Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Long live my emperor, long live my emperor!"

"My lords, rise."

"Long live thanks!"

In the early morning, the morning court session, held every three days, officially began in the Taiji Hall of the Imperial Palace.

After receiving the worship of the officials, Jiang Mengxuan looked around the hall and then asked, "What important matters need to be reported today?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yanhui, the Minister of Rites, immediately stood up from the ground: "Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report."

"Minister Lu, what urgent matter is it?"

Lu Yanhui bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Southern Li Kingdom has sent envoys to pay homage to our court, claiming that Sanye Island in the Southern Dragon Sea is part of their territory."

"We hope Your Majesty will return it to the Kingdom of Li, so that our two countries can forge an everlasting alliance."

Jiang Mengxuan: "Sanye Island has always been part of our Great Chu territory. When did it become part of the Li Kingdom?"

"Isn't the State of Li afraid of jeopardizing the long-standing friendly relations between our Great Chu and them by making such a demand?"

Lu Yanhui replied, "Your Majesty, the Li envoy said that it doesn't matter if Great Chu doesn't agree, because Sanye Island has already been occupied by the Li fleet."

Furthermore, troops and warriors are already stationed on the island; all that's needed now is a legal procedure.

"what?"

Jiang Mengxuan frowned.

"The tiny state of Li dares to bully my great Chu? Does it really think that the military might of my great Chu is just for show?"

As he spoke, he looked at Minister of War Lü Lin: "Minister Lü, you are in charge of the Ministry of War, what is your opinion on this?"

Lü Lin rose and replied, "Your Majesty, although the Li Kingdom is small, the Sanye Road is far too far from our Jinling Navy."

Furthermore, the local sea terrain is complex; if a naval force were dispatched to subdue it, I fear…

What followed wasn't explicitly stated, but everyone basically understood.

The subtext is that there's nothing that can be done about Lebanon's shameless behavior right now.

This is a very unfortunate situation. The Great Chu has a vast territory, but its main control is on the land. As for the overseas islands, they are mostly under nominal jurisdiction, with almost no real control.

In fact, the maritime territory of the Great Chu Kingdom had been shrinking for hundreds of years since its founding.

The islands and waters in the distant oceans are being gradually occupied and encroached upon by those so-called diplomatic allies.

The Kingdom of Li represents only a microcosm of the South Dragon Sea region.

The key point is that the conventional naval warships of the Great Chu are simply not suited for long-range military operations, unless they are ships made of spiritual treasure-like materials.

However, building a warship made of spirit wood would require at least one-fifth of the Great Chu's fiscal revenue, and it would also require a large amount of spiritual energy to propel it. Apart from Wu Zhao, no other country on the entire continent could afford to consume such a vessel.

Moreover, this continent is based on martial arts, and martial artists who have reached a certain level of cultivation can even fly through the air and walk on rivers.

While he might not be capable of single-handedly destroying a nation or shattering mountains and rivers with a single palm strike, he could certainly move through a vast army as if it were empty.

As a result, martial arts flourished, leading to very slow technological development in this era.

Even on the battlefield, most of the main forces are warriors, and ordinary soldiers are just cannon fodder that can be used at any time.

Not to mention the fearless ocean-going fleet, and modern firearms such as Gatling guns and Maxim guns.

Jiang Mengxuan was somewhat discouraged and slowly shifted her gaze to Ye Mo, who was at the head of the group.

But Ye Mo remained silent, like an old monk in meditation, as if everything happening in the court had nothing to do with him.

"So, according to you, the matter of the Li Kingdom invading our Great Chu's territorial waters and expelling our island people is just going to be left unresolved?"

Lu Yanhui replied, "Your Majesty, we should severely condemn the actions of the Li Kingdom and urge them to provide a reasonable explanation for their oppression of the people of Great Chu on our island."

"And then?" Jiang Mengxuan asked again, "After the condemnation, what should be done next?"

Lu Yanhui: "The matter of Sanye Island will naturally be put on hold for further discussion."

"Set aside? Let's discuss it again!"

Jiang Mengxuan's face remained calm, but she was indignant inside.

"Minister Lu, since when has the ownership of Sanye Island become a dispute?"

Lu Yanhui was taken aback, then immediately knelt down and bowed: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, it was my rudeness."

Jiang Mengxuan ignored him and turned her attention to Lü Lin.

Sensing the sharp glint in the Empress's eyes, Lü Lin immediately lowered his head and dared not utter a sound.

"Minister Lü, you are in charge of the Ministry of War. Are you just going to stand by and watch our country's territory be gradually eroded by these foreign vassal states without doing anything?"

Lu Lin closed his eyes, then steeled himself and said, "Your Majesty, if you truly intend to wage war against the Li Kingdom, then you must be prepared to pay a heavy price."

In my estimation, we will suffer a loss of at least 200,000 naval troops and 1,000 warships, and I cannot even guarantee that we will achieve the desired results.

Jiang Mengxuan frowned slightly.

Lu Lin continued his analysis: "Your Majesty, our Great Chu Navy has no problem navigating and engaging in combat in the coastal waters of various sea areas."

However, venturing deeper into the South Dragon Sea would require preparations for a protracted conflict, with the primary task being to ensure the transport of supplies along the sea routes.

Secondly, we must face the counterattack of the Li navy. Although Li warships are not as well-made as those of our Great Chu, they are familiar with the local sea climate changes.

Moreover, all the naval officers and soldiers had grown up by the sea and were all familiar with the water, making them extremely difficult to deal with.

Finally, the Jiaolong clan of the Southern Dragon Sea has always maintained good relations with the Li Kingdom and surrounding smaller countries. If they were to send sea beasts to harass them, the consequences would be equally unimaginable.

Furthermore, the various expenses for the navy's long-distance voyages are roughly estimated to be at least sixty million taels of silver. Your Majesty, are you truly prepared to fight this war?

After Lü Lin's analysis, Jiang Mengxuan's initial enthusiasm was instantly extinguished.

Although Lü Lin was part of Ye Mo's faction, he was still quite objective.

Putting everything else aside, the enormous military expenditures alone have already given Jiang Mengxuan a major headache.

Warfare is all about money and logistics; there are countless examples of companies going bankrupt because of a war.

Jiang Mengxuan would never allow the national treasury to fall into a state of financial crisis for the sake of a small country like Li.

Not to mention, the war with the Yan state has just ended, and the country urgently needs to recuperate.

"His Majesty."

At this moment, Ye Mo, who had been silent all along, spoke up.

"The matter of the Li Kingdom can be temporarily set aside for further discussion. What we really need to deal with right now is the matter of the Xia Kingdom."

Although Yong and Liang provinces have broken away from the control of the imperial court, they are still nominally part of the territory of our Great Chu.

If we abandon this cause, the hearts and minds of the people of our Great Chu in the Guanzhong region of the two provinces will likely be irretrievably lost.

Jiang Mengxuan: "Does the Prime Minister think that after two hundred years, how many people in Yong and Liang provinces still have their hearts set on the Great Chu?"

Ye Mo replied, "The people's hearts are naturally there. Even if only one person is loyal to the Great Chu, Your Majesty should not give up."

Jiang Mengxuan: "Since the Great Chu moved its capital to Jinling two hundred years ago, it has provided grain and fodder to the Xia Kingdom every year. However, the Xia Kingdom has been raiding the Heluo region southwards every year."

The Prime Minister believes that this situation should not continue.

Ye Mo: "Your Majesty, it is precisely because our Great Chu has been transporting grain and supplies to the Xia Kingdom every year that the Xia Kingdom's military might has been halted in the Heluo region."

If supplies are stopped, and the 400,000 Western Xia cavalry were to advance south and breach the passes, it would inevitably lead to widespread devastation.

"Does our Great Chu have no power to retaliate, and can we only let them beat us?" Jiang Mengxuan's emotions suddenly fluctuated.

"What a joke! The Li Kingdom can be bullied, the Yan Kingdom can be bullied, and the Xia Kingdom can bully my Great Chu just the same."

So, is the army of my Great Chu really just a decoration?

Ye Mo replied, "Your Majesty, it's not that this old minister is unaware that this action will cause our Great Chu to lose face, but unfortunately, Xia and Yan are allies."

If the Xia state is attacked by our great Chu, the Yan state will surely respond with troops. Currently, the Yan state's military is stronger than our great Chu's.

Refusing to compromise will only lead to a situation where we are attacked from both sides. Your Majesty should prioritize the overall situation and refrain from acting impulsively.

"Your Majesty, please consider the greater good!"

As soon as Ye Mo finished speaking, all the civil and military officials bowed their heads in agreement.

Faced with this situation, what could Jiang Mengxuan say? She could only choose to compromise.

"Very well, since the Prime Minister has already made his own decision on this matter, then let the Prime Minister take full charge of it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Ye Mo finished his greetings, he continued, "Your Majesty, this old minister has another matter to report. In nine months, Your Majesty will turn eighteen."

According to the laws of our Great Chu court, Your Majesty may choose a virtuous son-in-law to enter the palace as your attendant. This old minister has specially selected several talented men of our time for Your Majesty.

If there are no objections, Your Majesty, please select an auspicious day so that I may bring them to the palace for an audience, where Your Majesty can choose the date personally.

Jiang Mengxuan: "I must send someone to Qingyu Peak to discuss this matter with the Empress Dowager before making a decision."

Ye Mo's expression changed: "What does His Majesty's choice of a son-in-law have to do with the Empress Dowager? Although His Majesty is a woman, she is still the ruler of my Chu Kingdom, and everything can be decided by His Majesty!"