Chapter 162 Zhu Family and Dai Family (I)

In the palace of the Star Luo Empire, the atmosphere was very solemn, as if there was an invisible pressure hanging over everyone.

The guards stood aside cautiously, not daring to make a sound for fear of angering their immediate superiors.

Because now their immediate boss can be said to be in an extremely bad mood.

Dai Yucheng was reading a piece of intelligence that had just been sent from the front line. His face was livid, his brows were tightly knitted together, and the fingers holding the parchment subconsciously exerted force. The paper made a creaking sound, and a faint spray could be seen. The blood vessels convey the anger of its owner.

Dai Yucheng suddenly raised his head and glanced around with sharp eyes. No one dared to look at him.

For a moment, the hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and no one among the ministers dared to speak.

After a while, a Duke in the front row on the left relied on his identity, thought for a while, and stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the front line has been eroded to this point. Getting angry will not help. The key is how to preserve strength. The defense line The soldiers are all elites that the empire cannot afford to lose."

Dai Yucheng slapped the table hard, and the luxurious table was instantly covered with cracks. The gold and silver utensils and maps and war games on the table all jumped up and made a clanking sound.

Dai Yucheng threw the information to the gorgeously dressed Duke and angrily said: "Trash! You are all trash. You people only know how to scheming. You can't think of a solution to the situation now. What use do I need from you!"

The Duke in the audience looked livid.

He is the Duke of the Star Luo Empire, and to be a Duke in Star Luo, in addition to power and military exploits, royal bloodline is also indispensable.

If you really want to talk about it, he is actually Dai Yucheng's uncle now.

Now in front of so many people in the hall, Dai Yucheng did not give him any face, which really made this grand duke who had a vague idea of ​​"relying on his old age and selling his old age" a little embarrassed.

But although he was angry in his heart, he did not dare to say anything more when facing Dai Yucheng, who was currently in a state of anger.

He squatted down, picked up the intelligence information on the ground, and read it.

The intelligence paper said that the enemy was already storming the defense line, but the logistics in the rear were still unable to effectively supply manpower and resources. In addition to this, the intelligence showed that there was a group of mysterious "bandits" who were plundering materials from the supply line in the rear. .

These gangsters come out of nowhere. They know the empire's actions very well. They can accurately find the location of the supply convoy every time, and then steal the supplies with lightning speed, leaving no traces that can be traced. Down.

They have been causing chaos in the Star Luo Empire for half a month, and their identity and purpose are still a mystery. It can be said that the current Star Luo Empire is "ridden with holes" and "precarious" is not an exaggeration. .

The Duke read the love newspaper, and the original anger in his heart subsided unconsciously. He understood the current Dai Yucheng somewhat.

"Your Majesty, please calm down."

His heart moved, but he didn't know what to say. In the end, the Duke only suppressed this sentence.

His high position is not based on his own ability, but mainly because of his bloodline and his ancestors.

Dai Yucheng became even more angry after hearing what the Duke said.

"Calm down? If calming down helps, I can immediately find a piece of ice to sit on!"

"Now the front line is under attack, the rear area is not peaceful, supplies cannot be purchased, and the major lords are busy making money without sending out a single soldier."

"Look at what the empire has become due to you guys who only know how to fight among themselves."

He was furious, and his aura was like a wave in the palace.

"What are these damn lords doing?"

"Don't they know the Empire is in crisis?"

He roared, murderous intent shooting out of his eyes.

He wished he could personally punish those greedy and shameless lords and let them know what loyalty and responsibility were.

At this time, Li Yi, a practical general of the Star Luo Empire, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the top priority is to destroy the gangsters first and ensure smooth logistics; and then obtain enough funds to maintain the supply of materials."

Li Yi is one of the oldest and most prestigious generals in the empire. In his early years, he fought in all directions for Xingluo and made countless achievements.

Although he is old and frail now, he still maintains his military demeanor and courage.

Dai Yucheng gradually calmed down after hearing this.

Finally, there are still people who care about real things.

He straightened his clothes and sat down again, his expression regaining some composure.

Dai Yucheng looked at Li Yi, with a flash of appreciation in his eyes. After so many years, Li Yi was still so trustworthy at critical moments.

Another minister took the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, General Li Yi's words are really the advice of a mature man who plans to seek the country. Solving the problem is the best way now. I propose that General Li Yi be in charge of the rear military affairs to ensure the safety of the logistics line."

Dai Yucheng agreed to the proposal.

Then he continued: "Minister of Finance, tell me how to deal with the military's funding problem and how much money there is in the treasury now."

Although Dai Yucheng's voice was calm, it conveyed an unquestionable majesty.

When the finance minister heard this, cold sweat instantly flowed from his forehead, his heartbeat accelerated, and his lips became dry.

All the funds in the treasury had been exchanged for food and military pay a few days before the war started. At this time, except for the royal private funds and the salaries of officials that could not be touched, the treasury was already empty and could run away with rats.

He didn't know how to explain it to Dai Yucheng, and was worried that the furious Dai Yucheng would directly behead him in public.

I wanted to find a suitable explanation, but my mind was blank.

After a few seconds, the Minister of Finance said in a trembling voice: "I am ashamed of your majesty. At this time, the national treasury has, already..."

"There is no money!"

When the ministers heard this, their eyes became unnatural and they subconsciously avoided Dai Yucheng.

This matter is fundamentally related to everyone in the court.

Dai Yucheng said in a majestic and irresistible tone: "Look up and tell me honestly, where did the money go?"

His eyes were like a sharp sword, piercing the heart of the Minister of Finance.

"Your Majesty, a few days before the war started, the military department wrote a letter to actively prepare for war. It was your majesty who personally stamped and approved the Ministry of Finance to fully cooperate. All the funds in the national treasury have been turned into military rations and military pay."

The Minister of Finance did not lie, this is a fact, but the facts are far more than that.

The Minister of Finance did not say that the military's demands far exceeded the treasury's ability to bear. At this time, the prices of goods in the Xingluo Empire had long been out of control due to the destruction of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. Greedy merchants raised prices at will, and behind those merchants were local lords and important officials of the court.

The minister did not say that in order to meet the needs of the military, he had to give up the taxes to the local tax officials in advance, and even misappropriated part of the maintenance funds of the royal hunting ground.

The minister did not say this because he knew that Dai Yucheng would not forgive his incompetence and weakness.

The minister could only hope that Dai Yucheng could believe in his loyalty and not take a heavy hand on him.

At this time, Dai Yucheng did not have any anger towards the Minister of Finance. He just wanted to hear a name from the minister, a name that everyone present today avoided talking about, that is, Zhu Tianxiang, the head of the Zhu family.

Zhu Tianxiang is Dai Yucheng's cousin and his most trusted partner. They grew up together, supported each other, and maintained the glory of the Xingluo Empire together.

As the second family of the Xingluo Empire, the Zhu family and the Dai family can be said to be of the same blood. The Dai family represents the rulers and military symbol of the empire, while the Zhu family manages the empire's finances and balances the power of the court.

The Zhu family has made great contributions to the Xingluo Empire. It was because of their initiative to give way that the Dai family was able to take the throne without bloodshed. Therefore, the royal family always turned a blind eye to some small actions of the Zhu family, but now, the Zhu family has gone too far.

In the biological bracelet bond incident, the Zhu family used their influence and reputation in the business world to promote this type of bond, attracting countless investors and making huge profits from it.

However, with the withdrawal of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, the biological bracelet bond has changed from an ordinary bond to a nationwide financial turmoil.

The withdrawal of funds and resources by the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect has caused a shortage of physical currency reserves in the Xingluo Empire, directly making the gold soul coin storage card in the Xingluo Empire smelly.

The Zhu family was very shrewd and cautious in this crisis. As the first agent of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect in the empire, they had a lot of resources and information, so the Zhu family could easily profit from it.

When the Zhu family issued the biological bracelet bonds, they had already foreseen the risks of this financial instrument, so when collecting debts and interest, the Zhu family insisted on paying with physical currency instead of gold soul coin stored value cards.

The Zhu family also knew that there were huge loopholes and risks behind the gold soul coin stored value cards, and they did not want their wealth to be lost or affected in any way.

The Zhu family used these physical currencies to buy and manipulate lords and merchants from all over the country, expanding their power and influence, and even intended to compete with the Dai family, trying to gain more say in the court.

But the Zhu family did not want to touch the throne of the Dai family, because as businessmen, they knew that the political instability of the empire would affect their income and life, and they just wanted to protect their own interests and status.

The empire was facing an unprecedented predicament at this time. The war on the front line required a large amount of physical currency to purchase military rations and military pay, and the people's livelihood in the rear also needed a large amount of physical currency to maintain order and stability.

However, there was little physical currency left in the treasury, while the Zhu family, which had a huge amount of physical currency, remained silent and indifferent.

Not only did the Zhu family not help the empire, but they also used the physical currency in their hands to bribe and threaten those ministers who bought biological bracelet bonds because of greed.

The Zhu family promised to exchange the biological bracelet bonds with those forces friendly to the Zhu family at the original price, which made those ministers afraid to offend the Zhu family. This made Dai Yucheng feel extremely angry and helpless.

Dai Yucheng wanted the Minister of Finance to say the name of the Zhu family himself, so as to give him a reasonable reason to punish the Zhu family, so as to obtain the physical currency that was urgently needed at this time to purchase the demand and stabilize the market, and also to curb the ambitions of the Zhu family.

Dai Yucheng would not take the initiative to mention the name of the Zhu family, because this would make the ministers and the lords think that the two core Zhu family and the royal Dai family of the empire had begun to disagree, which would make them ready to move, especially at the moment when the empire was attacked by foreign enemies, the Zhu and Dai families had to ensure unity, even if it was just an illusion of unity.

So, Dai Yucheng changed his strategy and his face became calm.

Dai Yucheng said in a calm and sarcastic tone: "So that's it, you are just following my orders. Then tell me, what are my orders?"

The Minister of Finance was stunned, not knowing what Dai Yucheng was going to do.

After thinking for a while, he said cautiously: "His Majesty's order is to fully cooperate with the military in preparing for war."

Dai Yucheng nodded, "Then can you tell me how you cooperated with the military in preparing for war?"

The Minister of Finance was stunned again, feeling something was wrong.

"I used the funds in the treasury to purchase all the materials on the list provided by the military and then transported them to the front line."

Dai Yucheng stood up from the throne, and his tall body seemed to cover the Minister of Finance who had already shrunk into a ball.

Dai Yucheng said, "You are right, can you tell me the specific process of purchasing materials?"

The Minister of Finance became more nervous, and he felt that he had fallen into a trap that he could not escape.

He whispered, "I used money to buy materials according to the market price."

Dai Yucheng walked down from the height of the throne, and he slowly climbed down the stairs step by step, and every step seemed to step into the heart of the Minister of Finance.

Dai Yucheng continued to nod, "Very good, then tell me, what was the market price when you bought the supplies?"

The Minister of Finance could no longer answer, the cold sweat had already soaked his back, he knew that Dai Yucheng had caught him.

The Minister of Finance knew that when he bought supplies, he not only did not save money, but wasted a lot of money.

In the process of collecting military supplies, he not only did not contribute to the empire, but also made the Zhu family gain more benefits.

The Minister of Finance knew that he had made an unforgivable mistake, a mistake that was enough to cost him his life.

He could only kneel on the ground, kowtow constantly, and beg: "Your Majesty, spare my life, spare my life!"

Dai Yucheng gently patted the Minister of Finance's shoulder, and every pat made the Minister of Finance tremble more violently.

Dai Yucheng changed his aggressive attitude and said softly: "Minister of Finance, oh no, Lord Toston Drum, I know you are loyal to the empire. You worked hard to complete the task I assigned to you. I even knew that you paid taxes to the tax officer in advance and embezzled the maintenance fee of the royal hunting ground in order to complete the task."

Although his tone was gentle, it revealed an unquestionable authority.

The string in Toston's heart was completely broken when Dai Yucheng mentioned taxes and hunting grounds. If it weren't for his noble qualities over the years, he would have collapsed in the court.

Toston felt that he was firmly controlled by Dai Yucheng. No matter what he said or did, he could not change his fate. He was deeply seen through by Dai Yucheng. No matter how he covered up, he could not hide what he did.

But Dai Yucheng's next sentence made the Minister of Finance's heart, which had already fallen to the bottom, rise again.

"Lord Toston Drum, I understand everything you have done, and I even want to reward you. The enjoyment of the royal family cannot override the safety of the country. My father taught me this when I was still a prince. Not only are you innocent, but you have even made contributions. But I need to know why the market price has risen so much. As the Minister of Finance, you must know, right?"

His eyes were like a sharp sword, making Toston feel an unavoidable sharpness. His questions were like traps, making Toston feel an unanswerable dilemma.

His voice was like poison, making Toston feel an irresistible fatality.

Just before Toston Drum was about to speak, a loud voice came from outside the palace: "Don't force poor Toston anymore, Your Majesty, it's all my fault, Zhu Tianxiang. I mistakenly believed in the instigation of the villains of the Tiandou Empire, causing huge losses to the empire. The Zhu family will do its best to help the empire complete its war preparations."

The Minister of Finance was completely relieved when he heard this voice that sounded like heavenly music to him.

As soon as the voice fell, a man in luxurious robes walked in from outside the door.

He had a handsome face and noble temperament, followed by several followers in black.

The ministers began to discuss privately when they saw the appearance of the head of the Zhu family. They didn't know what Zhu Tianxiang, who appeared at this time, was going to do.

Zhu Tianxiang walked in front of Dai Yucheng, bowed respectfully, then stood up and looked at Dai Yucheng at eye level.

At this time, Zhu Tianxiang's heart was rolling with the previously planned rhetoric. Instead of letting Dai Yucheng find reasons to question, it would be better for the Zhu family to take the initiative to break this boring puzzle. In any case, the prosperity of the Zhu family depends on the cooperation of the Xingluo Empire and the Dai family. Taking the initiative is the best strategy.

Seeing that the person who came was Zhu Tianxiang, who he had been thinking about, Dai Yucheng felt mixed emotions. The protagonist of the script came on stage, but the script did not seem to be performed according to Dai Yucheng's imagination.

Zhu Tianxiang took the initiative to admit his mistakes, which made Zhu Tianxiang instantly take the initiative.

But Dai Yucheng didn't care so much. Many things could be settled later. The most important thing now was the war with the Tiandou Empire.