Chapter 587 Peace Negotiation
Chapter 587 Peace Negotiation (5k)
When Xu Junling said this, the whole hall suddenly fell silent, with only the humming sound of the late autumn wind blowing in from outside.
Xu Jingtang died, killed by Governor Zhao.
Everyone's brains paused for a moment, and then everyone looked in unison at Zhao Duan who was sitting in the main seat.
As if he wanted to ask for confirmation, Zhao Duan had no expression on his face, not even a blush on his face, and said lightly:
"Xu Jingtang is indeed dead. The Yunfu rebels will never become powerful again."
Well, I didn't admit it. Princess, you guessed it yourself, didn't you? Zhao Duan thought shamelessly in his heart.
However, after discussing with the old Taoist priest about the way King Mu died, it was decided to attribute the credit to Zhao Duan, and Zhang Yanyi did not want to be involved.
This statement naturally could not be hidden from anyone with a discerning eye, but Xu Jingtang's collusion with the evil god was an extremely shameful matter.
Even the Eighth King would not be willing to make it public.
In other words, blaming Zhao Duan for Xu Jingtang's death was a tacit decision made by all parties.
When the governor confirmed it "personally", the generals present were all shocked.
Yuan Feng had a dull expression, as if he hadn't come to his senses yet.
Zhao Shixiong was also stunned. He stared blankly at Zhao Duan, then suddenly turned his head to look at Yuxiu and Jinjian, but was disappointed to see only the expressionless face of the female Taoist nun.
As for the young priestess, she had already dozed off with her head down, and didn't hear what anyone was saying at all.
"The governor killed Xu Jingtang?" Gongsun was stunned and speechless. Then, as if the valve of sound was opened, the hall suddenly became noisy.
After being stunned, the generals were all ecstatic. The second son of the Yunfu army was killed, and King Mu was also dead. Only a few remnants were left in Yunfu, and they were no longer a force to be reckoned with.
Doesn't this mean that the court will soon lose the threat from the southwest and can concentrate on dealing with Prince Jing in the southeast?
The dead chessboard comes alive.
Thinking of this, the soldiers looked at Zhao Duan with almost admiration!
How did the governor do it?
Suddenly, everyone felt emotional:
"With this achievement in hand, I'm afraid the title of 'Military God' will completely shift from Xue Shence to our own governor."
"Ahem," even with Zhao Duan's thick skin, facing the fanatical gaze, he couldn't help blushing and said:
"I have summoned you all here to explain this matter. Next, I need you to spread the news of Xu Jingtang's death as soon as possible. Someone will also need to send a team to escort his body back to the capital later to serve as a warning to others."
"At the same time, issue an order to recruit surrenders. After the news of Xu Jingtang's death spreads, a large number of soldiers in the remaining Yunfu army will surely be willing to defect. Pass on this order to the governor. As long as they voluntarily surrender, the soldiers who were coerced by the rebel king will be forgiven, and the officers can be given lenient sentences."
"Then, Commander Yuan," Zhao Duan looked at Yuan Feng:
"Next, you will cooperate with the King of Huai'an to protect the territory and the people, and quickly pacify the western line of the Huai River. As for the local big families, those with serious crimes will have their property confiscated, and those with minor crimes can surrender materials to atone for their sins. We need to collect enough materials and money before winter comes, and send them to the capital and the eastern line to alleviate the financial crisis of the court."
After saying this, Zhao Duan couldn't help but feel emotional.
Last year, he racked his brains to try to "open the market" and tried to collect taxes and grain from the world through business.
As a result, things are unpredictable, but now it is simple. Almost all the big families in Huaishui have funded the rebels with gold and silver. Therefore, with the handle of treason, they can openly confiscate the assets of local big families...
"Yes, sir." Yuan Feng clasped his fists, his chain mail rustling, his face showing excitement.
Zhao Duan looked at the thin tiger in the southwest again and said:
"General Zhao, you are going to lead a group of elite soldiers into Yunfu to wipe out the remnants and recapture Yunfu before the heavy snow in midwinter blocks the road. Do you have the confidence?"
Zhao Shixiong and his wife were both startled. The former said unexpectedly:
"The governor wants me to go?"
The couple could not hide their surprise, and the other generals also had strange expressions.
Zhao Shixiong has a criminal record, but now he is sent back to the southwest to "suppress bandits". Isn't this like "letting a tiger return to the mountain"?
Zhao Duan just smiled confidently and said proudly:
"Trust a man when you employ him, and don't employ a man you doubt. I promised you that day that you would submit to the imperial court and forgive past mistakes. I will not break my promise. You are most familiar with Yunfu and he is the most suitable candidate. Moreover, you also need to be on guard against the Liao people, so it is most convenient for you to do so."
He had discussed this decision with the empress before he came back.
There is indeed a risk of letting the tiger return to the mountains, but the empress still has the courage.
What's more, not to mention that Zhao Shixiong's daughter is still in Linfeng.
The fact that Zhao Duan killed the "god" Xu Jingtang alone was enough to shock this border general.
Zhao Shixiong couldn't help but be moved. Even though he knew that Zhao Duan was trying to calm down, compared to Xu Jingtang's suspicion... he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart, and clasped his fists and said:
"I am willing to accept the military order. If you fail to recapture Yunfu within the deadline, you will be punished according to military law!"
Zhao Duan laughed loudly, stood up and bowed:
"Then I wish the general a triumphant return."
After the general explanation was completed, the remaining details were left to the generals to discuss, and Yuan Feng and Zhao Shixiong left in a hurry.
Zhao Duan did not leave, but chose to live in the Huai'an Palace temporarily.
It will take some time to digest the gains from this battle, so as the governor, he must stay here and cannot leave.
According to calculations on my fingers, it will be the winter solstice soon.
The situation in the South is still favorable, as there is still some time to mobilize troops, but when winter comes, there will be no more large-scale battles, and all parties will enter a period of "truce."
"Whoosh..."
Zhao Duan walked out of the hall, feeling the cool breeze blowing on his face in the courtyard. Surrounded by Xu Junling, Prince Huaian, Yuxiu and others, he spread out his palm and caught a yellowed autumn leaf blown by the wind.
He narrowed his eyes and murmured:
"Prince Jing, it's finally your turn."
……
……
Beijing.
Zhao Duan walked out of the stone wall again and sank into the puppet's body.
As I walked out of the old building, the wind chimes above my head vibrated, but I didn't see the empress coming.
Zhao Duan walked out of the Wugong Hall. Along the way, he saw the bleak autumn wind and the ancient trees in the palace.
Compared to the south, the temperature in the capital has dropped rapidly in the past few days. Even with his puppet body, he could still clearly feel the cold.
Wearing white masks, they arrived outside the imperial study, and the palace maids, who had changed into thick palace skirts, left tacitly.
Inside the study, Xu Zhenguan was sitting at the imperial desk, reviewing memorials to the emperor. There was a beast-shaped stove on the ground, with red-hot charcoal inside.
With the Empress's cultivation level, she is no longer afraid of cold or heat, but the room is still warm.
"What's the situation?" Xu Zhenguan asked without raising his head.
Zhao Duan walked over, pulled a chair and sat down, and explained the situation and arrangements of Jingchuan Town.
Xu Zhenguan finally raised his head, put down the bright red imperial brush on his fair wrist, and looked at him with his bright eyes, as if he wanted to see through him:
"How's your cultivation going lately?"
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, not sure of the empress's intention, and said honestly:
“It’s not far from high quality, but it’s still a little short.”
Although I was busy with battles these days, I also did not neglect my meditation practice.
In "The Great Dream", Zhao Duan followed Pei Niannu in traveling around the world, experiencing the wind and rain of six hundred years ago.
There wasn't much new in the process, but his progress in cultivation was incredibly fast.
Xu Zhenguan said calmly:
“After entering the worldly realm, if you want to advance, the effort does not lie in daily hard work, but in experience.
The more you read, the faster your state of mind will improve. You have solved the mystery in your womb, and you have more experience than ordinary people. You have also traveled the world in the dream volume, and participated in wars in reality... It is not surprising that you have reached the threshold of your state of mind so quickly."
Speaking of this, Xu Zhenguan felt a little envious and jealous.
For ordinary practitioners, practicing after entering the human world requires years of accumulating experience.
These are also disciples of the Tianshi Mansion. After entering the world, they will go out and travel.
This is why monks from Shenlong Temple would go out to serve as abbots in branch temples.
It’s nothing, just accumulating experience.
During this period, the Xu royal family took a clever approach and used the "Great Dream Scroll" to accumulate experience, which already surpassed other inherited cultivators.
But Zhao Duan happened to be a man with a lifetime of experience...Practicing in this realm of the human world is, on the contrary, much simpler than that in the mortal realm or the divine realm.
"Now that you have reached the threshold, I will give you a helping hand," Xu Zhenguan stood up and walked out:
"Follow me. It's been a long time since we've practiced together. Today is a good opportunity to see if you've made any progress in martial arts. Oh, it doesn't matter if your puppet body is poorly trained. We can practice martial arts together."
Zhao Duan was confused, thinking, why did you lend me a helping hand? You are just looking for a reason to beat me up, right?
She still remembers that I cheated her.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" Xu Zhenguan turned his head to look at him.
"Here I come!" Zhao Duan forced out a warm smile.
……
An hour later.
In the palace's martial arts arena.
"Clang." Zhao Duan threw his sword to the ground, then lay on the ground with his arms and legs spread out, looking like a dead dog, his whole body aching.
Cursing in my heart:
"Gongshu Tianyuan, you bastard, why is the puppet body so realistic? Can't you lower the pain sensitivity?"
The empress, who had changed into a narrow-sleeved martial arts training outfit, slowly put away her sword, feeling refreshed, and said with a smile:
"In a month at most, you may be able to reach the highest level in the world. At this rate, you may be able to achieve great perfection next year, or even reach the level of a half-step celestial being."
If this evaluation were to spread, the entire martial arts world would be shaken. Ordinary warriors would advance one level at a time, and even a small level would take several years to advance, and some might not advance an inch in their entire lives.
But in the words of the empress, it seemed that it was not difficult for Zhao Duan to advance to the half-step celestial being.
In fact, after Xu Zhenguan learned that Zhao Duan was a plan of Emperor Taizu, he understood that Zhao Duan would definitely be promoted to the celestial being.
It's just a matter of time.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhao Duan slowly got up and simply sat cross-legged on the ground to bask in the sun to "recharge".
He raised his head and looked at the empress's slender waist, only to find that the standing empress was actually a little "tall".
Only those who have actually fought with her will understand the horror of a warrior in the Heavenly Man Realm.
Even the empress is like this, how powerful are those old monsters like Zhang Yanyi and Xuan Yin?
You mean Wu Xiankui? He was a guy who was too nervous to fight a duel. How could he be the best warrior in the martial arts world? Zhao Duan looked down on him.
"Winter is coming." Xu Zhen looked at the bleak sun and said softly:
"After winter, it is not suitable to start a major battle, and all parties will enter a period of peace for several months. The death of Xu Jingtang is likely to change the situation."
Zhao Duan asked, "Your Majesty, are you talking about the Prince of Hejian or the Prince of Yanshan?"
"Both," Xu Zhenguan explained, "There is speculation in the court that the two rebel kings will most likely negotiate peace with the court."
Peace talks? Zhao Duan raised an eyebrow, but was not surprised.
The Prince of Hejian was in Xiping Road, and the Prince of Yanshan was in Tieguan Road in the north. After several months, they were unable to occupy these two territories.
Instead, they were in a stalemate with the imperial army.
Now that the situation has been broken, the two princes must rethink whether to continue fighting or they may be killed by the empress in the end.
It is better to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the two tigers, hoping that both the imperial court and Prince Jing will suffer heavy losses, and then take advantage of the situation.
Or, while there is still a powerful enemy like Prince Jing, he could try to go to the negotiation table with the court and strive for benefits through peace talks.
Considering that winter is coming and the weather in Xiping and Tieguan will get cold, so both places will stop fighting. The chances of peace talks are indeed high.
Even Prince Chen of Binhaidao has a certain chance, but considering that Prince Chen is right next to Prince Jing's army, it is almost impossible for Prince Jing to allow Prince Chen to come for peace talks.
"What does Your Majesty think?" Zhao Duan asked.
Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment, then said in a cold voice: "The crime of treason is unforgivable. But it is feasible to buy time through peace talks."
Zhao Duan understood.
Today's empress is no longer merciful and is determined not to give the enemy any alive.
But... this does not mean that peace talks are impossible. If we can gain the upper hand at the negotiation table, we can use peaceful means to restore peace between Xiping and Tieguan.
Then when we wait for the decisive battle with Prince Jing next year, our chances of winning will undoubtedly be much greater.
At worst, we can slowly settle accounts with the two rebel kings later.
On the contrary, if we firmly refuse to negotiate, it will only push the two kings of Hejian and Yanshan to the side of Prince Jing, which is very unwise.
"Your Majesty is wise, but we must also guard against the other side making exorbitant demands. The court must not be weak at this time, otherwise it will only make the other side think that the court can be bullied and will fall into a passive position." Zhao Duan said calmly.
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him and asked, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
Zhao Duan chuckled: "What kind of thing?"
Xu Zhenguan blushed and said unhappily: "It seems that your martial arts training is not saturated enough."
Zhao Duan immediately raised his hands in surrender, indicating his acceptance of defeat.
The king and his minister joked for a while, and their heavy mood lightened a little.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"It will take some time for Jingchuan to stabilize. I can stay in the capital and concentrate on my cultivation. I can catch up with the peace talks... provided they really send someone here."
After a pause, he continued:
"Once Jingchuan is stabilized, I will go to the east to join up with Xue Shence, Mochou and the others to eliminate Prince Jing and Prince Chen."
Xu Zhen looked at him and suddenly sighed softly:
"You don't have to shoulder everything. You can stay on the western front, and Xue Shence can lead the attack..."
Zhao Duan shook his head and said calmly: "This is not only a national affair, but also a personal vendetta."
To be exact, after Zhao Duan came to this world, he had already had a feud with Prince Jing since he accidentally eliminated a spy from Prince Jing's Mansion.
Later, in the battle of Hu Ting, he was assassinated and was in danger.
During the trip to Jianning Prefecture, he was cursed by people sent by Prince Jing and nearly lost his life.
Needless to say, during the Fengshan battle, he and the empress were hunted all the way.
In Zhao Duan's little notebook of grudges, Prince Jing ranks very high and is far more important than Xu Jingtang.
In addition, what he didn't say was that he also placed a chess piece next to Prince Jing.
Princess Lu Yan'er... this secret must not be leaked, and even if Xue Shence had his own letter, it would be difficult for him to mobilize Lu Yan'er as a chess piece.
Therefore, Zhao Duan must go there in person, settle this feud with his own hands, and eliminate the two enemies, Prince Tiaojing and his son.
As for the Qingshan sect… well, Wu Xiankui can’t deal with them for now, but Qingshan’s disciple Duan Shuiliu is also on his kill list.
What's more, he also had to bring back Prajna Bodhisattva...not just to heal Lang Shiba's injuries. Zhao Duan understood that the Buddhist faith had already flourished in various parts of the Dayu Dynasty for hundreds of years.
The imperial court could eradicate monks, but it could not destroy faith.
Therefore, it would undoubtedly be a good plan to support Prajna, win over the remnants of the Shenlong Temple, and get rid of the old bald donkey Xuanyin.
However, we can't be impatient about all this. We have to wait for a while, maybe until after this winter, and then go south next year.
"Now that you have made a decision, follow your heart."
Xu Zhenguan looked at the young man sitting on the ground with gentle eyes and spoke softly.
In the cold wind, a flake of tiny snow fluttered through the sunlight.
……
……
Xiping Road, the residence of Prince Hejian.
On this day, the news about Xu Jingtang's death came. After hearing the news, Prince Hejian, who had recruited a large number of martial arts masters and was dealing with Duke Tang, turned pale and sat in the house for a long time.
Then, he summoned his close ministers to discuss the matter.
Afterwards, the prince who was studying in the villa within the palace was summoned.
The Prince of Hejian had been ill since childhood. He was quite fat and gasped when he walked, so he was not sent to the army.
The whole person has a silly look, and at first glance, he doesn't seem to be very smart.
In fact, he was not very smart, and therefore was not liked by the King of Hejian. It was only because he was the eldest son that he was given the title of "Crown Prince".
"This time, you will follow Mr. Feng to Beijing to negotiate peace. All matters will be subject to Mr. Feng's opinion. Do you understand?"
Prince Hejian stared majestically at the prince who was standing in the room with his hands hanging down and smiling foolishly.
Obviously, the Crown Prince is just a figurehead representing the King of Hejian, and there is someone else who is truly in charge.
"I understand, father. I...I will definitely get it done!"
The foolish prince patted his chest loudly.
On the side, the gentleman surnamed Feng bowed and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty."
The Prince of Hejian glanced at his foolish son, his eyelids twitching. He was too lazy to pay attention to him, so he stood up and bowed to Mr. Feng:
"This peace talk involves the safety of the entire palace, so it all depends on you, sir."
Russian qing.
Mr. Feng and the demented prince walked out and returned to the villa.
As soon as he entered the villa, the chief aide who held a high position in the Hejian Palace and was a long-time friend of the Hejian Prince suddenly bowed and said:
"Your Highness, what do you think of this peace talk..."
How could there be any stupid look on the fat prince's face?
His eyes were calm and he smiled faintly:
"Let's wait until we get to the capital. Ha, I believe King Yanshan will not be able to sit still. By then... It's a pity that Zhao Duan is not in the capital, otherwise I would really like to see how capable this man is."
……
Tieguan Road, inside the Prince of Yanshan’s Palace.
"Dad asked me to negotiate peace?"
In the solemn palace, a woman wearing a fur cloak, riding a huge white wolf, and holding a purple whip in her hand was stunned for a moment and looked at the guard who came to report the news.
"Yes, the prince wants you to come over."
The domineering princess, who looked pretty but had very thin lips and was extremely powerful, smiled coldly, and whipped out the long whip in her hand, beating a follower who had made a mistake and was kneeling on the ground in front of her, making him covered in blood and falling to the ground screaming. She smiled coldly:
"Okay, this princess just wants to see what kind of pretty boy Zhao Duan is, and whether he's fun to watch or not."
The guard reminded: "Zhao Duan is not in the capital."
The domineering princess was disappointed: "Is that so."
Then she smiled again, revealing her cold white teeth:
"What a pity. I wanted to taste what it's like to be a man used by the Empress."
(End of this chapter)