Looking at the messy relationship between the ministers and the ruler, the officials suddenly remembered what Fang Yun had meant when he said that there would be no need for unnecessary formalities.
It wasn't that Fang Yun didn't want to bow to the officials and the ruler, but that Fang Yun didn't want them to bow to him.
All the officials were thinking about the same thing. If Fang Yun insisted on bowing, would Jing Jun be the first to kneel?
In the grand Imperial Court, only Fang Yun dared to lecture the sovereign of a country. Everyone knew that this was against the Confucian etiquette between sovereign and subject, but no one in the Left Minister's faction dared to criticize Fang Yun.
Fang Yun alone could suppress a country.
The officials looked at Fang Yun with complicated expressions.
If Minister Mount Liu wasn't the guardian of the sect, Fang Yun probably would've razed the Liu residence to the ground and chased Mount Liu out of Jingguo.
Fang Yun's gaze swept past the curtain behind Jing Jun and the officials before finally landing on Grand Marshal Chen Zhixu.
Jingguo's Grand Marshal Chen Zhixu had already become a Confucian scholar. He was supposed to travel outside, but because of the grassland barbarians' invasion, the Notre-Dame gave him special permission to travel to the ancient lands after the war.
After Chen Zhixu became famous, he lived in seclusion and rarely showed himself. The ones in charge of the Grand Marshal's residence were the empress dowager and Jing Jun. This time, Chen Zhixu had no choice but to appear because the three fronts were broken. However, he usually sat there cultivating and didn't participate in the military affairs.
Chen Zhixu had once requested to lead the army to the north, but the empress dowager and the minister's faction didn't agree.
The capital needed Chen Zhixu to oversee it. If he lost, the military of Jingguo would suffer a devastating blow.
"Grand Marshal Chen, should we advance or retreat in Jingguo?" Fang Yun asked.
Chen Zhixu was originally in a daze, but now that he was out of cultivation, he was like a tiger on the battlefield. Even though he was just sitting there, it was as if he was galloping through an army of ten thousand.
Chen Zhixu's tiger-like eyes widened as he glanced at Fang Yun. After a moment of silence, he said, "It's a soldier's duty to protect the land. You can retreat if you lose, but there is no reason to retreat without a fight. "
"Thank you for your guidance, Grand Marshal Chen," Fang Yundao said.
Mount Liu suddenly opened his mouth and said, "Grand Marshal Chen, you are wrong. If you know that you will lose, why don't you retreat in advance?"
"Since Minister Zuo can predict a country's victory or defeat, you must have a way to remedy the situation. I'm all ears," Chen Zhixu said.
Everyone held their breaths. Fang Yun's arrival meant that the battle for the Imperial Court had entered its final phase.
"Old Man concluded that Jingguo was defeated for three reasons. The country's strength was weakening day by day, its population was dwindling, and the number of soldiers they could use was decreasing. The three sides had been lost, and the old soldiers had been depleted. The Barbarian Race had officially mobilized their elite troops, and the various tribes had pointed their swords at Ning An City. This was the second reason. The Saints were concerned about the Two Boundaries Mountain, the Water Tribe wanted to turn against each other, Half-saint Lang Lu was conserving his strength, the general trend was against the enemy, this was the third reason. At this time in Jingguo, the sky is broken and the earth is broken. We don't have enough people. If we get help from outside, we might have a chance. Otherwise, we will lose. "
The officials were silent.
The time in Jingguo was naturally Half-saint Chen Guanhai. Everyone knew that he was severely injured and would die in two or three years.
Now that the three sides had been lost, the Barbarian Race had invaded, and the North of Yuyang Pass was about to be surrendered.
After years of fighting, Jingguo's treasury was empty, and the people were greatly affected. If it weren't for the increasing number of scholars, and if it weren't for the Notre-Dame and the aristocratic families, Jingguo wouldn't have been able to make a living.
Even so, Jingguo's prices skyrocketed. Countless people stored gold and sold antiques, and the entire Saint Origin World was affected.
If this trend continued, Jingguo wouldn't be able to last a year. After a year, Jingguo would have to increase taxes in order to fight against the Barbarian Race. They would have to constantly recruit able-bodied men. When the country won a war of this scale at all costs, it also meant that other aspects of the country would stop.
At that time, it would be an era of war that no one wanted to see.
The Minister of the Left didn't continue, but he had already expressed his opinion. He wanted Jingguo to join Gyeongo or Wu Guo.
Fang Yundao said, "Minister of the Left is very insightful, and your analysis is correct. However, there is a fourth reason, and that is that there are traitors in Jingguo. If we can get rid of the traitors, we will have the strength to fight back. "
The Minister of the Left and the officials in his party were annoyed, but Mount Liu's expression didn't change. He said, "Fang Xusheng is right. If we can find the traitors who don't care about the lives of hundreds of millions of people, we will punish those traitors who let the soldiers die for nothing. The whole country will retreat and defend the Yangtze River. With the help of the Yangtze River's water demons, we will have the strength to fight back. "
"What about the territory north of the Yangtze River?"
"We will give it to the barbarians for now. When the time is right, we will lead the army north and reclaim it!" Mount Liu said.
"At that time, the ones leading the army north will be Gyeongo and Wu Guo," Fang Yundao said.
Mount Liu said helplessly, "Fang Xusheng said that he wants to protect the people of Jingguo. If Gyeongo and Wu Guo are involved, isn't that the best way to protect the people of Jingguo? As for the territory, as long as the people are alive, it will be reclaimed one day. We have to protect the lives of the people, but we also have to let them go to war. This is really contradictory. I hope everyone will think about it carefully. "
Gu Mingzhou said, "Minister of the Left is right. We have studied for many years, and we are no longer hot-blooded young men. For the sake of the country and the people, we should pay attention to strategy. If we do something we know is impossible, we will be a hero and harm the country and the people. For the sake of the country and the people, we should be like Minister of the Left. We should know when to advance and when to retreat. Blindly fighting to the death is a disgrace to the books we have read. "
"Minister Liu, Minister Gu, do you two not care about the righteousness of the country?"
Gu Mingzhou said coldly, "The righteousness of the country is small, but the righteousness of the tribe is the righteousness of the country! Notre-Dame of the righteousness of the country! Instead of wasting our military power, why don't we ask Wu Guo and Gyeongo to join forces to fight against the barbarians? After we succeed, we will send troops to Two World Mountain. This is the righteousness of the country! Your so-called righteousness of Jingguo is more like selfish desire! "
"The barbarians have not broken through the Jade Sun Pass, so victory cannot be decided," General Zhou Junhu said.
"I remember someone said that before the three sides were broken, victory cannot be decided!" Gu Mingzhou sneered.
"Hmph!" Zhou Junhu snorted and did not refute.
Fang Yun also did not refute Gu Mingzhou. Instead, he scanned the crowd and looked at Zhou Junhu. He asked, "Why do you want to fight against the barbarians?"
Zhou Junhu was stunned. He did not know Fang Yun's purpose. He said honestly, "I have not thought about this question carefully. If you want to answer, the reason is different at different times. When I was young, I read books and listened to the stories of the adults, so I instinctively treated the barbarians as my enemies. When I grew up, I realized that the barbarians and the barbarians were both creatures of the world. They could not tolerate each other. As a human, in order to survive, we must kill the barbarians. As for now, the reason is even simpler. The barbarians are attacking my country. How can I just stand by and watch? Just kill them! "
Many scholars nodded. Some generals even cheered loudly.
Fang Yun asked General Li, who was nearby, "Why do you fight against the barbarians?"
"In terms of selfishness, it is to build a career. I use the barbarians as a whetstone to sharpen my own path. In terms of righteousness, as a soldier, I should protect my country. How can I just stand by and watch the country fall?"
Fang Yun looked at Sai Zhixue and asked, "Why do you fight against the barbarians?"
"Studying the books of the saints and becoming a Jingguo citizen. Fighting against the barbarians is a matter of course."
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