Chapter 70 Peace Negotiation

When the Minister of War heard Zhao Mingyue scolding Qian Qian, he immediately stood up, although he didn't know what the situation was.

He shouted, "This, this is impossible! The Ministry of War received a victory report from Qian Qian just the day before yesterday, saying that the Xiqi army had been severely damaged and that they were about to launch a final general offensive against Xiqi. How could the entire army be wiped out in the blink of an eye?"

Xiqi's urgent military intelligence reports were always delivered to the Ministry of War first, but why was the news of today's defeat delivered directly to Empress Dowager Chi?

This made it difficult for him to hide it even if he wanted to.

Moreover, the military strategies to resist Xiqi were formulated by their Ministry of War. If they were defeated, he, the Minister of War, could not escape responsibility.

He didn't care whether Qian Qian could win the battle, he only cared whether Qian Qian would make him take the blame.

We lost so many soldiers and horses, spent so much money and food, but in the end we lost. Someone has to be held responsible.

Chi Ling glanced at him and threw the newspaper onto the table. "Read it for yourself."

The newspaper slid off the table and fell to the ground with a bang.

The Minister of War felt his scalp tighten. He walked forward and bent down. Just as he was about to pick it up, a pair of hands reached out and picked up the newspaper before him.

He looked up in surprise and found that it was Princess Fuguang. He felt a little annoyed, but he didn't know how to show it.

Zhao Mingyue just wanted to see how the battle was lost.

She didn't show any displeasure towards the Minister of War. She unfolded the report and read it out, "Tangzhou fell, the Left and Right Tiger Guards Liu Heng and General Li Liang were killed in action, and Duan Rong fled back to Ningzhou with 3,000 remaining soldiers..."

It turned out that Xiqi pretended to be defeated and retreated. In order to grab the credit, Qian Qian led the main force in a deep pursuit despite Duan Rong's obstruction. However, he fell into an ambush by Xiqi's army, resulting in the destruction of the entire army and even his own capture.

After Zhao Mingyue finished reading, the expressions of all the officials in the hall became subtle. According to the intelligence, it was not that the Xiqi army was too fierce, but that Qian Qian was too incompetent.

This guy is a veteran who has experienced many battles, but he couldn't even see through Xiqi's ambush. What a waste.

You know, there were 50,000 soldiers, and they were defeated just like that.

After this battle, the army lost all its fighting spirit. How could it be a match for Xiqi?

The Minister of War immediately knelt and shouted, "Your Majesty, I have repeatedly warned Qian Qian that Prince Xiqi is cunning and treacherous, and that it is better to defend than attack. However, Qian Qian acted on his own initiative, underestimated the enemy, and advanced rashly, resulting in a disastrous defeat for our army. I am guilty of negligence, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Was it merely a crime of negligence? It seemed like an apology, but in reality, it was putting all the blame on others.

Chi Li glanced at him and didn't say to punish him, nor did she say not to punish him. She just asked, "Who else can deal with Xi Qi now?"

The civil servants who had shouted that Xiqi must be defeated suddenly fell silent. When the time came, few people dared to go into battle and kill the enemy.

At this time, the Minister of Revenue stood up and said, "Your Majesty, continuing to fight Xiqi is not a solution. The military expenses are too high, and the people can no longer afford the constant increase in taxes. Now that the army has been defeated, we have no people and no money to continue the war."

Then, someone seconded the idea, "Yes, the Xiqi cavalry is brave and unstoppable, the surrounding small countries have been eyeing them covetously, and the north is plagued by natural disasters, and the people are living in dire straits. It is really not appropriate to fight Xiqi again."

Chi Li raised her eyebrows. "Oh, so what do you mean?"

"Right now, both the soldiers and the civilians are exhausted. Continuing the fight will not lead to good results. The only solution now is to negotiate peace with Xiqi."

"Peace?"

"That's right. King Xiqi went to war with us, Darong, because of his deceased brother. If he wants an explanation, then we will give him one. We will apologize and promise the princess in marriage. With such sincerity, I'm sure he won't refuse."

Betrothed to a princess.

As soon as these four words came out, they irritated Zhao Mingyue's nerves. After all, she was the only princess in the palace who had reached the marriageable age but had not yet gotten married.

She looked at the official who made the proposal, and this person was actually Song He, the Minister of Rites who had first urged her to get married.

Finding it impossible to get her to marry someone from the same tribe, would they marry her off to someone from a different tribe? What on earth did these men think of her?

Her lips moved slightly, and just as she was about to say something, she heard Wu Wenxiu's voice, "You men lost the battle, but you let the princess take the responsibility in exchange for peace between the two countries. Don't you feel ashamed?"

The male officials felt no shame at all. "The princess is supported by the people, shouldn't she take on this responsibility?"

"The country is now powerless to deal with Xiqi. For the sake of the people of the world, if the princess still has a trace of compassion for the people and love for her son, she should ask for a marriage! If she can facilitate peace between the two countries and buy Darong some breathing space, the princess will be Darong's greatest hero!"

"I second the motion! Marrying a foreign prince is not shameful, nor is marrying down from one's position tragic. On the contrary, it is those like Wu Shishu who have no compassion for the people and no patriotism who are the most shameful and tragic!"

Wu Wenxiu just said a word for her, and these male officials could say countless words to shut her up.

Zhao Mingyue looked at their ugly faces and felt terrified. These people were not working for the country and the people. They were just oppressing others under the guise of justice.

She didn't want to fall into such a pitiful state.

She gritted her teeth and then said loudly, "I am willing to lead the army to resist Xiqi."

The palace was momentarily silent. The Minister of War turned to look at her and smiled softly, "Princess, have you ever fought in a war? This isn't just a game. The people's money and food, and the soldiers' lives, can't withstand your squandering."

His smile was full of contempt. Zhao Mingyue's mind went blank for a moment, and then she felt a strong anger.

She wanted to refute him, but found that what he said was true. She had indeed never been to the battlefield, and it was very likely that she was wasting manpower and financial resources.

By then, she would be a criminal of the country.

Can she really bear this responsibility?

Zhao Mingyue felt confused. Her mother had put so much effort into raising her, and she definitely didn't want her to marry Xiqi, but she was unable to relieve her mother's worries.

She couldn't quell the rumors among the people, nor could she handle the border affairs of Xiqi, and she couldn't even deal with this group of officials.

Zhao Mingyue was apprehensive. She cast her gaze towards Chi Lu, a look of help unconsciously showing in her eyes, "Mother..."

Chi Qi looked at her, her cold eyes wavering for a moment, but only for a moment, she looked away and looked at the courtiers: "Then make peace with Xi Qi."

Zhao Mingyue stood there in a daze, looking at Chi Lan's face and eyes, but she couldn't tell what she was thinking at all.

When the ministers saw that she agreed to the peace talks, they breathed a sigh of relief, especially the Minister of War, whose face regained its rosy complexion.

Soon, the personnel who would go to Xiqi to negotiate peace were finalized.

When Zhao Mingyue saw Chi Qi leaving the hall after the court session, she hurriedly walked into the hall to find out what was going on.

She absolutely did not believe that A Niang would compromise on this matter. She must have other difficulties!

————

At the same time, in Tangzhou City far away in the northern border.

King Motuo of Xiqi was busy ordering his generals to plunder the city and hold a grand banquet to celebrate the victory.

After eating and drinking, he remembered the captured Qian Qian and Qian Qian's only remaining thousand generals.

He immediately asked someone to bring Qian Qian up.

Qian Qian looked depressed, obviously he had been tortured a lot in the past two days. As soon as the soldiers who were holding him let go of their hands, he knelt down on the ground.

Motuo strode forward, helped him up, and said threateningly, "General Qian, if you surrender, you will be promoted. If you don't surrender, you will die. What do you think?"

Qian Qian naturally hated King Xiqi, but he also knew that it was his own recklessness and greed for merit that led to the loss of the main force of the army and the defeat.

Empress Dowager Chi was not a broad-minded person. If he returned to Darong, he would surely be sentenced to death. In that case, it would be better for him to surrender to Xiqi and continue to serve as an official.

He immediately nodded and agreed to King Xiqi's request, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful. I submit to you and am willing to follow you!"

Now it was King Xiqi's turn to hesitate.

He thought that the enemy general was a tough guy who would not surrender easily, so he had prepared many arguments in his mind. However, before he could say a word, the man raised his hands and feet and surrendered.

Who knows whether it's sincere or fake.

His eyes rolled, and he had an idea. He held Qian Qian's hand tightly with both hands and said with a smile: "Great! With General Qian joining us, Xiqi will surely be successful in everything we do."

Everyone would say this politely. Qian Qian was about to respond when Motuo changed the subject, "My next step is to capture Ningzhou. I've just heard that Duan Rong has fled to Ningzhou with his remaining troops. General Qian, I want you to lead a thousand elite soldiers, disguise them as a defeated army, and trick them into opening the gates of Ningzhou for me."

Qian Qian was stunned for a moment. He and Duan Rong were from the same school, brothers who had known each other for many years and had fought side by side. Now Duan Rong had defected to Xiqi and was going to be his enemy. He really couldn't get over that hurdle.

But if he didn't agree, King Xiqi would definitely kill him immediately. He was really in a dilemma.

Qian Qian closed his eyes, thinking that Duan Rong would understand his difficulties. "Okay, I will obey your orders and will live up to your trust!"

Motuo looked at him and smiled with satisfaction.

This time, if Darong wants him to withdraw his troops, he will have to pay a heavy price.

————

In the back hall of Xihua Palace, the air was thick with incense and a faint scent of sandalwood. Sunlight filtered through the window lattices, casting mottled shadows on the floor tiles.

Chi Yan's expression was calm as she sat in a chair by the window, her figure gently outlined in a circle of soft gold by the sunlight. A gentle breeze blew, and her hair swayed gently with it.

Zhao Mingyue stopped in her tracks, still furious with the officials. Her anger showed on her face as she angrily shouted, "They're all spineless. As soon as they lose the battle, they want to condescend to negotiate peace and even offer their daughters as gifts. Why don't we just give all the land on our border to Xiqi?"

Chi Li's reaction was indifferent. She raised her eyes and glanced at her. "Then tell me, how should we deal with Xi Qi?"

Zhao Mingyue said quickly, "Of course we should appoint another marshal to lead the army to defeat Xiqi again. We must drive them out of the northern border, otherwise there will be endless troubles, right?"

Chi Li asked in return, "If all the imperial guards in the capital are transferred to deal with Xiqi, how will we deal with the rebellion in the local area?"

Zhao Mingyue was stunned. She only saw Xiqi's plundering and occupation, but didn't see the local people's restlessness. This wasn't just a simple war, but a complex power struggle.

Negotiating peace with Xiqi is the only option left when there is no better option.

Zhao Mingyue gritted her teeth, her eyes gradually turning red. "So, do I really have to go and marry?"

Chi Li looked at her, and her indifferent eyes suddenly softened. She stretched out her hand to her. Zhao Mingyue walked over, knelt on one knee, and let her put her hand on her head.

Chi Li gently stroked her hair and smiled softly, "How could that be? Mother is still waiting for Mingyue to inherit the great cause in the future, so how could she bear to send you to Xiqi?"

"Mother..." Zhao Mingyue was deeply moved when she heard Chi Lu express her expectations for her in person, and felt ashamed for having doubted her intentions for a moment just now.

She laid her head on Chi Lan's knees, her voice choked with sobs, "Mother... I will... I will never let you down..."

But she didn't notice that Chi Qi slowly put away his smile, and a hint of imperceptible darkness flashed in his eyes as he stared at her.