Chapter 1167: Donating one's life is not enough to save

Chapter 1167: Donating one's life is not enough to save

"Brother Shuhu, is there any room for compromise or change in the matter? It is really, really harsh to ask the Supreme Being of our country to remove his title..."

The first peace talks proposed by the Western Wei Dynasty were so powerful that the negotiations could not continue. However, the envoys did not dare to end the peace talks and return to the country. They could only send apostles to report the situation to the country and themselves. The group stayed in Hongnong City and waited for further instructions from Guozhong.

When his friend Lu Shuhu came to visit him, Yang Xiuzhi in the mission couldn't help but ask for a closer look: "I know that I am weaker than others at the moment, so if I want something, of course I have to give something. But this request is still unacceptable. Once accepted, the country will no longer be a country... The king of Tang has said that he is willing to give peace to the people of Hebei, but if the matter remains at a stalemate, some of the apostles will inevitably suffer serious consequences after returning to the country. As a result, there is no way to find peace in Hebei!"

Lu Shuhu naturally knew that Yang Xiu was in a sad mood, but after hearing this, he couldn't help but sigh and said: "Zi Lie's words do not have to be so conclusive. The Qi family has only been in possession of the country for less than ten years, but in order to survive, What's not to agree to? Even if you give up your title, it's better to be a prince in a separate country than to be imprisoned and sent to Chang'an.

Zilie, you know very little about military affairs. You don't know that our country's war situation is now so good. It is a rare act of benevolence and justice for the King of Tang to agree to negotiate peace. When you discuss whether the conditions are harsh, you should also examine your current situation. Why did the Lord of Qi send you and others to negotiate peace? Do you really not know what the intention is? "

After Yang Xiuzhi heard this, he shook his head in confusion, and then said again: "I have been thinking about this in my heart, but my thoughts may not be entirely consistent with the facts. Prince Guijie of Tang Dynasty has many connections with many families in Guandong. There is family friendship, and there were many close relatives such as Brother Shuhu and Brother Shuhu who came to help each other in the past. Now the two countries are at war. The swords are ruthless and relatives are seriously injured. So sending someone here must be in the hope that the King of Tang, Brother Shuhu and others can feel the friendship and show their noble hands. , let go of one horse.”

"This statement is not unreasonable. If the Jinyang disciples came here to seek peace, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to sit across from each other and talk about current affairs."

After hearing this, Lu Shuhu nodded first, and then asked again: "But, I heard that Yang Zunyan is the brother-in-law of the Lord of Qi and the son-in-law of Shenwu, but when Yecheng planned a coup, did the Lord of Qi show his favor because of his friendship? If he behaves like this, how can he hope that you and other families in Guandong can beg for mercy and indulgence from the king of Tang in this important matter that is related to the survival of their country?"

"This, this... I really didn't expect this. Brother Shuhu, you have always been resourceful and adept at making strategic changes. Now you are in a calm situation. You will definitely gain something from this situation. Can you teach me something?"

After Yang Xiuzhi heard this, he was surprised for a while. The group of them also discussed this a lot on their way here, and the opinions they came up with were just what Yang Xiuzhi said. Because they had a close relationship with the Li family in Longxi and many of the staff of the Tang Wangba Mansion, the emperor placed his hopes on them. This led to peace talks, but now after listening to Lu Shuhu’s analysis, I realized that this idea was not only simple, but ridiculous!

Yes, the current emperor had just experienced a cruel fratricidal struggle before ascending to the supreme position. How could he hand over the peace talks with high hopes to a group of Hebei scholars for such a flimsy reason? Could it be that he didn't have high expectations for this peace talk from the beginning, and that sending the envoys to this point was just a delaying tactic to hide from others?

Thinking of this, Yang Xiuzhi's mood became confused, and he couldn't sort out the key points in his mind. He looked at Lu Shuhu and asked questions quickly. They were also in He Basheng's gang back then, and Lu Shuhu took on the role of think tank with his expertise in planning. Although He Basheng failed to accomplish anything in the end, and their gang fell apart, Yang Xiuzhi was impressed by Lu Shuhu's resourcefulness. Still quite convinced.

"The Lord of Qi has sent your envoys to wait here. If we can succeed in seeking peace, everyone will naturally be happy. If not, how will Qi State respond? It will be nothing more than raising up all the soldiers in the country to fight against my army, the King of Wei, and defend its territory to the death. However, the previous chaos in the Qi State has already shown that the Jinyang army can share wealth and hardship, and the old founding master is still willing to abandon it. Now the Qi master can hardly control the group of disciples and fight to the death. If he wants to be safe, he must rely on him. I, the son of Hebei, will fight to the death for it!”

Speaking of this, Lu Shuhu looked at Yang Xiuzhi and sighed: "Because of the birth of the Tang Dynasty king, and a certain group of disciples who are involved in Guanxi, there must be many optimistic people in Hebei today. They may not die with the Qi State and defend it to the death. . What should we do with these people once a war breaks out?”

After Yang Xiuzhi heard this, his expression became a little uneasy. He had already vaguely guessed what Lu Shuhu wanted to say.

"If you want to fight to the death, you must extinguish these luck-seeking peace intentions, and this is why you are waiting for this trip. If the peace plan fails, you will be severely punished when you return home! Qi Lord wants to use your lives to fill those The words of seeking peace will make everyone fight to the death and not think otherwise!”

Lu Shuhu sighed again and said: "The King of Tang has long understood Lord Qi's intentions, so when we met for the first time a few days ago, he reminded you and others. I hope you can tell Lord Qi that if the soldiers and the people are safe, Qi will be safe." The business can be saved. But at that time, you were probably still secretly laughing at the righteousness of the Tang Dynasty and trying to intimidate the leader of the great country with threatening words? But you don’t know that the Tang Dynasty king’s words were just to save you, Zi Lie! After thinking about it, do you still think that this condition proposed by our country is harsh?”

When Yang Xiuzhi heard this, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He was already in his fifties now, so naturally he would not be easily deceived. Although Lu Shuhu's interpretation was slightly sinister, it was consistent with the Northern Qi Dynasty. Many of the current personnel signs in the country are secretly consistent.

For example, after the emperor succeeded to the throne, he was busy appeasing the nobles in Jinyang, but he almost completely entrusted the people of Yezhong with the responsibility for the important matter of sending envoys to seek peace. Even though there was a member of the royal family, Gao Rui, the king of Zhaojun, Gao Rui's appointment Resumes and interpersonal relationships are also mostly in Yezhong.

After some contemplation, even some details that Lu Shuhu had not mentioned came to Yang Xiuzhi's mind, which further proved the credibility of Lu Shuhu's remarks.

When I thought about the danger that my group and the whole group were facing during the trip, the survival of Qiye and the safety of Hebei was at stake. However, it turned out that they were just carefully selected victims who were ready to take the blame and die in order to strengthen the hearts of the people of Hebei to fight. Yang Xiuzhi I can't help but feel sad and angry in my heart.

The key is that such sacrifices may not bring peace to Hebei. At least for now, the series of personnel arrangements since the emperor took office have not reserved any personnel strength to maintain the stability of Hebei.

On the contrary, Tang Wang Li Boshan, as the leader of the enemy country, not only reminded them at the beginning of the meeting and issued a warning to the Lord of Qi, but even pointed the finger directly at the Lord of Qi when he proposed the terms of peace negotiations later. The Lord wants to honor his title, rather than making things difficult for the people of Hebei.

Thinking of this, Yang Xiuzhi held the wine glass and started drinking one cup after another. Gradually, his emotions became a little out of control, and his eyes felt even more sour. He covered his nose and said to Lu Shuhu: "The old meaning is like ginger, old and spicy. With Brother Shuhu is reunited after a long absence, and I suddenly feel drunk if I continue drinking. I'm afraid I'll lose my temper, so I can only stop drinking for now!"

After seeing this, Lu Shuhu stopped trying to persuade him, so he stood up and said to Yang Xiuzhi: "I have been in Hongnong recently. If Zilie has something to do, just ask someone to report it."

After Lu Shuhu left, Yang Xiuzhi also pushed forward the case and faced the wall in silence for a long time.

In the old year, he followed He Basheng and lived in Jiangdong. Later, when he heard about the founding of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, he asked He Basheng to report to Emperor Liang and ask for his return. After returning to Hebei, he became a disciple of Gao Huan and his son, and served as an official in the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties. Two years have passed since then. Ten years.

He cannot be said to be completely loyal to the Northern Qi regime, but he can also be said to be quite affectionate. Under the governance of the Gao family, the land of Hebei is neither as chaotic as Jiangdong, nor as poor and narrow as Guanzhong. Of course, the latter seems to be doubtful now. But it's still satisfying.

But this time on his mission to the Western Wei Dynasty, especially after having such a conversation with Lu Shuhu, he began to have some doubts about whether his decision to resign to He Basheng and return to Hebei was the right one.

The Tang King of the Western Dynasty had a deep friendship with He Basheng. If he had gone to Kansai with He Basheng at that time, based on his qualifications and talents, he would probably be able to share the same power with Cui Qian brothers, Lu Shuhu, and Lu Rou's uncles and nephews in the Western Dynasty now. confidential. Now when faced with the poverty of the Qi people and asking for peace, he must be able to calmly put forward some high-level suggestions, instead of being as worried and at a loss as he is now.

Not to mention the emotion in Yang Xiuzhi's heart, after Lu Shuhu left his living room, he also went straight back to the main hall of the city lord's palace. When he looked up, he saw the king of Tang sitting in the banquet with a not very pretty face, reading in a dull voice. Ji Wen, so he stepped forward and said softly: "Your Majesty, are you worried about the logistics supplies again?"

After Li Tai heard this, he sighed and said: "The Shannan Qiu Fu that we collected before was only for temporary relief. Now it has been nearly two decades since the war started, and the army's food and grass consumption is huge. The Yiluo barbarians took the opportunity to make a fuss, which is really annoying. I have a headache. After this Heluo war is over, these barbarians must be reorganized."

When Li Tai went in and out of Heluo, it was indispensable to recruit the barbarians among Yiluo to cooperate. And because he repeatedly achieved great success in Heluo and was able to collect rich supplies, these barbarians were happy to follow his lead.

But now, the fat sheep of the Northern Qi Dynasty is no longer as fat as before in Heluo, and the Yiluo barbarians have greatly affected the harvest due to drought, so they want to repeat the past experience and follow the Wei army behind to rob homes and homes to make up for the shortfall.

However, this time the Wei army wanted to occupy Heluo for a long time, instead of just shooting and leaving like before. Naturally, they could not let these barbarians run wild, so they allocated some of their own military resources to some barbarians who could really help. Others who are just joining in the fun can't be cared about.

The goals and environment have changed, and what was a boost in the past has now become a hindrance. These barbarians were only interested in profit, especially some of them who were forced out of the deep mountains and old forests by drought. They were even bold enough to organize an organized attack on the Wei army's grain transport team in Sanya Road.

Li Tai had no doubt that if they were given another period of time, they would probably collude with the Qi people to try to regain Heluo. After all, this was the way to survive for fringe forces like them in the current situation.

Therefore, the time has come when the recruitment and control of the Yiluo barbarians must be put on the agenda. They can no longer be indulged as before. It will be an important goal in the next stage after entering and stabilizing Heluo.