Soon, he rushed to the Qianqing Palace with Qi Tai, the secretary of the military department; Fang Xiaoru and Huang Zicheng were already waiting there. Zhu Yunwen passed the letter of King Yan to the three of them and asked worriedly:

"I just discussed with Ruo Xiao and planned to negotiate a truce with King Yan. Ruo Xiao thought that King Yan's conditions were all pretenses, and advised me not to make concessions. What about the three Aiqing? ”

Qi Tai said, "What the Warden Lord said is extremely true. Your Majesty, the conditions offered by the anti-king are simply difficult for the strongman, and it is clear that he does not want to negotiate peace at all. He is making excuses for himself to continue to fight under the banner of 'appeasement', and His Majesty must not be deceived by him. ”

Huang Zicheng also said: "Yes, Your Majesty, if the anti-king only wants the heads of the two of us, this matter will be easy to handle, just give it to him, see what else he has to say; But he also wants officials from the hospital, officials from the Ministry of Rites, funeral and mausoleum officials, and he really wants to cover up. ”

Zhu Yunwen sighed: "I don't know; However, if he did not agree to his conditions, the Yan army would come to the city. The four emperors' uncles have been winning every step since they started their troops, and the imperial army has been defeated like a mountain. ”

Shen Ruoyu was forced to be helpless, so he had to say: "Your Majesty, the crime of defeating the army, as a prison army, it is my duty, please ask Your Majesty to issue an edict to punish me." ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Your Majesty, the crime of defeating the army is first and foremost the main general. The general wants to make his own decisions, and the overseer can't help him. Please ask Your Majesty to punish Li Jinglong for the crime of defeating the army. ”

Zhu Yunwen was silent for a moment and sighed: "Forget it, this battle has heavy casualties, and it is not easy for the general." Victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, and I can't chill the hearts of soldiers because of a failure. Let the general prepare well for the war and pass the credit. ”

"Then, how does Your Majesty plan to respond to the anti-king?" Zitai asked.

Zhu Yunwen hesitated for a long time, unable to decide, and his face was tightened.

Seeing that the emperor did not speak, Fang Xiaoru said tentatively:

"Weichen thinks that he can make some superficial concessions as a delaying tactic."

Zhu Yunwen sat up straight, and there was a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"What good ideas does Mr. Fang have?"

Fang Xiaoru said: "The minister thinks that His Majesty can send an envoy to Beiping, saying that the imperial court has dismissed Qi and Huang from their posts and investigated them, and ordered the anti-king to strike and bind his armor." In fact, His Majesty still left the two adults in Beijing to be the real and unknown military department secretary and Taichang Siqing, and to participate in military and political affairs. In this way, there is no need to say anything against the king. It's just that I don't know if the two adults are willing to suffer this grievance. ”

Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng looked at each other for a while after hearing Fang Xiaoru's words. Then, the two bowed to Zhu Yunwen at the same time:

"As long as you can solve problems for Your Majesty, don't say that it is an official position, even if you give up your life. It's just that Weichen is really not sure, whether the anti-king will buy it, and whether this trick will work. ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "The imperial court has done this part, it is already the biggest concession, if he Yan King is still not interesting, there is no need to fight his banner of 'Jingnan' anymore." ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Mr. Fang, this is what King Yan is afraid of. What kind of character are the two adults Qi and Huang, he knows as well as His Majesty, he knows that if he only wants the two adults Qi and Huang, the two adults will definitely sacrifice for the court without hesitation and hand themselves over. Then he miscalculated. That's why he dragged so many people on, in order not to stop the army. Don't you understand? ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Negotiating peace is originally a bargaining process, he wrote a letter and put forward his conditions, and the imperial court can naturally put forward our conditions." ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Mr. Fang, what kind of character is King Yan?" I will not give up until I achieve my goal. What is his real purpose? Is it the 'Qingjun side' as he said? Everyone in the world knows no. Is it in exchange for a compromise from the imperial court and no longer cutting the feudal domain? Or, is it to rule the river with the Son of Heaven and want half of my Ming Dynasty? No, what he wants is the throne. His purpose was clear, he wanted to seize this unique throne and replace His Majesty. Under such a purpose, how could he have the slightest idea of peace? How else is it possible to tell us what conditions? Therefore, the court only said that the two lords, Qi and Huang, were in his arms, and he would not accept it with confidence, and he had to ask the court to fully agree to his conditions, knowing that it was impossible to do. Why should we grow his ambition and destroy our own prestige? ”

Qi Tai said: "Actually, this is not necessarily impossible. After all, in the eyes of the anti-king, Lord Huang and I are the initiators of the cutting of the domain. The rest of the people, such as the imperial doctor and the internal officials, are all small roles and insignificant. The dismissal of the two of us is tantamount to declaring to him the sincerity of His Majesty's peace and the comfort to him. If he still cares about the aspirations of the people, he should know that he will accept it when he sees it. ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten the Seven Kingdoms of Emperor Jing?" ”

Zhu Yunwen was slightly stunned. "Emperor Jing's Seven Kingdoms? What do you mean......"

"Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty used Chao Cao's proposal to cut down the domain, which led to the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, and then killed Chao Cao at the request of the Seven Kingdoms, fantasizing about making the Seven Kingdoms truce. However, as soon as Chao Cuo died, the Seven Kingdoms became even more unscrupulous, and not only did not have a truce, but intensified. If Your Majesty is in the position of Qi and Huang, how can it be different from Emperor Jing killing Chao? In the end, it was not Chao Cuo's death that pacified the Seven Kingdoms, but Zhou Yafu's iron army. Therefore, the way to deal with King Yan can only be hard, and it must not be soft. ”

Zhu Yunwen was a little aggrieved and defended: "You misunderstood, if you are few, I have no intention of killing them." Even if I dismiss them, I still have to keep the two Aiqing by my side and ask for advice day and night. ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Moreover, why don't we come to a two-pronged approach, on the one hand, do this superficial article to confuse the anti-king, and on the other hand, the army learns the lessons of the previous defeat, strengthens its vigilance, and is ready to attack at any time." It is necessary to strive for the initiative on both sides. ”

Huang Zicheng also nodded and said, "I think this is how it will be done." ”

Zhu Yunwen sighed: "That's all it can be." I was also forced to grieve the two Aiqing for a while. ”

Qi and Huang immediately kowtowed and said, "I am willing to break my bones for Your Majesty and never give up." ”

Shen Ruoyu said coldly on the side: "It's a pity that the two adults are loyal and brave, and they can't play any role. ”

Fang Xiaoru couldn't help frowning: "Ruo Xiao, in front of the Son of Heaven, how can you be so open-mouthed?" ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "I want to ask Your Majesty, what do you want the people of the world to say about the two adults?" ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "The people can naturally understand the sincerity of the imperial court's truce and peace, and the Son of Heaven is sympathetic to the hard work of the Li people. This move could gain greater support for the imperial court, thus making King Yan lose the hearts of the people. ”

"Wrong, Mr. Fang, this is completely the opposite of the law," Shen Ruoyu said unceremoniously, "This move will only make the imperial court lose the hearts and minds of the people." If the Son of Heaven makes the slightest concession, he will be regarded as a sign of weakness by the people of the world, and the court's weakness to the rebels represents the weakness of the court. What's more, the dismissal of the two adults' officials is no longer an ordinary concession. Everyone in the world will feel that the Son of Heaven bowed his head to King Yan, and the court admitted that it was a mistake to cut the domain. No other message could be conveyed. At that point, Your Majesty will be at a dead end. Since it is admitted that it is a mistake to cut the feudal domain, then all the faults of this civil war can only be borne by the imperial court, and the consequence can only be that the imperial court take the initiative to withdraw its troops and unconditionally accept all the unreasonable demands of King Yan, which is likely to include letting the Son of Heaven take the throne. ”

Zhu Yunwen was frightened when he heard this, and asked in a trembling voice:

"What do you mean?"

Shen Ruoyu said: "I still say the same thing, let that Wu Sheng bring the letter back to King Yan, and tell him that the imperial army is waiting to see him on the battlefield." To deal with the anti-thieves, the Son of Heaven only spoke with arrows, crossbows and artillery. ”

Fang Xiaoru shook his head again and again when he heard this, and sighed:

"You, Ruoxiao, you are too young, and your blood is strong. The major events related to the society and the country cannot be so impulsive. 'A soldier is also the weapon of the country'; we must be more cautious in our use. Now that the anti-king is repairing books and talking about peace, no matter how false his intentions are, it shows that he is still afraid of the people's will. The people are always against war; That being the case, there is a possibility of a truce; There is such a possibility, and we should strive for it. After all, it's up to people. The Son of Heaven expressed the greatest sincerity, the court made the greatest concessions, and the ministers made the greatest sacrifices, if this cannot resolve the danger of the army, at least we have a clear conscience, so that we can appeal to the battlefield openly and avoid the shame of future generations. If you blindly rely on force, that is the real courage of the horseman, and it will not solve any problems. ”

Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng both nodded yes. Zhu Yunwen looked at Fang Xiaoru with admiration and said:

Mr. Fang's words untied the knot in my heart and made me suddenly open. According to Mr.'s intentions, I have temporarily wronged the two Aiqing. - Ruoxiao, is there anything else you can't figure out? Wait a while, let Mr. Fang stay, and let's talk about it again. ”

Shen Ruoyu shook his head: "I don't have anything to figure out. No matter what kind of decision His Majesty makes, if you only know that you will do your best. ”

"That's great," Zhu Yunwen finally smiled gently. "What about that Yan envoy?"

Qi Tai said: "The two armies will not fight each other, let him go back." ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "Your Majesty's edict to King Yan should select a courtier to go to Beiping to declare. ”

Zhu Yun bowed his head and said, "This is also in line with my thoughts." I don't know who can be a messenger? ”

Fang Xiaoru said: "It must be a person with high morality, extraordinary intelligence, extraordinary courage, and ability to adhere to integrity." ”

Qi Tai said: "There are many such people among the courtiers, but there are elites in front of the saint." ”

Huang Zicheng said: "The minister has an idea, Your Majesty can issue an order to make the civil and military officials willing to go to Beiping to advise Yan Mao Sui to recommend himself." ”

Qi Tai and Fang Xiaoru thought about it, and they all nodded and praised it and said that this is a good idea, and those who dare to recommend themselves must have no shortage of talent and courage, and as for virtue, the Son of Heaven naturally knows it.

Zhu Yunwen decided in this way.