Chapter 700: Drinking Poison to Quench Thirst
Lu Desheng continued, "I've already sent a message to Wang Dong, asking him to exert his strength."
Lu Songli: I believe that with the efforts of Wang Dong and others, Xie Zhan’s name may be comparable to that of the evil concubine who brought disaster to the country.
Wang Dong’s group is really useful.
To support the online army headed by Wang Dong, the annual expenses for this line are quite high. I don't know how much funding there will be this year. If it's not enough, I need to allocate some more money.
During this period, boxes of spoils sent back from the front greatly filled the Pingzhou treasury.
After saying this, Lu Desheng sipped his tea complacently, "I just don't believe that Xie Zhan can escape from such a dead end."
Lu Desheng felt that this time the net of heaven and earth had been drawn to Xie Zhan, so how could he survive?
Now, if Song Mo nods, Xie Zhan will be beheaded.
Lu Songli nodded, confirming his guess, "Logically speaking, it's impossible for Xie Zhan to avoid it—"
Lu Desheng interrupted her capriciously, "Alright, alright, that's enough. I don't want to hear any more buts."
Lu Songli laughed. "But there are always exceptions to everything. That's the truth. So, do your best and leave the rest to fate. It's good to lower your expectations a little."
But since her father wants Xie Zhan to die so much, let her think about how to block Xie Zhan's way of life.
Lu Songli took the opportunity to ponder while drinking tea. If she were Xie Zhan, where would her way out be?
Xie Zhan's way out depends on Song Mo's thoughts.
If Xie Zhan wants to live, he has to let Song Mo see his value.
Song Mo will only be willing to protect Xie Zhan if the value he provides is higher than the value of protecting him.
At this time, Song Mo's biggest worry was the powerful external threat - Pingzhou and the Xianbei. To be more precise, it was Pingzhou.
So, what trump card does Xie Zhan have in his hand, or what effective methods and means does he have to deal with Pingzhou and prevent the spread of war?
Xue Xu, like Lu Desheng, was very optimistic. "Xie Zhan is just a trapped turtle, not worth mentioning. Let's wait and see what explanation Dali will give Pingzhou. If they are not satisfied, we will fight until they give us a satisfactory explanation."
"Mr. Xue is absolutely right." Lu Desheng agreed. He raised his teacup, treating it as wine, and clinked it with Xue Xu's.
Hearing this, Lu Songli's heart moved. Mr. Xue? Li people! Thinking of this, her face changed slightly.
At present, Dali cannot defeat Pingzhou by force. If there is any threat to Pingzhou, it is only the isolated Li people in the south.
Xie Zhan knew Xue Xu's identity from the beginning, so there was no guarantee that the other party would not use the Li people to threaten Xue Xu, and then threaten Pingzhou.
"Mr. Xue, Xie Zhan might be able to convince Song Mo to take action against the Li people."
"He dares?" Hearing this, Xue Xu was shocked and angry.
Xie Zhan was facing a dangerous situation, and there was nothing he was afraid of as long as he could break the deadlock.
"It's better to be safe than sorry," Lu Songli said calmly. Then she suggested, "Mr. Xue, why don't you go back this time?"
Xue Xu immediately agreed, "Yes, I have to go back!" If something goes wrong, this will be a matter of life and death for the Li people.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Xue, you'd better go back. Using the Li people to threaten Pingzhou is something that Xie Zhan would do." Lu Desheng also echoed.
"I'll gather a team to accompany you back to the Southland later, and I'll have Lin Shan escort you." Lu Songli outlined her plans one by one. "I'll have General Qin Sheng lead the troops there later."
The Jintai Army led by Qin Sheng was more suitable for jungle battles. Yue Shu had just led his troops to capture the territory of the Sushen tribe, so it was a good opportunity for him and Qin Sheng to switch guard.
Xue Xu was very touched by this arrangement and said, "Thank you, Governor."
Lu Songli waved her hand. "No need to thank me. Although the Li people don't live in Pingzhou, they are also our people. It is Pingzhou's responsibility to protect them."
Before setting off, Lu Songli had people equip them with all the equipment.
Chang'an, Imperial Palace
After that day, Song Mo kept claiming illness and not attending court.
But the ministers who were concerned about the country and the people knelt directly outside Song Mo's bedroom.
"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be delayed any longer. The Pingzhou army has already taken over the entire Jizhou. If we delay any further, Dali will only lose more cities and land. We must give Pingzhou an explanation as soon as possible."
The ministers urged the emperor to make a decision, give an explanation to Pingzhou as soon as possible, and then end the war.
Public opinion was also boiling, and the calls for the punishment of Xie Zhan, the commander-in-chief of the army, were getting louder and louder.
Especially in the areas of Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Qingzhou, where the war was ongoing, the people were most reluctant to experience war. Now that they knew Pingzhou had provoked the war, they all hoped that the emperor would punish Xie Zhan, the culprit, and restore peace to the world. To this end, some people spontaneously organized a petition from the people and asked the local officials to pass it on to the emperor. There were more than one such petition.
All the pressure was put on Song Mo.
At this time, Song Mo was kneeling in Fengxian Hall to worship his ancestors.
There was a letter in front of Song Mo.
In the letter, Xie Zhan requested that he be dismissed from his official position and imprisoned to give Pingzhou an explanation.
If all else fails, he is willing to die as a last resort.
...Now Pingzhou is relying on the power of explosives to threaten the emperor. Your Majesty need not be embarrassed. I am willing to sacrifice myself. I am very pleased that I can use my remaining body to share the emperor's worries and solve the problems for Dali.
But I am worried that after me, if Pingzhou attacks again, who will be available to offer sacrifices?
It should be noted that Pingzhou’s ambition will not stop until Dali is destroyed.
Something doesn't just appear out of thin air. I've already uncovered some clues about the Pingzhou gunpowder. I've kept the details at home. Once I'm gone, the Emperor can send someone to take over.
In addition, I have ordered the Southern Expedition Army to march to western Guangdong to apprehend the Li people. If successful, Your Majesty will have a basis for negotiation with Pingzhou.
Please forgive my crime of usurpation, Your Majesty. This is the last thing I can do for Your Majesty and for the Great Li.
In addition, Xie Zhan also wrote about his concerns about the family...
Unfortunately, I no longer have time to share the emperor's worries.
At the end of the letter, Xie Zhan wrote: All my words have come to an end, please take care of yourself, Your Majesty.
Song Mo put the letter away, lit a stick of incense for his ancestors, and finally knelt in front of the tablet of the late emperor.
"I know Xie Zhan is not a good person."
Song Mo knew that using Xie Zhan was like drinking poison to quench thirst, but he had to use him. If Xie Zhan was a threat to his side, then Pingzhou Lu Songli was a major threat to his heart.
Choose the lesser of two evils. Moreover, the grudge between the two makes it impossible for them to unite, so the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Furthermore, many of the ministers who had served him before had a bad ending, which was also quite controversial, and people said he was mean and ungrateful...
In fact, he doesn't care about these. What he cares about is the Song family's world.
Since Song Mo ascended the throne, he's realized that while he's incredibly wealthy, he still lacks top talent. Perhaps, on a darker note, Pingzhou's eagerness to eliminate Xie Zhan stems from a fear of him.
The most important point is that he knows very well what his own body is like.
Protecting Xie Zhan was also a helpless move. He had to leave some loyal ministers for the Dali Kingdom.
Dali can have powerful ministers in power, relatives in power, and even a figurehead. Xie Zhan can be Huo Guang, Dou Xian, or Liang Ji. As long as he does not plot to usurp the throne and as long as he can maintain the structure of Dali, it will be fine.
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