King Shantai and the Ryukyu veterans were completely desperate. Originally, they thought that relying on King Shantai's perfect performance of being close to the people, they could win over the people, and then slowly manage for a long time to take back the power from the prime minister.
But today, Xiao Letian used only two words to dispel the illusions of King Shangtai and those veteran ministers. You are a 'benevolent king.' This is the hat I give you. You must wear it for the rest of your life.
This hat is your umbrella, protecting you and keeping the throne throughout your life, but this hat also restrains you. Go ahead and be a good king. How to lead the Ryukyu Kingdom forward, then please leave it to me, Ryukyu. Prime Minister Xiao.
Lin Yuanmiao and Cai Mao, a group of veterans, looked at Xiao Letian, then at King Shang Tai, and finally at their own ages. They sighed in their hearts and had to admit that Ryukyu could no longer escape Xiao Letian's grasp.
After a few years, these old ministers will slowly die, and the talents trained by Xiao Letian will gradually take over the power. By then, King Shangtai will really become Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty.
Of course, Cai Mao and Lin Yuanmiao also have another hope in their hearts. Maybe the 'constitutional monarchy' that Xiao Letian has been advocating is not groundless. Maybe Xiao Letian can really keep the Ryukyu Kingdom. After all, he is a strong man who can conquer Europe. The mainland opposite has more abundant resources, so it should look down on Ryukyu, which is a county.
At this point, the Ryukyu monarchs and ministers can only use this psychological comfort method to find a balance for themselves. The existence of the Ryukyu Kingdom lies in Xiao Letian's thoughts.
While Xiao Letian was all over the city comforting the people, in the dark dungeon of Shuri City, Jin Changsen, with a bleak look on his face, was leaning against the railing and crying, a lone lamp stretching his figure long.
It was his grandson Jin Sanshun who was crying with him outside the railing. Grandpa and grandson were finally reunited in this dungeon.
"Grandson, grandpa is sorry for you. Grandpa has caused trouble for you... But don't worry, I have left you enough property to last a lifetime, and I hid it in..."
Fatty Jin cried and shook his head, "I don't want it. Grandpa, I just want you to live... Wuwuwu, grandson, I have made a meritorious service this time. I followed Xiang Ying and the others to break out and invited reinforcements. The French battleship Quick Walker is also ours." Exploded and sunk... I will exchange my credit for your life..."
Jin Changsen stroked his grandson's head through the railing, "Silly boy, you have made great contributions, and you have also formed a good relationship with Mr. Long's nephew, so don't waste it on me. I'm already half buried. I'll die sooner than later." It doesn’t matter if you die…”
"Haha, grandpa is so happy. You have made such great contributions. The prime minister might just kill me, and maybe our family will be saved... Remember, don't use your contributions to exchange for my life. You have to protect us. family."
The little fat man heard the determination from his grandfather's tone. He shook his head desperately, "I don't believe it. I don't believe that the Prime Minister would be so cruel. You didn't mean to surrender to the enemy. Your choice at that time was forced by helplessness..."
"Don't be stupid, the Prime Minister has already spared my life, and now you still expect a second time. Besides, every time I close my eyes these days, countless innocent souls are flying around in front of me. My mistakes have caused too many... What a sin...it's good to die, it's also a relief."
At this point, the grandfather and grandson once again hugged each other and cried bitterly.
Ever since Xiang Ying and the others returned to Shuri Castle, Jin Changsen knew what happened to his grandfather. He left the army at that moment and walked into the dungeon miserably. He has been accompanying his grandfather these past few days.
Although Jin Changsen is a swinging jester, he is still popular in Shuri City, and King Shangtai will not prevent their grandfather and grandson from meeting, so Jin Sanshun has been living and eating in the dungeon these days, preparing meals for his grandfather and emptying toilets. , change into clean clothes, and wipe himself. It seems that he wants to use up all his filial piety in these days.
Jin Changsen was ready to die. His sins were so great that he could not forgive himself. He knew very well that without his cooperation, Gong Cheng's conspiracy would not succeed so easily. It can be said that the soldiers and civilians who died after the negotiations, those Jin Changsen has to bear his grievances and cannot run away even if he wants to.
But Jin Sanshun still had hope in his heart. He didn't listen to his grandfather's words, and that night he ran to the Prime Minister's Mansion and knelt at the door.
Xiao Letian's Prime Minister's Mansion is located where the Japanese barracks used to be. Now it has been expanded several times and has become an imposing mansion. It can overlook the entire Naha city including Shuri Castle.
The guards in front of the door all knew Jin Sanshun. When they saw the little fat man kneeling at the door and not getting up or talking, they all knew the details. They quickly told Xiang Ying and Lord Long without any nonsense. Now they were the only two people who could talk in front of the prime minister. It's a small talk.
When Xiao Letian heard the news from Xiang Ying and Long Ye, he was writing furiously among the mountains of documents. After listening to Xiang Ying's words, Xiao Letian sighed, "Go, tell Monk Cai Mao, King Tai, and let him They also went to the dungeon to observe, there must be an explanation for this matter..."
In the dead of night, Xiao Letian walked into the Shuri Castle dungeon under the protection of heavy guards. At this time, Jin Changsen already knew that his end was coming. He straightened his clothes and bowed down to Xiao Letian.
"I have met the Prime Minister, and I feel honored that the Prime Minister can send me on this journey in person. There are some things I really don't want to say, and I would like to ask the Prime Minister to clarify my doubts..."
Xiao Letian did not answer him directly. Instead, he waved to the soldiers to bring a small table with four dishes and one soup, which were simple dishes to go with the wine.
"Sit down, let's have a drink first..." The two touched each other, and the fragrant Huadiao wine entered their stomachs, making their faces rosy.
Xiao Letian put down his wine glass and asked, "Do you know where you went wrong?"
"Of course I know. I underestimated the ambition of the French. I suddenly believed that old traitor Gong Cheng and killed countless soldiers and civilians. I deserve death for my unforgivable crime..."
"Hey... you still don't understand. You haven't become enlightened even now. Why do you have so much stubbornness in your head? Are you determined to think that I am Cao Cao? Do you think that I will usurp it sooner or later? country."
The words blew through the dungeon like a cold wind, and the temperature dropped suddenly. Even the lights started to pulse. King Shang Tai and Cai Hao, who were listening secretly outside the dungeon, were so nervous that they almost put their fists in their mouths.
Jin Changsen didn't expect Xiao Letian to be so honest. He raised his head and drank another glass of wine. "Yes, this is the problem in the guilty minister's mind. I just want to know how the prime minister usurped the country."
"Should you do it yourself, or should you imitate Cao Cao and let your son do it? Anyway, you can't just be the prime minister forever..."
"Why don't you be the prime minister forever? And why don't you think that I will retire after a few years of service and even give up the position of prime minister to someone else? Why don't you think of me that way."
"Hahaha..." Jin Changsen laughed so hard that his beard trembled, "Why did the prime minister lie to me, a dying person? Since ancient times, the fate between powerful ministers and kings has always been life and death."
"Maybe what you Xiao Letian said is true. Maybe you really don't want to usurp the country, but how can you guarantee that your subordinates don't want to usurp the country? How can you guarantee that your son doesn't want to usurp the country? There are not many things in Chinese history that have shaken the leader. Now, You have already done so much in Ryukyu that you will not be rewarded."
"So you are going to reward me for betrayal?" Xiao Letian's face immediately turned cold.
"Jin Changsen, do you know why I came to see you, drink with you and talk about this topic? Do you know how busy I am? Do you know what kind of chaos the mainland opposite is now? Do you know the Tanggu Industrial Zone? Have you been surrounded by the Qing Dynasty?"
"There are so many hot things waiting for me to deal with, but I am here to talk to you about the Three Character Sutra. This is why, because the thoughts of you people are the last obstacle to Ryukyu becoming a modern spiritual country."
Xiao Letian stood up and paced back and forth in the dungeon, "Why do I want to usurp the country? What kind of bullshit is this? Why do I want to create a feudal country with one family and one surname? Do you know what a country is?"
"The country under the modern spirit is not the private property of one family, but the public property of all people... In the thousands of years of human social evolution, individuals, families, tribes, countries... everything in the final analysis is Humanity needs to unite to resist various dangers..."
"When encountering natural disasters or enemy invasion, a united group will have a higher chance of survival. Therefore, when establishing a country, its fundamental core should be to protect all people. This is its foundation. Remember this protection Words, this is the foundation of all governance..."
"We don't have to care about the happiness or unhappiness of people's lives, nor do we have to care about how they live their lives. The purpose of the founding of the country is to protect, not only to prevent external thieves, but also to prevent internal thieves. If we can fight against external enemies, we can protect the country and the people. , it can deter injustice internally and allow the people to enjoy basic fairness. This is the foundation of the country."
"Open your eyes and look at the outside world. Although Europe is still a monarchy, decentralization is already a general trend. Constitutional monarchy has become the mainstream... monarchs and nobles have begun to gradually relax their rights, and the middle class is booming. When the people rise up and gain freedom, they will burst out with endless vitality. Not only can they create a large amount of wealth, but they can also work together to go abroad and grab all over the world..."
"This is the mainstream of national development in the future. If we continue to stick to the old rules, the ultimate result will be to become the food of Western civilization."
Xiao Letian looked at this Ryukyu veteran with pity. In this great era of change, Jin Changsen's behavior was completely typical of a feudal minister.
Jin Changsen was silent for a long time and suddenly said, "As you said, the mainstream of the future world will be the downward decentralization of power by the monarch. So why should we pursue a constitutional monarchy? You can just abolish the monarch and let the people govern themselves."
Xiao Letian shook his head, "You still don't understand what a monarch is. A monarch is not a person, but a representative of a force. The monarch and the group of nobles he gathered were the foundation of the country in the medieval era..."
"The reason why there is a monarch is very simple. Because human nature is selfish. If there is no such a powerful cohesion tool, then when this country or this group encounters foreign enemies or natural disasters, it will become a piece of loose sand and collapse..."
"What is the cohesion of a country? It is actually a force that can suppress the selfishness of all people. This is a balance between centralization and decentralization. People need freedom but cannot give them absolute freedom. Social progress actually means Like a pendulum swinging back and forth between freedom and autocracy..."
