Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 891 The Peace Envoy Arrives

After the Wu army stationed in Yingtian Prefecture, they began to radiate to the surrounding areas. This place belongs to the Jingdongxi Road of the Song Dynasty. To the north are Chuqiu, Shanzhou, Dingtao and other cities, all of which are heavily guarded and belong to the jurisdiction of Jingdongxi Road.

Su Chen found that those cities were in the north and it was risky to go deeper, so he decided to sweep east and south. For example, Xiayi and Tuocheng, which belonged to the East and West Roads of Beijing, were conquered by brothers Ma Donglin and Ma Zhanchao, each with 10,000 elite soldiers, in just three days.

As for the Huainan East Road, it involves more than a dozen states, all of which are currently under the control of the Wu army. Some cities in these states and counties are still guarded by a small number of Song troops, but they were all driven away and annihilated by the Wu army.

Pan Mei led his troops into Bozhou, where Luyi, Yongcheng, Lingxian, Weizhen, Chengfu and other cities were successively conquered. Bozhou is also a prefecture in the northwest of Huainan East Road.

The Western Army of the Song Dynasty, led by Wang Renzhan and Han Chongyun with 30,000 remaining soldiers, retreated to Xiangyi, which became a must-pass city between Yingtian Prefecture and Kaifeng Prefecture, intending to compete there.

Wang Shenqi and Yang Guangyi, the former commanders of the Eastern Route Army of the Song Dynasty, retreated to Dingtao and integrated with the Guangji Army there, gathering a total force of 50,000, ready to move to Kaifeng Prefecture at any time to guard the capital.

This is the current situation of the confrontation between Wu and Song. In terms of effective military strength, Wu's army has 500,000 soldiers, which is larger than the number of Song's army. Because hundreds of thousands of Song's imperial guards died in the previous battles, fled, or surrendered, the main force and elite troops were greatly reduced.

Comparing the military strength of both sides, the advantage is tilting towards the Wu army.

Cheng Dexuan, the envoy sent by the State of Song, arrived outside the city of Yingtian Prefecture. After reporting his intention to negotiate peace, he was taken to the general's mansion.

At this time, some Wuhe generals and advisers were reporting military affairs to Su Chen. When they learned that envoys from Bianliang had arrived to negotiate peace, they were full of curiosity.

"Did the Song Dynasty send envoys to negotiate peace?" A military general spoke first, with a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Is the State of Song going to negotiate peace and ceasefire?" Another counselor followed closely behind, a hint of thought flashing in his eyes.

"It seems that the Song Dynasty can no longer hold on and has finally realized that they can't stop our Wu army!" A young general couldn't help but laugh, his voice full of confidence and pride.

"The powerful Song Dynasty is finally going to give in this time."

The surrounding generals echoed in agreement, their laughter echoed in the hall, and a strong sense of confidence and pride arose in their hearts.

Cheng Dexuan walked into the hall and saw a commander who was less than 30 years old sitting on the main seat in front of him. He was wearing chain mail, majestic and noble. He must be the famous Jiangzuo Su Lang and Wu Pingnan Wang Su Chen. It was this person who was full of legends in recent years.

He was a famous talent in both the north and the south. He wrote many poems and songs, which were all popular and became the object of admiration among the talented people in the Central Plains.

Many of his storybooks also became favorites in the boudoirs of women in the Central Plains, and his martial arts novels influenced many men.

In addition to his talent, he knew how to govern the country and maintain its security, and he could lead troops in battles. He helped Princess Yang Wu restore her country and establish the powerful Wu Kingdom today. He also led troops in the Northern Expedition and defeated the elite troops of the Song Army several times. He now occupies Yingtian Prefecture and is eyeing the city of Bianjing in Kaifeng Prefecture, as if he wants to destroy the Song Dynasty.

All of these things happened to one person, which was too bizarre. It can be said that this person is the greatest all-round talent of this era.

Cheng Dexuan had read Su Chen's collection of essays and novels before, and he admired him very much. However, the two countries were at war, and Cheng Dexuan, as a peace envoy, had the primary task of facilitating peace talks and a ceasefire. If the war continued, the Song Dynasty might really be destroyed by the Wu army. This was what many Song people were worried about, and they were also unsure because the Wu army was too brave.

"Cheng Dexuan, the envoy of the Song Dynasty, greets the King of Pingnan of Wu!" Cheng Dexuan was very polite. He walked into the hall, crossed his hands and bowed. His movements were standard and respectful, showing his importance to this peace negotiation.

Su Chen looked at Cheng Dexuan, and was familiar with the name. This person had appeared in history books, but he was not very famous. He was a trusted staff member of Emperor Taizong of Song, Zhao Guangyi, and worked in the Southern Court. After Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne, he was promoted to an official position, and left a few words in the history books.

"Stand up!" Su Chen said, his voice calm and powerful.

Cheng Dexuan stood up straight, looking forward, trying to meet Su Chen's gaze. But under Su Chen's powerful and deep gaze and majesty, he felt a little guilty, and lowered his gaze unnaturally.

"Song Dynasty envoy, why are you here in Yingtian Prefecture?" Su Chen asked casually, with a hint of inquiry in his tone. "To negotiate peace!" Cheng Dexuan paused, adjusted his mood, and continued: "When the two countries are at war, the people suffer and many soldiers die on the battlefield, which really hurts the virtue of good life. As an envoy this time, Cheng is carrying the will of the Song Dynasty government. I hope to come here to negotiate peace and ceasefire with General Su of Wu State, so that the two countries can reconcile and not invade each other." There was a hint of earnestness in his voice, hoping that Su Chen could understand the difficulties of the Song Dynasty.

"Negotiation and ceasefire?" Su Chen uttered these words calmly, his face calm and expressionless, obviously he didn't care at all.

In his plan, destroying the Song Dynasty and unifying the north and south were inevitable goals, so he was not interested in peace talks and truces. Of course, Su Chen also guessed that this was just a delaying tactic of the Song Dynasty. He might as well follow the clues and test it out.

Su Chen said: "Now that our Wu army has the upper hand, we are not keen on peace talks. What conditions does Song State intend to offer for a ceasefire and peace talks?" His voice was calm and firm, his eyes were sharp as he stared straight at Cheng Dexuan.

Cheng Dexuan felt an invisible pressure. He looked up at Su Chen, trying to maintain a neither humble nor arrogant attitude and said: "Although the Wu army has temporarily achieved some victories, victory and defeat are common on the battlefield. Now the western and northern territories of our Song Dynasty have not been moved, and a large number of people and troops are being mobilized. In addition, the Wu army's innocent attack on the Song Dynasty's territory is an unjust and unpopular army. If the army is alone and deep in the territory, it will be difficult to supply food and grass. In the long run, the Song Dynasty will definitely be able to counterattack, and by then, the Wu army will also be defeated." There was a hint of confidence in his voice, trying to convince Su Chen.

The Wu army generals present were displeased when they heard Cheng Dexuan's lies and praising the Song Dynasty, saying that the Wu army would be defeated.

"Nonsense! All the elite troops of the Song Dynasty have been defeated. How can the newly recruited soldiers stop the warriors of my Wu?" Tai Shi Zhao could not help but retort, with a hint of anger in his voice.

"That's right, the Song Dynasty is about to be destroyed."

Young generals such as Bian Zhanyu and Li Saidong were even more outspoken and swore directly. They were dissatisfied with Cheng Dexuan's remarks and believed that it was an insult to the Wu army.

Su Chen smiled lightly, not angry, but said coldly: "When you, the Song Dynasty, destroyed Southern Tang, Jingchu, and Hou Shu, which one of them was justified? You attacked other countries for no reason, burned, killed, and looted along the way, and looted for three days in the city. You committed many evil deeds. When you destroyed Southern Tang, 10,000 wealthy families in Runzhou Tower were burned to death by the coalition forces; after destroying Shu, the Song army levied heavy taxes and oppressed the people in Shu, causing the Shu people to revolt continuously. This was all done by you, the Song army!"

"Look at my Wu army. Wherever we go, we don't touch the people's property. We open warehouses to distribute grain, help the poor, and provide free medical treatment to local patients. We also implement new policies, exempt taxes for one year, and protect the rights and interests of the people. These are ten or a hundred times better than what you do in Song. If this is not considered an army of justice, then your Song army is simply an army of robbers." There was a hint of sarcasm in Su Chen's voice, and his eyes were like swords, staring straight at Cheng Dexuan.

After hearing this, Cheng Dexuan was stunned and speechless. If these were true, then what the Song army did was indeed a crime, and the Wu army was so benevolent and righteous that it would indeed be supported by the people.

Su Chen continued, "At present, the people in Huainan and Huaibei, where the Wu army is currently, are warmly welcoming us. I am following the will of heaven and want to unify the north and the south and end the century-long chaos and strife in the late Tang and Five Dynasties. This is a great merit. How can you understand?" There was a hint of firmness and confidence in his words.

Cheng Dexuan felt his momentum was suppressed, and smiled bitterly in his heart. This Jiangzuo Su Lang really lived up to his reputation. He knew that his mission was arduous, but he had to admit that Su Chen's words did make sense.

"The Song Dynasty is willing to cede territory and pay compensation. In addition, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty has two princesses who are waiting to be married. Princess Yanqing and Princess Yongqing are both of marriageable age. You can choose one of them to marry Marshal Su, and from now on we will be on good terms with the State of Wu!" Cheng Dexuan directly stated the conditions for peace talks.

When Peng Jingjing heard this, her eyebrows immediately raised, with a hint of murderous intent in her eyes.

The Song Dynasty wanted to marry the princess to Su Chen. If it really happened, wouldn't the princess of the Song Dynasty come to the Su Mansion and destroy the peace of the Su Mansion? How could she be willing to do that?

Cheng Dexuan suddenly felt cold all over, as if a chill had enveloped him, and he didn't know why. He looked around, but saw that everyone was normal, except Peng Jingjing, whose gaze was like a knife, which made him shudder.

But Su Chen smiled slightly, unmoved, and said, "No need. I just have one thing to say, Lord Cheng, please take it back to the Emperor of Song." His voice was calm and firm, as if he had already anticipated this scene.

Cheng Dexuan asked in surprise: "I wonder which sentence it is?" His heart was full of doubts, not knowing what Su Chen would say.

Su Chen said solemnly: "How can I allow others to snore on this couch?"

This was the sentence that Zhao Kuangyin said to Xu Xuan in the Jinluan Palace when Li Yu of Southern Tang sent an envoy to Bian Jing of the Song Dynasty to seek peace. It was passed down through the ages, and he rejected the peace request of Southern Tang. This time, Su Chen sent it back to him intact, with a hint of coldness and determination in his voice.

When Cheng Dexuan heard this, he was shocked. He knew that Su Chen's attitude was very clear and the peace conditions of the Song Dynasty did not impress him.

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(This book has finally reached 200 million words. Due to my busy work, I wrote this book on and off for four or five years. It took too long, and I am very sorry. Fortunately, the story is nearing its end and will soon be concluded.)