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Chapter 753: News from Emperor Ling of Han
Chapter 753: News from Emperor Ling of Han
September 25, 2017
Just as Lu Hai Kong was about to put down the intelligence report on Dong Zhuo, Xi Zhi Cai approached him with another set of documents. He intended to compile information on the potential conflict between Dong Zhuo, Qianghu, and an unknown individual lurking in the background, to serve as educational material for the Flame Battalion. Before Hai Kong could even open his mouth, Xi Zhi Cai had already placed the documents in front of him.
"This is intelligence from Luoyang, sent by Zhang Rang through Xin Ping. I think you should take a look at it."
Upon hearing the mention of Luoyang, Hai Kong's eyes lit up. He reached out and took the documents, immediately flipping through them.
Before leaving Luoyang, Hai Kong had repeatedly instructed Zhang Rang to pay extra attention to Yue Er's well-being.
Hai Kong's intention was not to monitor Yue Er but to protect her. Although Yue Er was a princess, she found herself in the treacherous environment of the imperial harem, where schemes and conflicts were rampant. Due to Hai Kong's involvement, Yue Er inevitably attracted some enemies.
Hai Kong was concerned that Yue Er might become too engrossed in martial arts and neglect her vigilance, allowing others to take advantage of her. Hence, he asked Zhang Rang to provide extra protection for Yue Er.
However, what Hai Kong didn't expect was Yue Er's secluded lifestyle. She rarely ventured beyond her palace gates, devoting most of her time to cultivation.
Even if someone wanted to harm her, it wouldn't be easy due to her reclusive nature. Moreover, Emperor Ling of Han showed Yue Er extra care because of Hai Kong's relationship, making her situation relatively peaceful.
Despite this, when Hai Kong heard the intelligence from Luoyang, he couldn't help but think of Yue Er. However, the report wasn't about Yue Er.
The document was brief, consisting of only a few pages. It primarily conveyed two pieces of information.
The first was about how He Jin was slandering Hai Kong in the imperial court and how Zhang Rang staunchly supported Hai Kong. Hai Kong was well aware of Zhang Rang's loyalty and his desire to prove his worth. After a quick glance, he moved on to the next piece of information!
"What? Emperor Ling of Han is vomiting blood and unconscious?" Hai Kong exclaimed in surprise upon reading the crucial part of the report.
Emperor Ling of Han was currently Hai Kong's patron, and although Hai Kong knew his reign would eventually end, he didn't wish for it to happen so soon.
If Emperor Ling of Han were to fall now, it would be a significant setback for Hai Kong. His wings were not yet fully developed, and the emperor's demise would bring numerous troubles. Moreover, Hai Kong was relying on Emperor Ling of Han to officiate his wedding.
Therefore, after learning about Emperor Ling of Han's true health condition, Hai Kong became deeply concerned. He had even used his influence to gather numerous health-enhancing items for the emperor.
Although these items earned Hai Kong some favor from Emperor Ling of Han, they didn't significantly improve the emperor's health. After all, Emperor Ling of Han was still an emperor, and despite the instability of his throne and the turmoil in the empire, he had access to the imperial treasury and the best physicians in the palace.
Hai Kong could only collect what the emperor already had, and there was little he could do to improve the emperor's health.
Of course, if Hai Kong truly wanted to save Emperor Ling of Han, he had a solution. He could return to the Dragon Valley and slay the nefarious dragon, obtaining the Heaven-defying Life-changing Pill.
However, Hai Kong wasn't sure if he could defeat the dragon at this moment. Even if he could, he wouldn't be foolish enough to give Emperor Ling of Han the pill, as he didn't intend to keep the emperor alive forever.
"It seems we don't have much time left," Hai Kong sighed, closing the document in his hand. "With Emperor Ling of Han's current health, he might only last a year or two."
"A year or two is about right," Hai Kong continued. "The grasslands are already under our control, and there won't be much warfare ahead. We can use this time to focus on developing Bingzhou. By the way, please help me draft the battle report and send it to Luoyang as soon as possible."
"This is of utmost importance. You must get Emperor Ling to quickly confirm the marriage between you and Yue'er."
Xi Zhi Cai smiled and assuredly replied, "Rest assured, I'll handle this matter promptly!"
Xi Zhi Cai then presented several pieces of intelligence to Lu Hai Kong, most of which were from Youzhou and Jizhou. Some of the information also pertained to Liu Bei and Cao Cao.
Lu Hai Kong skimmed through the intelligence, focusing primarily on Gong Sun Zan's situation. After understanding the situation, he set it aside. After all, there wasn't much noteworthy information among the intelligence gathered from those individuals; a quick glance was sufficient.
Although there had been some changes in their situations over the past period, it didn't significantly impact Lu Hai Kong. Aside from Gong Sun Zan's side, where Lu Hai Kong's large-scale procurement of food and iron ore seemed to stir some unrest, there wasn't anything else of immediate concern.
After reviewing the intelligence, Lu Hai Kong didn't intend to leave. Instead, he officially discussed the war in the Grassland with Xi Zhi Cai. Lu Hai Kong briefed Xi Zhi Cai on the war's progress and the current situation.
In reality, Lu Hai Kong's urgency in conquering the Grassland was largely due to his desire to finalize his marriage with Emperor Ling while the emperor was still alive.
With Zhang Rang as an insider by Emperor Ling's side, Lu Hai Kong was well-informed about the emperor's health condition. Knowing that the emperor wouldn't last long, Lu Hai Kong feared that the emperor might pass away unexpectedly, which could put him in an awkward situation.
After all, Emperor Ling's marriage decree had a precondition. Lu Hai Kong was uncertain about what might happen if Emperor Ling died before the situation stabilized. He worried that He Jin or Dong Zhuo might create some unexpected troubles for him, which explained his haste in taking control of the Grassland.
Now that the Grassland was under his control, Lu Hai Kong's primary concern was naturally his marriage to Yue'er, followed by the management of the Grassland.
In the 1619 book, "A Look at the Unerring Version"!
As an ambitious warlord, Lu Hai Kong couldn't simply withdraw his troops and allow the Grassland he had conquered to gradually return to the hands of the Wu and Xianbei tribes. However, at present, having just conquered Bingzhou, Lu Hai Kong indeed lacked the manpower to manage the Grassland. Thus, he had no choice but to entrust the Grassland to Hu Yinwen.
Additionally, Lu Hai Kong was also considering whether it was time to put the construction of his Foreign City on the agenda.
Xi Zhi Cai didn't have much objection to Lu Hai Kong's decision to hand over the management of the Grassland to Hu Yinwen. However, when Lu Hai Kong expressed his desire to build the Foreign City, Xi Zhi Cai offered his opinion
Xi Zhi Cai provided two reasons for his suggestion. Firstly, there was a lack of personnel to assist Lu Hai Kong in managing the Foreign City. Secondly, there was a shortage of resources and funds for Lu Hai Kong to develop the Foreign Grassland.
Lu Hai Kong didn't have much to say about Xi Zhi Cai's first reason. He was well aware of the situation in his territory and agreed that there was indeed a shortage of talented officials. Finding someone to oversee the construction of the Foreign City immediately was a challenge. However, he disagreed with the second reason.
Despite Lu Hai Kong's minimal involvement in managing territorial affairs over the past few months, focusing primarily on military matters, he had delegated the territorial affairs to Wang Jun.
From the reorganization of the legions to the preparations for the Grassland war, Lu Hai Kong had dedicated several months to these endeavors. According to the intelligence he had previously gathered, their funds should have been abundant.
The business and tax revenue from Beifeng City, which was gradually becoming the economic center of Bingzhou, along with the Scattered Person Market within Beifeng City, and the gradually accumulating food supplies in Bingzhou should have provided sufficient funds. Lu Hai Kong's territory should not have faced a shortage of funds.
In response to Lu Hai Kong's question, Xi Zhi Cai smiled wryly, "You, my friend, have been a hands-off manager, but you're unaware of the stress Wang Jun is under. He's almost pulling his hair out in worry. Just wait, he's already preparing the annual administrative summary. When it's done, you'll see the financial statements for the entire territory, and then you'll understand."
(End of Chapter)
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