sjar Chapter 15 I oppose what the enemy supports, that’s for sure!
Chapter 15 I oppose what the enemy supports, that’s for sure!
Wow, this guy is quite brave! He actually flatters the prince in front of the emperor?
Regardless of whether Emperor Xia really has any opinions about the prince, I'm sure Emperor Xia doesn't want to see this trick of brothers fighting against each other, right?
really.
Emperor Xia rebuked him, "Everyone has their own opinions on military and national affairs, how can you criticize your elder brother like this?"
The second prince was also a bachelor. He quickly stepped out of the group and said, "I have spoken without restraint. I beg your forgiveness, Father!"
Then he turned to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, I have spoken rudely. I hope Your Highness will not blame me..."
"hehe!"
The Crown Prince, however, had a kind demeanor. He held the Second Prince's arm with both hands and said with a smile, "We are all brothers, and we are both here to relieve our father's worries. It is normal for us to have disagreements on words. Second brother, please don't do this!"
Gu Jingzhi looked at the two brothers putting on a show and thought to himself, it turns out that none of those trained by the royal family are simple!
Just now, the Second Prince jumped out to make personal attacks. Although he was reprimanded, he tried to label the Crown Prince as a coward in Emperor Xia's mind.
The prince's words were quite appropriate.
He showed the ambition of a crown prince and stated that he was doing this to relieve his father's worries, denying the label of cowardice given to him by the second prince.
After hearing this, the second prince just rolled his eyes and returned to his seat.
Gu Jingzhi looked at the third prince again. He looked very honest. It seemed that he either supported Song Pu's side or said nothing.
This was probably because the Yun Kingdom defected to the Great Xia Dynasty twenty years ago, so in the eyes of the Xia Dynasty people, the ten northern states were unrecovered territories!
The same is true for Emperor Xia, especially the battle ten years ago. It seems that because of the defeat, this battle became a pain in Emperor Xia's heart.
Song Pu's proposal to join forces with Liyue Kingdom to encircle Beili at this time was exactly what Emperor Xia wanted. The reason why he asked him to come was simply because he didn't want to offend the prince in person. Secondly, what the prince said made sense.
Everything will be easy if we win.
If he fails to win, the shame of the ten northern states will accompany him throughout his life in history books.
Gu Jingzhi briefly sorted out his thoughts, then said, "Your Majesty, I think both the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Song have their reasons..."
"..."
Everyone's eyelids rolled up, especially Emperor Xia, who glared at him.
Who would have thought that Gu Jingzhi's next words would shock everyone. He said, "However, I agree more with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
What?
Emperor Xia's expression suddenly turned gloomy.
He looked at Gu Jingzhi with a pair of eyes, which were full of scrutiny.
Song Pu was so happy that his heart blossomed. He had thought that since Gu Jingzhi was following Emperor Xia, with his intelligence he would definitely be able to guess what Emperor Xia was thinking. He did not expect that he would actually bring about his own destruction.
Based on his understanding of Emperor Xia, no matter what decision Emperor Xia will make this time, his trust in Gu Jingzhi will probably be somewhat diminished.
Without Emperor Xia's trust, Gu Jingzhi would be like a fish on the chopping board, to be cut by others.
As expected, Emperor Xia asked with a slightly cold gaze, "Gu Qing, do you also disagree with the war?"
"Not bad, Your Majesty!"
Gu Jingzhi looked at Emperor Xia calmly and said, "I think Prime Minister Song's strategy is too radical. Even if we win, I'm afraid it won't necessarily benefit our dynasty..."
"Ha ha!"
Before he finished speaking, he heard someone laugh. Song Pu looked at Gu Jingzhi mockingly and said, "I don't know what Master Gu meant by 'no benefit'."
"Yup!"
The Second Prince also chimed in with a smile, "If Beili is defeated, our dynasty can seize the opportunity to conquer the ten northern states. This would be a huge benefit no matter how you look at it. I wonder where Lord Gu got the evidence for his claim of no benefit..."
"Not bad!"
The two ministers also nodded.
Even the crown prince felt that there was something wrong with what Gu Jingzhi said. He opposed the war only because he considered the consequences of losing the war, but if they won... there would be many benefits no matter how you looked at it.
However, Emperor Xia's expression brightened slightly after hearing what he said.
"I also want to know what evidence you have to prove that this is of no benefit!"
Gu Jingzhi ignored the sneers of others and said seriously:
"Your Majesty, the Liyue Kingdom is just a branch of the Beili Dynasty. To put it bluntly, it is a vassal state of the Beili Dynasty. However, such a small vassal state can prevent the Beili Dynasty from gaining any advantage. This shows that the combat power of this small country is probably extraordinary!"
"Well!"
Emperor Xia hesitated for a moment, but nodded in agreement.
After all, he was a monarch on horseback, and he was very knowledgeable about military affairs. When Gu Jingzhi said this, he recalled the situation in which the two northern countries had been fighting for several years. The small country of Liyue was indeed very powerful.
However, Song Pu said: "That's right, our dynasty has a greater chance of winning the war with Beili!"
"hehe!"
Gu Jingzhi sneered and said, "The Prime Minister only knows one side of the story!"
"Oh? Then I'd like to ask Master Gu for advice!"
After being slapped in the face again and again, Song Pu was too lazy to maintain his composure in front of the king, and he emphasized the word "ask for advice" especially.
Gu Jingzhi didn't take it seriously and said, "Beili has been unable to move south for over a decade, and even their harassment of the border has become less and less frequent. This is enough to prove that if they were to fight us, they probably wouldn't have much chance of winning!"
"In this case, can I conclude that the border troops of Daxia and Beili are equally strong?"
"Well!"
Emperor Xia nodded and said, "That makes sense! Continue..."
"Your Majesty! Since our dynasty and Beili Dynasty have equal military strength, but Beili cannot defeat the small nation of Liyue... If Beili is destroyed, Liyue will be at its peak military power. At that time, they will be bordering our dynasty. I wonder if they will be willing to move south?"
"Our dynasty has not yet absorbed the ten states. If the Liyue Nation seizes the opportunity to attack our dynasty, will we be able to defend the ten newly acquired states?"
"This……"
Everyone's expressions changed.
Especially Emperor Xia himself, he naturally understood the principle of making a concerted effort. If the Liyue Kingdom took advantage of the situation and moved south, the ten states that they had just acquired would probably be lost.
In fact, because of the fighting, the border troops suffered heavy casualties and their strength was not as good as before.
On the other hand, the Minister of Rites, who had probably always been polite in his life, actually jumped out and said foolishly, "If our dynasty goes to war, we must form an alliance with the Liyue Kingdom. How can we easily break the oath of alliance between the two countries? If he does this, isn't he afraid that other countries will laugh at him?"
"This……"
Gu Jingzhi looked at him with pity, and even Emperor Xia was speechless.
The reason why we called him to discuss this matter today was simply because receiving envoys was the responsibility of his Ministry of Rites. But I didn't expect that he would say such words. It was really embarrassing to listen to!
As a close minister to the emperor, Gu Jingzhi naturally had to speak for the emperor.
He smiled and said, "Master Tang, if the interests of the nation were all based on the word 'propriety', there would be no wars in the world, and no disputes between nations!"