Qingji planned to launch a second western expedition against the Macedonian kingdom in the west, the Carthaginians, and the Greek city-states, or the imperial expedition himself, which made the ministers and officials in the court deeply uneasy, and the crown prince Heng and the imperial grandson Wu Ji hurriedly entered the Zide Palace, wanting to persuade Qingji to let him take back his fate.

However, once Qingji has made up his mind to do something, it is basically difficult for him to change.

When Prince Heng and Wu Ji entered the Zide Palace, Qing Ji stopped writing and handed over a holy decree to Prince Heng.

"Wu Heng, you came just in time. This is the decree I just wrote, you can take a look. ”

When Prince Heng took the holy decree and looked at it, he couldn't help frowning.

This is clearly the edict of Qingji!

Once Qingji died, Prince Heng had been the prince for so many years, and he had been the regent of the country for so many years, so it was natural for him to inherit the throne.

However, this is not what Prince Heng wants.

"Father."

Prince Heng sighed and said, "Erchen would rather not have this throne than risk your life." ”

"The territory of my Great Wu is already large enough, the territory is vast, unprecedented, and the western states do not dare to offend my Great Wu, but have already sent envoys to express their submission and willingness to surrender, why should my father be so aggressive?"

"Even if you have to launch a second expedition to the west, why do you have to do it yourself?"

"Wu Ming, Wu Liang, Sun Qi, and Sun Di all have the talent of generals, and Brother Fan and Ninth Brother also have the ability to lead millions of troops, and they must overcome and win battles, so why do you need your father to go out in person?"

This is indeed what makes Prince Heng a little puzzled.

When Qing Ji heard this, he shook his head and said: "Wu Heng, my Great Wu is full of talents, and there is indeed no shortage of generals. However, the command of hundreds of thousands of troops, can you rest assured that it will be handed over to others? Do I feel comfortable in the hands of others? ”

Qingji is suspicious by nature, and he can't even trust his son.

Hearing this, Prince Heng and Wu Ji were silent.

Macedonia, Carthage, Thrace, and Iberia were too far away from the Great Wu mainland, with 20 vassal kingdoms in between, thousands of miles away, and if the commander of the army relied on hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses to stand on his own, it would not be a problem at all.

Not to mention Wu Ming, Sun Di and others, even if it is Qingji's sons Wu Zhang and Wu Fan, Qingji can't guarantee whether they will be self-reliant in the West.

Having said that, at this time, Wu Zhang and Wu Fan were already supporting their own troops in the West.

"Imperial grandfather."

Wu Ji bowed to Qingji and said, "Sun is not talented, and he is willing to lead the army to the west!" ”

"You?"

Qingji looked at Wu Ji for a while, looked at it a few more times, and then shook his head and said, "Ji'er, I know your talent, and it will not be a problem for you to lead the army to the west." But, can you command the troops and horses of your third uncle and ninth uncle? ”

"This ...... The emperor's grandfather, the third uncle, and the ninth uncle, do they dare to disobey the emperor's orders? ”

Wu Ji was very surprised.

Qingji didn't answer directly, but put his eyes on Prince Heng's body, and said earnestly: "Wu Heng, in the past two or three years, Wu Zhang and Wu Fan should know what they have done in the West, right?" ”

"I know a little bit about it."

Prince Heng couldn't help but bow his head.

In fact, in the past two or three years, there have been countless pieces of impeachment of Wu Zhang and Wu Fan, but they have all been kept by Qingji, and they have not been blamed.

Although Prince Heng was dissatisfied, he could only let it go.

He thought that Qingji was too indulgent to Wu Zhang and Wu Fan.

Two years ago, the Wu Empire's Western Expedition was defeated by Boeotia, but it did not hurt the fundamentals, and Wu's first Western Expedition ended.

However, Qingji was still unwilling to fail, so he asked Wu Zhang, the king of Liao, and Wu Fan, the king of Sai, to each lead 30,000 cavalry, and stationed in Lydia and Syria respectively, recruiting troops and horses, and training into an army.

How many soldiers and horses can be owned depends on the ability of these two people.

And Wu Zhang and Wu Fan also live up to their high expectations, the total number of soldiers and horses of the two of them is more than 300,000, how can they afford it?

In desperation, Wu Zhang and Wu Fan began to blackmail their brothers, blackmailed the twenty western vassal kingdoms, and charged them "protection money", making the vassal kings miserable.

They even dared to connive at their soldiers and horses to pretend to be robbers and plunder the vassal kingdoms......

This is a legion of more than 300,000 people, who can suppress these proud soldiers?

Who can stop Wu Zhang and Wu Fan?

Only Qingji!

Even if Qingji asked Prince Heng to lead the troops to the west, Prince Heng could not command the army to march west.

This "big hole", in the final analysis, is still Qingji dug by himself, and now he has to fill it himself.

Otherwise, when Qingji Dragon controls Bintian, I am afraid that the empire left to Prince Heng and Wu Ji will be a mess.

Among the feudal kingdoms of Great Wu, the military strength of Liao and Sai was originally the strongest, and if Wu Zhang and Wu Fan led more than 300,000 troops to kill them and directly destroy the 20 feudal kingdoms in the west, it would become a problem for Great Wu's henchmen, and I am afraid that the world will show a three-legged trend of Wu, Liao, and Sai.

The crown prince sighed faintly and said, "Father, you are old, it is important to take care of the dragon's body." ”

"On the western side, the King of Liao and the King of Sai are like gods, and the elite soldiers under their accounts are hundreds of thousands.

"Why do you need your father? In any case, they are all the brothers of Erchen, the sons of your father, and the bloodline of my Great Wu royal family......"

Qingji squinted his eyes and asked, "Wu Heng, can't you see the danger in this?" ”

"I can't leave such a mess to you, to Kier."

"Needless to say."

"No."

Prince Heng finally dispelled the idea of continuing to advise Qingji.

……

Plans can't keep up with the changes.

Just the day before Qingji was about to leave Jinling and start his journey to the west, a vision suddenly appeared in the sky.

A comet strikes the moon!

What is a "comet hitting the moon"?

Comets are commonly known as broom stars, and the light of the comet sweeps over the moon when the comet strikes the moon, which is a sign of a major disaster according to superstition......

Qingji vaguely remembered that in history, in the second year of King Zhending of Zhou, that is, in 467 BC, there was indeed a comet hitting the moon.

Now, it is 468 B.C., a difference of less than a year, is it possible that Qingji is destined to go and never return this time?

This made Qingji fall into deep thought.

The ministers also advised Qingji to continue to stay in Jinling, and not to drive the expedition in person, so as not to really commit the taboo and die on the way to the west.

Even Yin Xi, the Qintian Eunuch, made a hexagram for Qingji, and the hexagram showed a "great murderer......

Qingji didn't really believe in the theory of ghosts and gods, but he had to believe it.

He knew that the ministers did this for the sake of the country's social welfare and for their own considerations.

Therefore, after thinking about it a few times, Qingji still strengthened the idea of pro-Zheng.