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Xiao Jingyan asked again: "What about money and food?"

Shen Zhui, the Minister of Finance, immediately replied, "Your Highness, since I received the first urgent report, I have started to raise military funds and have come up with several methods. As long as Your Highness agrees, I will start to implement them."

Xiao Jingyan trusted Shen Zhui very much and immediately said, "No need to elaborate, I'll approve it, just hurry up and do it."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Now that we have secured equipment, money and food, the next thing is the most important thing.

Xiao Jingyan stood up, glanced at all the dukes and marquises in the hall, and asked, "What do you think?"

Many of the military officers present were elderly people. They all looked at each other, but no one spoke. Instead, many of them sighed and shook their heads.

Xiao Jingyan looked very dissatisfied and was about to speak when someone came out.

"Your Highness, now that the war has just begun, it is really difficult to deal with it comprehensively at this moment. We still advocate peace and should send people to the front line to negotiate first."

After hearing this, before Xiao Jingyan could say anything, Mu Nihuang, the female commander, couldn't help it.

All I could hear was her cold and sarcastic voice: "Advocate peace? It has always been the civil officials who advocate peace, and the military generals who advocate war. How come it is the opposite in Daliang? The war has just started, and the military marquis who lead the troops is advocating peace?"

The person who spoke explained to Mu Nihuang: "Princess, this is not because I am afraid of fighting, but we only have 170,000 soldiers. We have to face Dayu, Donghai, Beiyan, and Yeqin at the same time. This force is really insufficient."

As for Southern Chu, although the war has not yet started, troops have been stationed outside the Great Wall, so the 100,000 troops in the southern border must not be moved.

But Xiao Jingyan interrupted coldly: "There is no shortage of troops. The real shortage is the commander. As long as there is a commander who is capable of taking on the task, this limited force can exert super combat power."

Seventeen thousand soldiers may not sound like a lot, but Xiao Jingyan has thought about it in his mind. Donghai and Yeqin are just small countries. As long as the two sides choose the right commander, they can deal with it with at most 30,000 people on each side. The real threats come from Dayu and Beiyan.

Dayu's army of 100,000 and Beiyan's cavalry of 50,000 are the real threats to Daliang.

However, Xiao Jingyan was still somewhat confident that of the 170,000 troops sent to Donghai and Yeqin, there would still be at least 110,000 or 120,000 soldiers left. If divided into two parts, it should be enough, but the prerequisite was to have a commander-in-chief with sufficient ability.

"My fellow military lords, now is the time for you to share the country's worries and establish military merits. I wonder which noble family is willing to volunteer?"

For a long time, no one dared to respond to Xiao Jingyan's words. The main reason was that most of these people had not been on the battlefield for more than ten years. They did not have the confidence to lead troops on the battlefield suddenly. Moreover, this war in which they were besieged by various countries was obviously very dangerous, so no one dared to stand up.

As a result, these military officers avoided Xiao Jingyan's gaze, which made Xiao Jingyan so angry that he called out their names one by one, but they still evaded the call.

Zhou Chen stood at the edge, silently watching these military marquises' evasions, feeling amused but also sad for Xiao Jingyan.

It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that all of them are just sitting there doing nothing, but now each of them is indeed not up to the standard. It is really ridiculous and pathetic that Daliang, which is known as the strongest country among all the nations, has only these people left in the military.

Xiao Jingyan was so angry that he shouted angrily, and finally proposed to go to the battlefield himself, which frightened all the civil and military officials and they hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

The capital city cannot do without Xiao Jingyan now, especially the officials who are obsessed with Xiao Jingyan, and are even more reluctant to let him leave. Once Xiao Jingyan leaves, the emperor in the palace will definitely stir up trouble, and by that time, before the outside is stable, there will be chaos inside.

Xiao Jingyan had no choice. No one was willing to take the order. What else could he do?

Suddenly, his eyes swept over Zhou Chen, who had been standing on the edge without saying a word, and his eyes lit up.

"Marquis Wucheng."

Zhou Chen didn't expect Xiao Jingyan to call him at this time, so he immediately stepped forward.

"His Royal Highness."

"Marquis Wucheng, you are from the Red Flame Army and participated in the bloody battle with Dayu. What do you think?"

Everyone's eyes were on Zhou Chen. Some of them looked disdainful, not believing that Zhou Chen, who had just been rehabilitated as Marquis Wu Cheng, could achieve anything.

Zhou Chen's expression remained unchanged, and he said calmly: "Your Highness, I don't have any ideas. I just have one sentence to say: If an enemy comes, we will fight him with our troops, and if a flood comes, we will block it with earth."

"This time, all the countries sent out troops at the same time. They must have been prepared in advance, or even secretly united to divide up the Central Plains of Daliang. This war is different from the previous ones. It cannot be settled by ceding a few pieces of land. Therefore, it is basically impossible to quell the war by advocating peace. On the contrary, it will make the other side more aggressive."

"If we give in blindly, Daliang will only fall into a more dangerous situation."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone angrily rebuked him: "You little brat, what do you know? You only participated in a war and lost it. What qualifications do you have to make irresponsible comments?"

Zhou Chen looked coldly at the Duke of Heng, who was represented by the military marquis. He was also the one who had just said he wanted to advocate peace.

"Back then, our 70,000 Red Flame Army almost wiped out the 200,000 imperial troops of Dayu. So, in the eyes of Duke Heng, such a record is actually a defeat? I wonder what outstanding record Duke Heng can show me? Tell me about it."

"You, you, Marquis Wucheng, even if your father were still alive, you wouldn't dare to speak to me like this."

Duke Heng shouted angrily. His title of Duke was hereditary. Although he had been in the army and participated in several wars, he had no outstanding military achievements. Naturally, he had no way to shut Zhou Chen up.

Zhou Chen sneered, "Anger hurts the body. The war hasn't even started yet, Duke Heng, please don't get angry and hurt your body. If you can't join the war because of anger, then I will be guilty of a great sin."

"you you……"

Hearing Zhou Chen's undisguised sarcasm, Duke Heng was so angry that he was speechless.

Mu Nihuang had just ridiculed him and he didn't dare to refute her, but Zhou Chen actually dared to ridicule him as well, which he couldn't stand.

"Okay, Duke Heng, please stop talking for now. Marquis Wucheng, please continue."

Xiao Jingyan interrupted their conversation. He was also dissatisfied with Duke Heng, but now was not the time to start an internal conflict.

Zhou Chen didn't look at Duke Heng again, and continued, "My idea is naturally to fight. I have experience fighting against Dayu, and I am in the top ten of the Langya List. If Your Highness trusts me, you can send me to the northern border. I can issue a military order. As long as I, Zhou Chen, am still alive, I will never let Dayu occupy even a single inch of Daliang's land."

Everyone present was shocked. When those military commanders were retreating, Zhou Chen not only stood up himself, but also dared to issue a military order. Apart from anything else, his courage was much greater than those military commanders present.

Those military officers who had self-respect and a sense of honor were now blushing and did not dare to look up.

Although Xiao Jingyan was also amazed at Zhou Chen's courage, he did not quite believe in Zhou Chen's ability. He admitted that Zhou Chen's martial arts skills were very strong and it was hard to find an opponent.

But fighting on the battlefield is different from a martial arts competition, especially when it may be a battle between tens or hundreds of thousands of troops.

Zhou Chen participated in the bloody battle that year, but he was not the main coach, not even the main general. In addition, he did not have any outstanding battle records, so Xiao Jingyan was naturally not very reassured.

"Marquis Wucheng is worthy of being the military marquis of Daliang. His courage is commendable."

As soon as Xiao Jingyan finished speaking, Shen Zhui immediately said, "Your Highness, Marquis Wucheng is indeed a role model for our generation, but war is not a joke, and we still have to think carefully before we proceed."

Zhou Chen rolled his eyes and said, look, this is a smart guy, he is very good at talking, much better than that Duke Heng.

"Minister Shen is right. This is a matter of great importance. This prince must consider it carefully. Let's stop here today. Everyone go back first. If you think of any feasible methods, report to me immediately. This war concerns the survival of our Daliang. I hope you can help this prince to avoid difficulties together."

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Everyone left the East Palace. Before leaving, Duke Heng deliberately glared at Zhou Chen, snorted in dissatisfaction, and then left.

"Fuck, you are sick."

Zhou Chen was speechless. How could this old man, with such cunningness, become a duke? It was indeed the blessing of his ancestors.

Mu Nihuang walked over slowly: "Brother Lin Shu must have received the news, I will go to the Su residence with you."

After saying that, she took the lead and left without waiting for Zhou Chen to reply.

"Alas, I didn't say that... Never mind, just go."

Zhou Chen had a helpless look on his face and could only follow.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 875: Side Quest, the Army Sets Out

However, when Zhou Chen and Mu Nihuang arrived at Su's house, they did not see Mei Changsu. Instead, they learned from Li Gang that Mei Changsu had gone to the Eastern Palace.

"Shall we wait here or go back first?" Zhou Chen asked Mu Nihuang.

Mu Nihuang said simply: "Wait a minute, brother should be back soon."

Zhou Chen shrugged and said, "Then I'll listen to you and wait for him."

East Palace!

Mei Changsu was staring at the map hanging on the screen, examining it carefully. This was the most detailed map in Xiao Jingyan's mansion, covering parts of Daliang and several surrounding countries.

His eyes were especially fixed on the borders between Daliang and other countries, and his mind was thinking about the crisis Daliang was facing.

Hearing the hurried footsteps, Mei Changsu slowly turned his head and saw Xiao Jingyan walking towards him.

"Is the meeting in the front hall over?"

Xiao Jingyan nodded and said, "Well, I originally wanted to ask Princess Nihuang and Marquis Wucheng to come along, but they both walked too fast and have already left."

Mei Changsu said: "It's okay, they should come to my place to find me, so let's talk about the current situation first, how is the discussion in the front hall going?"

Speaking of this, Jamel Xiao's face showed a dissatisfied expression.

"Humph, Duke Heng, Marquis Huaiyi and other military marquises have really lost their fighting spirit and are actually thinking about peace talks. When they heard that I wanted them to go to the battlefield, no one dared to respond. What happened to our Daliang military?"

Mei Changsu was not surprised at all when he heard Xiao Jingyan's angry questioning.

"Jing Yan, you don't have to be too angry. This is normal. They haven't been on the battlefield for so many years. Suddenly they are asked to go to the battlefield, and it is such a dangerous situation. It is normal for them not to dare to stand out."

"Human nature? Humph, their status and treatment in the court are better than anyone else, but when they are asked to contribute, they are more willing to refuse than the other."

Although Xiao Jingyan was angry, he also knew that being angry would not solve the problem. Judging from the performance of those people just now, even if they regretted it now and wanted to step forward to lead the troops, he would not dare to trust them.

Judging from the performance they just showed, they don't look like they can win the war at all. Letting them lead the troops will only make Daliang's situation even more passive.

"If that doesn't work, then I'll have to go into battle myself."

Although he had just been dissuaded by civil and military officials, he had not given up the idea in his heart. He was the crown prince of Daliang. If Daliang really fell into a desperate situation, he, the crown prince, must stand up.

But Mei Changsu's reaction was the same as those in the front hall, he refused eagerly.

"No, Jingyan, it's not that I don't trust our emperor, he is simply not trustworthy. To resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country. Once you leave the city, the capital will surely be in chaos. Don't you understand this truth?"

Xiao Jingyan sighed helplessly: "I understand this truth, but..."

Mei Changsu interrupted, "Jingyan, please let me finish what I want to say. I already have some preliminary plans and ideas in mind."

When Xiao Jingyan heard this, his eyes suddenly brightened. He did not trust others, but he had absolute trust in Mei Changsu.

"Okay, you say."

Mei Changsu said slowly, "I have roughly sorted it out. Wei Zheng is an expert in naval warfare, so it is most appropriate to send him to the East China Sea. Ye Qin is just a minor problem, so the local army is enough. As for the southern border, Nan Chu only stationed troops and did not launch an offensive. It must be because the war a few years ago has not yet been fully recovered. Therefore, the southern border is likely to be a confrontation. As long as Nihuang goes back in person, she will be able to handle the situation and prevent Nan Chu from making any rash moves."

Xiao Jingyan agreed with these three ideas. He was also friends with Wei Zheng and knew Wei Zheng's abilities. Since Mei Changsu said it was okay, then it must be okay.

"What about the North Territory and Dayu?"

Mei Changsu said calmly: "Bei Yan, this time it is Tuoba Hao who is leading the army, with 50,000 cavalrymen rushing all the way, there must be a problem with the reserve military supplies."

Xiao Jingyan may not be good at conspiracies and intrigues, but he is still very sharp when it comes to things on the battlefield.

"Their goal is most likely to negotiate with us after their victory in order to obtain gold and silver, or to take back the three states that were ceded to us forty years ago."

Mei Changsu did not refute and continued, "Tuoba Hao's main purpose in this battle is to help the Seventh Prince gain prestige. He has no intention of engaging in a protracted war. As long as we fight quickly and dampen his spirit, we will definitely be able to force him to retreat."

Xiao Jingyan nodded and said, "When it comes to fighting fast with fast, General Nie Feng's reputation as a swift enemy is not in vain."

"Yes, although Big Brother Nie can't talk like a normal person, after so much time has passed, we can understand many of his expressions, not to mention Sister Dong."

"You mean, let Nie Feng and Sister Dong go to the North together? That's a good idea."

Xiao Jingyan felt a little relieved: "In this way, the problem of Beiyan can be solved, but the biggest problem now is Dayu. Dayu has sent 100,000 troops to enter the country. They are our biggest opponent this time."

Mei Changsu's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice: "Since you can't go, I think..."

"No."

Before Mei Changsu could finish speaking, Xiao Jingyan flatly refused with a firm attitude.

Mei Changsu asked anxiously: "I haven't finished speaking yet?"

Xiao Jingyan waved his hand decisively: “No matter what you say, I will not let you lead the troops to war.”

Mei Changsu sighed, "You are only worried about my health now, but don't forget that I have Xiaochen by my side. His medical skills are amazing, and his inner strength can also help me with treatment. As long as I take him with me, there will be absolutely no problem. You have to believe me, I will not act willfully."

Xiao Jingyan said: "According to what you said, I might as well let Zhou Chen lead the troops to the battle."

"Ok?"

Mei Changsu was surprised and asked, "Just now in the front hall, Xiaochen volunteered?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"This shouldn't be the case. I know him best. He shouldn't be the kind of person who would take the initiative to cause trouble. This is weird."

Mei Changsu frowned. He was really surprised at Zhou Chen's initiative to ask for battle. He knew that Zhou Chen actually didn't have much loyalty to the Daliang royal family. When did he become so eager to serve Daliang?

"Is this strange? He is also a military marquis of Daliang. Daliang is in a critical moment now. It is normal for him to take the initiative to ask for battle."

Xiao Jingyan had a different idea from Mei Changsu. He felt that Zhou Chen was much stronger than other military marquises.

Mei Changsu smiled bitterly in his heart. He knew that Xiao Jingyan thought so because he didn't understand Zhou Chen, but he understood Zhou Chen.

"If it's him, then it's fine, but if he wants me to go, then I have to go."

"No, Zhou Chen can go, but you can't."