These two men took the lead, and there were about five or six aristocrats, all of whom were between thirty and fifty years old, and they all expressed their opinions. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Although the reasons are somewhat different, the result is almost the same, that is, they oppose and support the City Lord's Mansion, at least in the area of unrestrained support for the City Lord's Mansion, and put forward a resolute right opinion.

Many of the nobles were silent.

They all wanted to see how Cao Shang handled this matter.

This may be of great reference and guiding significance for their next moves.

Duke Cao Shang's gaze grew cold.

"You know this is for the empire, not for me Cao Shang personally. Your dedication is not helping a particular person, but the hundreds of millions of people in the Shenwu Kingdom, and if the war does not end sooner, these people will be poisoned by the flames of war, can you nobles just sit idly by? ”

Duke Cao Shang's words were not very polite anymore.

There are always only two kinds of people in his eyes.

The first is the obedient person.

The second is the disobedient person.

It is clear that these more than a dozen businessmen are disobedient people.

……

"It's not our duty to care. We don't have any tax evasion, we have to pay 10% of the money every year to the empire, and we have made an indelible contribution to the building of the empire. We have spent a lot of money and materials to win this war, and now our industry is not working. Are we going to go bankrupt just to support the Empire? ”

The yellow-robed nobleman had a cold face.

He decided to fight Cao Shang to the end, and he didn't save him any face.

"Besides, there are rules in the empire, relatives are not allowed to be regents, although you are a duke, you have no specific official title in the empire. To tell you the truth, it's unbelievable that you started a war for the sake of the Empire and wanted us to support you. ”

"You expelled the officials and generals of Chongwu Prefecture and controlled the military and political power of Chongwu Prefecture yourself, which is already an act of overstepping your authority, but we don't want to participate in the affairs of officialdom. We just want to keep our property, and we hope that Duke Cao can understand our difficulties and give everyone a way out. ”

"We ――――――"

……

"Enough!"

Cao Shang is really mad now, and his face has changed dramatically.

This is obviously a smashing field.

didn't wait for Duke Cao Shang to speak.

"You bastards!"

The eleven Taibao were all angry, and then immediately took action. These people are all thugs in the Duke's Palace, although most of them are young people, but their strength is first-class.

In today's troubled times, such figures are the best time to make a big splash, and wherever they go, they will be immediately wooed by local forces.

And if they do anything out of the ordinary, they will basically not be punished.

In almost less than a minute, all of the more than a dozen businessmen who dared to put forward ideas were hit, and then the eleven Taibao dragged them out.

One of the Taibao asked Cao Shang: "Duke, these people only have selfishness and no imperial society, so they are so mad and unworthy of being a member of the Shenwu Kingdom." What to do, please ask the Duke to signal. ”

When Duke Cao Shang saw that these merchants had been dealt with, his mood immediately improved, and his face became a little better.

He showed a regretful expression and said: "For their momentary confusion, I left them two acres of thin land to experience the people's suffering, and as for all their industries, they will be temporarily confiscated." When will they reflect on their mistakes, and then return the property to them. ”

The Taibao's eyes showed an excited luster, it seemed that the task of raiding the house was about to fall on their heads, this is a fat difference, enough to make a lot of money.

……

After Cao Shang and many Taibao did this, the atmosphere of the entire banquet instantly fell to the limit.

Although the sun was still shining and warm in this hall, everyone felt a palpitating cold, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

The banquet finally ended in a state of harmony.

Each merchant "had a great sense of responsibility and justice" and took out half of the output value of their industry to support the city lord's mansion and support Cao Shang and his feat.

In the hall of the City Lord's Mansion, Sun Long and Cao Shang sat opposite each other.

"Do you have any thoughts on what I just did?" Cao Shang looked a little tired, obviously a little tired from the banquet he had just experienced.

He saw that Sun Long seemed to be a little silent and cold.

So he asked.

Sun Long sat opposite him, and the two of them sat at home at random, looking peaceful and casual.

Only the highest-ranking figures in the Duke's Mansion could enjoy such treatment, and Sun Long's position was previously only allowed by the young swordsman.

"It's not easy for them, either." Sun Long said tentatively.

This is indeed Sun Long's true thoughts.

Duke Cao Shang looked at Sun Long with the gaze of an elder, with a loving smile on his face, and said, "You are still too young. ”

"Your view of the world is still very immature, but this is not a problem, everyone has a process of growth, and as you grow older in the future, you will have to go through these things sooner or later."

……

Cao Shang continued to say bitterly: "Do you think that the money of these nobles is clean? They are just trying to squeeze the people at the bottom to get money. When I deal with them, it's all like big fish eating small fish, and I don't feel any guilt. Then again, how can there be a war that does not sacrifice people? If you can sacrifice a small number of people for the benefit of the majority, I think the sacrifice is worth it. It is no exaggeration to say that if I had to sacrifice for the sake of the future of the people of the Divine Warrior Kingdom, then I would be duty-bound. ”

That's true.

As long as it doesn't sound so fake.

Sun Long nodded.

He couldn't agree, but he nodded.

At a critical time, can Cao Shang really sacrifice his life for the interests of the so-called people? Sun Long has reservations about this.

"Tell me what you think."

Cao Shang looked at Sun Long with some curiosity.

Then he placed the short letter of prayer, written in the most ordinary banknotes, on the table in front of them.

There was only one sentence on the prayer post: "I can help you unify the Shenwu Kingdom." ”

What a heart-warming statement!

However, although the current Cao Shang recognized Sun Long's strength, he didn't quite think that with Sun Long's age, he could really do this. After all, this is one thing that countless people want to do, but it is not a dream but a cruel goal, and it is not something that can be achieved by thinking or saying a few words of ambition.

To accomplish this great goal, it is necessary to step on countless corpses and bones to reach the top.

How could it be that easy?

……

This sentence is really not what Sun Long said.

"I don't think it has to be a prerequisite for fighting a war to squeeze other people. Perhaps, we can find a better way. ”

It is clear that Sun Long was targeting Cao Shang's previous alleged sacrifice.

Cao Shang just looked at it and didn't speak.

Sun Long continued: "As long as you destroy your enemies and opponents, you can naturally achieve the results you want, and I can help you accomplish this. ”

"How?" Duke Cao Shang still had a faint smile on his face.

Sun Long said: "With strength." ”

Cao Shang fell silent.

After about ten seconds passed, Cao Shang came to his senses, looked at Sun Long with some suspicion, seemed to be joking, and said, "By you? ”

Sun Long nodded.

"You need to tell me now where your opponents are the most headaches, and I can help you take them out." Sun Long directly threw a bombshell.

Cooperating with Duke Cao Shang to obtain specific information on hostile forces and potential opponents was also one of Sun Long's goals.

Duke Cao Shang's eyes lit up.

However, after a few seconds of silence, he calmed down again, then shook his head flatly, picked up a blue and white porcelain teapot on the table, and filled himself with a cup of tea, as if he was enjoying: "The tea tastes good." ”

Sun Long frowned. This is obviously a lack of trust in him, at least there are some doubts about Sun Long's ability.

……

"You are now the Marquis of the Brute Beast Mountains. The three cities and seventy towns of the Brute Beast Mountain Range are all under your management, and for the time being, I will inform you if there is a war. Rest assured, as long as you work under me, there is no need to worry about the future. “

Cao Shang directly made arrangements for Sun Long.

Seeing Sun Long's somewhat indifferent attitude, Cao Shang smiled faintly: "You don't have to be in a hurry, although the world seems to be chaotic now, but if there is really a war, there is no way to fight a war without a few years of brewing." You first forbear and forbear, and then develop your strength, rest assured that I will provide you with cultivation resources, you only need to manage your defense area. By the way, those rogues in the Beast Mountains are your people, right? In the future, you can take them all in and use them as your descendants. Train and develop them well to serve the Empire in the future. ”

Cao Shang directly pushed Sun Long down and stabilized the Brute Beast Mountain Range.

Sun Long thought about it and decided to accept it.

Since Cao Shang doesn't dare to do that now, and he doesn't trust Sun Long to do this, then Sun Long can't help it, it's more reliable to do these things by himself.

"They're not rogues." Sun Long let out a mockery in his heart.

……

He received a letter of recommendation from Cao Shang in the City Lord's Mansion, and then took the special flying boat of the City Lord's Mansion to pierce the void and return to the Beast Mountain Range at a fast speed.

There are three cities in the Shenwu section of the Brute Beast Mountain Range, and the Brute Beast is certainly one of them, and the other two cities are Xuanyuan City and Shennong City respectively.

Needless to say, the brute beast and Xuanyuan City have an impression in their hearts, and although Shennong City is also in the range of the brute beast mountain range, Sun Long has never been there.

He habitually went to the Brute City first.

When the flying boat specially marked by Chongwu Prefecture landed in the Mancheng Flying Boat Field, all the local officials in Mancheng who held real power were present. Including the countless local nobles who had received the news in advance, they all came to the scene in person to greet them.

Sun Long stepped off the flying boat.

"Welcome to Marquis Sun Long!"

A strong man in his forties took the lead and slapped the face.

Just like a chain reaction, countless officials and nobles applauded enthusiastically, as if they were welcoming an old lover who had not seen him for many years, but Sun Long couldn't feel the slightest real temperature at all.

This big man is obviously the current highest commander of the barbarian city, this person is two meters four tall, he looks like a giant, his dark skin looks very fierce, and there is a faint bloody aura emerging, at a glance, you know that he is the kind of character who often kills.

Sun Long's gaze swept among the many people who came to greet him, and then frowned slightly, and asked, "Why isn't Guan Fei here?" ”

The experience of living in the Brute Mountain Range back then came to Sun Long's mind.

Those old faces are basically no longer there, and everything in the Barbarian City is still the same, but in fact, it is no longer human.

The burly man's face changed, and then he was a little surprised, and said, "How could the marquis know this traitor?" ”

Hearing him say this, Sun Long's heart was slightly stunned, he glanced at the big man beside him, and said flatly: "What traitor? ”

Dahan said: "This person did not obey the arrangement of the Duke of Chongwu's mansion, and led his barbarian city guards to resist, and he has been completely killed by me. This thief has some skills, the Duke's Mansion has a policy, and it has the grace to appease talents, so for the time being, this dog thing will be left to live. This time the marquis came to take office, didn't he receive instructions to deal with this guy? ”

……

(To be continued)