In a teahouse in the Golden City of Zhao State, Imperial Broadcasting Station reporter Zhou Hai looked at the man in front of him who looked somewhat delicate, with a thin voice and no beard.
He lived in Zhongguancun, a suburb of the imperial capital, for a long time.
This place is where eunuchs retire, and his neighbors include old eunuchs who were dismissed from the imperial palace.
These old eunuchs also hold study classes in Zhongguancun to teach eunuchs who have been castrated due to various circumstances how to enter the palace and become eunuchs?
The empire prohibited the castration of healthy Han people to become eunuchs, but some people were always castrated for various reasons.
In the Ming Dynasty, there were many powerful eunuchs who entered the palace voluntarily and were castrated.
The most famous eunuch who used this method to enter the palace was Wei Zhongxian.
This great eunuch was not highly regarded at the time, but he is now highly regarded.
It is believed that if he continues to control the court, the Ming Dynasty will still decline, but the situation will not deteriorate so fast.
With the stories of seniors like Wei Zhongxian as inspiration, with so many people in the empire, there is never a shortage of people who want to take a gamble.
They wanted to enter the palace and become eunuchs, but they couldn't find the way, like the great eunuchs of the previous dynasty.
They have connections with the eunuchs in charge of the palace and can send these people to the palace.
Zhou Hai had lived in a eunuch village, and he recognized at a glance that the handsome man in front of him could tell in his movements that he was a eunuch.
He knew that whether in the empire or in a vassal country, the status of eunuch was unusual.
They are the monarch's close servants and are also symbols of the monarch's power.
It is basically impossible for a eunuch to live an ordinary life after leaving the palace or the royal palace.
As long as they understand the secrets of Tao, they must not allow these eunuchs to roam freely in the outside world.
As long as these eunuchs create a false imperial edict, it will cause an uproar.
Zhou Hai pretended not to discover the eunuch's true identity.
As a very curious reporter, he asked: "Brother, are you sure you have big news and money is not an issue.
I am willing to pay five hundred taels of silver coins to purchase this news."
The eunuch pretended to be confused, pinched his thumb and index finger together, and crushed it repeatedly.
"This is definitely big news to me. Five hundred taels of silver coins are not enough, at least one thousand taels of silver coins are needed.
This news from me is the latest trend of Zhao State.
I am risking my life by providing this information.
If it’s less than one thousand taels of silver, I won’t sell you this news.
You kid, don’t even think about suing the official, you can’t even get through the official gate.”
Zhou Hai knew in his heart that this matter involved the internal fighting in the Zhao royal family.
He knew that this eunuch was an abandoned son who was thrown out by the big shots, even if he really reported it to the official.
Even if he is an imperial citizen, being involved in the whirlpool of this kind of thing will tear his small body into pieces.
He is a gun in the hands of big shots, using his identity as a reporter.
Only in this way can the matter be publicized quickly and put pressure on someone.
Even if Zhou Hai guessed the truth, he didn't show it.
It is rare to be confused in everything, so he could only leave Zhao by pretending to be confused.
He said in a slightly troubled tone: "One thousand taels of silver coins, this is money that I need to spend decades to earn.
This is too much money, you have to let me see the specific content of the message first.
I only read part of it to verify the real value of this message.
Prevent you from using some ambiguous information to defraud me of money."
"Okay, I'll let reporter Zhou Hai read part of it. With reporter Zhou Hai's ability, he should be able to judge the value of this news."
After the eunuch finished speaking, he handed half of the paper to Zhou Hai.
Zhou Hai simply missed two points, and sweat broke out on his forehead.
This morning, King Zhao Su Xiong summoned important officials of Zhao State to discuss matters related to the economic crisis.
Due to the economic crisis and the inaction of the local government, some riots occurred in Zhao State.
The State of Zhao decided to introduce new policies to solve the economic crisis encountered by the State of Zhao and ease the current difficult situation of the State of Zhao.
This important news was summed up in one stroke.
It doesn't matter what kind of policies Zhao State introduces, and it can't be considered big news.
If the Zhao State can solve the problems arising from the economic crisis before the empire.
This is still big news. Now Zhao is just imitating the empire's new policies, even if there are some special policies.
That can only be regarded as the relevant policies customized by scholars of Zhao State based on the specific conditions of Zhao State.
This news is not big news at all, and it cannot be targeted at a specific person.
Zhou Hai was wondering whether it was an error in judgment?
It's just that this news is considered big news, but it is definitely not worth a thousand taels of silver coins.
In order to stabilize confidence in the State of Zhao, relevant policies will be issued through various channels during the formulation process to test the people's reaction.
Zhou Hai didn't know the news until he saw the last paragraph. What was the specific situation?
The Duke of Zhao and Qin, Su Jinghong, who was most promising to take over as the crown prince, put forward a point of view.
The news stops here. If you want to read more, you can only pay.
Zhou Hai felt relieved when he saw this. His judgment was not wrong. The eunuch selling information in front of him was targeting Su Jinghong.
The struggle involving the dignitaries of Zhao State also involves the struggle for the position of crown prince.
Zhou Hai was able to judge that the value of this news far exceeded one thousand taels of silver coins.
He was able to buy the news and write a powerful article, which made him famous and became a well-known journalist with a worldwide reputation.
The benefits he can obtain far exceed one thousand taels of silver coins.
Zhou Hai also believed that the news was true.
Since the mastermind behind the scenes can use such complicated methods to get things done, he will definitely cherish this opportunity.
He only has one chance, and the mastermind behind the scenes can't use false news to scare the snake.
Zhou Hai took out his wallet and took out ten banknotes worth one hundred taels of silver coins.
This large-denomination banknote issued by the Imperial Bank can be circulated in all regions of the world.
The value it represents is stronger than the currencies issued by many vassal countries themselves.
Zhou Hai handed over the banknotes in pain.
The eunuch took the banknotes, and he happily checked the authenticity of the banknotes carefully. He had to perform a complete set of the play, and there should be no mistakes in the key details.
After checking it, he nodded happily.
"This kind of fine workmanship and unique watermark.
Only banknotes issued by the Royal Bank of the Reich are available.
This transaction is a pleasure and Reporter Zhou will definitely be satisfied with this transaction."
After the eunuch counted the money, he handed all the papers containing the news to Zhou Hai, turned around and left the teahouse.
Zhou Hai was finally able to see the full picture of this news.
Mainly because Su Jinghong put forward a point of view.
This economic crisis is a huge screening for vassal countries. Only countries that can survive this economic crisis safely will have the possibility to compete for regional hegemony.
This view was praised by Zhao Wang Su Xiong.
There are many hidden contents in this news, the most important one being that it shows Zhao's determination to dominate the state-owned areas.
This news must be considered big news. Xiangguo and Yanguo, the neighboring countries of Zhaoguo, will not be able to sleep when they see this news.
Zhao State's actions based on this point of view will also make many hesitant vassal states take action.
If Zhao Guo does this, it will also arouse discussions among many people in the country.
If this news is released, it will definitely become explosive news that will shock the whole world.
Because of this news, Zhou Haihui became a well-known journalist with a different life experience.
He was very excited when he thought of this. He chose to be a reporter just to seek fame and fortune. Now fame and fortune are both available at his fingertips.
Zhou Hai took a few deep breaths to adjust his excitement.
Everything now is just his idea, he has not written this report yet.
Even if it is written, it is still unknown whether it can be distributed.
Even if it is sent out, no one can predict whether it will cause a sensation.
Zhou Hai knew that everything would have to be verified by time.
What he needs to do most now is to leave Zhao country as soon as possible.
This matter must involve the struggle for the crown prince of Zhao State.
Throughout history, princes are willing to use any means to dispute disputes over the prince.
Zhou Hai's identity is somewhat special, but it is his special identity that may cause someone to target him and blame his competitors.
When Zhou Hai thought of this, he immediately bought a flight from the Golden City to the Sandalwood Islands from a certain shipping company in the empire.
He successfully boarded the passenger ship and saw that the passenger ship started normally and slowly left the country of Zhao.
Zhou Hai's tense expression immediately relaxed.
He locked himself in the cabin and wrote a report on the news from Zhao Guo.
He waited until the passenger ship arrived at the Sandalwood Islands. He successfully landed on the beautiful islands and felt relaxed immediately.
This is the territory of the empire, protected by the empire's most powerful Royal Navy.
When Zhou Hai comes here, even if it involves the Zhao royal family, its safety can be adequately guaranteed.
While on the road, he had already written the relevant manuscript, and immediately contacted his teachers and friends who were editors at authoritative newspapers such as the Hualian Associated Press and Yanhuang Daily via telegram, requesting them to review the manuscript.
Zhou Hai was waiting anxiously in the room. He had the manuscript of the telegram, which was stamped with the official seal and time stamp.
With this sufficient evidence, the originality of the article content is guaranteed, and no one can corrupt the article.
But after all, this article involves the Zhao royal family, and he is not sure whether this kind of content can be published.
He stayed up late waiting for news. It was night here in America and daytime in the Empire. His teachers and friends were reviewing the manuscript at this time.
Zhou Hai waited for a month. When the sky was about to light up and he was feeling a little depressed, the post office staff immediately handed over a reply telegram.
This is a reply from the Hualian Press. His article has been included. Please pay attention to the latest issue of the Hualian Press.
When Zhou Hai got the news, he clenched his fists and roared loudly in the room.
If this article can be published, as long as it brings a violent response, he will become a well-known journalist.
Zhou Hai can get all the fame and fortune he needs.
Everything that happens next is left to fate. He has no control over the development of things.
…
After Qin Guogong read a newspaper, he slapped the table angrily, and then kicked the table over in front of him.
"This is not just targeting me, but also targeting Zhao State. Some people don't want Zhao State to be more stable.
The imperial court strictly blocked the news, but some people ignored the king's warning and the interests of Zhao State and decided to leak Zhao State's secrets."
Su Jinghong was extremely angry. The strategy he originally proposed in a confidential occasion was directly publicized by some people.
This will greatly hinder the implementation of his strategy.
After Su Jinghong vented his anger, he went directly to the study room angrily and slammed the door.
He sat on the chair, but smiled as if his plan had succeeded.
This matter was planned by him. Before his brothers noticed Zhou Hai's movements, he had already set his sights on this extremely effective tool man.
The more vassal states knew about the strategy he proposed, the more they started to take action, which was more in line with Su Jinghong's wishes.
The national strength of some countries can only barely survive the economic crisis.
Not even to survive on their own, but to wait for the empire to solve the economic crisis and give them a hand.
But no monarch of any country will admit that he is the monarch of a weak country.
They will inevitably put extremely high demands on their country to survive the economic crisis.
If people fail to recognize themselves, they will pay a huge price, and the same goes for the country.
By doing this, Su Jinghong could also instigate the brothers who were competing with him for position, strengthen their families, and make them calm down for a while.
…
Prince Xiang Su Zhenxing looked at the somewhat wilted civil servants.
When they encountered problems related to Zhao State, they no longer had much energy.
Xiangguo is weak. This is indeed a fact and must be acknowledged.
But the officials of Xiang State always sighed when they met Zhao State.
Prince Xiang Su Zhenxing didn't understand very much.
Especially the civil servants, they only see the strength of Zhao State, but fail to see that Zhao State itself has many problems.
During the period of the revitalization of Xiangguo, a large number of officers in the army were promoted and they became the top leaders of Xiangguo.
He believed that the top leaders of Xiang Kingdom must have a touch of blood.
The strength of Xiang State is not as good as that of Zhao State. They are losing the courage to fight against Zhao State and these people are no longer useful.
Prince Xiang Su Zhenxing looked at the civil and military officials without any reaction.
The civil servants mainly believed that Zhao State was too powerful and it would be difficult for Xiang State to defeat Zhao State without foreign aid.
The attitude of the military generals is very consistent. They will obey the orders of Prince Xiang Su Zhenxing and their military will not make their own decisions.
It is precisely because the attitudes of civil servants and military generals are different.
Xiangwang Su Zhenxing will be more biased towards military generals.
Many people in the army are illiterate roughnecks, and there are very few educated soldiers. They should stay in the army to guard against the attacks of Zhao and Cao.
Due to the harsh living environment of Xiang State, the best talents must be placed in the army.
This is why King Xiang Su Zhenxing dislikes these civil servants very much, but can only let them govern the country.
As long as there are enough talents in reserve, all these old bureaucratic civil servants will definitely retire and return home.
Prince Xiang Su Zhenxing looked at the contents of the newspaper.
He had little memory of the economic crisis before.
He focused all his mobile forces in the direction of Zhao.
Prevent Zhao from bulldozing their garrison like those city-state alliances...
Xiang Guosu Zhenxing broke into a cold sweat after reading the newspaper and understanding the specific situation.