"Your Majesty, I believe that the people of Liang are internally divided." As expected of the Left Prime Minister, although he spoke slowly and softly, his voice was as loud as thunder.
Everyone became alert all of a sudden.
"Oh, how do you know that?"
"Your Majesty, I have carefully read the battle report and the conditions presented by the Liang people. Combined with the recent reward bestowed upon Qinghe County of Liang by the Emperor of Liang for recaptured Xiangyun, I have come to this conclusion."
"My dear, please tell me in detail."
"As ordered. Your Majesty, Qinghe County was instrumental in recapture Xiangyun. Logically, the Qinghe County Magistrate had the greatest contribution, and even the title of Xiangyun Governor would not be excessive. However, the Qinghe County Magistrate was given the title of Qinghe Earl. While this title may seem prestigious, his fiefdom remains Qinghe County, no different from before."
"It's said that the Xiangyun Prefect was appointed by the Liang Kingdom's Central Government. This shows that the Liang Emperor doesn't fully trust the Qinghe Earl who has just made great contributions."
"And the generals under the Lord of Qinghe have all been promoted and stationed in Xiangyun, which is also a way of dividing power. Originally, after the battle, the Lord of Qinghe should have returned to his fiefdom, and his generals would have left him. It was only because of the renewed war with Cambodia that he was reluctantly allowed to take command of the army again under the pretext of urgency."
"Therefore, I think he doesn't really want to fight. Even if he wins, the credit won't go to him. Cambodia and Qinghe are separated by Xiangyun Province. Even if he has the ambition to expand his territory, he can't expand it to my Cambodia."
"I observe that the treaty sent by the Liang people was essentially drafted by this Qinghe Earl. Although its content is extremely harsh and unreasonable, it also shows that he only wants to reap the benefits and leave, otherwise he would not act in such a way."
"On the contrary, it's the border garrison commander, Lu You. It's said that he used to be a general under the Earl of Qinghe. He was promoted to lieutenant general because he killed King Zhentian in battle, who also caused us a lot of trouble. He has incorporated the remnants of the Qitian Village bandit army. It just so happens that his duty is to target our Cambodia. Therefore, if we fight against our country and win, he will benefit the most."
"According to news from Jingdong and Daqima, it is Lu You's subordinates who are causing trouble and looting everywhere. It seems that he is determined to go to war with our country."
The Left Prime Minister spoke slowly, but he made things clear.
Everyone in the court nodded. The old man was still very experienced. After he said this, the seemingly unstoppable Liang army instantly revealed its flaws.
"Yes. I understand." Xin Yueping waved his sleeves and said, "Left and Right Prime Ministers, please stay. Everyone else can go."
Everyone knows that the countermeasures for Meng Yang's fall will be decided today.
Meetings of no more than ten people are best for making decisions.
"I want to know, if we don't mobilize the Chongzuo army, when will the country be able to prepare a punitive force?"
Xinyue, who had changed into a casual robe, asked while lying flat on the couch.
"If we want to be absolutely sure, we need a year." Yang Yizhen replied with half of his butt resting on the brocade cushion.
"How many Liang people are there in this invasion? How many of them are from Qinghe Bo Lin Hai's army, and how many are from Lu You's army?"
"The Liang people claim to have an army of 100,000. I believe this is just bluffing. Perhaps 40,000 or 50,000 would be a significant number. But it can't be less than 40,000. Otherwise, Mengyang is a large city after all, and it wouldn't fall in a day."
"According to estimates, about three-quarters of them are Lin Hai and his former subordinates. Lu You should have more than 10,000 people, most of whom should be the remnants of the Qitian Village who have been incorporated."
The Right Prime Minister thought about it for a long time and finally gave this answer.
Xin Yueping turned to look at Gao Shengtai and asked, "What do you think, Left Prime Minister?"
Governor Gao Shengtai pondered for a moment, then, as if making up his mind, said, "Our country cannot engage in a war on two fronts. If the two peoples can be divided, we should prioritize that. First, stabilize Qinghe Bo, temporarily feed him, and let him lead his troops away. After he leaves, even if Lu You intends to invade, he won't have the strength. We can wait until the army is fully prepared before we can attack him."
"Indeed, but the world will soon be at war again. If our country were to cease fire with Liang, it would probably be detrimental to your Majesty's reputation and the morale of the army and the people." Yang Yizhen added, indirectly indicating that he actually agreed with this statement.
"We are not at peace with Liang. The two countries have not declared war, so how can there be a ceasefire? We have only reached some trade terms with the Earl of Qinghe of Liang. As for that Lu You, it's all a misunderstanding, just a border dispute, and it's being resolved." Gao Shengtai demonstrated the language skills of a top scholar in the imperial examination on the spot, which was amazing.
"Well, is there any suitable candidate for the Left Prime Minister?" Xin Yueping couldn't think of anyone to take the blame for a while. He couldn't afford it if his status was too low, but he was reluctant to do so if his status was too high. He could only ask Gao Shengtai to recommend someone.
"There just happens to be one. The former co-governor of Mengyang, Nguyen Shiping, and his family died for their country. Didn't Your Majesty just reward his cousin Nguyen Shihao as the Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Warehouses? This person's official position is neither high nor low, and his brother happened to die for his country in Mengyang. Naturally, no one would think that the central government is losing power and humiliating the country by sending him as an envoy to Mengyang at this time." Gao Shengtai, the person who knows the Cambodian officialdom best, gave a candidate that no one expected.
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