Chapter 159: Minister Xu, do you know how to write the character

Li Guangdi fell silent for a moment, seeing that he could not deflect it, he raised his hands and voiced his true thoughts.

"Your Majesty! I think the proposal for peace talks cannot be pursued for now."

"Minister Chen just cited Emperor Taizong's Wei River Alliance as an example, saying that through peace talks he stabilized the situation and bought time for development."

"However, the reason Emperor Taizong succeeded in the negotiations was that he first dispatched the brave general Yuchi Jingde, who served as the campaign commander of Jingzhou Circuit, reached the Jingyang front, organized a counterattack, and fought a fierce battle against the Turkic forces at Jingyang."

"Yuchi Jingde was unstoppable in bravery, capturing the enemy commander Ashide Wumeichuo alive, and slaying over a thousand Turkic cavalry."

"Then Emperor Taizong personally led six cavalry in a feint, and arrayed ten thousand cavalry in a strict formation, using overwhelming momentum to crush the enemy, allowing him to repel the Turkic troops at the Wei River."

"Yet even after both sides signed the Wei River treaty, the Tang dynasty still paid a hefty price in wealth."

"Therefore, without Yuchi Jingde's localized military victory over the Turkic, and without Emperor Taizong's valor, strategy, and feint, it would have been very difficult for the Tang to negotiate peace with the Turkic."

"And now, the False Qing have covertly allied with Northern Yuan and Hun Xie, amassing heavy troops; if our court hopes to avoid battle and pursue peace, that is… unlikely."

Li Guangdi actually still had a sentence he dared not speak: if we cannot first overwhelm the enemy and then seek peace, what price must the Da Han Empire pay to force the opponent to withdraw?

However, though he did not say it, Jing Sheng Di thought of it, his expression darkened, his voice tinged with coldness, and he said gravely:

"Indeed! Is peace talk that easy? The False Qing's desire to see us perish is undying; the reason they chose to wage war now is precisely because they refuse to give the Da Han Empire time to recuperate."

"You all wish for peace, but that's one‑sided; have you asked whether they are willing to agree?"

"Even if they agree, what price must our court offer? Cede territory or pay reparations? Offer tribute, become vassals, or arrange a marriage alliance?"

"You can afford to lose that face, but I cannot! Emperor Taizong regarded the Wei River Alliance as the shame of his life; now you still want me to repeat it?"

Jing Sheng Di's words were fierce in both tone and expression, causing the faces of those present to shift, and the hall fell silent.

"The saying 'the ruler's humiliation, the minister's death'—if one urges Jing Sheng Di to accept these disgraceful peace terms, they deserve death."

Jing Sheng Di no longer asked the remaining ministers for their opinions; instead he turned directly to Jia Jing and asked:

"Minister Jia, what is your opinion?"

At this moment, everyone lifted their eyes to the youth dressed in a bullfighting outfit.

They knew in their hearts that Jing Sheng Di's strong warlike intent was largely bolstered by the confidence this young man gave him.

Jia Jing stood tall as a pine, his expression calm as water, and raised his hands to say:

"Your Majesty! My opinion is consistent and clear: anyone who dares to offend our mighty Da Han Empire, no matter how distant, shall be exterminated!"

"I believe that seeking peace through struggle preserves peace, while seeking peace through compromise destroys it."

"The so‑called peace proposals from court and officials are truly words of ignorance and incompetence; they trade Your Majesty's humiliation for a night of comfort, disregarding the border soldiers' resolve to protect the nation."

"They claim they act for the court and the people, enduring humiliation and bearing burdens, but in truth they serve their own safety and profit. The court may have money to pay reparations for peace, but does that mean there is no money to fight to protect the country?"

"Especially the absurd and laughable words of Minister Wang, who says that war would cause countless civilian casualties—so is this war one that the Da Han Empire should fight?"

"The enemy arbitrarily breaches the border to provoke, making the Da Han Empire the victim; we have no choice but to rise and counterattack, defending the nation and its people—could that be wrong?"

"Therefore, I think anyone who continues to speak of peace is a traitorous scoundrel betraying the nation's interests and should be executed on the spot!"

Boom……

Jia Jing's words caused a roar throughout the hall!

Everyone knew Jia Jing was certainly pro‑war, but they did not expect his stance to be so hardline, even suggesting that the ministers advocating peace be beheaded!

"One must remember that those who just advocated peace were the Chief Counselor and Grand Scholar of the inner cabinet, as well as the Minister of War—high‑ranking officials of the court. This is…"

"Especially Wang Ziteng flushed red—what does 'especially Minister Wang's words are absurd and laughable' even mean?"

"This illegitimate son of the Jia Family actually named and insulted himself in front of so many senior court officials and the Emperor—"

Wang Ziteng glared at Jia Jing, immediately stepping forward and shouting:

"Absurd argument!"

"Words that bring disaster to the nation!"

"Utterly presumptuous!"

Wang Ziteng spat out three phrases in succession, expressing his inner fury!

Beside them, Xu Qianxue's expression was equally unsettled, clearly tinged with anger.

"Jia Jing, whose name was already known to rely on the Emperor's confidence to act recklessly, without restraint, arrogant and impolite, proved exactly so today."

"This arrogant warrior, after only a minor victory in Liaodong, was already this overbearing."

"If the northwest were again allowed to wield military power and even win another battle, their prestige would only grow, and who could block the court's New Policies? Then would old factions like ours still have any place?"

Thinking of this, Xu Qianxue increasingly believed that the court should pursue peace and cease fighting.

Xu Qianxue stepped forward and said:

"Lord Jingwu! I think you are the treacherous minister who cares only for personal glory while endangering the court!"

"Now the three enemy states have tens of thousands of troops; is this battle easy to win? If we lose, it will be a cataclysm that shakes the very foundation of the nation."

"Even if we can avoid defeat, a prolonged delay would be extremely detrimental to the Da Han Empire's power!"

"Clearly, merely agreeing to peace and conceding a few harmless requests from Hun Xie and Northern Yuan would resolve this dispute!"

"Why must we resort to massive warfare, jeopardizing the state's safety? You are ill‑intentioned, only seeking personal merit and reward, ignoring the nation's overall situation!"

"Xu Qianxue directly labeled Jia Jing as a self‑serving traitor who disregards the greater good, even denouncing him as a treacherous minister!"

Jia Jing's expression tightened slightly, and without hesitation he retorted:

"Minister, do you know how to write the character 'jian' (traitor)? It's a 'woman' radical combined with a 'gan' (dry) component."

"I, Jia Jing, have not yet taken a wife nor taken a concubine; since the Emperor appointed me, I've spent two and a half years almost entirely in the camps, strengthening the Da Han Empire, daring not to relax even a bit."

"Minister Xu, as far as I know, you just married a sixteenth minor concubine yesterday; at such a critical moment for the court, you disregard state affairs to indulge in pleasure."

"And you have the nerve to claim I disregard the greater good, twisting truth, flaunting eloquence—simply shameless!"

"You…"

Xu Qianxue's eyes went black; he never expected Jia Jing to abandon the peace debate and instead attack his character over the concubine matter.

Yet he could not explain this, for he could not simply say it was a Yangzhou gaunt horse gifted by a local Jiangnan clan during his inspection!

Zhang Tingyu, Li Guangdi and a few others standing nearby seemed to see again the scene of that day when, inside Qian Qing Gong, the Duke of Zhao was scolded by Jia Jing until he vomited blood.

Each of them couldn't help but tense up, secretly wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves.

Jia Jing's words are like a blade; could he be repeating the old incident again?