The light of the cloudy day began to turn blood-red after noon.

The sea near Shuoyue Island also turned red.

This kind of cloudy and bloody scenery has long been accustomed to the ghosts in the underworld.

Xiaoyu Mountain City is also covered with a layer of bright red.

Ji Kang, who was sitting in the depths of the main hall of the Ghost Ya, looked at the direction of the departure of the Beiyin Dynasty, and also saw a red light.

Ji Kang was also angry about the attitude of the envoys of the Northern Yin Dynasty, but he still maintained a trace of calmness and sanity. After a long time, he withdrew his gaze from the distance, and there was no anger in his heart.

He picked up the list and flipped through it.

This list records the final compensation materials of the Northern Yin Dynasty to the Nine Shadows Kingdom, but the list is not thin.

Ji Kang, who looked through it, closed the list, handed it to the master beside him, and instructed: "Give it to the person in charge of the port at the dock, let them carefully proofread it, and count the quantity of the goods, and also pay attention to the quality of the goods." ”。

Ji Kang had served in the Beiyin Dynasty for many years, and knew that the Beiyin Dynasty liked to play shoddy tricks, so he specially told his subordinates to pay attention to this.

The master answered, took the list and went straight out.

After seeing the master leave, Ji Kang immediately said to a ghost official beside him: "Send a message to General Ke and tell her that the people from the Beiyin Dynasty are coming, how to arrange the sentry posts around the residence of the sailor of the Beiyin Dynasty, and she can start working." ”。

Although Ji Kang expected that Ke Yun was afraid that he would already know that the Beiyin Dynasty had arrived here when the Beiyin Dynasty transport ship entered the waters of Shuoyue Island, it was better to report it.

This is the procedure and it is necessary.

Ji Kang is still very rigorous and serious in his work, so Ying Zhao recommended him to do it.

"Let the jailers keep an eye on Gong Mingyi, the more they are at this juncture, the more they don't make mistakes in Gong Mingyi. Then, Ji Kang called his subordinate judges again and instructed the other party: "We must ensure that this Gong Mingyi lives well, this is related to the credibility of the lord and the reputation of our country in the underworld." Once the compensation is settled, he will be sent to the Beiyin Dynasty to take away, but the Beiyin Dynasty must sign Gong Mingyi's release registration, so as to prove that they took Gong Mingyi away in the future. ”。

When Ji Kang finished explaining, the judge answered, taking these instructions to heart.

"I will not come into contact with these ghosts sent by the Beiyin Dynasty in the future, they will not meet any of them, and the goods they send must be sorted out as soon as possible. Ji Kang, who paused, paused the teacup, picked up the lid and scraped it gently.

This decision is the result of Ji Kang's careful consideration. There is no point in coming into contact with the ghosts sent by the Northern Yin Dynasty again. There is no way to turn these ghosts who fanatically worship the Emperor of Xudu in reverse.

Contacting it again, it was completely in vain, Ji Kang might as well free up his hands and do something else.

After everything was explained, Ji Kang took a sip of tea, moistened his throat, and said, "Call the fungus man, I will report these things to Yuque City." ”......

Yuque Palace, on the western edge of the inner court, there is a palace next to the outer court.

This palace is only across the water from the outer courtyard, and the palace garden is about ten acres in size, and it is planted with a kind of tree that looks like a pomegranate. Put the sap of this tree in a cup, and in a few days it can be turned into wine, which is delicious and intoxicating. This tree is called the Wine Tree.

The wine tree is full of auspiciousness and tranquility. The forest is green and leafy, retreating from the heat, quiet and serene.

Surrounded by wine trees, a two-storey building is built on the water's edge under the smoke, and most of the white marble base is built in the water. The top floor is heavy at the four corners of the eaves, the shape is like a pavilion and a spire, like a tower, like a pavilion like a building, and the appearance is very special.

In the middle is a coiled dragon, topaz carving, fine and vivid. The four corners of the flying phoenix spread its wings, the white jade is carved, and the red jade is embellished into a pair of eyes, which is blazing. The top is covered with topaz tiles, which shine in the sun.

In the stream in front of the door, there is a pair of dragon heads, lion tails, antlers, scales all over the body, and a stone carved unicorn with a foot high, stepping on the water and standing. The carving is delicate, radiant and dynamic.

Climb the stairs to see the murmuring water in front of you and the magnificent buildings in the outer courtyard.

The magnificent buildings in the outer courtyard, the splendid palaces, the antique pavilions, the palace walls that stand tall and the clear streams that flow endlessly, interspersed between the palaces, can all be seen.

Originally, this was the time of the ancient gods, the place where the god of wine was made.

In that distant era, the god of wine made wine here, and produced a jar of delicious wine.

After the death of the old gods, the land was abandoned for thousands of years, and the sake trees planted here were left untended and almost all died. After Gonggong entered the Yuque Palace, he sent people to manage this place and replanted wine trees, but he only used the wine trees here to make wine.

However, after Xiao Shizhu came, he felt that this place was next to the outer courtyard, which was convenient for him to work, and it was a waste to use it to make wine, so he set this place as an office location.

And personally named this place - Wine Grove.

Just because once the wine trees bloom in autumn, it is full of fragrant wine, but it smells but does not get drunk.

Before the winter, Xiao Shizhu and the ghost mother would occasionally come here to work, and occasionally rest here. Therefore, on the second floor, they were also given a bedroom, and a stone bed full of mica was placed in it.

This strange stone bed is also a treasure left by the ancient gods, and it is not hot in summer, and lying on it is cool and does not sweat.

The first floor has become one of Xiao Shizhu's offices, and the plain carpet has already been laid out in the bright room, and a solemn and delicately carved throne is placed in the center.

There are also four-legged straight tables, four treasures of the study, and dozens of top cabinets that can be loaded with books and documents, and locked and sealed.

There are also secret rooms on the left and right. There are tables and chairs, thrones, bookshelves and carved dragon cabinets. The one on the left also has a back door that leads up the stairs.

After going down today, Xiao Shizhu and the ghost mother did not go to Tianyang Palace or the apse of Tianquan Palace, but came here directly.

In the past few days, the couple has not had much leisure, and they have been eating and living in the wine forest. It is also to facilitate the discussion with the ministers anytime and anywhere, and to discuss various secrets and projects under construction.

There will be no war for the time being, and most places in the Nine Shadows Kingdom will also have to recuperate. Culture and economy must be developed. Military diplomacy must go hand in hand.

Xiao Shizhu also proposed at the court meeting that even if a war is waged against an enemy country, the war should be fought abroad, and a large-scale war should never break out in the hinterland or in the central areas within the borders.

It is necessary to give a stable and peaceful environment to the country of Jiuyou, so that they can recuperate and recuperate, and enrich the national strength and treasury.

At the same time, he had to prepare for the construction of water conservancy, the dredging of rivers, the continuation of the construction of underworld tunnels and granaries throughout the country, as well as the strict inspection of ghosts and yass in various places, and the appointment of wise and capable ministers.

Most of all the expenses came from the compensation that came from the negotiation table and the Beiyin Dynasty.

Xiao Shizhu had already planned the use of every penny in his heart, so that he could make the best use of his things, and it was worth using it in the right place.

And he has been sitting in Jiulin or Tianquan Hall for the past few days, just to discuss these plans with the ministers better and more conveniently, and to implement these plans more quickly.

Today, from the next dynasty to the present afternoon, Xiao Shizhu has already discussed with the ministers in the building of Jiulin and made two very feasible plans.

The first is the mountain reclamation programme and farming implement improvement works in the western and southern parts of Yunmengzhou to increase productivity in the area.

The second is the tuntian of many islands in the north.

Those islands, the Northern Yin Dynasty was not willing to hand them over and give them to the Nine Shadows Kingdom.

Before withdrawing troops, the Northern Yin Dynasty burned down the tuntian and fortifications that had been operating on the island for many years, filling in all the wells and springs.

What the Nine Shadows Kingdom got was just a desert island that had to be rebuilt with great difficulty.

Even so, Xiao Shizhu gladly accepted these desert islands. Because he now has time to rebuild and turn these islands into a solid barrier to the north of the Nine Shadows.

"If you want me to say, the compensation of the Northern Yin Dynasty is still too soft-hearted and less. Just after the ministers left, when only Xiao Shizhu and his wife and Qinglan Chenruo were left in the building, the ghost mother sat on the throne in the depths of the bright room, and said to Xiao Shizhu, who stood up and paced and moved his muscles: "Listening to the plan you discussed with the ministers, the reconstruction of nearly 100 islands in the sea will cost a lot of money. ”。

"Hey, hey. You, you've learned my greed after staying with me for a long time. Xiao Shizhu smiled when he heard this, and said slowly: "But there is a cloud in the book of soldiers: the siege of the division must be que." Although the Northern Yin Dynasty is rotten, its internal turmoil is shaky, and its strength is now declining, if this compensation is greedy, do you know what will happen?"

"What?" The ghost mother leaned forward, holding her cheek with one hand, and her eyes burst out with curiosity, all the while moving with Xiao Shizhu's slow movement.

"I want too much, and the Northern Yin Dynasty can't take it out, so the capital will force the ghost people under its rule and extort tyranny. Xiao Shizhu smiled indifferently and answered the ghost mother's questions: "And the drunken capital will definitely preach that all this is due to me and my country." At that time, it gave the Beiyin Dynasty an excuse and a reason to work together. What I want is not to empty their treasury and their old capital, but to hurt their vitality. Then they can't expropriate unscrupulously, and even if they have an excuse to expropriate, they can't blame me. And in order to quickly restore the national strength, the Beiyin Dynasty will definitely make the Beiyin Dynasty violently expropriated, and the violent conscription will make the ghosts and people of the Beiyin Dynasty complain, and the Beiyin Dynasty will never think about stability internally. ”。

In a few words, the next course of action of the Nine Shadows Kingdom towards the Northern Yin Dynasty was revealed, and it was impossible for the Ming Dynasty to come for the time being, and a paper treaty made both of them have to refrain from doing so. But Xiao Shizhu can be the same as Emperor Xudu, you come and go in secret, and no one is welcome.

"And the Xuanjiao has already spread a message. After a pause, Xiao Shizhu continued to pace back and forth in front of the ghost mother, walking very slowly. Then he opened his mouth again and said slowly: "This news is from the Northern Yin Dynasty." Probably, the compensation demanded by our Nine Shadows Kingdom is just a drop in the bucket, and it has not hurt the foundation of the Northern Yin Dynasty at all. Even if the Beiyin Dynasty lost money, it was all about begging for food, and rewarding me, a junior, with a little pocket money. This news, in other places outside the Nine Shadows Country, in the market, has long been spread by everyone and everyone. The Beiyin Dynasty once again levied violently, which was tantamount to digging its own grave and losing the support of the people, which was destined to lead to the inability of the court and the folk market to work together and scatter the sand. ”。

Hearing what Xiao Shizhu said so proudly, and confident, the ghost mother suddenly thought that Xiao Shizhu had already thought of these things before he was afraid of compensation.

So, when Xiao Shizhu finished speaking, the ghost mother hurriedly asked, "You have already thought of these plans?"

"Well, when I just came back from Huangquan, when I saw the captured Gong Mingyi. Xiao Shizhu, who nodded, stopped, turned around, and walked towards the ghost mother again, sat down on another throne beside her, raised his hand and stretched his waist.

This time, when he spoke, he put away his smugness and became much calmer.

Xiao Shizhu, who calmed down, was very calm. His complexion was as calm as the water in an ancient well, and his mood was even more calm. His appearance and state are enough to make any enemy who is against him in the Nine Shadows Kingdom creepy.

And the ghost mother was surprised, but also admired her husband even more.

The surprise is just because the ghost mother only knows so many details of this plan today, but taking precautions has always been Xiao Shizhu's strength.

He's very good at it.

"Okay, I shouldn't take the initiative to ask about the affairs of Xuanjiao, you can just call the shots. But it costs money, and it seems that we have to find a way. After a while, the ghost mother sat up straight and said thoughtfully: "We can't also empty the treasury because of this, and we can't make ends meet, which is not good for us." ”。

Finance is in charge of the ghost mother, and the ghost mother still has a headache now.

"It's not going to be hollowed out, it's just going to be rebuilt gradually. Xiao Shizhu leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes slightly: "Besides, isn't there still ......."

Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by a shout outside the door: "Lord Lin Cong asks to see." ”。

Xiao Shizhu, who had not finished speaking, simply stopped continuing the previous topic, just sat up straight and put on a full robe, and shouted outside the door: "Xuan!"

After the words landed, Lin Cong walked in quickly. Straight towards the depths of the building, Xiao Shizhu's side.

Lin Cong, who rushed to three feet away in front of the recital in a few arrow steps, suddenly stood still and saluted Xiao Shizhu and his wife.

"Sit down and say. When Xiao Shizhu straightened Lin Cong's waist, he asked Lin Cong to sit down on the seats placed on the left and right sides in front of him.

"What's the matter?" When Lin Cong sat down and the ghost mother motioned to Qinglan to look at the tea, Xiao Shizhu had already turned his head to look at Lin Cong, and asked unhurriedly.

As soon as Lin Cong saw that there were no outsiders in the building, and he didn't sell Guanzi, he said bluntly: "Back to the king, the minister has received accurate information, and the Beiyin Dynasty has begun to secretly set up an intelligence network in our country again. It is planned to first activate a group of ghost agents who have been dormant for many years, form a new intelligence network, and continue to carry out intelligence theft and other operations against our country. ”。

The information that Lin Cong said with a solemn face did not move Xiao Shizhu and the ghost mother, nor did he surprise them.

Both of them knew that sooner or later, the Beiyin Dynasty would continue to send out eyes and ears, and they would never willingly be deaf and blind.

In this situation, there is really nothing to make a fuss about.

The crux of the matter is how to contain and control these intelligence networks of the Northern Yin Dynasty, and even use them to transmit false information.

And Lin Cong came here, firstly, to report the matter, and secondly, to wait for Xiao Shizhu to make a decision, and not to move these Northern Yin Dynasty spies?

Xiao Shizhu picked up his hand pot, thought for a while, took a sip of tea, smashed his mouth, and asked: "Lin Cong, since it is an intelligence network, they must choose a location for the contact point and communication station, right?"

"Of course. Lin Cong nodded affirmatively.

"It's better to investigate these sites secretly before we talk about it. Xiao Shizhu immediately made a decision and said slowly: "Now that these intelligence networks of the Northern Yin Dynasty are moved, it is meaningless to turn the open guns into dark arrows, so it's better not to startle the snake for the time being." Once the site is determined, it is monitored. If they are formed, it will be useless. ”。