It doesn't matter what the lord is.

He Yue also laughed.

The charcoal was burning brightly, and the room was warm. He Yue suddenly leaned towards me, took out a letter from her bosom, and said:

"By the way, take a look at this. I don't know if the royal family took the wrong medicine this year, or if it was the idea of ​​the newcomer in white... Anyway, you make the decision."

He Yue unfolded the letter, handed it in front of me, and then sat next to me to read it together.

I heard it was a letter from the royal capital, and I thought it was sent by the little princess Lana again, but I didn't expect it to be in a completely new handwriting this time.

As I watched, my brows couldn't help but frown.

Gathering thirty-six city lords to go to the capital to celebrate the New Year? There has never been such an event before.

I recalled that in previous years when I spent the New Year in Yunyang, I had never heard of any brothers and sisters being called to the capital. It was nothing more than asking the butler to arrange a gift to be sent to the capital as tribute to His Majesty the King every Spring Festival. What tricks are they going to play this year? They are tricking us into being hostages?

But then again, I am no longer the mayor of Yunyang. What does your search for the mayor of Yunyang have to do with me, Li De? !

I rubbed my head and felt that my good mood for the day was gone.

Headache.

7. Should I go?

The confusion and annoyance on his face could not be hidden.

He Yue also noticed that I was upset and said:

"Should we gather the others to discuss this?"

I sighed and said sadly:

"No matter how we discuss it, the result will not change. We still have to go. This involves the question of standing in line. Not going means being on the royal family's blacklist. Who can stand that? The problem is that this letter is so strange. It doesn't tell me who from other territories will go, nor does it tell me in what capacity. It only says that I should take a guard to the capital... If it weren't for the fact that this piece of letter paper is very valuable and the king's seal on the back, I would have thought it was a scam letter."

He Yue smiled bitterly and said nothing.

I asked:

"That's not right. What will happen to those territories that are at war? The day before yesterday, there was still a war going on, and the next day, the leader of one of the sides was suddenly called away. How can the war be fought?"

He Yue replied:

"They should try to avoid those city lords who are still at war. But war is a good excuse. Even if the letter is sent to them, they can use the war as an excuse to refuse it. Although I don't think anyone is willing to refuse."

I was very surprised:

"Why, does the king give them New Year's money? Everyone kowtows to the king, and then they get red envelopes?"

He Yue leaned beside me, not looking at me, but staring at the letter on the table, with a little more eagerness in her eyes.

She put her hands in her sleeves, a smile on her face, and said:

"If you knew what this letter meant, you would be tempted. Although there are many uncertainties in this trip to the capital, the fact that you can get this letter from the royal family shows that in the eyes of the royal family, you are the most suitable person to inherit the status of lord. Imagine, if this person is the prince appointed by a lord, then he needs to show up in public to declare his identity and deter those brothers and sisters who are plotting against him; and if this person is not the prince, then he needs to prove that he is better than the prince through this incident, so as to boost morale and win the hearts of the people. In their eyes, this letter is like an imperial sword, a symbol of power and glory."

That being said... there are indeed pros and cons.

For many people, although this inexplicable letter made them feel uneasy, it was still a very prestigious thing to represent their territory to celebrate the New Year in the capital. Unlike the casual gatherings in Yunhai, this kind of event held by the royal family had a strong political meaning in it. If you can grasp it, it is indeed a good opportunity.

But again - what the hell does this have to do with me, Lid?

If I go to the capital, will my father call me back to Yunyang to be the crown prince? Or will the people of Yunyang run to Yuxi City to serve as the crown prince as soon as they hear that I have gone to the capital?

impossible.

The reason is very simple. I am no longer considered the "Lord of Yunyang".

Those who followed me had no way out. The mountain in front of me would not be loosened because of this. The Lord of Yunyang didn't like me. When I was still in Lingyun City, he tacitly allowed my brother to mess with me again and again. It was not enough to drive me to Yuxi City. He directly removed Yuxi City from the territory of Yunyang, allowing Zhaochen in the north to go south without any worries. He was determined to force me to death. The king's family is not a good person either. I remember clearly that the dog king tried to sow discord and trick me before leaving. This trip to the capital is definitely much more dangerous than I imagined.

Perhaps in the eyes of many people, justice and strength are equally important, and achieving justice can win the hearts of the people.

But Yu Xicheng didn't believe that.

The people are here because Yuxi City has given them benefits. It charges the lowest taxes and provides the best welfare, which makes them reluctant to leave. As for the outside world, Yuxi City does not need any reputation or righteousness. It just needs to focus on development and accumulation of strength, and then one day it will crush the enemy. There is no other way.

I stroked the letter paper several times, and finally said:

"I'll tell Alaiya when I get back and ask her to come with me. There's still about half a month left, but the capital is a long way, so we need to pack our bags in advance."

I stood up, walked to the door, opened it and let in some cool air.

After I regained my composure, I said to He Yue:

"Before I leave, let's hold a party at the City Lord's Mansion. Since I can't celebrate the New Year with you, I'll just feel the New Year atmosphere in advance. As the year draws to a close, it's time to sit down and chat and relax."

He Yue smiled and replied:

"I have had this idea for a long time. I still have to pay the money."

"Sure, is the stingy guy plucking his feathers?"

"If you can benefit the whole city by taking a small amount of money, you can still give it a try."

He Yue stood up, walked to my side and stood shoulder to shoulder.

When the wind blew up her long sleeves, He Yue asked:

"Lid, do you know what I was thinking when I saw your scientific method of refining medicine just now?"

I shook my head.

He Yue lowered his voice and said:

"I think that with such cost and production method, once it becomes popular, ordinary people will be able to afford it."

She stood beside me and said calmly:

"This year, the white-robed ministers entered the capital, but how many people in the world who should be among the ministers are still buried in the market? This is even more true for martial arts. No matter how hard the children of ordinary families suffer, if they are not extremely talented, how can they compare with those rich children who are raised on herbs. It is said that it is easy to build up a realm bubble by relying on natural materials and treasures, but as long as you are not too impatient, people with the assistance of medicine will definitely grow faster than those without the assistance of medicine. This is a bit too unfair to those common people who can't afford to buy elixirs..."

When I saw He Yue’s serious expression, I knew that she took this matter very seriously.

After all, he has been accustomed to the fickleness of the world since he was a child, so it is not surprising that he would come up with the idea of ​​"protecting all the poor people in the world and making them happy."

Rather, many of He Yue's governing philosophies came from this. For example, he strictly controlled the ratio of soldiers to civilians, was relatively lenient with taxes and labor service, and often prioritized people's livelihood, etc.

I didn't look at her, but looked at the gloomy sky outside and said:

"It sounds wonderful. But I have always believed that the gap between people exists since birth. If you feel it is unfair, then climb up with the determination to die. Those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes, right? Children from rich families often take their lives too seriously, while children from poor families can often really risk their lives. There is opportunity in this gap. But on the other hand, if other people's children are rich and work hard, they will indeed understand what cruelty is. He Yue, we are the rulers, the superiors, and the vested interests of Yuxi City, but we are not heroes."

I squinted my eyes, was silent for a while, and added:

"We can be kind to the world and do something for it. But from the perspective of the world itself, we don't need so-called heroes. What we give them is what they deserve. If we don't give them, they have no right to ask for it, and we don't have to feel guilty about it."

He Yue took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and said softly:

"Yes."

8. There are a lot of chores before the New Year

After saying goodbye to He Yue, I first found Alaiya and told her about this matter. At the same time, I asked her to help me send a letter to Fang Yuan to ask who from Zhaochen Territory will go to the capital this time. Originally, I guessed that it would be Fang Lita or Fang Shisan. Now, one of them is living the life of an ordinary rich man, and the other is working for Yuxi City. Obviously, it is impossible for them to go to the capital. I don't know much about the situation in Zhaochen, and I don't know who among the remaining people is more qualified.

After doing this, I started to deal with some routine matters.

First, I taught Luger how to use the sword for a day. This man voluntarily gave up the command of the army to Fang Shisan in exchange for my guidance. I think this man is not bad and quite interesting. He is not as fast as Alaya in learning the sword. On the one hand, it is because of the difference in talent, and on the other hand, he is a little older. It is too late to learn from scratch. So I helped him improve the family sword skills he practiced before and let him continue to practice. He also practiced very hard. Maybe in ten or eight years, he can barely reach Alaya's current level. If there is more, I can't guarantee it.

Then I took the colorless slime to rob another wave of demons. It was not good to disturb them when the New Year was approaching, but the demons obviously did not celebrate the New Year, so I felt at ease. The slime ate a lot of demons again. Although it did not remember anything, its strength was promoted from the perfect second level to the middle of the third level, which was a steady improvement.

Later, Hantu got wind of the news that the demon breeding farms were going to be moved to four cities including [Demon Suppression City], and volunteered to take charge of this matter. He was originally in charge of the demon breeding farm in Yuxi City, so it was natural for him to do so. I gave him the management authority of the demon breeding farms in two cities, but kept silent about the remaining two cities. Hantu thought about it for a while, and he knew what was going on, so he left with a forced smile.

To be fair, Hantu did a good job in managing the demon farm, so I gave him the management rights of an additional farm. But I can't let him take all the good things. Hantu's power is already not small, and he needs someone to balance it. As for why he feels uncomfortable——

Then just bear with it.

We are not in a hurry to expand the army, but we have announced it in advance. We have money, food and land this time, so we can do things more easily than before. In He Yue's opinion, a family usually starts planning for next year's life at the end of the year, such as how many people to farm, how many people to spin, how many people to do business, etc. Anyone who is more careful about life will think about it in advance. Therefore, the expansion of the army needs to be brought up as soon as possible. If we wait until they have made plans for next year before bringing it up, the number of people willing to enlist will be greatly reduced.

He Yue discussed with Fang Shisan about the number of military expansion.

The original army of Yuxi City was less than 200 people, and many were killed and wounded during the Northern Expedition. This year, there was still enough strength to mobilize troops against Li Neng, entirely because a lot of troops under Fang Shisan followed, plus He Yue's pre-war mobilization, almost 600 people were gathered. In the early stage, we relied on the high combat effectiveness of Alayya and Felita to overcome difficulties, and in the later stage, we relied on Fang Shisan's mature planning to kill with one blow, so that we could take four cities from Li Neng... or more precisely, from my cheap father.

Originally, He Yue thought that the limit for the armies of the five cities would be about 700 next year. Yuxi City did not rely on human wave tactics, but on sophisticated armaments, strict military discipline, Fang Shisan's battle formation planning and the soldiers' efficient execution. He Yue once told me that sending hungry, poorly clothed and poorly disciplined soldiers to die on the front line was a matter of drinking poison to quench thirst. It would be effective in the short term, but in the long run, the cost of raising a young man from birth to joining the army at the age of 18 would be far greater than the cost of armaments and food. In other words, the most valuable thing in war is always the life of a soldier. One more person alive is equivalent to making a lot of money.

However, because the northern industrial base will start production next year, and because Li Neng secretly took resources from my father next year, it is very likely that he will make a comeback. So He Yue finally chose to compromise with Fang Shisan, increasing the number of troops to 1,000, and helping Fang Shisan start the construction of a large formation in the territory.

Although there were only three hundred more people, He Yue still looked very painful.

Of course I understand him. Three hundred people are nothing in the whole country, but now we only have five cities in total. Three hundred more people means that every household will have to provide more food and fodder. This is really not a small amount, but it should be a moderate amount at least.

After they finished their discussion, He Yue left with a sigh, but Fang Shisan sat in a wheelchair, holding his hands together, his joy was beyond words, like a victorious general. When He Yue came out of the room, I happened to go in, and seeing that Fang Shisan was in a good mood, I stayed by her side and talked to her for a while.

Fang Shisan told me that as long as the military affairs could be settled and there were no major problems, she would be relieved.

"Three thousand armored soldiers can pacify Yunyang."

"An army of 100,000 can fight for the world."

Fang Shisan said these two sentences to me, but after she finished speaking, she added:

"Of course, this is only from the military's perspective. In war, we need to consider various factors, especially the timing and momentum."

It’s the time and the situation.

I now wear two jade pendants around my waist. The one that is exposed outside was bought by me, and the one I wear inside was given by the Lord of Lingwu.

It is said that it is a token of her love that she gave me, which basically means that she owes me a favor.

To be honest, I owe her a big favor. I helped her solve her worries, so that she can go south without any worries in the future. I thought about this matter for a long time. On the one hand, there was no better way to save Xi Luo at that time, and on the other hand, I really wanted to see her go south.

Yuxi City is not strong enough now, so before the great strife comes, I hope the water will be as muddy as possible.

Lingwu is used to contain the royal family. After all, I don't get along well with the king, and I feel very comfortable if I can cause him some trouble.

However, I don't plan to tell anyone about this at the moment. The fewer people who know about it, the better. If no one knows about it, that would be even better.

Although I helped Lingwu Lord, it was just an exchange of interests. It doesn't mean that I intend to join her. I don't want others to classify Yuxi City as Lingwu Lord's faction while I am still hesitating. That would be too passive. It's fine as it is now. Yuxi City just needs to be an inconspicuous small city.

After finishing all these, it was already January 224, and not much time was left until the New Year.

There are still several things I haven't done. I have been a diligent city lord for the first time in a long time. I tell myself that I can rest after I finish my work, and crawl out of the warm bed every day with great pain. Every time at this time, I miss the past, and miss the time when I slept all day with Alaiya in my arms.

9. Be arrogant at first and respectful later

It just rained and the weather became a little colder.

The brocade hat and mink fur coat can block the cold wind in winter, but the face exposed to the outside will have to endure the cold. I walked through the noisy market in the early morning, bought the first basket of steamed buns that the bun shop owner steamed today, put them in a paper bag, and went to the address that Xi Luo told me according to my memory. After wandering around the city for a long time and asking a few passers-by for a while, I finally went around to a house and knocked on the door.

The room was silent, and I said:

"Shiloh, it's me. Lid."

The wooden door opened a tiny gap.

Then half of her young face was revealed. When Shiloh opened the door and saw me, her expression remained unchanged. I handed her the paper bag of buns. Shiloh took it. Although she still had no expression on her face, I could clearly feel that she was happy. Shiloh opened the door briskly, welcomed me in, and moved a chair.

There was a charcoal fire burning in the house, not very strong, but it was much better than the freezing cold outside.

As soon as I sat down, I heard a familiar female voice coming from the inner room:

"Shiloh, I heard the door open, is there anyone coming..."

Before I finished speaking, the woman had already walked out. She looked about 23 years old, with black hair tied simply behind her back. She had triangular eyes and willow-shaped eyebrows, and her beauty was accompanied by a bit of natural harshness. After seeing me, the woman was stunned for a moment, then bowed to me and said hastily:

"I greet the city lord."

I was also stunned for a moment and asked:

"frost?"

She nodded, smiled bitterly and said:

"I never thought that I would meet the Lord Mayor again one day. Xiluo, you should entertain the Lord Mayor first, I will go make tea."

Shiloh was holding a bun in his mouth, sitting next to me, swinging his legs back and forth, and nodded.

Shuang turned around and soon brought the tea up and placed it in front of me, then stood quietly by the side. I glanced at her and said:

"Just sit down. No need to be so respectful. I'm not used to your rudeness at first and respectful later."

I just wanted to make a joke, but I didn't expect that just as I said this, Shuang Yi, who was standing beside me, flicked her sleeves, knelt on the ground, and said:

"I offended the city lord before, it was all my fault. If the city lord wants to beat me or kill me, I will not complain. I am already a rootless duckweed, and it is my blessing to be able to stay in Yuxi City. If the city lord does not allow it, I will have no choice but to leave here and freeze to death in the wilderness..."

The speed of face changing is so fast that even Sichuan Opera’s face changing is not so fast!

Xiluo swallowed the bun in his mouth, wiped the oil stains on his hands on his clothes, and ran over to help Shuang up. Shuang did not move, but just knelt down to me. I couldn't help but sigh at this woman's shrewdness, but since I came to Yuxi City, I am considered a Yuxi City person. I don't have any special habit of digging up old accounts. Except for those on the blacklist, other small fish and shrimps will not be too difficult.