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

"Alright, those who were in the way are gone. Now, please, gentlemen, listen to what I have to say."

After driving Ji Yuxi away, Shen Lang turned his gaze directly to the assembled officials.

"First of all, to the gentlemen who have spoken of peace and surrender, I would like to ask you a question: do you know how vast the territory of my Chu Kingdom is?"

The officials were taken aback, and then someone immediately said, "The Great Chu's mountains and rivers stretch for thousands of miles, how vast it is!"

"Yes, how vast! That's well said. Now, I'd like to ask another question..."

Which is more fortified, the border fortifications of my Great Chu or the interior defenses?

"Naturally, the border is more fortified, Shen Xuanwei. What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What do you mean? Do I need to spell it out?"

Shen Lang's eyes instantly turned cold.

"With the fortified border passes breached, how difficult would it be for the enemy to roam freely throughout the Central Plains?"

All of the Great Chu's fortifications and defenses were located at the border. Once the borders were breached, the remaining cities in the Central Plains would be like meat on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.

At this point, making peace and ceding territory might bring temporary peace, but it would leave the towns and cities of my Great Chu completely exposed to the enemy's military might.

They could ride south at any time, and all the plains, including the capital, became their horse ranches.

Is this the scenario you all want to see?

Upon hearing this, the officials who advocated for peace carefully considered the matter and immediately lowered their heads in shame.

Jiang Mengxuan gazed at Shen Lang silently, without saying a word, seemingly lost in thought.

At this moment, an official couldn't help but say, "This is not the first time our Great Chu has ceded territory. Not to mention distant examples..."

"Tell me, when His Majesty first ascended the throne... weren't the three northern commanderies of Bingzhou ceded to... to the Yan Kingdom?"

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. He glanced cautiously at the Empress's expression, fearing that she would be furious.

After all, ceding three prefectures to sue for peace was the biggest stain on the Empress's record since her ascension to the throne, and she was heavily criticized by the public.

It wasn't until the Imperial Guard returned victorious from Luchuan, expanding their territory by 300 li, that their prestige gradually turned around.

Fortunately, Jiang Mengxuan remained expressionless, with no change in facial expression whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang scoffed dismissively: "The three northern prefectures were originally the territory of Northern Yan. The Bingzhou army and the Yan army fought back and forth for them for more than ten years."

Until the imperial court negotiated peace with the Yan state, the true allegiance had never been established.

May I ask you, sir, what are you trying to say by bringing this up?

Even if we assume it's part of the territory of my Chu Kingdom, at most we'd only lose three key commanderies.

Even on enemy territory, at most it would be considered a crime of poor performance in battle.

This is fundamentally different from ceding territory to sue for peace. If you even dare to bring that up...

Then I suggest that Your Excellency go to the Bingzhou camp in person.

Go talk to the soldiers guarding the frontier there yourself, and see if they'll spare your life by a thousand cuts.

The officials immediately shut up, never expecting that Shen Lang could "whitewash" the Empress's actions at the beginning of her reign with just a few words.

Even if they were very dissatisfied, they could only hold back at this moment.

Jiang Mengxuan glanced at Shen Lang's retreating figure with great gratitude, feeling a warm current flowing through her heart.

The cession of three counties was a stain she never wanted to face, and only Shen Lang in the entire court dared to defend her in this way.

"Besides, no matter how much land there is, it will eventually be ceded. If we cede one piece of land today and ten cities tomorrow, what will we do when there is nothing left to cede?"

Then the country will perish. Do you all want to just stand by and watch the enemy cede all of our Great Chu's territory to a group of foreign tribes, and watch the people of this land become slaves?

Let's be realistic! Making peace at this time would be the most foolish decision. It's only because His Majesty is merciful; under any other ruler, your entire clan would be exterminated, which would be considered lenient!

Looking at this group of dejected peacemakers, Shen Lang felt utterly exhausted.

Countless historical events and even those from various industries have proven that meaningless surrender only makes a controllable situation irreversible.

Any normal dynasty or state would understand these principles; how could this group of civil and military officials not know the consequences of ceding territory to seek peace?

"In short, governing a country by dividing it up will never solve the fundamental problem, because showing weakness at this time will only embolden the enemy."

"Since the enemy wants to fight, then we will fight. The State of Chu is not so weak that it needs to wag its tail and beg for mercy."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yu, the Minister of Revenue, immediately stepped forward: "I deeply agree with what Lord Shen said, but our army has just returned victorious from Nanzhao..."

"The war has resumed after only two months, and my Ministry of Revenue is currently unable to allocate such a large sum of military funds."

Upon hearing this, Lü Lin immediately asked, "This doesn't make sense, Lord Lin. The Ministry of Revenue just received 2.6 million taels of gold last time. How could the finances be so tight so soon?"

Lin Yu spread his hands: "Lord Lü, right now all parts of the Great Chu need money. Although 2.6 million seems like a lot, if it is divided between the north and south, how much money will be left?"

Putting everything else aside, the Ministry of Works alone allocated four million taels of silver for river silt removal. You can ask the Ministry if they just received that money last month.

Upon hearing this, Lü Lin was immediately enraged and turned his anger towards Li Youcai, the Minister of Works: "Lord Li, I remember that your Ministry of Works also received 800,000 taels of gold, right? Is it already running out?"

Li Youcai: "Lord Lü truly doesn't know the cost of firewood and rice when he's not in charge of the household. The Ministry of Works is responsible for all aspects, including road repair, land reclamation, factory construction, and procurement."

The money was barely in my hands before it was all given out.

Minister Lü, the funds for this military campaign should have come from you. Your Ministry of War received 1.98 million taels this time, didn't it?"

Lü Lin: "The Ministry of War's money has been used to research spirit-gathering arrays and pay border troops, so there's not much money left in the accounts."

"Alright, stop arguing."

Shen Lang interrupted them, saying, "This war with the Xia Kingdom will not require you to use a single soldier. His Majesty's personal guards will personally lead the battle."

Jiang Mengxuan was startled upon hearing this and quickly said, "The new recruits of the Imperial Guard have only been training for a little over a month. Isn't it too hasty to send them to the battlefield so soon?"

The new army was the foundation for Jiang Mengxuan's stability in the court, and she did not want any mishaps.

Shen Lang: "Your Majesty, the battlefield is the fastest way to train troops. Please do not worry. I have enough confidence in the new army to win this battle!"

Hearing Shen Lang say this, Jiang Mengxuan gradually felt relieved.

At this moment, Lü Lin suddenly spoke up: "Your Majesty wishes to mobilize the Imperial Guards, and we have no objection. May I ask Your Majesty, who would be suitable to lead the troops?"

Without thinking, Jiang Mengxuan blurted out, "The Imperial Guard is naturally led by Shen..."

But she stopped herself when she was about to say it.

With only one month left until her wedding with Shen Lang, and the newly built wedding hall in the palace almost completed, wouldn't sending Shen Lang to lead troops at this time mean that the wedding would have to be postponed?

Besides, Shen Lang had only returned from the southern border in triumph less than two months ago. Would it be appropriate to let him lead troops into battle again?

But if we don't send Shen Lang, who else can lead the troops?

His own royal uncle? Forget it, that's unreliable.

Moreover, if the power of the Imperial Guard is handed over, it will be difficult to take it back. Apart from Shen Lang, the Empress does not trust anyone else.

Seeing Jiang Mengxuan in a dilemma, Lü Lin cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I recommend Tang Zhao as the leader of the Imperial Guard to fight against the Xia Kingdom!"

"I will not allow it!"

Jiang Mengxuan refused outright.

"Your Majesty, General Tang has also seen the Imperial Guards' combat tactics. He will surely be able to lead the Imperial Guards to a resounding victory!"

"Tang Zhao is not familiar with the Imperial Guards' training, so how can he be allowed to lead troops? I do not approve, do not mention it again!"

"His Majesty……"

"I have said, this matter should not be mentioned again."

Lu Lin frowned. In fact, he didn't want Shen Lang to continue to make merits, and he did have the idea of ​​tricking the Empress into handing over the power of the Imperial Guard.

Of course, he wasn't doing it for personal gain, but rather to use the Imperial Guard model to stimulate military reform throughout the Great Chu.

Seeing that the emperor and his minister were about to turn against each other, Shen Lang directly advised, "Your Majesty, Minister Lü, the matter of going to war cannot be decided overnight."

The Xia Kingdom has sent envoys to the capital, so let's see what conditions they propose before making any preparations."

Empress: "Minister Cao, where are the envoys from Western Xia?"

Cao Xianzhi: "Your Majesty, the envoy from Western Xia is only fifty li from the capital and will arrive tomorrow."

"The envoy will arrive in the capital tomorrow and be brought directly to the court."

"Your humble servant obeys the decree!"