The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

It was late at night, and Li Chengfeng was alone in the imperial study, holding two letters in his hands with a frown on his face.

One was a memorial from Qi Daokun, and between the lines, there was the arrogance and domineering attitude of the Five Pecks of Rice Army, as well as their contempt for the imperial court.

The other was a secret letter from Zhang Yuan. The handwriting was illegible, but it described Qi Daokun's strange behavior vividly.

"Qi Daokun, you have repeatedly urged me to send troops, but I don't believe this is your loyalty."

Li Chengfeng threw the two letters on the table and rubbed his temples.

Qi Daokun's behavior was too abnormal. He said he was going to negotiate, but every word he said was provoking Zhao Jun, as if he was eager for the Five Pecks of Rice Army to rebel immediately.

At the morning court the next day, Li Chengfeng roughly recounted the contents of Qi Daokun's memorial. Of course, he concealed the contents of Zhang Yuan's secret letter.

"How dare these bandits defy the imperial court like this!"

Minister of Revenue Qian Youliang immediately jumped out and shouted indignantly, "Your Majesty, I request that you send troops immediately to wipe out this gang of bandits!"

Qian Youliang was a die-hard supporter of Qi Daokun. His words were like a spark that instantly ignited the powder keg in the court.

"I second the motion! The Five Pecks of Rice Army is so arrogant. If they are not severely punished, they will become a serious problem in the future!"

"I second the proposal! These traitors must be taught a lesson!"

For a time, the court was filled with excitement, with voices advocating for war rising one after another. Almost all of Qi Daokun's followers expressed their support for the use of force to suppress the rebellion.

Li Chengfeng remained calm. He knew that these people were Qi Daokun's followers and had colluded with each other long ago.

He turned his gaze to the left prime minister, Song Zelin. This old minister was always known for his steadiness, but at this moment he was silent with a gloomy expression.

"Song Aiqing, what do you think?"

Li Chengfeng asked by name.

Song Zelin slowly stood up and said with a cupped hand, "Your Majesty, I believe this matter requires further consideration."

"Oh? What do you think, Lord Song?"

Li Chengfeng asked pretending to be ignorant.

"Your Majesty, the treasury is empty, and years of war have left people destitute. If we rashly send troops, I'm afraid..."

Song Zelin didn't continue speaking, but everyone present understood what he meant.

Wars are fought for money and food. Now the treasury is empty, where will the money and food come from to fight?

Song Zelin's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing a lot of enthusiasm in the court.

Some ministers who had originally clamored to send troops now stopped clamoring and dared not say a word.

At this time, the Minister of War Xu Zeyou stood up. He was a tall man with a majestic aura, and was Qi Daokun's trusted minister.

"Sir Song, this is wrong,"

Xu Zeyou said in a deep voice, "Suppressing the rebels is a major matter for maintaining the dignity of the imperial court. How can we delay it just because the treasury is empty?"

"Besides, the Five Pecks of Rice Army is just a mob. We only need to send a small number of elite soldiers to wipe them out. Why spend so much money and food?"

Xu Zeyou's words seemed to be a rebuttal to Song Zelin, but in fact he was secretly supporting Qi Daokun's proposal.

He cleverly avoided the issue of an empty treasury and focused on "maintaining the dignity of the court," making those wavering ministers inclined to send troops again.

"Master Xu is absolutely right!"

Qian Youliang immediately echoed, "We must wipe out the rebels without delay!"

Seeing that the situation in the court was once again controlled by Xu Zeyou, Song Zelin's face became even uglier.

He knew that Qi Daokun was using the Five Pecks of Rice Army incident to expand his own power and further consolidate his position in the court.

Li Chengfeng saw all of this.

This group of old guys, each of them has his own little calculations.

Seeing that Song Zelin was speechless, Xu Zeyou felt proud and struck while the iron was hot, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that General Wang Lu, the Western Expeditionary General, is brave and skilled in battle, and with a hundred thousand soldiers under his command, he can take on this important task!"

He paused deliberately, glanced at Li Chengfeng, and added, "Although General He Sheng is the bravest of the three armies, he must protect the capital and must not act rashly."

"After much thought, I think General Wang Lu is the most suitable person."

These words seemed to be meant to relieve the court's worries, but in fact they harbored evil intentions.

Wang Lu was a general promoted by Prince Gong Cheng Qitian. If he were allowed to lead the troops to war, Prince Gong would surely reap the benefits.

As for Prince Gong, in the game plot, he has a close relationship with Qi Daokun.

Li Chengfeng looked at Xu Zeyou with a half-smile, waved his hand, and said in a gentle tone: "I appreciate your suggestion, Lord Xu.

"I am deeply gratified that you, my dear ministers, have been so concerned for the country and its people. Furthermore, Minister Qi has tirelessly braved the hardships of the Hexi campaign and personally traveled to the front lines. I will always remember your loyalty."

Qian Youliang and Xu Zeyou looked at each other and saw a hint of pride in each other's eyes.

Qian Youliang quickly said, "Your Majesty is wise! We will do our utmost to assist Your Majesty and quell the rebellion!"

At this moment, Lin Kechen, the Minister of Rites who had been silent until then, stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think we need to be cautious about this matter."

"Although the Five Pecks of Rice Army is rampant, the people of Hexi are tough and easy to defend but difficult to attack."

"If we rashly send troops, the gains may outweigh the losses."

Lin Kechen is Song Zelin's confidant, and his remarks undoubtedly represent Song Zelin's attitude.

As soon as he finished speaking, several ministers who supported Song Zelin stood up to express their opposition.

"Master Lin is absolutely right! The national treasury is now empty, so it is really not appropriate to start another war!"

"Although the Five Pecks of Rice Army is a rebellion, its leader, Zhao Jun, was once an official appointed by the imperial court. There may be hidden secrets, and we need to find out the truth before we can make a final decision!"

"Your Majesty, weapons are dangerous tools, and sages only use them when they have no other choice."

"Although the Five Pecks of Rice Army has rebellious intentions, their power is still small and not a cause for concern. It would be better to appease them first and then destroy them when they are not yet fully developed. This is the best strategy!"

Li Chengfeng, however, remained calm and composed: "Don't worry, my dear ministers. I have my own arrangements."

He paused, his eyes falling on Qi Daokun's empty seat, "I have issued an order to recall Qi Aiqing to discuss countermeasures."

"As for the situation in Hexi, Zhang Yuan will temporarily stabilize the people's hearts."

Qian Youliang and Xu Zeyou looked at each other, thinking that something was wrong.

This Li Chengfeng doesn't play by the rules!

They originally thought that Li Chengfeng would agree to send troops and hand over the military power to Wang Lu, but they didn't expect that he would cut off the source of the problem and directly recall Qi Daokun!

The two were about to persuade him again, but Li Chengfeng interrupted them and said loudly, "I have made up my mind on this matter. There is no need to discuss it further!"

He looked around, his eyes sharp, "My dear ministers, do you have anything else to say?"

The court was completely silent. Needless to say, Song Zelin and his faction must have supported Li Chengfeng.

Qi Daokun's followers, led by Qian Youliang,

Li Chengfeng sneered in his heart. These old foxes were all as shrewd as ghosts, but they didn't expect that he was one step ahead of them.

He spoke slowly, his tone cold: "Since there is nothing else, then..."

Just when everyone thought he was going to announce his retirement, Li Chengfeng changed the subject.

"Oh, by the way, I have something else to announce."

He turned his gaze towards Xijing and said in a deep voice, "Pingxi King Liu Feng, recruit troops and train them from today, and be ready to support Hexi at any time!"