Who would have thought that the strategy he had discussed with his sister about preparing for rainy days—damaging Great Zhou’s military strength before destroying Xiliang, grasping Great Zhou’s Emperor’s weakness to assist Yan—would end in such complete defeat.
“I have racked my brains thinking of strategies to preserve Yan, and after much deliberation, have decided… to send envoys to Great Zhou to discuss with Great Zhou’s Emperor that our two countries… determine victory and defeat based on whose national policies can make the people more prosperous and strong, merging the two countries into one!”
Before Murong Li had finished speaking, the Yan court was filled with shock.
Murong Li looked at the ministers’ shocked, wide-eyed expressions, his hands hidden in his sleeves, clenching tightly. Sister Bai had already paved the road for the two countries’ merger strategy almost to his feet—he could not be afraid now, could not retreat.
He forced himself to calm down and finish speaking: “Whether for our Yan or Great Zhou, this is a great gamble. For our Yan, besides being a great gamble, it’s also a chance to seek life amid death! Otherwise… when Great Zhou advances westward and Yan’s main forces cannot return to defend, our Yan will be the next country to perish after Xiliang.”
“Your Majesty!” Xiao Rongyan looked up at Murong Li, his voice serious with a tone of reprimand: “Your Majesty is being rash!”
“Ninth Uncle…” Murong Li solemnly bowed deeply to Xiao Rongyan sitting in the chair: “Please give A’Li a chance to finish speaking!”
“Your Majesty, this cannot be! Your Majesty!” Zhong Xingxiao was the first to kneel, crying and kowtowing to Murong Li: “Your Majesty, please reconsider!”
Following Zhong Xingxiao’s cries, all the ministers, whether from the Empress Dowager’s faction or the Regent Prince’s faction, knelt and kowtowed, shouting: “Your Majesty, please reconsider!”
“I have not only considered three times, but even five or six times…” Murong Li slowly paced on the white jade platform, his voice resounding: “If we don’t do this, what method does anyone have to make the Great Zhou withdraw their troops? Determining the victory of two countries by national policy and merging the two countries into one… this is Yan’s only chance to turn things around!”
Seeing the court ministers still discussing among themselves with voices growing louder, Murong Li again called out loudly: “Or are you ministers truly so lacking in confidence in our Yan’s governance that you fear our Yan’s national policies, which have been implemented for decades and can truly make the people prosperous and strong in a short time, would lose to Great Zhou, whose emperor is ruling for the first time and whose new policies are still in the exploratory stage?”
“But what if… what if we send envoys to Great Zhou and Great Zhou’s Emperor, and ministers don’t agree? What if they agree, but when the appointed time comes and our Yan wins, Great Zhou refuses to submit to our Yan?” A minister objected.
“Everyone, let’s not discuss whether Great Zhou’s Emperor and Great Zhou’s ministers can keep their word, but the urgent crisis is upon our Yan, not Great Zhou!” Murong Li seemed to be debating alone against all the ministers in the Yan court: “Only by doing this can our Yan temporarily delay the imminent danger of national destruction, using three years… or even five years to recover and rebuild. I believe Yan’s governance will surely make the people prosperous and strong! Thus, even if Great Zhou loses after three years but refuses to submit to our Yan, we will have room to fight Great Zhou!”
“Your Majesty is still a child after all; these words are far too childish!” Xiao Rongyan still sat steadily in his chair, looking up at Murong Li with cold eyes. Everyone could hear the suppressed anger in his voice: “Our Yan has struggled through hardships to reach today—this is the result of efforts by all Yan’s people and the Late Emperor. We finally have this foundation, and Your Majesty wants to take our foundation to have a great gamble with the Great Zhou. Your Majesty… truly has such a gambling nature!”
“Yes, Your Majesty! The Ninth Prince speaks reasonably!” Zhong Xingxiao repeatedly agreed with Xiao Rongyan: “This is gambling with our entire country. If we truly lose, our Yan will be lost, and we’ll all be sinners of Yan!”
“Since Ninth Uncle and Uncle feel this method is inappropriate, what methods do you two have to deal with Great Zhou?” Murong Li’s eyes were calm as he pushed Xiao Rongyan and Zhong Xingxiao to the same front, asking loudly: “Or can all the ministers of Great Yan in this court think of a better method than what I have proposed?”
“Everyone!” Murong Li walked to the front of the high platform, his gaze sweeping over all the ministers in the Yan court: “Our Yan is already meat at Great Zhou’s lips. Either… let Great Zhou bite down now! Or use this method to give Yan several years to recover and rebuild. In the future… either unite the world without bloodshed, or have a legitimate excuse to barely contend with Great Zhou, fulfilling the grand aspiration of all previous Yan emperors to unite the world! Though it’s a great gamble, it’s also the only way out for our Yan when we have no choice!”
Though Murong Li was young, after he proposed this method, the ministers seriously considered it and found that it was indeed as Murong Li said—given the current situation between the Great Zhou and Yan, Yan was at a disadvantage. If they fought, with the main forces trapped in Xiliang, Yan could only be at others’ mercy.
Moreover, Yan had betrayed Great Zhou first, so Great Zhou’s attack on Yan was not only legitimate, but also, given that Great Zhou had always taken care of Great Yan and given Great Yan more of the war spoils, Great Zhou would have popular support even in attacking Yan.
If they didn’t want to solve this matter according to their Yan Emperor’s proposed method, then to give Great Zhou an explanation… they would probably have to hand over their Yan Empress Dowager, which would be Yan’s greatest humiliation.
“But Your Majesty, even if our Yan’s national policies and laws are more mature than Great Zhou’s, Great Zhou being more prosperous than our Yan is also a fact. If in the end our Yan loses, must we hand over our Yan to the Great Zhou?”
“If Great Zhou’s national policies and laws are not as mature as ours, and their national strength is not as strong as our Yan’s, would Great Zhou agree to determine victory by national policy to merge the two countries? If that were truly the case, our Yan wouldn’t need to propose this strategy to buy time today.” Murong Li frowned tightly: “Everyone… I say again, don’t forget that currently it’s our Yan that has an urgent crisis, not Great Zhou! This strategy I’ve proposed may not even be agreed to by Great Zhou—now it’s our Yan that must find ways to make Great Zhou agree!”
The Yan court ministers all fell silent.
They all understood that what the young emperor standing on the high platform said was true, but no one could step forward first to agree with the young emperor’s idea.
“This cannot be! I do not agree with the Emperor’s such absurd actions!”
The Yan Empress Dowager had been listening outside for a long time, hearing with fear and trepidation, nearly going weak in the knees, and unable to stand.
She had never thought that her temporary cooperation with Xiliang to betray the Great Zhou would bring such great trouble to Yan.