Chapter 197 Reputation
But...then again.
Now the time, place and people are not favorable in our dynasty. Natural disasters occur one after another and our dynasty has no capable people or good generals. If we lose again, I am afraid we will really have to change the dynasty.
So someone suggested, "Your Majesty, it is indeed not appropriate for our country to send troops now. Natural disasters have occurred one after another, and the national treasury may not be able to support the cost of sending troops."
"Why not, we give them what the Xiongnu ask for first, and then when we have enough soldiers and horses and enough food stored up next year, we can fight back."
Another person quickly stood up and echoed:
"That's right. Since the Xiongnu can be so shameless and make such excessive demands, it is understandable that we can strike back and catch them off guard when we are strong and powerful."
"We only need to wait until we have enough soldiers and food, then we can send out troops to wipe out the Xiongnu and wash away today's humiliation."
The emperor's face hidden behind the tassels was uncertain, as if he was angry but also as if he was no different from usual, making it difficult to see clearly.
For a moment, no one dared to speak.
The court was so quiet that it seemed as if it had fallen into deathly silence.
The emperor took a long while to break the atmosphere: "It seems that you all want to make peace? We will give the northern border, a million gold, several stones of grain, and even three thousand women to those Xiongnu bandits as a way to negotiate peace."
"This kind of defeat will probably make me famous for eternity!"
For a while.
The ministers fell silent.
The Minister of Personnel stood up under pressure and said, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge."
"We are now using a roundabout method to protect the people from suffering from displacement. After I know what Your Majesty is worried about, gold and food are secondary, which can be regenerated when we are strong. The most important thing is the people's support."
"But now we have no choice but to do so. The Xiongnu saw that the imperial court values the people's livelihood and prestige, so they made such a shameless request, asking the imperial court to send 3,000 women to the court."
"The court sent it, and several years of reputation were ruined in an instant."
"If we don't send them off, they will have a reason and excuse to attack. Now that our coach is seriously injured, the consequences of starting a war at this time will be disastrous."
"We can only endure this humiliation for a while..."
Another person in the court also stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, I also think what the Minister said makes sense."
"We are paying the lowest price in exchange for the safety of the general public, and we believe that the people will understand our difficulties."
Everyone present knew that peace talks were necessary, and they could only grit their teeth and agree to the peace terms.
As for the three thousand women who were chosen, let them be the pride of the court.
The emperor knew very well that the defeated court had no choice but to accept the conditions offered by the Huns.
But selecting 3,000 women from the public with such fanfare would surely cause public outrage.
Once the royal family's reputation was lost, even if he later sent troops to attack the Huns, this matter would still be criticized and ridiculed by the people. As the emperor, how could he tolerate such a thing to happen?
The emperor was furious that with so many ministers in the hall, no one had thought of a solution. He couldn't help but curse in his heart that all the civil and military officials were useless.
Suddenly, at this moment——
One person stood up!
"Your Majesty, I have a way to agree to the Xiongnu's demands without causing any objections from the people."
"Not long ago, a large number of disaster victims poured into the capital, causing some troubles to the city."
"At this time, I heard that a group of women stepped forward. They provided disaster relief, helped the weak, and even invited doctors to see patients."
"Their chivalrous hearts are known to everyone in the capital."