PNB Chapter 195: Combine vertically and horizontally
Chapter 195: Combine vertically and horizontally
While Yun Zhi and others were discussing joining forces with the State of Yu to attack the State of Yue, envoys from the State of Yu also arrived in the State of Liao.
At this moment, the envoy from the State of Yu was holding a document in both hands, facing the gazes of the ministers from the State of Liao with a respectful look on his face.
"Your Majesty, our Majesty wishes to form an alliance with yours and jointly attack Yue. Yue is currently short of food and supplies due to its attack on Wu, and its military strength has been greatly reduced. We believe this presents a golden opportunity. If successful, we can divide up Yue's land and resources, greatly enriching both nations."
Qi Yan'an's eyes were deep, and he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he looked at the other ministers standing in the court, "My dear ministers, what are your opinions on this matter?"
A minister stepped forward and looked at the Yu envoy standing there. "Lord Wu, have you ever considered this? If Anguo seizes the opportunity to attack Yue while we're allied, wouldn't that just burden them with manpower? Anguo can no longer be underestimated. If we let them gain any advantage, they'll become a threat to both our countries in the future."
The Yu envoy said solemnly, "Sir, if we could put ourselves in his shoes, we would understand that Anguo's dispatch of troops is actually a division of our forces for us. This way, the pressure on us to attack Yue would be reduced accordingly. Moreover, with the combined strength of our two countries, how could we capture less territory than Anguo?"
After the envoy finished speaking, he looked at Qi Yan'an who was sitting on the dragon throne. "Your Majesty, if we miss this opportunity, once Yue recovers, it will be extremely difficult for them to attack with four states and one prefecture. Moreover, even if Anguo participates, with the strength of our two countries, we will definitely gain the upper hand in this dispute and reap rich rewards. Your Majesty, this opportunity cannot be missed!"
Qi Yan'an tapped the armrest of the dragon throne with his fingers and fell into deep thought.
At this time, a minister slowly stepped out and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, I believe that while this matter presents opportunities, the risks cannot be ignored. Who knows if the Yu Kingdom will join forces with the An Kingdom when we attack the Yue Kingdom, taking advantage of our weak military strength to attack us."
The Yu envoy's expression changed slightly, and he quickly said, "Your Excellency is mistaken. This isn't the first time we've joined forces, and it was successful last time. Furthermore, our two nations are interdependent. If we don't seize this opportunity to strengthen ourselves, how will we gain a foothold among the four nations in the future?"
When the Liao ministers heard this, they began to whisper and discuss among themselves.
Qi Yan'an raised his hand slightly, signaling everyone to be quiet, and said, "This matter still requires careful consideration. Please withdraw from the court for now. I will make a decision after careful consideration."
After saying this, Qi Yan'an stood up and left the court, leaving the ministers looking at each other in bewilderment.
The envoy who was still holding the document stood there in a daze. After a moment, he handed the document to the eunuch next to him and said, "I hope you can present this document to His Majesty. Please."
The eunuch took the document, nodded, and turned to leave.
On the other side, not long after Qi Yan'an left, he immediately summoned several of his most trusted ministers to the imperial study.
"What are your opinions on the alliance proposed by Yu State?" Qi Yan'an casually placed his fingers on the armrest of the chair, his eyes sweeping across the faces of each minister.
After a moment's thought, a minister took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we can agree to the alliance with Yu State. Although Yu State's intentions are unpredictable, I don't think they will dare to play tricks this time."
"Now that An and Yue have joined forces to take down Wu, their territories are the largest. If we don't check them now, they will become a serious threat in the future."
"The Yu Kingdom will never see this happen. All they can do is join forces with us to take down the Yue Kingdom first. With the An Kingdom watching closely, they dare not and cannot play tricks at this time. After all, doing so is likely to benefit the An Kingdom."
Another minister shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I beg to differ. The Yu Kingdom is very likely to turn against us and attack us together with the Yue Kingdom."
"Impossible!" the minister who advocated for an alliance immediately retorted, "Yu and Yue have always been at odds, and their Majesties have long harbored resentment. Their hatred has reached a point where they will never reconcile. There's absolutely no way they can join forces."
The minister who opposed the alliance sneered, "What does hatred mean in the face of interests? If there is enough temptation, any hatred can be temporarily put aside."
"So, Lord Liao means we should not form an alliance? Let them continue to expand their territories, while we stay in one place and wait for them to attack us. Do you think the Emperor of Yu would be so foolish as to allow Yue to expand its territory again? By then, they will be completely powerless to fight back."
"But if the alliance fails, our country will face catastrophic disaster. How will you bear the consequences?"
Qi Yanan rubbed his temples and looked at the two people who were still arguing, "Shut up!"
The two of them fell silent instantly, lowered their heads and dared not say anything.
After the two of them were quiet, Qi Yan'an looked at one of the ministers who had remained silent the entire time, "Sir Xiao, what do you think?"
Lord Xiao, whose name was called, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I believe we can agree to join forces. Now is indeed a good time to attack Yue. However, agreeing to join forces does not mean complete trust in Yu. While cooperating, we can secretly prepare our own defense and counterattack forces. If Yu keeps its promise, that would naturally be a good thing. If it harbors ill intentions, we can also respond promptly."
Qi Yan'an nodded slightly and looked at the ministers who had not yet expressed their opinions. "What do you think?"
The ministers looked at each other. After a moment, one of them stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think..."
By the time they finished discussing and decided whether to join forces, it was already noon.
Just as Qi Yan'an was about to ask for food to be served, a eunuch walked in and said, "Your Majesty, Miss Shang wishes to see you."
"Shang Wan." Qi Yan'an was slightly startled, then said, "Call her in."
Not long after, Qin Wan came in carrying a food box. "Your Majesty, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"
Looking at Qin Wan walking towards him, Qi Yan'an waved his hand and dismissed everyone in the imperial study.
Qin Wan walked up to him, took out the food from the food box one by one, and said softly, "Your Majesty, please eat something first, don't hurt your body."
After handing the jade chopsticks to Qi Yan'an, Qin Wan walked around behind him and served him the food. "Yan'an, what's bothering you so much today? You've even been discussing this with the ministers for so long?"
Qi Yan'an put down his jade chopsticks and said, "Today, the envoys from Yu State came to discuss with us about joining forces to attack Yue State. I just discussed this with the ministers."
Hearing this, Qin Wan, who was standing behind Qi Yan'an, paused for a moment while holding the jade chopsticks. Then, she asked calmly, "So, have you reached a conclusion?"
Qi Yan'an nodded, "It's decided to form an alliance with the Yu Kingdom."
"That's it."
A gleam flashed in Qin Wan's eyes, and she continued to pick up food for Qi Yan'an with her jade chopsticks, "Yan'an, eat more."
Seeing Qi Yan'an eating again, Qin Wan pretended to be casual and asked, "If we delay, things will change. Now that the alliance has been confirmed, they should send troops soon, right?"
Qi Yan'an swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "Well, there will definitely be some action within a month."
After getting the information he wanted, Qin Wan began to change the subject and spoke some light-hearted and cheerful words.
A quarter of an hour later, Qin Wan walked out of the imperial study carrying a food box. When she reached the gate where she could no longer see the imperial study, she looked back and then strode towards her palace.