Chapter 89

It was the second watch of the tiger hour.

Although the entire capital was still festively lit, the various clamors gradually subsided.

With the conclusion of the Great Xia Poetry Gathering, the capital also became a bit quieter.

The events that occurred during the poetry gathering gradually spread.

Gu Jinnian's creation of timeless poetry, coupled with his revelation of a startlingly profound article, instantly caused a stir in the capital.

The common people were amazed by Gu Jinnian's talent.

Especially some women, upon hearing that Gu Jinnian could compose a poem in seven steps, instantly fell in admiration.

However, during the poetry gathering, Gu Jinnian's act of insulting the sage also sparked some controversy.

But no matter what, this was the Great Xia Poetry Gathering, a gathering of friends through poetry, with the main theme being the competition of poetry, so these controversies were not too significant and needed time to ferment.

Regardless, the first place of the Great Xia Poetry Gathering was already determined to be Gu Jinnian.

Four timeless masterpieces; if he didn't win first place, there would be no point in having this poetry gathering.

It was precisely because of this that the talented scholars from various countries felt somewhat hopeless. Although they knew they couldn't win first place, with the emergence of a prodigy like Gu Jinnian, no one wanted to continue participating in the competition.

Logically, even if someone composed a poem that could awe the nation today, everyone would still compose a few poems, just to show support, and getting second or third place would still be quite good.

But Gu Jinnian was like the sun in the world of poetry, hanging high in the sky, making it impossible for them to shine with their own light.

No one wanted to compose a poem, and no one felt like composing a poem; it was completely meaningless.

Even if they composed a poem, it wouldn't just be for show; they wouldn't even be qualified to carry Gu Jinnian's shoes, purely embarrassing.

However, after the grand event ended.

The scholars were satisfied, even though they didn't compose poems, they at least witnessed a historic spectacle, which would give them something to boast about in the future.

But after the full court of officials and envoys from various countries left, they seemed somewhat preoccupied.

Too many things happened today.

The national fortune of the Xiongnu was diminished.

The Kong and Gu families completely fell out.

The emperor's choice.

These were not trivial matters. As court officials, who among them was not a shrewd person? This bit of information could make them think of countless possibilities.

First, with the weakening of the Xiongnu's national fortune, should the Great Xia attack? Should they seize the opportunity to reclaim the twelve border cities?

From the perspective of Emperor Yongsheng, he would definitely want to launch an attack, but can the current Great Xia wage war? Is it capable of waging war?

These were all questions, and they were all significant questions.

They had to consider whether this war could be fought, and if it could, why it could be fought? What benefits would they gain? If it couldn't be fought, why not? What harm would it bring if they did fight?

If these matters were not thoroughly considered, they would not be able to answer the emperor satisfactorily when he spoke, and the emperor would not tolerate unsatisfactory answers.

Especially, today, these Confucian officials were all scolded by Emperor Yongsheng. Although it was just a few simple words, the actual impact was significant.

If in a few days, during the court session, the emperor spoke about launching an attack on the border, it would often be the Confucian officials who would speak first to stop the war.

But if Emperor Yongsheng brought up today's events, what could the Confucian officials say? With their credibility already damaged, what right did they have to criticize the emperor?

Moreover, the split between the Kong and Gu families would inevitably intensify the conflict between the civil and military officials.

This was not much to say, as their relationship was already not good, and it would only get worse, with each side not backing down.

But the most critical issue was the emperor's attitude.

Today, at the poetry gathering, Emperor Yongsheng seemed to uphold fairness, but in reality, he was still favoring Gu Jinnian.

Nothing can be judged by surface appearances. What is right or wrong, who is wronged or not?

Everything is about interests. The Confucian officials supporting the Kong family, in the end, was to establish a connection with the Kong family; they did not care about the Gu family's thoughts.

Gu Jinnian was part of the military faction, and they could not align with him. If they did, they would be the ones to suffer.

Since the conflict between the civil and military factions has reached an extreme, they would naturally support their own faction.

For example, if this had happened in a military camp, and Kong Yu dared to say that Gu Jinnian cheated by getting the answers in advance.

All the generals inside and outside would surely criticize him. Some hot-tempered ones might even take Kong Yu outside to educate him properly, and then make him answer the question again.

It was that simple.

The emperor's attitude clearly favored Gu Jinnian, which was a bad sign, using Gu Jinnian's incident to warn these Confucian officials.

The general meaning could be deduced with careful thought.

The emperor has the intention to launch a military campaign.

At this moment.

In the Great Xia Imperial Palace.

Inside the Yangxin Hall.

Emperor Yongsheng stood under the candlelight, facing away from Chuan Sheng Gong.

"Your Majesty."

"This is the military secrets obtained by my clan members in the Xiongnu Kingdom."

"Moreover, my clan members discovered that children frequently disappear from the northern border. In the past six months, over three hundred have vanished."

"This matter has been known by the border officials but not reported. I hope Your Majesty will investigate."

Chuan Sheng Gong handed over a memorial about the Xiongnu's military secrets.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongsheng turned around and took the memorial.

He flipped through it and, after a while, slowly spoke.

"It seems that Fulu and the Jin Dynasty have been aiding the Xiongnu a lot. In just three years, they have increased their troops by five hundred thousand and secretly trained a hundred thousand iron cavalry."

"This is truly at great cost."

Emperor Yongsheng placed the memorial aside. The so-called military secrets were actually the enemy's movements, including some troop data.

An increase of five hundred thousand troops was not an exaggerated matter. The Xiongnu were naturally skilled in archery and horsemanship, making them natural soldiers, not just because of their physical strength, but also due to the Jin Dynasty's secret support.

The entire Xiongnu population was roughly ten million, but excluding the elderly, women, and children, there were about four million able-bodied men. Once a war broke out, these four million could instantly become soldiers.

In other words, if the Great Xia Dynasty went to war with the Xiongnu, they would face four million troops.

But the most terrifying thing was not this, but the Xiongnu's iron cavalry, which was the most troublesome existence for the Great Xia Dynasty.

The cavalry was too strong.

Living on the grasslands, they were naturally skilled in archery and horsemanship, and the cavalry was the Xiongnu's greatest trump card.

If it weren't for the Great Xia Dynasty's Dragon Gate Cannons, the Xiongnu would have occupied more than just twelve cities.

The Dragon Gate Cannons were rare, not because of iron ore issues, but for reasons unknown, which was the greatest secret of the Great Xia Imperial Family.

Only the Great Xia Dynasty's cannons could be called Dragon Gate Cannons, with power several times greater than those of other dynasties, playing a significant role in large-scale wars.

They could break any infantry formation, such as the Phoenix Wing Formation, the Long Spear Formation, and the Whirlwind Formation.

These formations were designed to prevent cavalry charges.

But in the face of cannon fire, no formation was effective.

However, the Dragon Gate Cannons were not very effective against cavalry, as the Xiongnu cavalry moved extremely fast, and they wouldn't foolishly send cavalry directly.

Cannons also required time to reload, and if they could fire continuously, cavalry would be irrelevant.

Of course, if Emperor Yongsheng were ruthless enough to deploy all the Dragon Gate Cannons from the borders and the capital to the northern border, the chances of victory would be high.

But if he did so, the northern victory would be absolute, but the other three regions would certainly be overrun.

Would the Fulu Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty stand idly by? Would they tolerate the Great Xia Dynasty reclaiming the twelve cities right in front of them?

These twelve cities were of great significance, especially to the Jin Dynasty.

The twelve northern border cities were originally a buffer zone to resist the Xiongnu. Now that they were taken by the Xiongnu, they had become a buffer zone for the Xiongnu. If the Great Xia Dynasty launched an attack on the Xiongnu, they would have to attack from here. Otherwise, if they went around, the rugged terrain would turn a two or three-day journey into several months.

Not to mention whether the soldiers could endure it, just the logistics of transporting food would be impossible, and the supply lines would be a complete mess.

Therefore, without reclaiming the twelve cities, there was no hope of conquering the Xiongnu.

And once the Xiongnu was conquered, continuing north would lead to a small country, a vassal state of the Jin Dynasty. In other words, after solving the Xiongnu issue, the Great Xia and the Jin Dynasties would face each other directly.

The military capabilities of the Jin Dynasty and the Great Xia Dynasty differed greatly. This was because the Jin Dynasty had abundant resources, and the Great Xia Dynasty was relatively new.

In many aspects, the Great Xia Dynasty was inferior to the Jin Dynasty, to put it bluntly, they lacked money.

The Jin Dynasty claimed to have a million cavalry, although this was somewhat exaggerated, the actual number was not far off.

The Jin Dynasty's cavalry, although not as powerful as the Xiongnu's, had assimilated some Xiongnu over the years.

They had taken root in the Jin Dynasty, producing many descendants of both the Jin and Xiongnu, who were physically strong and, with the support of dragon rice, became a force second only to the Xiongnu cavalry.

Of course, the number was small, but they were the elite of the elite.

Given time, the Jin Dynasty would certainly cultivate a significant number of Xiongnu cavalry, and they would be their own people.

Cavalry was a god-like force on the battlefield, virtually unbeatable.

All the major dynasties were vigorously developing cavalry, but most were unable to do so, simply because they lacked money.

To cultivate a cavalryman, one needed two top-quality warhorses, one as a backup. The soldier had to be physically strong, far surpassing ordinary people, not just a warrior but also skilled in archery and horsemanship. Combat on horseback was entirely different from infantry combat.

It required harmony between man and horse, to kill enemies and break through formations.

Additionally, five sets of armor had to be prepared, as after each battle, they needed to be repaired, and a new set had to be worn. Sometimes, they fought several battles a day, and they had to maintain peak condition at all times.

Furthermore, four infantrymen were needed to put on and take off the armor, two stable hands, and one cook to prepare meals for the cavalry.

This made up seven people.

This was the standard configuration. In the army, it was better, but during campaigns, none of these support personnel could be spared, as they could die at any moment.

If it was a long campaign, everything had to be fully equipped.

This was why Emperor Yongsheng was somewhat moved upon learning that the Xiongnu had secretly trained a hundred thousand iron cavalry.

A hundred thousand iron cavalry, how much silver would that cost?

To maintain ten thousand iron cavalry for a year would cost about twenty million taels of silver, including military supplies, horse equipment, blacksmiths, cavalry rations, horse rations, cavalry salaries, and the salaries of support personnel.

The more, the cheaper, as contracting to merchants could save money.

But for a hundred thousand iron cavalry, at least 150 million taels of silver a year would be required, regardless of the price differences in different regions.

This amount of silver, the Great Xia Dynasty could not afford.

But for the Fulu Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty, this was not a problem. Moreover, the Xiongnu would provide minerals as trade goods, and the Xiongnu had countless mountains and treasures, most of which would be offered to the Jin Dynasty.

In exchange, the political and strategic needs of the Jin Dynasty made aiding the Xiongnu a profitable venture.

The Fulu Dynasty also needed the Xiongnu's land to grow food, which was also a profitable venture.

The Great Xia Dynasty, on the other hand, was completely isolated. After all, being the second to be attacked was inevitable.

"Your Majesty, with the Xiongnu secretly training a hundred thousand iron cavalry, I believe the Great Xia should issue a warning."

"Perhaps we should deploy fifty Dragon Gate Cannons to the northern border. This would serve as a precaution, a warning, and preparation for war."

"Given the Xiongnu's dissatisfaction with their reduced national fortune, they will certainly seek an explanation from the Great Xia. If not handled properly, war could break out at any moment. Your Majesty must be prepared."

Chuan Sheng Gong spoke.

He was actively requesting war preparations.

This surprised Emperor Yongsheng.

Didn't these scholars always argue against war?

Why were they suddenly asking him to launch an attack?

This was unusual.

But Emperor Yongsheng did not adopt Chuan Sheng Gong's suggestion. Instead, he slowly said,

"The Xiongnu has no face to start a war."

Emperor Yongsheng spoke. Although the Xiongnu was secretly training a hundred thousand iron cavalry, so what?

As long as the Great Xia had the Dragon Gate Cannons, the Xiongnu would not dare to initiate a war. If a war did break out, the Xiongnu would suffer more, and more importantly, it wasn't just about the Xiongnu targeting the Great Xia.

In reality, did they not want to be the masters? The Xiongnu people were looking forward to becoming the third major dynasty in the Eastern Wasteland, replacing the Fulu Dynasty.

Not replacing the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Great Xia Dynasty was born from the unification of ten countries. Unless the Xiongnu's population increased by several times, with just ten million people, how could they hope to conquer the Great Xia?

They might as well go to sleep.

As for deploying fifty Dragon Gate Cannons, Emperor Yongsheng would not agree unless a war was truly imminent. Why deploy them otherwise?

What if something happened?

Each cannon was irreplaceable.

"Your Majesty, one must be cautious."

Chuan Sheng Gong continued.

However, Emperor Yongsheng shook his head and said,

"Enough, I will consider it."

"By the way, regarding today's events, you must strictly discipline your clan members. I have indeed received many reports recently, and your Kong family is becoming increasingly arrogant."

"I respect the sage, so I did not reprimand you, but that does not mean I do not know what the Kong family has been doing these years."

"Currently, everyone must behave. I do not want to hear any noise. If the noise becomes too loud, I will not hesitate to silence them completely."

"Do you understand?"

Emperor Yongsheng spoke. He did not need Chuan Sheng Gong to teach him about war.

But some matters had to be addressed.

Otherwise, according to the Kong family's nature, after the poetry gathering, they would use their influence to make the scholars criticize Gu Jinnian.

This was something Emperor Yongsheng could guess with his little toe.

So now, he had to suppress it, not because he favored Gu Jinnian, but because he wanted Gu Jinnian to focus on his studies.

Otherwise, the public opinion would affect him, even if he ignored it, it would still have an impact.

The scholars were skilled at attacking the heart. If they couldn't kill a person, they would attack their heart, making it impossible for them to concentrate on their studies. In three to five years, they would become useless.

"Your Majesty, I will personally issue strict orders, but what the Crown Prince said was indeed inappropriate. Even if I speak, it might not be enough to silence everyone."

He looked serious, indicating he would strictly enforce the orders, but the problem was that Gu Jinnian's