Chapter 1579: The Great Battle Approaches

Xu Que's words immediately caused an uproar in the court.

Almost all the officials unanimously opposed Xu Que going on a Personal Expedition.

After these two years, Xu Que's prestige among the people had already reached its peak.

Whether it was papermaking and printing, or the discovery of crops, they were all great deeds that benefited the nation and its people.

Any other emperor who had done this much would have already started writing himself gloriously into the history books, as a Bright Lord for the ages.

With such an emperor who had ideas and could put them into practice, the officials certainly didn't want him to go to his death.

"Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. We hope Your Majesty will think it over carefully!" An old minister wept bitterly, and without regard for the difference in status, clung to Xu Que's thigh and refused to let go.

"Damn it… you old bastard, let go right now! Watch it or I'll punch you to death!" Xu Que said irritably.

"Your Majesty, go ahead and strike me! Even if this old minister dies today, I will not allow Your Majesty to make such a decision!"

"Holy shit… you just don't believe I have the strength, do you! Old Ding, hurry up and tell them how strong I am!"

Xu Que raised his hand and pointed; the gazes of the crowd followed the direction of his finger and landed on Minister of War Ding Yong.

Ding Yong's body trembled, and his face went dark.

Damn it… I hid myself in such a corner, and you still spotted me?

What a sin!

After a moment of deliberation, Ding Yong stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said: "Your Majesty, fighting on the Battlefield is not the same as dueling among the common folk. For the sake of Your Majesty's dragon body, please retract this decree."

The implication was that war was not something one could win by being a brute; just stay honestly within the country and develop the economy, and don't go off on some Personal Expedition.

Xu Que's eyes went wide.

Good for you, Ding Yong. I've taken such good care of you these past two years, pouring every bit of silver into the Ministry of War, and now you won't back me up?

Who would have thought, you thick-browed, big-eyed fellow, you actually betrayed me too!

Minister of War Ding Yong stood expressionless, hands at his sides, no matter how Xu Que glared at him he gave no reaction.

What a joke—the looks from his fellow officials around him were practically stabbing him full of holes!

If he dared to step forward and support Xu Que now, the moment he walked out of the Palace he'd be gang-beaten by these shameless people…

Seeing no one supported him, Xu Que simply waved his hand grandly: "Fine, then tell me, what good ideas do you have?"

The officials who had been wailing heard this, immediately wiped the mourning Expression off their faces, and began to present their proposals in earnest.

"Your Majesty, we could surrender first, put on a show of compliance, wait until we've developed our strength, and then strike back hard!"

"Surrender my ass! Your Majesty, give me five hundred thousand troops, and I will surely hold the Qin Kingdom's forces beyond the Border!"

"Your Majesty, if I may say, let's just buy off that Gunner and make him our inside man…"

Xu Que's eyes nearly rolled back into his head. These half-baked, unreliable ideas were absolutely useless!

Do you really think the King of Qin is an idiot?

He felt a little rueful. Had he done too much these past two years, causing all these officials to turn into complete idiots?

Sigh, sure enough, being too strong isn't a good thing after all.

"Xu Que, I don't know what you're thinking, but I absolutely will not agree to you going on a Personal Expedition." Xuan Yuan Wanrong turned her head aside and lowered her voice as she spoke.

Xu Que glanced at her and said with a grin: "Can't bear to part with me? You couldn't have actually fallen in love with me, could you?"

Xuan Yuan Wanrong habitually ignored his teasing and said calmly: "You said that all we had to do was wait here until we died of old age. That is the trial we share. If you go on a Personal Expedition and happen to die on the Battlefield, how can you guarantee nothing will happen to me?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, don't make it sound like I'm about to abandon my wife and kids… oh, right, you don't have any kids." Xu Que shrugged. "But you should be very clear that if I don't go to the Battlefield, the Eastern Tang Kingdom's army won't even last half a year."

"What makes you think you have that ability?"

"My intelligence and talent, of course." Xu Que raised an eyebrow. "It's been two years—have you still not seen this King's peerless wisdom?"

Xuan Yuan Wanrong instinctively wanted to retort, but thinking of his accomplishments over the past two years, she fell silent again.

Xu Que's contributions over these two years were indeed extremely outstanding, but inventing things, carrying out reforms, and fighting a war were completely different matters!

Xuan Yuan Wanrong knew the Eastern Tang Kingdom's military strength better than anyone.

Although the policies Xu Que had proposed had raised the country's overall strength by a large margin, its military forces were still weak.

What they lacked most right now was time.

If they could be given a few more years to rest and build up strength, to make their army strong and their horses robust, they wouldn't be so passive against the Qin Kingdom as they were now.

The court was filled with voices of opposition, and in the end no conclusion was reached; they could only hastily adjourn.

But this matter clearly could not be left at that. Although the Gunner had been captured in the Great Hall, the court officials couldn't possibly spread the news around everywhere.

But Paper cannot wrap fire forever; the Qin Kingdom also had plenty of spies in the Eastern Tang Kingdom, and the news was quickly sent back.

Qin Kingdom, Imperial City Great Hall.

"Bastards! How dare that Eastern Tang Child humiliate this King like this!"

The King of Qin roared furiously, his hawk-like eyes blazing with uncontrollable rage.

An old minister quietly presented his report: "Your Majesty, calm yourself, please take care of your health…"

The King of Qin's gaze flickered slightly upon hearing this.

As Xu Que had guessed, the reason the King of Qin had sent someone over to pressure them with force, trying to make them surrender, was fundamentally that his body could no longer endure constant campaigns.

In every past campaign, the King of Qin had personally taken the field, many times finding himself in grave danger.

Although he had earned a reputation for valor unmatched in the entire army, his body had also accumulated injuries great and small. If not for the Qin Kingdom's vast wealth, which gathered Spirit Pills and Elixirs from everywhere to heal him, he would probably already be bedridden.

The best course of action was for the Qin Kingdom to swallow its pride, ally with the Eastern Tang Kingdom, and wait until his health improved before resuming the campaign.

That was the ministers' advice.

But the King of Qin did not think so.

He was the King of Qin—a peerlessly brave General who had swept through all kingdoms in two years, unmatched by any, a lord for the ages.

Now, after two years of rest and recovery, with the Glory of trampling the Nine Provinces and unifying the Kingdom within reach, how could he possibly give up?

"Issue my decree! Order the entire army to march and conquer Eastern Tang!"

On this day, the fires of war once again ignited across this continent.

Upon receiving the news, the Eastern Tang Kingdom immediately beat the drums and gongs tightly, beginning preparations for war.

Even though their national strength was no match for the Qin Kingdom, they could not simply sit and wait for death.

And Xu Que, upon learning of the King of Qin's declaration, also expressed his response from afar.

"King of Qin, you idiot, just wait to die. I'm launching a Personal Expedition right now — I'll go to the border pass and kill you with my own hands!"

Upon hearing the news, the King of Qin was furiously enraged and immediately declared that he too would launch a Personal Expedition.

Thus, to the shock of the ministers of both kingdoms, the King of Qin and Xu Que each set out on their own Personal Expedition.

Xuan Yuan Wanrong and the ministers pleaded in vain; after two years of careful maneuvering, Xu Que had long since seized firm control over every Division of Eastern Tang in his hands.

On this day, Xu Que directly assembled the three armies, took his troops and horses, and headed straight for the border pass.

"I'm going to become the King of Pirates... no wait, the man who is the Lord of the Nine Provinces!"