The envoys from Liao and Jin came again. This time they did not ask for prisoners of war, but instead proposed peace talks to the court of Da Qi.
In Yelu Song's words, it is enough for the two sides to fight to this extent. If they continue fighting, it will damage the foundation of both countries.
It would be better to discuss the terms of peace now and then both sides should stop fighting.
The capital of Da Qi was naturally filled with jubilation. When the Liao and Jin dynasties swept across Bazhou City, the entire capital of Da Qi was in a state of panic.
If Lu Chen and Li Xiang had not stepped forward in time to take charge of the situation, the capital of Da Qi might have been breached before the Liao and Jin people arrived.
Now Liao and Jin have actually taken the initiative to propose conditions for peace talks. For the people of Da Qi, this is equivalent to victory!
It turns out that the Liao and Jin dynasties, which had always been arrogant and domineering, also wanted to take the initiative to negotiate peace with others one day!
Aren’t you very brave? Don’t you claim that your cavalry is invincible?
What's wrong now? Why doesn't it work?
"Let them cede land, let them pay compensation! Damn it, what kind of place do they think this is? They can come and go as they please."
"That's right! They started the war, and now that their supplies are running out, they just want to walk away? What kind of daydreaming are they!"
In teahouses, taverns, hotels and brothels, such voices dominated the mainstream.
The people have simple ideas. We have never thought of bullying you Liao and Jin people. It is you Liao and Jin people who harass us from time to time.
Now that you realize you can’t fight anymore, you just want to walk away?
Not to mention windows, there isn't even a door!
You want to take so many Liao and Jin soldiers back with you, right? Sure, how do you plan to compensate us, the Great Qi?
If the compensation is not in place, then no one can leave and we will continue to fight.
I heard that several reinforcements have arrived outside. Let’s see who can outlast them.
Of course, there are also some rational voices. Some people say that although it was Liao and Jin who took the initiative to ask for peace talks, judging from the current situation, they still have the initiative and advantage.
The other party doesn't want to continue fighting not because they are afraid, but because it is not cost-effective to continue fighting.
Anyway, they have already reached the capital of Da Qi, and Bazhou City is also in their hands. Why not use these as bargaining chips to have a good talk with Da Qi and let Da Qi pay the money?
After seeing Li Zhuo, the envoys from Liao and Jin expressed the same idea.
Li Zhuo was very annoyed at that time. It was obvious that these people couldn't bear it anymore, but they still wanted to take advantage of them.
The Liao and Jin envoys meant that as long as the Great Qi increased the annual tribute by 30% on the basis of previous years, they would withdraw their troops this time.
This 30% is actually not a big deal for the increasingly powerful Da Qi.
If it were in the past, perhaps Da Qi would have agreed.
But the situation is different now. The soldiers and civilians outside have just united to defend the city from the siege, but your court is about to become a grandson of the Liao and Jin dynasties. This is too embarrassing.
Li Zhuo could guarantee that if he dared to do so, then if Liao and Jin attacked again, no civilians would take the initiative to come out to defend the capital.
So Li Zhuo rejected these conditions without even thinking about it or communicating with the six ministers.
The envoy did not seem to be in a hurry and said that the conditions could be lowered a little and that they could still negotiate.
It also suggested that during the negotiations, both sides should exercise restraint and avoid provoking new conflicts and wars.
The officials of Da Qi were eager for this, and there were no secrets in the court of Da Qi.
So not long after the envoys left, the people of Da Qi all knew about the emperor's tough attitude, which caused the people of Da Qi to cheer again.
Li Zhuo felt the depression he had been holding in his heart for a while suddenly dissipate. Thinking about the conditions the Liao and Jin envoys had mentioned before they left, he hurriedly ordered, "Come, go see where the Imperial Master is and bring him over to me."
Where could Lu Chen be? Today, Liao Jin was much more relaxed than before, so he ran to Li Mingyue.
Li Mingyue's belly was becoming more and more obvious. Today, she kept showing off in front of Lu Chen, saying, "Husband, look at our child now. He is very bad. He often kicks my stomach."
"Husband, do you prefer a boy or a girl? They all say that my belly is pointed, so I will definitely give birth to a boy."
Ever since she became pregnant, Li Mingyue's female hormones began to be secreted like crazy. Every time she saw Lu Chen, she wanted to hang on Lu Chen's body, like a lazy cat.
"I've said it before, I like both boys and girls. We're not going to have just one. You're getting older, so pay attention to your nutrition and avoid high-calorie foods. If the fetus is too large, it will be dangerous during delivery."
"I heard that Liao and Jin have sent envoys to negotiate peace again. Do you think you will agree to their request this time?"
Lu Chen shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. It depends on what conditions Liao and Jin offer."
"Then, my lord, what kind of conditions do you think we need to negotiate peace?"
"Everything else is easy to talk about, but we must take back Bazhou City. Otherwise, we will have no defenses against the capital. If Liao and Jin change their minds, they may march south again at any time."
"Then, my husband, would you like to speak to the Emperor? He is known for being easily deceived. I'm afraid he's been fooled by the ministers again."
"Let's talk about this later. I'm just a state advisor, and I don't want to interfere too much in the affairs of the court. If I have that time, I'd rather spend time with my wife and children."
Li Mingyue's heart blossomed with joy at these words. She wanted to climb onto Lu Chen's body, but at this moment, Zhang Guizhi rushed in and said, "Your Highness, the guards outside reported that someone has come to the palace and wants to invite the Imperial Master to come over."
"Hmm?" Li Mingyue frowned. She felt quite disappointed, but since they had been summoned by the Imperial Palace, she couldn't refuse. In the end, she could only suppress her displeasure and said, "I understand. Let them have tea in the front hall and tell them that the Imperial Master will be out soon."
After saying that, Li Mingyue stood up and busied herself arranging everything for Lu Chen.
Before leaving, Li Mingyue reminded him, "Remember to come over for dinner tonight. I asked Guizhi to prepare some of your favorite dishes. Look at how thin you've become from defending the city these past two days."
"I know. Go back now. It's cold outside!"
After saying that, Lu Chen jumped on his horse and galloped towards the imperial city under the escort of Ma Tong and others.
But when they reached a street, a dozen men in black suddenly appeared from the houses on both sides of the road. They each held a strong bow in their hands and shot without giving Lu Chen time to react!
"Enemy attack, protect the Imperial Master! Send a signal!"
With a whoosh, a firework exploded in the air, and the Jinyiwei people rushed out upon seeing this.
At the same time, one of the black-clad men who were trying to assassinate Lu Chen took the lead and said, "Brothers, the time has come to show your loyalty. Follow me and kill!"
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