The empress disliked my achievements for overshadowing her own, so she turned her attention to the N

Chen Nan's words struck everyone's hearts like a heavy blow.

However, mere empty words were unlikely to change the minds of these civil officials.

Changsun Du argued, "Your Highness, as you know, the Northern Wei currently does not have enough troops to start a major war."

"If all else fails, we can abandon Suzhou first, since Suzhou originally belonged to Daqian anyway."

"Of course, we are not completely abandoning Suzhou, but only temporarily abandoning it for a period of time."

"Only after our national strength has recovered can we launch a major offensive against Daqian and take over its territory in one fell swoop."

"You're talking nonsense! We took Sucheng, and you think we should give up just because of a few words from you?" Hongze said in a muffled voice among the generals.

Qingyu also came before the crowd: "I dare not agree with what Prime Minister Changsun said."

"Not to mention that Suzhou's geographical location is extremely important, occupying Suzhou is equivalent to occupying the gateway of Daqian."

“Giving up Suzhou would mean that we would have to put in ten times the effort to attack Daqian in the future.”

"On the contrary, Su City is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Although Daqian has 200,000 people, I only need 100,000 to defend the city."

Hongze, standing behind him, was equally assertive, stating, "That's right. Although our national strength is currently insufficient, we are still more than capable of defending Suzhou."

"If all else fails, then let me and General Qingyu go to Su City together. With 100,000 troops, the two of us can hold out for a year."

"you……"

Changsun Du was already displeased with Qingyu's words, and with Hongze's subsequent assistance, he was left speechless.

To Chen Nan's surprise, Qin Qingmin, who usually contradicted him, was unusually quiet today.

For a moment, he thought Qin Qingmin had changed his mind and tacitly supported the defense of Suzhou.

"Alright, everyone, stop arguing. I have decided to defend Su City!"

"Now, I will assign the defensive configuration for Su City."

"Let Qingyu be the commander of the army, leading 100,000 troops to Suzhou for defense. If necessary, a scorched-earth policy can be implemented."

He had barely uttered a sentence when Changsun Du couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, the Great Qian has dispatched an army of two hundred thousand."

“You only gave General Qingyu 100,000 troops. In my opinion, we don’t need Su City!” Changsun Du insisted on his opinion.

Chen Nan glanced at him sideways and said coldly, "What? Has my voice lost its weight now?"

"I said Suzhou must be defended, did Prime Minister Changsun not hear me?"

This time, Chen Nan finally saw things clearly.

He had previously thought that Changsun Du was wholeheartedly devoted to the Northern Wei, but now he realized that he was just a figurehead who would do anything to betray the Northern Wei for his own benefit.

One second she's standing firmly on his side, the next she can forget what she said.

Changsun Du, completely oblivious to Chen Nan's chilling gaze, continued, "Your Highness, I disagree with defending Su City. If Your Highness insists, don't blame me for not cooperating."

Chen Nan scoffed, "Uncooperative? I'd like to know, in what way is the Prime Minister uncooperative?"

Changsun Du sneered, "Your Highness, don't forget, the power to open the national treasury still rests with me!"

"If Your Highness insists on standing against the Great Qian, the true nature of this national treasury will not be opened."

Having said all that, Changsun Du's intentions were quite clear.

Chen Nan can defend Suzhou.

However, Changsun Du would not open the national treasury, which would mean that the army would have no provisions for its expedition.

Without supplies, there's no point in fighting this war.

Even without the Daqian army attacking, the Northern Wei army collapsed on its own.

"Changsun Du!" Chen Nan's voice grew even colder: "Are you sure you want to do this?"

This time, he didn't even mention his official title, but addressed him by his given name.

Startled by these words, Changsun Du took two steps back, steadied himself, and said calmly, "I am here. What brings Your Highness here?"

Just then, Qin Qingmin, who had been silent all along, gently tugged at Yang Sen's sleeve.

Several civil officials stepped forward, with Yang Sen leading the group.

He then came up behind Changsun Du and openly supported him, saying, "If Your Highness insists on doing so, this treasury will not open the armory gates."

"I'd like to see how Your Highness will fight this battle when the army sets out without provisions, armor, or weapons!"

Faced with their pressure, Chen Nan was so angry that he laughed.

"What? Doesn't even the Imperial Treasury Yang support my opinion on defending Su City?"

Yang Sen was a bit of a hothead to begin with, and he was also quite fooled by Qin Qingmin's promise to be remembered in history.

He doesn't have the temperament of Changsun Du at all; he's more like a street ruffian.

"The treasury doesn't care about any of that. As long as Your Highness doesn't do as the treasury wishes, no one will be able to open the treasury gates today!"

This scene completely baffled Qin Qingmin, who was standing behind.

He just wanted Yang Sen to step forward and threaten Chen Nan.

Who would have thought he would be so tough, posing no threat whatsoever, and directly coercing them right there in the middle of the room.

Qin Qingmin sighed inwardly, and he began to pray for Yang Sen.

Sure enough, the next second Chen Nan stood in front of Yang Sen, revealing a row of white teeth: "Is this really what Yang Fuku intends to do?"

He was already somewhat exhausted from the fighting, and this time it was a discussion about going to war; he didn't really want to see bloodshed in the court.

This can be seen as indirectly giving Yang Sen a chance to change his tune.

However, Yang Sen had no intention of giving him face, and raised his voice a few decibels: "This treasury has said that if Your Highness insists on doing so today, then the gates of this treasury will not be opened!"

Gradually, Chen Nan's breathing became heavier.

Although Yang Sen was a bit of a simpleton, it didn't mean he couldn't see that Chen Nan was already angry.

He glanced back at Qin Qingmin, and that one glance sent a chill down Qin Qingmin's spine. She immediately looked away, not daring to meet his gaze for even a second.

Seeing that no one supported him, Yang Sen encouraged himself, saying, "Your Highness, don't forget that this treasury is staffed by officials of the Northern Wei, not by your subordinates, Chen Nan!"

"Even if you are about to open the gates of the imperial treasury today, there should be an imperial edict from the court."

Chen Nan didn't want to argue with him, so he closed his eyes, looked up, and said, "Eunuch Wang, bring me paper and pen!"

Wang Gonggong, standing to the side of the dragon table, did not hesitate for even a moment.

He took a stack of paper and a writing brush directly from the dragon table, ran behind Chen Nan, bowed and said, "Your Highness, the paper and brush have arrived."

Chen Nan took the paper and pen and hastily drew a large "x" on it.

He casually tossed the paper on the ground and looked directly at Yang Sen: "Yang Fuku, this is the imperial edict."

Yang Sen was still wondering; he had only drawn an "x," how could that be considered an imperial edict?

Most importantly, an imperial edict only counts if it is written by the Empress Dowager and stamped with her seal.

While he was still wondering, he heard Chen Nan speak again.

"Yang Fuku, look carefully! This is not an imperial edict ordering you to open the gates of the treasury!"

"What is that?" Yang Sen asked instinctively.

"Of course, it's an imperial edict to execute you!"

Chen Nan snorted coldly.