"Everyone, please be quiet. I think everyone in the empire is watching how the empire will react. It can be said that our actions will affect the whole body. We not only need to maintain the reputation of the empire, but we also need to Considering the actual situation of the empire, since His Majesty asked us, the Government Council and the Privy Council, to hold this joint meeting to discuss the general direction, I think we must look at this matter with a responsible attitude, and not simply based on our respective positions. When considering this matter, please keep a calm mind." Xiao Tang looked at the people gathered together with some annoyance. This kind of meeting is obviously a hot potato. The attitudes between the military and the government will never be consistent, but His Majesty He allowed himself and Bo Jinchen to discuss and coordinate, but His Majesty himself was happy to take some time off. Wasn't this deliberately creating disputes
"Xiao Xiang is right. At present, the eyes of both the government and the public are paying attention to where the empire will go next? The Liberians have been wreaking havoc for thousands of miles to the north of us, and now they can no longer support themselves and have retreated. The Machikhans in the south are still there. The Japanese are still lingering on our land in the Atlantic Ocean. Can we just let go of the humiliation we have suffered? I think not only we cannot agree, but even the people of the empire will not agree. The war is far from At the end, I think how to completely win this war is the first thing we need to consider." Following Xiao Tang's words, Bo Jinchen quoted and used them extensively, steering the topic in the direction that the military wanted, which made Xiao Tang smiled bitterly, this guy came here just because he wanted to, and never missed an opportunity.
"Your Majesty, the war will definitely continue. No matter who it is, since they dare to take the first step to invade the empire, they should be mentally prepared to accept the empire's counterattack. But war also requires a process. War is just politics. The continuation of the situation is just a way of political expression. Whether it needs to be solved immediately in this way, or whether this method is the best method, I think it is still debatable. At least the war must be subordinate to the overall situation of the empire." Su Qin began to interject to support Xiao Tang's point of view and rebutted unceremoniously.
"Xiang Su, I disagree with your idea. Don't you think now is not the best time to solve the problem? The Liberians are completely defeated, the Machikhans are dying, and the Japanese are severely weakened. No matter from which angle you look at it, now is the time. It's time. Do you think the people of the empire will sit back and watch our slow actions and inability to respond? Prime Minister Su, we also need to take into account the attitude of the people." Bo Jinchen laughed. He said cheerfully.
"What is the attitude of the people? Sir Right Envoy, the attitude of the people may not be what you imagined. You are too optimistic. The red land in the north is thousands of miles away, and the people in the northwest, Jerok, and Yunzhong have suffered great losses, and now the empire's finances are also in a state of decline. It is a very difficult situation. What the people need is how to survive such an unbearable spring famine. What they need most is how to get through the difficulties with full bellies. The war in the empire is not their biggest concern at this stage. That is those who have no food and clothing. It is a matter for those who are worried to consider. And the empire's finances will encounter great difficulties in supporting the continuation of the war. The empire needs to take a breath now." Su Qin shook his head and disagreed with Bo Jinchen's point of view.
"Prime Minister Su, you underestimate the consciousness of the people. You can look at what the imperial media focuses on every day. Without exception, it is how the empire should retaliate and punish! If we ignore public opinion, then we will Being criticized, as for your statement that the empire is in financial difficulty and needs to recuperate and take a breather, I think that is not the case. Is it true that the empire cannot sustain it?" Bo Jinchen's words were no less sharp than Su Qin's.
Su Qin didn't mind the other party's questioning. Each represents its own point of view, and it is normal to question the other's basis and arguments. However, the views of the military and the government are very different. It seems to be very difficult to achieve coordination and unity. Could it be that His Majesty the Emperor hopes for this? Can a coordination meeting unify viewpoints
The discussion at the joint meeting obviously ended up with no results. The antagonistic attitude between the government and the military was quickly noticed by the media. The government requested to focus on rest and recuperation, suspend the war or reduce the scale of the war, in order to allow the empire to They got some time to recover and prepare for the final all-out counterattack; while the military hoped to take advantage of the Liberian people's retreat to seize the opportunity to launch an offensive and completely solve the serious problem of the Liberian people.
The diametrically opposite attitudes of the two sides on this issue have also triggered widespread debate among the people of the empire. Businessmen are the main group who support the government's opinions. They hope that the empire can take a break after experiencing continuous wars and allow the empire to take a break. The industry and commerce that have been affected by the war can get back on the normal track and wait for the time to mature. However, the class mainly composed of gentry and landlords believes that the Liberians should be beaten hard, and those who dare to challenge the authority of the empire must be punished. Let them be punished, and the Puer and Dodon people are now the best targets, and the Machikhans can also be listed as the second target.
Wu Feng is also very aware of the fierce dispute between the two sides. He is also hesitant now. The continuous wars have made the people of the empire feel war-weary, and the war has almost brought down the empire's finances. If it were not issued in time, With the war debt, the empire's finances were almost in danger of drying up. But now a good opportunity is rare, and the Dodon and Poole people are already in trouble. If they don't seize this opportunity, although these two countries will not be able to recover quickly, if they are given time to rest and breathe, the empire's future actions will definitely cost more. price.
The government headed by Xiao Tang and Su Qin hopes to take more than half a year to rest and recuperate. They believe that whether it is Duodun or Puer, the domestic economies of the two countries are now on the verge of collapse, and the domestic political crisis has entered a stage of crisis. The status of both Reeve IX and Andrei has been challenged. The domestic nobles cannot accept the outcome of this war at the cost of depleting the country's national strength. From the initial strong demand to hold military generals accountable, they have developed into demanding accountability. The responsibility of the king, coupled with the continuous intrusion of the northern Baiyin people into the south, have plunged the two countries into chaos. At this time, if troops are sent to attack the two countries, it may be possible.
It is possible that the various forces that were originally involved in civil strife will reunite to fight against the outside world. If restraint is maintained at this time, the domestic political crisis in the two countries will further deepen, and the current national strength of the two countries will not be able to recover enough to resist the imperial army within one or two years. At such a level, in the second half of the year the imperial army only needs to send troops to march north and let the Baiin people cooperate, and they can easily win.
However, the military believes that now that Purdoton is severely weakened, it is a good time to send troops. By capturing Purdodon and Dodon, they can form a siege on Kaman and Heathrow, and at the same time seize the Crescent Peninsula and completely eliminate the Japanese presence on the mainland. Base area to lay the foundation for the next larger military operation of the empire. Once Poole and Dodon get a break, they may rearm and cause more trouble for the empire's later military operations.
Wang Liao found that his report did not seem to arouse much interest in His Majesty the Emperor. It is no wonder that the Duodun people came to ask for forgiveness at this time. Is it too late? Although the government does not advocate the immediate use of troops against Duodun, it does not On behalf of the government, it intends to forgive the mistakes of the Doton people, the Crescent Peninsula and the Cook Islands? Could it be that these two pieces of land that are still in the hands of the Japanese can satisfy the appetite of His Majesty the Emperor and calm the anger of the people of the empire? The Doton people are too naive, and this is probably Andre's expedient measure to appease the panicked nobles in the country.
"Your Majesty, if you have no other opinions, I am going to reply to the Foreign Minister of the Doton people." Wang Liao frowned and said solemnly.
"Well, let's put it off for a while, but with just a Crescent Peninsula and the Cook Islands, what are the Doton people thinking? Is this old guy Andre crazy? Does he think this condition can make up for it? "Wufeng seemed to have just woken up from his fugue, and said slowly.
"Your Majesty, the only thing the Dodon people can offer is this condition, or else they have to sacrifice all their own land and people. According to the information we have, Andrei can no longer control the domestic situation. Due to the situation, the nobles in the country are preparing to unite to ask him to abdicate or depose him. The situation in their country is quite chaotic." Wang Liao explained.
"What about the attitude of their army? There should be more than 200,000 troops in their country, right?" Wu Feng said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
"It seems unclear. The morale of the army is very low, and there is a lack of a authoritative general to unify it. It is said that some nobles in the country hope that General Liemei, who has been guarding the north, can come back to clean up the mess of the army." This information is from the diplomatic officials stationed in the Kingdom of Dodon. Collected back, the Foreign Service cooperates very closely with the Imperial Intelligence Service in this regard,
"Oh? Liemai? That fanatical and warlike old guy?" Wu Feng frowned. This is not very good news. This guy has great prestige in the Duodun military, allowing him to unite the Duodun army. , the empire’s military operations in Dodon will surely encounter many troubles.
"Well, that's right. He is still fighting against the Bein people in the north. However, due to the heavy snow in the north, even our army's movement is very difficult, so the Bein people's battle has also come to a standstill. It is estimated that after Limei settled in the north, He will return to the capital of Duodun." Wang Liao seemed to be aware of His Majesty the Emperor's intentions.
"This is not very good news for us." Wu Feng smacked his lips, "It seems that we have to strike first. We cannot let Li Mei succeed. Everything must go according to our plan."