"Go."
After Xu Shou withdrew, Feng Liang couldn't help but ask, "My lord, will the King of Nanyue agree?"
“He has no choice but to agree.” Li Jingang sneered. “Zhao Muyun’s threat is real. If Zhao Muyun really gets Jiannan, Lingnan will be lost sooner or later. The King of Nanyue is not a fool; he knows who to choose.”
He paused for a moment: "Besides, I didn't expect him to actually send 50,000 troops. Sending 10,000 or 20,000 troops would be enough."
Ma Zongliang said, "But what if he really proposes a marriage alliance..."
"A member of the imperial family?" A hint of sarcasm flashed in Li Jingang's eyes. "My cousins all have at least eight or ten daughters of marriageable age."
“Choose a member from a collateral branch, bestow upon her the title of princess, and marry her off in exchange for tens of thousands of soldiers and supplies. This deal is worthwhile.”
......
Half a month later, in Lingnan, Panyu City.
The Nanyue Palace was built on the southern slope of Yuexiu Mountain. Although it was not as magnificent as the imperial palace in the Central Plains, it had a unique Lingnan style.
The palaces and pavilions are mostly constructed of bamboo and wood, with upturned eaves and covered with glazed tiles, which shimmer and sparkle in the sunlight.
The palace was planted with banyan trees and banana trees, as well as exotic flowers and plants brought from the South China Sea, making it evergreen all year round.
Inside the main hall, the "Baiyue Hall," King Zhao Mu of Nanyue was listening to Xu Shou's report.
Zhao Mu was about fifty years old, short and stocky, with dark skin and a thick, bushy beard.
He was not wearing royal robes, but only a short linen shirt, and sat barefoot on a bamboo mat.
This is the everyday clothing of the Yue people in Lingnan, and it is also his way of reminding himself not to forget his roots.
"Does Li Jingang really want us to send 50,000 troops?" Zhao Mu frowned deeply after hearing this.
"Yes." Xu Shou knelt down at the lower end. "He also threatened us with the Yin Dynasty, saying that if we did not send troops, Jiannan Circuit would be a threat."
"Bullshit!" Zhao Mu slapped the bamboo mat. "Does Li Jingang really think I'm a three-year-old child? He's sworn enemies with Yinchao, why does he have to drag us into this?"
Despite this, there was a serious look in his eyes.
Beside the hall, a slender scholar slowly spoke: "Your Majesty, although Li Jingang's words are exaggerated, as far as I know, the power of Zhao Muyun, the Grand Commander of the Yin Dynasty, is indeed not to be underestimated."
"If this man truly conquers Jiannan and defeats Li Jingang, he will surely unify the world and will absolutely not allow Lingnan to remain a corner of the country."
The speaker was Lü Jia, the prime minister of the Southern Yue Kingdom. He was of mixed Han and Yue descent, well-versed in Central Plains culture and Yue customs, and was Zhao Mu's most trusted advisor.
Zhao Mu looked at him: "In your opinion, Prime Minister?"
“Sending 50,000 troops is too many.” Lü Jia shook his head. “Our total military strength in Lingnan is only 150,000. We still need to guard various places and prevent the Yue rebellion. If we send 50,000 north, the territory will be empty, and there may be unrest.”
"Then don't play?"
“That won’t work either,” Lü Jia said. “Li Jingang is right about one thing—we can’t sit idly by and watch Zhao Muyun grow stronger. If he gains power, he will certainly not allow Lingnan to be autonomous, given his methods. And Li Jingang… although he is not a wise ruler, he is busy fighting for hegemony in the Central Plains and has no time to look south. Between two evils, we should choose the lesser one.”
Zhao Mu pondered, "What the Prime Minister means is..."
“Send 20,000 troops.” Lü Jia held up two fingers. “Claim it to be 50,000. Head north from Shaozhou, and once you enter Jinghu, find an excuse to stop. This way, we'll fulfill Li Jingang’s request without excessively depleting our forces. As for the marriage alliance…”
He smiled and said, “Since Li Jingang has agreed to the daughter of the imperial family, Your Majesty may request that she not be from a collateral branch, but a real princess, or at least the daughter of a prince.”
"In this way, when the crown prince succeeds to the throne, having a princess from the Central Plains as empress will greatly benefit the legitimacy of the succession."
Zhao Mu's eyes lit up: "Brilliant! If we can get the real princess, the Zhao family's position in Lingnan will be completely secure!"
He looked at Xu Shou: "Xu Qing, go to the capital again. Tell Li Jingang: we can send troops, but at most 20,000, and only up to Jinghu."
"A marriage alliance is possible, but it must be a real princess, and the dowry must include ten thousand bolts of silk, a thousand pieces of porcelain, and five hundred sets of ironware. If he agrees, my Lingnan troops will surely march out in the eighth month of autumn."
"Yes, ma'am."
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