Retreat as an advance
Hulü Guang's aim was simply to split the ruling group of the Southern Dynasty, ideally with the majority siding with the Northern Qiang. The simplest way to achieve this was to first offer them high-ranking positions and generous rewards. Then, when the army approached the city, the Southern Dynasty would naturally collapse and surrender without a fight.
This isn't necessarily a matter of loyalty or disloyalty; often it's a matter of circumstance. Knowing the empire is about to collapse, yet willingly becoming a pillar of strength—this has always been the responsibility of only a few.
After Xie Lang said these words, no one in the hall dared to respond.
If one agrees with this statement, it is tantamount to being afraid of death; if one disagrees, without being able to come up with a better solution, it is tantamount to sending everyone to their deaths.
At this moment, the resilience of the Shangguan family, a century-old clan, which has stood firm through trials and tribulations, is evident.
The usually composed Left Prime Minister Shangguan You frowned deeply and began pacing back and forth in the hall.
Every step he took was extremely slow.
Moreover, the route he took was to slowly circle around the beams and pillars in the hall.
But no one dared to laugh at him; those he encountered would instinctively give way and avoid him.
Because everyone knows that this head of the dukes and marquises is making the most difficult assessment in the history of Dayan.
The Shangguan family represents the gentry of the land. If the Great Yan dynasty ends with the emperor being humiliated and dying, and the Shangguan family leading the entire court to surrender, then the reputation of traitors will be forever etched upon them.
But which is more important, one's own reputation or the lives of the entire nation?
At this moment, A Qiu deeply felt the responsibility and burden of a century-old aristocratic family. No one else could make Shangguan You's decision for him.
Xie Lang stopped speaking, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the cushion.
He had exhausted all his strength in those words, and now he was waiting for Shangguan You's decision.
Shangguan You circled around for what seemed to be the seventh or eighth time before finally stopping.
He looked up at Xie Lang, who was pale on the dragon bed, and finally shook his head, saying, "According to the past practices of the Northern Qiang, even if Your Majesty is willing to surrender completely, Jiangdong will still suffer a fate of devastation and ravages. Once they enter the Southern Dynasty, they will devour it like a whale, and will never be patient enough to slowly harvest it. It's just a matter of time."
Before Xie Lang could speak, he turned to Gongyi Xiu again and asked, as if seeking his opinion, "I wonder if the Right Chancellor also thinks so?"
Gongyi Xiu pondered for a moment, then said, “That is indeed the case. At this moment, the Northern Qiang are still strong and well-equipped. It will not be easy for their pro-Han faction to gain the upper hand. If we take Jiangdong without bloodshed, the great benefits will surely make the tribes restless. This is something that even Emperor Huli Jin cannot suppress.”
After he finished speaking, the hall remained silent for a moment, but Xie Lang remained with his eyes closed, showing no intention of speaking. Gongyi Xiu seemed to understand something, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally landing on Fan Liancheng, and he said, "I wonder if General Fan also agrees with the views of the Left Prime Minister and me?"
Fan Liancheng was unaware that among those present, only she, Gongyi Xiu, and Shangguan You were outsiders, and only the three of them needed to express their opinions. However, being young, she had the direct and decisive style of a military officer and resolutely said, "Of course. If the Northern Qiang are allowed to enter, whether they attack or enter politely, the people will certainly not have a good life."
At this point, A Qiu had to admire Xie Lang's cunning strategy of "putting himself in a desperate situation to survive" and "retreating to advance."
In fact, Xie Lang has made the choice facing the Southern Dynasty very clear: there are only three paths, war, peace, or surrender, and none of these paths are easy to take.
However, unless a consensus is reached through open discussion, there will always be those in the court who want war, those who want peace, and those who want surrender. This is especially true after Hulü Guang, with his silver tongue, delivered such a lengthy speech aimed at splitting the Southern Dynasty's camp.
To demonstrate that he had no selfish motives, Xie Lang stated that he was willing to sacrifice himself to accommodate the third option, thus directly pushing the discussion into an open and transparent state, where there was no need to hide one's own selfish motives.
Even the emperor can sacrifice himself for the people, so the atmosphere he creates will naturally lead everyone to act in a fair and just manner.
After discussing all the possibilities, everyone at this moment clearly reached a consensus: for the sake of the people of the Southern Dynasty, a war must be fought.
Surrender may bring temporary glory to the family, but it will inevitably lead to the devastation of the people of Jiangdong.
This battle is inevitable, because regardless of victory or defeat, the imperial court must share the fate of the people.
Xie Lang was always a monarch of great talent and ambition, and A Qiu knew very well that his words of willingness to personally surrender were not just a pretense, but that he truly thought so.
Because she knew better than anyone that he was nearing the end.
If he could exchange his own life for the peace of the Southern Dynasty, he would do so without hesitation.
This reflects his rationality and pragmatism, and is also his profound way of repaying the officials and people of the Southern Dynasty for granting him, a member of a collateral branch of the Xie family, the position of king.
Xie Lang was too weak to say another word. After the excitement just now, A Qiu found that his pulse was even weaker, so he immediately started to channel his inner energy into him.
He then added, "This battle will be extremely difficult. But we can also take some actions first to similarly divide and weaken the Northern Qiang's camp."
Those in the hall were greatly encouraged upon hearing this. Pei Yu's eyes lit up, and he was the first to ask, "What can we do?"
A Qiu said calmly, "For example, we can spread some rumors back to Luoyang, saying that the people of the Southern Dynasty greatly admire Prince Ning's demeanor, and that some in the court even believe that he is a wise king who is rare in a century. We can even state that if the Northern Qiang want us to surrender, only Prince Ning can take over Jiangdong."
Gongyi Xiu slapped his thigh in admiration, saying repeatedly, "It is indeed a good plan. In any case, these words are true, but they are exaggerated. I don't believe that there are no people around Hulü Guang who are monitoring him by the Northern Qiang Emperor. With the two sides in sync, the news is even more believable. Even if Hulü Guang can leave Dayan alive, he will definitely not be able to return to Luoyang."
As long as Emperor Huli Jin becomes suspicious of Huli Guang, the two most important forces of the Northern Qiang will develop a rift, which will greatly reduce the pressure on the Southern Dynasty.
Mu Huaying said in a deep voice, "I have a question."
A Qiu said, "Please speak, Madam Pei."
Mu Huaying said, "Does Hulü Guang know that the Northern Qiang army has already marched south? Or is this a mutual agreement between him and Hulü Jin, one openly making peace through marriage while the other secretly launching an attack? If he knows that this trip will inevitably lead to war, yet Hulü Guang still brazenly stays in Jianzhang, isn't he afraid that we will kill him as a sacrifice to the flag?"
Gongyi Xiu analyzed, "Hulü Guang is already taking a risk. As the saying goes, 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' He came here to win over the hearts of the people of the Southern Dynasty. If everything goes as he wishes, he may marry the most beautiful lady in the Southern Dynasty, Miss Shangguan, and may also gain the support of the powerful families within the Southern Dynasty, thus winning the hearts of the people without bloodshed. This will become the opportunity for him to replace his brother, unify the North and South, and establish an empire. Given Hulü Guang's ambition, even knowing the dangers, he will certainly not miss this opportunity to make a name for himself."
Mu Huaying sneered, "That man is truly a reckless gambler, betting that we can all tolerate him until the Northern Qiang army is at the city gates, and that no one will lose their temper and kill him in a fit of anger during that time. If he loses his life, then all his ambitions will have been for the benefit of his imperial brother."
A Qiu humbly inquired, "Does Madam Pei mean that Hulü Guang must have a way to escape unscathed?"
Mu Huaying said decisively, "It must be so! No matter how ambitious a selfish person like him is, he would never take any risks for others. Jianzhang must have people to meet him, and before the great battle, apart from Yu'er needing to intensify the preparations of the Jianzhang army, everyone else must find these traitors as soon as possible. Grand Master of Music, don't you agree?"
Her last sentence, however, was directed at A-Qiu by name. A-Qiu knew that she was reminding him that the matter of the old people of Shuanghua Hall needed to be thoroughly investigated. She sighed inwardly, took out a branch of Shuanghua vine from Luoyufang from her sleeve, and said, "Madam, please look. This is a branch of Shuanghua vine from a Huji dance hall in the West Market. I heard there that there should be nine more of the same Shuanghua vine in the Southern Dynasty, but I don't know where they are now."
It seems that Mu Huaying has already told the others about the Frost Vine after returning from the Yinmaquan dungeon. Although this would expose the fact that Mu Huaying did not completely eliminate Mo Yi Bishuang back then, no one has time to blame her now, because solving the problem is more urgent than pursuing responsibility.
Faced with the mighty Northern Qiang army, the Southern Dynasty was already weak and isolated, relying solely on the unity of its people. If internal traitors and spies were to spread rumors and obstruct the peace, it feared it would crumble at the first blow.
Consort Chen gazed at the frost-covered vines and said thoughtfully, "So this is what the famous frost-covered vines of the previous generation looked like."
Mu Huaying took the branch of the Frost Vine, her eyes filled with disbelief, and said, "It really is the Frost Vine! And it's many years older than the one left in the dungeon! My Southern Dynasty would never have an artifact from the Mo Yi family of the ancient capital of Luoyang appear out of thin air. Where did you get this from?"
A Qiu originally wanted to cover up this matter for Yuan Si Niang, but this matter was really of great importance. She carefully said, "It was a Hu Ji dance hall in the West Market before. There were indeed spies from the Hidden Moon Clan there, but now it is deserted. The remaining people are all old and weak women who do not know much and have no special abilities. So I only picked this branch as evidence."
She picked this vine branch from Luoyufang after Mo Yimingyue left. With her skill, she could pass through almost without any obstacles.
She was also considering that others in the court had probably never seen the Frostflower Vine before, and if a thorough search were to be conducted, it would be best to see the actual plant with one's own eyes.
Although Yuan Si Niang swore allegiance to Lady Hua Chi, she was truly just a woman with no strength to even kill a chicken. In the current situation, she could hardly protect herself, let alone help any side, even if it meant causing chaos. Therefore, A Qiu's words were evasive, hoping that the Court of Justice would not pursue her further.
It's likely that when Lady Huachi bestowed this Frostflower Vine upon her, her true intention was merely pity, a way to protect her, without any real expectation of repayment. After all, a weak woman's abilities are limited.
Mu Huaying, as expected, paid no attention to this detail and said, "The Hidden Moon Clan?" Her eyes flashed with a sharp light as she looked at Consort Chen and said, "With a great battle imminent, shouldn't we expel all the Hu people from Jianzhang City? Even if the Hidden Moon Clan has withdrawn from that dance hall, they must still be hiding somewhere in Jianzhang. As long as they remain, they will be a menace."
Upon hearing this, A Qiu also felt a headache coming on. It was naturally unreasonable to expel all the foreigners from Jianzhang in such a sweeping manner. The problem was that once the war started, there simply weren't enough people to carefully examine each and every one of them to determine whether the foreigners left in the city were law-abiding citizens or spies.
Pei Yu was the first to object to this proposal. She frowned and said, "If that's the case, not to mention whether it will alert the enemy, our West Market will come to a complete standstill. Because all the merchants there are Hu people, it's like cutting off the transportation and trade between the north and south. Once we suffer losses on the battlefield, our warhorses will not be replenished."
A Qiu remembered that Gu Yi had once said that Pei Yu's Divine Hound Camp was in charge of the West Market, so Pei Yu was quite familiar with the situation in the West Market.
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