By the time Tang Huan saw General Pang in person, news of the delegation's return to the capital had already reached Cui Renshi's ears.
In his study, Cui Renshi looked at the people sitting beside him and said, "The Northern Region delegation has arrived in the capital today and is staying at the Wanfuji Inn where Gongyang Tingbai is located."
Reading's eyes widened. "Who's in the delegation?"
This is also what everyone else is most curious about. Rather than figuring out what the Northerners are up to, they are more concerned about who the people coming from, as this will determine whether they can deal with the situation effectively this time.
"The person leading the Northern Region delegation is Gongshan Liqun."
Cui Renshi only said one sentence, revealing the identity of one of the people, but it made everyone present gasp.
For many years, Daqing has not taken the Northern Region seriously, nor has it regarded these people as its opponents.
This is their inherent arrogance.
However, there was one exception: Gongshan Liqun.
This man is only in his forties, yet he is already the most prestigious person in the entire Northern Region, and he is even showing signs of surpassing the Great King of the Northern Region.
The reason is simple: before Gongshan Liqun appeared, the Northern Region could only submit to Daqing under pressure.
Until more than 20 years ago, Gongshan Liqun suddenly emerged, starting from a common soldier and gradually becoming a general of the Northern Region.
From then on, in the battles on the northern border, the Northern Region began to turn the tide and caused Daqing a lot of trouble on several occasions.
Even when facing General Pang, the military genius of Daqing, this man was able to handle the situation with ease.
Rumors even began to circulate that Gongshan Liqun was more like a god of war than General Pang, and that if the Northern Army had not been smaller, the war between the two sides would have been over long ago.
It was because of this person's appearance that Pang Conglong was ordered to guard the northern border, to prevent Gongshan Liqun from suddenly launching an attack. No one else could stop this guy.
"He actually came in person?" A hint of unease flashed across Liu Danqing's face.
"He's here, so he's here. Gongshan Liqun is indeed a talented commander, but General Pang is no less capable than the others. Don't think that just because he's personally in Daqing, he can act arrogantly." Lei Ding scoffed, not even taking this general from the Northern Region seriously.
Xiao Ming thought for a moment and said, "Gongshan Liqun is personally leading the delegation. This time, he probably has many demands and is definitely not here to submit. If we cannot deal with him effectively, Daqing may suffer heavy losses..."
Although these ministers often did shady things, when faced with the threat from the Northern Region, they still thought of Daqing.
If given a choice, no one would want the Northern Regions to take advantage of them. They would much rather the iron hooves of Daqing could trample the world, so that they could leave more records in the history books.
"Tonight we're meeting with Gongshan Liqun and Liu Danqing. You will personally deliver the message."
After a moment of silence, Cui Renshi expressed his meaning to everyone.
Liu Danqing hesitated and said, "Prime Minister Cui, since he has already brought his delegation to the capital, why bother to see him in advance? We can wait until tomorrow, or at the latest the day after tomorrow, when Gongshan Liqun will go to the Golden Palace to meet His Majesty. At that time, we will know exactly what he wants."
"Waiting is too passive; I must sound out this person's intentions beforehand."
After thinking for a moment, Cui Renshi instructed, "While you're at it, go to the Ministry of Revenue's residence and invite Wang Tianze."
As evening approached, darkness fell quickly.
The martial law in Beijing came quickly and went quickly as well.
The assassination attempt ultimately failed to yield any results and was left unresolved.
However, the problems left behind by this incident cannot be ignored. Qian Yongning of the Imperial Guard was demoted. The Empress, mindful of his years of diligence, spared his life and exiled him to a remote and impoverished area. It is unknown when he will have the opportunity to return to the capital.
The newly appointed Jinwuwei was a subordinate of Qian Yongning before. He was not a particularly outstanding person and had not been given important responsibilities before.
As for Sun Yuanzhou, the Prefect of Jingzhao who was also in charge of investigating the assassination, he was reprimanded by His Majesty and fined two months' salary, but received no other punishment.
After this incident, martial law was lifted.
At the same time, the daily curfew time has been postponed accordingly.
Of course, the Imperial Guards patrolled the capital more diligently than ever before, which meant that most people went home early after dark, and there were hardly any people on the streets.
On the long, black street, a sedan chair is slowly approaching Wanfuji.
Finally, the sedan chair stopped at the entrance of Wanfuji. Zhao Quan bowed and said, "Prime Minister, we have arrived."
Cui Renshi lifted the curtain and came out. He said in a deep voice, "Wait for me here."
Under Cui Renshi's instructions, Zhao Quan had already reserved a private room at Wanfu Hotel, and Liu Danqing had also sent back news earlier that both Gongshan Liqun and Wang Tianze had accepted his invitation.
Cui Renshi walked past the inn's staff and went straight upstairs. He paused for a moment outside the private room before pushing the door open and entering.
As the door closed, a figure emerged from the depths of the corridor.
Wan Xin continued to stare at the private room, murmuring softly, "First it was the people from the Northern Region, then it was Minister of Revenue Wang Tianze, and now even Prime Minister Cui Renshi has come..."
After Cui Renshi entered the private room, he found that the others had already arrived.
On the northern side are Gongshan Liqun and Gongyang Tingbai.
Gongshan Liqun is forty-three years old this year, but he looks like he's in his thirties from the outside. When he sits there, he even looks like a junior of Wang Tianze.
Yet, despite being a military general, this man exuded an aura of authority.
Cui Renshi watched for a while, then cupped his hands in greeting to Gongshan Liqun and sat down between Gongshan Liqun and Wang Tianze.
This wasn't the first time the group had met, and they weren't exactly strangers.
However, the frequent frictions and wars between the two countries have led to an unfriendly relationship between them.
After a few drinks, Gongshan Liqun broke the deathly silence.
He wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth and smiled at the two men in front of him, "Prime Minister Cui, Lord Wang, you two invited me here today, surely not to catch up with me?"
Cui Renshi picked up the wine bowl in front of him, but instead of drinking it all in one gulp like Gong Shanliqun, he drank it slowly.
It took him even longer to finish the entire night's drinks, and a flush appeared on his face.
"General Gongshan, I'd like to know what you're trying to do by suddenly bringing a delegation to the capital?"
Despite being stared at by the two men, Gongshan Liqun showed no restraint and instead burst into hearty laughter.
"As winter approaches, the soldiers in the northern region have lost their will to fight. Unlike Daqing, which has a warm climate and countless grains, the northern region faces a severe test every winter. We hope to stop the war."
“Since the goal is to stop the war, this is a good thing for both sides.” Cui Renshi nodded slightly.
The ram standing next to Bai laughed and said, "Yes, it's a good thing for both sides. However, the Northern Region hopes that Daqing can provide us with a batch of supplies to help us get through the winter. Perhaps in this way, the two sides can not only end the war of the past years, but also become friends."
Because of the extreme cold and difficulty, they sought help from Daqing. This is what the Northern Regions are looking for.
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