Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 728 Articles of Association
Wu Yong looked at Zhu Danchen and said loudly, "Your Majesty, putting aside everything else, how can we ensure that the King of Dali keeps his promise?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Danchen's eyes widened in anger, and he retorted, "The King of Dali is the ruler of a country, and his word is law. How could he go back on his word?"

Wu Yong said, “In military and national disputes, we must be cautious. It is inevitable that Liang soldiers will suffer casualties when they go on an expedition. If the King of Dali goes back on his word, what can we do? The Dali Kingdom is surrounded by mountains and miasma, and is full of snakes, insects and rats. The mountain roads are winding and difficult to traverse.”

"The lands we conquer are mostly uncivilized tribes. What we gain are only medicinal herbs, timber, and stone, while we spend countless sums of money and equipment. If everything goes smoothly, we can wipe out the tribes and eliminate the Gao clan in three to five years. If things don't go well, given the terrain, it may take thirty to fifty years to fight them."

"According to our established national policy, we will also adopt a defensive stance towards the Dali Kingdom. We will not actively venture deep into the mountains to pursue the barbarians. There is a risk of breaking the alliance just for the sake of forming an alliance and marriage, resulting in the loss of people, wealth, and land, which would be a losing proposition. Therefore, this matter is absolutely unacceptable."

"Your Majesty, this matter will bring nothing but harm to the Liang Kingdom. Your Majesty should reconsider."

Zhu Danchen retorted, "Our small country reveres Buddhism and admires the loyalty and righteousness of Confucianism in the Central Plains. How could we speak recklessly? If the King of Liang does not believe us, we can discuss it further, but he cannot slander our integrity."

Bao Shuya, who was standing to the side, stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, when my Liang Kingdom was founded, its allies were only the three kingdoms of Gao, Cao and Lu. If we could form an alliance with the Dali Kingdom to end the war, it would not be without its benefits."

"Our concern is that we will be exploited and our national strength will be depleted. If the Dali Kingdom can dispel our concerns, this matter is not impossible."

Wu Yong said, "My lord, the Dali Kingdom has no sincerity whatsoever. How can you dispel our concerns?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Danchen quickly replied, "If we had no sincerity, why would we have come again?"

“When I ascended the throne, I was restricted by the Gao family in every way. No matter how sincere I was, I dared not show it, for fear that something unbearable might happen.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Wu Yong interjected.

"The Miss Zhong who came last time, wasn't she the one to be married off to? What, if a marriage is arranged, can't we go to Liang Kingdom first? How many people in the marketplace know that the King is taking a concubine?"

"The King's new concubine, Lady Xu, has entered the palace, but not many people know about it yet. Only by having Lady Zhong enter the palace secretly first can we show the sincerity of the Dali Kingdom."

"That's one point. What does Envoy Zhu think?"

"This matter is not difficult. I wonder what other conditions Liang Kingdom has? Please tell me as well, so that I can report back to my country and the king."

Zhao Zhen nodded. "Envoy Zhu, if Dali Kingdom truly wishes to form an alliance, we should devise a set of rules. Let's leave it at that for now. There are still some days until spring. We'll work out a set of rules in the next few days, and please take them back to Dali Kingdom to report to the King of Dali."

After sending Zhu Danchen to rest at Huaiyuan Post Station outside the city, Zhao Zhen and his ministers began to discuss matters in Fengtian Hall.

First of all, should we go to Dali?
Not only Zhao Zhen, but everyone in the court agreed with this.

Putting everything else aside, the opportunity to expand territory and the presence of inside agents make it impossible to give up on this.

As for whether the occupied territory should be returned to the Dali Kingdom, everyone avoided the topic. Presumably, even the Dali Kingdom's ruler was mentally prepared for this.

It's impossible to give back territory that we've worked so hard to conquer just because of a marriage alliance.

This is not just a waste of money; more importantly, it damages the morale of the Liang soldiers. The territory they fought so hard to conquer was returned so easily by the king. Zhao Zhen said, "Guan Sheng also reported that the five prefectures now occupied by Liang—Shicheng, Dongchuan, Zuining, Huichuan, and Jianchang—are now fully bordering the Xiushan, Shanshan, and Weichu prefectures that the Dali king had agreed upon. Further west lies the capital of Dali."

Wu Yong said, “Your Majesty, these three places are controlled by the Gao clan, which is why they are to be given to the king as dowry. The king of Dali also knows that the prefectures we have occupied cannot be returned. Getting rid of the Gao clan will allow the Duan clan to regain power, which is better than being a puppet.”

"However, we do not know much about the Dali Kingdom. I think we should send envoys to the capital of the Dali Kingdom for a secret investigation."

Liu Huiniang asked, "Then what demands should we make of the Dali Kingdom?"

Wu Yong said, “First of all, the marriage alliance was proposed by the Dali Kingdom, so it must be done. However, the timing cannot be delayed, and it must even be done before the spring. It absolutely cannot be done as the Dali Kingdom’s king wants. If the Dali Kingdom purges its powerful ministers and consolidates its domestic forces and then goes back on its word, without any internal support, we may not be able to do anything to them.”

"Secondly, when we send troops, the Dali Kingdom will also have to pay for their wages and provisions."

Bao Shuya said, "Allies, apart from not being able to wage war, have little binding force. It would be much better if we could become the suzerain state of Dali. Not only would we receive annual tributes, but we could also summon Dali to wage war against our country at the same time."

After discussing for a long time, the group finally came up with a plan.

Wu Yong was to accompany Zhu Danchen back to the Dali Kingdom for a secret investigation. If it proved feasible, they agreed to join forces with the Duan family of Dali Kingdom to besiege the three prefectures occupied by the Gao family.

With these three locations added, they occupy eight prefectures of the Dali Kingdom, which can be considered as a separate route.

With these eight prefectures, the Liang Kingdom will no longer lack farmland or pack animals. A batch of these Yunnan horses sent to Fujian Road was highly praised.

Fujian, with its eight parts mountains, one part water, and one part farmland, is a perfect match for the Yunnan horses, which are adept at carrying loads over long distances along rugged mountain roads.

The best Yunnan horses could be used as warhorses, while the rest could even be used for trade. As draft animals, they would certainly be very popular.

Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "There is another matter, which is the world of the [Ten Provinces of Liao and Song] that I mentioned before. After the spring, this world will also border Liang. Soldiers were mobilized before the new year, so Liang will have to fight on at least three fronts."

"The strategist should go to Dali to meet with the king of Dali. It would be best to postpone the war. If we can subdue the world of the ten prefectures of Liao and Song, my father-in-law, Privy Councilor Tong, with his 100,000 soldiers, although he cannot deal with Song, would be a great help in attacking Dali."

"In this way, not only can the problem of insufficient troops be solved, but these soldiers can also be incorporated into our Liang Kingdom."

Everyone agreed with Zhao Zhen's words.

Zhao Zhen had been considering this matter ever since he learned about the world of the "Ten Prefectures of Liao and Song".

One hundred thousand imperial guards is no small number.

If this situation is not properly resolved, the consequences will be dire. Whether it is the emergence of a state within a state or an army that obeys orders but not summons, neither is something Zhao Zhen can tolerate.

As for Tong Guan's future, the position of Privy Councilor will remain vacant. However, he is absolutely out of the running for command of the army.

(End of this chapter)