The Prodigal Son

Su Yu continued singing.

Before he knew it, Su Yu was already in tears, and his voice had become choked and hoarse.

Xue Chengdao, the Minister of War, had bloodshot eyes at this moment.

He knew that Su Yu was singing about the tragic battle that had taken place at Wuguan a few years ago.

Wuguan is the northern gateway to Daning.

The loss of Wuguan Pass means that the Northern Qi cavalry can advance unimpeded and invade the territory of Daming.

In order to retake Wuguan, more than 200,000 soldiers of Daming, with the determination to die, charged towards Wuguan one after another.

The battlefield at Wuguan Pass turned into a real meat grinder.

Finally, after suffering heavy casualties, Da Ning managed to recapture Wuguan.

Of the 200,000 soldiers, more than 130,000 were killed or wounded.

One grandmaster died in battle, and another was knocked down from the grandmaster realm.

Countless rising stars fell in that battle.

This included Qin Yu's father and brothers.

That battle was also the most brutal battle fought since the founding of the Great Ning Kingdom.

It is said that even today, the soil beneath Wuguan City is still red.

Thinking of that tragic battle, Xue Chengdao's eyes also welled up with tears. He gently tugged at Su Yu, who was still crying and singing, "Old Su, stop singing..."

"Mr. Su, please stop singing..."

Shangguan Youyi stepped forward and also whispered his advice.

Su Yu ignored him, and even though tears were already streaming down his face, he continued to sing.

Qin Yu lowered his head, feeling a tightness in his chest.

This old man is really going all out!

They spared no expense to make the performance convincing.

It's obvious without even thinking that the old man was completely immersed in the role.

"The mountains and rivers remain year after year, but countless bones have been crushed into dust..."

Su Yu finally stopped, choking back tears, after singing the very last line.

At this moment, many people in the court were already in tears, trying their best to suppress their sobs.

At this moment, many ministers who had originally sided with Qin Yu and Gao Yi began to waver.

Is this endless war of attrition really necessary?

Zhao Luan hastily wiped away the tears in her eyes before slowly turning her face away.

"Mr. Su, are you tired from singing?"

Zhao Luan glanced at Su Yu with reddened eyes, then instructed Shangguan Youyi, "Give Elder Su a seat!"

Shangguan Youyi accepted the order and quickly brought a chair for Su Yu, helping Su Yu, who was still immersed in great grief, to sit down.

"call……"

Zhao Luan exhaled a breath of stale air, raised his eyes to scan the assembled officials, and said, "Anyone else who wants to sing? Sing for me!"

The ministers remained silent, but sighed inwardly.

Even after Su Yu went to such lengths, he still couldn't persuade her?

"I have said, this battle must be fought!"

Zhao Luan stood up, her eyes red, but her attitude remained firm: "If the Ministry of War is unwilling to fight this war of attrition, I will fight it myself! Don't you want someone to set an example? I will personally set an example for the world!"

As soon as Zhao Luan finished speaking, the courtiers erupted in uproar.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, please don't act impulsively..."

The courtiers offered them kind words of advice.

Throughout history, there have been quite a few emperors who personally led their armies into battle.

But this must be the first time that the emperor has personally led a war of attrition.

Faced with Zhao Luan's tough stance, even the ministers who opposed a war of attrition began to panic.

No one expected that after Su Yu's outburst, Zhao Luan would remain so determined, even willing to personally lead the army to fight this war of attrition.

But they can't really let Zhao Luan personally fight this war of attrition, can they?

In an instant, many ministers looked at Xue Chengdao, Su Yu, Cui Xu, and Lü Chunqiu.

Today, these four are the main force opposing a war of attrition.

Everyone was waiting for them to make a decision.

"Your Majesty, I suddenly have an immature idea."

At this moment, Qin Yu suddenly spoke.

Zhao Luan glanced coldly at Qin Yu: "What, even you want to advise me now?"

"I will not try to dissuade Your Majesty, but I still believe that this war of attrition is necessary!"

Qin Yu said solemnly, "The reason so many ministers in the court oppose this is simply because they feel that this war of attrition is not very meaningful! Why don't we fight for six months first, see the results, and then decide whether to continue? If the results are good, I believe the ministers in the court will have no reason to oppose it anymore!"

Hearing Qin Yu's words, Zhao Luan and the ministers in the hall began to ponder.

After a moment, Xue Chengdao sighed helplessly, "Since His Majesty insists on fighting this war of attrition, then let's make it last for six months!"

Hearing Xue Chengdao's words, Su Yu, who had just come back to her senses, couldn't help but cast a questioning look at him.

Xue Chengdao gently shook his head at him, signaling him to stop advising.

"I second that proposal!"

Cui Xu also expressed his approval.

At present, the continuous advice from his ministers has aroused Zhao Luan's competitive spirit.

She's going to do it herself, what else can I do if I disagree?

Right now, it's like everyone has to take a step back!

After all this commotion, Zhao Luan is now in a difficult position.

Although Qin Yu's suggestion was a bit of a jerk, it did give Zhao Luan a way out.

Playing for six months is better than playing forever!

Let's leave it at that for now!

If this war of attrition is as effective as Qin Yu expects, then let's continue!

If the results are unsatisfactory, then cut your losses in time, temporarily cease hostilities, and fight again in the future.

With Xue Chengdao and Cui Xu speaking up, many ministers began to agree.

Zhao Luan lowered his head in thought. After a long while, he finally nodded slightly. "Since all my ministers have said so, let's fight for six months first! All departments shall immediately begin preparations for the war. Anyone who dares to slack off will be executed without mercy! Court adjourned!"

After saying this, Zhao Luan left the court with a dark expression.

Shangguan Youyi glanced at the assembled ministers and sighed softly, "My lords, His Majesty has already made the greatest concession possible. That's enough! Stop trying to persuade him on this matter! Surely none of you want His Majesty to personally go to Zhenzhou to lead the troops?"

After saying that, Shangguan Youyi quickly left.

Xue Chengdao walked over to Su Yu, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Let's leave it at that! If Her Majesty doesn't give it a try, she won't be satisfied!"

Su Yu opened her mouth slightly, then nodded helplessly. "That's all we can do for now! I hope the result won't be too bad!"

As he spoke, Su Yu let out another long sigh.

With that, the matter was finally settled.

As the court session ended, the news from the court reached Jiang Ci's groom, Qu Da'er, at top speed.

At this moment, Qu Da is obediently feeding the horses.

Upon receiving this news, Qu Da's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes suddenly turned sharp.

After the visitor left, Qu Da continued to feed the horses obediently while silently pondering in his heart.

Only after feeding the horse did Qu Da return to the house and compile the information he had gathered from various sources into a secret letter.

After writing a secret letter, Qu Da quickly found Jiang Ci.

"Send this letter out as quickly as possible! Don't let it get discovered!"

Qu Da abandoned his usual respectful demeanor towards Jiang Ci and directly gave Jiang Ci instructions in a commanding tone.

Jiang Ci silently accepted the letter, sighed softly in her heart, and nodded gently...