Official gazettes were being delivered to the capital of Linyuan, and Da Li also received its own from the border.
"What? Border unrest? The Wei Cheng army killed over a hundred Linyuan border soldiers?" In the Da Li imperial court, everyone was shocked upon hearing the official gazette from the border.
Previously, their Imperial Army had been annihilated, and Linyuan had taken advantage of the situation to capture Mo Cheng. Since then, Da Li's territory had lost six cities centered around Mo Cheng.
Only Wei Cheng remained.
This was because Wei Cheng had a natural moat: the Changping Slope Zi Wu River!
For years, the loss of Mo Cheng and the six surrounding cities had been a deep humiliation for the people of Da Li. However, because the Imperial Army had been completely slaughtered, Da Li's military strength had plummeted, making it impossible for Da Li to muster the resolve to wage war against Linyuan.
Not long ago, the murder of the envoy sent to Linyuan had sparked a debate in court between civil and military officials, and between the war faction and the peace faction. Now, with the news of border unrest, the war faction was almost bursting with joy.
The military officials felt their blood boil, seeing a chance to avenge their years of humiliation!
"Your Majesty, why not seize this opportunity to capture Huai Cheng, and then, with Wei Cheng and Huai Cheng as the center, reclaim our land and retake all six cities of Mo Cheng? And then slaughter the Linyuan border army to avenge the blood debt of the massacre of our Imperial Army by Ji Jin Mo back then!"
"I second that!"
"General Pi, what you say is indeed true!"
"Your Majesty, Linyuan has been plagued by infighting in recent years. Ji Hong and Ji Jin Mo are almost tearing each other to shreds. They are too preoccupied to worry about anything else. This is the perfect time for Da Li to recover its lost territory. Opportunity knocks but once, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, please issue an imperial decree! We are willing to rush to the border and reclaim our land!"
"Please issue an imperial decree, Your Majesty!"
The war faction consisted mostly of military officials. They knelt and kowtowed, their voices reaching the heavens. A somber, killing aura and an unstoppable momentum permeated the entire hall. Influenced by the atmosphere, even the civil officials felt a surge of heroic ambition to reclaim their land.
However, compared to the hot-headed military officials, the civil officials had more reservations.
"Your Majesty, the act of Linyuan encroaching on Da Li's border at this time is truly worth scrutinizing. We must not act impulsively!" The Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat stepped forward to advise, unwilling for Yuwen Yi to be swayed by the military officials' fervor and make a wrong decision in haste.
"Your Majesty, Linyuan's intentions are unclear. This is not to flatter others and belittle ourselves, but if Linyuan truly intended to invade, how could they have been repelled by the unprepared Wei Cheng border army, and how could they have had over a hundred Huai Cheng border soldiers massacred? This looks like a move by Linyuan, a losing hand!"
"What a load of dog dung you speak, you civil officials! I think your bones are all soft. You're so used to bowing your heads that you dare not look up, a bunch of useless people! What is worth scrutinizing, what are unclear intentions? You simply don't dare to go to war with Linyuan! You are all cowards scared witless by Ji Jin Mo! Serving in the same court as you, I feel nothing but shame!"
The military official cursed fiercely, wishing he could use his saber to rip open the skins of these civil officials, who outwardly had integrity but were rotten to the core in their hearts, so that His Majesty could see what foul things they carried within them!
"General Wen, we are not as skilled as you in deploying troops and generals. However, when it comes to understanding people's hearts and assessing the situation, you are inferior to us civil officials. I deeply understand the anger in the hearts of the generals and the determination and desire to reclaim our land. But, generals, if this is a conspiracy orchestrated by Linyuan against our Da Li, are we to simply send you out without any consideration, just based on one person's head?"
"It is a minor matter if you fall into Linyuan's trap, but if you act impulsively and cause our Da Li to lose more territory, then both you and we will be sinners of Da Li!"
"Therefore, it is not that we disagree with fighting this war. The loss of our land, do we not feel grief and indignation? No, as subjects of Da Li, how can we not be enraged, not resentful, and not wish to devour the flesh and blood of the people of Linyuan? But whether this war can be fought, why it can be fought, how it should be fought, why it cannot be fought, and why it cannot be fought? We need to think it through and consider it thoroughly from the beginning."
Zhang Ya Fu said earnestly to the generals.
"Heh, Zhang Ya Fu, you speak nicely. Of course, you don't want to fight this war. The Seventh Prince is still within Linyuan's borders, and you..."
"General Pi, watch your words!"
General Wen suddenly turned back, stopping General Pi's words.
Some things were best kept to oneself, how could they speak such nonsense here? His Majesty was in his prime, the matter of establishing a successor was still far off, and although the princes contended, they dared not openly reveal everything. Yu Cheng Xuan, with the backing of the Zhang family, was a strong contender for the succession. If he were to be pushed into such a precarious position now, he might incur jealousy.
Moreover, what Zhang Ya Fu, Master Zhang, said was not without reason. Although Linyuan was severely divided internally, its military strength was several times that of Da Li. And due to Ji Jin Mo's dominance, the status of military generals had become increasingly prominent in recent years. Linyuan had produced many skilled strategists. If war were to break out, unless Da Li could immediately launch an attack and catch Linyuan off guard, there would be no chance of victory.
General Pi glanced at General Wen and muttered, "It's true. He, Zhang Ya Fu, is afraid that the Seventh Prince will be held as a hostage in Linyuan by Ji Hong, so among all the officials, he is the most unwilling for them to engage in conflict with Linyuan."
General Wen glared at him fiercely, telling him to stop muttering.
Although he was muttering, the generals were naturally unrestrained, and their voices were not quiet. Those around heard it clearly. However, others were not as brainless as he was. They kept their thoughts to themselves, observing their eyes and nose.
Even if Zhang Ya Fu genuinely had such thoughts, they could not say them, mention them, or comment on them, lest they bring trouble upon themselves.
The princes turned and looked at Zhang Ya Fu. Some wanted to step forward to say something, but were stopped by the gazes of supporting officials.
At this time, they could not sow discord against the Seventh Prince and Zhang Ya Fu.
It was not the time!
The Grand Secretariat officials said, "Master Zhang is absolutely right. For now, we still need to observe Linyuan's subsequent reactions."
"Are we just going to watch Linyuan dispatch troops? By then, their army will sweep through, and do you still want to lose Wei Cheng?" The military officials did not necessarily want to fight this war, but why should they be forced to wait for the enemy to make a move? If that were the case, it would be better to hand over all of Da Li to Linyuan.
"Of course not!"
The civil officials did not mean that. They could not bear such consequences.
"Your Majesty, what your humble servant means is that General Wen can lead tens of thousands of troops to the border, and order the Qing Li army, which is closest to the border, to be prepared. If Linyuan truly intends to invade, reinforcements can be sent immediately!"
"This way, we can advance and retreat with order and have control over the situation!"