"The Xiongnu leader this time is Xiongnu ***Duo Shuang. She is worried that if she retreats, she will not be able to explain to the royal court. At this moment, she is leading her army to turn around and head towards Youzhou, intending to capture Youzhou and return to claim credit!"
Ma Shangtao said somewhat anxiously.
Upon hearing this, Sima Lie's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stood up.
His eyes widened as he stared intently at Ma Shangtao in front of him.
"What did you say? The Xiongnu army... has gone to Youzhou?"
"Yes, sir!"
Ma Shangtao looked at Sima Lie and said.
Sima Lie felt his mind go blank. He frowned, swayed, and slumped into a chair.
Youzhou is where he started his career and is now his main base.
Moreover, this place contains the only refined iron ore mine in the Great Xia Dynasty, the Northern Continent Iron Mine.
His position was extremely important; if he lost Youzhou, his rear would be completely destroyed...
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, and Sima Lie's face was extremely ugly.
In any case, we absolutely cannot let Princess Duoshuang target Youzhou now.
If Youzhou falls into trouble, his position will inevitably be threatened.
After a long silence, Qiu Beiming finally broke the deadlock with a deep voice.
"Prime Minister, the Xiongnu army now intends to advance eastward into Youzhou. The only solution now is to seek peace!"
Qiu Beiming spoke without hesitation.
After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent. The Xiongnu were brutal and fierce. Even Sima Lie was traumatized by them. Only a reckless brute like Zhao Hu would choose to fight those barbarians to the death.
Sima Lie pondered for a moment and nodded in full agreement.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Qiu Beiming finished speaking, Ma Shangtao, who was standing to the side, let out a cry of distress.
"Mr. Qiu, you are unaware of the truth. This foolish ruler is arrogant and conceited. He was arrogant even when the outcome of the war was still unclear. Now that Zhao Hu has won, how could he possibly agree to sue for peace?"
"Lord Ma, our peace-seeking is naturally with the Xiongnu. All they want is money and food, so we'll give them to them."
Qiu Beiming's face was icy cold as he spoke in a deep voice.
"The Xiongnu people don't care whether this thing was given by a tyrannical emperor or a prime minister."
Qiu Beiming's words made Sima Lie's eyes light up.
He snapped out of his daze and nodded.
“Mr. Qiu is right. Our main concern now is to prevent the Xiongnu from interfering in Youzhou. We can’t worry about anything else. Since the foolish emperor refuses to issue a peace decree, then I will take the initiative to directly negotiate peace with the Xiongnu. It’s just a matter of money and grain, so we’ll give it to them!”
Sima Lie sneered and waved his hand, saying boldly, "This is a perfect opportunity to plunder another wave of the people."
"But……"
Ma Shangtao frowned and looked at the two people.
Although this method is indeed good, the Xiongnu are not so easy to deal with.
If they want the Xiongnu to withdraw their troops, they need a lot of money, but the Ministry of Revenue has long been embezzled by Lord Sima, so where would they get the money to give to the Xiongnu?
Sima Lie understood immediately from Ma Shangtao's expression.
He chuckled and said in a deep voice.
"Don't worry, Lord Ma, we do want peace, but we certainly won't be the ones to pay for it..."
"Prime Minister, what do you mean?"
Ma Shangtao looked at Sima Lie with a puzzled expression.
To everyone's surprise, Sima Lie simply smiled and said only one sentence.
We'll see tomorrow.
Early the next morning, in the imperial court.
Qin Yu sat upright on the dragon throne, staring at the civil and military officials in the hall.
Anfu took two steps forward and said loudly.
"If there is anything to report, then the court is adjourned; otherwise, the court is dismissed!"
"Your subject has something to report!"
Before Anfu could finish speaking, a figure rushed out from the side.
Anfu was taken aback for a moment, then looked over with some displeasure and found that it was Sima Lie.
Qin Yu chuckled, a hint of coldness appearing on his face.
In this imperial court, it seems that besides Sima Lie, there is no one else who dares to disobey the rules.
Sima Lie stood below the stage, staring at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu's lips curled slightly upward as he spoke in a cold voice.
"What does the Prime Minister want to say?"
"Your Majesty, the war on the border is critical. We need to continue to provide financial and logistical support. I urge Your Majesty to issue an edict to allocate funds as soon as possible."
Sima Lie spoke slowly.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yu's expression changed instantly.
A chill ran through him; as expected, Sima Lie had no good intentions.
Now that Zhao Hu has won a great victory and broken through the encirclement, he actually dares to shamelessly say things like asking for money and grain.
Seeing Qin Yu frown and remain silent, Sima Lie assumed that this foolish emperor was greedy and unwilling to part with his wealth, so he frowned and began to coax and scare him.
"Your Majesty, I am deeply concerned about the border war. The Xiongnu army has advanced rapidly, and they are ferocious and powerful. Our army is locked in a stalemate. If supplies are not delivered in time, I fear we will not be able to hold out for long. Once the defenses collapse, the Xiongnu could reach the capital within a day..."
Sima Lie spoke with a stern expression.
Upon hearing Sima Lie's words, Ma Shangtao, who was in the crowd, finally came to his senses.
The Prime Minister's plan was indeed brilliant. He used this excuse to get the foolish emperor to allocate money and grain, and no one could say anything about it. After such a scare, the foolish emperor was sure to be terrified and would hurriedly hand over the money.
You know, last time Qin Yu extorted a whopping three million taels from Jia Renyi!
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Ma Shangtao's face.
Sima Lie looked up at Qin Yu, a cold smile appearing on his lips.
He now wanted to see how Qin Yu would handle the situation.
But Qin Yu remained completely calm. After groping the maid's small hand for a while, he slowly pulled a piece of paper from the table and shook it.
"Is the Prime Minister referring to Zhao Hu's army?"
"It is General Zhao, Your Majesty. General Zhao is currently in a predicament and begs Your Majesty to rescue him."
Sima Lie's voice became even more urgent, pressing Qin Yu to make a decision while the iron was hot.
Just when the plan was about to succeed, Qin Yu's voice suddenly turned cold.
"Prime Minister, look what this is!"
"General Zhao Hu has clearly won a great victory, so why is the situation so critical?"
As Qin Yu spoke, An Fu had already delivered the battle report to Sima Lie.
Sima Lie shuddered violently, his entire body instantly freezing.
His mind went blank for a moment, and he blankly took the battle report from Anfu's hand.
His face turned extremely ugly. Without even looking at the battle report, he knew that what Qin Yu said was true.
He hadn't expected that Zhao Hu, that old fox, would actually send a battle report to the tyrant in advance! The atmosphere suddenly became tense as Qin Yu stared coldly at Sima Lie.
He wanted to see what else Sima Lie could say.
Sima Lie stood frozen in place, holding the battle report in both hands, his face full of embarrassment.
Just then, a voice rang out behind him again.
"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu failed in their first battle and have now turned their attention to Youzhou, heading there. Youzhou is completely unprepared, and the front lines are in dire straits."
"Yes, that is exactly what I meant, Your Majesty."
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