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Three days later.
Yanjing, Zhenbei Palace.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Meng is back!"
"Please come in!"
Liu Li, who had a worried look on his face, instantly perked up, stood up from his chair, waved his hand, and said, "I will personally go to the gate to greet you!"
As he spoke, he strode out of the reception room.
Liu Li has lost his appetite these days because the person he is going to welcome is none other than Meng Zhihai, the strategist who went on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi that day.
Although he didn't know the result yet, Liu Li felt relaxed instantly. Waiting is the most nerve-wracking thing.
Liu Li waited outside the palace gate for a while, and Meng Zhihai led a few followers and stopped in front of the palace gate.
"Sir, you have worked hard all the way. I am looking forward to seeing you back."
Seeing that it was Meng Zhihai, Liu Li excitedly stepped forward and grabbed the reins for him.
Meng Zhihai quickly got off the horse and clasped his fists: "Greetings, Your Majesty, thank you for coming out of the palace to greet me personally..."
When Liu Li saw that Meng Zhihai looked a little tired, he was moved. He had originally thought that it would take at least a day to get there, so one could imagine how difficult the journey would be.
"Sir, you're welcome. Come into the mansion quickly!"
Liu Li didn't say anything, he grabbed Meng Zhihai and they walked towards the mansion side by side.
When they arrived at the reception room, Meng Zhihai had just put down his tea bowl when Liu Li couldn't wait to ask, "Sir, is this trip going well?"
"Thanks to Your Majesty's great blessing, I have fulfilled my mission. Northern Qi has already agreed to our conditions, and to show its sincerity, it has also sent the Second Prince. He will surely arrive at Yuma Pass tomorrow."
“Good, very good!”
Liu Li nodded happily. Yuma Pass was originally the border between Ye Qin and Dayao. It seemed that he would be stationed at Yuma Pass.
However, Liu Li soon straightened his face. He was just happy and thought it couldn't be that simple. He quickly asked, "Sir, please tell me what conditions Northern Qi has?"
Hearing this, Meng Zhihai continued, "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, Northern Qi has indeed agreed to let us garrison Yuma Pass, and has also agreed to let Your Majesty act as the governor of Yeqin's old territory. All government affairs, money, grain and taxes will be under Your Majesty's control."
Liu Li nodded. This was expected. Otherwise, what would the hundreds of thousands of troops eat and drink? Moreover, he knew in his heart that although it seemed like a great favor, in fact, Ye Qin had always lost the support of the people and was a mess.
However, Liu Li didn't care about these, because for him having a place to settle down was good enough.
Then, Meng Zhihai continued, "Your Highness, the Emperor of Northern Qi is planning to marry their unmarried Tenth Princess to the Crown Prince."
Liu Li frowned, and understood that this meant that his son was to be sent to the court as a hostage. This was understandable, but...
Meng Zhihai knew it very well. He knew that Liu Li would definitely agree, and he also understood the doubts.
"Your Highness, I understand your concerns, but please forgive me for being blunt. The Crown Prince must go to Dadu immediately to show our sincerity, and he must go alone. As for the Crown Prince's Consort..."
Meng Zhihai paused intentionally. This was a family matter, and it was not something that a subject like him could discuss.
However, the implication was very clear. Let Liu Li make the decision. Anyway, it was impossible for the princess of Northern Qi to be a concubine.
To put it bluntly, Prince Liu Li was not marrying, but marrying off. This truth is self-evident.
Moreover, Liu Li had only this one son, so Northern Qi would naturally not miss the opportunity to control him.
"But, are there any other conditions?"
Liu Li had no other choice but to agree.
Meng Zhihai nodded, "There is one last condition, and it is also the most important one."
"Northern Qi wants His Majesty not to give up Yanjing unless it is absolutely necessary..."
"What?"
Before Meng Zhihai could finish his words, Liu Li's eyes widened and he immediately said, "What does this mean? Do you want me to fight the imperial army to the death and surrender with the remaining soldiers?"
"This is our bottom line. Instead of going this way, why would we still want to join Northern Qi? I will just fight to the death with the imperial court."
"otherwise!"
Meng Zhihai waved his hands hurriedly, and Liu Li looked over immediately with sharp eyes, and he continued.
"Your Majesty, the Northern Qi court simply wants to deplete Dayao's military strength, and they know that we are at a dead end, so it is understandable that they have such a request."
"If you don't agree, then this negotiation will have to end."
"But, Your Majesty, although we have agreed, in my opinion, things cannot be absolutely controlled by them."
"Sir, do you have a plan to deal with it?"
Liu Li had a suspicious expression on his face. If he hadn't heard these words, he would have wanted to curse.
I thought to myself, wow, this is not a negotiation, this is just bowing down.
Meng Zhihai nodded, "Your Majesty, we can let the prince go first to show our sincerity in surrendering!"
"But, sir, the Crown Prince is my only son. What if he goes to Northern Qi and they turn against me and use him to threaten me, forcing me to fight to the death with the court? What should I do?"
Liu Li thought of this immediately. If this was the case, not only would the negotiations be meaningless, but his beloved son would also be implicated.
Hearing this.
Meng Zhihai was not surprised at all. Everyone knew how important this prince was to Liu Li.
There were quite a few children, ten girls and one boy, but many years passed and there was no boy.
Northern Qi naturally valued this point.
Meng Zhihai couldn't empathize with her. He just wanted to make this happen so that he could save his family...
What Liu Li did not know was that his adviser had already been promised a high position and generous salary by the Northern Qi Dynasty.
However, Meng Zhihai was not panicked at all, because he knew that Liu Li would eventually agree.
He immediately said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being blunt, but now is not the time to be indecisive. If we miss this opportunity, we will lose everything."
Meng Zhihai deliberately touched upon Liu Li's sore spot. To put it bluntly, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child...
Sure enough, when Liu Li heard this, his brows furrowed, thinking that there was no other way. But then he remembered that he was not yet fifty and might have a son in the future.
Thinking of this, Liu Li felt much better. It would be better to save his own life first.
"Sir, go on!"
Meng Zhihai smiled knowingly and continued calmly: "Your Majesty, if we want to convince the Northern Qi court, in addition to ordering the army outside the city to fight hard, I'm afraid you will also need to..."
Um?
Liu Li frowned, a bad feeling came over him, and he immediately asked, "What do you want me to do? Sir, there is no need to hesitate, just speak!"
Meng Zhihai hesitated for a moment, then continued: "Your Majesty needs to pretend to surrender and use his family as hostages..."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Li's face suddenly became long and confused. He seriously doubted whether this was still his adviser.
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