Chapter 397 The Crown Prince is given a mission in times of crisis
"Extra! Extra! Great victory at Pingjin Ferry! Shengshi Hou traveled 800 miles on a moonlit night, slayed the evil dragon at Pingjin Ferry, breached the Huai River, and revived the two gods of Qi and Shui!"

The autumn rain has turned cold, and it is mid-September now. People throughout the north have started wearing cotton-padded jackets. However, today the newspapers in the mountains and four cities of Tianjing are extremely popular. There is even a bit of the grand occasion when Zhou Tieyi distributed newspapers in Tianjing. This is certainly not because the Newspaper Department is well led, but because today's news is too explosive.

As the newspaper was published, people like Dong Xingshu have discovered that no matter the treasures, beautiful maids, or the righteousness of the saints of the various schools of thought that Zhou Tieyi first proposed, these are not enough to attract people to read for a long time, and they will always feel tired. What interests them is the various information closely related to life, mixed with one or two hot spots to stimulate the eye.

The content in today's newspaper is undoubtedly eye-catching.

Whether it is the moon phase system, the prosperous Marquis Zhou Tieyi, the strange movement of the dragon veins at Pingjin Ferry, the dragon causing wind and rain, or the evil god of the previous dynasty taking the opportunity to resurrect, these are all highlights, making the whole event full of twists and turns of the story and the heroism of turning the tide, making the real things as interesting as novels.

Especially the things like traveling 800 miles in the moonlight at night and turning a hand to create a mountain and crush a dragon. These legendary things not only really happened, but also happened in front of 100,000 people and were witnessed by countless people. There is nothing more worth bragging about than this.

Therefore, that night, there were many practitioners in the Machinery City, and scholars wrote articles to record this event. The letters were like white doves, first flying from the Machinery City to Taihang Mountain Province, then to Xiluozhou, and then through the water to the whole Daxia. The newspapers and periodicals established by hundreds of companies in various places originally wanted to attract people's attention. Of course, such an accurate "great victory event" was published in the first time. Anyway, the Newspaper Bureau and the emperor could not say that this great victory was unlucky or deceiving the emperor. This incident immediately became the most eye-catching thing in Daxia today, even overshadowing the invasion of Yuan Meng in the north.

In this situation, even if the Emperor of Daxia wanted to block the information, he could not. This is the charm of grassroots communication.

Horse-drawn carriages of officials were driving on the mountain road of Yujing Mountain, leading directly to the white jade square of the Twelve-Story Tower. Many people had received first-hand information from various Taoist sects last night, confirming that Zhou Tieyi had indeed performed another great deed, preserving Pingjin Ferry, killing two third-grade evil dragons, and preventing two second-grade gods from reviving.

This achievement is already the basis for being granted a title of nobility and appointed as prime minister. If the Moon Phase System is added to solve the Mo Shi disease, once the Mo Shi case is handled, Zhou Tieyi will return to the core. If he is still just a fifth-rank inspector, people all over the world will probably think that their trusted ministers are suppressing young talents.

In the carriage, Dong Xingshu's eyes fell on today's newspaper, and he couldn't calm down for a long time.

The information he received was much more and more accurate than that in the newspapers, but he still read the newspapers because he had to think about what the news was like that the people saw.

There is no doubt that after reading today's newspapers, the people's image of Zhou Tieyi has changed from a prosperous marquis in Tianjing to a great hero who saved the day.

This transformation made Zhou Tieyi's reputation truly spread from Tianjing to the whole world, which is also the reason why Zhou Tieyi had to travel seven hundred miles at night.

If an ordinary minister did this, it can only be said that he was courting death.

But the conflict between Zhou Tieyi and the Emperor of Daxia had already reached a point where there was no retreat, so rather than being suppressed quietly, it would be better to make a big fuss about it.

But what does His Majesty think?

Dong Xingshu put down the newspaper and slowly got off the carriage after being asked a few questions by the driver. The first thing he saw when he got off was Ke Anran, who was wearing purple clothes and was now the director of the Newspaper Department.

Ke Anran felt that Dong Xingshu was looking at him and nodded in greeting, but did not walk with Dong Xingshu. Instead, he walked alone to the White Jade Square where the officials were waiting.

Dong Xingshu immediately realized why Zhou Tieyi did this.

Ke Anran came to Beijing. Others didn't know what strategy Ke Anran offered to the emperor, but as the person who drove Ke Anran away in the first place, how could Dong Xingshu not know!
The strategy of the three elements of heaven, saint and people!

This is the Taoist method, and it is the Taoist method that seems to be most suitable for His Majesty the Great Xia at the moment. Ke Anran becomes the director of the Newspaper Department. Although there is no clear information indicating that His Majesty the Great Xia has chosen this path, it can at least prove that His Majesty the Great Xia is already considering achieving the third rank.

After achieving the third rank, because of the conflict between the Taoist tradition and the throne of the Emperor of Daxia, now or in the next few months will be the weakest time for the Emperor of Daxia.

At this time, even the Emperor of Daxia would not kill a meritorious minister who was famous all over the world. It was not because he did not want to, but because he was unable to do so!
If there is even the slightest mistake, both the Emperor of Daxia and Zhou Tieyi will lose, allowing the rest of the schools of thought in the court to profit. Therefore, when Zhou Tieyi returns to Beijing, the situation in the court will become more turbulent than ever before.

The morning bell rang, and all officials entered the Golden Palace under the leadership of the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards.

After the cheers, the highlight of the day began.

As the head of the Zhou family's disciples, Chang Sundan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, was the first to step out and said, "I congratulate Your Majesty."

The Great Xia Emperor lowered the pearl curtain to hide his expression, "Why are you so happy?"

Chang Sun Dan said, "Your Majesty, the angel Zhou Tieyi killed the third-grade evil dragon at Pingjin Ferry, strangled the Huaihe River, and revived the two gods of Qishui. He borrowed the image of the bright moon and severely damaged the Shinto. Since ancient times, the light of the bright moon comes from the sun. Now the angel's divine power is the result of your majesty's extensive cultivation of morality, so congratulations."

Chang Sun Dan's words were flawless, but everyone understood what he meant. He came to take credit on behalf of Zhou Tieyi.

However, such a great achievement does require an invitation.

Moreover, this time, the Emperor of Daxia cannot simply give a cup of imperial wine over a thousand miles of journey and be done with it, but he must show it with actual benefits.

His Majesty the Great Xia chuckled.

This chuckle has a complex meaning.

First of all, it was confirmed that this was undoubtedly a happy event, but it could not make the Emperor of Daxia laugh.

Then the Great Xia Emperor asked, "What do you think the Minister Changsun should reward?"

Chang Sun Dan bowed and said, "Zhou Tieyi has been entrusted with an important task by Your Majesty. The Taihang Mountain Inkstone Case and the Tangzhou Prefecture Lakeside Academy Case have not yet been concluded. If such a great achievement is not rewarded in person, it would seem that the court is hasty. It is better to wait until Zhou Tieyi returns to the capital before rewarding him."

This is to prepare to take the credit first, and after the Mo Shi case is investigated, if the Zhou family is involved, the merits and demerits can be offset.

Many court officials understood the meaning of Chang Sun Dan's words. This was not a difficult matter, and it gave His Majesty a new solution. Zhou Tieyi's contribution this time was too great, so it was easy to deal with. After the Moshi case was investigated, the Zhou family was indeed implicated. At that time, His Majesty only needed to punish other families, not the Zhou family, and the merits and demerits would be offset, and everyone in the world would be able to accept it.

Thinking of this, the important officials of the court showed a thoughtful look on their faces.

The reason why Zhou Tieyi dared to investigate the Moshi case and promote reforms regardless of everything was that he was not afraid of provoking conflicts among the various schools of thought. A core method was to use the bigger conflict of Shinto to cover up the smaller conflicts.

Just like now, it was finally discovered that the Zhou family was involved with Mo Shi in Shantong Mansion, but the Zhou family also made contributions in killing the evil gods. One merit and one demerit are enough to settle the problem.

No matter how good a plan is, as it is gradually perfected, smart people will always see its purpose. Everyone is not deaf or blind, so they have naturally guessed Zhou Tieyi's purpose.

But at this point the credit has been awarded, and even if the purpose is guessed, the result will be acceptable to the Baijia and the Emperor of Daxia, at least on the surface.

The Great Xia Emperor looked at Chang Sun Dan and nodded slightly, "That's right."

After His Majesty of Daxia agreed, he looked at the Right General Yuchi Pojun and said, "Please bring out the military emergency report just now and discuss it with us."

The right general looked deep in the eyes, bowed, and then began to talk about the urgent military situation from Yuanmeng's side at Sunset Pass.

However, many court officials were still thinking about the previous question, that is, why did the Emperor of Daxia easily agree to Zhou Tieyi's blatant plan this time? At worst, he could send an angel to restrain him on the grounds of worrying about evil spirits.

But after listening to the urgent report on the military situation at Sunset Pass, their expressions changed slightly, as if they understood why the Emperor of Great Xia could not easily touch Zhou Tieyi now.

"The north urgently reported that the Yuanmeng army was approaching. General Huwei Zhou Qinlong led his troops to launch a surprise attack thousands of miles away, and arrived at Miaoshan City. He borrowed the monks of Miaoshan City to seize this western region pass. Later, he used the relics left in the city by Monk Yu to defeat the Yuanmeng general who came to support him at the hour of Yin today, and temporarily guarded this city."

"I have submitted a memorial to Your Majesty suggesting that we raise an army to completely seize Miaoshan City, and use Miaoshan City as a base to invade the barbarian nations of the Western Regions, establish vassal states, and cut off the foundation of Yuanmeng."

It was another happy event, and the court officials were stunned.

The prince was horrified, but thinking of his father's praise for Zhou Tieyi's meritorious service today, he had already made up his mind. Now was the best time to show his merit, and perhaps he could regain his father's trust that he had lost because of Zhou Tieyi. So he said to the crowd, "Father, I think this plan is inappropriate. Since ancient times, military affairs have been costly and laborious, and the hundreds of countries in the Western Regions are a wild place. To advance into the Western Regions is to use the wealth of the world to fill an endless source. However, the talk of boasting and showing off is actually a talk that will bring disaster to the country and the people!"

Although Crown Prince Li Can attended court, he seldom discussed state affairs, unless the Emperor of Great Xia asked him in person. Today, he rarely spoke, which made the ministers look at him sideways.

But before they could think, they heard the Great Xia Emperor on the throne shout, "You bastard!"

Beside the throne of His Majesty, the Empress, who had seldom spoken since she began ruling from behind the curtain, spoke today, "Your Majesty, calm down. Can'er only speaks out his opinions because he is worried about state affairs."

After "persuading" the Great Xia Emperor, the Queen Mother looked through the pearl curtain at the confused Crown Prince Li Can in the hall, "I want to ask you, why did Great Xia repeatedly encounter difficulties in the past when facing the invasion of Yuanmeng troops, and why could it only hold Sunset Pass and find it difficult to advance?"

Crown Prince Li Can forced himself to calm down and think about the problem. Then his pupils shrank and he licked his lips. "Reporting to the Queen Mother, since ancient times, food and grass are the most important thing in military affairs. The food and grass that Daxia transports to the front line is often consumed on the way, and only one out of twenty remains. Therefore, it is difficult for ordinary soldiers to defend more distant territories."

The Queen Mother said, "It's good that you understand. In the past, even with the help of Mohist Feipeng, it could only be used for emergency purposes, and could not provide a long-term, cheap and stable supply of food and grass to the front line. Therefore, even if we conquered Yuanmeng's land, it would be an enclave and could not be defended. But today is different. A few days ago, General Zuo's Mansion has submitted a memorial, suggesting that a track be built from Tianjing directly to Sunset Pass, so that food and grass can be transported by train, and consumption will be greatly reduced! Now General Zuo has supervised the construction of the five northern provinces, and it has been quite effective."

Crown Prince Li Can recalled that Gongshu Sheng had left Tianjing three months ago and disappeared without a trace. At that time, everyone's attention was focused on Zhou Tieyi, but they ignored the fact that Gongshu Sheng was the real founder of this Taoist tradition.

Considering the time when Gongshu Sheng left, many ministers in the court realized that Gongshu Sheng went to the northern front, not to help Zhou Qinlong capture cities, but to help General Zuo build railways!
Because the five northern provinces need to guard against Yuan Meng for a long time, many of their finances are independent. They have always had abundant reserves of steel and inkstone, and they have the power to act first and report later. There is no shortage of laborers in the army, so if the five northern provinces want to build a railway, the speed is actually faster than the railway being built in Tianjing now!
Perhaps the railway over there has been secretly put into trial operation for a while, allowing General Zuo Jiang Shoucheng to see the changes that the railway has brought to the war, so he supported Zhou Qinlong's plan to launch a surprise attack on Miaoshan City!
Opposing Zhou Qinlong's plan now is actually opposing the intention of General Zuo and his faction of border army generals to work together to achieve great things!
Prince Li Can broke out in a cold sweat.

The Great Xia Emperor spoke up at this time, "People who do wrong must be punished, even my son. He knows nothing about military affairs and talks nonsense about the merits of the generals. What do you think should be the punishment, Queen?"

The Queen Mother said through the pearl curtain, "The north is in need of men right now, so why not let him go over there and make up for his mistakes by serving as a soldier under the general."

After the Queen finished speaking, Dong Xingshu stood on the side of the Crown Prince this time, "What the Queen said is inappropriate."

The Queen Mother exclaimed softly, "Simin, do you think there is anything wrong with what I said?"

Dong Xingshu glanced at the prince, then bowed and said, "The prince is the foundation of the country. The soldiers on the front line are fierce and the battle is fierce. If there are any losses..."

On the throne, the Great Xia Emperor interrupted, "The emperor dies for the country, and all the soldiers in the world can die for the country, and my son is no exception! Come, give me the talisman!"

The chief eunuch came forward cautiously holding a jade plate. On the plate lay a talisman with writing in phoenix script and the words "Emperor of Daxia" written on it.

"This talisman is a life and death talisman. If you are unfortunately captured, in order not to delay military and national affairs, I will activate this talisman in Tianjing. Do you have any objection?"

The ministers remained silent.

Crown Prince Li Can looked at the talisman on the jade plate in front of him, gritted his teeth, picked up the talisman, and the talisman turned into a white light and merged with him. "I thank my father for the talisman. I will go to the front line and make great contributions to our glorious Great Xia, so as not to let the Marquis of Shengshi take all the credit."

At this time, His Majesty Daxia showed a look of relief and said, "Okay."

Seeing such a scene, naturally all officials praised the emperor and praised him for his wisdom.

(End of this chapter)