Chapter 118 Ye Chi: Your Majesty, please be lenient with Tu Ju!

Tu Sui trembled all over, and quickly knelt on the ground, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, I am guilty."

"But this defeat is not entirely the fault of my subjects."

"The main thing is that before the expedition, Ye Chi cursed all the subordinates and soldiers, saying that we would definitely fail!"

"I even suspect... that he might be collaborating with the enemy!"

"Oh?" The First Emperor frowned, his voice became even colder, "You mean, this defeat was all due to Ye Chi's fault?"

Tu Sui could sense the Emperor's anger, but he still said, "I beg the Emperor to thoroughly investigate Ye Chi, rectify military discipline, and serve as a warning to others!!"

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor slammed his desk and shouted angrily, "How dare you! It was you who underestimated the enemy, causing heavy casualties among our Qin soldiers, and you still want to push the responsibility onto others?"

"As the commander-in-chief, you are to blame!!"

Tu Sui was so frightened that he trembled and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I know my crime and I am willing to accept any punishment."

"Punish?" The First Emperor sneered, "As the commander-in-chief, you caused such a disastrous defeat. How can I let you off so easily? Come, drag Tu Sui out and behead him!!"

In the court, all the ministers were silent.

When Tu Sui was dragged away by the guards, his eyes were filled with fear and regret.

But the First Emperor's eyes remained stern, as if he was warning other ministers that those who failed in their duties would be severely punished.

The entire court fell into dead silence again! !

However, just then!

A figure suddenly stepped out from among the ministers and said loudly: "Your Majesty, wait a minute!!"

Everyone looked sideways, only to see that it was Ye Chi. He walked to the center of the hall with a calm expression and firm steps, and bowed sincerely, "Your Majesty, although General Tu Sui has committed dereliction of duty, please consider his meritorious service in making amends for his mistakes and give him a lighter sentence."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the court! !

Tu Sui also stopped being dragged away, looked up at Ye Chi with disbelief, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.

He...he was actually speaking for himself?

How can this be?

The First Emperor raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at Ye Chi and said, "Ye Qing, what do you mean by this? Tu Sui's dereliction of duty led to the defeat of the army, how can he be forgiven so easily?"

Ye Chi's expression remained unchanged, and he said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, although General Tu Sui was defeated in the first battle, in the subsequent battles, he helped General Wang Ben pacify Baiyue and made great contributions."

"Now he has returned victoriously with the army. Your Majesty's treatment of this hero will probably make the other soldiers feel disheartened!"

Ye Chi's words of plea echoed in the court, and Tu Sui's face was filled with astonishment and gratitude! !
However, the atmosphere in the court seemed somewhat solemn.

Lord Ye repays evil with kindness, so how can we repay kindness? !

Who should be responsible for the lives of hundreds of thousands of generals of our Great Qin?

Li Si and other important officials stood aside, exchanging glances with each other, with complex emotions in their hearts.

Although they did not refute out loud, the expressions on their faces revealed their doubts and confusion about Ye Chi's actions.

However... although Li Si did not speak, he did not believe it at all in his heart. After all, Ye Chi was a vicious person in using strategies, and his move today was probably not as simple as a simple plea for mercy.

However, he could only speculate silently in his heart. After all, one must be cautious in words and actions in the court.

At the same time, on the Dragon Terrace, although the First Emperor could not figure out Ye Chi's thoughts, he thought, since Ye Chi had already asked for mercy for Tu Ju, if I did not acknowledge it, wouldn't it embarrass the entire court?
Forget it, let’s give Tu Sui a chance and also give Ye Chi some face.

So, he announced in a deep voice: "Well, Tu Sui, although you have done something wrong, considering Ye Qing's plea for you, I decided to give you a chance to reform." "I will demote you to an infantryman and start from scratch as a punishment!"

"I hope you can cherish this opportunity and make amends!!"

Upon hearing this, although Tu Sui was unwilling in his heart, he kowtowed in gratitude and tears.

Seeing this, the ministers in the court could only sigh inwardly and accept the result.

Ye Chi stood aside, looking calm, as if everything was under his control.

……

After leaving the court.

Li Si hurriedly chased out of the court, grabbed Ye Chi's sleeve, and asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Lord Ye, what is your intention in pleading for Tu Sui in the court today?"

Ye Chi stopped and turned around.

Facing Li Si's question, he looked calm and determined: "Prime Minister Li, everything I said in the court is true! Although Tu Sui is guilty, considering that he has made military achievements for the Qin Dynasty, I think it is reasonable to give him a chance to reform."

Li Si frowned, obviously doubting what Ye Chi said.

He narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Master Ye, you and I have known each other for a long time, how could I not know your wisdom and tactics?"

"I'm afraid your actions today are not just to plead for Tu Sui, right?"

Ye Chi smiled slightly when he heard this, with a sly light flashing in his eyes: "No, no, I'm afraid Prime Minister Li has miscalculated this time. Everything I have done is for the country of Daqin!"

"This time, Ye Mou interceded for Tu Ju, and he really didn't have any other intentions..."

Li Si looked surprised, still didn't believe it, and asked quickly.

But Ye Chi refused to say anything more.

Of course, Li Si's assessment was not wrong.

In Ye Chi's heart, there were indeed more far-reaching considerations.

The impassioned speech he just made in the court was just a ripple on the surface, while the lake in his heart was actually surging with undercurrents.

He knew very well that Tu Sui's frame-up in the court was not groundless, and there must be some support and conspiracy behind it.

Although Tu Sui was defeated in this expedition against Yue, his prestige in the army was still at its peak and his influence could not be underestimated.

A cold light flashed in Ye Chi's eyes. It was not difficult to get rid of Tu Sui, but what really made him afraid were those Tu Sui's confidants lurking in the dark.

These people are like poisonous snakes hiding in the grass, ready to jump out and deliver a fatal blow at any time.

He must plan carefully, not only to remove this cancer, but also to completely eradicate its roots.

He had already made up his mind, not only to make Tu Sui lose the chance to turn things around, but also to make those generals and soldiers who were loyal to Tu Sui completely lose their support!!!
Tu Sui strode into the mansion, and the sound of his footsteps on the stone floor echoed in the empty courtyard.

His trusted generals had already rushed over after hearing the news and were standing neatly on both sides of the courtyard, each with a puzzled look on their faces, puzzled by Tu Sui's actions in the court today.

"General, why did you confront the upstart Ye Chi so sharply in the court today?" A loyal general finally couldn't help but speak, with a hint of worry in his voice.

Tu Sui stopped and scanned the faces of each general with his sharp eyes, finally stopping at the one who had just spoken.

He took a deep breath and said slowly: "You don't understand what I mean, do you?"

(End of this chapter)