In the study of King Qiong's residence.
At this moment, Zhu Yunhao was looking at an account book.
This was the account book of the income growth of all walks of life in Qiongzhou in the past year.
Beside him, Xiao Ding was like a shadow as he stood behind him.
Lin Yang walked into the study and looked at Zhu Yunhao.
He was a little surprised by Zhu Yunhao's casual attitude.
At this time, Zhu Yunhao was dressed very casually. He was not graceful or luxurious, nor was he wearing a python robe. He was just wearing simple casual clothes.
Even so, Lin Yang felt a sense of closeness.
"This subordinate is the Leizhou Guard's Governor Lin Yang. Greetings, Your Highness King Qiong! Your Highness King Qiong is a thousand years old!"
Lin Yang cupped his hands and bowed to Zhu Yunhao.
Zhu Yunhao put down the account book in his hand and looked at Lin Yang.
Lin Yang looked like he was in his forties. He had taken good care of himself and did not look old at all. He looked like a person who had been pampered.
However, Zhu Yunhao did not dare to underestimate this Leizhou Governor.
He had asked someone to check Lin Yang's resume. This person was actually in his fifties.
When he was young, he was also a righteous person who resisted the Yuan Dynasty. Later on, he joined Emperor Taizu and even made quite a few meritorious deeds.
Originally, with Lin Yang's achievements, it was not a problem for him to become a general or a marquis. It was just that his fate was not good and he was under Lan Yu.
After the Blue Jade Case broke out, he was implicated and was directly sent to Leizhou to become the governor of Leizhou.
However, in Zhu Yunhao's opinion, Lin Yang was considered lucky.
How many people died in the Blue Jade Case back then?
Even Lan Yu, Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, and Wang Bi, these generals who had made great contributions and held real power, either committed suicide or were given death.
The fact that Lin Yang was able to keep his life and come to Leizhou as the governor of Leizhou showed that he was extraordinary.
Looking at Lin Yang in front of him, Zhu Yunhao smiled and said,"
"No need for formalities, no need for formalities. I am very happy that Governor Lin can come to Qiongzhou to visit me. I have already prepared a banquet and am waiting for Governor Lin to come. Let's go to the living room first.”
Zhu Yunhao stood up and walked towards Lin Yang with a smile.
Lin Yang said politely,"
"This lowly official is just a small official, how can I trouble your highness to spend money.”
Zhu Yunhao stepped forward and patted Lin Yang's shoulder. He smiled and said,"
"Why would I spend money? This king has heard a lot about Governor Lin's deeds. Today, seeing him, Old Ten is indeed strong and vigorous. It is my honor to be able to entertain a founding general like Governor Lin. How can I spend money?”
Lin Yang was not used to Zhu Yunhao's familiarity.
He didn't know what was the purpose behind Zhu Yunhao's enthusiasm.
But now that he was already in King Qiong's estate, he could only take it one step at a time.
Then, the two of them came to the living room of King Qiong's residence.
Compared to the plain and simple appearance of the other places in King Qiong's residence, the living room was rather grand.
At this moment, countless maidservants of King Qiong's estate were already waiting in the living room.
In the middle of the living room, there was a very large passenger plane.
All kinds of dishes were already placed on it.
Under Zhu Yunhao's warm hospitality, Zhu Yunhao and Lin Yang sat opposite each other.
What followed was a series of flattery from all over the world.
After three rounds of wine, Zhu Yunhao said,"
"Lord Lin, what do you think of my Jingzhou?”
Lin Yang had been sitting on pins and needles all this time, facing the delicious food like chewing wax.
He knew that this banquet might seem sumptuous, but it could be a trap.
Therefore, he had been waiting for Zhu Yunhao to ask him questions.
However, Zhu Yunhao dragged him to chat about all sorts of things, which made his heart suffer.
At this time, Zhu Yunhao finally brought the topic into the normal topic, and Lin Yang felt a trace of relief.
Lin Yang cupped his hands and said,"
"Jingzhou is good. To be honest, I've always thought that Jingzhou was a remote place, but I didn't expect it to have developed to this extent. If Your Highness doesn't believe me, I feel like I'm dreaming.”
"Your Highness 'methods have truly amazed me.”
Zhu Yunhao did not care about Lin Yang's compliments at all. Instead, he sighed and said,"
"That's right. Even I didn't expect that Qiongzhou would become like this. Imagine what it was like when I came to Qiongzhou three years ago.”
"To put it bluntly, it's really called a poor state. It's poor and empty. Qiongzhou Prefecture is not even comparable to a county in Leizhou.”
"At that time, not to mention the Imperial Residence, even the government office was unbelievably dilapidated. It took me three years to achieve the prosperity of Qiongzhou today. Who knows the bitterness and joy in this?”
"But now that Qiongzhou has developed, all my efforts have been worth it.”
At this point, Zhu Yunhao looked at Lin Yang.
"Lord Lin, in comparison, the conditions of your Leizhou are much better than my original Qiongzhou. However, the development of Leizhou is really not that good.”
Lin Yang's heart tightened. He knew that the main event was coming. He smiled and said,"
"Of course. We don't have His Highness King Qiong in Leizhou. The officials are average, but not enough. If Leizhou has a king like His Highness, we will be burning incense.”
Zhu Yunhao looked at Lin Yang with a faint smile and said,"
"Is that so? Does Lord Lin want Leizhou to become the second Jingzhou?”
Lin Yang smiled and said,"
"Of course, I do. However, I am only the commander of Leizhou's guards, not the magistrate of Leizhou. Although I have some military power, I have no right to interfere in local affairs.”
Zhu Yunhao narrowed his eyes and said to Lin Yang,"
"Lord Lin, let's not beat around the bush. This Prince will be straightforward. Before Lord Lin came, this Prince had investigated Leizhou. Although the magistrate has the final say in the government affairs of Leizhou Prefecture, everyone knows that you, Lord Lin, are the one who has the final say in the entire Leizhou.”
"Right now, my development in Qiongzhou has reached a bottleneck. I want to expand my scope of development, and Lord Lin's Thunder Prefecture is my next target. If Lord Lin is willing to cooperate, I will definitely not mistreat you.”
Lin Yang's heart skipped a beat. As expected, King Qiong was here for Leizhou.
In fact, he had already guessed it in his heart, but he had never been sure. Now that Zhu Yunhao had stated his purpose so bluntly, Lin Yang's heart calmed down.
Lin Yang looked at Zhu Yunhao and said in a deep voice,"
"Your Highness, I'm afraid the Imperial Court won't allow this, right?”
Zhu Yunhao chuckled and said,
"Lord Lin, we've already said that it's a collaboration. Why does it involve the Imperial Court?”
"Talking about the Imperial Court is meaningless. Moreover, Lord Lin doesn't seem to be someone who places the Imperial Court in his eyes.”
Lin Yang's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Zhu Yunhao and said,"
"What does your highness mean? How can I not put the Imperial Court in my eyes? You can't say that casually."
Zhu Yunhao said lightly,"
"If Lord Lin takes the decree of the Imperial Court seriously, then the Imperial Court has strictly ordered that the number of guards in a prefecture should not exceed 5,600. However, I think Lord Lin's Leizhou Guards are quite large. There are at least 56,000 people, which is almost the strength of ten guards.”
"If Lord Lin had taken the imperial court's decree seriously, would he dare to do this?”
As soon as Zhu Yunhao said this, Lin Yang's hand that had just been raised fell onto the table.
He looked at Zhu Yunhao in disbelief.
This King Qiong had already figured out the actual situation of the Leizhou Guards.
Zhu Yunhao did not hide it anymore and looked at Lin Yang seriously."
"I know that Lord Lin had once made great contributions to my Great Ming, but in the end, he was implicated and demoted to this desolate land of the Thunder Prefecture.”
"However, in this king's opinion, Lord Lin is indeed very lucky. At least you are still alive. And don't you know how many generals and ministers died back then?”
"Could it be that Lord Lin wants to walk the path of death because of that little grievance in his heart?”
At this moment, Lin Yang's expression had completely changed. His face turned green and white. After a while, he sighed,
"King Qiong is really good! [You actually know my real situation. King Qiong, I won't beat around the bush. You said that I'm walking the path of death, but Your Highness King Qiong seems to be walking the same path as me. We're both dead ends. Why can't I walk the same path as you?]”
"Don't tell me that you're a prince or an imperial grandson, and don't tell me that you're the son of heaven's mandate. Back then, Emperor Taizu was only born to herd cows.”
Zhu Yunhao looked at Lin Yang with a smile and said,"
"Lord Lin is right. Then let's not talk about birth, let's talk about achievements!”
"Lord Lin has been demoted to Leizhou for ten years. After all these years of hard work, he has no more than fifty to sixty thousand soldiers and less than a dozen generals. Moreover, the people of Leizhou are in dire straits.”
"Lord Lin, if you rebel, how many people in Leizhou will be willing to follow you? How many of the Leizhou Guards under your command would be willing to rebel with you?”
"You, Lin Yang, are already struggling to raise fifty to sixty thousand Leizhou guards. How are you going to raise more soldiers? Nurturing a war with war? Don't joke around. Do you think this is still the era of the Great Yuan Dynasty, when the hearts of the people were against each other and the people were in dire straits?”
"It's Big Ming now! Now that the Ming Dynasty is stable and the people are at peace, who would be willing to rebel with you if they were not forced to?”
"If you rebel, even if I don't do anything, I can guarantee that you will be beheaded within a month.”
Lin Yang's entire body trembled, and his expression was very ugly.
However, he had to admit that Zhu Yunhao's analysis was not bad.
This was also the fundamental reason why he hadn't done anything rash.
Lin Yang looked at Zhu Yunhao and said uncomfortably,"
"Even so, what right do you have, King Qiong? With the current state of Qiongzhou? I have to admit that the development of Qiongzhou is very good, even beyond my imagination. However, in the end, you are also an exiled prince. What is the difference between you and me?”
"Although your Qiongzhou is indeed much stronger than Leizhou, how much stronger can you be than me once you rebel?”
Zhu Yunhao smiled and shook his head."
"That's because you don't understand Qiongzhou. Compared to you, this king is much stronger!”
"First of all, you have to understand that it only took me three years to develop Qiongzhou to where it is today.”
"Three years ago, there were less than 20,000 people in Qiongzhou. Everything was clean and there was nothing.”
"Furthermore, the people of Qiongzhou will always support me! Because this king gave them stability, gave them wealth, and gave them the life they wanted. Even if it was for the sake of their current life, they would support this king regardless of anything.”
"In Qiongzhou, almost all the citizens of Qiongzhou are on my chariot. I will rise and fall together with them!”
"So, this king still has the hearts of the people!"
" Third, although I am not valued, I am indeed the legitimate Prince of Great Ming. My grandfather is Emperor Taizu, and my father is Emperor Xingzong. I have the same father but different mothers as the current Emperor. Therefore, if I were to raise an army, it would not be called a rebellion, but a rescue, just like the current King of Yan in the Northern Lands.”
"Therefore, if this king were to raise an army, it would only be an internal conflict in our Zhu family. The support this king would receive would definitely be unimaginable.”
"In summary, what qualifications do you think you have to be mentioned in the same breath as this king?”
Zhu Yunhao's words stunned Lin Yang on the spot.
After a while, Lin Yang looked dispirited and leaned back on the chair as if he had lost all his strength.
"That's right. When I raise an army, I'm a traitor. When you raise an army, you're raising an army to help the king. How unfair is the heavens?”
Lin Yang laughed at himself.
"So Your Highness King Qiong can't help but want to follow the example of the King of Yan? And I became His Highness 'primary target?”
"Hehe, is this considered walking into a trap?”
Zhu Yunhao looked at the self-deprecating Lin Yang and said with a smile,"
"Lord Lin, why don't you understand?”
"Didn't this king say it? Cooperation! What was cooperation? It's a good cooperation between you and me!”
Lin Yang was stunned. They had thought that King Qiong was about to reveal himself, but they didn't expect him to say such a thing.
He sat up straight and looked at Zhu Yunhao, not understanding what he meant."
"Cooperate?"
Zhu Yunhao smiled and said,
"Lord Lin, I want to ask you, what have you been waiting for all these years? Could it be that he really wanted to rebel and fight for the position of the ruler of the world?”
Lin Yang frowned and said,"
"I didn't think so much. I just didn't want to accept it. I just want to get back what I lost.”
"Besides, I'm old. I don't have so many ambitions. I'm more interested in fighting for my son and grandson.”
Zhu Yunhao nodded slightly and said,"
"I see. If that's the case, it's actually easier to handle.”
"Let's work together and take what we need. I guarantee that if Lord Lin wants it, I will fulfill it one by one. As for how much you can fulfill, it will depend on Lord Lin's ability.”
Lin Yang was puzzled."
"What cooperation? How to cooperate? What do I have to pay?"
Zhu Yunhao smiled and said,
"It's very simple. I want to take over Leizhou, but I don't want to expose the strength of Qiongzhou too early because I don't want to fall out with the imperial court too early.”
Lin Yang sneered,"
"You want me to be your puppet?"
Zhu Yunhao shook his head and said,
"That's unpleasant to hear. What's a puppet? Moreover, the Leizhou Guards will still be yours. I don't want them, but all the administrative affairs in Leizhou will be my people. How about that?”
Lin Yang looked at Zhu Yunhao in surprise."
"Your Highness only wants Leizhou's government affairs and not the military?”
Zhu Yunhao smiled and said,
"No, but just in case, you still have to send your family to Qiongzhou. But don't worry, I won't mistreat them.”
Lin Yang really couldn't understand this prince.
He didn't want military power when he moved into Leizhou? He only wanted administrative power.
What was this King Qiong up to?
Lin Yang looked at Zhu Yunhao and asked,"
"What if I don't agree?"
Zhu Yunhao smiled and said,"
"Then I have no choice but to reveal my strength. Lord Lin can also go back and prepare to face the thunderous power of Qiongzhou.”
"Actually, it's not that important to me whether I expose my strength or not. I just don't want to risk my life.”
"Lord Lin will have to make his own choice.”
Lin Yang was stunned."
"Are you saying that you're going to let me go regardless of whether I agree or not?”
Zhu Yunhao nodded and said,
"Of course. Lord Lin came to visit openly. How could this king do such a despicable thing for his own selfish reasons?”
Lin Yang fell silent.
After a long time, Lin Yang said,"
"Good! I'll cooperate with you!"
This book comes from:m.funovel.com。