Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2774 Utilizing the resources of the Qing Dynasty to win the favor of foreign powers

Li Xiang nodded, his gaze fixed on the other person, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

Xuan Ye did not get up immediately, but continued to speak, his voice resounding throughout the hall, clear and distinct.

"Your Majesty, Xuan Ye and the entire Manchu Qing Dynasty are deeply grateful for the grace of our Celestial Empire's embrace and its virtue of rebirth."

"Xuan Ye hereby swears that the Manchu people are willing to give their all, using all their resources, to win the favor of the foreign power! From this day forward, wherever Your Majesty's sword points, that will be the direction of our Manchu cavalry!"

"Use the resources of the Manchu Qing Dynasty to win the favor of foreign powers!"

He spoke these words with such conviction, as if this were not a humiliation, but an incomparably glorious mission and responsibility.

On the dragon throne, Li Xiang's smile deepened, but deep within his eyes, where no one could see, the murderous intent also intensified.

"good!"

Li Xiang stood up and said, "Give me wine! Today, I and the 'Dancing King of Luoyang' will not leave until we are drunk!"

The hall was instantly filled with the clinking of glasses and the atmosphere reached its peak of excitement. However, beneath those smiles, everyone's thoughts were elsewhere.

Xuan Ye smiled as he accepted the imperial wine, drank it all in one gulp, and felt the spicy liquid slide down his throat.

He maintained a respectful smile, but out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the supreme figure, and a thousand thoughts flashed through his mind.

The banquet finally came to a close in the evening.

However, several important ministers, including Wang Meng, Zhuge Liang, and Zhang Liang, did not leave the palace immediately after the banquet.

"Tell me everything!"

Li Xiang spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

"Our 'Dance King of Luoyang' has reminded me of Goujian with his dance today!"

"How similar today's scene is to that of King Goujian of Yue in the history books!"

"What do you, my esteemed ministers, think we should do with this 'Dancing King of Luoyang'?"

Meanwhile, several of the important ministers below secretly rolled their eyes in their hearts.

If Emperor Xuan Ye didn't dance this dance today, you would probably accuse him of disobeying the imperial decree and harboring rebellious intentions.

But when someone jumped, they compared it to Goujian.

Anyway, no matter what the other party chooses, they'll still find a way to kill someone!

However, while they thought this way, when it came time to offer suggestions, the ministers below also had to speak up.

Wang Meng was the first to speak, and his style was as straightforward as ever.

"Your Majesty, this young man possesses the qualities of a hero and the ability to endure humiliation. As Your Majesty has said, he is comparable to Goujian!"

"Today he can kneel and dance, enduring the humiliation of being called the 'King of Dance' without flinching; if he gets the chance in the future, his revenge will be fierce!"

"His words are a calculated measure of the resources of the Qing Dynasty, intended to win the favor of foreign powers. He appears submissive, but in reality, he is using retreat as a means of advancement to lull our dynasty into complacency. His intentions are treacherous! Your subject advocates killing him."

The single word "kill" is crisp and decisive, carrying a chilling edge.

Wang Meng continued, "To eliminate the root of the problem and prevent future troubles, we must destroy their leader, divide their tribe, and completely assimilate the Manchus into the empire. Only then can the eastern grasslands truly find peace. This approach minimizes the cost and maximizes the benefit."

Li Xiang's gaze flickered slightly, remaining noncommittal, before turning to the other side and asking, "Kongming, what do you think?"

Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan, his expression calm, and said, "Your Majesty, Minister Wang is a wise and experienced strategist who truly addresses the root of the problem. However, killing him would have both advantages and disadvantages." Zhuge Liang did not pause but continued speaking slowly.

"As Minister Wang said, the benefits can be achieved once and for all."

"However, the drawbacks are equally significant. Firstly, killing those who surrender and submit might discourage those who have pledged allegiance. If Your Majesty can kill Xuan Ye, who gladly came to court today, who among the other vassal leaders would dare to easily enter Luoyang tomorrow?"

"Secondly, Xuan Ye has a very high prestige within the Manchu Qing Dynasty. If he is killed suddenly, his tribe may not be able to digest him smoothly, which may cause chaos and deplete our military and national strength."

Thirdly!

Zhuge Liang paused slightly before continuing, "Since His Majesty has jokingly bestowed upon him the title of 'Dancing King of Luoyang,' I fear it will soon spread throughout the land."

"If we were to take his life again in the blink of an eye, it would damage Your Majesty's reputation for benevolence. It would be easily interpreted by the world as playing with him and then killing him, which would be unbecoming of Your Majesty and the magnanimity of our Celestial Empire."

"Then what is your opinion, my dear minister?" Li Xiang continued to press.

"I, your subject, advocate against killing."

Zhuge Liang said, "Our dynasty can follow the ancient strategy of restraint and release them back to the grasslands, but we need to increase our control over them."

“We can ask them to send more hostages and send imperial officials to be stationed in Shengjing to ‘assist’ in governing and divide their power.”

"At the same time, we vigorously supported other forces within the Qing Dynasty, causing them to suffer internal strife and become unable to look south."

"In this way, Xuan Ye's survival can serve as a symbol to stabilize the situation in the eastern grasslands and avoid the chaos caused by a power vacuum. We only need to hold the reins tight, and he will not be able to cause any trouble. This is a strategy of slowly boiling a frog in water."

"Your Majesty, Zhuge Liang's strategy is prudent and steady, but it is somewhat passive. Jing Lue's strategy is decisive and ruthless, but it is also somewhat cruel. I have a compromise strategy."

Following Wang Meng and Zhuge Liang, Zhang Liang also spoke.

"Xuan Ye, we certainly cannot let the tiger return to the mountain so easily. But killing him immediately, as Kongming said, will also cause many troubles in the future."

Zhang Liang smiled and said, "Why don't we find an 'irresistible' reason to keep him in Luoyang?"

"Oh? What reason?" Li Xiang asked thoughtfully.

"Your Majesty may issue an edict praising Xuan Ye for his deep admiration for the culture of our Celestial Empire, and grant him special permission to stay in Luoyang for 'further study.' Your Majesty may personally appoint eminent scholars to teach him the classics, etiquette, and systems of the Central Plains. Furthermore, Your Majesty may bestow upon him a luxurious mansion and appoint him to a high-ranking but honorary official position, allowing him to live a life of honor and comfort," Zhang Liang said slowly and calmly.

"At the same time, Your Majesty may issue an imperial edict to the Qing Dynasty, stating that Emperor Xuan Ye of the Qing Dynasty is grateful for the grace of the Emperor and is willing to stay in the capital to study the ways of the sages so as to better govern the vassal states and educate the people in the future. Therefore, he shall order the Qing Dynasty to elect a new ruler and report to the Celestial Empire for investiture."

"This way!"

A glint flashed in Liu Bowen's eyes. "Xuan Ye has become a hostage in my hands. The Manchus are hesitant to act rashly, fearing the consequences."

"The new ruler is young, and the government will inevitably be controlled by officials I send or nobles who are close to our dynasty. We can take things slowly and gradually take back the real power of the Qing dynasty without losing a single soldier."

"This is a strategy of holding a hostage to seize power. It preserves His Majesty's reputation for benevolence while subtly weakening him, effectively controlling the Qing Dynasty. If he remains obedient, he'll be a wealthy and idle 'Dancing King of Luoyang.' But if he makes any moves..."

Liu Bowen didn't continue, but just smiled meaningfully.

Li Xiang slowly leaned back in his chair, his left hand unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

After a short while, he finally spoke, "Zifang's strategy is very much to my liking."

"Goujian endured hardship and humiliation, and eventually destroyed the state of Wu. We should take this as a warning!"

"However, there's no rush!"

"After the trip to Mount Tai, we will formally issue an edict to Emperor Xuan Ye!"