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The Sum Emperor was no fool. Upon seeing Lu Chen’s letter stating that the Barbarian Tribe’s cavalry was about to head south, he realized that this was definitely linked to the Aristocratic Family, and that even among his sons, someone might have been involved.

As a seasoned politician, bringing in external enemies and then using them to seize benefits was something he had done as Emperor.

Seeing the Sum Emperor’s face grow so dark, the ministers in the Xuanzheng Hall didn’t dare to breathe loudly, this being the first time that year they had seen the Sum Emperor with such an ugly expression.

After a long moment, the Sum Emperor said with a cold laugh, “The Barbarian Tribe really knows when to pick their moment.”

The tall, thin man standing at the very front on the left side of the hall asked, “Your Majesty, do we have any news about the situation in North City?”

As soon as the man finished speaking, the Sum Emperor said, “The North Prince has sent a letter, saying that his men intercepted a summons from the Barbarian Tribe on the plains. The Barbarian Tribe plans to gather 300,000 cavalry to head south, occupy North City to establish their nation, and use Yan County as their capital.”

Upon hearing the Sum Emperor’s words, a wave of chatter erupted among the courtiers.

“300,000? My goodness! How could there be so many?”

“Establishing a nation! If we let the Barbarian Tribe establish a nation in North City, wouldn’t Great Sum always be under the threat of the Barbarian cavalry?”

“We must not let the Barbarian Tribe head south!”

“The Barbarian Tribe has such wild ambitions, Great Sum must not let them off easily this time!”

Hearing the discussions of the ministers, the Sum Emperor stayed silent for a long time without speaking.

Some time later, Prince Lu Shuyun stood up and said, “Father Emperor, your son believes that the North Prince may have exaggerated the military situation. To my knowledge, since the North Prince arrived in North City, he has been indulging in pleasures within his mansion all day long, without properly managing North City.”

“How would he know the Barbarian Tribe was heading south?”

“Besides, the Barbarian Tribe is further north of North City. Even if the Barbarian Tribe issued a summons, how could his men possibly intercept it unless they had infiltrated the land where the Barbarian Tribe lives?”

Hearing Prince Lu Shuyun make such a statement, the ministers started to react.

Right, how could the North Prince, that lazy and useless Prince, who hasn’t been managing affairs since he went to North City, have possibly sent men to infiltrate the land where the Barbarian Tribe lives, and even intercepted their summons?

He doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who could do such a thing.

Could it be that the North Prince truly exaggerated the military situation?

At this moment, Prime Minister Lin Gaoyuan spoke, “Prince Lu Shuyun, you claim that the North Prince exaggerated the military situation, do you have evidence other than deducing from the North Prince’s behavior?”

Hearing this, Lu Shuyun paused.

Then Lu Shuyun continued, “Prime Minister Lin, isn’t this point alone sufficient? Or do you believe that the North Prince truly sent men to the land where the Barbarian Tribe lives?”

Lin Gaoyuan replied indifferently, “This official does not know whether the North Prince has sent men to the North Land where the Barbarian Tribe resides. This official only knows that the North Prince sent a Red Ribbon Messenger with the letter.”

In the Great Xia Dynasty, a Red Ribbon Messenger signified the most urgent military intelligence, not to be dispatched lightly at any time.

In Prime Minister Lin’s view, even if the North Prince were foolish, he could not possibly be unaware of the significance of a Red Ribbon Messenger.

As for exaggerating the military situation, the North Prince would not be able to withstand the punishment that would follow.

If the North Prince was truly an ineffectual Prince, would a Prince who spends his days in pleasure within his mansion have the gall to exaggerate the military situation? And not fear the Sum Emperor stripping him of his Prince position?

Therefore, Lin Gaoyuan believed that there was a high probability that the Barbarian Tribe was indeed exhibiting unusual activities. As for whether they had 300,000 soldiers, that was uncertain.

It was also possible that the North Prince exaggerated the number of the Barbarian cavalry to gain support from the royal court.

In summary, the Barbarians were indeed likely to move south, but whether they had 300,000 soldiers was not certain; this was Lin Gaoyuan’s speculation.

No sooner had Lin Gaoyuan finished speaking than Prince Lu Yi said, “Father Emperor, your son wishes to lead troops northward to resist the Barbarians!”

Right after the Crown Prince had spoken, Prince Wu Ming said sarcastically, “Big brother, aren’t you in a bit of a hurry? It is not yet certain whether the Barbarians are moving south, but you wish to lead troops northward—do you assure us that it will truly be to resist the Barbarians once you’ve taken command?”

Even during a Barbarian invasion, mutual recriminations in the court were commonplace, let alone when the invasion had not yet occurred.

If a prince led troops northward and gained renown within the military, it would be greatly beneficial for the struggle of succession. Therefore, every prince sought to seize the opportunity to lead the troops, while also not wanting other princes to do so.

Hearing Prince Wu Ming’s words, Prince Lu Yi scoffed coldly, “What do you mean, second brother? Resisting the Barbarians is the duty of our royal family’s offspring. Are you suggesting that I have ulterior motives?”

Just as Prince Wu Ming was about to say more, the Sum Emperor, seated on the Dragon Throne, interrupted the two, “Enough.”

Seeing that the Sum Emperor had spoken, the hall that had been as noisy as a marketplace instantly fell silent.

“Whether the Barbarians are truly moving south will be confirmed by my Shadow Guards. What you need to discuss now is how to respond if the Barbarians move south,” he decreed.

Hearing the Sum Emperor speak thus, everyone stopped discussing the veracity of the matter.

At this moment, Lu Shuyun’s expression was somewhat unpleasant. He had thought the Barbarian invasion would catch the North Prince off guard or cover up the matter of the North Prince being assassinated by the Blood Moon Tower assassin.

Unexpectedly, the North Prince had preemptively noticed the Barbarians’ southward movement.

But it didn’t matter much now; the North Prince likely didn’t have many days left to live. By this time, the Blood Moon Tower should have already reached Yan County.

He believed that under the leadership of a Grandmaster from the Blood Moon Tower, even with the Mysterious Grandmaster present, they wouldn’t be able to protect the North Prince.

What he needed to consider now was how to secure the authority to lead troops northward.

If he could lead troops north, as per his agreement with the Barbarian Tribe, he could then gain some concessions from them. Additionally, he could build prestige in the military, which would greatly increase his chances of success in the succession struggle.

As for ceding the North City to the Barbarian Tribe, Lu Shuyun didn’t care in the slightest. What he cared about was securing his position as Crown Prince.

North City was nothing but a poor place. Since the Barbarian Tribe wanted it, he was willing to concede it to them.

At this point, Prince Lu Yi spoke again, “Father Emperor, your son believes that we should immediately assemble a large army and march north.”

“If the North Prince has resorted to using a Red Ribbon Messenger, it means the Barbarian southward movement is urgent. If the court sends troops too late, the 30,000 soldiers of North City will surely be unable to withstand the Barbarians’ 300,000 cavalry.”

No sooner had Prince Lu Yi finished speaking than Prince Si also spoke in agreement, “Father Emperor, your son also believes that troops should be dispatched northward immediately!”

This opportunity to lead troops was one no prince wanted to miss. It had been many years since Great Xia had such an opportunity, a chance for them to establish prestige in the military, and none of the princes wanted to miss out.

However, in that moment, Lu Shuyun spoke, “Father Emperor, in your son’s opinion, since the North City is already the North Prince’s fiefdom, naturally it should be his responsibility to resist the invasion of the Barbarians.”

“If the royal court must send troops every time foreign invaders encroach upon the border, then what is the role of the Seignior?”

No sooner had Lu Shuyun finished speaking than the man standing to the upper right of the officials said, “Your Majesty, this minister agrees with what Prince Lu Shuyun has said. The Seigniors on the frontiers already have the duty to resist foreign enemies; we should not always be depending on the royal court to send troops for every incursion..”