They've already breached the palace, yet all they ask of me is an edict of self-reproach.

Hit a punch, lest a hundred punches come!

Upon hearing this, the officials were all taken aback, and their emotions became somewhat excited.

They never expected that Zhao Ji, this incompetent ruler, could utter words comparable to those of a sage.

"A good move is to strike once and for all, so that you won't be hit a hundred times over."

Qin Zhanchuan murmured to himself, a glimmer of his former brilliance appearing in his dim eyes.

The Qin family risked the execution of their entire clan to purge the court of corrupt officials, and their efforts were not in vain.

His Majesty has finally come to his senses.

With Zhao Ji's words, the situation inside the Golden Palace was completely reversed.

The pro-peace officials looked extremely grim.

Ultimately, whether to fight or make peace depends on the will of Emperor Zhao Ji.

Now, Zhao Ji's attitude is quite clear.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The men, recovering from their shock, shouted in unison.

However, Lu Xuanting soon spoke up again: "If Your Majesty wants to fight, we, as your subjects, naturally have no objection. However, General Qin is now suffering from a severe poison and is unable to lead troops. I wonder which general Your Majesty intends to send to defend Qingyan City."

Lu Xuanting knew that since His Majesty was determined to send troops, there was no point in him continuing to advocate for peace talks. It would be better to start with the selection of the commander and make His Majesty back down.

Upon hearing Lu Xuanting's words, the group of military officers were quickly brought back to reality.

At this moment, inside the Golden Palace, apart from Qin Zhanchuan, there was no other commander capable of shouldering this great responsibility.

As the saying goes, it's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a good general.

These old generals may have some military talent, but asking them to defend Qingyan City is asking too much of them.

As for sending Qin Zhanchuan to the expedition...

That would be even more impossible. Not to mention that Qin Zhanchuan lost an arm, his age alone would prevent him from engaging in strenuous work.

For a moment, the Golden Palace fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

All eyes turned to the group of military officers.

Qin Zhanchuan paused for a moment, somewhat wanting to volunteer, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

Qin Zhanchuan knew very well that although his presence could boost morale, it would not help the overall situation at all, and might even hinder the army.

"My esteemed ministers, who is willing to volunteer for the expedition to the northern frontier?"

Zhao Ji looked at the group of military officers.

The generals looked at each other, most of them unafraid of death, but they dared not betray the country.

After all, even Qin Zhaoyu wasn't confident he could defend Qingyan City, let alone them.

Seeing the generals remain silent, Zhao Ji was not angry; all of this was within his expectations.

This is exactly the situation Zhao Ji wanted to see.

"No one's volunteering? In that case, I'll do it myself!"

Zhao Ji spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something trivial.

But to the gentlemen, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Is His Majesty going to personally lead the expedition?

What a joke.

Even if the situation in Dali is bad now, it is not to the point where the emperor needs to personally lead an expedition.

Moreover, this journey is fraught with peril. If His Majesty were to die in the northern frontier, then Dali would truly be doomed.

"No, Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Lu Xuanting quickly said, while glaring fiercely at the pro-war faction.

These bastards were the loudest when it came to advocating war, but now that it's time to go to the battlefield, they've all chickened out.

Of course, Lu Xuanting also knew that these generals were not really cowardly, but rather that they were not confident in defending Qingyan City, so they dared not ask to fight.

"Why not? The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the country. Now that the nation is at a critical juncture of life and death, I, as the ruler of the country, should set a good example."

Zhao Ji frowned. Although Lu Xuanting was not a treacherous minister, he had repeatedly opposed Zhao Ji, and Zhao Ji was gradually becoming impatient with him.

This time, even the Heavenly King himself couldn't stop him from leading the expedition.

The emperor guards the nation's gates, the monarch dies for the state?

The officials were startled once again and looked at Zhao Ji with surprise.

What's wrong with His Majesty today? Why does he keep saying such shocking and shameful things?

Lu Xuanting was also quite surprised at this moment.

Lu Xuanting replied earnestly, "The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state. Your Majesty's ability to have such thoughts is truly admirable. However, a country cannot be without a ruler for a single day, and Your Majesty currently has no heir. We must not take any risks."

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

The other officials echoed this sentiment.

Now, only Zhao Ji remains of the royal lineage. If Zhao Ji were to die by accident, wouldn't the three-hundred-year reign of the Great Li dynasty be completely over?

At this moment, the pro-peace and pro-war factions united in a rare display of solidarity.

"You military generals, you're the ones who say you're going to send troops, but when it comes to actually going to the battlefield, you all become cowards."

At this moment, the censor couldn't help but curse.

The pro-war faction members all looked grim, but they didn't know how to refute them.

"Duke of Qin, do you really intend for His Majesty to personally lead the expedition?"

Lu Xuanting turned to look at the pro-war group, his expression cold.

Qin Zhanchuan was also speaking out about his grievances, knowing that Lu Xuanting was asking him to give His Majesty a way out.

Immediately, Qin Zhanchuan gave a wink to a general next to him.

This general was a protégé of Qin Zhanchuan, and his military leadership ability was already considered outstanding among the pro-war faction.

The general immediately understood and stepped forward to volunteer for battle: "Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to lead the troops into battle!"

As soon as the general made his statement, the other military officers immediately echoed his sentiments.

The most important thing right now is to get the emperor to back down gracefully.

"No."

Zhao Ji refused outright. How could he not understand that these military officers were giving him a way out, but he didn't need it?

When Zhao Ji said this, all the officials were dumbfounded.

Could the emperor be serious?

"Your Majesty, your life is of paramount importance, and the well-being of countless people is at stake. How can you so easily risk your life?"

The imperial censor hurriedly came out to offer advice.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we must not take unnecessary risks!"

The men echoed this sentiment once again.

Zhao Ji's expression changed slightly. Seeing this, Eunuch Hai quickly brandished his whip and reprimanded him:

"quiet!"

The heavy crack of the whip and the eunuch's shrill voice brought the assembled officials to a quiet.

Zhao Ji surveyed the assembled officials with disdain and said in a deep voice, "Our Great Li Dynasty was founded on military might. Many of our predecessors personally led military campaigns. If our predecessors could do it, why can't I?"

"However, in the past, when emperors personally led their armies into battle, their crown princes always oversaw the affairs of state. But Your Majesty has no heir. If you were to risk your life, it could shake the very foundations of the empire!"

The censor spoke frankly, saying that if he were beheaded by the emperor, he would be in deep trouble.

"Letting the barbarians run rampant is what undermines the foundation of the nation. My mind is made up about personally leading the expedition; you need not say more. As for the matter of having heirs, that is my family affair!"

Zhao Ji was also having a headache. He had finally managed to be a wise ruler, so why was it so difficult?

"Your Majesty, there are no private matters in the imperial family. The Crown Prince is the foundation of the nation. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider. If Your Majesty insists on personally leading the expedition, this old minister... this old minister will smash his head against this Golden Palace and die to comfort the spirits of the previous emperors!"

The censor had an expression that said, "Go ahead and try to force me to my death."

Zhao Ji felt helpless; the other party's words were all sincere, and he really couldn't kill him.

However, Zhao Ji had already devised a plan for today's situation.

Zhao Ji snorted coldly and left the Golden Palace with a flick of his sleeve.

Seeing Zhao Ji leave in anger, the censor felt a surge of pride. Looking around at all the high-ranking officials in the court, he realized that only he could anger the emperor like that.

However, the censor's smile soon faded.

Of course, the smile didn't disappear; it simply moved to Grandpa Hai's face.