Chapter 1724

Xue Daoming's face was darker than the outside weather, flash after flash of lightning illuminated the dim hall in blinding white, followed by deafening thunder; his words were interrupted several times, and Xue Daoming finally could not hold back his anger, shouting, "Dismiss court!"

The civil and military officials on both sides were about to leave when they heard a clear voice say, "Your Majesty, wait!"

Who dares to openly stop the Emperor from dismissing court? In the whole Da Yong, only Li Chen Zhou.

Xue Daoming suppressed his anger and coldly said, "What else do you have, Minister Li?"

Li Chen Zhou said, "Since entering April, the whole of Da Yong has been under continuous overcast rain, many river levels have surged, and floods frequently occur in many places; this autumn's harvest looks grim."

Xue Daoming said calmly, "I already know that; even so, Da Yong's treasury is abundant, and even three years without harvest would not cause famine."

Li Chen Zhou said, "Your Majesty, that is mistaken. Although Da Yong's treasury is abundant, exhausting it is no long-term plan; moreover, with relentless rain, grain storehouses in many places are molding, ill-intentioned people spread rumors everywhere, the Bei Jiang conflict is stalemated, and casualties among troops are heavy..."

Xue Daoming bluntly interrupted Li Chen Zhou, saying, "You needn't say more; I know these situations better than you. I don't want to hear these; I only want to know how to resolve them."

Li Chen Zhou said, "I believe we should make peace with the Black Hu."

Upon hearing this, all the officials were shocked. In fact, since the war between Da Yong and the Black Hu began, the court split into two factions over whether to fight or make peace; Li Chen Zhou has always been the most resolute hawk, while Prince Yan Xue Shengjing advocated peace. In the previous political struggle, Prince Yan was defeated and disappeared, and now Li Chen Zhou holds sole power in the court because he aggressively pushes for war, so no one dares to propose peace, even if their intention was to benefit Da Yong, they would inevitably be lumped together with Prince Yan Xue Shengjing's faction, and no one would willingly stir trouble at such a sensitive time.

Li Chen Zhou's proposal of peace surprised Xue Daoming greatly; in fact, he had already considered negotiations, given that Da Yong faces constant domestic natural disasters, and in this Bei Jiang war, casualties on both sides are heavy—according to the latest statistics, Da Yong alone has lost sixty thousand soldiers, with countless wounded. Continuing the fight would not only waste manpower but also quickly drain Da Yong's treasury; Li Chen Zhou's remark that exhausting the treasury is no long-term plan is not wrong. However, Xue Daoming harbors a deep dislike for Li Chen Zhou and believes his motive for proposing peace is anything but pure.

The plague incident in Yongdu brought prominence to Xue Daoming; his sense of justice and responsibility displayed in handling this crisis gave hope to many officials and commoners. Although the true saviors behind this were Hu Xiaotian and Qin Yutong, they willingly credited all the merit to Xue Daoming. Hu Xiaotian's original intention was to seize the opportunity to boost Xue Daoming's influence, establishing a rival for Li Chen Zhou in Da Yong. The more divided Da Yong's interior becomes, the more advantageous it is for Hu Xiaotian, a close neighbor.

Xue Daoming is no ordinary figure; he seized this opportunity well, winning the favor of many officials and successfully establishing the image of a savior who rescues the people from water and fire. However, heaven's test of Da Yong has not yet ended—just as the plague subsided, floods arrived, with outbreaks of inundation everywhere giving Xue Daoming a headache, though he naturally continued to maintain his image of loving the people as his own children, his relief efforts being unreserved; one could say this unending string of disasters has also earned him considerable fame and popular support.

Li Chen Zhou has consistently regarded Xue Daoming's series of measures with a cold, detached eye; he is not unaware of Xue Daoming's motives, but for now Xue Daoming's actions have not shaken his own position, so there is no need to act against him—moreover, Da Yong is in a tumultuous autumn, and if internal court turmoil were to flare up again, the very foundations of the state might be endangered; Li Chen Zhou does not seek a mere heap of wreckage, and he will not choose to fight to mutual destruction with the imperial faction represented by Xue Daoming.

Xue Daoming's sharpness is now far more evident than when he first took office; he coldly said, "Peace talks? The Hu people seize our land, burn our homes, kill our subjects, and plunder our livestock—yet you, as Supreme Commander, actually advocate peace?" Although he himself does not wish to continue this fight, he still does not let pass the opportunity to mock Li Chen Zhou.

Li Chen Zhou's expression did not change as he said, "Everything has its priorities; farmers must watch the sky and the land, understand spring sowing and autumn harvest, and know to adapt to local conditions—yet in the depths of winter they insist on forced planting, which can only lead to a miserable harvest. Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, natural disasters have been unceasing, and man-made calamities have not ceased." He paused deliberately at this point.

The entire court fell silent, and only Li Chen Zhou dared to speak such words in the Emperor's presence.

Xue Daoming snapped, "Do you really intend to blame all this on me?"

Li Chen Zhou bowed with clasped fists and said, "I dare not, Your Majesty; your virtue and talent are evident to me, and the people of Da Yong see them as well. I am merely stating the facts: since Your Majesty's accession, many things have indeed occurred. The Black Hu are Da Yong's age-old enemies; they ignited the war, destroyed our homes, slaughtered our people—this national grudge cannot go unavenged. Yet the current situation is not suitable for continuing all-out war? The flood control situation this summer is dire, and the recent situation in the Central Plains has changed. Hu Xiaotian has formed the Golden Jade Alliance, and it is said that many powers now intend to join it."

Xue Daoming said coldly, "The Golden Jade Alliance probably still poses no threat to us."

Li Chen Zhou said, "Bohai State formerly bowed to Da Yong as a vassal, paying tribute year after year and coming to court annually; after joining the Golden Jade Alliance, its attitude toward us has clearly changed, and now even Da Yong's fleets passing through their waters are subjected to strict inspection and taxation."

Xue Daoming said, "If it were not for the Bei Jiang war tying us down, I would certainly not spare them."

Li Chen Zhou said, "They see that Da Yong is bogged down by the Bei Jiang war, which is why they dare act so arrogantly; in fact, the Bei Jiang frontier is vital not only to Da Yong but also because if it falls, the Black Hu's cavalry can sweep southward, inevitably threatening the interests of the entire Central Plains. Yet the present situation is that Da Yong's troops are fighting desperately to hold the Central Plains' defenses, while those very Central Plains forces are taking the opportunity to grow stronger."

On this point, Xue Daoming shares Li Chen Zhou's view; he nodded slowly and said, "Human hearts are not what they used to be; everyone only looks out for their own gain."

Li Chen Zhou said, "They are not unaware of the principle that lips and teeth depend on each other; it is merely that their nature is extremely selfish—as long as the Black Hu have not broken through the Bei Jiang defenses for a single day, they can reap as much benefit as possible under Da Yong's protection."

Xue Daoming closed his eyes, lost in thought; after a moment he tapped the armrest of the dragon throne and said, "But the Hu people harbor treacherous intentions that will not die; they may not agree to peace talks."

Li Chen Zhou said, "This war is also costly in lives for the Black Hu; they must already realize that conquering Da Yong in the short term is impossible. According to the intelligence I have received, the Yelan State has recently suffered a popular uprising; relying on its own strength, it can no longer control the situation and has appealed to the Shajia State for aid, which the Shajia State has readily granted. If the Shajia troops reach Yelan, even if they help suppress the rebellion, I see no way for them to leave Yelan. Yelan State is the sole oasis in the vast desert, and it is a place the Black Hu are determined to seize; I do not believe they will willingly let it fall into Shajia's hands." Li Chen Zhou had already thoroughly analyzed the situation; the Black Hu, like them, are mired in the war's quagmire, and when the conflict between the two nations reaches a stalemate, other powers are meanwhile growing stronger—if they continue to contend, neither side will gain anything.

Xue Daoming said, "Since you brought this up, you will handle it. Remember, peace talks are permissible, but when it comes to Da Yong's interests, we will not yield an inch."

Su Yuchi stood on the arrow tower above the west gate of Yunyang City, gazing out; he saw that outside the city gates, refugees were everywhere, their clothes tattered, faces covered in dust, looking destitute and helpless. Xizhou had been struck by a strong earthquake, affecting five cities and nineteen counties, killing over two hundred thousand people; the once prosperous Xizhou is now a landscape of broken walls and ruins, corpses strewn across the fields. Over the past ten days or so, aftershocks have continued; Xichuan, being mainly mountainous, has seen frequent rains triggering mudslides, causing further disasters, and most of the refugees gathered outside Yunyang City come from eastern Xichuan.

Yuan Qing Shan came up behind Su Yuchi; he had just been ordered to leave the city and deliver some grain to aid the refugees, but the amount they sent was merely a drop in the bucket, having no substantial effect for the nearly thirty thousand refugees outside the city.

Su Yuchi sighed and said in a low voice, "What is the situation of the refugees?"

Yuan Qing Shan replied, "Not optimistic." Many of the Xichuan refugees are injured; because the earthquake blocked the roads leading into Xichuan's interior, they can only head east to seek help, yet upon arriving here, Yunyang City has its gates tightly shut, admitting no one.

Su Yuchi felt torn as well; he knew the plight of those people, but the court had issued an order forbidding any Xichuan civilians from entering, and he inwardly resisted this decree—for in his view, the people of Xichuan are also Dakang's subjects, and such an order amounts to casting its own children into water and fire. Xichuan's natural disaster is precisely when the court should extend aid, yet the court's response this time has been so cold that, as a Dakang commander, he can only obey the order.

Besides providing limited food and medicine, Su Yuchi could offer no further aid; hearing the cries for help from outside the city and gazing at those pairs of eyes full of hope that gradually turned to despair, his inner torment was immeasurable.

Not only Su Yuchi, but even his soldiers could not bear to watch any longer; Yuan Qing Shan said, "General, the food and medicine we provide simply cannot meet the refugees' needs—if we leave things as they are, many will likely starve to death outside the city gates."

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