Chapter 438: Winning Zhou Weihai’s Trust
After they had confessed their secrets to each other, they didn't have much time for idle chat.
Dealing with post-war affairs is the top priority.
Both sides suffered heavy casualties in this battle. They immediately arranged for soldiers to set up a camp for the wounded and treat the wounded on the spot.
Although the Kingdom of Nanyue has surrendered, there is no guarantee that there will not be people who still harbor ulterior motives and wait for an opportunity to retaliate, so public security protection must also be done well.
There are so many things to do that there is no room for relaxation.
Ye Xianfeng was seriously injured. It was not until he got the answer from Xiao Yanci and was assured that Sun Muzhi was a friend and not an enemy that he was willing to put down the knife in his hand and cooperate with the military doctor's diagnosis and treatment.
The man who fought recklessly on the battlefield and didn't say a word when he was injured, screamed like a pig being slaughtered when the military doctor was cleaning and bandaging his wound, without any dignity of a general.
Ye Hanyi was also injured, but fortunately her injury was not serious, just superficial injuries. She was mainly exhausted and would recover after a good rest.
The King of Southern Yunnan received the good news of victory, and the frown that had been on his face for some time finally relaxed completely. The people of Southern Yunnan were also delighted and excited.
At this time, the heavy rain that had been falling for a day and a night finally stopped. The gray sky gradually became brighter, and the sun appeared in the sky after a long absence.
The sunshine shines brighter on everyone's smiling faces.
The King of Southern Yunnan was writing a memorial in his study, reporting the matter to the emperor and expressing his loyalty again.
Before the memorial was finished, a soldier came hurriedly to report.
The bridge at the Lancang River ferry was built, and Zhou Weihai planned to lead his army across the river.
The King of Southern Yunnan felt a pang in his heart.
I was so focused on the war in South Vietnam that I forgot about this matter!
Just after dealing with Sun Muzhi, Zhou Weihai comes.
This person is also a big problem and must be dealt with properly. Otherwise, no matter how hard they try, it will not be enough to withstand the provocation of the emperor's close ministers.
The King of Southern Yunnan immediately put down his pen and hurried away.
Xiao Yanci also received the news. He immediately called Sun Muzhi and informed him of the matter.
"Come with me to meet Zhou Weihai."
Zhou Weihai came here on the emperor's orders. He didn't know about the great war between Yunnan and Nanyue. If he sent troops to capture people without caring about the consequences, it would be difficult to resolve the matter.
Even if Xiao Yanci came forward, Zhou Weihai might not believe it.
Sun Muzhi had a secret letter from Emperor Defeng, so his words were naturally more credible.
The two hurried to the Lancang River ferry, but they were still too late.
The two sides have already started fighting, and the King of Southern Yunnan even fought with Zhou Weihai.
Xiao Yanci shouted, "Stop!"
But the two sides were fighting and no one paid any attention to them for a while.
Xiao Yanci shouted again, "General Zhou, there is a misunderstanding. The Diannan Prefecture has no intention of rebellion!"
Zhou Weihai sneered, "If the Diannan Prefecture had no intention of rebellion, why did they repeatedly and secretly obstruct the construction of the bridge? Just now, when our army was crossing the river, the Diannan army tried to stop us, nearly causing our soldiers to fall into the river. How can such an abnormal behavior be explained?"
Xiao Yanci said, "Nanyue has been conquered by the Yunnan-Southern Army and has submitted to the rule of Great Qi. Doesn't this prove Nanyue's loyalty?"
The King of Diannan had just said this, but Zhou Weihai didn't believe it at all. "Your Highness, Prince Jin, you are the grandson of the King of Diannan. Who can guarantee that what you say is true or false?"
"What about this officer's words?"
Sun Muzhi stood up and said, "I am following the orders of the Emperor to set out from Guizhou and take a detour into southern Yunnan to investigate the conspiracy of rebellion in the Southern Yunnan Prefecture."
"I just witnessed the great battle just now. The Southern Yunnan Army and the Nanyue Army fought a desperate battle. His Royal Highness Prince Jin led his troops across the White Tiger Ridge, raided the Nanyue rear, and captured the Nanyue King alive. This was a hard-fought victory."
"At this point, Nanyue will be incorporated into the territory of Great Qi. All of this is due to the efforts of the Diannan Prefecture. The entire Diannan Prefecture is devoted to serving the country. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this. How could they have second thoughts?"
Sun Muzhi's appearance shocked Zhou Weihai, and his original complete disbelief turned into half-belief and half-doubt.
Xiao Yanci ordered, "Go and bring up the King of Nanyue."
The men set off immediately.
Zhou Weihai raised another question, "Lord Sun, weren't you previously providing disaster relief in Jiangnan? Why did you end up in Guizhou?"
If he was providing disaster relief in Jiangnan, then there would be loopholes in what he said just now.
Sun Muzhi explained, "I was initially in Jiangnan to provide disaster relief. After the disaster in Jiangnan was under control, floods broke out in Guizhou, and I was dispatched to Guizhou to assist with disaster relief."
"It is understandable that Lord Zhou has doubts. I am not speaking without thinking. I have a secret letter from the Emperor. Lord Zhou, please read it."
He took out the secret letter that he had kept close to him from his bosom.
He carefully wrapped it in oil paper, and even though his body got wet, the secret letter remained intact and not damaged at all.
Zhou Weihai took it doubtfully, and only when he saw the seal on it did his expression become serious.
Sun Muzhi added, "I have indeed come here on the emperor's orders. Lord Zhou, there is no need to question this. As for what I just said, if Lord Zhou still has doubts, you can go and see for yourself. Seeing is believing."
"Then why did the Southern Yunnan Army deliberately obstruct the construction of the bridge?"
The King of Diannan took the initiative to explain, "I have captured several spies from my army. They confessed that they were instructed to assassinate court officials and deliberately let them live back to the capital in order to slander the Diannan Prefecture for rebellion."
"I am unaware of the current situation in the capital, and I fear that the Emperor might believe slander and misunderstand Diannan Prefecture. Therefore, when I saw Lord Zhou leading his troops, I treated him with a petty mindset, and therefore sent people to obstruct the bridge repairs."
"I have no intention of engaging in direct confrontation with the imperial army. I only wish to wait until the Diannan Prefecture can produce irrefutable evidence proving they have no intention of treason. Only then can I have a heart-to-heart talk with Lord Zhou and resolve this conflict."
"Now, our Diannan Prefecture has fought tooth and nail to defeat the Nanyue Kingdom. We can finally prove our sincerity to the imperial court. I just wanted to explain this matter to Lord Zhou, but my men were too reckless and made things worse, which led to the misunderstanding. I hope Lord Zhou will forgive me."
The King of Southern Yunnan concealed the fact that Gu Qishan had reported the news, thus avoiding unnecessary trouble.
Zhou Weihai's eyes flickered slightly.
The King of Southern Yunnan's concerns were indeed not out of a petty mind.
Originally, he came here to take over Southern Yunnan Prefecture.
The emperor was wary of the Southern Yunnan Prefecture and sent me here to take this opportunity to eliminate the trouble, without caring whether the other party was loyal or not.
If the bridge had been repaired earlier, his army would have entered the territory of Southern Yunnan Prefecture and the two sides would have inevitably engaged in war.
Even just now, Zhou Weihai was ready to destroy the Southern Yunnan Prefecture.
But the appearance of Sun Muzhi made him hesitate.
Or rather, it was the secret letter that made him hesitate.
The secret letter stated that if the Diannan Prefecture committed treason, the King of Diannan would be arrested and brought back to Beijing instead of being executed on the spot.
The following words are even more important: If it is a frame-up by a villain, his innocence should be restored to demonstrate the fairness of the court.
This allowed Zhou Weihai to figure out the change in Emperor Defeng's attitude.
If he were to send troops to attack Southern Yunnan Prefecture without any consideration, he would be the one to be held accountable later.
While he was still pondering this matter, the King of Nanyue was brought in.
With his personal testimony, Zhou Weihai's last bit of doubt disappeared.
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