Chapter 159 Disturbance

In the 26th year of Xuanwu, the Xianbei invaded the border

The news of changes on the border was like a spark, which soon set the already silent capital city on fire.

Since the current emperor came to power, the Great Zhou has been in a state of stability. Although there are occasional minor frictions, the relationship with neighboring countries is still harmonious, and there has been no war on the border for many years.

This was a blessing for the Great Zhou Dynasty, but now, it may very well become a bad thing.

During the previous dynasty, the Xianbei people were subordinate to the Xiongnu and were just errand runners and odd jobs. The previous dynasty was constantly at war with the Xiongnu, and the Xianbei people saw an opportunity and gradually grew stronger.

But in fact, the nomadic peoples were not unified internally. On the grasslands outside the northern border, there were still scattered Xiongnu tribes in the east, and the Xianbei people in the central and western parts were not of the same origin and were fighting against each other.

When the Great Zhou was first established, it fought a life-and-death war with the Xianbei Xiongnu, which led to the disintegration of the Xiongnu alliance at that time. As a result, during the reign of Taizu, the Great Zhou was almost an oppressive rule.

After Taizu's death, the Xianbei people slowly integrated the grassland tribes and gradually became somewhat powerful. However, at that time, the Qi family army was very famous, and they lost more than they won every time they faced the Xianbei.

Until the time of the present emperor, the Xianbei people paid tribute every year, which could be said to be a state of submission.

Who would have thought that after so many years, war reports came from the northern border. The Xianbei tribe disturbed the border and captured three cities in a row. Now they are in a stalemate with General Meng Kun, the Northern Guardian, in Yunzhou!

This is no longer a simple border disturbance, but a direct invasion, a provocation and contempt for the Great Zhou Dynasty.

When the emperor saw the military report, he felt a black screen in front of his eyes and almost fell down.

He hurriedly summoned the ministers in the court to discuss countermeasures, but he did not expect that these ministers who usually had the talent to govern the country would quarrel in the hall!

"These Xianbei people are so bold! Have they forgotten that they knelt down and begged for mercy before our Great Zhou spared them?"

"What's the point of saying this now? Can we still ask them to return the city?"

"What on earth is Meng Kun doing? How could he allow the Xianbei to directly occupy three cities?"

"Can Yunzhou be defended? If Yunzhou is lost, the gates of the Great Zhou will be wide open, and the capital will be in danger!"

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we should dispatch a large army to support General He and let those barbarians see the might of our Great Zhou!"

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable. How can we rashly mobilize our forces? We signed an agreement with the Xianbei people back then!"

"Now that they've come knocking on our door, what's the point of having a joint discussion?"

"Why don't we send an envoy out of the country to ask what the Xianbei are doing? Could it be that they are dissatisfied with the annual tribute? If so, why not reduce it by one level? This will also show that our Great Zhou has the bearing of a great power!"

"Bah, you wimp, you bastard, you're just obsessed with women. Your words are a disgrace to our Great Zhou. I will never agree to this!"

"Is it true that we're going to fight like you said? Where will these soldiers come from? Are we going to launch a massive conscription? If so, what's the point of Your Majesty's generosity towards the people over the years? And what about the food, fodder, and money? Are you going to take care of them all?"

"I'm here for this. Since I'm a citizen of the Great Zhou, I should sacrifice my life for the Great Zhou and protect it till my death!"

"You say it's easy, then why don't you go to the front and kill the enemy!"

"Alright! That's enough!" Amid the quarrel among the officials, the emperor's face became increasingly ugly, and he finally stopped this farce with a roar with bloodshot eyes.

The emperor's eyes swept over the people below, especially those who were shouting for peace. His eyes were like knives hidden in them. The adults shrank their necks and dared not move.

The emperor asked coldly, "Song Wei, you speak."

The Song Wei who was named was the current Minister of War. His face was icy cold, and he said with a cupped hand, "Your Majesty, peace talks are absolutely not allowed."

"The Xiongnu were brutal, and the Xianbei were not much different. They were all barbarians, ignorant and unenlightened. They have been subservient to us for years, and now it seems they are just trying to recuperate."

"Since they've taken three cities in one fell swoop, they won't give up. If the Great Zhou proposes peace talks now, not to mention the price of taking back these three cities, the Xianbei will know that the Great Zhou is afraid of fighting as soon as the envoys are sent out. They will then escalate their attacks and become uncontrollable. In this way, the Great Zhou will lose face and lose the initiative."

"So, you are in favor of war?" said the emperor.

Song Wei lifted his official robe and knelt, shouting loudly: "Your humble servant is willing to lead the army to help Lord He defeat the Xianbei."

"Well, well, well!" The emperor laughed heartily. "This is what a good minister of the Great Zhou is like. A great nation will punish even the most distant enemies. This Xianbei is just a servile and fawning minister of the past. Now that he has rebelled against his master, how can we allow him to be so arrogant?"

With just one word from the emperor, all the ministers who advocated peace talks shut up, just because he clearly expressed his desire for war!

"Father, I am willing to go to the northern border to reclaim the territory for our Great Zhou." The fourth prince suddenly stepped out, knelt down and shouted.

As soon as the Fourth Prince moved, the Crown Prince regretted not moving first and quickly knelt down. "Father, I am the Crown Prince, the heir apparent to the throne. I am willing to travel to the frontier for you, to reclaim our homeland and show the Xianbei the might of our Great Zhou!"

The Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince looked at each other, with a hint of hostility and persistence in each other's eyes.

Although the emperor is easy to talk to and loves his sons, in fact, not only the fourth prince but even the crown prince cannot interfere in the military power. The people in this area have always been the emperor's confidants.

The He family back then, and the Meng Kun and Song Wei family now, were all captured by the emperor himself. The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince tried their best but were unable to win the hearts of these families.

And now is a great opportunity. The Great Zhou has always been strong in military power. There are 200,000 troops guarding Yunzhou with the General Zhenbei, and Song Wei has more than 100,000 troops under his command. As long as they can get involved, there is no need to worry about not getting the military power.

As for the danger, they are princes and do not have to go to the front line. Even if they follow the army, they will carry the reputation and be guarded in the safest place. By then, they will have the reputation and military power, which is really a good thing with great profits.

The emperor naturally thought of what the crown prince and the fourth prince could think of. Instead of easing, his expression became even gloomier. What made him particularly angry was that the situation on the border was unclear, but the court had begun to take sides.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is absolutely right. As the Crown Prince of a country, he must fulfill his duties as a Crown Prince. It is reasonable for him to lead the troops. This will also inspire the soldiers on the border and enhance the prestige of our Great Zhou!"

"Grand Tutor Chu is wrong. The Crown Prince is a noble man, the heir apparent to a nation. On the battlefield, swords are merciless. If one or two of them are injured, what will happen? It would be better to let the Fourth Prince go. He is also a prince, and his status is high enough."

"Master Xu, what you said is not right. The Crown Prince is a noble person, but does that mean the Fourth Prince is not noble as well? Is he not afraid of the sword?"

"Grandmaster Chu, I didn't say that. It's just that the Crown Prince is the heir apparent after all. If he gets hurt, who can take the responsibility? If that happens, I'm afraid General Meng will become a hindrance."

"you……"

"Enough!" the emperor swept the memorial aside and shouted angrily, "I asked you to come here to discuss countermeasures, not to curse like a shrew!"

Imperial Tutor Chu, Lord Xu and the others quickly knelt down to apologize, but this did not make the emperor feel any better.

He stared coldly at the people below, and his eyes became even colder when he saw the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince who were ready to make a move.

As a reader in the Hanlin Academy, Su Fengzhang was not qualified to participate in such national affairs. However, when the news from the border came, the atmosphere in the Hanlin Academy became very cold, and the same was true at the Xuanwu Hall.

This depressing atmosphere also spread to the people. If we were to ask who in the world fears war the most, it would definitely be the common people at the bottom of society.

One day, when Su Fengzhang returned home, he saw that Su Zhaoshi also looked worried.

He had no choice but to comfort her: "Mom, everything will be fine for now."

Su Zhaoshi kept saying, "Feng'er, is everything really going to be alright? They say there's been fighting in the northern border. They say the Xianbei have occupied three cities and killed everyone inside. The heads have been piled up like a mountain."

"Mother, that's a rumor," Su Fengzhang said helplessly. "The Xianbei did occupy three cities, but they were just small cities in the northern border. Moreover, those three cities were home to many ethnic groups, and there were many Xianbei people. How could they possibly massacre them?"

After all, the fact that the Xianbei people were able to capture the three cities so quickly was not unrelated to the fact that there were already many Xianbei people living in the cities. But precisely because of this, the current situation of these three cities would not be too bad, at least they would not face a massacre.

Su Zhaoshi felt relieved after hearing this, but she soon asked again, "Feng'er, are we really going to have a war?"

"We will definitely fight, but it won't affect the capital for a while," said Su Fengzhang.

Su Zhaoshi was still worried: "You are still young, you don't know. During the war, many able-bodied men were taken away from Yuexi Village. If a hundred men were taken away, we didn't know if even one would come back."

If a war breaks out, conscription is almost certain. Su Fengzhang could only console them by saying, "Yuexi Village is located in the south, so at least it won't be affected by the war for now."

Su Zhaoshi felt a little relieved and asked again: "Feng'er, will you..."

Su Fengzhang quickly said, "Mother, I'm a civil servant, and I'm from the Hanlin Academy. No one would let me go to the battlefield. Don't worry, the capital is actually the safest place in the Great Zhou."

If the capital city is lost, the Great Zhou will probably be finished. Although the Great Zhou is not as prosperous and powerful as it was in the past, it is not so weak. Although the Xianbei people are powerful now, it is not easy to overthrow the Great Zhou.

Su Zhaoshi was barely relieved and said, "Thank goodness we came to the capital. I wonder how things are going back home now."

"If mother is worried, I will write back and ask." This is all Su Fengzhang could say.

Su Zhao hesitated to speak, and finally said only one word, then continued: "Now that the war has broken out in the northern border, I'm afraid His Majesty will be even less likely to remember to arrange a marriage for you. Alas, Feng'er is getting older and older, and I don't know how long it will take to delay."

Su Fengzhang was helpless about this. If the emperor didn't say anything, could he go and ask at this juncture?

Su Zhaoshi only said one thing, not daring to criticize the emperor in her heart. She just looked at Su Lanzhang and Su Huihui with worry: "If you, as the elder brother, can't get married, it will be difficult for your younger brothers and sisters to get engaged. Fortunately, Huihui is still young, so we can wait a few more years."

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The author has something to say: The prince is doing tricks every day

I want to hit him, too.