In the imperial court, civil and military officials were arguing fiercely in the main hall.

The emperor stood to the side, rubbing his forehead, his head aching from listening to the voices of his ministers.

The envoys from the Dayu Kingdom and the Tatars stayed at the post station in the new capital for two days.

Even now, the civil and military officials have still not reached a conclusion.

The civil officials were in favor of peace, and the military generals, rarely aroused, were all urging the emperor to fight.

The length of time the envoy stayed in the new capital was the length of time the civil and military officials would argue about it during court sessions.

An imperial censor said, "The Great Jin Dynasty has just encountered a year of disaster, and is also plagued by constant wars."

Now that the Great Yu Kingdom is acting as guarantor for peace talks, do we not want to live a peaceful life, or do we want to continue fighting?

General Cheng, holding an ivory tablet, took a step outside and said, “Your Majesty, the Tatars have been attacking the Great Jin for over a year, committing all sorts of atrocities, including burning, killing, and looting.”

When the Tartars broke into the city, they raped women, killed civilians, and ate their blood and flesh.

Now that the Tartars have suffered this defeat, and the envoy from the Dayu Kingdom has come to sue for peace, how could their wolfish ambitions be extinguished? They probably want to recuperate and rebuild their strength.

Having spent half my life fighting on the battlefield, I know all too well how ever-changing the battlefield can be.

I implore Your Majesty to refuse a ceasefire.

The soldiers of the Great Jin must not have died in vain, and the people of the Great Jin must not have suffered such humiliation!

As he spoke, General Cheng, who was nearly seventy years old, knelt down heavily with a thud and gave a deep salute to the person on the dragon throne.

With a hoarse voice, he pleaded, "Your Majesty, I implore you to order the removal of the Crown Prince of the Northern Kingdom, the annihilation of the Tatar camp, and the display of the might of our Great Jin!"

General Cheng had fought alongside the late emperor and was a veteran of three reigns. His words carried weight in the court, and even His Majesty had to consider them carefully.

Therefore, when the civil and military officials saw him like this, they all stopped arguing and stood there staring at him in a daze.

Seeing that the old general had set an example, the military officers immediately knelt down as well, and said in unison, "We beg Your Majesty to issue an order to attack the Tatars and uphold the prestige of our Great Jin Dynasty."

The censor and the other civil officials looked at each other in bewilderment upon seeing this. Those who had once debated with the scholars were now as if they had been poisoned and given a drug to make them mute, unable to utter a single word.

The emperor, who was sitting high in the hall, saw the generals, led by General Cheng, kneeling on the ground and slowly lowering their hands that had been touching their foreheads.

Whether to fight or retreat is still too early to say.

The emperor said, "This matter will be discussed later. Minister of Revenue, please stay. Court is adjourned."

The chief eunuch let out a shrill voice and shouted, "Court adjourned!"

The kneeling military officer was bewildered and couldn't fathom what the emperor meant.

Only General Cheng stood up straight, took large strides, and walked out of the main hall.

Upon seeing this, the generals quickly got up and chased after them.

One of the military officers quickly walked up to General Cheng and stopped him.

"General Cheng, I have a question. Does His Majesty agree or disagree?"

Only someone like General Xie, who is brave but lacks strategy, would try to guess the emperor's intentions from outside the main hall.

However, General Cheng was not a rigid person. He was always more tolerant when speaking to his colleagues who were younger than him.

Therefore, he glanced at General Xie and said, "In the past two days of court, when have I seen His Majesty detain someone?"

The one who remained was the Minister of Revenue, who was in charge of the Jin Dynasty's treasury.

In just one sentence, the secret is revealed.

Even if General Xie is brave but lacks strategy, the answer sheet is right in front of him. If he still doesn't understand the key points, then he is truly as stupid as a pig.

Having said that, General Cheng's expression softened considerably, and he strode towards the palace gate.

At the same time, Qian Lishe, the Minister of Revenue, was standing below the main hall.

The vast hall was now empty, with only him standing there.

After hearing the old general's words today, the emperor suddenly remembered something.

The late emperor's campaigns brought more than a decade of peace to the borders of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Now that the Tatars have been defeated, it is a good opportunity for the Great Jin to take them down in one fell swoop. Can the Great Jin maintain its smooth sailing for nearly twenty years?

With this in mind, no emperor on the throne could remain unmoved.

To contribute to the nation and its people, and to leave a lasting mark on history after a long and peaceful life, is the lifelong pursuit of every emperor.

The emperor lowered his eyes to look at the Minister of Revenue below the main hall and said, "Minister Qian, how much silver does the Ministry of Revenue have now? How long can it support the soldiers on the border and continue the attack on the Tatars?"

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue felt a pang of anxiety, for he was a proponent of peace.

The reason is simply that, “Your Majesty, the Great Jin Dynasty has suffered from continuous disasters in recent years. All the prefectures and counties that receive disaster victims are exempt from taxes and fees, and disaster relief funds are continuously being allocated.”

There was also the money from the soldiers guarding the border, and the national treasury's silver flowed out like water.

Your Majesty, the national treasury is currently empty, and we are truly unable to support another war on the border.

In the main hall, Minister Qian remained silent as the civil and military officials argued heatedly.

Telling the truth at this point would increase the emperor's credibility.

Moreover, the emperor was well aware of the empty treasury, but he still held onto a sliver of hope.

Minister Qian's words shattered his hopes completely.

The emperor looked weary. "What's your opinion on this matter?"

Minister Qian pondered for a moment and then said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the fact that envoys from both countries are going together is unusual, especially since the strength of the Great Yu Kingdom is comparable to that of the Great Jin Kingdom.”

The Tatars' request for the Great Yu Kingdom to mediate peace this time was likely not unforeseen.

"The three-day deadline is now set, with only one day remaining. Your Majesty, please make your decision as soon as possible."

The emperor sighed almost imperceptibly.

With its treasury empty, the Jin Dynasty's rejection of the Tatars' peace offer means another bitter war is inevitable.

Moreover, the Great Yu Kingdom has abundant food and ironware. This time, it helped the Tatars to make peace, but next time it might be helping the Tatars to attack the Great Jin.

Many years ago, the Great Yu Kingdom was in turmoil, and sent its prince to the Great Jin Kingdom as a hostage. At that time, he even ruthlessly ripped off the Great Yu Kingdom in the end.

If the two countries join forces, the Great Jin Dynasty will surely suffer the consequences.

Thinking about this, he felt that he had no choice at all.

The three-day deadline was merely the last vestige of face for the Great Jin Dynasty.

Seeing that the emperor's expression had softened, Qian Lishe felt a weight lift from his heart.

When it comes to wars in the Great Jin Dynasty, the person who has the biggest headache is undoubtedly the Minister of Revenue, who is in charge of the Great Jin's treasury.

Asking him to raise money and supplies to attack the Tatars at this point would be easier than letting him kill himself by crashing into the main hall.

After dismissing Minister Qian, the emperor returned to the inner palace.

On a snowy day, he stood outside the Empress Dowager's palace for half an hour, but the tightly closed palace gates remained closed for a long time.

The chief eunuch, holding a cloak, stood beside the emperor and softly reminded him, "Your Majesty, it's easy to feel drowsy in winter. The Empress Dowager must be resting."

It's freezing cold, Your Majesty must take care of your health.

Just as the chief eunuch was about to drape another layer over the emperor, he heard the emperor's weary voice.

"Let's go back."