Chapter 1239 Someone Needs to Break the Stalemate
Shi Yuxin met his hesitant gaze and said, "That's right. Unlike Tongguan, Hangu Pass, and Wuguan, these two places aren't strategic passes. Occupying them isn't a matter of retreat for us. Rather—"
Yuwen Ye murmured, "It is a momentum of advancement."
After saying that, he turned to look at Shen Wuzheng, only to see that Shen Wuzheng remained calm and composed with his eyes lowered, showing no intention of giving him any explanation. On the other hand, Pei Xingyuan immediately understood the significance of the two cities, clapped his hands twice, and laughed, "Good Wuzheng, I knew you wouldn't be on my side!"
Shen Wuzheng ignored him and simply turned his face away.
Pei Xingyuan then smiled and looked at Yuwen Ye, saying, "Your Highness, Wu Zheng's arrangement makes sense. If we agree to go to Luoyang, but the places we occupy are all defensive passes, wouldn't that be like waiting to be attacked?"
"..."
"There is no such thing as an impregnable defense. No matter how strong a pass is, it will eventually be breached if someone attacks it. If Jianmen Pass is like this, then what about Hangu Pass and Wu Pass?"
"..."
"Your Highness, your habit of sending troops is never defensive."
Shen Tu Tai said, "The best defense is offense."
"..."
"With these two places, we will at least not be in a completely passive situation, and we can also pose a threat to Chang'an, making the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi dare not act rashly. If their movements are unusual, we can detect them immediately and extinguish them."
"..."
"Lord Shen's suggestion is reasonable."
"..."
Yuwen Ye fell silent, and the others said nothing more, simply watching him and waiting for his decision.
After an unknown amount of time, Yuwen Ye raised his head and looked at everyone. These were all incredibly familiar faces, faces that had accompanied him through life and death, and faces that had fought him to the death. Now, the lives of all these people were tied to his own, and he could not act rashly.
Yuwen Ye said, "If Father Emperor agrees to all these conditions, will you agree to move to Luoyang?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Okay."
Hearing his quick agreement, everyone glanced at him again, but no one said anything more. Only Shen Tu Tai said somewhat sullenly, "If His Highness Prince Qin has made up his mind, and if His Majesty is really willing to part with it, what else can we say?"
Shan Tong'er said, "Anyway, I'll listen to the Princess."
Cheng Qiao said, "Your Highness has always been a master strategist, and I'm sure you won't make a hasty decision on this important matter. If Your Highness is truly determined, we will naturally follow you, Prince Qin."
"..."
After another long silence, Yuwen Ye said, "Alright, I will ask my father for permission after I have considered it carefully."
With the matter settled, no one lingered any longer. After exchanging a few more words, they all got up and left.
Just as they were about to leave the Prince of Qin's residence, Shen Tu Tai suddenly strode up to Shen Wuzheng, who was walking at the front, grabbed his arm, and said in a deep voice, "Lord Shen, you don't really agree to His Highness the Prince of Qin retreating to Luoyang, do you?"
Shen Wuzheng was a tall man, but he appeared somewhat petite next to Shen Tu Tai's towering, black frame, especially with one of his arms gripped tightly in Shen Tu Tai's hand, leaving him almost no room to struggle. An ordinary person would inevitably feel apprehensive in the face of Shen Tu Tai, but Shen Wuzheng remained remarkably calm, even a faint smile playing on his lips: "General Shen Tu, does that mean you disagree?"
Shen Tu Tai said, "I disagreed from the beginning!"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Then why didn't you insist on opposing it to the end just now?"
"..."
Shen Tu Tai frowned.
Pei Xingyuan and Liang Youying hurriedly stepped forward to separate the two. While protecting Shen Wuzheng, Pei Xingyuan smiled at Shen Tu Tai and said, "Seventh Brother, Seventh Brother, don't be anxious. Everything is discussed and decided. Wuzheng must have his reasons for making this suggestion."
Then, she turned to Shen Wuzheng and said, "You're not really not on my side, are you?"
Shen Wuzheng sighed softly and lightly patted Pei Xingyuan's hand. Pei Xingyuan cried out in pain and released him. Shen Wuzheng then walked up to Shen Tu Tai and solemnly said, "General Shen Tu didn't insist just now because you could see that His Majesty the Emperor would never agree to this condition."
Shen Tu Tai's expression darkened slightly: "I—"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Let's leave aside Tongguan, Hangu Pass, Wuguan, and others for now, but if we give Shangdang and Puban to His Highness the Prince of Qin, it's like hanging a sword over Chang'an's head."
As he spoke, he looked at Shi Yuxin and said, "Miss Shi's previous military expedition was unknown to Chang'an beforehand, but when His Highness requested credit for the Princess, he listed the Battle of Huyang Valley as the third, and the Emperor obviously agreed, which is why he gave the Princess such a generous reward. In other words, he was well aware of the threat that Shangdang and Puban posed to Chang'an."
"..."
"The King of Qin's abilities are well-known. Even without any trouble, he can stir up a storm. Given such a sharp sword, he could easily cleave Chang'an in two."
"..."
"But what was the Emperor's purpose in order to send the Prince of Qin to Luoyang this time? Wasn't it to balance the power between our two sides and to prevent the brothers from going to war?"
"..."
“The Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi are already weaker than us in terms of military strength. If we put another sword hanging over their heads, it will no longer be a balance.”
Shen Tu Tai said, "You mean the Emperor won't agree?"
Shen Wuzheng lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "Based on my understanding of His Majesty, under normal circumstances, His Majesty would not agree to give Shangdang and Puban to us."
Shen Tu Tai breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Seeing his expression, Shen Wuzheng still smiled faintly, but one sentence remained unspoken—If the Emperor could see it, couldn't the Prince of Qin see it too? Did Yuwen Ye truly want these two places to ensure a safe retreat from Luoyang, or…?
At this point, Shi Yuxin asked again, "Then, under what circumstances would the Emperor give it?"
Shen Wuzheng glanced at her and then said, "Just like this time, after His Highness Prince Qin was appointed as the Grand General of the Twelve Guards, the Emperor transferred General Shentu and Xingyuan to Luoyang—not only would we make two preparations, but the Emperor is also a meticulous person."
"..."
"Therefore, if the Emperor agrees to the Prince of Qin's conditions, it must be because he has another trick up his sleeve to restrain us from this move."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tu Tai's brows furrowed into a knot, and his impatience and irritation made him look like a fierce tiger. He said angrily, "Is this ever going to end?!"
Shan Tong'er also pouted and muttered softly, "Yeah, going back and forth like this, when will it ever end?"
Pei Xingyuan also looked at Shen Wuzheng: "We can't keep dragging this on like this."
Shen Wuzheng said, "Of course, someone has to break the deadlock."
Upon hearing this, everyone stared at him with wide eyes: "Who?"
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