The Eastern Chu court.
The Eastern Chu court was unusually solemn today, especially after receiving the battle report from the northern soldiers. The entire court became quiet, and the officials couldn't help but discuss it heatedly.
"The Northern Rong have invaded again?"
"Yes, General Su had already driven them back before, so how come they've come back again after only three years?"
"And now the north is also suffering from drought and banditry. How come all these things are happening at once?"
"The Holy King is still in the north. I wonder if this invasion by the Northern Rong will endanger him?"
"What if the Holy King falls into the hands of the Northern Rong people in the north? What would happen then?"
"Probably not. The Holy King is very skilled in martial arts, and he brought 100,000 reserve troops from the capital to the north this time. Even if they really fight the Northern Rong, the Northern Rong may not have a chance of winning."
"The Northern Garrison Army is still in the North, and our Northern Garrison Army is not to be trifled with!"
"That's true, but the north is short of both food and water, so I'm afraid it won't be easy to defend the city!"
When Xuanyuan Yu heard the battle report from the northern soldiers, he was quite shocked.
What exactly happened?
Why would the Northern Rong suddenly invade the northern border again?
Xuan Yuan Yu glanced at Xuan Yuan Zhi subconsciously. Could it be his doing?
Did Xuanyuan Zhi collude with the Northern Rong?
This thought instantly sent a chill down Xuan Yuan Yu's spine.
If that's the case, then he needs to act quickly to seize the throne. Both Xuan Yuanzhan and Xuan Yuanzhi are formidable rivals!
When Xuanyuan Zhi heard the battle report from the northern soldiers, his face remained expressionless, but he was overjoyed inside.
Unexpectedly, Tuoba Xiong was so obedient that he actually sent troops to attack the northern border.
In that case, regardless of whether Tuoba Xiong can successfully conquer the northern border, Xuanyuan Zhan will definitely be stuck in the northern border and unable to return.
He must seize the throne before Xuanyuan Zhan returns to the capital.
Before Xuan Yuanzhan returned to the capital, his only rival was Xuan Yuanyu. Otherwise, once Xuan Yuanzhan returned to the capital, he and Xuan Yuanyu might never have another chance.
Both Xuanyuan Yu and Xuanyuan Zhi were secretly plotting their own schemes.
The officials below got more and more excited as they talked, but no one stepped forward to take charge.
The northern soldier who brought the news was extremely anxious. He knelt on the ground and spoke again: "Second Prince, Third Prince, the five cities in the north are now short of water and food, and the Northern Rong have suddenly invaded the northern border. I beg the Second Prince and the Third Prince to send troops to support the north."
Xuanyuan Yu refused without expression: "This time, when the Holy King went to the North to provide disaster relief and suppress bandits, Father Emperor brought him 100,000 reserve troops. Where in the capital would there be any extra soldiers to support the North!"
Even if Xuanyuan Zhi may have colluded with the Northern Rong, causing them to launch an invasion of the northern border, now is not the time to deal with Xuanyuan Zhi. We must allow the Northern Rong soldiers to delay Xuanyuan Zhan's return to the capital in the northern border.
Only with Xuanyuan Zhan in the northern border can he and Xuanyuan Zhi have room to maneuver in this capital.
He would rather fight with Xuan Yuanzhi than have Xuan Yuanzhan as well. The key is that his father's heart is with Xuan Yuanzhan. If his father were still sober, let alone Xuan Yuanzhan in the capital, even if he were in the north, he and Xuan Yuanzhi would probably not have a share of the throne.
So even if Kyoto didn't have enough troops to send to the north, it wouldn't be enough for Xuanyuan Zhan.
Giving so many troops to Xuanyuan Zhan is like throwing stones at your own feet.
Xuanyuan Zhi shared the same thought: sending troops to support the North was simply impossible!
The kneeling soldier was stunned. He had never expected Xuan Yuan Yu to be so resolute. He stood there dumbfounded, somewhat at a loss.
However, the former royalist officials couldn't help but step forward and say, "Second Prince, Third Prince, the Northern Rong's invasion of the northern border concerns the very foundation of the Eastern Chu. This is no small matter. We urge the Second Prince and Third Prince to send troops to reinforce us in time."
Xuanyuan Yu scoffed disdainfully, "You make it sound so easy. The capital has a total of 200,000 reserve troops, and 100,000 are already in the north. Do you want me to send all 200,000 reserve troops to the north? What will happen to the capital then?"
"This..." The official was instantly speechless.
Xuanyuan Zhi also spoke up at the right time: "The North has the Zhenbei Army. Even without the 100,000 reserve troops in the capital, the Zhenbei Army should be able to resist the Northern Rong. Otherwise, what use would Eastern Chu have for supporting the Zhenbei Army?"
The northern soldier who came to deliver the message suddenly felt a chill in his heart upon hearing this.
Another official stepped forward and said, "The Northern Barbarians are a powerful force. When they invaded the North before, they almost occupied our territory. Fortunately, General Su was there to drive them away. This time, the North is facing a shortage of water and food, and it will be even more difficult to stop the Northern Barbarian soldiers. Even if the Second Prince and the Third Prince do not send troops to support us, shouldn't we at least send some more food to the North?"
As soon as he said this, Xuanyuan Yu refused again: "Father Emperor said before that the Holy King only needs 10,000 dan of grain to provide disaster relief to the North. What kind of nonsense is this to ask for more now? Our Eastern Chu's grain doesn't come from thin air!"
Xuanyuan Yu's unreasonable words made all the officials in the court feel ashamed for him.
The grain supplies of Eastern Chu certainly didn't come from thin air, but given the current situation in the North, supporting them is what they should be doing. Now, it's one thing for the Third Prince to prevent the sending of troops to support the North, but to refuse to send even a single grain is going too far.
Moreover, when he was providing disaster relief in Zhongjing, he requested three batches of grain from the imperial court. The northern region is more than three times the size of Zhongjing, and now he has only used 10,000 dan of grain, yet he can say such things? How can everyone not feel ashamed for him?
Although Xuan Yuanzhi was ashamed of what Xuan Yuanyu said, it was indeed impossible to allocate grain to Xuan Yuanzhan at the moment. The best outcome would be to wear Xuan Yuanzhan down in the North.
"The national treasury is empty now. The entire Eastern Chu region, not just the northern area, is short of food. Even if we wanted to provide assistance, we are powerless to do so!"
Although Xuan Yuanzhi phrased it more tactfully, his meaning was crystal clear: he obviously didn't want to allocate any grain.
They needed soldiers, but there were none; they needed food, but there was none. The north was also suffering from drought and water shortages, so the northern soldiers who came to deliver the message were already in despair.
He no longer knew how to help the Holy King or the Northern Lands.
Suddenly, another official stepped forward and suggested, "Second Prince, Third Prince, the Su family army has been idle for many years. Now that the Northern Rong have invaded the Northern Lands again, shouldn't we send the Su family army to the Northern Lands to provide support?"
The official's proposal immediately sparked heated discussions throughout the court.
"That's right, how could we forget about the Su family army!"
"If the reserve army in Kyoto is not enough, we can send the Su family army to the north. The Su family army has more than 300,000 troops!"
"If the Su family army can go to the north, they will definitely be able to drive the Northern Rong away!"
"Yes, the Su family army is just sitting around doing nothing right now, they could totally go and provide support in the north!"
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