring and roaring dragons and horses roaring, the Central Bian people's intention to counterattack the imperial capital was as clear as a sharp sword about to be unsheathed, which made people feel chilly, not to mention. It is said that the Long family is preparing to use a huge Northern Expedition to establish their intention to become the emperor of Central Asia.

Now, it's all over

After settling these tens of millions of refugees who have returned to the south, the Long family will not be able to go to Beijing. And by the time these refugees are settled, the best opportunity for the Northern Expedition has passed.

"This is the request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to buy grain from China and Libya. Your Majesty has already seen it. The princess is about to intervene as the Imperial Bank, so it would be better to take a look at it too!"

Li Yuehua nodded with shining eyes, took the certificate from the guard, sat down on his seat again, glanced at Princess Mingyue opposite, who was wearing a white palace dress with twinkling eyes, and then glanced at the row of guards outside the carriage. At the sight of the gang, a hint of bitterness appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he pushed a document in front of Princess Mingyue opposite.

Princess Mingyue took the document and held it in her hand. She flipped through the pages with her white fingers and scanned the pages with her eyes. Her pretty face was slightly startled. This was a report sent by the Central and African courts through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the face of tens of millions of people, Princess Mingyue took the document and held it in her hand. Due to the huge pressure brought by the return of China, China and Libya hope to purchase a large amount of food from the empire to relieve the emergency, and are willing to The amount of food paid is pitifully small. In fact, it is not that the money is small. It is estimated that this is the largest amount of funds that the Zhongbia court can mobilize at present, but compared with the amount of food that needs to be purchased, it seems pitiful. Taking the report in her hand, Princess Mingyue glanced at Li Yuehua opposite her with a strange expression, and said with a wry smile.

"With so much grain trade this time, I'm afraid it won't be able to solve it even if we mobilize all the funds in China and Libya. Not to mention that the Long family will deliberately withdraw half of the funds as collateral. I'm afraid the rest will be I can't even buy 10% of the required grain. How can your Majesty agree to this kind of price? I, the so-called head of the Imperial Bank branch who was temporarily appointed, is even more of an empty shell. How can the real Imperial Bank just say a word? Isn’t it possible to bring so much food from the empire?”

"It seems that the princess still doesn't know how terrible the Imperial Bank is."

Li Yuehua smiled mysteriously at the corner of her beautiful mouth and said, "Princess, don't look down on the Imperial Bank. The Imperial Bank is not well-known in the Central and Asian regions, but if it is the Obaro region, it is a real behemoth. It's just that the princess was temporarily appointed. But I haven’t really been to Oparo, so it’s understandable to have such a deviation. I can only say that in Oparo, the Imperial Bank’s loans are almost all over the entire Oparo region, and 80% of the royal family All with the Imperial Bank number There is a connection, but there are only two branches of the Imperial Bank. One is the Obaro Southern Branch. The area it controls involves more than a dozen countries in the south. It almost competes with the southern hegemon Ero Empire. It only has bank guards under its command. There are as many as 80,000 troops, and the other one is the Princess’ Central Branch. “To be honest, I envy the Princess very much. If I were asked to make a choice between my current position and the position of head of the Imperial Bank branch, , I would choose the head of the Imperial Bank branch! "Li Yueguang coughed in a sincere tone, saying that even his status as presiding over the empire's military affairs in Central Asia seems to be somewhat inferior to that of the person in charge of the Imperial Bank.

"Is it really that powerful?" As soon as she said these words, Princess Mingyue's pretty face revealed a look of surprise that could not be concealed. When he was temporarily appointed to be the head of the so-called Imperial Bank's Central Branch, he thought that the Imperial Bank was a business group in the Empire similar to the Business Alliance. He never thought that the power of this business group would be enough to control the country. I was still a little unwilling in my heart, but now I had to examine again how true Li Yuehua's words were.

"If the princess were in Obaro, just by virtue of her status as the head of the Imperial Bank branch, it would be enough for many Obaro royal families to rush to flatter her. However, she is much more powerful than this useless eldest princess of China. "

Li Yuehua nodded solemnly, "Actually, His Majesty asked the princess to take charge of this negotiation this time out of kindness, because Your Majesty believes that if there is anyone in Central and South Africa who can't bear to see so many Central and South Africans starve to death, then There is no doubt that she must be a princess, so letting the princess serve as the head of the Imperial Bank must be the most dedicated thing."

Seeing Princess Mingyue fall into silence, Li Yuehua also closed his mouth. The carriage shuttled between the wide palaces and pavilions. The water of the hot spring flowed forward along the waterway paved with smooth stone flakes, making it even more shining under the sun. As an empire As the person in charge of Central and Asian intelligence, Li Yuehua obviously knows better than Mingyue Gong. The Lord knows much better. His Majesty's personal trip to the Imperial Capital this time was not just for leisure, but a real bloody battle. He used the Li family to bring back the emperor, and then concentrated his efforts to defeat the Fengtai tribe in one fell swoop and promote Yelu. The peace talks between the family and the emperor of Zhongbia brought the long-prepared Northern Expedition of the Long family to an abrupt end.

The most powerful thing is that this push for tens of millions of Central Asians to return south is the real conflagration, making it impossible for the Central Asian side to resist even if they want to. The Imperial Intelligence Department sent a large number of spies to get involved. They are all selected by Li Yuehua personally. People, these people will infiltrate into the provinces and ministries of Zhongbia under the arrangements of the resurgent Li clan. This is only political infiltration. Economically, they will force the Zhongbia court to sell grain to the empire for the sake of peace. The opportunity provided by the intervention of the Imperial Bank is the most important means

In Oparo, Li Yuehua had seen the horror of the Imperial Bank. The business alliance was aimed at businessmen from various countries, while the Imperial Bank was completely facing the powerful royal families of various countries. Those who liked military expansion, the Imperial Bank would lend them military funds and enjoyed pleasure. Yes, the Imperial Bank gave him a loan to spend the money

The release of these loans gave the empire the taxation rights, ports, cities, and exclusive rights to exploit various resources in these countries in exchange for the empire. The southern European Barrow and coastal areas that were originally extremely resistant to the empire have been controlled by the Imperial Bank without bloodshed. , the benefits obtained in exchange have long been several times, or even dozens of times, than what was loaned out. Many material products that seem to be worthless in the local area have been After the empire's huge trade lines, it may be a profit that is a hundred times the price. This huge monster, which was established by the emperor himself, almost combined the empire's strong financial resources, strong military power, and huge commercial power. For the first time, it transformed business methods into It became an invasion. If the business alliance in the early stage of the empire was still just a model of commercial penetration, then the Imperial Bank had truly transformed from penetration to control.

But this time, the emperor appointed Princess Mingyue as the head of the Zhongbia branch of the Imperial Bank. The meaning is self-evident. The empire is going to take action against the Zhongbia royal family. The emperor was put back in front, and he also gave the other side a huge wave of money. Benefits, his embarrassing reputation comparable to that of the Hun King has been forcibly built into " "Holy Lord" doesn't just want the other party to cooperate in this negotiation. When the Emperor of Zhongbia returns, the first person he has to deal with is naturally the powerful Long family, and who else can he use besides the empire? Biya wanted food but couldn't pay for it, so naturally she had to use something as collateral.

The emperor has been coveting the six ports along the coast of Central Asia for more than a day or two. The heavy taxes imposed on imperial goods entering southern Central Asia have long made imperial merchants quite dissatisfied. These must be the focus of this negotiation. ,

The Long family was already struggling because of the emperor's return and the refugees returning south. It was said that Long Po had already vomited blood. This time, he forcibly deducted half of the grain for military expenses. Thousands of people have criticized him, and thousands of people have reviled him. Faced with countless Nan The returnees cry and scold, who still remembers this middle-aged man? The first general in Bia once fought bloody battles with the grassland people. Now that China and Bia have ceased war with the grassland people, why should they leave so much military expenditure? Now thousands of people starve to death on the river every day. As long as If you can find food, why bother with so much!

Zhongbia was obviously anxious. Under the angry looks of all parties, Long Po was no longer able to fully control the court. There were even voices of dissatisfaction within the Long Family Army. This was also a sign of the Long Family's large-scale military expansion in a short period of time. If they were the direct descendants of the Long family before, they would naturally look to Long Po and Ma Ma. However, in order to make up for the losses later, Long Po absorbed a large number of young men from the refugees suppressed by the prairie people. These were dragons who were originally slaves of the prairie people. The domestic soldiers naturally knew what happened to those Central Asians who came back from the south in ragged clothes. They fought bloody battles and fought to the death with the grassland people, not just to be able to fight back one day and rescue the oppressed compatriots, but now , the compatriots came back, but they withheld food and watched these people starve to death. How could these soldiers not be angry about the military orders issued by the superiors, and even violently beat the officers several times?

What impressed Li Yuehua the most was the emperor's stroke of genius in appointing the eldest princess of Zhongbia as the head of the Imperial Bank branch. Although the reputation of the Zhongbia royal family is very poor, Princess Mingyue is definitely considered an outstanding person. This negotiation, It involves the seizure of taxes, ports and other substantive things, and for China and Biya to agree to such an embarrassing request, naturally they need someone who can be trusted by both parties.

Such a choice is simply made in heaven for Princess Mingyue.