Chapter 161 The Plan

Yao Shouxin remained calm despite being criticized by the officials.

"Your Majesty, the reason I said there's no rush is because internal strife is bound to occur within the Quanrong." Yao Shouxin stated with certainty.

The court fell silent once more, as everyone stared at Yao Shouxin in disbelief.

"Lord Yao, what do you mean by that? Tian Cheng betrayed us and joined the Quanrong, and their momentum is currently strong. How could internal strife possibly arise?" someone asked.

Yao Shouxin said, "I believe that the betrayal of Tian Cheng and his daughter wasn't merely due to embezzling military funds and provisions, but rather a premeditated act!"

"What they seek is a higher position!"

A higher position?

The ministers were stunned by Yao Shouxin's words.

A position higher than the chief military commander—wouldn't that be the emperor?

"Lord Yao, are you saying that Tian Cheng will become the Quanrong King?" a minister asked.

Yao Shouxin nodded emphatically. "That's right!"

Hiss—

A collective gasp of cold air filled the hall.

Such an idea would be considered treason in Great Wei!

The ministers quickly looked at Lin Mu, wanting to see his reaction.

Lin Mu wore a faint smile on his face, and upon seeing the ministers' gazes, he nodded.

"朕 (zhen, I, the emperor) shares the same thought as Yao Aiqing (term of endearment for a minister), Tian Cheng and his daughter will never be satisfied with merely being co-kings!"

"Their ambition is great, and it won't be long before the Quanrong fall into internal strife. Only then will be the best time to attack!"

A glint of coldness flashed in Lin Mu's eyes. "Xu Aiqing, pay close attention to this year's autumn harvest and ensure that the land taxes from all regions are submitted in a timely manner."

He then looked at Minister of Public Works Wei Zhengli. "Wei Aiqing, there must be no shortage of various weapons and armor!"

Finally, he looked at Yao Shouxin. "Yao Aiqing, 朕 (zhen, I, the emperor) appoint you as the Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition, responsible for handling all matters related to pacifying the Quanrong!"

"Yes!"

The three men responded in unison, and the entire Great Wei was preparing for the impending war.

A month later, another piece of news came from the west.

"The Quanrong King died unexpectedly due to illness. According to his will, Tian Cheng will succeed as the Quanrong King, taking overall command of all Quanrong affairs!"

This news caused all the ministers in the hall to look at Lin Mu and Yao Shouxin.

The development of events was exactly as His Majesty had predicted. Tian Cheng, as expected, was unwilling to be subordinate to others.

In the following days, various messages poured in from the west.

"The Quanrong King's dozen or so sons do not recognize Tian Cheng's succession to the throne and have each declared themselves king!"

"Tian Cheng has ordered the suppression of all rebellious individuals who have declared themselves king in various regions!"

"The troops stationed in the two cities of Great Wei have all gone to Quanrong to quell the rebellion. These two cities have been occupied by our Great Wei soldiers!"

"The Quanrong King's third son was wiped out, killed by an arrow!"

"The Quanrong King's fifth son died in the chaos of battle!"

"The Quanrong King's tenth son was captured alive..."

The constant stream of news left the people in the court overwhelmed.

After reading all this news, every minister had the same thought.

Too chaotic!

"Your Majesty, I think now is a good opportunity, we should take advantage of the Quanrong's chaos and attack!"

"That's right, let's catch them off guard!"

"Let them know that there is absolutely no good end for betraying our Great Wei!"

The ministers became excited again, clamoring to destroy the Quanrong.

Lin Mu, however, remained calm. After the ministers' emotions had subsided a little, he smiled slightly.

"Now is not the time."

The ministers were all stunned, somewhat puzzled.

Not the time yet?

Didn't we say we'd wait until the Quanrong were in internal strife to attack?

Lin Mu explained with a smile, "Although the Quanrong are currently in chaos, if our Great Wei launches a large-scale attack, the Quanrong will inevitably quickly unite against us."

"We must wait until they become a disorganized mess."

A minister couldn't help but ask, "When will the Quanrong become a disorganized mess?"

According to the information received, the army led by Tian Cheng and his daughter had already eliminated several forces that refused to submit to him.

If we wait any longer, what if Tian Cheng and his daughter quell all the rebellions, or those princes submit?

"Soon, just wait and see."

As Lin Mu spoke, he looked at an empty space.

That was the position where Minister of War Yao Shouxin stood during court sessions.

At this moment, Yao Shouxin had already led a hundred thousand troops drawn from the northern and capital military camps to the place where the western army was originally stationed.

Recalling what Lin Mu had instructed him before his departure, Yao Shouxin couldn't help but admire him inwardly.

Originally, according to his plan, he was supposed to attack the Quanrong at this time.

However, after reporting this decision to Lin Mu, it was rejected by Lin Mu.

"Attacking the Quanrong at this time will require too great a price," Lin Mu had said at the time.

"We must wait until the Quanrong become a disorganized mess before attacking, that way, we can pacify the Quanrong with the least cost."

Thinking of this, Yao Shouxin summoned the dozens of skilled soldiers he had previously selected.

"Your mission is to infiltrate the Quanrong, obtain some credentials from Tian Cheng's subordinates, and after those princes express their willingness to surrender, assassinate them!"

Five days later, the Quanrong King's eldest son, along with several of his younger brothers, announced their surrender and recognized Tian Cheng's status as the Quanrong King.

However, not long after this news was released, the eldest prince was found dead in his bed.

After an investigation, the eldest prince's subordinates discovered items belonging to Tian Cheng's soldiers.

Those who had surrendered to Tian Cheng due to his military strength immediately rebelled again.

And the rebellion was even more thorough than the last one.

Tian Cheng was originally rejoicing when he suddenly heard the news of the eldest prince's assassination and was completely stunned.

"Miaomiao, did you send someone to kill him?" Tian Cheng asked.

Tian Miaomiao also looked bewildered. "I'm not that stupid."

After some verification, Tian Cheng and his daughter came to a conclusion.

Someone was framing them!

They immediately thought of Great Wei.

At the same time, they quickly explained this to the other princes.

However, the princes did not buy it at all, firmly believing that Tian Cheng and his daughter were responsible.

"Do these Quanrong people even have brains?!" Tian Cheng cursed angrily.

Within the Quanrong territory, the great war started again.

Under the propaganda of the Quanrong princes, many ordinary people in Quanrong also learned that Tian Cheng and his daughter had used "despicable" methods, and they also questioned Tian Cheng's position as the Quanrong King.

With the addition of the Quanrong commoners, this battle was even fiercer than the last one.

When the flames of war spread throughout the entire Quanrong territory, and everyone was bloodshot with rage, Yao Shouxin led a large army, like a sharp knife, and entered the Quanrong territory like a hot knife through butter.

One side was exhausted from fighting, while the other was well-rested, coupled with the absolute advantage in military strength, Yao Shouxin's one hundred thousand troops wiped out all the small groups of enemy troops along the way in just three days and deployed their forces under the Quanrong royal city.

Ever since Tian Cheng and his daughter received the news that the Great Wei army had entered the Quanrong territory, they had been in a state of panic.

When the internal strife began, they thought that Great Wei would take action, but they had not waited for Great Wei to enter the fray.