The following day, in the imperial court.
Sitting on the dragon throne, perhaps because of last night's dream, Jin Fengluan's face was unusually pale.
In fact, she couldn't sleep after last night. She tossed and turned in bed during the second half of the night, but as soon as she closed her eyes, she would immediately think of the scene in her dream.
After the news of the crushing defeat at Yanluo Mountain arrived, Jin Fengluan never slept well again.
The approaching rebel army, drawing ever closer to the capital, kept her on edge, to the point that she lost her appetite and became noticeably thinner in just a few days.
Your Highness, most of the court officials were filled with unease, and their expressions were not much better at the moment.
Wang Yong, the Minister of Revenue, still had sweat on his fat face. He had been very anxious about Qin Ze's fierce momentum these past few days.
After all, when Qin Ze conferred the title of Northern Liang, he knew that Qin Ze could not possibly forget the sarcastic remarks he made in court. In addition, he had some past grievances with the Qin family.
If Qin Ze really storms into the capital, then I'm afraid I won't be able to escape death.
He lowered his head and secretly glanced at Jin Fengluan on the dragon throne, then slightly turned his gaze to the other ministers, and finally his gaze fell on the face of Zhang Li, the Minister of Personnel.
Zhang Li's face was somber, and his brows were furrowed.
At that moment, a cold voice rang out:
"The traitor is full of tricks. He laid an ambush at Yanluo Mountain and took advantage of the terrain to win. Hmph, this is the kind of treacherous and despicable person he is!"
The voice came from Jin Fengluan. As the ruler of a country, she knew she could not show weakness at this moment.
If I myself am dejected, how will my ministers view me? How will we fight the war?
As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Yong's voice rang out in the solemn court, his face full of worry:
"Your Majesty, we sent 200,000 troops, along with the barbarian army, but now they have been almost completely wiped out. This traitor is very cunning, and he has already left Yanluo Mountain."
"If we continue south, those neighboring cities will probably be unable to stop us."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Li replied:
"Your humble servant is straightforward and speaks his mind directly."
Upon hearing this, all the ministers looked at Zhang Li, and Jin Fengluan's gaze also fell on him.
Zhang Li stepped forward and continued:
"Although we suffered a defeat in the Battle of Yanluo Mountain, they must have lost a lot of troops as well."
"After all, with hundreds of thousands of people fighting in the mountains, no matter how many ambushes they fall into, in the end it's still a real battle with swords and spears, isn't it?"
"His Highness fled into the mountains. Under those circumstances, I think it would have been difficult for him to see what was happening in the mountains. Therefore, in my opinion, it must have been a Pyrrhic victory for them."
Jin Fengluan nodded, deeply agreeing.
Wang Yong frowned, thinking that the battle had come to this point, with hundreds of thousands of people still unable to emerge from Yanluo Mountain, and Jin Jiande fleeing in disgrace. Didn't this demonstrate just how devastating the defeat was?
Is Zhang Li trying to comfort himself?
The next moment, Zhang Li continued:
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry too much. Although they appear to be on the rise, little do they know that they are already showing signs of defeat."
Jin Fengluan frowned. Although she understood that Zhang Li said this to prevent the court officials from becoming despondent, saying that the traitor was already showing signs of defeat was indeed an exaggeration.
"How do you know?" Jin Fengluan asked in a deep voice.
Zhang Li's expression remained unchanged as he spoke in a resounding voice:
"Your Majesty, do you not know that prosperity inevitably leads to decline?"
"Throughout history, there have been acts of rebellion in every dynasty, but those who rebelled always became complacent after a few victories, either rushing to amass wealth or seizing a city to establish a kingdom and declare themselves emperors."
"Once they gain an advantage, these traitors become arrogant and naturally want to enjoy themselves."
"In that case, how could he possibly prepare for the next battle with the same full effort as he did at the beginning?"
Jin Fengluan's brows relaxed, and she thought to herself that what he said made sense.
This seems to have been the case for most of the time.
She nodded. "What you say is correct, my dear minister."
Zhang Li continued, "As the official said before, since they have left Yanluo Mountain and continued south, I believe their momentum will not be too fast."
"The next few cities aren't exactly major military strongholds. Although the garrison isn't large and might not be able to stop us, so what if he takes them?"
"It won't damage the foundation of the entire project."
Upon hearing this, Jin Fengluan fell into deep thought, while Zhang Li remained silent.
After a long silence, she spoke up: "Come on, all of you, tell me how to deal with this."
Immediately, the people in the court began to discuss and debate the matter.
Zhang Li's face remained ashen; he offered no further advice and simply listened.
——
After the court assembly, Jin Fengluan returned to the palace with a somber expression.
The discussions in the court were of little use; the ministers talked a lot, but what could they actually accomplish?
If Huanglong hadn't died, having him lead the army there would have been a good choice.
Thinking of this, Jin Fengluan felt somewhat annoyed. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have killed Huanglong in the first place.
At this moment, a young eunuch came to report that Jin Jiande had come to pay his respects.
Jin Fengluan's face immediately darkened.
"Let him in!"
Not long after, Jin Jiande arrived, supported by a young eunuch and leaning on a cane.
"Hmph, you still dare to come see me!"
Inside the magnificent Hall of Filial Piety, Jin Fengluan's exquisite, porcelain-like face was covered with a layer of frost.
Beneath her tightly knit eyebrows, a pair of fierce eyes gleamed with murderous intent, just as her words pierced Jin Jiande's heart like a sharp blade.
In addition to the physical pain, his heart ached as well.
His injury had not fully healed. After the acupuncture and herbal medicine treatment by Physician Jiang, although his right leg still ached slightly, his cough had lessened considerably.
Therefore, despite his still-unwell condition, he ordered his servants to escort him to the palace.
He had to see the Emperor; he couldn't wait a moment longer.
At this moment, facing Jin Fengluan's anger, a blush of shame appeared on Jin Jiande's pale face.
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and have failed to live up to your trust. I have failed to kill the traitor. I deserve to die!"
If his right leg hadn't been broken and he now had to use crutches, Jin Jiande would surely have knelt down and kowtowed several times. But unfortunately, he can't even kowtow now.
Thinking of this, Jin Jiande felt even more sorrowful.
"Ha, so you know you deserve to die!"
"Hundreds of thousands of people were wiped out in that one battle!"
"I have never seen a battle fought like this before!"
Jin Fengluan clenched her fists, and her fair face flushed red, but it was from anger.
Thinking back to that day, after receiving the news of the crushing defeat at Yanluo Mountain, Jin Fengluan still feels short of breath, as if anger resides within her.
Jin Jiande raised his head and saw Jin Fengluan's pretty face was frosty. He said in a trembling voice, "The rebels have many troops and are good at fighting. Even if we fight with all our might, we will not be able to defeat them."
Upon hearing this, Jin Fengluan was enraged.
"What? You're this scared after just one battle?"
"Just because you can't win with your troops doesn't mean others can't either!!"
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