Looking at the chaotic relationship between the ministers and the emperor, the officials suddenly remembered what Fang Yun meant by eliminating red tape.
It’s not that Fang Yun doesn’t want to bow to everyone and the king, but Fang Yun doesn’t want everyone to bow to him.
All the officials were thinking about one question: if Fang Yun insisted on bowing, would Jing Jun be the first to kneel on the ground
In a grand court meeting, only Fang Yun dared to teach the king a lesson. Everyone knew that this was against the Confucian etiquette between the monarch and his subjects, but no one from the Left Prime Minister's party dared to come out and accuse Fang Yun.
Fang Yun alone can dominate an entire country.
The officials looked at Fang Yun with increasingly complicated expressions.
If the Left Prime Minister Liu Shan was not the Taoist master of the Zongsheng Sect, Fang Yun would have razed the Liu Mansion to the ground and forced Liu Shan to get out of Jing Kingdom long ago.
Fang Yun's eyes swept across the curtain behind Jing Jun, across the officials, and finally fell on Marshal Chen Zhixu.
Jing State Grand Marshal Chen Zhixu has been promoted to a great scholar and should have gone out to travel, but because of the massive invasion of the Caoman, the Holy Academy specially allowed him to travel to the ancient land after this battle.
After he became famous, Chen Zhixu lived in seclusion and rarely showed up. The ones who really controlled the Grand Marshal's Office were the Queen Mother and Jing Jun. This time, the three fronts were completely broken, so Chen Zhixu had to show up, but usually he just sat there to practice and did not participate in military and political affairs.
Chen Zhixu once asked to lead the army to fight in the north, but not only did the Queen Mother stop him, but even the Left Prime Minister's party disagreed.
The capital city needs Chen Zhixu to be in charge. If Chen Zhixu is defeated, it will be a devastating blow to the Jing State’s military.
"Marshal Chen, should Jing State advance or retreat at this time?" Fang Yun asked.
Chen Zhixu was originally in a state of mind wandering in the sky, with an ethereal aura, but now that he has broken away from his training state, he is immediately like a fierce general on the battlefield. Even while sitting there, he seems to be galloping among thousands of troops, exuding might and power.
Chen Zhixu opened his tiger eyes slightly, glanced at Fang Yun, was silent for a moment, and said: "It is the duty of a soldier to defend the land. If you are defeated in a battle, you can retreat, but there is no reason to retreat without fighting."
"Thank you, Marshal Chen, for your guidance." Fang Yun said.
Liu Shan suddenly said, "Marshal Chen is wrong. If you knew you were going to lose, why didn't you retreat in advance?"
"Since the Left Prime Minister can predict a country's victory or defeat, he should also have a way to remedy the situation. Zhixu is all ears." Chen Zhixu said.
Everyone held their breath and kept quiet. Fang Yun's arrival brought the court dispute into its final stage.
"I have concluded that there are three reasons why Jing Kingdom was defeated. The country's national strength is weakening, the population is declining, and the available soldiers are becoming increasingly scarce. This is the first reason. The three borders have been lost, the old soldiers have been exhausted, the barbarians have officially dispatched their elite troops, and the tribes are aiming at Ning'an City and Yishui River. This is the second reason. The saints are concerned about Liangjie Mountain, the water tribe is about to turn against each other, and the half-saint Langlu is recuperating. The situation is on the enemy's side. This is the third reason. At this moment, Jing Kingdom has a gap in the sky, the earth has been broken, and there are not enough people. If it gets help from outside forces, it may be possible to fight, otherwise, it will definitely lose the war."
The officials were silent.
The one who deserves the best treatment for Jing Kingdom is naturally the Semi-Saint Chen Guanhai. Everyone knows how serious his injuries are, and he will probably die within two or three years.
Now that three sides have been lost and the barbarians are advancing straight in, the land north of Yuyang Pass is about to be handed over, and the geographical advantages have disappeared completely.
After years of fierce fighting, the treasury of Jing State was empty and the people were greatly affected. If the number of scholars had not increased successfully and successfully shifted the conflicts, and if the major families and holy academies of various countries had not helped Jing State openly or secretly, Jing State would have been in dire straits long ago.
Even so, prices in Jingguo continued to soar, countless people stored gold and sold antiques, and the entire Shengyuan Continent was affected.
If this trend continues, Jingguo will not last more than a year. After a year, in order to fight against the barbarians, Jingguo will inevitably increase taxes and corvée, and will inevitably continue to conscript able-bodied men. When the entire country wins a war of this scale at all costs, it also means that other aspects will stop.
At that time, it was an era of war that no one wanted to see.
The left prime minister did not continue speaking, but he had already expressed his opinion, asking Jing State to join Qing State or Wu State.
Fang Yun said: "Lord Zuo Xiang is very insightful and his analysis is good. However, there should be a fourth reason, which is that there are traitors at work and treacherous officials are abusing their power. If we can eliminate the traitors and the whole Jing Kingdom is united, we will also have the strength to fight."
Officials of the Left Prime Minister's faction showed signs of annoyance, but Liu Shan remained calm and said, "What Fang Xusheng said is correct. If we find out those traitors who disregarded the lives of hundreds of millions of people, severely punish those treacherous officials who caused the soldiers to die in vain, and retreat the entire country, hold on to the Yangtze River, and borrow the power of the Yangtze River water monster, we should be able to fight."
"What about the territory north of the Yangtze River?"
"Give it to the barbarians for now. When the time is right, we will march north and recapture it!" Liu Shan said.
"By then, it will be the Qing Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom that will lead the army northward," Fang Yun said.
Liu Shan said helplessly: "Fang Xusheng keeps saying that he wants to protect the people of Jingguo. If Qingguo and Wuguo come forward, isn't that the best way to protect the people of Jingguo? As for the land, as long as the people are there, it will be recovered one day. It is really contradictory to protect the lives of the people and let them go to war. I hope you will think about it carefully."
Gu Mingzhou added, "Lord Zuo Xiang is right. We have studied for many years and are no longer hot-blooded boys. We should be strategic for the sake of our country and the people. If we do something knowing it is impossible, we will be a hero and harm the country and the people. Those who serve the country and the people should be like Zuo Xiang, who knows how to advance and retreat and think about gains and losses. Blindly fighting to the death is a disgrace to the sages' books we have read."
"Prime Minister Liu, Minister Gu, have you two given up on justice?" Sai Zhixue asked.
Gu Mingzhou snorted coldly, "The righteousness of a country is a small righteousness, the righteousness of a clan is a great righteousness! The great righteousness is in the Holy Academy! Instead of wasting our military strength, we should ask Wu and Qing to send troops to fight against the barbarians together. After the matter is accomplished, we will send troops to Liangjie Mountain. This is the great righteousness! The so-called righteousness of Jingguo is more like selfish desires!"
"We can't determine the outcome of the battle until the barbarians break through Yuyang Pass," said General Zhou Junhu.
"I do remember someone saying that unless the three sides are broken, it is impossible to determine the winner!" Gu Mingzhou sneered.
"Hmph!" Zhou Junhu snorted coldly without refutation.
Fang Yun did not refute Gu Mingzhou, but glanced at everyone, looked at Zhou Junhu, and asked: "Why do you want to fight against the barbarians?"
Zhou Junhu was stunned, not knowing Fang Yun's purpose, and said honestly: "I haven't thought about this question carefully. If I have to answer, the reasons are different in different periods. When I was a child, I read books and listened to adults' stories, and I instinctively regarded monsters as enemies. Later, when I grew up, I found that monsters and humans are both creatures in the universe, and neither can tolerate the other. As a human, in order to survive, I must kill monsters. As for now, the reason is simpler. Monsters attack my country. Can I just watch them? Kill them!"
Many scholars nodded, and some generals even cheered loudly.
Fang Yun then asked General Li who was nearby: "Why are you fighting against the barbarians?"
"In terms of personal interests, it is to build meritorious careers, use the monsters as a whetstone, and sharpen one's own holy way; in terms of public interest, since you are a soldier, you should defend your country. How can you watch the country fall?"
Fang Yun looked at Sai Zhixue again and asked, "Why do you fight against the barbarians?"
"It is natural to read the books of sages, be a Jing countryman, and fight against the barbarians."
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