Chapter 586: Pride and Proud
The envoy sent to the Prince of Jin's Palace this time was Guo Chong.
After he arrived at the Prince of Jin's Mansion, he was treated with extremely high courtesy.
It’s just that Prince Jin arrived late, and so did Bai Xingzhi.
Guo Chong noticed that Prince Jin's face was dark, and his heart sank inexplicably.
After the King of Jin sat down in the main seat, he asked the waiter to serve tea.
After a few pleasantries, Guo Chong went straight to the point.
When he reminded the King of Jin to carefully guard the food and ensure a stable supply, the King of Jin looked at him sharply and asked, "You came all the way from Dongtai County just to remind me to be careful about the food?"
"Yes."
Bai Xingzhi asked, "Why did you suddenly think of reminding us of this problem?"
Guo Chong then informed the two of the Pingzhou expeditionary force's top brass that Xie Zhan intended to cut off their food and fodder supplies.
Bai Xingzhi and King Jin looked at each other and sighed, "You are late."
"It would have been better if your news had arrived sooner."
"We just finished a big battle over there." Guo Chong told them that Xie Zhan had instigated Xiang Zhanyuan of the Cao Gang to rebel, and that Xiang Zhanyuan had joined forces with the Langchao Gang with the intention of annexing the Cao Gang headquarters.
"Don't worry, we've figured out this plan. Our Pingzhou expeditionary force has already assisted the Cao Gang headquarters in repelling the invading enemy. Currently, the Langchao Gang has retreated to the Beihai and Donglai waters of Qingzhou, and has secured an iron barrier across the river."
When Prince Jin and Bai Xingzhi heard Guo Chong say that Xie Zhan had instigated Xiang Zhanyuan of the Cao Gang to rebel, they looked at each other. Xie Zhan had also instigated a general under Prince Jin to rebel, which was how he successfully destroyed Prince Jin's two granaries.
Judging from the timeline, the destruction of the Cao Gang's food and grass happened at the same time as the destruction of their own food and grass. This shows that Xie Zhan had been planning this for a long time.
It’s hard to say who implicated whom in this matter. Xie Zhan attacked them all equally.
"Wait a minute—" King Jin suddenly thought of something, "Are your food supplies safe?"
Something went wrong with their food supplies, and the Cao Gang also suffered, but the Pingzhou Expeditionary Force was the only one that remained safe and sound.
Guo Chong smiled. How could he answer this? Could he say that Dongtai County didn't have much food? And did Xie Zhan already disdain to figure out how to destroy their food?
After Xiang Zhanyuan's rebellion, Xie Zhan should have known exactly how much food and fodder their Pingzhou expeditionary force brought with them.
Then the other party also knew how many troops Pingzhou had deployed to the East China Sea and the approximate consumption of these troops during this period.
By subtracting these consumptions from the total food supply, Xie Zhan was able to calculate how much food they had left.
Guo Chong could only say that the betrayal of core members had a huge impact.
"General Xie, perhaps you think our current food supplies aren't worth his effort?"
"What do you mean?" King Jin frowned.
Bai Xingzhi winked at his own prince, signaling him to speak less.
The King of Jin was stunned at first, then he remembered that Bai Xingzhi had said that the Pingzhou expeditionary force did not have much food and grass.
He coughed lightly. Is the Pingzhou Expeditionary Force so embarrassed?
If there was no problem with his food supplies, he could have provided them some support, but now, forget it.
After finishing the discussion, Guo Chong asked to take his leave. They were all busy people, and it was enough to finish the discussion. Although he did not help, his trip was not in vain.
Before leaving, Guo Chong reminded them, "Xie Zhan should be using his ultimate move soon, you should be prepared."
Upon hearing this, King Jin's face instantly turned gloomy.
Recently, under the fierce attack of the imperial army, King Jin lost two cities in succession. These two cities are in the south.
When he found that the two cities were about to be lost, he did think about giving them to Pingzhou, but if he gave them to Pingzhou, he would have to let them pass through.
To be honest, he felt that the cooperation between the two sides was not that close yet, and he had to be on guard against Pingzhou. If the other party took advantage of Pingzhou to make trouble, he would be finished.
Bai Xingzhi went to see Guo Chong off in person.
"Xingzhi, please stay. I'm sure you've sensed the current situation. I personally believe that we should support and help each other at this time."
"The King of Jin gave us two cities in Pingzhou. We in Pingzhou will always remember his kindness. If the King of Jin needs any help, please feel free to contact us." Guo Chong hinted.
Bai Xingzhi looked solemn, and he was not optimistic about the current situation.
Looking beyond the situation and from an outsider's perspective, the King of Jin has little chance of winning against the imperial court.
The two sides have been fighting until now, and the territory of King Jin has been slowly being eroded. Now King Jin is just resisting stubbornly.
By now, the defeat of the King of Jin was inevitable. This trend could not be seen or touched, but it could be felt.
For example, did the Prince of Jin treat the confidant who was instigated by Xie Zhan badly? No. The other party's betrayal was due to the Prince of Jin's weakness and lack of confidence in him.
When you are in a weak position, everyone may become a threat to you, but when you are in a strong position, even your former enemies may become your friends.
After Bai Xingzhi sent Guo Chong away, he walked back while thinking about these things.
After he returned, the first thing he said to the King of Jin was, "Your Majesty, have you considered the worst possible outcome of this battle?"
When asking this question, Bai Xingzhi felt that his voice was a little sluggish.
King Jin was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "The worst outcome is just death."
Sure enough! "Your Majesty, have you ever considered deepening cooperation with Pingzhou?"
Bai Xingzhi thought, if the prince has such an idea, they need to make plans early. The more capital they hold, the more confident they will be in negotiating with Pingzhou.
Otherwise, the trump cards in hand would be played out one by one when fighting against the imperial army, and it would be difficult to negotiate with Pingzhou again.
"Deep cooperation?" King Jin asked, "The deep cooperation you're talking about is actually just reliance on Pingzhou, it's just a nicer name."
Bai Xingzhi remained silent, but his heart gradually sank.
"In the final analysis, people like Pingzhou's Lü Songli and Qin Sheng are traitors after all."
"My father is Emperor Kangcheng of Dali, and my brother is the late Crown Prince. How can I submit to a traitor from Dali? I cannot bring shame upon my ancestors."
Hearing this, Bai Xingzhi stopped trying to persuade him, a trace of sadness rising in his heart. As a descendant of the Emperor, the Prince of Jin possessed a certain pride and dignity. Forcing him to submit to Pingzhou would be like clipping his wings, forcing him to beg for his life on his knees. This miserable existence was not what he desired.
Chang'an
The new army of the Sun family army, the baggage train and the worship team are ready to go.
The night before departure, Old Lady Sun told Wang Dong that the older generation of the Sun family army like her would stay in Chang'an and would not set out with them.
Wang Dong was shocked when he heard this, "Old Lady, didn't we agree that—"
Wang Dong didn't expect that Old Lady Sun had already made plans.
Old Lady Sun raised her hand to stop him, "The only reason we let them go is to send these young people away. It is absolutely unreasonable for elders to worship the younger ones."
Wang Jiang naturally knew how far-fetched it would be to take away the older generation including Old Lady Sun based on the reasons currently announced to the public.
Moreover, they stayed to stabilize the imperial court. "Director Wang, don't underestimate the imperial court and the heroes of the world."
Of course, Wang Dong knew how turbulent the situation in Chang'an was during this period.
"Old Lady, I understand your concerns, but the current situation is not as dangerous as you think. We can leave Chang'an together first."
"Director Wang, you have to listen to me on this matter." Old Lady Sun raised her hand and patted his arm.
At this point, Old Lady Sun smiled, and the wrinkles on her face relaxed. "We are already very satisfied to be able to send all the young people away. We can't be too greedy."
Wang Dong gritted his teeth. The task on his shoulders was heavy, and now the arrow was on the string and had to be launched.
"Old Lady Sun, I'll send them out first. You have to hold on in Chang'an. The governor won't ignore you."
"Okay, take your time, don't force it."
Wang Dong could only harden his heart and make final preparations to ensure that everything went well.
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