Chapter 217: Chapter 154: Advancement

Just as expected, Li Qing stepped forward the moment Lu Yuan finished speaking. "I wholeheartedly agree with Prince Qin’s proposal to stockpile grain," he said. "However, I absolutely cannot condone waging war against the Shengman.

The Shengman have always been fierce. Even if we go to war, it would be largely meaningless unless we can completely subjugate them.

It would be nothing more than a fruitless mobilization of our forces. Prince Qin, you must not act rashly."

As he finished speaking, the other court officials nodded in agreement.

Even the Grand Minister of Rites chimed in, "Prince Qin, the Shengman are not like the Vassal Towns. Their strength is only slightly less than our own, and if we push them into a corner, the Ancient Barbarian Tribe will come to their aid.

It’s nearly impossible to defeat them in a short amount of time."

Seeing the court’s opposition, Lu Yuan did not back down.

Instead, he said, "Everyone, we Northern Barbarians, the Shengman, and the Ancient Barbarians are all one people.

If we unite the Three Barbarians and re-establish the Great Qin, who would dare to look down on us in the future?

It wasn’t just the Northern Barbarians who suffered from snow disasters this winter; the Shengman and Ancient Barbarians are enduring them as well. But we have purchased a large amount of grain, and they have not. When spring arrives, they will face a severe shortage before the new harvest.

The state of the other two Barbarian tribes will be far worse than we can imagine. This is an excellent opportunity. If we miss it, we might never get another one.

Therefore, I believe we must attack."

When he finished, a few young generals did step forward to voice their support, but there were simply too few of them.

However, Lu Yuan wasn’t angry. He knew that Li Qing and the others were arguing against the plan, not against him personally.

When it came to unifying the Three Barbarians, these old ministers likely anticipated it even more eagerly than he did.

It was just that years of helplessness had conditioned them to think, first and foremost, that destroying the Shengman and Ancient Barbarians was impossible.

Seeing that the ministers were about to break into a full-blown argument, Xiao Shi said calmly, "Alright, that is enough for today. Continue to keep the Vassal Towns under observation.

As for grain, allocate half the silver taels in the treasury for continued purchases.

As for deploying troops, we shall discuss it another day."

"As you command!"

After Xiao Shi finished speaking, the court officials bowed.

Then, with a cry of "Court dismissed," they all departed.

Lu Yuan, however, did not leave. He was held back by Xiao Shi.

When only Xiao Shi, her daughter Xiao Hua, and Lu Yuan remained in the great hall.

Xiao Shi looked at Lu Yuan. "If we were to attack the Shengman, how confident are you of success?"

"With fifty thousand Beast Riders, each with two mounts, I can strike directly at their Royal Tent after entering Shengman territory. I am seventy percent confident of victory," Lu Yuan said softly.

He might not have dared to make such a bold claim if he were dealing with the Ancient Barbarians, but the Shengman were different. They had no cities, living only in camps.

They were much like the common folk of the Wasteland.

’Moreover, while their army has many experts, none are proficient in Military Arrays.’

’My Shocking God Slaughter Array is about to reach Perfection, and there’s a good chance I can achieve a breakthrough before spring. When that happens, a surprise attack on the Shengman Royal Tent is certain to succeed.’

He then added, "If we dispatch a high-ranking general to apply pressure on the border with the Ancient Barbarians, my confidence will increase by another ten percent."

After he finished, Lu Yuan saw that Xiao Shi was still in deep thought and continued, "This is an opportunity for us. Based on my deductions and some intelligence I’ve gathered, Dayong will likely move against us in two years’ time.

Therefore, we must increase our strength within these two years.

As things stand, the cracks between the various Vassal Towns will likely widen by next year. They’ll be too busy fighting amongst themselves to dare provoke the royal court.

This is the perfect time for us to launch an external campaign. If we miss this opportunity, I’m afraid another one will be hard to come by."

Although Xiao Hua didn’t want Lu Yuan to go to the battlefield, she still supported him without a second thought. "Mother, I think Yuan is right. The Northern Barbarians are too weak right now.

If we don’t find a way to become stronger, the other empires will walk all over us.

On their trip to the East Sea, when Yuan and the Grand Minister of Rites went to see the Cyan Emperor, he didn’t even offer Yuan a seat! It’s infuriating."

Xiao Shi was swayed by their words, but she still said, "Let me consider this matter for a while longer. Yuan, don’t blame me for being indecisive. This is a major undertaking, after all.

The Northern Barbarians have only just found stability. If we rashly declare war on the Shengman, the resistance from the court will be immense.

As for the Cyan Emperor, I will personally see that justice is done for you one day."

"I understand. Please, take your time to consider it. There’s no rush; we still have time," Lu Yuan said with a nod.

"Mm," Xiao Shi replied, pleased.

After that, the three of them chatted for a while longer before Lu Yuan took his leave.

In the time that followed, his life as Prince Qin of the Northern Barbarians was relatively uneventful.

He focused on his cultivation and would often visit South City when he had free time.

He would also go on walks with Xiao Hua.

In the blink of an eye, an entire winter passed. After Lu Yuan celebrated his twentieth birthday, the weather gradually began to warm.

On this day, after handling matters in South City, Lu Yuan sat in his residence, preparing to check on his recent cultivation progress.

Over the winter, his cultivation had grown considerably.

’If I can achieve a breakthrough...’

’...I’ll bring up the campaign against the Shengman again after court tomorrow.’

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