"This Yang Yan! I'll be lenient with him for my sister's sake!"
"I never expected that he would not repent and would even resort to underhanded tactics behind the scenes."
Li Jingang slammed a report on public opinion among scholars onto the table, his face turning ashen.
How could he not know that Yang Yan was behind this?
It's true that Yang Yan and Zhao Muyun have a blood feud, but this Da Feng is surnamed Li!
Feng Liang, standing to the side, tried to console him, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. It is understandable that Prime Minister Yang would do such a thing."
"As long as we maintain overall stability and defeat the Tartars, we need not pay attention to his petty actions."
Feng Liang, Yang Yan's mortal enemy, did not take advantage of Yang Yan's misfortune. Instead, he spoke well of Yang Yan, which made Li Jingang even more disgusted with Yang Yan and strengthened his determination to negotiate.
"Prime Minister Feng is truly wise and considerate of the overall situation! With Prime Minister Feng by my side, all matters will proceed without error."
Li Jingang was very satisfied with Feng Liang's performance.
However, despite this, the pressure from public opinion in the court did indeed make Li Jingang feel a bit troubled.
He had originally planned to push for further secret negotiations after the initial contact at Fenglingdu, but now he had to slow down for the time being and quell the internal turmoil first.
On the one hand, he ordered increased surveillance of Yang Yan's residence and strict restrictions on its contact with the outside world;
On the other hand, Feng Liang was sent to secretly appease the incited censors and military officers, and to severely suppress the radical remarks of the students.
He pretended not to know about the harassment from Jiannan Road, neither condemning Yang Chao nor offering any explanation to Xijing, and was happy to sit back and watch the two fight.
However, in the inner palace, Lady Huang once again went to the palace to cry to Empress Gong.
This time, she not only carried her worries about her husband, but also a "reminder" sent by Yang Yan, and tearfully pleaded with Empress Gong.
If the imperial court negotiates peace with Xijing, Zhao Muyun will definitely make exorbitant demands, and General Li Hu's return will be hopeless. He may even be used to coerce the imperial court into ceding more interests.
A woman's tears and her worries about the safety of her loved ones are often more touching than grand pronouncements from the imperial court.
Empress Gong softened again and subtly advised Li Jingang that His Majesty must prioritize Li Hu's safety when negotiating with Xijing.
The pressure from both inside and outside made Li Jingang feel a bit flustered.
He was both annoyed by Yang Yan's meddling and full of doubts about whether Zhao Muyun was truly trustworthy, and deeply worried about the approaching Northern Di army.
This peace talks, which concerned the fate of the nation, became entangled in a power struggle from the very beginning.
......
The harassment on the border of Jiannan Circuit and the news of the court debate in the capital arrived at Zhao Muyun almost simultaneously.
"Yang Yan is indeed not one to be left out."
Zhao Muyun snorted coldly, not paying much attention to the small-scale attack from Jiannan Road.
"Order Wu Shangzhi to kill anyone who dares to cross the border without mercy! At the same time, in the name of the Great Yin Dynasty, issue a document rebuking Yang Chao and warning him that if he dares to provoke again, we will send troops to raze Jiannan to the ground!"
His attitude was tough and direct, aiming to quickly quell the border incident and demonstrate Hedong's determination and capability to the capital.
We are not afraid of trouble and we have the ability to handle problems. Don't try to put pressure on us with such petty tricks.
As for the debates in the capital's court, Shen Qian's detailed report has already been submitted. Zhao Muyun carefully read through every detail of his meeting with Li Yuan.
“Li Jingang sent his younger brother Li Yuan, which shows that he is indeed somewhat sincere, but he also has many concerns.”
Zhao Muyun said to Fan Nan beside him, "Yang Yan still has a certain influence within the court. His opposition will restrain Li Jingang's decision-making."
"Moreover, Li Jingang still distrusts us extremely, especially regarding Li Hu. He wants to get him back as soon as possible, but he is also afraid that we will use this as an excuse to extort him."
Fan Nan was among the first group of migrants to arrive in Xijing. He arrived on horseback before Yin Zhao's imperial carriage.
Zhao Muyun has no shortage of military generals around him, but he lacks civil officials.
Fan Nan replied, "The Grand Commander is absolutely right. The key to the current situation lies with the Northern Barbarians. The greater the pressure from the Northern Barbarians, the stronger Li Jingang's desire to negotiate with me will be."
"Conversely, if the Northern Di offensive is thwarted, or if the pro-war faction within the court gains the upper hand, the peace talks may fall through."
"Yang Yan's actions, though despicable, have given us an opportunity."
“We can use this to put pressure on Li Jingang, demanding that he clarify his stance and eliminate the forces in the government that are hindering peace talks. At the very least, we must ensure that Yang Yan can no longer cause trouble.”
"This is also a touchstone to test his sincerity in cooperation."
Zhao Muyun nodded, a glint in his eyes: "That's right. We can't just wait passively. Shen Qian!"
"Your subordinate is here."
"Prepare yourself to go to Fenglingdu again, or convey our opinion to Li Yuan through other secret channels."
Zhao Muyun said in a deep voice, "First, we have already dealt with the harassment from Jiannan Road ourselves, but we hope that Dafeng can restrain Yang Chao. If he is unable to restrain him, we will take it as tacit approval and he will bear the consequences."
"Second, peace talks require both sincerity and efficiency."
"The Northern Barbarians will not wait for anyone. If the court continues to argue and delays, we will be seen as lacking sincerity and will have to reconsider our western strategy."
"Third, we can give them a little something in return."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Tell Li Yuan that, to show our sincerity, we are willing to first repatriate five hundred low-ranking officers and soldiers captured in the Battle of Xijing."
"They can send someone to pick him up. At the same time, I would like to reiterate that General Li Hu is safe and sound, and his fate depends on the progress and atmosphere of the subsequent peace talks."
This is a brilliant combination of punches.
It not only expressed dissatisfaction and exerted pressure, but also showed real goodwill, and firmly tied the value of Li Hu, a key bargaining chip, to the peace talks process.
"The Grand Commander is wise!" Shen Qian accepted the order and immediately went to make arrangements.
Zhao Muyun's response was swift and effective.
He did not lose his composure because of the turmoil in Luoyang. Instead, he used this opportunity to further exert pressure on Li Jingang, forcing him to make a clearer choice.
At the same time, he is also stepping up the integration within Xi'an. The arrival of the relocation team has brought a large number of talents and resources, as well as new challenges.
He needs to quickly streamline internal relations and establish an efficient and stable ruling core to cope with the increasingly complex situation that will inevitably arise regardless of whether the peace talks succeed or fail.
The undercurrents at Fenglingdu, the turmoil in Luoyang, the power struggles in Xijing...
The power struggle among the three forces is tightly intertwined because of the existence of the Northern Barbarians, a huge external threat.
Every decision and every interaction can potentially influence the future landscape and destiny of the Central Plains.
At this moment, more and more people's eyes are involuntarily drawn to Hebei, that land shrouded in war and iron hooves.
The movements of the Tartars will be the final straw that breaks the balance.
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