Chapter 73: Zhao Wang Does Not Pay Homage

  "Gentlemen, the king has issued a decree. Today, he is slightly indisposed and will not be holding court in the morning. Please submit your memorials to Ben Xiang, who will present them to the king for his review. If there are no other matters, you may all return to your respective offices to attend to your duties."

  As soon as Guo Kuo made the announcement, all the officials present erupted in a chorus of discontent. It turned out that on the second day after receiving the envoy from Qin, Yan Jia, King Zhao Xiang had ordered Zhao Cong, who had been dismissed as Grand Marshal, to take responsibility and hurry to the south bank of the Zhang River with Yan Jia to receive the 12 cities south of Zhang that Qin had ceded back to Zhao. He then pretended to be ill and did not attend court, entrusting all state affairs to Guo Kuo to handle. Meanwhile, he indulged in pleasure with ten beautiful women from Qin in the palace every day, neglecting his duties for six or seven days already.

  At this time, Li Mu stepped forward and said: "Prime Minister, it has already been seven days. The king does not attend the early court session, I do not know when the king's illness will be cured, nor when he will summon all the ministers."

  Guo Kai said, "Wu Anjun, the heavens have unpredictable winds and clouds, people have fortunes that change overnight, how can one predict illness? Now the king's body is ill and cannot attend court to see the many ministers. Can Wu Anjun still expect the king to attend court while ill? If the king's condition worsens, can you bear this responsibility?"

  Li Mu said: "I dare not, but now is a time of many affairs, and the great king has not held court for a long time, with government affairs delayed and undecided, I fear it will hinder state affairs."

  Kuo K'ai-tao said, "Are not memorials from the various departments submitted to the palace every day? And have not most of them already been acted upon? As for purchasing grain in Ch'i, someone has been sent to do it; and as for taking over the twelve cities south of the Chang River, someone has been sent to take them over. How can it be said that state affairs are being neglected?"

  Li Mubai said, "These things have indeed been done, but five days ago, I petitioned the imperial court to intensify preparations for war in order to prevent a Qin invasion. Why has there still been no response to such an important matter?"

  Guo Kai's smile didn't reach his eyes as he said, "Wu An Jun, the king has already read your memorial, but preparing for war requires a lot of money. If we follow your plan, we'll need at least 5,000 to 6,000 taels of gold. Our national treasury is empty, where can we get that much money? Moreover, since Zhao and Qin have already made peace, defending against Qin doesn't seem so urgent after all. So, let's put off preparing for war for now."

  Li Mu raised an eyebrow and said, "Prime Minister, Qin has never been trustworthy, and with the various states vying for power, how many can truly uphold their agreements? Therefore, we absolutely cannot relax our preparations for war. If we do, it will be too late to regret when the Qin army arrives."

  Guo Kai said: "Wu An Jun, the king did not say that preparing for war is unimportant, but now that Zhao and Qin have successfully negotiated a peace treaty, it can be maintained for several years. Moreover, our country has been continuously at war, and today we suffered a great disaster. Things also have their own rhythm, so let's slow down for this year. After the drought passes, the national treasury will have some income, and I will definitely allocate funds to prepare for war first. However...the national treasury really can't afford it now. If Wu An Jun must prepare for war, then he can only raise his own funds. The court cannot provide any money. If Wu An Jun has no other business, then I won't keep you company."

  As he spoke, Guo Kai swung his sleeve and turned to enter the palace to deliver the order to King Zhao. Li Mu rushed forward a few steps, intending to chase after him, but was blocked by the guards guarding the palace, saying: "Wu Anjun, without the king's command, no one is allowed to enter the palace for no reason."

  Li Mu stood at the palace gate for a while, then let out a soft sigh and turned to leave.

  He had gone no more than a couple of steps when he heard someone behind him say, "Wu Anjun, please stop."

  Li Mu turned his head to look, and the one who stopped him was a sixty-year-old old man, wearing black clothes, with a white face and long beard. Li Mu cupped his hands and said, "It's Yu Tai Bu."

  It turned out that this person was Zhao Guo's Taibowu. Among the various states, divination was highly valued, so although the Taibowu had no real power, his position was extremely important, and generally, high-ranking officials did not dare to offend him, otherwise, he would slightly slant his mouth during divination, and anyone would be in trouble. Of course, the Taibowu usually wouldn't easily get along with other high-ranking officials either.

  Yu Zai had been serving as the Grand Diviner of Zhao for over thirty years, and was a trusted minister of three generations of Zhao kings. Although he rarely socialized with other high-ranking officials, he was particularly close to Li Muo, who owed him a debt of gratitude for saving his life, forming an unbreakable bond between them. However, Yu Zai had never publicly called out to Li Muo like this before.

  So Li Mu couldn't help but wonder what Yu Ji was doing and why he had stopped him here.

  Yu Zai walked up to Li Muo and said softly: "Wu An Jun, from now on it's better if you mention preparing for battle less."

  Li Mu was taken aback and asked: "Why?"

  Yu Zongdao said: "Just three days ago, the Prime Minister entered the palace and discussed with the King about Wu Anjun's memorial. The King did not explicitly approve or disapprove of it, originally intending to approve it, but the Prime Minister said that Wu Anjun was taking advantage of the situation to monopolize military power, fearing that he had a treacherous heart. Although the King said that Wu Anjun would never betray Zhao, he no longer paid attention to Wu Anjun's memorial. Therefore, from now on, it is best for Wu Anjun not to mention preparing for battle again."

  Li Mu was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. He bowed his head to Yu Ji and said, "Thank you, Taifu, for reminding me. I know what I should do now." With that, he turned around and left the palace.

  After leaving the Wangguan, Li Mu did not say a word, but took Zhao Xuan and others directly to the military camp outside the city. At this time, Yuan Xuan, Gao Yuan, Li Yinghong and others were training soldiers, and the whole military camp was very lively. If it were in peacetime, Li Mu would certainly inspect each camp to boost the morale of the soldiers, but now he did not have the heart to do so, and instead sat silently in his own tent.

  It wasn't long before Li Yinghong and Gao Yuan entered together, Li Yinghong said: "Father." Gao Yuan said: "General."

  Li Mu saw them coming and forced a smile, saying: "How did you guys come? Aren't you practicing martial arts anymore?"

  Li Yinghong said: "We heard General Zhao say that after Father came out of the palace, he was always depressed and unhappy. Something must have happened, so we were called to come and see Father."

  Gaoyuan Dao: "Great General, what exactly happened? Please don't keep us in the dark, speak out and we can all think of a solution together."

  Li Mu looked at Zhao Xuan and knew he was doing it for his own good, and this breath of anger had been pent up in his heart. Li Mu also felt somewhat indignant, so he nodded and told the whole story of how he entered the palace.

  Li Mu had not finished speaking, when Li Yinghong's anger was already rising, her eyebrows furrowed in indignation. "How can this be?" she exclaimed. "Father has always been loyal to Zhao, and has made countless contributions to the country. If it weren't for his victories at Fei and Fanwu, which defeated the Qin army twice, Zhao would probably have suffered the same fate as Korea by now - extinction. And yet, Your Majesty still dares to question Father's loyalty? This is truly detestable! But what's even more hateful is that Guo Kui has been stirring up trouble in front of you, and this time I will not let him off!"

  Li Mu waved his hand and said, "Ying Hong, calm down. The king doesn't necessarily suspect me now, and it's also true that the national treasury is empty and can't afford to pay out money. Don't stir up trouble for no reason."

  Li Yinghong said: "Father, you are still speaking for them. With an incompetent ruler and a treacherous minister, what good can come of it? Who knows, they may be plotting to harm you right now."

  Li Mu also smiled bitterly, in fact he didn't even believe what he had just said, so he was speechless when faced with Li Yinghong's words.

  At this time, Gao Yuan finally understood that the purpose of the alliance between Qin and Zhao was actually here. According to common sense, after the two countries formed an alliance, they could maintain peace for several years, which would greatly reduce the military pressure on Zhao. As a result, Li Mu's role and status would also be greatly reduced during this period. King Xiaocheng of Zhao was originally a foolish and incompetent ruler. When the Qin army pressed the border, he might have been nervous for a while, but after the two sides formed an alliance, he would relax and indulge in wine and women again. Therefore, if Guo Kui wanted to frame Li Mu, this was the best time to take action.

  It seems that the state of Qin spent a lot of money to get rid of Li Mu. In one go, they gave up twelve cities south of Zhang River to Zhao State. However, the value of one Li Mu is not comparable to just twelve cities. If getting rid of Li Mu can be exchanged for these twelve cities, it's absolutely worth it.

  As for whether Guo Kai and Qin State have any connection, it cannot be confirmed yet. However, Guo Kai's appointment of Zhao Cong to take over the 12 cities in southern Zhang was likely a deliberate move, giving Zhao Cong an opportunity to make achievements and return to the center of power. At the same time, it also allowed Zhao Cong to thoroughly surrender to Guo Kai. The purpose of reusing Zhao Cong was, of course, to restrain Li Mu, and if necessary, let Zhao Cong replace Li Mu.

  At this time, Gao Yuan said: "General, if it's just because the treasury is empty and it's hard to prepare for war, then it's not a big deal. I still have more than 3,000 taels of gold now, which would be useless if left in my hands, so I can take them all out and use them, which should be enough to cope with the situation."

  Li Mu was taken aback and said: "This gold is all your property, how can I use it?"

  Gao Yuan smiled and said: "Anyway, these three thousand or more taels of gold were not won from Guo Kai, but were bestowed by the king. I don't need to use that much anyway, and leaving it in the mansion is just a waste. It's better to use it where it's useful. Moreover, the general is not for personal use. Since the army needs it now, let's use it where it's needed."

  Li Mu nodded and mentally calculated that he had also received the 500 taels of gold awarded by King Zhao, as well as his regular salary and food allowance, which added up to several hundred taels of gold. Adding the over 3,000 taels of gold brought out by Gao Yuan, he now had around 4,000 taels of gold, a truly enormous sum. This would definitely be enough for war funds, and Li Mu felt slightly comforted. He also nodded in agreement, saying: "Alright, since you're coming from a good place, I won't decline."

  At this time, Gao Yuan also said: "However, the great general cannot be careless. The king was not a wise monarch to begin with, and there are treacherous ministers by his side who deceive him with flattery. Now that Zhao and Qin have already formed an alliance, the king has also become complacent. Guo Kuo is likely to take advantage of this opportunity to slander and harm the great general. Therefore, the great general must be on guard. If that day really comes, the great general absolutely cannot be captured without a fight."

  Li Mu was taken aback for a moment and fell silent for half a beat before nodding his head, saying: "Alright, I will consider your words seriously."