Chapter 37: Does He Even Deserve to Be a General?

Inside the grand hall, the civil and military officials had already gathered, whispering among themselves.

"Lord Ouyang, the recent actions of the Wa Kingdom have likely been long in the planning. We must be extremely cautious in selecting the commander-in-chief for our forces!"

"In my humble opinion, although our Great Zhou has enjoyed a long period of peace, we are still teeming with renowned generals and brilliant strategists. This mere Wa Kingdom is simply courting its own humiliation!"

"I disagree. The Wa Kingdom has mobilized its entire strength this time. Furthermore, our Great Zhou’s treasury has only recently begun to recover; the war must be swift, otherwise, it will spell great trouble for us! Therefore, aside from the Grand General or the two renowned commanders, Bai and Sun, who were recently reassigned, I fear no one is capable of taking on this task."

As the crowd murmured, Li Chen arrived. Upon entering, he asked Ouyang Yu with a hint of excitement.

"Prime Minister, I hear there is an urgent report from the border?"

Fortunately, the beaded curtain of his imperial crown obscured most of his face. Otherwise, the anxious officials would surely have noticed that their Emperor was actually smiling in the face of such a dire crisis.

Seeing the Emperor enter, Ouyang Yu immediately went straight to the point, feeling a sense of relief.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Although the Wa Kingdom comes with a fierce momentum, our Great Zhou has vast numbers of troops and capable generals; we can easily handle this. We only need to select a wise commander to lead the troops, and we will surely repel them."

Having said this, Ouyang Yu pulled a pre-written list from her robes, intending to ask Li Chen to confer the appointments directly. This was not an act of arrogance on her part, but rather an attempt to protect Li Chen from making a mistake. In her eyes, Li Chen knew nothing of warfare.

The greatest challenge for Great Zhou now was to secure a quick victory and avoid being bogged down in a quagmire of war. Information from secret channels indicated that the Wa Kingdom had made extensive preparations. Moreover, because this was a surprise attack, Great Zhou had already lost the initiative. Only by selecting a commander with sufficient prestige and a high chance of success could the situation be controlled. The names on that list included the most capable and suitable generals in the empire; no matter who was chosen, there would be no error.

However, before she could present the list, Li Chen spoke.

"Good. If that is the case, it saves me the trouble."

Li Chen put down the battle report, his heart filled with wild joy! This was a joke—if the report were true, it was a heaven-sent opportunity to ruin the nation's fortune! He absolutely had to choose a "good general"! Otherwise, would he not be squandering this chance?

Ouyang Yu had not yet realized the gravity of the situation. Subconsciously looking at the memorial, she was about to speak when she heard Li Chen’s voice again.

"Where is Zhao Kuo, Commander of the Imperial Guard?"

***

Zhao Kuo was slightly startled, then hurriedly stepped forward respectfully.

"You heard the Prime Minister just now. Since we require a capable general, I appoint you as the commander. You shall lead the army to war in a few days. Are you willing?"

Zhao Kuo had previously not only embezzled military rations but had even secretly communicated with enemy nations. If such a person were to lead a grand army, it would be a miracle if things did not descend into chaos. If the war went poorly, Zhao Kuo might even abandon his army or surrender to the Wa Kingdom. While the Great Zhou might not fall immediately, it would certainly suffer a heavy blow. Would his hard-earned national fortune not collapse then?

"Your Majesty! This must not happen!"

Before Li Chen could finish his fantasies, and even before Zhao Kuo could respond, the Minister of War, Cai Yong, rushed out. Cai Yong was an old veteran of the army; in terms of seniority, even the current Grand General would have to call her "Master." Seeing her step out, the other officials dared not be negligent.

"Indeed! Your Majesty, Zhao Kuo is a criminal. Having received your imperial grace and pardon is already an immense favor; how can you now entrust him with the command of an army?"

"We implore Your Majesty to retract this order! This person must not be used!"

However, Ouyang Yu was momentarily stunned. She glanced quietly at Li Chen, calculating in her heart.

"Could it be that the Emperor does not trust these old generals, fearing their influence will grow too great to be restrained? Or does she feel that because of the long peace, the civil officials have become too arrogant, and she intends to promote a young military officer to check their power?"

Various thoughts raced through her mind, but for a moment, Ouyang Yu could not find a logical explanation. Ge Siwang, now the focus of everyone’s attention, had similar thoughts.

"The Emperor is a natural talent; how could she use someone like Zhao Kuo so carelessly? Does this man possess some unknown skill? Or is the Emperor deliberately using Zhao Kuo to lull the enemy while making other preparations in secret?"

Seeing that more than half of the officials in the hall were in opposition, Li Chen felt increasingly delighted. As for Zhao Kuo, she was overcome with excitement. For many years, she had never been entrusted with important tasks, and after committing her crimes, she was even more looked down upon. But now, the Emperor had given her such great trust—a favor many subjects could only dream of!

"Zhao Kuo, I ask you, do you have the confidence?"

Just as Zhao Kuo was feeling moved and excited, Li Chen’s voice rang through the hall again. Zhao Kuo startled, wanting to accept, but hearing the voices of the others, she felt a flicker of doubt.

"Your Majesty, if you insist on using Zhao Kuo, then please allow this old subject to return home to retire!"

At this juncture, the Grand General Han Xin, known as the pillar of the nation, also stepped forward.

***

Having fought her way up from the battlefield, her opening statement was a forced ultimatum, giving those who opposed Zhao Kuo more confidence. After all, everyone knew that Great Zhou’s long-standing peace relied not only on national strength but also on generals like Han Xin.

For a moment, even Zhao Kuo felt anxious. She bowed to Li Chen and spoke eagerly.

"Your Majesty, I will fight to the death to protect the peace of Great Zhou!"

Li Chen nodded, a look of excited joy appearing on his face again. With Zhao Kuo leading the army, this outcome was surely secured! He did not believe that with Zhao Kuo’s capabilities and character, any unexpected variables could arise.

Li Chen then asked Han Xin a question.

"Does the Grand General think that I am foolish and do not know how to employ people, so you no longer intend to serve me? Or do you think I am weak and easily bullied, to the point that everyone thinks they can replace me?"

The words came out of nowhere, but their deterrent power was immense. Since ancient times, military officers feared suspicion above all else; even a mere warning carried great weight. As expected, under Li Chen’s gaze, Han Xin’s momentum weakened significantly.

"Your Majesty, that is not what I meant. I only thought..."

"Enough. Since the Grand General feels tired, I shall grant you a few days of leave. Once the war is over, you may return!"

Li Chen interrupted Han Xin and made the decision. Looking at the dejected and bewildered Han Xin, Li Chen could not help but mutter to himself.

*Han Xin, oh Han Xin, you cannot blame me; you were the one who jumped out first. Now that a great war is imminent, you, the Grand General, are sidelined. I fear this news will cause a psychological blow to the troops when it reaches them.*

"Your Majesty! You trust me so much; I swear that even if I am hacked to pieces, I will never let the Wa Kingdom set foot in Great Zhou!"

Before Han Xin could calm down, Zhao Kuo was already kneeling, swearing her determination to Li Chen. The others had mixed reactions, but at that moment, Li Chen dropped another astonishing remark.

"There is no need for such talk of being hacked to pieces. I want you to go to war, not to die! If the war does not go smoothly, you may take your men and flee; it is merely the loss of some land and face. Compared to your life, what does that matter? I will not blame you!"