Chapter 587 Peace Negotiation (5k)
When Xu Junling said this, the whole hall suddenly fell silent, with only the late autumn wind blowing in from outside making a humming sound.
Xu Jingtang died, killed by Governor Zhao.
Everyone's brains froze briefly, and then they all looked in unison at Zhao Duan who was sitting in the main seat.
As if he wanted to ask for confirmation, Zhao Duan had a blank expression on his face, not even a blush on his face, and said lightly:
"Xu Jingtang is indeed dead. The Yunfu rebels will never become a force to be reckoned with again."
Well, I didn't admit it. Princess, you guessed it yourself, didn't you? Zhao Duan thought shamelessly in his heart.
However, after discussing with the old Taoist priest about the way King Mu died, they had already decided to attribute the credit to Zhao Duan, and Zhang Yanyi did not want to be involved.
This statement naturally could not be hidden from anyone with a discerning eye, but Xu Jingtang's collusion with the evil god was an extremely shameful matter.
Even the Eighth King would not be willing to make it public.
In other words, blaming Zhao Duan for Xu Jingtang's death was a tacit decision made by all parties.
When the governor confirmed it "personally", the generals present were all shocked.
Yuan Feng's expression was dull, as if he hadn't come to his senses yet.
Zhao Shixiong was also stunned. He stared blankly at Zhao Duan, then suddenly turned his head to look at Yuxiu and Jinjian, but was disappointed to see only the expressionless face of the female Taoist nun.
As for the young priestess, she had already dozed off with her head down and didn't hear what everyone was saying at all.
"The governor killed Xu Jingtang?" Gongsun was speechless, and then, as if a valve of sound was opened, the hall suddenly became noisy.
After being stunned, the generals were all ecstatic. The second son of the Yunfu army was killed, and King Mu was also dead. Only a few remnants were left in Yunfu, and they were no longer a force to be reckoned with.
Doesn't this mean that the imperial court will soon lose the threat from the southwest and can concentrate on dealing with Prince Jing in the southeast?
Dead chessboard comes alive.
Thinking of this, the soldiers looked at Zhao Duan with almost admiration!
How did the governor do it?
Suddenly, everyone felt emotional:
"With this achievement in hand, I'm afraid the title of 'Military God' will completely shift from Xue Shence to my own commander-in-chief."
"Ahem," even Zhao Duan, with his thick skin, couldn't help but blush under the fanatical gaze and said:
"I have summoned you here to explain this matter. Next, I need you to spread the news of Xu Jingtang's death as quickly as possible. Someone will also need to send a team to escort his body back to the capital later as a warning to others."
"At the same time, issue an order to surrender. After the news of Xu Jingtang's death spreads, a large number of the remaining soldiers in Yunfu will surely be willing to defect. Pass on this order to the governor: as long as they voluntarily surrender, the soldiers who were coerced by the rebel king will be forgiven, and the officers will be given lenient sentences."
"Then, Commander Yuan," Zhao Duan looked at Yuan Feng:
"Next, you will work with the Prince of Huai'an to protect the territory and the people, and quickly pacify the western front of the Huai River. As for the local powerful families, those guilty of serious crimes will have their property confiscated, while those with minor offenses can surrender supplies to atone for their sins. Before winter arrives, sufficient supplies and money must be confiscated and sent to the capital and the eastern front to alleviate the court's financial crisis."
After saying this, Zhao Duan couldn't help but feel emotional.
Last year, he racked his brains to try to "open a market" and tried to collect taxes and grain from all over the world through business.
As a result, things are unpredictable, but now it is simple. Almost all the powerful families in Huai River have funded the rebels with gold and silver. Therefore, with the handle of rebellion, they can openly confiscate the property of local powerful families...
"Yes, sir." Yuan Feng clasped his fists, his chain mail rustling, his face showing excitement.
Zhao Duan looked at Southwest Thin Tiger again and said:
"General Zhao, do you have the confidence to lead an elite force into Yunfu to wipe out the remaining remnants and recapture Yunfu before the heavy snows of midwinter block the roads?"
Zhao Shixiong and his wife were both startled. The former said in surprise:
"The governor wants me to go?"
The couple could not hide their surprise, and the other generals also had strange expressions.
Zhao Shixiong has a criminal record, but now he is sent back to the southwest to "suppress bandits". Isn't this like "letting a tiger return to the mountain"?
Zhao Duan just smiled confidently and said proudly:
"Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you doubt. I promised the general that day that he would submit to the imperial court and forgive past mistakes, and I will certainly not break my promise. You are most familiar with Yunfu and are the most suitable candidate. Moreover, you also need to be on guard against the Liao people, so it is most convenient for you."
He had discussed this decision with the empress before he returned.
There is indeed a risk of letting the tiger return to the mountains, but the empress still has the courage.
What's more, not to mention that Zhao Shixiong's daughter is still in Linfeng.
The fact that Zhao Duan killed the "god" Xu Jingtang alone was enough to shock this border general.
Zhao Shixiong couldn't help but be moved. Even though he knew that Zhao Duan was trying to calm down, compared to Xu Jingtang's suspicion... he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart. He clasped his fists and said:
"I am willing to accept the military order. If I fail to recapture Yunfu within the deadline, I will be punished according to military law!"
Zhao Duan laughed heartily, stood up and bowed:
"Then I wish the general a triumphant return."
After the general explanation was completed, the remaining details were left to the generals to discuss on their own, and Yuan Feng and Zhao Shixiong left in a hurry.
Zhao Duan did not leave, but chose to live temporarily in the Huai'an Palace.
It will take some time to digest the gains from this battle, so as the governor, he must stay and cannot leave.
Counting on my fingers, it will be the winter solstice soon.
The South is still lucky, as there is still some time to mobilize troops, but when winter comes, there will be no more large-scale battles, and all parties will enter a period of "ceasefire."
“Huff…”
Zhao Duan walked out of the hall, feeling the cold wind blowing on his face in the courtyard. Surrounded by Xu Junling, Prince Huaian, Yuxiu and others, he spread out his palm and caught a yellow autumn leaf blown by the wind.
He narrowed his eyes and murmured:
"Prince Jing, it's finally your turn."
…
…
Capital city.
Zhao Duan walked out of the stone wall again and sank into the puppet's body.
As I walked out of the old building, the wind chimes above my head vibrated, but I didn't see the empress coming.
Zhao Duan walked out of the Wugong Hall. Along the way, he saw only the bleak autumn wind and the ancient trees in the palace.
Compared to the south, the temperature in the capital has dropped rapidly in the past few days. Even with his puppet body, he could still clearly feel the cold.
Wearing white masks, they arrived outside the imperial study, and the palace maids, who had changed into thick palace skirts, left tacitly.
In the study, Xu Zhenguan was sitting at the imperial desk, reviewing memorials. There was an animal-shaped stove on the ground, and the red charcoal inside was burning.
With the Empress's cultivation level, she is no longer afraid of cold or heat, but the room is still warm.
"What's the situation?" Xu Zhenguan asked without raising his head.
Zhao Duan walked over, pulled a chair and sat down, and explained the situation and arrangements in Jingchuan Town.
Xu Zhenguan finally raised his head, and with his fair wrist he lowered the bright red imperial brush. His piercing eyes looked at him, as if he wanted to see through him:
"How's your cultivation been lately?"
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, not sure of the empress's intentions, and said honestly:
“It’s not far from high quality, but it’s still a little short.”
Although I was busy with the war these days, I did not neglect my meditation practice.
In "The Great Dream", Zhao Duan followed Pei Niannu in his journey through the world, experiencing the wind and rain of six hundred years ago.
There wasn't much new in the process, but his progress in cultivation was incredibly fast.
Xu Zhenguan said calmly:
“After entering the worldly realm, if you want to advance, the effort does not lie in daily hard work, but in experience.
The more you read, the faster your state of mind improves. You've already broken free from the mystery of your incarnation, and you already have more experience than the average person. You've also roamed the world of Jianghu within the Great Dream Scroll, and even participated in wars in reality... It's not surprising that you've reached the threshold of your state of mind so quickly."
Speaking of this, Xu Zhenguan felt a little envious and jealous.
For ordinary practitioners, practicing after entering the human world requires years of accumulating experience.
These are also disciples of the Tianshi Mansion. After entering the world, they will all travel outside.
This is why monks from Shenlong Temple would also go out to serve as abbots in branch temples.
It’s nothing more than accumulating experience.
During this period, the Xu royal family took a clever approach, using the "Great Dream Scroll" to accumulate experience, which already surpassed other inherited cultivators.
But Zhao Duan happened to be a man with a lifetime of experience... Cultivation in this realm of the human world was actually much simpler than that in the mortal realm or the divine realm.
"Now that you've reached the threshold, I'll give you a helping hand," Xu Zhenguan stood up and walked out.
"Follow me. It's been a long time since we, the king and the subject, have practiced together. Today is a good opportunity to see if you have made any progress in your martial arts. Oh, it doesn't matter if your puppet body's cultivation is poor. You and I can practice martial arts together."
Zhao Duan was confused, thinking, why did you lend me a hand? You are just looking for a reason to beat me, right?
She still remembers that I cheated her.
"Aren't you leaving yet?" Xu Zhenguan turned to look at him.
"Here I come!" Zhao Duan forced out a warm smile.
…
An hour later.
In the palace's martial arts arena.
"Clang." Zhao Duan threw his sword to the ground, and lay on the ground with his arms and legs spread out, looking like a dead dog, with his whole body aching.
Cursing in my heart:
"Gongshu Tianyuan, you bastard, why is your puppet body so realistic? Can't you lower the pain sensitivity a little?"
The empress, who had changed into a narrow-sleeved martial arts training outfit, slowly put away her sword, feeling refreshed, and said with a smile:
"In a month at most, you might be able to reach the highest level of the world. At this rate, you might be able to reach the Great Perfection next year, or even reach the Half-Step Heavenly Man stage."
If this evaluation were to get out, the entire world would be shaken.
Ordinary warriors advance one level at a time. Even a small level may take several years to reach, and they may not make any progress in their entire lives.
But in the words of the empress, it seemed that it was not difficult for Zhao Duan to advance to the half-step celestial being.
In fact, after Xu Zhenguan learned that Zhao Duan was a plot of Emperor Taizu, he understood that Zhao Duan would definitely be promoted to the celestial being.
It's just a matter of time.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhao Duan slowly got up and simply sat cross-legged on the ground to bask in the sun and "recharge".
He raised his head and looked at the empress's slender waist, only to find that the standing empress was actually a little "tall".
Only those who have actually fought with her will understand the horror of a warrior in the Heavenly Man Realm.
Even the empress is like this, how powerful are those old monsters like Zhang Yanyi and Xuan Yin?
Are you talking about Wu Xiankui? He was so nervous about dueling that he was unworthy of being the best warrior in the martial arts world. Zhao Duan looked down on him.
"Winter is coming." Xu Zhen looked at the bleak sun and said softly:
"After winter, it's not suitable to launch a major campaign, and all parties will enter a period of peace for several months. The death of Xu Jingtang is likely to change the situation."
Zhao Duan asked, "Your Majesty, are you talking about the Prince of Hejian or the Prince of Yanshan?"
"Both," Xu Zhenguan explained. "There's speculation within the court that these two rebel kings will likely negotiate peace with the court."
Peace talks? Zhao Duan raised an eyebrow, but was not surprised.
The Prince of Hejian was in Xiping Road, and the Prince of Yanshan was in Tieguan Road in the north. After several months, they were unable to occupy these two territories.
Instead, they were in a stalemate with the imperial army.
Now that the situation has been broken, the two princes must rethink whether to continue fighting or they may be killed by the empress in the end.
It is better to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between the two tigers, hoping that both the court and Prince Jing will suffer losses, and then take advantage of the situation.
Or, while there is still a powerful enemy like Prince Jing, he can try to go to the negotiation table with the court and strive for benefits through peace talks.
Considering that winter is coming and the weather in Xiping and Tieguan is cold, both places will stop fighting, so the chances of peace talks are indeed quite high.
Even Prince Chen of Binhaidao has a certain chance, but considering that Prince Chen is right next to Prince Jing's army, it is almost impossible for Prince Jing to allow Prince Chen to come for peace talks.
"What does Your Majesty think?" Zhao Duan asked.
Xu Zhenguan was silent for a moment, then said in a cold voice, "The crime of treason is unforgivable. But buying time through peace talks is feasible."
Zhao Duan understood.
Today's empress is no longer merciful and is determined not to give the enemy any alive.
But... this does not mean that peace talks are impossible. If we can gain the upper hand at the negotiation table, we can use peaceful means to restore peace between Xiping and Tieguan.
Then when we wait for the decisive battle with Prince Jing next year, our chances of winning will undoubtedly be much greater.
At worst, we can wait and slowly deal with the two rebel kings in the future.
On the contrary, if we firmly refuse to negotiate, it will only push the two kings of Hejian and Yanshan to the side of Prince Jing, which is unwise.
"Your Majesty is wise, but we must also guard against the other side making exorbitant demands. The court must not be weak at this time, otherwise it will only make the other side think that the court can be bullied, and it will fall into a passive position." Zhao Duan said calmly.
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him and asked, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
Zhao Duan chuckled and asked, "What kind of thing?"
Xu Zhenguan's cheeks flushed, and he said unhappily, "It seems your martial arts training is not sufficient."
Zhao Duan immediately raised his hands in surrender, indicating his acceptance of defeat.
The king and his minister joked for a while, and their heavy mood lightened a little.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"It will take some time for Jingchuan County to stabilize. I can stay in the capital for the time being and concentrate on my cultivation. I can even catch up with the peace talks... provided they actually send someone."
After a pause, he continued:
"Once Jingchuan is stabilized, I will head to the eastern front to join up with Xue Shence, Mo Chou, and the others to eliminate Prince Jing and Prince Chen."
Xu Zhen looked at him and suddenly sighed softly:
"You don't have to shoulder everything. You can stay on the western front, and Xue Shence can lead the attack..."
Zhao Duan shook his head and said calmly: "This is not only a national affair, but also a personal vendetta."
To be honest, after Zhao Duan came to this world, he had a grudge with Prince Jing since he accidentally eliminated the spy from Prince Jing's mansion.
Later, in the battle of Huting, he was assassinated and was in danger.
During his trip to Jianning Prefecture, he was cursed by people sent by Prince Jing and nearly lost his life.
Needless to say, during the Fengshan battle, he and the empress were chased all the way.
In Zhao Duan's little notebook of grudges, Prince Jing ranks very high and is far more important than Xu Jingtang.
In addition, what he didn't say was that he had also placed a chess piece next to Prince Jing.
Princess Lu Yan'er... This secret must not be leaked, and even if Xue Shence had his own letter, it would be difficult for him to mobilize Lu Yan'er as a chess piece.
Therefore, Zhao Duan must go there in person to settle this feud with his own hands and eliminate the enemies, Prince Tiaojing and his son.
As for the Qingshan Sect… well, Wu Xiankui can’t deal with them for now, but Qingshan’s disciple Duan Shuiliu is also on his kill list.
What's more, he also had to bring back Prajna Bodhisattva...not just to heal Lang Shiba's injuries. Zhao Duan understood that the Buddhist faith had already blossomed in various places in the Dayu Dynasty for hundreds of years.
The imperial court could eradicate monks, but it could not destroy faith.
Therefore, it would undoubtedly be a good plan to support Prajna, take in the remnants of the Shenlong Temple, and get rid of the old bald donkey Xuanyin.
However, we can't rush into all this. We have to wait for a while, maybe until after this winter, and then go south next year.
"Now that you have made a decision, follow your heart."
Xu Zhenguan looked at the young man sitting on the ground with gentle eyes and spoke softly.
In the cold wind, a piece of tiny snowflakes flitted across the sunlight.
…
…
Xiping Road, the residence of Prince Hejian.
On this day, news of Xu Jingtang's death came. After hearing the news, Prince Hejian, who had recruited a large number of martial arts masters and was dealing with Duke Tang, turned pale and sat in the house for a long time.
Then, he summoned his close ministers to discuss the matter.
Afterwards, the prince who was studying in the villa in the palace was summoned.
The Prince of Hejian had been ill since childhood. He was quite fat and had to gasp for breath when walking, so he was not sent to the army.
The whole person has a silly look on his face, and at first glance, he doesn't seem to be very smart.
In fact, he was not very smart, and therefore was not liked by the King of Hejian. It was only because he was the eldest son that he was given the title of "Crown Prince".
"This time, you will accompany Mr. Feng to the capital to negotiate peace. All matters will be subject to Mr. Feng's instructions. Do you understand?"
Prince Hejian stared majestically at the prince who was standing in the room with his hands hanging down and smiling foolishly.
Obviously, the Crown Prince is just a name representing the King of Hejian, and there is someone else who is really in charge.
"I understand, Father. I...I will definitely get it done!"
The foolish prince patted his chest loudly.
On the side, Mr. Feng bowed and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty."
The Prince of Hejian glanced at his foolish son, his eyelids twitching. He was too lazy to pay attention to him and stood up and bowed to Mr. Feng:
"This peace negotiation involves the safety of the entire palace, so I completely rely on you, sir."
A moment later.
Mr. Feng and the demented prince walked out and returned to the villa.
The moment he entered the villa, the chief aide, who held a high position in the Hejian Palace and was a long-time friend of the Hejian Prince, suddenly bowed and said:
"Your Highness, what do you think of this peace talk..."
How could the fat prince look stupid?
His eyes were calm and he smiled faintly:
"Let's wait until we get to the capital. Haha, I believe King Yanshan won't be able to sit still. By then... It's a pity that Zhao Duan is not in the capital, otherwise I would really like to see how capable this man is."
…
Tieguan Road, inside the Prince of Yanshan's Palace.
"Dad asked me to negotiate peace?"
In the solemn palace, a woman wearing a fur cloak, riding a huge white wolf, and holding a purple whip in her hand was stunned and looked at the guard who came to report the news.
"Yes, the prince wants you to come over."
The domineering princess, who was quite pretty but had very thin lips and was extremely powerful, smiled coldly. She swung out the long whip in her hand and beat a kneeling attendant in front of her, leaving him covered in blood. He fell to the ground screaming in pain. She smiled coldly:
"Okay, this princess is just looking to see what kind of pretty boy Zhao Duan is, and whether he's funny or not."
The guard reminded: "Zhao Duan is not in the capital."
The domineering princess was disappointed: "Is that so."
Then she smiled again, revealing her cold white teeth:
"What a shame. I wanted to taste what it's like to be used by a man like the Empress."
(End of this chapter)
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