Having many children brings many blessings; the struggle for power begins with marriage.

Chapter 354 Has the Prince already chosen a hostage?

Under the cover of night, a group of heavily armored soldiers were rapidly heading north. As they passed through a forest, a soldier suddenly appeared in the distance, galloping on horseback.

The soldier collided head-on with the heavy cavalry, fell off his horse, and appeared to be on the verge of death.

The commander of the heavy cavalry immediately raised his hand to stop his soldiers from advancing. He quickly dismounted and went directly to the soldier.

"I am He Ran, Commander of the Azure Dragon Guard. Tell me, what has happened in Youping County?"

Upon hearing this, the soldier lying on the ground quickly took out a piece of intelligence from his pocket and said, "General Zhan and General Xu have encountered an accident."

After saying that, the soldier fainted. It was clear that this soldier had hardly rested at all in order to deliver the intelligence.

Upon hearing what the soldier said, He Ran's face darkened instantly. He immediately said to the soldier next to him, "Take him down to rest and set up camp on the spot."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Ran opened the intelligence report that the messenger had given him. When the soldier next to him saw what He Ran was looking at, he quickly brought the torch closer so that He Ran could see it more clearly.

Upon seeing the contents of the intelligence report, He Ran was immediately alarmed. Their heavy cavalry chariots had marched north primarily to support the retreat of Da Wu's main force.

Unexpectedly, Grandmasters Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen disappeared, and the 200,000 Great Wu soldiers surrendered immediately. If this news were to reach the capital, the Emperor would likely be furious.

Although the intelligence report stated that Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen were missing, He Ran immediately guessed that the two of them must have encountered some misfortune.

The intelligence report also mentioned that the two of them went to Lingyun City to carry out a decapitation plan, intending to kill two grandmaster-level generals from the Northern Kingdom. However, they never came out after entering the city, which can only mean that they had met with misfortune.

He Ran did not believe that Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen, two loyal ministers of the Great Wu, would defect to the Northern Kingdom.

But to kill two Grandmasters, the Northern Kingdom would need at least a Grandmaster general in Lingyun City, right? Or does the Northern Kingdom already possess a weapon capable of killing Grandmasters? If so, then the Northern Kingdom's true strength is probably even more terrifying than they predicted.

Thinking of this, He Ran couldn't help but turn his head to look at the heavy cavalry behind him.

Even if his 20,000 heavy cavalrymen reached the front lines, they would probably be crushed by the northern army.

This news had to be reported to the court immediately. With that in mind, He Ran immediately began to write a memorial, and then handed it to several soldiers along with the letter he had just received, instructing them to send the news of Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen's accident back to the capital overnight.

a few days later.

The Great Wu Imperial Court.

The Great Wu court was unusually quiet today. Emperor Wu, sitting on the dragon throne, had a gloomy face. Seeing that his ministers were not saying a word, his mood worsened.

"You ministers usually enjoy arguing in court, so why have you all become mute at this crucial moment, unable to utter a single word?"

The most important topic at today's morning court session was whether to continue the war or seek peace with the northern kingdom.

Most of the ministers in the court wanted to seek peace, after all, the mysterious weapon of the Northern Kingdom was too terrifying. If the fighting continued, who knew how many people in the Great Wu would die, and they might not even have any hope of victory.

Since there is no hope of victory, we should quickly seek peace and then try to steal the manufacturing methods of the weapons from the Northern Kingdom.

Once Da Wu possesses the same weapons as the Northern Kingdom, they will then launch a preemptive attack on the Northern Kingdom.

Although the ministers thought this way, none of them dared to say it out loud, because everyone knew that Emperor Wu was a hardliner and would never compromise with the enemy. If anyone proposed peace at this time, it would likely anger Emperor Wu.

So the ministers simply kept quiet and dragged it out.

At this moment, Empress Wu's gaze fell on Chai Jiliang. Ever since Wu Yunwan's status as the eldest princess was revoked, Chai Jiliang had not been as proactive in submitting memorials as before.

Now, most of the officials in Wu Junwan's faction have already sided with other princes, and the number of officials in Chai Jiliang's faction is decreasing. However, it is precisely the officials in Chai Jiliang's faction who are pragmatic. Now that Wu Junwan has fallen, there are far fewer people doing the work.

At this point, Emperor Wu asked, "Minister Chai, do you think the war should continue, or should we proactively seek peace with the Northern Kingdom?"

Upon hearing this question, Chai Jiliang stood in the middle of the hall, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, now the only way is to seek peace."

Upon hearing this, the Martial Emperor's face darkened even further.

Chai Jiliang continued, "Your Majesty has lofty ambitions, but the weapons of the Northern Kingdom are far more powerful than those of the Great Wu. If we continue fighting, the Great Wu will only suffer more casualties."

Emperor Wu chuckled and then said, "Seek peace? Do you, my esteemed ministers, believe that if Great Wu takes the initiative to seek peace, the Northern Kingdom will immediately cease hostilities?"

At this moment, Chai Jiliang said, "Your Majesty, after the Northern Kingdom's army occupied Youping County, it has not moved south. If they really wanted to attack Dawu, they would have sent troops to continue south long ago. With the Northern Kingdom's current military strength, it is not impossible for the Northern Kingdom's army to occupy a few more counties."

At this moment, a minister stepped forward and angrily rebuked him, saying, "Lord Chai, are you from the Great Wu or the Northern Kingdom? How dare you boost the morale of others and diminish the prestige of the Great Wu!"

At this moment, the Empress, her face dark, stared intently at Chai Jiliang and asked, "Then why do you believe the Northern Kingdom has ceased its southward expansion, Minister Chai?"

Chai Jiliang said calmly:

"The reason why the Northern Kingdom has not moved south is that its strength is not enough to destroy a dynasty. If the Northern Kingdom continues to move south, it will inevitably make other dynasties more wary of its existence. At that time, the major dynasties may join forces to deal with the Northern Kingdom. Therefore, I believe that even if the Northern King really has the ambition to conquer the world, he will not actually attack Da Wu at this time."

"The Northern King's expedition to occupy Youping County was mainly to intimidate the major dynasties and let them know that the Northern Kingdom had the strength to dominate."

"In my opinion, if the Northern King wants to conquer the world, he must first seize the throne of the Great Xia."

Upon hearing this, the Martial Emperor raised his eyebrows slightly and fell into deep thought.

Just then, a soldier's voice came from outside the main hall, "Urgent report from Youping County!!!"

The hall fell silent instantly, and the ministers wore anxious expressions, wondering if the northern army had already marched south.

Soon, a messenger entered the hall, knelt on the ground, and held up an envelope with both hands. "Your Majesty, General Zhan and General Xu have disappeared, and 200,000 soldiers of the Great Wu have surrendered to the Northern Kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd in the hall erupted in uproar.

Missing?

Are you kidding me?

How did Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen suddenly disappear?

These two are the pillars of Da Wu. If anything happens to them, it will be a heavy blow to Da Wu.

After regaining his senses, the eunuch below the dragon platform quickly took the envelope from the messenger and presented it to the Empress.

Empress Wu grabbed the envelope from the eunuch's hand, tore it open, and began to read. After seeing what was written inside, Empress Wu fell silent once again.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the main hall became unusually heavy, and people seemed to feel a tremendous pressure that made it hard for them to breathe.

After an unknown amount of time, the Martial Emperor finally spoke, saying, "After Minister Zhan and Minister Xu led their troops back to Youping County, they planned to kill the two Grandmaster-level generals of the Northern Kingdom. However, they disappeared as soon as they reached Lingyun City. The 200,000-strong army was leaderless and eventually surrendered to the Northern Kingdom..."

As the Emperor finished speaking, he slammed his palm on the dragon throne, instantly shattering one side of it. A martial arts aura emanated from the Emperor's body, and the civil officials in the court who lacked martial arts skills were directly overwhelmed by this aura and knocked to the ground.

The ministers bowed their heads, trembling, not daring to utter a sound.

After an unknown amount of time, the Emperor's anger subsided slightly. He then composed himself and said, "My esteemed ministers, tell me, did Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen defect to the Northern Kingdom, or were they murdered?"

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, an official from the First Prince's faction stepped forward. "Your Majesty," he said, "the two old generals are loyal to the Emperor and love their country. They conquered half of the Great Wu Empire, served several emperors, and their families are still in Great Wu. They would never betray Great Wu!"

Xu Xingwen and Zhan Hong are both members of the First Prince's faction. If they betray Da Wu, countless people in the First Prince's faction who are related to the Zhan and Xu families will be in trouble.

Even if they had truly betrayed the Great Wu, the Crown Prince's faction could not admit it. Therefore, Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen had to die for their country. Of course, they were indeed already dead.

At this moment, the Minister of War also stepped forward and said, "The two old generals must have fallen for the treacherous schemes of the Northern Kingdom and sacrificed their lives for their country!"

Subsequently, many other ministers spoke up, but none of them confirmed that Xu Xingwen and Zhan Hong had betrayed Da Wu.

About half an hour later, the Empress's gaze fell on Chai Jiliang again. "Minister Chai, do you also believe that the two generals died for their country?"

Chai Jiliang stepped forward and said, "Yes."

The Martial Emperor said, "These two are Grandmasters. If they want to escape, who can stop them?"

Even killing another Grandmaster is not an easy task. If a Grandmaster is determined to escape, another Grandmaster may not be able to catch up.

As a result, Zhan Hong and Xu Xingwen disappeared without a trace after entering Lingyun City, as if they had vanished. This made Emperor Wu suspect that the two of them might have betrayed him.

At this moment, Chai Jiliang said, "Your Majesty, Da Wu has Grandmasters, and the Northern Kingdom also has Grandmasters. In addition, the Northern Kingdom possesses so many mysterious weapons, and they may also have some methods that we do not know about. It is very likely that the two old generals fell into the trap of the Northern Kingdom and died for their country."

"I believe that these two old generals would never betray the Great Wu or Your Majesty."

Xu Xingwen and Zhan Hong's families, numbering over a thousand, are still in Dawu. How could they possibly abandon their loved ones and defect to the Northern Kingdom? If they were to betray the country, given Emperor Wu's temper, the Xu and Zhan families would surely be decimated. Therefore, the only possibility for them is death.

The Empress fell silent once again.

Time passed second by second, and the Empress remained silent for a full quarter of an hour. During this quarter of an hour, the ministers in the hall did not utter a single word.

Finally, the Martial Emperor seemed to have come to a realization. He rose directly from his dragon throne and declared, "Court adjourned!"

He then flicked his sleeve and left the main hall.

For the next two weeks, Empress Wu did not attend court, and rumors circulated that she had fallen seriously ill.

When Emperor Wu fell ill at this time, his ministers were extremely worried. The northern army was stationed in Youping County and could march south at any time. As a result, Emperor Wu, as the ruler of the country, acted as a hands-off manager.

Fortunately, the Empress Wu finally issued an imperial edict, ordering the Second Prince to lead a delegation north to seek peace with the Northern Kingdom.

When the imperial edict was issued, the officials of the Crown Prince's faction were overjoyed, as seeking peace was not an easy task.

On the one hand, Emperor Wu was a hardliner. Throughout his life, he had launched so many wars and had never sought peace with any power. This was the first time he had sought peace, which was a disgrace and a stain on his reputation.

In the future, Empress Wu might see the Second Prince and think of this stain on his record, thus developing some aversion towards him.

On the one hand, the war between Da Wu and the Northern Kingdom resulted in a defeat for Da Wu. The Northern Kingdom will undoubtedly make exorbitant demands, ceding territory and paying reparations. If the Second Prince does not handle the situation well and causes Da Wu to suffer even greater losses, he can forget about becoming the Crown Prince in the future.

After hearing that Emperor Wu was going to send someone to the Northern Kingdom, Wu Yunwan tried every means to have someone speak well of her to Emperor Wu so that he would send her. However, Emperor Wu ignored her completely. Chai Jiliang had mentioned this matter to Emperor Wu several times, but Emperor Wu not only did not agree, but also demoted Chai Jiliang.

Empress Wu's reaction left Wu Yunwan utterly hopeless. It seemed her father had lost faith in her and would never allow her to interfere in politics again.

North.

Today was a beautiful day with gentle breezes and clear skies. Lu Chen was enjoying afternoon tea with his wives and concubines in the courtyard, a rare occasion for him.

The first phase of the war is over; the next step is peace talks.

Lu Chen sat on the stone bench, took a sip of Dragon and Phoenix Tea, and then teased the child in Chu Yuqin's arms.

At this moment, Dongfang Longyue, dressed in plain white, entered the courtyard. She had been working at the newspaper office that day, but while writing her article, she suddenly thought of the peace talks between Da Wu and Bei Guo. So she ran back to the palace to find Lu Chen and ask him what conditions he planned to propose during the peace talks.

That's how political consultations work; when an envoy from one country is going to another, both countries will create a buzz.

Since Da Wu is coming to the Northern Kingdom, the Northern Kingdom also needs to create momentum, guide public opinion, and release some conditions for peace talks so that Da Wu can be mentally prepared.

Holding a notebook in her left hand and a pen in her right, Dongfang Longyue approached Lu Chen. "Your Highness, the Great Wu is about to hold peace talks with the Northern Kingdom. I wonder what conditions the Northern Kingdom intends to propose this time?"

Lu Chen replied, "This still needs to be discussed with the officials in the Council Hall; nothing has been decided yet."

Although Lu Chen is a prince, this is a matter of national importance and a decision can only be made after discussion among the Northern Kingdom's small court.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's answer, Dongfang Longyue quickly scribbled something on her notebook. Then she continued, "What does Your Highness think? What does Your Highness believe Da Wu should compensate the Northern Kingdom with?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said, "As for what the compensation will be, firstly gold, and secondly land."

"Of course, these two are the most basic. In addition, I plan to ask Da Wu to open more trading cities, and all future trade between Da Wu and the Northern Kingdom must use the currency that the Northern Kingdom will soon issue."

Dongfang Longyue's hands moved quickly as she wrote in her notebook. Seeing that Lu Chen didn't continue, Dongfang Longyue asked, "Are there any other conditions?"

Lu Chen said, "In order to prevent Da Wu from retaliating against Bei Guo in the future, Da Wu must send a hostage to Bei Guo."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Longyue was stunned for a moment, as were the women in the courtyard. They were not fools; when Lu Chen mentioned the hostage, they immediately thought of a certain person.

At this moment, Dongfang Longyue asked directly, "The hostage that Your Highness mentioned, is it appointed by Your Highness, or is it chosen by Da Wu itself?"

Lu Chen said, "Since they are hostages, they should naturally play the role of hostages. If we let Da Wu choose, and Da Wu chooses an insignificant person to come to the Northern Kingdom, then what kind of hostage is that? Therefore, the hostage must be chosen by the Northern Kingdom."

Hearing Lu Chen's answer, the women in the courtyard became even more certain of their guess.

Dongfang Longyue continued, "Does Your Highness already have a candidate in mind for a hostage?"

(End of this chapter)