Xiao Yi turned back, came before the emperor, and knelt down.

"Minister Xiao, please rise and tell me your thoughts."

"As Your Majesty commands, I believe there are three ways to resolve the current predicament. If these three methods can be used simultaneously, the effect will be even better, ensuring that the vassal states are safe."

"What are the three methods, Minister Xiao? Tell me quickly." Emperor Yelü Wu immediately became interested.

Xiao Yi looked around. The people here were all important officials of the foreign kingdom, as well as several princes. They all stared at him, eager to hear what he had to say.

It seems I was being presumptuous. So many high-ranking and powerful people don't have any good solutions. Will my idea be adopted?

Since the emperor wants to hear his thoughts, then let him speak. With that thought, Xiao Yi began to speak.

"I believe that although the Great Northern Dynasty has given us three months, in reality, this period is at least half a year. In a little over a month, the northern lands will be hit by extreme cold, and the land will be covered in ice and snow. The roads leading to the Central Plains will be covered in ice and snow."

The emperor of the Northern Dynasty was aware of this; he should have known that the envoys from the foreign kingdoms would not be able to reach the Central Plains this year.

Even if we were to go, we would have to wait until the spring of next year, which would take half a year.

We don't need to worry about the Great Northern Dynasty sending troops to attack us. The soldiers of the foreign country have leather coats to keep warm, and our soldiers are extremely resistant to the cold. In this respect, the army of the Great Northern Dynasty cannot compare with our army.

"If they choose to send troops at this time, the frigid temperatures in the north will freeze them to death without us even lifting a finger."

The emperor and his ministers found Xiao Yi's words very reasonable and became interested, listening attentively as he continued.

"This war against the Great Northern Dynasty is not only our vassal state involved; the Jin and Luo states are also involved. If the Great Northern Dynasty retaliates, those two states will not escape responsibility either."

At this point, only by joining forces once again can our three kingdoms stop the invasion of the Great Northern Dynasty.

In this situation, if the Great Northern Dynasty were to attack a foreign state, it would have to think twice, as it was uncertain whether they could win the battle.

Right now, we need to send envoys to the Jin and Luo kingdoms to explain the situation clearly: if any foreign kingdom is attacked, they must send troops to help.

If the Fan Kingdom is destroyed, they will be the next country to be destroyed. Only if the Fan Kingdom is preserved can the Jin Kingdom and the Luo Kingdom avoid being destroyed.

Therefore, when the Jin and Luo kingdoms sent troops to help us, they were actually saving themselves.

The emperor nodded and said:

"That makes a lot of sense, please continue."

"This war has severely weakened the country's strength. What I need is not war, but to recuperate and rebuild our strength. Therefore, we should try our best to avoid war."

In the western region of the Great Northern Dynasty, there are many scattered forces that do not have a strong sense of belonging to the Great Northern Dynasty. They all want to grow stronger and even establish their own kingdoms.

At this point, if they had external support, they would likely not refuse.

As far as I know, the forces of Louye Ma Yuanhao and Lanwei Huang Liang have developed into a considerable force over the years.

In this situation, we can spread rumors in the Central Plains that these two forces are plotting a rebellion and establishing their own kings.

This would prompt the Northern Dynasty to take action against them, thus diverting much of the Northern Dynasty's attention.

At the same time, we sent people to Louye and Lanwei to spread rumors that the Great Northern Dynasty was going to send troops to quell the rebellion.

After receiving the rumors, Ma Yuanhao and Huang Liang will inevitably take action to further expand their influence.

At this point, we can intervene in the affairs of these two forces, and they will certainly accept it gladly.

These forces are like a malignant tumor on the Great Northern Dynasty; once they erupt, the Great Northern Dynasty will have no time to care about us.

"Excellent! This is a brilliant idea! We can implement it immediately!" the emperor exclaimed happily.

The ministers also thought it was a good idea, but they wondered why they hadn't thought of it.

"Xiao Yi, both of your ideas are excellent. I am prepared to adopt your suggestions. We can work on both fronts simultaneously. Do you have any other good ideas? Please share them as well."

"Your Majesty, I do have another idea, but I dare not speak it aloud for fear of offending you."

"Speak. Whatever you say, I will forgive you. If your suggestion is feasible, I will adopt it."

Xiao Yi nodded and said, "The Western Yu Kingdom is located in the northwest of the Great Northern Dynasty. The two countries do not have much interaction. Although they are not friendly, they are not too hostile either."

As far as I know, the Western Yu Kingdom has sent envoys to the Fan Kingdom several times in the past two years. It is said that the emperor of the Western Yu Kingdom has taken a fancy to Princess Yanling of the Fan Kingdom. I think the emperor should consider this marriage.

Once the Fan Kingdom forms a marriage alliance with the Xiyu Kingdom, and the Fan Kingdom faces danger, the Xiyu Kingdom will not stand idly by.

"How dare you! The Emperor of Xiyu has long coveted Princess Yanling. He has sent envoys to the foreign kingdom many times to propose marriage, but the Emperor has refused each time."

"Everyone in the foreign lands knows this, why are you bringing it up again?" a minister nearby roared.

"Lord Gui, please calm down. I had a prior agreement with Minister Xiao that I would not blame him for anything he said, so please don't be angry," the Emperor said.

If the emperor wasn't angry when Xiao Yi brought up the matter, there was no need for others to make a fuss.

The hall fell silent for a moment, and no one spoke anymore.

After a long while, the emperor finally spoke, "Minister Xiao, do you have any other ideas?"

"Not yet. These methods should be effective if implemented. I haven't come up with any other methods yet."

The emperor nodded and said:

"All three methods are good. I will immediately arrange for people to carry out the first two methods. As for the marriage alliance with the Western Yu Kingdom, I will not do it unless absolutely necessary."

Princess Yanling is the apple of my eye. She is only fifteen years old this year. I will not marry my daughter to an old man in his fifties.

"Minister Xiao, starting tomorrow, you will also come to court and participate in political discussions."

"As you command." Xiao Yi was overjoyed. He was only a seventh-rank official, and to be able to attend court and participate in political discussions was such an honor.

Xiao Yi is very young. When the foreign kingdom was in danger, he put forward several excellent suggestions that could have helped the foreign kingdom overcome the crisis. He has a bright future ahead of him.

This year's climate is a bit abnormal. Just after the start of winter, most parts of the Central Plains have already started to see snow, and winter seems to have arrived early.

During this period, Li Guang's 100,000-strong army, in addition to their regular daily training, also devoted some time to agricultural work.

There was a lot of wasteland around Shuixian Village, so Li Guang organized his soldiers to reclaim it. This wasteland covered tens of thousands of acres and could be used to grow grain, which could completely solve part of the food problem.

Considering the promotion of white berries next year, which requires a large amount of land for planting, we must start planning now.