At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

When the words "fully prepared for war" came out of Fujiwara Shigenobu's mouth, it was like a bomb exploding in a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves.

The civil and military officials looked at each other, their faces filled with panic.

If a full-scale war were to break out, the Eastern Barbarians would likely suffer heavy losses, and these ministers would not be able to enjoy their peaceful and comfortable lives.

Furthermore, if the Great Qian invades the Eastern Yi, they will all become the first targets of the Great Qian's slaughter.

However, if only we had known this would happen, we wouldn't have done it in the first place.

It was they who initially advocated that their Emperor send a large army to the territory of the Great Qian Dynasty to burn, kill, and plunder, attempting to annex this great dynasty.

Now, this sleeping dragon is awakening, and a bloody storm is about to greet them.

……

Gennosuke remained calm, and after thinking for a long time, he said, "Full-scale preparations are far from enough."

At this moment, Ito Shinbu's attention was entirely focused on Gennosuke.

He pressed on impatiently, "Does my dear minister have any other ideas?"

Ministers such as Fujiwara no Shigenobu also looked at Gennosuke, all hoping that he could come up with a plan.

"Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but Grand Marshal Su Mu of the Great Qian Dynasty has already recruited 300,000 soldiers in Jiangnan."

"Such military strength is far beyond what our Eastern Barbarians can match."

"If these 300,000 troops were to cross the ocean and attack the Eastern Barbarians, the Eastern Barbarians would be in a very passive position and might even be defeated."

"After all, my Eastern Barbarian soldiers number only 150,000."

Upon hearing this, Minamoto no Yoshikiyo, who had been silent just moments before, angrily retorted.

"Gennosuke, don't you dare boost the morale of others and diminish the prestige of my Eastern Barbarian soldiers..."

"Even if that old man Su Mu has an army of 300,000, how can their fighting strength compare to my Eastern Yi army?"

"Three hundred thousand, all new recruits. My Dongyi soldiers can easily take on three of them at once."

"Let alone 300,000, even if it were 400,000 or 500,000, my Dongyi soldiers would not be afraid."

"Shut up!" Ito Kamuyatsu stood up straight and shouted at Minamoto Yoshikiyo.

"Minamoto no Yoshikiyo, as the head of the military commanders in the court, how can you be so arrogant and overbearing? How can you lead troops into battle? Don't you know that underestimating the enemy is a grave taboo?"

"If you continue like this, I will execute you."

Ito Kamui was incredibly imposing, which frightened Minamoto Yoshikiyo so much that he immediately knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Your...Your Majesty, this humble general knows his crime, this humble general knows his crime."

"Get out of here, don't disturb me and my ministers' discussion of strategies." Ito Shinmu waved his hand impatiently.

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo quickly retreated, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

Seeing Minamoto no Yoshikiyo's appearance, Gennosuke became even more determined in his mind.

It's going to be difficult to win a battle with this guy.

"Gennosuke, please continue..."

After receiving the Emperor's permission, Gennosuke continued: "Therefore, I believe that while we are preparing for war in full force, we must also seek allies."

alliance?

This statement surprised everyone.

"The alliance that Lord Gennosuke mentioned, could it be the Kingdom of Ryutama?" Fujiwara Shigenobu was the first to raise a question.

This also caught Ito Shintake's eye.

The Kingdom of Liuyu is separated from the Eastern Barbarians by only a sea!

"Indeed," Gennosuke replied. "The Kingdom of Ryutaku has been trading with the Eastern Barbarians for many years and has close ties with them. Moreover, the Kingdom of Ryutaku is just across the sea from the Eastern Barbarians, so they are like lips and teeth."

"As the saying goes, if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. If my Dongyi is conquered by Daqian, Liuyu Kingdom will surely be in crisis."

"Therefore, forming an alliance with the Kingdom of Laluyu to jointly confront the Great Qian is truly the best strategy."

"Your Majesty, please make the decision."

Gennosuke's remarks shocked the ministers.

This is a path they dared not even imagine.

"However, the Liuyu Kingdom and the Dongyi Kingdom merely engage in trade. They have no past grievances with the Great Qian Dynasty and are currently at odds with it. Would they be willing to form an alliance with me and join forces against the Great Qian Dynasty?"

"Yes, after all, this is not a simple battle, but a war involving three countries. Is Ryukyu really willing to ally with us?" Fujiwara Shigeyu was also full of doubts, since this would only bring harm and no benefit to Ryukyu.

Gennosuke, however, was very confident. With a smile and a firm gaze, he said, "If we only call on the Ryukyu Kingdom to fight, they naturally won't come."

"What if we told them that once we defeat Daqian, the two countries would join forces to invade Daqian's territory and then divide it up equally?"

"Do you think the Kingdom of Liuyu will agree?"

This statement caused another uproar.

"Yes, this method is feasible."

"After all, who wouldn't want a piece of the lucrative Daqian pie?"

"Like us, Liuyu Kingdom is an island nation with limited land and resources, making it difficult for it to develop and grow stronger."

"Once we take over Daqian, things will be different."

"Yes, this is a good idea. I think the King of Liuyu Kingdom will definitely agree to such an alliance."

"After all, this is the best way for our two countries to take over Daqian."

The ministers looked at each other, whispering amongst themselves, and finally unanimously agreed with Gennosuke's method.

At this moment, Fujiwara Shigenobu nodded in agreement: "Lord Gennosuke's plan is feasible."

"With the combined forces of the two countries, including the Kingdom of Liuyu, we can surely defeat the Great Qian."

"Moreover, both Liuyu Kingdom and our Dongyi are naval powers. In naval warfare, Daqian will undoubtedly be defeated."

"Once we defeat the Daqian navy, the alliance between our two nations can seize the opportunity to march down into Daqian and complete our unfinished grand ambitions."

Minamoto no Yoshikiyo stood up, patted his chest, and said, "If this matter can really be accomplished, we military officers will go all out to annihilate the Daqian navy in the East China Sea."

Looking at the assembled civil and military officials, full of pride and ambition, Ito Jinmu was also very excited.

In this way, it would be easier for the Eastern Yi Kingdom to succeed in challenging the Great Qian Kingdom alone.

Moreover, he could have kept a backup plan during the alliance, and once he conquered Daqian, he could have immediately sent troops to occupy the heart of Jiangnan, causing Liuyu Kingdom to miss out on the most prosperous region of Daqian.

"Good, very good!"

Ito Shinmu excitedly stood up, clapped his hands, and walked towards Gennosuke, saying, "My dear Gennosuke, this plan is brilliant and perfectly suited to my taste."

"If this matter succeeds, you will be the greatest contributor, and I will reward you handsomely."

"In that case, I will appoint you as my envoy, to represent me and the entire Eastern Yi Kingdom, to travel to the Liuyu Kingdom to persuade the king and secure this alliance. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Gennosuke immediately refused, saying, "Your Majesty, I am not the first choice."

"Oh?" Ito Jinwu was quite surprised upon hearing this. "If you're not the first choice, then who is?"

"Yes!" Fujiwara Shigenobu, who was standing to the side, also expressed his doubts. "This plan was proposed by you, so you are naturally the most suitable person to go."

"In my opinion, you don't need to refuse anymore."

Gennosuke smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, once I bring up this person's name, you will surely agree."

"Who?" Ito Kamuyatsu pressed.

Gennosuke then revealed the man's name without further ado.

"Your Majesty, this man is none other than Takenaka Ryosuke!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was shocked.

Is it him?