Chapter 799 Should We Start a War?
It was evening.
The blood-red setting sun bathed the earth.
The streets of the capital were bustling with people, but no one knew how great a crisis was hidden behind this tranquility.
Cheng Wanwan sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked at the bustling street and the smiling people. Her mind gradually calmed down.
The carriage stopped at the palace gate. After she handed over her palace pass, the palace servants took her inside without reporting her presence.
By the time they reached the Imperial Study, it was completely dark.
One by one, the palace lanterns were lit, illuminating the imperial study as if it were daytime.
Led by Eunuch Ming, Cheng Wanwan entered the Imperial Study and found many people there, including the Emperor, the Crown Prince, several members of the Grand Council, the Minister of War, the General of the Cavalry, He Xiao, and some other ministers whose identities she did not know, about a dozen people in total. This showed how much importance the Emperor attached to today's events, and she had come to the right place.
"Madam Sui, you may rise." Before Cheng Wanwan could perform her salutation, the Emperor spoke up in time, "Madam Sui, you have been frightened today, please take a seat."
Eunuch Ming immediately brought over a cushioned chair and placed it in front of Cheng Wanwan.
Only the emperor was seated. It would be inappropriate for her to sit down as well. She thanked the emperor for his kindness and stood respectfully with the ministers.
"Lady Sui's arrival is just in time," said Lord Xu of the Military Affairs Office. "I heard from the students of Xiao Qin University that Lady Sui speaks some of the language of the Laki Kingdom and even had a direct conversation with the Laki people. I wonder what they said?"
Cheng Wanwan curtsied and said, "At first, the people of Laqi Kingdom didn't know that anyone could understand their language. So, I only heard a little bit. They found out in advance that the noble sons of the capital would be going to Linxi for a trip, so they infiltrated Linxi in advance and captured Pang Jie and Li Jian because their families were the most powerful. They tried to use their eldest sons to threaten the two families into working for Laqi Kingdom..."
"Damn it, utterly despicable!"
"The Kingdom of Laki is simply courting death!"
"They've challenged the prestige of our Great Yu Kingdom time and time again; they're tired of living!"
The military officer in the imperial study had a furious expression on his face, and a murderous aura rose from his skin.
“Now is not the time to be angry,” Cheng Wanwan said slowly. “From their conversation, we can tell that they still have many spies in the capital. Perhaps some ministers in the court have already had their weaknesses exploited and are forced to pass messages to them. This is the biggest hidden danger at present.”
Everyone's expression was somber.
After that incident, all the Laki people in the capital were expelled, and even those with a little bit of Laki blood were driven away.
But it's clear that only those in the public eye were driven away; there are still countless spies operating in the shadows.
The emperor had been secretly investigating and had uncovered quite a few, but for every one he uncovered, there were at least ten more in the shadows, making it difficult to completely eradicate them.
At this moment, Eunuch Ming led a guard in. The guard knelt on the ground and said, "Reporting, we have located the Laji Kingdom's residence, but it is deserted and the estate has been burned down."
The General of the Cavalry hurriedly asked, "How big is that estate?"
The guard replied, "It can house at least three or four hundred people."
Upon hearing that there were three or four hundred people, everyone's expressions darkened further. They had no idea that so many people from the Kingdom of Laki lived outside the capital.
If it weren't for this unexpected turn of events, these three or four hundred people would probably have quickly grown to three or four thousand, and then slowly expanded, eventually making it difficult to defend the imperial city!
"How dare this tiny nation covet our mighty Yu Kingdom!" The Crown Prince knelt on the ground, lifting his robe. "Father, I request permission to lead troops to Laqi Kingdom, to crush it, and to uphold our national prestige!"
“Absolutely not!” Lord Xu shook his head. “The Kingdom of Laji and the Kingdom of Dayu are separated by the coast. The journey is long and arduous. If war breaks out, it will be a waste of resources and manpower, which will be extremely detrimental to the country and its people.”
Several others echoed this sentiment.
"In the past twenty years, the Great Yu Kingdom has finally made peace with the Western Rong Kingdom. The country is in a state of peace and prosperity, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This prosperity is the result of Princess Taiping's marriage alliance. We must be cautious about starting a war."
"Your Majesty, I believe that some of the soldiers stationed on the frontier can be transferred back to the capital. The Laki Kingdom has only a few hundred or a thousand people, and they cannot accomplish anything significant."
"His country is tiny, with a population smaller than a single province of our Great Yu Kingdom. Even if they mobilized the entire nation, they couldn't muster 100,000 soldiers. What is there to fear?"
"..."
A small group, led by the crown prince, felt that a decisive blow must be struck, but the majority of the rest did not advocate for war.
Cheng Wanwan's personality dictates that she advocates for peace, but now she feels that war is necessary.
In her past life, wasn't China mostly occupied by the tiny Japanese? The country was destroyed, families were torn apart, and the nation was no longer a nation, nor a home a home... The words in the history books were filled with tears of blood, and thinking about them now makes her heart ache.
Even in a different era, the Kingdom of Laki remains the same—treacherous and cunning, always plotting to annex other countries' territories.
Although their country is small, their ambitions are great, and their strength should not be underestimated.
If the Laki Kingdom isn't crushed, sooner or later they'll invade the Dayu Kingdom and deliver a devastating blow... Even if the Dayu Kingdom wins, what then? Even if they drive out an enemy nation from their own land, the people will still suffer. The wounds of war will take at least several decades to heal...
Rather than waiting for someone to break in, it's better to take the initiative.
The emperor suddenly spoke up: "What does Lady Sui think?"
Cheng Wanwan was just looking for an opportunity to express her opinion when the Emperor called on her. She had every right to speak her mind: "The Laji Kingdom already has three or four hundred men lying in ambush outside the capital. They might be temporarily quieted down due to the encirclement by the Dayu Kingdom, but they will definitely not retreat. When their numbers reach a thousand, they will be a formidable force, easily wreaking havoc in the capital's outskirts. When their numbers reach tens of thousands, they might even be able to contend with the garrison outside the capital..."
Think of a famous battle in Chinese history where a smaller force defeated a larger one, where Cao Cao led 8,000 men to annihilate Yuan Shao's 100,000 soldiers... The number of men is not the key; the key is tactics and ambition, and the people of Laki have neither.
The General of the Cavalry said coldly, "We have 30,000 troops stationed in the outskirts of the capital. How can we allow these bastards to cause trouble!"
"Of course, the troops stationed in the outskirts of the capital are not afraid of the people of Laqi Kingdom, but has the general considered that there are countless farms in the outskirts of the capital? What will happen to these farmers and the lush crops in the fields once war breaks out?" Cheng Wanwan said unhurriedly, "If Laqi Kingdom infiltrates Dayu Kingdom, then the battlefield will be on the territory of Dayu Kingdom. No matter where the war starts, no matter what the final outcome is, it is the common people who will suffer the most... As the history books say, when a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country falls, the people suffer."
The emperor looked at her and said, "Does Lady Sui not advocate war?"
"No." Cheng Wanwan shook her head. "This subject does not advocate starting a war within the territory of the Great Yu Kingdom. As His Highness the Crown Prince said, we should send people with troops to the Laji Kingdom and move the battlefield to their territory. If they cause trouble in secret, then their people should suffer. Why should the people of my Great Yu Kingdom suffer undeserved disasters!"
Lord Xu of the Military Affairs Office shook his head. Women are indeed women; they can only think of such narrow interests.
He began, "Has Lady Sui considered that traveling thousands of miles to Laqi is tantamount to going to enemy territory? Supplies will be hard to keep up, weapons will be hard to replenish, and troops will be hard to send... These are all crucial factors in whether a war can be won. Moreover, even if the battlefield is moved, there will still be casualties. At that point, the remains of hundreds of fallen soldiers may never even be returned to their homeland..."
"I am but a woman, and naturally I do not understand these things," Cheng Wanwan said honestly. "In my opinion, this war with the Kingdom of Laqi is unavoidable. We can either take the initiative now or wait for the Kingdom of Laqi to grow stronger before launching a counterattack. Whether to declare war now or wait a few years is naturally up to His Majesty, the Grand Councilors, and the Minister of War to decide..."
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