Seeing this, several ministers frowned, but Concubine Si used sweet words to evade the question by saying that Zhao Hai was still young. At the same time, she also said that she "was only listening to the opinions of the adults and would never act arbitrarily."
Because time was short and what she said made sense, the ministers felt that this move was inappropriate, but they didn't say much. Then an old man with a white beard stepped out first and said loudly, "Your Highness! Scouts have discovered an unknown cavalry galloping towards our Zhao capital! It is very likely that they are the enemy. Please make a decision as soon as possible!"
Hearing this, the young man sitting in the highest position, Zhao Hai, who was wearing a yellow robe and had a round face, asked calmly, "How many people are there in the enemy army?"
"This..." The old man paused for a moment before revealing an expression of disbelief. He said, "The scouts have investigated this army and found that the number of troops is about 3,000..."
"Three thousand?"
After these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the audience!
"There are still more than 20,000 defenders in Zhaodu City! But the invading enemy only has 3,000 people? This... The Art of War says that you can surround the enemy with ten, but there are only 3,000 people... Could it be that there are reinforcements behind?"
This was everyone's question, but the old man sighed and said, "No! The scouts only found this enemy force. According to my inference, they are most likely a surprise attack force..."
"A surprise attack?" Hearing this, Zhao Hai's voice turned angry. "Who is in charge of this? Why would they allow three thousand people to lurk here?"
“Your Highness, please calm down your wrath… This group of enemy troops may have broken up into small groups and secretly broken through our multiple blockades… According to my estimation, this surprise attack army should have had a larger number, but the remaining people were unable to return to the team because of the commander’s risky move! Now, they are rushing towards Zhaodu, probably out of helplessness, wanting to take advantage of the night attack and give it a try! However, they didn’t expect that even if our Zhaodu is empty, we have enough scouts. Their actions have been exposed and there is no chance of success. Your Highness, don’t worry!”
A third-rate general who stayed behind in Zhaodu thought about it, then stepped out and spoke.
Hearing his clear and concise words, most people in the room thought it made sense. The old man even stroked his beard and said, "General Sima's words make sense. I agree with you... Since the enemy has been exposed, we should hold on and wait for help, and let them return in defeat."
Hearing this, before the others in the room could say anything, Zhao Hai suddenly stood up and shouted, "No!"
"I think this is a God-given opportunity. We might as well send out troops to fight and help my father to take this surprise attack and prevent them from changing their route and causing harm to our great Zhao!"
The more Zhao Hai spoke, the more excited he became!
The so-called regents actually mostly hold the mentality of not seeking merit but avoiding mistakes... But Zhao Hai is different, he is the child prodigy of the Great Zhao, he has amazing talent since he was a child, he is very self-righteous and arrogant. This time he is ordered to be the regent, he not only wants to 'avoid mistakes', but also 'achieve merit'!
Great achievement!
Only in this way can the way be paved for him to enter the East Palace in the future!
Of course, his words were also instigated by his biological mother, Concubine Si. She transmitted a message to him, "Hai'er, do you know that your father will take in a new concubine on the day of his triumphant return? That woman's background and beauty are comparable to your mother's! When she enters the palace, the structure of the palace will be different... So Hai'er, you must grow up quickly, make more contributions, and cultivate your own direct lineage, so that you can have no worries in the future!"
Zhao Hai had heard Concubine Si's words before, but he was still young, and faced with his older brothers, he was at a huge disadvantage in competing for credit. Since he became regent, he had no chance to show his achievements...
But now it's different.
An army of only 3,000 people dared to attack the capital of Zhao? This was simply a merit that came right to their doorstep!
“Hai’er, you are the regent, and defending the city is your duty. It is not a big achievement… Mother can tell you that your brothers have followed your father to the battlefield and have made great contributions in the army. If this continues… Hey, Hai’er, mother is relying on you, so you must do your best!”
These words were transmitted to Zhao Hai's ears through voice transmission, making him even more determined!
He was determined, but after hearing this, several ministers in the audience turned pale with fear and quickly stepped forward to kowtow and said, "Your Highness, you can't do this! You can't do this! Zhaodu is the capital of our country, it is of great importance, there can't be any mistakes! Going out of the city to fight in the field is too risky. If there is any mistake, how will Your Highness explain it to His Majesty? Please think twice!"
Hearing this, Zhao Hai immediately showed an indignant look on his face. These days, he had had enough of these old guys who always used "Your Majesty" to pressure him. In daily government affairs, whenever he had his own unique ideas, these old guys would veto them by saying "Your Majesty is still young and inexperienced"... After several times, he felt that he, the regent, was no different from a puppet... He had endured it for so long, and finally had a chance to "pick a soft persimmon" to vent his anger, but this group of people actually still argued and opposed...
At this point, Zhao Hai could no longer hold back and spoke out all his opinions: "I think that this enemy army has come from a long distance and has become a tired army after rushing here. Moreover, due to the loss of a large number of troops, their morale is low and they are at their weakest. There are only 3,000 of them and it is obvious that they cannot compete with the powerful army of our Great Zhao!"
He glanced coldly at the people kneeling on the ground, and snorted, "What's more, war is all about deception! Even the adults think that we should defend the city, so the other side will definitely think so! Therefore, we should do the opposite, send out troops to kill them, and catch them by surprise, and we will definitely win a great victory!"
"Back then, my father did just that! In the battle of King Liancheng of Northern Frontier, my father ignored the opposition of his advisers and did not defend the fortified city. Instead, he sent troops to attack the enemy by surprise. He finally defeated 5,000 Tang invaders with 800 light cavalry and killed several Tang generals! This opened up the situation in Northern Frontier!"
"Eight hundred can defeat five thousand, not to mention that the enemy only has three thousand, while we have twenty thousand!"
"It is said that a tiger father will have a dog son! What my father was able to do back then, I, Zhao Hai, can do today as well!"
"I have made up my mind! Where are Generals Sima Ban and Li Zhao?!"
…
…
A few hours later.
It was late at night, but the lights in the Zhao Palace were still bright.
Different from the nervousness and frustration of the ministers below, the face of Concubine Si behind the curtain was full of complacency, excitement, and "yearning" for power...
When looking carefully, there was no trace of Zhao Hai here.
Besides, there was only one third-rate general left on the field.
"Your Majesty, I still feel that this is inappropriate! Since ancient times, sons of wealthy families have not been allowed to sit in the hall, not to mention that your Highness's body is even more valuable than a millionaire? As the regent, you don't defend the city and govern the internal affairs, but want to lead the army to conquer... It's simply ridiculous!"