Xie Ming

Chapter 480 Criticizing Current Issues
Xiao was not happy about Yao Zuyin's comments on the impasse of the war in Shandong, but he could not refute him because of the public opinion.

As a result, he felt quite depressed and muttered a few words to himself.

"Ah, Master!"

"As for the war in Shandong, I believe I still have room to maneuver and can take advantage of the situation!"

"However, what the master said is true."

"Looking at it now, the problem is obvious. You are right!"

"If we are in this situation of lack of food and money, and the war breaks out again in a month or so, I'm afraid it will be too late."

"Even if we win, it will only be a tragic victory!"

"And this is only possible under the premise that the Southern Court does not hinder us!"

"Well, what if we lose?"

"I'm afraid that my authority as the commander-in-chief will no longer be able to hold on to it!"

"It will be difficult for a defeated general to make a comeback in the future!"

Xiao Jingchuan spoke according to his temper, with a somewhat embarrassed look on his face.

"Hehehe, Ogawa!"

"A gentleman does not stand behind a dangerous wall!"

"For those who can sit in the front seats in this imperial court, whether they are civil officials or military generals, you must always remember the rule of retreat!"

"When exercising your power, you should not spend it recklessly. You should learn to leave yourself a way out!"

"The current situation is unclear. Whether you are in the government or in the opposition, at the front line or in the rear, the wider the space, the more factions are involved, and the more variables will increase sharply!"

"You keep taking risks. No matter how tough your life or how good your luck is, you may not be able to have everything you want. Is this what you mean?" The old monk listened carefully and heard that Xiao Lang was upset, so he tried to persuade him with kind words.

Hearing this, Xiao Jingchuan smiled bitterly with relief.

"Yes, Master's teachings are correct!"

"Yes, I was too reckless!" Xiao Ying.

"Haha, he's still young and has a lot of ruthlessness. It's not a bad thing!"

"But, since you are willing to use me for advice, I, as your adviser, will have to be more considerate of you!"

"Right now, the Southern Court has just been established, and in the midst of suppressing the rebellion, the court does not think about sincere unity, but instead forms factions to attack dissidents, making things more chaotic and despicable!"

"It's hard to be solid, and it's hard to turn things around!"

"So, even if you, Xiaochuan, are in the north, no matter how big a commotion you make, no matter how sharp your spear is, I'm afraid it will be useless!"

"The support from the rear is unsustainable. Your future actions will inevitably be dragged down, and your reputation will be ruined. The end is imminent!" Yao Zuyin gradually strengthened his tone.

"Uh, this..." Xiao Wen asked, hesitating again.

"Then according to you, I came to the south this time, commissioned by the young emperor, and retired to the court. This has the effect of keeping a low profile and protecting myself. Is this a good move?!"

"Then, does the little emperor also have the same concerns?!"

"Do you want to use this to keep me here?!"

"Master, how should I deal with this situation so that I can be worthy of the Dharma?!"

"I hope you can explain it!"

Xiao Lang couldn't understand his intention, so he pretended to be sincere and respectful to the wise man in order to get him to be his successor.

However, Yao Zuyin leaned back a little, and instead of answering, he asked again.

"Hehehehe."

"All matters concerning the Southern Court are related to the Emperor's appointment. Xiaochuan, how are you going to handle this?"

"If you have any ideas, you might as well tell us first, so that I can discuss the matter with you, Mr. Qiu!"

The old monk has a weird temper. He won't release the eagle until he sees the rabbit!
After hearing this, Xiao Yi was helpless and let out a long breath. He had to continue talking to himself.

"Uh, this is it"

"Master, it's Feiyu!"

"My thinking is that no matter whether there is any conspiracy or trap in this!" "Since we have arrived in Nanjing now, and the power of the governor has been lost, then I, Xiao Jingchuan, have no choice but to admit it!"

"Go north to Shandong and the Jianghuai area."

"Since I can't go back, I should use this opportunity to hide and work hard. Before the imperial court issues a decree to change my position, I should transfer all my troops to the rear, recruit soldiers on my own, and train a new army. This is the most urgent task!"

"As for the situation in the four Jianghuai towns, I'm afraid we are out of reach for the time being and won't have the strength to deal with them in the short term!"

"It's hard to go back north. Besides, if I stay in Nanjing, I can do a lot in the southern provinces!"

"If that's what you're thinking, then why not just take advantage of the situation and change the original design!"

Xiao Zuoyan suddenly seemed to be thinking deeply.

"Well, come to think of it, the little emperor asked me to investigate corruption!"

"To be honest, this job is bound to offend people, but if you deal with the matter objectively, it's not difficult to do!"

"After all, Feiyu is also the main officer of the Jinyiwei. With him passing on some information, the messy things done by the Southern Court officials are no bigger than Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts in front of the two of us. It's a piece of cake!"

"Let's get back to the topic!"

"To clarify bad government, to cleanse the wind of corruption in the government and the public, to save the country from its crisis, to relieve the people from their suffering, this is what a real man should do!"

"No matter whether the Ming Dynasty protects it or not, it doesn't matter whether it is ordered by the little emperor!"

"Just out of public spirit and righteousness, such things as getting back to the basics will have to be done sooner or later!"

"Right now, although there are many obstacles due to the chaos of the Southern Court's factional strife!"

"But after all, I am under the emperor's will. I am a general in the army and have no connection with the court!"

"Why not take advantage of this favorable situation, seize the power of supervision, execute first and report later, grit our teeth and let those parasites bleed, and do something brutal!"

Xiao Lang spoke according to his own heart.

"Uh, I... Haha, I won't hide it from you two!"

"I've thought about this all the way here!"

"There are three main things that I, Xiao Lang, find most unpleasant about court affairs!"

"Firstly, Jiangnan is a rich place, but corruption is rampant in the government and the country. We are in charge of the money and food bags of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but we can't even raise money for military supplies. This is really intolerable!"

"In my opinion, we must first clear them out, and then use troops in the west and north to eliminate the great trouble behind us!"

"The second is that I am worried about the excessive taxes in the court right now. There are too many taxes on soldiers and civilians. Just tonight, I followed the young emperor to the Wuying Palace and heard that the Prime Minister Qiu Weizhen is going to impose a new soldier tax!"

"Humph!"

"This is simply killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, courting self-destruction!"

"Officials, gentry and merchants, who are extremely wealthy and have vast tracts of land, do not ask for money or silver. Those who have made profits are stingy and instead turn around and show their knives to the poor people!"

"The world shouldn't be like this!"

"I can't tolerate such a thing!"

"This excessive taxation must be stopped as soon as possible!"

"besides!"

"That's the harm caused by those vassal kings with the surname Zhu!"

"The imperial court spends so much money every year to support a bunch of good-for-nothing pigs!"

"They are all fat and happy, living a carefree life!"

"But in the government and in the society, in public and in private, you can't expect him to do anything at all!"

"Instead, he brought disaster to the region, colluded with officials and businessmen, wantonly annexed land, controlled the state government's money and grain, enriched himself, and acted recklessly!"

"This is a well-established practice of keeping things in captivity by vassal kings. It should have been abolished long ago!"

"If I, the emperor, were to catch these, I would not forgive any of these rotten things that harm the country and the people, enrich myself and harm the public!"

"Sooner or later, they will all be dealt with!"

(End of this chapter)