"This..."
After reading the content of the letter, Xu Churen found himself at a loss for words. He wished he could dismiss it as fake, but the letter was from Han Mo!
Furthermore, according to Han Mo, the grain and military pay they received this time was captured from the Jurchen by Yue Fei and Li Bao!
However, if this news were true, the reported achievements made his teeth ache.
What was the combat effectiveness of the Jurchen?
The current war situation already explained a lot.
On their own territory, the Jurchen army, splitting into two routes, had advanced deep into their lands, and now they were at the gates of Bianliang!
If their strength wasn't so formidable, what did that make the Song army? A joke?
"Your Highness, I believe this news is most likely true, but there might be a slight discrepancy in the claimed spoils..."
After a long period of hesitation, Xu Churen finally spoke.
"This is indeed my own shortsightedness. Mr. Xu is right!"
Zhao Zhen nodded with a wry smile after a moment of surprise.
The news was so shocking that he had momentarily lost his composure.
Falsifying military achievements was an age-old practice, especially in wars behind enemy lines.
Since the spoils of war were difficult to tally, as long as the event itself occurred and was ostensibly a victory, the court would generally accept it.
Moreover, at this critical juncture, they desperately needed a resounding victory and the 80,000 dan of grain from Han Mo.
Rather than questioning Han Mo's credibility, it was more important to figure out how to transport this grain back.
After agreeing on the war results, Zhao Zhen found himself at a loss for words regarding the subsequent matters.
After all, if someone sent him grain, and he then claimed their achievements for himself, it would seem rather ungenerous.
The generals below were easy to appease; with sufficient rewards, whose command won the battle would become unimportant!
But the situation with Han Mo was different!
The Mingzhou Naval Force was his own creation. From soldier selection and ship modifications to the funding of the entire military, it was all his painstaking effort.
Only he knew how difficult it had been.
Although the Quanzhou Naval Force already existed, it was only capable of escort duties and still required substantial financial investment from the court annually.
But look at it now!
In such a short time under Han Mo's command, not only had all the warships been replaced, but the force now provided significant military funds to the court without drawing from state resources.
The contrast was stark and almost unimaginable.
Zhao Zhen, even by merely imagining it, could tell how much money and effort he had invested over such a long period.
Han Mo had gone to such lengths to improve the fleet, train soldiers, select commanders, and secure funding, only for him to step in and claim the victory at the end.
Even thinking about it made Zhao Zhen feel ashamed.
Having spoken halfway and found himself unable to continue, Xu Churen, a seasoned scholar, had a vague inkling but was still concerned about his reputation.
The previously warm atmosphere suddenly became strained.
Helpless, Zhao Zhen cast a pleading glance at Zhong Yanchong, hoping he would speak up for him.
However, having spent so much time with Xu Churen, Zhong Yanchong was no longer the naive youth he once was.
He was now quite cunning and shrewd, second to none among his peers, even if not as experienced as Han Mo.
Whether out of friendship or self-preservation, he had no reason to step forward for Zhao Zhen at this moment.
Xu Churen was careful of his reputation, and Zhong Yanchong had countless reasons not to speak. Zhao Zhen could only watch anxiously.
"Your Highness, my lords, I have a humble suggestion. I don't know if I should speak it."
Just as the three parties reached a stalemate, Qin Hui, who had been standing silently by, suddenly spoke.
"Speak your mind directly!"
After a moment of surprise, Xu Churen looked at Qin Hui with a complicated expression. This man truly had a thick skin.
"Before I speak, I beg Your Highness to forgive my transgression..."
Although Qin Hui knew that what he was about to say was precisely what Zhao Zhen was thinking, he still had to feign a moment of hesitation.
"Since no one here is an outsider, just say what you have to say! If it's reasonable, we'll discuss it. If not, I'll pretend I didn't hear it."
Seeing Qin Hui step forward to speak for him, Zhao Zhen felt a flicker of gratitude.
At this moment, this gratitude was no less than that he felt when Han Mo had traveled a great distance to bring him grain.
"Your Highness, I also saw the letter when you were reading it. I have a less-than-mature opinion here. I ask Elder Xu for guidance!"
From the genuine gratitude bursting from Zhao Zhen's eyes, Qin Hui knew he had made the right gamble.
"Just say what you have to say. We are not strangers here, so there's no need to beat around the bush."
"My humble opinion is that since the victory is confirmed to be theoretically true, can we not leverage this matter?"
Qin Hui spoke, carefully choosing his words.
Whether he would feast on meat or gruel in the latter half of his life depended on this very moment.
"What do you want to do with it?"
Seeing that this man had actually brought such a matter to the agenda, Zhong Yanchong's expression became somewhat unnatural.
"I humbly believe that Lord Han does not currently need this military merit. Instead of letting it go to waste, why not give this credit to Your Highness!"
"Do you know what you're saying?"
As soon as Qin Hui finished speaking, Zhong Yanchong slammed the table and stood up!
"I know these words are somewhat unpleasant to hear, but Lord Zhong, please think carefully. Lord Han is still young, having just passed his coming-of-age ceremony, and he is already a high-ranking official in a region. What would happen even if this merit were reported? I admit that if this victory is true, it would be enough to make him prime minister in the capital! But is this truly a good thing for Lord Han?"