Chapter 383 Your Majesty, please make the decision for me. Xu Yunfan said coldly: ...
Xu Yunfan said coldly, "Let the three Dongs cooperate. Since they won't listen, then they must be prepared for Dayan's counterattack. Run'er, don't be afraid. Do you remember what I said before?"
Qin Run buried himself in Xu Yunfan's arms, seeking a brief sense of security. "What?"
Xu Yunfan had said so much before that Qin Run didn't know which one he was referring to.
"As I said, if the Qin family needs anything, I won't stand idly by. As long as Daddy needs me, I can go to his side at any time. I mean what I say, and I'm not joking. Do you remember these words?"
The tears in Qin Run's eyes fell all of a sudden, one after another. He was speechless and didn't know what to say at this time.
Yes, he was too worried about Qin Feiyu, Qin Qian, and the Qin family's soldiers. He was too worried about them.
In his heart, Xu Yunfan is omnipotent. This person came to him like a god and changed his life. In his eyes, Xu Yunfan is so omnipotent.
But when he thought about it this way, he realized how selfish he was.
Even though he is omnipotent, he is still a mortal. He can get hurt, bleed, and be sad because of his own bias.
He loves his father and grandfather, and the soldiers of the Qin family, so why can't he love Xu Yunfan too?
So, he selfishly didn't want Xu Yunfan to go.
These emotions nearly tore him in two. He choked and sobbed, his lips trembling. "But I don't want you to go. I'm afraid you'll get hurt, but I also want to help Daddy and the others. I don't know what to do. I'm afraid you'll get hurt, and I'm also afraid Daddy and the others won't be able to defeat them."
Xu Yunfan understood Qin Run's feelings. On one side was Qin Feiyu and tens of thousands of Qin family soldiers, and on the other was her husband. His decision was difficult and painful. "Brother Run, have you forgotten something?"
"What...what?" Qin Run's nose turned red from crying.
Seeing Qin Run crying so pitifully, Xu Yunfan laughed unkindly, "That's because your husband is very careful about his life. My husband hasn't..."
He couldn't say this too loudly, or outsiders would think he was not serious. Xu Yunfan leaned close to Qin Run's ear and said something. Qin Run forgot to cry. Her face flushed red and she pounded Xu Yunfan's chest in anger. "You... why are you so indecent? What are you saying? Go to court now."
Xu Yunfan chuckled, "Why aren't you crying now? I don't want you to be a widower, but you're not happy about it?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Let's go." Qin Run blushed and pushed Xu Yunfan towards the horses. He couldn't help but say, "Don't take advantage of my pampering and do whatever you want. It's obviously still tight, how can it be loose? Don't talk nonsense, or I won't let you touch it next time."
No matter how serious a man is, once he starts talking dirty, no ancient man can resist him.
Xu Yunfan stood beside the horse unwillingly, "Run'er, I never stood up for you once for the criticism you suffered before, but I remember it all. You know me. There are some grudges that I cannot repay immediately. One day, I will repay them a hundredfold."
Hearing this, Qin Run was stunned for a moment, "I thought you didn't remember."
"How could I not remember? I know everything they said about you, everything they said about you that was bad. Today, we have revenge for our grievances."
In the past, Xu Yunfan was reluctant to take action. After all, this was not in the village. If he was unhappy, he could slap them regardless of gender to teach them what to say and what not to say.
He dared to guarantee that if he rushed into someone's house and beat them up today, he would be reported to the police tomorrow.
When Xu Yunfan rode to the palace and arrived at the Qianhe Hall, several old ministers had not arrived yet.
Xiao Hengzhi and Fu Qingxu rarely disliked each other. They huddled together, seemingly discussing something.
Xu Yunfan squatted behind a pillar. It was only half past three, the perfect time for a nap, and he was very sleepy.
"The Emperor has arrived~"
When Eunuch Fu's hoarse voice became clear, all the officials in the court were startled. They stopped yawning and started shouting slogans.
Fu Qingyu directly explained the reason why he asked them to go to court in the middle of the night. As Xu Yunfan had expected, the three eastern regions had formed an alliance.
Upon hearing the news, the ministers turned pale with fright.
Everyone is asking what to do?
Fu Qingyu was so confused that he felt dizzy. He asked these people to give him advice, but they ended up asking him questions instead.
"Your Majesty, could you please order General Xiao to lead the troops to provide support?"
"Your Majesty, no!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, this trip is inappropriate. The northern border is defended by the Xiao family army, and we are facing the Great Shang Kingdom. The Great Shang Kingdom is stronger than our dynasty. If we mobilize troops..."
To put it bluntly, don't let the north and east fall by then. Right now, the eastern border is still defended by the Qin family army. They can only hope that the Xiao family army will be more powerful and then return to help the Qin family army.
But anyone with an IQ knows that this is impossible.
The Shang Dynasty was ranked third among the four major countries, so it was not so easy to defeat it.
The civil and military officials started to discuss the matter, chattering about this suggestion and that one being rejected. Soon the argument became heated and the leader, Fu Qingyu, had a dark face.
Xu Yunfan only felt his ears buzzing. He was so sleepy just now, but now he was watching the fun and making trouble, interrupting from time to time.
As soon as he interrupted, some ministers became more confident and started to talk a lot.
Xiao Hengzhi didn't want his brother and son-in-law to be targeted at this time, but the Minister of Rites had just been beaten up by Xu Yunfan last time, and he was holding a grudge and had been secretly wanting to take revenge.
Seeing Xu Yunfan standing aside and watching the fun, he was furious. "I wonder if Master Xu has any solution?"
With just one word, the noisy situation suddenly quieted down for some reason, and everyone looked at Xu Yunfan.
Yes, how could they forget Master Xu? Isn’t this guy the one with the most ideas?
"My dear Xu!" Fu Qingyu looked at Xu Yunfan with expectation.
After being called, Xu Yunfan obediently took two steps to the center, holding his tablet and half-bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, as the Left Prime Minister said, it is impossible to defeat the Three East Alliance one by one. Therefore, we have to catch them all in one fell swoop, leaving no one behind..."
"Hmph!" The Minister of Rites sneered, "Master Xu is so arrogant. He wants to catch them all in one fell swoop, leaving no one alive. Master Xu, do you know that..."
"I didn't know you knew it, okay, since you know everything then come on, come on, I'll give you my seat, you tell me."
Xu Yunfan hated being interrupted before he could finish speaking the most. It was obviously a disrespect to him.
How could he not see what the Minister of Rites meant?
The Minister of Rites choked up after being rebuked. "I am also anxious. Master Xu may not know the military strength of the Three East Regions."
"Right, right, right. I don't know, but you do." Xu Yunfan was unhappy and didn't bother to talk. "Master Shangshu, you know everything, but how come you don't know the principle of being prepared for danger in times of peace? Being prepared is the key to success."
Fu Qingyu slammed his palm on the imperial desk in front of him and shouted, "It is a good idea to be prepared for danger in times of peace. When you think, you will be prepared. When you are prepared, you will be safe. Does Lord Xu have a plan to deal with the enemy?"
Xu Yunfan rolled his eyes at the Minister of Rites, then turned to Fu Qingyu and said, "Your Majesty, I request that Your Majesty issue an order to recall the 20,000 conscripts and deploy them to the eastern border."
"Conscripts!" Xiang Zuo seemed to have suddenly realized something. "Yes, we still have conscripts! Sir Xu, are conscripts our trump card?"
I still remember that the suggestion to conscript soldiers was put forward by General Qin’s grandson-in-law.
So, two years ago, Master Xu had already considered the Sandong incident?
It must be so. Master Xu said it himself just now.
"Twenty thousand conscripts?" Fu Qingyu frowned and said, "I'm afraid it's far from enough."
Mr. Xie: "Yes, Master Xu, if we want to recall conscripts from all over the country, 20,000 is not enough. The Three Easts have hundreds of thousands of troops."
Xu Yunfan looked at the Left Prime Minister and said, "Lord Zuo Xiang, you are right. Military strength is also our trump card, but our biggest trump card is not to gamble with numbers. That would hurt the enemy by a thousand and hurt ourselves by eight hundred."
"What does Master Xu mean?"
"National strength doesn't just refer to military strength; it also encompasses science and technology, economy, culture, education, health, and so on." Xu Yunfan spoke shamelessly, his face calm and his heart steady. "For the past two years, I've been dedicated to improving Dayan's economy, education, and other aspects of development. The achievements I've made are obvious to all. In the past, I was insignificant and had difficulty in many areas. Once I brought up something that involved someone's interests, there would always be a few people who would jump out and deny my plans. Now..."
"I do have a solution to the Three East Alliance issue, but before I do, Your Majesty, I feel wronged. Please help me!"
Xu Yunfan's cry was so heart-wrenching, as if he had really suffered some great injustice.
Damn, this kid wants to cause trouble again.
This was the first thought that came to mind among all the officials in the court.
Xiao Heng was so embarrassed that he couldn't bear to watch it and said nothing, for fear of attracting attention.
Xu Yunfan glanced at the ministers who had followed the Right Prime Minister before, as well as the few people who didn't get along with him. "Now the people of Dayan live and work in peace and contentment. It is because of me that they have cheaper candles and salt for their daily needs. Today, in front of all the ministers and in front of His Majesty, I can clearly tell you that all the credit should go to my husband Qin Run.
I, Xu Yunfan, believe in serving the people as an official and always think about the people. As for my husband, as everyone knows, he was not absent in anything, such as the snow disaster and the flu.
My husband and I originally thought that there was no rush to have children. After all, my eldest brother only solved this major life event when he was 30 years old. We also have our little treasure, but... My husband and I have done so much for the people of Dayan, but some people can't control the gossips in the family. They have repeatedly talked about my husband being a hen that doesn't lay eggs. After hearing about this last year, I endured it again and again, thinking that I wouldn't bother with these gossips. But the more I didn't care, the more I encouraged their arrogance. They always thought I didn't know that my husband had suffered a great injustice. As a "His husband... I am heartbroken and on the verge of tears. Originally, such a trivial matter should not trouble Your Majesty, but some people are truly lawless. My husband is the son of General Xiao Wang, and he was scolded like this. I... my husband and I have done so much, but it has come to this. My brother Fang carried me for ten months and gave me such a lovely nephew, but some people are doubting my brother Fang's character and questioning whether my nephew is the blood of the Xu family. Your Majesty, I am heartbroken~~ I can't even protect my husband, my brother, and my nephew, allowing others to speculate and doubt at will. I feel guilty! Your Majesty, if you can't clean up your own house, how can you clean up the world! Your Majesty, please make the decision for me on this matter!"
Xu Yunfan's idea was very simple. He had ideas about the position of prime minister. He was not attracted by the power above everyone else that it brought, but he wanted a place to settle down. He didn't know when he would come back, so he naturally had to take care of the family affairs and establish his authority. Otherwise, when he was gone, some people might have new ideas.
For example, persuading Qin Run to remarry.
There is no way, the properties under Qin Run’s name are really enviable.
Xiao Hengzhi was completely stunned, not caring about the situation. "Run'er was bullied? Why are you saying it now? Who is so shameless? They don't care about their own family affairs. They can't even take care of the concubines' sons and daughters in the backyard, and they still care about other people's sons. Have these people grown up eating salt?"
Look how idle they are.
Xiao Hengzhi's words made the ministers who were scolded feel ashamed. How could they not know whether others had criticized Qin Run in private and what kind of character their own wife had?
On weekdays in the backyard, when they were talking without restraint, the women in the family had complained that Qin Run, a hen that didn't lay eggs, had taken the position of master Xu Yunfan. If it weren't for him, Xu Yunfan would have had three wives and four concubines, and perhaps they would all be Xu Yunfan's mother-in-law.
Fu Qingyu was already worried about the Sandong alliance, and now Xu Yunfan had caused another commotion, which was all thunder without rain and was like the howling of ghosts and wolves. He knew that Xu Yunfan had said it at this time instead of earlier or later. If he didn't give him a satisfactory solution, this guy would probably be really disheartened.
"Asshole," Fu Qingyu glanced coldly at the lower-ranking ministers, "Did everyone hear what Master Xu said? My dear ministers, if anyone can't manage the women in their families, I don't mind taking care of them for you. Lord Xu has done so much for our dynasty, and her husband cares about the people. I don't know how much he has donated in terms of supplies and money, and has given countless disabled soldiers a chance to support their families and find jobs. And yet, your husband, your master, spends all day scheming and fighting over trivial matters in the backyard, and he's always gossiping about other people's right and wrong. If you do it again, I will not let you off lightly."
As soon as Fu Qingyu finished speaking, all the ministers hurriedly bowed their heads and clasped their fists in agreement, not daring to refute a single word.
Xu Yunfan snorted at the Minister of Rites, then half-bowing to Fu Qingyu, saying, "Your Majesty, this alliance of the three eastern regions is a major challenge for our dynasty. It is unwise to rely solely on the Qin army to defend the eastern border. I request your permission to lead the troops to the eastern border to help General Qin repel the foreign enemies."
"Yunfan!!" Xiao Hengzhi no longer cared about the distinction between the monarch and his subjects after hearing Xu Yunfan's words. He wanted to cover Xu Yunfan's mouth in front of Fu Qingyu, "Don't force yourself to do something you don't have the ability to do. This is a military campaign, not a one-on-one fight."
"I know. I don't have experience leading troops in battle, but I have a solid theoretical foundation. I've read military books, studied the geographical location of the Eastern Territory, and the military strength of the Three Eastern Territories. No one starts out as a general. General Qin can do it, but why can't I? Don't underestimate me!"
Xiao Hengzhi almost vomited a mouthful of blood three miles away. At this moment, he wished he could knock Xu Yunfan unconscious and throw him out, otherwise his heart would not be big enough for Xu Yunfan.
Qin Feiyu was able to become a general by relying on his real military achievements. How much suffering and blood did Qin Feiyu endure in this process?
Xu Yunfan said it easily. A general is a general, not a military advisor. He has to go into battle personally!
This guy would roll his eyes at a bug on a normal day, and he had to be carried home by his brother. Now he was about to go to the battlefield. The enemy knew Xu Yunfan's weakness and they were all busy with their own affairs. Who could he expect to carry him back to the barracks?
Fu Qingyu also felt that Xu Yunfan was a bit ridiculous. It was true that Xu Yunfan was good at martial arts, but knowing martial arts did not necessarily mean he could fight. "My dear Xu, this is no joke. You are just a civil official..."
Xu Yunfan looked at Fu Qingyu with neither arrogance nor servility. "Your Majesty, I am a man of both civil and military talents. This is a well-known fact. Moreover, even if I cannot lead troops in battle, the weapons I developed cannot be used by others. If I do not go, wouldn't those weapons be made in vain? The Three Eastern Alliance has a military force far greater than that of the Qin army. Trying to win by sheer force is definitely not a good strategy."
When two countries go to war, there are many key factors for victory.
Manpower, weapons and equipment are indispensable.
If the defense relied solely on the number of troops, Xu Yunfan didn't dare to imagine how many people would be needed for this battle.
He had been conflicted and hesitant before, and even had a saintly thought, the people of Dayan are human beings, so are the people of Sandong not human beings?
But when he thought about it this way, he suddenly felt ridiculous.
Being soft on the enemy?? !!
Damn, what kind of heart does he have?
If you insist on coveting other people's things, don't blame them for raising their weapons and firing at you.
Haven’t we shouted the slogan? Anyone who offends China will be punished, no matter how far away they are.
Now that he is a citizen of Dayan and a second-rank official, receiving a salary from the court, what is wrong with protecting the people from the suffering of war?
The battlefield is never a place where people can show mercy. Even if you show mercy, the enemy may not show mercy to you.
Once the Qin family's defense line is truly breached and the enemy army steps into Dayan's territory, what will await the people of Dayan?
Burning, killing, looting, raping women and killing men, are there not enough such things recorded in history?
Thinking of this, Xu Yunfan's sense of guilt instantly disappeared.
Now that he has made the things, why should he be unwilling to use them just because of that so-called compassion?
Xu Yunfan continued, "Your Majesty, I have been taught since childhood to be vigilant in times of peace. When I was cooperating with the big merchants in Dongjin, I was very worried..."
Xiao Heng, who was standing by, knew as soon as he heard it that Xu Yunfan was probably bragging again.
God has so many worries. If he has so many worries, who is it that takes the kids swimming all day long and enjoys it so much, and who is it that is still keen on stealing fish and being lazy when he is at work?
Fu Qingyu had known Xu Yunfan for a long time, and his mouth twitched violently. However, in front of all the civil and military officials, he had to give Xu Yunfan face and ask him to stop bragging. He could only go along with him and pretended to be curious, "What kind of weapon has Xu Aiqing developed?"
Haha, he really believed this kid's nonsense. His people did not tell him that Xu Yunfan had any other moves. Every day was still the same, either slacking off or taking a break.
Fu Qingyu thought about the weapons Xu Yunfan had used before and the batch of weapons he had sent to the Xiao family army, and he was immediately excited, as if he had seen the scorching sun in the plum rain weather, and all the haze was dispelled in an instant.
Yes, his people had never seen Xu Yunfan make any big moves before, but he just took out his weapon.
Fu Qingyu hurriedly asked, "Has Lord Xu created a weapon with extremely powerful destructive power?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com