The assembled Yan Kingdom court officials finally caught on. They hadn't spent too much time marveling at how a memorial from the First Prince of Nanwang City, after much discussion, had actually led to:

A request for His Majesty to send troops to punish Qian and Chu!

Because this was the imperial study,

Because this was before the emperor,

Because His Majesty was sitting right there;

Having navigated the court for so many years, their political sensitivity was naturally beyond question. The Sixth Prince and the Earl of Pingye's almost blatant double act might not have been due to their poor acting skills, but rather because they simply wanted to provide a pretext, an opportunity, or rather, a justification.

As for who it was intended for… who else could it be?

In fact, wars between nations have always been about wanting to strike you and then finding an excuse, because if our national strength is inferior to yours and we feel we can't defeat you, we'll have countless excuses to avoid fighting you.

The law of the jungle has always prevailed between nations; the assembled dignitaries couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

His Majesty,

Is preparing to send troops.

To send troops when the Yan's finances are particularly strained, almost to the point of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

For a moment,

The gazes of the assembled officials rapidly converged.

Even Wang Lian, who had previously stepped forward with "ill intentions," didn't speak again at this moment, because his earlier targeting of Zheng Fan wasn't because he wanted to target him, but because he knew that His Majesty didn't want his ministers to be monolithic and harmonious. The Sixth Prince was indeed powerful now, but the Crown Prince had just assumed the responsibility of overseeing the state, and His Majesty had to see that there were truly influential figures in the court willing to stand on the East Palace's side, otherwise, it would be disrespecting His Majesty's "oversight."

But next,

When the spearhead was once again entrusted to His Majesty's hands,

Everyone would have to carefully consider how to speak and how to express their views.

Because they had to see His Majesty's attitude.

If His Majesty rebuked them both,

Then everyone could follow suit with "kicking them when they're down" or "grabbing a bargain." In short, there were plenty of ways to "push" everything that was happening now.

If His Majesty scolded them with a smile,

Then everyone could offer a little advice, using the guise of persuading His Majesty, because everyone knew what risks the Yan would have to bear if they launched another large-scale war at this time.

If His Majesty asked them seriously,

Then everyone could only become clay figures, because they wouldn't dare to completely defy His Majesty's will.

Of course,

If His Majesty…

"Bang!"

The Yan Emperor's right hand slammed down on the imperial desk, and he said in a deep voice:

"The Qian and Chu states are incorrigibly ambitious! The two countries have reached an agreement, yet they have broken their promises and are plotting to send troops to invade our Great Yan three years later! Do they really think that We, that all the officials of the Yan court, are made of clay!"

It was clearly a very obvious double act,

The most direct evidence was actually the Earl of Pingye's words.

Although he had indeed met the Regent of Great Chu and the Emperor of Great Qian, there were few people in the entire world who had met so many emperors.

But just based on one person's words, he was going to launch a national war?

As for what breach of faith,

Yes,

The Yan, Qian, and Chu had all signed peace treaties, but the Yan turned around and massacred tens of thousands of Qingluan soldiers. Despite this, Chu agreed to continue signing the peace treaty, and then the Earl of Pingye ran to the Chu territory to capture a princess, and the Marquis of Jingnan took the initiative to send troops to pressure Zhennanguan (Southern Garrison Pass).

As for Qian, the Yan also kept increasing the annual tribute to Qian, deliberately provoking the Qian people's emotions.

So,

It was the Yan who treated the peace treaty as toilet paper.

But how should I put it?

A powerful country,

Naturally has the right to be unreasonable.

The Yan Emperor's attitude,

Was very clear.

The two young men below sang in harmony,

He took it seriously,

He was also furious.

In other words,

Everyone present,

Did you understand?

The Yan court, the power of the emperor, far exceeded the past;

Because throughout history, there have been too many ways for subjects to restrain their monarchs.

And the core of power is military power.

Like the Emperor of Qian, if he wanted to mobilize the capital's imperial guards or the troops on the three borders, he would have to wait until the Yan invaded, taking advantage of this momentum to truly start a painful purge. In the past, even if he was the emperor, he would have been afraid of a hasty move causing a backlash from below.

Because except for the founding emperors, later emperors found it difficult to grasp real military power. Even the generals leading troops outside had their own networks of connections. They would naturally unite to offset the emperor's "power of life and death."

But here with the Yan Emperor,

It could be said that he had no military power,

Because the two most capable armies of the Yan, which also devoured most of the annual military expenditure, were not actually in his hands.

But the two people who truly held military power in the Yan didn't show the slightest sign of rebellion and had always stood firmly behind the Yan Emperor.

Military power was delegated, but the monarch's position was infinitely elevated.

This was a very incredible phenomenon, but it had truly appeared.

You could say that this power structure was extremely unstable, even a little too presumptuous. Any emperor who was even slightly normal wouldn't choose to do this, and would even instinctively try to nip it in the bud;

But unfortunately,

The current Yan Emperor,

Truly had the final say.

After the removal of the aristocratic families, a large area of power in the court was left vacant, and this emperor could arbitrarily choose his own people to fill the court.

In addition, with Zhao Jiulang as the head of the civil service, yet extremely obedient to the Yan Emperor, the elements that could restrain the monarchy in the Yan were basically non-existent. He was an autocrat.

The next moment,

Zhao Jiulang stood up,

Knelt down to the Yan Emperor,

And said loudly:

"Your Majesty, the ambitions of the Qian and Chu are as clear as day. I beseech Your Majesty to consider the future of your descendants, send a righteous army, and punish Qian and Chu!"

The chief minister was the first to express his stance.

Immediately afterward,

Wang Lian, Cao Que, and Xu Qiutai stood up and knelt down:

"We beseech Your Majesty to consider the future and punish Qian and Chu!"

The remaining officials also left their positions and knelt down to petition.

A moment ago,

The court officials who had been worried about the Yan's extremely embarrassing financial situation were now all righteously indignant and requesting His Majesty to send troops to start a national war!

Some were shedding tears of old age;

Some were flushed with excitement;

Some refused to admit they were old and asked for a long spear, willing to be in the vanguard;

Some were willing to give up all their family wealth to raise military funds for the Yan.

If you do something wrong, you'll at most be punished;

If you express the wrong attitude, then, what use are you?

So,

Everyone's attitude changed very quickly, very thoroughly, without any hesitation.

Even the Crown Prince,

Also knelt down at this time,

"Your son requests Father Emperor to send troops to punish Qian and Chu!"

Zheng Boye, who had grabbed a front-row kneeling position early on, was somewhat excited at this time;

He wasn't really interested in that chair. To be precise, he didn't have any sense of the sanctity of imperial power;

After all, in the time and space where he used to live, he could buy a ticket and go to the Forbidden City for a stroll.

But this feeling of creating momentum out of nothing, simply because of the Yan Emperor's attitude, Zheng Boye was very fascinated and very intoxicated by it.

In Xuehaiguan (Snow Sea Pass), he himself was actually like this.

He could ignore the value of the benefits and purely announce some measures based on his own preferences. His demon kings wouldn't stop him, and no one else would stop him either.

But that was just Xuehaiguan.

The person in front of him could command the entire Yan, including the people of the Three Jins, countless people, wealth, and grain, to embark on the path of conquest he wanted.

He wanted to go against the tide,

And the entire Yan would have to follow his orders and go against the tide.

Zheng Boye had heard a story when he was a child,

Called "The Emperor's New Clothes."

When many people read this story, they thought the emperor was stupid, the officials were stupid, and the people were stupid, and then sighed that only the last child retained the purity of childhood.

But from another perspective,

How terrifying was the control of an emperor who could make all the people of the country, as long as they were adults with thinking abilities, cooperate with him in acting and "calling a deer a horse"?

Inside the imperial study,

The overall situation had been decided.

Zheng Boye even felt that even if he didn't participate in this play, it wouldn't be difficult for the Yan Emperor to forcefully push it forward himself.

His addition simply made things smoother.

The consensus reached in the imperial study today would spread throughout the court during the court session tomorrow. At that time, everything in the Yan Empire would be put into operation again for the upcoming national war.

But the Yan Emperor was clearly a pragmatist. He wasn't satisfied with slogans. He eagerly wanted his achievements to be implemented at a visible pace.

So,

He immediately raised the next issue:

"Attack Qian first, or attack Chu first?"

The Yan Emperor wanted the next court session to be completely reduced to a formality on this matter, and didn't want to throw the wrangling to that place again.

The general direction had been reversed, and now, regardless of whether they were willing or not, everyone could only make choices in this direction.

Wang Lian immediately said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that we should attack Qian first. Qian is wealthy."

Qian's wealth was well known, because most of Qian's territory was inherited from the former Great Xia. The geographical location was inherently advantageous, and it had been managed and developed for a long time.

Attacking Qian would make it easier to support the war with war.

Cao Que also said: "Your Majesty, I believe that we should attack Qian first. Qian has a vast territory and a large population. Its emperor has shown signs of actively preparing for war. Given time, Qian will inevitably become a major problem for our Yan. Moreover, the Qian people's three borders directly face our Yinlang County. Attacking Qian first can resolve our Yan's southern situation."

Although the Yan had annexed the Three Jins, the Yan people would still regard their own original territory as the place they truly cherished. In any case, they should protect their old home first.

In addition, attacking Qian would facilitate the transportation of manpower and materials, reducing logistical pressure.

And if they attacked Chu, fighting a hard battle at Zhennanguan would mean that the Yan's military deployment and logistical support would also leave the Yan's homeland and cross the entire Jin territory.

Anyone,

Knew that attacking Qian was the most suitable choice at this time.

To be honest,

If Zheng Boye wasn't the garrison commander of Xuehaiguan, and if the Marquis of Jingnan wasn't in Jin, Zheng Boye would also think that attacking Qian first was the most suitable choice. Even if the Qian people had trained and expanded their new army in recent years, Zheng Fan didn't believe that the Qian people's combat power could achieve a qualitative leap in a short period of time.

Moreover, attacking Qian, nibbling and collecting along the way, even if it was a loss, it wouldn't be too much of a loss. It could clearly be made up for.

But unfortunately,

If they attacked Qian first, there would be nothing for him to do.

The Marquis of Jingnan might mobilize troops to attack Qian at that time, and what about him? He could only guard his home.

If they won, he could only watch from afar and drool;

If they lost, then the Yan's situation would directly collapse. Not to mention the instability of the Three Jins, when the Chu marched north, his Xuehaiguan would become an enclave surrounded by the Chu army at the first moment.

And the Chu weren't barbarians. The Chu's strongest point was their infantry. If the Chu really surrounded them, their siege methods would be far beyond what the barbarians could compare to.

In the worst-case scenario,

Zheng Boye would likely be forced to leave the pass and go to the snowfield, leading the demon kings and the remaining troops to become a veritable "barbarian earl" on the snowfield.

Fighting a war was like gambling. Regardless of winning or losing, he had to throw the chips himself and have a good time. Even if he lost, he wouldn't feel aggrieved!

Anyway, he had played and experienced it himself, and he could accept whatever the final result was.

But watching others roll the dice from a distance and passively bearing the consequences? What was that all about?

However,

Before Zheng Boye could speak,

Even before Ji Chengjue could speak,

The Crown Prince,

Spoke first:

"Father Emperor, your son believes that if we are to wage a national war, our Yan must prioritize one over the other."

This was nonsense.

The Yan's finances were currently strained, and even if they overspent and squeezed the country's strength, they could only barely cope with one battlefield.

But the Crown Prince's next words surprised most people in the imperial study.

"Therefore, your son believes that we should attack Chu first and defend against Qian, for three reasons:

First, the Qian people are cowardly. If our Yan attacks Chu first, the Qian people may watch from the sidelines; a hundred years ago, when our Yan was in a bloody battle with the barbarians, the Qian people still chose to march north, which shows that the Qian people are short-sighted and value profit;

Second, from the capital to Yinlang County to the Qian people's three borders to Chuzhou County, it is a flat plain. If the Qian people dare to go north, our Yan can rely on the advantage of cavalry to gain an advantage; and even if the situation is really critical, the King of Zhenbei can also transfer troops from Beifeng County to return to support, and it will be in time.

Third, the Marquis of Jingnan is in Jin and is familiar with Chu."

Finally,

The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment,

And then said:

"There is also a fourth reason."

The Yan Emperor tapped the imperial desk lightly with his fingertips and said, "Speak."

"Your son has heard that the troops in Jin are unstable, but Jin is vast and needs to be filled with the Jin camp. If we attack Chu, we can consume the young and strong men of Jin."

A major instability factor in Jin was the Jin troops. Basically, wherever they were stationed, there would be a Yan army nearby to keep an eye on them.

These people could be used as cannon fodder to attack Chu.

Attacking Chu would inevitably involve sending troops from Jin, and the mobilization of these Jin troops would also be convenient. And if they attacked Qian, they would inevitably have to transfer Yan troops from Jin to the Qian battlefield. At that time, if there were fewer Yan troops in the Three Jins, who would watch over the Jin troops?

Anyway, they were all unstable factors, so it would be better to use them as cannon fodder.

These words were correct, but the strange thing was that they were actually said by the Crown Prince.

The Yan Emperor's eyes narrowed and he said:

"As the heir apparent, you should cultivate virtue."

Wang Lian immediately knelt down and said: "I also serve as the Crown Prince's tutor and have failed to teach the Crown Prince well. I am guilty and ask Your Majesty to punish me."

The Crown Prince's suggestion was actually correct.

The mistake was that he was the heir apparent, and it was inappropriate for him to say such words, which would be undignified.

For example, the killing of prisoners under Yupancheng (Jade Plate City),

The Chu's peace treaty was not even looked at by the Yan Emperor, because he knew Tian Wujing's approach over there;

In the end, he only took the opportunity to strip Tian Wujing of his title of king.

He himself was still clean, and the bad reputation was all borne by the Marquis of Jingnan.

This was not double standards or hypocrisy, but as an emperor, he himself had the role of uniting the people of the country, so he had to be pure.

He had to make the people believe that he was reliable, kind, and the parents of everyone.

The Crown Prince also lowered his head,

And said:

"Father Emperor, forgive me, your son was reckless."

This was just a small episode, because the Crown Prince's suggestion was very good. The only flaw was the way he spoke, but the flaw did not detract from the jade.

Zheng Boye subconsciously looked at Ji Lao Liu (Sixth Prince),

Obviously,

Ji Lao Liu was outmaneuvered by the Crown Prince.

Since Ji Lao Liu had decided to follow Zheng Fan's suggestion, to serve his old man and make him happy, he would definitely support attacking Chu first, otherwise wouldn't the Earl of Pingye, who was in the same boat with him in the open and in the dark and was the nominal number one general under Sixth Master's faction, be useless?

But the Crown Prince had said what he was going to say first,

The most annoying thing was that

The Crown Prince had actually abandoned his original "benevolence" and robbed him of his persona!

For a time,

Even Ji Lao Liu was a little confused about his second brother's routine,

One moment he was playing decadent, the next he was playing aggressive.

Could it be that the position of overseeing the country had reignited his fighting spirit?

"Chengjue, you speak."

Having been named, Ji Chengjue could only speak, and he couldn't repeat what the Crown Prince had said earlier. Repeating other people's views was a major taboo in politics;

"Father Emperor, your son believes that we should attack Chu. If we are to wage a major war, the battlefield should be as far away from our Yan homeland as possible."

Jin, especially the eastern half of the former Cheng, had long been depopulated due to the barbarians and the Chu. It was already a ruined place, so let it continue to be ruined.

There was another saying about defending against the enemy outside the country, that was, the battlefield should be as far away as possible from one's own traditional territory. The Three Jins was newly annexed territory, while the Yan's original territory was what the ancestors had worked hard to build for eight hundred years. It was the foundation of the Ji family and the Yan people.

Ji Chengjue added:

"Moreover, the last time our army attacked Qian, although we reached the capital, we actually failed to occupy the territory behind us. The Qian people's three borders are solid. As long as they hold them, our Yan troops can only be unable to advance or retreat and get stuck in the mud.

And if we capture Zhennanguan, then the initiative in the Chu situation will change hands. Whether to continue expanding the scale of the war is in our Yan's hands.

Your son believes that if we attack Chu, we must first capture Zhennanguan, and even if we want to attack Qian, we must first capture Zhennanguan to block the Chu people's path north!"

The Yan Emperor then turned his gaze to Zheng Fan;

"There are advantages and disadvantages to attacking either one first. Analyzing it back and forth won't lead to a perfect solution. Earl of Pingye, tell me, say something that they haven't said, let Us listen."

"I beseech Your Majesty to attack Chu first!"

The Yan Emperor smiled,

And said calmly:

"Continue."

Zheng Fan took a deep breath,

And said firmly:

"Because I'm there!"