Qiu Jie and Jiang Wenpei arrived at the stone steps halfway up the mountain. Jiang Wenpei stopped and said to the gatekeeper, "I will go down the mountain with the goddess. Once the patriarch and the seventh prince come out, inform me as soon as possible."
The children nodded and said, "Uncle, please go ahead."
Qiu Jie sneered, "Mr. Jiang, if you're so concerned, you might as well stay and wait. I'll go to the capital to see His Majesty myself."
Jiang Wenpei refused, saying to her, "Since the patriarch has asked me to assist the goddess, how could I stay in the holy land?"
Qiu Jie pressed on, saying, "When Mr. Jiang was in the army, all he did was eat and read. His stomach was filled with nothing but food and books. I really don't see any ability in you to help me, so you might as well stay here."
Jiang Wenpei was taken aback and said, "I am neither a general nor a strategist. Besides, the Seventh Prince is in charge of planning and strategizing in the army."
“That’s it. Since you can’t help, why bother coming along?”
After Qiu Jie finished speaking, she walked down the mountain.
Jiang Wenpei, mocked by her, retorted, "I know Miss Qiu looks down on me. In truth, the resources that a family of renowned physicians can utilize far exceed what the world imagines..."
Qiu Jie turned to look at him and said, "Judging from what you're saying, sir, are you confident you can defeat the Great Jin army?"
“Of course,” Jiang Wenpei hesitated for a moment before saying, “but these resources are too powerful, and I don’t want to use them lightly unless absolutely necessary.”
"Even though the patriarch has already ordered you to help me, you don't want to use your skills?"
“If our army can defeat the Great Jin army, then of course there’s no need for this,” Jiang Wenpei said. “I don’t wish to use these resources. Unless…”
Qiu Jie picked up where he left off, saying, "Unless Southern Chu is facing a life-or-death crisis?"
Jiang Wenpei said, "Miss Qiu is right. Let's go to the capital to pay our respects to His Majesty and see how they respond. What do you say?"
Qiu Jie stopped talking and continued walking down the stone steps, with Jiang Wenpei following behind her.
After the two passed the "Resurrection" stele, the Prime Minister and others came up to greet them and asked about the Seventh Prince, Chu Yi.
Qiu Jie said, "The head of the family of divine healers has already begun treating the Seventh Prince. He will recover in ten days to half a month. Instead of worrying about this, you should worry about the Great Jin army."
The Prime Minister said, "The goddess is right. I urge the goddess to ride in the imperial carriage to the capital to see His Majesty and discuss countermeasures together."
Qiu Jie boarded the imperial carriage, and the crowd escorted her to the capital and into the palace.
In the Golden Palace, Emperor Chu Chang was discussing matters with his ministers. They were arguing endlessly, some even blushing.
The guards in front of the palace announced, "The goddess has arrived."
Chu Chang rose and instructed his attendants, "The Goddess has fought alongside Yi'er and must have a thorough understanding of the Jin army. Quickly invite the Goddess to the hall to discuss military matters."
Qiu Jie accompanied Jiang Wenpei to the Golden Palace, where Chu Chang arranged for her to sit next to the Emperor. Without any hesitation, Qiu Jie sat down and said to Chu Chang, "Your Majesty, the Great Jin is currently marching towards Yanxun Pass. I wonder what the ministers are arguing about?"
Chu Chang said, "Goddess, you may not know this. Among our ministers, some advocate war, while others advocate surrender."
Qiu Jie sneered, "Who will lead the war?"
Fifth Prince Chu Kai stepped forward from the jade steps and said, "Goddess, I advocate war."
The Prime Minister said to Qiu Jie, "This is my son, Chu Kai, the fifth in his family. He has been fond of martial arts since childhood. When Yi'er led the army to attack Jin, he was the one in charge of military affairs on Yi'er's behalf."
Of these princes, only Chu Yi was given special attention and training. Chu Kai had never left Southern Chu, nor had he ever commanded an army in actual combat. Compared to Chu Yi, he was like a firefly compared to the bright moon. But compared to the remaining princes, he was outstanding. That's why Chu Chang appointed him to take charge of military affairs.
Qiu Jie looked her up and down and said, "I remember you. Before we entered the capital, you said the Seventh Prince was a brute."
Chu Kai couldn't even understand this, and said, "That's right, Seventh Brother is injured and cannot fight, so the generals have chosen me to lead the charge. Everyone advocates for reinforcements, and I will lead the troops to fight Wei Jingzhuo to the death."
As soon as he finished speaking, the generals behind him shouted, "That's right, what's so great about Wei Jingzhuo? He's a defeated general. If it weren't for the Western Rong cavalry saving him, he would have been killed by the Seventh Prince long ago."
On the other side, the civil officials all shook their heads and sighed. The prime minister whispered a few words to his attendants and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, how can the Fifth Prince so disrespect Wei Jingzhuo?"
Qiu Jie turned to the Prime Minister and said, "So, Your Excellency the Prime Minister is a member of the faction that advocates surrender?"
The Prime Minister said, "How could I, your humble servant, advise you to surrender to the enemy? It's just that the generals are all clamoring to fight, which, in my eyes, is tantamount to courting their own destruction."
The opposing general was even more indignant, saying, "Wei Jingzhuo was guarding Xiping Pass, yet he was utterly defeated by the Seventh Prince. Can't the Prime Minister see that?"
The Prime Minister said, “No. Wei Jingzhuo defended Xiping Pass, resisting Wei Shao’s 100,000-strong army in the front and blocking the Seventh Prince’s 30,000 Southern Chu troops in the rear. Despite being attacked from both sides, he still managed to kill tens of thousands of enemies. Even when Wei Shao deployed his divine cannons to attack the city, he could not take it. When he retreated to the Western Rong, do you gentlemen know how many troops were left on both the eastern and western fronts?”
None of the military officers in the hall could answer the question.
A civil official stepped forward and said, "The total number of soldiers is less than 40,000. Wei Shao's army lost 80,000, and the Seventh Prince also lost about 10,000."
The Prime Minister said, "Given the Seventh Prince's surprise attack, coupled with the 100,000 troops engaged in the main battle, and the assistance of the Divine Cannon, the final casualties still reached 100,000. From where did you all conclude that Wei Jingzhuo was easily defeated?"
Chu Kai disagreed and stepped forward, saying, "Prime Minister, you are mistaken. Wei Jingzhuo has the natural barrier of Xiping Pass to utilize. If it weren't for this pass..."
The Prime Minister stroked his beard and said, "Wei Jingzhuo is guarding the pass because his troops are few in number and he is isolated and without reinforcements. He is like a tiger fallen into the plains or a dragon trapped in shallow waters. Now he has received a pardon from the Emperor of Jin and is leading 80,000 Jin troops. His troops are well-trained and well-supplied, and his momentum is strong. Does the Fifth Prince wish to fight him to the death outside Yanxun Pass?"
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