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墨書 Inktalez
"What? Changdu has already fallen? Understood!"
"The garrison at Germu has been completely wiped out? Understood!"
Days later, when the two Light Cavalry units arrived at Changdu and Germu, the once-mighty stronghold was now a scene of carnage, with corpses littering the ground and the stench of decay filling the air, making it nearly unbearable to breathe.
This was not unexpected; however, what shocked everyone at the Ministry of War was that despite the fall of Changdu and Germu, the Light Cavalry had encountered no resistance during their march. They had not advanced directly toward Eternal Peace, which sent chills down everyone's spines.
If the forces of the beastmen and giants had marched straight toward Eternal Peace, then the Ministry of War could have attempted to intercept them and engage in battle. But their failure to do so meant that they were deliberately obscuring their targets from the Great Tang's Light Cavalry.
Given the speed and combat strength of the beastmen and giants, if the Ministry of Military Affairs of Yong'an received a distress signal from a certain state or region, it would almost certainly indicate that all of that state's Imperial Guards had perished. At this moment, sending in the Light Cavalry would only mean cleaning up a mess, likely without even catching sight of the enemy.
Yet these concerns were not what troubled everyone most. The greatest worry was a young man currently standing before the emperor, discussing military affairs.
This young man had arrived in the capital late yesterday. Upon hearing the news, Your Majesty the Emperor rushed from his chambers to the Ministry of War without even changing his clothes, engaging in conversation with the young man until now.
"Alright, you should go rest," Your Majesty the Emperor said with a smile.
"No!" Wang Jingheng knelt before the emperor and clasped his fists. "Please, Your Majesty, issue an order for me to lead the vanguard!"
"You have been on the run for several days; it's already a miracle you can hold on this long. If you don't rest now, you won't be able to continue," Your Majesty the Emperor sighed and advised.
"Your Majesty! Five thousand two hundred thirteen soldiers at Jiayuguan—five thousand two hundred twelve have died at Jiayuguan!" Wang Jingheng cried out loudly. "If I do not do something for them, no one else will!"
The emperor fell silent for a moment before sighing again. "General Li!"
A staff general from the Ministry of War quickly approached. "I am here!"
"Escort him to Jiayuguan and hand him over to General Zhenxi in person."
"Understood!" General Li glanced at Wang Jingheng before hastily descending the stairs. Wang Jingheng called out, "Thank you, Your Majesty," and immediately followed General Li out.
The Emperor looked at the letter in his hand, filled with countless names and hometown locations. If it weren't for the chaos of the times, he genuinely wished to let these people be remembered for generations in their own lands. Unfortunately, he had no idle hands to spare.
"Ah." The Emperor sighed again, leaning back in his throne and closing his eyes, as if unwilling to engage with the tumultuous world around him. In a voice only he could hear, he asked, "Why... must it be me?"
"No amount of thinking will change what has already happened, so it is better to look forward."
The Emperor suddenly opened his eyes, but the figure before him was not the Chancellor; it was an elf.
"What are you doing here? Do you not know the state of the Great Tang? Do you believe I won't have you taken down right now?"
Chen Rui shrugged, showing indifference, while Lovisah clenched her fists tightly, staring intently at the two Imperial Guards standing behind them.
"I understand your situation, but if you want to take me down, it won't take this long. Besides, if I wanted to do something, you'd already be a corpse."
At these words, everyone in the building put down their work and stared at Chen Rui. All the guards had their hands on their sword hilts, ready to draw at any moment.
The Emperor chuckled. "What are you doing? With me here, shouldn't you all get back to work? If he really wanted to kill me, why would he come before me?"
The Emperor was right; someone like Chen Rui, a High Elf, possessed many long-range high-damage spells. If Chen Rui truly intended to take his life, he could simply cast a fireball from the tavern across from the Ministry of War.
Upon hearing the Emperor's command, the tense atmosphere eased slightly. However, given the current situation and Chen Rui being a purebred elf who dared to speak so boldly to the Emperor, they still harbored hostility towards him.
"What is this about? Surely someone like you wouldn't come just to watch us make fools of ourselves," the Emperor said as he took a sip from his teacup with a smile.
Chen Rui produced a Magic Letter and handed it to the Emperor. "I am merely here as an intermediary to convey your message."
The Emperor accepted the Magic Letter and smiled. "Do the elves not have any interest in the lands of Great Tang? Even if you're not interested in Great Tang itself, surely the vast forests in the southern part would attract you."
"In fact, I came to Eternal Peace this time to resolve the conflict between humans and elves and to prevent war between our races," Chen Rui said as he glanced at the interior decorations of the building and sighed bitterly. "I have no intention of provoking a lion."
The Emperor looked at Chen Rui and snorted, as if assessing his awareness. He opened the Magic Letter, and upon seeing the draconic script alongside the elven translation, the veins on his forehead nearly burst from anger.
"How is this possible!" The Emperor roared, slamming the Magic Letter onto the armrest of his throne, the tremendous sound startling everyone in the Ministry of War.
"How could we possibly accept such terms?" The Emperor glared at Chen Rui and asked, "I see you are here to witness the downfall of the Tang Dynasty!"
Chen Rui naturally understood why the Emperor was so furious; he was well aware of the contents of the Magic Letter.
The Magic Letter was sent by the Dragon Race to the Elves, as the Elven race, being neutral in this war, was one of the few races that could easily enter Eternal Peace. Moreover, Chen Rui was currently within Eternal Peace.
The letter essentially stated that the Dragon Race was willing to cease hostilities and could "assist the Tang Dynasty in resisting the Giant Race and Orc Race," but the conditions included ceding all territory west of Eternal Peace, along with one million taels of gold and ten million taels of silver.
The gold and silver were not what made the Emperor angry; it was the demand to cede all territory west of Eternal Peace and their supposed "assistance" to resist the Orc Race and Giant Race. This entire war had been instigated by the Dragon Court, and now they pretended to want to "help" the Tang Dynasty, which infuriated the Emperor even more.
Ceding all territory west of Eternal Peace was utterly insane; it would be equivalent to relinquishing half of the Tang Dynasty. Not to mention that there were nearly a hundred million Tang People living west of Eternal Peace—what would happen to them if that land were surrendered?
Furthermore, most of Tang's large pastures were located west of Eternal Peace. These vast horse farms were essential for breeding military horses; if these areas were given up, then from that point on, there would be no new cavalry for Tang!
Cavalry represented humanity's highest combat strength, and Tang Cavalry was renowned for its ability to fight both mounted and dismounted. Whether it was storming cities or engaging in direct combat, they excelled in all scenarios. But without horses, could they still be considered cavalry?
This would effectively cripple the Tang Dynasty! If they agreed to this proposal, it might seem like a temporary reprieve from war, but it would merely be a stopgap measure leading to eventual destruction.
"I know you will certainly refuse this request, but at least do not outright reject it; this could buy some time against further attacks from the Dragon Court."
The Emperor took a deep breath; his earlier rage had indeed clouded his judgment. Since the Elves had not engaged in this war, it indicated that they did not wish to oppose the Tang Dynasty, suggesting they held no hostility toward it.
"Moreover, as far as I know, when the Tang Dynasty was founded a century ago, its military strength exceeded three million. Today, I see that Tang can barely muster one-tenth of that force. Is this due to policy failures or local corruption?"
Chen Rui's words struck at a sensitive spot for the Emperor. While Tang appeared prosperous on the surface, its defensive capabilities were clearly lacking—a situation deeply rooted in history.
"More than a hundred years ago, after the establishment of the nation, Emperor Gaozu ordered a military reduction, not for any other reason but because of money!" Your Majesty the Emperor sighed helplessly. "Before the founding of the Tang, the world was plagued by warlords establishing their own kingdoms, with nearly a thousand nations at one point. After the Tang was established, naturally, there were not enough taxes collected to support an army of three million."
"Although the national strength gradually grew stronger afterward, considering the generals stationed at various borders and the local leaders who held power, another military reduction was necessary. In recent years, the situation of soldiers being paid without serving has become increasingly severe, leading to the current state where, aside from the Imperial Guards and cavalry, there is almost no usable military force left in the Tang."
"Given this situation, it is likely that the current Tang no longer possesses the strength to contend with the Dragon Court. In my opinion, it would be better to tentatively agree to this contract and test the Dragon Court's reaction, allowing the Tang some time to buffer."
Your Majesty the Emperor shot Chen Rui a glare and scolded, "If I sign this, the Tang will never recover!"
"What should we do then? Li Li will always need time!"
In a moment of desperation, Chen Rui inadvertently blurted out the Chancellor's name, which surprised the Emperor.
"I have a close friendship with him; there's no need to be surprised!" Chen Rui explained.
"The Elves believe that humans are an inferior race and disdain communication. How could there be such a close friendship?" Your Majesty the Emperor scoffed.
"That's all a misunderstanding!" Chen Rui said with a bitter smile. "The lifespan of Elves is more than ten times that of ordinary humans. If they form friendships with humans, they will inevitably feel sorrow when their friends pass away. Over time, they naturally become reluctant to form deep connections with others because ultimately, it harms them. This misunderstanding arises from that. However, examples of romantic relationships between a few Elves and humans show that Elves do not dislike humans; on the contrary, they feel a certain closeness since we are indeed the closest race to them."
"So you know about the Chancellor's plans?" Your Majesty the Emperor pondered for a long time after understanding Chen Rui's meaning and even began referring to himself as 'I.'
"Yes, although success is certain, it requires time! Hence this contract!"
"I won't sign!" Your Majesty the Emperor firmly stated as he looked at Chen Rui seriously. "How can we sign such a humiliating contract? Every inch of land in the Tang belongs forever to the Tang!"
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