funbook-pk Chapter 135 The dog jumps over the wall in a hurry
Chapter 135 The dog jumps over the wall in a hurry
Prime Minister Li, General Zhang, and Censor Huang had just finished a day of court meetings and returned home, ready to enjoy their rare leisure time.
However, not long after, the eunuch from the palace came hurriedly and conveyed the emperor's order.
Upon learning that the emperor had asked the three ministers and Su Yuntian to go to the Zichen Hall to discuss matters immediately, they knew that something important must have happened in the court, so they quickly dressed and hurried to the palace.
When the four of them arrived at the Zichen Hall and took the report from Jinzhong, they found out that something had happened at Yanmen Pass.
There were still some people who advocated peace. Prime Minister Li was already accustomed to opposing the general. Usually, whenever Marquis Mu Wei advocated something, he would definitely stand on the opposite side.
Now that he knew that Mu Yan had been captured by the Beiqi people, thinking that Mu Weihou must be heartbroken, Li Xiang was more likely to gloat over their misfortune rather than empathize with them.
Li Xiang said: "Your Majesty, Bei Qi has only captured Mu Yan and has not yet declared war on our country. I think it is better to wait and see what happens."
Su Yu said: "What if Bei Qi arrested Mu Yan and declared war on our country?"
Li Xiang replied, "I think that Dongyue has been at war for several years. It was not long before Beiqi surrendered and they finally got a break. Now they are facing natural disasters and man-made disasters. The court can no longer afford to fight Beiqi. I still advocate peace talks."
Su Yu asked, "Then how does Li Aiqing plan to negotiate peace?"
Li Xiang said: "Return the three cities we took from them last year. The court has no extra money now. Returning the three cities to Beiqi will also save a lot of people and save a lot of money."
"Nonsense! How is this different from selling out your country?"
When Censor Huang heard what Li Xiang said, he could no longer bear it and interrupted Li Xiang's treasonous words.
This matter involved Su Yuntian's former brother-in-law, so Su Yuntian didn't dare to interrupt and just stood aside in silence.
As General Zhang was about to retire and return home, he was too lazy to get involved and just stood by and watched Prime Minister Li and Censor Huang arguing in silence.
Censor Huang had a hot temper. In front of several people, he pointed at Prime Minister Li's nose and cursed at him.
"This world was won by your Majesty's correct leadership and the soldiers of Dongyue who fought with their flesh and blood, not by begging on their knees! Kitazaki has always been ambitious and fickle. Last year, as a defeated country, they signed a treaty to never invade again, but it has only been a short time since then, and they have invaded again and again."
"You return three cities to them today, but how do you know what other demands they will make tomorrow? If this goes on endlessly, will they have to hand over our entire Dongyue Kingdom to Beiqi?"
Prime Minister Li rolled his eyes at Censor Huang before turning to look at Su Yu.
"This is already the smallest price, Your Majesty! These three cities were originally in Beiqi, which shows that victory and defeat are unpredictable. Now is the best time to rest and recuperate. I beg Your Majesty to make long-term plans! As long as the green mountains are there, it will not be too late to attack and retake them again when we in Dongyue have recovered!"
Huang Yushi pointed at Li Xiang and said, "You only think about us recovering. What if Bei Qi recovers first? You are afraid of death and no one can stop you, but you should not hinder my Dong Yue people from going to the battlefield to kill that Bei Qi dog!"
Li Xiang's face turned red after being scolded by Censor Huang, and he sneered.
"Everyone knows that you and Marquis Mu Wei are good friends. You are so excited just to help your friend redeem his son. You speak so righteously. Maybe you got the news in advance and received benefits from Marquis Mu Wei. That's why you speak so confidently in this palace."
"Li dog, why are you barking? You are dirty at heart, and you think others are so dirty." After saying this, Censor Huang wanted to rush over to beat up Prime Minister Li.
When Jinzhong saw that the two men were about to fight, he hurried forward to grab Censor Huang. When Li Xiang saw that Jinzhong was unable to pull Censor Huang over, he kept saying something mean.
"See, I was right. The cornered dog has jumped over the wall."
When Censor Huang heard this, all the blood in his body rushed to his head. He pulled Jinzhong's hand away and shouted at Prime Minister Li.
"Li Gou, I'm going to fight you today." After saying that, he rushed towards Li Xiang and punched him.
Suddenly, a sharp sound of porcelain falling to the ground and breaking came towards these people.
Several people stopped immediately and looked in the direction of Su Yu.
"How dare you! I asked you to come up with a solution, not to fight in front of me. If you are so good at fighting, I will send you guys to lead the charge. Do you still take me seriously?"
Several people knelt down and stopped talking because the emperor was furious.
Su Yu looked back and forth at the people in front of him, and it took him a long time to calm down his anger. He glanced at Su Yuntian, who had been silent since entering the hall, and asked.
"Lord Yun, I would like to hear your opinion on this matter."
Su Yuntian said: "Father, Beiqi has only captured Mu Yan and has not yet sent troops to Dongyue. I suggest that we take the initiative to negotiate first."
"But the most pressing issue now is that if the peace talks fail and the soldiers at the border are left without food and grass, then Beiqi will really attack. Without food, the soldiers will not be able to fight, and Yanmen Pass will be broken without a fight."
Su Yu frowned. When it came to food, no one said anything.
Yes, at that time the whole country of East Vietnam was extremely poor. If this war really broke out, without food support, the country would be destroyed.
"Wang Yun, please continue." Su Yu asked.
"But this matter is not yet irreversible. After all, it is not only Dongyue that is short of food. Beiqi is also in the most difficult situation because of the snowstorm last year, which killed countless cattle and sheep. Otherwise, they would not have made such a desperate bet."
"I think we should mobilize the whole country and let each state and county collect food and grass first, and then select an envoy to negotiate peace."
Su Yu said: "What bargaining chips can we use to negotiate?"
Su Yuntian said: "Let them release Mu Yan, retreat to the depths of the desert, return them a city, and give them 30,000 stones of grain and grass. This is the biggest bottom line."
After listening to Su Yu, he agreed with Su Yuntian's method: "I think what Prince Yun said is a good idea. Does anyone have a different opinion?"
Several people looked at each other and said, "We have no objection."
Su Yu asked again: "Then according to your opinions, who should be sent as an envoy to Beiqi for the peace talks?"
After these words were spoken, several people suddenly fell silent. No matter who was recommended, there would be a problem of stance.
He was also afraid that if he was chosen, it would be fine if the negotiations were successful, but if the negotiations failed and a war broke out between the two countries, his reputation and even his entire clan would be cursed by the Chinese people and would be infamous for eternity.
Moreover, Su Yi has always been wary of them because they are all old ministers of the previous dynasty. However, their roots in the court are deeply rooted, and it is not easy to move them.
This created a situation where the emperor needed them but was afraid that they might have ulterior motives. This was the fate of Marquis Mu Wei.
At this time, General Zhang finally stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I think that since it was Prince Yun who proposed the peace talks, why not let Prince Yun be the peace envoy?"