Chapter 794 Irony
Xiahou Ling seemed to be making excuses for Wu Ya when he spoke, but in fact, every word he said was a mockery.
He almost said that Wu Ya was stupid and reckless, a waste who had no scheming and could be easily exploited, and was of no use.
His words "don't bother with her" caused those who were on good terms with the Imperial Master's Mansion to sneer. Wu Ya's face turned ashen, and even the elders of the Zong Yu tribe looked as if they had been slapped hard in the face. Ji Rongqing's eyes were even gloomier.
Xiahou Ling didn't pause, continuing, "Besides, how could the Emperor of Wei dare to take such a risky action without revealing any clues? How could the Princess and the Prince Consort know about Southern Qi's affairs? Not to mention the Wei Dynasty's troop deployments, even the princess's claim that she had inquired about the Emperor's requisition of merchant ships that day was probably a lie caused by that thief, Song Jinxiu."
"The princess was greedy for power and foolishly allowed to be instigated and used by others. This old minister will not take it to heart. After all, what happened between the two of us is the Beiling family affair. Attacking Wei is the most important matter right now."
Wu Ya's face turned blue and red, and then purple.
Ji Rongqing pressed down Wu Ya, who was about to explode in anger, and his expression became increasingly gloomy.
Xiahou Ling's move was simply bloodless. He seemed magnanimous and did not bother with Wu Ya and Zong Yu's tribe, but in fact he dragged Wu Ya and the Princess's Mansion into the mud. Not only did he say that she was stupid and impulsive and easy to be exploited, he also hinted that she was greedy for the power to lead the army, and forced the news brought by Song Jinxiu, which came from nowhere, to be attributed to the information obtained by the Princess's Mansion.
If Wu Ya wants to make further progress, she needs the support of all tribes, but now Xiahou Ling has made her lose the support of the people with just a few words.
How could the tribes be willing to let a brainless, stupid and greedy person be king?
"The princess too..."
Ji Rongqing wanted to speak up to save the situation for Wu Ya, but Hu Yanmin didn't give him any chance.
“That’s enough!”
Hu Yanmin interrupted Ji Rongqing coldly and asked, "Where's that bastard Song Jinxiu?"
"Reporting to the Khan, we have sent people to capture him." Someone below replied, "It's just that the Khan just gave out a reward, and Song Jinxiu came and went freely in the imperial city..."
"Then seal the imperial city for me and send people to search it!"
Hu Yanmin's eyes were filled with ferocity. He felt that the word "reward" was extremely harsh. He wished he could skin Song Jinxiu alive and pull out his tendons. He gritted his teeth and said coldly:
"That bastard dared to deceive this king, disregarding my trust in him and helping the Emperor of Wei plot against Beiling. I have ordered his capture, regardless of life or death!"
Even if it's a dead person, the body must be brought back!
"yes."
The people below hurriedly retreated.
Xiahou Ling raised his eyes to the extremely angry Hu Yanmin and said in a deep voice:
"Khan, it's been a long time since the Emperor of Southern Qi sent the letter. The Wei army is fierce and aggressive. The Emperor of Wei is willing to use any means necessary, even sacrificing pawns like Song Jinxiu, to delay our dispatch. I'm afraid he wants to mobilize the entire nation to conquer Southern Qi before heading north."
"A few days ago, the Wei Dynasty captured two cities in Southern Qi, and now their offensive is likely even more intense. If they really allow them to capture Southern Qi or force the Emperor of Qi to surrender to the Wei Dynasty, then we..."
"The matter of sending troops cannot be delayed any longer."
As soon as Xiahou Ling finished speaking, the others in the hall also spoke up.
"The Imperial Master is right. We cannot allow the Wei Dynasty to conquer the Southern Qi."
"King Khan, we must send troops immediately, otherwise the Great Wei will receive assistance from the Southern Qi, and Beiling will be in danger."
"The courtiers and royal family of Southern Qi have always been spineless. They simply cannot withstand the Wei Dynasty's offensive. Those fence-sitters may have already defected to the Great Wei."
"It's all Princess Wuya's fault. If they hadn't trusted that traitor Song Jinxiu's attempt to frame the Imperial Master, why would they have delayed sending troops? The Wei Emperor is even more shameless. Khan, order the troops to move as soon as possible. I must lead my troops to crush the Great Wei and capture the Wei Emperor alive to avenge this humiliation!"
Those people in the hall spoke one after another.
No matter whether they were elders from various tribes or generals, no matter whether they had previously been on good terms with the Imperial Master's Mansion or had long held grudges against them, they all directed their resentment towards Wu Ya and the Princess' Mansion.
The elders of the Zong Yu tribe dared not say a word in the face of public outrage, and Wu Ya's face turned pale.
Everyone urged Hu Yanmin to send troops as soon as possible.
Hu Yanmin clenched his fists tightly. The secret letter sent by the Southern Qi Emperor was placed beside him. He naturally understood that in this situation, he had to send troops immediately. Otherwise, delaying would only make Beiling more disadvantageous. However...
"I also want to send troops immediately, but the commander-in-chief has not yet been decided..."
"The head coach is naturally the national teacher!"
Huo Wei, the general who had previously spoken out against Ji Rongqing, said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty had already chosen the commander-in-chief, and the Imperial Preceptor was already well-versed in all military matters and dispatches. If he hadn't been harmed by a traitor, he would have led his troops south long ago. How could the Wei Dynasty have taken advantage of this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Southern Qi?"
"Now that we know that the Imperial Master has been wronged, the matter of commanding the army should naturally be handed over to the Imperial Master."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone spoke up to refute him.
"You can't say that."
An elder in the hall stepped forward and said, "Although the Imperial Preceptor didn't betray Beiling, it's true that he secretly colluded with Southern Qi. It's also true that the Emperor of Wei used him to cause all these incidents. He's not entirely without fault. Moreover, the Imperial Preceptor is ultimately a civil official, so commanding troops should be left to the military generals."
Huo Wei sneered, "Military generals? Have you forgotten that when Beiling was in turmoil, it was the Imperial Master who led the troops to quell the rebellion. It was also he who led the troops to suppress the various rebel tribes, and that was how the chaos in Beiling was quelled?"
The man who was speaking suddenly choked: "That's different."
"What's the difference?"
Huo Wei said in a deep voice, "I am also a military commander, and I know that you generals are brave, but I know my own limitations. You fought bravely on the battlefield with me, and you never lost a single bit when fighting against others, but when it comes to brains, you are no match for those people from the Wei Dynasty."
"The Emperor of Wei is extremely treacherous and cunning, and the border generals of the Wei Dynasty are every bit as cunning as the last. You are unwilling to let the Imperial Master lead the troops. Then who among you is confident that you can outsmart those calculating men of the Wei Dynasty?"
His eagle eyes swept over everyone in the hall, and those he saw fell silent.
Xiahou Ling said calmly, "If it were before, when Wei hadn't attacked Qi yet, we could have simply marched south. With Southern Qi tying down Wei's forces, our Beiling cavalry wouldn't fear anyone wherever they went. But now, Southern Qi's situation is unclear, and the Emperor of Wei's intentions are even more unpredictable. If anything were to happen on the battlefield, all of Beiling would be destroyed."
"I don't intend to seize power, but I'm sure all the elders are well aware of what this attack on Wei means."
"Beiling only has this one chance. If they win, it will be a grand undertaking that will last for thousands of years. But if they lose, Beiling will probably retreat to the north of Moling Mountain, just like when Wei Taizu was alive, and it will be difficult for them to recover for a hundred years. Is this what you all want to see?"
After Xiahou Ling finished speaking, he looked at the ever-changing expressions of Huyan Min and the elders of the various tribes, and took the initiative to step back.
"Although I am no novice in matters of war, I dare not take charge. I will be the commander-in-chief. The Khan and the elders can appoint two deputy commanders to assist us. The most important thing right now is to dispatch the troops as soon as possible."
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