"You want to suppress the bandits?? But... as far as I know, there are many mountains at the junction of Youzhou and the capital, and most of the mountains are densely forested. It may not be easy to suppress the bandits."
"Even if I support you as the city lord, I'm afraid...it will be difficult for this matter to go as you wish."
Wu Jing frowned slightly. She didn't understand why Yang Dong cared so much about suppressing bandits.
"No, I don't want to kill them."
Yang Dong shook his head, and then a faint smile appeared on his cheek.
"I just need you to send an elite team to protect the safety of our workers."
When Wu Jing heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief. If it was just to protect the safety of workers, it wouldn't be that difficult.
So she nodded and said:
"If that's the case, I can help you."
"In addition, I also need to clarify the tax rate with you."
As soon as these words came out, Wu Jing's expression immediately changed. Although she is not very good at these things, she also knows that a city's tax revenue is of great importance.
Even an emperor would only set a minimum standard. As for how much you need to add in the end, it actually depends on the rules of each place.
"Isn't this matter... inappropriate? Wucheng's tax rate has always been set by Wucheng. As long as it complies with His Majesty's rules, it will always be like this. Manager Yang wants to set the tax rate, but I'm afraid... that won't work."
Yang Dong nodded slightly, looked at Wu Jing calmly and asked:
"Is it really not possible?"
Wu Jing couldn't figure out what the other party was thinking, but she still shook her head slightly.
"This matter... I'm afraid it's difficult to convince the public. Even if I agree to you, the officials in Wucheng will not agree. After all... this is the rule of officialdom, and even I am not exempt from it."
"In this case... I'm afraid Wucheng will be managed by the Yongwu Army for a while. Lord Wucheng, please stay in the Lord's Mansion and take a rest."
Yang Dong said lightly, and then turned to leave.
However, his operation made Wu Jing panic.
"Manager Yang, I advise you not to act recklessly! Do you know that although this Wucheng is not big, the forces of all parties are intertwined, and it is not as simple as you think."
"I know that if His Majesty asks you to come to Youzhou, you will definitely need to make some achievements. But I advise you not to make a fuss about Wucheng."
"Are you threatening me?"
Yang Dong pointed to his nose and suddenly chuckled.
"Master Wu, you seem to have forgotten something. When Luozhou was flooded, the entire officialdom of Luozhou was in decay."
"Later, I, Yang Dong, went there. Guess what?"
Wu Jing did not speak, but stared at Yang Dong quietly.
Yang Dong didn't take it seriously and continued to talk:
"Later, after many investigations, I found that the Longwu Army and the Huwei Army sent by His Majesty to provide disaster relief were both dog officers who guarded and robbed themselves."
"And our old prince who doesn't care about worldly affairs seems to be a little dishonest. What do you think happened to them later?"
Hearing this, Wu Jing frowned slightly, but a thoughtful look flashed in her eyes.
What Yang Dong said is the inside story of the flood in Luozhou. Although she was the lord of Wucheng, she had already been marginalized by the imperial court.
Therefore, she had no way of hearing about this inside information.
This time Yang Dong did not show off, but said straightforwardly:
"Later, all these corrupt officials were brought to justice and were brought back to the capital by my supervisor and personally handed over to His Majesty for trial."
Hearing this, Wu Jing's eyes widened in shock.
"All surrendered? How on earth did you do it?"
"Also...although the old prince has no interest in worldly affairs, he is deeply rooted in the court. How can you possibly touch him?"
"It's nothing, I'm just going with the flow."
Yang Dong smiled nonchalantly and continued:
"Those corrupt officials will not be able to figure out what the general trend is until they die. They think that the people are the foundation of the country, and the foundation is strong and the country is in peace. It is just a joke that no one cares about."
"But as the saying goes, water can carry a boat and also capsize it. When the people cannot survive, the situation is over."
"For me, it's just a simple task. As for the old prince who is deeply entrenched in the court, he has almost been buried in the imperial mausoleum now."
As soon as these words came out, Wu Jing took a deep breath.
Listen, is this human language?
The majestic prince of Zhou actually died at the hands of a eunuch!
So what if he is the chief executive?
Wu Jing was not a fool, so she naturally understood that it was impossible for a mere eunuch to touch the prince of the dynasty, unless...
Thinking of this, Wu Jing took another breath of cold air.
It turns out that all this was His Majesty’s intention!
That’s it, that’s it!
She looked at Yang Dong, but a complicated look flashed in her eyes.
She opened her mouth with difficulty and asked:
"So...the matter of deciding the tax rate in Wucheng is actually His Majesty's intention?"
"That's not true."
Yang Dong shook his head and continued:
"But Your Majesty said that I will take care of matters in Youzhou by myself. There is no need to report such trivial matters to her."
"This is no small matter!"
Wu Jing roared, feeling very angry at Yang Dong's words. But then she thought about it, the other party could even deal with the entire Luozhou.
It seems that a mere martial city is indeed a small matter.
Then, her tone became a little weaker and she said:
"But the forces in Wucheng are intertwined. If you do this, you will offend them."
"Isn't the son of the Xu family dead?"
Yang Dong raised his eyes and looked into the distance. Under the dark night, there were still scattered firelights at this moment.
"I don't care how many people die from these things that eat them inside and outside."
"Besides... I am not afraid of their revenge, of course, the premise is that they have to live!"
After hearing such murderous words, even Wu Jing, who had become a military general, couldn't help but feel a chill down his back.
He can solve the flood problem in Luozhou, and he is a popular person in front of His Majesty.
Manager Yang is really not to be underestimated.
Yang Dong didn't know what Wu Jing was thinking at this moment. If he knew, he would definitely laugh his head off.
Because Yang Dong's real idea is to build Wucheng into a bridgehead for the Great Zhou Dynasty, and take advantage of the situation to bring all the forces in Youzhou together.
As the saying goes, fish in troubled waters and get chestnuts from the fire. Only when Youzhou was in chaos and completely beyond Hou Jin's control could Yang Dong buy time for Da Zhou.
But the power he brought was not enough to stir up the entire Youzhou. Therefore, the significance of this high-speed official road can be imagined.
It doesn’t need to be built immediately, it only needs to be made clear to merchants in Wucheng and even Youzhou that from now on, goods in Youzhou will no longer be scarce.
They naturally understand who they want to cooperate with.
After all, no one has trouble with money, not to mention that this is the general trend.
It's just...it's not easy for Youzhou to cultivate officialdom. The first thing Yang Dong needs is a stable and safe Wucheng!
Some people died, but not completely...
