Seeing the officials in the great hall engaged in a heated debate, Prime Minister Liu showed no sign of nervousness, as if he had anticipated this all along. He calmly continued, "For generations, we have all been subjects of the Southern Kingdom. As the saying goes, those who eat the ruler's stipend must share the ruler's burdens. We must never forget that our primary duty is to serve our country. Even if it means sacrificing ourselves, we cannot simply think of our own safety. Instead, we must put ourselves in the nation's shoes and consider its interests."
"Ceding territory to beg for mercy, or sacrificing the princess's lifelong happiness by sending her as a hostage to Xuanbei Kingdom, means bowing and scraping. From then on, we would be reduced to obeying others as a vassal state, stripped of our independence. What glory would there be for us as subjects? In the end, even our Emperor would become a puppet of the enemy, and we would no longer be ministers, but mere slaves. Is this what everyone wants?"
"Here is my stance: even if it costs me my life, I will fight Xuanbei Kingdom to the bitter end!"
Chapter 260