Chapter 312: Arguments in the court Zhao Yingluo's eyes flashed with approval, and she understood Lu Yihao's intention. Substantial annexation means not only annexing Daxia in name, but also actually controlling its territory and people so that it can truly become a part of the Song Dynasty. Left Prime Minister Lu Yihao stood in the court hall and stated his views solemnly: "Your Majesty, colleagues, it is our country's long-cherished wish to attack the Kingdom of Jin, but before that, I believe that we must first truly annex the Kingdom of Daxia. Only in this way can we ensure that the Great Xia Kingdom will not become a piece of grass that falls with the wind and wavers at critical moments. " There were whispers in the court hall. Many courtiers looked surprised and were obviously shocked by Lu Yihao's proposal. In their view, Daxia was already a vassal state of the Song Dynasty, and Li Qianshun was even named the Shun King of the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty and Daxia had already established a vassal-vassal relationship. It seemed inappropriate to mention annexation at this moment. An old minister twirled his beard and said slowly: "Prime Minister Zuo, now Daxia Kingdom is nominally owned by our Song Dynasty, and Li Qianshun is also the king of Shun who canonized by our Song Dynasty. If we annex it again, I may break the trust of the world." "Exactly. Is what Zuo Xiang said a little too hasty?" Another civil servant agreed. At the same time, he turned to the emperor on the dragon throne and bowed deeply, "Your Majesty, since Daxia has surrendered, we should convince others with virtue. , rather than using force.” The left prime minister Lu Yihao's voice was loud, like spring thunder exploding in the court hall: "Everyone, Daxia must be completely integrated into our Song Dynasty to ensure future stability. We cannot take risks. In the upcoming battle between Song and Jin, anything that is not Certain factors can become our weakness.”
Immediately some courtiers retorted: "The words of the Prime Minister are wrong! The Kingdom of Daxia has professed its vassalage to me, the Song Dynasty, and Li Qianshun has been named King Shun. This is the greatest sincerity. If we go back on our words, I am afraid we will make the world laugh at us!" " "Sincerity?" Lu Yihao sneered, "How much value can the sincerity of a wallflower be worth in the face of war? Once the Jin soldiers invade the border, who can predict how the Great Xia Congress will choose?" "The left prime minister is too alarmist." Another old minister said displeased, "Da Xia and Song have been in contact for a long time, and there is no doubt about their loyalty. If we propose annexation at this moment, wouldn't it be messing up the situation and giving Jin an opportunity to take advantage of it?" ?” The atmosphere in the court became increasingly tense, and the courtiers were divided into two groups, arguing with each other. "We cannot ignore the long-term crisis just because of temporary stability!" Lv Yihao argued. "Prime Minister Zuo, you keep talking about the crisis, but you ignore the greater crisis that may be brought about by annexing Daxia!" Some courtiers responded tit-for-tat. Discussions in the court continued one after another, and most of the courtiers held similar views. They believed that the annexation of Daxia was not only unnecessary, but might also cause unnecessary disputes. Zhao Yingluo sat on the jade throne. She quietly observed the debate in the court, but her heart was filled with ups and downs. She understood that this decision was related to the future of Song Dynasty, and no step could be taken wrong. She glanced calmly at the faces of each courtier. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, especially when she saw the young courtiers. She thought they would have sharper ambitions and greater ambitions, but she didn't expect them to be so conservative on this matter. "Everyone," Zhao Yingluo finally spoke, her voice clear and firm, "Zuo Xiang's proposal is not without purpose. Although Daxia has nominally surrendered to our country, King Shun Li Qianshun still calls himself emperor internally. In the coming Song and Jin Dynasties, During the war, can we ensure that the Daxia Congress will unswervingly stand on the side of the Song Dynasty? What if it has two minds? " The court suddenly fell silent, and Zhao Yingluo's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of every courtier. "What Her Royal Highness the Princess said is absolutely true," Lu Yihao took the opportunity to continue. "Only by substantively merging the Daxia Kingdom into the Song Dynasty can we ensure that nothing goes wrong. Otherwise, once the war breaks out, if the Daxia Kingdom counterattacks, the consequences will be disastrous. " However, those courtiers still stubbornly believed that unjust troops should not be raised to attack Daxia. enough! "Zhao Yingluo suddenly shouted, her voice as cold as ice, which instantly silenced the entire court, "Since Gu came to power, he has always been putting national interests first. Today, regarding the issue of Daxia, what we need is calm analysis, not meaningless quarrels. " She looked around and continued: "The left prime minister's concerns are not unreasonable, but we cannot ignore the opinions of other courtiers. This matter is of great importance, and I need time to weigh it carefully. Retreat from the court!" After saying that, Zhao Yingluo stood up and left the throne, leaving the courtiers looking at each other. In the imperial garden of the palace, the sun shines dappledly on the glazed tiles, and the breeze gently blows through the green willow leaves, bringing bursts of fresh vegetation. Zhao Yingluo was dressed in gorgeous clothes and strolling along the paths in the garden, but she had a lot of thoughts in her heart. Today in the court, the proposal to actually control the territory of Daxia met with a lot of resistance. Li Qianshun, the leader of the Great Xia Kingdom, paid tribute to the Song Dynasty on time every year and showed complete deference. This made it difficult for her and her ministers to find a suitable reason to break this superficial peace. She knew that if she wanted to truly control Daxia, she had to have an outright reason, otherwise it would only arouse criticism from people all over the world.
The disputes at court made her feel tired, so she decided to take a walk in the imperial garden to relieve her worries. At this time, she saw the Supreme Emperor Zhao Ji and his brother Zhao Huan taking their concubines to drink tea and chat in the garden, surrounded by laughter and laughter. Zhao Yingluo slowly approached. Emperor Zhao Ji had sharp eyes and saw her at a glance. He smiled and waved her over. "Yingluo, look at your frown, is there something bothering you in the court?" Zhao Ji asked gently. Zhao Yingluo sat down next to him, sighed softly, and began to reveal the troubles in her heart: "Dad, there are indeed a lot of troubles in the court. I have always intended to actually control the land of Daxia in order to consolidate the borders of my country. However, The current leader of the Great Xia Kingdom, Li Qianshun, behaves extremely respectfully and pays tribute to the Song Dynasty every year. This makes it difficult for us to find a suitable reason to attack the Great Xia Dynasty. " Huan put down the tea cup in his hand and continued: "Sister Huang, this matter is indeed difficult. Although Daxia is surrendered on the surface, there is no guarantee that they will not have different intentions. However, we cannot raise troops for no reason. This is against the law of heaven." "What the emperor said is absolutely true." Zhao Yingluo nodded, "But I can't let this opportunity go in vain. The Great Xia Kingdom is in a critical position. If we can actually control it, it will be of immeasurable significance to the Song Dynasty's future attack on the Jin Kingdom. " Zhao Ji stroked his beard, pondered for a moment and then said: "My son, I understand your idea and support it. But this matter needs to be considered in the long term and cannot be rushed." "Dad, this is exactly what worries me." Zhao Yingluo sighed, "Li Qianshun's submissiveness has actually become a constraint for us."