As soon as Zhao Hanqing finished speaking, the pavilion fell into a dead silence. The eunuchs carefully lowered their heads and exchanged glances. The palace maids nervously lowered their heads, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Zhao Bairen's face was ashen. He tried to sit up, but he quickly clutched his chest and fell back down, scaring the crowd into shouting, "Your Majesty, the dragon's health is important!"
Imperial Physician Fang quickly stepped forward and said to Zhao Bairen, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Although national affairs are important, with the Crown Prince here, Your Majesty should rest and recuperate. If anything happens to Your Majesty, the Divine Prefecture will collapse right before your eyes, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Hanqing also kowtowed and choked with sobs, "Your Majesty, please rest and recuperate, Your Majesty. Even if I have to die a horrible death, I will protect Daqi's territory!"
Zhao Bairen panted a few times and asked weakly, "Do you have a countermeasure?"
Zhao Hanqing nodded in a low voice, "The Minister of War and the Minister of Revenue are outside, Your Majesty, do you want to see them?"
Zhao Bairen waved his hand, "I am asking you!"
Zhao Hanqing said in a low voice, "Your Majesty has discussed with them."
Zhao Bairen said, "Let's hear it."
Zhao Hanqing said, "First, transfer fifty thousand armored soldiers from the southeastern prefectures to reinforce the frontline. At the same time, transfer one hundred thousand soldiers from the Central Imperial Guards and Gyeonggi Garrison Guards to the southeast.
At the same time, all the prefectures will urgently requisition provisions to support the Soaring Dragon Sea, and the Ministry of Revenue will be responsible for this. "
Zhao Bairen slapped the bed and said anxiously, "These are not the key points, the key point is those two thousand cultivators!
Two thousand cultivators died, all the sects in the world will turn the sky upside down! "
Zhao Hanqing hesitated for a moment. This was exactly his Achilles' heel. He was a firm supporter and executor of the policy of weakening the cultivation sects, and even the initiator of the policy. As a result, his relationship with the other sects was not very good. Some of them were even hostile to him.
If he were to speak up, one could imagine what those sects would do!
It would be a miracle if they didn't demand an exorbitant price to force the Crown Prince to hand over the benefits!
Great Qi's strength on the battlefield lay in their ability to gather several thousand cultivators. This number of cultivators was enough to flatten any sect under the heavens, with the exception of the Cosmos God Cult. Relying on this force, Great Qi was able to move unhindered in all directions, expanding their territory to an unimaginable level.
It was precisely because of the long-term use of this power that the cultivators' power had grown so much that they couldn't control it.
When the Puppet Kingdom and the Dijon Kingdom fought against the Great Qi Kingdom, they relied on the power of their bloodline and the mechanical puppets. The former was rare, while the latter was mass produced. Both of them could barely keep up with the cultivators of the Great Qi Kingdom on the battlefield.
But now, a gap of 2,000 cultivators had appeared. One could only imagine how much pressure the frontlines would face.
If they couldn't be replenished, the frontline might collapse.
But … these two thousand cultivators were not two thousand soldiers. Each cultivation sect could only send so many cultivators to battle. Now that two thousand of them had died … it didn't matter if the other sects were willing to come or not. The key was whether there were enough people to fill the gap!
Zhao Hanqing pondered for a while and said in a low voice, "We can first send an emergency requisition order to the various sects …"
Zhao Liexian sneered. "Emergency requisition order?
Now that all the major sects are almost emptied, and so many people have died, how is this thing any different from toilet paper to those cultivation sects? "
Zhao Hanqing said with a displeased expression, "King Ping, the country is in danger. Even if we can't come up with a good plan, there's no need to be so sarcastic."
Zhao Liexian snorted coldly. He walked to the front of the bed, lifted his robe, and knelt on the ground. He kowtowed and said, "Father, I have a plan!"
Zhao Bairen asked curiously, "Oh?
What plan does my son have?
Tell me quickly! "
Zhao Liexian smiled and said, "The cultivation sects really can't mobilize anyone at this time. Firstly, the new disciples are not mature and can't form effective combat power. Secondly, some of the senior masters and aunts have gone to the battlefield, and some of them are responsible for guarding the sects. Thirdly, some of the powerful cultivators are currently gathered in the Divine Capital to participate in the World Number One Tournament, so … we really can't mobilize any more people."
Zhao Bairen was very disappointed. "After talking for so long, there's still no plan?"
The corner of Zhao Liexian's mouth curled up slightly. "No, Father, there's a plan. There's someone!"
Zhao Bairen asked curiously, "Where?"
Zhao Liexian said word by word, "The Divine Capital!"
Zhao Hanqing immediately turned to look at Zhao Liexian, his eyes wide. His expression changed, and he knew that things were not going well, but he didn't know how to stop it.
Zhao Bairen was puzzled. "The Divine Capital?
Are we asking the cultivators of the Divine Church to help? "
Zhao Liexian said, "The Divine Church should naturally mobilize some of their people to help, but the Divine Church itself doesn't have that many people to help. Most of them still need the disciples of the other sects …"
Zhao Bairen finally reacted. "You mean …"
Zhao Liexian said, "That's right …"
Zhao Hanqing did not wait for him to finish and immediately interrupted him. "No!
Father, you must not!
These cultivators are here to participate in the World Number One Tournament!
If we mobilize them to the Southeast battlefield, I'm afraid it will immediately cause chaos!
What if they escape halfway? What should we do? "
Zhao Liexian said angrily, "When the nest is overturned, no eggs will remain intact!
Don't they understand this principle?
Moreover, all lands under the heavens belong to the Emperor, and all those who lead the land are the Emperor's subjects. Although they are cultivators, are they not the subjects of Daqi? "
Zhao Hanqing said, "Father, these cultivators are arrogant and unruly, and they have not been trained. If they rush to the battlefield, I'm afraid they won't be able to unleash their combat power, and they might even cause a lot of trouble. This is a lesson from the past!"
Zhao Liexian immediately retorted, "That was more than a hundred years ago. Moreover, it was because the promised rewards could not be fulfilled, which caused the chaos. If we promise them great rewards, I don't have to worry about not being able to command these cultivators!"
Zhao Hanqing said angrily, "The national treasury needs money everywhere now, how can we reward these cultivators heavily?"
Zhao Liexian smiled, and looked as if he did not feel heartache for selling his father's land. "How many treasures, instruments, and talismans are there in Daqi?
We promise that the returning cultivators will be rewarded according to their merits, so why should we worry about not being able to command them? "
Zhao Hanqing said angrily, "There are only about a thousand treasures in the royal treasury, are you trying to empty the treasury?"
Zhao Liexian laughed and said, "Whether they can return in such a large number … is another matter!"
Then, Zhao Liexian cupped his hands at Zhao Bairen and said, "Father, the only thing we can do now is to mobilize the disciples of the various sects who participated in the tournament and send them to the Southeast battlefield as emergency reinforcements!
The war is fierce, and if they can return, we can open the door to the treasury, and let the world see the magnanimity of the imperial court, and at the same time, we can greatly ease the tension between the various sects.
If most of them can't return, we can save on these treasures, and also give them a proper burial, so that they can leave their names in history! "
Zhao Hanqing was stunned. He looked at Zhao Liexian seriously, not daring to believe that his fourth brother, who only knew how to play and have fun, had come up with such a feasible plan.
Zhao Hanqing's heart was clear. He did not want to bring up this idea because he did not want Li Chengfeng to die. Li Chengfeng had now become a flag of the Crown Prince's faction. With him around, he would definitely be able to gather more knowledgeable cultivators to stand on his side and support his bold and decisive reforms.
However, if Li Chengfeng was sent to the Southeast battlefield … weapons were blind, cannons were merciless. No matter how powerful you were or how invincible you were, you would not be able to survive in a battlefield filled with cannons and light waves.
Zhao Hanqing was so anxious he wanted to say more, "Father …"
Zhao Liexian immediately cut him off. "Father, this is an emergency!
How can we have a perfect plan if we only look at what's in front of us? "
Zhao Bairen pondered for a while, then nodded slowly. "Alright!"
This time, it was a done deal. Li Chengfeng and the rest who were on the Heaven and Earth Battle Arena did not know that their fates had taken a sudden turn.
After receiving Zhao Bairen's approval, Zhao Liexian praised his father and bowed. No one saw the proud smirk on his face.
Li Chengfeng, oh Li Chengfeng, Enlightened Painting, Enlightened Beast, and Enlightened Yun could not take your life. Consider yourself lucky!