As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 108: Half a State for One Person

Mingchen has never been one to play around since he was a child.

Coming to this new world, if you want to make a difference, you must understand the world.

Mountains, rivers, climate...these geographical information are all very important.

He had studied the geography of Qianyuan, Beilie, the southern countries, and the northwestern Xiongnu, and had many ideas in his mind, so it was not surprising that he proposed this strategy.

Mingchen sat back at the table and casually said to Qin Lou, "Your Majesty, personally, I still don't quite believe in the peace treaty."

To put it nicely, a peace treaty is a symbol of integrity; to put it bluntly, it is just a piece of paper.

Both sides need peace at the moment, so they signed a peace treaty.

But the timing of peace demands varies between the two sides.

After the harsh winter, and after accumulating food for three to five years, the ambitious tigers and wolves of the north may no longer want peace.

If another envoy dies by then, the peace treaty will become worthless and another war can be launched.

But Qian Yuan couldn't do that. When he went back and killed the old emperor, the prince ascended the throne, and then the prince died... there would be chaos again.

The court officials were redundant and complicated, and the Blood-Clothed Army was in chaos. Even if Qianyuan wanted to revive himself, it would take a lot of time.

During this period, it would be best to find something for Bei Lie to do, locking up his national strength in one place so that he cannot take care of other things.

This is why Mingchen proposed this strategy.

Mingchen told Qin Lou directly that he wanted to destroy Beilie's country.

He did not lie to Qin Lou. Developing water conservancy projects was indeed a good thing. Once completed, it would enable Beilie to achieve a qualitative leap.

Proposing this plan is the simplest, and perhaps others can also think of it, but the real difficulty lies in how to do it.

The manpower and material resources consumed here are simply immeasurable, and it also requires a lot of time.

For such a major event, there will definitely be voices of opposition within Beilie, which will put great pressure on Qin Lou.

Even before the canal is repaired, Beilie will be directly dragged down.

Nothing can have only advantages. Mingchen openly lays out the good and the bad.

Leave it to Qin Lou to decide.

And Qin Lou will definitely accept it.

He was not a monarch who was willing to stick to the status quo. This was a matter that would benefit future generations. It would take ten years to complete, and the saline land would be transformed into fertile fields.

From now on, the vast expanses of fertile farmland will become Beilie's most powerful asset. Beilie's people will no longer be oppressed by hunger and cold, and Beilie's cavalry will no longer be constrained by a lack of food and fodder. They will surely rise to prominence in the world.

This is much better than marching the army south, wasting national strength and soldiers' lives, fighting for those blood-stained broken cities.

Even if Qin Lou, who accomplished this, failed to complete the great cause of unifying the world, he would surely be recorded in history and be remembered for generations to come as a wise ruler respected by the people of Beilie.

Qin Lou let out a light breath, suppressing all his thoughts in his heart, and just looked at Mingchen: "Mingchen, you proposed this plan to help my Beilie, aren't you afraid of being blamed by the Qianyuan court?"

His tone was inexplicable, revealing some of the same meaning as Mingchen's previous instigation of him and Tian Hongshi.

Mingchen's move is like drinking poison to quench thirst.

In order to delay time, be tired today and strong tomorrow.

If Qian Yuan was still in this half-dead state ten years later, he would be kicked to death by Bei Lie like a wild dog.

Mingchen replied, "What crime has a foreign minister committed in exchanging a plan for half of our state's territory? If the plan wasn't sincere and there were hidden tricks, Your Majesty wouldn't be able to see it. Besides, thousands of years ago, Beilie and Qianyuan were one family. This is a matter that benefits the country and the people, and has nothing to do with national boundaries."

The prerequisite for bluffing is that the other party believes it.

Mingchen couldn't find any strategy that would harm others and benefit himself and could deceive the other party into believing it. After all, the king was not a fool.

After hearing the second half of Mingchen's words, Qin Lou's eyes became deep, as if he was thinking about something.

Then, his voice was filled with a hint of malice: "Aren't you afraid that in ten years, I, Beilie, will rise to power and swallow up the world? I will march south and destroy your country?"

Mingchen shrugged and replied, "Then your Majesty, aren't you afraid? When you build the canal, my Qianyuan envoy will die in Beilie, and my army will march north to destroy your kingdom. The canal you build will also be my Qianyuan's water conservancy project from now on."

Sharp teeth!

"Hahahaha~"

Qin Lou laughed arrogantly when he heard this: "If you, Qian Yuan, are really capable, then come and give it a try!"

Mingchen...this person...

It's really extraordinary.

You know, this strategy was proposed by Mingchen from their opposing position.

What kind of genius is this who proposed this strategy, which not only made his enemy accept it, but also achieved his own goal?

He looked at this confident young man, and the more he looked, the more he liked him.

Beilie values military power, and the king likes brave and martial ministers, but now this seemingly small scholar makes him particularly eager.

Why?
Such a great man was born in that corrupt country.

Why doesn’t he have such people in Beilie?

Mingchen smiled and didn't continue the topic. He simply said, "Since Your Majesty has approved this policy presented by a foreign minister, does our agreement still stand? In that case, are our peace talks complete?"

After finishing his work, he is ready to go off work!
Qin Lou paused and shook his head: "No."

"Why? Your Majesty is going to break his promise?"

The tyrannical monarch sat upright, his voice high and mighty, "I never break my promise. One strategy in exchange for half a state, then one strategy in exchange for half a state. I do not want the land of Lizhou south of Rongshui."

There was no one else here, so Mingchen was just talking.

He could have easily pushed back on the denial.

But he disdained to do so.

Mingchen replied, "Your Majesty is indeed sincere and trustworthy. I thank you very much."

Before Qin Lou finished speaking, he looked at Mingchen and said, "Can I give up the other half of the state?"

"Oh? There is such a good thing?" Qin Lou's gaze made Mingchen a little scared.

Qin Lou had no idea what disrespectful thing Mingchen was thinking. He simply looked at the young prodigy with his eyes full of ambition. "Mingchen, how about I trade half of the state for you?"

He doesn't want any princess or generals now, and he doesn't want any land either. He doesn't want anything in this war or settlement.

Everything, all in exchange for this person.

As an opponent, he sees things more clearly.

He deeply understood that this unknown editor, this young man who was not even twenty years old, had the power to change the world.

From the beginning, they had been clashing in the court, their brazen moves shocking the entire audience, to now resorting to this blatant scheme to exhaust the nation in exchange for half a state's worth of land and time for recuperation...

A touch of lips and teeth can change the world.

This man's courage, vision, spirit, talent, wisdom... are all among the best of the best.

This is a rare talent in a thousand years. He has his own ideas in mind. In his eyes, the situation in the world is fluid and can be calculated and planned.

There is no one in the Beilie court who can compare with this man.

He was an ambitious monarch, how could he let this man slip away from his sight.

He only hated why he was born in Qianyuan instead of Beilie.

If he had this person's help, he couldn't imagine what Bei Lie's situation would be like ten years later.

Unify the world? All nations come to pay tribute?

Putting aside other things, just talking about the strategy he proposed, he, a native of Qianyuan, knows his own geographical conditions better than many people in Beilie.

If we ask him to take charge of repairing the canal, it will save a lot of time, manpower and material resources, which alone are worth the mere half of the state.

Is that stupid old man Qianyuan Xiaoyu worthy of this person?

A cow chewing a peony, what a waste!
"Replace a foreign minister? What does your Majesty mean?"

Thumbs up for you, you really know what you are talking about.

Putting aside their stance, Mingchen actually had a very good impression of Qin Lou as the monarch. Xiao Yu was not worthy of having dinner at the same table with him, and he was better than the prince Xiao Zhengyang.

But unfortunately, this person is the leader of wolf culture.

If you know the value of something, you will get the respect and rewards it deserves.

But if you are with him, you have to work hard like an ox or a horse, and a minister can only be a minister. Personal hobbies like being a little greedy are probably not allowed.

Mingchen didn't like it very much.

"Mingchen, you're just a small editor in Qianyuan. Don't you think that's an insult to your talent?"

"How about coming to my Beilie? Does that stupid old turtle Xiao Yu deserve your loyalty?"

As the emperor of a dynasty, Beidi was not polite at all when he spoke.

"Qian Yuan is rotten to the core. The court is full of idiots who will only hold you back."

"If you stay in Beilie, I will grant you the position of Prime Minister, even comparable to General Tian Hong. You will be second only to the emperor, and above all others. You can achieve your ambitions!"

Since Mingchen can stand in Beilie's perspective and propose the method of building a canal that benefits the country and the people, then he can be an official in Beilie.

This is something that can be achieved.

He himself said that Qianyuan and Beilie were one family a thousand years ago, so what if he came to this family?

When the army marches south in the future and Qianyuan Beilie becomes one family again, then he will not be considered a traitor.

He was clearly a domineering and overbearing king, with an awe-inspiring presence in the court. But now, he treated Mingchen with great enthusiasm and sincerity, eager to recruit talented people.

He rarely has such patience with someone.

Mingchen smiled and bowed to him: "I thank your Majesty for your kindness, but..."

Well... Your Majesty, I don't actually have any grand plans to fulfill, I just want to take advantage of the situation.

"I am a Qianyuan native, born there, loyal to Qianyuan. Since childhood, I have been instilled with the idea of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. I receive the emperor's salary and must be loyal to him. How can a minister serve two masters? I apologize for not being able to agree to your request. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Mingchen said something to Qin Lou that he himself didn't believe.

Well...Qin Lou doesn't believe it either.

Nowadays, there are few people in Qianyuan’s court who are loyal to the emperor and patriotic.

If you don't know what he has done, and only look at him now, he looks quite humble and polite.

But in reality, he has a perverse personality, bold and arrogant. He is proud and confident to the extreme, which is very similar to him. He doesn't believe that he can be loyal to someone like Xiao Yu.

Just now he deliberately insulted Xiao Yu, but this guy didn't care at all. How can you still say that you are loyal to the emperor?
In other words, he is not someone who can be loyal to others.

Those who can change the world will rarely be loyal to others.

But that doesn't mean he can't be used.

The talented minister is like a wild horse, and he is the one who tames it.

"Hahahaha~"

Qin Lou was rejected by Ming Chen, but he didn't seem to care. He smiled brightly and said to him, "Ming Chen, whether you are loyal to Qian Yuan or not may not be decided by you. Maybe Qian Yuan doesn't want your loyalty?"

"Would you like to make a bet with me?"

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"Tomorrow, Beilie's envoys will set out at full speed to Qianyuan Yueyang to convey my intentions to your emperor."

"I don't want that half state, nor do I want the compensation from Qianyuan. I can even return some money and supplies to Qianyuan."

Beidi's voice was sonorous and his eyes were firm: "I only want you to stay in Beilie!"

He is the king of Beilie, and he has enough capital to exchange for this person.

(End of this chapter)