I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 18: The Sergeant's Duty

"Your Highness, the people's will cannot be violated!"

"Your Highness, destroying the dikes and flooding the fields will shake the foundation of the country. Please think twice!"

Chen Guo, the governor of Dongjun, and Zhang Liang, the magistrate of Puyang, also came hurriedly from somewhere, squeezed out of the crowd, came to Ji Ren and tried to persuade him.

And appeared with these two people.

There were also more than a dozen men dressed in luxurious silk clothes, followed by dozens of servants. It was obvious that they were not ordinary people.

Liu Ju had seen these people before. When he first arrived in Puyang, Dongjun a few days ago, Chen Guo and Zhang Liang held a welcoming ceremony, and they were among the welcoming crowd.

When a banquet was held in the evening to welcome Liu Ju, they also attended.

The leader was about thirty years old and his name was Tian Yong.

He is the grandson of Tian Fen and the current head of the Tian family.

After Tian Fen passed away, his son Tian Tian inherited the title, but it was soon abolished for the crime of "disrespect". He returned to Puyang to guard the property left by his father and live out his life.

Later, Tian Tian died of illness, and these properties were left to his son Tian Yong.

Relying on these industries, the Tian family has been the most influential family in Puyang for decades, and even the local officials have to give Tian Yong some face.

Those who appeared with Tian Yong were other aristocratic landlords from Puyang.

Before this, Liu Ju had ordered Guo Chang to secretly find out that the hundreds of hectares of fertile land on the north bank of the Yellow River almost all belonged to these people.

In recent years, no one cared about the breach of the Huzi dike due to Tian Fen's selfishness, and the people on the south bank suffered greatly. They always followed Tian Yong's lead and jointly mobilized their own tenants and serfs to reinforce the north dike in order to prevent the breach of the north dike and flood their fields.

Now that they appear here, it is naturally to stop Liu Ju from destroying the North Dike and protect their own industry.

However, at this moment they did not immediately step forward to persuade and plead.

Instead, he stood in the front of the crowd, watching Ji Ren, Chen Guo, Zhang Liang and others negotiate with Liu Ju, as if he was treating these officials as pawns.

at the same time.

“Is it true that the dikes were destroyed and the fields were flooded?”

At this moment, Chang Rong was finally convinced that Liu Ju was going to destroy the dike and flood the fields.

Although he didn't understand why Liu Ju made such a shocking decision, he had some ideas in mind when he saw the situation today.

"It's a pity that the accompanying officials, local officials and local noble families all strongly opposed it. Some even openly mobilized local people to come and confront..."

Chang Rong couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He shook his head and said to his dear followers behind him,

"Believe it or not, this matter cannot be accomplished. If the prince can still destroy the dike and flood the fields under such circumstances, I will chop off my head and use it as a chamber pot for you."

He has already figured out how to write the short essay.

Just based on what is happening now, it is enough to cause Liu Ju considerable trouble.

However, he felt that it was still a little lacking. Only by destroying the dikes and flooding the fields could he ensure that Liu Ju would be unable to turn things around in this life or even the next.

"Mr. Chang is joking. I naturally believe what you say."

How could the confidant dare to respond to this question casually? He quickly bowed and evaded the question.

……

Facing everyone's dissuasion, Liu Ju remained calm.

In fact, everyone's reaction was within his expectations, including Ji Ren, his own man who took the lead in opposing it.

Although Ji Ren looks thin and weak, he is the most resolute person among these people. As long as he says he will sacrifice his life to protect the embankment, he will definitely sacrifice his life without hesitation.

And this is actually exactly the reaction Liu Ju hoped to see.

The more fiercely Ji Ren opposes at this moment, the more likely he will be to be freed from the matter when his father punishes him.

As for Guo Chang, who served him, Liu Ju had already thought of a way out for him. Facing the criticism from all sides, Liu Ju turned his head and looked at Guo Chang, deliberately raising his voice: "Doctor Guo, you are not going to threaten me with death to oppose my decision, are you?"

"Your Highness..."

Guo Chang was stunned for a moment, then quickly bowed to explain.

Heaven and earth conscience!

Ever since he confirmed the matter of Dayu's ancient river channel, he had decided to firmly support Liu Ju, no matter what Liu Ju planned to do next or how many people opposed him.

"No need to say it!"

Liu Ju immediately interrupted him with a loud shout, "I have already seen that you and Ji Ren are birds of a feather, both of you are just seeking fame and honesty to attract the public's attention!"

"But remember, flood control is a national policy. Since my father has entrusted this matter to me, I should be the one making the decision on all matters!"

"Now I have made up my mind."

"You once led troops to fight against the Huns. I only want to ask you one question: what is the duty of a soldier?"

Guo Chang was confused, but he still bowed and replied: "Your Highness, I am obeying military orders."

"well said!"

Liu Ju nodded, his eyes suddenly becoming stern.
"Let me ask you one more question. Now that someone is openly defying national policy, will you choose to obey my orders, or will you choose to lead your 5,000 infantrymen to disobey orders, intending to rebel and bring disaster to your family?"

"I dare not..."

At this moment, Guo Chang finally vaguely understood Liu Ju's intention.

He was trying to extricate himself.

Destroying the dike and flooding the fields is no trivial matter, but Liu Ju chose to conceal the truth. He will definitely be held accountable after the incident.

As an official accompanying the delegation, he will definitely be the first to be held accountable. It is even possible that he will be dragged down to take the scapegoat in order to maintain the reputation of the royal family.

Now Liu Ju deliberately put him on the opposite side in front of so many people.

He also deliberately threatened him with power and the crime of treason, so everything he did next was "forced".

If he is investigated later, he can easily clear himself of the charges.

But why did the prince do this?

At this point, Guo Chang felt that simply saying "the imperial family is the most ruthless" was no longer enough to explain it.

"In that case, I order you to arrest Ji Ren immediately, tie him up and drag him away to await your punishment!"

Liu Ju then spoke loudly, and when he said the words "bound tightly", he emphasized his tone, "If anyone dares to say anything about this again, I will arrest them all, and I will not show any leniency!"

"promise!"

Guo Chang understood what he meant and immediately led his men to arrest the man.

The reason for tying him up was naturally to prevent Ji Ren from committing suicide as a warning and doing something impulsive.

It's not easy for the prince to consider everything so carefully.

Lamenting these things in his heart, Guo Chang also fully exerted his subjective initiative and decided to stuff Ji Ren's mouth with a sweat towel, making sure he would not be able to die.

"Your Highness, Your Highness!"

Upon seeing this, Ji Ren immediately struggled, his eyes turning red as he roared, "We can't destroy the dikes and flood the fields, we absolutely can't!"

“If Your Highness insists on doing this, please grant me death first. This way, I won’t have to witness this hellish scene with my own eyes. I only beg for death… Wuuwuwu, wuuwuwuwu!”

　There is another chapter and I'm already writing it. That's how it is during the Chinese New Year. I drank too much and ended up posting it late today. Sorry.

　　I wish you all a happy new year and good luck in the Year of the Dragon.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)