Duan Shidi's words were like sharp knives, hitting Lu Xiangsheng's heart, although he tried to keep calm on his face, in his heart, it was like turning over the river and the sea. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Lu Xiangsheng had to admit that what the chief general of the Tang Army on the other side said was actually very reasonable.

The two sides of Tang and Ming attacked and killed each other at this time, and if they stained the north with blood, and even if they continued to fight for a long time, the real beneficiaries would only be able to rogue and Tartar. Such a battle that can be called a civil war can indeed only make the relatives painful, and the enemies are happy.

It's just that Lu Xiangsheng can't step through the hurdle in his heart.

This Li Xiao, no matter how you say it, is already a thief in the imperial court, and a rebel who the emperor personally ordered to attack. Among them, regardless of whether the court is at fault or not, but as a courtier, can he disobey the edict of the court so justifiably?

At this time, as if he had seen through Lu Xiangsheng's thoughts, Duan Shidi's words continued to come: "Governor Lu, do you think that my family, Lord Li, has rebelled against the imperial court, so that you can't cross the hurdle in your heart?" Then let me ask you, the imperial court has repeatedly solicited and comforted the Kong Youde Geng Zhongming Department who attacked Kexian County and poisoned the entire territory of Shandong. And Master Li has made great contributions to the country, and he has never rebelled, will the imperial court really want to fight against our Tang Army to the end? ”

Lu Xiangsheng's face moved, his mouth was open, and he looked hesitant and confused.

"Governor Lu, I will say another sentence of heart-wrenching, please listen to the Governor." Duan Shidi smiled coldly and replied: "I was thinking that Lord Lu was here to fight with our Tang army on the battlefield and fight to the death for the orders of the imperial court, but the court, after hearing the news of Lord Lu's final defeat, I am afraid that there is no intention of confronting our army, and it is very likely that he will send peace personnel to negotiate peace with our Tang army." At the time of the world, the imperial court and my lord Li eliminated the mustard and reconciled, but it is a pity that Governor Lu is in this wilderness, but he is loyal to the country with all his blood, isn't it just meaningless? What's even more tragic is that although Lord Lu is loyal to the country, he will only be ridiculed by others who think he ignores the current affairs. If so, wouldn't it be a shame? Okay, that's all the general has to say, where to go, please Governor Lu to consider himself. ”

Duan Shidi's words completely shattered Lu Xiangsheng's inner pillar.

He suddenly found that he was desperately fighting against Li Xiao, maybe it was really possible, and in the end, he was just a clown on the stage who was made fun of.

Thinking of this, Lu Xiangsheng's face burned like fire, and he sighed.

He finally raised his head and replied slowly to Duan Shidi: "Battalion Commander Duan, then do you plan to capture all of our troops next?" ”

Duan Shidi looked directly at Lu Xiangsheng's uneasy eyes, but slowly shook his head.

"No, our army doesn't want to make things too desperate. My family Master Li has already said in the letter that if he can really force Lord Lu, then, in order to save Lord Lu's face, he only needs to detain all the officers and grain and grass in the army. The rest of the sergeants, along with Lord Lu, can go back to the Mangdu Division. The general only hopes that Lord Lu will have a good understanding of the hard work of my family, Lord Li, and from now on, he will not be able to oppose our army again, otherwise, these officers will only be afraid that their lives will not be guaranteed. ”

Listening to Duan Shidi's soft and hard words, Lu Xiangsheng was speechless for a long time, and in the end, he smiled bitterly and agreed to Duan Shidi's arrangement.

"Let's go, the matter has come to this, what can be done, this governor agrees. I only hope that your ministry can be more kind to the detained generals of our army. Lu Xiangsheng said with a sigh.

Duan Shi said with a smile: "Governor Lu rest assured, after the turmoil, our army will never embarrass them, and when the two armies reconcile in the future, these generals will be released by our army." ”

As a result, a total of about 400 middle and senior officers, including Lu Xiangsheng's second brother Lu Xiangguan and right-wing deputy general Yang Guozhu, were detained by the Tang army, and the rest of the soldiers and horses, as well as the corpses of the Ming soldiers who died in battle, were all brought back to Wanquan by Lu Xiangsheng himself.

Lu Xiangsheng, who led the army away, heard the shouts and cheers of the Tang army behind him, and his heart was inexplicably bitter and helpless.

Soon, the news that Lu Xiangsheng's army was defeated and all the officers were captured immediately spread to the imperial court.

Hearing this terrible news, Emperor Chongzhen's face was dull, and he sat in the Dongnuan Pavilion without eating for a whole day.

The emperor was terrified, and he began to deeply suspect that it was only a huge mistake for him to be so willful, to deprive Li Xiao of his title and official position, and to brand him a traitor.

He was even more frightened thinking, if this Li Xiao sent his fierce, very well-equipped tiger and wolf division, all the way north to attack the Beijing division, although he was the emperor, but only with the vain five battalions of soldiers and horses in Beijing, and those scattered troops in Jinggi, I am afraid that even the first round of attacks of the Tang army would be difficult to resist.

In the evening of that day, a little eunuch came to report that Yang Sichang urgently asked to see him.

Chongzhen's eyes lit up, and then a trace of shame passed, and he groaned slightly, and urgently ordered the little eunuch to take Liu Sichang in.

"Minister, Yang Sichang, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites, knock to see Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live long live."

"Aiqing is flat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yang Sichang stood up and looked at the emperor on the dragon chair for a moment, and the eyes of the two people were very complicated.

In the end, it was Yang Sichang who opened his mouth first: "Your Majesty, Weichen is here, and he really has a word, and he must make it clear to the emperor desperately." “

"Oh, you say it............"

"Your Majesty, there were villains in the previous court, who repeatedly slandered and slandered the saints, making the emperor and the generals of the country feel disliked, so that they fought against each other, and the monarchs and ministers were not in harmony, which is really deplorable." Yang Sichang didn't dare to speak directly about the emperor, and deliberately alluded to the first assistant Liu Yuliang and others.

Chongzhen's face was hot, and the look of shame on his face was even worse. Of course he understands, although Yang Sichang is accusing Liu Yuliang and others, but he, the ultimate decision-maker, is definitely more related, but Yang Sichang is a venerable person, and it is difficult to say it.

Chongzhen coughed lightly, but changed the topic for a while, and he said in a low voice: "Yang Aiqing, I really didn't expect that Lu Jiandou led the mobile soldiers and horses of the entire Xuan Mansion to attack Li Xiao's lonely Jintang City in the north, and he would be defeated!" It's a pity that my Ming official army is not good, in your opinion, what should I do now? “

Yang Sichang smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, forgive me for being direct, in my opinion, my Ming official army, with low morale and unfamiliar training, such a weak combat force, how can I be the opponent of Li Xiao's battle-hardened and well-equipped Tang Army!" If His Majesty still insists on continuing to fight with that Li Xiao, wouldn't he only be unhappy? ”

Yang Sichang wanted to say that he was killing himself, but for the sake of the emperor's face, he deliberately said it lightly. It's just that Rao is like this, but the emperor's face is becoming more and more gloomy and painful.

Seeing the emperor's expression, Yang Sichang continued: "Your Majesty, do you think that Lu Jiandou can come back alive from the battlefield, and he was able to escape by killing the enemy desperately? Definitely! According to the next understanding, Lu Jiandou and Li Xiao's subordinate soldiers, in the diplomatic battle in Jintangcheng, were first broken the left and right wings and all the logistics soldiers and horses, and then, the Chinese army in the headquarters was also firmly surrounded by the Tang army, which was a mortal situation, but in the end, Li Xiao missed the old feelings and refused to kill the killer, so he spared his life, only detained the officers, and let Lu Jiandou lead a group of soldiers to return safely. In my opinion, Li Xiao's behavior shows that he still doesn't want to completely grudge with the imperial court, and hopes to show the imperial court in this way that he has no intention of betraying. Li Xiao's painstaking efforts, I hope Your Majesty will be cautious! ”

After listening to Yang Sichang's words, Chongzhen's heart was mixed, and the expression on his face was even more complicated.

Yang Sichang continued: "According to Weichen's understanding, Li Xiao's generals once shouted to Lu Jiandou on the battlefield, saying that if the Tang army and the imperial court continue to fight with each other like this, I am afraid that in the end they will only lose both. When Wei Chen heard this, he sighed in his heart. That Li Xiao has been designated as a traitor by the emperor, but he still thinks about the court and the country like this, and he is really a dry city that bears humiliation and burdens the country. Such a good general who can fight, if he still pushes it to the road of rebellion, it will be the most irreparable loss for my Ming Empire! ”

When Chongzhen heard this, his face was not moved, and he said softly: "Li Xiao, he, does he really think so?" ”

Seeing that the emperor's words were loose, Yang Sichang pounced, knelt on the ground, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, the ancients had clouds, heard the drums and thought of good generals, now the world is in chaos, that Li Xiao is the immortal general of the country, even if there is a domineering place, Your Majesty should also reward its strengths and use it, it is right!" What's more, now that he has reached this point with Li Xiao, it is mostly mistaken by the villain's slander, not His Majesty's intention, why does His Majesty no longer issue an edict and blame these gang for instigating villains, so as to repair the relationship with Li Xiao? ”

Chongzhen stood up, slowly walked back and forth a few steps, and sighed: "Aiqing's words are really reasonable, but it is a pity that I was in a hurry at that time, and I was fascinated by Xiaoxiao's words. It's just that I don't know, now, is Li Xiao still willing to reconcile with me, and make peace with the monarch and ministers? ”

Seeing that Chongzhen's attitude had changed, Yang Sichang was overjoyed, and he arched his hand again and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I want to come to the Kong Youde Geng Zhongming of the day, attacking and plundering the city in Shandong, slaughtering the people, Your Majesty still remembers that he was a Ming official army, so he treats him leniently, and repeatedly sends people to appease him, which shows that Your Majesty cares for benevolence." It's just that Kong Geng and the two thieves, who don't read the grace of the saint, are bent on rebellion, and are really despicable, contemptible and uneducated. But this Li Xiao, although he betrayed the name of a thief, never attacked the country or plundered the state and county. Although he was forced to fight with Lu Xiangsheng's troops, he also spared his hands and took his life. Such a person, the minister dared to predict that as long as His Majesty did not investigate his faults and sincerely appeased, Li Xiaoding could be used by the country again. ”

Chongzhen stood still, and let out a long sigh, his face even more ashamed. He muttered: "Aiqing is reasonable, but who can go to Shandong to negotiate peace with that Li Xiao?" ”

When Yang Sichang heard this, his heart was filled with joy, and he said loudly: "Your Majesty, although Weichen is a foolish person, he is willing to go to Shandong to negotiate peace with Li Xiao. Let the emperor and Li Xiao release their suspicions from now on, and the monarch and ministers will be in harmony! ”

"Good! Then there is Lao Aiqing. Chongzhen turned his head and squeezed a smile on his face.

Three days later, Yang Sichang, who had been working fast all the way, finally arrived in Dengzhou, Shandong.

Hearing the report from the soldiers, saying that Yang Gebu had come in person, and Li Xiao, who was discussing with Chen Zilong, Jiang Yueguang and others, had a faint smile on his face.

"Master Li, it seems that we have completely defeated Lu Xiangsheng on Xuanfu North Road, and this court has finally woken up. The students expected that the Yang Pavilion Department was here to negotiate peace with our army. Chen Zilong interjected with a smile on the side.

"Yes, Master Li's plan to promote peace is good! The imperial court thought that our army was a soft persimmon that could be handled at will, but now that it has broken its teeth, it is known that our army is a copper bowl bean that cannot be bitten! The imperial court tasted the bitterness, so it had to put down its body and come to peace talks with our army in order to calm things down. In my opinion, Lord Li can just take this opportunity to negotiate terms with the imperial court, and from then on, our army will open up territories overseas, and the imperial court will no longer dare to interfere with it. Jiang Yueguang was also happy.

Li Xiao smiled and nodded: "The two of you are reasonable, if the imperial court can really wake up and no longer interfere with our army's overseas expansion, then this official can also give the imperial court a face, so that the imperial court can also have steps to go down." After all, being able to maintain a fighting and unbroken situation with the imperial court is really the most beneficial thing for our army. ”

Not long after, Yang Sichang led a group of entourages to enter Dengzhou City, and Li Xiao led a group of civil and military officials to greet him warmly, giving Yang Sichang enough face.

After the two exchanged courtesies, Yang Sichang sighed: "Tang Guogong, Yang is here, but he has nothing to do but go to the Three Treasures Palace." ”

Li Xiao waved his hand lightly, signaling that he didn't have to say any more, and then said with a smile: "Yang Gebu has come from afar, and he has worked hard all the way, and he won't talk about it, please enter the city first and then talk." Li has prepared a thin banquet and invited Yang Gebu to sit with his father. ”

Subsequently, Li Xiao and Yang Sichang entered the city together until Li Xiao's official residence in the inner city.

At this time, all the dishes in the banquet were already served, Yang Sichangfu and Li Xiao were invited to sit down, and the guests and hosts were staggered and happy, as if the previous unhappiness and disputes did not exist at all.

Yang Sichang was very moved when he saw that Li Xiao could entertain himself so warmly, so the two toasted each other and said some scenes casually, and the atmosphere of the whole banquet was peaceful.

After the banquet was over, Li Xiao removed the remnant seat, regained the two of Yang Sichang, entered the living room, and sat down with the guests watching tea.

Yang Sichang took a sip and put down the teacup, with a complicated look on his face, but he didn't gossip much, but went straight to the point.

"Tang Guogong, Yang is here to mediate the dispute between Tang Guogong and the imperial court. During this time, there were many misunderstandings between the imperial court and the Duke of Tang Guo, so that they fought against each other, which is really regrettable. The reason why such a result was achieved was that there were small and medium-sized people in the DPRK, instigating discord, so that the emperor lost his sacred heart for a while, and he was so unhappy with Tang Guogong! Yang came today, first represented the imperial court, and announced his guilt to the Tang State. ”

Yang Sichang said and solemnly apologized to Li Xiao, but was stopped by Li Xiao waving his hand.

"Yang Gebu, all the past, everyone knows it in their hearts, so there is no need to mention it. It's just that Li is thinking about how to prevent friction and disputes between the court and his duke in the future, which is the most important thing. ”

"Then, according to Tang Guogong, how should he act so that the dispute between the court and the adults will not be renewed?" Yang Sichang blinked and hurriedly asked.

Li Xiao smiled and said loudly: "Well, it's not difficult." In the opinion of this official, as long as the court agrees to the following conditions of this official, then the official should be able to make peace with the court on this, and from then on, the two sides will be blocked, the monarch and the minister will have no guesses, and there will be no suspicions. ”