In the tenth year of Yuan Sui, on the eighth day of the seventh lunar month, the wind stopped, the sea was calm, and there was no cloud in the sky.
Ye Guogong Qi and Yin were sitting in the Wende Hall, their eyes were bloody and their faces were ashen, as if they had not slept all night. According to usual practice, the court meeting should have ended long ago. But when Xiang Baili hurriedly rode into the palace to pay his respects.
, but saw that all the civil and military officials were still kneeling at the foot of the steps, with their heads lowered, and they did not dare to speak to each other.
A piece of memorial paper was scattered messily in the silent hall. The thin paper trembled slightly in the wind. The memorial paper was torn in half. Although he did not know the words on it, General Qingyi could almost conclude that what was written in the memorial paper was certain.
It was the attack of the Pengguo fleet, and the fierce words of Marquis Jinghai of Shangshu, which aroused the lord's anger.
Nowadays, Qi Ziyin, who is getting older, can also attend court meetings every day and observe the methods of governing the country. Now kneeling on the ground with all the officials, he raised his head slightly and kept winking at Xiang Baili, who had just entered the palace.
Before that, it was he who secretly asked his personal bodyguard Wan Shi to use the ink crow to convey the message out of the palace.
What is even more surprising is that Qi Zixiu actually rushed back to the royal city from Xiyin that night. At this moment, he was standing beside the king, whispering something in his ear from time to time, as if he was taking care of the king's worries and giving guidance.
The appearance of the country.
General Qingyi also saw the short and fat Marquis Jinghai, and Yu Li behind him. The young General Pinghai stared at Baili with a pair of bulging eyes, making him finally understand what the news in the camp was about.
It would spread like wildfire. Qi Shouyu quickly noticed his arrival, turned around with a face full of indignation and asked:
"General Baili, you worked really hard last night. Are there any other Pengguo reinforcements outside the unknown bay?"
"No new enemy ships have been found to be invading yet. Even if the opponent plans to continue the sneak attack, I'm afraid they will have to wait until nightfall. However, the general has sent a light boat out to sea to warn. If another enemy ship appears, it should be discovered in time." Qing Yi
The general bowed his hand politely, secretly wondering what the other party wanted.
But before he could think clearly, Qi Heyin had already taken over the topic, and their uneasiness was palpable: "How long will it take for the soldiers and warships in Baisha Camp to be ready?"
With a shudder in his heart, Xiang Baili immediately took a step forward, knelt down on one knee and said loudly: "Master of the country, sending troops is a major plan of the country. A single move can affect the whole body. Don't do it too hastily——"
"I just want to ask you, when will the preparations be completed?" Qi Heyin interrupted him directly.
"If you want to attack the Peng Kingdom, which is thousands of miles away, your troops and horses will inevitably be exhausted after a long-distance attack. There is no chance of winning. Please think twice, my lord!"
General Qingyi wanted to persuade him again, but the king in the palace changed his humble attitude of accepting good advice and asked sternly: "General Baili, you are afraid of fighting in the face of battle. Could it be that your reputation as the most powerful general on land is just in vain?"
Is it for show?"
"Your Majesty! The war between the six southeastern countries has just subsided. If we rashly start another dispute at this time, it may drag the people of Wanzhou into dire straits again. Please consider it in the long term!"
Seeing that Xiang Baili strongly opposed sending troops, Marquis Jinghai fanned the flames from the side and said:
"Why do we need to take a long-term approach? I would like to ask you, is it possible that the blue flames carried on those ships are not the blue flames of Peng Kingdom?"
General Tsing Yi could not deny it and could only nod his head: "The kerosene carried by the enemy ship is indeed blue flame."
"Have any clues been found on the ship to prove the identity of the other party?"
"Currently, a rudder chain unique to Pengguo ships has been found in the wreckage of the Five Tooth Ship. There are also many items with shark patterns in the cabin, which are undoubtedly ships of the Pengguo Navy."
"Then why should we hesitate to send troops? The enemies have now reached the outside of our country!"
Qi Shouyu was obviously leading him step by step in the direction that would be conducive to dispatching troops, but General Qingyi suddenly changed his subject and turned to look directly at the pudgy prince and asked:
"Lord Governor, have you never felt that these so-called evidences are too obvious, and some of them seem to be deliberately framed for the Peng Kingdom? Although those ships were loaded with deadly blue flames last night, judging from their power, the number was already high.
It’s close to Yuennum’s output for a whole year. What’s the benefit to the Peng Kingdom for spending so much money just for a sneak attack that’s destined to be discovered?”
"Since he acts like this, he has his own reasons. Why should the general worry about the invading enemy country?"
Marquis Jinghai was speechless for a while when he was asked, but he still refused to let go.
"Moreover, the last general had sent people to conduct a careful inspection, and found that there was not a single soldier in the entire incoming fleet. The squadron he sent chased out of the harbor for twenty or thirty miles overnight, but no trace of any other ships was found. The retreat was successful.
Being so clean and leaving no traces, even the elite of our Ye Kingdom boat division may not be able to do it, and it is unheard of in the past. As a military governor, since the Marquis insists that it was the Peng Kingdom who attacked by surprise, I would like to ask for advice.
How did the other party do it?"
Qi Shouyu was finally knocked down by the question. He stared hard at the Tsing Yi general in front of him with his eyes, but his tongue seemed to be clamped by something. On the other hand, the leader of the country seemed to be a little moved by Xiang Baili's words, and his eyebrows were a little thinner.
The tone of Chaos is no longer as aggressive as before:
"Then... according to Baili Aiqing's wishes, what should we do now?"
General Qingyi immediately turned around, bowed, and continued to admonish:
"In my opinion, there are still many doubts about what happened last night. If we send out troops without authorization and start the war lightly, and if it is proven after the confrontation with Peng that someone deliberately provoked a conflict between the two countries, I am afraid that it will be difficult to recover and innocent people will be implicated.
People, for now, it is better to postpone sending troops and send envoys to Peng State to seek confirmation before making any judgment."
"That makes sense..."
Duke Ye nodded, but his energy was obviously weakened. He seemed to be seriously ill and extremely tired.
"Please forgive me for overstepping my bounds, but in my opinion——"
Upon seeing this, Qi Zixiu, who was beside the king, immediately raised his hands and wanted to interrupt. But as soon as he started to speak, the king pushed him back:
"Your opinion doesn't matter! This time you came back without being summoned. Did you—did you listen to the trumpet sound on the tower and think that I was no longer alive? And who allowed you to stand next to me in a majestic manner to discuss politics?
?How dignified!"
In just one moment, Duke Ye's attitude toward his eldest son changed dramatically. A moment ago, he had clearly personally invited his eldest son to come forward and make suggestions in front of all the civil and military officials, but now he kicked him hard in the butt.
Go up and kick it directly off the high platform where the throne is placed!
Qi and Yin's eyes widened, scanning the court officials like an angry lion. However, when he saw Jinghaihou, his sharp eyes became slumped again, and then he fell softly back to the throne.
Go, chest heaving violently:
"I, I suddenly feel a little unwell. I'm going to send troops -"
"Xiang Baili! Look how angry you are with the king of the country! Don't forget that this time it was clearly the Peng Kingdom's wanton provocation, and the evidence is conclusive. No matter what doubts there are, it should not be repeated by our Ye Kingdom.
The reason for retreating. Otherwise, how can we maintain the prestige of the country? How will we gain a foothold among the princes in the future?"
"There is a saying in the art of war: when a general uses wisdom to attack and plan, this is the best; when he attacks with strategy, this is the middle; when he uses troops to attack, this is the lowest; if he attacks the enemy's city, he will lose his own strength and may not win.
It is not advisable for the winner to make a bad move. Could it be that in the eyes of the Governor, the word "national prestige" is more important than the stability of the people and the stability of the country?"
General Qingyi still argued hard. Unexpectedly, when Marquis Jinghai heard this, he suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter echoed among the pillars of the hall, revealing the arrogance and tyranny that could not be concealed:
"General, please don't forget that just a year ago, the six southeastern countries were still at war with each other. The reason why the people of our country, Ye, live and work in peace and contentment without being displaced is precisely because of the intimidation of the boat masters and the mighty power of the country!"
Xiang Baili immediately sneered:
"The people live and work in peace and contentment? May I ask the Lord Governor, have you ever counted how many corpses of hungry people are buried in the mass graves in the west of the city? And have you ever seen the hungry people outside the Jinshui Gate after nightfall, with their cries shaking the sky!"
"Those you are talking about are all refugees, they are refugees!" Qi Shouyu became a little angry with embarrassment.
"What are refugees? Wei Liang and Huai You have been fighting for the thousands of miles of fertile land on the shore of Yugu Lake for more than four years. Even though the war has never reached the west bank, the people in nearby villages are afraid that one day they will be captured by a sudden attack while sleeping.
Their lives have fled their homes one after another, so that large areas of fertile land have been abandoned for farming. And the Yeliang Plain is the most fertile grain area in our Ye Kingdom. The harvest has dropped sharply in successive years, and more and more hungry people have moved westward. Are these people in the eyes of the governor?
, are they no longer the common people of our Ye Kingdom?!"
Xiang Baili's words were righteous, and many of the officials kneeling under the order couldn't help but nod in agreement. However, he could see from the narrowed eyes of Marquis Jinghai who was rendered speechless by his refutation.
, vaguely aware of something that was hard to catch.
"Okay, dear sirs, please stop arguing. Just send out troops. I order you two to separate your forces from land and sea within half a month, so that all invading enemies will never come back!"
No one expected that Qi and Yin, who seemed to have been persuaded by Xiang Baili, suddenly waved their hands and still decided to send troops! General Qingyi couldn't help being shocked, and immediately wanted to persuade him again, but he was so anxious that he couldn't even speak.
He started to tremble:
"No, Lord! Could it be that the last general's statement just now is meaningless to you?"
"I have made up my mind. I have a splitting headache right now. Please retreat quickly and don't mention this matter again!"
"But my lord, my lord -"
Xiang Baili wanted to fight again, but was stopped abruptly by Marquis Jinghai on the side:
"The king has already spoken. Why, General Baili, do you want to disobey the king's order?"
Faced with this hostile questioning and threat, Xiang Baili already understood that whatever he said at this time would be in vain. But he could not figure out why the always wise Duke Ye actually behaved like this today.
He had to be so capricious. However, when the king's order was given, he had no choice but to lower his head to prevent the king sitting high from seeing the angry expression on his face, and responded in a low voice:
"I... take orders..."
Then, General Qingyi stood up and left the hall, but his heart was in confusion, and his steps were even faster. Because he vaguely realized that perhaps from this day on, the six generations of kings of Ye State had struggled to maintain peace for nearly a hundred years.
The days were completely declared over.
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