The Prodigal Son

external force?

The two old men suddenly stopped their discussion, turned to look at Qin Yu, and began to ponder.

The two old men were quite proud.

Qin Yu had just noticed a problem that none of them had, and now he was reminding them of it.

They definitely need to think of something themselves first; they can't let this kid make a fool of them.

"The State of Yan?"

A moment later, the two old men spoke in unison.

There was a hint of surprise in her voice.

It seems that the only external force they can rely on now is the State of Yan.

"Um."

Qin Yu grinned. "Our relationship with Yan is currently very close. If we ask them to send troops to assist us and promise them some benefits afterward, they shouldn't refuse, right?"

"I certainly won't refuse," Xue Chengdao pondered. "My only fear is that after Yan sends troops, they'll occupy Min's territory and refuse to leave!"

After deciding to send troops, Xue Chengdao had many thoughts on his mind.

Annex the Min Kingdom!

Now, those four words are all he can think about.

He had already considered the Min Kingdom as part of the Great Ning Kingdom and would never allow the Yan Kingdom to get a share.

"No!"

Zhao Luan shook his head and said firmly, "The Yan Kingdom may leave!"

Why does Your Majesty think so?

Xue Chengdao was puzzled.

"food!"

Zhao Luan's gaze fell on the map. "Even if the Yan Kingdom wanted to occupy, at most it could only occupy Guanzhou and Xuanzhou!"

"As long as we cut off the other routes, Yan will still be unable to obtain grain from Chu! Then, Yan will only be able to obtain grain from our dynasty!"

"If they continue to occupy the two states, they will not only receive little food, but they may even have to give up their food for disaster relief!"

"Instead of doing that, why not use the withdrawal of troops as a condition to extract more benefits from our dynasty..."

With Guanzhou and Xuanzhou suffering from the ravages of war, many people were inevitably displaced.

If the Yan state wants to occupy the two provinces for a long time, it will definitely need to provide disaster relief!

But what the Yan Kingdom needs most right now is food!

Of course, the Yan state might also wipe out all the people of the Min state in Guanzhou and then relocate people from the Yan state to the area.

However, she felt that the possibility was relatively small.

"Actually, it wouldn't matter even if the Yan Kingdom occupied Guanzhou and Xuanzhou."

Qin Yu picked up the conversation, a wicked grin on his face, and said, "Since they occupy these two states, we can incite the Min Kingdom's army to reclaim the lost territory. Let their armies fight to the death, and we can reap the benefits!"

"Um?"

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, the three of them immediately brightened up.

Believe it or not, it's really true!

The armies of Yan and Min fought to a standstill, and Yan could then seize Min, where they would likely encounter far less resistance.

The loss of soldiers and generals in Yan was also beneficial to their plan to destroy Yan!

Therefore, it is advantageous for the Yan state whether or not it withdraws from the occupied territory!

However, this is all predicated on the situation being under control!

Don't let things turn out to benefit the Yan state in the end, or they'll be so angry they'll vomit blood.

But Zhao Luan was confident she could bring the situation under control!

Having figured this out, Zhao Luan, in a much better mood, looked at Qin Yu with a broad smile: "You really are a scoundrel!"

Qin Yu's face darkened. "Your Majesty, what are you saying! I'm doing this for the sake of Great Ning, aren't I?"

"I'm praising you!"

Zhao Luan glanced at him with a smile, "Duke of Wei, Lord Xue, how many troops do you think would be appropriate to send?"

Xue Chengdao thought for a moment and replied, "I believe that sending 50,000 troops directly should be sufficient, but we should also prepare a reserve force of 30,000 troops that can be mobilized at any time as a precaution! We need a swift victory, and it would be best to quickly capture Yuwang Pass, thereby cutting off Chu's route of support for Yu Wu!"

Qin Fumeng nodded in agreement.

No one can predict what will happen on the battlefield.

No war can go exactly as they expect.

It is essential to prepare a reserve force.

We cannot afford to have no troops available when we need support!

Of course, they all hope that these reserves will never be needed!

Qin Yu glanced at the map and said, "If Chu dares to send reinforcements, we'll launch an attack on Chu from Yinzhou!"

Qin Fu shook his head violently, "You can think that way, but you can't do it! Now is not the time to break ties with the State of Chu!"

"right!"

Xue Chengdao agreed, saying, "Our military expedition to Min will definitely provoke dissatisfaction from Chu, but Chu is in the wrong first. As long as we can save face for everyone, we won't completely break off relations!"

Da Ning still relies heavily on the State of Chu.

The grain and pepper from Chu are things that Da Ning urgently needs.

Da Ning already has enough enemies; there's no need to add another one to its ranks.

If they can maintain their current relationship with the State of Chu after sending troops to the State of Min, that would be the best outcome.

If necessary, even if it means giving the State of Chu some benefits, we must temporarily maintain relations with the State of Chu.

Even the mighty Emperor Xiaowu never waged war against four countries at the same time!

Da Ning isn't that strong yet!

"really!"

Zhao Luan nodded slightly, then symbolically asked Qin Fumeng and Xue Cheng, "Who do you think is most suitable to lead this battle?"

Although she already had a candidate in mind to lead the team, she still had to ask these two.

Perhaps they have better candidates to recommend.

Without hesitation, Xue Chengdao said, "This battle is of great importance. Old Qin must keep an eye on the north. I should personally take command!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Fumeng immediately became displeased, his eyes widening as he said, "Old Xue, are you trying to steal my credit?"

"I'll take the credit for this!"

Xue Chengdao, with his nose in the air, said righteously, "You grandson have already expanded the territory of Da Ning. If I, the Minister of War, don't expand the territory of Da Ning, where will I put my old face?"

"Fine! I'm too lazy to argue with you!"

Qin Fu waved his hand dismissively, "You can be the commander, but you have to bring Qin Yu along!"

Xue Chengdao realized what was happening and burst into laughter.

So this old bastard was waiting for me here!

"No!"

But the next moment, Zhao Luan's voice rang out.

Xue Chengdao's laughter abruptly stopped. He looked at Zhao Luan with a puzzled expression and tentatively asked, "Does Your Majesty disapprove of me taking command, or does Your Majesty disapprove of bringing Qin Yu along?"

His question stumped Zhao Luan.

Zhao Luan certainly didn't agree!

Swords have no eyes on the battlefield!

If that bastard Qin Yu goes to the battlefield and something happens to him, wouldn't I be in trouble too?

The problem is that the previous battle at Chenzhou was enough to show that Qin Yu has the talent of a commander.

If properly nurtured, Da Ning may very well have another great general who can protect the country in the future!

Moreover, he is a capable and reliable leader!

But before training him, he needs to be tempered on the battlefield!

Great generals are made in battle, not by reading military books!

Zhao Luan kept weighing the pros and cons in her mind.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Luan asked Qin Yu again, "Would you like to train?"

Qin Yu pondered for a moment, then replied solemnly, "Your Majesty, I wish to practice some martial arts!"

Train!

Born into a military family, going to the battlefield is destiny!

It's better to train on the easier targets first than to fight the big boss right after leaving the starting village.

Hearing Qin Yu's words, Zhao Luan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

That's it!

Let nature take its course!

He couldn't keep Qin Yu by his side all the time just because he was afraid something would happen to him.

Zhao Luan raised his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Lord Xue, you are the Minister of War. There are still many things in the court that require your attention. Don't always think about personally taking command!"

"This battle shouldn't be too difficult; you need to give the other generals a chance to hone their skills!"

"I intend to appoint Fang Junji as commander-in-chief. What do you two think?"

Fang Junji?

Xue Chengdao and Qin Fumeng exchanged a silent glance, their eyes simultaneously revealing a look of understanding.

Fang Junji had been lying low for many years and made great contributions to the case of the Prince of Chengyang.

At this time, giving Fang Junji a new position is essentially reassuring the former subordinates of the Prince of Chengyang.

Moreover, removing Fang Junji from the Pingji front line and replacing him with His Majesty's trusted confidant to guard the Pingji front line would be more conducive to the stability of Yinzhou.

"Your Majesty's wisdom and foresight are truly admirable!"

Xue Chengdao agreed, "However, I hope Your Majesty will allow Xue Lie to accompany the army into battle!"

Since he can't go, let his son go instead!

Someone from the Xue family needs to go!

After a moment's thought, Zhao Luan said, "Then Fang Junji will be the commander-in-chief, Xue Lie the deputy commander-in-chief, Tang Chunlai the adjutant, and Guo Su and Qin Yu the left and right guard generals, respectively! In addition, I will have Zhao Po and Ning Huang accompany the army..."