Chapter 193: Chapter 157 Drafting the Decree, North Prince is Brave and Skilled in Battle…_i

Translator: 549690339 |

Great Sum, Capital City.

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall.

The officials were buzzing with discussion. The entire hall was like a marketplace.

At that moment, the voice of a eunuch echoed through the air.

“His Majesty arrives!”

The chaotic noise in the hall disappeared instantly, and silence once again prevailed.

Wearing a yellow dragon robe, the Sum Emperor slowly made his way onto the platform. With a wave of his sleeve, he then sat upon the Dragon Throne. His piercing gaze swept over the officials below, especially those from the Aristocratic Family.

After a while, the Sum Emperor finally spoke, “Regarding the war between Great Wu and Great Sum, what opinions do my esteemed ministers have?” Assistant Minister Wang Chengshuo stood up without hesitation and said directly, “Your Majesty, the Great Wu’s army is ferocious. As of now, the situation on the front lines is intense, and the Imperial Army has suffered countless casualties. If we continue to fight like this, I fear that the number of our military forces will be greatly reduced. I believe we should summon the armies of the Seigniors to the front lines to resist the Great Wu invasion.” Hearing Wang Chengshuo’s words, the Sum Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly. He was no fool. Although Wang Chengshuo only mentioned the Seigniors without naming names, the Sum Emperor instantly guessed Wang Chengshuo’s intention.

At this time, Right Minister Zhao Wenhan also stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I think what Assistant Minister Wang has said is not without reason.” “According to the reports from the front, in just half a month, the court has lost nearly one hundred thousand troops. It is clear that Great Wu came prepared and are still reinforcing their numbers. This is obviously not a minor skirmish.” “Although it appears that we started the war, but Great Wu was able to gather so many troops in such a short time and swiftly conquered two of our counties. It is obvious that they had anticipated a war like this. Therefore, I believe that the outbreak of this war between the two countries is being deliberately instigated by someone within Great Sum.”

Hearing Zhao Wenhan’swords, the Sum Emperor sneered coldly; of course, he knew the instigator of this war was within Great Sum’s interior. It was evident that it was those from the Aristocratic Family.

His Shadow Guard had already found that the Chu Family had close relations with the Great Martial Royal Family. This war was likely instigated by the Chu Family and other southern Aristocratic Families.

As for their motives, he did not need to rush to guess; soon, they would reveal them themselves.

At this moment, the Sum Emperor said coldly, “Continue.”

Zhao Wenhan went on, “I believe it very likely that a Seignior within Great Sum has instigated this war, someone who wants Great Sum’s court to exhaust its elite fighting Great Wu. Once the court’s forces are significantly depleted, that person will directly rebel. And then, the court will no longer be able to stop that person.”

‘Therefore, I think in order to avoid the Seigniors from rebelling after the war has ended, we should send all the troops from their domains to the front lines.” Hearing Zhao Wenhan’s words, the Sum Emperor showed a hint of a smile and then said, “Zhao makes a very good point, and that is what I have been considering as well. However, moving the soldiers from the Seignior’s territories so freely could possibly lead to dissatisfaction among them.” Zhao Wenhan said, “As Seigniors of Great Sum, defending Great Sum is their duty. Your Majesty was benevolent, and it was already generous to allow them to retain armies within their domains. If at this time they are unwilling to send troops, it would be tantamount to rebellion.”

At this time, Wang Chengshuo said, “Your Majesty, I believe the North Prince is brave and adept at war, and with fifty thousand Heavy Cavalry in his hands, he is the strongest military power among all the Seigniors. As long as he goes to the front line, he will surely drive the Great Wu army out of Great Sum and uphold the might of our nation!”

“Moreover, with the North Prince sending troops, he will set an example for the other Seigniors. Then the others will also have to follow suit and send troops.”

Hearing Wang Chengshuo’s words, the Sum Emperor chuckled softly; there you have it, the Aristocratic Family’s real purpose was now exposed, without any need for him to speculate.

The Sum Emperor had long anticipated that such a day would come.

After all, from the perspective of the aristocratic families, he possessed fifty thousand heavy cavalry. This fact caused those families sleepless nights, as they would not rest until they had dissolved those fifty thousand heavy cavalry. In fact, it wasn’t just those aristocratic families who were losing sleep; he himself also harbored fear towards the fifty thousand heavy cavalry and was considering how to deal with them.

However, for the time being, he did not wish for the fifty thousand heavy cavalry to be dissolved, after all, he still needed to use the fifty thousand heavy cavalry of North City to deter the aristocratic families who were contemplating rebellion.

But judging by the behavior of these aristocratic families, it seemed they could hardly wait any longer.

At this moment, the Sum Emperor’s gaze fell upon Lin Gaoyuan.

Lin Gaoyuan naturally felt the Sum Emperor’s gaze but did not immediately stand up to say anything.

After his son, Lin Xiuming, returned from North City, he reported the details of the situation there without omission, making Lin Gaoyuan the most knowledgeable about North City among the entire court.

Lin Gaoyuan did not wish to offend the North Prince, nor did he want to get involved in the current affair. After all, the Right Minister and the aristocratic faction had suggested that the Seignior might rebel, and if he stopped the North Prince from going to the front at this time, wouldn’t it seem like he was colluding with the North Prince?

Seeing that Lin Gaoyuan did not speak, the Sum Emperor’s brows furrowed slightly, clearly displeased with Lin Gaoyuan’s silence.

At this time, the Minister of Revenue, Wang Hai, stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I am aware that North City is in poverty and might lack the provisions for the campaign; therefore, I prepared in advance supplies sufficient for a hundred thousand troops to last for half a year. This would be enough for the North Prince’s fifty thousand heavy cavalry to remain at the front for half a year, so the North Prince needn’t worry about running out of food.”

The Sum Emperor looked coldly at the Minister of Revenue, his face void of any expression.

These people were really well-prepared. A few months ago, when the Barbarian Tribe’s three hundred thousand army moved southward, the Ministry of Revenue dragged out the preparation of supplies for seventy thousand troops for more than a month.

And now, without the court having decided to send the North Prince to the front, the Ministry of Revenue had already prepared half a year’s worth of supplies for the North Prince’s troops.

At this time, the Sum Emperor looked towards the Minister of War who had not yet spoken.

“Chu, how is it that in the Ministry of War it’s the Assistant Minister who makes decisions? Don’t you have any other opinion?”

The Assistant Minister of War, Wang Chengshuo, was from the Wang Family, and the newly appointed Minister of War, Chu Qinwu, was from the Chu Family. It was clear that the two families had completely colluded, their interests intertwined, with no distinction between them.

Chu Qinwu now stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I believe what Assistant Minister Wang and the Right Minister have said is not without reason. The North Prince possesses a force of heavy cavalry far exceeding that of the court. During Great Sum’s time of foreign invasion, it is his duty to step forward.” “This is not only my opinion but also that of the imperial officials, and even more, it is the expectation of the commoners. There are many amongst the public who believe that the court should dispatch the North Prince to the front to teach the invaders a harsh lesson.”

“And the soldiers at the front also need a great victory to boost their morale.” After hearing Chu Qinwu’s words, the Sum Emperor took a sweeping glance around the hall at the other ministers, then asked, “Do any other esteemed ministers have differing thoughts?”

At this moment, the great hall was extremely quiet; no one spoke up. Whether it was the faction of Prince Lu Shuyun or that of other princes, none wanted the existence of the fifty thousand heavy cavalry of North City; thus, they were all pleased at the prospect of the North Prince’s troops being sent to the front line.

Seeing that no minister spoke further, the Sum Emperor chuckled and was about to proceed when suddenly, from outside the hall, the voice of a soldier rang out.

“Urgent report from the North Land!!!”