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

Chapter 300: Has the final boss been defeated?

"Your Majesty, in another month, Your Majesty will be able to travel east and return to the old capital."

The gears of the nation are constantly turning, handling all sorts of things.

While Mingchen and Lingyu were fighting on the front lines, Qian Yuan's rear was not solely focused on this matter.

At the same time, there are many other things to deal with.

In the imperial court, Feng Xiaozhong, dressed in official robes, stepped forward and reported to Xiao Xinyue on the progress of the matters he was handling.

Xiao Xinyue sat in the high seat, her expression calm: "Yes."

"Your Majesty, heavy rains have struck Baizhou, causing the Ji River to breach its banks and flooding Chengye County. Governor Tang Zhijian has requested the court to provide relief..."

"Your Majesty, a sudden earthquake has struck Luzhou, causing thousands of casualties..."

"..."

Feng Xiaozhong set the precedent, and subsequently, officials in charge of various affairs reported on the matters they had handled.

A whole host of trivial matters, some good and some bad.

In the operation of the state apparatus, everything must be reported and processed.

Xiao Xinyue sometimes frowned, sometimes nodded, discussing solutions to these problems with the others.

"Your Majesty, a report has arrived from the front lines in Dongfang Xiaoyao City!"

Suddenly, Qi Bo, the Vice Minister of War, stepped forward and shouted loudly at Xiao Xinyue.

For a moment, the entire court became quiet.

Eastern Front?

During this period, the western grasslands were peaceful, and there were no wars during the Qian Yuan era.

Recently, there's only one thing!

That was when Marquis Jing'an Mingchen and Marquis Zhongyong Lingyu led 8,000 men to attack the traitor Xu Zhongling under the pretext of forging an alliance and overstepping his bounds.

Many people don't understand why it's necessary to send troops.

However, the two people involved were of great significance to Qian Yuan.

Ling Yu and Ming Chen are the two pillars of Qian Yuan's nation.

In Qian Yuan, only Xiao Xinyue could match their status.

In officialdom, what you do is not important; what matters is the movements and psychology of these important figures.

Matters involving important figures are naturally considered important.

Did Mingchen and his team win? Lose? Die?

This is important to everyone.

Under everyone's gaze, Qi Bo's face flushed red, and his voice was somewhat hurried: "On July 13th, our army attacked the city and bombarded Xiaoyao City. The Liang army was thrown into chaos and their morale collapsed. Under the leadership of General Ling, our army defeated the enemy army and captured the city in half a day, killing 8,000 enemies and capturing 23,000 enemy soldiers."

Win!

It was still a decisive and resounding victory.

For a moment, the expressions of the court officials varied.

Being close to the Mingchen lineage naturally brings peace of mind.

The Mingchen couple have once again rendered meritorious service, their positions remain secure, and they may even be promoted further, which is naturally a good thing.

Those who harbored ambitions and harbored scheming against the Mingchen faction remained calm, lost in thought.

"it is good!"

Xiao Xinyue already knew about these things. She sat high on her throne, observing the ministers below, and nodded slightly.

Mingchen and Lingyu's great victory would have been a great achievement for the generals, but it seemed perfectly normal to them, and the officials seemed to have become accustomed to it.

Just wait, what happens next will truly shock you!
Xiao Xinyue looked at him, and Qi Bo was also somewhat excited. He found it hard to believe when he received this information.

Those two generals were truly extraordinary.

"On July 20th, a sudden internal strife broke out in the Qi army camp. Wang Huai was killed by the rebels, the Crown Prince's camp was burned down, and the Blood-Clad Army was in chaos. Our army successfully persuaded the Qi army to surrender and accepted 53,000 soldiers."

These words stunned everyone in the court.

"what?!"

"This this……"

"Lord Qi, is this really true...?"

"Da Qi...Wang Huai...is dead?"

"..."

A huge rock fell into the lake, creating a huge wave.

The amount of information was quite overwhelming. Even Xiao Xinyue was stunned when she heard the news, let alone the officials present.

For a moment, the ministers looked at each other, regardless of their faction or whether they were close to or opposed to Mingchen, they were all shocked.

The solemn imperial court was as noisy as a vegetable market.

There's no other reason than the news was too shocking.

Wang Huai represents the Great Qi!
Wang Huai is dead, the Crown Prince's camp has been burned down, and the army has surrendered... What does all this information mean?
This means the Great Qi is finished!

That's Wang Huai!

Those were the Blood-Clad Army!
This is their biggest rival in the east!

In this era, most people's thinking is limited, and they are destined to be unable to look at a broader horizon.

Most of them did not have much ambition; they were Qian Yuan people, and they did not have the ambition to unify the world.

Now that the country is in chaos and fragmented, their greatest ideal is to reclaim the lost territories and restore Qian Yuan to its original state.

Over the years, Qian Yuan has developed steadily, and everyone has been united in their efforts to accumulate strength to march eastward, reclaim the land that was originally occupied by Da Qi, wash away the national humiliation, and then block the attack of Bei Lie, so as to achieve stable governance and peace throughout the world.

That's it.

They were all ministers who saved the country, and Xiao Xinyue was also the restorer of the dynasty.

To have a place in history, and to live a peaceful and secure life.

What about the Northern Lie, the South, or the overseas islands...? In fact, most people never thought that unifying the world was just a pipe dream.

No one has achieved this in five hundred years, so how could it fall to them?

But right now, on an ordinary day, they haven't done anything yet!
News came from the front lines that Wang Huai was dead and the Great Qi Dynasty had fallen.

I'm still in town buying equipment, researching tactics, planning which foot to take first, what skills to use, and what buffs to apply.

You're telling me the final boss has already been wiped out?

Those present felt somewhat surreal, as if they lived in a different world from those favored by the gods on the front lines.

Didn't Mingchen and Lingyu say they were only going to attack the city?
Why don't you just eliminate Xu Zhongling properly?
How did it happen so easily, and how did it lead to the downfall of the Great Qi?

Go out and do a dungeon run, and you've already cleared the game?
Not only did they perish, but they also suffered no losses whatsoever; on the contrary, they replenished a large amount of military and labor forces.

This...this is unprecedented!
It's simply divine intervention, a stroke of genius.

It's not just Xiao Xinyue who's a winner without effort.

Are we ministers... just sitting ducks who get rich quick?

very good!

Xiao Xinyue greatly appreciated the reactions of the court officials.

As it turns out, she was perfectly normal; it was Mingchen who was abnormal.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Hahahaha!"

"May Heaven bless my Qian Yuan! May Heaven bless my Qian Yuan!"

"The two marquises of Qian Yuan are truly the lucky stars of Qian Yuan!"

"Truly a divine being..."

Even though they already knew the information, they still had to put on the proper expression.

The emperor can also be said to be overjoyed, which is a way of telling his ministers what kind of actions will please her.

Xiao Xinyue patted the armrest of the chair, laughing heartily, her pretty face flushed with excitement.

Xiao Xinyue's rare loss of emotional control was to be expected.

The ministers gradually calmed down, observing Xiao Xinyue's expression and attitude, and each made their own calculations.

This time, Mingchen Lingyu has done something big again.

When they return, they will surely be rewarded again, and their status will be elevated once more.

It's already subtly showing signs of surpassing His Majesty.

So what will happen to their subordinates next?
There will always be factions, struggles, friends, and enemies in the imperial court.

When the forces are still weak and there is a life-or-death crisis, the sense of shared hatred and hatred is not yet apparent.

But as their status rises, their pie grows bigger, and their profits increase... disputes inevitably arise.

A person's life is a constant struggle.

They scheme against each other, exhausting each other. This trend is gradually emerging in the court of the new Qian Yuan dynasty.

This is the general trend, it's human nature, and it cannot be changed no matter how many years pass.

Xiao Xinyue was powerless to change this; all she could do was maintain a good balance and try her best to steer the struggle in a positive direction.

After the pointless congratulatory remarks and flattery in the imperial court had passed...

A young man stepped forward and said to Xiao Xinyue, "Your Majesty, since the Great Qi has already perished..."

"I believe that we should immediately send a large army eastward, and with the help of the invincible military might of Generals Mingchen and Lingyu, we should use the force of a whirlwind to suppress all the disloyal rebels, reclaim the lost territories of Qianyuan, and unify our Great Qian."

Yun Zheng, newly married, held a high position, and had a happy family; he was riding high on his success.

In court, however, he displayed a composure and calmness beyond his years.

Although she appeared calm on the surface, she couldn't help but feel shocked and helpless for Mingchen.

He knew very well that Ling Yu alone could not have accomplished this; Ming Chen must have been involved.

He was helpless and frustrated here.

He was confident that he had divine assistance, exceptional talent, and keen intelligence.

He served the Qian Yuan dynasty and achieved these accomplishments at a young age. In any era, he would have been the most brilliant and shining star.

But there was always a mountain pressing down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.

The bright sun stands proudly in the sky, destined to make all the stars lose their light.

He was always chasing, but he could only ever see his back.

Mom, I've always lived in his shadow.

Heavens, if you were born on a day of conquest, what day was it?
Suppressing his thoughts, he said in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should not let the two generals return. Instead, we should use Xiaoyao City as the axis and send them directly north. Taking advantage of the great defeat of the Great Qi and the high morale of our army, we should take back all the lost territories."

Wang Huai did not give Mingchen a complete and intact Qi.

He left behind a lot of messes that need to be cleaned up.

The world of the Great Qi does not belong solely to the Great Qi.

Wang Huai's rule and a series of mistakes bred many rebellions and separatist forces.

Xu Zhongling was just the largest branch among them.

The land of Daqi is engulfed in flames of war and bandits roam freely. It will take considerable effort to pacify this land.

Moreover, Wang Huai only brought a group of elite soldiers to annihilate Xu Zhongling. In addition to these troops, there were also some remaining forces of the Great Qi stationed and controlled in other stable prefectures and counties.

The morale of these tens of thousands of soldiers was shaken by Wang Huai's death. Combined with the timely arrival of Ming Chen and his party, as well as the help of Wang Huai's subordinates, all these factors led to this peaceful surrender.

Otherwise, it would never have been Qian Yuan's turn.

After news of Wang Huai's death spread, no one knew what his subordinates thought.

Surrender? Or maintain a separatist regime?
Only land that is truly occupied truly belongs to oneself. Not everyone is highly aware of this, nor are all people optimistic about the Qian Yuan dynasty.

Once Wang Huai relinquished control, he naturally couldn't handle these matters anymore.

Yun Zheng's idea was to take advantage of the current chaos in the Great Qi and the invincible combination of Ming Chen and Ling Yu, and simply sweep away the lost territory.

not coming back?
Xiao Xinyue narrowed her eyes upon hearing this.

Yun Zheng's words seemed to make some sense.

but……

Feng Xiaozhong stepped forward and said, "No! Your Majesty, I believe we should not go east at this time."

"With the death of Emperor Qi, the east is in chaos, and the various forces are leaderless, inevitably descending into chaos and infighting. We might as well stand aside and watch, let these people fight each other to the death, and then step in to reap the benefits."

After all, Qian Yuan was like this before, relying on the natural barrier of Shenjiang River, developing in the west, watching the struggle between Da Qi and Chen, and now he has become the biggest winner.

Feng Xiaozhong was a calm and collected person by nature. He was addicted to playing it safe and wanted to observe the situation before wasting troops and resources.

Upon hearing this, Yun Zheng frowned: "A fight doesn't necessarily mean mutual destruction; there's also the possibility of merging. Does Lord Feng intend for these people to be integrated into a formidable force?"

If there are only two major powers, and their sharp contradictions make it impossible for them to unite, then they can naturally sit back and watch the tigers fight.

However, these are now small factions with different motives, and there is a possibility that they will wear each other down.

But Yun Zheng believed that a more likely scenario was one of inclusiveness and tolerance. Why not seize the opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop, instead of waiting for a powerful leader to emerge, integrate them into a behemoth, and then expend even more effort to fight against it?
Xiao Xinyue sat on the throne, quietly looking at the ministers below, without making a statement.

This is a new trend in the new dynasty.

At this point, Xiao Xinyue meant that everyone should speak up, boldly express their opinions and insights, and point out the merits and demerits of the matter, but should pay attention to order and focus on the issue, not the person.

Xiao Xinyue gathered the wisdom of many people before making a decision.

"Your Majesty, I think Lord Feng is right. We might as well observe the situation further. Even if things don't look good in the east, we can send troops then to protect our soldiers as much as possible. After all, our enemy is still the Northern Lie!"

"No, no, Your Majesty, you are mistaken! Opportunities in war are fleeting, and there are delays in the delivery of battle reports. I believe that what Lord Yun said is reasonable. Since the two marquises are still at the front, we might as well lead our troops north directly, and we will surely achieve some success."

Once that started, people gradually stepped forward to report to Xiao Xinyue.

Xiao Xinyue enjoyed this atmosphere. The ministers expressed their opinions freely, explaining the advantages and disadvantages. The more they spoke, the clearer her perspective became.

However, Mingchen didn't like it, after all, he wasn't the emperor. He didn't attend court because he was too lazy to engage in such verbal battles.

Many things are destined to be neither entirely right nor entirely wrong; everyone has their own reasons.

It also involves partisan disputes and issues of interest division, which are enough to give anyone a headache.

In a sense, recovering lost territories in the East is also about dividing the pie. Whoever adopts a certain strategy should rightfully claim a share of the benefits when the pie is divided.

Speaking up now is undoubtedly a way to secure opportunities in the future.

However, we are not Mingchen, and this is how officials live, so there's not much to say.

“No! Your Majesty, I believe that regardless of whether we fight or not, we should bring the two marquises back. Our return to Yueyang is imminent. Lord Ming turned the tide and saved our dynasty. General Ling led a large army to serve us and made great contributions. They should go to Yueyang to participate in the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven and proclaim their achievements to the world.”

For a moment, the entire court became quiet.

The next official who wanted to speak also fell silent, observing Xiao Xinyue's reaction.

Mingchen and Lingyu are a special couple in Qianyuan, with extremely high status.

Mingchen even stopped attending court.

Now that he has made a great contribution, his status will inevitably rise further, and he may even be able to threaten the imperial power.

An unpayable debt of gratitude becomes a deep-seated enmity.

Throughout history, emperors have never tolerated those whose achievements overshadow their authority.

The current prosperity of the Qian Yuan Dynasty is inseparable from Xiao Xinyue's diligent efforts, but the steady and persistent efforts are destined to be no match for the sensational and eye-catching impact of a single, groundbreaking achievement.

Mingchen's consistently stunning performances completely overshadowed Xiao Xinyue.

An old man dragged them all flying towards the people.

The two of them achieved the feat of destroying a country with an extremely low casualty ratio. Is His Majesty really as happy as he appears on the surface?

Although there are rumors of romantic affairs between the Marquis of Jing'an and His Majesty, no one knows what His Majesty's true thoughts are.

Therefore, everyone avoided discussing the contributions of the two individuals, leaving everything to Xiao Xinyue to decide.

Some even thought it would be better to keep the two of them from coming back, from showing their faces in Yueyang, and to let them stay quiet for a while.

But now someone has stepped forward and brought these things into the open.

"Moreover, the two lords have now absorbed too many surrendered soldiers, whose strength far exceeds that of our army. Their morale is low, they are a mixed bag, and they are difficult to mobilize. They are simply incapable of continuing to launch long-distance raids. The most important task now is to bring these surrendered soldiers back to our dynasty and integrate and manage them."

"My lords, the most pressing issue to discuss now is how to deal with and distribute these surrendered soldiers."

"If we are to march east, we should send other generals and other troops."

The official explained his views to Xiao Xinyue from several other angles.

Yun Zheng and Feng Xiaozhong, who were focused on the matter at hand, were taken aback, but they nodded repeatedly.

That's something we overlooked.

Ling Yu and Ming Chen performed so well that people subconsciously distinguished them from ordinary people, feeling that some minor problems were not problems in their hands.

Having so many surrendered soldiers under his command, running around fighting is indeed very troublesome.

If we leave these people behind and let them come back on their own, it might cause even more trouble.

Mingchen and Lingyu absolutely must return now.

Xiao Xinyue narrowed her eyes upon hearing this and glanced at him again.

Very good, this person's official position can be promoted further. Of all the things she heard, this person's words were the most agreeable to her.

Many people made a mistake.

Xiao Xinyue was not a normal emperor; he lacked suspicion and arrogance, and he didn't mind that his achievements threatened the emperor.

At least that's the case for Mingchen.

Mingchen held extraordinary significance for her, but his role was ambiguous; he was not a subject in the true sense.

Is she a teacher? A colleague? A confidant? A lover? Someone admired?

This is unfit for an emperor. If Mingchen harbors ill intentions, she will cause the dynasty to fall and her reputation to be ruined. But Xiao Xinyue is just that kind of person.

She was still thinking of stalling for time until Mingchen came back so they could go back to Yueyang together.

These cowards want to throw him out to fight.

(End of this chapter)