Chapter 2130: Court Debate

"Nine Hells fought very well, capturing the Sacred Land of the Ya Kingdom." In fact, they fought *too* well. This outcome startled everyone; it brought not joy, but alarm.

Emperor Nine Hells must have had something to rely on to dare invade the Ya Kingdom first. However, the Mou people initially believed that even if Cang Yan deployed all its elite troops and generals with well-planned tactics, it would still be a back-and-forth struggle, resulting in a prolonged stalemate with the Ya Kingdom.

After all, the Ya Kingdom's army was quite formidable, and Cang Yan had only recently been established, its military only recently formed. It was thought impossible for them to possess such powerful forces.

The turn of the war, however, deeply shocked the Mou Kingdom.

The combat power demonstrated by the Dragon God Army also became a key focus for the Mou Kingdom.

A nation's comprehensive strength is judged by many standards, but ultimately it must be reflected in its external military power. After this battle, the Mou Kingdom had to re-evaluate Cang Yan and correct its misconceptions.

Qian Bingmao, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, immediately said, "I have heard that there is a significant disparity between Emperor Nine Hells' Black Armored Army and the Dragon God Army. The true strength of the Dragon God Army is far from comparable to that of the Ya Army! That is precisely why, when Emperor Nine Hells previously claimed to be the Dragon God, he had to lead from the front in battle to boost morale; now that he is the ruler of Cang Yan, he still has to personally lead expeditions, putting himself at risk. This is unacceptable!"

His implication was that the Dragon God Army was not as formidable as it seemed, and its current success was solely due to Emperor Nine Hells' personal command and support.

"A win is a win," stated You Huan, a scholar from the Cabinet. "You can find a hundred reasons for losing, but none are needed for winning. It was Cang Yan that penetrated the Ya Kingdom and seized its Sacred Land, not Baile."

No matter how many excuses one made for Baile, the fact remained that it could not have captured the Ya Kingdom's Sacred Land.

These two seemed to be at odds recently. With Emperor Mou observing, Chief Advisor Guo Shaoping quickly redirected the discussion: "The Ya Kingdom's Sacred Land has been captured, and both sides are continuously sending reinforcements to the battlefield. The Ya Kingdom has even urgently redeployed its western forces, inevitably leaving its western border vulnerable."

Baiqiuyuan was not far from the Ya Kingdom's capital. Its fall would place the capital in grave danger.

This was no small matter; a single misstep could lead to the nation's demise.

The Ya Kingdom could not tolerate this provocation and frantically dispatched large armies to the Sacred Land, determined to relieve the siege of their capital. However, its military development was constrained by population, prioritizing quality over quantity. To rapidly increase troops, they had no choice but to rob Peter to pay Paul.

Was there a risk? Of course, but there was no alternative.

Tang Heyuan, a scholar from the Cabinet, immediately proposed, "Why not seize this opportunity to teach the Ya Kingdom a lesson?"

In the past, the Ya Kingdom's eastern region was the fragmented Shanjin Plain. Where would the Mou Kingdom have had the chance to form a combined force with the nations to its east and severely defeat the Ya Kingdom?

You Huan expressed opposition: "Our war with Beijia is already strained, and withdrawing troops from Baile was to avoid fighting on two fronts. Forcibly deploying troops to the Ya Kingdom now would likely lead to insufficient resources and a negative impact."

Previously, the Mou Kingdom, despite the humiliation, had to withdraw its troops from Baile to avoid a direct confrontation with the Ya Kingdom, claiming it was consolidating forces to fully engage Beijia.

But now, to actively attack the Ya Kingdom, wasn't that simply an opportunistic grab for a substantial gain?

The neighboring states were not foolish; they could clearly see the Mou Kingdom's greedy intentions.

"Military strategy is fluid; one must act according to the situation," said General Fu Wuchen, stepping forward. "The Ya Kingdom always claims to be the third strongest power in the world, after Beijia and Great Mou. This time, we must not only crush its arrogance but also cripple it in one fell swoop, ensuring it never again dares to be Beijia's minion."

Otherwise, whenever the Mou Kingdom fought Beijia, the Ya Kingdom would always be menacingly active behind their backs, which was extremely frustrating.

However, Qi Chuanqing, a substitute scholar from the Cabinet, stated: "The war between Baile and the Ya Kingdom is taking place around Great Mou. Yet, Cang Yan, intending to deploy a large army, did not inform us beforehand, and even deliberately concealed it. This strongly suggests that Nine Hells has ulterior motives. Your subject believes that Great Mou should not intervene before the situation becomes clear."

You Huan then continued, "Considering Emperor Nine Hells' past military record, his tactics are flexible and unpredictable; he excels at fishing in troubled waters and pulling the rug out from under others. If we were to be locked in fierce battle with the Ya Kingdom and Cang Yan were to withdraw, then Great Mou would be left in a difficult position."

He paused, then added, "Emperor Nine Hells supported Baile without notifying our kingdom beforehand. Regardless of the reason, this act was abrupt and disrespectful, indicating Cang Yan's lack of regard for us. It is prudent to deal cautiously with such a nation."

Cang Yan's unprovoked military aid to Baile would not be met with gratitude by the Mou Kingdom, only suspicion. If Emperor Nine Hells truly had good intentions, why did he not inform the Mou Kingdom before acting?

Guo Shaoping asked him, "Master You, do you believe we should not send troops?"

"It would be better to send a swift message to Nine Hells, inviting him to jointly attack the Ya Kingdom, and then decide based on his reply," You Huan responded. "With such an invitation, Nine Hells would have to think twice before attempting any tricks."

Cang Yan would certainly not want to face the consequences of breaking an agreement with the Mou Kingdom.

"Nine Hells is notoriously cunning," Tang Heyuan countered. "Both Master Qi and Master You mentioned that his unprovoked military aid to Baile indicates ulterior motives. How can we honestly disclose our military intentions to such a devious individual? As the saying goes, 'all's fair in war.' If we inform him first, he might delay his reply while using our invasion plans to pressure the Ya Kingdom into making concessions to him! Ultimately, only Cang Yan would benefit."

Fu Wuchen also angrily retorted, "Nonsense! Why should Great Mou inform them before deploying troops? Why didn't they consult us before sending troops to Baile?"

The ministers exchanged glances, finding his words resonated with their own thoughts.

Qian Bingmao also spoke: "Communicating with Cang Yan would take considerable time for a round trip. Furthermore, once contact is made, we would have to negotiate agreements for post-war affairs, and who knows how Cang Yan would haggle. That so-called Emperor Nine Hells was once a merchant leader, most skilled in calculating profits!"

If the Mou Kingdom were to notify Cang Yan before deploying troops, wouldn't both sides then have to discuss who contributes more or less, how the armies would cooperate, how spoils of war would be distributed, and how newly conquered territories would be allocated?

How many troublesome issues would arise from that? Once the word "distribution" came up, it would lead to endless bickering.

If the Mou Kingdom took a larger share, would Cang Yan be pleased?

So, it might be better to just proceed quietly. Each fights their own battle, and in the end, territories are allocated based on conquest—whoever takes a land keeps it.

Both sides had presented their arguments, all of which were reasonable. Now, it was up to the higher authority to weigh the pros and cons.

Thus, all eyes turned to Emperor Mou and the Chief Advisor.

Emperor Mou remained noncommittal, his gaze slightly lowered as if in deep contemplation.

Guo Shaoping knew that the Emperor's silence meant the Chief Advisor had to make the decision.

If such a significant matter was handled well, all would be fine; if not, he would bear the blame.

After a long deliberation, Guo Shaoping finally made his decision:

"Should the decisive battle between Emperor Nine Hells' Dragon God Army and the Ya Army resume at the Sacred Land, our forces will march eastward to the battlefield!"