Song Qing walked to the center of the hall, took out a neatly folded piece of rice paper from his sleeve and quickly unfolded it.
“Dear colleagues, around 2:00 p.m., our commander-in-chief received a golden eagle letter from Lu Chengjie, the general of the Huxiang Guards in Ganzhou.
We, Dai, Lu, and Zhong, 18 caravans, followed the imperial decree, sold goods, exchanged what was needed, and benefited the country and the people, and went to the Western Regions for trade.
The specific reason is unknown for the time being. We only know that this large caravan formed by eighteen merchants actually crossed the border of the Dawan Kingdom in the west and entered Tianzhu to trade with a country named Dashi.
And these eighteen caravans, totaling 3,743 people, suffered the fate of being killed and embezzled by the local courts in the two countries.
Out of more than 3,700 people, only one person came back in the end, carrying the dragon flag and bringing the news back.
The rest of the people were brutally slaughtered and their bodies buried in foreign lands.
As for the specific situation that happened in the two countries, only the survivor who returned, Lu Fengshuang, the second son of the Lu family firm, knew.
General Lu Chengjie has now dispatched hundreds of elite Hu Xiang Guard cavalry to escort Mr. Lu Feng and Shuang Lu to the capital through wind and rain.
That’s roughly the situation.”
After Song Qing finished speaking, he walked up to Liu Mingzhi and handed over the rice paper.
“Your Majesty, please take a look!”
Hundred officials reacted from the shock, and there was an uproar in the palace. The officials looked angry and discussed in low voices.
More than 3,000 people were brutally massacred. This was something that had never happened since the founding of the new dynasty more than two years ago!
Jiang Yuanming, the Minister of Household Affairs, looked even more gloomy and angry.
At first he was a little confused, but after Song Qing finished speaking, he suddenly remembered the identities of these eighteen caravans.
Aren't these the same group of eighteen caravans that came to the capital last year before setting sail on the Hou'an River in Haining? Their goods were overstocked and they came to the Ministry of Revenue for help, and were issued customs clearance documents by themselves?
Liu Mingzhi looked at the content on the rice paper, and the murderous intent in his eyes flashed away. Although he had heard the news once from Song Qing, Liu Mingzhi was still furious when he saw the content on the letter with his own eyes.
If he hadn't been in the Qinzheng Hall, he would have lost his composure long ago.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Liu Mingzhi looked calmly at Jiang Yuanming, the Minister of Household Affairs.
“Ministry of Revenue, do you know the situation of these eighteen caravans?”
Jiang Yuanming hurriedly walked out holding the Chao Hut: "Report to Your Majesty, I know!"
“Oh? Tell me about the situation!”
“Obey!
Reporting to Your Majesty, I dare to make a long story short.
This matter has to start with the sailing of Hou An Jianghe in Haining in May last year. At that time, the veteran minister was processing official documents from the Ministry of Revenue in the cabinet, and the clerk from the palace office came to the palace to ask for an audience with the veteran minister.
Later, the veteran had no choice. After all, the ship had already set sail, and there was absolutely no possibility of turning back.
The old minister thought of a compromise and issued customs clearance documents from the Ministry of Household Affairs, allowing these eighteen caravans to go to Xinfu, Beifu, or the Western Regions for trade.
Just why they passed through the countries in the Western Regions and entered the Tianzhu mentioned by King Wuyi, the veterans of the two countries have no way of knowing.
Not only the veteran knows about this matter, but also the official seals of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel. After all, the customs clearance document cannot be issued by the veteran and the household department alone."
“Public Staff! Military Department!”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, there is something like this.
At that time, it was indeed a customs clearance document that was wholesaled by Lao Chen and Jiang Shangshu.”
“The old minister seconded the proposal.”
"In other words, the caravan formed by these eighteen merchants has customs clearance documents issued by the imperial court that allow all state capitals to pass through without hindrance, and all the subordinate countries to allow them to pass. They also allow the caravan to carry the flag under the banner just like the officials and merchants.
Set up a big dragon flag to show your identity.
Yeah?"
“Reporting to Your Majesty, according to the newly issued decree of the imperial court, this is indeed the case.”
After finishing speaking, Jiang Yuanming looked extremely ashamed. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped his old face hard.
“Your Majesty, I think back to last year, I told the leaders of eighteen merchants that as long as the goods are genuine, all countries in the world can buy them. Everything will be backed by the imperial court.
Now that I think of it, it’s ironic! Extremely ironic!
It was the veteran who harmed them!"
Liu Mingzhi struck the stone slab in the hall with a gloomy look.
“What a shame!
Naked shame!
There was a customs clearance document and Long Qi showed his identity, but more than 3,000 merchants and people were massacred, and their bodies were buried in a foreign country and no one collected them.
This is my shame!
It is also a disgrace to all of you ministers here!
It is even more of a disgrace to the imperial court!
This is a provocation to our Great Dragon Celestial Empire, and it is also a demonstration to me!”
“Your Majesty, the map is here!”
“Spread it out!”
“Obey!”
Xiao Chengzi greeted the six young eunuchs and slowly unfolded a huge map in front of Liu Mingzhi. The latest map after Dalong unified the world and settled the territory was displayed in front of everyone.
Baiguan straightened up and looked at the map. His eyes directly skipped the map of Dalong's inner palace and scanned the maps surrounding the countries in the Western Regions.
Xia Gongming looked at Liu Mingzhi with a puzzled expression: "Your Majesty, there are them in India, Parthia, and Arabia, but there is no so-called big food in black!"
Liu Mingzhi took off his shoes, picked up the bamboo pole and walked towards the locations of the countries in the Western Regions, tapping the bamboo pole heavily on the map.
“This Arabia is a big food in black clothes.”
The official nodded clearly and glanced at the vague map of the border between Tianzhu and Dashi.
After all, Dalong’s hand has not reached there yet. The current territorial map of the two countries is just a rough summary based on various situations. No one knows what the specific situation is.
Liu Mingzhi glanced at the map at his feet with a focused gaze: "These caravans composed of eighteen merchants, even if they passed through the border between Ershi City and Da Yuezhi in Dawan Kingdom, they should have entered the Parthian Kingdom.
is within the territory of.
How did you enter the territory of Black Clothes Dashi and Tianzhu?
Could it be that something has happened to the relatively strong Parthian kingdom since I returned from my expedition to the Western Regions?"
Song Qing stood up and walked to the edge of the map and stopped: "Your Majesty, it has been ten years since the Western Expedition in the second year of Ruian.
We don’t know whether the Parthian Kingdom was engulfed or not. Since there is no news about the Parthian Kingdom in the letter, it seems that something happened to the Parthian Kingdom.”
Liu Mingzhi nodded thoughtfully: "Ten years can be seen in the Spring and Autumn Period. Perhaps after we started training in the Western Regions, some turmoil unknown to us occurred in the Parthian Kingdom, Tianzhu, Kangju, and Dashi in the west.
But these are not important anymore.
The most important thing now is how to solve the problem of 3,000 of my people being killed, raped, and brutally massacred."
Liu Mingzhi threw the bamboo pole to Song Qing and walked towards the outside of the map.
“Xiao Chengzi!”
“We are here!”
“Immediately give me an oral order and ask the imperial guards to escort ten imperial doctors with excellent medical skills to join the soldiers of Huxiang Guard along the official road leading to Ganzhou in the northwest.
At all costs, we must ensure that the second son of the Lu family, Lu Fengshuang, returns to the capital alive to attend the palace."
“Obey!”
“Chengzhi!”
“My son is here!”
“You leave the palace immediately and return to the palace. Ask your concubine politely for a ginseng plant. Then wait at the palace gate and hand it over to the imperial doctor with your own hands!”
“In compliance with the order, I will retire!”
After Liu Chengzhi and Xiao Chengzi ran out of the palace, Liu Mingzhi stood under the dragon platform and scanned the civil and military officials in the palace.
“My lords, please express your stance on this matter!
Especially the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs, your attitude is particularly important."
Song Yu, Minister of the Ministry of War, walked out with a heavy look on his face.
“The old minister suggested sending troops to fight against the thieves!
After the dispersion of the dynasty, the veterans immediately summoned officials from the Ministry of War to draft a strategy and submit it to the cabinet for approval.
Such a shame and humiliation must be paid for with blood by both countries."
“Household Department?”
Jiang Yuanming walked out with a blushing face.
“Your Majesty, even if I tighten my belt and eat sweet potatoes for ten years, I will definitely raise enough food and grass for Your Majesty.
The statements of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Households completely made hundreds of officials who were equally agitated come out to echo.
Even the old guy Xia Gongming showed his bloody side besides his uprightness.
“I respectfully invite your Majesty to conduct heavenly troops to defeat the barbarians!”
Liu Mingzhi's eyes were focused, and he walked toward the dragon platform with a dragon's pace. He stood on the dragon platform and looked down at the civil and military officials in the palace.
"The world has just been unified, and the people are at peace. I feel that God has good intentions for life, and I want to communicate with all countries in the world through friendly exchanges and exchange information. I don't want to start another war.
However, the barbarians are unruly and greedy. They are motivated by wealth and insult our heavenly majesty.
Slaughter my defenseless people and massacre my loyal and kind subjects.
Such evil deeds have outraged both humans and gods, and it is difficult to write about them.
From now on, we will expose the evil deeds of the barbarians to the world.
Recruit troops and bravery, and send out troops to fight against thieves.
The barbarians killed more than 3,000 of my people, so I destroyed more than 300 of their cities to rectify the power of Heaven.
Waiting for the day when all the generals rush to the capital.