My Lord, the princess doesn't want you anymore.

Seeing the King of Chu holding the Declaration of War of Changguo, some of the court officials present couldn't help but shudder, some hurriedly lowered their heads and whispered to each other, but most of them were filled with indignation.

Cui Qimo's mouth twitched. It seemed that Changguo would never miss this opportunity to send troops.

He snorted coldly: "Even though your country has 500,000 'Tiger Divisions', if you really want to attack without a legitimate reason, I, the Great True One, will not be afraid! We must mobilize the whole country and turn the battlefield into a graveyard for the Changguo Iron Cavalry!"

The King of Chu seemed to have heard something extremely funny. Changguo's strong national strength and powerful army were the capital of his arrogance.

He laughed dryly a few times, then turned to Prime Minister Mei, "I heard that your son-in-law, Prince Xiao, is known as your country's God of War. Tsk tsk, God of War?" His eyes were stern, "I would like to learn a thing or two on the battlefield. I wonder if the Prime Minister is satisfied with this gift?"

Prime Minister Mei took a deep breath and said, "There is absolutely no one in Dazhen who is afraid of death. If the prince insists on using the death of the crown prince to make a fuss, the people of Dazhen will fight to the end! However, both sides will suffer losses and the people will suffer. I am afraid that Changguo will not get any benefits."

"I will not argue with you." The King of Chu put away the letter of challenge. "Your Majesty, please think about it carefully. Haha, by the way, discuss countermeasures with these adults. In two days, I will know what your country has to say about the prince. Otherwise... humph!"

This is the most difficult thing Cui Qimo has encountered since he ascended the throne.

Just at this time, the second daughter of Marquis Zhongde's Mansion, Liu Piaopiao, fell ill. The disease was very strange. Within a few days, she became old at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The emperor even sent Zhang Yuanpan to see the patient, but Zhang Yuanpan couldn't even find out what the disease was.

Even Mei Xueer couldn't diagnose what the disease was.

However, the envoy he sent to Xiling had already told the Emperor of Xiling clearly that he would send a princess as a marriage partner.

As soon as the troubled Cui Qimo returned to the imperial study, he called all the princes and important ministers except the eighth prince. Even the Prince Xiao, who had just got married, and the Prince of Yan, who had always only known how to fiddle with all kinds of exotic flowers and plants, came.

Everyone has different opinions.

"Find a scapegoat and say that the prince was assassinated in collusion with a certain powerful person in Changguo in the capital of our Dazhen. In short, it has nothing to do with our Dazhen."

"Can't you see? This is just an excuse for Changguo to send troops. No matter who the murderer is, no matter why the prince was killed, Changguo will find an excuse to send troops."

"We still have to find a way to make friends with Xiling. In addition to the marriage, we can promise more benefits. As long as Xiling does not allow Changguo to borrow the road and forms an alliance with our Dazhen, we will have a better chance of winning."

……

Most court officials did not advocate compromise and would rather die on the battlefield than be cowards.

It must be said that during the more than ten years since the emperor came to power, Zhenguo has grown somewhat stronger. Among the four countries, its military strength is second only to Changuo.

The people of Dazhen are becoming more united and more courageous.

If there really is a battle, if we are lucky, we will not be defeated in a short time.

This is also an important reason why Cui Qimo does not intend to compromise easily.

He listened quietly to the argument in the hall, with a sullen face, and did not say a word.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the troops!" Cui Hongxiao spoke first.

Cui Qimo raised his eyes slightly and said nothing.

"Prince Xiao is newly married..." said a court official.

"When the country is in crisis, what does personal love matter?" Cui Hongxiao said in a loud voice.

Xiang Zhong, the general who had been silent, glanced at Cui Hongxiao and said, "Your Majesty, I am an incompetent old minister, but I am willing to serve as your deputy general."

Cui Qimo remained silent.

Cui Hongxiao's heart sank involuntarily. He knew that his father was afraid that his mother was the Princess of Changguo, and that the relationship between Concubine Wan and the Emperor of Changguo was extraordinary.

More than 20 years ago, Changguo suffered an unprecedented locust plague. The once fertile farmland was almost completely barren, and the fertile grassland became a wasteland.

The Zhenguo was originally the land of rice and fish of the former Hengdu Empire, and there was a bumper harvest of grain that year.

Changguo had no choice but to agree to the request of Emperor Zhenguo and sent Princess Wan to marry the crown prince and become his concubine in exchange for food for the winter for hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians.

The late emperor knew that Changguo would soon overcome this crisis, so he seized the opportunity to hold Princess Wan, who was deeply loved by the royal family of Changguo, in his hands. With this hostage, even if the two countries went to war in the future, Changguo would have some concerns.

Princess Wan of Changguo, or Concubine Wan of Zhenguo, was, after all, just a poor woman who could not control her own destiny.

Cui Hongxiao understood that he had the blood of the Chang royal family flowing in his body, so even though there were conflicts on the Zhenchang border over the years, his father never sent him there.

He earned the title of God of War in his battles with the other two countries and the remnants of South Vietnam.

But this time Changguo is led by the King of Chu, so Dazhen must at least send one of its princes to fight in order to boost morale.

Cui Qimo's eyes swept across the princes.

The second prince, Prince Qi, has a disability and is only good at painting and calligraphy. Exclude!

The fourth prince, Prince Yan, only knows how to play with flowers and plants. Cui Qimo frowned when he saw his slightly fat belly. Exclude!

The fifth prince, the Prince of Dian, is in Dianzhou and is not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict. It is said that he lives a life of drunkenness and debauchery. Exclude!

The eighth prince is young and has been poisoned, so there is no need to consider him!

The Sixth Prince, Prince Xiao, was the best candidate, but he had the blood of the Changguo royal family flowing in his body, so Cui Qimo had concerns. Temporarily, he was ruled out!

Only then did he truly realize that he was not capable enough because he had given birth to too few sons.

Finally, his eyes fell on the third prince Cui Hongjing.

Cui Hongjing was brave and resourceful, had high personal martial arts skills, and had also been on the battlefield.

Four years ago, when Cui Hongjing was only sixteen years old, he helped Xiang Zhong to quell the rebellion of the old tribes of South Vietnam.

Two years ago, Jin State and Dongbin fought for three months over border issues, and Cui Hongjing went to Dongbin as a deputy general. However, the commander was hit by a poisoned arrow in the first battle and almost died on the spot. Cui Hongjing commanded the next three months of the war, and in the end, he not only defended the border, but also captured two cities from Dongbin.

Cui Qimo was calculating rapidly in his mind.

Thinking of the late emperor's will that Cui Hongjing might have in his hands, and also thinking that this battle against Changguo would involve almost the entire country's strength, and almost all the elite troops of the Dazhen army would be handed over to him. What if he had any rebellious intentions...

However, no matter how much Cui Qimo loves the throne and how intoxicated he is with imperial power, if the country is gone, where is the power?

He also thought about leading the army in person, but he knew his own body well. What if he suddenly had heart palpitations before the battle?

He was not a coward, but if he died suddenly on the battlefield, the morale of the army would be unstable and the battle would be lost without even having to be fought.

After weighing the pros and cons again and again, Cui Qimo finally spoke, "You are right, this war is inevitable. The first thing to do now is to immediately notify the envoys in Xiling. As long as Xiling does not allow Changguo to pass through, I promise that Dazhen will provide Xiling with 1.5 million dan of grain every year for the next three years. If Xiling joins hands with Dazhen to fight the enemy, Princess Pingjin will be given to the Crown Prince of Xiling as his concubine after she reaches the age of 15 next year."

Prime Minister Mei was shocked: "Your Majesty, Princess Pingjin is only fourteen years old, and she is very much loved by you and the Queen Mother..."