Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

On the other hand, although it was the New Year, the atmosphere in the capital was extremely depressed.

Because after the war started, countless supplies from the capital were transported to the front line.

A large amount of supplies were also lost at the hands of the Nanman.

This caused a huge deficit in their finances.

This is reflected in the capital city, where the people can feel an invisible pressure.

This even made them feel a lot more depressed during the Chinese New Year.

In the imperial study, Emperor Qian still did not rest.

Several officials were sitting next to him, and they were discussing the attack on Lingnan.

By this point in the war, many officials in the court had sensed that something was amiss.

At this time, some people had even begun to advise Emperor Qian.

It’s just that their advice is not based on the world.

What they care more about is whether their official positions and comfortable lives will be disturbed.

Once Qin Ming breaks through the Changhe River Basin.

By then, the imperial court will naturally suffer great damage.

After Qin Ming enters the Central Plains, he will attack the capital city smoothly.

Thinking of this, many officials could no longer hold back.

They are afraid!

However, Emperor Qian was more anxious than them. He looked around at the several military ministers present and said:

"Lingnan has been under siege for a long time and we've now lost Huxi. The Nanman are still asking for food and money. What good ideas do you have?"

The treasury is empty and the next quarter's taxes have not yet been collected.

At this time, they naturally have to think of other ways.

Even if we have to rob Peter to pay Paul, we must keep the situation stable.

"Your Majesty, Lingnan's power is growing stronger and stronger. They even publish something called a newspaper and deliver it to the people every day. This is nothing but a way to build momentum for themselves."

"I heard that the firearms in the hands of the King of Qin seem to have changed again. If this continues, even if we make firearms, he will still have the upper hand in the next battle."

Everyone is very smart, and no one wants to take the initiative to ask Emperor Qian to surrender or make peace.

They also understood Emperor Qian's temper.

If he directly said that he wanted to make peace, Emperor Qian would definitely be furious.

So everyone just talked about Qin Ming's strength indirectly.

But Emperor Qian had been in control of the court for many years, so how could he not understand what they meant?

"What do you want to say? Just say it."

Emperor Qian looked at everyone with a cold face. When they heard these words, everyone shrank their necks.

For a moment, no one dared to speak.

In the end, it was the Minister of Works Meng Ruxi who came up with a plan.

"Your Majesty, if we want to continue the war, we will need at least 800,000 taels of silver and 40,000 muskets to have a chance of fighting the King of Qin."

"And the musket isn't the important thing, the gunpowder is..."

The imperial army was huge, and since they wanted to win by sheer numbers, they would have to spend several times more money.

The consumption of military rations, weapons, and military pay is astronomical.

"Silver, silver! All you do all day is ask the court for silver. Where can I get so much money for you?"

When Emperor Qian heard what he said, he immediately shook his sleeves impatiently.

In fact, the royal family is rich. If the treasury is open, they may have many opportunities.

But the royal families of all dynasties were unwilling to make this concession.

Even Emperor Qian would not do this.

Seeing this, Meng Ruxi stopped talking.

In fact, everyone has put the problem in front of Emperor Qian.

After Chen Shimao left, there is no backbone in the court.

No one could have such courage to decide to surrender or continue fighting.

Seeing this scene, Emperor Qian snorted coldly.

Just when they were all silent.

Shang Yongcheng, the Minister of War, suddenly said:

"Your Majesty, spring is almost here."

If what others said did not touch Emperor Qian's heart.

This sentence really touched his soft spot.

What they faced was not only Qin Ming, but also the pack of wolves surrounding them.

The northern tribes were a thorn in Emperor Qian's heart.

"You mean... they'll take action again?"

Emperor Qian stared at Shang Yongcheng and asked.

Shang Yongcheng hesitated for a moment, but then nodded slowly and said:

"Your Majesty, based on past experience, these treaties will easily be torn up by them."

"Since the northern tribes developed more than a decade ago, they have been constantly fighting against us. During this period, they have torn up treaties so many times that I can't count them on one hand."

Everyone in the Daqian court knew that the armistice treaty they signed would only give them a temporary respite.

There are still many conflicts between the two sides.

For example, border disputes and their supplies.

With the nomadic people's means of survival, they definitely did not have enough food, so they had to come south to rob.

There is a natural contradiction between the two sides, which makes it impossible for anyone to ignore this issue.

Meng Ruxi added:

"If fire muskets could be used on the northern battlefield, their destructive power would surely be extremely strong, even enough to sweep across the north in one fell swoop."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of many officials present lit up.

What they say does make a lot of sense.

Although they were at a huge disadvantage when facing Qin Ming.

But the war also allowed their weapons and equipment to evolve.

With these superior firearms, they could head directly north and sweep the enemy across.

Even ended the Northern War that lasted for many years!

But there is a prerequisite for accomplishing all this.

That is, they must stop the war with Qin Ming.

After saying this, everyone looked at Emperor Qian.

But Emperor Qian's face turned red at this moment, and he didn't speak for a long time.

It was his idea to drive Qin Ming away.

Later, he was afraid that Qin Ming would develop too well in Lingnan, so it was his idea to order an attack on Qin Ming.

Now he is asked to make a truce and peace with Qin Ming.

Just as they were talking, a figure suddenly rushed in and stared at everyone fiercely.

"The soldiers on the front lines are fighting, but you are spreading rumors here to confuse the people. What is your intention?"

The person who came was Concubine Xiao Shufei.

The spies in the palace had already reported the situation of these people to Concubine Xiao Shufei.

After learning that they were going to surrender, Concubine Xiao Shufei, who had a deep hatred for Qin Ming, immediately rushed over to stop them.

Seeing Concubine Xiao coming in person.

Many officials present looked unhappy.

They all knew that Emperor Qian and Concubine Xiao were in cahoots.

Once Concubine Xiao Shufei firmly refuses, peace talks with Qin Ming will probably be impossible.

Just when everyone was lamenting in their hearts.

Shang Yongcheng, the Minister of War, suddenly said:

"Your Majesty, the northern defenses have detected enemy scouts. It's deep winter, and they've already sent people to investigate... They must be up to something!"

"We can't hide the fact that we're fighting Lingnan. I guess the people in the northern tribes already know about it."

As soon as Shang Yongcheng finished speaking, Emperor Qian's expression suddenly changed.

"They're just here for a routine inspection. Now that the war with Lingnan has begun, are we going to call it quits halfway through?"

Concubine Xiao Shufei still insisted.

But at this time Emperor Qian took the initiative to interrupt her.

"say no more!"