Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 157 Drafting the Imperial Edict: The Northern King is Valiant and Skilled in Battle...

The capital of Daxia.

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall.

The officials were buzzing with discussion, and the entire hall resembled a bustling marketplace.

At that moment, a eunuch's voice came.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

The chaotic sounds inside the hall vanished instantly, and it became completely quiet once again.

Emperor Xia, dressed in a yellow dragon robe, slowly walked up to the dragon platform. He waved his sleeve, then sat on the dragon throne and swept his sharp eyes over the officials below the platform, especially those from aristocratic families.

After a long pause, the Xia Emperor finally spoke, "What are your thoughts on the war between the Great Wu and the Great Xia, my esteemed ministers?"

Wang Chengshuo, the Vice Minister of War, stepped forward without hesitation and said directly, "Your Majesty, the Da Wu army is coming with great force. The battle at the front is fierce, and the imperial army has suffered countless casualties. If this continues, the number of imperial troops will be greatly reduced. I believe that we should summon the troops of the vassal kings to the front to resist the invasion of Da Wu."

Upon hearing Wang Chengshuo's words, Emperor Xia's eyes narrowed slightly. He was not a fool. Although Wang Chengshuo only mentioned the vassal kings without naming them, Emperor Xia instantly guessed Wang Chengshuo's intention.

At this moment, the Right Chancellor Zhao Wenhan also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that what Vice Minister Wang said is not without reason."

"According to the battle reports from the front, the imperial court has lost nearly 100,000 troops in just half a month. It is clear that Da Wu came prepared this time, and they are constantly reinforcing their troops. This is obviously not a small skirmish."

"Although it appears that we started the war, the fact that Da Wu has gathered so many troops in such a short time and quickly captured two of our counties clearly shows that they were aware of this war all along. Therefore, I believe that this war between the two countries was deliberately provoked by someone, and that the person who provoked this war is Da Xia."

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, Emperor Xia sneered. He knew, of course, that the people who instigated this war were those powerful families within the Great Xia Dynasty.

His shadow guards had already discovered that the Chu family had close ties with the Great Wu royal family, and that this war was most likely instigated by the Jiangnan aristocratic families, led by the Chu family.

As for their purpose, there's no need for him to guess; they'll soon reveal it themselves.

At this moment, Emperor Xia said coldly, "Continue."

Zhao Wenhan continued, "I believe that the one who instigated this war is most likely a vassal king within the Great Xia territory. This person must want the Great Xia to fight the imperial army and the Great Wu Dynasty to the death. Once the imperial army's elite forces are nearly exhausted, that person will directly rebel, and at that time, the imperial court will no longer be able to stop that person."

"Therefore, I believe that in order to prevent those vassal kings from rebelling after the war, all the troops in their fiefdoms should be sent to the front lines."

Upon hearing Zhao Wenhan's words, Emperor Xia smiled and said, "What Minister Zhao said makes a lot of sense. That's exactly what I was thinking too. However, arbitrarily mobilizing soldiers within the vassal states' territories might cause dissatisfaction among the vassal kings."

Zhao Wenhan said, "As vassal kings of the Great Xia, protecting the Great Xia is their duty. His Majesty is benevolent. He was already very kind to them by allowing them to retain the troops in their fiefdoms back then. If they still do not want to send troops now, it would be tantamount to rebellion."

At this moment, Wang Chengshuo said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Northern King is brave and skilled in battle, and commands 50,000 heavy cavalry, making him the strongest military force among all the vassal kings. As long as he goes to the front lines, he will surely be able to drive the Great Wu army out of Great Xia and uphold the prestige of our Great Xia!"

"Moreover, the Northern King's dispatch of troops sets an example for other vassal kings, who will then have no choice but to follow suit."

Upon hearing Wang Chengshuo's words, Emperor Xia chuckled. The aristocratic families' intentions had been revealed, and he didn't need to speculate about them at all.

Emperor Xia had long anticipated this day would come.

After all, in the eyes of the aristocratic families, he had 50,000 heavy cavalry under his command, which kept them up at night. They would not give up until he dismantled these 50,000 heavy cavalry.

In fact, not only were those aristocratic families losing sleep, but even he himself was wary of these 50,000 heavy cavalrymen, and he was also thinking about how to deal with them.

However, for the time being, he did not want these 50,000 heavy cavalry to be disintegrated, since he still needed to use these 50,000 heavy cavalry from the Northern Commandery to deter those aristocratic families who wanted to rebel.

But judging from the way these powerful families are acting, they probably can't wait any longer.

At this moment, Emperor Xia's gaze fell on Lin Gaoyuan.

Lin Gaoyuan naturally felt the Emperor's gaze, but he did not immediately stand up and say anything.

After his son Lin Xiuming returned from Beijun, he told him everything about Beijun in detail. At present, Lin Gaoyuan is the person in the entire court who knows Beijun the most.

Lin Gaoyuan did not want to offend the Northern King, nor did he want to get involved in this matter. After all, the Right Chancellor and the aristocratic families had raised the possibility that the prince might rebel. If he stopped the Northern King from going to the front line at this time, wouldn't that be saying that he was colluding with the Northern King?

Seeing that Lin Gaoyuan did not speak, Emperor Xia frowned slightly, clearly displeased with Lin Gaoyuan's silence.

At this moment, Wang Hai, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I know that Beijun is poor and may not have enough food for the expedition. Therefore, I have prepared enough food for 100,000 troops for half a year, enough for the Northern King's 50,000 heavy cavalry to stay on the front line for half a year. In this way, the Northern King will not have to worry about food shortages."

Emperor Xia looked at the Minister of Revenue with a cold expression, his face devoid of any emotion.

These people are really well prepared. A few months ago, when the barbarian army of 300,000 marched south, the Ministry of Revenue was asked to prepare provisions for an army of 70,000. The Ministry of Revenue dragged its feet for more than a month and still couldn't get the provisions ready.

As a result, the imperial court has not yet decided to send the Northern King's troops to the front line, but the Ministry of Revenue has already prepared half a year's worth of food and provisions for the Northern King's army.

At this moment, Emperor Xia looked at the Minister of War, who had not spoken a word.

"Minister Chu, how come your Ministry of War is ruled by a single Vice Minister? Don't you have any other opinions?"

Wang Chengshuo, the Vice Minister of War, is a member of the Wang family, while Chu Qinwu, the newly appointed Minister of War, is a member of the Chu family. It is clear that the two families have completely colluded, and their forces are intertwined and inseparable.

At this moment, Chu Qinwu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that what Minister Wang and the Right Chancellor said is not without reason. The Northern King has heavy cavalry far exceeding that of the imperial court. When Great Xia faces foreign invasion, he should stand up."

"This is not only my idea, nor just the idea of ​​the court officials, but also the expectation of the common people. Currently, many people believe that the court should send the Northern King to the front line to teach the invading enemy a lesson."

"And the soldiers on the front lines also need a major victory to boost morale."

After hearing Chu Qinwu's words, Emperor Xia glanced at the other ministers in the hall and then asked, "Do any of you ministers have any other ideas?"

The hall was completely silent at this moment, and no one spoke.

Neither the Eighth Prince's faction nor the forces of the other princes wanted the 50,000 heavy cavalry of the Northern Commandery to exist, so they were happy to see the Northern King's 50,000 heavy cavalry transferred to the front line.

Seeing that no ministers spoke up, Emperor Xia chuckled and then said, "Draft an edict: The Northern King is brave and skilled in battle..."

Just as everyone was happy that the Northern King was going to be transferred to the front line, a soldier's voice suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Urgent report from the North!!!"

(End of this chapter)