RPAGF Chapter 653 Demanding a Reward
Chapter 653 Demanding a Reward
In the imperial court, the king highly praised Lin Ping.
The civil and military officials also praised him endlessly. He not only preserved the Wu Kingdom, but also the official positions of these courtiers. Who would dare not look up to him?
"Your Majesty, I think General Bao, the Left Commander of the Vanguard Army, is quite skilled in archery. That arrow he just shot was excellent," Lin Ping said, offering his praise.
Just now, when he was trying to stall for time, the Left Commander of the Vanguard Army disrupted his rhythm, and he could not let this grudge go unavenged.
The Left Commander of the Vanguard Army was overjoyed, and even his back straightened up more.
Lin Ping was not only a great general, but also a first-rate meritorious official. Just a few words of praise from him could earn him the emperor's favor.
"I believe that General Bao's talent should not be wasted. He should go deep into the military camp and personally teach the soldiers archery. He should be appointed as a commander of a thousand or a commander of a hundred, but he should never be lower than a captain."
Lin Ping said with a forced smile.
This style of painting is wrong!
The smile on the face of the former Left Commander-in-Chief froze instantly, and a million mud horses were galloping through his mind.
Thousand households?
One hundred households?
General flag?
What kind of job is this?
Should we go all the way?
"Since the General strongly recommends him, Commander Bao should step down now," the King said coldly.
Although he did not know how the Left Commander of the Former Army had offended Lin Ping, he knew that Lin Ping wanted to get rid of him.
"Your Majesty, have mercy! General, have mercy!" Bao Feiyong knelt on the ground and pleaded desperately, unable to understand how he had offended Lin Ping.
Before the king could speak, Lin Ping had already walked up to Bao Feiyong and whispered in his ear, "If it weren't for Commander Bao's arrow, the enemy wouldn't have launched an attack immediately and almost killed me!"
Bao Feiyong felt a chill in his heart. He had heard that Lin Ping was a petty and vindictive person, and there was a saying that it was better to offend the King of Hell than to offend Master Ping.
He had no choice but to accept his fate and walked out of the court listlessly.
"It was thanks to the timely return of the General that the crisis in Yingtian Prefecture was resolved. When will you lead the army back to Xuzhou?" The King glanced at the two city lords and said with a smile.
In his view, Lin Ping returned to the aid because he had guessed the movements of the Lotus Palace, and that the crisis in Xuzhou had not been resolved.
This could even worsen the crisis in Xuzhou, and he hoped that the two city lords could send troops to help.
"Return to Xuzhou? Why go back to Xuzhou?" Lin Ping asked in confusion.
Seeing him feign ignorance, the king laughed and said, "Naturally, we will go to resist the army of the Daye Dynasty."
"Lord Wu, you speak," Lin Ping gestured.
"Your Majesty, Bai Tiantian's army of 300,000 has been defeated by the General!" Wu Tiancheng replied respectfully, kneeling on the ground.
This sentence is short, but it's packed with valuable information.
First, the enemy general was indeed Bai Tiantian; second, their army was not 100,000 but 300,000; and finally, Lin Ping had already won the victory.
"Three hundred thousand? How is that possible?"
The court officials who had some knowledge of military strategy expressed their confusion, yet they couldn't help but believe it, since Wu Tiancheng was the Minister of War, and his word was law; how could he lie?
Moreover, Lin Ping looked completely relaxed, hardly like someone facing a formidable enemy.
"Hahaha! The Great General is truly a lucky charm for our Wu Kingdom!" The king laughed heartily, sweeping away the gloom of the past few days.
Just a moment ago, they felt that their country was about to perish and their race was about to be wiped out, but now they feel that they can dominate the world.
With Lin Ping in hand, the great cause of unifying the world is just around the corner.
"I am not a lucky general, but a warrior! No, no, I should be called a god of war!" Lin Ping said shamelessly.
This is like a king calling himself an idol star, and the king arguing that he is a star with real talent.
Indeed, Lin Ping's victory was not due to luck, but to a series of meticulously planned schemes.
"That's not true. The Great General is not some kind of war god," the king said, shaking his head.
"Hmm?" Lin Ping wondered, "They won't even give me a proper address?"
“Bai Tiantian is the true God of War, but he is no match for the Great General. The title of God of War is not worthy of your status, my dear minister. Let’s call him the Invincible God of War!” the king explained.
"Even the king knows how to flatter?" Lin Ping was greatly puzzled. Such a brainless title was actually in line with Lin Ping's aesthetic.
"From now on, I will call the Invincible War God Dad!" Lin Ping said with satisfaction, not wasting a single word given by the king.
From then on, the Wu Kingdom gained an "invincible war god father," while Bai Tiantian, far away in the Daye Dynasty, was unaware that she had gained a father.
"What other rewards would you like, my dear minister?" the king asked.
Since ancient times, it has always been the ruler who bestows rewards upon his subjects. There has never been a precedent of Lin Ping taking the initiative to ask for a reward, which shows Lin Ping's status in the ruler's heart.
"I spent 500,000 taels of silver to bribe the Grand Secretary of the Daye Dynasty, and sold all my family property for this purpose. I hope Your Majesty will make up for it."
Lin Ping said it in a serious tone, but his shameless manner was outrageous.
Didn't it cost 100,000 taels?
How did it become 500,000 taels in a single transaction?
Could it be that Fan Li issued an invoice for 500,000 taels?
Although no one knew how much silver he had spent bribing Fan Li, they knew that Yipinju was thriving and making a fortune every day, showing no signs of going bankrupt.
Five hundred thousand taels is no small sum, and what he wants is real gold and silver, hard currency. Even the Wu Kingdom's national treasury might not be able to produce it immediately.
"My dear minister, your sacrifice is immense, and I am well aware of it," the king said with a smile. "Would three hundred thousand taels be acceptable?"
"Four hundred thousand taels! Not a single coin less!" Lin Ping said resolutely, turning his body away.
Where is the promised 500,000 taels?
Why is there still room for negotiation?
The king knew he had been tricked by Lin Ping. If Lin Ping had offered him a reward, it would have been at most 10,000 taels of gold, equivalent to 40,000 taels of silver.
Now that the number has increased tenfold, the king is finding it difficult to cope.
Words spoken are like water spilled, and a married daughter is like water spilled – the same principle applies.
The king's words are golden; how can he go back on his word?
"Alright, deal! I'll give you 400,000 taels!" the king said through gritted teeth.
This doesn't resemble the style of a monarch bestowing gifts upon his subjects; it's more like the style of street vendors haggling over prices.
"The Lord of Jiangcheng and the Lord of Shancheng have made great contributions this time. I urge Your Majesty to return their fiefdoms, remove the court officials, and let them govern themselves," Lin Ping continued, making an outrageous demand.
At the beginning of the Wu Kingdom, the ancestors did indeed bestow the entire Jiangcheng and Shancheng upon the city lord.
However, over the past century, through the efforts of several generations of rulers, the territory of the city lords has been gradually swallowed up, leaving only a small area, which is then jointly managed by the prefect.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuwu was somewhat frightened; it was like trying to pluck a tiger's whiskers.
"Lin Ping, you!" The king slammed his hand on the dragon throne, his teeth chattering.
"Your Majesty, please do not rush to answer. Listen to what I have to say."
Lin Ping puffed out his chest and said, "As long as you return the fiefdoms to the two city lords, they can help the imperial court break through the Lotus Palace. At that time, the fiefdoms of Ningguo Prefecture and Suzhou Prefecture will be fully recovered, and their titles as city lords can even be revoked. You won't lose out!"
This confirms it; Lin Ping was indeed discussing business with the king.
The only difference is that the merchants were talking about goods, while Lin Ping was talking about fiefdoms.