"If you can fight, you will fight, and if you can't fight, you will negotiate peace." Emperor Long Yan said angrily: "After I go back, I will send someone to tell Tuoba Tao that there is nothing so cheap in this world. ”

The crown prince knelt on the ground, his head was tightly pressed against the ground, and he didn't dare to raise it at all, until he heard the footsteps of the emperor gradually leaving, the prince raised his head and breathed a sigh of relief, "Whew!" ”。

On the other side, the emperor walked out of the Chengqian Palace in a huff, and was about to meet the queen back.

Seeing that the emperor's face was not good, Empress Liu hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Who you off like this? ”

"Go ask your son." The Emperor roared angrily; After the emperor finished speaking, he left the Chengqian Palace quickly.

Seeing the emperor leave angrily, Empress Liu frowned and walked towards the Chengqian Palace, and when she came to the inner hall, she saw the prince kneeling on the ground.

Empress Liu walked up to the prince and said angrily: "Get up!" Your father is gone. ”

The crown prince Guo Zhan wiped the sweat on his forehead, and climbed from the ground with difficulty, after being on the ground for so long, Guo Zhan's legs were already numb, and Guo Zhan, who got up from the ground, walked to the side of the stool with difficulty and sat down.

"Zhan'er, why did your father leave angrily, weren't your father and son okay when the palace left! What did you say to make your father Emperor Long Yan angry? Empress Liu walked up to the crown prince Guo Zhan and asked.

"Mother, don't worry about it, it's not because of the envoy of Xirong." Prince Guo Zhan pouted.

"Envoy of Sijon?" Empress Liu frowned and asked, "What does this Xijon envoy have to do with you?" You speak clearly to this palace. ”

"It's been five days since this Xijon envoy Tuoba Tao came to Luodu, but my father was stunned that he didn't summon people, and even the people from Honglu Temple didn't give Tuoba Tao a good face; So Tuoba Tao asked someone to find his son, hoping that his son could help him and let his father see Tuoba Tao, so his son said hello to Yuan Hao, the secretary of Honglu Temple...... That's how it happened. Prince Guo Zhan said lightly.

"Smack!" Empress Liu gave the crown prince Guo Zhan a slap and said, "Do you think this palace is so easy to deceive!" Fooled the past so lightly, tell the truth to the palace, and from time to time receive other people's benefits to be known by your father, and explain it honestly. ”

For Empress Liu, Guo Zhan didn't dare to hide anything, so he said honestly: "Did Erchen receive any benefits, Tuoba Tao just sent some jewelry and jade and other playthings." ”

"Where's the stuff?"

"It's all in the Erchen Palace!"

"Now hurry up and send all these things to the inner government for registration." Empress Liu said with a gloomy face.

"Why, Queen Mother! This was given to his sons by Tuoba Tao, how could he rush into the inner mansion? Guo Zhan said with a reluctant face.

"Are you really stupid, or are you pretending to be stupid with this palace here!" Empress Liu said angrily: "Today's matter has touched your father's bottom line; Zhan'er, don't you really know what your father thinks in his heart? ”

Hearing Empress Liu ask, Guo Zhan lowered his head and did not answer; Empress Liu continued: "Your father has been the emperor for so many years, is it easy to clean up the originally chaotic world into today's situation? You really think that little bit of caution in your heart can hide from your father. ”

"The queen mother, the son knows that he is wrong." Guo Zhan got up from the stool and saluted respectfully to Empress Liu.

"Sit down!" Empress Liu said: "Xirong's envoy Tuoba Tao will not meet your father, and after you go back, you can find a reason to drive Tuoba Tao out of Luodu." ”

"Queen Mother, doesn't my father really want to negotiate peace with Xirong?" Guo Zhan was shocked: "Now the four kings of Beidi and the south are all ready to move, if they can't negotiate peace with Xirong, the imperial court is likely to face three strong enemies at the same time, once one of the armies loses the battle, the imperial court will be doomed!" ”

"Do you think you are talking about this, don't your father know?" Empress Liu said with some sadness: "Your father is gambling, using the world to make a big bet, although the palace does not know where your father's confidence comes from; But this palace knows that this big gamble will not be able to escape your father no matter what. ”

"I don't know what the queen mother means? Please make it clear to the queen mother? ”

"Then I'll tell you about it." Empress Liu explained to the crown prince Guo Zhan: "Let's talk about the war in Western Xinjiang first, your ninth brother Yongwang Guo Qi completely annihilated the main force of the left army of Murong Chui of the Xirong Khanate in a battle in Western Xinjiang, and captured Longzhou, and successively plundered the six states in the east of Xirong, such a great victory greatly encouraged the people of the world and the Great Qi army, this battle can be said to greatly increase the face of the imperial court, and it is also a kind of deterrent to the four major feudal kings in the south;

Xirong suffered this defeat, and first proposed the matter of the matter and the reason, but the strange thing is that the envoys of Xirong did not contact King Yong first, but came all the way to Luodu to ask to see your father, Zhan'er, don't you think it is strange? ”

"What does the queen mother mean is that Xijon came to negotiate peace is false, and she wants to use the peace negotiation as an opportunity to delay time?" Prince Guo Zhan's eyes lit up.

"Zhan'er, what you think is too simple." Empress Liu continued: "Just imagine, if your father summoned Tuoba Tao and reached a peace agreement with Tuoba Tao, what do you think your ninth brother King Yong would think, you must know that this war in the Western Xinjiang can be said to be won by King Yong by his own strength, but now the Xirong Khanate has chosen the court instead of King Yong, in other words, Xirong is surrendering to the court, not to him King Yong, do you think King Yong's temper will be accepted calmly?"

In this way, Tuoba Tao has torn a rift between your father and King Yong, although King Yong will not say anything on his lips, but he is determined to be angry in his heart, this result is not what your father is willing to see;

Not long ago, your father decreed that Zhao She, the Duke of Anguo, was reappointed as the general of the expedition to the north, led the elite of the 100,000 western army to the north to rectify the defense of the northern border, and crowned King Yong as the general of the expedition, and assigned the remaining 50,000 western troops to the command of King Yong, which is not only your father's reward for King Yong, but also the trust of King Yong;

With the strength of King Yong, coupled with the 50,000 soldiers of the Western Army, even in the next attack of the Xirong army, King Yong could not defeat it, but it was more than enough to hold the defense line in the western Xinjiang. The Imperial Court would be able to devote all its energies to the war in the North. ”

"Queen Mother, isn't my father afraid, when the Beidi army is going south, the four feudal kings suddenly attack from behind the court?"

"The four feudal kings are not fools, if they attack the imperial court when Beidi invades the Central Plains, what do you think the people of the world will think of them; To put it bluntly, Beidi is a foreign enemy, and they are their own family, if they really dare to risk the world, then wait for a thousand years......"

After listening to what Empress Liu said, the crown prince Guo Zhan finally understood, it turned out that his father had already calculated that 'winning outside and being safe inside', as long as the Qi army and the Yong army could block Xirong and Beidi from the border, the four major feudal kings would not dare to make any moves.