gnovel Chapter 15: Blood-Red Sunset, Liu Ju's Ruthless Methods!
Chapter 15: Blood-Red Sunset, Liu Ju's Ruthless Methods!
At the fourth quarter of the hour of You (5-7 PM), the sun was gradually setting in the west.
The magnificent sunset painted the horizon like molten gold, and the closed gates of Bowangyuan blocked any outside prying eyes.
Check-in!
Liu Ju dismissed the palace maids and servants in the palace and stayed alone.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully checking in! Reward: World Map!]
*Whoosh!*
A huge scroll slowly unfurled in Liu Ju's hands, its colorful graphics marking all the countries and regions in the world.
The Han Empire controlled a vast region of approximately 400 million square kilometers, extending south of the Yin Mountains, west to the city-states, east to the Bohai Sea, and south to Rinan (present-day central Vietnam, encompassing Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue provinces).
With the Xiongnu losing the fertile plains south of the Yellow River and the Hexi Corridor, and fleeing far to the north of the Gobi Desert, leaving no royal court south of the Gobi, the Han Dynasty no longer posed any significant threat in East Asia and became the undisputed hegemon of the region.
In the South Asian subcontinent, the disintegration of the Mauryan dynasty led to the re-emergence of the era of warring states.
The Sunga dynasty clung to Pataliputra, barely surviving, while the western Indo-Parthian Kingdom and the Indo-Greek kingdoms, the central Hundred Chariots dynasty, the eastern Kalinga, and the southern Chola and Lion kingdoms were a veritable flourishing of diverse powers.
In Central Asia, the Parthian Empire rose to power and once controlled Mesopotamia, with its military might reaching the Mediterranean.
The Seleucid dynasty continued to decline, controlling only Syria along the eastern Mediterranean coast, and West Asia also saw a proliferation of small states.
In North Africa, the Ptolemaic dynasty controlled the Egyptian Delta and the Sinai Peninsula.
The Roman Republic completely destroyed the Carthaginian Kingdom through the Punic Wars and established the province of Africa in the former Carthaginian territory (present-day Tunisia). Cyrenaica, Numidia, and Mauritania subsequently gained independence.
The Roman Republic, which controlled the former Carthaginian territory, the northern Mediterranean coast, and parts of Asia Minor, had become the dominant power in the Mediterranean.
Coincidentally, the Han Empire, under the rule of Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, entered an unprecedentedly dangerous situation.
The internal contradictions within the Roman Republic had also accumulated to the point where they could no longer continue.
The two major powers, East and West, found themselves in the same predicament at the same time, with no other choice but to change.
In other parts of the world, such as Australia and the Americas, the world was still in a primitive society, and the sparks of civilization had not yet been brought from Eurasia.
It was the best of times and the worst of times.
If Liu Ju can seize power and become the emperor and sole master of the empire before the collapse of the Han Dynasty, he can adjust his course in time and unleash even greater power in China by integrating all the forces established by Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, and embark on the path of conquering the world.
"Tap tap!"
Just as he was deep in thought, the silence of the palace was broken by heavy footsteps, and Zhang He, Zhang Guang, and Wu Qie walked in together.
The faces of the newly appointed Crown Prince's Household Commander, Crown Prince's Palace Commander, and Crown Prince's Servant Commander were filled with solemn expressions.
"How's the investigation going?"
Liu Ju put down the world map in his hand and asked.
"Your Highness."
"The treasury holds less than one million coins, approximately 30,000 bolts of silk, and only 5,000 shi of grain."
"There were eighteen good horses and ninety-two inferior horses, and the carriages were all damaged to varying degrees."
As Zhang He spoke, he handed over the account book in his hand.
"rustle!"
Liu Ju took the ledger, examined it carefully, and then sneered, "It really is a nest of house rats."
"You won't know until you check, and what you find out is shocking."
"The treasury of the mighty Han crown prince is so empty."
According to regulations, the taxes levied on the empress and the crown prince's fiefdoms were forty counties, mainly consisting of land tax, poll tax, and head tax. There were at least 1,200 counties in the country, which was equivalent to one-thirtieth of the national tax revenue.
In fact, Liu Ju had already possessed a fiefdom since he was made crown prince at the age of 7, although this income was temporarily managed by someone appointed by the empress.
After his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 15, Liu Ju officially moved into the Crown Prince's Palace to live separately, began to live independently and participate in politics, and all his past income was handed over to him.
Besides the emperor, the richest people in the world are the empress and the crown prince.
Judging from the account books, the Crown Prince's palace treasury was not even as large as that of a typical feudal lord, let alone a feudal king.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince."
"Most of the expenses of Bowangyuan were incurred by Confucian scholars and wandering knights."
"Especially the wandering knights, there are hundreds of them, and their monthly expenses are at least hundreds of thousands of coins."
"These people spend their days idly, indulging in pleasure, and many of them have a history of committing crimes."
Zhang He, the Crown Prince's steward, revealed a ruthless glint in his eyes. These wandering knights were recruited by the Crown Prince and should be considered his retainers, with their entire families' lives in the Crown Prince's hands.
Since the Crown Prince intends to recruit the sons of marquises who have been stripped of their titles as guards of the Crown Prince's palace, then these wandering knights are of little use.
What do you think?
Liu Ju did not express his opinion directly, but instead looked at Zhang Guang, the Crown Prince's Chief of Staff, and Wu Qie, the Crown Prince's Attendant.
"I second that proposal!"
The two exchanged a glance, and without thinking, blurted out.
"it is good."
Liu Ju shouted his approval and ordered, "Zhang He, you are in charge of the three hundred guards."
"With the assistance of Zhang Guang and Wu Qie, all those ungrateful bastards will be apprehended."
"I want to see whose pawns are all here."
Over the years, wandering knights have joined his cause all over the world. It would be truly strange if it weren't for the involvement of feudal lords and court officials.
"promise."
Zhang He and the other two responded and went to make the arrangements.
The three hundred guards of Chang Le Palace who were waiting outside began to search the entire Crown Prince's Palace, leaving no corner untouched.
"What are you going to do?"
"I was personally recruited by His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Your Highness, these people are plotting a rebellion!"
In a short time, as many as a hundred wandering knights were driven away and arrested. They were all arrogant and domineering, and did not take these guards seriously at all.
"Kneel down!"
The guards escorted the wandering knights to the front of the palace, where Crown Prince Liu Ju sat on a stool, looking down at them.
"Wang Si embezzled three thousand coins."
"Li Wen, stole and sold grain for a thousand and two hundred stones."
"........."
Zhang He opened the ledger and read out their crimes one by one.
"Your Highness, spare my life!"
"We'll never do it again!"
The rangers present panicked completely, letting out heart-wrenching screams and kowtowing for mercy.
Crown Prince Liu Ju remained expressionless, completely ignoring them.
Time passed second by second, and there were fewer than thirty corrupt knights in the entire Crown Prince's Palace, while the remaining three hundred-plus people were all involved in the case.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
After Zhang He finished reading the names, Liu Ju stood up, clapped, and said indifferently with a slight smile on his lips, "Good, good."
"I really didn't expect to have so many talented people under my command."
"Someone come here!"
Tap tap...
One by one, the guards drew their ring-pommel swords from their waists, the gleaming blades reflecting on the faces of each wandering swordsman.
"No! Your Highness!"
"Spare me!"
The rangers were completely panicked; they felt death was imminent.
"cut!!!"
Liu Ju slammed his large hand down.
"Pfft!"
Hundreds of wandering knights were beheaded, their blood gushing out and staining the ground of Bowang Garden red.
This was just the beginning. All the wandering knights involved were slaughtered by the guards of Chang Le Palace, leaving only twenty-nine terrified wandering knights on the scene.