Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 914 has a deeper meaning
Zhao Dezhao and Yongqing, along with two guards, stayed in the Wu army camp, which was the enemy camp of 300,000 troops. It was impossible for the brother and sister not to be nervous, but they had the mission of negotiating peace, so they had no choice but to stay.

After the envoy left, Zhao Dezhao and Yongqing were taken to the camp to rest, leaving only Su Chen and some important generals of Wu Jun to continue the meeting.

"What are everyone's thoughts on the peace talks?" Su Chen asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Lin Renzhao was the first to object: "Marshal, I am the first to oppose peace talks. The Song Dynasty has lost its edge and claws, with only Chenliu City remaining, which can be captured in less than ten days. Before the arrival of winter, we should launch a fierce attack on Bianjing City for a month and capture the Song Emperor and the ministers in Bianjing. At that time, the Song Dynasty will be destroyed, and the remaining separatist forces in the southwest and northwest, as well as the cities of the Song Dynasty, will be easily dealt with. With the overall situation of unifying the world already set, we must not give up our great cause for these petty gains!"

Pan Renche also said, "General Lin is right. The Song Dynasty is eager to negotiate peace and use diplomatic means to save their court, but for us, the first effort is followed by a decline, and the third is exhaustion. We cannot linger too long on the matter of peace negotiations!"

"This humble general also agrees with the views of General Lin and General Pan, and does not agree to negotiate peace!"

"Yes, we disagree with negotiating peace!"

All of Wu's generals spoke, unanimously opposing peace talks and suggesting a direct attack on the city, emphasizing the importance of speed in warfare and catching the defenders off guard.

Su Chen nodded slightly and looked at Pan Mei, asking, "General Pan Mei, you know the Song Dynasty better, what suggestions do you have?"

Pan Mei had been silent for a moment because seeing Zhao Dezhao and Yongqing stirred up memories of the time he had fought alongside Zhao Kuangyin. Now, things had changed; Zhao Kuangyin had passed away, and the remaining princes and princesses had ventured deep into enemy territory to seek peace. Their loneliness and desolation were deeply poignant.

That's life—full of variables. No one can always have their way or always be the victor. The Song Dynasty's past glory, sweeping across the Southern Tang, Jingchu, and Later Shu, is now a stark contrast to its current state of utter disarray.

Upon hearing Su Chen call her name, Pan Mei recovered from her emotional reverie and addressed the matter at hand: "The Song Dynasty's Imperial Guards have suffered more than half their losses. Although Chenliu City has 100,000 garrison troops, most of them are former soldiers who were defeated at the front lines and need to be reorganized. They can hold off 300,000 Wu troops for at most ten days! As for Bianjing City, by blocking the Bian River shipping and severing Bianjing's food and supplies, its food supply will run out in less than three months. It will not be difficult to destroy the Song Dynasty. I also believe that we should continue the offensive, complete the unification as soon as possible, end the war, and bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world."

At this moment, Pan Mei had no selfish motives. Standing from the perspective of the historical trend of unification, he believed that attacking was the best option at present. If the Wu army retreated, there would definitely be open and covert struggles between Song and Wu in the future, and the problems of Northern Han, Northwest, and Liao would not be well resolved.

Su Chen had already made up his mind, but he wanted to test the generals' thoughts. Now that he learned that everyone was determined to continue to destroy the Song Dynasty, he nodded and said, "What you generals said makes sense, and you all have the same goal: to continue to attack the Song Dynasty, destroy its regime, let our Wu Kingdom take over the Central Plains, and then eliminate the Northern Han, pacify the separatist forces of the northwestern aristocratic families, appease the Dangxiang people, deal with the Liao people, and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. We still have a lot to do. We cannot abandon our principles and mission because of these territorial concessions, reparations, and the princess's marriage."

Su Chen spoke with conviction, and all the generals were filled with excitement and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was it a smokescreen by Marshal Su to leave behind Emperor Taizu's sons Zhao Dezhao and Princess Yongqing, in order to mislead the Song army and then launch a surprise attack?" someone couldn't help but ask curiously.

Su Chen smiled upon hearing this and explained, "Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Great Song Dynasty suddenly passed away. According to our intelligence, he died suddenly overnight. The night before his death, Zhao Guangyi brought medicinal wine into the palace and gave Zhao Kuangyin a lot of the specially prepared medicinal wine. Then, Zhao Kuangyin died suddenly that night. Zhao Guangyi entered the palace at dawn and took over the palace, successfully ascending the throne as emperor. Even the two princes were unaware of this beforehand. This shows that Zhao Kuangyin's death was related to Zhao Guangyi."

"Based on intelligence analysis of Zhao Guangyi, if he becomes emperor, besides lacking ability, he is also narrow-minded. Zhao Dezhao, as a former strong contender for the crown prince, poses a threat to the succession. Therefore, Zhao Dezhao will inevitably be eliminated by Zhao Guangyi in the future. We will tell Zhao Dezhao all these facts, hoping to win him and Princess Yongqing over to our side and persuade the garrison of Chenliu City to surrender. At the same time, we will attack Bianjing under the pretext of 'purging the court of corrupt officials.' By then, the Song army's resistance will be much weaker." The generals were all surprised after hearing Su Chen's analysis. They hadn't expected that there would be so much open and covert struggle and turmoil in the succession to the Song throne. If Su Chen succeeded in sowing discord and could take Chenliu City without bloodshed, then this plan would be brilliant.

"Will Zhao Dezhao agree?" Lin Renzhao asked, frowning.

"We can only reason with them, appeal to their emotions, and promise the Zhao family enough benefits to ensure their descendants' wealth and prosperity for generations to come. As long as the Wu Kingdom exists, they will not mistreat their family." Su Chen made this guarantee in the hope of putting Zhao Dezhao at ease.

Su Chen planned to handle this matter personally, as only his status was sufficient to provide Zhao Dezhao with assurances.

After the meeting ended, Su Chen returned to his tent first. Peng Jingjing and Meng Yutong were chatting inside. When they saw Su Chen return, they both showed warm smiles.

Peng Jingjing asked, "Husband, I heard that the Song Dynasty has come to negotiate peace?"

Su Chen smiled slightly: "Yes, if they want our Wu army to withdraw, they can cede territory, pay reparations, and offer tribute. They've even brought a princess, intending to add a marriage alliance!"

"Huh? So you agreed?" Peng Jingjing asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course not. We're about to destroy the Song Dynasty, how could we accept peace talks? Even if it's ten princesses, let alone one, I wouldn't agree," Su Chen joked.

"That's more like it!" Peng Jingjing stepped forward, gently hugged Su Chen's arm, and couldn't help but act coquettishly.

Although Peng Jingjing is a woman who dresses as a man and is dashing and capable of leading troops into battle when she is outside, she is only a little bird, gentle and playful in front of Su Chen.

Meng Yutong asked, "Did my husband directly refuse the peace envoy?"

"Not yet. Zhao Dezhao and Princess Yongqing have been left in the military camp, while the other envoys have been sent back to Chenliu City. I plan to use a divisive tactic, and I'm going to do this."

Su Chen told Meng Yutong his thoughts and asked her to help him make a decision.

“Hmm, this strategy is like cutting off the fuel supply. Once it succeeds, Chenliu City will be easily taken over without bloodshed. It is indeed worth a try. How about I accompany my husband, no, Marshal Su, to meet the two imperial siblings of the Song Dynasty?” Meng Yutong smiled slightly, her eyes shining with a clear light, looking very interested.

Su Chen knew that Meng Yutong was very intelligent. In the past few years, she had been strategizing and commanding secret guards in Bianjing City. She had been engaged in espionage and was very experienced. She was also familiar with negotiation skills. In addition, her identity as a princess of Later Shu was also a shock to the Song Dynasty's imperial siblings. So he agreed and planned to confront Zhao Dezhao and Princess Yongqing tonight.