Uncle Detective Di Renjie, I build a crime-solving team

Chapter 883 National War

The Minister of Revenue managed the Ministry of Revenue to the point that the national treasury had no money. Yao Ting had indeed failed to live up to the emperor's grace.

However, this can't be entirely his fault.

When the current Queen Wu Zhao of Xia was still the emperor, she was called Wu Zetian. She was ambitious, fought foreign wars, and made inappropriate use of people, which led to many defeats in the war. In the end, the national treasury was so depleted that even the rats came and didn't know what to do.

Even if Yao Ting wanted to stop Wu Zetian, he had no qualifications. Before entering the Council of State, he was just the Minister of Revenue, who could be dismissed by the emperor at a casual word. Even the inner guards dared to put him in jail easily.

Don’t you see, during the Wu Zhou Dynasty, there were more than just two hands of ministers who were taken to hell by the internal guards and cruel officials.

"I never said you were ungrateful."

"Throughout the dynasties, the national treasury has been depleted, and this is all within my expectations. I intend to establish the Imperial Merchants to make up for the plight of the empty national treasury. I believe you all have no objection, right?"

Li Cunxi knew very well that the deficit in the national treasury had nothing to do with Yao Ting, and the real responsibility lay with Wu Zetian.

Let’s not talk about anything else, just talk about the dragon bed under his butt. He lived in Taichu Palace for more than a month.

How much silver did it cost?

Does Wu Chengye dare to say it out loud?

"Your Majesty, this imperial merchant should be located within the Ministry of Revenue, right?"

Yao Ting was at his wit's end. Li Cunxi took the initiative to find a solution for him. If he refused, it would be too ungrateful.

"No, it's not in the Ministry of Revenue. It just passes through your hands."

Li Cunxi looked at Ma Rong, and Ma Rong understood. He withdrew from the court, left the Qianyang Palace, and went to look for Tao Gan.

Tao Gan, who had become a nouveau riche, dressed in plain clothes, followed Ma Rong into the Qianyang Palace.

Looking at the lofty Li Cunxi, Tao Gan felt excited.

That was the man he had followed for nearly ten years, and now he was about to reach the peak of his life.

Without waiting for the eunuch's signal, Tao Gan hurriedly took small steps forward and knelt down at the foot of the steps.

"Commoner Tao Gan!"

"Greetings to Your Majesty!"

He spoke with a tearful voice, and it was obvious at first glance that he was a man with a story.

Ma Rong coughed lightly and clasped his fists, saying, "Your Majesty, this man is the owner of the largest business in Yangzhou. Hongtong Shop, under Yuan Qi, the leader of the Iron Hand Group, was driven bankrupt by this man's Xize Bank."

It would have been better if he hadn't said it. After Ma Rong said this, the officials who were more careful guessed that the owner of Xize Silver Bank was just a gimmick.

This ugly middle-aged man, Tao Gan, might be Li Cunxi's subordinate. The Xize Bank was obviously opened in the name of Li Cunxi.

"Tao Gan, you managed the Xize Bank and were able to cause the Hongtong Bank to go bankrupt. You are indeed an extraordinary person. I want to establish an imperial merchant. Are you willing to join me?"

These are all scripts that have been rehearsed long ago.

As soon as Li Cunxi finished speaking, Tao Gan fell to the ground.

"I am willing!"

At last.

Tao Gan left with satisfaction, carrying the identity of an imperial merchant.

Before leaving, he also wanted to visit his former master.

The eldest master was naturally the King of Chu, Li Wenzhong. After Li Cunxi became emperor, the former Prince of Qin's Palace was renamed the Prince of Chu's Palace.

Li Cunxi continued to deal with these senior officials in the court.

It is always boring to attend court. During the early Zhou Dynasty, you could see Xu Xi and others tearing apart Wu Sansi. But now, there is nothing to watch.

Li Cunxi held on until four quarters past noon. He could not bear it anymore and signaled Shangguan Wan'er to leave the court. Then he ran away amid the cheers of all officials.

There was nothing to do in the afternoon, so he went into the queen's bedroom as usual at night and started making the prince.

……

When the capital was quiet and peaceful, officials from the Turkic territory who were sent to the Western Regions returned and brought good news to Helu.

"Khan, I have completed the mission. The tribes near Dunhuang and Liangzhou have all agreed to the conditions you offered."

"Judging from the time, they are probably ready to attack the Tang Dynasty."

"We're attacking from all sides. I don't believe the Tang Dynasty has the strength to fight back. Li Cunxi has only been on the throne for a short time. If his Tang Dynasty is destroyed, not only will he die, but he will also be infamous in history!"

Yu Zhou sat not far away, his face looking normal, but his inner thoughts were completely different.

He had already known about Helu sending people to contact those tribes, but he was unable to contact Shadow, so he failed to pass it on.

Now, the messenger has returned, but Shadow has not found him yet. If the war breaks out, Shadow will miss out on something big.

"Prime Minister, please continue to allocate food and fodder for the army. The 200,000 soldiers heading to Chongzhou cannot be without sufficient food and fodder."

Prince Helu's confidence increased.

It would be fine if he couldn't defeat the Great Zhou alone, but now he has countless helpers, how could he not be able to destroy the mere Tang Dynasty?

"We'll need more food and fodder. I've decided to mobilize another 100,000 troops to Chongzhou!"

"I will use most of our national strength to exchange for an unprecedented victory. I want the Tang Dynasty to become our Turkic territory!"

……

When Dazhou returned to his residence, it was already late at night.

As soon as he sat down, he noticed a man in black standing by the window. The man in black took off his mask quickly and efficiently.

Then, Yu Zhou looked closely at the flickering candlelight and saw that this man in black was completely different from the one who had contacted him before. This man not only had bandages wrapped around his exposed body surface, but also his neck and face.

The only thing that exposed the danger was those bright eyes.

"Who are you? What's going on?" Yu Zhou asked in surprise.

"It's me," said Shadow.

"What happened to you? Are you seriously injured?"

"Well, I was discovered when I was spying on the camp. Eight cavalrymen chased me and attacked me. I killed them all. I got seven or eight wounds on my body. I was recovering from my injuries when I didn't come to see you a few days ago."

"Great!" Yu Zhou gave a thumbs up. "I have something to tell you. You must quickly send someone to report back to the northern defense line."

"Okay, go ahead." Shadow closed the window.

"Most of the tribes near Dunhuang and Liangzhou have been united by Helu. I'm afraid they will soon attack Dunhuang and Liangzhou. You need to send news to Chongzhou, Yingzhou, Youzhou, Liangzhou, and Dunhuang County immediately."

Yu Zhou's eyes flickered.

"One last thing."

"That Helu guy is preparing to mobilize another 100,000 troops to attack Chongzhou. He wants to break through Chongzhou and march straight into it."

"These are matters concerning the fate of the Tang Dynasty. You must send someone over as soon as possible."

Shadow took a deep breath.

He silently opened the window and turned back to take one last look at Yu Zhou.

Then leave as quickly as possible.

At the same time, as Dunhuang was shrouded in darkness, dozens of nearby tribes united and began to attack Dunhuang.

In just three days, Dunhuang and Liangzhou were both attacked.

The Tang newspaper was sent to Luoyang at the fastest speed, and the 800-mile express delivery, which was rarely used, was used again.

In the Turkic territory, Shadow's internal guards discovered that the Turkic people had begun to recruit a large number of troops again.

A war involving three countries and dozens of tribes is about to begin!