Chapter 858 Untitled

The rain continued to fall, the atmosphere far from harmonious.

Of course, harmony wasn't realistic; the situation was clear. Neither of the commanding officers had any need to put on a fake "We are all Chinese" act.

Han Sui was in his twilight years, having experienced countless glories and storms in his life. The older he got, the more he lived as he pleased.

As for the Prince of Pingxi, he was even more "old" than the old man before him; this was his second life.

You disgust me?

Fine,

I'll immediately repay you with disgust.

Anyway, the Qian Emperor's ancestors have dirty hands, so let's just drag them into this.

Zhao Mugou, the Prince Rui's heir, didn't show any signs of panic at this "raising the stakes" kind of banter. Instead, he wore a smile on his face, as if he were cooperating with the Prince of Pingxi's joke.

There were only four people present:

A Prince of Yan, a Jindi Sword Saint, and the old Prime Minister at his side. Zhao Mugou really didn't need to feign any kind of "fear and trepidation."

First, he couldn't fool these people, and second, there was no need to go through the motions.

Prime Minister Han didn't dwell on the matter, but "hmph'd" and said,

"Your Highness, the Qian army is right behind me."

"Oh, then I'm terrified."

In fact, the Sword Saint, who had been pretending to doze off, noticed a detail: Zheng Fan seemed to have a little more… baggage today than usual.

This "baggage" wasn't referring to any kind of image he had to maintain, but rather that his words and actions seemed a little more deliberate.

You could see a hint of it in the matter of changing clothes.

This usually fastidious man's attention was usually spent on affectation; he wouldn't really be particular about his clothes, food, shelter, or transportation.

"If Your Highness abandons his weapons and surrenders at this time, I can guarantee with my life's reputation that Your Highness's position will remain unchanged in my Qian, and you will enjoy eternal wealth."

"I think Prime Minister Han has forgotten that my foundation is in Jidong. Does your statement that my position will remain unchanged mean that Qian is willing to let me establish my own kingdom on Qian soil?"

"Why not? Your Highness can choose any place to establish your own palace and government. Although Liang was a victory for my Qian, it is still a time when Yan is strong and Qian is weak. As long as Your Highness is willing to come, the Emperor and the court will satisfy all your conditions."

"Great. Qian has beautiful mountains, rivers, and scenery. I've wanted to see it for a long time.

I had even planned to travel incognito to the Jiangnan region of Qian for a bit of fun, but I was really worried about your Qian Silver Armored Guards causing trouble for me, so I've never been able to make it happen."

"Heh heh, Your Highness's poetry and prose are praised by Yao Zizhan. With the elegance of my Qian, Your Highness will surely find harmony in your literary pursuits.

Future historical records will describe Your Highness as a master of military strategy and literature, unprecedented and almost impossible to surpass. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Zheng Fan pointed behind him.

Currently,

To the north was the King-Protecting Army organized by Prime Minister Han, while to the south were the Yan army. So, Zheng Fan was pointing south, south of Xishan Prefecture, which was Bian Prefecture.

"If Qian is willing to cede Bian Prefecture to me, I am willing to submit to Qian, indulging in pleasure and forgetting Yan in this beautiful Qian empire."

Prime Minister Han stood up,

And said,

"Your Highness, like this, there's no way we can talk."

"There was no way to talk in the first place. To put it bluntly, you're just a retired old man who should be at home enjoying your grandchildren, but you had to come out and stir things up.

Do you think you're still the same as you were back then?

Perhaps even your so-called Emperor is already tired of you, but you don't even realize it.

Leaving aside whether your Qian can offer conditions that can move me, let's just talk about the present. Unless your Emperor comes in person, who is qualified to stand here and discuss these things with me?"

"Since that's the case… then I will learn from Your Highness's skills on the battlefield."

"By sunset tomorrow at the latest, I'll make you, you old fool, kneel before me and beg for mercy!"

"I won't let Your Highness kneel. I will pretend to be very respectful and courteous."

Immediately afterward,

The Prince Rui's heir raised the flag, and on the other side, the Sword Saint also pulled the flag out of the ground. The two sides parted ways and returned to their respective sides.

…

"I've wronged you, Old Yu."

On the way back, Zheng Fan comforted the Sword Saint.

"So, what exactly did you talk about?"

As an observer, the Sword Saint realized that they hadn't talked about anything at all; they had simply exchanged a few barbs.

"Actually, what we talked about isn't important, because there was no room for negotiation in the first place. You know what kind of treatment I get in Yan. Do you think Qian would give me that kind of treatment?"

The Sword Saint shook his head and said, "Even if Qian is willing to give it, you wouldn't really be at ease trying to see if they would keep their promise."

"That's right, my price is too high now. If they want to poach me, they can't even afford the offer."

The current Zheng Fan,

One step further,

No,

Even just half a step further, and he could directly become independent.

So, if they want to poach him, unless they're willing to offer him the dragon throne, which is absolutely impossible.

"Then why did he still come to have this talk?"

Zheng Fan smiled and said,

"To chat, to say a few words, and then this day will have been dealt with."

"He's trying to stall for time?"

"Not sure, but probably."

"What about you?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was waiting to see how things develop?"

"He's waiting, and you're waiting for him, but after all, this is Qian territory, so you're at a disadvantage."

Zheng Fan replied, "I'm waiting for him to wait."

"A bit convoluted."

"Maybe. I'm also gambling. By the way, Old Yu, do you believe in intuition?"

"Intuition?"

"Like a dream that suddenly gives you some kind of warning. Would you believe it?"

"You should ask Mister Bei about that question."

"The Blind Man is in Zhao territory. I want to hear what you have to say."

"What you think about during the day, you dream about at night. What's in your dreams is just what you were thinking about during the day."

"True." Zheng Fan nodded. "Actually, it's quite uncomfortable, you know?"

"Oh?"

"He's trying hard to put on an act of being self-righteous, which is the stereotype that we Yan people, no, that Yan, Jin, and Chu people have of Qian civil officials.

He's acting in that direction, but I can sense that he's acting quite tired.

Although the world has always rumored that he was the one who said, 'Only those sung from Donghua Gate are good lads,' and it's also rumored that he personally forced Prime Minister Ci Mian to death.

Foolish, short-sighted, arrogant—that's supposed to be his image, but I've known for a long time that that's not how it should be.

Since ancient times, except for those few lucky upstarts, such as eunuchs and male concubines, those who have truly climbed to high positions step by step through competition—with the survival of the fittest—how could there be room for a lucky fool?"

"You're also acting."

"Since you've already seen through it, it proves that in his eyes, I'm probably also acting quite tired."

Zheng Fan smiled self-deprecatingly and said,

"He was once a highly respected official, a veteran of three dynasties. As for me, I'm a king with my own fiefdom. Actually, everyone has long since lost their sense of reverence.

Without reverence, there's no more dedication.

When acting, no one even bothers to put their whole heart into it.

Most importantly,

Everyone knows full well

That no matter how well you act, you probably won't be able to escape the other person's eyes, so there's even less of a desire to put in that much effort.

Ah,

If only I could just use chroma keying,

Then I wouldn't have to go through this again."

"Chroma keying? What is that?"

"It comes from a strange story called Painted Skin. I'll tell you about it next time if I get the chance."

…

"He must also be very tired, haha.

He actually made a special trip to meet me wearing my Qian vassal king's python robe, deliberately performing his arrogance, impudence, and disregard for others in front of me."

"Does the old Prime Minister mean that the Prince of Yan was acting?"

"Who isn't?" Han Sui stroked his white beard.

"Has that Prince already discovered a clue?"

"That's hard to say."

Zhao Mugou said, "But this junior already feels that we've done very well."

"Since ancient times, there has never been a perfect deception. That man was taught by Prince Jingnan and has made great military achievements himself. Just as the old man Yao Zizhan once said, 'Good articles are born of nature, and skillful hands obtain them.'

No matter how well we arrange things here, no matter how carefully we plan,

Maybe

The other party will have a dream when sleeping at night and be able to detect a problem."

"How can there be such a magical thing?"

"The Chu general Nian Yao was also an extraordinary figure. He was once ranked alongside the Prince of Pingxi, but what kind of end has he met now?

When people reach a certain height, there is no more accidental success. There may even be luck involved."

"Luck…"

Han Sui reached out and put his hand on Zhao Mugou's shoulder, saying,

"You're a good child."

"Old Prime Minister…"

"If I were still in the court now, if the Yan people had not yet invaded my Qian, and after spending some time with you, I would definitely secretly request the Emperor to send the Silver Armored Guards to cause an accident for you, so that you would die young."

"I…"

"Fortunately, I have now retired, and as that Prince of Pingxi said, the Emperor is already tired of hearing what I have to say. Of course, that's not the main reason…"

"Thank you, Old Prime Minister."

"Don't thank me, thank yourself. It's said that the Prince Rui's heir is a foolish and silly child, but after meeting me, you didn't deliberately try to hide it.

Just in terms of this mental cultivation,

None of the princes in the capital can compare to you.

You've figured out my intentions, haven't you?"

"Whatever the Old Prime Minister thinks is what it is. This junior wouldn't dare to contradict you."

"Actually, do you know that since Emperor Taizong, the suppression and reduction of the lineage of Emperor Taizu has often not been the Emperor's intention?

More often than not, it has been the intention of us old ministers in the court like me.

To put it bluntly, whether it's a descendant of Emperor Taizu or Emperor Taizong makes no difference to people like me.

I've served three generations of emperors, and emperors are actually no different from people.

What emperors, omens, and historical records may be blown out of proportion, but unfortunately, I've never encountered any of them.

What the scholars of my Qian want is a grand aspiration to bring about an era of Yao and Shun.

A wise ruler is in power and should not interfere in anything but focus on having children. We scholars will take care of state affairs for the Emperor.

So,

We won't care too much about which lineage is sitting in that position or how they took it."

Zhao Mugou said,

"But, Old Prime Minister, isn't it precisely because you scholars didn't manage the country well that the current situation has arisen?"

Han Sui stopped and turned to look at Zhao Mugou.

At this time, the Qian army that came to meet them was still in front, and there were only the old man and the young man around.

Zhao Mugou also looked directly at Han Sui.

Han Sui wasn't angry,

And asked,

"Is Yan very good?"

"Yan…"

"Do the people of Yan live very well?"

"But…"

"Good or bad depends on which perspective you're looking at it from. There's no absolute good in this world, and there's no complete bad, just like the Taoist black and white Taiji.

In recent years, Yan has started to hold imperial examinations, giving poor children a chance to advance, but my Qian has been holding imperial examinations for a hundred years.

In recent years, Yan has been fighting north and south. Can their people, as well as the people of Jin, live well?

The northern people of my Qian live frugally, but at least they can guarantee the wealth and peace of Jiangnan. As for the north, if there were no heavy burdens on the three borders, the people could live better.

You think my Qian army is weak, you think the Yan army is strong;

You think my Qian values civil affairs over military affairs, which has led to the current situation;

But you haven't thought about the fact that before Emperor Taizu established Qian, the place where we Chinese originated was a time of warlords rising, constant wars, military men in power, the collapse of etiquette, and the people living in dire straits.

It can only be said that there is no perfect method in the world. It can only be said that a hundred years ago, even ten years ago, valuing civil affairs over military affairs was the right thing to do.

But who would have expected Yan's sudden rise to catch my Qian off guard and fail to react in time to correct this national policy, which is why my Qian is now in such a mess.

The world says that it was me who personally killed Prime Minister Ci Mian back then.

But how many people remember that back then, the entire Western Army followed his lead, and his prestige was no less than that of the two princes of Yan, Jingnan and Zhenbei.

You only see how Old Prime Minister Zhong is still working hard to maintain this situation for my Qian in his old age, but you haven't seen that when he was young, he followed Prime Minister Ci Mian and advocated for marching all the way to the capital and overthrowing the world!

You only see how confident and impudent the Prince of Pingxi of Yan was just now, but you should also think about the fact that he is now in Jidong, and his territory is so tightly controlled that even a needle can't poke through it and water can't seep in.

The former Emperor of Yan was wise and strategic, so he was able to suppress Prince Zhenbei and Prince Jingnan. The current Emperor of Yan and this Prince of Pingxi have known each other since they were nobodies, and that new Emperor's methods are also very powerful, much like his father. Even so, he probably has to be careful and cautious to appease this great Buddha of the Prince of Pingxi.

But what about my Qian back then? Emperor Renzong gained his name of "benevolence," but in reality, he was cowardly and incompetent, hesitant and indecisive. As the supreme ruler, he was naturally cautious and hesitant.

How could such a cowardly ruler tame that Prime Minister Ci Mian?

Use him, but dare not use him again;

Appease him, but didn't have the confidence to appease him;

Wait, and worried about a repeat of Emperor Taizu's story of donning the yellow robe;

Demote him, and afraid of provoking resistance;

Kill him, and afraid of staining the name of benevolence that he had earned for a lifetime of incompetence and empty living."

Having said that,

Prime Minister Han paused

And continued,

"Whether to value civil affairs over military affairs actually doesn't depend on the civil officials, but on the Emperor. If the Emperor himself is incompetent, and can't even lift a knife, let alone wield it, how dare he trust military men?

Civil officials are just sword-wrapping cloths.

The current Emperor is a rare wise ruler. He wants to restart the blade, then let him restart it. It's also time to do these things.

The world says

That it was because the Yan people attacked the capital that the Emperor was furious and we had to retire and return to our hometowns.

In reality, it was I who submitted the memorial. If you want to restart the blade, you must first remove the stinky and hard cloths.

Without a few old things like us consciously stepping down, how could the Emperor have the leisure to do so?

I'm not saying this to put gold on my face. After all, the national situation is like this, and the national conditions are like that. We are bound to be involved. The mistake was that we didn't foresee the sudden rise of Yan, and we didn't foresee that after indulging in comfort and neglecting military affairs, our Qian's military preparedness would have deteriorated to this extent.

The mistake was that we were sitting so high, but we couldn't see so far. Heh heh."

Zhao Mugou had been listening attentively,

But who would have thought

That the last sentence Prime Minister Han said before the Qian troops arrived to meet them would shock him:

Prime Minister Han said,

"So, you have to learn to stand on tiptoe."

After the soldiers came to meet them, the old man and the young man no longer spoke.

Outside the Qian army camp, there was a chaotic scene, with deserters being caught and whipped from time to time.

But when they entered the inner circle of the camp, they found that the inner camp was well-organized, the soldiers marched in columns and teams, and the training troops were full of murderous intent.

Zu Xin Yue, the adopted son of Grand Marshal Hai Dong, personally came to welcome them:

"Old Prime Minister, Heir Apparent, you've worked hard."

"Commander Zu has worked hard." Zhao Mugou immediately said politely. As a member of Emperor Taizu's lineage, at least for now, he had no qualifications to act arrogantly.

Han Sui asked,

"Are you confident?"

"Replying to the Old Prime Minister, I have made proper arrangements in the inner camp. With my 30,000 Zu family troops, the Yan army…"

Zhao Mugou immediately asked, "The Yan army will definitely not be able to break the camp?"

Zu Xin Yue shook his head but smiled and said, "If that Prince of Pingxi on the opposite side really wants to be ruthless and attack the camp at all costs, relying on these 30,000 Zu family troops newly trained on the three borders, it may be difficult to defend.

But if that Prince of Pingxi is willing to make such a trade, willing to swallow my army by force, then after this battle, this Yan army will no longer have the strength to care about anything else in my Qian.

In the end, we will still have the advantage."

…

The next day

Was the day agreed upon by both sides to deploy their formations in the open field and fight to the death.

Unexpectedly, the Qian army tightly guarded the camp and did not go out.

But, even more unexpectedly, the Yan army on the opposite side was the same, tightly guarding the camp and showing no intention of attacking.

The confident declaration of war was tacitly treated as a fart by both sides.

The rain that day was heavier than yesterday.

On the Yan army side, in the command tent

The Prince of Pingxi sat on the ground and told the Sword Saint, Zhao Yuannian, Chen Xianba, and others the story of "Painted Skin," especially using many adjectives to describe the beauty of the female ghost changing her skin.

On the Qian army side

Han Sui was in the military tent

Warming a pot of yellow wine by himself

Pouring two cups, he drank one and sprinkled the other.

Old Prime Minister Zhong had already died of illness long ago, so few people could still remember that today was actually the death anniversary of Prime Minister Ci Mian.

Even fewer people knew that Han Sui and that Prime Minister Ci Mian were true confidants.

"Old Han, just take care of me. I can't hold back the lads down there. We've finally pacified the west, south, north, and Qiang, so don't start an even bigger mess."

Han Sui's elderly hand

Gently scooped up a handful of water from outside the tent and slowly sprinkled it down.

"They all envy why the Yan kingdom can produce a Tian Wujing, who can take care of the affairs of the king and the world, regardless of his reputation before or after death;

But my Qian

Once had you."