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Yu Youyao understood the crux of the matter. The previous emperor valued literature over martial arts, but he had appointed Duke Ning, who was a general, to teach the Eldest Prince’s emperor how to ride and shoot.

From this, it was obvious that the previous emperor did not value his son very much.

Zhou Linghuai continued, “In the first year of the emperors ascension, the Di Clan repeatedly invaded the North. There was a huge drought in the east, and there were external and internal troubles. Natural and man-made disasters seemed to imply that the current emperor was not worthy of his position.” That was why the King of Dongning could flatter him so well.

The Four Seas Dragon Dagger was indeed a rare divine weapon. When this dagger was forged, it was still debatable if there was thunder and rain in the east.

Of course, this was not the most important thing.

The important thing was that the emperor believed it.

Yu Youyao rested her chin on her hand and asked her cousin curiously, “What happened after that?”

Her oval face was the size of a palm, small and exquisite. Zhou Linghuai lowered his eyes. “His status was unstable, and the country did not prosper, so the emperor thought of a stupid move?’

Yu Youyao quickly asked, “What stupid move?

Zhou Linghuai i s lips twitched slightly. “He would personally lead the expedition!

Yu Youyao’s eyes suddenly widened. “The current emperor has even personally led an expedition? Why haven’t I heard of such a big matter?”

With that, she realized something.

She had never heard of it and it must be because the outcome of the imperial expedition was not good. The court officials did not dare to mention it, and the world did not dare to say anything. As time passed, people would not know.

They were really covering their own ears!

Yu Youyao puffed up her cheeks. ‘Ever since the Great Zhou Dynasty was established, it has always been very tough on external military matters. There are also many generals who are good at war. A few emperors have personally led expeditions and left behind great achievements in literature and martial arts. When the current emperor ascended the throne, he was also young and frivolous. It seemed reasonable for him to want to imitate his ancestors and make a name for himself.”

Why was it called a stupid move?

She was a little puzzled.

Zhou Linghuai understood her question and explained, “The previous emperor valued literature over martial arts. Although he was benevolent and empathetic to the commoners and could be said to be a virtuous king, when the previous emperor was in power, the generals were suppressed very badly by the civil officials. Old nobles like the Zhenguo Marquis Residence were all gone, and there weren’t many generals available in the court. Most of the external troubles of the Great Zhou Dynasty gradually developed during the previous emperor’s time. However, the previous emperor was benevolent and the world was united. The vassal lords didn’t dare to make any moves, and the outsiders didn’t dare to invade on a large scale.”

With that said, Yu Youyao understood.

There was iron blood flowing in Emperor Gaozu’s bones. After he ascended the throne, it was normal for him to personally lead an expedition. When he was in power, he swept through the six directions and thousands of dynasties came to congratulate him.

As a result, there were many descendants who were good at war.

The relatives could not take the imperial examination. Other than benefiting from what was left behind by their ancestors, they could only join the army and make contributions.

In the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, many generals had come from the imperial family. The previous emperor valued literature over martial arts, causing the generals to be suppressed greatly. The relatives could not join the army and make contributions. They only had their ancestral businesses, causing most of the relatives to be reduced to idle imperial families. They idled all day and had nothing to do, so it was inevitable that there would be more profligate sons.

Even though the current Emperor of Xiaozong had ascended the throne and regained many noble titles, it was very difficult to change this current situation for the time being.

The current Great Zhou was no longer the powerful Great Zhou as before.

As soon as the dog emperor ascended the throne, it was indeed not a good

time to personally lead an expedition. It would take at least two to three years to change the phenomenon of the court prioritizing literature over martial arts.

At the thought of this, Yu Youyao asked, “What did the dog emperor want to conquer?

As she asked, she picked up her tea and took a sip. Then she heard her cousin say, “Northern Barbarians!”

“Pfft—” She spat out the tea that she didn’t have time to swallow. She choked on the remaining tea in her mouth and felt uncomfortable. She couldn’t help but cough. As she coughed, she seemed to be in disbelief. She asked with difficulty, “Cough, cough, what did you say?

“Be careful.” Zhou Linghuai, who had been splashed with tea, was not angry at all. He took a handkerchief and helped Yu Youyao wipe her lips first. Only then did he slowly wipe the tea stains off her face. His large palm circled her back and stroked her back again and again. He did it very naturally, as if he did not feel that this was inappropriate at all.

Yu Youyao was used to her cousin’s thoughtfulness, so she did not think that this was inappropriate.

After a while, Yu Youyao’s throat felt a little better, but her voice was a little hoarse. “Cousin, did I hear wrongly? Did you say Northern Barbarians just now?”

Had the dog emperor gone to the North to personally lead an expedition? Was he out of his mind, or was he caught in a trap?

When Emperor Gaozu was in power, although the northern expedition was successful, the Northern Barbarians was a large tribe and a nomadic tribe. They did not have a fixed place to live. The grassland was vast, and the Northern Barbarians were familiar with the terrain. They were very difficult to eradicate. Therefore, the two sides signed a truce. Every year, the Northern Barbarians had to give the best warhorses to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Where did the dog emperor get his confidence from? Did he think that he could succeed in the north expedition?

Zhou Linghuai smiled. “Do you think it’s not wise for him to choose the Northern Barbarians?

Yu Youyao nodded. “The Great Tribe of the Northern Barbarians has powerful troops. For generations, they’ve occupied the North and caused trouble. In every dynasty, many emperors have mobilized their troops to attack the north, but no one has ever really succeeded. Emperor Gaozu’s move was unprecedented, but he can’t eliminate the Northern Barbarians.”

Zhou Linghuai shook his head. “Although that’s the case, it just so happens that he’s brilliant in choosing the Northern Barbarians. After the emperor ascended the throne, his status was already unstable, and the country was not prosperous. There are vassal lords guarding the east, west, and south lands. Only the North has never been ruled by any vassal lords because of its special territory. If the emperor goes to the territory of the vassal lords, he’ll be like a sheep entering a tiger’s den.”

Yu Youyao was enlightened. Although she was disgusted by the dog emperor’s power play, she had never questioned his intelligence.

Zhou Linghuai explained, “Besides, at that time, the generals guarding the northern border came from the Ning Residence. Duke Ning often went to the North and had a lot of experience fighting enemies. When the previous emperor was in power, the Ning Residence was a powerful barrier in the

North.”

Yu Youyao nodded. This was also the reason why the Xu family had always been very prominent.

Zhou Linghuai nodded. “The Di Clan is a nomadic tribe and isn’t good at farming. Every year during summer and autumn when the plants are lush, it’s when the army is strong. Once it’s winter, they have to recuperate because of a lack of supplies. Therefore, the Di people often invaded the North in autumn to snatch supplies and store them for the upcoming winter.”

From the looks of it, the emperor had also thought about it carefully. Yu Youyao sighed slightly. “It’s not that he was wrong, but that he shouldn’t have led the expedition personally.”

War emphasized timing, status, and harmony. If it was not the right time, no matter how good a plan was, it was useless.

Zhou Linghuai nodded. “Speed is important in war. At that time, it was still early in the year. The ice and snow had yet to melt, and everything had yet to recover. After winter, when the troops of the Di Clan were weak, the current emperor ignored everyone’s objections and insisted on doing things his own way. He ordered Duke Ning to mobilize the troops. The court officials tried their best to persuade him, but to no avail. Duke Ning had no choice but to follow orders. The emperor led an army of 800,000 and personally led the

battle in the North..”