"Geographically speaking, Hou Cang is to Southern Zhou as Ye Dan is to Great Jing, but the actual situation is not so."

Wen Tai continued his analysis: "Hou Cang is a small country that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Their rulers and people are used to a comfortable life and have no interest in going north or east. Therefore, the rear of Nan Zhou has not been disturbed, and there are only minor raids by sea pirates. As for Da Jing, it has been sandwiched between Ye Dan and Nan Zhou in recent years. Whenever there is a war, the military is exhausted and the people suffer greatly."

"The reason I say Your Majesty is overconfident is because Southern Zhou has been developing steadily, while my Great Jing has only just caught its breath."

"I have no objection to Your Majesty's desire for pleasure, but we cannot allow the entire empire to lower its guard along with Your Majesty!"

Yuan Xiu pointed behind Wen Tai and shouted, "Wen Tai, you're spreading alarmist rumors!"

Wen Tai suddenly turned around, looked directly into Yuan Xiu's eyes, and said sternly, "Even if Your Majesty does not have the ambition to unify the world, you cannot allow the Southern Zhou to seize your territory during your reign! If that happens, how can Your Majesty face the late Emperor in the afterlife?"

"Wentai!!"

“This humble subject speaks from the bottom of his heart. Whether you wish to kill or punish me, Your Majesty is free to decide.” Wen Tai bowed deeply to Yuan Xiu.

Wei You quickly went behind Yuan Xiu and patted his back, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down, please calm down..."

"Walk!"

Yuan Xiu shouted, like an angry child, without even glancing at Wen Tai again.

Wen Tai remained calm and watched Yuan Xiu leave. Then, he sat down with his back to the prison door, just as Yuan Xiu had done when he first arrived, as if he had fallen asleep while sitting.

...

evening.

This was the first time Yuan Li had been invited by Yuan Xiu to dine in his palace since the completion of the Imperial Palace. In fact, Yuan Xiu had never invited anyone before.

After the food and wine were served, only the brothers Yuan Xiu and Yuan Li remained in the room, as Wei You and Jin Hu had been sent away.

After the two brothers had a few drinks and chatted about everyday matters, Yuan Xiu said, "I have visited Wen Tai."

Yuan Li was not surprised and asked, "How does Your Majesty intend to deal with him?"

Yuan Xiu did not answer, but instead asked, "What is your view on the current state of the Da Jing army?"

Yuan Li thought about it carefully and said, "Da Jing has a large number of troops stationed in various military strongholds, and there are also a small number of garrison troops in the local areas. All things considered, Da Jing's military strength is formidable."

"What about their combat strength?" Yuan Xiu interjected.

Yuan Li said, "To be frank, the most combat-effective troops in Dajing right now are only the troops under Wang Ren's command and Yuan Zhang's Zhennan Border Army, especially the Northern Three Guards of the Zhennan Border Army, which are a powerful weapon against the Southern Zhou Army. As for the other troops, although the Zhenhai Camp in Chengdu is sweeping across the coast, it is only dealing with rabble like pirates. If the opponent is different, its combat effectiveness is not necessarily that strong."

Yuan Xiu nodded in satisfaction and said, "Fifth Brother, your analysis is very accurate. According to this calculation, Da Jing does not yet have the ability to unify the world, and our military strength is still lacking."

Yuan Li put down his wine cup, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yuan Xiu, and said, "Your Majesty has the world at heart and lofty aspirations. Your Majesty is willing to devote yourself wholeheartedly to assisting Your Majesty and to help you achieve the great cause of unification as soon as possible!"

Yuan Xiu touched the wine cup in front of Yuan Li and drank it all in one gulp.

"Although the Great Jing lacks a fighting army, it has no shortage of commanders. Look at the Right Chancellor; even though he has been idle at home for many years, every time I ask him to come out of retirement, he can quickly improve the cohesion of the army and demonstrate superb combat skills. There is also Wen Hu; judging from his past combat experience, he is also a master commander, better than his uncle in this respect. And then there are Feng Jing and Cai Qiong; although these people are not as good as the Imperial Uncle and the Right Chancellor, they can be used immediately."

“Even Xiao Luofeng, Yuan Qi, Wang Yuluan, Du Yucheng, Zhang Dalian, and He Zhi, who is by the Right Chancellor's side... these people, if given the opportunity to hone their skills, can all grow into outstanding generals in the future. To deal with the Southern Zhou, we don't lack people, we only lack time.”

“So…” Yuan Xiu tapped the table with his fingertip and said, “We must keep the morale of the Da Jing army stable. While we are strengthening our military capabilities, the Da Jing army must not be in disarray.”

Yuan Li realized that Yuan Xiu had circled back to the same point, and tentatively asked, "So, Your Majesty doesn't intend to punish Wen Tai?"

"It's fine as it is now."

Yuan Xiu set the tone, saying, "Wen Tai has lost his power in the civil service system of the court. Even if he grows wings and escapes, he will only have one way to go: incite the military to rebel. But as time goes by, his relationship with the military will only become weaker and weaker, and the longer it goes on, the fewer people will respond to him."

"Then let Wen Tai spend the rest of his life in the 'Cold' cell."

"Remember, don't be stingy with what you eat and wear."

Yuan Li nodded and said, "Rest assured, Your Majesty, this matter will be arranged properly."

Yuan Xiu personally poured wine for Yuan Li. When the two brothers were alone, Yuan Li did not stand on ceremony. After hesitating for a moment, Yuan Li said, "Your Majesty, there is something that I have been wondering about, and I must speak my mind."

"you say."

"Is Wen Hu truly loyal to us?"

"This shouldn't be a question only you have," Yuan Xiu smiled slightly, picked up his wine cup, and said, "Wen Hu has been loyal to me for a long time, and I had been observing him for a long time even before he joined me. Don't worry about my opinion, tell me, what do you think of him?"

Yuan Li said, "An ambitious person."

"Then what?"

"Decisive and ruthless."

Yuan Xiu nodded and said, "It's not surprising that someone like this would betray his father for personal gain, let alone his uncle. But it is precisely this kind of person who, if used well, can be the sharpest knife in one's hand."

"Your subject has learned a great deal."

Just then, Jin Hu's voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Sha County has arrived."

Yuan Li asked doubtfully, "Did Your Majesty invite him?"

Yuan Xiu flicked his long hair and said to the door, "Please let him in."

The door opened, and Wen Hu handed the golden knife to Jin Hu before entering. He knelt and said, "Your subject, a clerk from the Central Secretariat, pays his respects to Your Majesty! Pays his respects to Prince Xin!"

Yuan Xiu beckoned to him and said, "No need for formalities, come and sit down to eat with us."

“This…” Wen Hu stood up but did not sit down.

Yuan Xiu said, "I called you here so you could drink with Prince Xin."

"Yes!" Wen Hu then sat down.

After Yuan Xiu took the lead and drank a cup with the two men, he continued, "Fifth brother, I heard from Wen Hu that you also have a highly skilled martial artist by your side?"

“Ah…” Yuan Li glanced at Wen Hu and immediately said, “There is one, whom I met when I was in Xuzhong County. She is a woman, and she usually disguises herself as a man and pretends to be a guard by my side. I wonder… how did Marquis Shaxian know this?”

Wen Hu clasped his hands in a fist and said to Yuan Li, "Your Highness, please don't be offended. This matter was not something I deliberately investigated. It's just that this Miss Gong Xue has too great a reputation."