But border battle reports were still sent to the capital one by one.
Although there were reports of victory, there were more reports of defeat.
Two more cities were occupied by the Xijinyun Kingdom, and one city was occupied by the Tianyun Kingdom. Seeing that the two countries had taken advantage, other tribal and small countries took the opportunity to invade some of the surrounding villages and towns, slowly eroding them.
What's worse, epidemics broke out one after another in many cities near the border.
The epidemic was so severe that once one person was infected, the disease spread to the whole family, and then quickly spread from the common people to the city guards. The doctors in the city and even the doctors in the army were helpless in the face of it.
Because of the drought since spring, a large-scale drought broke out in the Lu area. The fields were barren and the people had no food. Even though the court allocated a large amount of disaster relief grain, it was still a drop in the bucket.
There were starving people everywhere, people were exchanging their own children for food, and the local people not only fled, but some of them gathered together to become bandits, but they used the banner of uprising as a cover.
There were even those who were afraid that the world would not be in chaos, and they spread the news everywhere that foreign enemies were invading and there were famines at home, and that it was because the emperor of the time had committed many evil deeds and angered the gods, who were therefore angry and punished him.
In just three or four months, the entire court faced internal and external troubles, and was filled with a strong sense of instability.
Among the court officials, the calls for peace talks were growing louder and louder.
"I think that although it is very important to resist foreign enemies, at this time, disasters are raging in the country, and we need to appease the people first."
"I second the proposal. The money and grain used for the war can be used to eliminate bandits everywhere, settle the people, and ensure the stability of people's livelihood."
"Your Majesty, this peace negotiation is not surrender, but a temporary measure. As a great country like Qin, we must take back all the cities. We just need to wait for the right time."
"emperor……"
"Your Majesty." Duke Anguo bowed, "I believe that the integrity of a country is also the integrity of its people. Although the people are dissatisfied with the war, it is ultimately due to the continuous defeats. If we negotiate peace at this time, it will only make the people more discouraged and their hearts will become more unstable."
"And if we negotiate peace now, it may seem like Great Qin has a chance to recuperate, but the same is true for Xijinyun and Tianyun. They will take the opportunity to stockpile troops and food, and even wait for an opportunity to invade again."
"Once the peace talks begin, they will be repeated again and again. Forgive me for being blunt, but this time the peace talks are just relying on the fact that Great Qin still has a lot of territory as a fallback. If the enemy continues to eat away at it, how much of Great Qin will be left?"
"By the time we can no longer tolerate it, Xijinyun and Tianyun will have already grown stronger. By that time, even if our Great Qin wants to mobilize the whole country to fight a war, I'm afraid we won't have any chance of winning."
"I, the old minister, believe that this battle must be fought, and it must be fought with great reputation."
"What Duke Dingguo meant is..." Qin Yishu paused.
"I, this old minister, think that the emperor leading the army in person can, firstly, show the emperor's attitude to the people of the world, secondly, boost the morale of the soldiers on the border, and thirdly, deter the enemy. This is the most appropriate move at the moment." An Guo said.
But as soon as Duke Anguo finished speaking, a court official immediately spoke out to refute him.
"How can the emperor, who is a man of great stature and wealth, lead an army in person?"
"On the battlefield, swords have no eyes. I am overstepping my authority. If something unexpected happens to the emperor, how can I bear such a responsibility?"
"I think it is absolutely impossible for the emperor to lead the army in person."
"Your Majesty, this humble subject..."
"Father." Qin Peiyou took a half step forward, "I am willing to go to the border on your behalf to supervise the war."
"I am now the crown prince, the future heir to the throne. If I go to the border, it will boost the morale of the people there and convince the people of the world."
"Besides, since I am the crown prince, I shoulder the responsibility of serving the country. I hope that my father will grant me the permission to go on this journey!"
After Qin Peiyou finished speaking, he knelt on the ground, kowtowed heavily to Qin Yishu, and then said loudly again, "Please grant my permission, Father."
The sound was loud and echoed throughout the Chongyang Palace.
Qin Yishu pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time.
…
A few days later, the news that Crown Prince Qin Peiyou would lead the army in person on behalf of the Emperor and that he would set out soon spread throughout the capital.
The emperor specially sent Zou Yunqi, the commander of the Imperial Guard, to escort him.
Also going there were He Yanxiu, Su Yujin, Lu Xingjun and several other young people who had never been to the border for training.
The group traveled light, traveling day and night, all the way west.
The weather in early August is already a little chilly, especially in the morning and at night, the wind is already very cold.
As we travel westward, the temperature difference between day and night becomes greater.
When taking a short rest at night, we even need to light a bonfire to keep warm.
Su Yujin felt drowsy during the whole day's carriage ride and closed her eyes to rest all day. At night, she got off the carriage to stretch her muscles. All her sleepiness disappeared and she simply baked some stone cakes on the campfire to eat.
Stone cakes baked with heated stones are low in oil and salt, crispy and delicious. They can be used as dry food on the road. Alkaline water is added to the stone cakes, which is easy to digest and extremely beneficial to the spleen and stomach, avoiding physical discomfort caused by rushing on the road.
Su Yujin was busy, Qingkui was helping to make the dough, and He Yanxiu was helping to bake clean stones for Su Yujin to use.
Seeing Qingkui's skillful technique in making the dough, Su Yujin smiled and said, "Your skills are much better than before."
"Sister Ai Cao also said the same thing when we were in the capital a few days ago." Qing Kui chuckled, "But Sister Ai Cao's praise was not sincere at the time."
"Oh? How come you don't really want to practice?" Su Yujin was a little surprised, "Aicao is not a stingy person."
"Sister Ai Cao is not stingy, but this time the young lady went to the border and only brought the maid with her, but not Sister Ai Cao. Sister Ai Cao is a little unhappy." Qingkui scratched his ear and said.
"This mugwort." Su Yujin smiled unhappily.
It was unknown how long this trip to the border would take, nor what kind of experiences she would have to go through. Ai Cao and Feng Yuanhao's wedding was approaching, and there was no way they could delay any further. So Su Yujin asked Ai Cao to stay in the capital to prepare her dowry and wait to marry Feng Yuanhao.
She also needed someone who could be of use to her. Qingkui had gone out with him many times before and was very strong. After weighing the pros and cons for a long time, Su Yujin decided to take Qingkui with her.
"Sister Ai Cao is also thinking about Miss." Qingkui said with a smile, while skillfully applying the dough on the extremely hot stone, "More than thinking about Shopkeeper Feng."
I hope Shopkeeper Feng doesn't hear this...
Su Yujin smiled and saw that the stone cakes in the small basket next to her were almost full, so she asked Qingkui to get a new small basket.
He Yanxiu replaced the stones for Su Yujin, took the baked and crispy stone cake, put it in his mouth and chewed it, "What about you?"
"What?" Su Yujin tilted her head.
"Do you care more about me or your father and mother?" He Yanxiu asked.
Phew, caught up~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
