Having children earns benefit, start competing for dominance in the world by marrying a wife-Chapter 561 - 338: Wanyan, Are You Longing for a Man!_1

Great Wu Dynasty.

Li Zheng Palace.

Today, the court was occupied by some figures that were not usually seen. Continue reading at m|v-l'e-NovelFire

At the moment, two elderly men clad in armor, with graying hair and beards, stood at weapons in hand at the center of the grand hall.

Although they appeared to be of a particularly old age, their bodies were still very robust, nearly two meters in height, and most importantly, their muscles filled out their armor, exuding a sense of power.

Typically, when ministers attended court, they were not allowed to wear armor or carry weapons, not even military officials, but these two were exceptions due to their special statuses, which allowed them to come to court in armor, bearing arms.

At this moment, on top of the hall, the Martial Emperor spoke, "For the attack on the North Country, I plan to have both Xu and Zhan lead the troops together!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a buzz spread through the grand hall.

Some of the ministers could hardly believe it. Just to attack a feudal state under another dynasty, two Grandmasters were to be deployed.

In the past, no matter how intense a war became, unless one nation reached another's capital, Grandmasters would not be deployed.

A Grandmaster was a trump card, and no dynasty would use it right from the start.

Furthermore, not using Grandmasters was an unspoken agreement among the major dynasties. If one dynasty broke this practice, more and more Grandmasters would appear on the battlefield in the future, making wars even more brutal, with more soldiers dying.

This was the same for all sides.

As long as a Grandmaster joined the battle, regular troops would almost stand no chance, so no dynasty would deploy a Grandmaster in external wars in the past.

It was only during the civil war within the Great Xia that the royal family deployed Grandmasters to exterminate the remaining forces of the South's aristocratic families. Besides that occasion, Grandmasters were rarely seen in action.

At that time, a minister stood up and said, "Your Majesty, the North Country is just a small nation. Why send Generals Xu and Zhan to attack it? If we deploy Grandmasters to the battlefield, I fear that other dynasties will follow suit in their external conflicts."

Once the standard is broken, more and more people will disregard the "rules." If deploying Grandmasters becomes the norm, Great Wu will inevitably face other dynasties' Grandmasters in future external wars, leading to greater casualties, which is not a good thing.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Hong, clearly displeased, said, "What a pedantic person. Once the North Country is eradicated, the next target will be the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Do you really think that when His Majesty launches a war of annihilation against Great Xia, they won't send a Grandmaster to the battlefield?"

Ever since Zhan Hong had become a Grandmaster, he had handed over all military control and sat around idly at the General's office. The Martial Emperor had finally dredged him up, giving this Grandmaster a chance to emerge again. He did not want anyone spoiling this opportunity.

And indeed, his words were not incorrect. Not to mention the military prowess of the North Country, even when it comes time to conquer Great Xia in the future, Great Wu will deploy Grandmasters. Since they would be deployed sooner or later, why continue the old tacit agreement?

The rule that Grandmasters should not enter the battlefield was about time to be abolished.

Moreover, there was another key point: the North Country had once eradicated an army of the Barbarian Tribe with Grandmasters, and the North Country itself also possessed Grandmasters, certainly more than one. How could Great Wu defeat the North Country without deploying Grandmasters?

After Zhan Hong finished speaking, Xu Xingwen added from the side, "The North Country itself has Grandmasters. To defeat them without dispatching our own, are you suggesting that you Civil Officials go and defeat the North Country's Grandmasters?"

At these words from Xu Xingwen, the Civil Officials in the grand hall instantly fell silent, and no one continued the discussion about deploying Grandmasters.

Indeed, they had almost forgotten that their mission was to destroy the North Country, which would use all its power to fight to the death against Great Wu, including deploying its own Grandmasters. If they did not dispatch Grandmasters, how could they possibly defeat the North Country?

Seeing that the Civil Officials had nothing more to say, the Martial Emperor spoke, "To defeat the North Country, we must undoubtedly deploy Grandmasters, but I still have some concerns."

As he said this, the Martial Emperor's gaze fell on Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen, "Zhan, Xu, are you confident you can defeat Zhuge Zhongguang?"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Hong burst into a big laugh, then said, "Zhuge Zhongguang attained Dao through scholarship, merely a scholar. Even if he has become a Grandmaster, he couldn't possibly possess the true strength of one. Your Majesty can rest assured, Zhuge Zhongguang won't be a match for us."

"In terms of strategy, General Xu and I surely are not Zhuge's equals, but when it comes to martial force, I alone am more than enough to defeat Zhuge Zhongguang."

"Before absolute strength, all strategies are insignificant. I shall annihilate the North Country within four months and present the North Prince's head to Your Majesty."

Hearing Zhan Hong's confident words, the Martial Emperor showed a hint of a smile.

"Seeing General Zhan so confident leaves me assured," he said.

That's when Chai Jiliang stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I've heard that you bypassed the Ministry of War, sending directly three hundred thousand troops northward, without even preparing provisions."

Hearing this, the Martial Emperor said indifferently, "I only worry that the North Country, upon learning that Great Wu intends to attack, might take the initiative to send troops. Thus, I dispatched three hundred thousand troops northward as a precaution. How about it, Chai, do you find this inappropriate?"