"The dean seems to have a lot of troubles? Disciples may be able to share their worries!"
Ye Fan looked at Cao Hao's expression and knew how upset he was. He picked up the wine cup, took a small sip, and tasted it briefly. His drinking capacity is limited and he is not as good at drinking as Cao Hao.
"More than just being upset, it hasn't stopped in these years. On the way to Donglai City, you must have seen millions of soldiers and transportation workers scattered all over the mountains and plains outside Donglai City, and there are wounded soldiers everywhere in the city."
Cao Hao smiled bitterly.
Ye Fan was surprised, "Back then, when we attacked the Lieri Mountains, the whole country of Canglan only dispatched two to three hundred thousand troops. Now, in Donglai County, millions of troops have been assembled, and millions more have been mobilized for labor. Plan. Why is this?"
Gu Xinyue listened quietly and poured wine for them.
"It's a long story!"
Cao Hao recalled it and talked while drinking.
There are three major Wu kings in Canglan Kingdom, namely Bian Herong is in charge of the royal city, Jin Xinwei is in charge of Lieri Mountains, and Lu Dahang is in charge of Donglai Binhai. After Ye Fan led his troops to eradicate the Green Wolf tribe in the Lieri Mountains, the defensive pressure of Canglan Kingdom was reduced by more than half, and there was no need to suffer from internal and external troubles.
The regent Ling Jiaojiao held the power of the government. With the assistance of Prime Minister Liu Guoliang and other wise ministers, he cared about the people and greatly reduced military service and lightened civilian labor. The people's tax burden was also greatly reduced, which made Canglan country short. In just a few years, the national strength reached an unprecedented peak, with abundant national treasury and full grain warehouses.
The courtiers and people of the Canglan Kingdom were excited and inspired by this grand occasion. This was the best time in the Canglan Kingdom in hundreds of years.
But five years ago, a coup occurred in the court, which caused the great prosperity of Canglan Kingdom to be destroyed in an instant and fell to the bottom.
"A coup in the court? How is this possible!"
Ye Fan frowned, a little unbelievable, "Before I leave, I will hand over the hundreds of thousands of elite troops of the Canglan Kingdom to Princess Ling Jiaojiao. Ling Jiaojiao holds most of the real power in the Canglan Kingdom's court, and she also With the protection of the two King Wu, Bian Herong and Jin Xinwei, and the support of all the ministers, who can launch a coup? The monarch Ling Feizhuo's faction is weak and cannot touch her in the slightest!"
"Yes, I didn't think so back then, but it was indeed a coup in the court, and it was a coup that no one expected. Not even several King Wu could stop it!"
Cao Hao sighed.
He quickly explained.
five years ago.
The Zixuan Dynasty mobilized troops from eight hundred vassal states to support the Zhongzhou front line. The Zixuan Dynasty sent a special envoy from King Wu to the Canglan Kingdom and asked the Canglan Kingdom to mobilize troops.
This is not a rare thing.
Almost every year, the Zixuan Dynasty would send special envoys to request the various vassal states to mobilize troops. All the vassal states would do so according to their capabilities. It is a common practice for strong countries to send more troops and for weak countries to send fewer troops.
However, something happened that no one expected.
That day, in the court hall, the monarch Ling Feizhuo, without consulting the regent Ling Jiaojiao, agreed on the spot in front of the imperial envoy and dispatched "two kings of Wu, three hundred marquis Wu, and five thousand princes of Wu!" , all of them are the most elite soldiers and generals of Canglan Kingdom.
He also presented a thick roster of troops to the special envoy of the Zixuan Dynasty.
On this list, almost all were members of the faction that supported the regent Ling Jiaojiao, and even included the two King Wu, Bian Herong and Jin Xinwei.
The entire Canglan Kingdom court was in an uproar and was in disbelief. Canglan Country is not a powerful country, and it takes a lot of effort to train a Wuhou. The birth of a Martial King depends entirely on luck.
With this breath, almost half of Canglan Kingdom's top elite troops were taken away.
However, the king is the symbol of the vassal state, and he can never go back on his words.
In particular, this was a promise made by King Canglan to the special envoy of King Wu of Zixuan Imperial City in the court, and it could not be withdrawn. Otherwise, it would be a grave crime to despise the Zixuan Dynasty and make fun of the dynasty's envoys.
King Ling Feizhuo used the help of the imperial envoy, and an unstoppable coup took place in the court.
The powerful faction of the regent Ling Jiaojiao inside and outside the court was almost uprooted and sent to the Zhongzhou battlefield, while the strength of the monarch Ling Feizhuo's faction increased relatively.
Ling Jiaojiao was almost stunned.
If she strongly objects and deposes Ling Feizhuo as the monarch, the situation may be saved, but this will definitely offend the special envoy of the Zixuan Dynasty and be condemned by the Zixuan Dynasty.
A great turmoil in Canglan Country is still unavoidable.
She was so disheartened that she stopped fighting and gave up fighting for power with Ling Feizhuo. After that day, she never went to the court to participate in any discussion.
In the next few years, everything in Canglan's country naturally changed completely.
Ling Feizhuo was very proud. After getting rid of the regent Ling Jiaojiao's faction, no one in the Canglan Kingdom could stop him from becoming the legitimate and true king.
The Canglan Court has been completely controlled by the monarch Ling Feizhuo. Prime Minister Liu Guoliang was demoted, Yan Xiuzheng was promoted as the new prime minister, and almost all ministers were replaced by ministers who had taken refuge with them.
Ye Fan was a little unbelievable that in order to regain the king's power, Ling Feizhuo actually did such a thing that almost destroyed most of the Canglan Kingdom.
His eyes became as cold as snow, "So that's how it is, you can use the strength of a fox to fake a tiger's power! With Ling Feizhuo's mind, he can't think of such a clever move, and only Yan Xiuzheng, a genius in the imperial examination, can use this kind of compromise. Using moves that the opponent was unable to parry, he completely defeated his opponent. However, these were things five years ago. What happened recently, mobilizing millions of troops from the Canglan Kingdom to come to Donglai County?"
"That's right! Things are far from over since the court coup!"
Cao Hao nodded, his expression becoming increasingly sad.
The two martial kings Bian Herong and Jin Xinwei were recruited by the Zixuan Dynasty to fight on the Zhongzhou front line. The remaining Wuhou and Wuzun were transferred in large numbers and sent to the Zhongzhou battlefield.
There is only one King Wu left in Canglan, Lu Dahang, who is on the side of the king.
In recent years, the sea troubles in Donglai County have become more and more serious, and attacks by sea beasts on the city have increased every year. The number of sea monsters has increased almost two to three times compared to ten years ago. The threat of sea beasts to Canglan Kingdom exceeds that of the Green Wolf tribe in the Lieri Mountains.
The consequences of King Ling Feizhuo's transfer of a large number of high-end troops to the Zhongzhou battlefield finally began to show.
A Martial King wanted to maintain the tranquility of the vast sea area of the Canglan Kingdom. He was obviously in a dilemma and spent most of his energy on dealing with powerful sea beasts. However, there are not many powerful Wuhou left in Canglan who can fight against sea beasts.
Two more years later, a big happy event finally happened in Canglan Country.
After practicing Guhan Sword to the peak of Wuhou, he relied on his innate martial arts heart to break through Wuwang in one fell swoop and became a rare Tiandao Martial King.
King Ling Feizhuo also knew that he had made a big mistake before, and quickly curried favor with the newly born King Wu.
With the addition of a Martial King, I originally thought that Canglan Kingdom would be able to breathe a little easier.
But Wenxin Sect, one of the seven major sects of Shenwu, quickly sent an envoy, hoping to accept Gu Hanjian as a disciple of the sect.
This kind of opportunity is rare, so Gu Hanjian agreed. Moreover, he did not want to help the monarch.
The envoy from the Wenxin Sect brought the Ancient Cold Sword to the Wenxin Sect, which meant that the future was bright.
Unfortunately, Canglan Country is still in a mess that cannot be cleaned up. The sea disaster in Donglai County is becoming more and more serious and difficult to clean up.
"Senior Brother Gu has indeed become a Martial King, and he is also a Tiandao Martial King. What a joy to congratulate!"
Ye Fan was quite pleased when he heard this.
Gu Hanjian has a natural martial arts heart. After practicing to the peak of Wuhou, he can automatically be promoted to Wuwang, which is difficult for ordinary people to achieve. Moreover, this kind of innate martial arts heart and understanding of the mysteries of martial arts are extremely high, and he is also the best among the martial arts kings.
If you go to Wenxin Sect, the first of the seven major sects of Shenwu, you will definitely be able to accomplish something in the future.
"Back then, our Canglan Kingdom had elite soldiers and strong generals, and an army of two to three hundred thousand was enough to suppress the Qinglang tribe and prevent them from invading the territory of the Canglan Kingdom. But now, there are two less King Wus, and a large number of Wuhou and Wuzun have been recruited. High-end combat is insufficient. , the imperial court could only recruit a large number of military service and labor services across the country, and use a large number of warriors and even the heads of ordinary soldiers to make up the number, otherwise it would not be able to defend this long coastal defense line. Therefore, there are only one million troops outside Donglai County. and millions in labor!"
Cao Hao sighed.
Originally ten Wuhou and a thousand Wuzun could defend a county and state very well, but more than 300 Wuhou were transferred at one go. It is conceivable that the impact on the national strength of the Canglan Kingdom would be so severe. And know.
After listening, Ye Fan had completely understood the current situation in Canglan Country.
He immediately said goodbye to Cao Hao and prepared to leave.
"Are you going to find the monarch?"
"Um!"
Ye Fan nodded.
"Don't be impulsive. King Wu Lu Dahang supports the monarch Ling Feizhuo. If you have a conflict with the monarch, you will definitely fight with Lu Dahang. No matter what the outcome is, the situation in Canglan Kingdom will probably be even worse! Now Canglan Country is full of holes, and we can no longer strain our muscles and bones!"
Cao Hao said quickly.
Ye Fan couldn't help but be silent for a moment, "Don't worry, Dean, I know what's appropriate!"
…
After leaving Cao Mansion, Ye Fan and Gu Xinyue, wearing hats and raincoats, walked quietly on the streets of Donglai City.
Although the streets of Donglai City are crowded with people, they are no longer as prosperous as they were ten years ago.
Groups of soldiers hurried past, their leather armor and swords looking worn. Ragged laborers were transporting supplies and fortifying the city.
Low straw huts where the wounded were placed could be seen everywhere. Most of the citizens in the city looked poor and were busy and numb.
There were no beggars or vagrants on the streets; they were all used as laborers.
Only the rich and powerful families in Donglai County have disciples with bright clothes and armor, and they can barely maintain the appearance of a beautiful scenery, but their foundation has long been weakened, and even the gatekeepers are almost replaced by masters of late martial arts instead of martial masters.
The sea beast attack wars that broke out in Donglai County in recent years have also caused great losses to powerful clans like them, and the human losses cannot be replaced.
Ye Fan walked around the city, his heart became heavier and more disappointed.
Before leaving Canglan, he once warned the kings Ling Feizhuo and Yan Xiuzheng that just because he left did not mean that he would not come back again. It seemed that they did not listen and they would not hesitate to use the entire Canglan Kingdom as a bet in order to fight for the kingship.
Now, the big mistake has been made, it's a mess.
How can he restore this situation that is on the verge of collapse?
Another problem is that he cannot stay in Canglan Country for too long. Otherwise, if people from the Purple Phoenix Sect come after him, they will be in even greater trouble.