Empress in her second playthrough: Something's not right with this plot!

"Who could have known that such a large-scale drought would occur in the Western Zhou Dynasty?"

“Li Yunsheng knows.”

Wenren Xu spoke calmly, yet he left Taishu Wei speechless.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die, can we?"

"Sigh..." Wenren Xu sighed and stood up, saying, "Let's go see His Majesty."

"Hey, hey!" Taishu Wei hurriedly grabbed him. "What should we say when we see His Majesty?"

This is a huge matter, and he just couldn't come up with a solution, which is why he rushed to this sickly man for advice.

He couldn't possibly be at a loss when His Majesty asked.

Wenren Xu put on his shoes and straightened his robes.

There is only one solution to this matter.

Taishu Wei immediately perked up.

"Why?"

"Break through the Chu border before your supplies run out in the east."

After saying that, Wenren Xu walked straight out.

This was indeed the only solution at the moment. Taishu Wei realized this and immediately followed.

The Imperial Palace.

The eunuch bowed and reported.

"Your Majesty, Chancellor Taishu Wei and Grand Historian Wenren Xu request an audience."

Wei Wenyu waved.

"Let them in."

"Yes."

Before long, Taishu Wei and Wenren Xu entered the hall together.

"Your subject, Taishu Wei, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, I have heard of your reputation."

Wei Wenyu raised his hand.

"What brings you two ministers to the palace together?"

Grain prices skyrocketed in the Western Zhou Dynasty, leading the State of Chu to sever trade ties, and he has been under immense pressure lately.

The idea of ​​joining forces with the Western Zhou to jointly attack the Chu state is now out of the question.

Just as he was thinking about how to increase the national treasury's revenue, his two right-hand men entered the palace together.

Taishu Wei handed over a memorial.

"The Chu army has assembled, intending to invade our borders."

The eastern border is short of provisions; we request the imperial court to allocate grain.

How much grain is left in the capital?

"Three and a half million stones."

Food is a major problem right now, so Taishu Wei knows all too well how much grain is left.

Wei Wenyu pondered for a moment.

"Then allocate two million shi to the Eastern Territory first."

Now that things had come to this point, he realized he had underestimated the two younger members of the Chu state.

The combined age of the two women—the Empress of Chu and the Prime Minister of Chu—was still younger than him.

As a result, this brought David such a great predicament.

Taishu Wei hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Your Majesty, the Honghe River has breached its banks, and the flood has affected the three prefectures of Fengzhou, Yunzhou, and Yanzhou."

The governors of the three prefectures submitted a memorial requesting the imperial court to provide disaster relief.

Wei Wenyu sighed inwardly; misfortunes never come singly.

He opened the memorial, looking somewhat troubled.

The Chu state's intentions are clear: the supply of provisions to the eastern border cannot be delayed under any circumstances.

The people of the three prefectures were in dire straits, and they could not be left untreated.

The capital city has 1.5 million shi of grain left, but it can't all be used for disaster relief, otherwise we ourselves will starve.

However, if the disaster relief food is insufficient, it will be a drop in the ocean for the three prefectures.

“Then let’s allocate one million and fifty shi to the Eastern Territory and one million shi to the three states for disaster relief.”

At this moment, Wenren Xu stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, disaster relief cannot be provided in the three prefectures."

The two looked at Wenren Xu at the same time, and Wei Wenyu spoke.

"Why can't we provide disaster relief?"

"Your Majesty, we can no longer count on the Western Zhou for the time being."

The Chu state's intentions are clear: the only way to resolve the crisis facing my Wei state right now is through war!

Before entering the palace, Taishu Wei already knew Wenren Xu's idea: to fight a war with the State of Chu.

Once inside the territory of Chu, they could sustain their war effort through warfare.

At that time, David might have the qualifications to negotiate with the State of Chu.

But I didn't just say I wouldn't care about the people of the three prefectures.

"What about the people of those three prefectures?"

Wenren Xu turned to look at Taishu Wei and said directly.

"One hundred thousand soldiers are fighting on the border. Who knows if they will be able to return in a few months?"

"We can't just ignore the lives of millions of civilians, including the families of our soldiers."

Taishu Wei's words did not change Wenren Xu's mind.

"If two people are to starve to death at the same time, and one of them starves to death, the place will still belong to David."

If all the soldiers starve to death—

At this point, Wenren Xu faced Wei Wenyu and knelt on the ground.

“I, David, will lose my kingdom.”

Taishu Wei opened his mouth, but for the sake of the people of the three prefectures, he made up his mind.

"Your Majesty, I only need 1.2 million shi of grain."

"Within two months, I am confident I can take Jiannan Circuit!"

Before Wei Wenyu could speak, Wenren Xu, who was on the ground, asked a question in return.

What if you can't get it?

"I!" Taishu Wei knelt down. "Your Majesty, I am willing to sign a military pledge!"

"This battle concerns the fate of my David nation!"

Wenren Xu's tone was somewhat indignant.

"Don't even mention your head, Taishuwei; even if we put our heads together, we couldn't guarantee it!"

"His Majesty!"

Wei Wenyu looked up and sighed, regretting that he hadn't listened to the advice of others.

"Alright, my mind is made up. We will mobilize the entire nation to attack Chu!"

Chapter 79: I also have to learn to dance, what a headache!

They left the palace.

Taishu Wei looked up and sighed deeply.

"Old Xu, how could you be so heartless?"

Oh--

"Do you think His Majesty wouldn't have done it if I hadn't said so?"

Wenren Xu followed suit, tilting his head back and sighing.

"Your Majesty understands everything; I'm just playing the villain."

cough cough...

After another bout of coughing, Wenren Xu paused for a moment before continuing.

"The key is whether you can win the battle."

Tai Shuwei clenched his fists, making a cracking sound.

"I'll risk my life to fight for David's survival."

"I'm just worried..."

What are you worried about?

"nothing."

Wenren Xu shook his head, but ultimately did not say it.