Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 729 Mission
Having devised a plan, Zhao Zhen stopped summoning Zhu Danchen.

That night, Wu Yong went alone to Huaiyuan Post Station and met with Zhu Danchen.

The next day, Wu Yong and Zhu Danchen left Huaiyuan Post Station and returned to Dali Kingdom through the misty passage.

These past few days, King Duan Zhengyan has also been waiting for news from Zhu Danchen, and has ordered Fu Sigui, one of his four trusted guards, to guard the misty passage.

As soon as Zhu Danchen returned, Fu Sigui took him to see Duan Zhengyan.

After hearing Zhu Danchen's words, Duan Zhengyan asked, "So, the Liang Kingdom has agreed to form an alliance with Dali?"

"Your Majesty, in principle, the Liang Kingdom agrees to form an alliance with Dali, but the conditions have not yet been agreed upon. To show his sincerity, the King of Liang has sent Wu Yong, the Imperial Secretary and Military Advisor, to meet with Your Majesty. He is waiting outside."

"Please!"

Zhu Danchen led Wu Yong to a side hall, where they met Duan Zhengyan. Behind the desk, Duan Zhengyan had a face like jade and eyes like bright stars; he was extremely handsome and refined.

After bowing, Duan Zhengyan spoke first: "I have heard of Mr. Wu's great name many times when I traveled the world. You assisted the King of Liang in controlling both routes in the east and west, and your wisdom and strategy are unparalleled. The King of Liang has sent you on this mission. I wonder what conditions the King of Liang has?"

Wu Yong lightly waved his feather fan and said, "Your Majesty, matters of state are of utmost importance and cannot be treated lightly. My king rose from humble beginnings and dares not be careless. Although he is tempted by the King of Dali's terms, he still has doubts."

"That's why I've come here."

"Sir, please speak."

"First of all, the first point is that when we send troops, we will inevitably spend a lot of military pay and supplies, which will have to be paid by the Dali Kingdom."

After speaking, Wu Yong looked at Duan Zhengyan.

Duan Zhengyan asked, "How much military pay and provisions does the Liang Kingdom need?"

Wu Yong said, "We need to reward those who go out to war, provide compensation for those who die in battle, and also pay for the consumption of food and supplies, the laborers and able-bodied men who transport the food, and reward them after the war. For an army of 100,000, we need at least a million strings of cash."

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhengyan looked at Chu Wanli, Gu Ducheng, Fu Sigui, and Zhu Danchen on the side. Zhu Danchen, the most shrewd of them all, nodded. "For an army of 100,000, considering the cost of food and supplies for men and horses, plus the wear and tear on armor and weapons, one million strings of cash is reasonable."

Duan Zhengyan nodded. "Is there anything else, Mr. Wu? Please tell me as well."

Wu Yong nodded. "My King of Liang was born into humble origins. Before ascending the throne, he was known in the martial arts world as 'Little Mengchang,' helping the poor and needy and upholding justice while protecting the needy. Now that I have ascended the throne as King of Liang, my nature remains unchanged."

"Some things are better discussed in advance to avoid violating moral principles."

"We will send troops to help the king quell the rebellious ministers. The prefectures we have captured will not be returned, so as not to damage the morale of the army."

"Furthermore, Miss Zhong is innocent and charming, with skin as smooth as jade and a smile as beautiful as a flower. Joining Liang Kingdom would certainly be a good thing. However, Miss Zhong Ling seems naive and inexperienced in worldly affairs. I wonder if she can shoulder the heavy responsibility of maintaining good relations between Liang Kingdom and Dali Kingdom. After all, her surname is Zhong, not Duan. Does Dali Kingdom have any other choice?"

“Those who are to be married off must enter the Liang Kingdom in advance, and are considered hostages.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Duan Zhengyan said, "The cities that Liang conquered were originally meant to go with Liang. It is perfectly reasonable for them to return to Liang."

“Ling’er is a bit naive, but that’s precisely why the King of Liang doesn’t need to worry about her being a threat to the country after she marries into Liang.”

"As for your concern about relations between the two countries, sir, we can send another envoy. Zhong Ling is my half-sister, and she has lived with my mother since childhood, so she does not have the surname Duan."

“Didn’t she grow up in the palace? Doesn’t that mean she has no affection for the king?” Wu Yong asked loudly, frowning.

Duan Zhengyan listened, but felt somewhat irritated. Back then, the Gao family had usurped the throne and deposed the Duan family.

With the alliance of many powerful clans, the Gao family returned power to the Duan family. The one who inherited the throne was Duan Shouhui, the nominal grandfather of the Duan family from a collateral branch. The throne then passed to his uncle Duan Zhengming, his father Duan Zhengchun, and finally to himself.

He was actually the son of his mother, Dao Baifeng, and Emperor Shangde, Duan Lianyi, and was once the legitimate crown prince of the Dali Kingdom, Duan Yanqing.

These two branches of the Duan family are no longer related by blood, and Zhong Ling and he naturally have little blood relation to each other.

She was originally his confidante, but because of Gao's domineering nature, he could not marry her.

Having finally encountered external interference, Duan Zhengyan naturally wanted to seize the opportunity. During his wanderings in the martial world, he had heard of Zhao Zhen's reputation for being a womanizer, which is why he deliberately sent Zhong Ling on this mission.

Now that the topic has been brought up again, Duan Zhengyan said irritably, "Mr. Wu, Zhong Ling and I are half-sisters and the closest of friends. No one else can compare to her. If she cannot be a hostage, then no one else can."

Wu Yong pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Your Majesty, one person alone is not enough."

“Mr. Wu, even if I do have other sisters, they are all half-sisters who have been wandering the world since childhood.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wu Yong said, "Then let's add a few more people."

Duan Zhengyan's face turned extremely ugly upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, if hostages are not valued, then there is less need for them. With more people, even if Your Majesty changes your mind later, King Liang will still have won the beauty, which will be easier to accept. It will save you from blaming me later."

Zhu Danchen then spoke up, “Your Majesty, what Military Advisor Wu said is true. The three ladies, Zhong Ling, Mu Wanqing, and Wang Yuyan, have not yet been granted titles. There has long been criticism in the country, with many saying that the king is mistreating his younger sisters. Taking this opportunity, Your Majesty should bestow titles upon them and allow the three ladies to return to their hometowns to pay respects to their ancestors, which would also be a good opportunity for them to form marriage alliances with the Liang Kingdom.”

"In this way, we can avoid the Gao family's spies."

"Sister? Where did this come from?" Duan Zhengyan asked.

Chu Wanli said, "Your Majesty, it must have originated from the Queen's palace. Now it has spread throughout the city."

"It's the Gao family again," Duan Zhengyan growled.

"Brother Zhu, take Mr. Wu to [Yingfu Restaurant] for a look."

After speaking, Duan Zhengyan stood up and, under the protection of Chu Wanli and Gu Ducheng, walked out of the side hall.

Zhu Danchen sighed and said to Wu Yong, "Mr. Wu, come with me."

Wu Yong asked, "Lord Zhu, what is the King's doing?"

Zhu Danchen thought for a moment, then swallowed his words and said, "The king has three younger sisters, whom he met while traveling the world. The four of them are very close. Because of the Gao family, the king has no say in many matters. The matter of bestowing titles upon princesses has never been permitted by the Gao family."

"If this is used to tarnish the king's reputation, the king will naturally be angry."

"How could the Gao family be so arrogant?" Wu Yong asked.

"The Gao family is neither arrogant in deposing the emperor nor able to depose him and claim the throne. However, there are still many loyal and righteous people in the country who are devoted to the Duan family, so the throne was returned to the Duan family. However, all the prime ministers come from the Gao family, and the current empress is the daughter of Gao Shengtai and the sister of the current prime minister Gao Liangcheng."

(End of this chapter)