Realm of Power

"The decisive Battle of Anta between the Empire and the Kingdom of Aden, the battlefield spread long in the early and late stages, from the sea of ​​Central Asia to the six port cities along the coast of Central Asia, where the army and navy were fighting each other. On this battlefield that stretched for thousands of miles, even if It was the most powerful collision between national powers in the emperor’s magnificent war history.”

"Although there is a lot of controversy about the start time of the Battle of Anta, one thing is generally recognized, that is, the rebellion of the Aden people in the Six Ports City is a symbolic event that the Battle of Anta has entered the middle and late stages." "Although the Imperial Navy was in They gained a greater advantage in the early battles, but in terms of the overall situation, Aden was struggling step by step. The situation is driven by the navy, which retakes the crucial Antar, opens the door to the South China Sea in Central and South Africa, and inspires the whole country of Aden. The whole country is united and united, full of desire and ambition for the expedition to Central and South Africa. The Kingdom of Aden Power continued to grow, and even historians believe that during the Sixth Before the Chenggang Rebellion, the people of Aden were so enterprising that they even saw the dawn of victory shining in the Gulf of Aden. The wealth of Zhongbia was at their fingertips. The cowardly Zhongbia court did not have the strength to resist the invasion of Aden, but the Six Cities During the Hong Kong Rebellion, the Aden forces were uprooted in the coastal areas of Central and South Africa. The King of Aden Before the country even landed, it lost the eyes it had cultivated over decades. At this moment, the balance of the war once again tipped towards the empire. This event, planned by the Emperor of the Falcon Empire himself, was also worshiped by countless military scientists in later generations. Known as the "Hand of God, the fate of the Kingdom of Aden is declining at this moment!" "

This is the high praise of later history for Liucheng Port's suppression of the Aden unrest. However, as one of the parties involved, the Liucheng Port government is feeling a lot of pressure at this moment. The order from the court to rebuke and investigate has just been carried out at the fastest speed. From Xinjing, the results of the court meeting were announced just before the end. It was leaked for some unknown reason, and the fast horse sent by the court had problems after leaving Xinjing, and had to slow down halfway, so that the content of the court's order had reached six The government of the port city, and the fast horse conveying the order has just passed one-third of the way.

"It's so deceiving!"

"Is the court crazy? It's obviously the people of Aden who are causing the turmoil. Why should we be punished?"

In one of the government offices in Liucheng Port, the officials in charge of the Liucheng Port government all had complicated expressions. Lu Yangyu handed the delivered report to one of them, looked at the other pale-faced officials, and said coldly. Said, "This court resolution with the same content should have been It has been sent to Xinjing and will arrive within three days at most. This is the result of the hard work of my Lu family for many years. Otherwise, what you see at this moment is not such an imperial order, and the imperial guards who arrested you would have Not on the way, but already waiting for you in your offices."

After several officials finished watching the court meeting one by one, their faces were as pale as paper. It was so quiet for a while that even the sound of leaves falling to the ground outside could be heard.

"What do you think?" Lu Yangyu took a deep breath

"These court ministers are so cruel. They usually take the money we offer as offerings, but now they are treating us like this. If I had known this, those money would still have bubbles if they were thrown into the sea." A man with a mole on the corner of his eye The official looked angry and scolded, "Although the Aden people in Six Ports City were suppressing the unrest, There is an element of imperial involvement, but we have to admit that in that situation, if it were not for the intervention of a powerful empire, I am afraid that the unrest among the Aden people would completely turn into looting and even a massacre of the port city. , the Gangcheng government office, which only has a small number of city guards, is simply unable to control the situation."

"Who says it's not the case? The sharp swords of the Aden people have reached our necks. Do we still have to stretch my neck and let the Aden people massacre our Central Asians at will? Although I am not a good official, I am still in office. Japan still knows how to protect the safety of one side! But these ministers..."

The person who said this was a white-haired old man. He was wearing a blue-trimmed Zhongbia toga. You could see rhombus-shaped soft armor underneath. He looked quite staunch. After reading the morning newspaper, he was already angry. His whole body was trembling, and he couldn't even speak completely. Although Liugang City is a trading port, it also functions as a military port. Therefore, the government offices of Liucheng Port are also military yamen, and there are also military generals serving in them.

Generally, the generals transferred to Liucheng Port were from Luzhou's Lu Family Army. This was one of the strategies used by the Central Asian Court to suppress the southern mountains. The Luzhou Army was tough and good at fighting, and Liucheng Port was a major trading port. The two were combined. By linking them together, not only can the court save a large amount of money investment, but it can also cultivate a mountain fighting army.

Over the decades, the original deliberate arrangement has become a routine transfer.

This old man is called Lu Yang. He is a very senior member of the Lu family. He has been in charge of Liucheng Port for more than ten years. The Luzhou Lu family army has been able to rise from a local army in the south to a military as famous as the Long family in the southwest in just a few decades. In addition to the court's deliberate tilt to suppress the southern mountains, the big clan is directly related to the fact that it is backed by Liucheng Port, a major trading port.

"What's the use of what my father is saying now? The court won't care about this. A group of old men whose courage was broken by the prairie people. They even abandoned their wives and daughters in order to survive. How do you expect them to have me?" Is there any blood in Zhongbia? To really talk about blood, the Luzhou Army and the Southwest Long Family can do it. If it doesn’t work, I will send an army from Luzhou. I don’t believe it. The imperial guard dares to attack us." Standing behind the old man was a beautiful Central Asian girl. Her graceful appearance exuded a sense of heroism. She was wearing a purple armor that outlined her slender body that had been trained for many years. She said in a very disdainful tone. Pouting her little mouth, in the girl's opinion, the Imperial Guards are just a self-righteous thing of the Imperial Court. Do soldiers who have never even been on the battlefield deserve to be called Imperial Guards? This place is only fifty or sixty miles away from Luzhou. A quick horse trip is enough. As long as the Luzhou army is mobilized, we will see who dares to touch his father.

"Yu'er, don't be ridiculous. When all the adults are here, there's no place for you, a little girl, to talk. Just stand there and be honest!" Lu Yang looked angry, but his eyes were actually full of pride, even though he was A woman, but these words are enough to make most Chinese and Bian men blush and feel ashamed. She is indeed the daughter of the Lu family.

"What a woman. I told you before that this girl is a tiger in the general family. Mr. Lu gave birth to a good daughter!" Lu Yangyu said with emotion on his face next to him.

"Our Luzhou Army is a military sect of all dynasties. No matter how good a woman is, she will never be able to join our Lu Family Army!" Lu Yang sighed and agreed with Lu Yangyu's statement. The Lu family and the Lu family are related by marriage, and they are said to be one family. It’s not an exaggeration, and the relationship between Lu Yang and Lu Yangyu is also extremely good.

"Mr. Lu is wrong. In the past, men could only serve in the army if they had men, but it is different now. Men may not be able to continue serving in the army. In troubled times, the fate of men is not as good as that of women. "Lu Yangyu curled his lips slightly, his eyes full of painful memories, "We, Zhongbia, fell from the imperial capital and retreated along the way. More than a million soldiers died on the battlefield. Just take Mr. Lu. Take the Lu family army as an example. Since the grassland people went south, the Luzhou army was transferred by the emperor to Yanzhou for a battle. They were almost defeated. The Lu family children lost nearly half. Then the Yelu family went south. On the Linhang battlefield, the Luzhou army once again Encountering the iron hooves of the grassland people, the Luzhou Army, which itself used the mountains as its battlefield, was forced to a plain like Linhang by the military department of the imperial court. The result can be imagined..."

"In just ten days of Linhang Battle, more than 20,000 Luzhou people died in the battle. Even the second son of the Luzhou Army general was beheaded by the prairie people. It was not easy for Zhongbia to negotiate peace with the Yelu family. , the Emperor's Army went south again, and in the battle of Deyang, although there was no major loss, if the Emperor's Army had not retreated, who knows how many Luzhou Army would have been left? ! In contrast, Mr. Lu has always been able to have his daughter by his side. At least he does not have to be sent to the battlefield to fight with the prairie cavalry, nor does he have to face the storm of imperial arrows. Look at how many branches of the Lu family have been destroyed. Not even a body of the male son of the Lu family could be recovered. I don’t know how many people envied Mr. Lu for giving birth to a daughter instead of a son.

Lu Yangyu paused, glanced at Lu Yu behind Lu Yang, and then continued, "Although my daughter cannot join the army, I can still recruit a daughter. When the time comes, I will find someone who is loyal and honest, and who is not clever at first sight." As long as he doesn’t go to the battlefield, this alone is much better than many men from the Lu family!”

"It's easy to say, but it's not easy to find a man like that." Lu Yang touched his bearded chin and smiled from ear to ear, obviously agreeing with what Lu Yangyu said.

"Father!" Lu Yu's pretty face turned pale with anger. "This Lu Yangyu is so bad. What does it mean to be loyal and honest? He can't even go to the battlefield if he doesn't look clever." Isn't he just a fool? He actually let his father Isn't it a scam to recruit a fool for yourself? My husband, I can't say he is an upright hero, at least he should be a strong-blooded warrior!

"You're really naughty. You don't care about the occasion. Didn't I say it? All the adults are here, how can you, a girl, speak!" Lu Yang waved his hand with a serious face, completely ignoring Lu Yu's face that turned pale with anger.

"I mean, you two, it seems that's not what we are talking about."

An official next to him couldn't stand it anymore, his face was pale, and he said with a wry smile, "We have reached a life-or-death moment, and the two of you are still talking and laughing here, but it is also very irritating. Behind Mr. Lu is the Lu family, and the empire. Support, no matter how courageous the court is, they will not dare to touch Mr. Lu. Mr. Lu has the Lu family army, and the court wants to kill the chickens to scare the monkeys. I'm afraid it's just us. In the past, we were protected by our teachers, and the court would also help with it. But this time, the direction of the wind in the court was completely biased, and even the teachers consciously hid aside. We are I am an abandoned son who is destined to die. For the sake of my long-time colleagues, please give me a way to survive!"

"Yes, give me a way to survive, Mr. Lu. How about you tell the head of the Lu family and I can go to the Lu family to hide for a while!"

"Master Lu, your Lu family is so powerful that you can even get reports like the court meeting in advance. Please show us a clear way to go."

Seeing the pleadings of several people in charge of the city and port, Lu Yang looked embarrassed, "My lords, it's not that my Lu family won't help, but this time, my Lu family can't help. As you all know, during the battle in Deyang, the military said that my Lu family's army was arrogant. , disobeying the military order, now the head of the Lu family is still detained in Deyang, and the Lu family cannot protect itself, how can I protect you sirs!"

Various officials have also heard about the situation of the Lu family. In the Battle of Deyang, Zhongbia claimed a great victory. In the list of rewards for the entire army released by the court, the Lu family army was not the only one. Although I don’t know the reason, various rumors The discussion has spread, and the Lu family army has caused trouble in Deyang. Tang Shui of the Tang family, who had just been promoted to the head of the military cabinet due to the great victory in Deyang, ordered the detention of more than 300 members of the Lu family army.

The Lu family couldn't help. The officials looked pitifully at Lu Yangyu. This was the only life-saving straw. If the Lu family couldn't help, they had only one choice, run away immediately! "Master Lu, even when Li disappeared, we still respect the Lu family as always. Moreover, the suppression of the Aden people this time was also arranged by Master Lu. Now that such a trap has been created, the Lu family cannot care about everyone's life and death!"

"We have been colleagues for many years, and this matter happened because of my Lu family. I, the Lu family, are in charge of this matter! But you must also be mentally prepared!" Lu Yangyu's face showed a struggling look, gritted his teeth, and looked It felt like I was rushing forward with a knife on my head, but actually I was already laughing inside. Now, the emperor asked himself to bring officials from the other five cities and ports to the front line of the empire. He was still having a headache as to how he should do it. He didn’t expect that this pig teammate in the Zhongbia court would be so cooperative. It was so effortless, except for Lu Yang. Besides, other officials were crying and shouting to come closer.

"Psychological preparation? What does Mr. Lu mean?"

"Have the taxes for this quarter been paid?" Lu Yangyu raised his head and glanced at the other officials with cold eyes.

"No, the unrest in Aden has just been suppressed, and the court tax cannot be paid out for the time being." An official said with an embarrassed face. The so-called court tax refers to the tax paid to the court every quarter.

"In that case, then don't send it!" Lu Yangyu stood up and said coldly

"What, how is this possible!"

"If we don't pay taxes, isn't it tantamount to rebellion and self-reliance!" The officials were in an uproar. Even Lu Yang's eyes were widened. That was a tax, not a small amount, and the tax was not that simple. Really Only a part of it was turned over to the court, and more was sent to the ministers of the various courts. As the largest foreign trade port area in Central and South Africa, Liugang City received a large amount of foreign trade taxes, sometimes as much as three to four hundred in a quarter. Ten thousand, even a few million or two million,

However, the amount of tax paid to the court has never exceeded one million, and sometimes it is not even one-third. How can such a huge amount of corruption be swallowed up by the six-city port government?

According to convention, when a ship loaded with taxes departs from Liugang City, two other ships carrying the same amount of money will depart from Liugang City at the same time. One ship is a fast ship, which must be transported before the tax ship arrives. Arriving at the imperial capital first, they finally flowed into the mansions of the court ministers. The boat was full when they left, but empty when they came back. Another boat was heading towards The hometown of Liugang City officials. This practice was originally implemented by the Lu family. This is also the reason why the court has tolerated Liucheng Port for many years. If the Aden people were not too tough this time, the court ministers They are also all going to Liucheng Port. If the court tax is withheld this time, the entire court will be stabbed!

"Everyone, please listen to me. I will take full responsibility for the Imperial Guards. Come to my Longchang Mansion now. As long as you pay the taxes for half a month, with this amount of taxes in hand, I will I don’t believe that the imperial guards dare to touch us. If they touch us, who will help him collect the imperial taxes?” Lu Yangyu’s eyes were cold and frightening, his chest was rising and falling eagerly, and his voice sounded like it was squeezed out from between his teeth.

"Yes, with the tax in hand, who dares to touch us!" The other officials suddenly realized, and they all agreed with Lu Yangyu's proposal.

Only Lu Yangyu's smiling eyes showed a hint of coldness. It was the emperor's idea to intercept the imperial tax. Half a month later, the Aden Army landed, and the six cities were at war. What else was there to talk about the imperial tax? With these millions of funds , the empire's withdrawal of 80,000 Xiting cavalry from the southwest border was equivalent to receiving military expenses in advance.