Chapter 53 Chapter 23: The Soul Returns to Hometown

Rebellion of Xiaoqiang, Part Two, Chapter 23, Soul Returns to Hometown After the peace agreement was completed, King Yang was exempted. In May, he returned to Southern Chu with his envoys, and then entered the Chu territory. He was assassinated and died, and was buried in Jianye.During the four years of his reign, the king neglected the government, loved the villains, and kept away from virtuous ministers, so that the country was in danger, and his body was also deeply imprisoned. Southern Chu was weak and hard to return, all of which were the king's crimes. - "The History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties.Biography of King Chu Yang

Lu Can was overjoyed. He knew that as long as King Yong didn't embarrass Nanchu, it would be easier for other people to use bribes or benefits. He quickly thanked King Yong, but Lu Can's expression didn't change much. The king must have put forward some conditions, so he said sincerely: "Your Highness is magnanimous, and Chan will thank His Highness on behalf of Nanchu. If you have any orders, please speak frankly. Even if it is difficult for Can, you will try your best to do it." King Yong laughed it off. What he got from Nanchu’s treasury was enough for him to use for several years, so he was not greedy. In his opinion, the people of Nanchu would become Dayong’s subjects sooner or later, so he would not be there. At this time, the situation is even worse. If it arouses deep-rooted hatred among the people of Southern Chu, it will not be good for appeasing Jiangnan in the future. As for whether to cede land and pay compensation, that is a matter for the court. Pay it off in ten years. In this way, Nanchu will not be able to expand its armaments on a large scale within ten years.But if he didn't make a request, it would inevitably arouse suspicion, and even make the monarchs and ministers of Southern Chu uneasy, worrying about when he would make trouble, so he glanced at Jiang Zhe, and he asked with his eyes.

I received the hint from King Yong, and my heart moved, and I said lightly: "His Royal Highness Yong admires Nan Chu's elegant writing, and I am very envious when I hear the officials talk about the Chongwen Palace. If General Lu can make the decision, I will keep the Chongwen Palace. A copy of the book was sent to His Highness, of course, it would be even better if a group of authentic works by famous masters could be added. If the envoy can fulfill His Highness's wish, then His Highness can guarantee that he will not take a single inch of Nanchu's land." Lu Can was taken aback. He is a general, and he doesn't value these books very much. King Yong's request is not too much for him. Using some books, calligraphy and paintings in exchange for King Yong's concession, so that Nanchu will not suffer heavy losses due to the peace negotiation, then It's still worth it, but Chongwen Hall was built by the former king. If you do this, someone will impeach you.Thinking of this, I can't help but hesitate.

I could see his intentions, and said lightly: "The Supreme Lord is still in Dayong, if the general is undecided, you can ask the king." Lu Can immediately came to his senses, he was too inexperienced to use such a good shield, so Lu Can happily said: "As requested by Your Highness, this envoy agrees on behalf of the king. After this envoy returns to Southern Chu, I will immediately send someone to Bring it." Li Zhi was about to agree, but I said: "If this delay is too long, I'd better ask the envoy to send the letter back. If the book can be delivered before the negotiation, His Royal Highness King Yong will definitely report it."

Lu Can looked at Yang Xiu with a questioning expression. Yang Xiu was a scholar. He gave Jiang Zhe an awe-inspiring look. The book Jiang Zhe asked for was the essence of Southern Chu culture. When Chengdu fell, Dayong and Nanchu both scrambled for the records of the Ministry of Households. These are the foundations of governing the country. Although what Jiang Zhe asked for this time was not the household registration records of Southern Chu, the value of those books is even more precious. Well, when there is always a change of dynasty in the country, the household registration and registration can always be checked clearly. Only the brilliant culture is a treasure that has a long history and never changes, but he also knows that this condition is not difficult for Nanchu, at least it is much better than ceding land. Yes, he sighed often in his heart, and he nodded slightly.Lu Can immediately said decisively: "Master Sima, don't worry, Lu will send the letter back immediately."

After seeing off the envoys from Southern Chu, I was a little tired, so Li Zhi took his leave.On the way, Li Zhi thoughtfully said: "Suiyun is really smart. If I can get the classics of Southern Chu, it will be of great benefit to my Dayong. After all, my Dayong is good at expanding the territory, but it is necessary to govern the country." Relying on civil rule, the world can be obtained immediately, and it can no longer be governed immediately. Suiyun is a true national scholar." Gou Lian said coldly: "Your Highness, the envoy of Southern Chu is neither humble nor overbearing, and he is both civil and military. He is also the leader of the young generals of Southern Chu. If this person is not eliminated, I am afraid that there will be endless troubles in the future."

Li Zhi smiled lightly and said: "There are so many heroes in the world, if this king sees one and kills another, I'm afraid he will be merciless. Southern Chu is weak, so how can a single tree hold up the sky? Without a wise king, even a general can conquer the sky." So what can you do if you are good at fighting, Gou Lian, tell Master Wei for me that you must send Shang Weijun back. No wonder Suiyun asked me to treat Shang Weijun kindly that day. It seems that he has already thought of today. In Southern Chu, Lu Xin will no longer hold the power alone. With time, Shang Weijun, who is a foreign relative, will be able to gain power. When the time comes, the powerful ministers will be included. I want to see what a few talented people can create. storm."

Gou Lian felt a chill in his heart. Although he had already admired Jiang Zhe very much, he still hadn't seen Jiang Zhe's schemes. Now he heard from Li Zhi that Jiang Zhe's foresight and foresight really made him completely admire him. However, he had a look King Yong, His Highness can be so quick-witted, see through Jiang Zhe's intentions, and make use of them. Such a monarch and minister will really make the enemy heartbroken. No wonder His Highness has spent such painstaking efforts for Jiang Zhe. Now it seems that everything is worth it .Thinking of this, the trace of jealousy that had been hidden in my heart for a long time finally dissipated.While accepting the order happily, he said: "Your Highness might as well give Nan Chu some benefits, just for Mr. Jiang's sake, so that Mr. Jiang will be happy even if he doesn't talk about it."

Li Zhi sighed and said, "Yes, even now that he is disheartened towards Nan Chu, he still has some feelings for him. If not, why would he agree to meet the Southern Chu envoys? He is so kind, and he is afraid that he will attack Nan Chu in the future. It won't work anymore." Gou Lian said with a smile: "Don't worry, Your Highness, if even a mere Southern Chu can't be conquered, wouldn't it make people laugh at us subordinates? Your Highness is well equipped, so what are you worried about? But Your Highness, General Changsun and General Jing both have In the letter, they said that there was nothing wrong with the army, and asked if they could follow His Highness around, they are still worried about what happened in the past few days, and His Highness also needs a few more escorting generals."

Li Zhi thought for a while and said, "You're right. I don't believe there will be any change in the morale of the army now. They should be brought back to my side. Without them these days, my king always feels that he has more energy than he wants. You Send an order for me to let them enter Beijing, they are all under the jurisdiction of my commander-in-chief, no one can say anything." Although the next negotiation is cumbersome, there is no obstacle. The Southern Chu side is naturally eager for the negotiation to succeed, and no one on the Dayong side wants to delay. It seemed that he was in a bad mood and almost didn't even leave the door, so the negotiations went smoothly under the leadership of Prime Minister Wei Guan. The other members of the Southern Chu Mission were naturally very happy, but Lu Can felt a little uneasy in his heart, and always felt that this should not be the case Smooth, although things went well, but because there were too many details to be discussed, it took nearly a month to reach an agreement.

According to the result of the peace negotiation, Southern Chu will inherit the title of minister Dayong, pay tribute every year, and come to court every year. This time, Southern Chu must pay 60 million taels of silver in compensation, and pay it in twelve years. After a year of war and blockade, both countries need to do business, but the tax revenue for goods from Southern Chu entering Dayong has increased by half.The members of the Southern Chu royal family and civil and military officials captured by Dayong can all be redeemed, each with a different value, but the hostages must be kept, and the hostage candidates are finally selected. , the other hostage is Zhao Jia's younger brother, Prince Jane Zhao Yun.As for the concubines of Yong girls around Zhao Jia, most of them wanted to stay in their hometown, and Lu Can didn't care too much about it. Their future livelihood would be taken care of by Dayong. The female concubine asked to go to Nanchu with Zhao Jia, and all their youth stayed in Nanchu, so they would rather return to the hostile Nanchu than leave their children. On April 20th, hundreds of carts of books that Southern Chu promised to send to King Yong entered the territory of Dayong. Two generals sent by King Yong received the books and escorted them to Chang'an in person. One of them was Changsun Ji. The eldest grandson of Jin Gong, who is unparalleled in bow and arrow, is the number one archer in the army. He was born in a poor family, joined the army since he was a child, and practiced his skills in the army. His archery skills were practiced on the battlefield. A person's life is like picking something out of a bag. His inseparable golden bow was given by King Yong. He uses a special feathered arrow and can shoot and kill generals from a thousand steps away. The other is called Jing Chi. They are comparable to others, but they are the number one brave generals under the command of King Yong. How can they be used for trivial matters such as escorting books? Anyone with a discerning eye can know the purpose of King Yong's transfer of them to Beijing. On April 25th, envoys from Southern Chu escorted the Supreme Lord and the redeemed civil and military officials on their way home. Dayong received him very courteously. The princess also poured wine on the long pavilion to see Zhao Jia off, but Emperor Yong Li Yuan had a decree, saying that Princess Changle had been away from home for many years and wanted to keep her for a while longer.But everyone knew that Emperor Yong would never let Princess Changle go back to Southern Chu, because during the negotiation, the envoy of Southern Chu mentioned that Zhao Long, the lord of Southern Chu, was willing to respect his aunt as queen mother, but Wei Guan declined, but They are also unwilling to pay attention to this matter for the time being, after all, welcoming back the Southern Chu monarchs and ministers is the biggest purpose of this trip. On the day of the farewell, there was another person who attracted the attention, that is, Sima Jiangzhe, an official of the commander-in-chief of Tiance who accompanied King Yong out of the city to see him off. To despise him, everyone knows what one of his attendants, Li Shun, has done, not to mention King Yong's love for him is well known throughout the world. I went up to the former king and gave the royal ceremony for the last time. Zhao Jia's eyes were blank. He couldn't even remember who I was. I was reused by Dayong, and I hoped that I would forget the past grievances and try my best to reconcile the two countries. When I was indifferent, this person was never the lord I wanted to respect. After all, I doubt whether he can return to Nanchu alive. If His Majesty didn't want to get rid of this son-in-law earlier, why bother to end the negotiation? Looking at the team of envoys from Southern Chu in the distance, I looked tired and wanted to return to the carriage, but I found two people watching me. One was Princess Changle. After a few days, she looked very peaceful. , looks a little haggard, but the other person is a girl in a moon palace dress, she is about 20 years old, she is beautiful, her face is Qinghua noble, her figure is slender, her figure is graceful, she is standing next to Princess Changle, the princess Her complexion was originally beautiful and elegant, it was already considered stunning, but it was robbed of all the light by this woman's compelling beauty.What caught my attention was not the beauty of this woman, but her pair of clear and icy eyes, eyes that I would always dream of, she was the assassin who almost killed me. I whispered: "Is she Li Hanyou?" King Yong had already walked to my side, and said in a low voice: "It's her, the queen asked her to take care of Changle, so we followed." When Xiao Shunzi heard that the woman was Li Hanyou, a dazzling cold light flashed in his eyes. He fixedly looked at Li Hanyou, wanting to keep everything about this woman in his heart. When I got into the carriage, I thought thoughtfully: "Such a woman, proud and beautiful, is the dream partner of the wealthy children. Can Qin Qing really refuse her?" On May 7th, the news came that the Supreme Lord of Southern Chu was assassinated shortly after crossing the river. The assassin used the martial arts of the Li family in the middle of Shu, and left a line of blood inscriptions "Splendid Rivers and Mountains is my home country." , The country is ruined and the family is destroyed, and I will pay it back today." After Zhao Jia died, several concubines committed suicide. I put down the information and sighed softly. The emperor must have given the assassination of Zhao Jia to the prince. They really have some skills, let the leader of Jinxiu Alliance Huo Jicheng assassinate Zhao Jia, and clear the relationship between the assassin and Dayong. It's easy to get it, those favored concubines must be insiders, Huo Jicheng has gained both fame and fortune, and Dayong is also satisfied, but it's a pity that Lu Can, as an envoy, is also responsible for escorting, but Zhao Jia was assassinated. There is no way for him to stand up, no matter who's idea, this person is a scheming and ruthless person.I just don't know if it was the assassination plan designed by the crown prince or Fengyimen. I wrote down two names on the paper, Lu Jingzhong and Li Hanyou, it should be one of them, although I have never seen Li Hanyou use tricks, But seeing how decisive and ruthless she was when she assassinated me, I knew she was not an ordinary woman. As I was thinking about this, Li Zhi walked into the study, and he said with a gloomy expression, "The prince is very good at it, and the emperor has rewarded him with great rewards today. This assassination is not only flawless, but also removes the suspicion of Dayong. I'm just surprised, Jinxiu How did the League become the prince's man? Although the prince said that he only leaked information to the Fairview League secretly and provided some convenience, I don't believe that the Fairview League is really so easy to use. I must check the relationship between the Fairview League and the prince. ." I had a clear realization in my heart that the crown prince was going to attack the Splendid League, and he must be ready to stop. Anyway, through the mutual market, he naturally has the ability to get huge profits, so he doesn’t need to risk smuggling any more. I took a look at Xiao Shunzi and made With a wink, Xiao Shunzi's voice transmission sounded in my ear: "Master, do you want me to tell Chen Zhen to arrange Tianji Pavilion to escape?" I nodded slightly, Xiao Shunzi backed out quietly, Li Zhi asked in confusion, "Suiyun, what's the matter, do you have something to hide from me?" I respectfully said: "Your Highness, I have something to tell Your Highness that there is indeed a collusion between the Jinxiu League and the prince." After that, I briefly talked about the smuggling of arms by the prince and others, King Yong frowned After listening to it for a long time, he suddenly raised his eyebrows and said, "It's unreasonable to think about military resources. Suiyun, how did you know so clearly? Did you play tricks on it?" I smiled and said: "This is my secret, but I already have complete evidence in my hands. Although it is a trap set by me, I just provided an opportunity, and I didn't ask the prince to do it." Li Zhi sat down slumped, and said after a long while: "You are right, if the prince is not willing, who can force him? Well, I listen to you, since the prince has acted like this, it is no wonder that the king disregards the brotherhood, how important the military supplies are." , He actually did such a thing. It's just that you think you can succeed in one fell swoop, I always think it's impossible." I replied: "Your Highness, don't bother, this matter is of course impossible, but water drips through stone, please trust your judgment, if this matter breaks out, Your Highness just needs to be fair, and you don't have to overintimidate the crown prince, this is the best thing for you Proceed to the next step." Li Zhi laughed and said, "Are you always covering up like this?" I said lightly: "What I'm good at is conspiracies and tricks. If you say it, it will inevitably make your highness worry. Let me plan it. If your highness is at ease, I want to mobilize people to do something." Li Zhi said: "You don't need to ask me these things, you can order whatever you want in my house, no one dares to disobey orders." I nodded slightly to express my gratitude.At this time, Li Zhi saw the information I put on the desk, and said with some hesitation: "Suiyun, there are some things you know are inevitable." I nodded lightly, with a cold expression on my face, and said slowly: "I know that the king himself has not fulfilled his responsibilities as a king. As early as when Jianye fell, the king should have committed suicide and apologized. He's not a bad person, although he hasn't made any achievements in these years, he hasn't done anything harmful to nature, he just shouldn't be the lord of the country, and now that the king's soul has returned to Nanchu, he deserves to die without regret." After all, I got up and walked out of the study room, took a breath of fresh air, then picked off a bamboo leaf and played it. The trembling and simple music sound was low and sad, like weeping and complaining, which made people feel heartbroken. After playing the song, my expression gradually calmed down. Didn't I have no love with Nan Chu long ago? Besides that stupid king, why should I be sad for him.Thinking of this in my heart, I was still a little sad. After all, that person was my former king, and he was the monarch of Southern Chu. How could I not be hurt if he died like this under Dayong's conspiracy.Suddenly, I regretted that I forced the king of Shu to death that day. Anyway, he was the lord of the Kingdom of Shu, so he died at the stroke of my pen. No wonder the people of Shu hate me so much. Li Zhi had been standing in the distance, then came over at this moment, and said calmly, "The books of Nanchu have been delivered, why don't you go and have a look, I just happened to meet my confidant and beloved general." I saluted lightly and said, "Dare not to obey."