bookcurios Chapter 709: Debate and
Chapter 709: Debate and
Looking at the people dispersing around him, the Duke of England sighed and waved his hand with some melancholy.
"Let's go, don't keep His Majesty waiting."
The Duke of Yingguo was feeling a little tired, as his greatest wish in life was to take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, but there was no hope.
In the court, the voices of all officials have always been seeking peace, and the Duke of England has no idea what the outcome will be this time.
Several old generals felt heavy-hearted, but Gu Tingyu thought this might be an opportunity.
However, in the final analysis, it still depends on Zhao Zongquan's intention.
When they arrived at the imperial study, several gentlemen had already arrived and were persuading Zhao Zongquan to value peace.
"Your Majesty, the Liao Kingdom is barbaric and has invaded our country many times, but its military strength is strong. Our Song Dynasty is at an important time of reform, so peace is still the most precious thing."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Besides, the northern border is a remote and poor place. Our Song Dynasty is so vast that there is no need to care about these places."
"..."
After hearing what the ministers said, Zhao Zongquan's face showed some annoyance. As an emperor, who doesn't have the ambition to recover his homeland and expand the territory?
Now the problem of money shortage in the Song Dynasty has basically been solved. If he can recover his homeland, then Zhao Zongquan will be a wise ruler of the Song Dynasty and will hopefully surpass the founding emperor.
When Zhao Zongquan saw the Duke of England and his men coming in, he quickly seized the opportunity to interrupt what they were saying.
"Duke Yingguo, Duke Chengguo, and Marquis Ningyuan are here. Please quickly offer them a seat."
When Han Xianggong and his companions saw that Zhao Zongquan changed the subject, they felt a little regretful that they did not persuade Zhao Zongquan directly, but it was no longer appropriate now.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After they bowed, they sat on the stool brought by the eunuch.
"Duke Ying, what do you think of the Liao Kingdom's border invasion this time?"
"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army to kill the enemy for Your Majesty and protect the country's borders."
"Duke Ying, you must not do that. The military of the Song Dynasty is already weaker than that of the Liao Dynasty. We cannot joke with the lives of our soldiers."
"Mr. Han, as a general, you are supposed to defend your country and die on the battlefield. How can you have such thoughts?"
As soon as the Duke of England expressed his thoughts, Prime Minister Han stood up anxiously. They really had no confidence in the military of the Song Dynasty.
All he sees are the repeated defeats in the war against Liao, and now he has no desire to go to war anymore.
"Mr. Han, we are discussing this matter now. Don't be so excited. Sit down quickly."
Zhao Zongquan waved at Han Xianggong and told him to sit down quickly. Han Xianggong was somewhat unwilling, but he did not dare to disobey Zhao Zongquan and had to sit down.
"I am very pleased that Duke Ying is devoted to the country. However, what Minister Han said is also an objective fact. What good plan does Duke Ying have?"
"This? Your Majesty, I don't have any good ideas right now. The Liao army has invaded Zhuozhou, and I don't know the specific situation. I dare not speak now."
Zhao Zongquan also knew that this was not a problem for the Duke of England. There was no trivial matter in war and it was impossible to draw conclusions easily.
Originally, he wanted to ask the Duke of Yingguo for advice so that he could agree to send troops to the Liao Kingdom in a natural way. However, the Duke of Yingguo was too cautious and did not understand Zhao Zongquan's intention.
Prince Huan Zhao Yingce was sitting on one side, and was so excited that he wanted to stand up and volunteer, but he was suppressed by a look from Zhao Zongquan.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of England also said that in military matters, stability is the most important thing. We must not take risks, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Liao has many cavalrymen and is not good at attacking cities. I think we should just close the gates and hold them."
When the gentlemen saw that the Duke of England had no solution, they were immediately shocked and hurried to persuade Zhao Zongquan.
This also made Zhao Zongquan a little hesitant. Should he really not think this way?
Just when Zhao Zongquan was hesitating, he saw Gu Tingyu, who looked calm, and his heart was immediately moved.
"Marquis Ningyuan, what do you think about this matter?"
"Your Majesty, I think the Song Dynasty should send troops."
As soon as Gu Tingyu finished speaking, Han Xianggong Juice stood up.
"Marquis Ningyuan, Liao is not comparable to Fusang. Military matters cannot be ignored, right?"
"Mr. Han, other men, I certainly know the difference between them."
"and you... ..."
"My dear gentlemen, please listen to me."
The few people who were about to interrupt Gu Tingyu were no longer able to say anything. After all, you can't stop others from speaking.
Zhao Zongquan looked at Gu Tingyu with anticipation in his eyes.
"Mr. Han, other ministers, why do you think the Liao Kingdom mobilized our Song Dynasty at this time? It's not winter now, and this doesn't match the past situation?"
After hearing what Gu Tingyu said, the husbands began to react. They were only worried about the war before and didn't pay attention to this point.
Zhao Zongquan, Duke of England and others also reacted and thought about it in their minds.
"This... How do we know about the Liao Kingdom? Maybe they just think it's okay, so they sent troops?"
"My dear, what you said is possible, but I don't think so. After all, if we start a war, people will die in Liao, and it's not just the Song Dynasty that will be hurt."
"So, I think there must be a reason why the Liao Kingdom started the war this time, and it's very obvious."
"That is, to interrupt the path of reform in our Song Dynasty."
Every word of Gu Tingyu's words was as sharp as pearls, and they struck hard on the hearts of everyone in the imperial study.
When the husbands heard this, they began to think secretly, and the more they thought about it, the more they felt that it was really possible.
"Marquis Ningyuan, there is some truth in what you said. It is indeed possible, but doesn't this just prove that our reform is correct? Now we should avoid war and strive for the success of reform, right?"
"Mr. Han, what you said is correct, but will the Liao Kingdom agree to it?"
"Since the Liao Kingdom has already noticed it, they will definitely not let us succeed. Now that the problem of money shortage in our Song Dynasty has been almost solved, we will definitely increase our national strength if we follow the routine."
"But if we ask for peace this time, the Liao Kingdom will certainly ask for too much and plunder the money of our Song Dynasty. By then, even if we have mountains of silver, it will not be enough to fill this hole. What will happen to our Song Dynasty then?"
Gu Tingyu expressed his thoughts one by one, and Han Xianggong and other gentlemen fell silent for a while.
The Duke of Yingguo and the Duke of Chengguo looked at Gu Tingyu in surprise, and they were very excited. This was really too exciting. It was really amazing that a military officer could take the literary test.
Zhao Zongquan also understood that this war had to be fought. He did not seek to win, but as long as he could keep the Liao Kingdom out of the country, he would win.
"Prince Han, I think what Ningyuan Hou said is correct. In this battle, our Song Dynasty has no way to retreat. Your contributions should not be buried under the conspiracy of the Liao Kingdom."
"Yes, Your Majesty, we will fully cooperate in this battle."
Han Xianggong and the others looked at each other. This was related to their reputation after death. There was no room for hesitation and they had to go.