"Fief?" Mu Yangling's eyes widened. "Didn't Emperor Shizong of the previous dynasty no longer confer vassal lords?"
"The previous dynasty was the previous dynasty, and this dynasty is this dynasty." Qi Haoran said, "If the previous dynasty had vassal lords guarding the borders, Great Jin and West Xia wouldn't have the ability to occupy a large portion of our territory."
Mu Yangling disagreed. "The reason why Great Zhou lost a large portion of its territory was because Emperor Gaozong moved the army inwards. Instead of defending against external enemies, he guarded against the commoners. In addition, Emperor Shizong valued literature over martial arts, causing there to be a lack of military talents in the army. What has this got to do with the vassal lords?"
