SWDnovel Chapter 313 The Northern Staff members engaged in heated discussions and endless debates.
Chapter 313 The Northern Staff members engaged in heated discussions and endless debates.
Xu Longxiang closed his eyes, and the invitation reappeared in his mind.
The cover is bright red with gold lettering: Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang.
The person he had kept hidden in his heart for so many years, the person he had never forgotten since the first time he met her years ago, the person he thought he could stand openly in front of her once he had accomplished his great task.
She's getting married, to that tyrannical emperor.
Just thinking about it made Xu Longxiang feel a tightness in his chest, as if he couldn't breathe and was about to suffocate!
He couldn't wait any longer.
Xu Longxiang opened his eyes, and the stubborn light in them grew stronger.
"I don't care." He said, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
"I will raise an army on his wedding day. I will show him that what he stole was not taken for nothing. I will make him fall from grace."
Just then, an old voice rang out.
"Your Highness, this old minister believes that this matter is feasible."
All eyes turned to Sikong Xuan.
Xu Longxiang's eyes suddenly lit up, like a bolt of lightning suddenly splitting open in the stormy night sky.
"Sir, please speak quickly!" His voice trembled slightly with urgency.
Sikong Xuan stepped forward, the hem of his gray robe trailing on the carpet, making a soft rustling sound.
His expression was calm, as calm as a stagnant pool.
But only he knew what turbulent waves lay beneath that stagnant water.
He knew, of course, that this wouldn't work.
Supplies were not yet ready, troops were not prepared, the alliance had been broken, and the timing was wrong.
Raising an army now would be like a moth drawn to a flame, courting certain destruction.
But he couldn't say it.
Because he saw the light in His Highness's eyes.
The light was so faint, as faint as the last star in a winter night in the North, swallowed up by dark clouds, with only a sliver of light left struggling in the darkness.
What would Your Highness do if he extinguished even this sliver of light?
He dared not think.
Your Highness cannot endure any more setbacks.
He had to give His Highness a glimmer of hope, even if that hope was just a mirage.
Your Highness needs hope now, a reason to keep going.
"On the day of the wedding, Qin Mu's focus will definitely be entirely on the wedding ceremony."
He spoke slowly, his voice steady and clear, each word as if stating an irrefutable fact.
"He has to marry Empress Li Yang, deal with the courts of both countries, and entertain envoys from all sides. Such a grand ceremony requires a tremendous amount of energy and involves countless matters. He simply cannot spare the time."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Xu Longxiang's face.
"If we raise an army now, catching him off guard, we can launch a surprise attack. By the time he recovers from the joy of his wedding, our iron cavalry will have already breached his passes and besieged his capital. At that time—"
He didn't continue speaking, but simply nodded slightly.
The movement was light and natural, as if he were talking about something that was sure to succeed, not a high-stakes gamble.
Xu Longxiang's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
The light surged from the depths of his pupils, gradually dispelling the dark, storm-like gloom.
"That's right."
His voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"That's right! Exactly! Catch them off guard and attack where they're unprepared! That tyrannical Qin Mu is currently preoccupied with his wedding, his empress, and his boundless glory. How could he possibly be concerned about us? Just wait for his iron cavalry to march south—"
"Your Highness!"
A voice suddenly interrupted him.
That's Fan Li.
He stepped forward, his face ashen, his usually calm eyes now filled with barely suppressed anger and anxiety.
"While this makes sense, don't forget who Qin Mu married: Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang. The Liyang Dynasty is the overlord of the Eastern Continent, commanding a million soldiers."
"The Empress of Liyang married the Emperor of Qin, uniting the two countries into one. If we were to launch an attack on the Qin capital now, would the Liyang Dynasty stand idly by? Their million-strong army could cross the river and march north in just a few days, penetrating deep into our northern territory."
"By then, our army will be attacked from both sides, our supplies will be cut off, and fires will break out in our rear—"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word like a sharp blade tempered in ice.
"Your Highness, we haven't even captured the capital yet, and the northern border has already been taken by Li Yang."
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Xu Longxiang's head.
The light in his eyes dimmed suddenly, like a bolt of lightning in a stormy night sky, splitting through the dark clouds, illuminating the world, only to be swallowed up by an even deeper darkness.
A brief, deathly silence fell over the hall.
The candlelight crackled on the lampstand, a sound that was particularly jarring in the silence.
Sikong Xuan's eyes flickered slightly.
He knew, of course, that Fan Li was right.
With a million troops from Liyang, it would only take a few days to cross the river and head north, directly into the heart of the northern border.
By then, the northern border would be attacked from both sides, its food supplies would be cut off, and its rear would be on fire, causing it to collapse without a fight.
But he still decided to give His Highness another hope, otherwise the consequences of His Highness suffering such a great blow would be unimaginable.
I don't think so.
He spoke, his voice still steady, but beneath that steadiness was a slight tremor that even he himself didn't notice.
"Empress Li Yang's marriage to Qin Mu may not have been voluntary. Your Highness, think about it, who is Zhao Qingxue? She is Empress Li Yang, an empress who is powerful in the Eastern Continent. She has been immersed in politics since she was eight years old, started plotting to seize power at fifteen, and ascended the throne at twenty."
"How could such a person willingly marry a tyrant? How could she willingly hand over the 300-year-old legacy of Liyang?"
He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Xu Longxiang's eyes.
"She must have been forced. She must have had some unavoidable difficulties. Qin Mu must have used some means to coerce her and force her to comply. If she could see our determination to raise an army, the momentum of the 300,000 iron cavalry marching south from the north, and our resolute determination to fight to the death, she might turn against us and join us in overthrowing the tyrant."
Xu Longxiang's eyes lit up again.
The light surged from the depths of his pupils, brighter, more intense, and more scorching than before.
Like a dying ember being suddenly blew on, bursting forth with its last light and heat.
"Sir, you're right!"
His voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"Zhao Qingxue isn't the kind of person who would give in! She must have been forced! That tyrannical emperor must have used some despicable means to coerce her and force her to comply! If she knew we were fighting outside, knew we were trying to save her, knew we—"
"You're gambling!"
Fan Li's voice suddenly rose, and his usually gentle face was now filled with barely suppressed anger.
He stared intently at Sikong Xuan, his eyes practically spitting fire.
"Mr. Sikong, you are gambling with the fate of the entire military and civilian population of the Northern Territory! You have no idea whether Empress Liyang was forced or acted voluntarily! You have no idea whether she will turn against us! You have no idea whether she will cooperate with us from within!"
"You know nothing, you're just guessing, you're just gambling! You're risking the lives of 300,000 soldiers in the North, the lives of millions of civilians, to gamble on a 'maybe' you're not even sure about!"
He suddenly turned around, faced Xu Longxiang, and knelt on one knee.
"Your Highness! This humble general disagrees! This is absolutely unacceptable! Please reconsider, Your Highness!"
No sooner had Fan Li finished speaking than another voice rang out.
"This humble general also disagrees."
A burly, middle-aged general stepped out of the ranks and knelt on one knee.
His name is Han Zhang, a veteran general in the Northern Army. He has followed two generations of the Xu family and fought countless tough battles.
His face was solemn at that moment.
"Your Highness, our army's provisions can only last for two months at most. If Li Yang really sends troops, our army will be attacked from both sides, our supply lines will be cut off, and we will run out of food in less than a month. At that time, we will collapse on our own without Qin Mu even having to fight us."
"This humble general also disagrees."
Another general knelt down.
"Your Highness, most of our soldiers are sons of the Northern Frontier. Their homes are here; their parents, wives, and children are here. If we march south and Liyang takes advantage of the situation to invade, the Northern Frontier will fall. What will happen to their families? Will our soldiers still have the will to fight?"
"This humble general also disagrees."
The third general knelt down.
"Your Highness, although the Qin Dynasty is ruled by a tyrannical emperor, its national strength remains. We have Lü Bu in the west, us in the north, Xu Da in the east, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in the central army. We alone cannot defeat the three of them. This is not war, this is suicide."
One voice after another rang out, and one figure after another knelt down.
Those in purple robes, scarlet robes, and blue robes; civil and military officials, veteran ministers and newly rich.
Their voices were sometimes urgent, sometimes calm, sometimes passionate, and sometimes low.
But on everyone's face, the same word was written—No.
Xu Longxiang sat in the armchair, looking at the kneeling figures and the faces filled with opposition.
The light in his eyes was dimming little by little, like the last star in a winter night in the North, being swallowed up inch by inch by dark clouds.
His fingers slowly tightened and then loosened on the armrest.
Tighten again, then loosen again.
His lips parted slightly, then closed again.
Open it again, then close it again.
He suddenly laughed.
The laughter was soft and cold, like the sound of ice cracking.
"Then tell me," he said, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "what other good ideas are there?"
The hall fell silent.
Everyone looked up at Xu Longxiang, at his pale, weary face.
"Now that Liyang has formed a marriage alliance with Daqin, the alliance has become a dead letter."
His voice was flat, so flat that no emotion could be detected, yet every word was like a dull knife, slowly cutting into everyone's hearts.
"The northern border is isolated and surrounded by enemies on all sides. To the west lies Lü Bu, to the south Qin Mu, to the east Li Yang, and to the north Northern Mang. Tell me, if we don't raise an army during Qin Mu's wedding, when will we? Wait until he has absorbed Li Yang's million-strong army? Wait until he has pacified the western border?"
His voice grew softer and softer, like an echo coming from underground.
"By then, we won't even be qualified to raise an army."
Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.
No one speaks.
No one could speak.
Because what Xu Longxiang said was true.
With Liyang gone and the alliance broken, the northern border is isolated and helpless, surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Once Qin Mu has fully digested Li Yang, once he has quelled the war in the western border, once he has focused all his forces on the northern border—
By then, they won't even have the right to resist.
But raising an army now would also lead to certain death.
dilemma.
Dead end, still a dead end.
Either way, it's a dead end.
Silence spread through the hall, like an invisible boulder pressing down on everyone's heart.
Xu Longxiang's gaze slowly swept across those faces, over those lowered heads, over those furrowed brows, over those faces filled with despair.
He suddenly felt very tired.
It's not physical exhaustion, it's mental exhaustion.
It's that kind of weariness that seeps out from the very bones, that you can't get rid of, that seeps deep into your marrow.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
The candlelight flickered across his face, casting a dim, illuminating glow on his pale, gaunt features.
The hall was very quiet, so quiet that you could hear the faint crackling of the candlelight.
Just then, a voice rang out from the corner.
"Your Highness."
The voice was soft, carrying a hint of hesitation, a hint of probing, and a hint of nervousness that even the speaker himself was unaware of.
All eyes turned in that direction.
A middle-aged scholar stepped out from the end of the line.
He wore a blue official robe, had a thin face, and possessed the refined elegance characteristic of a scholar.
His name was Chen Yuan. He was ranked last in the Northern Border Staff Group. He was usually taciturn and never participated in arguments. He would just sit quietly in the corner and listen to others talk.
At that moment, his face was filled with tension.
"Your Highness, there is something I wish to say, but I am not sure if I should."
Xu Longxiang opened his eyes and looked at him.
"speak."
Chen Yuan took a deep breath, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Your Highness, I have heard that Liu Hongyan has betrayed the Northern Border and defected to Liyang. May I ask, could this matter be related to the marriage of that tyrannical emperor and Zhao Qingxue?"
Xu Longxiang's pupils contracted slightly.
He sat up abruptly, and a light suddenly shone in his dark eyes.
"Go on."