Chapter 633: Raising Tuoba Zhen is indeed dangerous, but he decided to take the gamble

"Absurd!" Another old minister immediately voiced his opposition. He had white hair and a beard, but was spirited. "What kind of decorum is this! My Daluo Dynasty has stood for thousands of years, dominating the North; when have we ever needed to offer captives to beg for peace from others?

This act is simply a great humiliation! And what about that May Tian Ce army? If it weren't for the fact that our dynasty had to pacify the surrounding barbarians and internal principalities first, we would have already led our troops south. How could we allow them to be arrogant at the border?"

At this time, a middle-aged minister who had been silent, his eyes flashing with the light of strategy, spoke slowly: "Your Majesty, fellow colleagues, perhaps we can prepare for two possibilities." He attracted everyone's attention, including Emperor Ivan.

He continued: "On one hand, we can secretly incite, or even provide some 'convenience,' for Tuoba Zhen, this careerist, to let go and toss about, to provoke May Tian Ce. If he luckily succeeds, creates enough chaos, or even gains the upper hand, our army can take advantage of the situation to march south, seize territory, and expand our map."

"On the other hand," he changed the subject, "we can simultaneously send a diplomatic mission, carrying heavy gifts, to the Imperial Capital of the May Tian Ce Dynasty to visit their Emperor, Li Chen, to express our dynasty's 'goodwill' and 'intent for peace,' and we can even propose a marriage alliance to bond the two countries.

In this way, if Tuoba Zhen succeeds, we profit; if he fails, we can completely define him as a traitor who unilaterally started a border conflict and violated national policy, completely cutting off his actions from our Daluo court.

At that time, whether he is killed or skinned, it will be up to May Tian Ce to deal with him. Our dynasty will have no losses and will still occupy the high ground of morality."

Emperor Ivan listened, his fingers tapping lightly on the gem-encrusted armrest, a look of approval appearing in his eyes.

This plan suited his wishes very well; it could both profit and avoid risk.

The Daluo Dynasty had stood for thousands of years; which emperor didn't have ambition, and who didn't want to expand their territory?

Living in the northern ice and snow zone, he also knew the prosperity of the South.

But he immediately thought of a problem and spoke slowly, his voice low and full of majesty: "The plan is good. But the person who secretly hints for Tuoba Zhen to act must absolutely not be me, nor anyone who can be directly traced back to me.

Otherwise, once the plan fails, that May Tian Ce Emperor Li Chen is not someone easy to deal with and will certainly not let it go."

He needed a scapegoat, someone who could be thrown out to take all the responsibility when the plan failed.

His gaze slowly swept over the ministers present, and finally, an excellent candidate appeared in his heart: his clan uncle, Andrei Dagong Andrei.

This Andrei Dagong Andrei had strongly supported Emperor Ivan's brother in the struggle for the throne back then, and his relationship with Ivan's line was tense. Although he submitted on the surface, he was always a hidden danger in his heart.

He held a noble status in the court and had significant power, but he was not of one mind with the Emperor.

Letting him "hint" to Tuoba Zhen was most appropriate.

If the plan succeeded, naturally that would be best; if it failed, he would push all responsibility onto Andrei Dagong Andrei, saying he had unilaterally provoked the war and disrupted the country for his own personal grudge.

This would not only appease May Tian Ce's anger but also eliminate this potential political threat—it was simply killing three birds with one stone!

A cold, imperceptible smile curled the corners of Emperor Ivan's lips.

With the plan settled, Emperor Ivan began to act quietly.

Naturally, he couldn't directly order Andrei Dagong Andrei to execute such a dangerous plan.

As early as after his ascension, in order to control this threatening clan uncle, he had planted several deep-hidden moles in the core of Andrei's power.

At this moment, it was time to use these chess pieces.

Through secret channels, Ivan's will was passed down.

Those moles planted around Andrei began to act quietly. They used every opportunity to constantly whisper in the ears of Andrei and his confidants, urging him to seize the opportunity of border turmoil and hinting at the huge benefits that could be brought by cooperating with Tuoba Zhen.