Akihito put down his chopsticks, frowned, and picked up the miso soup.
On the table were a sauce and three dishes. Apart from the salt-roasted flounder which was touched twice, the plate of roasted venison and the plate of raw wild shepherd's purse remained untouched.
After taking only a sip, he put down the miso soup and didn't want to eat any more of the tea or rice. He stood up with a serious expression, waved his arm, and the maidservant beside him immediately took away the food.
Akihito walked outside in frustration. The sun was blazing overhead; it was past noon.
Today, from the moment I opened my eyes, urgent military intelligence began to arrive one after another.
Emperor Akihito desperately hoped for good news, but every message that came was bad news.
If it weren't for the fact that General So-and-so and his entire army were wiped out, or that General So-and-so suffered a crushing defeat and only a few remnants of his troops escaped to some other place.
The last news he received before lunch was that Sasaki Taichiro had led his troops to encounter the Yan army. Now that it was past noon, Akihito did not know the final outcome of their battle, but his heart was filled with gloom.
The series of defeats had completely extinguished his hopes.
Fortunately, he sent men to transfer troops to other regions last night, and two troop units had arrived at the Kyoto Imperial Palace before noon.
With the increase in military strength in the capital, Akihito's worries were somewhat relieved, though not completely.
The plan to attack Yan Kingdom had been in the works for a long time. From preparation to the formal launch of the attack, several years had passed. As a result, Emperor Akihito had already deployed the largest and strongest forces in the area from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to Kawanishi Port.
These are the few armies that have been fighting the Yan army one after another, but they have been defeated and forced to retreat time and time again.
While the troops arriving from other regions were numerous, the majority were reservists who had only joined the army in recent years, and some of them could not even be equipped with a full set of weapons and armor.
In addition, at least half of them had never been to the battlefield.
They were just young and passionate, responding to national policy and sincerely believing that war would bring prosperity to Japan.
With this in mind, they enthusiastically joined the army one after another, shouting slogans such as "Serve the Emperor and dedicate yourselves to the country."
Now, these people are arriving at the Kyoto Imperial Palace from all over the country. Many of them are filled with excitement, feeling both hatred for the enemy and pride in the noble mission of killing the enemy and protecting their homeland.
Akihito hesitated outside the door, his brows furrowed deeply. He was waiting for the next news, a wait that was agonizing. It was clear that the war was spiraling out of control and heading toward a horrific end.
Even half a month ago, when news of defeats came one after another from the East China Sea, Akihito still felt that the course of the war was still within his control.
After all, any war, even one that is repeatedly victorious, will be accompanied by more or less sacrifices, and Japan's military strength is already sufficient, even redundant.
In fact, in his initial plans, Emperor Akihito had already prepared for the possibility of conquering the entire Yan Kingdom, which would result in the deaths of at least hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people in Fusang.
But it doesn't matter.
The deaths of these people were exchanged for the entire Yan Kingdom, and at the same time, the problem of redundant troops in Fusang was solved. All of this was completely worthwhile.
But clearly, he underestimated the Yan Kingdom, and also underestimated the implications of a national war.
Now, he has truly realized a stark reality.
"If this continues, is Japan going to be destroyed in my hands?"
Akihito bit his lip, muttering to himself.
"His Majesty!!"
Just then, a minister and several attendants rushed over. Emperor Akihito was startled and hurriedly summoned them.
"How is it?" He asked, his voice trembling slightly, fearing that news of another defeat had come from the front.
"General Mosang has arrived, Your Majesty!" the minister replied, catching his breath.
"call--"
Akihito wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking that this time he had finally received some good news.
"Okay! I'll go see him!"
Not long after, in a side hall, Emperor Akihito met with Mosang, who had rushed over all the way.
Mo Sang's face was gloomy and he looked exhausted. He hadn't rested all night, having traveled a long way and changed horses several times. His whole body ached, and all he wanted to do now was get some sleep.
Seeing Akihito's anxious expression, he mustered his strength and said:
"What? Why are you in such a hurry to send me here? Is the situation tense?" Although Akihito is the Emperor of Japan, he is only the Emperor of Japan. Mosang has no respect for him as a superior. To him, what is Japan? Just a small island nation.
Akihito knew he was always arrogant, so he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled and said:
"General Mosang has traveled a long way and must be tired. Under normal circumstances, we would send carriages to pick him up, but the situation is special now, so we have no choice but to do so..."
Before he could finish speaking, Mo Sang raised an eyebrow and impatiently interrupted:
"Alright! I rushed here overnight and I'm exhausted. Let's get down to business first."
"I heard from your people that the Yan Kingdom's army had landed at Chuanxi Port and then defeated the troops you sent."
"That happened last night. How is it now? Where is Yan Kingdom resting? What are your next steps?"
Mo Sang fired off a series of questions. In his view, Yan Kingdom's capture of Chuanxi Port was already a huge victory for them, and their subsequent actions should naturally be slowed down.
After capturing Chuanxi Port and fighting all night, even the strongest army should be exhausted. They should be resting somewhere now, and if they want to continue fighting, they should be setting up camp.
But Akihito's answer still surprised him.
"I have already sent out several armies, all of which have been defeated. In total... there have been... alas!"
Akihito's smile vanished, replaced by a look of deep sorrow. He sighed heavily and continued:
"The Yan army has never given up the idea of a truce. They are constantly approaching the capital. Before noon, I sent my general Sasaki with his army to fight them. The outcome may still be uncertain."
"But I am really worried. I have no confidence at all that they can win, after all, they have lost too many times."
As he listened, Mo Sang's brows furrowed into a knot.
Seeing that his expression was strange, Akihito walked to his side and whispered:
"General Mosang, let me be frank with you. Given the current situation, I have no intention of fighting Yan Kingdom any further."
"you....."
He changed his form of address, "Do you think... you could persuade the people of Yan to stop the war and make peace with us?"
"By the time this war has reached this point, far too many people have died, both in our Fusang and in their Yan Kingdom."
"These are all precious lives! We can't let any more people die! Let this war end here!"
"Our two countries should prioritize peace."
Mo Sang looked up and saw Akihito's solemn face.
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