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Chapter 518: Marriage (I)

In the previous life, Emperor Taihe had passed away at this time, and the young Jiang Hao was helped to ascend the throne. Rouran Khan Fu Mingdun sent an envoy to Daliang with a letter of credence, asking to marry the Daliang princess.

The young emperor was young and ignorant, and the regent Empress Dowager Zheng and the assisting Prime Minister Wang did not want to go to war with the Rouran, so they agreed to the marriage.

The young and beautiful Princess Baohua, with a very rich dowry, married to the Rouran people. Within a few years, she died of depression.

From the moment Prime Minister Wang took out the letter today, Jiang Shaohua's face darkened and he watched coldly as the court officials argued over the matter.

At this time, Prime Minister Wang put on a posture of respectfully asking for advice. Jiang Shaohua had no intention of forbearing at all and said coldly: "Since the Prime Minister asked this princess, then this princess will make her attitude clear."

"I absolutely do not agree to the marriage!"

"The Rouran cavalry massacred Pengcheng, abducted tens of thousands of civilians, and caused heavy casualties to the border troops. This blood feud must be repaid with blood. Moreover, the Rouran are ambitious and have been eyeing Daliang covetously. Having tasted the sweetness of success, they will sooner or later send troops to invade the border again. When that happens, it will be a national war."

"The so-called marriage is nothing more than exchanging a delicate woman and a large amount of gold and silver for a short period of peace. It can't solve any substantive problems at all. So, I don't agree."

Jiang Shaohua's cold and resolute words echoed in everyone's ears.

The generals were all cheered up after hearing this. As generals, the right thing to do is to defend the country against foreign enemies. To seek temporary peace by marrying a delicate girl was like a slap in their face.

As for the civil officials, their feelings were much more complicated. Dong Shilang and Yang Shilang naturally supported the princess. As for the shrewd and calculating Prime Minister Wang and Zhang Shangshu, it was unknown what they were thinking.

Minister Ji of the Ministry of Revenue suddenly spoke up: "The princess is right. I don't agree with the marriage either."

Princess Baohua was the only blood of the late Empress Ji and the granddaughter of Minister Ji. Minister Ji naturally did not want his granddaughter to marry the old and cruel Fu Mingdun, and she was not his legal wife. Yanshi was equivalent to a concubine in the palace.

How could a dignified Princess of Daliang endure such humiliation!
Li Shangshu glanced at Ji Shangshu who was filled with righteous indignation, and thought to himself, at this time, why don't you, an old man, calculate the account of the Ministry of Revenue and complain that the war will drain the national treasury? In the final analysis, there is no real right or wrong in state affairs, only different positions and different choices.

Prime Minister Wang hesitated for a moment and said, "This matter is of great importance. We must report it to the emperor in person and let the emperor make the decision personally."

Jiang Shaohua unexpectedly opened her mouth again: "This princess and the prime minister will go together."

Prime Minister Wang frowned again, but did not object and nodded in agreement.

The Umrah will be temporarily suspended.

Jiang Shaohua and Prime Minister Wang went to the emperor's bedroom. Prime Minister Wang presented the letter of credence first. Emperor Taihe, who had been able to walk around the bedroom twice, became furious after reading the letter of credence and threw it to the ground.

"This is really too much! My elder sister is beautiful, gentle, dignified and virtuous. How could she marry a fifty-year-old man as a concubine? This is a humiliation to Daliang, and even more so to me!"

"Prime Minister Wang! There is no need to discuss this matter. Just pass on my order and reject it immediately. Drive the Rouran envoy out of the capital!"

Finally, we have the decisiveness that the Emperor of Daliang should have!
Jiang Shaohua secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his expression slightly relieved: "The Prime Minister has heard what the Emperor said. Please ask the Prime Minister to personally reject the Rouran envoy and say that Daliang will never marry the princess to a distant place for a marriage, so that the Rouran will completely give up this idea."

Prime Minister Wang hesitated for a moment, raised his head and said to Emperor Taihe: "Your Majesty, please calm down for now and listen to what I have to say." "It is indeed unpleasant to hear the princess marrying a foreign prince, and it also makes Daliang look too cowardly and incompetent."

"But if we refuse, it will give the Rouran an excuse and reason to send troops. The Rouran have been eyeing our Daliang covetously. If they march in large numbers, I'm afraid that with the combat power of the border troops, I'm afraid they may not be able to resist."

"At that time, Daliang will mobilize the whole country to fight the Rouran. Of course, it would be great if we win, but if the war goes badly, the Rouran cavalry will rampage and kill people, innocent people will die, lives will be lost, and the country will be unstable. Has the emperor thought about the consequences?"

Emperor Taihe glared at each other and said, "If the Rouran dare to send troops, Daliang will fight them. If we win, Daliang will prosper. If we lose, it means I am incompetent and ashamed of my ancestors and the people. What does all this have to do with my eldest sister?"

Prime Minister Wang was speechless.

Jiang Shaohua's eyes sparkled, and he almost applauded Emperor Taihe: "Your Majesty, what you said is very good!"

"Marriages between princesses and foreign countries have been a tradition since ancient times. But every time I read history books, I mostly see the tragic fate of princesses who died early. Only when the country is prosperous and powerful can the country be stable. The Rouran are ambitious. Even if the emperor agrees to the marriage, there will not be peace for many years. It is better to prepare early and be ready to respond to the Rouran's military action at any time."

Emperor Taihe nodded: "My cousin is right. I want to meet with several generals now. I want to ask them in person how they will respond if the Rouran send troops."

As he spoke, Emperor Taihe signaled to Eunuch Ge, who immediately stepped forward and held Emperor Taihe's arm.

Emperor Taihe had not left his bedroom for a long time. At this moment, supported by Eunuch Ge, he stepped out. It felt as if he was in another world.

Jiang Shaohua followed closely behind, and Prime Minister Wang followed silently with mixed feelings.

When Emperor Taihe appeared in the Showa Main Hall, all the civil and military officials were surprised and delighted, and all bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty."

Emperor Taihe said, "My dear ministers, please stand up."

After the emperor and his subjects exchanged greetings, Emperor Taihe said directly: "I have read the letter and I do not agree. There is no need to discuss this matter."

"Now, I want to ask you, if the Rouran use this as an excuse to send troops, how should we respond?"

The left general was the first to speak up, "Your Majesty, I have been stationed at the border for more than ten years and have fought against the Rouran cavalry many times. I am most familiar with their combat power. The Rouran cavalry have been trained since childhood. They eat and drink on horseback, and riding is like breathing. Speaking of cavalry alone, the Rouran cavalry is extremely brave and unparalleled in the world. The Daliang border troops are good at defending the city, holding the city, and keeping the Rouran cavalry out of the city gates. It is not easy to counterattack and defeat the Rouran."

Zuo Feng is not pouring cold water on others, what he said is the truth.

General Bao, General Liu, General Song and the newly promoted General Sima each nodded.

"Although Daliang has a horse farm and has raised a lot of war horses over the years, the cavalry only accounts for 30% of the army. And most of them are one man and one horse, and the elite cavalry with two horses only account for 10% at most."

"I'm afraid that even if we use all this wealth to fight the Rouran, it may not be enough."

Previously, the generals were enthusiastic and unwilling to let the princess marry. Now that Emperor Taihe had made up his mind and asked about how to fight the Rouran, the generals' attitudes suddenly changed subtly.

……