You were asked to impersonate the King of Qin, not to become emperor!

"Seven days later, the Western Liang Kingdom will visit our Great Jin. This matter concerns the interests of both Great Jin and Western Liang in the Western Regions."

"A month ago, the ruler of Xiliang sent me a letter proposing to determine the interests of the Western Regions through a cavalry exercise. The visiting leader is Han Teng, the eldest prince of Xiliang, who is leading his strongest Xiliang cavalry to the Great Jin to challenge our strongest cavalry!"

"Today, each of you go and prepare two hundred elite cavalry. Whoever defeats Xiliang in the contest seven days from now will be richly rewarded by me!"

The Emperor of Jin glanced around and spoke in a loud voice.

Upon hearing this, all the officials composed themselves and held their breath.

The cavalry of the Western Liang Kingdom were the best in the world.

Even a powerful state like the Great Jin would have to use five times the number of cavalry to fight against the Xiliang cavalry.

A year ago, the Western Liang forces marched north and dealt a heavy blow to the combined cavalry forces of the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan.

From then on, his reputation soared.

Fortunately, Xiliang was a barren land, and although its cavalry was strong, its numbers were few.

Otherwise, it would definitely become the strongest external threat to the Great Jin Dynasty.

However, the interests in the Western Regions are extremely important.

Furthermore, the Western Liang controlled the passage to the Western Regions.

If they are not made to submit, trade between the Great Jin and the Western Regions will be repeatedly obstructed.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan immediately understood.

The crux of Emperor Jin's decision not to designate an heir lies here.

He used this as a pretext to force the princes to compete fiercely!

Fortunately, this time, there were only two hundred cavalrymen.

If we can use a clever trick, we might be able to win.

Suddenly, Chen Xuan strode forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your subject is willing to share the Emperor's burdens. How can I allow the little Western Liang to be so arrogant before my superior nation!"

The sixth prince, Chen Feng, also saw an opportunity.

He was appointed as a cavalry captain, which gave him an advantage in the cavalry field.

At this moment, solely focused on vying for the throne, he completely disregarded the strength of the Xiliang cavalry, as he had never even seen them before. He declared directly, "Father, your son is proficient in cavalry and is willing to select two hundred cavalrymen to crush the Xiliang cavalry!"

In the imperial court, the princes were all vying to make harsh remarks.

However, the civil and military officials in the court knew the implications of this.

Whether civil officials or military generals, everyone wore solemn expressions at this moment.

Without numerical superiority, how could the cavalry of the Great Jin possibly defeat the cavalry of the Western Liang?

Zhang Xianzhao was the first to remonstrate: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable! This is clearly the wolfish ambition of the Western Liang, who want to weaken the influence of our Great Jin in the Western Regions. Moreover, this competition is unfair! I implore Your Majesty to withdraw this competition!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jin's expression changed drastically: "I have already made an agreement with the ruler of Xiliang, how can I break my word? Besides, the eldest prince of Xiliang and the Xiliang cavalry are already on their way. Are you asking me to break my promise by withdrawing now?"

Zhang Xianzhao said, "Your Majesty, the people of Xiliang are greedy for profit. Why don't we concede some of our interests, for example, by paying double the fees to ensure uninterrupted trade? We can then allow our Great Jin to recuperate for three years before launching an attack on Xiliang. When our Heavenly Army arrives, Xiliang will surely be destroyed!"

All the officials in the court felt that Zhang Xianzhao's suggestion was a foolproof plan. They all stood up to second it!

Emperor Jin was now caught in a dilemma.

This move by Xiliang is clearly intended to weaken the power of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Moreover, the chances of the Jin cavalry defeating the Xiliang cavalry were already slim.

The reason he agreed in the first place was because of the reckless advice of the eunuchs around him.

At that time, the Jin Dynasty was powerful and the Emperor was very confident, so he agreed.

However, this month, disasters suddenly broke out in many parts of the Great Jin Dynasty. People resorted to cannibalism, the country's strength declined rapidly, and it became extremely dependent on trade with the Western Regions.

"Father, I believe this is inappropriate. What kind of person is the King of Xiliang? He murdered his father to usurp the throne and consolidated Xiliang's military power; he is a ruthless and powerful figure with extraordinary abilities. To try to lure such a powerful figure with economic benefits is, in my opinion, unwise."

"If we pay double, what if they demand triple, quadruple, or even ten times? There's no doubt such a ruthless tyrant is capable of it. Besides, our Great Jin is currently weak; if we don't crush the Western Liang's spirit from the start, we'll only fuel their ambition!"

Chen Xuan's voice was loud and clear.

The faces of the officials were ashen. Even though Chen Xuan was right, they were unwilling to give up trade with the Western Regions.

If they lose, Xiliang will send troops to disrupt trade between the two regions.

Especially the aristocratic families, they made a fortune through these trades.

If trade is disrupted, their interests will be severely damaged.

These aristocratic families, led by Zhang Xianzhao, simply dared not gamble!

"King Qin, even so, does our Great Jin have any other way out? If we can hold on for a little longer, our national strength can recover somewhat!"

"If we fight head-on and lose, we'll lose our right to trade with the Western Regions," Zhang Xianzhao said coldly, glaring at Chen Xuan.

This time, civil officials and gentry members of the court overwhelmingly supported Zhang Xianzhao.

The military generals, on the other hand, remained on the sidelines and observed.

At this moment, Emperor Jin was caught in a dilemma.

"Father, you must not listen to the words of these treacherous ministers. Now, our Great Jin is facing a huge crisis. If we do not rectify the court and allow these interest groups to continue to control the government, then one day, the ambition of the Western Liang to contend for the Central Plains will surely arise!" Chen Xuan said boldly and respectfully.

Upon hearing Chen Xuan say that Xiliang had ambitions to contend for control of the Central Plains, they were immediately impressed.

The entire court thought it was an unfounded worry and dismissed it as a serious matter.

"Although the Xiliang cavalry is strong, their population is small; to think they can conquer the Central Plains is nothing short of a pipe dream!"

"King Qin, your words are far too ambitious. My Great Jin is a superior nation, while the Western Liang Kingdom is merely a small continent. How could it harbor such lofty ambitions?"

The civil and military officials chimed in, each uttering their own words, displaying the air of a superior celestial empire.

Chen Xuan frowned and looked at the Emperor of Jin: "Father, the people of our Great Jin are currently suffering in all the states. Although no rebellions have broken out yet, if the Western Liang monopolizes and colludes with the northern nomadic tribes to provoke us on multiple fronts, our Great Jin will surely be plunged into a state of internal and external troubles!"

"Your Majesty, as the ruler of the Great Jin, must not be so soft-hearted as to show weakness for women. If you compromise, your foundation will crumble, and the people of the world will become your prey!"

These words directly pointed out the crux of the problem for the Great Jin Dynasty.

Emperor Jin was an emperor who emerged from chaos. In his youth, he spent his life on the battlefield, uniting the feudal lords nine times and bringing order to the world.

There is an innate, strong sense of crisis.

In truth, he greatly agreed with Chen Xuan's remarks.

He also deeply admired Chen Xuan's courage.

While Emperor Jin was still hesitating, Chen Xuan continued, "Father, if you trust your son, I am willing to build a cavalry. Although the Xiliang cavalry is strong, our Great Jin may well be able to outwit them!"

Emperor Jin looked into Chen Xuan's eyes and saw a hint of determination in them. He immediately made a decision: "Our Great Jin is a great nation. How can we break our word? Since I have already made an agreement with Xiliang, we cannot break it. Otherwise, it will only make the surrounding barbarians look down on Great Jin and think that Great Jin is afraid of even a mere Xiliang!"

"I have decided to hold a contest with Xiliang. You need not say more; go and prepare!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Xianzhao and his group turned pale.