508 Pre-Election Rumble 2 (1/2)
Unlike Cao Cao who wanted to weaken Tong's forces and strengthen his, Te Langpu simply wanted to replace the monarchy system with the good old democracy. Then, he could enjoy the capitalist environment and acquire rich resources by abusing the monetary system.
For Te Langpu, Cao Cao was just a stepping stone toward his great goal, ”Make capitalism great again.”
As Cao Cao was secretly texting messages to Guo Jia, Te Langpu also had a secret partner.
Te Langpu: ”How come Li Feihong is on Liu Xie's side? You've never reported this to me before!”
Sima Yi: ”This is the first time I'm hearing that Li Feihong has this kind of authority. I'm running a legion, but I've never heard of this. I think this is something that Liu Xie improvises on the spot, and Li Feihong follows through with it.”
Te Langpu: ”Are you certain?”
Sima Yi: ”Positive. I have spies in every legion. There is no such thing as the supreme commander of all armies. Only the grand commander of each army can control their perspective troops, but no one else in the other armies can.”
Te Langpu: ”Then, why haven't other guys in the army protest?”
Sima Yi: ”Look carefully. Li Feihong's hands were busy typing something before himself. He should be texting to other commanders to play along with him.”
While Cao Cao had Guo Jia as collaborator and assistant, Te Langpu colluded with Sima Yi, forming another secret alliance.
Te Langpu needed manpower and Sima Clan's agents while Sima Yi wanted the entire Sun Clan destroyed, including Sun Quan, Sun Ce, and Wu Guotai.
Revenge for his father was not the only reason. Sima Yi was not fond of having Sun Quan as a prince since it post a threat to Liu Xie, one of the few friends he had.
For Liu Xie and Zhang Min's future, Sun Quan and his clansmen had to die!
Since both men's interests coincided, they worked together temporarily. The private message option of level 3 clan came in handy as they could avoid all eyes.
Sima Yi: ”For now, play along with Li Feihong and Liu Xie. Let them think that they are still controlling all legions.”
Te Langpu: ”Can you move without the court's order? I meant, your legion.”
Sima Yi: ”I don't need to move the OFFICIAL legion. I have my own legions in You Province. It's you who have to put some chips on the table. You don't have anything right now.”
Te Langpu: ”Wrong. I have the money! I had talked to the merchant alliance in Nanpi. They are going to contribute to our cause as long as they can get a piece of land.”
Sima Yi: ”I didn't mean YOUR coup prep or whatsoever. I meant, the election. Give me the details and don't forget to add what Cao Cao and Guo Jia are doing.”
Te Langpu: ”Hey! I'm not your goon.”
The prime minister clicked his tongue and focused on the meeting instead of bickering with Sima Yi.
As everyone was busy chatting in private, Liu Xie took control of the meeting, ”Since this is our first election, I believe everybody here might have not understood the rules. I will explain. First, the participants or the choices that you can vote-”
At that point, Cao Cao stepped forward and interrupted Liu Xie, ”Please wait a moment, your highness. About the rules and the entire election, we've already drafted the plan.”
Guo Jia also walked out of the crowd and presented Liu Xie with a scroll. The latter picked it to read.
Cao Cao recited what written in the scroll for everyone without missing a word. The summarized rules were as the followings;
1. All princes, princesses, and Zhang Jiao were the candidates of the next emperor.
2. A total of 10,000 voters would be selected from the court officials, military generals, governors, ministers, and chief strategists.
3. Each voter had one vote. They could vote for their desired emperor.
4. One vote equaled one point.
5. The top candidate with most votes would be selected as the new emperor.
6. The terms of the new emperor were 4 years. Afterward, they had to select another one.
7. A neutral party/organization would be responsible for this election. All election organization members could not vote or possess the right to vote.
Listening to the brief constitution, everyone was puzzled as they were too new for them. Even to Te Langpu, this system was weird, vague, and flawed.
Still, it was half of his work since Te Langpu was the one suggesting the idea to Cao Cao, but the latter made it practical.
”All princes, princesses, and senior Zhang!?” Lu Zhi caught onto the issue, ”Does this include his highness Zhang Guo, Zhang Yi, and Sun Quan!?”
Lu Zhi's remark threw the court into an uproar. As usual, Tong's supporter faction threw a fit since Sun Quan was not Tong's legitimate son but an adopted son. Moreover, he came from a concubine's family.
In the hall, Huang Gai, Zhang Zhao, Zhang Hong, and Sun Quan's subordinates glanced at each other, astonished, surprised, and rejoiced.
Lu Xun and Lu Meng, who were once prisoners, were now serving as court officials and joined the main clan. Immediately replacing the decreased Zhou Yu's former ranks, Lu Xun became Sun Quan's advisor while Lu Meng was instated as vice general of Sun Quan's private army. As for the grand commander, Huang Gai was still holding the reign.
They were also in the room, attending this meeting.
When they heard that Sun Quan was also the running candidate, a bright smile appeared on their faces. Although they were new to the clan chat system, they quickly adapted to the new environment and mastered it.