The Invincible Sixth Prince

On the way back, Emperor Wen told Yun Li and his mother a lot of things he encountered during his inspection.

He just kept saying things like being neglected, forced, and threatened by Yun Zheng.

He also said that Yun Zheng wanted to replace Dingbei with Shuofang and strengthen control over the Northwest Protectorate and Beihuan and other places.

When talking about Dugu Ce, Emperor Wen couldn't help sighing.

Dugu Ce did not betray him and still remembered his kindness.

But Dugu Ce had been sidelined by Yun Zheng, and apart from the title of deputy commander of the Northern Army, he had no real power at all.

Those who commanded the garrison of the Northwest Protectorate were all Yun Zheng’s confidants.

We can basically not rely on Dugu Ce.

The only one I can count on is Qin Qihu.

From the time Qin Qihu arrived in Shuobei until now, he has made countless military achievements and even saved Yun Zheng from trouble several times, but Yun Zheng is always wary of Qin Qihu and until now has only allowed Qin Qihu to command 3,000 soldiers.

However, those who had made much less contributions than Qin Qihu had already commanded tens of thousands of troops.

Qin Qihu had already had some complaints in his heart, and under Qin Liugan's persuasion, he agreed to secretly develop his own power, and find an opportunity to detain Yun Zheng and escort him to the imperial city.

However, Yun Zheng had too many guards around him, so Qin Qihu didn't dare to act rashly before he was absolutely sure.

In addition, Emperor Wen discovered the most fatal problems in the Northwest Protectorate and Shuobei during this inspection.

There is a shortage of supplies, and things are expensive and money is cheap.

Moreover, Yun Zheng has a feud with the northern barbarians, so he needs to be on guard against them.

In addition, although Beihuan had surrendered, it was very dissatisfied with Yun Zheng's repeated actions to weaken Beihuan. His trip to Wolf God Mountain to offer sacrifices to the sky further angered Beihuan.

Although Yun Zheng has a large number of troops under his command, he has many places where he needs to deploy them, and he dares not launch a large-scale war in the short term.

This is also the fundamental reason why Yun Zheng did not dare to rebel directly.

Of course, the imperial court cannot push Yun Zheng too hard and should not try to anger Yun Zheng.

Otherwise, Yun Zheng would most likely abandon the Northwest Protectorate and lead his army out of Beilu Pass.

If that time really comes, the best case scenario is that the imperial court would rely on the natural barrier of the Qi River that runs through Daqian from east to west to block Yun Zheng's troops and divide the country by the river.

But for the imperial court, it was equivalent to losing half of its territory.

Emperor Wen talked to Yun Li and his mother, sighing all the way.

Yun Li heard it all and felt anxious, but he also had to comfort Emperor Wen who got angry from time to time. It was so uncomfortable.

It was already late when they returned to the palace.

But Emperor Wen went to check the potatoes as soon as possible.

The potatoes have grown, but Yun Li has not let anyone harvest them. He is waiting for Emperor Wen to come back so that he can see with his own eyes the harvest of the potatoes he planted.

Emperor Wen ordered people to dig out a row of potatoes overnight.

In order to show off, Yun Li even picked up a hoe and started digging for a while.

As expected, his potatoes grew much better than those in Shuobei.

A very small number of sweet potatoes could grow to over two kilograms each, which made Emperor Wen smile for the first time.

"Finally my efforts were not in vain!"

Emperor Wen let out a long breath and patted Yun Li's shoulder heavily. "If this potato can be fully promoted, it will be your confidence and your achievement! In this way, your five million dan of grain is not in vain!"

"It's all thanks to my father."

Yun Li flattered him and asked tentatively, "I heard that my sixth brother sent people to sea and brought back a lot of high-yield crop seeds from overseas. Father is in Shuobei. Has he heard about this?"

"I have heard of this, but I don't know whether it is true or not, that rebellious son guards me like a thief!"

The smile on Emperor Wen's face gradually disappeared. "I just went to Tianhu Lake to take a look. That rebellious son is ordering people to build a large number of warships. I don't know whether he wants to continue to go to sea or prepare to go south in the future."

"Going south?"

Yun Li's face changed. "Father, do you mean that the Sixth Brother wants to attack the south from the sea?"

"I'm not sure either, I just suspect."

Emperor Wen shook his head slightly. "What I am worried about is that if he completes the construction of the navy, the natural barrier of Qijiang River will be completely useless! That rebellious son has a long-term vision in war, and he may have started planning in advance."

Emperor Wen spoke with great concern, and Yun Li also began to worry.

Navy!

He knew very well what the imperial navy was like.

If Yun Zheng built a powerful navy, the imperial navy would have no chance of stopping it.

"Father, should we also build a navy?"

Yun Li asked tentatively.

"This……"

Emperor Wen showed hesitation, "I also want to build a navy."

"When I first ascended the throne, the Yu Kingdom often invaded our coastal areas. At that time, I wanted to expand the navy to resist the Yu Kingdom, but almost all the court officials opposed it! Even the warlike Xiao Wanchou strongly opposed it."

"Even if you want to build a navy now, the imperial court probably doesn't have that much silver!"

Emperor Wen said this and turned away with a sad face.

The moment he turned around, the expression on Emperor Wen's face was extremely wonderful.

He endured for a long time before finally suppressing the smile on his face.

He was still thinking about how to guide Yun Li to develop the navy!

As a result, Yun Li himself brought it up first.

But since Yun Li brought it up, he had to object.

He knew very well the third brother's current mentality.

The more he opposed, the more the third brother would insist on it.

Xu Shifu, Gu Xiu and others would certainly oppose the development of the navy.

At that time, he instructed Xiao Wanchou to support the development of the navy, while he himself stood on the side of Xu Shifu and others from the beginning. This would not only prevent Xu Shifu and others from being suspicious, but also further divide the third brother and Xu Shifu and others.

"Then why did Lao Liu have so much silver to build a warship?"

Yun Li had no idea what Emperor Wen was thinking and asked unwillingly.

"How can we compare with that rebellious son?"

Emperor Wen shook his head and sighed: "He destroyed two countries in a row. No, to be exact, three countries!"

"He plundered all the wealth accumulated by Qiuchi, Dayue and Guifang over the years, and also cheated you out of so much money!"

"And what about the imperial court? The imperial court has been spending money year after year, and the treasury is becoming increasingly empty. How can it have so much money to build a navy?"

Faced with Emperor Wen's questioning, Yun Li was suddenly speechless.

Yes!

The wars fought by Lao Liu were all wars to annihilate nations!

Although those countries are not as wealthy as Daqian, the accumulation of several generations cannot be underestimated!

Even so, Yun Li was still unwilling to give up, and said worriedly: "But what if Lao Liu builds a powerful navy, and the court's navy is useless? Facing his navy, how should the court deal with it?"

"This……"

Emperor Wen frowned, seeming to be in great trouble.

After thinking silently for a while, Emperor Wen was a little unsure of what to do.

"Let's discuss this matter with the court officials at the court meeting tomorrow!"

Emperor Wen turned around and patted Yun Li's shoulder heavily. "It's good that you have a sense of crisis, but you also have to consider the actual situation of the court! I suggest you go talk to your uncle first! He is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, and he knows the court's finances best..."

"Yes!"

Yun Li agreed, but he still felt unwilling.

If you don’t have money, then find a way to get it!

The navy must be considered!