To Declare War Was to Fight to the Death! There Was No Retreat! The Chen Kingdom Was Shaken!

Every man bore responsibility for his nation's rise and fall!

Great Wei's royal house shrank from battle!

Those sixteen characters in the Great Wei Gazette all but pointed straight at the noses of the regional vassal kings and gave them a vicious tongue-lashing.

And throughout the article, Xu Qingxiao assailed them with both words and pen.

The vassal kings drew stipends from the court and fed on the people's blood and sweat, indulging in pleasure and hoarding troops to bolster their own power. Now that Great Wei's realm teetered on the brink, it was bad enough that they had not stepped forward to defend their homes and country.

Yet when the court asked them to fight for their nation, they offered every conceivable excuse and refused to send troops? They would rather watch the people suffer amid fire and flood than lend a hand. Such intentions deserved condemnation.

Throughout his article, Xu Qingxiao focused on the power these vassal kings wielded and the extravagance of their food, lodging, and travel. Then he contrasted them with the Female Emperor: even an emperor building a palace had to consider whether the national treasury had the funds and whether the ministers would agree.

These vassal kings, however, built palaces whenever they pleased. Their food, clothing, accommodations, and travel were extravagance itself, stirring resentment of the wealthy among the common people.

He then furiously denounced them again. Eating, drinking, indulging in pleasure, and enjoying their fortunes was one thing, but who would have thought they would still seek private gain at such a critical juncture?

They even demanded money from Great Wei's court to send troops to defend their country. Had the regional vassal kings not received enough tax revenue over the years?

Xu Qingxiao's article was a single stone that stirred a thousand