Chapter 165: Nine Kings and the Princes Disrupt the Merchants (16K)

Chu Zhongxing's knowledge of the Imperial Shang Dynasty all came from the stories told by Guo Xiaoding and Su Mu. He only knew that the Imperial Shang Dynasty had Nine Provinces, Eight Hundred Princes, and the North Sea. The only other thing he knew was Yongzhou, which he learned from Xu Zhiyuan.

Pay tribute to the Zhang family?

Don't understand.

Chu Zhongxing, who had no idea about Di Shang, still kept a smile on his face and praised Zhang Chengjun: "So it's the young master of the Zhang family. The young master of the Zhang family is incredibly courageous. The Zhang family is really more powerful with a young talent like you."

Courageous? Young talent?
Hearing Chu Zhongxing's praise, Zhang Chengjun was immediately ashamed:
"Zhang is just a cowardly person, far from the courage that the general described. If Zhang had not been so cowardly, he would not have been robbed by the Quanrong.

Thanks to the general's soldiers for rescuing us, Zhang and his brothers and sisters were able to escape death and avoid becoming prisoners of the Quanrong."

Zhang Chengjun's words made Chu Zhongxing like him better. He could openly call himself a coward, which was much better than someone who didn't know his situation clearly and relied on the so-called family power to show off his power.

Paying tribute to the Zhang family, the training of the family disciples is quite good.

"What you said is absurd."

"The Quanrong were brutal and cruel. Countless people of the Shang Dynasty died at their hands. If everyone who was robbed by the Quanrong was a coward, then wouldn't that mean that all the people of the Shang Dynasty were cowards?"

"It is not shameful to endure humiliation and live in seclusion. As long as you can stick to your integrity and be loyal to the emperor and businessmen, you are a hero."

At this point, Chu Zhongxing patted Zhang Chengjun on the shoulder and said, "Our Yancheng angels Su Mu and Xu Jiguan were also captured by the barbarians. They held on to their integrity and were admirable."

"Come on, I'll take you to see Yancheng's commander, the angel of Di Shang, and Xu Jiguan!"

"Angel??"

The word "angel" carries a lot of weight. Upon hearing that Chu Zhongxing was going to take them to see the angel, Zhang Chengjun instinctively shrank his head.

What is an angel?

The emperor's envoys are angels.

The angel is outside Kyoto and represents the Emperor of Di Shang himself. For Zhang Chengjun, who is only sixteen years old, when he heard the word "angel", he subconsciously wanted to escape.

He did not dare to meet such a noble person, for fear that he might say something wrong and make the angel unhappy, thus bringing disaster to his family.

Chu Zhongxing saw his timidity and smiled gently:
"Don't worry, angels are more magnanimous than ordinary people. You don't have to worry."

"Thank you General!"

Zhang Chengjun looked at Chu Zhongxing with trepidation on his face. While he was talking to Chu Zhongxing, he glanced at the people around him and found that the soldiers around him all had unfriendly expressions and stared at them as if they were lambs to be slaughtered.

Especially the way they looked at his two younger sisters made Zhang Chengjun a little scared.

Could it be that they were abducted from the Quanrong by another barbarian from the northern border?

"The new army of Yancheng has clear rewards and punishments. You have succeeded in attacking the Quanrong this time, so you deserve a reward!"

"But the loss of your war horses exceeded expectations, so you should be punished."

"Listen!"

After a brief conversation with Zhang Chengjun, Chu Zhongxing turned his head to look at the eager players and rewarded or punished them.

There is an excessive shortage of supplies in Yancheng, and the players are not easy to deal with, so Chu Zhongxing established a "loss line" in the new rules.

After all, there is no war without the loss of weapons and horses. The number of horses and weapons lost by Niu Bu and his men this time far exceeded the "loss line". According to the new regulations, they will be punished.

After rewarding and punishing, the players led by Niu Bu can receive an average of 3 months' military pay and 1500 activity points.

This time they transported back seven trucks of supplies, which was more than twice the amount transported by Su Shan's group one, but their profit was 1.5 times that of Su Shan's group one, not more than twice.

This reduced profit is the penalty for exceeding the "loss line".

Even so, such lucrative profits have made the player community excited and dancing with joy.

"Thank you, coach!"

"Thank you, General Chu! Long live General Chu, long live!"

"Chu Shuai is the most handsome!"

"."

Didn’t you say stop shouting “Long live”? What are you going to do?
Players are players after all, and there is still a big gap between their discipline and that of real soldiers.

Zhang Chengjun was in front, his younger brother was at the side, his two sisters followed behind, and three servants were at the back.

The seven of them followed Chu Zhongxing to the general's mansion. After Chu Zhongxing entered the general's mansion, Zhang Chengjun stopped and turned around to tell his brothers and sisters: "Wait for me here. Remember not to run around, cause trouble, and don't anger the soldiers."

"You must always remember your identities. We were prisoners, and it was the soldiers of Yancheng who rescued us!"

After earnestly admonishing his younger brothers and sisters, Zhang Chengjun's expression was gloomy: "The clan members risked their lives to send us out so that we can revive the family. We are carrying the clan members' expectations and mission. Even if we suffer humiliation, we must complete the task of reviving the family."

"Although we have been rescued by the soldiers of Yancheng, the situation is still unclear. We must be patient!"

"Wait for me here. If I don't come out, you will forget about me as your brother and live a good life in Yancheng. Don't seek revenge for me!"

After giving these instructions, Zhang Chengjun shook off the mist in his eyes and strode into the general's mansion.

He didn't know what was waiting for him in the general's mansion. He only knew that he was a prisoner and had no choice.

The decoration inside the general's mansion can be described as simple. Apart from a sand table in the middle, there are only sword and gun racks and a general's chair above.

The floor of the general's mansion was not covered with expensive monster furs, nor were there screens, ink paintings, potted plants, or any gold embellishments.

Even the commander of Yancheng, who was sitting in the main seat, had a sword on his waist that was a sharp blade made of fine iron, not an ornament carefully embellished with gold.

This is a practical and iron-blooded general. There is no frills in his thinking. Everything is practical.

"Old Guo, this is Zhang Chengjun, the young talent of the Zhang family."

After Chu Zhongxing entered the general's mansion, he asked Yin Yin, who had served Guo Xiaoding, to call Su Mu and Xu Zhiyuan to the general's mansion. He sat in the main seat, and when he saw Zhang Chengjun come in, he gave Guo Xiaoding a brief introduction.

"Sacrifice to the Zhang family?"

Like Chu Zhongxing, Guo Xiaoding was not sure which Zhang family was offering sacrifices to. Guo Xiaoding was not very clear about these imperial merchant families. After all, he had followed Cheng Li, the commander of Yancheng Town's Northern Army, to fight in the northern border.

"I'm Zhang Chengjun of the Zhang family, and I'm honored to meet you, the general!" Zhang Chengjun looked at Guo Xiaoding, who had a head full of white hair and a kind face. The uneasy feeling and uneasiness in his heart disappeared a lot. He thought that such an old general should not make things difficult for him.

"I have never heard of the Shangji Zhang family. Which state is the Shangji Zhang family from? What is the highest rank of the clan elders? Are there any soldiers in the clan?"

Guo Xiaoding bombarded Zhang Chengjun with a series of questions. Zhang Chengjun was about to answer when Chu Zhongxing interrupted him, "Don't worry, General Guo. Wait for Tian Shi and Xu Jiguan for a while. After they arrive, we will ask the young talents of the Zhang family."

"Otherwise, when the angel and Xu Jiguan arrive, they will ask again."

"It's because I'm impatient!"

Guo Xiaoding nodded slightly, and looked Zhang Chengjun up and down with his one eye, trying to see something from him.

Unfortunately, Guo Xiaoding, who has been guarding the northern border for eighty-three years, cannot get what he wants just from the appearance.

Su Mu and Xu Zhiyuan arrived faster than Chu Zhongxing had imagined.

Su Mu was concerned about the Emperor of Di Shang. When he heard that Yan Cheng had rescued a citizen of Di Shang who was being plundered by barbarians, he rushed to the General's Mansion.

Xu Zhiyuan was concerned about the people of Yongzhou. Yongzhou bordered the northern border, and the barbarians who went south to plunder were all the people of Yongzhou.

After the two arrived at the general's mansion, they couldn't help but look at Zhang Chengjun. Zhang Chengjun was very humble and his courtesy made it impossible for the two to find any fault with him.

"To pay tribute to the young talents of the Zhang family."

Chu Zhongxing briefly introduced Zhang Chengjun. As soon as he finished speaking, Su Mu took a step forward and looked at Zhang Chengjun again: "Offering sacrifices to the Zhang family? But the Zhang family offering sacrifices to the west of Liangzhou?"

"Reply to the angel, it is the Zhang family who offered sacrifices at the west foot of Liangzhou!"

"Liangzhou Shangji is more than 8,000 kilometers away from the northern border and more than 6,000 kilometers away from the border of Yongzhou. How could you be captured by the Quanrong?"

Su Mu was very confused. The Shangji of Liangzhou West was on the south side of Liangzhou, and Yongzhou was on the north side of Liangzhou. How could this young man who was offering sacrifices to the Zhang family go from the south side of Liangzhou to the northernmost part of Yongzhou and then be captured by the Quanrong?

Hearing Su Mu's question, Zhang Chengjun's expression was gloomy: "The clan brought disaster upon us, and the elders risked their lives to send us out of Liangzhou. We were lucky enough to escape, and after arriving in Yongzhou, we happened to encounter barbarians plundering from the south. Because we were too weak, the barbarians robbed us of our property and tied us up as prisoners."

"Upon arriving in Yongzhou, we were plundered by barbarians heading south?"

"The barbarians are in the northernmost part of Yongzhou. Why did they plunder you who just arrived in Yongzhou?"

At this point, Su Mu's face suddenly turned ugly. He took a step forward, grabbed Zhang Chengjun's shoulders, and asked sternly:
"Zhang's son, tell me, what is the current situation of Di Shang? Why can the barbarians appear in the south of Yongzhou? Has Yongzhou been completely occupied?"

Zhang Chengjun was frightened by Su Mu's appearance. He replied tremblingly: "Reply to the angel, Yongzhou has not fallen."

"That's good!"

Su Mu breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhang Chengjun's next words made him furious again:

"Although Yongzhou has not fallen, all the soldiers on the Yongzhou border are stationed in Zhongzhou, leaving the Yongzhou border empty. The barbarians can directly penetrate into the hinterland and plunder the people of Yongzhou."

"Soldiers from the Yongzhou frontier stationed in Zhongzhou?
Who gave them the courage to station troops in Zhongzhou instead of defending the border? What are the Zhongzhou Guards and the Emperor's Imperial Guards for?"

Hearing Su Mu's roar, Zhang Chengjun shrank his head. Seeing that the angel in front of him seemed to know nothing about the situation of the Di Shang Dynasty, he immediately shut his mouth and dared not speak again.

Seeing Zhang Chengjun being so timid, Su Mu seemed to have thought of something. He grabbed Zhang Chengjun by the collar and lifted him up:

"The soldiers from the Yongzhou frontier are stationed in Zhongzhou. Could it be that the King of Yong has also entered the court and ruled the world together with the emperor?"

Emperor Zisheng, with the help of other feudal lords, overthrew his uncle and took control of Emperor Shang. However, it was easy to invite other feudal lords but difficult to send them away.

After letting the wolf into the house, Emperor Zi Sheng was forced to rule the world together with the princes. It was under such circumstances that the angel Su Mu was sent to the northern border, but was captured by the barbarians in the northern border.

When the emperor and the princes ruled the world together, there was no King Yong among the princes. Emperor Zisheng was concerned about the safety of the people of Di Shang and did not summon the soldiers on the border of Di Shang. It was not until he had no other choice that Emperor Zisheng was forced to summon the soldiers on the border.

"Reply to Angel, no, not just King Yong."

"Now the Ninth Prince is in power and jointly in charge of state affairs. I was accused by the Ninth Prince when I offered sacrifice to the Zhang family because I said that the Ninth Prince's joint rule was the beginning of chaos. If it weren't for the elders of the clan who risked their lives to send us out of Liangzhou, I'm afraid we would have died tragically at the hands of the Ninth Prince."

"Now the Di Shang Dynasty is ruled by nine kings. The princes of the world are dissatisfied and the Di Shang Dynasty is in chaos!"

Nine kings share the same throne, and the princes are in chaos!
bump!
Hearing these words, Su Mu smashed a corner of the sand table violently. Guo Xiaoding's spiritual energy gushed out, and his one eye was full of murderous intent.

This group of princes actually rebelled against Tiangang and took control of Emperor Shang!
"Evildoers, evildoers, these princes are all evildoers!"

"The Ninth Prince dared to govern the Empire of Commerce. They are rebelling, rebelling!"

There was no king of the opposite sex in the Shang Dynasty. In terms of blood relationship, all the princes of the Shang Dynasty were descendants of Zi Tang, the founder of the Shang Dynasty.

But our ancestors have ordered that only the legitimate son can inherit the throne. Now the Ninth Prince is in charge of Emperor Shang, which is against the order of our ancestors.

"Nine kings share the same throne, and the princes are in chaos"

Chu Zhongxing whispered softly. Considering the various disturbances in history, he felt that the Nine Kings of Imperial Shang were simply worthless.

In order to govern Di Shang, he actually withdrew soldiers from the border areas, allowing the barbarians to invade Di Shang and plunder the people of Di Shang.

Are these nine kings going to create a Nine Kings Rebellion just like the eight kings in Earth OL?
Chu Zhongxing didn't know, but judging from the Ninth Prince's current actions, it was very likely that he could do this.

No, this world's rituals and music have not yet collapsed, and Confucianism is not the only dominant school of thought. Hundreds of schools of thought are still contending with each other. Given the integrity of the ministers in this world, it is impossible for them to allow nine kings to rule together.

One must know that even in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, which was already extremely corrupt, there was a group of ministers who were devoted to the Han Dynasty. In this era and background, there would be even more ministers who were devoted to the emperor and merchants.

Could it be that the Ninth Prince killed them all?
Chu Zhongxing shook his head violently, feeling that this matter might not be as simple as it seemed.

Deep in Yancheng, thousands of miles away from the imperial capital of the Imperial Shang Dynasty, it is difficult to judge what the Imperial Shang Dynasty is all about based on Zhang Chengjun's words alone.

But the only thing that is certain is that the Imperial Shang Dynasty has begun to fall into chaos.

“The situation inside the Imperial Shang Dynasty is worse than I thought, and the Ninth Prince is a little confused.

You guys can have your own quarrels among yourselves, no matter who wins, we are all imperial merchants.

Why the hell are you withdrawing soldiers who are defending the border?

Can't we learn from the Three Kingdoms? The fighting during the Three Kingdoms was so fierce, but it was the Han people who were fighting for supremacy in the Central Plains. Those barbarians had no right to even watch.

If I were one of the nine kings, I would first subdue the barbarians and then start the internal struggle. "

As a person from later generations, Chu Zhongxing, who knew that the land of China had sunk several times, did not approve of the Ninth King's behavior.

(End of this chapter)