The prince is more stable

Chapter 226 Shocking Victory
Some topics cannot be avoided, such as "peace talks".

The number of 300,000 made the court officials who were enjoying peace and tranquility panic.

Because this is a number that is enough to cause the demise of the Song Dynasty.

Should I pay some money and escape to avoid disaster, or should I fight to the death and fight to the last man?
The court officials all had their own values. Those who advocated war believed that the country could be destroyed but dignity could not be lost, while those who advocated peace believed that it was just a matter of spending some money, so why bother to fight to the death?
Of course, those who advocate peace talks suddenly took a high moral ground. They would never admit that they were afraid of death, but instead used the people of the world as a shield.

It is not a pity for me to die, but why should the people of the world suffer such a disaster!
Spend some money, even if it's just to treat them to whores...

Zhai Si's opinion was not his personal opinion. It can be said that he represented the attitude of at least more than half of the officials in the court.

Yes, negotiate peace, send an envoy to negotiate like before, to discuss the price, how much money can buy peace.

People who are used to kneeling will often subconsciously weaken their knees uncontrollably when faced with any disturbance.

Even though they knew clearly that the Song Dynasty now had a new and powerful firearm and that its chances of winning foreign wars were much greater than before, they were still accustomed to kneeling first to show respect.

After all, firearms have not yet been verified in actual combat, but the 300,000 enemy troops are real, not one less.

As soon as Zhai Si finished speaking, there was an uproar in the hall. The court officials ignored etiquette and started whispering to each other.

Zhao Xu's expression finally changed, and anger appeared in his eyes.

Zhao Xu has a gentle personality and is quite gentlemanly, but that doesn't mean he is spineless, especially since he is only twenty years old, full of vigor and vitality, and he can't kneel down.

He was originally an emperor who endured humiliation, but ever since Zhao Xiaoqian invented the flintlock rifle and brainwashed him, the current emperor of the Song Dynasty has actually become a member of the pro-war faction.

So Zhai Si's words made him very unhappy. He didn't like to hear such a weak voice.

Besides Zhao Xu, there was another person who was unhappy.

That was Zhao Hao.

After Zhou Zhi impeached Zhao Xiaoqian for allowing his troops to plunder, Zhao Hao gradually understood why the emperor ordered him to attend the court meeting today.

It seems that the emperor had heard the news a long time ago, so he called Zhao Xiaoqian's father today, with no other purpose but to help his son quarrel.

Just as Zhou Zhi had calmed down, Zhai Si came out again. Although he did not impeach Zhao Xiaoqian, he proposed peace talks and was also trying to make things difficult for Zhao Xiaoqian.

So when all the court officials in the hall were discussing the matter, Zhao Hao snorted angrily, and the hall suddenly became quiet.

Zhao Xu's gaze towards Zhao Hao also became gentle, even filled with silent encouragement.

My uncle is so awesome, kill them!
"Our two countries have just engaged in a war, the outcome is still undecided, and the soldiers are still fighting. Yet you are stabbing them in the back and recklessly discussing peace talks. Zhai Si, you should kneel before the Imperial Ancestral Temple and apologize. You spineless creature, are you worthy enough to stand here and offer your services as a vassal?"

Zhai Si remained calm and not angry. He simply said, "Your Highness, the King of Chu, please correct your words. Negotiating peace isn't spineless; it's the quickest way to end war and human suffering. It's unwise to fight to the death when a small sum of money can solve the problem."

Zhao Hao sneered, "All of you in this hall are well-read scholars. You should know Mr. Ming Yun's On the Six Kingdoms, which says, 'Today we cede five cities, tomorrow we cede ten, and then we can sleep peacefully for one night. When we get up and survey the four borders, the Qin army is already here.' 'Serving Qin with land is like adding fuel to a fire; until the fuel is gone, the fire will not go out.'"

"Do I need to teach you these principles? Zhai Si, do you still think that you can solve this problem by just paying a little money?"

"After the peace talks, the money has been given away. Should we reclaim the land occupied by the Xixia bandits? If they refuse, what should we do? Should we continue to spend money to buy back the lost land?"

"They've taken advantage, invading several times a year and returning with a full load each time. Not only has the Great Song lost all its dignity and respect, but we're also being blackmailed year after year. Is this how you think we can solve this problem?"

These words were powerful and reasonable. Just as Zhao Hao finished speaking, someone in the corner of the hall suddenly shouted "good".

Zhao Hao looked in the direction of the voice, but didn't know who was so supportive, so he could only politely bow in that direction and show a simple smile, indicating that he had received a private message from a fan.

It was shocking and admirable.

Even Zhao Xu looked at the emperor's uncle in surprise.

Is this... still the cynical imperial uncle I'm familiar with, who only knows how to eat, drink and have fun, and who keeps knocking on widows' doors in the middle of the night?
So strange!
Sure enough, a father can do anything for his son and has unlimited potential.

Today, Zhao Hao used practical actions to tell everyone that besides being able to knock on widows' doors, I have many other advantages.

Zhao Hao was also a little dazed after he finished speaking.

When did this prince become so eloquent? Was I possessed by a ghost just now?
Zhai Si is such a bastard. He made it impossible for me to keep a low profile and had to speak out loudly for my son. Damn it!

However, leaving the entire court speechless, this feeling... was indeed very satisfying. Zhao Hao's words were indeed irrefutable, and to continue would be to sell out the country for personal gain.

Zhai Si's face flushed red and blue at the rebuke. After a long pause, he said coldly, "Your Highness the Prince of Chu said we shouldn't negotiate peace. Have you ever considered how much the Song Dynasty would lose if our northwestern border troops were annihilated by the 300,000-strong Xixia army?"

"If Empress Dowager Liang not only invades the heartland of Guanzhong but even heads straight for the capital of the Great Song Dynasty, what will our rulers, ministers, and people do? Everyone can chant the slogan of preferring death to surrender, but what happens after that? Will we face the danger of national destruction? Will we rely on slogans to scare the enemy back?"

Zhao Hao angrily said, "You simply refuse to believe in the fighting power of our Great Song Army. How can our Northwestern Frontier Army be destroyed just like that? Besides, we still have 30,000 elite Dragon Guards coming to our aid, and my son has 5,000 musketeers under his command. What makes you think we will definitely lose?"

Zhai Si sneered, "No matter how powerful the musketeers are, they only number 5,000. How can they stop an enemy force of 300,000? Your Highness the Prince of Chu is already in his forties, why are you making such childish and naive remarks?"

As Zhao Hao's face grew increasingly gloomy, Zhai Si's sneer deepened.

"Back then, the Western Xia sent an army of 100,000 to attack the border. General Zhang Yu exhausted all his efforts and sacrificed tens of thousands of soldiers to barely drive the Western Xia out. Now the Western Xia are attacking with the full force of 300,000 troops. Your Highness, the Prince of Chu, why do you think our army can win? Is it just relying on the 5,000 musketeers under your son's command?"

The words were spoken very rudely, and this time it was Zhao Hao's turn to be unable to refute.

He was blindly confident in his son, but he also had a clear understanding of the combat effectiveness of the Song army.

Three hundred thousand was indeed a despairing number. Zhao Xiaoqian was a human being, not a god. Five thousand musketeers were still too small to be a single blow in front of the three hundred thousand strong army.

At this moment in the court, whether those who advocated war or those who advocated peace, all bowed their heads and remained silent.

Yes, no one thought that the Song army could defeat the 300,000-strong Western Xia army. Even Zhao Xiaoqian's father hesitated.

So, what are we arguing for when we argue for war?
We cannot say that Zhai Si is wrong, he is actually calm and rational.

He advocated peace talks only to stop the losses for the Song Dynasty in time.

The ministers in the hall were silent, and Zhao Xu also looked dejected.

Some things are not that he didn't think about them, but that he deliberately avoided them in his mind. When Zhai Si presented data, reasoned, and compared the strength of both sides, the consciousness that Zhao Xu deliberately avoided in his heart was finally exposed to the sun.

He didn't even dare to imagine how the court would end up if the Song army was defeated this time.

The atmosphere in the hall was inexplicably filled with sadness and depression.

The Han and Tang dynasties perished due to their strength, but our Song Dynasty was so weak that it stumbled all the way. Who dared to believe that it was of the same nation and had the same ancestors as the Han and Tang dynasties?
The whole hall was silent, and a depressing atmosphere permeated the air.

Just at this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall, and the sound was particularly clear in the silent hall.

The emperor and his ministers could not help but look towards the palace door, only to see the emperor's personal eunuch Zheng Chunhe crawling over. He did not care about the crime of being disrespectful in front of the emperor, and stumbled into the palace and knelt down in front of Zhao Xu.

Seeing Zheng Chunhe like this, the hearts of the king and his ministers sank to the bottom in an instant.

Could it be... news of defeat?

The eyes of many court officials began to well up, and they clenched their fists in humiliation.

"What's the rush? Tell me quickly!" Zhao Xu gritted his teeth and tried to stay calm.

Zheng Chunhe was breathing heavily, but he looked up and smiled.

"Your Majesty, a report from an 800-mile express horse on Huanqing Road!"

"On the twelfth day of the first lunar month in the second year of Shaosheng, at midnight, Zhao Xiaoqian, Deputy Envoy of the Huanqing Road Administration, led 5,000 musketeers from the Dragon Guard Battalion in a surprise attack on Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia. After an hour-long battle, Zhao Xiaoqian's troops annihilated the enemy defenders and captured Xingqing Prefecture!"

"Your Majesty, our Great Song army has conquered the enemy capital. This is an unprecedented victory in our century-old nation!"

After Zheng Chunhe finished speaking, he knelt on the ground, lowered his head and cried with joy.

There was deathly silence in the main hall of Daqing.

The king and his ministers stared at Zheng Chunhe with dull eyes. Everyone felt a buzzing in their ears, and for a moment they seemed to have transcended reality and were wandering in the sky.

After a long time, Zhao Hao was the first to react. He raised his fat fist high and roared with his eyes wide open.

"A great victory! My son is mighty! The king's army is mighty!"

(End of this chapter)