A civil official stepped out from the assembled ranks and clasped his hands as he asked, "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, this minister has a question! Since the World Government possesses such formidable military strength and so many powerful experts, why has it never been able to completely eradicate the pirates within the Four Seas?"
As soon as his words fell, the great hall instantly fell silent. Xue Ye and Qian Renxue exchanged glances, each reading the hidden implications in the other's eyes, yet both tacitly chose to remain silent.
This sort of courtly scheming and balancing of power was far beyond what ordinary ministers could understand.
Seeing that Xue Ye remained silent for so long, Qian Renxue inwardly cursed, Old fox.
Yet she showed no change in expression. Taking a step forward, she answered calmly, "Pirates occupy vast seas, and the waterways extend in every direction. To search every region and wipe them all out was inherently as difficult as reaching the heavens."
The explanation sounded reasonable enough and brushed aside everyone's doubts.
But Qian Renxue understood in her heart that this was not the truth at all.
The World Government commanded an army of a million men and countless top experts. If it truly wished to eliminate the pirates, it would not have been difficult.
They deliberately allowed pirates to wreak havoc, using them to harass the various allied nations. This let them take the opportunity to intimidate the rulers of those countries while also justifiably imposing taxes and requisitioning supplies to sustain the enormous cost of maintaining such a massive navy.
Just thinking about the weapons and military pay required by an army of a million every day made Qian Renxue's scalp tingle.
Such immense and complicated expenditures could only barely be sustained by exploiting