Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors-Chapter 493 - 264 Accomplish the Task in One Battle_4

At that moment, the Emperor’s statement was in accordance with the principles of warfare.

The adage goes, "Know thyself and thy enemy, and thou shalt never be imperiled in a hundred battles; do not know thyself nor thy enemy, and thou shalt invariably be imperiled."

At this point, the Jin did not fully understand the true strength of the Western Army, so as long as the battle commenced, the Qi Army’s odds of winning were naturally increased.

However, Liu Fa and Zhong Pingyuan’s strategies only considered this level.

They knew this battle could be won, but what would happen after victory?

Perhaps they only envisioned the Jin retreating, but what the Emperor desired was not merely the withdrawal of the Jin.

The saying of demeaning and thereby making arrogant implies letting the enemy grow arrogant and underestimating, thus securing victory.

What the Emperor wanted was to make the most of the Jin’s underestimation of the Qi Dynasty’s military strength, thereby maximizing the battle results.

Suppose, after winning the battle, the Jin did not suffer heavy losses and retreated in good order - they would certainly return intensified in a few years. By then, the Jin would no longer underestimate them, and many strategic opportunities would no longer exist.

On the contrary, what if while taking advantage of the Jin’s scorn, he accomplished his mission in a single battle?

Annihilating as much of the Jin’s vital forces as possible could directly undermine the Jin’s foundation of rule. Then, the Jin might not even be able to organize a large army again, let alone maintain their current territories due to domestic chaos.

Zhong Pingyuan hesitated a bit, "If the Emperor’s plan succeeds, it would certainly be ideal and could finish the task in one stroke.

"At that time, we might even immediately march north across the Yellow River, and perhaps reclaim Yan and Yun.

"However, the Emperor ultimately needs to stay in the capital and should not act impulsively."

Liu Fa and Zhong Pingyuan had no doubts about the Emperor’s military skills. Whether it was the eradication of Xixia or the rescue of Taiyuan, he had demonstrated a natural military genius.

If the Emperor personally led the troops for this battle, it might be possible to achieve such results.

But the problem was, his identity was different now!

Before, he was Prince Yun, the Grand Marshal of the Northwestern forces; it was natural for him to lead troops. But now, he is the Emperor, on whom the peace and stability of the realm depend. How could he risk himself again?

Even if he personally took command, someone still had to manage the rear.

Currently, there were no ministers in the court; the Emperor handled all state affairs himself. If the Emperor went off to fight, to whom would these affairs be entrusted?

However, what Liu Fa and Zhong Pingyuan did not expect was for the Emperor to shake his head and say, "This battle, of course, I must personally fight!

"The fate of our Qi Dynasty rests on this war. How could I possibly stay at ease in the capital?"

In such a crucial battle, Emperor Taizu of Sheng always hesitated to entrust it to others. Otherwise, he would not have led the troops personally against the Northern Barbarians back then.

Of course, during Emperor Taizu’s campaign, the Crown Prince had been in charge of the state affairs and helped stabilize the rear.

But this time, the person playing Prince Yun was too young, and there was no Crown Prince to oversee the nation for him.

Liu Fa and Zhong Pingyuan were somewhat at a loss, "Then... does the Emperor intend to appoint another prime minister?"

Fan Cun glanced at Zhong Pingyuan, "Indeed! Zhong, you should stay in the capital! You do not need to handle state affairs; just maintain the peace and order in the capital so that no chaos arises. I will bring these Imperial College students to the camp, and you only need to send the daily reports!"

Zhong Pingyuan was dumbfounded, "Ah? Your Majesty, this... this seems..."

Fan Cun waved his hand dismissively, "There’s nothing inappropriate about it; it’s settled! It’s also a good opportunity to let those troublemakers in the city show themselves. Once I return from the campaign, I will deal with them all at once!"

...

Exiting the Wende Hall, Zhong Pingyuan still felt dizzy.

He hadn’t expected that as a famous general of his time, he wouldn’t participate in this significant battle against the Jin...

Originally, he and Zhong Pingyuan thought the current Emperor would surely stay in the capital to continue handling state affairs and manage the rear for them, while they planned this significant battle against the Jin.

However, the Emperor took direct command himself.

And instead, Zhong Pingyuan was left to manage the capital!

Zhong Pingyuan was not adept at managing state affairs, for he was no Li Boxi. But the Emperor hadn’t asked him to manage state affairs nor given him the position of prime minister. He was only tasked to oversee the capital, coordinate its resources, and maintain order.

He didn’t even need to harshly suppress all opposition, after all, the Emperor said he wanted to use this opportunity to let the opposition reveal themselves, and then deal with them all later.

As for the state affairs, the Emperor himself continued to handle them!

Only, the location for managing affairs had been moved from the Wende Hall to the military camp.

Liu Fa and Zhong Pingyuan were both stunned by such a daring move by the Emperor...

Not only did he have to command the armies and engage in battle, but he also had to manage the state affairs at court, tasks that virtually required the capacity of four or five people. The current Emperor intended to do it all by himself...

Yet they couldn’t really voice any objection, because... it seemed he was truly capable!

If it was someone else, Zhong Pingyuan would definitely not be convinced, thinking, "Why should I, a renowned general, be relegated to guarding the gates while you fight my battles?"

But to this Emperor, Zhong Pingyuan had nothing to say. Because he and Liu Fa indeed could not match the Emperor in combat...

Thus, Liu Fa returned to the Western Army, and Zhong Pingyuan stayed in the capital. Both began to prepare according to the Emperor’s instructions.

Meanwhile, Wanyan Sheng had no idea that in the upcoming battle that would decide the fate of both nations, his opponent would be this newly crowned Emperor of Qi.

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