After Mu Jingrui arrived at the border, he quickly reorganized the troops. Many soldiers had heard of this young general, and their morale immediately boosted a lot.
According to the original plan, the court still adopted the strategy of using courtesy before force.
Liu Zhende only brought a few hundred people into the other side's camp for negotiations.
Mu Jingrui wanted to know the situation first, so he disguised himself as Liu Zhende's follower and went with him.
They met Li Binhao, the general of Western Xia.
I heard that this man is the younger brother of the new emperor of Western Xia. They are brothers from the same mother and have a very deep relationship.
"General Li, it's the first time we meet. I have prepared a gift for you from the Emperor." Liu Zhende made a gesture, and Mu Jingrui walked up to Li Binhao with a brocade box in his hand and opened it.
Inside was a long sword inlaid with gems, which could cut through iron like mud and was priceless.
"This is a gift from our emperor. Please accept it."
Li Binhao just glanced at him indifferently, raised his eyebrows and smiled meaningfully.
"The Central Plains is indeed a place of abundance and prosperity. Anything sold here is a rare treasure in the world."
Mu Jingrui didn't say anything. He put the brocade box down and pushed it back to Liu Zhende.
"Li Jianjun, Xixia and our dynasty have always coexisted peacefully, and there has never been any conflict in the past hundred years. This time... you suddenly launched an attack with your army, I wonder why?"
Li Binhao picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank three glasses slowly and steadily.
"Master Taifu should know that before my brother ascended the throne, Xixia had been in civil strife for nearly ten years."
Liu Zhende remained silent and waited for Li Binhao's next words.
"Now that my brother has unified the country, it is time for the people to rest and recuperate, but... the Central Plains court does not seem to have this intention."
Liu Zhende was secretly surprised and turned back inadvertently to glance at Mu Jingrui.
"Not long ago, your garrison commander suddenly attacked our border, resulting in the death of thousands of our soldiers. This despicable sneak attack is despicable."
Liu Zhende only realized now that it was their people who took action first.
However, the memorials from the imperial court never said this.
"General Li, is there any misunderstanding?"
"There is no misunderstanding, this is the truth."
"If it was really our general who started the fight, he has already been killed. General Li, in order to avoid a bigger fight, can you accept the peace talks? Our dynasty is sincere in offering a truce."
"Yes. If you want a truce, have the court send eight million chariots of silver, five hundred thousand taels of gold, and five cities on the border. As long as all these things are in place, I will withdraw my troops immediately."
Liu Zhende frowned slightly, feeling a little embarrassed. The court would never agree to the city proposed by Li Binhao, and the financial amount was already a whole year's tax revenue for the national treasury.
At this time, Mu Jingrui pressed Liu Zhende's shoulder calmly.
Liu Zhende came back to his senses.
There is no room for discussion on this matter.
"General Li, we cannot accept the conditions you proposed. Both sides will suffer losses if they fight. I hope you will think twice."
Liu Zhende stood up, bowed, and said, "I'll give you three days to think about it. If you still don't withdraw your troops after three days, then my 100,000-strong army is not just for you to see. Goodbye."
Liu Zhende was not afraid at all, and led his men out in a neither humble nor arrogant manner.
Suddenly, he felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. Mu Jingrui pushed him away and he staggered a few times before being supported by the people who were accompanying him.
In a flash, Mu Jingrui and Li Binhao had already slapped each other.
The two of them each took two steps back and stared at each other intently.
After a long while, Li Binhao chuckled. "I knew you were not an ordinary person."
From the moment Mu Jingrui walked into the military tent, Li Binhao had already started paying attention to him.
His behavior and demeanor were not like those of a follower at all. Moreover, during their conversation, Liu Zhende subconsciously looked at him.
Li Binhao even felt that this young guy was the leader of this group of people.
"It doesn't matter whether I am an ordinary person or not. What matters is whether General Li wants to break the rules and kill the envoy." Mu Jingrui calmly withdrew his power and stood in front of Liu Zhende.
Liu Zhende looked a little embarrassed, but he still straightened his clothes and stood up straight.
He wants to maintain the dignity of the Celestial Empire.
"Don't worry, I won't. Even if I want to kill you, I will do it on the battlefield." Li Binhao gestured, "Please come in."
Mu Jingrui didn't say much, he supported Liu Zhende and left.
After they returned to their camp, Mu Jingrui immediately summoned the deputy general who was originally stationed there and asked, "Who did it?"
Mu Jingrui felt that at this moment, he was like interrogating his own naughty child, wondering what the dispute with the neighbor had caused.
Seeing that he could not hide it, the deputy general had to tell the truth.
"It was indeed General Zhou who led the troops first."
"Why did General Zhou do this?"
"I don't know either. There were almost no signs before."
"Then why did you conceal the facts in your memorial to the court?"
"General Mu," the deputy general knelt down, crawling on the ground and trembling all over, "I dare not say it. General Zhou is dead... but... if this matter is not handled properly, I will be beheaded. I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of implicating my family. Please General Mu, please understand."
Mu Jingrui's face darkened and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
"General Mu, it seems that this matter is difficult to resolve peacefully." After careful consideration, Liu Zhende recalled the process of his contact with Li Binhao today.
"It's pointless to pursue who started it first. If they refuse to give up, we have no choice but to fight back. They don't even need to report the conditions they put forward to the court. The emperor will never agree to them."
Mu Jingrui also agreed with Liu Zhende's statement.
"In this case, we have no choice but to fight."
"General Mu, I will write a memorial to report this matter truthfully to the emperor. You just focus on arranging the troops and formations, and I will investigate the inside story of why General Zhou suddenly attacked Western Xia without any reason." Liu Zhende always felt that there were hidden secrets that they didn't know.
"Okay. Someone come!"
"I am here."
"Pass the order down, organize the military affairs, and wait for my order to set out at any time to recover the lost territory."
"yes."
The vanguard generals all retreated, and Liu Zhende also returned to his own military tent to rest.
The surroundings suddenly became quiet.
Mu Jingrui sat at the desk, staring blankly at the last letter sent by Shangguan Wanning.
The letter said that she accompanied Zheng Guoxun back to his hometown to worship his ancestors, and then... there was no news from her anymore.
For some reason, Mu Jingrui felt inexplicably worried.
What if something happened to her and he wasn't by her side...
Mu Jingrui sighed deeply, picked up his pen to write a letter to Shangguan Wanning, but after he finished writing it, he didn't know where to send it.
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