Duan Zhichun met Wang Zhong in his tent, and said with tears in his eyes: "Lord Wang, uniting Tianzhu and Bagan under Xia is not to seek a dynasty to usurp the throne!" I am loyal to the royal brother, and even if I am broken, I will never do anything unfaithful! Seeing him like this, Wang Zhong couldn't help but be a little moved, and hugged his fists and said: "Your Majesty ordered the subordinate to come to ask the general's intentions!" Please tell the general the truth, what do you want to do when you unite Tianzhu and Bagan to invade the border? ”

Duan Zhichun sighed and said, "I'm also forced to do this!" Glancing at Wang Zhong, "Lord Wang, you must know very well the situation of our Dali!" After the Ming Dynasty destroyed the Song Kingdom, he openly issued an ultimatum to our Dali, and the situation of the Dali Kingdom was already at a critical juncture, and it would be annexed by the Ming Dynasty at any time! However, our Dali country is weak and cannot fight against the Ming tiger and wolf, so we have to borrow external forces! In fact, I have already talked to the imperial brother about this strategy, and His Majesty has already agreed to it! However, many misunderstandings followed, which caused the emperor to be suspicious of me, and I had to flee the capital in order to protect myself. ”

Wang Zhong nodded and said, "I know all these things. He glanced at Duan Zhichun and asked, "Does the general really think that there is just a misunderstanding between him and His Majesty?" ”

Duan Zhichun said: "At first, I was very angry and sad, thinking that the imperial brother regarded me as a thorn in the flesh, and wanted to get rid of it quickly!" But when I think about the whole thing, I find that there are many doubts. Why did the imperial brother send someone to ambush me on my way to the palace? Then he expected that I would follow Qionghua's advice and go and apologize to him! Since the imperial brother could think that I would go to the palace to apologize to him, then the misunderstanding between the two would be resolved, so why did the imperial brother send someone to kill me? Wouldn't you want to settle the misunderstanding with me? So I feel like there's a black hand behind the whole thing! I thought of those fierce and abnormal black-clothed killers again, although I don't have such a strong combat power, I also believe that the emperor's command will not have it! Come to think of it, only the Ming side has such a strong army! ”

Wang Zhong listened to his explanation and felt that it made sense, so he couldn't help but nodded.

Duan Zhichun said: "That is to say, the misunderstanding between me and the imperial brother was provoked by Da Ming nine times out of ten, and the purpose is self-evident." ”

Wang Zhong clenched his fists and said: "What the general said is extremely true. ”

Duan Zhichun continued: "I felt that the matter was already very critical, so I hurriedly sent someone to show goodwill to Your Majesty, but Your Majesty didn't listen to my explanation at all. I was helpless, seeing that the Ming army would invade at any time, I had to unite Tianzhu and Bagan into Dali, intending to use them to deal with the Ming army! Alas, but it is inevitable that we will be at war with our own army, what a hurry! ”

Wang Zhong saw that Duan Zhichun said it very sincerely, and it was very logical, and he couldn't help but feel that things were indeed as he said. He asked, "If Your Majesty makes peace with the Great General, what will the Great General do?" ”

Duan Zhichun said excitedly: "Your Majesty can forgive me, that is my greatest wish." If Your Majesty understands my painstaking intentions, I will immediately restrain Tianzhu and Bagan to stop the attack, and then discuss a proper way for their two armies to deal with the Ming people! But this comes at a price," and then bowed to Wang Zhong, who hurriedly replied, "General, what do you mean by this?" ”

Duan Zhichun said: "Please also ask your lord to ask Your Majesty for your guilt." In order to persuade Tianzhu and Bagan to raise troops to support, I have already agreed to both of them without authorization, and after the matter is completed, I will cede Tengchong Mansion, Shanju County, and Moutong Mansion to Tianzhu, and Jinglong and Yongchang Mansion to Bagan. "The so-called Tengchong Prefecture is now the Tengchong region of Yunnan, including the northern part of Myanmar, Shanju County and Moutong Prefecture are in the northeast of Tengchong Prefecture, both in the east of Gaoligong Mountain and Nu River; Jinglong is not a Chinese territory today, it is probably the eastern part of Myanmar plus the northwest region of Laos, and Yongchang Province is southeast of Tengchong Province and northwest of Jinglong. If all these lands are ceded out, almost half of Dali's land will be gone.

Although Wang Zhong felt that Duan Zhichun had transgressed, he also felt that he was forced to do so, and nodded: "Your Majesty also knows that it is impossible for Tianzhu and Bagan to help us without a price!" It's better than being destroyed by the Ming Dynasty! Duan Zhichun nodded and said, "I think the same way." ”

Wang Zhong said: "Your Majesty said that if everything is as the general said, then please ask the general to immediately restrain the army of Tianzhu and Bagan to stop attacking." Then, we will negotiate on a specific plan to deal with Daming. ”

Duan Zhichun said without hesitation: "I will do it immediately." However, please tell the imperial brother that it must not be delayed for too long, and the Tianzhu and Bagan armies must be allowed to fight with the Ming army as soon as possible, otherwise these alien armies will be very unfavorable to us after all if they are in the country for a long time! ”

Wang Zhong nodded, stood up, clenched his fists and said, "Without further ado, I will report back to Your Majesty immediately." Duan Zhichun got up and hugged his fists and said: "Now that the national disaster is at the head, I won't leave an adult!" Wang Zhong said: "The general is polite and takes his leave." Then he hurried away.

Duan Zhichun watched Wang Zhong leave, his face thoughtful.

The cronies next to him said with some concern: "General, I'm afraid the Tianzhu people and the Bagan people won't listen to us, right?" ”

Duan Zhichun said: "I don't plan to let them listen to us. But I have a way to get them to stop attacking for a while. As long as the attack is suspended, the Imperial Brother will definitely believe our words and begin to prepare to deal with the Ming people with all his might. This point, the Ming side will definitely find out, and at the same time, if we send people to spread rumors on both sides, both sides will inevitably feel that the situation is urgent, and the Ming army will definitely take surprise action immediately! At that time, the imperial brother had no choice but to transfer the main force to resist the Ming army! The Dali army in front of us is bound to be empty, and we can drive straight in! ”

I admired it incomparably, and felt that the general's plan was really miraculous. Then he frowned and said worriedly: "It's just that my subordinates are worried, how to deal with the aftermath after the matter is completed?" ”

Duan Zhichun pondered: "Once our army drives straight in, the imperial brother only has two choices, one is to quickly renegotiate peace with the Ming army to deal with us, but at this time, both of them have already paid a lot of price, and the other is to continue to confront the Ming army, which is better for us." In either case, it is inevitable that the Tianzhu Army and the Bagan Army will collide with the Ming Army! There was a fierce battle between the two sides, and at that time, the Tianzhu people and the Bagan army would inevitably see the true power of the Yanyun army, and even if they could win, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses. In fact, no matter who can win in the end, the Ming army, the Tianzhu army, and the Bagan army will be a three-defeat situation. Then we can be in a safe place. They are holding each other back, and no one will want to attack us. ”

The cronies sighed, "In this way, I'm afraid that most of our Dali land will be reduced to water and fire!" ”

Duan Zhichun said: "This is also helpless! In the face of the powerful power of the Ming Dynasty, it is already a miracle to be able to keep the Dali Guozuo! The cronies felt that Duan Zhichun had a point, nodded, and couldn't help but sigh.

Wang Zhong reported Duan Zhichun's words to the emperor, and the emperor was overjoyed, but he was also a little wary of Duan Zhichun. Until the scouts reported that the rebels, Tianzhu, and Bagan had stopped attacking, the emperor thought that it was indeed as Duan Zhichun said, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed. Immediately summoned the ministers, issued a mobilization order, and prepared to deal with the Ming Dynasty with all his might, and the city of Dali was full of busy scenes. At the same time, the Dali Emperor also ordered the mission to be placed under house arrest.

A minister who had a good relationship with Princess Qionghua informed Princess Qionghua of the emperor's decision. Princess Qionghua was shocked when she heard this, and said with a pale face: "Oh no! Oh no! The minister asked, puzzled, "Why did the princess say that?" General Duan has restrained the coalition forces, and the truth of the matter should be as General Duan said! ”

Princess Qionghua frowned and shook her head, "I don't know what Uncle Huang is up to, I only know that after the Tianzhu army and the Bagan army enter our Dali, they will never listen to his command!" ”

The minister was stunned, "This, how can this be?" Before, didn't we also plan to ask them to help deal with the Ming people? At that time, I didn't think that Tianzhu Haigal Bagan would not listen to the greeting! ”

Qiong Hua shook her head with a wry smile and said, "How is the situation at this time the same as at that time?" If it is Zhu or Bagan today, they are like a bamboo all the way, and they have completely looked down on our Dali, and now they only want to seize the greatest benefits by force, who will care what covenant! Then he frowned and said: "I hope that Daming can defeat them, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable, and our Dali will eventually be ruled by aliens!" No, I want to go to the palace immediately to meet my father! Without further delay, he hurriedly prepared the car and hurried out of the mansion to the palace.

However, when he arrived outside the palace, he was stopped by the guards, and Princess Qionghua shouted unhappily: "I am a princess, don't you know me?" ”

The captain of the guard saluted Princess Qionghua and said, "Your Royal Highness the Princess, forgive me, Your Majesty has an order not to allow Her Royal Highness the Princess to enter the palace." ”

When Princess Qionghua heard this, she couldn't help but be stunned, and then a sour feeling came to her heart. After settling down, he took a deep breath and said to the captain: "I have a very urgent matter to see my father, please give me a message!" The captain hesitated, clenched his fists and said, "Your Highness, wait." Then he ran down.

Princess Qionghua waited outside the palace, only to feel that the time was extremely long and difficult. After a long time, I finally saw the captain running back, and hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Has my father called him?" The captain's face was very ugly, and he clenched his fists and said, "Princess, please go back!" Your Majesty didn't want to see the princess, and reprimanded the subordinate severely! ”

Princess Qionghua was sad and anxious, and begged: "Please report to your father again, just say that this matter is very urgent, related to the survival of Dali Kingdom, and even more related to the safety of my father's life!" ”

The captain didn't take Princess Qionghua's words to heart at all, shook his head and said, "I don't dare to touch His Majesty's moldy head again!" Princess, please come back! Princess Qionghua begged again and again, but the captain just refused. Princess Qionghua became angry and simply broke through the palace gate. The captain was taken aback, and hurriedly ordered his sergeants to surround Princess Qionghua. Princess Qionghua raised her eyebrows and shouted, "Get out of the way!" The captain only felt a rush of power in his face, and he couldn't help but be shocked, but he didn't let go. He hugged his fists and said, "Your Royal Highness Princess, please don't embarrass us!" Your Majesty has a strict order, if we let Her Royal Highness the princess in, all of us here will not end well, and we can't let Her Royal Highness the princess in no matter what! ”

Princess Qionghua frowned and took a step forward. The captain suddenly pulled out his waist knife, and then there was a sonorous sound, and all the guards also pulled out their waist knives. Princess Qionghua's heart sank, and she understood that they really wouldn't let themselves in anyway! Looking up at the palace behind the guards, he only felt that it was close at hand but far away from the world, and he couldn't help but feel infinite melancholy in his heart, and he also felt helpless. Princess Qionghua sighed and turned to go. The guards couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when they saw that she was no longer forcibly breaking into the palace.

All parts of Dali received orders to strictly guard against the Ming army, and at the same time, the Dali Emperor mobilized the troops gathered around the city of Dali and prepared to besiege the Ming army together with the coalition army. Everything is arranged, just wait for news from the coalition side.

At the same time, Duan Zhichun was pacing back and forth anxiously in his big tent. Suddenly, the curtain opened, and a cronie rushed in.

Duan Zhichun immediately stopped and asked urgently, "What's the situation?" ”

The cronies frowned and shook their heads: "The Ming army is still standing still, and has not raided the nearby cities as we expected before, and at the same time, their follow-up troops have all stopped near the border line, and there is no sign of a forced assault!" Duan Zhichun frowned, and said a little overwhelmed: "How can this be?" How so? ”

At this moment, another cronie hurriedly rushed into the big tent and said urgently: "General, it's not good, the Bagan army has already attacked without authorization!" The generalissimo Kshatriya of Tianzhu has also given the order to march! ”

The cronie who came to the big tent first said angrily: "Why do they act without greeting us? ”

Duan Zhichun said with a gloomy face: "Where will they put us in their eyes!" ”

The two relatives couldn't help but glance at each other, and one of the cronies said to Duan Zhichun: "General, should we stop them immediately?" Duan Zhichun frowned and shook his head, "What do you rely on to stop it?" It's useless! He turned his head and said to the two cronies: "Pass the order, and the army will immediately march towards the north of Erhai Lake!" The two cronies looked at each other in surprise, clenched their fists in promise, and ran down.

Dali's monarchs and ministers were eagerly awaiting the news of the coalition army, and the news of the coalition army finally came, but it was not the situation they expected. The coalition army is coming, but it is like a bamboo, and there is no intention to help Emperor Dali deal with the Ming army. When the Dali monarchs heard the news, it was like hearing a thunderbolt on a sunny day, and they were dizzy, and there was silence in the hall for a while, and the needle drop could be heard.

The monarchs and ministers finally came to their senses, and the scene exploded, and everyone was terrified and at a loss, like a group of rats who had nowhere to escape after encountering a catastrophe.

Emperor Dali shouted angrily: "Damn! Damn it! How can they be treacherous! Immediately thinking of Duan Wu, the secretary of the criminal department who had been working hard to reconcile with Duan Zhichun, he was full of anger and wanted to vent on him, his eyes searched for Duan Wu among the ministers, and at the same time shouted: "Duan Wu! Where is Duan Wu? Everyone was also searching around, but although the hall was crowded, there was no figure of Duan Wu. A minister clasped his fists at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, Duan Wu doesn't seem to be above the main hall!" Another minister clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, Duan Wu doesn't seem to be here today!" Another minister said: "Duan Wu has been speaking for Duan Zhichun, presumably in collusion with Duan Zhichun, I'm afraid that he has escaped at this moment!" ”

Emperor Dali was shocked, and immediately ordered the general of the Imperial Forest Army to lead the army to Duan Wu's mansion to arrest Duan Wu's family.

Soon after, the general of the Imperial Forest Army came back and reported: "Your Majesty, Duan Wu's family has disappeared, and his subordinates have asked the soldiers of the city gate, and it is said that their family has left Dali City from the south gate last night and is missing. ”

The pot exploded in the hall, and someone scolded: "Okay! That Duan Wu was afraid of the crime and absconded, and he had already colluded with Duan Zhichun and them! Someone else shouted: "Everything he said before is clearly playing a trick on us!" ”

Emperor Dali only felt ashamed and angry, and shouted to the general of the Imperial Forest Army: "You immediately lead the army to pursue, and you must arrest this rebel!" The general of the Royal Forest Army was startled, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this, this is very difficult!" Duan Wu and the others had already escaped from the city last night, where can they catch up at this time! ”

At this moment, a herald hurried into the main hall and reported with a panicked face: "Your Majesty, it's not good! Guangyi Prefecture, Shengxiang County, and Kainan County have all been lost, and the Tianzhu army is already approaching Longwei Pass! ”

When the monarchs and ministers of Dali heard this, they were all shocked, and the scene was like being frightened by thunder. Emperor Dali came back to his senses, and he shouted in panic: "This is impossible! How, how could it be, how could it be......" even said a few how it would be, but the latter words couldn't be said because of panic!

The herald said: "After the Bagan army broke through the Luo Yu Division, it broke through the Malong Division, Weichu Province and other prefectures and counties all the way; Duan Zhichun's rebels are approaching Fengyu County! ”

Every time the Dali monarch heard him say a word, his heart sank a little, and when he finished speaking, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom, only to feel the despair of the end coming.

Emperor Dali suddenly became angry and shouted: "How come the enemy has come to the vicinity of Dali City in an instant!" Have all the cities betrayed? ”

The herald glanced up at the Emperor, and then stopped. Emperor Dali was angry and anxious, and when he saw the herald spitting, he was greatly annoyed, and shouted: "Say it quickly! ”

The herald struck a stirring spirit and hurriedly said: "Because, because His Majesty has sent a message to all places that Yu Duan Zhichun has reconciled, and the Tianzhu army and the Bagan army are not invaders, but have come to help us, and ask all localities to prepare grain and grass to meet the friendly army." The localities did so, and they did not expect them to attack suddenly! All places were caught off guard and were all drummed! ……”

Emperor Dali was so depressed that he almost wanted to hit his head against the wall, which was really lifting a stone to shoot himself in the foot! The ministers complained about the emperor in their hearts, thinking that the emperor was really ridiculous! However, they forgot that they also supported the emperor's decision at the beginning, and they didn't think much of Princess Qionghua's opposition.

Emperor Dali said at a loss: "What should I do now?" He looked at His Highness's ministers with a look of hope. The ministers looked at each other, and no one could speak. Emperor Dali was annoyed and was about to scold, when he suddenly thought of Qionghua and felt that only Princess Qionghua could solve problems for herself at this moment! However, he hesitated, only feeling that he had been like that to her before, but now he begged her in turn, and this old face really couldn't be pulled off. After hesitating for a long time, the current critical situation finally prevailed, and immediately ordered Princess Qionghua to be summoned to meet him.

When Princess Qionghua heard her father's call, her first thought was that her previous prediction had come true, Duan Zhichun and they must not have kept the covenant, and their previous actions were just a trap, and now they were afraid that the south and west sides had all been lost.

Princess Qionghua did not dare to delay and hurried to the main hall. Seeing the atmosphere in the main hall, Deng Shi knew that his guess was right. However, she didn't want her guess to come true, because that would mean that the situation in Dali had reached a critical point!

As soon as the emperor saw Qionghua, he hurriedly said, "Qionghua, you are finally here!" What do you think should be done about the current situation? ”

Princess Qionghua bowed to her father, Emperor Yingying, and then asked, "Is it true that Uncle Huang, Tianzhu, and Bagan are not at all like what they said before, but they suddenly attack when we are unprepared?" The emperor nodded in embarrassment, and then angrily scolded: "These fellows are treacherous, they are really despicable and shameless!" ”

Princess Qionghua sighed and said, "Actually, how can they unite with us!" If it was before the war, it would still be possible to unite, but after Tianzhu and Bagan saw the fragility of our army, they were already arrogant, and they no longer put us in their eyes, how could they join forces with us to deal with the Ming army? What they want can be easily obtained by snatching, so why bother to join forces with us to deal with Daming? Besides, their tripartite alliance, Tianzhu is the strongest, Bagan is second, Duan Zhichun's strength can't be compared with them at all, and our negotiations with them, Tianzhu and Bagan are not involved, why does Duan Zhichun represent them, Duan Zhichun's commitment to us, how can he restrain Bird Tianzhu and Bagan? ”

When the Dali monarch heard Princess Qionghua's remarks, he couldn't help but sweat coldly, and at this time he felt that the previous move to negotiate with the other party was too ridiculous! However, no one wants to admit their mistakes! Emperor Dali said angrily: "What's the use of saying these words now? You just say what to do now, right? ”

Princess Qionghua sighed and said, "What else can I do now, I can only go to Da Ming for help!" ”

After all, what happens next, let's see how it will be broken down next time.