Chapter 341 The Prince’s Response

Emperor Qianyuan even mocked the Crown Prince: "I thought that the Crown Prince came to see me to ask me to abdicate, but I didn't expect that the Crown Prince also wanted to discuss state affairs with me. I don't have any opinions, the Crown Prince can do it himself."

The prince: “…”

In fact, what Emperor Qianyuan said was not wrong.

That's getting off topic.

Emperor Qianyuan had no opinion, but the Crown Prince certainly did. He understood the profound significance of the peace talks so well that he even considered traveling to Yanhui Pass in person to participate.

Before he could make a decision, the Duke of Zhenguo arrived.

The prince nodded, and then an idea occurred to him: "Is my uncle interested in negotiating?" He said excitedly: "If my uncle is interested, he would be a good candidate."

The Duke of Zhenguo shook his head. "I won't go. I don't have the nerve to do that. I was defeated in the battle, and the Emperor suspected me of treason. Although that's nonsense, my defeat is a fact. I won't go to this or the talks."

Those who set high standards for themselves also carry a lot of burdens. For the Duke of Zhenguo, losing a battle was a disgrace. He had no face to return to Yanhui Pass. The Marquis of Dingyong had already lost the defense of Yanhui Pass, yet he still lived a heartless life.

Anyway, the Duke of Zhenguo believed that he was not worthy of negotiating. He had lost the battle, and Lu Chenyang had recaptured Yanhui Pass and captured Zar alive. How could he, a defeated general defeated by Zar, preside over the peace talks? He didn't have the nerve to do that.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince selfishly hopes that the Duke of Zhenguo will go. The Duke of Zhenguo has the highest reputation in the Yanhui Army, and if he comes forward, he can also win over the morale of the Yanhui Army.

He now knew that the soldiers of the Yanhui Army worshipped Lu Chenyang as a god and were extremely respectful to him, as if they were following Lu Chenyang's lead.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants the Duke of Zhenguo to go back and win back the Yanhui Army's fickle hearts.

Since the Duke of Zhenguo was unwilling, the prince couldn't force him. His father was a figurehead, and the Duke of Zhenguo, as his uncle, gave him all the expectations of a father.

The prince then asked, "What does uncle mean..."

The Duke of Zhenguo said, "I can't, but Cheng Xiao can. Let him go to negotiate." He looked at the prince with a deep gaze filled with sadness. "Too many people from the Yan family died at Yanhui Pass. Now that it has finally returned to peace, even if it wasn't the Yan family who caused it, at least let the Yan family participate. Just consider it my shamelessness."

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince: “…”

The prince felt a headache. He had no objection to Yan Xing, but what was the difference between letting Yan Xing go and letting Lu Chenyang make the decision? Did he still expect his good brother to refute Lu Chenyang? He was just a yes-man for Lu Chenyang, and whatever Lu Chenyang said was what he meant.

Why did he send Yan Xing there? To yell at Lu Chenyang, right?

But looking at the expectant look of the Duke of Zhenguo, the prince could not say anything to refute.

The prince gritted his teeth when he thought of the letter from Yan Xing that he had just received in his study. What good brothers, they were all enemies. It was his blessing to have such brothers!

The prince sighed softly, "Okay, just as my uncle said."

The Duke of Zhenguo's eyes turned red and he nodded slowly.

Reclaiming Yanhui Pass, negotiating peace with the Tatars, and quelling the war in Yanhui Pass are extremely important to the Duke of Zhenguo.

Peace talks are urgent. As for the location of the talks, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to return to the capital and ask the Tatars to send envoys so that everyone can have a good chat.

In this case, Lu Chenyang will have to come back too.

For some reason, the prince felt that the capital was his home ground and he felt more confident.

Lu Chenyang preferred Yanhui Pass. He felt that Yanhui Pass had endured too many years of war, and it would be more meaningful to sign a peace treaty here.

In the end... of course Lu Chenyang won.

The words of powerful officials carry weight.

So the Yanxinghe peace negotiation delegation was about to set off for Yanhui Pass.

Yan Xing led the peace delegation, but Lu Chenyang, as the Minister of State and the person who facilitated the negotiations, certainly couldn't stay out of it. Furthermore, the Crown Prince had also sent his own Tutor, Wei Guang, and his Imperial Guard Commander, Luo Fei, to participate. At the very least, the Crown Prince had to be present at the talks.

Before the delegation set off, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince called Wei Guang and Luo Fei into his study and gave them some instructions.

The prince said, "Don't confront Lu Chenyang head-on. He's currently at the peak of his powers, and you have no chance of winning. But don't be too soft on him, or he'll look down on the court." He sighed, "Teacher, I know this is difficult, but besides you, I have no one else I can trust."

As the Prince's tutor, Wei Guang had taught him since childhood and treated him like his own grandson. He was already over fifty, yet he still had to make the long journey. He knew the Prince had no one to rely on, and that he was in a difficult situation, so he took the initiative to make the journey.

Wei Guang nodded, looking rather indifferent about the matter: "Your Highness, with Lu Chenyang's dominance, he will never let others interfere in the peace talks. Even if we go to Yanhui Pass, we cannot affect the terms of the peace talks." So they were just representing the prince to make things look good, so as not to embarrass the prince, and in fact they could not play any role.

The prince knew what he said made sense, and his face turned a little ugly: "Teacher, what you said is correct, but now..." He smiled bitterly: "Do I have another chance?"

Wei Guang continued, "Your Highness, Lu Chenyang is currently at the height of his power. The people only know Lord Lu, not the court, and this is very detrimental to Your Highness. Lu Chenyang first rose to prominence through his literary achievements, and then gained fame on the battlefield. Your Highness, have you seen this? Power rests on military merit. Military power alone isn't enough; merit is required. With only military power, like the Fourth Prince, one wasted opportunities, achieved nothing, and ultimately ended up in trouble."

Wei Guang said sternly, "Back then, Lu Chenyang only issued a letter accusing the Yilin Army of crimes instead of sending troops to suppress them. This was because he was fighting the Tatars and had no time to deal with the Yilin Army. Your Highness should have sent troops to suppress them then! Now, Lu Chenyang has quelled the rebellion at Yanhui Pass, and morale is at its peak. I'm afraid his next target will be the Yilin Army. Even the Tatars are no match for Lu Chenyang, let alone a motley crew of the Yilin Army? If Lu Chenyang defeats the Yilin Army again, Your Highness will have no chance!"

The prince pursed his lips and said, "I know, but I only have a hundred thousand soldiers and horses. This is my last trump card. Even if I go to fight the Yilin Army, I have no guarantee of victory!"

He also began to think about preserving his strength.

Wei Guang said, "There are also the 200,000 Lu family troops under the command of the Crown Prince. If Your Highness wants to send troops to attack the Yilin Army, given Lu Chenyang's character, he will definitely not sit idly by. He will definitely assist Your Highness."

Ningzhou's 200,000 troops were not enough to fight the Yilin Army, and the Crown Prince's 100,000 troops were not enough either. But if the two sides joined forces to fight the Yilin Army, it would be more than enough.

However, the prince did not agree in order to preserve his power.

The prince was troubled. "That's true, but if that's the case, will the credit belong to me or the Lu family army? I only sent 100,000 soldiers, and the Lu family army is well-known, and Lu Chenyang is deeply loved by the people. Wouldn't that make things easier for Lu Chenyang?"

This time Wei Guang remained silent because what the prince said made sense.

The reason why he didn't send troops at the beginning was that he thought that if Lu Chenyang failed to defeat the Tatars, or was defeated, he would send troops then.

However, the current situation is that Lu Chenyang defeated the Tatars and achieved something that no one else has achieved.

Look at what Lu Chenyang has done. He is the first person to pass the imperial examinations with six titles. The political achievements during his reign can be said to be the best since the founding of the country. Not to mention his ministers, even the then Emperor Taizu was probably not as capable as him. Now he has facilitated peace talks with the Tatars - something that even Emperor Taizu could not do.

Now that Lu Chenyang is so powerful, the prince has no chance to compete with him.

The troops under the Crown Prince's command were indeed elite soldiers and strong generals, originally prepared by Emperor Qianyuan to deal with the Yanhui Army. However, the Crown Prince had no confidence that this army could defeat the current Lu family army.

Wei Guang was right when he said that it was not enough to have military power, one also needed military merits.

The prince was momentarily distraught. He sighed softly, "Let's conclude the peace talks first. Restoring peace to the people of Yanhui Pass is ultimately a good thing. Teacher, no matter what, I am the crown prince of Dagan. Even if I have done nothing for the country, I cannot be a person who brings disaster to it. This time, the interests of Dagan must be prioritized in the peace talks."

We cannot do anything detrimental to Da Gan just to deal with Lu Chenyang.

Wei Guang nodded seriously, his eyes filled with satisfaction.