High Martial Arts: First day of dropping out of school, reward: Devouring the Emperor's Body

In an instant, all the government officials lowered their heads.

They are people who care about their reputation and know the meaning of shame.

The most furious of them all was probably Jiang Wanchao. As his confidant, Zheng Shaoqiu's corruption and treason were things Jiang Wanchao was unaware of.

It can be said that Zheng Shaoqiu's actions were enough to greatly reduce Jiang Wanchao's political credibility.

Looking at this group of high-ranking government officials, Li Mo's lips curled up slightly.

He had already made all the necessary preparations. The battlefield in the Seven Yuan Mountains was a battlefield, and so was the imperial court in the country.

Li Mo certainly didn't want to get involved in politics, but if he really had no other choice, he wouldn't be careless at all.

He too must win on this battlefield without gunfire!

Just then, Liu Quan spoke up, saying, "General Li has done another great service! You've helped us expose such a scoundrel! Zheng Shaoqiu is truly a traitor! Thank you, General Li, for eliminating this villain for the government!"

"Tomorrow, I will order Zheng Shao-kui to be executed! As a warning to others!"

Liu Quan's words were clearly directed at Jiang Wanchao. He and Jiang Wanchao had always been at odds, and now that he had this opportunity, he naturally wanted to show off.

Zheng Shao Kui's official rank was not high among these people, but his position was very important. It could be said that Zheng Shao Kui was the first to know about any changes in the army.

When Jiang Wanchao promoted Zheng Shaoqiu to the position of vice minister, he made a solemn guarantee for Zheng Shaoqiu.

He thought Zheng Shaoqiu was a valuable asset, but now this valuable asset has turned out like this.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Wanchao immediately severed ties with Zheng Shaoqiu!

"That Zheng Shaoqiu is truly hateful! When he became the Deputy Minister of the Quartermaster Department, he assured me that he would wholeheartedly advocate for the people and serve them! Now he has turned into such a jackal and tiger!"

"Gentlemen, there's no need to wait until tomorrow; I will eliminate this traitor today!"

Jiang Wanchao was well aware that if he didn't take a stand, Zheng Shaoqiu's incident would inevitably become an excuse for others to attack him in the future.

However, if he deals with Zheng Shao Kui now, it will alienate his confidants.

However, he was helpless. After all, Zheng Shao Kui had committed the wrong first, so he could only cut off his own tail like a gecko and save himself first.

No sooner had Jiang Wanchao finished speaking than a dagger appeared at Zheng Shaoqiu's neck. Before the poor Zheng Shaoqiu could even understand what was happening, his throat was slit.

"Why...why..."

Before his death, Zheng Shaoqiu probably couldn't understand why he, who was so loyal to Jiang Wanchao, ended up like this.

While Jiang Wanchao was busy protecting himself, Liu Quan and Zhao Zhenyuan took the opportunity to propose a plan for Li Mo to station troops in the Mississippi Mountains.

Liu Quan spoke first, saying, "General Li has repeatedly performed extraordinary feats; we truly don't know how to reward him! Marshal Zhao, what do you think?"

Zhao Zhenyuan picked up the thread and replied, "In the Battle of the Seven Yuan Mountains, in addition to gaining control of the Seven Yuan Mountains, we also obtained dominion over the Mississippi Mountain Region from the Black Earth Tribe!"

"In my opinion, it would be better to have Li Mo station troops in the Mississippi Mountains. Firstly, he can be constantly vigilant against the invasion of the Black Earth Tribe. Secondly, that region has fertile land and many mineral deposits. If Li Mo is stationed there, the Mississippi Mountains might become an outpost for the expansion of our Great Xia civilization. What do you think?"

Zhao Zhenyuan was very cunning. He deliberately didn't mention the Star Crystal Mine in the Mississippi Mountains, or that he had handed over the operating rights of the Star Crystal Mine to Li Mo.

Instead, it deliberately emphasized that Li Mo's presence in the Mississippi Mountains would help protect against the Black Soil tribes, which would benefit national security.

The officials present were not fools; most of them knew about what was happening on the front lines and had long understood that Li Mo owned the operating rights to the Star Crystal Mine.

However, Zhao Zhenyuan's words carried a hint of threat. His meaning was simple: if Li Mo could not station troops in the Mississippi Mountains, then the army would not be responsible for the security of the Mississippi Mountains.

Apart from the Royal Guard, the government could mobilize virtually no troops with any fighting capacity, making it impossible for them to defend the Mississippi Mountains.

However, the reason why the Royal Guard is called the Royal Guard is because they cannot leave the capital. Even if the government takes over the Star Crystal Mine in the Mississippi Mountains, it will be of no use if they cannot hold it.

Zhao Zhenyuan chose to bring this up at this crucial moment when Zheng Shaoqiu was in trouble, which left none of the officials present daring to object.

The logic is simple: if Zheng Shao-kui, a mere deputy minister of the military supplies department, dares to be so corrupt, how can the people sent by the government in such a fertile land as the Mississippi Mountains guarantee that they will stay true to their principles?

For a moment, the entire room fell silent.

As long as none of these high-ranking government officials object, then Li Mo's stationing of troops in the Mississippi Mountains is almost a done deal.

However, this matter is too complex to be resolved so smoothly.

Jiang Wanchao, as one of the six supreme powers of the Great Xia, was merely one of the forces opposing Li Mo. Apart from Liu Quan, almost all government officials opposed Li Mo!

The next moment, one of the six people in the audience stood up.

This person is Wang Jianbang. As one of the six members of the committee, he wielded immense power, overseeing the nation's water conservancy construction and economic development.

At the same time, he also served as the Minister of Finance of Daxia.

"Marshal Zhao, there's a star crystal mine in the Mississippi Mountains! It's not some ordinary gold or silver mine!"

"Li Mo has indeed performed many outstanding feats and deserves commendation! But isn't such a high praise a bit too much?"

"You need to understand, a single star crystal mine can provide the country with at least hundreds of billions in tax revenue annually!"

Wang Jianbang meant that he could agree to Li Mo stationing troops in the Mississippi Mountains, but only as troops to protect the Mississippi Mountains, not as warlords who would carve out their own territory!

However, Zhao Zhenyuan's decision to station troops under Li Mo was solely for financial and political gain.

He didn't want every penny of the military's money to be controlled by the government.

There have even been cases where death benefits couldn't be paid out!

Zhao Zhenyuan immediately retorted, "Mr. Wang, I'm only granting Li Mo the operating rights to the star crystal mine; the management rights remain with the government! Whatever star crystals Li Mo mines will still be converted into cash and used to pay the government corresponding taxes!"

"Oh……"

At this moment, Wang Jianbang sneered and said, "Marshal Zhao, do you think we're all fools? How much does it cost to mine star crystals? At most a few billion a year! But the star crystals that can be sold after mining are worth at least hundreds of billions a year!"

"It's precisely because Star Crystals are so profitable that we've always considered Star Crystal mines as state-owned! Now you're actually handing over the operating rights of a Star Crystal mine to Li Mo—are you trying to turn it into your private treasury?"