Chapter 9 Intimidation and temptation, undercurrents surging
"Ahem, General Zhang may not be too polite, but think about it, if turmoil really breaks out, how will you choose?"
Shang Bai directly made this topic clear, and everyone present was covered in cold sweat after hearing it.
Tang Gu still had the smiling expression on his face, but his eyes that were already squinting narrowed even more, leaving only a thin slit exposed.
What Shang Bai meant was very simple: turmoil broke out.
Nowadays, the dynasty is expanding in all directions, and the turmoil is also turmoil in other dynasties. How can turmoil break out in such a peaceful state?
Thinking of Li Wenshi, those ministers who really remained neutral could not sit still.
And some people who stick to the empress's faction, or those who stick to the current dynasty, have a bad thought in their hearts.
"Shang is not forcing everyone, but is just giving you a warning. The consequence of being too safe is that everything will be lost."
After Shang Bai finished speaking, the scene suddenly became extremely quiet.
Standing on a high-rise building, everyone can see scenes that cannot be seen below.
The mountain fog in the distance caresses Daishan Mountain, and the orange sunset dots it.
After calming down, everyone could hear a faint vibration in the distance, which was the sound caused by countless war horses running quickly.
For a moment, the heartbeats of some ministers also beat with the running of the horses, and cold sweat appeared on their foreheads.
Zhang Hu calmly sat in Tang Gu's original position, took out a wine flask from the space ring, and poured wine one glass at a time.
A total of thirteen cups were poured and then placed one by one in front of everyone present.
After arriving next to Tang Gu who was looking at the distant mountains, he raised his wine glass and handed it to Tang Gu.
"The wine just now is good, try this glass of mine."
Upon hearing this, Tang Gu turned around and looked at Zhang Hu, his eyes widened slightly, and then he looked down at the wine glass in Zhang Hu's hand.
Suddenly, everyone present turned their attention.
Time passed by minute by minute. Even though there was a cool breeze blowing above the tall building, it made everyone's hearts feel hot and their bodies were sweating.
"Hahaha, this wine was gifted to me by the Empress herself, so it is naturally a treasure."
While joking, Tang Gu reached out to take the glass of wine from Zhang Hu's hand, then placed it in front of him and held it tightly.
Zhang Hu smiled when he heard this, and then gave Shang Bai one of the two remaining glasses of wine on the table, holding one in his own hand.
Shang Bai raised the wine in his hand and said with a smile.
"After drinking this glass of wine, we will become new people."
"This wine is specially given to you by King Anqing. It tastes very good."
After saying this, Shang Bai raised his hand to Zhang Hu, and then they both drank the wine in their hands at the same time.
After seeing the two men's actions, everyone present felt desperate.
By this time, they had completely understood the identities of Zhang Hu and Shang Bai.
At this moment, he didn't even try to hide it, and many people were looking at the wine in their hands.
The hops are dense and the wine aroma is overflowing. No matter from any angle, this is a good glass of wine.
After seeing everyone like this, Zhang Hu took a subtle look at one of the ministers.
After the man noticed Zhang Hu's signal, he directly raised the wine in his hand and drank it down.
The people nearby were shocked when they saw the man's actions.
"Old Liu, what are you?!"
"General Zhang is indeed right. This wine is definitely a treasure. I just don't know if I will have the chance to taste it in the future."
After finishing speaking, the man patted the person next to him on the shoulder.
"The situation is very clear now. I can't help myself. I still have a wife at home who needs to be taken care of."
The man next to him sighed helplessly after hearing this and said nothing more, but still refused to drink.
But just because he doesn't drink it doesn't mean that others don't drink it.
"This is the first time I've tasted such fine wine. It's a worthwhile trip."
"Thanks to Mr. Shang for all this. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be able to taste such fine wine."
"What Brother Wang said is absolutely true..."
Soon eight of the thirteen people present drank. Only Tang Gu, the man next to Lao Liu, and the remaining three ministers were holding the wine and not drinking.
"Everyone, what does this mean?"
Zhang Hu had just finished speaking and was about to stand up when he was pulled down by Shang Bai next to him.
Shang Bai smiled and touched his neat white beard, and then turned his attention to the four ministers who were not drinking.
"Everyone, this wine from Shang doesn't suit your taste?"
Those who can come here are all ministers of the DPRK and hold real power. They are definitely the top group of people in the dynasty.
For those who didn't come, there were only two reasons.
Either the position is too low and you are not qualified to come.
Either the position is too high and you are not qualified to apply.
Those who come here have been carefully selected by Shang Bai and others, and will only be invited if they are sure to be useful during the war.
And the reason why it was Shang Bai and Zhang Hu who invited him was because these two people hid it best.
Shang Bai was the Minister of Rites. He worked conscientiously in the court and was only responsible for what he had to do. He did not offend any ministers or rely on any ministers.
Zhang Hu is the commander of the imperial army and treats everyone equally.
Moreover, there are some rumors in the imperial capital that Shang Bai and Zhang Hu are the ones who can stick to the bottom line best.
It is precisely for this reason that these ministers are willing to come during this critical period.
They never thought that this turned out to be a trap. Although Tang Gu was neutral on the surface, he was actually from the Empress's faction.
He came here because of the invitation of Zhang Hu, the commander of the Imperial City Imperial Guard of the Wuhen Dynasty, who was not specifically serving the empress.
Rather, they serve the dynasty. The commanders of past dynasties also fought to maintain order in the imperial city and maintained absolute neutrality.
So he came, but now he found out that he was wrong.
Looking at the billowing dust and smoke in the distance, Tang Gu tightened his grip on the wine glass in his hand. He had already noticed that there were many assassins hidden under this tall building.
Since the other party chooses to reveal his aura, it means that it is not life-threatening, but forcing!
"Wine is good wine, and I have always been a lover of wine, but I can't stomach this wine today."
Turning around, Tang Gu looked at Zhang Hu with a smile and said.
As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the hall was shocked!
The smile on Shang Bai's face disappeared, and Zhang Hu frowned.
The hearts of the remaining four ministers holding wine glasses rose as Tang Gu finished speaking.
"Tang Gu, what do you mean?"
Zhang Hu stood up directly and came to the smiling Tang Gu.
Shang Bai patted the table, and the audience's attention suddenly focused on it.
Everyone understood at this moment that Zhang Hu and Shang Bai were in the same group, playing tricks on each other.
"Now that it's come to this, I won't be tactful anymore."
As he spoke, Shang Bai stood up, then glanced around and said.
"Wu Huan Ning is dead. The general spent several years accumulating money and hired four three-star assassins from Wansha Tower, as well as one four-star assassin. I think you have all heard of that person's name: Blood Shadow!"
"Today happens to be the day of Wu Huanning's private visit in disguise. The assassination took place at Moyu Tower an hour ago. We investigated it before you came here."
"The Moyu Tower has a radius of 100 meters. Everyone who has entered has died, and it was shielded by the formation without attracting anyone's attention."