Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 383 - 237 Battle and Peace_3

Chapter 383: Chapter 237 Battle and Peace_3

"In my opinion, we should immediately call upon the garrisons throughout the realm to rally to the king’s defense, allow each province to lead troops and recruit forces. Those who perform meritoriously should be amply rewarded, without being limited by customary practices."

A robust minister with a thick beard and firm stance was earnestly advising the Emperor.

His cheekbones were high, his face lined with wrinkles, and he carried an imposing presence that instilled an involuntary sense of fear. Even in the face of the Emperor, he did not blunt his edge or show any sign of groveling.

Chu Ge knew that this was the critical figure of the moment, the warmonger and chief minister Li Boxi.

Emperor Yingzong of Qi’s expression showed hesitation, "Minister Li, in your opinion, can the capital actually be held? If it cannot, with all the civil and military officials of the Qi Dynasty here, should we not make plans in advance..."

Li Boxi stroked his beard, "Your Majesty, why would you say such things? The capital is the center of the world, whether it can hold, or cannot, we must defend it all the same!"

Emperor Qihui sighed quietly, "Minister Li speaks truly. However, war is fraught with danger, and whether to fight or make peace, we still need to be fully prepared for both eventualities..."

Chu Ge remained silent for the moment, merely watching the courtiers and the emperor perform their roles.

He could tell from the Emperor Yingzong’s expression that the emperor already contemplated fleeing; it was practically written across his face.

But no matter how much Emperor Yingzong wished to flee, Li Boxi, the chief minister of the war faction, would never agree to it.

After all, Emperor Qihui had already played this game once before, abdicating the throne to his son just to escape. Was he now to repeat the same move?

Would they really cycle through every member of the royal family? That would be utterly preposterous!

The saying goes, "There’s a first for everything but not a second." Li Boxi was determined to defend the capital at all costs, which meant the capital needed an emperor at this moment. Without one, whether rallying the city’s civilians to defend the walls or calling upon the other garrisons across the land to come to the capital’s aid, there would be insufficient justification, hampering the mobilization effort.

In that case, the capital would truly be in danger.

Chu Ge, having time-traveled here, naturally had more information than any of the ministers or the emperor present.

But he felt that speaking out rashly at this moment was not a wise decision. After all, he could not just say he was a man who had traveled here from hundreds of years in the future and had previewed the script of the Jingping Incident. No matter how convincingly he argued the advantages or guaranteed that the capital would stand firm as long as there was no folly, the emperor wouldn’t actually believe him.

It might even prematurely expose him, putting himself in a vulnerable situation.

After all, who knew if the Imperial Censor, Li Hao, had any political enemies in the court? Who knew if the emperor would suddenly become furiously enraged by any of his words?

Although Chu Ge had read about both Emperor Qihui and Emperor Yingzong, father and son, in the history books, what was seen in the books and what was encountered in the "instance" were ultimately two different things.

Many historically inconceivable fools who had ascended to power were generally not without intelligence; they weren’t obviously stupid enough to create a situation akin to "Why not eat minced meat?".

Therefore, if Chu Ge assumed the two emperors to be idiots, he couldn’t expect to clear this level.

He had to carefully explore and understand the underlying motives behind the seemingly mad behaviors of these two emperors. Only after thoroughly diagnosing their condition could he prescribe the right remedy.

At this moment, the court officials debated incessantly, essentially dividing into three factions.

One was the fleeing faction, led by the emperor himself, another was the war faction, led by Li Boxi, and the last was the peace faction, fronted by Minister Tang.

Of course, whether it was the warmongers or peace advocates, none openly supported the emperor’s flight at this time, so the fleeing faction could only be said to be lurking beneath the surface.

Another chief minister in the court, prompted by Emperor Yingzong, quickly said, "Your Majesty’s words are most wise! Whether to stand and fight or to parley for peace, we should prepare for both eventualities.

"Minister Li’s previous words were truly enlightening, but does this not also suggest that our dynasty has no strength to fight a battle against the Jin right now?

"Inside the imperial city, there are not enough of the various guards for defense; within the capital, there are too few garrisoned troops for security. Once hostilities begin, and both sides suffer casualties, negotiating peace later will be ten times, a hundred times more difficult.

"If we could now offer some gold, silver, and textiles, our dynasty could maintain peaceful borders with the Jin, engage in trade, and those small assets could continuously flow back into our realm..."

This chief minister was Tang Qin, also a heavy-weight in the court and historically a representative figure of the peace faction.

He had a fair complexion and appeared gentle and refined, not as confrontational as Li Boxi.

Upon hearing this, Li Boxi’s face reddened with anger, "Minister Tang, how can you say such things! With the Jin’s aggressive approach, do you suggest we surrender without a fight?"

Tang Qin shook his head slightly, "Minister Li, ask yourself, with the current strength of our armies, can we really cross the Yellow River to the north, drive back the Jin soldiers, and reclaim Yan?

"Since we both clearly understand it’s impossible, to fight now would not only lead to severe losses for our soldiers and civilians but also greatly increase the difficulty of seeking peace later...

"The Jin are at the peak of their military power. If we can subdue their forces without fighting, would that not be the best strategy? Once we have reorganized our military affairs next year, we can plan slowly and may have the opportunity to turn the tide.

"Minister Li, you can choose to fight with all your zeal, but if we fight and fail, and end up back at negotiating peace, what then? Can you, Minister Li, bear this blame?"

Li Boxi’s beard trembled with anger, "And if we surrender without a fight, Minister Tang, can you bear that indignity?"

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