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The Golden Palace of the Western Zhou Dynasty!
"Report! Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Grand General has been struck by lightning and turned to ashes. More than half of the 50,000 troops at the border have surrendered, and the remaining small half have all been killed in action."
Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials in the palace, as well as the emperor and princes, were greatly startled.
The Western Zhou emperor's face, pale and weak, was filled with gloom and panic. He slammed his hand on the armrest and roared at the messenger:
"Tell me, what exactly does the Southern Di want? We, the Western Zhou, have no past grievances with them, nor any recent enmity. Why then do they send troops to attack the Western Zhou?"
(=_=!!!) The civil and military officials were speechless.
Why else could it be? Your Majesty, don't you remember what you did?
The courier's lips twitched. He only regretted his bad luck in being sent to deliver a message. Judging from the Emperor's magnanimity, he was going to lose his head today!
Well, since we're going to die anyway, why not let ourselves speak our minds freely when we die? Wouldn't that be wonderful?
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of Nandi said that the Western Zhou Kingdom was caught red-handed for engaging in shady and dirty deeds while using the name of Nandi. Such despicable behavior is a slap in the face to Nandi. Therefore, Nandi wants to vent its anger."
The civil and military officials curled their lips, with an expression that said, "I knew it."
The Western Zhou emperor on the dragon throne took a deep breath, his face turning black and white, then white and black again, almost collapsing.
Over the years, many Western Zhou officials have been carrying out missions under the names of various states, and he had almost forgotten about replacing the Southern Di.
Damn it, which idiots were caught red-handed by the Southern Di? They've caused him to be attacked by the Southern Di and lose all face.
Thinking of this, the Western Zhou emperor asked anxiously, "Tell me quickly, what is the situation at the border now? Has the Southern Di calmed down?"
The emperor was a dog; he didn't care about the lives of his soldiers at all. The courier was filled with contempt and mockery, and his words were tinged with resentment.
"Your Majesty, the Southern Di are not appeased. After all, it was not a group of soldiers who provoked them. The grievances have their source and the debts have their debtors. The young prince of the Southern Di declared that the Western Zhou, with such despicable people, does not deserve to live in this world."
Therefore, after capturing 50,000 troops, he led the Southern Di army to launch a massive attack on the Western Zhou.
Judging by the time, five days have already passed. The Southern Di army is swift and invincible, and must have already captured several cities.
"What? Several cities? Oh no, oh no, my empire! This is all my empire!"
The Western Zhou emperor was horrified. At this moment, he could no longer care about the tone and inappropriate words of the courier. He had only one thought: the Western Zhou was doomed!
Oh no! The Southern Barbarians are really going all out this time! What should we do? Why didn't they retreat at the last minute like they did ten years ago? Why are they so determined to mess with the Western Zhou?
Why were there so many emperors in the Western Zhou Dynasty?
Often, the more sinful and selfish a person is, the less they will reflect on themselves, and the more they will shift all the blame onto others.
Coincidentally, the Western Zhou emperor was this kind of person.
He suddenly swept his gaze across the assembled ministers, angrily flung his sleeves, and launched into a furious accusation.
"It's all your fault, you bunch of idiots. If it weren't for your terrible ideas, I wouldn't have ordered people to impersonate other countries and do things abroad."
Now look what happened!
The Southern Barbarians are really going all out!
Are you satisfied now?
In short, this is something you all caused, and I truly don't know how to deal with it, so you'll have to handle it yourselves.
After saying this, the Western Zhou emperor did not forget to display his wrath and issue a stern threat.
"Remember this, all of you: if anyone dares to desert his post, he shall wash his neck clean and wait to be beheaded. As for your entire family, they shall also be implicated."
hehe! ! !
The civil and military officials looked at each other, a mixture of good and bad.
The original Western Zhou Dynasty was not so chaotic. It was basically a time when people stayed at home and lived their own lives, neither actively seeking trouble nor afraid of others causing trouble for them.
But everything changed after this emperor ascended the throne.
He is ambitious and has a huge appetite, but lacks the strength!
Moreover, his petty, treacherous, and cunning nature was completely inadequate to support his ambitions. He preferred to do things that were beneath him and also liked to associate with scoundrels and frame loyal and virtuous people.
He has a typical sleazy, ugly, petty, and utterly undignified appearance!
Over the past few decades, many loyal and virtuous officials have been framed and killed.
The remaining loyal officials were utterly disheartened. For their own sake and that of their families, they had no choice but to gradually relinquish power, living as invisible figures and avoiding any conflict or dirty dealings.
Unexpectedly, the emperors who were not respected today have actually hastened the demise of the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Just thinking about it makes me feel exhausted.
Well, even if the Southern Di don't attack the Western Zhou, given this fool's reckless behavior, the Western Zhou will soon face annihilation.
Fortunately, the Southern Di emperor was broad-minded and of good character.
Even if he were to send troops to attack the Western Zhou, he would not indiscriminately kill innocent people, nor would he make things difficult for them, which was a blessing for the Western Zhou.
Since the Western Zhou Dynasty was going to be destroyed anyway, they might as well surrender to the Southern Di.
It seems that after becoming subjects of the Southern Barbarians, the lives of ordinary people will improve, and they will no longer have to suffer from hunger and cold, or pay huge taxes on people, businesses, land, grain, and so on.
The various heavy taxes combined are almost crushing the people's backs; the imperial court is simply not giving them a way to survive!
More importantly, people no longer have to be forcibly conscripted by the imperial court every year, and no longer face the scene of being separated from their families or dying apart.
With this in mind, the loyal and righteous faction reached a consensus and made a unified decision.
After exchanging a glance, they quickly stood together and pulled the kneeling courier to their side.
Then, he looked at the Western Zhou emperor and his gang of lackeys with a wary and serious expression.
The Grand Tutor, who was at the head of the group, said sternly, "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Your Excellencies, the Western Zhou Dynasty is doomed. For the sake of your lives and the safety of the people, we urge you to admit your mistakes and open the city gates to welcome the Southern Di army."
"Insolence!" The Western Zhou emperor was furious, his face turning ashen. He truly hadn't expected that half of the ministers in the court would oppose him.
"What are you trying to do? Are you planning a rebellion? I am the emperor, the emperor who holds the power of life and death over you. How dare you plot a rebellion on the spot! You deserve to die!"
The Grand Tutor chuckled and calmly stroked his white beard.
He was an old man in his fifties, and even though he was thin and weak, it couldn't hide his scholarly air and his courageous, fearless spirit.
"Your Majesty, to tell you the truth, this old minister has had enough of you. You are unworthy of your position, narrow-minded, ambitious, lustful, stupid, and close to sycophants while alienating virtuous ministers... You are the root of all evil in Western Zhou. Even now, do you still not realize your mistakes? Do you still want to shirk responsibility?"
call!
After giving him a good scolding, the Grand Tutor felt refreshed and extremely comfortable.
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