The second person who traveled through time and space and became a pig

The originally clear sky suddenly became gloomy, as if a huge gray curtain was slowly lowering.

The air is filled with a damp scent, and even a hint of the fragrance of earth.

The animals were scrambling to find shelter. The surrounding trees were swaying gently in the wind, and the rustling sounds of the leaves seemed to be heralding the coming storm.

In the distance, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the dim sky, followed by rumbling thunder, like the drumbeat of nature, foreshadowing the coming storm.

The wind gradually became violent, blowing the leaves and raising dust.

Pedestrians quickened their pace, looking for a place to shelter from the wind and rain.

At this moment, the whole world is immersed in a tense and expectant atmosphere, waiting for the arrival of storms.

Normally in such weather, the carriages and pedestrians on the road would stop to take shelter from the rain. However, today was different from the past. More than a dozen carriages from all over the capital city were converging towards the imperial palace from different directions.

The strong wind kept blowing the curtains of the carriage, and when their true faces were revealed, almost everyone who saw them would be surprised, because they were all powerful people in the imperial city.

"Look, that's the Minister of Defense. Why is he going out in such heavy rain?"

A citizen under a house beside the road pointed at the carriage that had just passed by and said.

"Yes, yes, I just saw the Chancellor of the Exchequer passing by. There must be something important, otherwise they would not go to the palace in such weather."

The common people in the capital are relatively knowledgeable about some things, and the palace will not summon all the ministers unless there is something important to discuss.

After roaring for more than ten minutes, the gray sky gradually quieted down, as if the beautiful sunshine was once again falling on the earth, but was it really so?

Kaidewei sat on the dragon throne in the main hall of the imperial palace, waiting for the ministers to come in from outside the door one after another.

The minister who came in saluted and stood in his seat. Katewei did not open his eyes, but closed his eyes and half-lying and half-sitting on his throne that symbolized power and status.

The glittering throne, like a towering mountain, stood quietly in the center of the hall, exuding a solemn and majestic atmosphere.

Above the throne, several golden dragons were coiling and winding, as if they had descended from the clouds. Their bodies were agile and powerful, and their dragon scales were sparkling with golden light.

Some of these golden dragons held their heads high and gazed into the distance, as if they were overlooking the whole world; others bowed their heads as if they were listening to the emperor's decree. Their eyes were sharp and deep, as if they could see through everything.

The back and armrests of the throne are all carved with exquisite dragon patterns, which echo the golden dragon coiled on it, forming a spectacular picture. The throne is covered with a soft brocade cushion embroidered with auspicious patterns of dragons and phoenixes, which not only highlights the emperor's noble status, but also adds a bit of mystery.

When a ray of sunlight shone onto the throne through the palace window, the golden dragons seemed to be injected with life. They sparkled and radiated in the sunlight, as if illuminating the entire hall with its golden splendor.

But the next second, the dark clouds blocked the ray of sunlight again.

The golden dragon held its head high and chest puffed out, as if dissatisfied with the heavens, and opened its mouth wide as if roaring.

"Click"

A startling flash of lightning made all the ministers tremble all over, and also made Cadewei, who was sitting on the throne, suddenly open his eyes. He glanced at the prince and the others, and seeing that most of the ministers had arrived, Cadewei finally spoke.

"My fellow loyal ministers of the empire, I believe some of you already know why I have called you here this time. You are right, it is because my brother Kaidehong is leading an army of 20 and is marching towards Longwei City. His desire to rebel is self-evident. Let's talk about how we can defeat him!"

After saying this, Kadewei closed his eyes again and prepared to listen to the speech of the minister below.

The first to speak was Revenue Minister Reid.

"Your Majesty, the 80,000-strong Imperial Guard has just set out and has emptied the national treasury. Although most of the funds are your Majesty's assets, the national treasury still paid out a small portion. Even this small portion has made the national treasury seem a little stretched. If we use force again, I'm afraid the national treasury won't be able to pay out a penny at this time."

Kedewei looked at the Minister of Finance and said nothing because he knew that the Minister of Finance was telling the truth.

In recent years, the taxes collected by the empire from the lords have become less and less, and the land around the imperial capital alone is difficult to feed hundreds of thousands of imperial troops.

"Reed, you have to know that it's not us who want to fight, but that traitor Kaidehong who wants to rebel. He won't discuss it with us. We must send troops to meet the enemy now, otherwise, if he reaches the imperial capital, what will the lords of various places think? The lords of various places already have some restless hearts. If we don't resist, the ambitions of the lords will probably become even more arrogant."

The Minister of War, Carrit, directly rebuked him and said that he had to speak up. Although the Ministry of War had a lot of complicated affairs, fighting was also part of its business.

"Your Majesty, I think we should send someone to talk to Kaidehong first to find out what he is going to do, and then make long-term plans."

Defense Minister Marile himself was a little bit unconvinced after he said it out. They have sent a large army, why are you still asking them? Is there any point? They are clearly here to seize the throne, but Marile also knows that the empire has no soldiers at this time. Although there are still 100,000 city guards, he dare not praise the combat effectiveness of the city guards. Since Kaidehong dared to launch an attack, he did not take the 100,000 city guards and 20,000 imperial guards seriously. Otherwise, why did he start the attack after the empire sent out all the imperial guards after enduring for so many years?

However, Marile had to say this because the empire was no longer able to start a war. The border war had emptied the empire's treasury, which was unimaginable for the country. Without money, the empire could not do anything, including paying salaries to officials. If all officials did not receive salaries, their loyalty to the country would be reduced to the lowest level. By then, the country would decline without anyone else fighting.

"Talk? What is there to talk about? They have sent their army back, what is there to talk about?"

Hearing what Defense Minister Marile said, Kedewei immediately stood up from his seat and roared.

Kaidewei's ferocious expression at this time frightened the maid and his attendant standing on the side. They shuddered all over and suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Katewei. The ministers below also followed suit and knelt down one after another.

"Your Majesty, calm down. Your Majesty, calm down."

After several consecutive shouts, Kaidewei finally calmed down and sat on the dragon throne again.

"Now I don't want to hear any other strategies at all. I just want to hear how we can defeat Kaidehong, and then let the other lords see our strength and then behave themselves, and don't have any evil thoughts. The border of the empire is in danger right now, and there are constant invasions from the north by orcs. As the pillars of the country, don't you have any solutions? Don't think I don't know that you have all bought land and houses in the capital and made a lot of money. I tell you, all your power, money and some shameful activities were accomplished under my protection. If my throne is not secure, then you will also become the eggs under the overturned nest."

Kaidewei did not want to get involved in some of the trivial matters between the ministers. Power brought people an inexplicable happiness. Kaidewei knew about some of the things that the ministers did that were slightly beyond the law. Kaidewei had an intelligence department under his command, but he did not get involved. It was not for any other reason, but because ministers with some problems were easier to control. Now was the time to say such things.

After hearing this, the ministers below were all shocked. They did not expect that the emperor, who in their eyes had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, would actually say such a thing. However, they began to speculate again about what matter was in the emperor's hands.

"Your Majesty, I think we should not discuss this here right now. We should organize the army as soon as possible, otherwise it may be too late."

The Minister of War expressed his thoughts again. Others might have something on the emperor, but the Minister of War thought he was extremely honest and had no scruples, so he spoke again.

"I have no objection to sending troops, but where will the funds come from? Where will the weapons, armor and pensions for the dead and wounded soldiers come from?" the Defense Minister spoke again.

"Isn't it all about money? If we don't fight this war, not to mention the money, we will even lose our territory, and then there will be no tax revenue in the future."

Minister of War Chu Yandao said.

After hearing this, everyone was thinking, if Kaidehong took over the capital, would these old ministers still be useful? It is possible that they could not even keep their own property. This is the common thought of all the ministers in various departments of the imperial capital.

"If you don't have money, you can borrow it first. You can borrow it from major banks first."

Kaidewei finally couldn't stand it anymore. It all came down to money. As long as there was money, no one would object to sending troops.

My fellow ministers, you look at me, I look at you. There has never been a case of borrowing money from the private sector in the history of the empire. If this loan is successful, it will definitely set a bad precedent.

However, no one would jump out to oppose Kedewei's decision at this time. Just lend it, you don't have to pay it back anyway. The empire has not had a powerful emperor for a long time, and it will produce a negative attitude of sabotage. This is something that every dynasty must face, because it is human nature. If things are done well, it's okay, but if they are messed up, it would be a thankless task. Many such things have happened in history, so no one among the ministers spoke out against it.

"If that's the case, I agree."

The Minister of War was the first to speak in agreement. As long as troops were sent out, money would flow, and as long as money flowed, he, as the Minister of War, could get a share of the profits.

He did this every time there was a war. Although there have been few wars in recent decades, once a war breaks out, money will be a bottomless pit and money will have to be used to decide everything. Otherwise, if anyone makes things difficult for the soldiers, the soldiers will not let themselves have an easy time.

"It's settled. You, the Minister of Finance, will handle this matter. You will need to borrow money from various lending institutions. First, set a limit of 500 million gold coins."

Kaidewei made the final decision.

When the Minister of Defense heard the 500 million gold coins, his face was filled with shock. Since he took over, these gold coins have not appeared in the national treasury, and the Emperor asked for 500 million at the first request. What should he use to pay back?

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will do it right away, but how do you calculate the interest?"

The Minister of Finance certainly knew that interest must be paid when borrowing money, so he brought it up at the first opportunity. He did not dare to make the decision on the matter, so it would be better for him to make it clear in the hall. Otherwise, if the emperor suddenly denied it in the future, he would be in trouble.

"As for the interest, just calculate it at 1%."

Kaidewei had also inquired about this matter. Normal loans are all based on an interest rate of 1%, so no one objected to what he said.

"Oh, if that's the case, then I will prepare to handle this matter immediately."

The Minister of Finance bowed and said to His Majesty the Emperor.

"Okay, let's do this. Now let's discuss the issue of sending troops. First, let the city guards dispatch 100,000 troops, and notify all the major lords to send troops to support the empire and eliminate Kaidehong. This time, if any lord makes a great contribution, the empire will not hesitate to reward him."

Although Kaidehong claimed to have 20 troops, the emperor sent 10 troops to meet the enemy. Everyone heard about this, and if they were defeated, they would not blame one person. 20 against had no chance of winning.

"Your Majesty, aren't these 20 troops a little too few? Kaidehong sent troops!"

The Minister of War said nothing, but the Minister of Defense looked at Kedewei with some confusion.

"Don't I know it's too few? Aren't we asking all the major lords to send some troops? The empire's elite have been sent to the border. I only have 20,000 guards left under my command, but I can't send them all out. This imperial city still needs someone to guard it, otherwise all the scoundrels will come out to cause chaos, and then the imperial city will be in real chaos."

Kateway looked at the Minister of Defense who came out and patiently explained a few words.

"Your Majesty, it seems inappropriate to let the major lords participate in the war. The lords are unwilling to take action until they see the rabbit. Some time ago, we asked them to support the border, but no lord sent troops with great fanfare. Instead, they all sent a small number of troops perfunctorily. This time, I think they will not put in any effort!"

The Defense Minister said worriedly.

"Oh, Minister of Defense, don't be anxious. This time we sent out 100,000 troops not to defeat Kaidehong, but to stop Kaidehong from continuing to march towards the imperial capital. There is no need to defeat him, just to defend. Wait for me to solve the border problem, and then my guards will come back to destroy this hateful guy in one fell swoop."

Kaidewei explained his ideas to everyone in detail.