Chapter 2131: Discussion at the Imperial Court

The Nine Abyss fought well, taking the holy lands of Ya State. They fought a little too well. Seeing this victory, everyone's heart skipped a beat—not with joy, but with alarm.

The Nine Abyss Emperor dared to invade Ya State first; he must have had his reasons. But the people of Mou had thought that even if Cangyan dispatched all its elite troops and arranged its tactics properly, it would still fight Ya State to a stalemate for a long time.

After all, Ya State's military strength was not to be underestimated; after all, Cangyan had only recently founded its state, and its army had only recently been established—it could not possibly have overwhelming military strength.

Yet the course of the battle startled Mou State to its core.

The combat power displayed by the Dragon God Army also drew Mou State's focused attention.

A nation's comprehensive strength has many criteria for judgment, but ultimately it must manifest as external military power. After this battle, Mou State must reassess Cangyan and correct its misjudgments.

Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Qian Bingmao, immediately said: "I have heard that the Black Armor Army and the Dragon God Army beside the Nine Abyss Emperor differ greatly in strength. The true strength of the Dragon God Army is far from being able to match the Ya Army! And precisely for this reason, when the Nine Abyss Emperor previously pretended to be the Dragon God, he had to lead from the front in battle to boost morale; now that he has become the ruler of Cangyan State, he still insists on personally leading the campaign, exposing himself to danger—this is inadvisable!"

His meaning was that the Dragon God Army was not that strong either; it required the Nine Abyss Emperor to personally command and personally hold the line to achieve today's success.

"Victory is victory." Attendant Scholar You Huan of the Auxiliary Terrace Hall said, "Defeat can find a hundred excuses, but victory needs none. It was Cangyan State that invaded Ya State and seized its holy lands, not Bailie."

No matter how many excuses one gives Bailie, it could not have taken Ya State's holy lands—this is the fact.

These two have recently seemed to be at odds. While Mou Emperor watched from above, Grand Tutor Guo Shaoping hurriedly pulled the discussion back: "Ya State's holy lands have been occupied, and both sides continue to reinforce the battlefield. Ya State is even urgently transferring its western forces eastward, inevitably leaving its western border empty."

Baiqiuyuan is already not far from Ya State's capital Ducheng; if it falls, Ducheng will be in imminent peril.

This is no small matter; a moment's carelessness could lead to national extinction.

How could Ya State withstand such a shock? It frantically reinforced the holy lands with large armies, determined to relieve the siege of Ducheng. But its military development is constrained by population, and it has always prized quality over quantity; in the short term, to increase troops, it can only rob the west wall to patch the east.

Is there risk? Of course there is, but there is no alternative.

Attendant Scholar Tang Heyuan of the Auxiliary Terrace Hall immediately spoke up: "Why not take this good opportunity to give Ya State a lesson?"

Previously, Ya State's eastern region was just a scattered expanse of the Flashing Gold Plains; Mou State had no chance to join forces with the countries east of Ya State to give it a sound thrashing.

You Huan expressed opposition: "Our war with Bekka is already tight; withdrawing troops from Bailie was to avoid fighting on two fronts. Now to forcibly send troops again against Ya State, we fear our rear will not hold, and the impact will not be good."

Earlier, Mou State had even sacrificed its dignity to withdraw from Bailie, avoiding direct confrontation with Ya State, and could still claim it was contracting its strength to focus entirely on fighting Bekka.

But now it wants to take the initiative to attack Ya State—is it not just trying to seize a bite of fat meat under the guise of opportunity?

Can the surrounding states not see Mou State's intentions?

"Military tactics have no constant form; one must act according to opportunity." General Fu Wuheng stepped forward one pace: "Ya State always claims itself to be the third strongest power in the world after Bekka and Great Mou. This time we must not only suppress its arrogant arrogance but also crush it utterly in one go, so that it will never again dare to serve as Bekka's lackey."

Otherwise, every time Mou State goes to war with Bekka, Ya State will lurk behind with bared fangs and brandished claws, which is truly unbearable.

Attendant Scholar Qichuan Qing of the Auxiliary Terrace Hall, filling a vacancy, however said: "The war between Bailie and Ya State all took place around Great Mou's vicinity. Cangyan State wants to dispatch heavy troops, yet beforehand it did not inform us, even deliberately concealing it—this is very likely because the Nine Abyss Emperor has other calculations. I believe that before the situation becomes clear, Great Mou should not intervene."

You Huan then continued his words: "Observing the Nine Abyss Emperor's past battle record, his fighting style is flexible and changeable, skilled at muddying the waters to fish and removing the firewood from under the pot. If we and Ya State are locked in fierce battle, and Cangyan withdraws, then it would be Great Mou that would be ill-equipped to respond."

He paused again and said: "The Nine Abyss Emperor supported Bailie but beforehand did not notify our state. Regardless of the reason, this matter is very abrupt and discourteous, showing that Cangyan lacks respect for our state. In dealing with such a state, prudence is advisable."

Cangyan State's unfounded aid to Bailie will not make Mou State grateful—it will only make it wary. If the Nine Abyss Emperor harbors good intentions, why, before doing this good deed, did he not first notify Mou State?

Guo Shaoping asked him: "Attendant Scholar You, do you think we should not send troops?"

"Better to send a flying message to the Nine Abyss, invite him to join in a pincer attack on Ya State, then decide based on his reply." You Huan answered, "With this layer of invitation in place, even if the Nine Abyss wants to play tricks, he will have to think twice."

Cangyan State certainly does not want to face the consequences of Mou State breaking faith.

"This Nine Abyss person is notorious for his myriad schemes." Tang Heyuan objected, "Attendant Scholar Qi and Attendant Scholar You both mentioned that his unprovoked aid to Bailie must involve other calculations; such a person with ulterior motives—how can we honestly disclose our battle intentions to him? As the saying goes, soldiers do not despise deceit; if we notify him first, perhaps he will delay his reply while using our troop deployment plans to threaten Ya State into making concessions to him! In the end, only Cangyan would have gained the advantage."

Fu Wuheng also angrily said: "Nonsense! When our Great Mou sends troops, why must we first notify it? When it sent troops to Bailie beforehand, why did it not first consult us?"

The ministers glanced at one another, all feeling this statement hit the nail on the head.

Qian Bingmao also spoke up: "Notifying Cangyan State by message, a round trip would take considerable time. Moreover, once contact is made, we would have to negotiate and settle post-war arrangements—who knows how Cangyan would haggle? That so-called Nine Abyss Emperor was formerly a merchant chief, most skilled at profit calculation!"

Once Mou State notifies Cangyan before sending troops, would the two sides not have to discuss who contributes more, who less, how troops coordinate, how spoils are divided, how newly captured territory is allocated?

How many troublesome matters would that entail? Once the word 'allocation' is mentioned, it becomes endless wrangling.

If Mou State gives too much, would Cangyan be willing?

So truly, it would be better to just bury our heads and get it done—you fight yours, I fight mine, in the end we allocate by fist: whoever takes the land keeps it.

Both sides have stated their reasons, and both are quite reasonable; now it falls to the superiors to weigh the pros and cons.

Thus, the ministers' gazes all turned toward Mou Emperor and the Grand Tutor.

Mou Emperor neither affirmed nor denied, his eyes slightly lowered as if in meditation.

Guo Shaoping knew that when the emperor does not express an opinion, it means he wants the Grand Tutor to make the decision.

For such a major matter, if handled well, it's fine; if handled poorly, the blame falls on oneself.

Guo Shaoping pondered for half a day, finally made up his mind:

"If the Nine Abyss Emperor's Dragon God Army and Ya State's holy lands engage in a decisive battle again, our army shall raise its banners and march eastward to the battlefield!"