Hongdu, the Regent's Estate.
Lin Fan was rubbing a teacup in the main hall, a hint of worry on his brow.
"Your Highness, in my humble opinion, this matter is still somewhat risky," Chen Jifu said with a touch of apprehension. "If we were to rashly commit heavy troops to the south again, I fear our Great Wei would find it difficult to sustain."
"Indeed, Your Highness. As long as our Great Wei can stabilize the current situation, we can slowly make our moves. It is not advisable to act too hastily," the Minister of War, Xing Daorong, also advised.
Lin Fan shook his head and said, "Actually, the situation in our Great Wei is not as dire as you think."
"During this period, I dispatched people to carefully inspect the treasury situation in Hongdu. Although there are discrepancies with the accounts, the deficits are not too significant. If a full-scale war were to break out, at worst, we would have to tighten our belts for a while. We would not be unable to sustain it."
Chen Jifu couldn't help but say, "Even if our Great Wei's finances were sufficient to sustain a major war, are our troops sufficient? What if a situation like the one three years ago, where the entire world besieged our Great Wei, were to happen again? Are we to gamble our Great Wei's foundation?"
Chen Jifu's words were quite blunt, but they also largely reflected the reality.
The Wei Kingdom held a significant advantage in territory, population, and military strength. It could generally hold its own against two strong nations and even contend with three.
However, if something akin to what happened three years ago were to occur, with all the nations joining forces to attack, Wei would be stretched thin and overwhelmed.
Lin Fan patiently explained, "The situation three years ago was merely coincidental. At that time, all the nations took advantage of the succession of the throne in Great Wei to launch their offensives. Which of the other nations dares to engage with our Great Wei now?"
Chen Jifu retorted indignantly, "The Chu State! The Chu State would definitely dare!"
A smile appeared on Lin Fan's face. "That is precisely why the focus of this military action is on the Chu State. We intend to seize this opportunity to eliminate Chu, our greatest threat."
Xing Daorong, standing nearby, chimed in, "But the Chu State's military strength is also considerable. If we engage in conflict with Chu, and the Wu and Yue states see signs of Chu's impending defeat, they might truly come to Chu's aid."
"Furthermore, what if the Zhao and Yan states in the north take this opportunity to attack? If we move troops to the south, we will inevitably have to redeploy forces from the north. If this presents an opportunity for Yan and Zhao, perhaps conflict will ignite in the north as well."
It must be said that Xing Daorong was not a complete simpleton; a complete simpleton could not have become the Minister of War in the Wei Kingdom.
Xing Daorong's words had merit. Wei was situated at the center of the world. When Wei moved, the eyes of the entire world would turn towards it.
The joint invasion by the nations in the past had posed a grave crisis for Wei. It was Lin Fan who had propped up the crumbling edifice and extended Wei's lifeline. Another such event could prove unpredictable.
Lin Fan nodded, agreeing with Xing Daorong's assessment. He then said, "I have also considered Minister Xing's concerns, but after careful deliberation, I believe the danger is not that significant."
Lin Fan explained seriously to the two men, "Deploying troops to the south is inevitable. Even the Chu State is aware of this. However, outsiders will likely assume that our Great Wei is merely acting to rescue Yue by surrounding Chu."
"What I wish to do is seize this opportunity to deliver a crushing blow to Chu. Even if we cannot destroy Chu, we will prevent it from posing a threat to our Great Wei in the south, thereby laying the groundwork for the unification of Great Wei."
Lin Fan stated with a solemn expression.