Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

Getting back to the point, Zhou Shou's words were ominous, which made Zhou Gang glare angrily. However, thinking of the Princess and the recent events in the manor, he swallowed the words he wanted to say.

Zhou Shou recalled the court's promise: if he could persuade his father to surrender, he would be made the next King of Huainan. Furthermore, he was guaranteed a lifetime of wealth and honor. Zhou Shou figured since his father had no intention of leaving him the position, it was better to persuade his father to surrender than to be a stepping stone for his elder brother. He could gain some benefits in return. Besides, he couldn't win a fight anyway, so why make a futile struggle?

Seeing his father glaring at him angrily, but ultimately not uttering a curse, Zhou Shou persisted in trying to persuade him.

“Father, look at Uncle Ding’an. If he had just surrendered honestly and hadn’t caused so much trouble, the young emperor might not have sent troops to attack him like this. Besides, his 300,000-strong army was defeated. Sending our less than 100,000 troops up there would just be giving them practice. If you ask me, we should surrender as soon as possible. After all, we are members of the Zhou family clan, and we have no grudge against that young emperor. He can’t just kill us whenever he wants. There are other members of the clan in the capital watching!”

"Your Highness," another official stood up and elaborated on his point of view, "though the Second Young Master's words are rough, they make sense. In terms of military strength, we are indeed no match for the imperial court. Now that the Prince of Ding'an has been captured, if we insist on resisting the court, the result will certainly be the same as the Prince of Ding'an's. If we do not resist and open the city gates, the court will surely grant us some honors and preferential treatment. Your Highness, I believe that the Second Young Master's suggestion is the most appropriate and correct decision for the current situation."

"Hmph, that's nothing but the talk of cowards. As human beings, how can you surrender before even trying? Do you deserve to be descendants of the Zhou family?" The eldest son, Zhou Ting, sneered sarcastically.

“Brother, you make it sound so easy. Behind our 100,000 soldiers are 100,000 families. As commander, you can’t just risk the lives of 100,000 soldiers for your own selfish courage! I’m not that heartless. If that’s considered cowardly, then call me a coward. Anyway, I’m not willing to risk the lives of 100,000 brothers.” Zhou Shou wasn’t angry when he heard his brother’s words, he just said coolly.

In fact, most people present agreed with Zhou Shou's approach. After all, no one has a grudge against their own life. Since the young master intends to surrender, why should they risk their lives for the Zhou family's throne?

"If everyone thought like you, afraid of losing their lives and only seeking a safe haven, then if foreign tribes invaded, wouldn't the soldiers also surrender without a fight to save their lives?" Zhou Ting continued his stern rebuke.

"How can that be the same? Brother, you just said it was a foreign invasion. Don't forget, we share the same surname as the emperor in the capital, Zhou. We are all descendants of our ancestor. If it were a foreign invasion, I wouldn't need to say anything, brother. If I dared to back down even slightly, I would be killed instantly by a hail of arrows. But now we are fighting the court, which is like our own people fighting each other! The more we fight, the weaker the military strength of the entire Great Huai will become. If the military strength of Great Huai weakens, won't the surrounding foreign tribes invade?"

Zhou Shou's scholarship and archery skills might not be as good as his elder brother Zhou Ting's, but when it came to speaking and debating, he had never lost. This should be considered one of his strengths; he was exceptionally gifted.

Zhou Ting was originally an extreme advocate of war, but after hearing Zhou Shou's words, he began to doubt whether his previous ideas were too extreme. So he remained silent for a while and did not speak again.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhou Gang felt a surge of pride looking at his usually uneducated second son. He had previously harbored some ambitions for the throne, but after Zhou Ji's crushing defeat at Dingcheng, he had given up hope. He had assumed that the change of imperial power would cause chaos in the capital, but who would have thought that the suddenly appearing crown prince would stabilize the court so quickly and then smoothly ascend the throne?

"Does anyone else have anything to say? I've been feeding and taking good care of you all, and now is the time for you to put in the effort. Why are you all mute? Why aren't you saying anything?" The King of Huainan stared at the people sitting in the room, waiting for them to share their opinions.

Perhaps it was because his gaze was too intense that one of the generals under the King of Huainan had no choice but to speak up.

"Your Highness, I also think the Second Young Master's words make perfect sense. If we had the ability to fight the imperial army, I would gladly die for it. But given the current situation, Your Highness is different from Prince Ding'an. Your Highness has no interest in that position in the capital. What would be the point of us going to war with the imperial court?"

The general wiped the cold sweat from his brow and said. If he could, he would never want to speak; a military general afraid of war—if word got out, he'd be a laughingstock. But at this moment, he truly didn't know the point of going to war. If the prince was after the throne, fine, everyone would follow him and take the gamble; even if they failed, at least they'd tried. But now the prince had no interest in the throne, and the court only wanted to abolish the feudal lords; why should he insist on fighting a war?

So, although it's a bit embarrassing, it's much better than losing your life.

"Does anyone else have something to say?" the Prince of Huainan asked, looking at the silent crowd in the room. Then he turned his gaze to his third son, Zhou Xian.

"Third brother, you were arguing fiercely with your two older brothers just now, why are you so quiet now, like a quail?"

Suddenly called out, Zhou Xian looked up at his eldest and second elder brothers, then at his father, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Father, I will listen to you. I will do whatever you say."

Upon hearing his answer, Zhou Gang first glared at him, then nodded in agreement.

"The third son has made progress; he even listens to his father when he has no ideas of his own. He is a promising young man!"

Hearing his father's words, Zhou Shou rolled his eyes with disdain. The old man was just biased towards his youngest son.

"Ahem, does anyone else have anything to say? If no one speaks, then I'll say a few words," Zhou Gang said, clearing his throat.

His words successfully drew the attention of everyone who had been keeping their heads down. Everyone stared intently at him.

"I have always been willing to listen to your advice, and you have all said quite a bit just now, so I understand the general meaning. Since that's the case, let's do as you say, and we will no longer fight with the court. Just as the second prince said, we are all descendants of the Zhou family, and there's no need to drag us into the matter of the Prince of Ding'an. The Emperor wants to abolish the feudal lords, and as a feudal lord, I support the Emperor's decree. Since everyone agrees, let's disperse and go home!"