amaotonovel Chapter 712: Zhang Du strikes again
Chapter 712: Zhang Du strikes again
Shen Yanxi made several court officials who advocated war speechless for a while.
But they still felt unwilling to miss this opportunity, so they could only look at Emperor Xiao again.
"Your Majesty, we still think this is a rare opportunity, no..."
"Alright." Emperor Xiao interrupted the courtier, "I have already made up my mind about this matter from the beginning."
Emperor Xiao picked up the letter requesting a fight in front of him and spoke after a brief pause.
"The reason why I tried every means to get the Ninth Prince of Xilin to take back a fake defense map is because I saw that Xilin was no longer satisfied with the current peaceful situation between the two countries and would definitely go to war. The defense map was not only to prevent Xilin from really attacking Beiyang, but also to prevent the war from spreading on the border. What Lord Shen said just now is correct. If it is to defend the country, we are not afraid of bloodshed and sacrifice, but there is no need to sacrifice for ambition."
"Your Majesty, even if you don't want to start a war, once Xilin gets a chance to catch their breath, they may counterattack again."
"This battle has severely dampened Xilin's morale. Moreover, their elite soldiers were surrounded by us and captured. Their strength was also greatly weakened. Xilin will not be able to fight again in the next few years."
"But what if they come back again after recuperating?"
Pei Zhaozhi retorted: "While they are recuperating, we in Beiyang may also be able to prepare for war. As long as we in Beiyang are strong enough, we can naturally intimidate Xilin and make them dare not act rashly!"
"Minister Pei is right." Emperor Xiao nodded. "From the beginning, I have no intention of engaging in war with Xilin. Therefore, I will agree to Xilin's peace talks, sign a peace treaty with them, and end the border war as soon as possible."
Although some court officials still felt unwilling, they could not refute anything since they saw that Emperor Xiao had made up his mind.
At the morning court the next day, Emperor Xiao formally expressed his intention to negotiate peace, and ordered his predecessor to send a letter to Xilin, asking Xilin to send representatives to Beiyang Imperial City for peace talks. As for the peace talks, they were handed over to the Taichang Temple, led by Shen Yanxi, and assisted by Pei Zhaozhi and several other officials.
The news of the peace talks spread quickly and naturally also reached the black market.
"Peace talks? Haha, I didn't expect that Emperor Beiyang would make this choice. Such a good opportunity is right in front of him, but he doesn't cherish it." Cheng Du had a smile on his face, but there seemed to be ice in his eyes.
"Once peace talks begin, Xilin and Beiyang may not go to war again for several years, and the result we want to see may not be achieved." Wen Yan frowned and said.
After planning for so long, I didn't expect that the war would end in less than a month.
As for the matter of the defense map, unexpectedly, it was Murong Yu who fell into the trap. Shen Yanxi and the others took advantage of the situation!
Looking at Cheng Du, Wen Yan pursed her lips and finally said helplessly: "I'm afraid all our previous plans will really fail."
"Not necessarily." Cheng Du shook his head, "Whether the negotiations can be successful is still to be determined."
Wen Yan was stunned. "Since Xilin was severely damaged this time, they must be sincere in peace talks. I'm afraid we can't do anything. As for Beiyang, since they don't want to go to war, then peace talks are inevitable..."
"What if all the people in charge of the Xilin peace talks are dead?"
Cheng Du interrupted Wen Yan with a sinister smile on his lips.
"If someone died in Beiyang, or even outside the Beiyang Imperial City, do you think Xilin would suspect that Beiyang was deliberately humiliating and retaliating against the Xilin envoys under the pretext of peace talks? Even if they don't suspect it, the person negotiating is dead, so naturally the peace talks cannot continue this time."
Wen Yan's eyes lit up. "In this case, even if the two countries want to send new people to negotiate, they will still have to waste a lot of time. And with time, there is naturally the possibility of creating changes!"
"That's right." Cheng Du's eyes were full of coldness. "In short, this peace talk must end in failure!"
……
The letter of peace talks was delivered to the border by express horse. Xilin did not delay and quickly determined the envoys in charge of the peace talks and set off all the way to Beiyang.
Not long after the last visit of envoys from Xilin, another envoy has arrived. The only difference is that last time they came in the name of marriage, but this time they are seeking peace after being defeated.
Many people in Beiyang are talking about this matter with great interest.
Time passed day by day. In the imperial city, apart from daily government affairs, most of the time was spent preparing for peace talks, and various related matters had been arranged.
"The Xilin envoy will arrive at the imperial city tomorrow afternoon. According to all previous arrangements, the peace talks will officially begin the day after tomorrow. No problems can arise during this period. Everyone must be alert and not make any mistakes." Pei Zhaozhi ordered loudly.
After everyone responded, he looked at Shen Yanxi.
"Does the Prime Minister have anything else to say?"
"During the peace talks, we must strengthen precautions and nothing must happen to the Xilin envoy in the Beiyang Imperial City." Shen Yanxi said in a deep voice.
"Please rest assured, Prime Minister. We have made all the necessary arrangements and dispatched special imperial guards to guard the area. We will never let anything happen to the Xilin envoy."
Everyone who had obeyed the order withdrew to arrange their affairs. Pei Zhaozhi looked at Shen Yanxi's serious expression and said, "The peace talks this time are a done deal. There shouldn't be any problems. Especially in Xilin, they hope that the talks will go smoothly more than Beiyang."
After all, although the two countries have temporarily ceased fighting, Beiyang's army is still stationed in the captured city of Xilin, and there are tens of thousands of prisoners of war in Xilin in Beiyang's hands. If the peace talks do not go smoothly this time, once the war continues, Xilin will be at a disadvantage.
Shen Yanxi nodded, agreeing with Pei Zhaozhi's idea, but still said: "That being said, at this moment, we must be more careful and cautious. Nothing can happen to the people of Xilin, especially nothing can happen in Beiyang Imperial City."
Pei Zhaozhi's expression also turned serious. He said, "Don't worry. We are well prepared this time. The posthouse is well guarded. There won't be any problems!"
As the conversation between the two ended, a piece of robe quickly disappeared from the shadow beside the wall.
The next day.
As the leader of the peace talks, Shen Yanxi originally planned to lead the team out of the city personally, but was opposed by many people.
They believed that Xilin, as a defeated country entering the city this time, did not deserve the treatment of being personally welcomed by the prime minister. After some debate, they finally decided that Pei Zhaozhi would go to greet them instead of Shen Yanxi.
In Beiyang, the welcoming team is ready.
On the other side, the Xilin envoys and their entourage were less than ten miles away from the imperial city.
But just as they were heading towards the city gate, an arrow shot straight towards the carriage in the middle...