The Hall of Supreme Harmony was completely silent.
Suddenly, a young man in a blue robe stepped forward, addressing the emperor as "Father," who was undoubtedly the eldest prince.
The words spoken were too obviously directed at him, and even a little unwise.
Just as Xu Mo began to have doubts, the eldest prince spoke again.
He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a resounding fist, and said, “Father may think my words are presumptuous, but I truly have to speak my mind.”
"Thinking back to the decades of entanglement between Dayu and the Tartars, how many innocent soldiers died, how many civilians were crushed by iron cavalry, how many young girls were insulted with resentment, and how many old people died with their eyes wide open in disbelief."
“Those who are not of our race are bound to have different hearts! The Tartars can steal food when they are short of it, so why do they humiliate the people and take innocent lives? Even ancient bandits had rules for stealing, but these foreigners are truly barbaric and inhuman.”
"There are countless soldiers who died tragically, countless sons and daughters of the Great Yu Dynasty. They lost their lives in the war, and their parents, wives and children are left destitute in their old age. Yet now we are asked to forgive these barbarians and to implement a policy of appeasement towards them. I want to ask, what right do they have? Do they deserve it? Do they deserve it!"
These words were quite impassioned, and combined with his earlier questioning of the reckless prince, the image of an upright and patriotic prince was established.
Those students who felt something in their hearts, or those who had relatives who were military officers, couldn't help but feel a shared hatred for the enemy.
National and personal grievances are indeed not something that can be explained in a few words. The loss of relatives and friends is an eternal wound in one's heart, which may take two, three, or even longer to fade.
Honestly, Xu Mo was unwilling to negotiate with the invaders who had trampled his homeland.
However, the Dayu Dynasty was weak in both military and military strength. If it weren't for its large population and vast territory, it might have been ravaged by iron cavalry long ago and become a subjugated people.
Rather than a protracted tug-of-war that results in more casualties, it would be better to end the war with peace talks, allowing the people to recuperate and rebuild, which would also replenish the nation's already strained treasury.
The Crown Prince's words initially stirred my emotions, but upon closer examination, their flaws became apparent.
His logic was based on the premise that the Dayu Dynasty was destined to win.
In reality, even if they were to win, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. The reason for post-war peace talks was the fear that the foreign tribes would fight desperately, leading to a protracted conflict that could last for many more years.
But they just wanted to stop the war.
Xu Mo wanted to refute, but found that most of the students' emotions had been stirred up. Almost every young man around twenty years old was indignant, hating the foreign race, and wishing he could put on armor and kill the enemy himself.
Even the imperial family on the dragon throne sighed, filled with helplessness at the war and dissatisfaction with the foreign tribes.
The eldest prince seized the opportunity to stand up and said proudly, "Father, the sons of Dayu should be fearless and forge ahead. How can our great nation tolerate provocation from foreign races? We must exterminate them to comfort the souls of our departed!"
"May the barbarian race be wiped out, and may my departed souls find peace!" someone shouted in response.
The entire hall was filled with boiling passion, sincere youth, and loyal and filial souls.
If they were not weak and helpless students, but battlefield generals, the effect would be even more outstanding.
Xu Mo sighed inwardly, knowing that it was not the right time to speak, and that he probably had no chance of winning the first prize.
He had already prepared himself mentally, so he wasn't too upset. He just lowered his eyelashes and waited for the verdict.
After an unknown amount of time, the impassioned voices gradually subsided, and the eldest prince smiled with satisfaction.
Tian Jia glanced at Xu Mo with a complicated expression, just as he was about to place the ink scroll in the second tier.
A soft cough rang out, followed by a deliberately hoarse but still distinctly youthful voice, "Your Majesty, I... also have something to say."
The main hall fell silent, except for the rumbling in Xu Mo's ears.
A slender figure in black slowly walked out, her beautiful face pale, with an unchanging half-smile. "My eldest brother is truly a good prince who cares for the country and its people. I fully agree with his hatred for the Tartars. With him here, the Tartars will be wiped out sooner or later."
The students held their breath, wondering in their hearts that this must be the rumored frail fifth prince, and they wondered what he meant by standing up for the first prince.
The eldest prince himself was equally puzzled. The scene of the Empress and Consort Ju clashing back then was still vivid in his mind. How could the fifth prince have changed his personality after recuperating for a few years?
Until the person in question changed his tone, "Speaking of which, my eldest brother is about sixteen or seventeen years old. The eldest son of the Jiang family, who is the same age as you, has already gone to the northern frontier. I wonder when you will set off?"
The eldest prince, "..."
They were just expressing their emotions, trying to suppress Xu Mo's writing and the emperor's heart, how did it turn into going to the northern frontier?
Just now, he was so emotionally charged that he couldn't even refute it or puncture the hype he'd built up.
"What? Could it be that after all this talk, the eldest prince is unwilling to personally go to the battlefield and annihilate the Tartars?" The fifth prince's voice gradually turned surprised, filled with disbelief.
Even the students wished they could wear armor, so how could the passionate and indignant eldest prince not want to go?
But he couldn't actually go. The war in the northern frontier would take three to five years to quell, and if he returned, he would truly be out of the running for the crown prince.
"Your subject... Your subject is naturally willing to go." The eldest prince had no choice but to speak. "Your subject is willing to give up everything for the country and the nation, even if it means going to the northern frontier. But before that, your subject must share the burden for Father Emperor, replenish the national treasury, and store enough food and supplies for battle."
An army marches on its stomach.
These eight words are enough to prove how much money and food were spent during wartime.
The eldest prince's thoughts were not wrong, and even aligned with Fang Yuan's views, but in the end, it still dampened morale and disappointed many indignant students.
"It seems that my eldest brother will not be able to go. The task of annihilating the Tartars can only be left to the soldiers on the frontier." The Fifth Prince sighed. "I wonder how long it will take for those who have left home to return, whether they will be able to see their parents off in their final days, and whether they will be able to be with their wives and children."
He only touched on the point briefly and didn't say much more.
But the path implied in those words had already been paved for the end of the war.
Xu Mo couldn't help but want to look up several times, but he forced his gaze down and suppressed his excitement as he continued, "I hope that war can end war, and that after negotiations, the soldiers on the frontier can return home as soon as possible."
"Let the soldiers on the frontier return home as soon as possible!" someone shouted.
The passion of countless students was reignited.
"Let the soldiers on the frontier return home as soon as possible!"
"Go home!"
Who doesn't want to go home!
Someone sniffed, suppressing a sob.
Xu Mo could no longer bear it and glanced sideways, only to see a slender black figure disappear into the distance, once again hidden behind the screen.
That person's voice was hoarse yet familiar, and familiar yet strange.
He opposes the eldest prince, he paves the way for Xu Mo, but who exactly is he?
The answer was almost obvious, yet I still couldn't believe it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
