"Where did you get these rice seeds? How do you have enough rice seeds to supply the people of Qinggui in Yuzhou?"
Li Jun's question made Jiang Tang somewhat embarrassed. He said, "I asked the Yue people to cultivate the rice seeds. Last year, I told you that we tried planting them in Yuzhou, and the harvest was quite considerable. Although it is not enough to supply the entire Yuzhou and Qinggui, I want to try planting them on a small scale in various places first, so that the people can see the benefits of this new variety..."
"Never mind, never mind..." Li Jun interrupted him again, his head spinning. "You can arrange it yourself. With Mr. Feng here, there's no need to ask me. I have other things to do."
Seeing Li Jun quickly run out of the tent, Jiang Tang couldn't help but suppress the greed on his face. Feng Jiutian shook his head. Li Jun might be a hero who conquered the world on horseback, but he might not be a wise ruler who could govern the world on foot. It seems that the future of the Peace Army is worrying.
"The political system of the future Peace Army must free the commander from the tedious administrative affairs he dislikes. In other words, the commander only needs to hold the nominal position of supreme leader, while real power should be held by specific officials. To prevent treacherous officials from seizing power and causing chaos, the person in charge of real power cannot be a single person, but must be distributed among several government offices to ensure mutual checks and balances..."
Feng Jiutian's mind raced. Over the years, he had come to know Li Jun very well. Li Jun was not lacking in political talent, but he intentionally set aside tedious administrative tasks and focused on military affairs. In Li Jun's view, human energy and lifespan are finite; even geniuses cannot attend to every aspect. The greater the power wielded by those in positions of authority, the greater the danger and responsibility. A slight misstep could plunge countless lives into misery. The balanced governance that Feng Jiutian and Li Jun envisioned was precisely to avoid these risks as much as possible.
Seeing that Feng Jiutian was deep in thought, Jiang Tang did not dare to disturb him and quietly left the tent. After some time, Feng Jiutian suddenly heard someone outside asking where Li Jun was, so he got up and went outside to check.
Several Peace Army soldiers were seen surrounding a man dressed in what appeared to be the court attire of the Chen Kingdom, questioning the guards outside the tent.
To facilitate communication between the military and civilians, Li Jun placed his tent at the outermost edge of the Peace Army camp. Although Feng Jiutian and others repeatedly advised him to be careful, Li Jun paid no heed.
"Strategist, this man claims to be an imperial envoy sent by the Chen Kingdom." A quick-talking soldier said as he saw Feng Jiutian peek out, "He says he has been ordered to deliver an imperial edict to Commander Li."
Feng Jiu's heart skipped a beat. In the past, when the Chen Kingdom officials came to Yuzhou, they would turn away after seeing Hua Xuan, the nominal governor and commander of Yuzhou, and would not bother to deal with Li Jun, who was still known as the leader of the mercenaries. This time, however, they specifically asked Li Jun to receive the imperial decree. Could it be that something has changed in the Chen Kingdom?
"Are you Feng Jiutian, sir?" The man who called himself the imperial envoy cupped his hands in a graceful manner, and his words and expression were extremely polite.
"My name is but a humble one; how could you possibly know of me, sir?" Although Feng Jiutian disapproved of the Chen Kingdom's rulers and ministers, who were being manipulated by Liu Guang, his outward manners were no less courteous than those of a visiting envoy. The two exchanged a glance, each secretly assessing the other's capabilities.
"May I ask your honorable name, and what important position you hold in the court?" Feng Jiutian asked.
“Speaking of which, Mr. Feng is no stranger to Xiao Ke.” The man smiled slightly. “If Mr. Guo Yunfei hadn’t gone to Luoying, he would definitely have recognized Xiao Ke.”
Feng Jiutian's pupils contracted slightly. Just a few days ago, he received a letter from Guo Yunfei through a secret channel controlled by Zhuo Tian, informing him that Guo Yunfei had failed in his attempt to instigate Qin Qianli, a minister of the Chen Kingdom, to assassinate Liu Guang in Luoying. He had already gone south to the Huai Kingdom to investigate its strengths and weaknesses. He did not expect that the Chen Kingdom envoy from Luoying had already known his whereabouts.
"I am Gongsun Ming, but this imperial envoy title is merely an embellishment. In reality, I am just a scholar under Commander Liu." Seeing that his words surprised Feng Jiutian, Gongsun Ming smiled with satisfaction. Although he had not seen through Feng Jiutian earlier, it now seemed that this person was not unapproachable.
"So it's Lord Gongsun..." Feng Jiutian frowned. He had just seen Li Jun risk entering Chen Kingdom to fight against Lianfa Army, only to be persuaded by Liu Guang's envoy to rebel against Peng Yuancheng. That envoy was none other than Gongsun Ming in front of him.
"Lord Gongsun, what brings you here today?" The expression on Feng Jiutian's face calmed down in an instant, and he returned to his somewhat dejected and embarrassed appearance. Gongsun Ming had just thought that the legendary Feng Jiutian was nothing special, but in the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in the middle of the ocean, unable to see the depth of Feng Jiutian from the surface.
“Mr. Feng, I have come to deliver a decree to Commander Li.” As he spoke of delivering the decree, Gongsun Ming habitually cupped his hands to the west. “Please, Mr. Feng, introduce me to Commander Li.”
Feng Jiutian couldn't help but frown again: "Does Lord Gongsun mean to invite Commander Li to receive the imperial decree?"
"Indeed," Gongsun Ming said calmly. "May I ask where Commander Li is now?"
"Oh..." Feng Jiutian's mind was in turmoil. Gongsun Ming had personally delivered the imperial edict, suggesting that the true decision-maker wasn't the young king in the Forbidden City, but rather the cunning and treacherous Liu Guang. A few days ago, Guo Yunfei's letter revealed that Liu Guang, with Ximen Rang as his mastermind, had begun a massive purge in Luoying City, while Liu Guang himself was nowhere to be found, rumored to have gone to the Huai Kingdom's front lines to confront Ling Qi. At a time of great turmoil both internally and externally, Liu Guang's decision to send an imperial edict to Li Jun was truly perplexing.
"What, is it perhaps Commander Li Jun's inconvenience to see me?" Gongsun Ming's lips curled slightly upward, revealing a hint of mockery. Feng Jiutian's heart suddenly stirred, thinking, "Isn't this precisely the perfect opportunity to promote Commander Li's benevolence and the Peace Army's righteous deeds?"
"The arrival of an imperial envoy from the court is a great blessing for our Peace Army. How could Commander Li not be able to see Lord Gongsun? However, the commander has been working day and night to oversee the campaign against the Japanese pirates and is still at sea. I'm afraid Lord Gongsun will have to wait a while."
"What!" Gongsun Ming was shocked; this time, it was he who changed color dramatically. "Commander Li... Commander Li is in charge of the expedition against the Japanese pirates?"
"Indeed, although Commander Li is in a remote corner of Yuzhou, he often thinks about the people of the various countries of China. He is heartbroken whenever he hears news of Japanese pirates invading the border. Therefore, even on the occasion of his wedding, he still sent his elite troops to the Japanese islands to eliminate the threat to the people of China."
Gongsun Ming's mouth dropped open. The Japanese pirate problem had been a long-standing issue for Shenzhou, and it wasn't limited to the Su and Chen kingdoms. From the coast of Lan in the north to the coast of Heng in the south, almost the entire area was a hunting ground for the pirates. Because the Four Seas Khan's expedition to Japan was thwarted by the "divine wind," the countries of Shenzhou had always dealt with the Japanese pirate problem through strict defense, but had never devised a plan to launch an expedition against them. Now, Li Jun had actually accomplished such a world-shaking feat with the resources of a mere Yuzhou!
"How is the battle going?" Gongsun Ming finally came to his senses and, disregarding his mission to deliver the imperial decree, asked first.
“Recently, good news has been coming in frequently. Today, a messenger came to report that we fought a bloody battle with the chief of the Japanese pirates. Although our army won, we suffered considerable losses, and the chief of the Japanese pirates is still missing.” Feng Jiutian said, half-truthfully.
Gongsun Ming pondered for a moment, then asked, "Mr. Feng, could you please tell me the name of this Japanese pirate chief?"
"Kiyoshi Kiyota." Feng Jiutian stared at Gongsun Ming's face. Seeing that Gongsun Ming's expression changed drastically when he heard this name, he knew that Gongsun Ming was no stranger to this Japanese pirate chief. So he asked with a smile, "Does Lord Gongsun know this Japanese chief?"
"To be honest, when I was with Commander Liu in Heng Kingdom, the Japanese pirates repeatedly caused trouble, but Commander Liu always managed to defeat them decisively. Commander Liu also took the Japanese pirates very seriously, so he recruited wise and brave men to infiltrate Japan and investigate their strengths and weaknesses. The news that came back said that the war between the Japanese pirates, which had lasted for hundreds of years, was gradually subsiding, and the one who swept away the local strongmen was this Kiyota Yoshinobu." Gongsun Ming couldn't help but tell the truth. "At that time, Commander Liu was quite worried. For hundreds of years, even small groups of Japanese pirates had caused considerable harm. If someone were to unify Japan and then contend for the throne of China, I'm afraid China would never have a peaceful day again."
Feng Jiutian secretly admired him. Although Liu Guang was a treacherous hero, his vision and magnanimity lived up to his great reputation. He even kept the matter of the Japanese pirates in mind, so he must be very familiar with the changes in various parts of the Divine Continent.
After temporarily stabilizing Gongsun Ming, Feng Jiutian secretly summoned Li Jun. When Li Jun heard about the situation, he paced back and forth a few times, then suddenly gripped his sword hilt and said, "Immediately summon Hua Xuan and prepare to welcome the imperial envoy."
"Does the commander intend to adapt to the situation?" Wei Zhan, who arrived upon hearing the news, said, "However, if we accept this imperial envoy according to etiquette, it would mean admitting ourselves as a subject of the Chen Kingdom. From then on, Liu Guang could use the monarch to suppress me. If I comply, I will be gradually suppressed; if I do not comply, I will be disloyal and unjust. Therefore, I believe we should not accept this imperial edict."
Feng Jiutian thought the same thing, but didn't say it aloud. Li Jun smiled slightly: "I used to be a lieutenant general under the command of the Soviet Army Commander. After the establishment of the Peace Army, I roamed the Divine Continent and no one dared to say that I was disloyal and unjust to the Soviet Army. Moreover, the loyalty and righteousness I uphold is loyalty to all the people of the world, not loyalty to tyrants. What do I have to fear?"
Wei Zhan remained silent for a while, then couldn't help but chuckle: "Judging from a normal person's perspective, if a leader were bound by empty words and falsehoods, how could he have achieved what he has today?"
The incense table to receive the imperial edict was quickly set up, and Gongsun Minggao arrogantly read it aloud. After listening, Li Jun and Feng Jiutian exchanged glances, realizing that the edict was to strip Li Jun of his title of "Yu Bo" and bestow upon him the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, a third-rank official!
After returning Gongsun Ming according to protocol, Wei Zhan asked again, "Why did the commander accept his official position? If he accepted the position, he would be subordinate to him. Moreover, the commander has his sights set on the world. The state of Chen is a small country in danger of collapse. Why would the commander be willing to be subordinate to him?"
"What do you think, Mr. Feng?" Li Jun smiled but did not answer. However, Feng Jiutian saw the cunning look in his smile. Although Li Jun was not good at daily political affairs, he was naturally good at this kind of political struggle with intrigue and deceit.
"The commander's acceptance of this false position is likely due to three considerations," Feng Jiutian said. "First, it's to appease Liu Guang, making him believe that the commander's ambitions are nothing more than this. Second, it's to legitimize his position; with a legitimate name, his words will be lawful, and if the commander is promoted to the rank of Earl of Yu, then Yu Prefecture will become his fief. Third, it lays the groundwork for future management of the Chen Kingdom. If the Chen Kingdom faces any future turmoil, and the commander, as Earl of Yu and Vice Minister of War, raises the banner of loyalty to the king, the people will surely welcome him. But I also have one question: surely Liu Guang knows that being promoted to the rank of commander will inevitably leave behind future troubles, so why did he do this?"
Li Jun looked up and pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "I understand."
“I understand now.” Wei Zhan clapped his hands and laughed. Feng Jiutian raised his hand and said, “Please don’t say anything yet, let me think about it.”
After a moment, Feng Jiutian laughed, "I've figured it out. Liu Guang must be planning something big, and he's afraid our army will attack him from behind, so he's using distant advantages to reassure the commander. Right now, the Huai Kingdom in Yuzhou is very powerful. Liu Guang's target is either the Heng Kingdom or the Hong Kingdom. The Hong Kingdom has a famous general, Ma Jiyou, who seized the Yuhu land in the Chen Kingdom, and his military might is pointing directly at Luoying. Could Liu Guang be after him?"
The three men looked at each other and burst into laughter. Li Jun patted Feng and Wei's arms and said, "Mr. Feng is good at long-term strategies, and Mr. Wei is quick-witted. Even if Liu Guang subdues Ma Jiyou, what can he do to me?"
Feng Jiutian said, "Commander, you've forgotten one person. Ren Qian is knowledgeable in military strategy. I predict that after returning from this campaign against the Japanese, he will wholeheartedly pledge his loyalty to you. Commander, your great cause is about to be accomplished!"
The three men, smiling knowingly, seemed unaware that, marked by Ren Qian's serious injury and Li Jun's acceptance of the title from the Chen state, the Peace Army was at a turning point. Would the Peace Army soldiers, who had always fought for the dreams Li Jun had expressed, still fight for Li Jun, who was merely a regional governor of the Chen state?
three,
That night, a biting north wind swept across the Qionglu Grassland, marking the last cold snap of the winter.