"You mean, the imperial court will take advantage of the situation and reduce the vassal status?"
When he said this, Liu Bi's face was full of solemnity.
"Although I missed the mark, I'm afraid it's not far off..."
As soon as Le Chao said these words, the entire study suddenly became filled with misery.
Why did Liu Bi spend a lot of money to bribe high-ranking officials every year over the years?
Isn't it just to prevent the national policy of reducing the vassal state from being passed in the court?
But now the behavior of Chu King Liu Wu directly gave the court the best excuse.
With this incident as an excuse, it will be a matter of course next time.
I am afraid that the matter of reducing the vassal state will never be stopped from now on.
If you want to accuse someone, why bother without words?
As long as there is a precedent, the court can naturally find the faults of the major princes and kings.
One county today, one county tomorrow, I am afraid that within a few decades, all the princes in the world will be out of control.
"It's gone, it's gone!"
Just when Liu Bi was filled with sorrow, a man's frightened voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Where did the water leak?"
Liu Biteng stood up suddenly, quickly opened the window and looked outside.
"It's gone, it's gone, please come quickly!"
After opening the window, the sounds outside suddenly became clearer.
"Go and find out for me, what's going on?"
Looking at the red sky not far away, Liu Bi was really worried now.
"not……"
Glancing at the direction of the fire, Le Chao's heart skipped a beat. Halfway through his words, he didn't even dare to continue. If it was as he suspected, the world would be in chaos.
"Your Majesty, the Pacific Warehouse in West City is on fire!"
"What did you say!"
Liu Bi stood up abruptly. In a fit of rage, his eyesight went dark and he fainted.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Le Chao, who was standing next to him, rushed up to him, supported him, pinched him, and patted his chest, but it still had no effect.
"What are you doing standing still? Why don't you go find the imperial doctor!"
Looking at Yang Sheng who was stunned at the side, Le Chao hurriedly scolded him.
Only then did Yang Sheng react and hurriedly sent someone to find the imperial doctor.
After a lot of busy work, Liu Bi finally woke up.
"Leave me alone, go put out the fire, go put out the fire!"
As soon as Liu Bi, whose face was as golden as paper, came to his senses, he immediately gave instructions to Le Chao.
"promise!"
Le Chao did not dare to neglect. Although he was worried that Liu Bi's body would not be able to hold on, it seemed that it was most appropriate for him to go forward at this time.
After all, Wu State's Taiping warehouse stored not only copper coins, but also millions of stones of rice and countless ordnance.
If all these things were burned to the ground, it would be extremely difficult for Liu Bi not to say he rebelled, but to hold on to his position as King of Wu.
This is the foundation for Liu Bi to settle down and live a life!
Copper coins can be re-cast after being burned into molten copper, but if the grain is burned, there will really be nothing left.
You know, in this day and age, even though the land of Wu and Chu is fertile and has abundant grain, it is not easy to accumulate so much grain.
An ordinary farmer can only make a year's surplus after three years of accumulation. This bunch of millions of stones of grain is almost the hard work of Wu State in the past ten years.
Especially at this juncture, Wu's 300,000-strong army is on the alert. If the court takes further action, Wu King Liu Bi still has the qualifications to raise his arms.
But if there was a problem with all the food, grass and weapons all at once, he might not even be qualified to raise his voice.
By the time Le Chao hurried to the scene of the fire, the sight in front of him had already made Le Chao feel cold all over and his eyes were turning black...
There was originally a strong wind tonight, but now the wind helped the fire, and the fire borrowed the power of the wind. Under the raging force of Zhu Rong, more than thirty large granaries in a row have now turned into blazing torches.
"Run quickly, the fire is too strong and we can't stop it!"
The fire was so great that the soldiers fighting the fire were still watching the fire raging. Now they could only run back desperately.
"Qiang——"
Le Chao suddenly pulled out the sword from his waist, dragging the sword to draw a line on the ground.
"Don't run away. Come back and put out the fire! Anyone who dares to retreat beyond this line will be killed without mercy!"
Le Chao's eyes suddenly turned red. If these thirty or so large granaries were lost all at once, I am afraid that the Wu Kingdom would be in ruins from now on.
"Master Prime Minister, this fire cannot be saved!"
A soldier, whose eyebrows were singed, begged Le Chao for mercy.
"puff--"
Le Chao gritted his teeth and stabbed his backhand sword directly into his chest.
"Anyone who dares to disturb the morale of our army will be killed without mercy! Now, everyone go back and put out the fire!"
Looking at the blood-stained sword in Le Chao's hand, all the soldiers felt a chill on their backs, even if they were in the fire.
Under Le Chao's death threat, these soldiers who had almost collapsed finally calmed down.
It's just that the fire is already irreversible. Even if these soldiers try their best, in the end it will just be an extra fuel in the fire.
When the sky was dim, the three thousand soldiers who were the first to put out the fire were already in the fire.
However, the fire still did not abate. Thousands of soldiers arrived later and hurriedly moved the remaining grain stored in several peripheral warehouses out.
It's just that the food was only halfway transported. Maybe God finally couldn't bear it anymore. A heavy rain fell, and the food that was finally transported out was completely finished...
Fortunately, the sky was full of fire. Finally under control, Le Chao was alone in the wind and rain. The cold rain poured on his body. Le Chao's heart was as cold as the rain...
This sudden fire made things worse. Le Chao knew in his heart that the Wu Kingdom was about to end.
Even if they can survive the current level, it will be a matter of time before the Kingdom of Wu falls...
The imperial court will never give them another ten years and a chance to start over again. In the next few years, the entire Wu Kingdom will be politically passive...
"Your Majesty, the fire is finally under control..."
Le Chao didn't even know how he returned to the palace. He was originally ambitious, but now he also felt fear...
"How's the food going? How much was taken out?"
Although Liu Bi was now so weak that it was difficult to even sit up, he still looked at Le Chao eagerly, hoping that he could bring him good news.
"The food snatched out was less than fifty thousand dan..."
Le Chao's voice was full of endless sadness.
"Wu Guo, it's over..."
Liu Bi lay slumped on the bed, the look in his eyes seemed to be gone. He could not imagine that in the end, he, a hero and a righteous man, could only be a puppet at the mercy of others.
"Your Majesty, this is not certain, right? We still have one last chance!"
Le Chao suddenly gritted his teeth, his eyes full of madness...
