Chapter 931
He immediately perked up
Sun Zhengming kept shaking his head and sighing. He understood Yang Xia's meaning, but this situation made him very uncomfortable.
He wanted Yan Kingdom to return to normal as soon as possible, so that the people would naturally be free from their suffering.
When the old king was alive, the entire Yan Kingdom was prosperous and thriving, and the people lived in peace and contentment. Unbeknownst to them, all of that has become the past.
The scene before him filled Sun Zhengming with anguish. As the Grand General of Yan Kingdom, he was naturally more anxious than anyone else.
"Yes, given Tonggao's personality, it will take at least three to five months."
"Perhaps we should indeed think of some ways to help Yan Kingdom and the Great Zhou Dynasty restore their economy and trade as soon as possible, so that the people can get out of their suffering sooner."
Yang Xia understood Sun Zhengming's thoughts, of course. He had always cared deeply for the people of Yan, and naturally could not bear to see such a scene.
"That's right, we should indeed find a way to restore people's lives to normal as soon as possible."
When Sun Zhengming heard Yang Xia mention this matter, he immediately perked up.
"Brother Sun, don't worry, I will find a way to solve this problem as soon as possible."
Yang Xia reassured the other party, and Sun Zhengming finally felt relieved.
After Sun Zhengming left his room, Yang Xia fell into deep thought, preparing to think of a way to advance the matter.
Then, Yang Xia decided to write a secret letter to Crown Prince Kao Dong, asking him to convey his thoughts to Tong Gao.
Tonggao certainly wouldn't back down on this matter. In order for the lives of the people of both countries to return to normal, Yang Xia decided to take the initiative and give the other side a way out.
"Kao Dong, immediately convey to Tong Gao that the gates of the Great Zhou Dynasty are always open to the Yan Kingdom, and economic trade can be resumed at any time."
Yang Xia took the initiative to express his willingness in this regard, hoping that Tong Gao could take this opportunity to agree. In a way, Yang Xia gave him a way out, but his purpose was still for the sake of the people.
After receiving Yang Xia's secret letter, Crown Prince Kao Dong couldn't help but frown.
He knew, of course, that Yang Xia's idea was for the benefit of the people, but he also knew that Tong Gao was incredibly stubborn and full of hatred for the Great Zhou Dynasty, so he probably wouldn't agree easily.
But after much thought, Kao Dong also realized that the people of Yan were living in dire straits.
Only by following Yang Xia's plan can the lives of the people be improved.
After thinking about all this, Kao Dong took the initiative to find Tong Gao and told him about Yang Xia's idea.
"Your Majesty, Yang Xia of the Great Zhou Dynasty asked me to tell you that the Great Zhou Dynasty's gates are always open to the Yan Kingdom, and economic trade can be resumed at any time."
Kao Dong quickly told Tong Gao about it, hoping with great anticipation that Tong Gao would agree.
Tell Yang Xia that I don't need anyone's help.
Although Tong Gao realized that Yan Kingdom was currently severely affected in these aspects, he did not want Yang Xia to think that he was being manipulated, so he stubbornly refused.
"Your Majesty, I urge you to think twice. Our Yan Kingdom also needs this kind of economic trade, otherwise everything will stagnate and the lives of the people will be seriously affected."
As expected, Tonggao rejected him, but Kaodong was still very unwilling and kept trying to persuade him, hoping that he could consider the lives of the people more.
"I am the ruler of Yan Kingdom, and I have the final say on this matter. Say no more."
Tong Gao was very annoyed to see Kao Dong trying to persuade him. Of course, he didn't want to be controlled by anyone and believed that he was the most powerful ruler. This idea would not change easily.
Kao Dong knew that Tong Gao was always headstrong and would never easily listen to other people's advice, so he couldn't force him.
This matter had to be put on hold for the time being, and the borders of Yan Kingdom remained tightly closed.
The Great Zhou was unable to conduct normal trade with the Yan Kingdom, and the lives of the Yan Kingdom's people were severely impacted.
The people of Yan could barely tolerate it at first, but as time went on, their discontent finally erupted.
"Our new ruler is becoming more and more outrageous. The Great Zhou Dynasty took the initiative to come to our door to discuss economic and trade matters, but he turned them away."
"This ruler completely disregards the lives of his people; he's infuriating. Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well go and seek justice from the new ruler."
The people of Yan were driven to the brink of despair. No matter how cruel Tong Gao was, they were no longer willing to endure it. Seeing that they were about to starve to death, they were no longer afraid of anything.
The people went to Tonggao every few days to complain, telling him that the people had no food to eat and were about to starve to death.
"The king must open the country's doors and restore normal economic relations with the Great Zhou Dynasty, otherwise the people will starve to death."
"The king can no longer act arbitrarily and push the people into misery. It would be too irresponsible of him to do so."
……
Driven to desperation, the people of Yan Kingdom kept seeking out Tonggao. Although they were repeatedly turned away, their cries echoed loudly, and Tonggao naturally heard them clearly.
Although Tong Gao was cruel, he couldn't possibly order the execution of all the rioting ordinary people.
Doing that would really incite public anger, and the entire population of Yan might rise up in rebellion.
Tonggao dared not take the risk and could only turn a deaf ear, pretending not to hear the people's complaints.
"Your Majesty, the people are constantly complaining outside the palace, demanding an explanation from you."
“We can’t get rid of them no matter what we do. It’s like they’ve planned this all along. They come one after another. It seems like they won’t leave easily unless you give them an explanation.”
His subordinates kept reporting the situation outside the main hall to Tonggao, and they also felt that things couldn't continue like this.
Tong Gao was also very distressed. He had no intention of giving up economic and trade relations with the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he couldn't swallow this insult.
But these people seem to have been driven to desperation. If this disturbance continues for a long time, it will be extremely annoying.
"Your Majesty, we must import grain from abroad. The people are about to run out of food. Are you trying to drive them to their doom?"
The people were still shouting and yelling outside the main hall. They even wanted to rush into the hall and have a good argument with Tonggao.
Such practices as those in Tonggao are extremely cruel, causing the people to live in misery.
The Yan Kingdom had never faced such a situation before, and its people never imagined that they would one day be in such dire straits.
Although Tong Gao chose to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear, he knew that this was self-deception, and that the angry people would never let it go.
If this continues, the situation will become extremely chaotic, and the entire Yan Kingdom will be affected.
After much deliberation, Tonggao decided to leave this mess to Kaodong to handle.
"Go and fetch the First Prince. Let him handle this matter."
Tonggao immediately sent someone to fetch Kaodong and asked him to help appease the people.
"Your Majesty, the only way to appease the people now is to open the granaries and distribute grain. No other method will work."
"Or open the country's doors and engage in economic and trade activities with other countries."
Taking this opportunity, Kao Dong quickly offered these solutions, hoping that Tong Gao would stop being so stubborn.
"Don't mention economic and trade relations with the Great Zhou Dynasty again. I will not agree to it. Go open the granaries and distribute grain." Tong Gao was stubborn and unwilling to resume normal economic and trade relations with the Great Zhou Dynasty. Now, opening the granaries and distributing grain was the only option left.
Kao Dong shook his head helplessly, but of course he wouldn't abandon the cause. He quickly opened the granaries to relieve the starving people.
Once the people have food to eat, their emotions will naturally calm down.
Under normal circumstances, no one likes to cause trouble; people only rebel when they are forced into a corner.
The people were deeply moved by what Prince Kao Dong did and praised his actions highly.
"The First Prince truly cares for the people; thanks to him, we haven't starved to death."
The people dared not speak openly about some things; they felt that the eldest prince was kind by nature and more suitable to be the ruler.
Suddenly one day, such voices were actually spoken out, and someone took the lead in saying them.
"We should support Crown Prince Kao Dong as the ruler of the country. We believe he will be able to govern Yan Kingdom more peacefully."
Such voices immediately resonated with the people. These were their true feelings, but they hadn't dared to speak them out easily. Now that someone had taken the lead, they were no longer afraid.
“That’s right. Crown Prince Kao Dong is kind-hearted and is the most suitable person to be the ruler of our Yan Kingdom.”
"If Crown Prince Kao Dong were the ruler, the people would certainly not be living in such dire straits. Our Yan Kingdom has never been as chaotic as it is now."
The people responded enthusiastically, saying what they had always wanted to say but dared not.
These leaders were sent by Cahill of the Jaw Kingdom, with the aim of making the Yan Kingdom even more chaotic.
At that time, Yan State will be too busy to help itself. If Zhuaqi State launches an attack on the Great Zhou Dynasty, Yan State will be even less likely to send troops to its aid.
This is to completely cut off the Great Zhou Dynasty's escape route.
Cahill was always so cunning and treacherous, plotting to cut off all the escape routes of the Great Zhou Dynasty and then take it over in one fell swoop.
As expected, the effect was surprisingly good. Perhaps this was indeed what the people of Yan thought, which is why they responded so readily.
As the people's voices grew louder and louder, they gradually reached Tonggao's ears.
"What? Those common people actually dared to spread such treasonous words! They deserve to die!"
Tong Gao was so angry that he smashed everything on the table to pieces; this was his inviolable taboo.
Having finally ascended the throne, he felt extremely displeased and even more worried upon hearing such remarks.
He was well aware that his actions during this period had aroused public discontent.
If these people were to rebel, the consequences would be unimaginable, and he certainly did not want Kao Dong to take his throne.
"Lock Kao Dong up immediately! He dared to betray the king; this is a heinous crime."
Tong Gao was furious and wished he could just kill Kao Dong, but he dared not make such a decision easily due to public opinion.
Of course, if such calls grow louder, Tonggao wouldn't mind secretly getting rid of Kaodong.
But for now, he doesn't dare to do that; he can only take it one step at a time.
"Why is the eldest prince imprisoned? Release him immediately!"
“Crown Prince Kao Dong is the most suitable to be the king. The new king is feeling guilty, which is why he locked the crown prince up.”
“We must support the eldest prince and let him sit on the throne. The new king is a tyrannical ruler and is not fit to be a monarch at all. He must be ousted.”
Under the leadership of their leader, the people became even more frenzied.
They completely opposed Tonggao and began to rebel.
Judging from the people's expressions, they all wanted to take this opportunity to help Crown Prince Kao Dong ascend the throne.
They all believed that only in this way could the Yan Kingdom undergo a complete transformation.
Tong Gao was completely panicked. If these people really rebelled, he might be overthrown from the throne, which was something that absolutely could not happen.
"Your Majesty, what should we do with the people? They have rebelled and are demanding the release of the eldest prince."
His men hurriedly reported the situation to Tonggao, realizing that things had gotten out of hand and could potentially escalate into a coup.
"Suppress them forcefully, arrest those who are in charge."
Tonggao roared angrily and forcibly suppressed the rebels, arresting several of their leaders as well.
This frightened the rebellious people, and they dared not cause any more trouble.
The matter was temporarily calmed down, but Tonggao felt particularly uneasy, knowing that the matter had become very serious.
It's possible that Kao Dong might be used by someone at any time, and that he could actually be dethroned.
Taking all this into consideration, Tonggao did not intend to release Kaodong.
As for how to deal with it, he hadn't decided yet. If it threatened his throne, he wouldn't mind imprisoning Kao Dong for life, or finding an opportunity to kill him.
The people were talking amongst themselves, and they could tell that Tonggao had ill intentions and that Kaodong was probably in danger.
"Will the new king secretly kill the crown prince?"
"No one can say for sure, but this incident has definitely made the new king want to kill. He will be afraid that someone will threaten his throne."
……
The people whispered among themselves, and they were also worried for Crown Prince Kao Dong.
But now that the ringleaders of the rebellion have been arrested, the people dare not cause trouble again.
Many people were guessing that Tonggao would not easily release Prince Kaodong.
The longer this matter drags on, the more troublesome it will become. Who knows, he might actually kill Kao Dong secretly at some point.
Crown Prince Kao Dong is currently in an extremely dangerous situation, and the people of Yan have already speculated that he might be secretly murdered by Tong Gao.
But now no one dares to stand up for Crown Prince Kao Dong, because they are likely to be punished by Tong Gao, and they are also afraid of getting burned.
The old attendant had risked his life to secretly escape from Yan Kingdom and found Yang Xia.
He was worried that Crown Prince Kao Dong would be harmed, and now, apart from Yang Xia, probably no one could save him.
"Your Majesty, Crown Prince Kao Dong has been imprisoned by Tong Gao. Please find a way to rescue him as soon as possible. If we delay any longer, things may get complicated."
The old attendant looked extremely flustered; they all felt that Tonggao would not let the crown prince go.
Tong Gao was already ruthless, and now that he'd heard these rumors, he was even less likely to let the Crown Prince go. That was their biggest worry. (End of Chapter)