I run a training class in Shu Han

Chapter 20 Rich

Yong Kai's open provocation divided the assembled officials into two factions.

One faction, led by Li Yan, advocated for immediate military action to quell the internal strife.

One faction, led by Qiao Zhou, was a conservative group that suggested appeasement as the best course of action.

The two factions argued endlessly, and finally turned their attention to Zhuge Liang.

"Prime Minister, what is your opinion?"

Zhuge Liang hesitated.

He thought it was feasible to send troops or appease them from the beginning.

But now Yong Kai has become so arrogant that he doesn't even give Li Yan face. He has directly raised an army with the other prefects of the southern counties, openly surrendered to Eastern Wu, and incited the people to attack the newly appointed prefects of the court. There is no room for reversal.

Therefore, whether to send troops or continue to appease, the opportunity has already been missed.

After pondering for a moment, Zhuge Liang sighed and looked at Liu Shan.

Long ago, the emperor and his minister had discussed the matter of Yong Kai. At that time, Zhuge Liang advocated peace, but Liu Shan rejected the idea.

Thus, the command of the Yong Kai affair fell into the hands of Liu Shan.

Therefore, Zhuge Liang did not know how Liu Shan had made arrangements.

"Your Majesty, I believe the rebellion in the south began with Yong Kai's desire to submit to Sun Quan. The best course of action now is to send an envoy to Eastern Wu to establish friendly relations. Then Yong Kai will be no longer a threat."

"It's not too late to launch a campaign after the court has recovered its strength."

Indeed, this is the style of the Prime Minister: steady and not rash, always cautious and prudent.

If I hadn't studied history, I might have genuinely believed that this was the optimal solution at the moment.

Now...

"Your Excellency's words are reasonable, but I would like to ask everyone present, what is Nanzhong?"

The courtiers were stunned.

What is Nanzhong?

Aren't they just four counties in the south?

This area is home to many ethnic minorities who are known for their fierce and unyielding nature and resistance to imperial rule, making it a relatively difficult region to govern.

Although difficult to manage, there are grudges between the various ethnic groups, making it difficult to unite them. Even in rebellions, they are just a motley crew.

Therefore, there is no need to rush to quell the rebellion.

"Nanzhong is the heartland of Yizhou, with soldiers, mines, and grain, enough to support tens of thousands of elite troops."

"If we abandon this strategic location, how will I support my army?"

Liu Shan's meaning couldn't be clearer: the southern regions were a rich and prosperous land, and they absolutely had to be conquered.

"Your Majesty, at present, the country is short of soldiers, the national treasury is empty, the people are poor, and the court has no more troops to send."

"Even if we could send troops to encircle and suppress them, we wouldn't be able to supply them with provisions."

Whenever war is involved, the Yizhou faction is the first to disagree.

The money, provisions, and troops for this war were all squeezed out of these powerful families in Yizhou.

"Your Majesty need not worry about military matters. I will only take my own troops and need to supply the army with provisions."

This would only make the Yizhou faction, led by Qiao Zhou, even less likely to agree.

You send troops, I will provide supplies. If you cannot subdue Yong Kai in a short time, then I will have to supply him with a continuous stream of provisions.

If you manage to survive without losing any troops, I'll have to risk my entire fortune.

That's quite a meticulous plan!

Absolutely not.

"Your Majesty, the court is out of money, and the funds and provisions of the major families have been exhausted in Yiling. Moreover, Your Majesty is going to implement new policies, so there is really no grain left to spare."

Old fox.

Li Yan cursed inwardly.

Although everyone is having a hard time, we can still supply enough food for several months.

I'm afraid they're worried that by staying put and receiving a salary without working, they'll bankrupt you all.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to sign a military pledge that if Yong Kai is not appeased within one month, he shall be punished according to military law."

"Prime Minister Zhuge, Grand Master Qiao, gentlemen, is this acceptable?"

No one doubted Li Yan's abilities.

However, Yizhou is currently shrouded in the gloom of defeat, with low morale and boiling resentment among the people. Can it win in such a state?

"I disagree with sending troops."

Zhuge Liang was no longer concerned with Liu Shan's underlying arrangements; he was simply making a judgment based on the current situation.

"If we had launched our attack a few months ago, our army would have had a chance of victory. But now, the other two prefectures have responded to Yong Kai and rebelled simultaneously. Protector Li only has one army; how can he possibly defeat them?"

"In my opinion, we should form an alliance with Eastern Wu externally and cultivate a militia internally. When the time is right, we should send troops out in three routes simultaneously, and the southern region will surely be pacified."

Zhuge Liang's analysis of the situation was accepted by everyone, but Li Yan was unwilling to back down.

"Prime Minister, although your analysis is reasonable, His Majesty just said that the pacification of the South must be carried out immediately. Your words, Prime Minister, are contrary to His Majesty's will."

Speaking of "going against the emperor's wishes," Zhuge Liang still regrets to this day that he failed to persuade Liu Bei to attack Eastern Wu.

It was originally thought that the Battle of Yiling was evenly matched and would result in a stalemate.

If the stalemate continues for too long, Yizhou will run out of food supplies, and without food, Liu Bei will naturally retreat.

In this way, the only loss would be food supplies, and the soldiers could be brought back safely.

But who would have thought that Liu Bei underestimated his enemy and set up camp in the dense forest along the riverbank, only to have his camp burned for seven hundred miles by Lu Xun?

Not only did the elite troops suffer heavy losses, but many generals and important officials also died in the fire, causing a devastating blow to the newly established Shu Han regime.

"Your Majesty, these are my heartfelt words, and my sincere remonstrance is evident to Heaven and Earth. I urge Your Majesty to consider them carefully."

Zhuge Liang rose and knelt in worship, and the group of important officials from Jingzhou behind him also knelt in worship.

"How could I not know the Prime Minister's heart? Please rise quickly."

Li Yan was afraid that Liu Shan would waver in his decision to send troops, and was about to continue to remonstrate when Liu Shan interrupted him.

"Governor Li, my resolve to send troops to quell the rebellion remains unwavering; there is no need to say more."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan beamed with joy, thinking that he could use this opportunity to gradually gain control of the military forces outside of Yong'an.

"But I have already made arrangements for pacifying the south. Protector Li should stay in Chengdu and help me implement the new policies."

Everyone was filled with questions after hearing this.

Was it planned in advance?

How come there was no prior notice of such a large-scale troop mobilization?

Ignoring the reactions of others, Liu Shan shifted his focus back to promoting his training program.

"Let's get back to the main topic. Today we're discussing the new policies for the Imperial Academy, not that clown Yong Kai. Your Excellency, tell me the truth, how much money and grain can the court spare to support these new policies?"

Originally, according to the plan, Zhuge Liang could have squeezed money and grain from the national treasury to implement the new policies.

But now that war has broken out in the south, the imperial court has incurred an additional expense.

"Your Majesty, if we were to wage war against the Southern Regions now, I'm afraid..."

"I'm embarrassed," said Jiang Wan, who was in charge of finances in the Prime Minister's office.

"As I have said, I had already made arrangements for the rebellion in the south, so you need not worry. Now I ask, does the court still have the funds and provisions to support the new policies?"

This is insane! This must be insane!

Everyone was greatly surprised by Liu Shan's move.

The rebellion in the south is so far-reaching that it's impossible for you to resolve it with just a few words.

Even if we send an elite force to quell the rebellion in the three counties, it will take at least two months. How do we calculate the consumption of food and supplies during this period?

If all the money and grain are invested in the new policies, I'm afraid the whole country will be in turmoil.

The ministers lowered their heads and discussed amongst themselves; although they opposed it, none of them dared to speak out.

"rich!"

A powerful and resounding reply broke the deadlock.

Zhuge Liang slowly rose and said, "Your Majesty, the court is wealthy!"