Chapter 234 Let’s start the war!

"As everyone knows, the lord went to the Eastern Wu in person to discuss the 'future development of the relationship between the two countries' for the long-term development of Shu, and planned to try to use the marriage of a thousand gold heavy crossbow with Wu to strengthen the relationship between Wu and Shu. However, now two and a half months have passed, and the lord who went to Wu has not sent any news back, and even Wu has not responded. So, I have to worry about whether there is any accident in the middle."

Zhuge Liang always spoke to the point and never dragged his words.

Of course, no matter how perfect a person is, there will always be people who can't stand him.

"Humph, it turns out that the military advisor who is busy with all kinds of affairs still cares about my elder brother." With a cold snort, Zhang Fei, who was sitting on the right, said with a fake smile: "It's been so long, I thought you had forgotten about it."

Wang Yao, who had just learned that the person to be discussed this time was Liu Bei, looked up, stared at Zhang Fei's tiger face, and frowned slightly.

"Second brother, you must not be rude to the military advisor." Guan Yu glanced at Zhang Fei to warn him, and then said to Zhuge Liang, "Military advisor, please continue."

Li Ping also smiled and said, "So, what do you think about this, Master Military Advisor?"

Zhuge Liang glanced at the more shrewd old man, Li Ping, and said two concise words: "House arrest."

Everyone's expression froze. Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said thoughtfully, "It is true that there has been no news from my elder brother for a long time, but, do you think this is possible? Even if he is in Wu, my elder brother will not fight for them. What good will it do them to put my elder brother under house arrest in Wu?"

"Ha. Second brother, you didn't expect this? Don't forget, our military advisor and Zhou Yu are nominally brothers!"

Under Guan Yu's puzzled gaze, Zhang Fei narrowed his tiger eyes slightly and sneered: "Perhaps these two brothers have been secretly planning to undermine our Shu Kingdom, so Wu Kingdom has placed my brother under house arrest, in order to give someone enough time to control Shu Kingdom!"

"General Zhang! Please stop saying that. A military advisor is not that kind of person!" Luna, who had been taken care of by Zhuge Liang in her early years, could not bear Zhang Fei's slander and finally couldn't help but stood up and said.

"Shut up! You are just an outsider. Don't think that you have the qualifications to talk to me like this just because you defeated Lu Bu on the Wei highlands!" Zhang Fei retorted rudely.

As soon as the words fell, Huang Zhong was not happy. He looked gloomy and glared at Zhang Fei: "Brother Yide, could you please be more polite to our girl? Do you think I am dead?"

Looking at Huang Zhong's extremely dangerous look, Zhang Fei snorted and ignored Luna who was pulled back to her seat by Wang Yao.

Zhang Fei still had many concerns about Huang Zhong, a senior archer. But even so, he still did not intend to give up: "Everyone, let me make it clear today. I believe that everyone has seen that some people in our upper echelons have become more and more authoritarian recently. Not only have they promoted a large number of low-level centurions, but they have even promoted a soldier who has been in the legion for less than a year to the upper echelons without my eldest brother's personal approval. In my opinion, this is simply cultivating confidants to plot evil!"

At this point, even a fool could tell that Zhang Fei's words were directed at Zhuge Liang and Wang Yao.

But Zhuge Liang remained silent. Instead, Huang Zhong spoke up: "Although Wang Yao's promotion to the commander-in-chief was not approved by the lord, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The military advisor had privately consulted Yun Chang and me in advance, and we both agreed. If the lord were here, he wouldn't say anything more about this matter."

boom!
Zhang Fei slapped the table so hard that it cracked, and roared, "According to what you said, can I do anything in the future without going through my brother? As long as half of the heroes agree, it will be fine? If you can make a soldier a commander today, can you make him the emperor of Shu tomorrow?!"

"You are making excuses!"

"I'm just speaking the truth!"

Looking at the two people arguing, Wang Yao realized with shame that they were not discussing military affairs at all. It was clearly two parties confronting each other!
But Wang Yao didn't say anything in the end, just like Zhuge Liang. He just rested his chin and watched Zhang Fei continue his performance with interest.

"Everyone present here has been under the protection of our Shu Kingdom for many years. I hope you will not forget your roots!"

Zhang Fei said indignantly: "This country is named Liu. It is the empire that we three brothers Liu, Guan, and Zhang fought hard to build. It is not named Zhuge! If anyone acts recklessly and intends to interfere with the power that belongs to us three brothers, then I, Zhang Fei, will be the first to stand up and tear him into pieces!"

These words were pointed and murderous, and their sensitivity was so high that it was almost like questioning Zhuge Liang's intention to usurp the throne. Therefore, as soon as Zhang Fei finished speaking, the entire conference room immediately became cold.

No one spoke first, and everyone had a stern face, except Liu Chan, who was sitting at the top. He looked at the people who were full of hostility and laughed happily. No one knew what he was thinking.
Just as the parliament fell into a deadlock.

"Third brother, you are so outrageous!"

Amidst the righteous rebuke, Guan Yu, who was always steady and composed, flew into a rage for the first time. He glared at Zhang Fei and shouted, "What do you want to do? Split up Shu?! From the moment you walked through this door, you have been opposing the military advisor in every way. Is this what you, a general commanding an army, should do?! The military advisor is loyal to my brother and dedicated to his duties to the people. Your words not only insult the military advisor, but also my brother who asked the military advisor to come out of Wolonggang to help govern the country!"

Among the three brothers Liu, Guan and Zhang, when the eldest brother is not around, only Guan Yu can suppress a powerful general like Zhang Fei.

After scolding Zhang Fei, Guan Yu then clasped his fists and apologized to Zhuge Liang and Wang Yao, "Military Advisor, Brother Yao, my third brother's beloved son Zhang Shao disappeared in the canyon a month ago. His whereabouts are still unknown and his life or death is uncertain. That's why he is so impatient. If there is anything wrong, please don't mind."

"It's okay. We can understand." Zhuge Liang and Wang Yao looked at each other. Only the two of them understood the meaning.

As a peacemaker, Li Ping saw that the atmosphere was not right and said with a smile: "General Guan is right. General Zhang, at this critical moment of life and death, we should work together to prevent outsiders from taking advantage of the situation."

After a pause, Li Ping's cloudy old eyes flashed with a strange light: "But as the saying goes, a country cannot be without a king for a day. I suggest that from now on, we support Prince Liu Chan as the new emperor. Only in this way can we live up to the kindness of our former master and stabilize the hearts of the people."

Zhuge Liang opposed this decision, which was considered the best policy to some extent, and pointed out its disadvantages: "The ruler is young and the country is in doubt. The prince is young. If we hastily appoint him as the new ruler, I am afraid it will be difficult to convince the people. This suggestion is really a temporary solution!"

Zhang Fei, who had finally suppressed Guan Yu, exploded again when he heard this: "Zhuge Liang! If you want to monopolize power, just say it directly! Why are you beating around the bush?!" "Third brother!"

"Second brother, you and eldest brother are too indulgent to this person!"

"General Zhang, please be patient and take the overall situation into consideration."

Seeing that the parliament, which had finally stabilized, was suddenly plunged into a meaningless dispute again, Huang Zhong closed his eyes and shook his head without saying a word, as if he was too lazy to argue with Zhang Fei anymore.

Luna also frowned, looking helpless.

Just when everyone was in a stalemate, a voice suddenly rang out without warning.

"In that case, let's go to war with the Wu Kingdom!"

This is what Wang Yao said. Although his voice was not loud, it made the noisy meeting room quiet down instantly.

Everyone turned their heads at once, looking at Wang Yao with different expressions, who had remained silent from beginning to end.

"Do you know what you are talking about?" Zhang Fei looked down upon the soldier with great disdain. To him, this soldier was an eyesore, just as hateful as the 'dictatorial' Zhuge Liang.

"I know what I'm talking about." Ignoring the big guy Zhang Fei, Wang Yao said calmly, "But I think this is the best decision at the moment. Wu's trick is to make our Shu Kingdom leaderless and cause internal strife, just like now. So, I think our best response is to take the initiative to attack Wu. If Wu still doesn't release Brother Liu, then we will attack their high ground and personally welcome Brother Liu back! I believe that this is what the military advisor planned from the beginning."

As he spoke, Wang Yao turned around and looked at Zhuge Liang beside him: "Is that so?"

"Yes." Zhuge Liang nodded without denying.

"Indeed, the best defense is to take the initiative. But." Li Ping, who had always been the peacemaker, showed displeasure on his old face like a dead tree at this moment: "General Yao, you are still too young. War is not as simple as it sounds! It requires countless troops, material resources, and wealth. We can't devote the whole country's strength to fight a war that will hurt both sides. What's more, what if we fail? You know,

Years of war have already exhausted our Shu Kingdom. At this time, our Shu Kingdom should rest and recuperate, prepare for war and wait for the times to change. This decision was agreed by not only the lord, but also the military advisor. That is why our Shu Kingdom has never actively attacked Wu and Wei for so long! Forcing a war will only make the troubled Shu Kingdom worse.
"Before you say these words, please be considerate of me, an old man who is in charge of the logistics and finance of the entire Shu Kingdom. I have worked hard to run Shu Kingdom for so many years, and it is not easy. In our Shu Kingdom, millions of lower-class people who are deeply troubled by heavy taxes have long been miserable and complaining. What if the situation is not handled properly and a civil uprising is aroused? Has General Yao ever considered this?"

Wang Yao didn't expect that Li Ping would start talking nonstop as if he had prepared a draft in advance.

But it is undeniable that what Li Ping said makes sense. Although Wang Yao does not understand economics, he has read history and knows that there have been countries that have been dragged down or even destroyed by a foreign war.

War is by no means as simple as some passionate young people who just make empty noises all day long. As senior leaders, there are many factors and concerns that often force them to swallow their anger.

This is also the reason why Zhuge Liang did not say that he would take the initiative to attack the State of Wu at the beginning.

Apart from Zhang Fei's obstruction and various limitations on manpower, material resources and financial resources, the most important thing is, as he had said to Wang Yao at the beginning, starting a canyon war would consume the life of the earth. Although Zhuge Liang was an advocate of war, he was well aware that the land of Shu had long been barren. If the consumption continued, one day this land would become a desert and would become completely uninhabitable.

On this point, Zhuge Liang, who understood the pros and cons, could not convince Li Ping openly no matter what.

But
At this moment, looking at Wang Yao with a confident face, Zhuge Liang suddenly felt that perhaps this little soldier, who had been placed with high hopes by himself and Su An, might be able to convince Li Ping.

"I can understand Mr. Li's difficulties."

Wang Yao said solemnly, "Indeed, I am still too young, so many people are psychologically very dissatisfied with my sudden promotion. But I also started as a soldier and worked my way up step by step. In that cruel place where thousands of people died at any time, I only understood one truth."

At this point, Wang Yao's red and black eyes flashed with a hint of coldness without making a sound: "That is, respect and dignity must be earned by oneself!"

Amid the subtle looks of the crowd, Wang Yao stood up and said loudly: "Everyone present here actually knows very well that at present, Wu, Shu and Wei are in a tripartite competition, and among them, Wei is the strongest, followed by our Shu, and finally Wu. That is why we are eager to strengthen our relationship with Wu, because everyone understands that our real opponent is the powerful Wei, and only by forming an alliance with Wu can we have no worries. But everyone, don't forget one thing.

Four months ago, when our Shu Kingdom was in a desperate situation due to lack of combat power, it was the people of Wu Kingdom who seized the opportunity to launch a massive invasion with the intention of annexing our Shu Kingdom! If we don’t take this opportunity to teach them a lesson today and make them wary of Shu Kingdom in the future, this situation will not be the last! There will be a second and third time, and if this continues, the damage to Shu Kingdom will only be greater. A kind person will be bullied, and a good horse will be ridden. I think everyone understands this truth, so whether it is to deter Wu Kingdom or for Brother Liu, we should fight this battle.”

The huge meeting hall was dead silent!
Everyone looked at Wang Yao in disbelief. Almost no one would have thought that this new warlord who was attending the parliament for the first time would have such foresight and courage.

Even Zhang Fei, who was the most picky, was still dissatisfied, but in the end he was speechless!

"A true alliance cannot be formed by a political marriage or a sincere heart alone. We must also make our allies recognize our strength!"

Looking at everyone's shocked expressions, Wang Yao raised the corners of his mouth and revealed a creepy sneer.

"It's time to teach those guys in Wu a lesson."

(End of this chapter)