Although the generals in the army were displeased with Zhuo Ling's opinion, they had all heard of the Empress's fondness for the Emperor, and had just witnessed this Emperor's formidable power. Naturally, they dared not underestimate him.
Zhuo Ling hesitated for a moment and said, "I believe it is too hasty to attack the Azure Dragon Kingdom now."
The others looked at him.
"This is a golden opportunity, how can it be considered too hasty?"
Zhuo Ling glanced at them and motioned for them to be quiet.
Zhuo Ling explained, "Our victory in this battle was due to His Majesty's divine foresight and the Azure Dragon Emperor's rash actions. If we were to face their army head-on, we would be outnumbered by over a hundred thousand men, and victory would not be guaranteed. News of the Azure Dragon Kingdom's defeat has surely reached Yingzhou City, and they will have made preparations. If our army arrives and cannot achieve a swift victory, but instead becomes bogged down in a stalemate, the situation will turn against us."
He thought of what he had seen and heard during his travels over the past few months and added, "Winter is fast approaching, and the army's winter clothing is insufficient. If we march forward and our rear supply lines cannot keep up, and we run out of provisions, we cannot expect our soldiers to fight on an empty stomach and freezing. In that case, we would be the ones to lose face. Furthermore, this year the Vermilion Bird Kingdom has suffered severely from disasters, with many regions having no harvest. If it weren't for His Majesty punishing corrupt officials and recovering large sums of money from them, we would likely be unable to fend for ourselves, let alone win a war. That money is not inexhaustible; besides military expenses, it must also be used for disaster relief in various regions. Another war would cost money. Rather than taking risks now, it is better to proceed steadily, send those prisoners of war to the south for reclamation, or have the Azure Dragon Kingdom redeem them with actual silver. As long as the Vermilion Bird Kingdom's national strength continues to flourish, one day we will be able to unify the world without bloodshed."
His words were earnest, though they contained his own private considerations.
The lives of those over two hundred thousand men.
It was only today that Zhuo Ling truly witnessed the brutality of war. In less than an hour, tens of thousands of people had died on the battlefield.
When Zhuo Ling was asked by Zhuo Ling to draw his bow and shoot the Azure Dragon Emperor, he had actually been resistant, and his legs beneath his robes trembled uncontrollably.
But he could not refuse.
This was Zhuo Ling's opportunity to stand by her side openly, without being subjected to any gossip.
At the same time, he understood that the best way to save more lives was to end the war as quickly as possible, and killing the Azure Dragon Emperor would save more people.
Therefore, despite his hesitation, he ultimately loosed the arrow.
After he finished speaking, those who had been excited earlier calmed down and began to consider the feasibility of his proposal.
Every point he made was real and made perfect sense. Continuing the war now, even if they won, would only be a pyrrhic victory, and they might even get caught in a protracted struggle.
If the White Tiger Kingdom were to react and take advantage of the situation, they would be caught between two enemies, losing far more than they gained.
The King of Qin was the first to grasp the situation and spoke, "The Emperor's words are not without merit. This subject agrees with the Emperor's proposal to temporarily halt the attack and have the Azure Dragon Kingdom pay to redeem their prisoners and their late Emperor's body."
A strategist said, "The Emperor's words are comprehensive, and this subordinate believes it is feasible."
Most of the others were warriors who could barely read a few characters. Naturally, they did not fully understand the complexities. However, they knew that the Vermilion Bird Kingdom had indeed suffered severe disasters, and if the war continued, their parents and kin would go hungry.
With this thought in mind, many also expressed their agreement.
Thus, the subsequent course of action became clear.
Negotiate with the Azure Dragon Kingdom to have them pay for the redemption of their prisoners.
They were unwilling to house and feed over two hundred thousand prisoners of war for free, so this matter had to be dealt with quickly. When the Vermilion Bird Kingdom sent a few hundred men to negotiate, the people of the Azure Dragon Kingdom mistook them for an attacking force and fled in terror.
They were then captured and forced to deliver a message.
They did not dare to slack off on such an important matter. Several people traveled day and night to the capital of the Azure Dragon Kingdom, Yingzhou City, and conveyed the message to the current person in power in the Azure Dragon Kingdom.
The Prime Minister of the Azure Dragon Kingdom.
The Azure Dragon Emperor had five sons, all skilled in power struggles. When they heard that their father had been killed by the Vermilion Bird Emperor, their first reaction was not grief, nor a sense of impending doom, fearing they would be next.
Instead, they were happy that the old man was finally dead, and they could now openly compete for power.
Before the Vermilion Bird Kingdom could invade, they had already descended into chaos.
The exceptionally brilliant Prime Minister could not bear to watch and promptly imprisoned all five princes, taking charge of state affairs himself. The immediate priority was to make full preparations to prevent the Vermilion Bird Kingdom from striking directly at the heart of their empire.
Although he also felt that the Vermilion Bird Emperor would not continue to attack, he still made thorough preparations.
When he heard that the other side was willing to negotiate, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He summoned the messenger and carefully inquired about the cause and effect of the situation.
Then, he received a letter personally written by the Vermilion Bird Emperor.
The content was simple and clear: the other side had captured 231,742 of their men. Ordinary soldiers were to be redeemed at twenty taels of silver each, and centurions and above at one hundred taels each. Including the body of their Emperor, in round numbers, they demanded eight million taels of silver. Once the money was paid, the prisoners would be returned, and peace would be maintained henceforth.
Eight million taels of silver was a sum their national treasury could not produce at this moment.
The Prime Minister had a splitting headache.
Someone then came to report that the imprisoned princes were becoming restless. At this moment, he only wished to cripple them so that they would be well-behaved in the future.
He then had a change of heart. Did they not enjoy vying for power? Then he would give them an opportunity.
The Prime Minister summoned the five princes together, had them read the letter, and then said to them, "Your Highnesses are all aware that in order to recruit troops and horses in early autumn, the national treasury is currently empty, and it is impossible to produce eight million taels of silver. The subjects and the Emperor of the Azure Dragon Kingdom, the fathers of Your Highnesses, died before achieving victory. For the eternal prosperity of the Azure Dragon Kingdom, they met an unfortunate end. Now, their sacred body is still in the hands of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. Should Your Highnesses not show filial piety?"
"This Highness has no money in his residence."
"Prime Minister, this King also has no money."
"..."
The Prime Minister waited for their perfunctory excuses to finish before saying, "Since that is the case, this minister has discussed with the other officials. Among the imperial clan members, whoever contributes more money will be considered to have shown filial piety to the late Emperor. Whoever is willing to pay to redeem the late Emperor's sacred body will inherit the throne."
The five men who had just claimed poverty were instantly dumbfounded.
"Prime Minister Lu, with our father's body not yet cold, is it not too excessive to speak such words?"
"The late Emperor's remains are not yet cold, but the Azure Dragon Kingdom must eventually have a ruler. The late Emperor did not leave an imperial decree designating which prince should inherit the throne. Since that is the case, we can only use the filial piety of Your Highnesses to choose a monarch who would satisfy the late Emperor."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Prince said, "My father doted on this Highness the most during his lifetime. How could this Highness abandon his father? I am willing to contribute five hundred thousand taels of silver."
"I will contribute six hundred thousand taels."
"I will contribute eight hundred thousand taels..."