It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"Do you know how to practice meditation?"

Bai Huang scratched his head:

"never heard of that."

Li De earnestly persuaded:

"The so-called meditation training method is that you lie in bed every day, seemingly doing nothing, but in fact all kinds of martial arts moves are being deduced in your mind. According to legend, there were two masters who fought each other. The two stood for half an hour without moving, but the duel had already taken place in their minds. This meditation training method is even more amazing. You can fight all the heroes in the world in your mind, constantly deduce and make progress. In the end, when your magical power is perfected, you will see the mountains and rivers change color. It's not that the mountains and rivers are far away, but that your heart is getting bigger and bigger, and you can already overlook the whole world."

Bai Huang clapped his hands when he heard this:

"Holy crap, is there really such an amazing thing? No wonder you slack off when you have free time. It turns out you are secretly practicing martial arts?"

Bai Ye on the side smiled and said nothing.

Bai Huang pulled Lid's sleeve and said embarrassedly:

"Then Master, please look at my qualifications..."

Lid said seriously:

"Comrade Xiao Huang's qualifications are naturally beyond reproach. However, the most critical point of this meditation training method is that the practitioner must be sincere in his heart and cannot have any doubts. Otherwise, a thousand-mile dam will be destroyed by an ant hole and a building will collapse in an instant. Comrade Xiao Huang, do you believe me?"

Bai Huang nodded:

"I definitely believe it."

Lid coughed and said:

"Okay, but it's useless if you believe it alone. When you go back, you and I will brainwash He Yue together to prevent him from disturbing our hard training. After that, I will teach you this supreme skill. I guarantee that you will be able to walk around in a few years, and even those tenth-level bosses will have to give you some face."

Bai Huang believed it without a doubt and nodded repeatedly.

Bai Ye sighed softly, thinking that her sister was quite smart when she was young, but she became much dumber when she grew up. However, Li De did not lie to her. When Yunyang became stronger, Xiao Huang could walk sideways when she went out, and everyone who saw her would have to give her face. It was not a problem to think so.

Bai Ye watched his sister and Lid joking around, and could feel a long-lost sense of relaxation from Bai Huang.

She was obviously much happier, and the atmosphere between her and Reed was subtly different.

Bai Ye closed his eyes and gently took the hand of Linglan beside him.

……

The carriage passed through the entire sea of ​​clouds and arrived at the border smoothly.

The Yunhai army, which had arrived in the north ahead of time to confront Fang Shisan, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Neither side had the intention of continuing the war, especially since Yunhai had just decided on a crown prince and it was the time for the transfer of power. The conflicts between factions had not been settled yet, so naturally they did not want to fight to the death with Yunyang.

But the pressure from Fang Shisan is always there.

She closed her eyes, frowned, and sat in a wheelchair, facing the hundreds of thousands of troops in Yunhai, like a sculpture, without saying a word. Many people in Yunhai were also attracted by her appearance, but when they thought that this woman had only taken a few days to reach this place, no one dared to look at her for a while.

Yunyang's army neither attacked nor withdrew, but swaggered to build fortifications on Yunhai's territory. When Lide arrived at the scene, Fang Shisan had already built a defense line like an iron barrel, and even prepared the formation. She was good at defending the city, so this time she chose a very fierce formation, with the momentum of going straight to the Never-Sleeping City if they didn't let her go.

When he learned that Lid had returned, Fang Shisan finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere was slightly eased.

In front of Bai Feng, Lid tapped Fang Shisan's forehead twice seriously and said falsely:

"Tell me, is it worth mobilizing so many troops for me to come to Yunhai as a guest? Yunhai and we are good brothers! This time when I came to Yunhai, I helped them beat up the Ocean Clan. What kind of friendship is this? This is the friendship of good brothers. When you go back, write an apology letter immediately and send it directly to the Lord of Yunhai, and this matter will be over."

Fang Shisan was hit on the head, but he was not angry. He smiled and said:

"As long as you're okay."

Lid also laughed, and in front of hundreds of thousands of people on both sides, he hugged Fang Shisan generously, then turned around and waved at Bai Feng, saying with a smile:

"Let's go! No need to see me off."

The Yunyang army changed their formation in unison. Lide led Fang Shisan away first, but a group of soldiers stayed behind to guard. These soldiers held their spears tightly and looked at the Yunhai army without saying a word, without a trace of fear in their eyes. They were not many, but this was the strangest thing about the Yunyang army: no matter how many or few they were, their momentum would not change at all, as if even if there was only one person, they would rush forward without hesitation and fight to the last moment.

Old Man Hualong looked at Li De's back as he walked away, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Bai Feng's complex expression.

It can be seen from this disguised swallowing of Zhaochen that Yunyang has become a powerful force.

The world is changing rapidly, and those who have the ability to compete have already started to take action. Yunhai was originally one of the territories that was at the forefront, but it has been gradually left behind without realizing it.

The wind was cold and the old man Hualong lowered his hands, feeling a little powerless.

For him, this was not just a matter of a few wrong decisions. When the gears of the world began to turn again, he suddenly felt that perhaps he was indeed old, and that the next era might be the era of young people.

1. The beginning of chaos

Fang Lita's succession as Lord of Zhaochen was a bombshell for the entire Yongtian Kingdom.

Although the whole process is indeed reasonable and legal, after all, Fang Lita is the biological son of Lord Zhaochen, and his succession to the throne has been recognized by the royal family, but no matter how you look at it, it is obviously suspected of taking advantage of loopholes. Fang Lita has been imprisoned by Yunyang for a long time, and the appointed executives are all from Yunyang. At this time, it is meaningless to argue about the rationality of the process. Anyone can see that Zhaochen has now completely become Yunyang's back garden.

The strange thing is that everyone can see it, but no territory is willing to speak out.

Everyone is waiting and watching.

It was strange that the royal family would admit this power change. The three top-ranked territories, Xiqin, Nanchu, and Lingwu, also remained silent. This gave each territory a bad feeling. The storm was brewing. The matter of Zhaochen might just be the beginning. Those top-ranked territories seemed to be teaming up to make a big news.

As expected, not long after Li De returned to Yunyang, the White-robed Minister Wu Mi issued a notice:

"Since its founding, the Eternal Heaven Kingdom has been divided into thirty-six territories. The original intention was to strengthen the local governance capacity and ensure that the widowed, the orphaned and the lonely can each be provided for."

"But after thousands of years of inheritance, the development of each territory is uneven. The strong get stronger, and the nobles have vast fields; the weak get weaker, and the common people have no place to stand."

"The world will eventually unite after a long period of division, and only those with virtue can rule. I have visited the territories of Tiancheng, Shangtai, Qingquan, and what I saw and heard was shocking. There were thousands of miles of barren land, no people, people cooked with bones, and exchanged their children for food. Vultures lingered in the sky, and white bones and skulls were everywhere on the ground."

"This situation is contrary to the beautiful expectations when Yongtian Nation was founded. There are differences in martial arts, and there are differences in territories, but how innocent are the people who died of hunger and cold? From today on, the fifteen territories with the most serious situation are ordered to develop seriously and take people's livelihood into consideration. If there is still no effect in half a month, the surrounding territories will take their place."

This notice looks very long, but when you look closely it actually means one thing: Brothers who always rank at the bottom of the exams, please pay attention, if you don’t work hard, you will be expelled!

But the question is, can hundreds of years of problems be solved in just half a month?

Even Yunyang, which had Li De, took two full years to grow from weak to strong. If you want to solve the problem of food and clothing for the people in half a month, there is probably only one way, which is to kill all the nobles in the territory and distribute all their property to the civilians.

But if any lord really dared to do this, his head would be hung on the city gate in three days at most, let alone half a month.

Therefore, the real purpose of this notice is to inform those powerful territories to prepare to divide up the fat meat in front of them. The royal family is very fair to everyone to give half a month of buffer time, after which large-scale territorial attacks will be allowed. The cruel law of the jungle where the fittest survive is about to come.

The winner takes all, the loser loses everything.

Of course, for Yunyang, the changes in the outside world did not seem to be that important. Their top priority was to completely digest Zhaochen, who had just been swallowed. The blitzkrieg against Yunhai had already created momentum. Without knowing Yunyang's true strength, no territory was willing to come and cause trouble for the time being. This was the last peaceful time for Yunyang.

He Yue and Li De also had different opinions on Zhaochen's governance policy.

Li De, who had just returned to Yunyang, took a hot bath to wash away his fatigue, and then listened to He Yue's report on the specific details of taking down Zhao Chen. He Yue put some information and the policies that had been drafted in advance in front of Li De, who took a quick look at them, then neatly sorted them out and returned them intact.

The fact that Reed did not sign shows that he saw problems with these plans.

He Yue sat quietly, staring into Lid's eyes, waiting for him to speak. Sure enough, Lid coughed lightly and asked:

"Are you planning to copy Yunyang's policies?"

He Yue was silent for a while and said:

"Zhaochen has suffered too much. A serious illness requires strong medicine. At least we should stabilize the people and the army over there first, and then make arrangements."

Reed shook his head:

"I can't approve your policy. Go back and think about it."

This was a rare time that Lid pushed back on He Yue's policy. He Yue looked at the document she had written late at night and bit her lips lightly.

After a long time, He Yue held the document in his hand and asked again:

"why?"

Lid looked at the sky outside. It was already evening. Lid sat up, brushed his wet hair with his hands, and said to He Yue:

"Come on, go out with me to eat something and we can talk while we eat."

He Yue put down the document in his hand, and seemed to have temporarily withdrawn from his work. A gentle smile appeared on his face, and he said quickly:

"Okay. I'll treat you this time, and congratulate you on your safe return from danger."

When Li De left Yunyang, he had his last meal with He Yue; now that he had returned to Yunyang from Yunhai, he also had his first meal with He Yue. For those who were interested in Yunyang politics, this was a strong signal that He Yue was still the most respected Minister of Internal Affairs, and her power had not declined at all because of Feilin's appointment as Minister of Internal Affairs of Zhaochen.

Lide did not take He Yue to the Zhenwei Restaurant, but took him to an ordinary roadside stall, ordered two bowls of mutton soup, and then took He Yue to find a table to sit down. Before the soup came, Lide did not speak, but squinted his eyes and looked at the prosperous night scene of Lingyun City. This place was still a little worse than the Yunhai he had just visited, with fewer caravans coming and going, but Lide thought it was good this way.

The prices here are quite reasonable. Anyone who has worked hard all day can come here for dinner or a midnight snack, enjoy a moment of peace, and then run towards their own poetry and distant places.

After the soup came, Reed took a sip and felt a warm current flowing into his limbs.

“Let’s talk about the conclusion first.”

Lid looked at He Yue and raised three fingers:

"The people of Zhaochen can only get 30% of our preferential policies at most. That means if a Yunyang citizen can earn three gold coins after working hard for a year, a Zhaochen citizen can only earn about one."

He Yue's hand holding the bowl stopped in mid-air, then slowly put it down and said to Lid:

“But they still can’t get enough to eat.”

Lid smiled, took a bite of the oily shortbread, and responded lightly:

"But I won't starve to death."

He Yue drank a mouthful of mutton soup depressedly without refutation.

Lid took another bite of the biscuit and said to He Yue:

"Are you sure it's your treat?"

He Yue nodded, and Li De immediately raised his hand to call the waiter, and ordered a plate of scallion-roasted lamb, a plate of lamb tripe wrapped in meat, a roasted lamb leg, and two pots of mare's milk. It seemed that he was not being polite to He Yue at all. When all the dishes were served, Li De had almost finished his soup, and his whole body was warm.

He poured himself a glass of wine, and also poured a glass of wine for He Yue, and then said to He Yue:

"Of course, there is another way for them to feed themselves and clothe themselves and provide a prosperous family life."

Reed raised his glass, clinked it with He Yue, and then drank it all in one gulp.

He Yue didn't drink, but waited for Li De's answer.

Lid put down the cup, exhaled, and said with a smile:

"…Join the army. Use their bodies to protect Yunyang."

2. Be your favorite

He Yue said:

"To be honest, the situation in Zhaochen is not optimistic. Taking over Zhaochen has greatly improved our strength on paper, but Zhaochen is also an absolute hot potato. Public resentment is rising and the regime is changing. If it is not handled properly, it will be difficult for Fang Lita and the executives we sent to end it. The solution I can think of is to stabilize the nobles and appease the people as much as possible, and draw the pie first. How much can be fulfilled when the time comes is another matter."

He Yue hesitated for a moment and said to Lid:

"What you are talking about is actually forcing people to join the army. This will definitely intensify conflicts for Zhaochen, who has just experienced war. I am worried that someone will fan the flames in the future, and the situation will probably become more complicated by then."

Lid tore off a piece of lamb leg. There weren't many kinds of spices in this world, so the fishy smell of the lamb leg couldn't be completely covered, but overall it still tasted good. He ate until his mouth was full of oil, and he didn't forget to lick his fingers, and asked casually:

"Who do you think is more important, Zhaochen or Yunyang?"

He Yue answered without hesitation:

"It must be Yunyang. Yunyang is our foundation...but why does it become a question of choosing one or the other?"

Reed tapped the plate in front of him with his chopsticks and raised his chin at the people chatting loudly in the other seats.

He Yue suddenly became quiet and looked in that direction with Lid.

Two people at the next table were clinking their glasses filled with wine and talking with red faces:

"If you ask me, the new lord is really capable! Zhaochen, you have been fighting with us for so many years, and now it has become our territory! It's really fucking satisfying. If we continue at this pace, maybe I can see the day when Yunyang becomes the king. When that happens, I will definitely walk sideways when I see people from other territories."

The man opposite also drank a lot. He supported his head with one hand and shook his other hand violently. In the blink of an eye, the glass of wine was reduced to only half a glass. He said incoherently:

"Some time ago, they were recruiting soldiers for the war and said they were going to raise business taxes. I was really pissed off... Although when the territory is in trouble, we have to take money from the people or from the merchants, but when this happened to me, I still couldn't swallow it. Fortunately... Fortunately, Zhaochen got it, and Yunhai also won, it's worth celebrating..."

Reed took a sip of wine and turned his attention to another table.

The faces of the people at that table were all glowing, and the person sitting at the head of the table couldn't hide his excitement:

"I told you that my boy was born to be a soldier! The battle report from the front said that he killed seven people in Zhaochen by himself. Seven! At that time, the rebels in Zhaochen were unstoppable, and our people died to fill the gap. All his comrades were killed, and he rushed forward alone. He was stabbed sixteen times, and only a few tendons were left on his arm! He...he..."

The uncle sitting in the first seat poured himself a pot of wine, tears dripping into the wine bowl, sobbing:

"He almost didn't come back..."

The people around me toasted and said that good fortune will come to those who survive a disaster. A white-haired old man at the next table suddenly leaned over the table and cried silently, wiping his tears with his two skinny hands. Some people survived, and naturally some people could never come back. Those who came back were heroes, but those who fell down stayed in a foreign land forever.

All the joys and sorrows of the world are at your fingertips.

He Yue was silent for a long time.