Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

Zhao Heng looked at Xiao Qinyan with a hint of indifference.

He now deeply regrets promoting Xiao Qinyan to the position of prime minister. Who knew that this guy could get so close to Zhou Feng?

This has made the relationship between imperial power and the power of the prime minister in the imperial court much more delicate now.

But Zhao Heng couldn't care less about that at the moment, and simply raised his hand to indicate, "Minister Xiao, please speak."

Even if we were to deal with Xiao Qinyan, we would have to wait until after we resolved this large-scale invasion by the Liao Kingdom.

Xiao Qinyan straightened up, glanced at his colleagues still arguing around him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "I recommend a man, the Celestial Master Zhou Feng, the Protector of the Nation. He has a thousand followers, each equipped with a celestial artifact, whose power is astonishing. I believe that the Celestial Master can lead his followers to Yingzhou to reinforce them; this will surely lift the siege!"

This is Zhou Feng and his group's self-deceptive act.

Although they are called Taoist priests, who doesn't know that these people are all Zhou Feng's subordinates?

However, as a person outside the secular world, he had some followers who did not break the rules, and these people did not have weapons or armor.

Moreover, there are thousands of monks in the temples of Mount Song, so Zhou Feng's small number of Taoist followers are nothing.

As for guns…

Isn't that a ritual implement for spiritual practice?

Which Taoist temple doesn't have ritual implements?

How can you call this a weapon?

But as soon as Xiao Qinyan said this, the entire Wende Hall, except for his subordinates who came with him from the Xiao residence, erupted into chaos after a three-second silence.

"A thousand followers?"

"Is Minister Xiao joking? What can a thousand Taoist priests do with 8 Liao troops? Perform magic tricks on the battlefield?"

"Nonsense! This is utter nonsense! Are they treating national affairs like a game?"

"Xiao Qinyan, have you gone mad?"

Several veterans from the Privy Council glared angrily at Xiao Qinyan.

They could turn a blind eye to the intrigues and backstabbing among these civil officials, but their frivolous approach to military matters was unacceptable!

The leading deputy privy councilor stepped forward, his face dark, and bowed to Zhao Heng above him: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Xiao's proposal is utterly absurd. To use a thousand men to resist an enemy of 8 is unprecedented! Even if the Heavenly Master has some supernatural abilities, the battlefield relies on real swords and spears, not incantations and talismans!"

Not only the military officers, but even the Qingliu faction was in uproar. Qi Mu seized the opportunity to step forward and deliver a cold blow to the fallen general: "Lord Xiao must have been bewitched by that Heavenly Master at the birthday banquet, right? A thousand Daoist followers? I'm afraid that once they reach Yingzhou, a single charge from the Liao people would crush them!"

Xiao Qinyan stood there expressionless, as if these people weren't criticizing him, without even raising an eyebrow.

Once everyone had finished speaking, he leisurely cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the heavens and began to speak: "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but the thousand men under the Celestial Master's command are all equipped with magical weapons called spears. A single spear thrust can pierce armor and shields, taking lives within hundreds of paces as easily as taking candy from a baby. Let alone 8 Liao soldiers, even 10 would be nothing more than lambs to the slaughter before these thousand men!"

He paused, glancing around, a hint of disdain and pride playing on his lips: "I have personally witnessed the power of those divine weapons. A single spear thrust pierced through three layers of wooden planks. I wonder how much harder the Liao people you gentlemen speak of are than that wood?"

The hall fell silent again. Xiao Qinyan's words were spoken casually, but they sent a chill down their spines.

If such a powerful artifact truly existed, then dealing with the Liao people wouldn't seem like such a difficult task.

It could hit people from hundreds of paces away, and its range far exceeded that of the Liao people's hard bows, even comparable to crossbows!

Zhao Heng sat on the dragon throne, gripping the armrests with both hands, his expression somewhat uncertain.

Zhou Feng's position as Celestial Master was personally bestowed upon him by Zhou Feng!

Now that the other party possesses such a divine artifact, Xiao Qinyan actually knew about it even earlier than he did. What does this mean?

Moreover, if these thousand men can withstand 8 Liao troops, then how safe is his capital city of Tokyo and the inner palace?

After a moment of silence, Zhao Heng looked up at Xiao Qinyan and asked, "Minister Xiao, is what you said true?"

Xiao Qinyan bowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, I witnessed everything with my own eyes, and I guarantee it with my own head. If the Celestial Master fails to repel the enemy, I will bring my head to you."

The hall fell into a deathly silence. Xiao Qinyan had spoken so definitively that no one else dared to speak further.

Anyone who wants to step on Xiao Qinyan at this time will have to pay a price that is not much different from his.

These righteous people are fine with their mouths, but how could they possibly risk their own lives to attack Xiao Qinyan?

Zhao Heng closed his eyes, tapped his fingers on the armrest of the dragon throne a few times, and pondered for a long time.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a hint of determination in them.

He suddenly stood up: "I hereby issue an edict ordering the Celestial Master Zhou Feng, the Protector of the Nation, to lead his thousand troops north immediately to reinforce Yingzhou! If they can repel the enemy, I will reward them handsomely! I also order the Privy Council to prepare for the troop deployment; if the Celestial Master is outmatched, he must immediately rush to his aid without delay!"

The eunuch responded in a high-pitched voice and immediately laid out paper and ground ink.

Zhao Heng looked coldly at Xiao Qinyan below. Since this guy liked to hang out with Zhou Feng, he might as well send them away together!

If Zhou Feng can deal with the Liao people, then send Xiao Qinyan to meet them outside the city, and then ambush and kill them in one fell swoop!

If Zhou Feng is no match for the Liao people, then based on the fact that Xiao Qinyan vouched for him today, we should directly confiscate the Xiao family's property as a warning to others!

Xiao Qinyan kept his head down, unaware of Zhao Heng's gaze or the expression on his face, though the smile on his lips was barely contained.

The Celestial Master has already said that the divine weapon called "gun" can fire many times without interruption, and its power will not decrease in the slightest.

Moreover, there's the method of summoning lightning; the Liao army would be like an egg striking a rock in front of him.

Once the Celestial Master returns, the final step of the plan can be carried out. Even after the Celestial Master leaves, he will create momentum for him throughout Tokyo.

Then the person on the dragon throne will have to be changed, and Xiao Qinyan…

Although he held a high position in the Song Dynasty, his influence in the court and among the people was far less than that of the upright officials like Ke Zheng, who had cultivated their influence for decades, and he was often hindered in his actions by them.

But if it's about meritorious service in supporting the emperor, then that's a different story!

Didn't Master Ke prefer being sent away to other places and want to wait until the Emperor executed the wicked Empress before returning?

Now it seems he doesn't need to come back. After all, the Emperor and the Empress are going to be dealt with together. He should just obediently spend his remaining days in that remote area!

This is also why Xiao Qinyan didn't care about Ke Zheng's rudeness at all. Why bother with a dying man?