However, the tasks Lu Xuan assigned them still carried a certain degree of danger. He was well-versed in political maneuvering and understood some of the principles of power politics.
Hedging can certainly offer some advantage in terms of avoiding defeat. However, it also means taking on double the risk. That's why he publicly pointed this out, in order to find more people to share this risk.
At the General's Mansion, Ding Baiying gently wiped Lu Xuan's face with a warm towel. They were so close that she could hear his deep heartbeat and feel his burning body so close to hers.
With her face slightly flushed and her hands trembling slightly, Ding Baiying could only try to distract herself by speaking.
"Those Shanxi merchants are mostly greedy and untrustworthy people."
"Heh, you see things clearly. Indeed, none of those people are ones I can truly trust. But unfortunately, that's the nature of power politics. The exchange of interests and people's hearts, the entanglement of advancing, retreating, and compromising. In this game, you can't trust anyone but your own interests."
I offer them benefits, and they naturally need to reciprocate. This is their survival rule as businessmen. Faced with an irresistible presence like mine, they will gladly accept it.
"So, if greater interests or stronger partners emerge, they will betray you?"
"Without a doubt, that's for sure. This autumn harvest will be plentiful, and the Tartars will definitely come back. That battle will be the moment to decide the outcome. If I win, they will continue to invest in our side; if I lose, they will not hesitate to side with the Tartars. In fact, if I hadn't shown up, they might already be on the Tartars' side."
"Such a greedy and treacherous person should be guarded against in the future."
“Once I’ve dealt with the Tartars, they’ll be useless. Until then, let them have their own time for a few years.”
"Will you become like this in the future, sir?" Ding Baiying suddenly looked up at Lu Xuan and asked.
What do you think?
"Of course not, sir. You are unlike anyone else in this world. You care about the world and its people, and you are a hundred times better than those people in the court."
"Hahaha, your flattery is rather blasphemous!"
"So what? The officials in the court, one by one, are all sanctimonious and upright, constantly spouting benevolence, righteousness, morality, and the fate of the nation, as if they were all unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness. But they can't see that the Ming Dynasty is already on the verge of collapse. Natural disasters are constant in various places, and war has raged for years. The people are living in misery, yet they still sing praises of a prosperous and peaceful era. The mighty Ming Dynasty has tens of millions of people, yet it can't even defeat those savages in the deep mountains. If it weren't for the great leader turning the tide, Liaodong would have changed hands long ago."
“You’re mistaken about that. Even if the Ming Dynasty had lost a year ago, Liaodong wouldn’t have changed hands. The reason is simple: the Tartars were too few in number. They couldn’t take it all.” Lu Xuan’s explanation sounded even more ironic than Ding Baiying’s accusation.
"Besides, do you really think that the officials in the court can't see the crisis facing the Ming Dynasty? Then you're underestimating them. Every one of them who has made it to the court is a shrewd and calculating person. They see it all clearly, they just don't want to make any changes."
Why is that?
"Why? Because if the Ming Dynasty becomes prosperous and powerful, the emperor will have more confidence. When the emperor has more confidence, they will become less confident. When the emperor has more confidence, he will discover an obvious problem. That is, the loss of a few officials in the court is actually insignificant. Tell me, how could they allow such a thing to happen! They need the emperor to always believe one fact: that the world cannot function without them. Anyone who dares to break this fact must die. Now, the person they most want to kill is undoubtedly me."
Ding Baiying's hand trembled slightly. Then it hardened.
"The master will be alright!"
"Haha, shouldn't you be saying, 'This subordinate swears to protect you with his life, sir' right now? So bad at flattery?"
"My lord, I..." She didn't finish her sentence because her mouth was already sealed by two other lips.
"Hmm..."
Ding Baiying waved her hands somewhat helplessly, then Lu Xuan grabbed them. He leaned down slightly and whispered in Ding Baiying's ear.
"Your towel got my clothes wet, so you're punished by having to change into a new set."
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Chapter 142 The Era of Firearms (Please Subscribe)
It wasn't until the next morning that Lu Xuan finally changed his clothes. And not only his, but Ding Baiying's clothes were changed too.
"Stay here and don't move. I'll have someone bring you food," Lu Xuan said to the ostrich in the blankets.
There was no response, only a slight tremor, which seemed to be a nod. Lu Xuan chuckled softly, then turned and left the bedroom.
Shen Lian's battle report has arrived. Actually, Lu Xuan hadn't paid much attention to this matter before. If they couldn't even defeat a group of rebels, then Lu Xuan's nearly year-long military training would have been a waste.
"Report: Commander Shen killed three thousand yesterday, and the rioters have completely collapsed."
"...Didn't I tell Shen Lian to take it easy and let the other green recruits see some blood?"
"...Lord Shen said that the rioters would collapse at the slightest provocation. He really had no way to stop them, so he could only try to kill them as many as possible."
Lu Xuan: "..." Having a weak enemy is a problem too!
"Tell Shen Lian to capture as many refugees as possible, especially the strong and healthy ones, and send them to work in the mines."
"Yes, sir."
The popular uprising ended rather abruptly. Lu Xuan, still feeling unsatisfied, had a clerk draft a memorial and sent it to the capital. The gist of the matter was: shouldn't the higher authorities show some appreciation for his quelling of the rebellion?
The result was predictable: the memorial disappeared without a trace. Lu Xuan guessed that the memorial never even reached the emperor's desk.
By the way, Lu Xuan's hint before leaving seems to have worked. Zhu Changluo is still alive! Lu Xuan thought to himself, "How could someone kill themselves by playing around with women for twenty-nine days?"
Unlike in history, Zhu Changluo reactivated the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern and Western Depots. The two depots and one guard were almost restored to their peak of power. It must be said that these violent institutions were still very intimidating. Zhu Changluo seemed to sense something, and through a series of maneuvers, he successfully saved Ji's life. However, Lu Xuan felt that this was probably only temporary. Losing the battle this autumn would be fine. Winning would mean certain death for Zhu Changluo.
This messed-up era, this messed-up government, it's just so frustrating.
A servant brought breakfast to Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan gestured for her to take it to his bedroom, and then went to the backyard.
The rear courtyard of the General's Mansion has three floors. The first floor is where Lu Xuan usually practices martial arts and spars with Miyamoto.
The last two floors were converted into some confidential locations by Lu Xuan.
Pushing open the door to one of the rooms, I found a group of people already busy inside.
This is a spacious hall with eleven huge tables in the center, on which a giant sand table is piled up.