kingnovel Chapter 1570 Seize the initiative and grab the fruits of victory!
Chapter 1570 Seize the initiative and grab the fruits of victory!
In September in Chang'an, the autumn wind already carries a bit of a chilling atmosphere.
Inside the Golden Palace, the flickering candlelight illuminated the faces of the ministers, some solemn and some pensive.
Outside the hall, the imperial guards stood in silence, their swords and spears sharp, but the atmosphere inside the hall was colder than the blades.
Li Shiming sat high on the dragon throne, tapping the armrests lightly with his fingers, and his eyes slowly swept over the ministers in the hall.
His voice was low and cold: "The Wei Kingdom is dead."
These three short words were like a thunderclap, shaking the hearts and minds of all the civil and military officials in the court.
Several elderly ministers even staggered and almost lost their balance.
An official in a purple robe stepped forward first, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, the fall of the Wei Kingdom is shocking, but upon closer reflection, it is also reasonable."
"The Wei Kingdom only has one isolated city left, and Sima Yi is unpopular. Its downfall is only a matter of time."
There was a hint of contempt in his tone, as if he didn't care about the demise of Wei.
"Yes!"
Another red-robed official immediately echoed: "Although the Chu army is strong, it has been exhausted after continuous battles."
"They just conquered the Wei Kingdom and must need to rest and recuperate. They definitely don't have the energy to attack the Tang Dynasty again."
As he spoke, he stroked his beard and a confident smile appeared on his face.
"That's right! The Chu army doesn't dare!"
"How can the Wei Kingdom compare to the mighty Tang Dynasty?"
"If Chu Ning dares to attack, he will never return!"
The ministers spoke one after another, their tones full of confidence.
Although they were shocked by the fall of the Wei Kingdom, they believed deep down that the Chu army would not dare to provoke the Tang Dynasty easily.
After all, the Tang Dynasty was powerful and had 200,000 soldiers in the Wei State, while the Chu army had just experienced a great war, so how could they dare to start another war?
As Li Shiming listened to the discussions of his ministers, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.
He slowly stood up, his hands behind his back, the gold thread on his dragon robe flickering coldly in the candlelight.
"Dear ladies!"
His voice suddenly rose: "Do you really think that the Chu army will stop here?"
The hall suddenly became quiet, and even the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.
A white-haired old minister stepped forward tremblingly: "Your Majesty, why do you say that? The Chu army has been fighting for years, and the soldiers are already old and tired."
"The division's old soldiers are tired?"
Li Shiming sneered and waved his sleeves fiercely. "Chu first destroyed Zhao, Yan, Qin, and Jin, and now it has annexed Wei, occupying the land of the Six Dynasties! Their territory is already more vast than that of the Tang Dynasty!"
His voice echoed in the Golden Palace, causing pain in the eardrums of the ministers.
Several officials unconsciously took a half step back, with beads of sweat oozing from their foreheads.
"If we let them recuperate and wait for them to integrate the armies of the six nations..."
Li Shiming's voice suddenly lowered, but it carried an even more terrifying intimidation: "My dear ministers, who do you think they will attack first?"
A young general couldn't help but step forward and said, "Your Majesty, our Tang Dynasty has a strong army and powerful horses..."
"The Han Dynasty is currently at war with the Zhou Dynasty and is preoccupied with its own affairs."
Li Shiming interrupted him, a cold glint in his eyes: "If I were Chu Ning, I would definitely take this opportunity to destroy the Tang Dynasty first, and then attack the Han Dynasty!"
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the heads of all the court officials.
The officials who were full of confidence just now now turned pale.
Only then did they realize that the Chu State was no longer the Chu State of the past, but a ferocious tiger that swallowed up the six states!
Just when the atmosphere in the hall became extremely solemn, hurried footsteps were suddenly heard outside the hall.
"Report——!"
A guard rushed into the hall and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, urgent report from spies on the front line!"
Li Shiming frowned and said, "Speak."
"Princess Wu Xiuning of the Great Zhou has gone missing on the battlefield. Emperor Chu Ning of the Chu Kingdom has personally led 3,000 elite cavalry out of the city, presumably to search for her personally!"
"what?"
Li Shiming was stunned at first, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! God helps me!"
This sudden laughter stunned the ministers. They looked at each other, not understanding why His Majesty was so happy.
An alert civil servant was the first to react and excitedly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Chu Ning is not in the army. The Chu army is leaderless. This is the perfect time for our army to attack!"
"Not bad!"
A general slammed his desk and stood up, his armor clanging. "The Chu army is invincible because Chu Ning personally led the troops! Now that he's gone, the Chu army's morale will surely plummet!"
"Your Majesty, this opportunity cannot be missed!"
"Please send troops immediately!"
"We will seize this opportunity to conquer Wei!"
The atmosphere in the court suddenly reversed.
The officials who were worried just now now had greed in their eyes.
Although the Wei Kingdom was destroyed, the city still exists. If we can seize it while the Chu army is still unstable, the territory of the Tang Dynasty will expand by another thousand miles!
A cold light flashed in Li Shiming's eyes, and he slammed the dragon table.
The heavy sound instantly quieted the boiling court.
"Preach my will!"
His voice was like the clanging of metal: "Order the frontline troops to march out immediately and seize the Wei city! If there is a chance..."
He paused, a fierce look flashing in his eyes: "Attack Wei Capital directly!"
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
All the ministers shouted in unison, and their voices were so loud that even the imperial guards outside the palace could hear them.
Li Shiming slowly sat back on the dragon throne and looked outside the hall.
The autumn wind swirled the fallen leaves across the square, as if foreshadowing the coming bloody storm.
An old minister stepped forward hesitantly: "Your Majesty, should we be more cautious?"
"No need to say more."
Li Shiming raised his hand to stop him: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Since Chu Ning dared to leave the army, he must pay the price!"
His fingers unconsciously stroked the carvings on the armrests of the dragon throne, and his eyes flashed with complex light.
Was it ambition? Calculation? Or a vague unease? No one knew.
Outside the palace, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the entire palace blood-red. The bells of Chang'an City rang melodiously, as if sounding a warning for the impending war.
After the court session, several important officials gathered in a side hall and discussed in low voices.
"Is this too risky?" an official asked worriedly.
"Risk?" Another sneered, "Are we going to wait for the Chu army to recover and attack us?"
"But Chu Ning is a master at using troops. What if he has a backup plan?"
"So when he's away, it's the perfect time!"
As the night deepens, a cold moon hangs in the sky.
In the imperial study deep in the palace, Li Shiming stood alone in front of a huge map of the territory, and drew a heavy circle on the location of the Wei State with the red pen in his hand.
"Chu Ning!" he whispered softly, "This time, I'm going to let you know what it means to be a mantis stalking a cicada!"
Last time, his 80,000-strong army was destroyed and his son was killed by Chu Ning. He will never forget this blood debt.
There was no chance before, he had no choice.
Now that the opportunity is right in front of him, how can he miss it?
Outside the window, a gust of wind suddenly blew and blew out the candle.
The imperial study fell into darkness, only the pair of eyes flickering in the dark, still as bright as stars.