Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

One force wants to take this opportunity to start a war against the Xiao Kingdom.

Another faction is interested in peace talks; they could cooperate...

The two argued for a while, but neither side could gain the upper hand...

Now, Ries and Binder have returned from the Kingdom of Shaw.

Shahar then summoned all his ministers and they discussed the matter in their palace.

The news of Xiao Ce coming to ask for grain was also mentioned.

Shahar sat on his black iron throne, looking at his son.

"Ries, you've had a tough journey! Your contributions are indispensable in dealing a heavy blow to the people of Fusang this time..."

Rhys bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, you flatter me... In truth, we didn't do anything this time. Leaving aside Xiao Ce, Xiao Zhan is a war maniac, and also a tactical genius!"

Ries's words made Shahar's expression less than pleasant.

In fact, all they knew was that the Xiao Kingdom had wiped out the people of the Fusang Kingdom and achieved a great victory.

As for how they won, they weren't quite sure...

Now, listening to what Rhys said.

This time, Xiao Ce didn't even have to exert any effort.

"You mean to say that the person in charge of this war is not Xiao Ce, but Xiao Zhan?"

Rhys nodded: "Not bad..."

Shahar frowned slightly: "Xiao Ce alone is already so terrifying, how could there be another Xiao Zhan? Why haven't you mentioned him before..."

Ries said, "Your Majesty, when we first met Xiao Zhan, he didn't seem to know much about these weapons..."

"And then, after Xiao Ce gave him some pointers, he seemed to have a sudden epiphany..."

Rhys looked at them with great admiration.

Shahar said, "Okay... After Fusang was driven away, what was the situation with their Xiao Kingdom? They sent a letter inviting us to go there as envoys, and also wanting to ask us to buy grain."

Ries was quite knowledgeable about the affairs of Fusang.

"Reporting to Father Emperor, the Xiao Kingdom has been completely hollowed out by those hyenas from the Fusang Kingdom... Although they have won the victory."

"But you could say they won. Or you could say they lost..."

"Because the Fusang Kingdom transported their grain, money, and all sorts of valuable treasures back to their country by sea."

"So, what Xiao Ce got back was just an empty shell. According to some information we got over there, they have no food left in the Central Plains. Their small Northern Desert Royal Palace simply cannot support such a large population."

"The problem they're facing now is how to deal with those disaster victims! If they can't solve it, they might face national extinction..."

"That's what Rhys said calmly."

Rhys's words eased the tension in everyone's expressions considerably.

Seeing this, oligarch Constantine Eugene laughed and said, "Hahaha, good! That's a good thing... Your Majesty, we've been arguing for so long... If that's really the case, we don't need to argue about anything anymore."

"We just need to do nothing...we just need to quietly wait for them to perish...once they're almost all dead, their territory will be ours, right? Hahaha!"

Constantine Eugene's words were quickly met with unanimous agreement from the other oligarchs.

Rhys asked in confusion, "Arguing? What are you arguing about?"

Shahar then said to Ries, "Now that we've driven the Fusang people away, what policy should we adopt towards the Xiao Kingdom...? Should we befriend them? Or antagonize them...?"

"However, it seems that now it's clear we don't need to know anymore... the result is already in! Do we not need to do anything now?"

Eva then asked Shahar, "Your Majesty, may I decline Xiao Ce's invitation later?"

Seeing this, Rhys asked Eva again, "Eva? What kind of invitation?"

Eva then recounted Xiao Ce's letter requesting assistance.

After hearing this, Rhys quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, let's not reject my suggestion yet!"

The cabinet ministers standing nearby expressed their confusion: "Don't refuse? Why shouldn't we refuse? Do we need to help them? Your Highness, you just said that not only is Xiao Ce's tactical skill very good, but Xiao Zhan is even more so... If we help them now... they will become a terrifying enemy once they realize what's happening!"

Shahar nodded and said, "That's right... Their current situation is clearly very difficult, and we're going to give them help? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

Ries said to Shahar, "Your Majesty, based on the time I've spent with Xiao Ce, he is a very capable person. What I just said was only our estimate."

"If we refuse now and let them fend for themselves, what if he finds a way to solve it? This Xiao Ce is a man who holds grudges..."

"Moreover, you should know that Fusang has nearly 20,000 prisoners in his hands. According to what I know about Xiao Ce, he might even use these prisoners to exchange for food in order to solve his immediate crisis!"

"So, what I mean is, let's not refuse right away. He's just inviting us over, right? He's asking us to borrow grain, we'll neither agree nor refuse. We'll just stall... and see how he handles it."

"If they have clearly found a solution, then we won't see them suffer a large-scale famine anyway. Instead of that, we might as well agree to sell them some grain. We can also make some money from the price and gain a favor."

"Of course, if they can't find a solution, we can use all sorts of excuses to delay! In the end, we can wear them down!"

Rhys's words drew the agreement of the group.

"Excellent, as expected of His Highness the First Prince, his method is excellent..."

Shahar nodded: "That's right. So, you mean that if they can survive this ordeal... we should still cooperate with them?"

Rhys nodded: "That's right, Father. Actually, my thoughts are very simple. In fact, it's not bad that we have a neighbor like Xiao. Xiao Ce is a smart man, and I've had several conversations with him recently."

"What he always advocated was to maintain good relations with neighboring countries and to adopt a strategy of befriending nearby states while attacking distant ones. Just like with the Turkic Khaganate, he had the ability to incorporate the Turkic Khaganate into the territory of his Xiao state, but he did not do so."

"He said that if problems arise within the Xiao Kingdom, the Turkic Kingdom, with its diverse ethnicities, beliefs, and systems, could offer assistance without constraint..."

Reese paused as he spoke, then glanced at the oligarchs beside him a few more times.

"Of course, Xiao Ce also mentioned an example that I think is somewhat inappropriate. He said that our Slavic country looks like a behemoth, but it has many internal problems. The oligarchs seem to support us, but what if one day they stop supporting us and go to support other forces..."

"Our country will inevitably descend into internal strife if we incorporate the Xiao Kingdom into our territory. Instability in one region will inevitably trigger a chain reaction. However, if the two countries are merely allies, they will certainly send troops to support us in our internal strife... and vice versa! This is the advantage of different regimes and different ethnicities..."

As Ries spoke, Shahar and a group of cabinet ministers nodded in agreement.

However, the oligarchs on one side were unhappy. Some expressed their loyalty, while others accused Xiao Ce of sowing discord.

Reese said with a smile, "Gentlemen...that's what I said too...but that's the only reason he gave..."

"Moreover, Xiao Ce said that we can cooperate to go further. There's no need to be stuck in one place. There are hundreds of countries outside. If we join forces, we have plenty of resources. Why waste time fighting each other here? The British Empire, which is far across the ocean, is our real opponent."

Gusinski Ed, standing to one side, said, "I agree! As far as I know, there are quite a few countries like that. It's said that in the far west, there's a powerful empire on which the sun never sets... Lord Eugene should know about that. Their country is far more advanced than ours, isn't it?"

Konstantin Eugene nodded, despite being the largest arms dealer in the Slavic country.

However, they learned many things from there.

"In that case, I agree. That country is much stronger than us. However, I still think that only our own people will listen to us, and that we should make them part of our Slavic nation."

"I actually think the current situation presents a good opportunity to start a war..."

Ries shook his head and said, "Of course not... Lord Eugene, as I said, although they may experience a major famine, their troops are not short of food. The prosperity of their Northern Desert Royal Palace is beyond your imagination. They cannot support the hundreds of millions of people in Xiao Kingdom, but they can afford to support a mere million-strong army!"

"Moreover, the elite troops of the Northern Desert Royal Palace did not move an inch when they attacked Fusang this time... Their troops did not move when we attacked the Turkic Kingdom before... And yet we still suffered such a crushing defeat."

"If we were to face their elite team, even if we won, it would be a Pyrrhic victory."

"I wholeheartedly agree with what Xiao Ce said: if we continue to weaken each other, we will only make each other regress and fall behind... One day, when the British Empire arrives with their army and advanced weaponry, we will be severely weakened, and what will we have left to resist them..."

Constantine Eugene remained silent.

Ries's statement was actually an exaggeration; he had already been persuaded by Xiao Ce long ago.

However, he was well aware of the mentality of these Slavic people...

If he directly supports Xiao Ce, they will resist, and may even feel that he has been bribed.

If we were to speak from the perspective of a Slavic country, and then explain both the advantages and disadvantages...

Those present, whether cabinet officials or oligarchs, were all extremely shrewd and calculating...

They can tell for themselves.

Shahar sat on the Iron Throne and, after listening to Rhys's words, said calmly, "Rhys, it seems you greatly admire Xiao Ce?"

Ries naturally understood Shahar's implication and said, "Father, we have to admit that Xiao Ce is formidable... I ask myself honestly, in my current state, I have little chance of winning against him!"

“I think it’s okay to learn from him… If we lose even the courage to learn… then we’ll never be his match.”

With a determined look in his eyes, Rhys said, "Of course, I only said that I'm not his match now... but that doesn't mean I'll never be his match!"

Shahar smiled and nodded: "That's right, Rhys is right."

As he spoke, Shahar looked at the ministers: "Look at them, they're all shouting for a fight, shouting so loudly... Given the precedent of Saleh's armed forces, and the fact that he gave us a gift from heaven before, if they were to face Xiao Ce, they wouldn't stand a chance!"

At that moment, Rochasky Binder, who had remained silent until now, said: "Your Majesty, that Xiao Ce is truly very capable... I dare say, in a head-on confrontation with equal forces, we will absolutely not gain anything!!"

Shahar nodded: "Alright! Then, who would be the best person to send as an envoy to Xiao Kingdom this time..."

The group looked at each other...

The cabinet ministers then spoke up one after another: "We suggest that Princess Eva go instead. Firstly, Princess Eva knows Xiao Ce, and they have some connection. Secondly, they won't be too wary of a woman going..."

The ministers nodded in agreement.

Shahar asked, "Then why not His Highness Ries..."

The cabinet ministers said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is our future... It's too risky for him to go there. If he gets taken hostage, it won't be good for us."

Eva then said quietly, "So, it's okay for me to be held hostage by them?"

The cabinet minister who had spoken was immediately embarrassed and speechless.

Seeing this, Eva smiled and said, "Minister, you're right. It's better for me to go than for my brother to go. After all, I'm a member of the royal family, and my presence shows that we value this. Secondly, Xiao Ce is a gentleman; he shouldn't do something like kidnapping me to blackmail you. Also, we actually provided them with a lot of support this time, so we're their benefactors. They should treat us politely because of that."

Shahar nodded: "Eva, have you thought it through?"

After learning how powerful Xiao Ce was, Shahar also had some selfish motives!