I, the queen and the father, start with a deer as a horse

Chapter 255
Thinking of this.

There was a hint of anxiety in Zhou Huang's eyes, and it quickly disappeared.

"How is the battle on Lingnan Road?"

He looked up at Wang Zhi, the eunuch who was in charge of ceremonies and Bingbi in front of him, and asked indifferently.

Wang Zhi replied respectfully: "Return to Your Majesty, Bai Qi is already at the end of his strength, if there is no reinforcements, he will be wiped out by the Tiger Army in at most half a month!"

Hearing this, Emperor Zhou frowned slightly, and asked, "What if there are reinforcements?"

"This"

Hearing this question, Wang Zhi was at a loss for words for a moment, not knowing how to answer it.

Seeing his expression, Emperor Zhou already had an answer in his heart.

After a few breaths of silence, he spoke slowly, with a heavy tone: "Let the cabinet scholars come to see me."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Wang Zhi saluted and was about to turn around and leave.

At this time, Zhou Huang stopped him again.

"Wait a minute! Let all the supervisors come over!"

Wang Zhi was slightly taken aback, and soon realized that His Majesty must make some important decision, and hurriedly replied: "I will do it now, servant girl."

After speaking, he saluted again and turned to leave.

After half an hour.

Qianqing Palace.

Several cabinet scholars stood upright with serious expressions.

Eunuch Yuan Jun, Eunuch of the Supervisor of Rituals, Wang Zhi, Eunuch of Bingbi, and several other high-ranking eunuchs all stood by Zhou Huang's side.

With his head down, he looked respectful.

"Have you heard about the incident in Yongzhou?"

Zhou Huang's eyes swept over the bodies of several great scholars, and he asked.

"The minister heard about it."

Several grand scholars answered in unison.

Zhou Huang immediately asked: "How do you feel?"

Hearing this question, several grand scholars looked at each other, but they were all silent.

Seeing this, Emperor Zhou said, "You can say what you think, I won't blame you."

The voice fell.

The eyes of Wei Dongzheng, the second assistant to the cabinet, flickered, stood up, bowed his hands and said:

"I believe that the reason why the Prime Minister of the Qian Kingdom was able to defeat the Yan army was that the Yan army was caught off guard by relying on new weapons, and the second was that the Lord of the Yan Kingdom was eager for quick success and quick profit, and divided his troops to attack, sowing the seeds of disaster.

In fact, the strength of the Yan army is still far superior to the new army led by Prime Minister Qian. I believe that the emperor of Yan also understands this and will not withdraw his troops easily.

However, they will not continue to attack in a short time, but wait and see. As long as the Huben Army can repel Bai Qi, the Yan Army will enter the arena again!
If the Huben army can't take down Bai Qi, then the Yan army will only lend a helping hand when the imperial court is in a state of life and death...

At that time, even if the court can win, it will have to pay a huge price.

Therefore, the next half month is a critical moment. Your Majesty should reward the Huben Army heavily, send additional manpower, and defeat Bai Qi with a thunderous force, so that the Emperor of Yan can see the bravery of Zhou Erlang! "

These words spoke loudly.

Zhou Huang and the rest of the bachelors frowned after hearing this.

"You mean, the imperial court wants to pin their hopes on the Yan Kingdom, so they will put all their eggs in one basket and concentrate their forces on Lingnan Road to fight Bai Qi to the death?"

Zhou Huang looked at Wei Dongzheng with deep eyes, and said coldly.

Wei Dongzheng was silent for a while, and said in a deep voice: "I think this is the best choice for the imperial court."

As soon as this word comes out.

Zhou Huang's expression changed.

The chief assistant of the cabinet beside him, Xie Qian, a scholar of Huagaidian University, even yelled loudly.

"absurd!"

Wei Dongzheng looked at Xie Qian, and said tit for tat: "If Mr. Xie Ge finds it ridiculous, he will come up with a more suitable method."

Xie Qian said coldly: "Even if there is no suitable way to deal with it, it is better than pinning your hopes on other countries."

Hearing this, Wei Dongzheng frowned, opened his mouth, and wanted to refute.

Before he could speak, he was interrupted by Emperor Zhou.

"Let you come here, it's not for quarreling!"

The voice fell.

Both Xie Qian and Wei Dongzheng fell silent.

Zhou Huang looked at the two of them and suddenly realized.

If these two could really come up with a solution, the court would not be in such a passive situation.

He sighed in his heart, stopped going around in circles, and spoke out his inner thoughts.

"I plan to send an additional 10 people to Lingnan Road, and then mobilize food, weapons, and horses from various roads to support the Huben Army."

As soon as this word comes out.

A gleam burst out of Wei Dongzheng's eyes, and he hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty is holy!"

Xie Qian's face was incomparably solemn, and he persuaded with a heavy tone:
"Your Majesty, most of Lingnan Road is a plain, so concentrating troops here is a desperate attempt. If we lose, the imperial court will have no way to retreat.

In my opinion, the terrain in the north is rugged, and there are Kunlun Mountains as a barrier. If the Huben army cannot resist, the imperial court can retain its troops and withdraw to the north of Kunlun to recuperate and wait for a comeback in the future."

When Wei Dongzheng heard this, there was a hint of disdain in his eyes, and he mocked:
"Withdrawing to the north of Kunlun Mountain, is it possible for the imperial court to make a comeback?
When Mr. Xie Ge said this, it was nothing more than greed for life and fear of death, and he did not dare to fight to the death with Gan Ren! "

"you!"

Enraged by these words, Xie Qian stretched out his hand and pointed at Wei Dongzheng.

Before he could speak, he suddenly heard Zhou Huang's voice sounding again.

"Be quiet! I haven't finished my words yet!"

As soon as this word comes out.

Wei Dongzheng and Xie Qian fell silent again.

Seeing this, Emperor Zhou said in a deep voice: "After three days of fierce attack by the Huben army, I will send people to negotiate with Bai Qi. If the conditions are suitable, I will sign an agreement and negotiate peace with Qian Guo."

The voice fell.

The Qianqing Palace fell into deathly silence.

The pupils of several cabinet scholars all showed a hint of trance.

Obviously, they never expected that His Majesty, who has always been rebellious, would choose to negotiate peace with Qian Guo.

but.

Calm down and think carefully.

It is reasonable for His Majesty to do so.

The 30 army of Yan State returned home in defeat in Yongzhou.

The Huben army could not attack for a long time.

Seeing that the gangsters are beating more and more, and the beatings are getting stronger, anyone will shrink back.

Furthermore, if you really put all your eggs in one basket, fight to the death.

If the imperial court is defeated, the officials like them will lose their heads at most, and if they are lucky, they may not even need to lose their heads.

As for Your Majesty, if you have to bear the infamy of the king of subjugation, the entire harem will suffer great humiliation.

Instead of this, it is better to try to negotiate a peace, even if it is to cede land and pay compensation, it is still the emperor of the Great Zhou.

Wei Dongzheng, who was still excited just now, heard the word "negotiation", and his heart sank instantly.

His face was extremely ugly, his eyes were bloodshot, he stared at Emperor Zhou, and said loudly: "Your Majesty! Absolutely not!"

aside.

Xie Qian snorted coldly, and said tit-for-tat: "Victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. If the court is at a disadvantage, why not negotiate with someone in exchange for a chance to recuperate?"

Wei Dongzheng glared at Xie Qian, opened his mouth, and wanted to say something.

Before he could speak, he was interrupted by Emperor Zhou.

"I called you here today not to discuss with you, but to let you carry out my will!
Since it is negotiating with Qianguo, all aspects must be involved. You are academicians and officials of various ministries. Today, let’s talk about the bottom line that you can bear in terms of territory, money, food, etiquette, etc. if you negotiate a peace.

With the bottom line, there is always some basis when negotiating. "

Speaking of this, he paused, looked at several eunuchs who were in charge of ceremonies, and said calmly: "When the elders are discussing matters, you should remember by the side, and if there is something wrong, bring it up in time."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

All the eunuchs and eunuchs saluted.

Except for Wei Dongzheng, the rest of the Cabinet Scholars looked at each other and saluted together: "I will obey the order!"

In the Qianqing Palace.

Only Wei Dongzheng stands straight.

His bloodshot eyes stared at Emperor Zhou, wanting to persuade him, but he knew in his heart that His Majesty would not change his mind easily.

Having said that, if His Majesty had followed his advice completely from the beginning, the imperial court would never have fallen into the predicament it is now.

Headstrong, indecisive.

There is determination to benefit the people, but there is no thunderous means to match it.

What he is doing is obviously a matter of great merit, but he is always concerned about the posthumous reputation.

If I had known that His Majesty was such a person, why would he have insisted on going his own way and carrying out the New Deal against the disapproval of the world!
Thinking of this.

Wei Dongzheng's heart became cold and he fell into silence.

After a while, he just accepted his fate, lowered his head, and saluted: "I obey the order."

Zhou Huang looked up at Wei Dongzheng with a slightly complicated expression.

Although the New Deal was proposed by him.

But the specific actions were taken by Wei Dongzheng every word.

It is no exaggeration to say that as far as the New Deal is concerned, there are no loopholes in Wei Dongzheng's memorial.

What he thought of, Wei Dongzheng could think of.

He didn't expect that Wei Dongzheng could think of it too.

Moreover, since the implementation of the New Deal, only Wei Dongzheng has remained steadfast in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty.

Even if the new deal harmed the interests of his Wei family, he did not hesitate to fully support the new deal!

Besides.

After the war with the Qian Kingdom started, Wei Dongzheng donated all his family property to support the imperial court without the slightest hesitation.

Although sometimes, the memorials he presented were too aggressive, but generally speaking, he still considered it from the perspective of the court and the common people.

Don't look at Zhou Huang's refutation of Wei Dongzheng from time to time on the surface, but in fact he regards him as his confidant.

Even if there were rebellions in various places and demanded to kill Wei Dongzheng, he did not remove Wei Dongzheng from the cabinet, but only removed his official position as Minister of the Ministry of War.

now.

Looking at Wei Dongzheng who was haggard in an instant.

Emperor Zhou felt unspeakably uncomfortable.

Not just for Wei Dongzheng, but also for himself.

Because he knew in his heart that no matter how many reasons he and the officials gave for the peace request, they could not change the fact that he was completely defeated.

The bachelors began to discuss around the bottom line of the summation.

The eunuchs in charge of ceremonies interrupted from time to time.

Sitting on the dragon chair, Emperor Zhou looked at them, and a figure could not help appearing in his mind.

The figure was far away from him, wearing a gold-rimmed scarlet robe, his face was hazy, and he couldn't see clearly.

"Prime Minister Fang Xiu."

The name echoed in Emperor Zhou's ears, causing a dazed look in his eyes, and an idea popped up involuntarily.

"If Fang Xiu was the chief assistant of my cabinet, would the New Deal have a completely different result?"

Time passed minute by minute.

Five hours later.

The cabinet and the inspector of ceremonies have almost reached the point of discussion.

A document was sent to Emperor Zhou, which recorded the bottom line that the court could accept when negotiating peace.

After Zhou Huang picked it up, he browsed it carefully for a while, then put it down.

Looking up at the crowd, he asked, "Who do you think should be sent to negotiate peace?"

The matter of peace negotiation is very involved, and a capable person must be sent as an envoy.

At the same time, this person must have a certain status in the court.

Two years ago, the peace envoy sent by the Qian Kingdom was Fang Xiu, the Prime Minister of the Qian Kingdom!
of course.

Although Prime Minister Qianguo is a peace envoy in name, he is actually only making the final decision.

The details of the negotiation were discussed by Qin Xingyan, Minister of the Household Department of Qian Kingdom.

This time.

Zhou Guo wanted to appoint a peace envoy, at least he had to choose from among the cabinet scholars.

Several cabinet scholars obviously understood this, and they all looked at each other in blank dismay.

After a while.

The chief assistant of the cabinet, Xie Qian, stood up and said respectfully: "I am willing to be the envoy for the peace negotiation."

Emperor Zhou looked at him and nodded: "The matter of peace negotiation involves a lot. Mr. Xie Ge is willing to shoulder the heavy burden for the imperial court. I am very relieved."

Xie Qian saluted and said, "I'm just doing my duty as a minister."

Zhou Huang nodded and said no more, just asked: "Do you have a candidate for a deputy envoy?"

The peace envoy is only making the final decision.

It is the deputy envoy who actually negotiates with Ganren and discusses the details.

Xie Qian shook his head lightly, saying no.

Zhou Huang thought for a while, looked at Wang Zhi, the eunuch who was in charge of ceremonies, and said, "Let Wang Zhi be your deputy envoy."

Hear this.

Wang Zhi's face showed anxiety, and he wanted to refuse, but he didn't know how to say it.

After holding back for a long time, I said: "Your Majesty, the status of slaves is humble, and I am afraid that they will not be able to do it!"

"You are my close minister, and you are in charge of Dongchang. Your status is not humble."

Zhou Huang said lightly.

Hearing this, Wang Zhi knew that His Majesty had made up his mind to shoot himself to negotiate with Gan Ren.

So, no longer struggling, Xie En said: "Your Majesty attaches great importance to this servant, let this servant take on this important task, this servant is grateful, and will definitely live up to His Majesty's trust!"

Zhou Huang waved his hand and said lightly: "Go down and get ready."

"Sir, please retire!"

"The slaves retire!"

The cabinet bachelor and the chief inspector all saluted and turned to leave.

Zhou Huang looked at their backs and was silent for a long time before letting out a sigh.

The sigh was mixed with unwillingness and hesitation, and it echoed in the Qianqing Palace for a long time.

the other side.

Lingnan Road, Xinyi City.

The pungent smell permeated the dilapidated city wall, which was disgusting.

Holding a sharp sword, Bai Qi strode forward with an extremely determined expression.

Since the Huben army attacked the city.

Every morning and evening, he would patrol the city wall alone and tell the soldiers that he was always there!
All around.

The soldiers guarding the city wore blood-stained clothes, held muskets in their hands, and looked tired.

However, when they saw the same ragged clothes but sharp eyes, they felt a sense of fighting spirit in their hearts.

Because they knew that even at the last moment, General Bai would be with them.

See the tired soldiers.

Bai Qi stopped, looked at them, raised his voice, and said loudly:

"All cheer up, hold on for another two days, reinforcements and supplies will be on the way!"

(End of this chapter)