The Grandmaster Strategist - Chapter 52

[Chapter 23 The Soul Returns Home]

When the peace proposal was completed, King Yang was spared. In the fifth month, he returned to Southern Chu with his envoys and entered the Chu territory. He was assassinated and died, and he was buried in Jianye.

During the four-year reign of the king, he neglected the state affairs, loved the villains, and wise ministers from afar, to the point of making the Sheji perish, and his body was also deeply imprisoned. Southern Chu was weak and difficult to return.

— “The History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties: The Biography of King Yang of Chu”

Lu Can was overjoyed, he knew that as long as King Yong didn’t embarrass Nanchu, it would be easier for other people to settle it with either bribes or benefits. He quickly thanked King Yong, but Lu Can’s expression didn’t change, he knew that Yong Wang must have some conditions, so he sincerely said: ‘Your Highness is magnanimous, Can on behalf of Nanchu to thank His Highness up and down, if you have any orders, please speak bluntly, even if Can is in trouble, he must do his best.

‘

King Yong laughed it off. What he got from the Nanchu treasury was enough for his military use for several years, so he was not greedy. In his opinion, the people of Nanchu would be Dayong’s vassals sooner or later, so he would not be there. At this time, it will make things worse. If it arouses the deep hatred of the people of Southern Chu, it will be unfavorable to appease Jiangnan in the future. As for whether to cede land and indemnity, it is a matter of the court. He has long known that the bottom line of his father is that Nanchu should pay 50 million taels of silver. It will be paid off in ten years. In this way, Nan Chu will not want to expand its armament on a large scale within ten years.

But if you don’t ask for it, it will inevitably cause some doubts, and even make Nan Chu’s monarchs and ministers uneasy, worried about when they will attack, glanced at Jiang Zhe, and he asked with his eyes.

I received a hint from King Yong, my heart moved, and I said lightly: ‘His Royal Highness King Yong admires the romance of Nanchu’s articles, and I am very envious when I hear the lower official talking about the Chongwen Temple. If General Lu can make the decision, I will collect the Chongwen Temple. A copy of the book was sent to His Royal Highness. Of course, it would be even better if a batch of original works of famous masters could be added.

If your envoy can fulfill His Highness’s wish, His Highness can guarantee that he will not claim an inch of Nanchu’s land.

‘

Lu Can was stunned for a moment. He was a military general, and he didn’t take these books very seriously. King Yong’s request was not too much for him. He exchanged some books, calligraphy and painting for King Yong’s concession, so that Nan Chu would not suffer heavy losses due to the peace talks. It’s still worth it, but the Chongwen Temple was built by the previous king. If you do this, someone will inevitably impeach you.

Thinking of this, I can’t help but hesitate.

I could see his intentions, and said lightly: ‘The Lord Taishang is still in Dayong, if the general is undecided, he can ask the king.

‘

Lu Can immediately came to his senses, such a good shield is unnecessary, and he is still too inexperienced, so Lu Can happily said: ‘His Royal Highness asked, the envoy on behalf of the king agrees, and when the envoy returns to Nanchu, he will immediately send someone sent.

‘

Li Zhi was about to agree, but I said: ‘If this delay is too long, please ask the envoy to pass the book back. If the book can be delivered before the negotiation, His Royal Highness King Yong will definitely repay.

‘

Lu Can looked at Yang Xiu with a look of questioning. Yang Xiu was a literati. He gave Jiang Zhe a stern look. The book Jiang Zhe asked for was the essence of Southern Chu culture. When Chengdu fell, Dayong and Nan Chu were both vying for the books of the Ministry of Hukou. These are the foundations for governing the country. Although Jiang Zhe is not asking for the hukou map of Nanchu, the value of those books is even more precious. , there are always times when dynasties change in the country, and the hukou map can always be checked clearly. Only the splendid culture is a treasure that has a long history, but he also knows that this condition is not difficult for Nanchu, at least it is much better than ceding land or something. Now, he sighed often in his heart, and he nodded lightly.

Lu Can said immediately: ‘Sir Sima, don’t worry, Lu Mou will pass the book back immediately.

‘

After sending off the envoys of Nan Chu, I was already a little tired, so Li Zhi said goodbye and left.

On the way, Li Zhi thoughtfully said: ‘Suiyun is really shrewd, if I can get the ancient books of Southern Chu, it will be very beneficial to me Dayong. After all, my Dayong is good at expanding territory, but governing the country is very difficult. Relying on Wenzhi, the world that is immediately obtained can no longer be governed immediately. Suiyun is a true scholar of the country.

‘ Gou Lian said coldly: ‘Your Highness,

That Southern Chu envoy was neither humble nor arrogant, and he was both civil and military, and he was the leader of the Southern Chu youth generals.

‘

Li Zhi smiled lightly and said: ‘There are so many heroes in the world, if this king sees one kill another, I’m afraid he will be soft on the kill. Southern Chu is weak, so how can a single tree stand up to the sky? What can be good at fighting, Gou Lian, tell Xiangye Wei for me, I must send Shang Weijun back, no wonder Suiyun asked me to treat Shang Weijun kindly that day, it seems that he has long thought of today, if Shang Weijun returns Southern Chu, Lu Xin will no longer hold the power alone. With time, Shang Weijun, a foreign relative, will be able to dominate the court and the opposition. When the time comes, including the powerful ministers, I want to see what kind of great power a few talented people can make. storm.

‘

Gou Lian felt a chill in his heart. Although he already admired Jiang Zhe very much, he had never seen Jiang Zhe’s scheming methods. Now, listening to Li Zhi, Jiang Zhe’s foresight made him completely convinced. However, he took a look. King Yong, His Highness was able to see through Jiang Zhe’s intentions and make use of them. Such monarchs and ministers will really break the hearts of the enemy. No wonder His Highness has worked so hard for Jiang Zhe. Now it seems that everything is worth it. .

Thinking of this, the trace of jealousy that had been hidden in my heart for a long time finally disappeared.

He happily accepted the order and said: ‘His Royal Highness may wish to give Nan Chu some more benefits, just look at Mr. Jiang’s face, so that Mr. Jiang will not say anything, and his heart will be happy.

‘

Li Zhi sighed and said: ‘Yeah, even now he is frustrated with Nan Chu, but he still has some affection. If not, why should he agree to receive the envoys of Nan Chu? Will not work.

‘

Gou Lian smiled and said: ‘Don’t worry, Your Highness, if a mere Southern Chu cannot be attacked, wouldn’t it make people laugh at our subordinates? Your Highness has a complete army, so what are you worried about?

However, His Highness, General Changsun and General Jing have all sent letters. They said that there was nothing in the army, and asked if they could follow His Highness. They were all worried about what happened a few days ago, and His Highness also needed more generals to escort them.

‘

Li Zhi thought for a while and said: ‘You’re right, I don’t believe there will be any change in the military’s heart now, and they should be brought back to my side. Without them these days, this king always feels that he has more than his heart and is not enough. Send orders for me to let them enter Beijing, they are all under the jurisdiction of my handsome mansion, and no one can say anything.

‘

Although the next negotiation is cumbersome, there is no obstacle. Nanchu is naturally eager to negotiate a success, and no one in Dayong wants to delay. King Yong does not intervene, and the crown prince is too lazy to intervene. During this time, King Qi It seems that he is in a bad mood, and he can hardly even go out, so the negotiation went very smoothly under the leadership of the Prime Minister Wei Guan. Naturally, the other members of the Southern Chu diplomatic corps were very happy, but Lu Can felt a little uneasy in his heart, and always felt that this should not be the case. Smooth, although things went smoothly, but because there were too many details to discuss, it took nearly a month to reach an agreement.

According to the results of the peace talks, Nan Chu inherited the title Dayong, paid tribute every year, and came to the DPRK every year. For this defeat, Nan Chu had to pay 60 million taels of silver to be paid in twelve years. In addition, the two countries agreed to exchange markets. After a year of war and blockade, both countries need to trade, but the tax on the goods from Nanchu entering Dayong has increased by half.

The members of the Southern Chu royal family and the civil and military officials captured by Dayong can be redeemed, and each has a different value, but the hostages must be left, and the candidates for the hostages are selected. , the other hostage is Zhao Jia’s younger brother, Prince Jane Zhao Yun.

As for Zhao Jia’s Yongnv favorite concubine, most of them asked to stay in their hometown, and Lu Can didn’t care. They would have their own Dayong food for their future livelihood. He wished that all Yongnv would not go back, but there were still two Yong The female concubine asked to follow Zhao Jia to Nanchu. All their youth stayed in Nanchu, so they would rather return to the hostile Nanchu than leave their children.

On April 20th, hundreds of carts of books that Nan Chu had promised to give to King Yong entered Dayong’s territory. Two generals sent by King Yong received the books and escorted them to Chang’an in person. One of them was Changsun Ji. The eldest grandson of Jin Gong, the unparalleled bow and arrow, is the number one shooter in the army. He came from a poor background and joined the army since he was a child. Human life is like searching for things. His golden bow, which is inseparable from his shadow, was personally bestowed by King Yong. With a special quilled arrow, he could shoot a general from a thousand paces away. The other one was called Jing Chi. Comparable people, they are the first brave generals under King Yong’s command. How can they be used for such trivial matters as escorting books? The discerning person with the purpose of King Yong’s transfer of them to the capital can see at a glance.

On April 25th, the envoys of Southern Chu escorted the lord of Taishang and the redeemed civil and military officials on their way home. Dayong was very courteous. Prince Li An sent 30 miles to Huangshangjiao, while Changle The princess also poured wine on the long pavilion to see Zhao Jia off, but Emperor Yong Li Yuan had a decree, saying that Princess Changle had been away from home for many years, and she should stay longer.

But everyone knew that Emperor Yong would not let Princess Changle go back to Southern Chu at all, because during the negotiation, the envoy of Southern Chu mentioned that Zhao Long, the lord of Southern Chu, was willing to honor his mother as the queen mother, but Wei Guan declined, but They don’t want to pay attention to this matter for the time being. After all, welcoming back the monarchs and ministers of Nanchu is the biggest purpose of this trip.

On the day of the farewell, there was another person who also attracted attention. That is, the official of Tiance Shuai’s mansion, Sima Jiangzhe, who followed King Yong out of the city to see him off. Although he was recovering from a serious injury and was almost shaky when walking, no one dared to. To despise him, everyone knows what one of his attendants, Li Shun, has done, not to mention that King Yong’s love for him is known all over the world.

I went up to the former king and gave a grand salute for the last time. Zhao Jia’s eyes were blank. He couldn’t even remember who I was. When he was under the guidance of the inner servant, he said high-sounding words, congratulations. I have been used by Dayong, and I hope that I will forget the past quarrel and try my best for the reconciliation of the two countries. My heart is indifferent. This person has never been the lord I want to honor. After all, I doubt whether he can return to Nanchu alive. If His Majesty wanted to get rid of this son-in-law earlier, why rush to end the negotiation?

Looking at the team of the envoys of Southern Chu in the distance, I looked tired and wanted to return to the carriage, but I found that two people were watching me. One was Princess Changle. After a long time, her expression was very calm, but compared to the time when I watched the martial arts show that day. , looks a little haggard, but the other person is a girl in a white moon dress. She is about 20 years old. She has a beautiful appearance, a noble complexion, a slender figure, and a beautiful figure. She is standing beside Princess Changle, the princess. Rongse is also beautiful and elegant, and she is already stunning, but she was robbed of all the light by this woman’s compelling brilliance.

What caught my attention was not the beauty of this woman, but her clear and icy eyes, those eyes that I would have dreamed of, she was the assassin who almost killed me.

I whispered: ‘She is Li Hanyou, right?

‘

King Yong had already walked up to me and whispered: ‘It’s her, the queen asked her to take care of Changle, so she came along.

‘

When Xiao Shunzi heard that the woman was Li Hanyou, a dazzling cold light flashed in his eyes.

When I got on the carriage, I thought thoughtfully: ‘Such a woman, proud and beautiful, is the dream partner of the wealthy children, can Qin Qing really refuse her?

‘

On the 7th of May, news came that the lord of Nanchu, Taishang, was assassinated and killed shortly after crossing the river. , the country is destroyed and the family perishes, and it is repaid today.

‘After Zhao Jia died, Chong Ji and several others committed suicide.

I put down the information and sighed lightly. The emperor must have handed over the assassination of Zhao Jia to the prince. It’s easy to get it, presumably the favorite concubine is an internal response, Huo Jicheng has both fame and fortune, and Dayong is also satisfied, but it is a pity that Lu Can, as an envoy, is also responsible for escorting, but Zhao Jia is assassinated, I am afraid that in the short term. There is no way for him to turn around, no matter who’s idea, this person is a scheming and ruthless person.

It’s just that I don’t know if it was the assassination plan designed by the prince or Fengyimen. I wrote two names on the paper. Lu Jingzhong and Li Hanyou should be one of the two of them. Although I have never seen Li Hanyou’s strategy, But seeing her decisiveness and ruthlessness when she stabbed me, I knew she was not an ordinary woman.

I was thinking about this, when Li Zhi walked into the study, he looked gloomy and said: ‘Prince is a good way, the father has rewarded a lot today, this assassination is not only seamless, but also clears Dayong’s suspicion, I’m just strange, Jinxiu How could the alliance become the prince’s person, although the prince said that he just secretly disclosed the news to the Jinxiu alliance, and then provided some convenience, but I don’t believe that the Jinxiu alliance is really such a good use, I must check the relationship between the Jinxiu alliance and the prince. .

‘

I have a clear understanding in my heart that the prince is about to attack the Jinxiu Alliance. He must be ready to stop. Anyway, through the mutual market, he will naturally have the ability to get huge profits, so he doesn’t need to risk smuggling any more. I glanced at Xiao Shunzi and made him With a wink, Xiao Shunzi’s voice transmission sounded in my ear: ‘Young Master, do you want me to tell Chen Zhen to arrange the Tianji Pavilion to escape?

‘

I nodded slightly, Xiao Shunzi quietly backed out, Li Zhi said in confusion: ‘Suiyun, what’s the matter, are you hiding something from me?

‘

I respectfully said: ‘Your Highness, I have something to report to Your Highness, and there is indeed a collusion between the Splendid League and the Crown Prince.

‘ After that, I briefly talked about the smuggling of arms by the prince and others. King Yong frowned and listened for a long time, then suddenly slapped the table and said: ‘It’s unreasonable to even think about military resources, Suiyun, you How do you know so clearly?

Did you play tricks on it?

‘

I smiled and said: ‘This is the minister’s secret, but the minister already has complete evidence in his hands.

Although it was a trap set by the minister, the minister only provided an opportunity, not the minister asked the prince to do it.

‘

Li Zhi sat down slumped and said after a while: ‘You are right, if the prince is not willing, who can force him?

Well, I will listen to you. Since the Crown Prince acts like this, it is no wonder that this King disregards brotherhood, how important the arms and supplies are, and he does such a thing.

It’s just that you think you can succeed in one fell swoop, I always think it’s unlikely.

‘

I replied: ‘Your Highness doesn’t have to worry about it, this matter is impossible, but the water drops through the stone, please trust your minister’s judgment, if this matter breaks out, His Highness only needs to be fair and break it, and you don’t have to force the prince too much, so the minister will be fine. Proceed to the next step.

‘

Li Zhi smiled and said: ‘You are always so secretive?

‘

I said indifferently: ‘My minister is good at conspiracy and tricks. If you say it, it will inevitably make His Highness worry, so let this minister plan it. If His Highness is at ease, I want to mobilize people to do something.

‘

Li Zhi said: ‘You don’t have to ask me about this, I can do whatever you want in my house, no one dares to violate the order and disrespect it.

‘ I nodded lightly, thanking me.

At this time, Li Zhi saw the information I put on the bookcase, and hesitantly said: ‘Suiyun, you know that some things are inevitable.

‘

I nodded lightly, with a cold expression, and said slowly: ‘I know that the king himself did not fulfill his responsibilities as a king. As early as when Jianye fell, the king should have apologized, but although the king was confused, he also He is not a bad person. Although he has made no achievements over the years, he has not done anything that hurts the world. He just shouldn’t be the lord of the country. Now that the king’s soul has returned to Nanchu, he should die without any regrets.

‘

After I said that, I got up and walked out of the study, took a breath of fresh air, then took off a bamboo leaf and played it. After playing the song, my expression gradually calmed down. Didn’t I have no affection with Nan Chu long ago? Besides, why should I feel sad for him?

Thinking like this, I am still a little sad. After all, that person was my former king, and he was the monarch of Southern Chu. He died under Dayong’s conspiracy like this, so how can I not be hurt.

Suddenly, I regretted the fact that the king of Shu was forced to die that day. In any case, he was the lord of the kingdom of Shu, and he died under my brush. No wonder the people of Shu hated me so much.

Li Zhi had been standing in the distance, then came over, and said lightly: ‘Nan Chu’s books have been delivered, why don’t you go and have a look, just in time to meet my trusted and beloved general.

‘

I gave a light bow and said: ‘Dare not to obey.

‘

[End of this Chapter]