Chapter 1228 - 303: The Rising Flames of War

Chapter 1228: Chapter 303: The Rising Flames of War

"Because I am there."

This statement was made with great confidence.

Once, Lord Pingye of Yan, the young prince of the wild tribes, General Nian Yao of Chu State, and Zhong Tianlang of Qian State were called the four outstanding figures of the next generation in the military.

But now, no one insists on this saying anymore, even the people of Qian and Chu won’t mention it.

As for scholars, they can rise through praise. At any time, scholars play with the idea of being aloof, praising each other within their circles, and outsiders rarely intervene; if one dares to intervene, it means having no taste and failing to recognize masterpieces.

However, for military officers, relying purely on praise is ultimately unsustainable, and the true achievements that can endure praise aren’t internal but are on foreign battlefields.

The young prince of the wild tribes reportedly waged battles against many rebellious tribes in the desert, but firstly, the desert is too distant from the eastern nations, and secondly, his act of lowering his status before the Yan Emperor greatly diminished his image.

Zhong Tianlang once captured several Yan people’s forts along the border, but after the Eldest Prince arrived in Nanwang City, Zhong Tianlang also became obedient, seemingly bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

General Nian Yao, apart from capturing several princes within the country, had his greatest foreign achievement at Town South Pass, where he once played chess against Lord Jingnan.

The world knows how difficult it is to play against Lord Jingnan Tian Wujing, but this foreign achievement does sound a bit stifled.

Only Lord Zheng,

With three hundred riders took Mianzhou City and left after slaying the prefect;

With a thousand riders penetrated deep into Qian State, slain Prince Fu and withdrew;

With three thousand riders accompanied Li Fusheng into Qian State, enjoying the snow outside the imperial capital;

With ten thousand riders, launched a thousand-mile assault to capture Snow Sea Pass, burying the main force of the wild people in one fell swoop.

Because Lord Jingnan is unpopular among the people, the populace greatly praises Lord Pingye, and some even spread the word that Lord Pingye said the more, the merrier in terms of soldiers.

For the grand figures present in the Yan court, they are already past the age of intense fervor; if officials are divided into grades, they have already entered the realm of immovable like a mountain.

This isn’t blind praise, but in the earlier years of Qian State, Master Zang led his disciples in training on maintaining composure and once took a group of disciples to the imperial capital, to enter the Hanlin Academy.

The Hanlin of Qian are considered extremely noble, but to have a promising future and aspire to attain the position of minister, one must be tempered by the Hanlin Academy.

The Hanlin are arduously cultivating within for their future noble class and cool umbrellas,

While the Qi cultivators watch their meditation from the cubicle outside;

Moreover, Master Zang once personally said that the heart cultivation of the current ministers is, undoubtedly higher than his.

To the officials in the Imperial Study, equivalent to ministers of Qian State in status, they dislike impetuousness, preferring to govern a great nation as if cooking a small dish, aiming for stability, and disliking overly radical attitudes.

Yet when faced with Lord Pingye’s statement,

They felt no ripples in their hearts.

After stepping over the aristocracy, the officials nurtured by the Yan Emperor himself were elevated; with centralized power and stable sovereignty, the Yan Emperor doesn’t have to consider political balance and conflicts among nobles and scholar-bureaucrat factions when selecting these officials as other emperors in neighboring countries do.

Thus, these officials may have different personalities and may privately have some personal preferences, but in matters of great significance, they stand with the Yan Emperor.

Previously, many people articulated their reasons.

But Lord Pingye’s reason, seemingly simple and straightforward, paradoxically seemed the most solid to everyone.

This young Lord of Yan, since joining the army, truly hasn’t lost any battles; every engagement he participated in was a major victory, and he is particularly skilled in achieving great success with small forces.

Of course, besides him, there’s the Lord Jingnan behind him.

Given the current situation in Yan, forcibly starting a national war is truly gambling; if victorious, there may still be issues, but at least the nation’s direction can remain stable, and if lost, the nation faces the risk of collapse.

Therefore,

The inner thoughts of the grand figures, after Lord Zheng uttered those words,

Indeed turned to:

Since it’s gambling, why not choose someone who has never lost?

Military matters aren’t child’s play;

In state affairs, sacrifices and military are of utmost importance;

But everyone couldn’t help thinking along those lines, simply hoping for good fortune.

At this point,

Hsu Qiutai spoke:

"Your Majesty, King Town North needs to guard Beifeng Prefecture, unless absolutely necessary, the court won’t redeploy him; if initiating a national war, the commander must be Lord Jingnan.

Thus, I suggest attacking Chu State first."

This time, as the Secretary of State, Hsu Qiutai directly fixed upon Lord Jingnan.

Because the last eastern expedition was initially commanded by the Eldest Prince, resulting in a mistake, leading to the disastrous defeat of the Left Army with heavy casualties.

Though there was nothing wrong with the Eldest Prince’s command, and both victory and defeat are common in warfare, everyone knows if Lord Jingnan was appointed commander from the start, the defeat at Wang River wouldn’t have happened.

The Emperor wants to initiate a national war, we agree, but some things must be clear in the Emperor’s mind.

The gaze of the Yan Emperor slightly darkened.

He could hear the implied meaning of Hsu Qiutai; he was concerned if attacking Qian State, the Emperor might again have the Eldest Prince lead the troops, or at least initially lead them.

Yet,

The Yan Emperor wasn’t angry because the one who was ineffectual before was his son.

This time in the national war, the commander will undoubtedly be Tian Wujing, as Li Liangting’s health was never good and unsuitable for another journey.