The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

Li Chengfeng sat sideways on a carved jade chair, holding a newly delivered memorial in his hand, his eyes as calm as water.

It seems as if one can see through the strokes on the paper the resentment and worry in the heart of Li Changqing, the governor of the four counties, after the pirate attack.

He weighed it in his mind and decided that this situation must not be ignored. The plot explained that two events would be triggered at the same time, and the pirates along the coast of the four counties were one of them.

However, He Sheng's voice interrupted his thoughts at this moment.

"Your Majesty, there's been a lot of discussion between Prince Gong's former subordinates and the National Defense Army regarding the arrangements for those prisoners."

He Sheng stood in front of Li Chengfeng, his tone slightly dissatisfied and his brows furrowed. It was obvious that he was extremely troubled by the current chaotic situation.

Li Chengfeng put down the memorial in his hand for the moment, raised his head and spoke. His tone was neither hurried nor slow, but it exuded an invisible majesty.

"He Qing, these are all Daqian soldiers. We are of the same blood and should be united as one."

"Now they are hostile to each other. I want to hear why they are at war with each other."

"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm unwilling to take these prisoners, but they've always been hostile to our National Defense Army, and now they're taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble. Where do I stand in this situation?"

He Sheng's eyes showed resentment, and there was a hint of blame in his words.

Li Chengfeng chuckled, folded his hands lightly on his knees, leaned forward slightly, and said sincerely: "General He, our dynasty has just been established, and it is time to recruit talents. Although these people have past grudges, my Daqian court is open to talented people. How can we be so fussy about trivial matters?"

"General, please be attentive to this. I will stand with you through this difficult time."

These words were sonorous and powerful, and they served as both encouragement to He Sheng and an implicit judgment on the dispute.

Every chess piece in the game has its irreplaceable value and should never be given up easily.

He Sheng's tense shoulders relaxed, and he thought a lot in his heart.

Seeing the emperor's trust and respect, he could not help but clasp his fists and bow, saying in obedience: "Your Majesty is absolutely right. I will do my utmost to bring these disloyal people under the command of Daqian."

After He Sheng left, Li Chengfeng let out a breath, his eyes fell on the table, and he opened the memorial again.

But my mind was drawn to the grand poetry festival in Beijing.

The image of Feng Rushi, the young scholar who won the first prize at the poetry competition in Beijing, involuntarily emerged in my mind.

He was a young man full of vigor and talent. Li Chengfeng had personally invited him to serve as an official in the court. Feng Rushi had also been working diligently in the Shangshufang. Although his position was not prominent, he had a very thorough understanding of the problems of Daqian.

"Polar Night."

Li Chengfeng called out in a low voice.

A dark figure swooped in from the window, landed gently on the ground, and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"Go summon Feng Rusi."

Li Chengfeng nodded slightly, then added: "At the fastest speed."

Ji Ye disappeared immediately, and Li Chengfeng turned around to continue reading the memorials from the governors of the four counties.

This memorial was full of concerns about the increasingly serious piracy problem in coastal areas, which made Li Chengfeng quite troubled.

He also realized that the constant pirate attacks would make it difficult for him to deal with other problems, and strengthening the military and coastal defense was the solution.

Soon, Feng Rusi was led to the imperial study. Upon seeing Li Chengfeng, he bowed deeply, "Your Majesty."

"Mr. Feng, please sit down." Li Chengfeng said warmly, his expression looking extremely friendly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Feng Rushi sat down carefully, feeling excited. He knew this was a rare opportunity.

Li Chengfeng handed the memorial from the four county governors to Feng Rusi in a concise manner: "Take a look."

"Your Majesty, the pirate problem is indeed worrying."

Feng Rushi read it carefully, then looked up with a serious expression.

"Mr. Feng, I heard that you have some experience in naval affairs?"

Li Chengfeng spoke only a few words, his words were calm, but they were permeated with wisdom that saw through everything.

Feng Rushi frowned and thought. An emperor who dared to challenge tradition was definitely extraordinary. He never expected that the young emperor in the court would accept and listen to his dissenting opinions, which surprised him.

"Your Majesty, I usually only work in the Shangshu Office, but I have been fortunate enough to have some experience in military affairs and have also gained some knowledge in the market."

"I believe that the current problem lies in the weakness of coastal defenses, and the morale of the soldiers also needs to be boosted."

Feng Rushi carefully considered his words, his eyes full of hope as he hesitated.

Li Chengfeng nodded slightly, a smile spreading across his face. "It is indeed Mr. Feng's talent that has yet to be fully realized. What you said coincides perfectly with what I have been thinking."

"This time, I wish to send you to the four counties of Nanzhou to lead the national defense army to strengthen its military might. Are you willing to take on this important task?"

Li Chengfeng spoke slowly, as if he was talking about something extremely ordinary.

However, these words sounded like thunder to Feng Rushi.

Since the last poetry meeting, Li Chengfeng granted him the right to walk in the Shangshufang but did not give him any official position. However, he did learn a lot from the ministers.

This also made Feng Rushi certain that this was all Li Chengfeng's deliberate training, and the important task now given further verified his idea.

He suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and said solemnly, "I am willing to share your majesty's worries and will not let you down."

Li Chengfeng nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, I believe you."

"Issue an imperial decree, appointing Feng Rusi as the Admiral-in-Chief of the Four Commanderies' Navy, with full authority over the coastal defense of Nanzhou and strengthening coastal defenses."

"In addition, you will have the authority to command the captured soldiers transferred from He Sheng."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will do my best."

Feng Rushi bowed and saluted, his words unable to conceal his excitement and solemnity.

"This task is not easy."

Li Chengfeng paused briefly, softening his tone. "Though those captives have returned to our dynasty, they've harbored resentment for years, and are inevitably a bit irritable."

"You have to use both kindness and authority. You have to be tolerant and understanding, but you can't let them do anything bad."

Feng Rushi nodded, knowing that it would not be easy to deal with these "thorns".

He had already made some plans in his mind about this.

"Your Majesty, I know that my responsibility is heavy."

"I wonder if Your Majesty has any specific instructions. I will go find General He now."

Feng Rushi leaned forward slightly, his expression focused.

Li Chengfeng smiled and shook his head, "Just pass on my instructions, and you will carry them out."

"If you have any difficulties, just come and discuss it with me."

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, I will handle it properly."

Feng Rushi answered firmly.

Li Chengfeng nodded slightly and continued, "There's one more thing. Many of Cheng Qitian's former subordinates are dissatisfied with me. This is a good opportunity. I want you to recruit new people and bring the talented ones into the right path."

Feng Rushi tried to figure out Li Chengfeng's intention and pondered it carefully in his heart.

"I understand."

"Your Majesty has a keen eye. With your permission, I will make the best use of it."

Feng Rushi thought of the captured soldiers who clashed with the National Defense Army every other day, and he came up with some plans.

If this group of scattered people can be brought together, it will be a great help to the court.