A strange, oppressive atmosphere settled over the court. Ji Wuye and Zhang Kaidi stood in fierce opposition, but the ministers had long since grown accustomed to the feud between these two rival political factions. Apart from those belonging to either camp, most preferred to keep out of matters that did not concern them. They stood to one side with their heads lowered, silent as wooden statues.
Zhang Kaidi rebuked him coldly. "Qin has always harbored a wolf's ambition. Its designs on Han's territory are nothing new. Showing fear and weakness will only embolden Qin to demand more, convinced that Han fears it. Ji Wuye, as Han's Great General, surely you understand something so simple?"
A mocking sneer appeared on Ji Wuye's dark, rugged face, and he immediately retorted, "Qin can easily field a million armored cavalry, while Han can muster only two or three hundred thousand troops. With their forces outnumbering ours five to one, Lord Chancellor, please tell me how we are supposed to win?"
"By sending envoys to persuade the other states and uniting the Six Kingdoms against mighty Qin, of course. Qin has already gathered overwhelming strength. Only through a joint alliance can the Six Kingdoms gain the power to defeat its ravenous armies.
"In the past, Su Qin united the Six Kingdoms and kept Qin from venturing beyond Hangu Pass for fifteen years. Now Qin has risen from the ashes, turned its swords toward the Six Kingdoms, and deliberately massed troops along the border to provoke war. A battle between Qin and Han is only a matter of time. How long can General Ji's proposed policy of making peace possibly last?"
"..."
Ye Uchiha, the very person at the center of the dispute, stood there as though none of it concerned him, watching their verbal battle