To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 353 The Qin Dynasty's Treasury is Depleted!

Faced with Zong Yu and the others' interrogation, Zhang Fan stood still, not even lifting his eyelids.

The hall was very quiet. Zhang Fan's silence rendered Zong Yu's questioning fruitless. His face flushed red, and his finger pointing at Zhang Fan trembled slightly!

This complete disregard drove him crazy.

Silent treatment is truly despicable!

"you!"

Just as Zong Yu was about to speak again, a loud bang suddenly came from above.

"Bang!"

Ying Zheng grabbed a scroll of bamboo slips from the table and slammed it heavily to the ground.

The bamboo slips scattered and slid down in front of Zong Yu.

The sudden sound startled everyone.

Zong Yu's legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground.

All the civil and military officials in the hall knelt down, heads bowed, not daring to even breathe loudly.

They had not seen His Majesty so furious in a long time.

Ying Zheng rose from his dragon throne, his gaze sweeping over the assembled officials below. His voice boomed with fury, "Marriage alliances and tribute? To buy peace?"

"Did the Qin dynasty's successive kings, building upon the accumulated strength of six generations, conquer this vast land by ceding territory, paying reparations, and offering women as tribute to sue for peace?"

Ying Zheng walked down two steps and pointed at the civil officials on the ground, "In the past, the Great Qin swept across the six states, and a million armored soldiers trampled through the capitals of the states. What a magnificent sight that was!"

Now that the six states have been pacified and the world is unified, you are advising me in court to use the women of the Qin royal family and the grain and cloth of Qin to beg for peace from foreign tribes!

"If I were to listen to you, where would the might of the Qin army be? Where would the fighting spirit of our soldiers be?"

Ying Zheng's voice reverberated throughout the hall, "How long can the peace gained through concessions last?"

"Today you send a woman, tomorrow ten cartloads of silk; the day after tomorrow, if they reach the gates of Xianyang, will you also send away my dragon throne...?"

Faced with Ying Zheng's angry rebuke, the courtiers trembled with fear.

The civil officials kneeling on the ground turned pale and their foreheads were covered in cold sweat.

They were so focused on targeting Zhang Fan and trying to find a reason to stop the military expedition that they overlooked the damage this proposal would do to the prestige of the Qin Dynasty!

The Qin Dynasty was founded on military strength. If it had truly adopted a strategy of marriage alliances and tribute payments, such a decision, once recorded in history, would surely have been condemned by future generations.

The hall remained quiet for a long time before the assembled officials became slightly more alert.

At this moment, Zhang Fan slowly and deliberately spoke: "Do you gentlemen believe that the transportation and supply of provisions for the northern campaign against the Xiongnu is a major problem?"

The kneeling civil officials kept their heads down, none of them daring to answer at this moment.

Wang Ben, standing on the other side, looked at the civil officials and snorted coldly.

He turned his head, his attitude towards Zhang Fan softened considerably, and replied, "Immortal Master, when a large army sets out, provisions and supplies are indeed of paramount importance, and this is also the most difficult obstacle to overcome when marching north."

Zhang Fan smiled and said, "As far as I know, the Xiongnu never carry much food with them when they go to war. They rely entirely on plundering and stealing the food of the people of Qin to fill their stomachs."

Since we can plunder the Xiongnu, why can't our Qin soldiers do the same? Let's invade the grasslands and seize their cattle and sheep as provisions!

Upon hearing this, several military officers raised their heads and began to raise questions.

One of the lieutenants spoke up: "Let's not even talk about whether the army can guarantee defeating the Xiongnu on the grasslands. If we do win and seize cattle and sheep, what should we do with these animals?"

It's impossible for a large army to march and fight with thousands of cattle and sheep; that would severely slow down the march!

Another general added, "That's exactly right. Besides, even if the soldiers can eat beef and mutton, the warhorses still need to eat fodder!"

In autumn and winter, the grass on the grasslands turns yellow and withers. The army's horses require a great deal of fodder every day, and transporting this feed is extremely difficult!

Zhang Fan nodded and said, "Your Majesty, so ultimately, the key issue lies in the rapid transportation of grain and fodder, as well as the preservation and shortage of food and fodder."

He stepped forward, his voice clear: "Leave these problems to me. I'm confident I can come up with a solution for transporting and storing the grain within a month!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was greatly shocked.

"A month? How is that possible!"

"Food transport involves laborers, roads, and vehicles. What can be changed in a month?"

"The army requires an enormous amount of food; how can this be resolved within a month?"

The military officers looked doubtful, and although the civil officials dared not criticize loudly, they whispered among themselves, thinking that Zhang Fan was exaggerating.

Ying Zheng, who was sitting above, was also taken aback.

He looked at Zhang Fan, his gaze scrutinizing him.

But when he saw the undisguised confidence in Zhang Fan's eyes, Ying Zheng immediately made the decision.

"good!"

Ying Zheng said in a deep voice, "I will give you one month. As long as you can solve the problem of supplies and provisions, Great Qin will send troops!"

Upon hearing His Majesty's approval, the ministers knew that the matter was largely settled.

But Zong Yu was still unwilling to give up, muttering to himself, "Even if the grain transportation problem is solved, the national treasury is empty, so where will the money for military supplies and weapons come from...?"

Just now.

"Report!"

A shout came from outside the Qilin Hall.

Immediately afterwards, a courier carrying a red command flag rushed to the palace gate.

"Urgent dispatch!"

This cry of "urgent dispatch" resounded like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly echoing throughout the hall!

The court, which had just been buzzing with discussion over Zhang Fan's statement about "deploying troops in thirty days," fell into a deathly silence in an instant.

Everyone's heart sank, and the color drained from their faces.

"An urgent message delivered over 800 li? Could it be that the Xiongnu have completely breached the northern defenses?"

"Three hundred thousand cavalry! Could it be that the Xiongnu have already invaded the heart of the Central Plains?"

The officials were shocked and horrified. Several senior officials were so frightened that their legs went weak and they almost collapsed to the ground.

On the high platform, Ying Zheng's expression changed drastically. He abruptly stood up from his dragon throne, his fists clenched tightly beneath his wide sleeves, and shouted sternly, "Summon him into the palace!"

"Summon! The courier is here to see you!" Eunuch Li's sharp voice even trembled slightly.

Accompanied by the rapid clanging of armor plates, a dusty and weary courier rushed into the main hall.

However, when the courier appeared in everyone's sight, the tense nerves of the entire court were suddenly jolted.

Although the courier was exhausted, the black-feathered mourning flag stuck on his back was not the one that signified an emergency at the border and a critical military situation!

Instead, it was a bright red, blood-red surface that fluttered in the wind!

A bright red celebratory flag!

According to the military law of the Great Qin Dynasty, the entry of the red flag into the palace signifies a tremendous victory and great news!

"This...this is a wedding flag?" Li Si rubbed his eyes, his face full of astonishment.

Ying Zheng's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He strode to the edge of the jade steps and shouted in a deep voice, "Where did this good news come from? Report it quickly!"

The courier knelt heavily on one knee, trembling with excitement, and exclaimed in a thrilling voice, "Your Majesty! General Wang Li, commander-in-chief of the East China Sea Fleet, has finally returned from the turbulent waters!"

"Currently, the excavation of the 'Iwami Silver Mine' by tens of thousands of Japanese pirates is proceeding normally day and night!"