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

Liu Wu carefully examined the information on Wu Zhao's national conditions presented by Pei Ju, flipping through several pages. Each case described there was a revelation to his worldview.

"In order to counter the Western Phoenix Kingdom's naval offensive, they did not hesitate to use their power to force millions of coastal residents to relocate thirty miles inland."

Those who refused to migrate were executed on the spot? It is reported that as many as 200,000 people were massacred by Wu Zhaojun during the relocation process.

"In order to demonstrate his achievements in civil administration, Li Hong did not hesitate to dig open the originally solid river channel, causing countless people to drown on both sides of the river. Then he began to repair and reinforce the river channel, thus earning the title of a capable ruler in water management?"

"To prevent the local people from having any connection with the Wagang tribe, they actually used the iron cavalry of the outer vassal tribes to massacre the people of thirteen counties. Was it worth it?"

Each and every incident caused the blood pressure of the members of parliament present to spike.

Is this the Wu Zhao Kingdom that I've always longed for?

Even the most incompetent rulers throughout history wouldn't have done something so outrageous. What was King Wu Zhao thinking?

Pei Ju continued, "Gentlemen, the Wu Zhao army has consistently maintained a strength between two million and two and a half million."

This number may seem unbelievable, but what I'm about to say is that these two million-plus troops...

Apart from the nearly 400,000 soldiers from the outer tribes and the warrior army, the remaining ordinary soldiers of the main force were scattered throughout the entire Wuzhao region, like stars scattered across the sky.

Wu Zhaoguo adopted a laissez-faire approach to these ordinary soldiers, rarely urging them to train on time. Furthermore, to prevent potential rebellions arising from unfair treatment,

The number of ordinary soldiers remaining in various locations was extremely small; in some areas, a battalion might only have one or two hundred men, while the warrior battalion monitoring them maintained a minimum of around five hundred men.

Therefore, even if they wanted to rebel, they were no match for the martial arts camp in terms of either individual combat strength or numbers.

Furthermore, there was extreme discrimination within the Wuzhao army. Warriors and soldiers from outer tribes would beat and verbally abuse local soldiers, and they were even forbidden from riding horses.

The local army was extremely poorly equipped, some even less so than the indigenous security forces of Southeast Asia. It was a completely disorganized and undisciplined rabble.

Therefore, if Chu and Wu Zhao were to go to war, we would face hundreds of thousands of warriors and the iron cavalry of the outer vassal states.

However, aside from the troops left to defend the enemy, Wu Zhao's elite core forces were extremely limited in number.

Based on the war records between Wu Zhao and the Dongyi, the maximum size of Wu Zhao's army that could mobilize its core main force at one time was 30,000 men.

If they add more, they will face serious logistical problems, but their tolerance for losses is extremely low.

In the battle against the Eastern Yi, a war of attack and defense, after Wu Zhao's main force suffered 293 casualties, the morale of his army began to waver.

When thousands of soldiers are lost in battle, the unit's organizational structure will fall into disarray.

Therefore, the so-called elite troops of Wuzhao were not as ferocious as one might imagine; bullets hitting them would still cause them to bleed.

Liu Wu interrupted, saying, "Vice Envoy Pei, are you trying to incite our Chu Kingdom to go to war with Wu Zhao Kingdom? Your subjective and arbitrary actions are not in line with the agenda of the cabinet meeting."

Pei Ju nodded: "I admit that there were selfish motives behind the war against Wu Zhao, but Minister Liu, I must say that if you had seen the current situation of the people of Wu Zhao with your own eyes, you might be even more radical than me!"

The Wu Zhao dynasty was a reactionary, inhumane, and barbaric group. Our Chu state sent troops to rescue the millions of lives tortured and deprived of their dignity. This is a righteous act; why shouldn't we do it!

Everyone fell silent, deeply moved and lost in thought by Pei Ju's last words.

"Going to war with Wu Zhao would not only open up trade routes with the Western Continent, but also deliver a heavy blow to that reactionary group."

To deal with such countries, a strong and decisive strike is necessary to truly wake them up.

"Therefore, I urge my colleagues in the cabinet to consider the overall situation of the continent before making the final decision. If the Chu Kingdom wants to become the center of the Taiwu Continent, then this battle must be fought!"

After Pei Ju finished speaking, he bowed to everyone and returned to his seat.

At this moment, only the sound of turning pages echoed in the meeting room.

A heated discussion ensued.

Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan stayed with them the whole time, remaining silent and quietly waiting for the results.

Just as the sun was setting and the clock struck four times, Ban Dingyuan, who had remained silent until now, began to express his opinion.

"My colleagues have already said what needed to be said, and Vice Envoy Pei has already said what I wanted to say. I believe everyone has a general idea of ​​Wu Zhao's situation, so I will not go into details."

I only want to say one thing: this time when I went to Wu Zhao Kingdom, I brought back a girl who had just lost her mother. Now she is my sister.

Later, her name will be added to my class's family genealogy. I think, no matter how much I say, it would be better if my sister told you about the methods Wu Zhao Kingdom uses against its people.

After saying that, he winked at Shen Lang.

Shen Lang nodded and whispered a few words to Jiang Mengxuan.

Jiang Mengxuan frowned slightly and nodded gently in agreement.

Before long, Amber led Ban Zhao to the cabinet meeting room.

All eyes were instantly drawn to the seven-year-old girl.

Ban Zhao walked nervously to Ban Dingyuan's side, looking bewildered.

Ban Dingyuan bent down to comfort her, saying, "Little sister, don't be afraid. Tell these uncles how you and your mother live your lives, and they will stand up for you."

Upon hearing this, Ban Zhao nodded vigorously.

At such a young age, she suddenly adopted a resolute expression and turned to face all the cabinet members.

"Uncles, my name is Ban Zhao. My elder brother took me in, which gave me the opportunity to come to the State of Chu. I don't know what to say."

I'll just talk about what my mother and I have experienced over the years. My father passed away when I was very young, only two years old, so I can't remember what he looked like.

All I know is that ever since I was old enough to remember, I've never had a full meal. My mother worked day and night, washing clothes and cooking for wealthy families, just to feed me.

Year after year, my mother finally fell ill. To pay for her treatment, I learned to beg from a very young age. When the officials in the city learned that my mother was sick...

They came to visit me several times, and I initially thought it was out of concern for my mother. It wasn't until later that I realized they were watching to see when she would die.

Only when my mother died could they legitimately sell me to a brothel or to men with particular fetishes.

When I was begging, I asked many old men, but I was only met with cold stares, especially by the patrolling officials, who would beat and curse me at the drop of a hat.

As she spoke, Ban Zhao rolled up her sleeves, and everyone in the room immediately focused their attention on her arms.

Her tender arms were covered with scars that had not yet fully healed, a result of Ban Dingyuan's treatment, which showed what Ban Zhao had gone through during that time.

"Uncles, there are many children like me in my area. I don't know how to describe it; I only know that my mother told me..."

No matter how hard life gets, you have to persevere; there will always be a day when the clouds part and the sun shines through. But my mother is gone; she died on the very day I saw the sunlight.

At this point, Ban Zhao's face was already covered in tears.

Jiang Mengxuan seemed to be touched by something, and her eyes welled up with tears.