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As negotiators, we are tasked with pressuring the Great Zhou Capital! In this battle, we must aim to defeat at least one hundred thousand of their elite forces! This will ensure that the Great Zhou Dynasty remains in a state of recuperation for the next two years! We also intend to use this conflict to intimidate other vassal states, making them think twice before attacking our kingdom! This will give the Xia Kingdom time to launch an offensive against the Northern Wolf Court!
Prime Minister Mu has set the tone for this operation. The Ninth Princess nodded in agreement and proposed that the Wan Dajun advance. From the Wan Dajun, we will select five thousand elite troops to escort them to the Great Zhou Capital for negotiations on various matters. As for whether sending five thousand into the Great Zhou Capital would pose any issues—do they really think that Four Hundred Thousand Troops are just a bluff? If Su Qianxue dares to act against them, the Four Hundred Thousand Troops could charge out and tear her apart.
Days passed, and Xia Guoyi and the army delegation arrived at the Great Zhou Capital. Within the palace, in the imperial study, Su Qianxue summoned her ministers to discuss various matters. The Lingnan King was absent due to a broken leg. The Lingnan Prince Heir then spoke up: "Your Majesty, a storm is brewing; we cannot avoid this battle!"
The Xia Kingdom's Four Hundred Thousand Troops have arrived, and the advance of the Wan Dajun by fifty miles is intended to intimidate all nations! We must concentrate our forces against the Northern Wolf Court; this battle is not one we can choose to evade! What we can do is propose as many treaties as possible at the time of negotiation. For instance, if we win, what terms will they agree to? Will they return our occupied territories or compensate us for military expenses? We need to establish a baseline for what we require if we lose as well.
If they exceed that baseline, even if it means total war, we must fight. Listening to Heir's words, Su Qianxue felt he made a valid point and couldn't help but ask a crucial question. She surveyed her ministers and asked: "Gentlemen, if war truly breaks out! I have ten thousand Royal Guards at my disposal, which can be considered as one hundred thousand elite troops ready for battle! Can our Great Zhou defeat Xia Kingdom's four hundred thousand negotiating army?"
Upon hearing this, the ministers began to discuss among themselves! Many of them were beneficiaries of the Langya Prince faction, which had lost over forty Civil Officials and Military Officers.
Now, all civil officials have come from the Keju examinations. The military generals have all been promoted from various armies and are extremely loyal! At this moment, Su Qianxue has already gained control of half of the court's civil and military officials, significantly enhancing their power and status!
Minister of Justice Luo Yuhua, after learning about the entire process, has also changed his perspective and is now particularly loyal to Su Qianxue.
"Your Majesty, under my command as Lingnan King, I can mobilize an army of one hundred thousand!"
The other several tens of thousands are needed to guard various strategic passes and cannot be withdrawn! Lingnan Prince Heir stood up, thought for a moment, and said: "Aside from your Imperial Guard, there are still one hundred thousand regular troops! That comes from General Lin Qingyue's forces! The army of Langya Prince can certainly be mobilized!"
Calculating it out, thirty Wan Dajun is practically equivalent to fifty Wan Dajun! They can fight, but whether they can win is uncertain!
This statement essentially set the tone for the court: they can fight, but the outcome is unpredictable. Upon hearing this, Su Qianxue couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.
In this case, when she meets with Mu Prime Minister tomorrow, her confidence will still be insufficient. She just doesn't know when Jiang Han's batch of weapons will arrive. After discussing with her ministers for a while longer, they concluded that they could hold their ground.
However, if the Xia Kingdom were to deploy other large armies in conjunction with the forty thousand negotiating troops, the Great Zhou Dynasty would undoubtedly face defeat. Su Qianxue wanted more options—like reclaiming lost territories and leveraging a great victory to implement reforms domestically—but she could only gamble.
Because in a real confrontation, she couldn't match the Xia Kingdom in strength; she could only use strategies to outsmart them.
"My dear ministers, let us arrange for a battle!"
As stated, the main force for this battle would be the Royal Guard! Su Qianxue sighed and said, "Tomorrow in court, you all should use verbal tactics to persuade Mu Prime Minister to agree to the battle!"
After all, considering the situation in various countries, the Xia Kingdom also needs a victory—but not one that leads to their annihilation!
"That's settled then; you may all withdraw!"
She felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Fighting a war while needing to calculate what the opponent is thinking and then having to limit her own actions was draining. They couldn't fight too aggressively nor too passively; national affairs felt like a child's play.
But if they didn't do it this way and truly engaged in bloodshed, it would lead to national ruin. Thus, Su Qianxue felt incredibly weary as she left the palace and hurried towards Jiang Han's tavern!
As soon as Su Qianxue entered the courtyard gate, she saw Lin Qingyue standing bare in the middle of the yard.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "General Lin, what are you doing here?"
"Your Majesty, I want to win Jiang Han's heart back!"
With that, she resolved to serve Jiang Han every day for the next ninety-nine days, hoping that he would reconsider his feelings. Lin Qingyue's sincerity was born out of desperation; she had nowhere else to turn and was willing to risk everything for a chance at redemption. If she could make Jiang Han happy or soften his heart just a little, perhaps she could turn her fortunes around.
Su Qianxue noticed Jiang Han sitting on the sofa and approached him, saying, "This is also my great general! Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to treat her like a maid? Besides, she doesn't even have any clothes on!"
It wasn't that Su Qianxue thought Jiang Han was being too harsh; rather, it was awkward having Lin Qingyue there in such a state.
Jiang Han waved his hand dismissively and replied, "I didn't force her; she came willingly. I won't give her any special treatment!"
He felt that if Lin Qingyue were to freeze to death outside his courtyard, it would tarnish his reputation. However, since she enjoyed this arrangement, he allowed her to stay in the courtyard where there was air conditioning—she wouldn't freeze to death there.
"After ten or so days, she'll realize how difficult this is and give up!"
Lin Qingyue heard his words but thought to herself that now Jiang Han had allowed her into the courtyard. If she worked hard enough, surely she could soften his heart.
Su Qianxue, upon hearing this, chose not to address Lin Qingyue further. Although she was a great general, it was still Lin Qingyue's choice to come to Jiang Han willingly and serve him in such a manner. She sat down beside Jiang Han and began discussing issues concerning the Xia Kingdom Army and matters of war.
"What troubles me is that we have to limit the number of troops! I can only fight with a small force because I want more without suffering devastating losses for the Great Zhou!"
Su Qianxue sighed heavily, leaning back on the sofa, her face showing signs of exhaustion.
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