After saying this, Amur laughed a few times and quickly left the banquet.

The Emperor of Chu's face was as gloomy as iron, and his hands were clenched tightly under his dragon robe.

Before he could open his mouth, a timid minister suggested, "Your Majesty, I think that if Concubine Jiang can be exchanged for tens of thousands of reinforcements, it would be a good idea. Why not let Concubine Jiang accompany Amur back to the Western Regions, and then ask the Western Regions to send troops to help our Great Chu fight against the State of Chen. This way, we can not only resolve the crisis in the north, but also avoid any rift with the Western Regions. It can be said to kill two birds with one stone."

"Asshole!"

Before the minister could finish his words, the King of Chu slammed the dragon table with his eyes wide open.

"When has our great Chu ever needed women to exchange for peace?! If you dare to say anything more, I will kill all your clans!"

The court official was so angry that his face turned red. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, then moved to the side.

But then, how to solve the problem of the State of Chen once again became the subject of discussion among the court officials.

"Your Majesty." Minister of Revenue Luo stepped out and said:

"Now that Yunzhou has been occupied, the most urgent task is to defend Yanmen Pass and prevent the enemy from advancing any further. In my opinion, this can be done in two steps:

First, immediately dispatch elite troops from the capital to the north, led by experienced generals, to stabilize the front line;

Second, send an envoy with valuable gifts to the Western Regions Posthouse, stating that Your Majesty appreciates the King of the Western Regions' kindness and that this matter can be discussed later. For the time being, stabilize the King of the Western Regions and prevent him from colluding with the State of Chen."

This statement was considered safe. Although the military generals felt that it was not strong enough, they could not find any fault with it. The civil officials nodded in agreement.

"Who should we send to lead the troops north?" the Minister of War asked with a frown.

In the past, the Great Chu State valued civil officials over military officials. Except for Pei Yuan, the rest of the capable and battle-hardened generals in the capital were either too inexperienced or were accompanying Xie Yunqi to set up defenses in the Western Regions. It was difficult to mobilize too many people now.

"I think we could send Lieutenant General Zhao!" a general loudly suggested. "Lieutenant General Zhao was once a subordinate of General Pei. Last year, he repelled a small Rouran force in Youzhou. His tactics are fierce. Although he is still young, he is brave and resourceful."

"inappropriate!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone retorted, "Deputy General Zhao is only 25 years old. He just lost the battle of Yunzhou, and the morale of the army is already unstable. Letting a young boy lead the troops is likely to make him unable to control the situation."

"Who should we send? General Li is guarding the southern border and can't move. General Zhang fell off his horse a few days ago and injured his leg..."

Suddenly, someone sighed.

"Oh, it would be great if Prime Minister Xie was here. He is a master strategist, both wise and brave. If he were here, he would definitely have a good plan to repel the enemy."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

It has been more than three months since Xie Yunqi went to the border of the Western Regions. Not only has he not received any letters, but not even a soldier has come back to deliver the message.

Only a very small number of important officials knew that he was guarding the Western Regions in order to prevent a mutiny in the Western Regions.

Although Amur seems to be in the capital at the moment, there is no guarantee that he will not stab you in the back. Moreover, he has fallen out with the Chu Kingdom because of Concubine Jiang...

"No need to wait for Xie Xiang."

In the silence, Chu Hong suddenly stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed to the Emperor Chu, saying, "Father, I am willing to lead the troops north to repel Chen's troops."

At this moment, his posture was as straight as a pine tree. "I have been stationed in Youzhou for three years before and am familiar with the terrain of the northern border. Although the Chen Kingdom has successfully launched a surprise attack, they may not have sufficient food and grass. As long as we hold Yanmen Pass for three months, they will retreat."

When these words came out, the court officials looked at each other in bewilderment.

If it were in the past, perhaps the ministers would have seriously considered it and agreed to it.

But now, there are rumors that Prince Rui is not the emperor's biological son. If he were to lead the army...

The risk is too great.

For a moment, no one spoke in the huge hall.

Even Chu Hong's previous supporters looked at each other and remained silent.

What a joke! If you stand up to speak for Prince Rui at this time, you may be charged with treason once Prince Rui's background is made public.

This is a serious crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan.

Finally, it was the Minister of Revenue who tactfully said, "It's kind of your Highness Prince Rui to have this intention, but you are a prince personally appointed by His Majesty. How can you easily put your precious body at risk?"

The other ministers nodded in agreement with the Minister of Revenue.

Just as the court officials were arguing, they suddenly heard the sound of rings and pendants.

Chu Qingluan also stood up from her seat and walked to the center of the hall.

"Father, I, your humble servant, also request your services." Her phoenix eyes slowly swept over the civil and military officials. "Three thousand Phoenix Feather Guards are available for deployment at any time. They are familiar with mountain warfare and can scout the way for the vanguard, as well as protect the rear of the army."

"Princess?" All the civil and military officials were immediately in an uproar.

"How could a princess of such wealth and status go to such a dangerous place in the north?"

"Although the Phoenix Feather Guards are elite, they are women after all. How can they go to the battlefield?"

Opposition voices continued one after another.

Chu Hong looked at Chu Qingluan standing in the hall being besieged, his brows furrowed into a shape of a "川" (川).

He took a step forward and stood beside Chu Qingluan, "Imperial sister, you don't have to go with me."

"Your Majesty, I am the only one who can lead an army to deal with the Kingdom of Chen. The Phoenix Feather Guards are elite troops trained by the Imperial Sister. It is the right thing for them to stay in the capital to protect it."

"The north is harsh and brutal, why should a woman be made to suffer that?"

Chu Qingluan turned her head to look at him, but saw a hint of worry in his eyes.

She tightened the military amulet in her sleeve and retorted, "If my brother can go, why can't I go? Are only men allowed to defend the country, while women are confined to the palace walls?"

"A battlefield is not a place for arguing!" Chu Hong's voice was slightly dissatisfied. "Yunzhou City has just been lost, and the enemy's morale is high. If you make any mistakes, call me..."

The following words suddenly stopped, but Chu Qingluan seemed to be able to guess what he wanted to say, and her brows couldn't help but gloomy.

"Father taught us that 'family and country come first' and never said 'there are differences between men and women'."

During the confrontation between the two men, the officials started arguing again.

"Oh, if only General Pei were still here. He's a master at commanding troops and has a wealth of combat experience. He would surely be able to crush the State of Chen."

"Yes, in the past, Prime Minister Xie and General Pei, one civil and one military, jointly protected our Great Chu. It's a pity that General Pei..."

At this point, everyone present sighed with regret.

Even Chu Qingluan felt as if something was blocking her heart.

For three months, she had sent several teams to search along the way, from the dense forests outside the capital to the post stations on the border. She had searched every possible place, but she didn't find even a piece of Pei Yuan's clothes.

Everyone said that Pei Yuan was in great danger, but Chu Qingluan didn't believe it.

Since those who came back to report did not find any clues, it cannot be considered a conclusion.

Maybe he was just trapped somewhere, maybe he lost his memory and was living in a small town.

He had asked Fengyuwei to draw hundreds of portraits of Pei Yuan and posted them all over the cities of Da Chu. As long as there were clues, she would send people to investigate again.

Chu Qingluan was immersed in the sudden sadness and did not notice the fleeting guilt on the face of Emperor Chu above.