It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Lid drank the wine in his glass and said calmly:

"He Yue, I know what you think. You think people should not be divided into different classes. The people of Yunyang and Zhaochen are all living people."

He suddenly put the cup on the table, which scared He Yue. He Yue raised her head and heard Lid say coldly:

"But Zhaochen is rotten, rotten to the core. Why should the people of Yunyang pay for their civil strife? We have just experienced war, our treasury is not well-stocked, and our people are not as happy as expected. At this time, you give Zhaochen the same treatment as us, what do you think our people will think? Some people tighten their belts to provide us with military supplies, and some people wrap their heads with cloth strips and go to the battlefield. If their hearts are cold, Yunyang will be finished."

He Yue drank a glass of wine and said bitterly:

"I know. I know... But Lide, have you ever thought about this? Today we take down Zhaochen and only give them one-third of Yunyang's treatment. Tomorrow we use Zhaochen's power to take down Tiancheng. Should we give them one-third of Zhaochen's treatment? If we keep doing this over and over again, when will it end?"

Lid filled her glass, exhaled, and replied:

"So, if Yunyang wants to develop fast enough, Zhaochen must also keep up. And this rule is not always the same. If Zhaochen makes contributions in the process of fighting Tiancheng, the people there will naturally get more things. Everything is won by oneself, and whether they fight hard or not depends on themselves."

Li De looked at He Yue's heart aching as the bitter wine went down his throat, and said with a smile:

"What's more, you treat Zhaochen and Yunyang equally right from the start. What is the goal of Zhaochen? Without a goal, they won't cherish what they have, but will regard what we give them as what they deserve. Sooner or later, they will turn against us because of this. The human heart has always been the most bottomless abyss in the world."

He Yue also followed Li De's example and put the cup on the table, then said:

"I'll go back and draft a new set of rules and regulations. I'll show it to you then. If there's no problem, I'll send it out."

Reed shook his head.

He Yue looked at him in confusion, then saw Lid holding up the cup and saying with a faint smile:

"You can't decide this policy because the whole world is watching us."

"Take a step forward and implement benevolent policies, and Zhaochen will be deposed. Not only will Zhaochen be deposed, but Yunyang will also be destabilized."

"If we take a step back and exercise restraint, people will poke at our spines and accuse us of double standards and of not treating everyone equally. If you take the blame, you will no longer be the He Yue who saved the people from disasters, and there will be countless controversies in the history books in the future."

Lid looked at He Yue, patted her shoulder gently, and said softly:

"I'll take the blame for you."

After returning, Lid quickly drafted a set of ruthless rules and regulations, laying out various matters of concern on the table in a nonchalant manner, and then asked He Yue to send it to Feilin, who was now Zhaochen's Prime Minister of Internal Affairs, to publicize it.

What Reed didn't expect was that a few days later he received news that He Yue had blatantly plagiarized his academic achievements and put her own name in front of those decisions that might leave him with eternal infamy.

And the matter is done, there is no possibility of any change.

Li De was so angry that he slammed the table and went to He Yue to argue:

"Be honest, why are you always involved in the fun?"

He Yue was dressed in a plain white robe, but her smile was full of charm, worthy of the title of the second most beautiful woman in the world. She looked at the annoyed Li De, and gave him a charming smile that would melt your heart, and said mischievously:

"I have been thinking about what you said last time, and it does make sense. But why do I need such a good reputation? It is enough for me to be your favorite."

Lid slammed the table and said angrily:

"speak English."

He Yue then restrained some of his exaggerated performance, but still with a smile on his face, he replied:

"Li De, I may not be a famous official, but I cannot be a villain."

3. Suppressing riots and conscription

He Yue's dream of becoming a favorite courtier and jester naturally did not come true, because the next second Lid put his hands on his waist and cursed:

"Damn it, I've lived my whole life, and all the favored ministers I've seen are anxious about the boss's worries and want what the boss wants. What about you? You confiscated your boss's small treasury, and stopped your boss from finding beautiful maids to fill the harem. Such a big lord's mansion is deserted. What use do I have for this iron rod?"

He Yue smiled and lay in Li De's arms, gently pinched his cheek, and said happily:

"I'm just vying for favor."

Reed placed his hands on her waist and could naturally smell the fragrance of her hair.

He found that he and He Yue could still have many stories. Their identities and relationship could fully qualify them as the protagonists of various short films. The only problem was that he didn't know where to publish the film after it was finished. Was this intangible cultural heritage an exotic love affair or a homosexual relationship?

The two were speechless for a moment.

After a moment, He Yue raised his head, looked up at Lid, and said calmly:

"The world is going to be in chaos."

She paused, her fingers sliding down his cheek. She placed her hand on the back of Reed's bandaged hand and continued:

“Just as we expected.”

……

Lid's policy naturally caused an uproar throughout Zhaochen.

After the Yuxicheng Group took over Yunyang, it quickly cleaned up the secret organizations in other territories and firmly controlled the propaganda. Therefore, although the direction of public opinion was complex and changeable, it would not get out of control. But Zhaochen was different. There was no time to clean up the secret chess pieces of each family, and there were countless people who fanned the flames and led the rhythm.

"Zhaochen is all inferior", "Zhaochen has become a subsidiary of Yunyang", "Zhaochen will only be exploited more miserably in the future"... Various voices converged into a storm. At this time, He Yue's level of employing people was revealed. She transferred Feilin to be the chief minister of internal affairs in advance because she saw the ruthlessness he still had after leaving Yuxi Academy. Most people would have been scared when faced with such public pressure, but Feilin didn't care at all. Even though the outside of Zhaochen Lord's Mansion was blocked by protesting people, he went to get off work normally. His noble aura made the people who were demonstrating and marching couldn't help but punch him a few more times.

Feilin didn't care and continued to work the next day on crutches. There was also a notice posted outside the lord's mansion:

"The future of Zhaochen is decided by all the people of Zhaochen, just as the future of Yunyang is created by the people of Yunyang."

A short line of words naturally couldn't stop the public from talking. What made the public shut up was that Feilin had been beaten so many times that he never fought back, but he also never escaped. He still wore simple clothes to work and went home. To be honest, his family was very poor. The most valuable thing in the house was a quilt bought during the Spring Festival three years ago, which was torn to pieces by the angry people of Zhaochen a few days ago. Feilin went home every day and lay down in the quilt pile with his clothes on. After sleeping for a few hours, he got up and started reviewing documents with his head supported. No matter the wind or rain, he never frowned.

One day, after get off work, Feilin was put in a sack and hit with a brick by some overly radical people. The next day, he was carried into the lord's mansion on a stretcher. Because the incident was too serious, Juanbai personally led the Yunyang garrison to come, but was blocked by Feilin.

“They are our people.”

Filin, lying on the stretcher, said to Selaginella:

"Our army is used to fight outsiders, not our own people."

That day, the thousands of protesters who came to protest suddenly became quiet. There were still many troublemakers who mixed in the crowd and insisted on instigating, but the vast majority of people no longer shouted for war and killing excitedly.

To put it bluntly, what kind of people were the brains of Zhaochen before? The previous generation of Zhaochen lord was obsessed with alchemy and would take the heart blood of ninety-nine boys and girls at any time; the previous generation of Zhaochen lord Fang Yuan was in power for a short time, but he killed all his brothers and sisters in one breath and indulged his soldiers in burning, killing and looting.

They don’t know whether Yunyang is reliable or not, but can he be as unreliable as the previous ones?

The man lying on the stretcher was a high-ranking official, the most powerful official in Zhaochen. But his food, clothing and daily expenses were exactly the same as those of ordinary people. He did not say a word when he was beaten, and even protected them from the army. People are all made of flesh and blood, and if they continued to make trouble, even they themselves would feel a little embarrassed.

Just like Filin said, give each other a chance.

Anyway, when Zhaochen was having the hardest time, they had also fantasized about whether a hero would come and save the people from the dire situation.

Now the hero has indeed come, but the hero has only pointed them in a direction, and they still need to walk the road themselves.

Then let’s give it a try. At least from what we have seen over this period of time, Yunyang is not as bad as the rumors say.

Of course, what they didn't know was that after entering the Lord's Mansion, Filin jumped off the stretcher with an expressionless face, rubbed his head which was aching from lack of sleep, and said to the "extras" in the yard:

"Next time, be gentler when you hit the bricks."

Several people nodded in agreement.

Feilin is indeed a rare honest official, but he is not without brains. It is better to arrange some people to hit him with a brick than to get two punches today and three kicks tomorrow. It is low cost and fast effect. This is called walking in other people's way and leaving them with nowhere to go. He Yue asked him to come over because of his ruthlessness, but ruthlessness alone cannot accomplish anything. He also needs corresponding temperament and skills.

After stabilizing the people, it is time to start conscripting soldiers.

This was the next difficult problem to be solved, because the situation in Zhaochen was very complicated. Most of the veterans were slippery and difficult to manage, and the common people were fed up with the war and were unwilling to join the army. But Zhaochen was too big, and the garrison left behind by Yunyang was far from enough, and at least it had to be self-sufficient.

Film uses a three-pronged strategy:

First of all, it was money. The treasures seized from the Zhaochen treasury were used to convert a large amount of cash into cash. Every person who signed up to join the army could get a generous "settlement fee" at once, which was like burying a huge fortune.

Secondly, let Selaginella organize the army for public training and strengthen propaganda. The purpose is to make the people realize that the army they are going to join is fundamentally different from those chaotic armies that only burn, kill, and loot, and make them hate them. What they are doing is to defend their country, which is an honor.

Finally, it is the united front. All the generals eat and live with the people in the army, run together in the coldest days of winter during training, and talk to them about the changes in Yunyang and the future development of Zhaochen when they are free, so that every soldier is full of hope. They will become the spark and constantly bring in new companions.

Yunyang wants elite troops, so Fang Shisan is still spending a lot of energy on training.

Zhaochen is different. Zhaochen wants quick success and quantity, because there is not enough time for the Selaginella to train the troops bit by bit. Yunyang and Zhaochen's current financial resources cannot equip these new troops with the most advanced weapons and equipment. All they can do is to stimulate their potential, unite their hearts, and strive forward.

In half a month, Zhaochen recruited a total of 200,000 soldiers from all over the country, most of whom were homeless refugees due to the war.

When Juanbai saw them, he couldn't help but think of his days in Wangdong Camp.

Even earlier, he had wandered around in various places without a fixed place to stay, and his future was as unpredictable as theirs.

Selaginella raised his hand and asked his soldiers to give each person a knife.

Then, he drew out the knife of the same model from his waist, and his stern face was reflected on the blade:

"Fame and fortune can only be achieved on horseback. From now on, you will follow me and I will lead you to achieve wealth and honor."

4. Snowstorm in Jiangnan

"January 5th, sunny."

"The sky is gray. Although I can see the sun through the clouds, the pale sunlight is annoying. There are few pleasant things in the human territory. Even the sun is against me. The air is damp and cold. I don't know if the laundry can be dried."

"I thought Yunyang was bad enough, but after coming to Zhaochen, I found out that there is no worst, only worse. The 545th day of missing my hometown (crossed out). Every time I think of my hometown, I still can't get rid of the anger in my heart. I heard that the elves drove the dragons out. I wonder if my father is aware of the role of the night elves and whether he will take the opportunity to improve their treatment."

"...Based on the personalities of pure-blooded elves, they probably won't do that."

After finishing the last word, Delis closed her diary. She put the pink notebook full of girlishness into the drawer, locked the small lock on the drawer, and put the key in her chest pocket.

Not long ago, she heard from He Yue that Zhaochen was in need of a finance minister. After much thought, Delis felt that she had learned so much in Yunyang, but had never put it into practice. If this continued, her dream of reforming the elves would always be a castle in the air. So Delis took the initiative to sign up, and said rather proudly that she was willing to go to Zhaochen to try.

In the end, He Yue smiled and said that the place was too hard and not suitable for her to go, and persuaded her to leave. Delis was a little complacent at first, thinking that Lid and his people were reluctant to let her leave. But after returning, the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, and she found that this was outrageous - she was probably, possibly, perhaps, mostly disliked.

Delis is so thin-skinned that she is always angry at home like a swollen puffer fish.

At this time, she thought, if Li De was here, what would he do? A scene appeared in Delis' mind: Li De hugged He Yue's thigh, crying and saying that he had a disease that would kill him if he didn't go to Zhao Chen. Thinking of this, Delis suddenly burst into laughter, and her anger subsided a lot. She decided to visit He Yue again.

Finally, He Yue made three rules with her:

The first is that no servants can be brought along on this trip, including Cheng who is teaching at the school;

The second is that she cannot reveal her identity and cannot use her special status as an elven princess to force others to do things;

The third is that important decisions need to be discussed with Film in advance, and you should be responsible for every decision you make.

Delis agreed to these rules and came to Zhaochen alone. This was an absolute challenge for her. Washing clothes by hand in the winter alone made Delis complain bitterly. Many times, Delis looked at her red hands and felt wronged. Her skin was so tender that a slight pinch would leave a red mark. Scrubbing clothes in cold water made her palms hurt and itch. But seeing that everyone around her was accustomed to doing things and living, Delis had to grit her teeth and persevere.

Zhaochen's accounts were also a mess.

It took Delis a long time to calculate how much property there was in the treasury. She thought that she had learned new mathematical formulas from Lid and others in Yunyang, and that this kind of accounting work should be a piece of cake, but she realized the difficulty when she actually did it. The previous accounts were a mess, the losses during the war were countless, and the remaining materials were mixed, and the people under her had their own ideas.

Unable to use her identity as an elven princess, Delis encounters obstacles everywhere.

Every time this happened, Delis would take out her diary, write down her grievances, and then secretly scold Lid at the end. She didn't know why she scolded Lid. In fact, she was willing to bear the suffering now, but scolding Lid would make her feel refreshed and her heart would be filled with a little happiness.

Later, Delis realized that she just wanted to find someone to complain to, and that person happened to be away from her.

"To maintain basic people's livelihood, funding is needed every year..."

"To build water conservancy projects and rebuild dams, we need to recruit a number of workers..."

"Currency reform, attracting investment... How can we get more money from the nobles? Otherwise, why not just find a reason to confiscate all their property..."

Delis bit the pen, raised her head and fell into deep thought.

Xiang Zhehua, who was passing by, glanced at her, picked up his coat and walked out again.

Although the two were roommates, they had never spoken much.

Compared to Delis who was still struggling to explore, Xiang Zhehua, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, was very familiar with her job. As the eldest daughter of the top noble family in Nanchu, she had a considerable understanding of etiquette, rules, and speaking skills. Zhaochen's current diplomacy was a mess, but Xiang Zhehua was still able to find the key points and clean up the mess in an orderly manner.

For territories that were friendly with Yunyang, Xiang Zhehua took the initiative to repair the relationship; for territories that were hostile to Yunyang, Zhaochen would not receive the envoys from the other side; for territories that had no relationship with Yunyang, Xiang Zhehua would evaluate the other side's influence on Zhaochen and decide whether to establish diplomatic relations with the other side. Adhering to this set of action logic, the diplomatic relations established by the previous Zhaochen lords disappeared, and Zhaochen's external image was also completely renewed.

During this period, there were naturally many unsuccessful things. The senior executives sent by Yunyang to Zhaochen were assassinated several times by unknown origins. Thanks to the new martial arts instructor of Zhaochen, he single-handedly resisted the assassins from all directions and turned the extremely dangerous situation around again and again.

Bai Ye and Ling Lan lived in the lord's mansion. The deterrent power brought by the tenth level of realm was still very terrifying. He was even able to accurately leave many people alive and hand them over to the Anbu organization for interrogation. Shuang would always ruthlessly squeeze out all the information of the assassin, even the color of the panties their lord usually wore would be clearly interrogated.

Just as Lide once said to Heyue, Yunyang's advantage lies not only in its advanced technology, but also in its advanced system. As long as everyone performs their duties, they can generate positive returns that are constantly superimposed and accumulated, just like a rolling train, which is difficult to stop once it starts.

The shabby Zhaochen is slowly becoming presentable after Yunyang took over.

Although the overall appearance is still like a shaky old ship, at least every field is undergoing rapid changes.

It was not until this time that some surrounding territories finally began to take Yunyang seriously.

Most people once thought that Zhaochen would become a burden that would drag down Yunyang after the war, because taking over Zhaochen meant millions of mouths to feed, and even the richest territories could not afford such expenses. But the development of things was completely beyond their expectations. For a while, every territory was re-evaluating Yunyang's strength, but soon they found that this territory, which was once ranked in the middle and lower, had become extremely unfamiliar, and they had no idea where to start if they wanted to analyze it.

Of course, the uneasiness that Yunyang brought to them did not last long. Soon, a truly shocking event happened in Yongtian Kingdom, which instantly attracted everyone's attention.

——The Lingwu cavalry marched southward in the wind and snow.

5. The old man in the royal capital