Chapter 166 Request Request
After winter comes, Yunzhou is always cold and windy, making people want to wrap themselves up completely when going out.
Just as Prince Cheng had guessed, those old gentlemen who had lived a life of luxury in the capital for many years fell ill as soon as they arrived in Yunzhou. The better ones could still get out of bed and walk around, while the worse ones looked like they were dying.
Even though Song Wei tried his best to invite famous doctors, the medical level in Yunzhou could not be compared with that in the capital. Although several old adults were not allowed to go directly, they would not recover so quickly. Not to mention the old adults, even the young ones could not withstand the bad weather.
In comparison, Prince Cheng, Prince Xi and Su Fengzhang, who were still full of energy after arriving in Yunzhou, became the outliers among them. Each of them looked like they were born and raised in Yunzhou.
Due to the shortage of supplies, there was only a charcoal brazier lit in Prince Cheng's house. It could keep you warm if you were close to it, but it was useless if you were far away, and the cold wind could get in through any gap.
However, Prince Cheng clearly didn't care. He tapped the table lightly with one hand as he listened to Su Fengzhang's report. After hearing it, he frowned and asked, "Is the military supply problem so serious?"
Su Fengzhang nodded helplessly and said, "Lord Song may have exaggerated a bit, but I've checked the granary and found that there isn't much grain left, and most of it is stale grain from last year."
Prince Cheng felt a headache and asked, "How long can you hold out?"
"If we don't fight, we can survive until next year on bran and broth," Su Fengzhang said. "If we do send troops, the soldiers must be well fed before they go to the battlefield. This will take at most a month. Counting the 100,000 men Lord Song brought, they'll be exhausted in less than two weeks."
"How could this be!" Prince Cheng was also shocked when he heard this.
Su Fengzhang explained, "I heard from the clerks below that at the end of every year, the Zhenbei Army's rations are always like this, waiting for the imperial court to deliver them. Who knew that this year, it would be delayed again and again, and the rations sent by the Fourth Prince could not be used."
Prince Cheng also felt the situation was difficult. He frowned and said, "The food and fodder that's coming after us won't arrive for at least a month. Wouldn't this be a good opportunity to catch up?"
Su Fengzhang looked up at him and reminded him, "Let's not even talk about how much food and fodder the court can send, or whether it can be delivered on time. Even if it can, it won't be enough. Lord Song still has 100,000 men on his side."
"Bang!" Prince Cheng slammed his fist on the table and cursed, "These people are treating the Great Zhou as a joke."
It was unclear whether this was an insult to the emperor, or to Minister Xu of the Ministry of Revenue, or to the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince.
But no matter who you scold, it will not help the current situation. What is even more worrying is that it is still unknown whether the military rations from the court can be delivered on time.
"We should end the battle quickly and decisively." Prince Cheng also said so.
Su Fengzhang also agreed in his heart that the current situation of the Great Zhou really could not be delayed. If they had not seen the state of the Zhenbei Army, they would not have thought that the seemingly rich and powerful Great Zhou was so weak.
Su Fengzhang was born in Jiangnan and actually had a very good impression of the Great Zhou. After all, when the imperial court encountered floods, it provided disaster relief and exempted taxes, which seemed very merciful.
But he did not expect that this kindness was based on weakening the military strength of the Great Zhou. He did not know how to evaluate the emperor, should he say that he loved the people like his own children, or that he was stupid and reckless!
Even if he thought so in his heart, Prince Cheng could not really agree with Meng Kun's idea. After all, the emperor had repeatedly warned him before he came. According to the emperor's intention, they should negotiate peace directly without any complications, and just get back the fourth prince and the lost land.
Prince Cheng sighed and suddenly asked, "Lord Su, do you have a solution?"
Su Fengzhang said stubbornly, "There is no way to have the best of both worlds."
"How can we solve one or two problems?" asked Prince Cheng.
Su Fengzhang then said, "If we can fight a quick battle and win, that would be best. If not, we can borrow grain from Youzhou for the time being, perhaps we can hold on for a while, but this matter still needs to be decided."
"Youzhou?" Prince Cheng frowned. Going to Youzhou to borrow grain would naturally be the cheapest, but if he did so, not only would the people of Youzhou complain, but the emperor above would not agree rashly.
Su Fengzhang also said, "Unless it is absolutely necessary, I do not agree to go to Youzhou to collect grain and grass."
Just when the two of them were having a headache, Meng Kun walked in with He Jun, Song Wei and others. Meng Kun's face was cold, He Jun's face also had an angry look, and Song Wei's face was inexplicable.
Before Prince Cheng could speak, He Jun cursed, "These damned Xianbei people, these barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood, how dare they do this!"
Prince Cheng couldn't help but frown: "What happened?"
Meng Kun sighed and said, "The messenger who went to deliver the message has returned. The Xianbei people agree to peace talks, but they have some requirements."
Prince Cheng asked, "What is your request? Is it difficult?"
Song Wei glanced at Meng Kun and said, "The Xianbei people requested that Meng Jiangjun attend the peace ceremony as an envoy."
"What!" Prince Cheng frowned. "Before, they only required the royal family to intervene. Why did they change the conditions?"
He Jun cursed and shouted, "They used the excuse that they were just a prince and didn't have enough weight to make the decision, so they proposed that General Meng come out to negotiate."
Su Fengzhang reminded him, "Prince Cheng, the Xianbei people are so unpredictable and have bad intentions."
Prince Cheng naturally knew this and shook his head, saying, "General Meng is the commander of the Zhenbei Army. He must not put himself in danger!"
He Jun also said: "These Xianbei people must have set up a tight net, trying to trick General Meng out of the city under the pretext of peace talks. If they can kill General Meng by then, the Zhenbei Army will be leaderless, and Yunzhou will be lost!"
Song Wei glanced at everyone present and interrupted, "What should we do? The Xianbei have made it clear that if Meng Jiangjun doesn't go, they will target the Fourth Prince."
He added, "General Meng is incredibly brave. Even if the Xianbei set an ambush, what can they do? If they dare to break the agreement, General Meng will surely lead his men back to kill them."
"Compared to Prince Cheng taking the risk alone, it would be safer for General Meng to go."
Song Wei's meaning was clear. Compared to letting the Fifth Prince take the risk and then losing another prince, he felt that it was more cost-effective for General Meng to take the risk.
Prince Cheng sneered and said, "If I go, even if the Xianbei turn against me and kill me, Yunzhou will still be there."
"But if anything were to happen to Meng Jiangjun, Yunzhou would be in chaos. It's clear which is more serious. Meng Jiangjun must not risk leaving the city. This matter doesn't need to be discussed further!"
Song Wei's face was filled with anxiety. He kept saying, "Prince Cheng, this is the Xianbei's request. If Meng Jiangjun doesn't go, what if they really execute the Fourth Prince?"
Prince Cheng's expression turned cold, and he said calmly, "Which is more important, Yunzhou, Da Zhou, or the Fourth Prince?"
Song Wei looked hesitant, and Prince Cheng had already said, "Since Lord Song is so worried, why not send a letter to the capital and let the emperor make the decision himself?"
Song Wei's face was grim. Even if the letter was sent to the capital at the earliest, it would still take more than half a month to go back and forth. By then, the flowers would be cold and the Fourth Prince's grave would probably be overgrown with grass!
Prince Cheng ignored his expression and said directly, "Send the envoy to Yunxin City again and tell the Xianbei people that they can either negotiate with me or fight. There is no other choice."
Meng Kun's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Prince Cheng, if that's the case, His Majesty will probably blame you."
Prince Cheng said, "If anything happens to Fourth Brother, I will pay for his life with my own."
Having said that, even though Song Wei was extremely worried about the safety of the Fourth Prince, or rather, worried about his own future, he couldn't stop their thoughts at this moment.
His eyes moved, and he looked at the only scholar present and said, "Master Su, do you also agree with this?"
If he remembered correctly, Su Fengzhang was from Qingzhou and a real member of the Xu family faction. He was punished by the crown prince because of the Fourth Prince. Apart from him, Su Fengzhang should not want anything to happen to the Fourth Prince either.
Unfortunately, Su Fengzhang was destined to disappoint him. He said seriously, "Sir Song, everyone has to die. Some are heavier than Mount Tai, while others are lighter than a feather. If the Fourth Prince knew about this in Yunxin City, he would never agree to it."
Song Wei almost vomited blood. If he didn't know that the Fifth Prince and Su Fengzhang were not from the Crown Prince's lineage, he would have thought that they were hoping for the Fourth Prince to die.
Upon hearing this, a smile flashed in Prince Cheng's eyes, and He Jun even clapped his hands and laughed, "A real man should do this."
Song Wei gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, okay, since this is the decision of Prince Cheng and Meng Jiangjun, then I have no choice but to obey."
Prince Cheng nodded and said with a smile, "It's good that Lord Song has come to this realization. If you hadn't indulged Fourth Brother, he wouldn't have fallen into the hands of the Xianbei. I'm sure Lord Song has learned his lesson."
Song Wei couldn't straighten his back when this matter was mentioned. He suddenly remembered that the fifth prince's maternal family was surnamed Liu, and the Liu family had a very good relationship with the He family and the Meng family. It was not surprising that the two princes and Meng Kun were now on the same page.
He couldn't help but wonder if the Emperor had done this on purpose.
Prince Cheng didn't pay much attention to his thoughts and continued, "Meng Jiangjun, please send an envoy immediately to discuss further. If it can be accomplished, that would be great. If not, Yunzhou must also prepare."
Meng Jiangjun nodded and said, "I know the answer to this question."
He then added, "It's just that the Xianbei are very cunning. Even if they agree to withdraw the conditions, Prince Cheng will be in danger when he leaves the city to negotiate."
Prince Cheng knew this clearly, but he had to go on this trip, otherwise how could he explain to his superiors? Moreover, before he set off, all the civil officials in the court who had been in favor of war had shut up, and now the court was dominated by the peace faction.
When Su Fengzhang came out of the room, he saw Liu Wei standing outside the door. He smiled when he saw him and said, "Master Su, it's been so many years since we last met. I didn't expect to see you again in Yunzhou today."
Su Fengzhang also smiled: "I didn't expect to see General Liu here."
"What's the point of calling me General? I'm just a handyman." Liu Wei said this and then asked in a low voice, "Sir Su, please tell Prince Cheng that the Zhenbei Army is deeply grateful for the old general's kindness."
Su Fengzhang's eyes flashed slightly, he glanced at him and finally nodded in agreement.
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