The Grandmaster Strategist

After the peace agreement was concluded, King Yang was spared. In May, he returned to Southern Chu with his envoys. Fang entered the Chu territory and was assassinated. He was buried in Jianye. During the four years of the king's reign, he neglected the affairs of the state, favored villains, and stayed away from virtuous ministers. As a result, the country was in danger, and he was deeply imprisoned. Southern Chu was so weak that it was difficult to return. It was all the king's fault.

--"History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties·Biography of King Chu Yang"

Lu Can was overjoyed. He knew that as long as King Yong did not embarrass Nan Chu, it would be easier for other people to deal with it with bribes or benefits. He quickly thanked King Yong, but Lu Can's expression did not change. He knew that King Yong The king must have put forward some conditions, so he said sincerely: "Your Highness is magnanimous. Can thank Your Highness on behalf of Nanchu. If you have any instructions, please speak up. Even if Can is in trouble, you must do your best." '

King Yong laughed it off. He got enough from Nanchu's treasury for several years of military use, so he was not greedy. Moreover, in his opinion, the people of Nanchu would become Yong's vassals sooner or later, so he would not do it. To make matters worse at this time, if it arouses the deep-seated hatred of the people of Nanchu, it will be detrimental to the appeasement of Jiangnan in the future. As for whether to cede territory and pay compensation, that is a matter for the court. He has long known that his father's bottom line is that Nanchu will pay 50 million taels of silver in compensation. It will be paid 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 you don't make a request, it will inevitably arouse some suspicion, and even make the monarchs and ministers of Nanchu uneasy, worried about when they will attack. He glanced at Jiang Zhe and asked with his eyes.

I received the hint from King Yong, and my heart moved, and I said calmly: "His Royal Highness King Yong admires Nan Chu's elegant writings. He is very envious when he heard the official talk about Chongwen Palace. If General Lu can make the decision, he will collect Chongwen Palace." A copy of the book was sent to His Highness. Of course, it would be better if a number of original works by famous artists could be added. If your envoy can fulfill His Highness's wish, then His Highness can guarantee that he will not ask for an inch of Southern Chu's territory. '

Lu Can was stunned. He was a military commander and did not value these books very much. King Yong's request was not too much for him. He could exchange some books, calligraphy and paintings for King Yong's concession so that Nanchu would not suffer heavy losses due to the peace negotiation. Then It's still worth it, but Chongwen Hall was built by the late king. If you do this, someone will inevitably impeach you. Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a little hesitant.

I saw what he was thinking and said calmly: 'The Supreme Lord is still in Dayong. If the general is not sure, you can ask the king. '

Lu Can immediately realized that he was still too inexperienced to use such a good shield, so Lu Can said happily: "Your Highness has requested that I agree on behalf of the king. After I return to Nanchu, I will send someone immediately." Delivered. '

Li Zhi was about to agree, but I said: 'If this delay takes too long, it is better to ask the envoy to send a letter back. If the book can be delivered before the negotiation, His Highness King Yong will surely be rewarded. '

Lu Can looked at Yang Xiu with a questioning expression. Yang Xiu was a scribe. He gave Jiang Zhe a stern look. The books Jiang Zhe asked for were the essence of Southern Chu culture. The far-reaching vision of this man was indeed extraordinary. Thinking back to that time When Chengdu fell, both Dayong and Nanchu were competing for the household registration books. These are the basis for governing the country. Although Jiang Zhe is not asking for the household registration books of Nanchu this time, the value of those books is even more precious. , when the country changes dynasties, the household registration records can always be checked clearly. Only the splendid culture is the long-lasting and unchanging treasure, but he also knows that this condition is not difficult for Nanchu, at least it is much better than ceding land or something. , sighing often in his heart, he nodded lightly. Lu Can immediately said decisively: 'Don't worry, Lord Sima, Lu will send the letter back immediately. '

After seeing off the envoys from Nanchu, I was already a little tired, so Li Zhi took his leave. On the way, Li Zhi said thoughtfully: "Sui Yun is indeed shrewd. If he can obtain the classics of Nan Chu, it will be of great benefit to me, Dayong. After all, I, Dayong, are good at opening up territories and expanding territory, but it is difficult to govern a country." Relying on civil rule, the world can be won immediately. It can no longer be governed immediately. Suiyun is a true country scholar. Gou Lian said coldly: "Your Highness,

The Nanchu envoy was neither humble nor arrogant, and he was both civil and military. He was also the leader of the young generals of Nanchu. If he was not eliminated, I was afraid that there would be endless troubles in the future. '

Li Zhi smiled lightly and said: "There are so many heroes in the world. If I kill one of them when I see one, I am afraid that I will be too weak to kill him. Nan Chu is weak. How can a single tree reach the sky? Without a wise king, even the generals will not be able to conquer." So what if I'm good at fighting, Gou Lian, tell Mr. Wei for me that I must send Shang Weijun back. No wonder Suiyun asked me to treat Shang Weijun well that day. It seems that he has already thought of today. If Shang Weijun returns In Southern Chu, Lu Xin will no longer hold the most power. As time goes by, Shang Weijun, a relative, will be able to dominate the government. When the powerful ministers are included, I want to see what big events a few talented people can stir up. storm. '

Gou Lian felt a chill in his heart. Although he already admired Jiang Zhe very much, he still had never seen Jiang Zhe's tricks. Now that he heard from Li Zhi, he was completely impressed by Jiang Zhe's foresight. However, he looked at it. King Yong, His Highness can be so astute to see through Jiang Zhe's intentions and take advantage of them. Such a monarch will really scare the enemy. No wonder His Highness spent so much effort 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 disappeared. While accepting the order happily, he said: 'Your Highness might as well give Nanchu some more benefits, just for Mr. Jiang's sake, so that Mr. Jiang will be happy in his heart even if he doesn't say anything. '

Li Zhi sighed and said, "Yes, even now that he is disheartened towards Nan Chu, he still has some affection. If not, why would he agree to receive the envoys of Nan Chu? He is so affectionate and is afraid of attacking Nan Chu in the future. He is No more efforts. '

Gou Lian smiled and said: "Your Highness, don't worry. If we can't attack a mere Nanchu, wouldn't we be making people laugh at us subordinates? Your Highness has both civil and military personnel, so what are you worried about?" However, letters came from Your Highness, General Changsun and General Jing. They said that nothing happened in the army and asked if they could follow His Highness. They were all worried about what happened in the past few days, and His Highness also needed a few more generals to protect him. '

Li Zhi thought for a moment and said, "You are right. I believe there will be no change in the morale of the military now. We should also recruit them back to our side. Without them these days, I always feel that I have more than enough ambition but not enough power. You Send an order for me to let them enter the capital. They are under the jurisdiction of my commander-in-chief, and no one can say anything. '

Although the subsequent negotiations were cumbersome, there were no obstacles. Naturally, the Nanchu side was eager to see the negotiations succeed, and no one on the Dayong side wanted to delay it. King Yong did not intervene, and the prince did not bother to ask. During this time, King Qi He seemed to be in a bad mood and almost didn't even leave the house, so the negotiations went very smoothly under the leadership of Prime Minister Wei Guan. The other members of the Nanchu envoy were naturally very happy, but Lu Can felt uneasy in his heart, always feeling that this shouldn't be the case. Although things went smoothly, it still took nearly a month to reach an agreement because there were too many details that needed to be discussed.

According to the results of the peace agreement, Nanchu will inherit Dayong, pay tribute every year, and come to the court every year. After this defeat, Nanchu must pay an indemnity of 60 million taels of silver, paid in twelve years. In addition, the two countries have agreed to trade with each other, and nearly After a year of war and blockade, both countries needed to trade, but the tax on goods from Nanchu entering Dayong increased by half. The members of the Southern Chu royal family and the civil and military officials captured by Dayong can all be redeemed, and each has a different value. However, hostages must be left behind. The final candidate for the hostage was Zhao Jia's eldest son Zhao Xi, who was born to Yong's daughter. , the other hostage is Zhao Jia's biological brother, Prince Jian Zhao Yun. As for Zhao Jia's favorite Yong girls, most of them asked to stay in their hometown. Lu Can didn't care. They would have their own Dayong cuisine for their future livelihood. He wished that all the Yong girls would not go back, but there were still two Yong girls. The female concubines asked to follow Zhao Jia to Nanchu. All their youth had 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 Nan Chu promised to give to King Yong entered the territory of Dayong. Two generals sent by King Yong received the books and then personally escorted them to Chang'an. One of these two people was named Changsun Ji. The eldest grandson of Jin Gong, who is unparalleled in bows and arrows, is the best archer in the army. He was born in poverty and joined the army since he was a child. He has developed a unique skill in the army. His archery skills were trained on the battlefield. A person's life is like searching for something. His inseparable golden bow was given by King Yong himself. He can use special feather arrows to shoot generals from a thousand steps away. The other one is Jing Chi. This man has a somewhat reckless temperament, but he can kill generals and seize flags without mercy. They are comparable to each other and are the most brave generals under King Yong. How can they be used for such trivial matters as escorting books? The purpose of King Yong sending them to the capital can be understood at a glance.

On April 25th, the Nanchu envoy escorted the Supreme King and the redeemed civil and military officials on their way home. Dayong was very courteous. Prince Li An sent the emperor thirty miles to the suburbs, and Changle The princess also poured wine in the pavilion to see off Zhao Jia, but Emperor Yong Emperor Li Yuan had a decree that Princess Changle had been away from home for many years and he wanted to keep her here longer. But everyone knew that Emperor Yong would never let Princess Changle go back to Southern Chu, because during the negotiations, the Southern Chu envoy once mentioned that the leader of Southern Chu, Zhao Long, was willing to honor his aunt as the queen mother, but Wei Guan declined. However, They don't want to pay attention to this matter for the time being. After all, welcoming back the emperor and ministers of Nanchu is the biggest purpose of this trip.

On the day of seeing off, there was another person who attracted attention, that is, Sima Jiangzhe, an official of the Tiance Commander's Palace who followed King Yong out of the city to see him off. Although he had just recovered from his serious injury and was almost shaky when he walked, no one dared to To despise him, everyone knew what one of his attendants, Li Shun, had done, not to mention that King Yong's love for him was well known to the world.

I stepped forward and bowed to the former king for the last time. Zhao Jia's eyes were blank. He couldn't even remember who I was. When he spoke in high-sounding words under the low-key instructions of the chamberlain, he congratulated me. I was reused by Dayong, and he hoped that I could forget the past grievances and try my best to reconcile the two countries. I felt indifferent in my heart. This person has never been the master I want to respect. This send-off is really just for the sake of a good beginning and a good end. After all, I doubt he can return to Nanchu alive. If His Majesty didn't want to get rid of this son-in-law earlier, why rush to end the negotiations?

Looking at the team of Nanchu envoys in the distance, I looked tired and wanted to return to the carriage, but I found two people watching me. One was Princess Changle. For many days, she looked very peaceful, but compared to when she was watching the martial arts performance that day. , looking a little haggard, the other person is a girl wearing a white palace dress. She is probably in her early twenties, has a beautiful appearance, a noble complexion, a slender figure, and a graceful figure. She is standing next to Princess Changle, the princess Her appearance was also beautiful and elegant, and she was already stunningly beautiful, but all the light was taken away by this woman's compelling brilliance. What caught my attention was not the beauty of this woman, but her clear and cold eyes. Those were the eyes that I would always dream about. She was the assassin who almost killed me.

I whispered: 'She is Li Hanyou, right? '

King Yong had already walked up to me and whispered: 'That's her. The queen asked her to take care of Changle, so she came with her. '

When Xiao Shunzi heard that the woman was Li Hanyou, a dazzling cold light suddenly flashed in his eyes. He looked at Li Hanyou intently, trying to remember everything about this woman.

As I got on the carriage, I thought thoughtfully: 'Such a woman, proud and beautiful, is the dream partner of wealthy children. Can Qin Qing really refuse her? '

On May 7th, news came that the Supreme Leader of Southern Chu was assassinated shortly after crossing the river. The assassin used the martial arts of the Li family in Shu, leaving behind a line of blood words: "Splendid rivers and mountains are my country." , the country is ruined and the family is destroyed, I will repay it today. ‘After Zhao Jia’s death, several concubines committed suicide.

I put down the information and sighed lightly. The emperor must have handed over the assassination of Zhao Jia to the prince. They really had some skills. They asked Huo Jicheng, the leader of the Splendid Alliance, to assassinate Zhao Jia and clear up the relationship between the assassin and Dayong. In this way It was easy to succeed, presumably those favored concubines were inside. Huo Jicheng gained both fame and fortune, and Dayong was also satisfied. It was a pity for Lu Can. As an envoy, he also shouldered the important task of escorting, but Zhao Jia was assassinated. I am afraid that in a short period of time There was no way he could turn around. No matter who had the idea, he was a scheming and ruthless person. I just don’t know whether it was the prince or the Fengyi Sect who designed the assassination plan. 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’s strategy, But when I saw her decisiveness and ruthlessness when she assassinated me, I knew she was not an ordinary woman.

While I was thinking about this matter, Li Zhi walked into the study. He said with a gloomy expression: "The prince is very clever. My father has given me many rewards today. Not only was the assassination flawless, but Dayong's suspicion was cleared. I'm just surprised. Jinxiu How did the alliance become the prince's? Although the prince said that he only secretly revealed the information to the Jinxiu Alliance and provided some conveniences, I don't believe that the Jinxiu Alliance is really easy to use. I must carefully investigate the relationship between the Jinxiu Alliance and the prince. . '

I had a clear understanding in my heart that the prince was going to attack the Jinxiu Alliance. He must be ready to stop. Anyway, through mutual trading, he would naturally be able to get huge profits. He no longer had to risk smuggling. I glanced at Xiao Shunzi and said With a wink, Xiao Shunzi's voice transmission sounded in my ears: 'Do you want me to tell Chen Zhen to arrange for Tianji Pavilion to escape? '

I nodded slightly, Xiao Shunzi quietly withdrew, and Li Zhi said in confusion: "Suiyun, what's wrong? Are you hiding something from me?" '

I said respectfully: 'Your Highness, I have something to report to Your Highness Ming. There is indeed collusion between the Jinxiu Alliance and the Crown Prince. 'After that, I briefly explained the matter of the prince and others smuggling arms. King Yong frowned and listened for a long time, then suddenly stood up and said: 'How unreasonable, he actually changed his mind to military supplies, Suiyun, you How do you know so clearly? Did you do something about it? '

I smiled and said: 'This is my secret, but I already have complete evidence in my hands. Although it was a trap set by the minister, I only provided an opportunity, not what I asked the prince to do. '

Li Zhi sat down slumped, and after a while he said: 'You are right, if the prince is not willing, who can force him? Well, I listen to you. Since the prince behaves like this, no wonder this king does such a thing regardless of brotherhood and how important military supplies are. But do you think you can succeed in one fell swoop? I always think it’s unlikely. '

I replied: "Your Highness, don't worry, this matter will naturally not be successful, but the water drops are like water. Please trust your judgment. If this matter breaks out, your Highness just needs to decide it impartially. You don't need to overly threaten the prince. This is the best for you." Go to the next step. '

Li Zhi smiled and said: 'Are you always so secretive? '

I said calmly: 'What I am good at is conspiracy. If I say it out loud, it will inevitably make His Highness worried, so I'd better let you plan it. If His Highness is relieved, I want to mobilize manpower to do something. '

Li Zhi said: "You don't need to ask me about these things. You can give whatever orders you want in my house. No one dares to disobey orders." 'I nodded gently to express my gratitude. At this time, Li Zhi saw the information I put on the desk and said hesitantly: 'Suiyun, you know that some things are inevitable. '

I nodded lightly, with a cold look on my face, and said slowly: "I know that the king himself has not fulfilled his responsibilities as a king. As early as the fall of Jianye, the king should have committed suicide and apologized. However, although the king was confused, he did not He is not a bad person. Although he has not made any achievements over the years, he has not done anything harmful to the world. He just should not be the leader of the country. Now that the king's soul has returned to Nanchu, he deserves to die without regrets. '

After that, I got up and walked out of the study, took a breath of fresh air, then picked off a bamboo leaf and started playing it. The trembling ancient music sounded low and sad, like crying and complaining, which made people feel heartbroken. After playing the song, my expression gradually calmed down. Haven't I no longer had any feelings for Nanchu a long time ago? Besides, why should I feel sad for that foolish king? Thinking this in my heart, I am still a little sad. After all, that man was my former king, and he was the king of Nanchu. How could I not feel sad if he died like this under Dayong's conspiracy. Suddenly, I regretted forcing the king of Shu to death that day. In any case, he was the leader of Shu, so he died under my pen. No wonder the people of Shu hated me so much.

Li Zhi had been standing far away, and then he came over and said calmly: "The books from Nanchu have been delivered. Why don't you go and take a look? You can also meet my trusted generals." '

I bowed lightly and said, 'Don't you dare disobey me. '