12dz Chapter 661 Shield
Chapter 661 Shield
Wei Zhongxian suddenly stood up, walked around the table to Chen Er, pointed his finger at Chen Er's nose and began to scold him.
"Do you know anything about the national economy and people's livelihood? Do you know what a mess I inherited? The national treasury is so empty that there isn't a single penny left. If it weren't for my efforts to turn the tide, the situation in Liaodong would have been in complete disarray long ago, and those Jurchens would probably have already invaded the capital."
"All of this is because of me. If I hadn't strongly advocated against the Donglin Party and increased taxes on wealthy households in the South, the country would have fallen apart long ago. If it were up to the nature of those Donglin Party members, they would have definitely reduced taxes in the South and increased taxes in the North."
"In that case, the already unbearable burden on the people of the North will be completely crushed, and uprisings and rebellions are possible. I, Wei Zhongxian, have also protected the Ming Dynasty on behalf of the Emperor. What's wrong with playing with his women? He should give me a few imperial concubines!"
Wei Zhongxian had become arrogant, taking the fate of the Ming Dynasty on himself and believing that he was the stabilizing force that would ensure the stability of the Ming Dynasty.
“You old soldiers, tell me, when I, Wei Zhongxian, was in power, did I ever owe you a single penny of your pay? Before I came to power, did you ever receive your pay so readily?” Wei Zhongxian said, pointing to the generals beside him.
"Before the Nine Thousand Years Old came to power, we were sometimes owed half a year's salary, and there were even times when the arrears lasted for a year. But after the Nine Thousand Years Old came to power, things got much better. We were basically paid in the same month, and there were no arrears."
"It's the same on our side. To be honest, the brothers are very grateful to Your Excellency. In the past, those civil officials looked down on us. Asking for a salary was like killing their parents."
When it came to military pay, the generals and soldiers were all grateful to Wei Zhongxian, who was always very generous in distributing military pay.
Wei Zhongxian looked up at Chen Er and said, "Lord Chen, I'm not bragging, but the things I do are all dirty, tiring, and offensive, so I don't blame you for having a prejudice against me."
“I’m currently short of capable people, but I think you’re really good, which is why I’m inviting you. I hope you can think it through and not make a mistake,” Wei Zhongxian earnestly advised Chen Er.
At this moment, Wei Zhongxian genuinely wanted to recruit Chen Er. The fact that Chen Er had forced Wei Zhongxian to this point already demonstrated his capabilities, and Wei Zhongxian was exactly lacking such a capable subordinate.
More importantly, Wei Zhongxian wanted to kill the emperor, and it was the easiest and most suitable way to have Chen Er do the assassination.
Wei Zhongxian, who was calculating in his mind, narrowed his eyes as he looked at Chen Er, waiting for Chen Er's reply.
The general of the Divine Machine Battalion pondered for a moment, then joined in by singing a hundred different opera masks.
“Your Excellency, this kid is a stubborn fool who doesn’t know his place. Why don’t we torture him first? He’s already been kicked out. Let’s fry him in oil. That will surely teach him a lesson.”
The general of the Shenji Battalion pointed to the oil cauldron as he spoke. The hot oil in the cauldron was already boiling, and puffs of steam rose up, distorting the air.
Wei Zhongxian sneered and nodded slightly: "That's a good idea. Since Chen Er can't figure it out for now, let's put him in the oil pot to think about it. Put him in slowly, little by little, so as not to fry Chen Er to death all at once."
"Hahaha, Godfather, don't worry. I'm very good at controlling the heat. I will definitely not let Lord Chen be fried to death. I will make sure he is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and still has a breath left."
"Are you trying to put on a comedy routine? You think you can scare me with such clumsy tricks? You underestimate me. I, Chen Er, am not easily frightened." Chen Er looked calmly at the oil pot, his face full of disdain.
"Wow, that's pretty tough!"
The surrounding crowd was stunned for a moment. Their vigilance had been worn down by the conversation. None of them could have imagined that Chen Er could break such a thick rope.
The general of the Shenji Battalion was filled with panic. Only when he saw Chen Er rushing forward did he realize what had happened.
"Protect the Ninth Prince! Quickly grab Chen Er! Don't let him charge over!" The general of the Divine Machine Battalion shouted at the top of his lungs, but instead of rushing forward, he took two steps back.
The soldiers, as if waking from a dream, brandished their weapons and prepared to deal with Chen Er.
But it was too late. Chen Er had already grabbed Wei Zhongxian by the neck and nimbly darted behind him, using Wei Zhongxian as a shield.
Wei Zhongxian felt as if someone was choking him, making it extremely difficult for him to breathe.
Looking at the soldiers with ferocious expressions, wielding various weapons and muskets, he was terrified. His legs trembled violently, and a jet of water spurted out.
Terrified, Wei Zhongxian yelled at the top of his lungs, "Stop! Don't move! My life is in Lord Chen's hands! You all have to obey Lord Chen's orders!"
Wei Zhongxian was adept at changing his stance according to the prevailing winds, and he used this skill to his advantage at this moment.
"Haha, Lord Chen, I was just joking with you earlier. Please don't take it seriously. How about we have the general of the Divine Machine Battalion perform a scene of you being thrown into a vat of boiling oil to calm you down?"
The general of the Shenji Battalion was shocked. He stared at Wei Zhongxian, his face flushed, and he stammered for a long time, unable to utter a single word of rebuttal.
In this situation, Chen Er has the Shenji Battalion General's lifeline in his hands. If Wei Zhongxian dies, even if the Shenji Battalion General were to be boiled in oil, he wouldn't be able to resolve the matter.
"Lord Chen, please calm down. The Ninth Prince and I were just joking. We saw that you were too serious and nervous, so we just told a joke," said the general of the Divine Machine Battalion, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
All the soldiers and officers were stunned, unable to understand how the situation had reversed so quickly; it was simply beyond their imagination.
"Are you joking? I don't think so. Could you please rephrase your statement and give me a reasonable answer?" Chen Er said with a smile, having taken the initiative.
"I... I was just being rude and offensive. Please forgive me, Lord Chen."
After the Shenji Battalion general finished speaking, he slapped himself repeatedly in the face with both hands. After the sound of slapping, the Shenji Battalion general's face was swollen like a pig's head.
"You're really putting in a lot of force. All of you, put down your weapons. People on your side, use ropes to tie up the people on the other side."
Chen Er began to take control of the situation, controlling these unreliable soldiers and rendering them incapable of fighting so that he could deal with Wei Zhongxian with peace of mind. Otherwise, if someone took a risk, the situation would be out of control.