Chapter 739 People’s minds change!

Feeling the curiosity in Zhu'er's eyes, Qian Buli couldn't help but let a bitter smile appear on his face···················

As Ye Mingsheng led the Fengwu Army to rise to prominence in Liaoyang, rumors about Ye Mingsheng spread throughout the Great Zhou. The most popular ones were that he had the eyes of an eagle and the back of a wolf, a traitor, and the reincarnation of a dragon. Although these were not good words, they did give Ye Mingsheng a layer of mystery.

As Ye Mingsheng became famous, some of his past connections were dug up, including his dealings with Qian Buli.

Therefore, many people would come to Qian Buli to ask about Ye Mingsheng, asking whether Ye Mingsheng really had the eyes of an eagle and the back of his head to be rebellious. Qian Buli was very helpless about this. He was an official in the Luoan court, and the Fengwu Army led by Ye Mingsheng was the biggest enemy of the Luoan court.

Although he had a cheap brother-in-law Shangguan Tingshu as a backer, in order to avoid suspicion and gossip, Qian Buli really did not intend to have anything to do with Ye Mingsheng. He would avoid anything related to the Fengwu Army if possible.

However, many people have asked about Ye Mingsheng, including Shangguan Hongyuan, Shangguan Tingshu and others.

Although Ye Mingsheng accomplished some earth-shaking great things in Liaoyang after leaving Luoan, Qian Buli really didn't think that there was anything special about Ye Mingsheng when he was in Luoan!

Honestly speaking, Qian Buli was also very surprised by what Ye Mingsheng and the Fengwu Army did. He never expected Ye Mingsheng to be so fierce, so fierce that he began to doubt whether the rumored Ye Mingsheng was the Ye Mingsheng he knew who only knew how to scheme for personal gain...
Facing Zhu'er's gaze at this moment, Qian Buli sighed helplessly and said:

"Ye Mingsheng and I met in Anhe for five years. At that time, he was the sentry leader of the imperial guards, and I was the head of the Ministry of War. I didn't interact with him much. We were not close friends. We just had a few drinks together!"

Zhu'er curled her lips slightly at the answer given by Qian Buli, obviously she couldn't say a word. However, seeing that Qian Buli was unwilling to say more, she didn't ask any more questions and turned around and left the room silently.

Seeing Zhu'er leave the room, Qian Buli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was very wary of the people in the Supervisory Office, and the commander of the Supervisory Office, Chen Jingyu, had a bad reputation in the court. The reason why he was able to survive until now was entirely because the Prime Minister Shangguan Hongyuan needed this hawk to help him bite people.

However, the Prime Minister's health condition is not ideal now. If something really happens, Chen Jingyu might be on the verge of death. So in order to avoid trouble, Qian Buli still plans to keep a distance from the Supervisory Office to avoid being implicated when the time comes.

Besides, those people in the Supervisory Office are the best at stealing things. If they catch you, you will be skinned alive if you don't die!
Qian Buli, who had relaxed, returned to bed and prepared to continue sleeping. However, because he had slept for several hours, even though it was already dark, Qian Buli was not sleepy at all. Since he couldn't sleep, he simply lay on the bed and thought about things.

As the Minister of War of the Luoan court, Qian Buli was very clear that although it seemed that the Luoan court had gained the upper hand in the battle of Yunbing this time, it was actually a complete strategic defeat. After this battle, the Luoan court would need at least three to five years to recover, and the offensive and defensive situation of both sides had changed...
Qian Buli, who personally participated in this battle, had many feelings about this war. Before this battle, the Luoan court marched into Sichuan and Shu, destroyed the southern tour court, and recaptured the little emperor. Then Prime Minister Shangguan used a strategy to take over Yongliang without bloodshed. For a time, the reputation of the Luoan court seemed to have returned to its former glory.

Everyone is very optimistic and believes that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shangguan Hongyuan, the Luoan court will unify the world and revive the Great Zhou!
Therefore, under such an optimistic mood, although the Fengwu Army occupied Youyan, Jiyu, Liaoyang, and half of Yunbing, in the eyes of a large number of Luoan court officials including Qian Buli, the so-called Fengwu Army was nothing more than a minor problem. As for Ye Mingsheng, he was even a traitor. As long as Prime Minister Shangguan freed up his hands, he could destroy him!
Therefore, Qian Buli did not understand at the beginning why Prime Minister Shangguan attached so much importance to the Fengwu Army. He not only tried his best to prepare an army of 200,000, but also personally led the troops to conquer Jinzhong. Isn't it possible to destroy Ye Mingsheng and the Fengwu Army by selecting a good general to lead tens of thousands of elite soldiers?
However, the result of the war was a hard slap in the face to Qian Buli and many others!

The war lasted for more than two months, not only did it use up all the money and grain accumulated by the Luoan court, but also nearly 100,000 casualties among the people of Guanzhong, leaving Luoan full of white clothes. After paying such a heavy price, they only captured five county towns and didn’t even see the city gate of Jinzhong...

The shock this battle brought to Qian Buli's heart was beyond description. It also made him truly recognize the true strength of the Fengwu Army and Brother Ye, who once drank and chatted with him at the dinner party!

Thinking of this, Qian Buli, who was lying alone on the bed, couldn't help but sigh softly. Although the battle of Yunbing was shocking to him, what he saw in the city today made him even more confused and shocked.

The price of grain in Yijing is two and a half times cheaper than in Luoan!

This doesn't make any sense!
You must know that this is a chaotic world with wars and chaos everywhere!

Food can be said to be a more precious and scarce resource than gold and silver. As the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the foundation of the Great Zhou's three hundred years of rule, Luoan is also the core area of ​​the current Luoan court. The amount of food consumed every day can be said to be an astronomical figure. In order to maintain the supply and stability of food, the Luoan court even has to collect food not only from all over Guanzhong, but also from Sichuan and Shu.

Only by doing so can the grain price in Luoan be stabilized at five cents of silver per stone. In Qian Buli's view, the areas of Hebei, Henan, Youyan and other places controlled by the Fengwu Army have all been devastated by war and natural disasters, with starving people everywhere and people exchanging their children for food. Although the old nest Liaoyang is stable, it is not a major grain-producing province. Therefore, the grain price in the Fengwu Army's territory should be high. How could it be cheaper than Luoan?

Two coins of silver for one dan of rice. Even during the heyday of the Zhou Dynasty, the price of grain was just this high!
This is also why when Qian Buli entered the city today and heard that Yi Jing only wanted two coins of silver for a stone of rice, he reacted so strongly····························
Although he saw the grain store with his own eyes and saw the rice that cost only two cents of silver per stone, Qian Buli still couldn't believe what he saw!
He knew very well what it would mean if the price of grain in Yijing was really that low!
First of all, this means that the Fengwu Army has a lot of food, which is enough to supply Yijing. In this chaotic world with scarce supplies, the people will not rebel if they have something to eat. Therefore, having sufficient food means that the foundation of rule is very solid!

Secondly, the low price of grain means that grain traders have not colluded to hoard grain and manipulate the market to try to sell it at a high price!
In troubled times like today, it is a great opportunity for grain traders to make huge profits. Just like in Luoan today, the reason why grain prices are so high is that although there is a shortage of grain, there is also the collusion of several major grain traders to manipulate the market and reap profits!
Regarding the situation in Luoan, Prime Minister Shangguan also tried to change the situation and lower the grain price. However, each of these grain merchants had a backer. Therefore, although Prime Minister Shangguan killed many people, he only reduced the grain price from one stone and seven cents of silver to five cents of silver. He was powerless to reduce the price further!
The situation in Luoan is like this. Qian Buli doesn't believe that the grain merchants in Yijing are so conscientious! In order to ensure that the people have enough food and not manipulate the market to make more money······························
Therefore, the grain merchants in Yijing must have tried to hoard and profit from the high prices, but the grain prices are still so low now, which undoubtedly shows that the conspiracy of these people to manipulate the market was thwarted by the Fengwu Army.

This can also be seen from the side that Ye Mingsheng's methods are more sophisticated than Shangguan Hongyuan's! He has a stronger control ability over the people below!
So he would rather think that this was a play performed for him by the Fengwu Army than to think that it was real!
But what if this is true?
Thinking of this, Qian Buli's eyes undoubtedly became complicated. Before, he was very confident in the Luoan court and felt that the court would be able to revive the Great Zhou and restore its former glory. Therefore, despite his many years of friendship with Ye Mingsheng, he had never considered the Fengwu Army! But if everything he saw now was true, then it undoubtedly showed that the Fengwu Army was not only powerful in combat, but also very powerful in civil governance. The people could live and work in peace and contentment, and the comprehensive national strength was continuously increasing!

Although the Luoan court today can maintain stability with Shangguan Hongyuan in charge, the internal strife is becoming more and more serious. There are contradictions not only within the court, but also between the central and local governments, and between civil and military officials. Against this backdrop, most people are busy fighting for power. Today you mess with me, and tomorrow I mess with you, instead of working together to get things done!
As one side gains strength while the other loses strength, the gap between the two sides will become larger and larger, not to mention that Shangguan Hongyuan is now old and in poor health, and he may die at any time. By then, without Shangguan Hongyuan in charge, the Luoan court will surely be in chaos!

Thinking of this, Qian Buli's eyes couldn't help but flash with a strange look...

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Gongdu, Fengshan County
In a certain house, Hayakawa Takahide was kneeling on the tatami, arranging flowers leisurely. However, just when this enchantress was arranging flowers at the most critical point, a samurai walked in and said in a deep voice:
"Madam, Takeshita Shun is here!"

Hearing this, Kobayakawa Takahide frowned slightly and said in a low voice with some complaints:

"This Takeshita Shun, why didn't he come earlier or later? He came at this time, which really spoiled my fun!"

Despite saying so, Kobayakawa Takahide still put the flowers in his hand aside and waved his hand to signal his men to bring Takeshita Shun over.

A moment later, a middle-aged warrior with a resolute look came in front of Kobayakawa Takahide. When he saw Kobayakawa Takahide, he immediately bowed and said:

"Takeshita Shun greets the madam!"

In response to Takeshita Shun's greeting, Kobayakawa Takahide just waved his hand, and then asked lazily:
"Takeshita Shun, what are you doing here?"

In response to Kobayakawa Takahide's question, Takeshita Shun did not answer immediately but looked around. Seeing him so cautious, Kobayakawa was a little curious about what news he wanted to tell her. After hesitating for a moment, she waved to the guard beside her.

After receiving Kobayakawa's order, the guards bowed and retreated. Takeshita Shun then spoke under Kobayakawa Takahide's gaze:
“Li Xuanmin is seriously ill and bedridden, coughing up blood. The imperial physician in the royal palace said that he doesn’t have much time left…”

As soon as these words came out, Kobayakawa Takahide's expression changed immediately. At this time, Takeshita Shunsuke continued:

"Madam, although the imperial physician in the palace said that it was caused by illness, according to my investigation, the reason why Li Xuanmin is in this state is that he was given a chronic poison, and this poison was started half a year ago!"

"Is it Li Xuanchang who poisoned me?" After a moment of silence, Kobayakawa Takahide asked:
Hearing this, Takeshita Shun shook his head and said:

"Li Xuanmin was very afraid of Li Xuanchang and kept sending people to hunt down Li Xuanchang, so Li Xuanchang had no chance to poison Li Xuanmin!"

"The person who poisoned Lee Hyun-min was Queen Kim Chae-young, and the one who instructed her to do so was his father Kim Jong-yong!"

Upon hearing this, Kobayakawa Takahide frowned slightly and said:

"Why did they do this?"

Takeshita Shun said without hesitation:
"Kim Jung-yong was an important force in helping Lee Hyun-min secure his position as King of Gungdo. Lee Hyun-min also married Kim Chae-young as his queen to repay Kim Jung-yong!"

"But after Kim Chae-young married Lee Hyun-min, she gave birth to three daughters in a row, not a single son. Not only that, she was proud of her family's power, and she was also very jealous. Whenever Lee Hyun-min dared to favor other women, she would fly into a rage, which also made Lee Hyun-min unhappy!"

"A year ago, Li Xuanmin's other concubines gave birth to a son for him. Li Xuanmin was very happy and prepared to enthrone him as the crown prince, but Jin Caiying secretly assassinated her. This made Li Xuanmin furious and he wanted to depose the queen!"

"In order to depose Queen Lee Hyun-min, some preparations were made, but the news leaked out accidentally, so Kim Jong-yong decided to strike first..."

(End of this chapter)