Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

The news of the suicide of the Prince's guard Li Zhong was like a thunderclap, shaking the entire Jin court.

Li Zhong's death not only made the truth of the assassination of Crown Prince Ji Yinghao even more confusing, but also plunged the State of Jin into an unprecedented diplomatic dilemma.

In the court, all civil and military officials looked solemn, and the air was filled with depression and uneasiness.

The Jin Emperor sat high on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed and his eyes deep, obviously experiencing a fierce struggle in his heart.

The fourth prince Ji Yingwu stood in the hall with a solemn expression. He glanced at the ministers and slowly said:

“Father, my Lords, although Li Zhong’s death is shocking, we in Jin State have no time to dwell on this matter right now.

Since Chu Ning, the crown prince of Chu, has secretly contacted the crown prince, he must want to fight against Qin together with our dynasty. However, whether we should agree to Chu's request requires careful consideration. "

He paused and continued: "If we choose to stand on the side of Chu and join forces with the Zhou Dynasty to fight against Qin, we may be able to curb Qin's expansion in the short term, but in the long run, Qin is powerful, and even if we join forces with Chu and Zhou, we may not be able to completely defeat Qin.

If the war gets stalemated, Jin will lose a lot of manpower and resources, and may even suffer a serious loss of vitality. What's worse, if Qin wins in the end, Jin will become Qin's next target."

As soon as the Fourth Prince finished speaking, the Second Prince Ji Yingjie echoed him: "Fourth brother is right. The Qin State has grown in strength in recent years and has been invincible wherever it goes. If we rashly become an enemy of the Qin State, I'm afraid the gains will outweigh the losses."

"Besides, our dynasty's advantage lies in its navy. Once we send out infantry to confront the Qin State, I'm afraid we won't be able to gain an advantage."

"Besides, this matter has nothing to do with our dynasty. With the natural barrier of Cangjiang River, the Qin army cannot possibly invade our dynasty."

"So, we just need to watch from the sidelines!"

The Sixth Prince Ji Yingcai also nodded and said, "Second brother is right. Although we in Jin are not afraid of war, we must weigh the pros and cons and not get involved in this dispute easily."

As the Emperor of Jin listened to the words of the princes, his brows furrowed even more tightly.

He had a lot of thoughts in his mind. On the one hand, he was worried that if Qin destroyed Chu, the Zhou Dynasty would definitely attack Jin.

On the other hand, he did not dare to easily join forces with the State of Chu and the Zhou Dynasty, for fear of angering the State of Qin and bringing about a catastrophic disaster.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrests of the dragon throne, revealing his inner hesitation and uneasiness.

At this moment, he suddenly missed his crown prince Ji Yinghao.

If Ji Yinghao were still alive, he would definitely persuade him to join forces with Chu Ning to fight against the Qin State.

But right now, his three remaining sons do not want to be an enemy of the Qin Dynasty.

If he insisted on going his own way and joining Chu Ning in fighting against the Qin Dynasty, it would definitely be a disaster.

Not only will he be opposed, but these three people will even use this as an excuse to jointly pull him off the throne.

Now that Ji Yinghao had just been killed by a master from the Black Ice Stage, he had not yet grasped the power in Ji Yinghao’s hands, and could not compete with the three princes for the time being.

When the Fourth Prince saw that the Emperor of Jin had been hesitant in making a decision, he immediately signaled with his eyes to the Minister of Rites Li Qian and the Imperial Censor Zhang Heng.

Li Qian understood, stepped forward, and said, "Your Majesty, I think what the Fourth Prince said makes a lot of sense.

Our Jin State is located on the periphery. If we rashly get involved in the dispute between Qin and Chu, it will become a battlefield for all forces. Instead of doing that, it is better to sit on the sidelines and wait and see what happens. "

Zhang Heng also said: "Your Majesty, Lord Li is right. Although our Jin State has always had a good relationship with the Chu State, between countries, interests come first.

If we choose to remain neutral at this time, we can avoid direct conflict with Qin and make a decision after the situation becomes clear. This is indeed the best strategy. "

The words of the two ministers resonated with other court officials, and for a moment, all the officials in the hall spoke out in agreement.

Wang Jin, the Minister of Finance, stepped forward and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, I think that we in Jin should put self-preservation first.

Although Qin is strong, it may not attack Jin if we do not take the initiative to provoke it. On the contrary, if we join forces with Chu, it will surely anger Qin, and the consequences will be disastrous. "

The Minister of War Zhao Wu also echoed, "Your Majesty, Lord Wang is right. Although our Jin army is not weak, it still lags behind Qin.

If we start a war rashly, it may be difficult to win. It is better to wait and see what happens and make plans after the situation becomes clear. "

As the Jin Emperor listened to the advice of his ministers, the balance in his heart gradually tilted.

He took a deep breath and slowly said, "I understand what you said. In this case, we in Jin will choose to sit on the sidelines and not interfere in the dispute between Qin and Chu for the time being."

When the Fourth Prince heard this, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. He then took another step forward and bowed, saying:

"Father is wise, but the Crown Prince of Chu, Chu Ning, is about to arrive. We need to give him a reasonable explanation to avoid becoming enemies with the Chu State."

The Jin Emperor nodded, and after a moment's silence, he said, "In that case, the Ministry of Rites will draft a letter to Chu Ning, citing the assassination of Crown Prince Ji Yinghao as an excuse to explain that our Jin State is currently in a difficult situation and needs time to find out the truth before making a decision."

Li Qian immediately responded, "I will obey your order. I will choose the right words so that neither Chu will feel dissatisfied nor Qin will feel suspicious."

The Jin Emperor waved his hand, signaling his ministers to leave.

When he was the only one left in the hall, he sighed and murmured to himself: "Hero, oh hero, if you were still here, why would I be in such a dilemma..."

A hint of sadness flashed across his eyes, but was quickly replaced by determination.

As the king of a country, he must be responsible for the future of Jin State. Even if he feels hesitant and uneasy, he must make a decision.

At the same time, the fourth prince Ji Yingwu walked out of the hall, looked up at the sky, his mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a meaningful smile.

He knew that the fate of Jin was developing in the direction he expected, and he would gradually realize his ambitions in this changing situation.

Ji Yinghao is dead, and the position of Crown Prince of Jin is vacant. This is his chance.

As long as he can sit on the throne of the crown prince, then is the throne far away from him?

As for Ji Yinghao...

Death is death. With one less stumbling block, he is closer to achieving his goal.

The State of Jin can do without Ji Yinghao, but it cannot do without the crown prince.

Next, he will go all out to seize the position of crown prince.

As for the dispute between Qin, Chu and Zhou Dynasty?

So what does this have to do with the State of Jin?

No matter who wins or loses, the main thing is that Jin will not offend both sides if it does not send troops.

Moreover, the party that wins in the end will definitely be seriously damaged, and may even have to do business with their Jin State at that time.

In the end, it was the State of Jin that benefited.

Therefore, it was the most correct decision for Jin State not to participate in the dispute between the three dynasties this time.

As for what Chu Ning thinks about Ji Yinghao’s death?

What does that have to do with him?

As everyone knows, it was done by the Qin State's Black Ice Platform.

Even if Chu Ning wanted to take revenge, he would go to Heibingtai and Qin State. It had nothing to do with Ji Yingwu.

Thinking of this, Ji Yingwu raised the corner of his mouth slightly, lifted up his black brocade robe and turned to leave.