Chapter 93 Princess Chizun
Why did Li Yuanzhao recognize Yangjin's identity?
As luck would have it, she was keeping a foreign monk in her household.
This foreign monk was originally from a collateral branch of the Tibetan royal family. He fled to the Central Plains due to persecution by his political enemies and was taken in by Li Yuanzhao.
He once mentioned the inside story of the Tibetan royal family to Li Yuanzhao.
Although the king had many biological children, they were all indulging in pleasure, either indulging in wine and women or being obsessed with Buddhism. They were all good-for-nothings, and none of them were good at leading troops into battle.
That's why he had no choice but to rely on his brave and skilled adopted daughter.
so……
He practices martial arts daily, enjoys military strategy, and even inquires about women's imperial examinations. He also seems extremely unwilling to accept this defeat.
The other Tibetan envoys were even more obedient to "him," clearly indicating his high prestige, unlike the treatment that those mediocre and incompetent princes would receive.
The most crucial point is that when Zheng Xiang proposed "returning the four cities," "he" actually agreed on the spot that "he could grant the offer on behalf of the Zanpu."
It should be understood that ceding a city is a major national affair, and even if a prince is of noble status, he has absolutely no right to make decisions on behalf of the king.
Unless, of course, these cities were originally conquered by "him," which is why "he" dared to talk so lightly about returning them, unafraid of the Zanpu's wrath.
With all these details combined, she couldn't help but suspect that the "prince" before her was none other than the famous Princess Chizun.
really……
Yangjin stared at Li Yuanzhao, deep in thought.
After several days of testing, the insight and ability of this princess of the Great Qi Dynasty far exceeded her expectations.
Over the years, she led her army to fight in various places, expanding the territory of Tibet and making great military achievements, which had long aroused the dissatisfaction of the emperor's own children.
Even Zanpu himself is increasingly wary of her.
He even believed someone's slander and secretly sent assassins to Daqi to kill her.
Assassination is the work of a petty person, and it is by no means a general should use. She despised such behavior from the bottom of her heart.
Moreover, he was so foolish as to fail in his assassination attempt that he provoked the Great Qi to openly attack him and send troops to conquer him.
At that time, she was summoned back to the capital by the king.
The general defending the city was her confidant. He was careless and fell into the trap set by that old scoundrel surnamed Shen. Not only did he lose two cities in Longyou, but he also lost 30,000 of her elite troops.
She had dealt with that old scoundrel surnamed Shen for four years.
They knew that although the other party had some ability, they were always conventional and conservative in their tactics.
However, in this battle, the Qi army's tactics were exceptionally cunning, relentlessly pressing forward and exploiting the weaknesses of the Tibetan army at every turn, a tactic unlike anything they had used before.
Therefore, she suspected that he must have a master mentoring him.
It was this resentment and doubt that led her to beg the king to come and see who could rival her.
Those pampered princes and nobles were all afraid of losing their lives in the wrath of the Great Qi, and none of them were willing to come.
She wasn't afraid, which is why she went on a mission to the Great Qi under the guise of a prince.
Although she hasn't found any evidence yet, she has a vague intuition.
The person behind that old scoundrel is probably the Princess of Great Qi right before our eyes.
The Emperor was already very displeased. Tibet had clearly sent envoys to sue for peace after being defeated, yet they dared to use the trick of "women disguised as men" to deceive the Great Qi.
Moreover, the woman in front of him was a Tibetan general who had led his army to capture several cities of the Great Qi. What monarch would have a good face towards such an enemy?
Upon seeing this, Zheng Xiang stood up and launched an attack.
"If Princess Chizun is here to negotiate the alliance on behalf of Tibet, why would she disguise herself as a man and deceive us, the civil and military officials? This not only violates national dignity but also shows Tibet's lack of sincerity. Does she think that the Great Qi is easy to fool?"
Yangjin despised the pretentious manner of the men in front of her.
However, she still suppressed her impatience and said, "I hope Your Majesty and Prime Minister Zheng will calm down. It is not that Yangjin intended to deceive me. It is just that there is constant internal strife in Tibet. If I come as a princess, I am afraid that the opposing forces in the country will obstruct me in every way, making it difficult to reach a peace agreement. Disguising myself as a man is only to ensure that I can reach Daqi smoothly, discuss the alliance with Your Majesty, and turn hostility into friendship. I have absolutely no intention of looking down on Daqi."
The Emperor's expression softened slightly upon hearing her words.
The temptation of "offering gold and ceding cities" ultimately prevailed. He pondered for a moment and slowly said, "In that case, I will trust you for now. However, Yuan Zhao is right. If Tibet truly wants to negotiate peace, it should show real sincerity."
The prime ministers then realized that His Majesty's tone had changed.
Is His Majesty now unwilling to marry the princess to Tibet?
Or should we, as the eldest princess suggested, turn our attention to marrying a princess or prince from Tibet?
Before Yangjin could respond, Li Yuanzhao spoke first.
"Whether the two countries form a marriage alliance or not is of no concern to the Great Qi. Marriage has never been able to solidify an alliance, much less expect a princess to bring lasting peace. Only tangible benefits can form the foundation of an alliance between the two countries. Don't you agree, Princess Chizun?"
These words were ruthless, directly tearing away the warm veil of "marriage alliance" and completely exposing to the public that the essence of the peace talks between the two countries was nothing more than "each getting what they wanted."
Yangjin looked up at her, a barely perceptible hint of approval flashing in her eyes.
The marriage alliance was the king's obsession, not her true intention.
In her view, even if the Great Qi sent ten princesses to Tibet, it would not truly stop the war.
Once the Tibetan army recovers, she can lead her troops to retake the cities returned today tomorrow.
The so-called "peace" is nothing more than a temporary truce.
Li Yuanzhao continued, "I know that what Tibet values most now is the border trade. In recent years, Tibet has been at war with the Great Qi, and the border trade has been closed. Your furs and horses cannot be sold, and the sources of urgently needed tea, silk, and ironware have also been cut off. Even the medicines for the army are becoming increasingly scarce. The Zanpu is willing to offer gold and cede cities. In the end, he also wants to use peace talks to reopen the trade, alleviate the domestic predicament, and at the same time stabilize the morale of the people who are in turmoil due to the defeat in the war."
“And what the Great Qi wants,” she paused, her tone becoming more forceful, “is the return of the cities seized by Tibet, a promise of ten years of non-aggression on the border, and annual tribute. As for marriage alliances, they are merely a pretext, an embellishment; whether they exist or not, what difference does it make?”
Before she could finish speaking, her tone abruptly shifted, carrying a hint of intimidation: "Of course, if you don't agree to Prime Minister Zheng's conditions, then so be it. But I must remind Princess Chizun that Tibet has just lost 30,000 elite troops. I'm afraid they won't be able to withstand the next offensive from the Great Qi cavalry, will they?"
The Emperor then burst into laughter, "Yuan Zhao is right. As long as Tibet abides by the alliance, the Great Qi will not mistreat Tibet. I will grant you all your requests. However... if you dare to invade my borders again, I will make Tibet pay the price!"
To him, the Great Qi was a celestial empire, while Tibet was nothing but barbarians. Marrying his princess to the leader of a "barbarian" was actually an act of reversing the hierarchy and damaging national dignity.
However, for the sake of certain benefits, one can certainly ignore the humiliation of "marrying down".
Now, if we can "subdue the enemy without fighting" and use benefits to coerce Tibet into returning the city and paying annual tribute, why should the Great Qi rush to send the princess away?
Yangjin's face instantly darkened.
Now that she has lost troops and doesn't really understand Li Yuanzhao's tactics, she can't guarantee that she will win in the next battle.
More importantly, she already had other plans in mind...
If war were to break out again, it might not be a good thing for her plans.
Ultimately, Tibet and Qi signed a ten-year alliance.
The Tibetan Empire returned the two cities in Longyou and the two cities in Hexi that it had occupied from the Qi Dynasty.
Every year, Tibet would present the Great Qi with 5,000 catties of gold and 20,000 horses, which would be sent to the capital in spring and autumn.
The two countries have reopened border trade, with the previous tax rates still in effect.
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