Chapter 84

How could that rascal have such a loud voice? Could it carry so far?

At the edge of the parade ground, Emperor Wei Tianzi and the accompanying princes and officials were personally welcomed by General Bai Li Ba of the Five Camps and entered the camp's parade ground. △

Since the attention of the 25,000 soldiers in the parade ground was focused on Zhao Hongrun on the platform, they didn't notice Emperor Wei Tianzi and his entourage standing far behind them.

"Perhaps the Eighth Prince has come up with some new gadget again."

Beside him, the chief eunuch Tong Xian clearly noticed the puzzled look on the emperor's face and smiled, explaining.

Hearing this, Emperor Wei Tianzi couldn't help but recall the kite from back then and chuckled, "Always coming up with strange and unusual things... No wonder it's said that the craftsmen under the Ministry of Works have a good relationship with him."

According to what the emperor knew, the strange and unusual things Zhao Hongrun had come up with were almost all the work of the skilled craftsmen under the Ministry of Works, such as the kite and the white wax used in the examination hall.

Speaking of which, can that rascal really persuade these 25,000 soldiers and officers? Judging by their gazes, they look like they want to tear him apart...

The emperor glanced at the accompanying officials from the Ministry of War, his mind deep in thought.

At this moment, Zhao Hongrun's "speech" continued. Undoubtedly, his first words had captured the attention of the 25,000 soldiers.

"Is he Zhao Hongrun?"

"Is this the one who disregarded our lives to protect his imperial sister?"

"But this kid has quite a bit of courage..."

"Yeah, his voice is loud enough..."

The soldiers and officers in the parade ground began to murmur among themselves.

With 25,000 soldiers, even if they were only whispering, the sound was like a swarm of locusts buzzing.

However, the five camp generals, including General Bai Li Ba, did not stop the soldiers' murmurs, as they followed Bai Li Ba's instructions: as long as the soldiers didn't riot, they were not to intervene.

Thus, they watched coldly.

On the platform, Zhao Hongrun clearly heard the soldiers' murmurs and smiled, nodding in agreement. "Yes, yes, yes, I am the Zhao Hongrun you've heard about, the one who, to protect his imperial sister, was willing to send you all to the battlefield!"

This kid really dares to say it...

The five camp generals exchanged glances and couldn't help but turn to look at Zhao Hongrun, who remained calm on the platform.

As they had expected, the moment these words were spoken, the entire parade ground fell silent. The 25,000 soldiers all stared at Zhao Hongrun on the platform with incredulous eyes.

It's no wonder they were shocked. After all, this 14-year-old prince was facing 25,000 hostile gazes and calmly admitted to the matter.

The entire parade ground was eerily quiet, the atmosphere so tense that even the air seemed to have frozen, making the emperor, standing at the edge of the parade ground, feel a cold sweat for his son on the platform.

What was even more astonishing was that Zhao Hongrun still had a smile on his face. "Are you all surprised? Clearly, such a major national decision should be made by my father, the emperor, and the important ministers. Why should I be able to change the minds of those ministers and reject the peace talks? ... Because I gave those ministers who advocated for peace a gift..."

A gift? What kind of gift?

The atmosphere in the parade ground eased slightly, and many soldiers and officers looked at Zhao Hongrun with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Is the imperial brother bribing the ministers?"

Zhao Hongrun's younger brother, Hongxuan, standing outside the parade ground, was stunned when he heard this.

Upon hearing this, the nearby court officials showed a variety of expressions. The officials from the Ministry of War were all red-faced, while those from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue wore smug looks.

That rascal... Haven't I told you not to mention that again!

The emperor's expression darkened. After all, he had also received that special gift from his son. If this were recorded in history, it would be enough to make him, the emperor of the Great Wei, a laughingstock for future generations.

However, Zhao Hongrun did not elaborate on his so-called "gift." Instead, he did something that made everyone present feel a chill run down their spines.

Because this Eighth Prince pointed to a certain spot and said with a smile, "By the way, I also brought a gift for all of you..."

A gift?

The 25,000 soldiers and officers of the Junshui Camp looked in the direction Zhao Hongrun pointed, and just one glance made the blood of these 25,000 young men of the Great Wei seem to freeze.

Because they discovered that the military flag on the main flagpole of their Junshui Camp was gone, replaced by a woman's garment, fluttering in the wind.

...

Seeing this, Emperor Wei Tianzi was stunned, feeling a chill run down his spine. He turned to look at Bai Li Ba, his former bodyguard, with a look of shock on his face.

But Bai Li Ba only smiled bitterly and shrugged.

Is that rascal trying to incite a mutiny?

The emperor's face was filled with shock.

Sure enough, when the 25,000 soldiers, who had been sitting on the ground listening, noticed that their main flag had been replaced by a woman's garment, more than half of them stood up, their faces red with anger, glaring at Zhao Hongrun on the platform, and some even began to curse.

This time, the five camp generals could no longer stand by. If they continued to watch, these insulted soldiers might rush up to the platform and tear the bold prince to pieces.

"What are you doing?! ... Sit down!"

Two of the camp generals shouted, finally restoring calm to the nearly rioting soldiers.

When did this happen?

This... This is too bold...

The five camp generals exchanged glances.

Because something like this had never happened before, they hadn't even noticed that their camp's main flag had been replaced.

Under the scolding of the five camp generals, the soldiers and officers in the parade ground, though reluctantly, sat down again.

But some of them still stood, glaring at Zhao Hongrun on the platform with hatred.

For example, in the second row, there was a burly man who, despite his general's scolding and threats, still stood, coldly staring at Zhao Hongrun.

"That... Duan Yang, sit down!"

"Commander Duan Yang of the First Camp, sit down! ... Did you hear me?"

Because a commander is a leader of a unit of 500 soldiers, a well-known officer in the Junshui Camp, the five camp generals recognized him and all scolded him.

But Commander Duan Yang ignored the generals' scolding and continued to stand, expressing his strong dissatisfaction with Zhao Hongrun on the platform.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun called out to the five camp generals and said with a smile, "Generals, please rest for a moment. I will speak to him."

The five camp generals exchanged glances and gave up on the idea of rushing over to beat their disobedient subordinate.

"Commander Duan, right? ... You seem to have a lot of resentment towards me. Speak your mind."

Seem?

The burly man named Duan Yang was so angry that his face was red with fury. He said in a deep, indignant voice, "Why did the Eighth Prince insult our Junshui Camp?!"

This sentence clearly expressed the feelings of all the soldiers and officers present.

"Insult? What are you talking about?" Zhao Hongrun said with a smile. "As far as I know, you all heard that I opposed the peace talks proposed by the ministers and were angry and glaring at me... What do you hate me for? Do you hate me for rejecting the ministers' suggestions, which would have spared your Junshui Camp from going to war because of a woman's sacrifice? ... If so, the gift I brought is fitting and appropriate. How can this be considered an insult?"

"This..." Duan Yang's anger faltered, and he grunted, unable to speak.

This big, dumb guy isn't working...

Zhao Hongrun frowned slightly. He had thought Duan Yang would have something to say.

Just then, a voice rang out in the parade ground.

"The Eighth Prince speaks well, but in reality, the Eighth Prince is just trying to protect Princess Yulong, right?"

Brother... It's called the Eighth Prince...

Zhao Hongrun sighed inwardly. He naturally recognized this voice as belonging to his younger brother Hongxuan's bodyguard, Zhang Ao, whom he had arranged to be a "plant" in advance. After all, relying on someone like Duan Yang, who only had courage, wouldn't have made the conversation go on.

Seeing the soldiers and officers in the parade ground turn to look at the one who spoke, Zhao Hongrun immediately coughed to draw their attention. "Well said! ... This brother is right. I do want to protect Princess Yulong, because she is my imperial sister. I don't want her to marry a bunch of bandits, no matter who she marries! ... Did I call the Chu army bandits? Yes, I did! They are a bunch of bandits! Invading our Great Wei territory, killing our Great Wei people... Imagine if these bandits burst into your homes, beat up your brothers and fellow countrymen, and stole your valuable possessions and wealth. In the end, they even want to marry your sisters and ask them to leave? ... If you were in their shoes, could you swallow this? I, Zhao Hongrun, can't!"

...

The soldiers and officers in the parade ground fell silent again, but this time, their gazes towards Zhao Hongrun were much more favorable.

"Personally, I do want to protect Princess Yulong. She is my family, and I naturally want to protect her, just as you all want to protect your loved ones... Commander Duan Yang, would you be willing to marry your sisters to a bunch of bandits?!"

Duan Yang, suddenly called out, was startled and instinctively shouted, "Absolutely not!"

Zhao Hongrun smiled. "If so, why are you still standing there, blocking the way for your fellow soldiers behind you?"

"Uh..." Duan Yang scratched his head awkwardly and sat down, drawing friendly laughter from the surrounding soldiers and officers of the Junshui Camp.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongrun said with a smile, "Don't laugh at Commander Duan. In my opinion, he is very brave... I am a prince, and no one has ever dared to glare at me like that, as if they wanted to rush up and beat me. I was quite scared just now, afraid he would really come up... Speaking of which, did you really think about rushing up, Commander Duan?"

Amidst the laughter, Duan Yang's face was red with embarrassment, and he awkwardly rubbed his head.

Incredible...

The five camp generals below the platform exchanged shocked glances.

Just a moment ago, these soldiers and officers had wanted to tear the prince on the platform to pieces, and now, they were getting along so well?

In their shocked gazes, Zhao Hongrun waved his hand to quiet the laughter below the platform.

At this moment, Zhao Hongrun changed his tone and said seriously, "Everyone fears death because life is precious and only comes once... If we set aside the fact that Princess Yulong is my imperial sister, I would support the marriage alliance. Why not? Sacrificing one woman can bring peace with Chu... When the emperor's daughters are married off, there are still the daughters of the nobles and ministers, and the beautiful women of the common people. Giving them the title of princess and marrying them off can bring peace to the country. Why not?"

"But in reality, marrying off one woman cannot bring peace to our Great Wei..."

"Chu claims the southern throne, with Qi and Lu to the northeast and our Great Wei to the northwest, all obstacles to Chu's ambition to dominate the world. Yet, Chu ignores Qi and Lu and attacks our Great Wei. Why? ... It's simple: our Great Wei is weaker than Qi and Lu, and weaker than Chu. Because we are weak, we are attacked. The recent attack on the Chu envoy was just an excuse. Our weakness is the real reason Chu attacks us. In this world of powerful nations, weakness is a sin!"

"If our Great Wei were stronger than Chu, would Chu dare to attack us?!"

"I believe you, the soldiers and officers, are uneasy, and I am uneasy too. For many years, our Great Wei has mostly lost to Chu in battles... Chu is vast, with a large army and a powerful military... But just because Chu is strong, should our Great Wei just endure it?"

"Right now, Chu has invaded our territory, attacked our cities, killed our people, and plundered our wealth. Yet, even so, our Great Wei still wants to arrange a marriage alliance, cede territory, and pay reparations to beg those bandits who invaded our territory to leave? ... If our people think this way, our Great Wei is not far from falling!"

He really dares to say anything...

The officials beside the emperor lowered their heads, pretending not to hear.

"Death comes from worry, death comes from complacency... If Chu wants to dominate the world, our Great Wei will inevitably be an obstacle in their expansion. Marrying off a princess to make the Chu army retreat? Anyone who thinks this is a ridiculous idea is a fool!"

"Even if our Great Wei compromises this time, marries off Princess Yulong, cedes territory, and pays reparations to make the Chu army leave our territory... Remember, the Chu army will not retreat because of these reasons. They are only temporarily unable to swallow our Great Wei in one go, and they plan to gradually erode our territory! ... Once those bandits have the confidence to swallow our entire Great Wei, not even ten or a hundred Princess Yulongs can change their ambition to annex our Great Wei!"

"I have never supported ceding territory, paying reparations, or offering tribute, because it makes the enemy stronger and our Great Wei weaker... The reparations we give to Chu may become the weapons in their hands to kill our people. The cities we cede will become fortresses for Chu to attack us."

"Once our Great Wei becomes so weak from ceding territory, paying reparations, and offering tribute that we can no longer stand up to Chu, what good will a marriage alliance do? What good will ceding territory do? What good will paying reparations or offering tribute do?"

"Those bandits will think, if they conquer our Great Wei, will they not have land, wealth, and women? When Chu's sword is at our throat, you and I, and the countless people of our Great Wei, will become slaves of a fallen nation!"

"..." The tens of thousands of soldiers felt a buzzing in their heads.

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Hongrun lowered his voice and said solemnly, "So, the war that is coming will eventually come. Our Great Wei and Southern Chu stand side by side in the world, and there will inevitably be battles and wars. This is an unchangeable fact."

"Some say our Great Wei's army cannot defeat the Chu army... I say, how can we know if we haven't fought? Is victory determined solely by the strength of the two armies? ... If that were the case, why would there be wars at all? Each country could just line up their armies, compare numbers, and declare a winner. Why would they need military strategy, tactics, or diplomacy?"

"War is fought by people... Before the battle begins, who can confidently predict the outcome?"

"Right now, our Great Wei still has the strength to fight the Chu army. If not now, when?"

"The dignity of our nation does not lie in the women of our Great Wei, but in all of you... in the countless brave men of our Great Wei. Only we can uphold the dignity of our nation!"

"Your Highness, what is the dignity of our nation?" A different voice rang out in the parade ground, interrupting Zhao Hongrun's passionate speech.

Calling these people as plants was a mistake!

Zhao Hongrun sighed inwardly, feeling the atmosphere disrupted. He gathered his emotions and said solemnly, "The dignity of our nation? Good question! In my view, the dignity of our nation lies in..."

"... Not paying reparations!"

"... Not offering tribute!"

"... Not ceding territory!"

"... Not arranging marriage alliances!"

"... Princes defending the nation's gates, the emperor dying for the state!"

"... This is the dignity of our nation!"

As Zhao Hongrun shouted the last sentence with a high voice, the entire parade ground fell silent, even the emperor of the Great Wei was moved.

Anyone who heard these words felt a surge of energy rise from their spine to their brain, making them feel inexplicably excited, their bodies trembling with emotion.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth... Our Great Wei also has brave men!"

On the platform, Zhao Hongrun raised his fist and struck his chest, shouting loudly, "Everyone,