Chapter 1225 - 302: Taking Shape

Chapter 1225: Chapter 302: Taking Shape

The distinguished figures of the Yan court present finally came to a realization at this moment. They did not spend much time being astonished by how a memorandum from the Eldest Prince of Nanwang City led to such a discussion that ultimately extended to:

Requesting His Majesty to send troops to conquer Qian and Chu!

Because this is the Imperial Study,

Because this is in front of the emperor,

Because His Majesty is sitting right there;

Having witnessed the court’s ups and downs over the years, everyone’s political sensitivity needs no further mention. Previously, the Sixth Prince and Lord Pingye’s obvious double act might not have lacked in performance but was simply intended to provide a pretext, an opportunity, or rather, a rationale.

As for to whom this was presented... who else could it be?

In truth, national warfare has always been about seeking an excuse to attack you since if our national strength were not as great as yours and we found it impossible to defeat you, we would have a myriad of excuses not to engage.

The notion of the survival of the fittest among nations is something the distinguished figures here surely understand.

His Majesty,

is prepared to dispatch troops.

Despite Yan’s finances being so tight that it’s nearly a matter of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

For a moment,

eyes quickly exchanged glances among the dignitaries present.

Even Wang Lian, who earlier had voluntarily stepped forward with "malicious intent," remained silent this time. His previous challenge against Zheng Fan was not personal but rather because he understood that His Majesty did not want his ministers to be a tightly united, harmonious bloc. Currently, the Sixth Prince wields significant power, but as the Crown Prince has just been tasked with governing, someone needs to show His Majesty that there are indeed influential figures willing to stand on the side of the East Palace, otherwise, it would be considered a lack of respect for His Majesty’s "governance."

But what follows,

when the decision lies once again in His Majesty’s hands,

how everyone should speak, how they should express their opinions, requires careful consideration.

Because they must interpret His Majesty’s attitude.

If His Majesty scolds the two,

then everyone can either "take advantage" or "seize the opportunity" to push the current situation away with various means.

If His Majesty laughs and admonishes them,

then the crowd can offer a little suggestion, using a pretense of persuasion, because everyone knows that to launch another significant battle at this time means Yan will bear immense risks.

If His Majesty seriously asks them,

then everyone can only play dead, to avoid completely opposing the emperor’s will.

Of course,

if His Majesty were to...

"Bang!"

The Yan Emperor’s right hand slammed on the imperial desk, his voice heavy:

"The Qian and Chu nations, treacherous and unyielding, have formed an agreement but break their word, plotting to jointly send troops to invade our Yan in three years. Are they convinced that I, that all the Yan court officials, are made of mud!"

Although it was quite evidently a double act,

the most direct evidence was just Lord Pingye’s words,

even though he indeed met the Prince Regent of Chu and the official of Qian, across the world, there aren’t many who have encountered so many emperors.

But to engage in national warfare based on the words of just one person?

As for breaking oaths,

yes,

Yan had signed agreements with both Qian and Chu states, but Yan turned around and slaughtered tens of thousands of Blue Luan troops. Despite this, Chu agreed to continue signing agreements, and then Lord Pingye went into Chu to capture a princess, while Lord Jingnan actively sent troops to threaten Town South Pass.

On the Qian side, Yan also consistently increased tribute payments to Qian during festivals, deliberately goading the sentiments of the Qian people.

Thus,

it was Yan that regarded the treaty documents as mere tissues.

But what can be said,

a strong nation,

naturally has the privilege of being unreasonable.

The Yan Emperor’s attitude,

was clear.

The two young men below cooperated,

and he took it seriously,

and he was furious.

In other words,

gentlemen present,

do you understand?

The Yan court, the reign of monarchical power, far exceeds that of the past;

for throughout history, a minister has always had numerous ways to restrain their sovereign.

And the core of power lies within military authority.

Consider the official of Qian who wishes to mobilize the imperial capital’s guards, to move the three borders; he has to wait until the Yan invades, taking advantage of the winds of opportunity to truly take action and perform drastic measures. In the past, even if he were an official, he feared sudden actions would cause backlash.

For except for the founding emperors, later generations found it difficult to grasp true military power. Even the generals commanding troops had their own networks of connections and naturally bonded together to offset the sovereign’s "life and death command."

Yet with the Yan Emperor,

he can truly say he lacks military power,

because the two most elite army units in Yan, consuming most of the nation’s grain and rations each year, are not under his direct control.

But those who truly control Yan’s military power show no signs of rebellion and have steadfastly supported the Yan Emperor.

The military power may have been decentralized, but the monarch’s position has been infinitely elevated.

This is a remarkably perplexing phenomenon, yet it has indeed occurred.

You could say this power structure is extremely unstable, perhaps even overly simplistic; any halfway rational emperor wouldn’t choose to do so and would instinctively suppress such a tendency;

but alas,

the current Yan Emperor,

truly holds supreme authority.

With the removal of factions, the court has a vast void of power, which this sovereign can fill with his chosen people to staff the court at his will.