Peng Wanli said: "It's good that you have a plan against the Youmei Sect. There is one more thing you need to be careful about."

"The funds of your Intelligence Department must be reduced as much as possible. Now that the sect's financial revenue is getting less and less, we must not spend as much as we usually do without restraint."

"The sect has been gradually reducing expenditures in recent years. The largest expenditure of the three halls and three courtyards is in the secret academy, and the intelligence department in the secret academy has the highest funding. Let me set a goal for you!"

"One hundred thousand. From now on, the annual expenditure of the Intelligence Department must be controlled within one hundred thousand spiritual stones. Can you do it?"

Tangning remained silent. The Intelligence Department's usual budget was 150,000 spirit stones per year. Plus an average of two or three spirit stone subsidies per year. In fact, the annual expenditure was no less than 220,000, and sometimes even as high as 250,000.

.

Although it has been decreasing over the years, it would be too much to reduce it to 100,000.

"Disciples will do their best, but every aspect of the operation of intelligence requires spiritual stones. Without spiritual stones, many aspects of work cannot be carried out, and it is difficult to move forward."

Peng Wanli said: "You must try your best to reduce the finances of the ministries and departments. The sect will issue new laws and regulations. There will be a clear standard for the funds of each department, including rewards, subsidies for disciples, etc. Think about it after you go back.

Let’s think about the future work plans of the Information Section.”

"Yes, disciple, please leave." Tang Ning stood up and saluted. The two of them left the cave and visited Jiang Ming's cave.

Jiang Ming met the two of them, but did not make his position clear during the conversation. Tang Ning chatted with them for a while, then stood up and left.

"Looking at Uncle Jiang's attitude, it seems he doesn't want to get involved in these things!" Yang Kai said after the two left the cave.

Tang Ning nodded slightly. Jiang Ming's beard and hair were all white, and his face had deep wrinkles. It was obvious that he did not have long to live. When the two of them were talking, he did not express any position on the matter. He just said something good and then changed the topic to

Went elsewhere.

Yang Chang said: "As long as the leader remains neutral, there will definitely be no problem for Senior Brother Tang to serve as the deacon of the Intelligence Section."

Tang Ning said: "Things in the world are unpredictable. It's too early to say whether we will succeed or not! The outcome is often announced at the last minute."

Even so, he knew in his heart that he had at least 80% chance of winning, and three of the eight Jindan senior officials in the sect had expressed their clear support for him.

Although Yin Qingyuan did not finish his words, he still meant that he would support him, while Jiang Mingying would choose to abstain. In this way, he had four votes in support and Lu Guang only had two votes.

Unless the leader Wei Xuande clearly expresses his support for Lu Guang, in which case Yin Qingyuan will definitely follow Wei Xuande, then Lu Guang will have four votes and he will only have three votes.

But this possibility is very slim, not to mention that Wei Xuande is a good-natured person and rarely interferes in these matters.

In terms of personal relationships, I am at least somewhat familiar with Wei Xuande, and my impression is definitely better than that of Lu Guang.

Yu Gong said that he has made many meritorious deeds over the years and his hard work is not small.

Therefore, he is unlikely to support Lu Guang in public or private affairs.

The two walked all the way and then went their separate ways.

Tang Ning returned to the cave, sat cross-legged, and waited quietly for the outcome of the sect's high-level discussions.

………………………

At night, a ray of light fell in front of Wei Xuande's Cave in Qianxing Mountain, and an old man with white hair and beard appeared. It was Tong Quan'an, the master of the Secret Academy. He waved his hand and handed the talisman into the thick fog.

Not long after, the thick fog rolled in, and a ray of light shot out from inside, revealing the figure of a tall, broad-shouldered man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was Wei Xuande's disciple Zhuang Xingqian. He bowed and saluted: "Master, please come in, Master Tong."

Tong Quan'an nodded slightly, and the two of them entered the inner room and came to an orchard with fragrant peaches and plums. Wei Xuande was teasing a colorful parrot in the pavilion.

"Master, Uncle Tong is here." The two of them walked up behind him, and Zhuang Xingan saluted.

Wei Xuande turned around and said with a smile: "Junior Brother Tong is here, sit down!"

Tong Quan'an sat down as he was told, turned his hands, took out a few files and handed them to him: "In this battle at Xuanyue Mountain, Ma Xuan, the deacon of the Discipline Section of the Secret Academy, and Zhu Xu, the deacon of the Intelligence Section, unfortunately died. The departments and departments cannot be together." Since the day has no master, I have asked those in the ministry who think they are qualified to serve as deacons to participate in the election. This is the dossier they submitted."

"A total of four people participated in the selection of deacons this time, namely Wei Xun and Du Wenyuan, disciples from the Discipline Department, and Tang Ning and Lu Guang, disciples from the Intelligence Department."

Wei Xuande took the file, opened it, took a look at it, and asked, "What do you think, Junior Brother Tong?"

Tong Quan'an said: "Both Wei Xun and Du Wenyuan of the Discipline Division are monks in the middle stage of foundation building. Their cultivation is a little weaker. Fortunately, Spring and Autumn is still rich. Although the Demon Sect was defeated, our Xuan Sect suffered a lot of casualties in this battle. The two of them Even if you are short, you should be tall on the inside! Besides, the Discipline Department only handles the rules and regulations of the sect, and there is no need to go to the front line and face the enemy in battle."

"Of the two of them, I think Wei Xun is more suitable. One has higher merits than Du Wenyuan. The other has better cultivation qualifications, and Du Wenyuan suffered from the Sigh Tribulation and has not improved in cultivation for decades. Therefore, Wei Xun is more suitable. with potential."

"Tang Ning and Lu Guang of the Intelligence Department are both late-stage foundation-building monks. Their cultivation is sufficient to serve as deacons of the department. From now on, if we choose between the two, Tang Ning is of course more suitable."

"Whether it is meritorious service, contribution to the sect, or personal ability, strength, and reputation, they all far surpass Lu Guang."

"What's more, he is extremely wealthy and has only been practicing for more than a hundred years. He has the opportunity to go further. Ever since the sect changed its rules and established the merit system, he once topped the list."

"In this battle at Xuanyue Mountain, he captured three late-stage Demon Sect foundation-building monks and one mid-stage Demon Sect foundation-building monk. His achievements are only ranked below Master Nephew Zhuang and that kid from the Jiang family."

"Although his cultivation qualifications are slightly inferior to Lu Guang's, his flaws are not concealed. In all aspects, he is far superior to Lu Guang."

Wei Xuande nodded and said: "Let's wait until the next meeting to make the appointment! Junior Brother Tong, there is something I have been thinking about for a long time and I want to talk to you."

"What are the orders from the unknown leader?"

"I don't have long to live. I have been dead for a long time. Now most of my body is buried in the loess. I intend to abdicate early. What do you think?"

Hearing his words, Tong Quan'an was actually not surprised because over the years, there had been rumors within the sect that the headmaster intended to abdicate.

In fact, this was not the first time that Wei Xuande had talked about this matter with him, but it had only been some hints before. This was the first time that he had made such a clear statement. It seemed that he was really preparing to abdicate.

Among Xuanmen, there are very few heads who will not abdicate until the end of their lifespan, and most of them will choose to abdicate early.

Because Xuanmen's personnel system is very complicated, the selection of a new leader is not decided by a few senior officials, but requires joint election by all the department managers.

By abdicating in advance, one can ensure effective handover of affairs and avoid chaos.

Both of them can calm people's hearts, support the new leader to take office, and maintain the stability of the sect.

If he abdicates at the end of his life span, we don't know what chaos will happen, and it might lead to a split in the sect.

After all, the old leader has great prestige. No matter what happens, even if a large number of people are dissatisfied with the selection of the new leader, as long as the old leader is still there, he can control the disciples below and prevent them from messing around.

It can also reconcile conflicts among internal factions. As long as the early chaos is overcome, nothing major will happen.

The entire sect was divided due to the arbitrary selection of the sect leader. This kind of thing happens all over the world not once or twice.

The most famous one is the Taixuanzong rebellion in Daobing 9360, which is called the "Yinjia Rebellion" in history.

This rebellion led to the split of Taixuan Sect, one of the four major sects, and its complete decline.

The so-called "Yinjia Rebellion" means that Yin Ruozhuo, the leader of Taixuanzong's Qingxuan Palace, was dissatisfied with the results of Taixuanzong's election as head, and rebelled against Taixuanzong, which caused the internal forces of Taixuanzong to split and kill each other.

Countless high-level disciples and famous monks perished in internal fighting. At this point, Taixuan Sect was in a state of decline, its strength plummeted, and it even lost control of Yanzhou.

The leader was Yin Ruozhuo, the master of Qingxuan Palace. The mutiny launched in Daobing 9360 was the year of Jiazi, so it was called the Yinjia Rebellion.

On the surface, this was a mutiny launched out of personal grudges, which led to the division of Taixuanzong, but in fact, there was something hidden underneath.

Taixuanzong has always claimed that the mutiny was launched because Yin Ruozhuo, the former head of Qingxuan Palace, was dissatisfied with the results of the selection of the head.

However, the paper could not contain the fire. As Yin Ruozhuo raised his troops and failed in this massive war, his troops were suppressed, and the truth slowly spread. This was an open secret, and no one in the world knew about it.

The trigger of the "Yinjia Rebellion" actually originated from a conspiracy coup by Qin Jiyuan, the current head of Taixuanmen and the former head of Xuande Hall.

At that time, Yin Ruozhuo did not return to the sect because he was out of town, and Ding Shengyuan, the headmaster of Taixuanzong, was nearing his end of life. The oil and lamp were drying up, and the spiritual power in his body could not be suppressed. He died in a short time.

Qin Jiyuan, the master of the Xuande Hall, took the opportunity to unite with several giants from the Taixuanzong's spiritual family and the master-disciple line, and convened a meeting to select the head, and thus successfully became the head of Taixuanzong.

Qin Jiyuan was afraid that Yin Ruozhuo would cause chaos, so he quickly arrested Yin Ruozhuo's married wife and many disciples, disciples, and grandchildren, as well as many nephews and nephews of the Yin family, on various charges. He set up a dragnet to wait for him to return to the sect and capture them all.

However, there is no airtight wall in the world. Although Qin Jiyuan's arrangements were strict, the news still leaked out. Yin Ruozhuo secretly sneaked back to Yanzhou. The large and small sects in Yanzhou merged with Qingwu Camp, and millions of monks in Yanwu Camp joined him.

Yin Ruozhuo has been in charge of the Qingxuan Palace of Taixuanzong for thousands of years and has great prestige. His disciples and former officials are all over the power of Taixuanzong. The Yin family is also a prominent family of Taixuanzong and has been in power for dozens of generations. Yin Ruozhuo's brothers and nephews are also in charge of the secrets of the sect. Their power

Deep-rooted and intricate.

From the senior officials of the halls and courtyards of Taixuan Sect, to the leaders of various ministries and departments, down to Qingzhou controlled by Taixuanzong, the large and small sects in Yanzhou and the military guards under Taixuanzong all have his confidants and control the center.
Chapter completed!