After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 327 Historical Meeting
At this moment, it is late autumn.

Jing'an Lake, which used to be crowded with tourists for boating and boating, is now quiet.

The area around the lake had been cleared long ago, and important intersections were heavily guarded. Flags were flying on the hilltops on both sides, and countless soldiers were lurking on the hilltops, looking quite nervous as if they were facing a powerful enemy.

The isolated island is located in the center of the lake. There is a small pavilion on it and there are strange protruding rocks all around. It is a major scenic spot in Jing'an Lake, but at this moment it is breezy and quiet here.

Early in the morning, soldiers from both sides sent fifty people each to the island by boat to check it one by one. They checked the island almost thoroughly. Then the fifty people retreated at the same time to ensure the safety of the island.

At this moment, the autumn wind is blowing briskly, and the maple forests on both sides are dyed bright yellow.

Endless fallen leaves rustle down.

There is a solemn and solemn feeling in the air.

Xu Zhenying and his group were waiting on the west side of the lake. Although the Northern Expedition negotiations were so important, Xu Zhenying still left a large number of elite troops in Fengxiang Prefecture to continue advancing the war.

He brought Zhang Wanjun, Chang Zizai, Zhao Qiaonian, Mr. Lin, and the secretaries with him.

Of course, Xinzhou also selected a thousand people to maintain order.

At this moment, more than 3,000 people were hiding in the woods, waiting for Xu Zhenying's order.

However, this negotiation only involves three people.

As for the candidates for the other two people, they had been arguing about it for as long as they had been on their journey from Fengxiang Prefecture, but no conclusion had been reached until now.

It can be imagined that this negotiation can directly promote the unification of the north and the south. If the negotiation goes smoothly, the city of Bianjing will also become its possession.

Then this negotiation will surely leave a significant mark in the history books.

Everyone wants to witness this historic moment, everyone wants to be the person whose name will go down in history, and everyone wants to protect Xu Zhenying closely.

Everyone has their own selfish desires, but also has a sense of justice.

On the other hand, Elder Lin and Zhou Houfang never mentioned wanting to go along. It wasn't because they were afraid of danger, but because their fighting power was too weak. If anything went wrong during the negotiations, they would become a burden to His Highness.

Xu Zhenying finally chose Zhang Wanjun and Chang Zizai.

Everyone had no objection and was convinced.

Considering that Xu Zhenying is a girl, it would be best if the people accompanying her were a man and a woman.

It seems that there is no other person on the scene who can satisfy the needs of a man and a woman who have superb martial arts skills, sharp reactions, excellent observation skills, and who must be absolutely loyal to Xu Zhenying and willing to sacrifice their lives at the critical moment.

There is no doubt that Zhang Wanjun is the best in terms of quick wit in battle.

Although Chang Zizai doesn't hide his words, he has been fighting for many years, and his reaction and fighting ability are second to none.

No one could find any fault with this lineup.

Zhang Wanjun and Chang Zizai, who were chosen, naturally knew the importance of this mission, and they secretly made up their minds to protect Xu Zhenying at all costs.

Even if it means sacrificing my life.

However, Zhou Houfang was obviously more thoughtful. "Your Highness, the boatman must be one of our own. Please choose another boatman."

Xu Zhenying glanced past everyone's expectant faces, and then his eyes fell on Chang Yuanshan.

"Chang Yuanshan, you are responsible for rowing the boat."

Elder Lin also agreed: "Secretary Chang came from the military and has been working in the secretarial office for two or three years. He is a good candidate with a rough but meticulous approach."

Chang Yuanshan had a solemn look on his face and instantly felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders.

Soon, a team of 2,000 soldiers arrived at the west side of Jing'an Lake. They were on high alert with a clear division of labor. Half an hour later, Chang Yuanshan reported: "Your Highness, there are currently 500 archers deployed on the mountain, equipped with 10 telescopes. If you feel there is danger, give us a signal immediately. We have sent people familiar with the water to explore the lake and confirmed that Zhao Yi and his men did not set an ambush underwater."

"If I raise my hand, it means there is danger. If I wave my hand, it means the peace talks are successful, and you will immediately send someone across the bridge to wait at the Northern Border Camp."

Elder Lin understood immediately: "Your Highness feels that if the peace talks are successful, Zhao Yi will definitely invite you to join the camp."

"Yes."

Xu Zhenying looked at the heads that emerged one after another from the bottom of the water, and then looked at everyone busying themselves for her safety, especially Old Lin. At this moment, the old man had a worried look on his face, and it seemed that he couldn't wait to go with her.

Xu Zhenying smiled and comforted him: "Why are you all so sad? I'm going there to have a talk, not to die."

Mr. Lin seemed to be in trouble and hesitated to speak.

Xu Zhenying seemed to remember something. He quietly pulled Elder Lin aside and took out a letter from his bosom. "Elder Lin, don't open this letter yet. If something happens to me, you can open it. This is my great plan."

Elder Lin was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at her. "Pah, pah, pah, how can you say such an unlucky thing. Our people are everywhere on this mountain. Zhao Yi dare not act rashly!"

"Everyone makes mistakes. What if my boat capsizes and I fall into the water?"

Elder Lin said in a rather sarcastic tone, "Don't worry, Your Highness. We have even prepared the boat and ropes. We have also prepared hundreds of men who are familiar with water on the shore. We guarantee that even if the boat capsizes, your shoes will not get wet."

However, Elder Lin changed the subject again, "Your Highness should have listened to me earlier and married a royal husband and gave birth to an heir. If you are really harmed for the rest of your life, at least someone will inherit this huge family business, and Jinzhou Prefecture will not be torn apart."

Xu Zhenying held his forehead and said helplessly: "Oh, I forgot, I can swim."

Elder Lin stared at her, and the old man said seriously: "Your Highness, this old minister is serious. Please consider the matter of the Emperor's husband carefully."

Xu Zhenying had no choice but to admit defeat: "I'll think about it, I'll think about it."

"Really?" Lin Laoyi was delighted, completely forgetting that they were on the eve of the Northern Expedition. "I have prepared nearly a hundred young talents in Jinzhou Prefecture with picture albums and family information. When Your Highness comes back later, I can organize them to come and pay a visit to Your Highness."

The smile on Xu Zhenying's lips froze, and then she replied calmly: "Next time for sure."

"Okay." Old Lin naturally thought that "next time for sure" meant agreement, and he was so overjoyed that even his mood of seeing Xu Zhenying off became full of joy.

The issue of heirs has finally been resolved.

When Mr. Lin reacted, he found that there was a letter in his hand that Xu Zhenying had stuffed into his hand before leaving.

Hey, wait, what did His Highness say just now?

Oh, by the way, tell her not to open the letter until something happens to her.

These words immediately made Lin Laoru anxious, and he wished he could open it with his own hands right now.

Xu Zhenying, Chang Zizai and Zhang Wanjun paddled a small boat and slowly drifted towards the isolated island in the center of the lake.

The boatman was naturally Chang Yuanshan.

The boat looked small and plain, but Luo Qingzhou and his men had modified it overnight. It was made of iron inside and covered with wood outside, making it invulnerable to weapons. A small amount of black gunpowder was also hidden in the secret compartment in the cabin in case of emergency.

All four of them had weapons on them, and Xu Zhenying carried with him the dagger given to him by Jiang Yongkang.

Zhang Wanjun and Chang Zizai were fully armed, with long swords on their waists and daggers hidden on their calves. Zhang Wanjun even tied her hair up high and tied it with a hairpin, which was a rare occurrence for her.

Xu Zhenying only found out before setting off that the hairpin had an extremely sharp end and the top was tempered with a deadly poison. As long as Zhang Wanjun pulled out the hairpin, it would take her life in an instant.

Chang Zizai also completely restrained his usual carefree attitude. The young man was full of vigor and vitality, holding the hilt of the sword with one hand. At this moment, he was like a falcon, looking at the lake with a vigilant look on his face.

Xu Zhenying was still quite satisfied.

Thinking back to the time in Lan County, her army was just a mob, they could only fight with kitchen knives, cooking utensils, machetes, etc., and they knew nothing about military tactics.

It has only been more than six years, and they have all become regular troops. Now they are even thinking of assassination and poisoning.

Yes, maybe today, she, Xu Zhenying, can really enter the Great Zhou and become the true master of this land in the other world.

Come to think of it, there's even some excitement.

Xu Zhenying stood at the bow, the autumn wind rustled on the lake, blowing up her dress. She stood with her hands behind her back, looking into the distance, watching the lonely island in the middle of the lake getting closer and closer.

Ten people were left outside the island in the middle of the lake, and Zhao Yi also left ten people on his side, in order to ensure that no one would go to the island to do anything after the previous search.

Xu Zhenying took out his pocket watch and estimated that it was about time.

She arrived five minutes early as a courtesy. As soon as the boat docked, Zhang Wanjun and Chang Zizai got off first, followed by Xu Zhenying.

Zhang Wanjun instructed the soldiers guarding the door: "Keep a close eye on them, and blow the whistle if anything happens."

These ten people were naturally the best fighters carefully selected from the army, and they all looked alert at the moment.

One of them handed over an oil-paper umbrella and said, "Your Highness, it's gloomy today. It might rain. Please take an umbrella with you."

Xu Zhenying was a little curious, wondering if this fan was some kind of hidden weapon.

She took the umbrella and weighed it. She didn't seem to find anything strange about it. She thought to herself that she was worrying too much. "Thank you."

So the three of them walked towards the pavilion on the island in the middle of the lake.

Chang Zizai was in the front, Zhang Wanjun was at the rear, and Xu Zhenying was guarding in the middle.

Going up the stone steps for a few steps, you will pass by a field of dead branches and leaves, and then you will see tall and dense trees. It is just a bit bleak in autumn, with all the leaves withered and yellow, which is quite an autumn scene.

The island in the middle of the lake is not big. Xu Zhenying estimated that it is only a few thousand square meters, no more than a hundred meters away. There is almost no place to hide on the island, and the end can be seen at a glance. This also greatly prevents someone from hiding on the island and causing trouble.

Xu Zhenying said, "The soldiers who came to serve as the vanguard are really dedicated. I see that many of the trees have been cut down. I guess they are afraid that someone may be hiding."

Chang Zizai said, "The soldiers of the second squad came to clean up the site overnight. There are no trees on this island. Our people are scattered on the right shore, and they have telescopes in their hands. If you feel something is wrong, just raise your hand and signal, and thousands of arrows will be fired over there."

Xu Zhenying arrived at the island first. He then looked up and saw a small boat on the lake in the north, floating downstream. He couldn't help but curl his lips slightly: "Someone is coming."

Zhang Wanjun looked up and saw three men on the boat in front of her. The one in front was about thirty years old, tall and thin, strong and powerful, with a long sword on his waist. It was obvious that he was a soldier.

Behind him was an old veteran, who was a bit short and fat, with strong arms, a steady lower body and sharp eyes.

The last person was a familiar face.

Zhang Wanjun said “Huh”, which made Chang Zizai extremely nervous. “Your Highness, an old acquaintance has arrived.”

"Bai Ci'en?"

"Yes."

I have never heard of Chang Zizai.

However, seeing Zhang Wanjun's expression, Chang Zizai became even more alert.

Among the three people on the boat, Bai Ci'en saw Xu Zhenying first. Although Xu Zhenying was also in Qianzhou that year, Bai Ci'en had only seen Ming Xiaoshuang, Zhang Wanjun and others.

At that time, Xu Zhenying was already quite famous. Thanks to her, the Bai family paid a huge price of 200,000 taels of silver to redeem him, which made him lose face in front of his family for a while.

Bai Ci'en naturally felt humiliated at the time, but when he thought about it afterwards and was able to review the whole incident from the perspective of an observer, he realized that this woman was smart.

With just a few words, Xu Zhenying saved his life and won the loyalty of the natives for two hundred thousand taels of silver, thus killing two birds with one stone.

But in the final analysis, Xu Zhenying was just doing her a favor by taking the Bai family's money.

Whenever Bai Ci'en woke up in the middle of the night, he could not help but sigh at the woman's methods.

Later, when he arrived in the northern border, the name of Xu Zhenying followed him like a shadow.

Especially when Jiang Yongkang captured three cities in the east in one fell swoop, the entire north was extremely shocked. More and more people in the army were discussing Xu Zhenying. When they learned that Qiu Ju'niang brought her students to the army to get the cowpox vaccine, Xu Zhenying's reputation in the north reached its peak.

Now that I think about it, isn't this one of Xu Zhenying's means of winning over people's hearts?

She is always like this, moistening things silently, and when people are not prepared and aware, she suddenly opens her bloody mouth -

Now that Bai Ci'en had met Xu Zhenying in person, he couldn't help but feel emotional.

He stared at her intently, as if he wanted to see her clearly, as if he wanted to know what the person he had been chasing after all these years looked like.

Looks... quite ordinary...

His facial features were not outstanding, and he looked no different from ordinary people, except that his clothes and hair were weird.

But those eyes were as mysterious as the sea.

Calm, cool, composed, and confident, she is like a noble goddess, overlooking everything in the world.

At this moment she was smiling slightly, leaning on the railing and looking into the distance, as if she was waiting for them.

General Gu beside him reminded him, "General, be careful. This woman should not be underestimated. I heard that they cut down all the tall branches on the island last night. Not to mention that several groups of people came to the island to inspect, and later they inspected the bottom of the water again, and did not leave until they were completely sure it was safe. These people in Jinzhou Prefecture are too meticulous in their work..."

Zhao Yi said "hmm" and was obviously lost in thought as he looked at the island in the middle of the lake. It was unknown what he was thinking about.

Bai Ci'en said, "Both sides have their own weak points, so they will naturally be cautious."

General Gu looked at the gloomy sky and said, "General, it looks like it's going to rain."

Zhao Yi raised his head and looked at the dark clouds in the distance, his brows slightly furrowed, but he said nothing.

The boat docked and the three people climbed up the stairs. Xu Zhenying was already waiting there. The meeting between the two people was destined to go down in history, but the scene looked so ordinary.

Different from the leisurely attitude of the person involved, it was obvious that the two people behind them tensed up instantly.

Zhang Wanjun and Chang Zizai's five senses were infinitely magnified at this moment!

The two teams looked at each other and saw murderous intent in each other's eyes!
General Gu was horrified. Why did the two young people in front of him have such a murderous aura of veterans?
Especially there are women among them!
Although he had heard that girls in Jinzhou Prefecture could become prime ministers, earn a living outside, study and take examinations just like boys, General Gu was still shocked when he saw it with his own eyes.

Especially for such an important meeting today, Xu Zhenying actually brought a female general with him. This shows that the little girl opposite must have some outstanding qualities.

General Gu was immediately aroused and itched to try his luck.

What kind of soldiers can women be?

I really want to test this girl's abilities.

On the other hand, Xu Zhenying and Zhao Yi were like old friends who had not seen each other for a long time. They just nodded slightly and exchanged glances, and that was all.

Zhao Yi's sharp eyes had just looked at Xu Zhenying for a moment.

too young.

So young that it gives people the illusion that it is not quite real, like a dream.

Xu Zhenying was not tall, but she was dressed neatly. Zhao Yi didn't know if all the women in Jinzhou Prefecture dressed like her. She looked out of place and very weird, but there was no sign of helplessness on Xu Zhenying's face when being stared at. She didn't seem to care that she was an alien in the eyes of others. Instead, she looked at him with a smile.

It was Xu Zhenying who broke the silence first. "General Zhao, based on the principle of fairness and voluntariness of both parties, we will hold peace talks this time on the issue of the land in the north and the ownership of the 200,000 troops. Before that, I apologize to you first."

Zhao Yi was secretly surprised.

He thought that before the peace talks, Xu Zhenying would definitely give him a warning to let him know who has the bigger arms.

This is also the reason why General Gu was very nervous when he set foot on the island in the middle of the lake.

But they never expected that the man in front of them was smiling the whole time, and was in a completely leisurely, relaxed and contented state. The three of them were acting as if they were facing a great enemy, which inexplicably gave out a signal of stage fright.

What's more, Xu Zhenying actually called Zhao Yi "you".

Zhao Yi didn't know whether this was their Jinzhou Prefecture's usual custom.

But the only thing he was sure of was that Xu Zhenying's politeness was not a reason for him to look down on her.

Because nothing Xu Zhenying has done can be underestimated!

The man before him was the only traitor in history who started from scratch and yet was able to own two-thirds of the country’s territory!

She's even a woman under 20 years old!
Zhao Yi has never looked down on Xu Zhenying!
"As for me, when you invited me to the Northern Frontier military camp for a private talk, I published this matter in the newspaper and spread it widely, thus destroying your livelihood. This was indeed an unkind act on my part."

Xu Zhenying apologized, but he kept smiling. "But please understand that before you officially surrender, I will definitely regard you as an enemy. I will never leave any way out for the enemy, and I will never be merciful to the enemy."

Zhao Yi choked and couldn't find the words to refute.

"But." Xu Zhenying changed the subject, instantly making people's hearts tighten. "Now I can confirm General Zhao's sincerity, and I can barely treat you as one of my own. I have always been very good to my own people. If General Zhao has any conditions, you might as well put them forward and we can talk about them together."

Zhao Yi said coldly: "Your Highness Prince Zhao, how can you be sure that I have the intention to surrender?"

"If the general had no intention of surrendering, why would he secretly invite me to a private talk? My journey north will take at least ten days. The person in Bianjing City is already in a hurry, so how can he afford to delay? I'm afraid that General Zhao has been charged with treason and has no other choice but to surrender."

"Maybe I was thinking of ascending the throne and deceiving you to come to the northern border, and then using the emperor as a hostage to control the princes of Jinzhou Prefecture?"

Xu Zhenying sighed and said, "If this is true, then General Zhao is really stupid."

"Reconciliation?" Zhao Yi said coldly, "Could it be that His Royal Highness Prince Zhao looks down on the 1.2 million people in the three prefectures of my northern border?"

"That's not the case." Xu Zhenying made a "please" gesture, indicating that he should talk while walking. Zhao Yi was silent for a moment, then followed.

The two people strolled on the island in the middle of the lake like old friends.

"If you claim to be the king, even if you have an army of 200,000 and the support of more than a million people in the northern border, you will not be able to achieve anything. In two years at most, I will unify the Great Zhou by force. General Zhao, don't be impatient. Listen to me and give me some data."

Zhao Yi held his breath and said, "You say."

"Going back five years from this year, the tax revenue of the three cities on your border has decreased by about 10% every year. This data may sound complicated to you, but let me tell you this: if the tax revenue of the three cities was one million five years ago, it would only be two hundred thousand this year. That's right, the first reason why you can't make it big is that the North is very poor."

General Gu behind him suddenly twitched his eyelids.

Originally, when Xu Zhenying directly said that Zhao Yi would not be able to succeed in proclaiming himself king, he wanted to jump out and refute, but when he thought of Zhao Yi's instructions before he left, General Gu suppressed his anger.

Now that General Gu heard Xu Zhenying say that the northern border was poor, he really couldn't refute it.

Isn't it poor?

The people in the North are not only poor, but also miserable!
"Do you know that there are two things that people cannot hide? One is talent, and the other is poverty. Similarly, the poverty of the North cannot be concealed. The first reason why the North is poor is that the Great Zhou Dynasty may be in a small ice age. The temperature is dropping year by year, and it is getting colder year by year. The land in the north is already barren and fertile. In addition, due to weather reasons, the crop yield will only decrease year by year. And the current level of development is still in an agricultural society. In other words, as long as the harvest in the land is not good, the North will always be poor."

"The second reason is the population decline. I don't know if your Great Zhou Dynasty has conducted a census or statistics, but our people made a rough estimate and concluded that the population loss in the northern border is very serious. This is partly due to the climate, but more importantly, it is because of the continuous wars. In order to avoid the war, the people had to flee with their families."

"General Zhao, you seem to have the power of 200,000 troops, but that is just illusion. Without population and land, you can't support so many soldiers. I don't even need to attack you. I just need to surround the northern border like this. Within two or three years, your regime will fall apart."

At this moment, the three people from the North fell silent.

Only at this moment did Zhao Yi understand why Xu Zhenying was so unscrupulous in cutting off his retreat.

It was just as she said, he made himself king, which was the stupidest path.

He also never expected that Xu Zhenying had such a keen eye that he was fully aware of the plight of the North.

Although he had warned himself not to underestimate Xu Zhenying, Zhao Yi was still frightened by what Xu Zhenying said.

Back then, it took him several years to see the plight of the North.

In this first round, Zhao Yi suffered a complete defeat.

"If it were you, what would you do?"