A glint of approval flashed in Zhao Yingluo's eyes, and she understood Lu Yihao's intentions.

Substantial annexation meant not only the nominal annexation of Bactria but also the de facto control of its territory and subjects, making it truly part of the Great Song Dynasty.

Zuo Prime Minister Lu Yihao stood on top of the court, and stated his views with a solemn expression: "Your Majesty, colleagues, it is certainly my country's long-cherished wish to attack the Jin Kingdom, but before that, the minister thought that we must first truly incorporate the Great Xia Kingdom into our Great Song Dynasty territory. Only in this way can we ensure that the Great Xia Kingdom will not become the grass that falls with the wind, swaying at critical moments. ”

A whisper rang out in the courtroom.

Many courtiers looked suspicious, obviously shocked by Lu Yihao's proposal.

In their opinion, the Great Xia Kingdom was already a subject state of the Song Dynasty, and Li Qianshun was even named the Shun King of the Great Song Dynasty.

An old minister twisted his beard and said slowly: "Zuo Xiang, now the Great Xia Kingdom is nominally owned by my Great Song Dynasty, and Li Qianshun is also the king of Shun canonized by my Great Song Dynasty. ”

"Exactly, is it a bit too hasty for Zuo Xiang to say this?" Another Wenchen agreed, and at the same time turned to the emperor on the dragon chair and bowed deeply, "Your Majesty, since the Great Xia Kingdom has surrendered, we should subdue people with virtue, not force. ”

Zuo Prime Minister Lu Yihao's voice was loud, like a spring thunder exploding above the court: "Everyone, the Great Xia Kingdom must be completely incorporated into my Great Song Dynasty in order to ensure future stability." We can't afford to take any chances, and any uncertainty could become our weakness in the upcoming battle of Songjin. ”

Immediately, a courtier retorted: "The left minister's words are wrong! The Great Xia Kingdom has declared itself a vassal to our Great Song Dynasty, and Li Qianshun has been named the King of Shun, which is the greatest sincerity. If we go back on our word, I'm afraid it will make the world laugh! ”

"Sincerity?" Lu Yihao sneered, "How much value can the grass-like sincerity on the wall have in the face of war?" Once the Jin soldiers are overwhelmed, how will the Great Xia Congress choose, who can predict? ”

"The left minister is too alarmist." Another old minister said unhappily, "The Great Xia Kingdom has been in contact with the Great Song Dynasty for a long time, and its loyalty is beyond doubt. Wouldn't proposing annexation at this moment be a self-chaos and give the Jin State an opportunity to take advantage of? ”

The atmosphere in the court became more and more tense, and the courtiers divided into two factions and argued with each other.

"We can't ignore a long-term crisis because of temporary stability!" Lu Yihao argued on the basis of reason.

"Zuo Xiang, you keep talking about crises, but you ignore the greater crises that may be brought about by the annexation of Great Xia!" There are courtiers who are-for-tat.

There was a lot of discussion in the court, and most of the courtiers held a similar view, believing that the annexation of Bactria was not only unnecessary, but could also lead to unnecessary disputes.

Zhao Yingluo sat upright on the jade throne, she quietly observed the arguments in the court, but her heart was turbulent. She understands that this decision is related to the future of Da Song, and no step can be wrong.

Her gaze swept calmly over the faces of each of the courtiers. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in her heart, especially when she saw those young courtiers, she thought that they would have sharper ambitions and greater ambitions, but she didn't expect them to be so conservative in this matter.

"Everyone," Zhao Yingluo finally spoke, her voice crisp and firm, "Prime Minister Zuo's proposal is not untargeted. Although the Great Xia Kingdom was nominally attached to China, Li Qianshun, the king of Shun, still claimed to be the emperor internally. In the upcoming battle of Song and Jin, can we ensure that the Great Xia Congress will firmly stand on the side of the Great Song? What if they have two minds? ”

The court suddenly fell silent, and Zhao Yingluo's words were like a hammer, knocking on the hearts of every courtier.

"What Her Royal Highness the Princess said is extremely true," Lu Yihao took the opportunity to continue, "Only by substantively annexing the Great Xia Kingdom to my Great Song Dynasty can we ensure that nothing goes wrong. Otherwise, once the war starts, if the Great Xia Kingdom fights back, the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

However, the courtiers still stubbornly believed that they should not raise an unrighteous army to attack the Great Xia Kingdom.

That's enough! Zhao Yingluo suddenly shouted, her voice was as cold as ice, instantly quieting the entire court, "Since Gu came to power, he has always adhered to the principle of putting the interests of the country first. Nowadays, on the issue of the Great Xia Kingdom, what we need is a calm analysis, not a senseless quarrel. ”

She looked around and continued: "The left minister's concerns are not unreasonable, but we cannot ignore the opinions of other courtiers. The stakes are high, and it takes time for Lone to weigh it carefully. Retreat! ”

After speaking, Zhao Yingluo got up and left the jade seat, leaving the courtiers looking at each other.

In the royal garden of the palace, the sun dappled on the glazed tiles, and the breeze gently brushes the green willow leaves, bringing a fresh smell of grass and trees.

Zhao Yingluo was dressed in gorgeous clothes and strolling on the garden path, but her heart was full of thoughts.

Today, in the court, the proposal to actually control the territory of Great Xia has encountered a lot of resistance. Li Qianshun, the lord of Great Xia, paid tribute to the Great Song Dynasty on time every year, showing complete deference, which made it difficult for her and her courtiers to find a suitable reason to break this semblance of peace.

She knew that if she wanted to truly control Great Xia, she had to have a grand reason, otherwise it would only cause criticism from the people of the world.

Tired from the strife at court, she decided to take a walk in the Imperial Garden to soothe her boredom.

At this moment, she saw Emperor Zhao Ji and his brother Zhao Huan taking their concubines to drink tea and chat in the garden, surrounded by laughter.

Zhao Yingluo approached slowly, and Emperor Zhao Ji had sharp eyes, saw her at a glance, and beckoned her to come over with a smile.

"Yingluo, seeing that your brows are tightly locked, is there something worrying about the court?" Zhao Ji asked gently.

Zhao Yingluo sat down beside him, sighed lightly, and began to confide in the troubles in his heart: "Daddy, there are indeed some troubles in the court, I have always intended to actually control the territory of Great Xia in order to consolidate the frontier of my Great Song Dynasty. However, the current lord of Great Xia, Li Qianshun, behaved extremely deferentially, paying tribute to our Great Song Dynasty every year and claiming to be a vassal. This makes it difficult for us to find a suitable reason to attack Great Xia. ”

Huan put down the teacup in his hand and answered: "Imperial sister, this matter is indeed tricky. Although the Great Xia Kingdom was superficially subservient, it was difficult to guarantee that they would not have dissent. However, we can't raise troops for no reason, which is against the way of heaven. ”

"What the imperial brother said is extremely true." Zhao Yingluo nodded, "But I can't let this opportunity go to waste." The Great Xia Kingdom is located at a critical point, and if we can actually control it, it will be of immeasurable significance to the Great Song Dynasty's future attack on the Jin Kingdom. ”

Zhao Ji stroked his beard, pondered for a moment and said, "My son, I understand and support your ideas. However, this matter needs to be considered in the long term, and should not be rushed. ”

"Daddy, I'm worried about this too." Zhao Yingluo sighed, "Li Qianshun's obedience has become our constraints. ”