But...then again.
Now the time, place and people are not favorable to our dynasty. Natural disasters occur one after another, and our dynasty has no capable people or good generals. If we lose again, I am afraid that we will really have to change the dynasty.
Someone then suggested, "Your Majesty, it is indeed not appropriate for our country to send troops now. Natural disasters have occurred repeatedly, and the national treasury may not be able to support the cost of sending troops."
"Why not give them what the Xiongnu ask for first? Then, when we have enough soldiers and food stored up next year, we can fight back."
Another person quickly stood up and echoed:
"That's right. Since the Xiongnu can be so shameless and make such excessive demands, it's understandable that we can strike back and catch them off guard while we have the most troops and horses."
"We only need to wait until we have enough troops and food, then we can send out our troops to annihilate the Xiongnu and wash away today's humiliation."
The emperor's face hidden behind the tassels was gloomy and uncertain, as if he was angry but also as if he was no different from usual, making it difficult to see clearly.
For a moment, no one dared to speak.
The court was so quiet that it seemed as if it had fallen into deathly silence.
The emperor took a long while to break the atmosphere. "It seems you all want to seek peace? Cede the northern border, a million gold, several stones of grain, and even send three thousand women to those Xiongnu invaders as a token of peace."
"A defeat like this will surely leave my name in the memory of eternity!"
For a while.
The ministers fell silent.
Under pressure, the Minister of Personnel stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, it's never too late for a gentleman to take revenge."
"We are currently using a roundabout method to protect the people from the suffering of displacement. Since I understand your Majesty's concerns, gold and grain are secondary, which can be replenished when we are strong enough. The most important thing is the support of the people."
"But we have no choice now. The Xiongnu saw that the imperial court values the people's livelihood and prestige, so they made such a shameless request, asking the imperial court to send 3,000 women."
"The court sent it, and several years of reputation were ruined."
"If we don't send them off, they'll have a reason and an excuse to attack. Now that our coach is seriously injured, the consequences of starting a war at this time will be disastrous."
"We can only endure this humiliation for a while..."
Another person in the court also stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, I also think what the Minister said makes sense."
"We are doing this at the lowest possible cost to ensure the safety of the people. We believe the people will understand our difficulties."
Everyone present knew that peace talks were necessary, and they could only grit their teeth and agree to the peace terms.
As for the three thousand women who were chosen, let them be the pride of the court.
The emperor knew very well that the defeated court had no choice but to accept the conditions offered by the Huns.
But selecting 3,000 women from the public with such fanfare would surely cause public outrage.
Once the royal family's reputation was lost, even if he later sent troops to attack the Huns, this matter would still be criticized and ridiculed by the people. As the emperor, how could he tolerate such a thing happening?
The emperor was furious that with so many ministers in the hall, no one had come up with a solution. He couldn't help but curse in his heart that all the civil and military officials were useless.
Suddenly, at this moment——
One person stood up!
"Your Majesty, I have a way to agree to the Xiongnu's demands without causing any objections from the people."
"Just recently, a large number of disaster victims poured into the capital, causing some trouble for the city."
"At this time, I heard that a group of women stepped forward. They generously provided disaster relief, helped the weak, and even invited doctors to see them."
"Their chivalrous hearts are known to everyone in the capital."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
