"Enough. I don't need you to remind me of these things. I will explain to His Majesty myself, and you are to listen to me and do as I say."
Murong Jinyun shouted angrily, her eyes filled with fury. She stood before Baili Xi with an imposing aura. This was the first time in her long acquaintance with Baili Xi that she had used her status to forcibly suppress him.
Baili Xi now understood Murong Jinyun's true intentions and couldn't help but let out a self-mocking cold laugh, "Your Highness seems to have truly fallen for the people of Dongchu. You no longer care about Xiliang, do you?"
He should have guessed this outcome long ago. He shouldn't have clung to the hope that Murong Jinyun would prioritize Xiliang's great cause. The end result was due to his own poor management.
"Enough, General Baili, don't forget your place. You should know what to say and what not to say."
Murong Jinyun didn't want to continue this topic. She deliberately evaded, "General Baili, if there's nothing else, you may leave. I, this Princess, am tired!"
"Your Highness is trying to send me away. Does Your Highness not wish to see me, or not wish to see His Majesty's command? Your Highness, do not forget His Majesty's entrustment, and do not let Xiliang's years of planning go to waste!"
Baili Xi shouted furiously, trying to awaken Murong Jinyun and make her consider Xiliang, so as not to become a sinner for the entire Xiliang.
"Your Highness, you are a Xiliang person. Do you not know the suffering the people of Xiliang have endured over the years? Now that there is finally a chance to change this situation, Your Highness is destroying everything for your own selfish reasons. What face do you have to meet the people of Xiliang? Do you truly wish to be a sinner to all of Xiliang!"
"Enough, shut up, Baili Xi. These words are not for you to say. Your actions have overstepped your bounds!"
Murong Jinyun slammed the teacup in her hand heavily onto the ground, as if to remind Baili Xi of his behavior.
"Did I overstep, or has Your Highness's actions made you unworthy of being the Princess of Xiliang, and a betrayal to the people of Xiliang!"
"Baili Xi, I tell you, what I have done is for the sake of the people of Xiliang. Xiliang has become this way because of natural disasters that caused crop failure, and because of years of warfare that have emptied the national treasury, leaving no grain to be distributed!"
"It is not something that can be solved by invading other countries and seizing their grain. If you do not change yourselves, sooner or later... sooner or later, Xiliang will perish, destroyed by your hands."
Xiliang had been in continuous warfare for years, and its treasury was long empty. It couldn't even afford to provide relief grain. Coupled with several years of natural disasters, Xiliang was already at its last legs.
If they continued to rely on plundering others to feed themselves, when would it end? It would still be difficult to hold on for much longer.
"Does Your Highness mean you do not wish to continue with this matter?"
Baili Xi heard the intention behind Murong Jinyun's words, and his tone couldn't help but deepen, carrying a hint of anger.
"I simply feel that we should not continue. It is time for Xiliang to seek a new path and not make a mistake all the way."
"Your Highness, do not forget that this is His Majesty's decision. Since His Majesty has made this decision, it is the most suitable for Xiliang. As the Princess of Xiliang, receiving the people's sustenance, you naturally must prioritize the people in all matters. His Majesty's actions are all for the people of Xiliang. I implore Your Highness to also consider the people of Xiliang!"
"I am precisely considering the people of Xiliang. Now that Dongchu is powerful, if we rashly kill the Emperor of Dongchu, and enrage Dongchu, leading them to attack Xiliang with their entire nation's strength, it will be the people of Xiliang who suffer. As the Princess of Xiliang, I cannot, for my own selfish reasons, abandon the people to hardship and suffering."
Murong Jinyun rebuked angrily. She felt that Baili Xi had become deranged at this point, completely resorting to any means to achieve his goals.
"Your Highness, your mind is made up. Are you truly going to betray Xiliang? I wonder if you will ever have the face to set foot in Xiliang again."
The day had finally come to this. Baili Xi sneered, his gaze towards Murong Jinyun filled with hostility.
They had planned for so long; it could not be ruined like this. How could he be reconciled?
"I just feel that if it's for the sake of the Xiliang people, there are other methods that can work."
"Does Your Highness mean to seek peace with Dongchu?"
Murong Jinyun nodded faintly, "That is indeed my intention. Years of warfare ultimately cause suffering to the innocent people. If we continue to fight like this, even if we win, Xiliang will be scarred. Why can't we seek peace with Dongchu?"
"Peace... Hmph..."
Baili Xi felt that what Murong Jinyun said was pure fantasy. The blood shed by Xiliang's soldiers over the years, the men of the Baili clan who had lost their lives on the battlefield, how could he face his ancestors and the fallen soldiers if he didn't灭掉 Dongchu? He would never give up like this.
"Throughout my life, I will灭掉 Dongchu, until death!"
His greatest wish in life was to灭掉 Dongchu. He had sworn before his grandfather's deathbed that he would personally lead the army to灭掉 Dongchu and comfort his spirit in heaven. He would absolutely not give up like this.
For him to give up would only happen if he were dead; otherwise, it was absolutely impossible.
"You are simply mad... mad! For your own selfish desires, you are willing to endanger the lives of tens of thousands of Xiliang people, to plunge the entire land of Xiliang into turmoil, and make the people uneasy. Is this what you call caring for the people of Xiliang!"
"Baili Xi, ask yourself, what are you fighting for? your own fame and fortune, or the people of Xiliang? It's all just your selfish desires. Go and ask the common people, how many of them are willing to fight? Who is willing to send their husbands and sons to the battlefield!"
Murong Jinyun felt that Baili Xi was utterly unfamiliar at this moment, so unfamiliar that she felt immense fear.
He had now reached a state of madness for the sake of his obsession. The Baili Xi of today was no longer the Baili Xi she once knew.
Baili Xi was startled in his heart and couldn't help but start to ponder Murong Jinyun's words, but he still stubbornly insisted on his own answer, "I... I am fighting for the people of Xiliang, of course. Only by completely灭掉 Dongchu and obtaining their land can the people of Xiliang live better lives. Everything I do is for the sake of millions of people."